Cities
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Turkey Day
I loved Leslie's idea of a photo blog, so here is one of our Thanksgiving holiday. We spent a couple of days celebrating in Jacksonville, Florida with the Swartzes. Thanskgiving was filled with turkey, football, wine, and family...just the way we like it!
It's Turkey time...
Yummmmmmm
Swartzes
I love happy hour two for ones!
We couldn't leave it all behind - Matt had to study...
...while I drank wine...
...while Sadie held Lady's bed hostage.
Football appeteaser (thanks, Angie)
Family pic
Monday, November 22, 2010
The Joy of Cooking
This is my invariable advice to people: Learn how to cook -- try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun! -Julia Child
If you would have asked me 10 years ago (or even 2 years ago) if I thought that I would ever actually enjoy making a meal, I would have looked you straight in the face – laughed - and gone back to stirring my chicken-flavored Top Ramen. Throughout college and post-college, I lived off of macaroni and cheese and Spaghettios (the ones with franks, yum!) Then I got married and moved to Corpus and discovered my new passion – cooking! I think that my new love of cooking had less to do with getting married and more to do with the fact that we lived in the middle of nowhere with few friends (at least in the very beginning). So we spent most of our time cooking new meals, drinking great wine, and watching lots of Netflix. It was a wonderful way to start out!
These days nothing makes me happier than sitting down with a cookbook and looking at all of the possibilities. I love everything about cooking, except for maybe the cleaning part (although I do get a weird satisfaction from wiping down the counters 300 times a day). Our routine is to sit down on Sunday mornings and plan out our menu for the week. We plan one or two new meals every week and then one Swartz “classic” (ie. taco salad, which we tend to eat about once a week). On Sundays, I always try to make a Crock-pot or one-pot meal – something that can be made early and simmer throughout the day (it is hard to get off the couch when you are having an intense Fantasy Football match-up). The rest of the week, we experiment with pork, steak, fish, pasta, etc. We tend not to cook at all on Fridays or Saturdays – those days are reserved for dining out and delivery. I can honestly say that I look forward to getting home from work and putting on Pandora (tuned to Sara Bareilles – thanks, Les), pouring my glass of wine, and grabbing my apron.
So from the girl who went from cooking nothing but microwave meals and the occasional Hamburger Helper to getting uber-excited about her red Dutch oven and Julia Child cookbooks, there is hope for everyone!
Disclaimer for all of you future visitors or dinner guests: Just because I love cooking, doesn’t mean I am any good at it!
Here are some of our creations...
Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing
Round One of Joe Patti's steamed mussels in a mushroom sauce, plus crusty bread and nice big glass of white wine
Matt and I recently bought a Weber grill (I really wanted the red one, but couldn't find it anywhere.) Here is our first night grilling out - we went a little overboard. On the grill we have chicken, hamburgers, sausages, and corn. Lots of good, only three people.
Swartz "Classic" aka Taco Salad
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
lovely surprises.
I turned 28 yesterday...a nice birthday filled with beautiful surprises and being wined and dined by my husband.
He took me to a trendy little hidden restaurant in the East Village, called The Bourgeois Pig for a bruscetta sampler and wine. We will be going back for 1/2 priced wine bottle night and to have what looked like delicious fondue! Then he took me to an awesome restaurant back near our apartment in the West Village called Extra Virgin...he said he had his best meal in NYC last night...lamb chops cooked 3 ways with whipped potatoes...I agree, I ate off his plate multiple time and it was amazing.
my lovely surprises...i just thought they were all too pretty not to share :)
adorable and delicious mini cupcakes from my best friend and fellow blogger - how cute is the packaging?!?!
beautiful lillies from my husband :) he knows flowers are the way to my heart!
roses and orchids in a really pretty container from my parents :)
He took me to a trendy little hidden restaurant in the East Village, called The Bourgeois Pig for a bruscetta sampler and wine. We will be going back for 1/2 priced wine bottle night and to have what looked like delicious fondue! Then he took me to an awesome restaurant back near our apartment in the West Village called Extra Virgin...he said he had his best meal in NYC last night...lamb chops cooked 3 ways with whipped potatoes...I agree, I ate off his plate multiple time and it was amazing.
my lovely surprises...i just thought they were all too pretty not to share :)
adorable and delicious mini cupcakes from my best friend and fellow blogger - how cute is the packaging?!?!
beautiful lillies from my husband :) he knows flowers are the way to my heart!
roses and orchids in a really pretty container from my parents :)
Sunday, November 14, 2010
50 reasons to love living in NYC
From a chain email I got.
Here are 50 other reasons to be blissfully happy that you live in New York City today -- and every day -- that you live here.
