him and her

our advent calendar

2010-12-08T10:03:00.001-05:00

in preparation for the christmas holiday, we're doing another advent calendar this year. we did one last year and for the most part really enjoyed it. we've made a few tweaks here and there and are very excited about our new list of fun and festive activities.

here are a few of the items on our list this year:

~~buy a new christmas ornament~~
watch the movie, white christmas
complete a christmas jigsaw puzzle (in progress)
~~roast marshmallows in the fireplace~~
~~buy and decorate christmas tree~~
~~listen to david sedaris, holidays on ice, with friends~~
~~hang christmas lights outside~~
~~service of lessons and carols~~
~~play board games with friends~~
~~buy a new christmas album~~
~~drink eggnog~~
go on a christmas date
~~wrap christmas presents while watching a christmas movie~~
watch the movie, love actually
~~drink hot cocoa~~
bake a christmas pie
watch the movie, elf
watch the movie, a christmas story
attend our work christmas party
drive around town looking at christmas lights
bake christmas cookies
read the christmas story from one of the gospels
listen to christmas music on the radio

the idea is to do one advent activity a day until christmas. last year we made a calendar but found that having an activity to do on a specific day caused a lot of unnecessary pressure and some days it felt forced. so this year we decided to just make a list and cross them off as we go and hopefully by christmas we will have done all the things on our list.

happy advent everyone!

(photo credit: dress, design & decor)

the first snow

2010-12-08T09:54:00.001-05:00

we had our first snow this past weekend. it was beautiful. it made for a very festive weekend. ben hung our outside lights and i went christmas shopping amidst the falling snow. it was perfect. i love how quiet everything is when it's snowing. very peaceful.

in other news, ruthie LOVES the snow. she likes to roll around in it. she has this move where she takes off running and slides on her belly with her nose in the snow after which she eats all the snow she's collected. what a goon! i took some pictures and will try to post some on here soon.

stay warm.

(photos credit: from me to you)

a magical greek thanksgiving

2010-11-30T18:31:00.001-05:00

happy belated thanksgiving everyone! here's hoping you feasted on great food and time with family, friends, and loved ones. as for us, we had quite the magical thanksgiving this year.

last week we drove to florida and went to the wizarding world of harry potter with friends. it. was. amazing.

then we traveled west a bit to my hometown of tarpon springs where we had a delightful thanksgiving with my family. on saturday, i got to treat my friends to the full on tarpon springs greek experience. side note: tarpon springs is notable for having the highest percentage of greek-americans of any city in the u.s. we ate delicious greek food, toured the sponge docks, ran into many of my greek relatives while at the sponge docks, saw some greek dancing, and ate baklava.

(photo credit: from me to you)

cd club

2010-11-22T08:00:00.002-05:00

ben and i recently started a cd club with some friends.

the history: during our epic trip to california for emily and nick's wedding reception, we were able to reconnect with some of our best friends from college. while reminiscing the good times, we discovered that one of the biggest things we miss about living in the same town is our ability to share great music with one another. so we decided to do something about that. ben and i shared with them an idea to start a cd club (an idea our friend christine gave us). each person sends a cd once a month - one to every person in the group. it can be either a mix cd or an entire album. along with the cd you have to send a short write up on why you chose this album or mix of songs. oddly enough, emily/nick had already made a mix cd for all the out of town wedding guests, so we used that as our first volume for the cd club.

i can't tell you how wonderful this has been. for the past 4 months, we've not only been able to keep in touch with these great friends but we've also inherited some really great tunes along the way.

some of the musicians we've shared/received: camera obscura, hey marseilles (which i love for obvious reasons), mumford and sons, florence + the machine, dan auerbach/the black keys, the national, etc.

ben and i are up next for the month of december. it's so fun to think about what we want to send along to our friends and equally as fun to anticipate receiving a new musical treat in the mailbox each month.

i definitely encourage you all to start a cd club of your own. it's a great way to stay in touch with long distance friends and it's incredibly easy and inexpensive.

a promise is a promise

2010-11-21T10:51:00.000-05:00

i am typically a rule follower by nature and i don't like to break promises even if it takes me 3 months to make true of them. so with that said, here are photos from our u.s. open trip that i promised back in september.

while in new york we ...

#1: saw some really great tennis.

(roger federer)

(new york skyline)

(andy murray)

(robin soderling)

#2: spent time in the city.

and #3: caught up with old friends.

it really was a fabulous trip. we are so thankful to our family for helping to make it possible. best graduation gift ever!

the conservatorie

2010-11-16T16:52:00.000-05:00

there is nothing like a best friend's accomplishment to bring someone out of a 3 month long blog hiatus.

my very talented best friend, amy, and her business partner, meredith, recently opened an event and floral design company, the conservatorie, located in st. augustine, florida.

amy is a very talented florist and i couldn't be more proud of her. one of my biggest regrets this year has to be not being able to attend her grand opening which was held october 30. here are a few photos.

(amy's the one on the left. isn't she pretty?)

can't wait to tell you ...

2010-09-07T23:02:00.000-04:00

... about our trip to new york for the us open. but now we are tired and busy snuggling with our sweet puppy so we'll catch you up sometime soon. lots of great details and pictures to share with you. stay tuned.

catching up vol. 4 - california part 2

2010-08-28T18:45:00.000-04:00

after our time in santa cruz for emily's wedding, ben and i decided to take a short lover's getaway north to marin county, specifically marshall, ca on the tomales bay.

we stayed at nick's cove and cottages. in short, best decision we've made all year. after such a fun filled time with friends, it was nice to have time just to ourselves. our room was incredible and we were so impressed with the entire hotel and all their hospitality and amenities.

after checking in, ben and i took a drive and explored all the great seaside towns. we even did a short hike through the point reyes national seashore which was really beautiful.

we had a fabulous dinner that evening at nick's cove before turning in for the night. in the morning, we had complimentary room service for breakfast followed by coffee on the pier before having to check out. ben had to force me in the car kicking and screaming.

it was a really great trip.

catching up vol. 3 - california

2010-08-14T14:29:00.000-04:00

remember emily and her fabulous italian nuptials? well, because the italian wedding was only for close friends and family, they decided to have a larger reception that everyone could attend in santa cruz. not only were we excited about celebrating the happy couple but this was ben and i's first real vacation in i don't know when. we took a lot of pictures so i won't bore you with all of them but here are a few of our favorites ...

(friend rachel arranged for us to stay in this

amazing santa cruz beach house)

(she's even more beautiful the second time around)

(emily's wonderfully large family)

the best part of our time in santa cruz? spending time with emily and these beautiful girls. you never fully realize how much you miss your friends until you see them.

fullsteam brewery

2010-08-14T13:01:00.001-04:00

last night, a group of us went to the grand opening of durham's newest brewery, fullsteam, located in old north durham off rigsbee avenue. the beer was excellent. my favorites were the summer basil farmhouse ale and the carver sweet potato lager. they use mostly all local durham ingredients in their brew and their mission is to create a distinctly Southern beer style that celebrates the culinary and agricultural heritage of the south. the brewmasters were there to give tours of the brewery, they had live music, free posters, and the only burger truck was on hand to feed the hundreds of sweaty durhamites who came out for the festivities. it was a great durham summer night.

catching up vol. 2 - ruthie

2010-08-10T21:35:00.001-04:00

and the second BIG reason for our busyness as of late ....
her name is ruthie.

one thing that i failed to mention is that the same week we started our new jobs, we also decided to get a puppy. not the greatest idea we've ever had. but one thing is for sure, we wouldn't trade her for anything. here is a brief evolution of our time with ruthie so far.

