Holiday Photo Mash Up

Here are a few photos from my vacation this past week. I crammed in as much as possible and enjoyed celebrating both Christmas and my birthday. Even though I wish I had a few more days to relax, I'm feeling recharged and ready to take on 2012!

So Long, 2011

Just wanted to share a few shots from the last week of 2011 taken with my new camera (which I'm having so much fun learning to use). Here's to a safe and happy new year, filled with lots of adventures!


sesame crusted tuna from our sushi date


bright birthday flowers


ultra rich drinking chocolate from Pitango


cinnamon + dark chocolate gelato with mom


vintage shop in Fells Point


Sprinkles cupcakes


Christmas lights on the mantle


glittery snowflake table decorations


champagne flutes for Christmas morning mimosas


birthday dinner at Zengo


make a wish!

I'm ready for 2012!

New Year, New Ventures

I'm so excited about my new Lumix camera that arrived on Sunday (from Santa, of course). I spent some time this morning with my mom tinkering with the settings and testing out the features. I'm looking forward to finally learning how to really understand the basics of photography (and stop relying 100% on my iPhone) If anyone has any recommendations for blogs about photography basics, let me know!

Merry Merry, Happy Happy

Hope you're enjoying a wonderful Christmas filled with loved ones and laughter!

Chicago in Pictures: Part Two

Day Two: Brunch at Crepes a Latte. Millennium Park. Pritzker Pavilion. Cloud Gate aka The Bean. Photo-op overload. Window shopping along the Magnificent Mile. Garrett's popcorn (omg). Lot of crazy mass transit. Hopstop. Skydeck at the Sears Tower (sadly, closed due to broken elevators). Gino's East. Chinatown. Drinks on the rooftop at Citizen. Late-night walks near the North Side. Surprise sushi at the newly opened Union. Toasting with cava.
The perfect date night.

Chicago in Pictures: Part One

Day One: Brunch at Bongo Room. Shopping in Wicker Park. St. Alfred sneaker shop. Louis Vuitton skateboard spotting. Wrigleyville. Cubs/Brewers game. Visiting Sandy B.'s hip apartment in the Ukranian Village. Margaritas at Big Star. Dinner on the patio at Small Bar. Perfect weather. Navigating the CTA (much easier than the Metro).

Shutterbug

I'm so lucky that my mom loaned me her fancy camera to take to Chicago. This way, I can get some great snapshots of Wrigley, Millennium Park, and fireworks at the pier. I'm so excited--only four more days!

Anybody have any quick DSLR tips for dummies?

Mama Said, Mama Said

Mama said there'd be days like this, there'd be days like this my mama said.

Today was one of those days. Nothing seemed to go quite right. Usually the gym is my best bet to shrug off any stress from the day, but I was beyond exhausted when I left the office at 7. Sometimes, when I have a hectic day, it helps me to come home and do something mindless and routine, like laundry. It's oddly calming, the sorting and swapping and folding. Plus, it's productive (and fresh laundry smells good). A few other things that made my day just a little bit more bearable: my boyfriend doing most of the prep work for dinner, discovering these ruffled pants at lululemon, and finally downloading the Hipstamatic app on my iPhone (I'm still figuring out how to use it!). Another bonus? Friday is so close!

What do you do to bounce back from a rough day?