50. Sending your laundry out for someone else to wash and dry it is not only convenient, it's just good business. Especially since you will probably never own a washer and dryer. Which means you never have to feel guilty about not doing your own laundry. Next.
49. Drinking coffee four times a day, every day, isn't the exception, it's the rule.
48. The secret Chick Fil-A at the NYU dining hall.
47. There is always someone crazier than you. ALWAYS.
46. The view from the Brooklyn Bridge.
45. The view of the Brooklyn Bridge.
44. The epic feeling you get running to catch a train and succeeding...just before the doors close.
43. Law and Order. 30 Rock. SNL. And a million other things that film here and we love.
42. Manhattan-Brooklyn/Brooklyn-Manhattan wars never cease to entertain. Nor do hipster-Hasid wars. Or hipsters in general.
41. We get the inside jokes. Because, actually, we made them up in the first place.
40. That horrified look on our parents' friends' faces when we tell them we live in "Hell's Kitchen."
39. Sure, we work out next to Alec Baldwin, Padma Lakshmi, and Bridget Moynahan, and walk the streets with Willem Dafoe, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Tina Fey, but, really, we're kinda too busy with our own lives to notice.
38. Drinking is like breathing. Or slightly more acceptable.
37. Because it's not enough to just love New York. New York needs to love you back, too. Hey, we have high standards.
36. Whatever you need, whenever you need it, there is someone who will bring it to you for a price, which may or may not be negotiable. (Or legal.)
35. By the time the rest of the nation has bedbugs, we'll have figured out how to get rid of them. In the meantime, we'll mock them by dressing our dogs up as bedbugs for Halloween.Laugh in the face of fear, New Yorker!
34. There are almost 200 bars in the East Village alone.
33. There's no shortage of stupid rich people to make fun of.
32. The endless delights of the New York Post.
31. You don't even need a passport, or a license, to partake in any cuisine you could want.
30. The fact that one-bedroom apartments cost an average minimum of a half-million dollars means we think nothing of spending $12 on lunch.
29. Restaurants are as common as single men and women. And equally diverse. And you never have to see either of them again after the initial awkward encounter.
28. The omnipresent opportunity to Gaga-ify yourself. And the chance that it will seem, just, normal.
27. Street noise actually puts you to sleep, while silence makes you nervous.
26. Smart people are the norm, not the exception. (Which doesn't mean they're sane, but at least no one's boring.)
25. Except in select 'hoods like Park Slope and perhaps the Upper West Side, children are viewed as mysterious beings, rarely sighted and only occasionally understood, like pixies or magical small butlers. Until they scream, in which case, they are banished from the palace.
24. When you fly back into the city after a vacation or business trip, no matter how long you've lived here, you get that butterflies-in-the-stomach feeling.
23. Efficiency in a drugstore checkout line.
22. How easy it is to find doughnuts, pizza, Chinese food, or any other snack your drunken self desires at 4 a.m. Or to continue to drink. Responsibly!
21. Broadway. Museums. CULTCH-AH. Even if you never actually go to see anything (though you should, at least once).
20. Yelling "f***" is just a mild obscenity.
19. There's no shame in sticking your fingers in your ears like an anal weirdo when an ambulance goes by screeching.
18. Summer concerts in Central Park.
17. Starbucks is not the best coffee in New York, there are some amazing cafes all over the city.
16. Dogs are treated like royalty or better.
15. The splendor of the Union Square Greenmarket.
14. A bagel with cream cheese from a real new york bagel shop.
13. Parks are treated like beaches during warm weather. Bikini, check, sunscreen, check, blanket, check....off to the park!
12. One of our bars has 100-year-old urinals.
11. Complain about the MTA, but you can get anywhere in the city for just $2.25. Or $2.50 single ride, come 2011. Still pretty damn cheap.
10. Subway rage. Bike-lane rage. Walking rage. Random rage. These are our therapy. Although we all go to therapy, too. No judgments! We bitch, therefore we are.
9. Jaywalking is an art form.
8. The free Ikea ferry to Red Hook on weekends!
7. Subway "prewalking," in which you walk to the exact right spot on the platform to board the train car that will save you the most time upon exit, exists and has a name. Gotta respect.
6. You can be alone, but never feel lonely. And vice versa. But if you die and aren't found until a year later, you won't be the first.
5. We are, as a group, anti-fanny-pack as much as we are pro-gay-marriage. Hetero marriage, on the other hand, we can pretty much take or leave.
4. 35 is the new 26. Or is it 45? Whatever, age ain't nuthin' but a number, and as long as you're younger than your IQ score, no harm, no foul.