3 months

the sweetest and fluffiest thing on the planet. but it wasn't always sunshine and daisies. we had many many sleepless nights and quite a few battles with potty training. however, i will say this girl can stop traffic, i mean look at that face. we were constantly getting stopped by people wanting to pet her and love on her. she didn't mind, ruthie LOVES the attention.

3.5 months
still adorable but a pain in the you know where. ben and i still aren't sleeping much and now "miss thang" is biting, jumping, eating cat poop, and ripping holes in my new jeans. but we still love her.

4 months
ruthie learns to drive.

4.5 months
ruthie got spayed. hallelujah! no grandpuppies for me thank you very much. in other news, ruthie is getting much better at obeying us. she has mastered sit and stay and does well in her crate while we are gone but still likes to sleep in our room with us. she loves playing with other dogs and enjoys riding in the car although she's a bit nervous to put her head out the window.

5 months
the little rascal. ruthie has learned how to jump on the furniture, dig holes in our yard, and bark! lovely. she's doing a lot better on the leash though which is a dream come true. she loves all the yummy toys grandma ellen and sweet aunt bethany sends her and she's no longer scared of sticking her head out the window.

5.5 months
after a frustrating night with ruthie, ben declares "that's it. she's going to puppy school!" we've enrolled the little stinker in puppy school which begins tomorrow. praise the sweet lord. in other news, ruthie has been diagnosed with a skin disease called demodectic. don't worry! it's very common in puppies. but regardless she's on special medication for 45 days. luckily, this has not affected her temperament or her spirit. she's still as crazy as ever but still shamelessly adorable. and very social. some of her bff's lately are emma, wilco, and a new friend woody that we just met today in the neighborhood.

catching up vol. 1 - we work hard for the money

2010-08-08T08:33:00.000-04:00

without a doubt, one of the two BIG reasons we've been absent lately is because as of June 1, ben and i both started new jobs. at the same place! it just hit me the other day that i have yet to update some of you on this pretty big change in our lives so here we go ...

most of you know that for the past two years i've been working at duke divinity school (ben's new alma mater!). as ben's time at duke was drawing to a close, we had tons of questions and concerns about what we should do next. i'll spare you the painful details but the important thing to know is that by god's good mercy, we both got offered positions at duke divinity. i was offered a promotion to a different office and ben was offered a position in THE SAME OFFICE. very freaky. luckily our desks are on separate ends of the building and we most likely will never have to work together so although it may seem weird, we've been loving the extra time with each other.

which leads me to excuse #1

confession: most of the time, i blog while at work. (i know. i'm a bad bad person and i sure hope my boss doesn't read this!) however, with this new position, my desk/office set up is wide open for all to see so there is just no way i could ever blog while on the clock. (that and i made a new year's resolution to stop blogging at work on principle!) sooooo, we're busy. i don't have time to post as much as i'd like or even stay on top of reading my favorites. i am chronically behind and i hate it.

what am i going to do about it?

i don't want to give up on blogging quite yet so i'm trying to make it work. ben and i are in the process of sprucing up our office space. we're purchasing new desks soon and are planning to buy me a new computer so we don't have to keep sharing this one. i think when this happens i'll have more free time to blog in the evenings and on the weekends. maybe i'll even start getting up early? (ah!) but for now, i'm trying to do the best i can at staying afloat and catching up slowly. thanks for your patience.

photo credit: from me to you

catching up series

2010-08-08T08:17:00.000-04:00

sooooo. to say that i've been a bit absent from blogging is quite an understatement. but i DO have good reasons. i promise. and yes, i will give them to you by means of volumes which include what we've been up to since i've been away. lots of catching up to do.

up first, vol. 1 new jobs
stay tuned.

the wait is over

2010-07-25T08:28:00.000-04:00

don draper is back in my life along with the rest of the crew from mad men. thank god! the wait has been a long and painful but ben and i are ecstatic about watching the new season which premieres TONIGHT on amc. ah!

we're back ...

2010-07-18T21:55:00.001-04:00

... and have been since last tuesday. our trip to california was really excellent. one of the best trips we've had in a while. i can't wait to recap our time in santa cruz, nick's cove, the tomales bay, and san fransisco. however, more patience is requested as we have been going non stop with work and catching up with our sweet puppy who just got spayed last week. that combined with some serious lack of sleep.

i promise, more pictures soon!

the photo above was from dinner during our stay at nick's cove.
best. hotel. ever!

california

2010-07-08T10:43:00.001-04:00

we're going. tomorrow!

more to come ...

happy 4th of july

2010-07-05T09:28:00.001-04:00

hope you all had a nice fourth of july!

we had a fun and festive day with friends filled with grilling out, cookout milkshake, wonderful bluegrass music at the american tobacco campus followed by beer and fireworks courtesy of the durham bulls.

great day!

(photo credit: paper tissue)

as promised

2010-06-20T12:40:00.000-04:00

as promised, here are more pictures of friend emily and nick's gorgeous italian wedding.

but before, some background:
my friend emily decided to get married in italy. best decision of her life. and although this meant that most of us (her friends and family) would not be able to attend their nuptials, their photographer, jessica lorren, did an amazing job at making us feel as though we were with them every.single.step of the way.

she took so many pictures and captured so much detail that i really didn't have all that many questions to ask emily when she returned. that's the sign of a great photographer. since it was a destination wedding and there was such much more time spent with the couple, jessica was able to capture days and days worth of wedding activities, not just the actually wedding day.

if you go to her blog, you'll see the wedding is split into 4 parts. the first are pictures of the villa that emily and nick and their families stayed at in tuscany. the place is owned by nick's family and i can't wait until we have group vacations together at this amazing italian getaway!

second, she captured a beautiful family dinner that they had one night (sort of in lieu of a rehearsal dinner). so beautiful. so italian with the long table, lots of food, and wine bottles everywhere. you can feel the emotions in these pictures.

the third installment of pictures was during emily and nick's civil ceremony. this is an italian custom and it almost makes you wonder if you even needed another ceremony it was so breathtaking!

and then ... the wedding. a great series of photos that literally brought me to tears. the dress, the hair, her shoes, nick's adoring looks, the family, the old italian men, ah! it was too much. my sweet friend had the wedding of her dreams and i couldn't be happier for her.

(all photos courtesy of jessica lorren photography)

speaking of our garden

2010-06-11T11:35:00.000-04:00

wouldn't these spoon garden markers be just perfect? adorable.

