boo!

Happy Halloween from the cutest kids ever!

life in full color

Do we have that now? Or is life in color only a hope for the future?

A new post on 843 acres: Seeing Color

What's your opinion?

got a costume?

I normally don't get too into Halloween. Not for any single or specific reason, but mainly because the effort put into finding and creating a costume isn't worth it for a few hours one night at a party with friends. That said, I'm pretty pumped about Halloween this year because I may very well have my favorite costume ever. In fact, I am SO excited about it that I have tried it on for the past three nights in a row. But it's a secret...until tomorrow.

While trying to think up other creative (and easy) costumes, I found this picture on the Today Show website this morning, and if I had this many kids this is definitely how they'd be dressed up for Halloween. What a perfect xylophone!

a beautiful mind

LA sent me the link to an article about this amazing autistic artist, Stephen Wiltshire. He can perfectly reproduce city scenes from memory after just one look at them. (And I thought I had a photographic memory!) To say that even the most seemingly horrible things can't be used for good would be an understatement. If you don't believe that, check out this video and the amazing work Stephen produces despite the obstacles I'm sure he faced to get there.

Watch CBS News Videos Online

view from my lens: october 27

Sometimes I take for granted the beauty of New York and all it has to offer. Last night, despite the rain, I walked home from the Redeemer offices and tried to look through a different lens (besides the quite literal one my clear umbrella provides!). In particular, a lens that isn't worn down from the daily hustle and bustle of city life, overwhelmed by feelings of still adapting to such an adverse culture (in many ways), or jaded by life in the fast lane of an urban setting.

I hope to post different views here, from my varying lenses over time in the city. Stay tuned.

5 PM church service, Sunday night dinner with BBQ and sweet tea at Brother Jimmy's, and friends in NYC. Perfect start to the week.

there's a new Picasso in town

My niece won her school's Fall Festival t-shirt design contest. I loved her design so much that I had to post it here. (Plus, I'm just so darn proud of her!) She's just a few short weeks shy of being 6, and she won the entire contest for her whole school!

I'd buy this t-shirt. Wouldn't you?!

challenges "we" face

By "we", I mean designers.

A new post, A Designer's Challenge, on 843 Acres, based on a recent article in the NY Times describing the occurrences between a designer and his distrusting client and the redecoration of her apartment.

Isn't this what God must feel like with us?!

in 2 months from today,

I will be with these two little adorable faces in person. To say I can't wait is an understatement!

color invasion

Any event entitled "Color Invasion" sounds like one at which I should definitely be in attendance! So I was, last night. CI is an industry-wide interior design event sponsored by IIDA, Interior Design magazine, and several other big manufacturers in NYC. It's tons of fun, but if anyone who reads this blog (doubtful) was there last night, let me know what you thought...!?

(I loved the marketing flyer for the event this year!)

what is good news?

new post on The Park Forum, a few days ago: What is Good News?

big bird and michelle

thanks to a good friend for sharing this with me! You've gotta laugh, at least a little, no matter what side of the political fence you claim.

it's hump day...

and I'm having trouble making it through the day. This would do the trick, I'm sure, if only I had this cake sitting beside me at my desk:

Thanks LA and Serious Eats for this beautiful visual.

here comes the bride

The big day finally arrived for my friends Maggie & Neal this past Saturday! It was a beautiful day in Princeton and the wedding couldn't have gone more perfectly. I'll spare you all the wordy details and get to what everyone really wants to see anyway: pictures!

(Picture descriptions, going clockwise): Maggie and Neal cutting their beautiful cake; Our group outside the church after the wedding; Dan resting on someone's bike=perfect photo opp!; Maggie's beautiful flowers (her colors were pink and grey); Chris, Pamela, Victoria and Faye enjoying fall on Princeton's campus (We had a 2 hour hiatus between the wedding ceremony and the reception, so we spent it exploring the campus and the beautiful town of Princeton on a perfect fall day!)

Me, Julie, and LeeAnne in a beautiful tunnel at Princeton; The party favors: gummy bears!; The blushing bride after the ceremony; The girls with Maggie (LtoR: Erica, Pamela, Michelle, Maggie, me, Victoria, Faye, LeeAnne, Elise); Our personal photog & friend, Josh, doing his own version of a jumping picture

Because, really, what would any good event be without a jumping picture?!

The bride & groom at the reception!

Mr. & Mrs. Winterhof being announced to their guests at the reception; Fall in Princeton; Michelle, Victoria and me...and I can't remember what was so funny; One of the delicious dinner entrees; Feng and Erica (and the rest of our group in the background) cuttin' a rug!; The wedding cake

The bouquet toss! (I'm pretty sure I caught my sister's bouquet at her wedding 10 years ago. What happened?!)

Goodbye to the Newlyweds!!!

the rest of the preview from last weekend

Last weekend my friend Caylen from Arizona made her debut trip to New York City (or debut since I've lived here anyway)! We had a great time and explored, ate, hung out- the whole shebang in just 3 (very short) days. Then on Saturday after Caylen arrived Friday night, another friend, Ashley, moved to the Big Apple for a job at a high-end residential interior design firm in Manhattan. It was quite the packed house at 3E for a few days, but I wouldn't have had it any other way. I felt a little bit of empty-nester syndrome when Monday morning rolled around.

Check out Caylen's NYC Top Ten! So glad, Caylen, that you got to come visit. And please give David a big hug from me for sharing his sweet wife for a weekend.

did he stub his toe?

This is pretty old news so I hope that everyone has already seen this clip. But, if you haven't, you should take time for the 9 minutes and 41 seconds to watch it. It makes you wonder, what are his true motives for making this apology? It sure doesn't seem to be based on a deep (or even superficial, for that matter) respect for these women.

As I watched this last week at work with one of my bosses, he turned to me after Letterman had made his "big confession" and asked, "Did he stub his toe?" Because he imputes the same significance to that as what he is making a public apology for.

Dear Abbey,

Why must you refuse to talk to me?

Love,

everyone else's favorite aunt

a little preview of my weekend

come home tommy

I got an email from my friend, Ashley, yesterday informing me that she is about to be an aunt again! Then, later, I got this picture from her:

Ashley explained to me that after a 2.5 year process, her oldest sister and her husband have finally received a referral for their newest little boy: Tommy, who is awaiting his new family in an orphanage in Ethiopia. He is 9 months old and they'll soon be on their way to pick him up! The 3 kids in this picture are his new "welcoming committee", two big sisters and a big brother.

I love this picture so much!! And can't wait to see more pictures when Tommy arrives. Thanks for sharing the exciting news, Ashley!