Audrey Ann-Marie

Right about now, you should be so jealous of us. We just had the pleasure of meeting Sara + Marcel's new daughter, Audrey! She was born yesterday at 5:30pm, and good grief is she darling.

Sara + Marcel are parents (something I can't even imagine), and they look amazed and happy and wonderful. We're so very happy for them and their brand new family. xoxo

Decked Out

Last night, my dad and my brother and I went for a walk so I could take pictures of the most festive house in the neighborhood. These folks decorate every year, and each year there's a little more.

I'm glad some people get so into decorating for the holidays. It's fun for everybody. 

Z, Christmas Day 2010

Look who's excited for Christmas!

Mr. Z's tail has been wagging all day; I've been giving him extra attention. I love spending time with the dog. Merry Christmas to me! And you, and you, and you! 

Happy holidays! ★

Rachel On Thanksgiving

My family has a bit of an untraditional Thanksgiving celebration, and it's an event we look forward to all year long. I think there are usually about 30 people at dinner, and many seated around the table are ridiculously talented. 

After dinner, we move tables and chairs out of the way and the performances begin. The pictures are of my cousin Rachel belting out a a tune for all of us. 

Down By The Water

Oh gosh! This is the longest I've ever gone without posting. A lot's been happening around here, lately! I started a new job the week of Thanksgiving, and I no longer work from home. I now commute over an hour each way and I work 9-5. I'm loving my new job, and I'm busy every minute I'm there. When I come home, I eat dinner and then work on Everything Little Miss projects (I'm posting over on that blog more regularly, so you may want to take a peek and see what I've been up to!). I'm getting used to my new routine, and things have slowed down a little now. I'm hoping to get back into posting here at least once or twice a week, because I miss it!

I took this picture the Saturday following Thanksgiving. That's my cousin you see there, and we were in Cold Spring, NY. It was a beautiful day, so we took a little walk down to the water. It was pretty windy and cold, so we stayed just long enough to snap a photo or two.

The Girl's Got Style

I spotted this little girl in Harvard Square last week.

I love a great coat with a hood! Do they make that jacket in my size? I'll take one please. And maybe a hair bow, as well. 

Looking Backward

Sometimes it's worth it to look backward. To stop and enjoy the full 360° view. 

I took this picture on our drive home from New Jersey the Sunday before last. The sunset was stunning. 

Look At Those Ears

On Saturday we parked the car and I looked out the window only to be surprised by this hilarious little dog in the neighboring car.

First he was all smiles. When I got out of the car, he bared his teeth. Then he smiled again. Then he closed his mouth. Then more teeth followed by more smiles. It was so, so funny.

I also spent some time in Harvard Square on Saturday, and I wrote about it here.

Max + My Dad

I'm starting to think about Thanksgiving. I'm really looking forward to seeing my family, and I've been thinking about them a lot! This is a pretty good family picture, don't ya think? 

I took this picture on October 2. 

Stefanie + Chris's Wedding

Yep, we just returned from another wonderful wedding. You guys, it was beautiful. Stefanie was stunning, and I couldn't take my eyes off of her. And Chris never looked happier. I'm tearing up just thinking about the way they looked at each other; seriously, it was awesome. 

The wedding was in New Jersey, and the ceremony was conducted by both a Rabbi and a Priest, to honor both the bride and grooms's religions. Eric was a groomsman, and he looked very handsome in his tux (sorry, I didn't get many pictures of him). At the reception, there was a feast and plenty of dancing. We had such a great time, and we're so happy for the two of them. 

You want to know what makes a wedding great? A great couple! And we are so lucky to know so many fabulous couples.

Psst. I designed their save the dates! Click here to see!

Games

I really like this picture of Eric + Max.

I took it when we visited North Adams at the beginning of October. Max was teaching Eric how to play one of his new games. Looks like fun, doesn't it?

*Today's inspiration post is about Greek Mythology, if you're interested!

Inside MASS MoCA, Looking Out

Last Thursday I delivered some ELM cards to MASS MoCA (read about that story right here!). While I was there, I spent some time in the museum.

I took this picture from the third floor. Look at how beautiful my hometown is! Mountains, gold, and steeples in the background, and a fiery red maple right up close. I love this picture. It's a keeper. 

The Cape In Autumn

The Halloween Party we went to on Saturday night was part of a weekend retreat with Eric's classmates and their partners. On Friday afternoon we drove to Cape Cod and checked into the Ocean Edge Resort.

We stayed down the road from the mansion at The Villages complex, and our hotel "room" that was bigger than our apartment (there was a full kitchen and living room!). 

We spent most of Saturday walking along different beaches and spending time in the sunshine. It was windy and chilly and so completely autumn-y.  

In the afternoon, we met this silly dog named Rocky on the beach at the hotel. You can see his owner on the right wearing red. A very friendly pair.

The retreat was a lot of fun, and I felt like the guest of honor since it was the first time I saw most of these people since we became affianced. Everybody was showering me with congratulatory words and hugs! There are a few more pictures right here.

Halloween 2010: Woodland Creatures

Happy Halloween! Eric and I went to a costume party last night. Eric resurrected his David the Gnome costume, and re-purposed a dress from high school and dressed as a fairy princess.

The party was at a restaurant, and dinner was served. It's pretty interesting eating with wings on. And Eric had to take his beard off. Ha! It was great fun. :)

Head Of The Charles

On Saturday, Eric and I spent some time watching the 46th Head of the Charles Regatta. It was a great day to be outside and there were all sorts of booths set up handing out free snacks!

We watched from the Cambridge side of the river, and it was pretty cool how many people turned out for the event. It was a lot of fun!