(courtesy of apartment therapy)

our garden

2010-06-11T11:22:00.002-04:00

right now we have yellow squash, zucchini, red and yellow peppers, and some lettuce. unfortunately, i don't have pictures of my green onions and spinach because ... well ... they're not doing so well.

last weekend, ben built me an additional box for my herbs which include sweet basil, thyme, cilantro, greek oregano, chives, parsley, and rosemary.

a special shout out to our parents who paid for and helped us build our garden a few weeks ago.

ruthie + emma

2010-06-10T19:32:00.003-04:00

last weekend we dog sat emma while friend tyler was out of town (he was doing a 75 mile bike race across three nc mountains. the boy is craaaazy!) during that time, ruthie and emma got to spend a LOT of time together. it's fun to see ruthie interact with other dogs. however it's quite a different experience with every new dog she meets.

ruthie loves emma. emma is two years old now so she's no longer a puppy. but she still let's ruthie jump all over her until she's had enough and then she shows her who's boss. normally this means emma putting ruthie's whole head in her mouth and taking her down. at first this scared me but apparently that's how dogs show their dominance. and ruthie always comes back for more.

poor emma ...

ben's birthday

2010-06-09T09:02:00.005-04:00

yesterday was ben's birthday.

now listen, i love my husband dearly but he is BAD at being the birthday boy. it was like pulling teeth to get him to agree to being celebrated. last year we had a big party with streamers, banners, games, balloons, and cake. i think i scarred him for life. that said, this year he requested that we do something really low key.

so to honor his wishes we decided to gather friends together for a game of volleyball on duke's east campus. luckily for us there was a live band playing close by which added to the festivities. we brought a cooler of drinks, lots of blankets, and all the puppies we could find.

after the volleyball game, we headed to the local durham establishment, cookout, for some birthday milkshakes. we even sang happy birthday to ben (which he hated).

all in all ... i think it was a great night and most importantly it was exactly how ben wanted to spend his birthday. mission accomplished.

more to come ...

2010-06-03T11:34:00.001-04:00

here is the first of many pictures of sweet emily and nick's italian wedding. thanks to jessica lorren photography for giving us a sneak peak. emily and nick are honeymooning in italy right now and i can't wait for them to return so i can hear all the details.

puppy love

2010-05-31T20:43:00.000-04:00

soooo.

we got a puppy.

isn't she perfect?

her name is ruthie. she is a 3 month old yellow labrador retriever and she's got ben and i wrapped around her sweet little finger.

we're goners.

the knees please

2010-05-30T12:50:00.002-04:00

our dear friends, jeremy and sarah knee, made a pit stop in durham this weekend during their trek down to south florida. they currently live in providence, ri where jeremy is doing master's work at brown and sarah is in school for landscape architecture at RISD (rhode island school of design). we're desperately trying to convince them to move to durham.

thanks for visiting! come back soon.

happy birthday emma!

2010-05-27T15:31:00.000-04:00

today is emma's birthday!

she's two

sweetness

2010-05-26T08:44:00.000-04:00

i saw these photos on kristyn's facebook page and just had to post them.
isn't she such a beautiful new mommy?

(photo credit: facebook thievery)

my husband the baker

2010-05-25T12:58:00.002-04:00

ben announced yesterday that he would like to learn to make croissants from scratch. just so we're clear ... i fully support this decision.

(photo credit: flickr)

graduation recap: family and friends

2010-05-25T11:03:00.002-04:00

the whole graduation weekend was a blast and what made it not only possible but also more enjoyable was having our family and friends there to support us and celebrate with us. a big thank you to buz and sandy (ben's parents), ellen (my mommy), karla (ben's friend from kansas city), evie, matt, and noah (ben's sister, brother in law, and nephew) for all their help, love, and encouragement throughout the weekend.

and we would be remiss if we didn't thank family members who, although couldn't be with us in durham, MOST DEFINITELY were with us in spirit including my dad, brother steve, and darby.

graduation recap over.

the end.

graduation recap: baccalaureate

2010-05-24T11:35:00.001-04:00

saturday evening was the divinity school's baccalaureate service which for most of the students serves as graduation. there was a university wide commencement on sunday but most graduate students opt not to participate since it is mostly catered to undergrads and families and is less intimate of a ceremony.

baccalaureate was held in duke chapel which is ... well ... just breathtaking. the dean of the divinity school (which also happens to be my boss) delivered a beautiful sermon and the excitement in the air was contagious. my favorite part of the service (and any other academic service for that matter) is the processional of the students and faculty. i love to see the excitement on everyone's faces and the organ music performed is so triumphant. it's beautiful.

after the service ended we all gathered for lots of pictures with the graduates. here are some of my favorites ...

graduation recap: ben's big gift

2010-05-23T19:42:00.001-04:00

{back to the graduation recap}

since last july, we've been working on a big surprise gift for ben. my mom came up with the idea and the entire family has been involved. i can't believe that we were able to keep this from ben for so long.

on saturday, after a lovely mother's day brunch at parker and otis, we all gathered and watched as ben opened his gift.

what was the gift?

we're going to the US OPEN!!! a big thank you to all of our family and friends who made this possible. ben was so surprised and has since talked about nothing else.

emily and nick

2010-05-21T13:14:00.001-04:00

i interrupt the graduation recap to announce some very exciting news.

meet emily.

meet nick.

emily and nick are leaving today for italy where, this time next week, they will become husband and wife.

(photos: facebook thievery)

graduation recap: the party

2010-05-19T14:09:00.004-04:00

friday evening we had a big party at the house to honor a few of the graduates and their families. a big thanks to tommy's family for providing all the food. our friend jillaine made a beautiful cake with the duke divinity emblem on it and individual cupcakes for each of the graduates. she even gave each of us a special gift which was a custom made calendar filled with lots of memorable photos from our three years together.

and as for the decorations, i had my first attempt at bunting which i think came out really well. in addition, we made these adorable pom poms (thanks to evie, sandy, and karla for your help on these).

(all photos courtesy of myself, my mom, and sister evie)

graduation recap: forever duke cocktail party

2010-05-18T10:11:00.001-04:00

graduation festivities began on wednesday evening at the cameron indoor hall of fame building where the university hosted a forever duke cocktail party for all the graduates and their guests. it was a nice opportunity to get gussied up and spend time with friends. they had blue devil themed cocktails, delicious appetizers and gifts for all the graduates. we also had special access to the famous cameron indoor stadium.

(photo credit: myself and meredith koebley)

he's done!

2010-05-17T10:45:00.002-04:00

graduation was a huge success! check back all this week for recaps from our fabulous weekend.

the final countdown: graduation week

2010-05-13T16:22:00.001-04:00

i can't believe that our countdown to graduation is almost over.

only 2 more days!

things around here have been jam packed with excitement as families are arriving and students are preparing for commencement this weekend. i am signing off early to spend time with family and participate in a plethora of graduation events. i'll be doing a full recap later but for now, here is a look at what's to come:

forever duke cocktail party
family picnic hosted by the alumni association
friend karla in town
lots of family time
graduation party
mother's day brunch
baccalaureate
duke commencement block party
ben's super super big surprise graduation gift *

* for almost a year now, our families have been plotting together to get ben one AMAZING graduation gift. in fact the entire reason i've been counting down has been to mark the day that i FINALLY can stop keeping this a secret. it's exhausting to lie to your husband for months and months on end. sigh!

thanks to everyone for your support and encouragement.

GO DUKE!

mommy's day (week)

2010-05-11T14:26:00.001-04:00

this is a tad bit late (i know!) but i would be remiss if i didn't take a minute to celebrate all of the fabulous mother's out there. last year i was lucky enough to spend mother's day with the whole family since it just so happened to be the same day as steve and darby's wedding. this year however, i was far far away from my mommy and i did.not.like.it.

the good news is that i'll get to celebrate with her THIS WEEKEND since she'll be in town for ben's graduation. YAY! we are planning to have a nice sunday brunch to celebrate our moms and how important they are to us.

happy mother's week mom and sandy. ben and i love love love you and can't wait to see you both!