3. Finding your "local" is that much better here.
2. There is absolutely no reason to ever drink and drive. Added bonus: Spontaneous, fascinating conversations with cab drivers.
1. If you can make it here, you really can make it anywhere. But why would you bother to go anywhere else?
Here are 50 other reasons to be blissfully happy that you live in New York City today -- and every day -- that you live here.
50. Sending your laundry out for someone else to wash and dry it is not only convenient, it's just good business. Especially since you will probably never own a washer and dryer. Which means you never have to feel guilty about not doing your own laundry. Next.
49. Drinking coffee four times a day, every day, isn't the exception, it's the rule.
48. The secret Chick Fil-A at the NYU dining hall.
47. There is always someone crazier than you. ALWAYS.
46. The view from the Brooklyn Bridge.
45. The view of the Brooklyn Bridge.
44. The epic feeling you get running to catch a train and succeeding...just before the doors close.
43. Law and Order. 30 Rock. SNL. And a million other things that film here and we love.
42. Manhattan-Brooklyn/Brooklyn-Manhattan wars never cease to entertain. Nor do hipster-Hasid wars. Or hipsters in general.
41. We get the inside jokes. Because, actually, we made them up in the first place.
40. That horrified look on our parents' friends' faces when we tell them we live in "Hell's Kitchen."
39. Sure, we work out next to Alec Baldwin, Padma Lakshmi, and Bridget Moynahan, and walk the streets with Willem Dafoe, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Tina Fey, but, really, we're kinda too busy with our own lives to notice.
38. Drinking is like breathing. Or slightly more acceptable.
37. Because it's not enough to just love New York. New York needs to love you back, too. Hey, we have high standards.
36. Whatever you need, whenever you need it, there is someone who will bring it to you for a price, which may or may not be negotiable. (Or legal.)
35. By the time the rest of the nation has bedbugs, we'll have figured out how to get rid of them. In the meantime, we'll mock them by dressing our dogs up as bedbugs for Halloween.Laugh in the face of fear, New Yorker!
34. There are almost 200 bars in the East Village alone.
33. There's no shortage of stupid rich people to make fun of.
32. The endless delights of the New York Post.
31. You don't even need a passport, or a license, to partake in any cuisine you could want.
30. The fact that one-bedroom apartments cost an average minimum of a half-million dollars means we think nothing of spending $12 on lunch.
29. Restaurants are as common as single men and women. And equally diverse. And you never have to see either of them again after the initial awkward encounter.
28. The omnipresent opportunity to Gaga-ify yourself. And the chance that it will seem, just, normal.
27. Street noise actually puts you to sleep, while silence makes you nervous.
26. Smart people are the norm, not the exception. (Which doesn't mean they're sane, but at least no one's boring.)
25. Except in select 'hoods like Park Slope and perhaps the Upper West Side, children are viewed as mysterious beings, rarely sighted and only occasionally understood, like pixies or magical small butlers. Until they scream, in which case, they are banished from the palace.
24. When you fly back into the city after a vacation or business trip, no matter how long you've lived here, you get that butterflies-in-the-stomach feeling.
23. Efficiency in a drugstore checkout line.
22. How easy it is to find doughnuts, pizza, Chinese food, or any other snack your drunken self desires at 4 a.m. Or to continue to drink. Responsibly!
21. Broadway. Museums. CULTCH-AH. Even if you never actually go to see anything (though you should, at least once).
20. Yelling "f***" is just a mild obscenity.
19. There's no shame in sticking your fingers in your ears like an anal weirdo when an ambulance goes by screeching.
18. Summer concerts in Central Park.
17. Starbucks is not the best coffee in New York, there are some amazing cafes all over the city.
16. Dogs are treated like royalty or better.
15. The splendor of the Union Square Greenmarket.
14. A bagel with cream cheese from a real new york bagel shop.
13. Parks are treated like beaches during warm weather. Bikini, check, sunscreen, check, blanket, check....off to the park!
12. One of our bars has 100-year-old urinals.
11. Complain about the MTA, but you can get anywhere in the city for just $2.25. Or $2.50 single ride, come 2011. Still pretty damn cheap.
10. Subway rage. Bike-lane rage. Walking rage. Random rage. These are our therapy. Although we all go to therapy, too. No judgments! We bitch, therefore we are.
9. Jaywalking is an art form.
8. The free Ikea ferry to Red Hook on weekends!
7. Subway "prewalking," in which you walk to the exact right spot on the platform to board the train car that will save you the most time upon exit, exists and has a name. Gotta respect.
6. You can be alone, but never feel lonely. And vice versa. But if you die and aren't found until a year later, you won't be the first.
