Resolutions.

Admittedly, other people's resolutions are pretty boring to read, but I do think there's value in writing something down, especially as I reflect on resolutions for 2012 and 2011. A few goals for 2013:

• Marriage: Read more books together. Experience one new thing each month, whether it's a new restaurant, new hobby or new place. Surprise, encourage and praise him. Delight in sharing responsibility for our pup. Find the best pizza in NYC. 
• Faith: Get more involved in volunteer work at our church. Discuss church membership. Take more time for prayer and reading. Continue to attend small group. 
• Family: Appreciate more. Sacrifice more. Set aside more one-on-one time. Join in celebrations of weddings, graduations, birthdays and births. 
• Vegetarianism: After a good deal of reading and discussion about the subject, I've made the decision to eliminate meat from my diet in 2013. It's a choice I've made for a variety of health reasons - much of the meat that I can afford to eat is filled with antibiotics and steroids, meatless diets have been shown to reduce a risk of heart disease and some cancers, and I'm already receiving more than the RDI of protein. That said, I know that there are environmental and animal-welfare implications of eating certain meats, as well. Some opinions on meatless diets (pro and con) from Mark Bittman and Michael Pollan. 
• Other Nutrition: Incorporate more fruits and vegetables in my diet. Take folate, Vitamin D and Vitamin A supplements. Get more prebiotics and probiotics from onions, garlic and yogurt. Take Omax each day. Try new recipes. 
• Work & Education: Continue to study nutrition through the Tufts Friedman School, listen to lectures and read more essays and books. Get to work early, but don't stay too late. 
• Fitness: Continue with four days of cardio each week and three days of strength training. Try at least one new class. 
• Finances: Lay out a new budget and continue to support our sponsored child and pay off student loans. Set aside a portion of the budget for our summer trip. 

Happy New Year! 

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Husband and pup.

Sometimes when my husband takes our pup out for a walk on the weekend, I watch from our bedroom window and think about 

how much I love that husband, 

how much I love that pup,

and how happy I am that I get to keep them. 

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A merry little Christmas.

We're drinking in time with family this week. 

Truly, we are blessed beyond reason and we're so thankful that we're able to be together as we close out 2012. 

We hope you're surrounded by love, wherever you are. 

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Thoughts from Gus.

Hi friends -

I'm on vacation. I'd had enough of my busy schedule - the trips up and down the stairs, watching Dad work at the computer, walks around the block. It was giving me hypertension.

Finally, a week of naps and belly rubs. I deserve it.

Sniffs and licks,
Gus

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Pittsburgh.

I visited Pittsburgh for the first time about seven years ago. We were in a U-Haul carrying one of my dad's lathes (no one else has those? no?), I was wedged in between my parents in the front seat, we were doing a 14 hour trip and to top it all off, I developed a post-op infection in one side of my face from a recent wisdom tooth removal. I looked so stupid, I almost wish there were photos.

As we drove through Pennsylvania on our jolly way, we somehow ended up on the edges of Pittsburgh (this is where it gets fuzzy, possibly due to the last-minute pharmacy run that we had to make for my lopsided face), where we had dinner with the lathe-seller at a sub-par restaurant that had been referred as one of the "best restaurants in Pittsburgh". We left late at night, driving down eerily quiet back roads as I nursed my throbbing jaw with a lukewarm cloth.

All this to say that my hopes were not terribly high for our visit to Pittsburgh. But oh, it was lovely. We were so pleasantly surprised by the cleanliness, the history and the culture of the city. So I'm sorry, Pittsburgh. My lopsided face and I misjudged you all those years ago.

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A December Wedding.

This weekend we headed out to western Pennsylvania for one of my college roommates' weddings. She was a beautiful bride, and they looked wonderfully happy together. Such a blessing to see friends make a marriage covenant and to join in their celebration.

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Liquiteria Juice Cleanse.

Just after Thanksgiving (and a less-than-healthy month of eating), I decided it was time to try my first real juice cleanse. I'd tried pressed juices before and I was a fan of most, but I'd heard such great things about Liquiteria from some friends that I had to make the trip to the Lower East Side to see what they were all about.

First of all, such a cute place. Very colorful, the staff was helpful and you don't feel pressured to bite off more than you can chew (err, sip more than you can swallow?). I met with Ross, who discussed the various cleanses that they offer and provided a 24 hour juice cleanse that met my preferences and lifestyle.

Second, the juices were completely drinkable - most were downright delicious. All Greens with Apple, Lemon & Ginger was the favorite. And this is coming from someone who typically doesn't do green drinks. Maybe because my father was so adamant about us eating all of our spinach as a kid, despite the fact that it was often watery and maybe a little frozen in some places? These were great, and I never felt hungry.

While Liquiteria only has one location in the city thus far, I hear they're in the process of securing more space in lower Manhattan with new shops to open as soon as Q1 of 2013. Highly recommend!

See here for more information about juice cleansing. I consulted with an RD before cleansing, and you should do the same.

The good people at Liquiteria provided this cleanse for my review. 

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Hudson Lodge.

via.

Last night we went out to the Hudson Lodge with some friends. It's a ski lodge themed bar/restaurant in the Hudson Hotel that opened last month, and while I probably wouldn't go on a weekend (it was full on a Monday night), it's my new favorite place to go out in the city.

They were playing Christmas music, served fondue and had fake snow, people. What's not to love?

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Burgers in the West Village.

