Welcome Summer! (And a Whole Slew of Photos)

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Happy Tuesday, friends! It’s been a hot sec since I’ve blogged, mostly because we’ve been super busy (in the best possible way) with a visit from Chris’ sister. Yes friends, Auntie Kate is here from Australia, and our girls could. not. be. happier. Our summer so far has consisted of birthday parties, breweries, new adventures (like yoga at Red Rocks!), and a brand spankin’ new deck. Kate is here through July 5, and Chris’ aunt, uncle, and their three kids are joining us for the week of July 4, as well. It’s just about the best way to kick off the summer that I can think of.

Hope everyone else is living their best life, as well 😉

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^^ Aussie treats from Aunt Kate included all the Snakes Alive treats that were in Australia <3 Girl knows the way to my heart!

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^^ We attended a joint birthday party for our little neighbors the first Saturday Kate was here. It was at The Craftsman & Apprentice in Denver, which meant the kids got to run around and create all kinds of arts and crafts.

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^^ Grace participated, too!

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^^ Grace’s first Father’s Day <3

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^^ Celebrating Dad’s Day with some drinks at Westminster Brewing Co.

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^^ This little one has fallen head over heels in love with her Auntie Kate. I don’t know how we’re going to let her leave …

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^^ Not only did Auntie Kate come with all the Aussie treats, but she also came with all the Aussie clothes. Here, Grace & Lotte are modeling their new Bonds pjs by rolling around on the ground together.

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^^ We took Auntie Kate to the Denver Children’s Museum last Friday and Lotte had so much fun showing her all her favorite things – including this bubble room, which is always the biggest hit.

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^^ Kate treated me to a session of Yoga on the Rocks at Red Rocks. I was nervous since the extent of my yoga experience was the class Steph’s friend taught for our Mom’s fundraiser back in April, but this was so much fun!

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^^ Auntie Kate joined us for Lotte’s gym class last Saturday, too. She’s pretty much the best sport ever.

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^^ We’re testing out some books for Parents magazine like we did last year, and this year is so much fun because Lotte is actually into books now. This picture has got to be one of my faves ever.

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^^ And this one …

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^^ And this one!

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^^ This past Sunday would have been my mom’s birthday, so Kate & Chris took the girls to Chautauqua Park in Boulder so I could have some time to myself. They only got a short way into the hike before it started raining, unfortunately, but it still seems like they had a lot of fun.

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^^ This past Sunday we christened our brand new deck with our first barbecue with my cousin and her husband and kids. It’s always fun hanging with that crew, but to host our first guests on our brand new back deck made it even more special.

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And that has been our summer in a nutshell so far, my friends! We have the rest of our guests to look forward to in July (as well as Lotte’s 2nd birthday, which I can’t talk about …), and another trip back east in August. Other than that, you’ll find us on the back deck if you need us <3

Bis bald, friends!

The Inspirational Animals of My Travels

As I sit here working on a passion project of mine — which, to be fair, I’ve been working on for the better part of a year now — I realized that I’ve up until this time passed up a perfectly lovely opportunity to give thanks to all the inspirational animals I’ve come across in my travels. These animals have been so much fun to meet and learn about, and I’m so grateful to them for being a part of the learning process that is traveling.

So without further ado, please meet some of my favorite animals I’ve met on my journeys:

Shawn_the_Koala^^ This is Shawn the Koala from the Koala Park Zoo in Sydney.
He’s the animal that started my whole project idea.

Shawn_talks^^ Can’t you tell he’s just whispering amazing ideas in my direction!

Kookaburra_Bird^^ This is a replica of a Kookaburra bird in the
Museum of Natural History. They’re known for their good-natured,
hysterical laugh, which can sound a lot like a human’s.

Red_Panda^^ This is a red panda — let’s call her Jia. This photo is from the
Philadelphia Zoo, which is sort of cheating because my real
inspiration came from the red pandas at the Central Park Zoo.
This was a better photo, though.

Pigeons_London^^ These are pigeons. And while yes, these pigeons are in London,
let’s be honest — the real inspirational pigeons live right here in
good ole’ NYC.

Chasing_Pigeons^^If we’re being even more honest, my true obsession with pigeons began
when I was a toddler and my parents lost me in the Piazza San Marco
in Venice because I was chasing them. That’s why I took this
dorky photo when we were back there in 2012.

What inspires you when you travel?

Bis bald, friends!

Back in the Borough: The American Civil War at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

^^ The Metropolitan Museum of Art steps. Always gorgeous.
^^ The Metropolitan Museum of Art steps. Always gorgeous.

Hi friends,

My dad came into the city today for a (super!) belated Father’s Day adventure at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. When I read that they were having a Photography and the American Civil War exhibit, I knew I had to invite him. Unfortunately you aren’t allowed to take photos in any of the special exhibits at the Met, but with more than 200 photographs and paintings, it really was something exquisite. This particular exhibit ends on Sept. 2 (go see it if you’re in town this weekend … seriously!), but being there today just reminds me of how much more I need to take advantage of all the culture this city offers to me.

Admission tickets to the Met also include admission to The Cloisters for the same day, which is something Chris and I have been wanting to do for a while now. Today was rainy and dreary though, it wouldn’t have been a good day for that. Plus it took me and my dad a little over three hours to get through all the Civil War photos … girlfriend needs a rest after that!

This weekend is Labor Day weekend, and Chris and I don’t have a ton planned, which is nice because September is seriously rockin’! We might try to head to Smithtown one day to kayak, we’ve got Chris’ Super Secret 30th Birthday Trip and then we’ll head to Australia for Wedding No. 4 and our honeymoon in the Great Barrier Reef.

Now that’s leavin’ summer with a bang!

Bis bald, my friends!

Back in the Borough: The Scream at MoMA

Hi friends,

Welcome to December! So Christmas trees are back at the subway stations, and Chris and I took a jaunt to MoMA today to check out Edvard Munch’s famous painting, ‘The Scream.’

Let’s take a gander:

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The tree stand outside of our 96th St. station, where we’ll probably pick up our own little piece of green heaven.

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The Scream, Edvard Munch’s famous painting. It really is fantastic in person …
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Van Gogh’s Starry Night

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Claude Monet’s Water Lillies

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A piece by Picasso

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We stopped in the cafe for lunch while we were there. I had a delicious salad, Chris had the cheese tort and we shared the marinated olive platter. These were our delicious drinks.

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Bis bald, friends! Hope your December is off to a great start, as well!