5. We are, as a group, anti-fanny-pack as much as we are pro-gay-marriage. Hetero marriage, on the other hand, we can pretty much take or leave.
4. 35 is the new 26. Or is it 45? Whatever, age ain't nuthin' but a number, and as long as you're younger than your IQ score, no harm, no foul.
3. Finding your "local" is that much better here.
2. There is absolutely no reason to ever drink and drive. Added bonus: Spontaneous, fascinating conversations with cab drivers.
1. If you can make it here, you really can make it anywhere. But why would you bother to go anywhere else?
Friday, November 12, 2010
add this to your ipod, ipad, nano, macbook, iphone..whatever.
So some of you know my recent obsession with the musician, Sara Bareilles. She's not new on the music scene...you probably know her for "I'm not gonna write you a love song!"
but recently she came out with a song called "king of anything" and i looove it. then I bought her whole album and it's just to die for. every. single. song.
in the same way i loved listening to the dixie chicks growing up, singing along to every song and just loving everything they stood for as women musicians...i love listening to sara bareilles's music. She's honest, open, hilarious, she writes her own music and plays her own instruments...the guitar, piano and some acordian-like instrument. Buuut most importantly her voice is soulful and literally music to your ears.
Nick and I got ourselves into her recent concert at Webster Hall...selling beer helps make some nice connections! We had an awesome time....stood about 30 feet from the stage. opening acts were good...check out The Cary Brothers Band
You can basically watch her whole concert on youtube....WARNING: If You are Offended by the F word...you may not like her humor/music.
My favs:
-Uncharted
-Bottle It up/King of Anything
-Let it Rain
-Basketcase
-Vegas
videos from the show
Also listen to One Republic featuring her in a song called "Come Home"
but recently she came out with a song called "king of anything" and i looove it. then I bought her whole album and it's just to die for. every. single. song.
in the same way i loved listening to the dixie chicks growing up, singing along to every song and just loving everything they stood for as women musicians...i love listening to sara bareilles's music. She's honest, open, hilarious, she writes her own music and plays her own instruments...the guitar, piano and some acordian-like instrument. Buuut most importantly her voice is soulful and literally music to your ears.
Nick and I got ourselves into her recent concert at Webster Hall...selling beer helps make some nice connections! We had an awesome time....stood about 30 feet from the stage. opening acts were good...check out The Cary Brothers Band
You can basically watch her whole concert on youtube....WARNING: If You are Offended by the F word...you may not like her humor/music.
My favs:
-Uncharted
-Bottle It up/King of Anything
-Let it Rain
-Basketcase
-Vegas
videos from the show
Also listen to One Republic featuring her in a song called "Come Home"
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Thank You
When I was younger, my mom would insist that Chris and I write thank you letters for every gift we received - birthdays, Christmas cards, graduations, etc. We hated it. We would try to put it off as long as possible (even volunteering for the dreaded bathroom cleaning chore over having to sit down and write). But over the years, we realized how important it was to thank people for their thoughts and generosity. For the past couple of years, Chris and I write our thank you letters on our very own, without one single reminder from Mom. She is so proud!
So in the spirit of saying thank you, I am taking advantage of this blog today to thank all the Veterans in my life. We have a looooooong history of the military in my life (mostly Navy, but a few Marines and Army mixed in) - I even found out recently that I have a relative that fought in the Civil War (I love learning about the Civil War, so this was really neat to find out). And as much as I kid about the Navy driving me crazy with their indecisiveness and aversion to any sort of planning, I love being a part of a military family. I see firsthand the sacrifices that they have made for our country and I am very grateful. So to all Veterans, thank you for sacrificing your lives, time, home, family, friends, births, holidays, birthdays, vacations, take-out restaurants, Starbucks, soccer games, concerts, and everything else that we take for granted while you are protecting our country. I am very proud of you and proud of what you are doing for us. I love you allJ
Here are pictures of some of my VeteransJ
Matt, my awesome husband and Student Naval Aviator
My little brother, Chris, taken the day he left for Iraq.
He is the only reason that I have a soft spot for the Army;)
Cheers to you, Dad (even though I'm not making a "Cheers" face)! Dad is also a Naval Aviator - I know - weird that I am also married to a Student Naval Aviator
(I have heard it before...)
My Grandpa and Korean War veteran (Navy)
My Uncle Steve (Navy Submariner and red wine expert!)
