I have been seriously slacking with blog posts during this vacation, the photos are piling up and the days are flying by - the signs of a busy yet great trip home. After a whirlwind trip to NYC we headed home to Boston for a typical family reunion - catching up around the kitchen, lots of food and the customary trip to get Mexican food - bring on the margaritas. No trip home would be complete with out checking out the ridiculous, over the top Christmas light displays. This particular house a few towns over captured the true National Lampoon spirit...
When the plane touched
down at JFK, I was delirious with exhaustion but somehow wide awake with
anticipation as we neared the city and I caught my first glimpse of the skyline
and the unmistakable peak of the empire state building. It’s a view that gets me every time. For the first four days of our trip we
stayed with J’s best mate, Daniel who has lived in NYC for what seems like
forever. Every time we stay with
Dan, two things happen automatically: 1.) you immediately feel like a New
Yorker as we seek out hidden gems and hole in the wall attractions no tourist
ever would and 2.) you question why the hell you don’t live in new york because
it’s that freakin awesome. I love
it – the crowded streets, the buzz in the air, the graffiti, trash, array of
characters on the street, everything about the city seems alive and when you
are there you just go with the flow.
So that is what we did. After catching up and some dinner we headed out to the Tiki Bar and a
few other local watering holes which ultimately ended up being a boozy, blurry photo
filled night.
Ever the tour guide,
the next morning Dan lead us around the city and we foolishly braved the holiday crowds in Times Square and Rockefeller Center. We ate and drank our way around the city over the next few days, heading into Brooklyn to spend time with our good friends Anna and David, getting to meet their daughter Hannah for the first time. Catching up with Anna, it felt as if no time at all had passed and we sat for hours in an empty cafe, just talking. It felt like the old days and made me a sad to the leave behind the bright lights of NYC...
The bags are packed, the passports ready and tomorrow morning we're leaving on a jet plane. First stop NYC for a bit of catching up with old friends and (hopefully) playing tourist. Then, up to Boston for what I will always consider to be a 'real' Christmas - cold weather, snow (fingers crossed),lots of familiar faces, old Christmas movies and way too much food. I'll try to post as much as I can while overseas but just in case I get side tracked, here's wishing all of you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year....back soon. x
p.s - congrats to Alexia & Rob on the long awaited arrival of little Dougie, the best Christmas gift of all.
I'm not a big fan of Christmas gift guides but I do have to admit there is one book on my 'list' this year - Conversations with Creative Womenby Tess McCabe. Earlier this year I was lucky enough to meet Tess during one of our Life Instyle events and even luckier to write a guest post for her website, Creative Women's Circle. She is a cool, creative and inspiring woman, one that has certainly influenced me and hopefully will do the same for you...
After wind, rain and cold weather all week, the skies cleared and the sun came out just in time to celebrate Des & Keith's weekend wedding. Held right on the waterfront in Newport, no detail was overlooked: the bride looked beautiful, the mood was happy, family and friends gathered from overseas, the food delicious and let's not forget the dancing. Congrats to Des & Keith, it was a great night, here's wishing you both all the happiness in the world.
In spite of the rainy, cloudy skies that have blanketed Sydney this week, I have still managed to maintain my holiday spirit. Secretly this cold weather makes it feel a bit more like home and I'm loving every moment, if only it would snow. This weekend was busy as holiday prep mode kicked into full gear. There was a wedding celebration, Christmas baking and batches of homemade muesli, more wrapping and getting ready for our trip back home, only a few days away - I'm counting down the minutes...