We spent a good portion of the weekend holed up in our apartment, avoiding the rain and cold that's settled over the city. Tonight we ventured down to the West Village for dinner at the Corner Bistro, a local hotspot known for its awesome burgers. Stamp of approval, right here. Who knew that dives could be so romantic?

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Holidays at the Trump Soho.

The other night we had our company holiday party at the Trump Soho, which reminded me that:
(a) There should be a no-dance policy around Justin Bieber songs at corporate events. It's a sad day when you have to lean across the dance floor and admit to a coworker that you've never heard the song that you're dancing to. I am no longer "with it". I think I was, once?
(b) I work with some of the most talented and creative people in PR today. It's so much easier to bring passion to your work when you're dealing with coworkers who inspire and encourage you. I am so blessed to be a part of this team and the work that we do.

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On friendship.

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I like to keep my people in closed boxes. In boxes that life and experience do not change. Friendships tucked in places where time cannot get to them, where fire cannot destroy them, where ice can not freeze clarity and companionship. 

It’s something that I’ve thought a lot of lately. It comes to me as dull ache on my walk to the subway. As I get older, I realize that there are some feelings that become familiar companions, for better or for worse. For me, the first is the feeling that I am impossibly small, which drives me, hugs me, overwhelms me. The second is this feeling. The one that worries about being outgrown.  

When I was still very young, I remember seeing Christmas cards from my parents’ friends, most of whom I’d met. But there were a few whose faces were unfamiliar. They wrote sweet notes on the backs of the cards, wishing our family well. Asking how we were doing. And I remember thinking how strange it was that I’d never met these people who had a significant role in my parents’ lives. How my children would never look at Christmas cards and wonder who those people were.

Now I know. While the altering or end to a relationship can be painful - a slow, sad movement of time and experience – there can be value, even in this. This, too, has a season.

Because, in truth, relationships tucked away in boxes don’t have room to grow. And holding life loosely means open-handed relationships, after all. 

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More Christmas in the City.

Our weekend was spent enjoying some of the wonderful things that the Christmas season brings to New York - walking up to Lincoln Center with Gus to see the Christmas lights (for the record, he didn't seem overly impressed), holiday shopping in Bryant Park, watching families tote their Christmas trees home while eating brunch on the Upper West Side (my heart can only take so much cuteness. especially whilst downing a quart of Le Pain's hazelnut spread), and experiencing ABC Family's lineup of every Christmas movie you ever hoped to see (and some you'd rather not see).

We also picked up a "Bah Humbug" t-shirt for Gus while out on Saturday, because dressing him up is one of my truest joys in life. And oh. my. goodness. does he look adorable in it. I spent thirty minutes chasing him around to get a decent photo of him in it. You know... back turned, light enough to read the text on the shirt, head turned to the side, disgruntled expression. I got a lot of the disgruntled expression, but not much else, so we called it a day with the photo above.

Happy December!

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On being a certified hipster.

Just in case you forgot how cool I am, I wanted to let you know that I occasionally wear fake glasses. What's that? FAKE, you say? An affront to the visually impaired everywhere! 

But I'm pretty sure it's allowed, since I wore big honkin' glasses (that make these babies look downright applaudable) all the way through elementary school and am still so very, very visually impaired without my contacts... or the other glasses I own, which are normal-sized.

My husband thinks they're just so gosh darn attractive. He adores hipster fashion.

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This month.

We love you, November.

You and your pre-Thanksgiving Christmas decorations.

Your impossibly dark mornings.

Your changing colors and the reintroduction of peppermint lattes.

Even the way you made us dig out those winter coats.

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The Christmas season.

The Christmas season is in full swing over here. The halls have been decked, the tree has been set up, the tea has been brewed and the music has been played. I am positively giddy as we prepare for another Christmas in New York.

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Happy belated Thanksgiving.

We have much to be thankful for this year. 

Enjoying time in Connecticut with family

and hoping that you're surrounded by love and thankfulness, wherever you are. 

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East Village in the Morning.

Yesterday we made it to the early service at church (it might have been the first time we've had ourselves together enough to be somewhere at the same time by 9:30am), and we made our way to the East Village for brunch afterward.

There's something completely enchanting about the city in the morning. It's in the darkness of the storefronts and the ability to hear your own footsteps. I've talked about it before - that stillness before the world comes alive. Both humbling and intimidating, the recognition that your place is small in the framework of it all. A beauty in knowing that there's so much more to learn of life, of the other lives that pass you by, of the way the world looks from their eyes.

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Black Door.

The other night we celebrated my friend Holly's birthday at Black Door, a dog-friendly (!) bar in Chelsea. And here we are - smiling, hugging and looking like a bunch of raccoons.

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Thoughts from Gus.

Hi friends,

Good news! I'm learning how to read. So far, I'd say it's been a mild success. I thought Mom and Dad would be happier with my progress, but they were more concerned that I "destroyed" their magazines. They just don't understand how difficult it is to turn pages without opposable thumbs.

My life is hard.

Sniffs and licks,
Gus

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Boston in the fall.

I spent the weekend in Boston, visiting a few of my dearest friends. One who is talking about a move across the country, one who is settling into her new Cambridge apartment, and one who is planning an August wedding. And I'm always startled by how quickly it happens - one minute you're smearing chocolate ice cream all over your face or sitting around in a tankini (yikes) at your 16th birthday or walking across the quad to a chemistry class, and the next you're making plans that don't seem quite so far off.

I can't help but think how lucky we must be to grow up and know that we are separated by a few hours - nothing more. Boston isn't such a bad place to visit, after all.

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