DHS Marching Band

On October 3rd, Max was in the North Adams Fall Foliage parade. It was a perfect day for a parade: sunny and warm! The leaves had even started turning (just barely), which is always a little iffy since it's so early in the season.

Max looked great in his uniform, and even gave me a little smirk as he marched on by. Gotta love that kid.

Happy weekend! Enjoy it. :)

P.S. I've been posting pretty regularly over on the Everything Little Miss blog (about more than just products, of course), so you may want to hop on over and take a little look-see! This week I shared a little peek of my new work space.

Bouquet From Eric's Family

A week ago, this beautiful bouquet was delivered to our door with a note welcoming me to the Schwarz family. Pretty sweet, right? 

There's something so uplifting about having fresh flowers in the house. Especially orange and yellow ones. They brighten the whole room. There's also something super, duper uplifting about getting welcomed into a new family!  

I took these pictures yesterday, when the sun was streaming through the living room windows and making the bouquet glow.

*Don't forget to check out today's inspiration post over on the ELM blog!

2010 Fall Foliage

I had to make another trip out to Western Mass last Thursday. Since Eric had class, I took the good old Peter Pan bus. The drive was actually quite lovely because the trees are so colorful right now.

I had a meeting on Friday, and then I spent the rest of the weekend running errands and relaxing. I always love spending time with my family. 

On the way back to Boston, I had to take a picture of the motorcyclist in Charlemont. It was such a great day for riding with the wind in your hair, because it was warm + sunny. 

Ingrid Michaelson At House Of Blues

Last Tuesday (holy cow! that's already one week ago!), I went to see Ingrid Michaelson at House of Blues. It was my third Ingrid concert, but my first without my sister. It wasn't quite the same, but still wonderful. 

Guggenheim Grotto opened for her, and my friend and I both thought they were great. It's always so nice when the opening act is enjoyable! They were charming, their music was catchy, and they were so, so very Irish. Super cute. 

There was a long wait between Grotto and Ingrid due to some technical difficulties. That meant I had to defend my territory (standing room only) when late-comers showed up and tried to get close to the stage. But once Ingrid came on, all that was forgotten. 

We stood for about 5 hours straight, counting waiting in line to get in, the opening act, Ingrid, and standing in line for a T-shirt at the end. It was so much more awesome than it sounds, though. When Eric picked us up afterward, I couldn't stop smiling and I talked non-stop about how great it was! That's a sign of a great evening out, if you ask me. 

She was funny (above, she and her band are posing like rock stars) and engaging and she sang all of my favorite songs. I can't ask for much more than that! 

Affianced

He asked. I said yes. Just like that, we became affianced (that's much more fun to say than engaged)! 

Sunday, I accidentally foiled Eric's proposal plans, because I wasn't feeling well. Luckily, we both had Monday off and had planned to spend the day together. We spent the afternoon walking around Beacon Hill. We found some good looking chocolate chip cookies + hot apple cider on Charles Street, and we took our goodies to a sunny spot on The Common.

Then we headed over the the Public Garden to watch the ducks. Eric picked out a nice looking willow tree, and we sat underneath in the shade. The next thing I knew, I was looking at my gramma's engagement ring and he was asking! I said yes right away and then the ring was on my pinky (it needs to be resized). I didn't cry; I just smiled and smiled and smiled -- still smiling -- and so did Eric. 

We had the camera with us, so we decided to take these genuine engagement photos of ourselves (there are a few more here). We propped the camera on its bag and used the remote control to take a series of pictures. Then we both wanted to keep it secret for a little longer, so we didn't head straight home or get out our phones. We just walked around feeling special.

When we did get home, about 2 hours later, it was time to call our families. Having never done this before, we weren't sure what to say or how to say it, and we approached it differently. I blurted out the news ("Hi! We're engaged!"), while Eric seemed to ease into a little ("Hi, how are you? wait for response I have some news: We're engaged!").

You may think 8 years is a long time to wait, but for us it was the perfect amount of time. Nothing else would have felt right to us, and I'm lucky that Eric and I move at the same pace and that neither of us was rushed into this big decision.

We're both incredibly happy and so thankful for all of the enthusiasm from family and friends!   

Mount Greylock

On the 2nd, while we were in North Adams, we drove to the top of Mount Greylock with my sister and brother. It was Eric's first time to the top, and it was the most gorgeous day for the trip!

Mount Greylock is the highest point in Massachusetts, and there's a beautiful view from the top. I'm still thinking about it more than a week later!

Farmer's Market

The dog parade setup was in the same parking lot as the weekly Farmer's Market, so my mom and I scoped it out and picked up my parents' CSA. 

The colors of fall are so pretty - even in the food! And aren't those teeny tiny potatoes hilarious? 

Shark + Bat

Over the weekend, Eric and I went to North Adams to visit my family. On Saturday morning, my mom and I happened upon a large group of dogs in costume. We had no idea it was going on, but we had to stop so I could get a few pictures. It wasn't easy, since all of the dogs were running around greeting each other!

I took this picture while they were waiting for a little Dog Parade to start. If I'd known, I would have dressed our dog in his superhero cape and entered him in the parade, too!

P.S. I love that animals are dressed up as different animals.

P.P.S. I also love that the bat is totally wearing a sweater. 

Where Have I Been?

It's been just under a week since my last post, but it feels longer. I just haven't been taking many pictures. Simple as that. 

I spent yesterday afternoon working from HBS, since I was nearby after running some errands in Inman Square and Harvard Square. I took this picture from the 3rd level of the parking garage, as we were leaving campus. I really needed a day in a different environment; a day of sun and a sparkly sunset.

*Today's Lost in Thoughts is inspired by graffiti. Read it here.