Lights, Camera, Christmas!

This past Sunday we bought out Christmas tree! It stands over 7 feet tall and has sturdy branches - perfect for hanging lots of ornaments. It's our fourth tree together but our first one as newlyweds so it feels a bit more special this year.

Getting ready to put the lights on as
Miss Kitty (looking quite possessed) stands guard.

Rascal, looking equally possessed, decides to take a more stealthy position. I even saved this photo as "satan kitty"

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

I even bought us a new tree skirt to commemorate
our first Christmas as a married couple.

"Fun"ctional gifts

I've been doing some research online for this year's gift giving season and came across some items that put the "fun" in "functional" (wow, I really did write that didn't I). These would be great gift ideas for a certain husband that may or may not be seeking assistance while he's looking for Christmas gifts...I'm just saying...

I'm not always good at hiding what I feel as it tends to get written all over my face. So I figured why not wear what I feel too. I LOVE BBQ! And thanks to this cute shirt from CafePress, I can tell everyone.

I actually think these insulated mugs from West Elm are pretty cute. A lid to keep the heat in but a silicone band to keep from burning myself - how practical! Plus, the reindeer looks a bit like a funny little character raising its arms and cheering. And why shouldn't it cheer, it's so darn adorable.

I guess this one is for the kid in me who also likes to create pretty things but is not always motivated to do so. This fun coloring book from Amazon looks like just the cure for those days I'm feeling artistically inclined but not creatively inspired.

One of the best gifts I could receive is feeling organized. I realize a feeling is hard to wrap up and stick under the tree so I'll stick to the tools that help me feel organized, and the prettier the better. I usually keep all appointments in my iPhone as well as on a wall calendar in my office but I never turn down just one more way of keeping my life in check. Kate Spade seems to have the answer with this cute desktop calendar. In addition to the usual form and function of a calendar like this, there are also 12-months of spirited suggestions designed to surprise, delight and inspire. I wouldn't mind being surprised, delighted and inspired in 2011, especially if I don't get that coloring book.

My little helper

I’m in the midst of the laborious task of writing the thank you notes, the ones from Hal and me. And yet I’m the one crafting what to say, writing them out, addressing the envelopes, stuffing and stamping them. But there’s no “I” in team, right, and Hal and I are now a team. So last night I asked my teammate for help.

Task 1: Seal the envelopes, please

After 6 of them were completed…

Hal: I’m done with the envelope sealing.

Jenn: What do you mean? There are more to go.

Hal: I just gave myself a paper cut from licking them.

Oye.


Task 2: Place return address labels on them, please

Jenn: On second thought, maybe I should do this.

Hal: Why?

Jenn: Last time I asked you to put stamps on for me, they were kind of crooked.

Hal: Well how would you like them then?

Jenn: Straight!

Nevertheless, Hal took on the task and was doing a fine job. I had forgotten that I had placed half the envelopes upside down so that the pile would sit evenly. My bad.

Hal: Whoa, whoa, what are you doing to me?

Jenn: What do you mean?

He pointed an accusing finger at the upside down envelope.

Hal: You can’t throw me off like this. If I hadn’t noticed this, it could’ve been disastrous!

Oh boy.

It was a good effort but maybe these tasks were too much for my teammate. I mean, after he was done he did settle back onto the couch looking rather exhausted. I have a feeling that for the next round the team is going to consist of me, myself and I. This way all potential disasters are avoided and there are no injuries on the job.

PS, Hal was still nursing the paper cut on his lip this morning...

Last licks

When Hal and I returned from our honeymoon it was already the beginning of November, way past peak leaf-peeping time. But we've managed to soak in what's left of autumn with a couple of local nature hikes. The colors are still somewhat vibrant allowing me to enjoy the last looks of my favorite season.

Hook Mountain hike

Hal looking very seasonable during our walk around Talman Park

Honeymoon

So with nearly 3,000 photos to go through from our honeymoon, where to start is a daunting question. Hal didn't even have his camera in Athens and he still managed to take more pictures than I did. If you look at most of our photos, they're mainly scenic shots. But we managed to get in a few if only to prove we visited these places together...

In Cannes, France overlooking this very exclusive resort city that is also home to the best (and only) French macarons we've ever had .

View from the Ponte Vecchio. A rainy day in Florence made for an adventure in staying dry and trying to keep the rain out of our eyes as we looked at Il Duomo and the Piazza Signora.

Yes, that's the Parthenon in the background. What you can't see is how terrible Hal is feeling thanks to some food poisoning the night before. He was such a determined trooper though, managing to tour the Acropolis and Cape Sounion without a bathroom close by.

The ruins of Ephesus were all around us at one of our favorite stops during the honeymoon. The restoration work was just so impressive. We look like such tourists.

Ah, Santorini. The reality of this place lives up to every image and picture you've seen of it. It feels like a wonderful escape when you're surrounded by such a beautiful and picturesque landscape of azure water.



Somehow we forgot to take a photo together during our tour of Herculaneum in Naples so I had to improvise. Herculaneum, a town also affected when Mt. Vesuvius erupted was like a huge playground for us where we could wander freely amongst most of the ruins, much of which was remarkably preserved by the mud and ash that had settled there. This is a mosaic that was still very much intact.



And one more photo just to prove we actually did take a cruise and spent some time on the ship.

Reality bites

A reminder that not long ago all I had to worry about was my camera running out of battery life.

View from the Acropolis overlooking Athens