(photo credit: shorpy)

1 year of musha love

2010-05-10T08:29:00.000-04:00

happy 1 year anniversary steve and darby!

check out more pictures from their beautiful wedding here. and to read ben and i's (very different) recaps from the day, go here.

(photo credit: kallima photography)

him and her turns 1

2010-05-06T08:49:00.003-04:00

it's my birthday! well not mine exactly, but our blog birthday that is.

exactly a year ago today, we embarked on this journey called blogging. and when i say "we" i mean me. ben has always been pretty hands off (which is probably best for our relationship.)

my original intention or motive for starting him and her was to have a means of documenting ben and i's life together, to show our friends how much we care about them (by including posts like featured friends), and as a way for our families to stay updated on our everyday happenings. occasionally i'll include posts from blogs that i love, diy projects, posts about fashion or interior design (all very her and not so much him!) so what i mean to say is that sometimes i get off track. i juggle having a personal blog which highlights my life with my husband and one in which i desire to focus more on design, cooking, fashion, and photography.

i'm not sure that i've learned how to appropriately juggle these but i want to thank you for reading our blog amidst the inconsistency.

happy birthday him and her!

cinco de mayo and dude stock

2010-05-05T14:22:00.001-04:00

happy cinco de mayo everyone!

whenever this festive mexican holiday rolls around i can't help but think of friend emily. she loves the number 5 and therefore LOVES cinco de mayo. to top if off, she's getting married in 23 days and i've gotta tell you ... this girl could use a margarita about now.

and make that two shots of tequila.

as if cinco de mayo wasn't enough of a reason to celebrate, we're heading to the first annual dude stock tonight over at the dude ranch. there will be live music, lots of yummy food, yard games like bocce and cornhole, a keg of pbr, and a lot of fun times. what are we celebrating you ask? well, today unofficially marks the end of the semester, and for us, the end of our three years at duke divinity school. WOO HOO! no more papers, no more all nighters, no more exams. WE'RE DONE!

only 10 more days until graduation!

(photo credit: flickr)

this just kills me

2010-05-03T15:53:00.001-04:00

ok, so we've all heard of the street style fashion blogs like the sartorialist or stockholm street style. well lookie who made it to the nyc run fashion blog today?

it's friend will !!!!

oh my goodness.

well, i don't blame them. he is a pretty snazzy fella.

(photo credit: nyc run fashion)

from florida ...

2010-05-03T12:05:00.002-04:00

like i said before, ben is in sunny florida (palm beach/ft. lauderdale area) visiting his family. he just sent me this adorable picture of our nephew, noah, playing at the beach. will you just look at that water! ah! i still can't believe we lived there for 5+ years. oh, how i miss it.

by the way, isn't my nephew adorable? this morning he surprised us all by saying "bye aunt say!" while i was saying goodbye to ben on the phone. my heart completely melted.

i could just eat him up.

dreaming of the beach ...

things to do

2010-04-30T11:02:00.006-04:00

it's time to grab the railing and hold on tight because the next two weeks are going to fly by and there is just so much to do. and it all starts tomorrow.

ben has been feverishly working all week getting his final assignments completed before he leaves tomorrow for ... well i guess i can't say because it's a surprise trip for someone special and just in case they read our blog, i don't want to be the one that ruined the surprise. i'll fill you all in tomorrow.

UPDATE: ben is currently in sunny florida celebrating with his family at the installation service for his dad as senior pastor of first baptist church in boynton beach. ben's sister evie also flew in for the surprise along with our nephew noah. ben is sure to have a fabulous time. wish i was there!

once i get this boy on a plane then i can start on my never ending to do list. here's a sneak peak:

~~get a much needed oil change~~
~~finalize catering for the graduation party~~
~~finalize things for mother's day (it's coming people! don't forget)~~
dress shopping for graduation (yes, i'm treating myself for my hard work as a student spouse)
make some pampering appointments before the big day (hair, eyebrows, maybe even a pedicure)
renew car registration
thank you notes
get started on decorations for graduation party*
~~wedding shower for friend meredith~~
clean the house for visitors this week and next
bake cookies for manuel, our neighbor, who keeps mowing our lawn without asking (how dare he!)

* this is the big thing i've got to get started on this weekend. i have a few ideas for decorations for our big graduation party in two weeks. i'm not going to go crazy because ... well ... because i don't want to but i would like to do a few things to spice things up for our guests. first, i am going to make a bunch of duke blue bunting to hang all around the house and on the front porch and back deck area. secondly, i think i'd like to make a few of these pom-poms (duke blue of course) to hang above the dining room table and elsewhere. we'll see how it goes.

although the list is daunting, i don't mind. i love being busy so i'd prefer to have a long list than no list at all. plus it'll make the time that ben's away go by faster.

i'll be checking in throughout the weekend to cross things off the list. i just LOVE crossing things off lists. such a great feeling of accomplishment.

happy weekend!

oh, and in case you've been following our countdown, there are only 15 more days until graduation!

(photo: simply hue via flickr)

cows? pigs? chickens? (oh, the good ol days)

2010-04-29T10:51:00.007-04:00

i was on the phone with my mother the other day and i was sharing with her our plans to build a few raised vegetable boxes in our front yard. telling her about it reminded me of my childhood and the ... hmmmm ... perhaps i should add a bit of background material before we move on ...

my family lives on a plot of land owned by my grandmother (ardella). she and my grandfather (shelby) split the land into four separate plots. half belongs to my mother and the other half to my uncle. the idea is that one day the four plots will belong to the four grandchildren. currently my grandmother lives on one plot, my mom and dad live on another, and just recently my cousin ryan built a house on the third plot. the fourth plot (on my uncle's side) remains somewhat empty for now. we've always been pretty big about family which may be the reason we've developed somewhat of a small commune here.

sometimes it's great.
sometimes it's not so great (i.e. christmas of 07. let's not go there!)

ok, so back to the story ...

so i said to my mom "remember the huge vegetable garden grandma used to have?" it was wonderful. we had all sort of vegetables and a huge old barn that threatened to fall down at the slightest gust of wind. we even had one of those old cement wash bins that my grandma would use to clean the veggies. then my mom goes on to say, "oh marsá! we used to have cows and chickens, and pigs."

what?!? cows and chickens and pigs?

"yeah, we had to milk our own cows and once they were good and fat your grandfather would load up the pigs in the back of the truck and haul them to the slaughter house and bring home the meat for us to eat." "did you kill the chickens?" i asked. "well yeah, your grandfather did."

what the?
i was in shock.

"so grandma and grandpa were like real farmers!"

she laughed but then reminded me that my grandpa quit school when he was in the second grade because he had to work on the family farm in alabama. he never finished school, never learned how to read or write, therefore farming was really all he knew.

i'm just amazed that the house i was born in, grew up in, and still call home, used to be filled with cows, pigs, chickens, orange groves, and all sorts of yummy vegetables. i can't believe that my brother and i (and my mom, uncle, and cousins) grew up with so much history of agriculture and now i can't even keep mums alive or know the first thing about how to grow tomatoes in my front yard. what happened to that green thumb i was supposed to inherit? isn't that stuff genetic?

my grandfather passed away my freshman year of college but grandma is still alive and kickin. and you better believe that the next time i'm home that i am going to sit down and have a little chat with ardella (grandma) and i'm going to ask her all about those days on the farm. hopefully she'll pass on some of her wisdom to us grand-babies.

thanks for listening.

