The Met

Last Saturday we went to The Met with (my) soon-to-be-inlaws! Fiance wanted to see a new exhibit "Faking It: Manipulated Photography Before Photo Shop" . The below photo is the only one I was able to take of the whole exhibit because photographs were not allowed! Which I thought was pretty ironic.

That didn't stop me from taking a million pictures everywhere else we went in the museum, though!

This was absolutely my favorite even though I don't really understand Pop Art. It was a constantly replenished candy pile. And you got to take one! I have to say it was pretty!

And then I made us take pictures in front of the tree! Also, I learned to use Photoshop. You're welcome!

Photo Vomit

You know those nights when you drink too much? And then you get the word vomit? Or its more violent cousin word diarrhea (none of my friends like that I coined this term, but I think its a keeper). Maybe its Wednesday night and you go to Happy Hour with your coworker and you accidentally spill a pet peeve you have about a coworker. Or maybe you're at a cocktail party and you accidentally tell someone you lost touch with how much you miss them even though you do not and a week later you're getting dinner with them because whoops...word vomit.

Well that's what happens to me when I go to an Etsy sponsored event. Except its not words and drunken-ness, its pictures and imagining how adorably perfect my home would be IF ONLY I COULD BUY EVERYTHING!

On Friday (after a partiularly hellish day at work) Amanda (knower of all Etsy events) and our other work friend, Marni, went to the Etsy pop up shop in SoHo. It was slightly less terrific than the wedding expo last spring, but seriously how could you beat cupcakes and fizzy beverages at 12:30 on a Saturday?

And now I would like to offer some advice to the Etsy people:

I AM AN IMPULSE SHOPPER! While my wallet appreciates the fact that I can never purchase anything at your events, I would like to have purchased those animal heads. And most likely that tiny succulent for my Mom and those little yellow ball-y things for my windowsill. And now it is almost a week later and I have bought none of those things. And I probably won't because I had to ask myself the question "Do I really need that giant gold moose head?". And the answer was NO, Etsy folks.

But holy crap, he (the moose) would have made me feel a million times better on Friday night and he would be so cozy in our living room. Try harder next time, please?

A Conversation with My Mom

Today, I'd like to start your weekend with a conversation I had with my Mom this week. Where I'm nearly certain she insulted me. That's not to say that we didn't laugh for twenty minutes after because it was a pretty sick burn, as the kids would say.

Mom: When is John coming home tonight?
Me: I think he said midnight
Mom: And you have to leave for work at 7:15 tomorrow morning?
Me: Yeah, I have an early meeting
Mom: And John will be asleep when you leave?
Me: Probably, he's not getting home until midnight!
Mom: You two are like two ships passing in the night...well, more like two tugboats. You two are two tugboats passing in the night.

And a very happy weekend to you, too!

Our Very First Holiday Card

I cannot even BELIEVE that I convinced Fiance to get Holiday cards this year. And not JUST Holiday cards. Holiday cards with our picture on them! And Icelandic horses! It was a Holiday miracle!

I think next year I am going to write a holiday letter. I imagine that it will go something like this:

"Dear Family Member/Friend/Acquaintance,
In November we got married! Something about work, Dilly, Dilly, Dilly. Something about a trip we took, Dilly, Dilly, Dilly.  Something about our house, Dilly, Dilly, Dilly."

You know, Cat Lady stuff. Do you have a Holiday Card this year? I'd love to see it!

Find other Embrace the Camera Posts here

Happy 21st Birthday, Alyssa!

Today my baby sister, Alyssa, is 21.

When Alyssa was born, I called her Penelope. This was before Penelope was a trendy name. I thought it was the best name ever but my Mom did not agree and told me five weeks into Penelope's little (then) chubby life that if I didn't call her Alyssa I couldn't talk to her anymore. I plan on retaliating by naming our first baby Penelope (but only if I can get Fiance on board first).

On Sunday we all went to Nanny's house to celebrate the big 2-1! We ate Chinese food for dinner (Alyssa's fave) but I messed it up because I forgot to order her crab ragoon and shrimp toast. Worst sister ever.

Can we talk about this picture for a minute? Its basically my new favorite picture of me, Alyssa and our photo-bombing Mom.

Oh and this one is a real winner, too.

Instead of a cake for her birthday Alyssa/Penelope wanted donuts from Leskes.

Now seems as good a time as any to talk about Leskes. Recently reopened at 7612 5th Avenue in Bay Ridge, Leskes makes what I think are the best donuts in New York. Dare I say it in the country, they are that delicious.

I would highly recommend the Peanut Butter and Jelly variety (pictured above) or the Peanut Butter and Chocolate. NOTE the Peanut Butter and Chocolate are NOT Nutella flavored. No matter how much like Nutella they may taste. If you call and ask to order Nutella donuts for your daughter's 21st birthday, the counter lady will tell you (rudely) that they DO NOT MAKE NUTELLA DONUTS (I know because this happened to my Mom and then my Aunt).

Here are two other pictures from Sunday that I love, love, love!

Holly looking like a creeper!

Three of my favorite boys!

Happy 21st Birthday to the best sister in the entire world! Now when you drink all that wine, it won't be illegal! I mean...I love you, I love you, I love you!

Oh Christmas Tree

On Sunday, after we accidentally slept too late, Fiance went to the store and bought us a Christmas tree.

Not just any Christmas tree...our very first Christmas tree! Isn't it cute? Its a miniature one and I would like to name it but I can't really decide what it should be. I'm thinking maybe Maude? Or Chuck? Does it look like a man or a lady?

Luckily my soon-to-be-mother-in-law had given us some Christmas ornaments a while back and Fiance bought us some lights. I'm also crocheting us some grey garland...I know, I know, but its the only yarn I had available. Next year we'll go for something a little more festive...which is basically anything other than the color grey.

I really need a tripod for my iPhone. I know that sounds crazy, but how many blurry selfsies can I put on this blog before you all start yelling at me? Also Dilly is the WORST at pictures. No amount of kissy noise making, snapping, or yelling "DILLY LOOK OVER HERE!" can make this cat cooperate.

And so I present to you our first family Christmas tree picture with a distracted cat.

5 Years

Friday was me and Fiance's 5 year anniversary. FIVE YEARS you guys! That is a long time!

Fiance had to work late and then ended up working later than that. Suddenly it was 10:45, I had on lipstick and he still wasn't home. Thankfully, he walked in at 11:00 giving us an entire HOUR left of our anniversary! We were pretty excited...maybe more excited than we should have been?

Our original plan was to head to one of the bars in our neighborhood but we knew that at 11:00 on a Friday they would be super packed. Because we are basically retirees, we went to the diner instead and got milkshakes (vanilla for me, chocolate for him) and french fries. Thankfully the diner was open until midnight and the host took pity on my lipstick wearing self and let us in!

Then we went home and accidentally took comas until almost noon on Saturday. HOORAY five years!