Matt's dad and Dad-in-law (Navy - are you seeing a trend;))
Matt's grandpa and Pa-in-law (Korean War Veteran, Army)
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Trick or Treat
This was the first Halloween that Matt and I have been able to celebrate since we have been married. Last Halloween I was stuck on the couch with strep throat, therefore Matt was stuck inside taking care of me (what a good husband!) We LOVE any excuse to dress up – Halloween, 80s cover bands, theme parties – we used to be regulars at the Arlington Goodwill. My one caveat is that I do not like to spend a lot of money on our costumes. My goal this year was to spend under $20 for both costumes. With a little creativity and some wire hangers, we were able to accomplish it!
We used electrical tape, soccer cones, ribbons, clip art, and a painter suit to transform into a bee and beekeeper (see below for our award-winning designs). We probably had just as much fun creating our costumes as we did wearing them. We celebrated Halloween with our good friends at a house party. Thanks, Sara and Rick, for taking one for the team and having everyone over!
My attempt at dressing Sadie up as a Pumpkin (she wasn't really feeling it)
Construction of the hat (key piece of costume)
The Bee and Beekeeper
Sara and Natalie - these girls were in Corpus with us and made the move to Florida! Hopefully we will be in the same place for a little bit longer:)
I love my beekeeper (especially b/c he is willing to wear a women's sun hat for the sake of the Halloween)
PS - I am writing this during commercials of the Hokie game. I needed a break from this disgusting start. Matt is on watch, so I am keeping him updated through texts. Let's hope we can turn this game around. GO HOKIES!!!
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
New York, New York
Casey's Take on the Weekend
For my birthday this year Matt gave me a ticket to New York City New York City
I got my first New York Milton had been sleeping for four hours, yet in New York
The rest of our time was filled with walks around the New York
It was such a great weekend that the three of us have decided to make this an annual tradition and have a girls’ weekend every fall. We are thinking Chicago , Seattle , San Diego
Leslie's Take on the Weekend
I can't even begin to say how grateful I am for my girlfriends. Sometimes you just need to have those conversations that could last for hours and that laughter that happens only with your best friends when your mantle falls off the wall and all your decorative rocks fall into your couch. I was beyond excited that Matt decided to give Casey a flight to NYC for her birthday...I couldn't wait to have her here and Tina coming was the icing on the cake. Since I've been here I always think "oh, Casey would love that" or "oh Tina would love this place". Living together in Arlington for multiple years made us so close...it was just perfect to have them both here! To make it even better, Nick actually went down to Philly for the weekend and took Cole, so we had the apartment to ourselves and without all the dog fur...haha.
When Casey arrived, I drove to JFK and picked her up ad on the way back into the city there is the best view of the skyline at night...I said "welcome to the big apple, case!" There's nothing like the New York skyline to get you ready for a weekend in the city. Tina arrived by train Friday AM which is so easy from DC. I told them that people in new york truly never sleeps and they really got a taste of it on Thursday and Friday night. Thursday night when Casey arrived I took her to a restaurant/bar on the corner of our block...at 1:30am full of people drinking and ordering food...she was surprised to say the least. Friday night the 3 of us were walking home from the bar when some guys asked us at 4am, "where are you ladies going? the night is young!" to which we replied..."um it's 4am, we're going home!" haha.
We did lots of shopping, but controlled our buying...although I'm sure Tina is still dreaming about this leather jacket she almost bought ;) I got to show them what it's really like to be a local in nyc and the village by going to some great small restaurants for lunches with drinks, dinner, and wine and more wine. We also did a little lounging at my apartment and got to watch one of our favorite girly shows on dvr.
The weather made for a gorgeous fall weekend and as I sent Casey off on the subway to get to JFK, I made sure she had a true New York bagel experience...from the picture you can tell it did not disappoint. I can't wait for our next trip...maybe San Diego!?
Here are just a few pictures of our NYC weekend!
My first trip on the Subway
Love these girls!
What part of this picture gives away that these are not our first glasses of wine?
With the Empire State Building as the backdrop
Brunch at Tartine in the West Village
Sausage Egg & Cheese on a NY Bagel at Murray's Bagels
Happy Fall...picture only blog!
Random pictures for my picture only blog today!
Cute cake for Shannon's baby shower for Caroline
Cute cake for Shannon's baby shower for Caroline
Showered with Gifts!
Mom, Shannon, Shannon's Mom, and me...family!
Rockefeller center made of legos at the mega lego store!
a fundraising dinner...where matt damon was the host!
Empire State of Mind
Scott & Melissa spent their 2 year anniversary in nyc...and we got to have dinner with them!
caroline was a scoop of mint chocolate chip for halloween...haha.
look at her cute little leggings!
boo!
annual pumpkin pic
Small pumpkins for a small apartment!
Autumn decorations
spooky stoop in our neighborhood
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)