(photo credit: flickr)

birthday (belated and otherwise)

2010-04-28T10:40:00.012-04:00

a few birthdays to share with you all (some on time. some belated)

oh bethany! this crazy girl is celebrating her birthday TODAY. bethany is a friend from college and one of my gorgeous bridesmaids. i adore her. she lives in florida with hubby aaron, two doggies (stewie and stella) and on the way is baby luke. bethany is going to be such a fun mommy.

sweet rachel. her birthday was last week. rachel is my college roommate, dear friend, and bridesmaid. she currently lives and works in sunny los angeles as an athletic trainer and teacher and is one heck of a rock/boulder climber. rachel just got back from an amazing trip to france and spain visiting her sister. check out her pictures and more about the wonderful person that she is on her blog.

the joneses. michael and kristyn are friends from kansas city, missouri (ben went to high school there). we've talked about them a lot of this blog (here, here, and here). michael and kristyn share the same birthday which was back in march (yes, this post is a tad late). don't you think it would be kind of fun to share the same birthday as your spouse? you've heard us say this before but we'll say it again, ben and i are constantly blessed by the friendship of these two. they love, care, nurture, and encourage us from afar and we feel so unworthy. currently they are busy as new parents to little tegegne, their son who they recently adopted from ethiopia.

check out more of their adoption story and fun lives as the coolest parents in kansas city on thier blog.

happy birthday to you all. you are oh so special to us!

tree huggers

2010-04-22T08:19:00.002-04:00

happy earth day.

hug a tree, plants some flowers, or just take a nice long walk and embrace mother nature. do something today to celebrate this amazing planet we live in.

(photo credit: paper tissue)

weekend/update

2010-04-19T12:30:00.005-04:00

highlights from our weekend ...

DURHAM BULLS BASEBALL: thursday night was the first game of the season for the durham bulls. nothings says summer like the durham bulls. hot dogs, beer, baseball, firework ... ahhh, americana! not only was it opening night but there was also a special celebration honoring both the durham bulls and our duke men's basketball team. both teams won the national championship this year so there were lots of special events going on that evening.

IODINE DINNER CELEBRATION: on friday, we had a celebratory dinner at mellow mushroom in honor of friend tommy who recently completed a 4 week no-iodine diet. last year, tommy had to have his thyroid removed so every year or so he has to do these special diets which are pretty intense. needless to say ... it was a worthy cause for celebration.

HARVEY WALLBANGER: to continue the iodine feasting ... we grabbed a few slices of the most delicious cake on the planet ... the harvey wallbanger ... at one of our favorite coffee shops in town, beyu.

MAD MEN: i've been under the weather lately, so we got our cake to go and headed home to watch more of season three of mad men on dvd. don draper ... what a complex man.

EMMA: we had the pleasure of dog sitting sweet emma again this weekend while friend tyler (and friend jillaine) ran a half marathon in charlottesville on saturday. we've decided that if we end up staying in durham next year then we just have to get us a doggie. i mean, emma NEEDS a friend to play with.

COUPLES SHOWER: saturday, we had a couples shower for two of our friends who are getting married this summer ... emily/marc and meredith/colin. it was a joint shower for both couples at frankie's fun park. what a fun idea for a shower!

whew ... busy weekend.

a short update: these next two weeks are going to be a doozy. ben has lots of school work to finish, hopefully we will find out more about jobs/our future, closing convocation for ben's program and lots of other pre-gradation events going on. we'll try to keep you updated on all the happenings but we'd appreciate your thoughts and prayers as we finish up this chapter in our lives. (26 days until graduation!)

waiting

2010-04-12T15:57:00.006-04:00

the clock is ticking.

our life clock that is.

but all we can do is wait.

as you know, graduation is slowly creeping upon us (33 days left until the big day!) and although we are thrilled about this, we are entering freak out mode. for the past few months we've thought about nothing else except the future. we've job hunted, applied, window shopped for apartments all over the country (thanks to emily in chicago who has been planning my future for me) and we've come to the end of the road. all we have left to do now is wait and hope to god something happens between now and 33 days from now.

ben has a few promising job opportunities and i have some interesting options as well. but we're a team and that means that our opportunities have to be in line for it all to work out. one thing is for certain, i'm not going anywhere without him.

so we wait ...

(photo credit: paper tissue)

having a beer with brian ferry

2010-04-07T10:46:00.003-04:00

a collection of my favorites right now from photographer brian ferry.

cheers!

(all photos courtesy of brian ferry)

and the winner is ...

2010-04-06T13:12:00.001-04:00

last night, our blue devils beat butler for the ncaa national title. IT. WAS. AMAZING. i mean nail biting, pacing the room, waking up the neighbors kind of intense. what made it even more special was when we realized that it was the last game of the season and therefore probably the last one we'd ever watch together as a group (since graduation is now only 38 days away!)

after watching one shining moment, we headed to campus to celebrate with thousands of other students. but the party did not stop there. today, the university is in absolute pandemonium. there is a welcome back party for the team in cameron indoor stadium and everyone is invited. i doubt any work is getting done today for students and staff. it's a great time to be at duke!

thanks to all of you who have put up with all of these duke basketball posts lately. i know that most of the world loves to hate duke basketball but it sure has meant a lot to ben and i these past few years.

(photos courtesy of goduke.com)

guess who's going to the NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP?

2010-04-05T10:17:00.001-04:00

WE ARE!

it's friday and it's good

2010-04-02T10:32:00.001-04:00

good friday to you all. i decided to take the day off of work today, not only because i have spring fever, but also because it's good friday and since it would be wrong for a seminary to have classes, i'm taking the chance to spend the day with ben in the ... get this ... 88 degree weather! hallelujah and amen!

as i write this, i am sitting outside with a cup of coffee in my hand, an egg white sandwich (cooked with love by my husband), and pollen is literally showing down upon me. i have allergies so i am not thrilled about the arrival of the devilish yellow powder but i won't let it bring me down. not today!

heather garrett home: sidewalk sale

2010-03-30T14:01:00.006-04:00

if you live in or around the durham, take note of heather garrett's sidewalk sale coming up next month. there will be markdowns up to 75% and a chance to walk around her incredible showroom.

we're going to indianapolis

2010-03-29T09:29:00.008-04:00

our blue devils are headed to the final four!

(photos courtesy of goduke.com)

spring? weekend

2010-03-26T13:38:00.007-04:00

i am channeling this picture because weather this weekend, although spring has arrived, is not going to be too much fun. it'll be in the 50's and 60's and raining. eh!

but not to fear, all is well and it's going to be a fantastic weekend. our duke blue devils are playing purdue in the sweet sixteen tonight so we're having friends over to grill out before watching jamie oliver's food revolution at 8pm and then the game at 10pm.

tomorrow, i'm going shopping with the lovely mary. let's just say that my wardrobe is in need for some light and airy springtime pieces. it's about time to put away those sweaters!

hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

in other news, our countdown to graduation just entered the 40's!
49 days to go ...

(photo credit: paper tissue)

are you ready for a revolution?

2010-03-23T09:59:00.014-04:00

have you seen jamie oliver's new show, food revolution on abc? the 2 hour premier will air this friday at 8pm but for now you can watch the preview here.

i've got to tell you, ben and i LOVE jamie oliver. we've been fans for a while but this just took it to a whole different level. what he is doing for huntington, wv and for america as a whole is incredible and if you watch even a minute of this short preview, you'll be inspired.

i was amazed to witness how much resistance he recieved from the people of huntington (more specifically the school that he was cooking for). they are mean, hurtful, and completely unsupportive of the difference he is trying to make. one thing is for sure, he has his work cut out for him.

watch it! trust me, you'll love it.

oh, and you can click here to sign the petition that jamie plans to give to president obama and first lady michelle after the show airs to let them know how many people across the country really care about this and ask for their support.

