new england road trip: portland day 2

Oh, Portland! You thought I forgot about you, didn't you? It's been a while since my last New England road trip post, but I'm hoping to wrap it up soon. I miss the summer and all our fun travels AND the sunshine AND warmth! Sigh. I hope these photos remind you there is a light at the end of this tunnel known as winter. Summer will be back soon enough!

Things we did in Portland: ferry ride to Peaks Island, Lobster Rolls at the Portland Lobster Company, browsing the Harbor Fish Market, cornhole at Novare Res Bier Cafe, dinner at Hot Suppa, and lots and lots of biking around! So much fun!

weekend in review

Kurt and I started off the weekend knocking out some more Beer Book locations. We're determined to use all our coupons, so we spent Friday night in Red Hook at Hope & Anchor and Rocky Sullivan's. Saturday was spent doing chores around the apartment and watching college football. We won't dwell on all the ugly details since our household is a little divided on the subject, but Auburn is going to the national championship game! I restrained my celebration (WDE!) but Aubie was beside himself with joy. On Sunday, I checked out the Brooklyn Holiday Bazaar at 501 Union. The space was gorgeous and they were giving out free drink samples, so I was in the buying mood and knocked out a bit of Christmas shopping. I spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around Cobble Hill and picked up some holiday cards so I can finally get started on that task. And as I'm working on this, Kurt is doing his shift at the Park Slope Food Co-op, so I am at home with two laptops feeding him the football bowl schedule via text as it is announced. Girlfriend of the Year, amiright? And we had snow! I'm usually such a winter grinch, but it was sort of picturesque and pleasant today. Poll me on the subject again in February and I will probably be singing a different tune. Happens every year. Anyway, I hope you all had great weekends!

all i want for christmas

I'll admit it, I'm obnoxiously picky. I blame it on being in a design field. I have a particular way I want things to look and stubbornly stick to it. This drives my family crazy and they think I am such a snob. (I claim I don't need things that are expensive, I just want them to be pretty.) Anyway, my mom is tired of my shenanigans and wants a list of possible Christmas/birthday gifts. Sheila, this is a good time to practice following links/online shopping. Good luck!

My post-graduation (5+ years ago) Dell laptop is on its last leg (which makes this blogging thing a drag), so I'm considering drinking the Apple kool-aid and switching to a Mac Book Pro. Those puppies are expensive, so I am also accepting Apple gift cards to put a dent in the purchase. ► I hate cleaning our floors but I just HAD to have a cat, so the hair tumbleweeds are a problem in our apartment. I promise a robot vacuum will make my life 300% better. ► I also want need new stools for our kitchen. 

I try to work out several days a week. To prevent constantly schlepping my laundry (or multiple wears/smelling like a homeless person), I could add some more capris and tops to my workout wear arsenal. ► All that running requires shiny new kicks too. I don't really like my current Nikes so I am hoping to venture into new territory with Brooks sneakers. Plus, these totally fit into my life color scheme. ► Additionally, hydration is key. Keep your poisonous plastic, I want a bkr glass bottle in kvetch (see: life color scheme).

I've decided I want to be a fancy and wear perfume. Not the Victoria Secret/Bath and Body Works sprays of my youth, but real bonafide eau de parfum. In my dream world, beach by Bobbi Brown will be my summer scent and something simple like Fresh's Sugar Lemon will hopefully carry me through the rest of these god forsaken winter months. ► Part 2 of being an adult: having lovely scented candles strewn around our apartment--and not that artificial Glade junk but quality herbal/citrus ones. (It's true. I am a snob.) ► I am loving big, chunky necklaces these days. J. Crew Factory has some great ones (and they're on sale!). ► Very few things bother me more than a broken finger nail. It always seems to happen when I am out and about, so I need to add a travel manicure kit to my bag.

I'm on the hunt for a new winter hat, preferably a pretty color with a pom pom on top. (Note: this is probably something I will be extra picky about. Dumb, I know.) ► An ice cream maker has been a dream of mine for a while. It will be devastating for my waistline but so so tasty. I can't wait to try out interesting flavors like those from Jeni's and Salt and Straw. ► Arcade Fire tickets! Eh, Kurt?! ► And finally, a PUPPY!!!! C'mon Santa, please come through for me!!!!!!

hudson river holiday cruise

For whatever reason, Kurt's new office had a very early holiday party this year. One Saturday back in the middle of November, we boarded a ship at Chelsea Piers for a midday cruise on the Hudson River. What the party lacked in traditional holiday festiveness, it made up for in sunshine and blue skies (and open bar and lunch buffet). We buzzed around on the water for a while admiring the sights: Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Manhattan skyline--to name a few. It was such a beautiful day and we got the chance to chat with a lot of Kurt's coworkers. It turned out to be a great time!

(thankful) weekend in review

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. Ours was pretty stellar here. (Of course four days off work isn't too shabby, no matter what the date.) Kurt's parents (and their two dogs) battled a huge winter storm and drove in from Ohio to see us. For Thanksgiving dinner, we shared lots of great food and drinks with friends and family in Brooklyn. There was smoked AND fried turkey, bacon wrapped dates, homemade bread, salads, casseroles, multiple pies, and lots and lots of wine (loved how Corkcicle kept my wine cold even when the fridge was stuffed to the brim with holiday food!). After filling our bellies, Kurt and I were able to fit in a few rousing games of Joker with his parents. Our record is currently at 1/1 so there will surely be some rematches over Christmas break!

Speaking of competition, it was Rivalry Week in college football, and Kurt and I were lucky enough to be on the winning end of two amazing football games. Ohio State held off Michigan to continue their undefeated streak while Auburn beat the odds and miraculously defeated top ranked Alabama. I will certainly have a few more grey hairs after both of those intense games! WDE!

On Sunday, Kurt and I made the journey across the George Washington Bridge to visit friends in Englewood, New Jersey and see their adorable new baby. Of course I forgot to take any photos but he is a cutie and is lucky to have such a great mom and dad wading their way through parenthood for the first time. He's definitely in good hands!