-m.

zach's show

2010-03-21T18:57:00.018-04:00

hope you all had a fantastic weekend! ben and i WERE in fact able to drive to charlotte on friday to catch zach's show. you may have remembered our bad news that his act was canceled for the raleigh show on the 25th. we were disappointed but it turned out for the best since we were able to see and stay with our good friend johanna.

the show was great. it was fun to hear some of zach's new music including the one you should of let go (my new favorite) and i'm losing you slowly (a song for his baby girl, loretta). but what really got me was when zach made a dedication to ben and i and sang patty griffin's when it don't come easy, which was the song he performed during our wedding ceremony (aw!)

on saturday morning, we got to meet the darling loretta faye. she is such a happy little girl and it was sweet to see zach and stacy as parents. zach had to leave to head to virginia for his next show so we had a quick breakfast at waffle house before hitting the road.

the trip was far too short (less than 24 hours) but it was a joy to see good friends, hear great music, and just catch up on life in general.

- m.

(in other news, the ncaa tournament has been nothing shy of a soap opera lately with some huge upsets. luckily, our dukies are still in and are headed to the sweet sixteen.)

cheers!

2010-03-17T09:13:00.004-04:00

happy st. patrick's day.

(photo credit: brian ferry)

tennis inspired mirrors

2010-03-16T14:16:00.006-04:00

don't you just love these diy vintage tennis racket mirrors !?!

i think they'd be perfect for ben's office.

(courtesy of apartment therapy)

a quick update

2010-03-16T09:48:00.008-04:00

a few things ...

spring break is over which is good since now i don't have to feel bad about having to work.

ben and i had a nice weekend. we were dog sitting the adorable emma while friend tyler was out of town. we only had her for a few days which made it hard to let her go.

other than emma, the rest of our weekend was filled with watching college basketball. it is march after all. our duke blue devils took home the acc championship title and are headed to the ncaa tournament as a #1 seed.

some bad news, friend zach's raleigh show was canceled :-(
however, we may still drive over for the charlotte show this coming friday.

spring break

2010-03-09T11:41:00.003-05:00

this week is spring break for duke.

the halls are quite, all the good food places are closed, work has slowed down, and yet ... i am still here. sigh! i've been staying pretty positive about it but i can't help wishing i was this girl with my pasty white legs in the warm atlantic ocean in the south of florida. a girl can dream ...

in other news, it's going to be 72 degrees today in durham. hallelujah!

(photo credit: paper tissue)

the big game. part 2

2010-03-08T09:24:00.006-05:00

happy monday! and a happy one it is following such a lovely weekend. the weather is making a turn for the better and it is supposed to be in the 60s all this week. spring is coming! and not a moment too soon.

not only did we have great weather but saturday was the second installment of the duke vs. carolina showdown and our last regular season game. next week begins the acc tournament and then march madness/ncaa tournament.

i won't say too much as to keep from bragging but i will say this ... it was ugly. and by ugly i mean incredible! duke wins 82 to 50!

a prize for anyone who can spot friend tommy in the crowd?
hint: "heroes in a half-shell. turtle power!

(photos by goduke.com)

undeserving

2010-03-05T11:48:00.006-05:00

so yesterday ben and i walked home from school/work (like we normally do) and we checked the mail (like normally do) but this day was extra special because we got, not one but two, heart wrenching, make me sob, all i want to do is sit here and think about how lucky i am, letters from our friends.

the first, a card from our guy friends here in durham (tyler, tommy, and parker) who wrote us the most endearing sentiments about marriage. and since we didn't have any special plans of our own for our anniversary, included a gift certificate to what is said to be one of best restaurants in durham, magnolia grill. these boys are unreal. i think they are secretly trying to see just how much i can cry from now until graduation.

then ... our dearest friends michael and kristyn who have been crazy busy with their brand new son, tegegne, still found the time to send us the most beautiful and inspiring hand written letter. i tried reading it out loud to ben but had to stop since he couldn't understand what i was saying from all the blubbering.

basically we have the most amazing friends. this doesn't even include all of those who sent us texts, cards, email and facebook messages. we feel very undeserving of such love and support.

sigh!

chinese and annie hall

2010-03-03T11:19:00.004-05:00

last night ben and i had a much needed night in. we drank wine, ate chinese takeout, and watched annie hall. have you ever seen it? i think it's great. ben and i agree that it's a mixture of this american life (the radio program), (500) days of summer, and when harry met sally. we also think that diane keaton was the ultimate manic pixie dream girl.

3 years of marital bliss

2010-03-03T09:37:00.008-05:00

today is our wedding anniversary.

and to be honest, we don't have anything planned :-( let it be known that this is my fault. i told ben that i wanted him to plan valentines day (which was incredible by the way) and i would plan our anniversary since they are so close. great idea, right? wrong.

here's the thing, life has been pretty hectic around here. ben has lots of school work, i just got back from a killer weekend in atlanta while ben was hosting his family at our house, there are clothes on floor, dishes in the sink, no food in the refrigerator, and not a lot of money in the bank and all of a sudden i thought "oh crap, today is our anniversary!"

but you know what? the truth is that we don't need some grand plan or tropical getaway in order to remember and treasure this day. maybe we'll eat pb&j for lunch and make dinner while watching the duke vs. maryland game. perhaps some anniversaries should be celebrated like this in order to pay homage to the simple everyday togetherness ...

or maybe i'm just trying to justify why i am a slacker.

either way ...

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY BEN!
i wuv you.

(the photo above was taken on our honeymoon in london)

atlanta. day 2

2010-03-02T08:53:00.012-05:00

saturday morning we slept in, ate breakfast, and after looking at old yearbooks for hours (middle school and high school ... yikes!) we ventured out to the highlands and little five points for lunch and shopping.

casey (far left) has been wanting to color her hair from a gorgeous blonde to dark brown. so what better way to test this out then to try on some wigs. casey's final verdict ... absolutely not!

saturday night we had drinks and dinner at red sky tapas bar in marietta. every friday and saturday night they featured a dueling piano act which is two pianos, nose to nose, playing some of the best cover songs out there. below are some of the more milder photos from our evening.

(all photos from jacklyn and lukia)

atlanta. day 1

2010-03-01T09:21:00.012-05:00

the girls weekend in atlanta was over the top. like i said in my last post, this was a high school reunion of sorts and some of us haven't seen one another since high school which was, yikes, 8 years ago. but we immediately reconnected and felt like not a day had gone by.

i treasure relationships that are just .... easy. do you know what i mean? there's no having to prove yourself to these people. no expectations, no pressure. these are the same girls who have witnessed the majority of my most embarrassing moments from awkward first dates, to the really bad hair and wardrobe choices i made growing up. so it's no exaggeration when i say that these girls have seen the very best and the very very worst versions of me.

on friday we headed to an eclectic pizza place called antico located in the home park neighborhood of atlanta. this place was unreal. very unusual and packed with people which normally means the food is incredible. the main dining area is located in what looked like an oversized bakery or pizza kitchen. there were bags of flour and cans of tomato sauce everywhere and we sat at one of those metal industrial work tables. it was one of those places where the cooks become the entertainment and although the pizza was delicious, it was the atmosphere that made the dining experience worthwhile.

next stop atlanta!

2010-02-26T10:43:00.004-05:00

i'll be hitting the road soon to head to atlanta where i'll be meeting up with some high school friends for a girls weekend. i've been looking forward to this for months and i can't believe it's finally here. what started as a humble group of 3 has now turned into a group of 8 amazing girls (some of whom i haven't seen since high school!!!)

i'll post lots of fun pictures of our adventures when i return but until then happy weekend!

p.s. i think ben is a bit fearful of the amount of fun we intend to have. as he should!

(photo credit: flickr)

cap and gown (and hood too!)

2010-02-24T13:57:00.014-05:00

today we bought ben's cap, gown, and hood for graduation.

i am sentimental so i thought it was pretty exciting but i am fairly sure that i was the only one who did. for ben it was an inconvenience and one more thing he had to get done before heading to class, for others it was an unwanted expense and a reminder that there is still much to get done before may 15th. but for me, i was relishing in the moment! this simple act marks the beginning of the end and i think that is cause for excitement. (i also tried to convince ben that he needed a class ring, announcements, and a framed diploma but he wasn't buying it ... literally)

stay tuned for more on our journey to graduation. 79 days to go ...

by the way, aren't these images amazing?!? they are old photos of duke commencements from the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s.

(all photos courtesy of duke yearlooks via flickr)

zach and ben (folds that is)

2010-02-19T15:47:00.002-05:00

just found out today that we're going to get to see this guy's ugly mug in a few weeks. friend zach is going on tour with ben folds next month and they're stopping in raleigh on march 25th. nothing short of a natural disaster could keep us away from meymandi hall. now if only his beautiful ladies would join him, i would be in heaven.

(photo by: eric anderson)

the confessional

2010-02-18T09:42:00.008-05:00

you may remember ben and i talking about third friday back in the summer. it's an event held at golden belt here in durham every third friday of the month. we haven't been in a long while but are excited to be heading back tomorrow for this exhibit by one of my coworkers, carole baker. if you live in the triangel area, come by and check it out.

dear ben,

2010-02-14T08:00:00.003-05:00

buttons. lots and lots of buttons.

happy valentine's day
-your adoring wife

(photo credit: paper tissue)

l-o-v-e

2010-02-13T17:30:00.000-05:00

here's wishing you all a happy valentine's day. ben and i are celebrating tonight by ... well ...i actually don't know what we're doing since it's a surpise but rest assured that it will a lovely evening.

(photo credit: lelove)

have you ever seen a palm tree covered in snow?

2010-02-13T14:50:00.000-05:00

more pictures from our trip to wrightsville beach. snow on the beach was quite a sight for this florida girl.

-m.

mom's first snow

2010-02-13T14:39:00.005-05:00

last night, ben and i drove down to wrightsville beach to spend the night with my parents who were visiting from florida. to our surprise it ended up snowing 3-5 inches while we were there. what made it even more fun was that it was my mom's first ever snow experience. needless to say ... she was as gitty as a school girl. all she wanted to do was play in the snow.

isn't she adorable?

-m.

the big game. part 1

2010-02-10T18:00:00.003-05:00

tonight is definitely going to be a good night. (insert black eyed peas, i gotta feelin')

not only is it the last day of a huge event that i've been planning at work (hallelujah!) but it also happens to be the first installment of this years duke vs. carolina showdown and tonight's game will be down the road in chapel hill. this game is huge in this part of the country and it doesn't matter what the rankings are, when these two teams meet ... anything can happen.

go duke!

UPDATE: duke wins 64/45 !!!!

yesterday (sigh)

2010-02-10T08:25:00.008-05:00

12 hour work day + bad news from a friend + no power at our house = a bad bad day

(photo credit: paper tissue)

our big snow

2010-02-06T13:01:00.023-05:00

last weekend, we had lots and lots of snow. it was by far the most we've seen since living in durham. and we took every advantage.

great news!

2010-01-24T11:58:00.007-05:00

our lovely friend meredith got engaged this past weekend. last night we gathered with friends to toast to her good news. she is such a dear and we are thrilled to see her so happy. congratulations meredith and colin.

p.s. you may recognize meredith from all of her fabulous photos on our blog. she's very talented and always capturing our fun times together. she's a gift.

(my favorite picture of meredith from facebook. isn't she purty?)

i know, i know ... i haven't been blogging lately

2010-01-18T15:01:00.008-05:00

it's true, i've been taking a break from blogging lately. sometime before christmas i started thinking about him and her and about my reasons and motivations for blogging. has anyone else been through this before? upon starting this blog nearly 7 months ago, i sat down and thought about the whys and the whats. why start a blog? who is my audience? and what will i write about?

and then one day i wake up and realize that i've slowly been drifting from those original motivations and inevitably i find myself a bit lost and jumbled. this is the mindset i've been living in for the past month or so.

and to be honest, i am not sure i have it figured out quite yet.

with this said, i want to thank you for your patience and ask for a fresh supply while i continue to figure out the future for him and her (which may include a name change, who knows).

i will try to continue to post while i'm working this all out but can't guarantee the frequency .

happy 2010 everyone!

(photo credit: cyrstin mortiz via flickr)

a belated merry christmas

2010-01-03T15:43:00.017-05:00

hoping you all had a fantastic christmas holiday. ben and i were in florida until tuesday when we traveled home and have been enjoying a lovely stay-cation filled with lots of sleeping, movie watching, fun with friends, and a festive new year celebration.

the lovely meredith has done it again with a great set of pictures from our annual christmas dinner party. enjoy!

- m.
(photo credit: meredith koebley)

happy advent. day 21 and so on ...

2009-12-21T15:23:00.006-05:00

great news! ben and i are able to leave a day early for our christmas vacation... which means we're leaving bright and early TOMORROW MORNING!

FLORIDA HERE WE COME ...

we'll be spending christmas with my family in tarpon springs, fl. for about a week before heading back up to north carolina to spend new years with friends. i cannot tell you how excited i am to be in warm weather. it will be mostly mid to high 70s while we're there. hallelujah!

i won't be posting much while we're away so i'll leave you with the remainder of our advent activities that we have planned.

day 21 - ben and i will be busy getting things ready for our trip tomorrow so we'll probably bake more gingerbread cookies to snack on during our drive to florida.

day 22 - our advent activity for the drive down is to have a sing-a-long to christmas carols on the radio

day 23 - today ben and i plan to sleep in and be lazy all day long (hopefully outside in the warm weather) ...

day 24 - it is a tradition in my family that on christmas eve, we walk around the town bayou and look at the luminaries. these luminaries are paid for by the community and have holiday greetings from those who've purchased them. my family normally buys a bunch each year.

merry christmas everyone!

- m.
(photo credit: cox & cox)

happy advent. day 20.

2009-12-21T12:24:00.003-05:00

last night, ben and i made gingerbread cookies. actually, i take that back ... BEN made gingerbread cookies. i was pouting on the couch for no good reason and being a brat. fortunately, i had a hard time staying mad once he brought me gingerbread cookies with icing that spelled out I ♥ U.

isn't he adorable?

- m.
(photo credit: flickr)

happy advent. day 19.

2009-12-20T09:54:00.002-05:00

the snow is still on the ground and i love it. snow makes everything look so clean and pretty. yesterday ben and i finished our christmas shopping and spent the evening wrapping presents and watching elf. such a fun christmas movie!

- m.

merry newsinator

2009-12-18T15:39:00.002-05:00

have you seen this yet? so much fun. go to the merry newsinator to create you own holiday newsletter. quirky and fun ...

thanks to apartment therapy for the find.

happy advent. day 17 and 18.

2009-12-18T15:00:00.004-05:00

let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

we got our first snow in durham today. it wasn't much but it was a nice christmas treat. they are expecting more throughout the rest of the day and into the tomorrow morning. hurray for christmas shopping in the snow. magic!

last night, our advent activity was to play a board game or cards. our friend tommy called inviting us to watch the colts vs. jags game (he's a big colts fan!) so we brought a deck of cards with us and we played while drinking beer and eating durham's best burger at dain's. i can't say it was very "christmasy" but it sure was fun to be snuggled in a warn bar eating good food with great friends.

tonight, we are heading over to the mckinney's to have a yummy chili dinner. (side note: they live in our old apartment complex, west village, so it will be fun to be back there again. i am sure i'll be a little nostalgic) after dinner, the plan is to do something festive so we may drive around looking at christmas lights (which just so happens to be our advent activity for today), go ice skating (in the snow!), or we may just go see a movie. all three options sound amazing and definitely advent worthy.

happy friday everyone!

- m.
(photo credit: simply hue via flickr)

happy advent. day 16.

2009-12-17T08:44:00.004-05:00

last night was my work christmas party. we drank punch, ate yummy food, and sang christmas carols. back at home, ben and i roasted marshmallows in the fireplace which was our 16th advent activity. i then proceeded to snuggle in front of it all evening. i love laying in front of a fire. it makes you warm and sleepy. i just feel bad that i was hogging it from ben all night. opps.

- m.

(photo credit: flickr)

happy advent. day 14 and 15.

2009-12-15T16:07:00.003-05:00

i'm dreaming of a white christmas ...

tonight, our advent activity is to watch the ever so magical christmas favorite, white christmas. last year was the first time i'd ever seen this classic musical and i fell in love. can't wait to snuggle in front of the fire and watch it.

last night, our activity was to make reindeer ears for our all time favorite puppy emma (ben's idea) unfortunately, we have no pictures of said reindeer ears but trust me when i say that they were fantastical.

- m.

birthdays galore!

2009-12-14T15:14:00.010-05:00

three amazing reasons to celebrate december 14 ...

papa buz. ben's dad and my super duper father-in-law.

brother steve! 27 years ... whoa that's old

best friend and maid of honor, amy

happy happy birthday !!

(photo credit: (buz) evie, (amy and steve) facebook thievery)

happy advent. day 12 and 13.

2009-12-14T08:54:00.004-05:00

whew! the christmas dinner party was a success. lots of delicious food and dessert, beautiful friends, and even a dance party to top off the night.

saturday morning, i made breakfast for a small group of friends (mom's famous sausage gravy and biscuits) and we watched a christmas story, the all time best christmas movie known to man and a perfect lazy saturday advent activity.

on sunday, our activity was to write christmas cards. this was our first time writing cards and truth be told, we could use some improvement. we only had 10 cards and they weren't very creative. must do better next year!

happy monday everyone. here's hoping the week goes by fast.

12 days till christmas ...

happy advent. day 11.

2009-12-11T15:00:00.001-05:00

happy 11th day of advent!

tonight is our big holiday dinner party. we have over 25 people coming to our place to celebrate christmas and the end of another looong semester. the dinner party in and of itself is our advent activity for today since we'll have no time for anything else. plus, it'll be filled with lots of festive fun so it works!

i am making my delicious herb-roasted turkey (recipe from ina garten) and we'll have all the yummy fixings ... honey baked ham, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, fresh baked bread, lots of wine, and a variety of decadent desserts.

have a great weekend everyone!

- m.

(photo credit: from me to you)

brian ferry photography

2009-12-11T10:20:00.000-05:00

our new favorite, brian ferry. he recently relocated to london and we've been drooling over his images. i love how he captures the simple details that are true to the character of london rather than the ever so popular double deckers, guards, parliament, phone booths. check out more of brian's work at the blue hour.

- m.
(photo credit: the blue hour)

happy advent. day 10.

2009-12-11T08:37:00.003-05:00

last night, ben and i went out and found our version of mistletoe and hung it in our doorway.

then we smooched!

what a great christmas tradition.

- m.
(photo credit: flickr)

christmas with zach williams

2009-12-10T14:27:00.006-05:00

friend zach is having a christmas show at webster hall in new york on december 15. if you're in the city, please go on behalf of ben and i because we miss them terribly and wish we could be there. damn those 484 miles between us.

- m.
(photo credit: zach williams)

happy advent. day 9.

2009-12-09T14:28:00.005-05:00

tonight, our advent activity is to cuddle on the couch and watch one of our favorite movies, love actually (ok, so i added the cuddling part in there.) like we've said before, ben and i adore all things british and this movie is no exception. it reminds us of the magic that is central london at christmas ... twinkle lights, busy shoppers, incredible window displays, ice skating ... sigh!

btw, did you notice that at the end of the movie, colin firth's character flies to marseille, france to find his portuguese bride? i sure did!

happy advent. day 8.

2009-12-09T08:10:00.004-05:00

last night, ben and i read the christmas story from the gospel of luke as our advent activity. i made a nice dinner of goat cheese stuffed chicken and roasted potatoes and we took turns reading. it was lovely.

- m.
(photo credit: diggpirate via flickr)

oh happy day!

2009-12-08T14:00:00.008-05:00

as i am writing this, tears are streaming, seriously streaming! today, our friends michael and kristyn passed court in ethiopia and officially became the proud parents of tegegne jones. ben and i have been praying for them throughout their adoption process and today we are celebrating because next month, they will travel to ethiopia to pick up their son.

i wish you all could know michael and kristyn. they are the most adorable, insanely fun, fiercely loving, and adventurous couple we know. because they live so far away, we don't get to see them as much as we'd like but they are the best of friends and have been so faithful to us. they write us the sweetest emails telling us how much they love us, they send us articles of bands that we like, and funny cards just letting us know they were thinking of us. they have been incredible to us lately and we feel so undeserving.

check out their blog for an incredible video with more pictures of their little man. i can't wait to hug and kiss him.

happy advent. day 7.

2009-12-07T14:43:00.005-05:00

tonight, our advent activity is to make and drink mulled wine. deeeeelicious. there are many recipes out there but i am going to go with ol' faithful ... ina graten.

(photo credit: elenorjane via flickr)

happy advent. day 6.

2009-12-07T11:48:00.007-05:00

sunday night we made our own christmas ornaments. this was one of ben's advent ideas and i think it was a great one. we had a lot of fun doing this and it was a nice study break for ben.

happy advent. day 5.

2009-12-07T11:16:00.010-05:00

{note: yes, i realize that i am a bit behind on my advent posting but you can rest assured that we've stayed on task and have not missed a day of our advent activities. }

saturday, our advent activity was to buy and decorate our christmas tree. normally ben and i go to a local christmas tree farm and cut down our tree but since this year it was raining and i have a terrible sinus infection, we just went to a lot in town. no matter, we got a fantastic tree and it was even cheaper than we usually pay. hurray.