A much-needed visit to California.

December started with a fantastic visit to California for my family. We flew into San Jose and traveled to San Francisco for a much-needed visit with Nancy and the Cosden crew (minus Jake unfortunately we missed him by about a week). It was great to see Nancy, Bill and Chris. Though short, it was a perfect visit. After San Fran we were off to the foggy farmland of Hanford, CA–a small town nestled directly in between San Jose and LA, and inland by about 3 hours. (Even Californians have rarely heard of this location!). Our mission: to visit Brian, Kristen and Paige for the holidays! We arrived late. And Dad was a brave one driving through the most dense fog I've ever encountered, with only a few lights of a truck to guide us. We arrived to see Paige, fully away and excited for us! The extended weekend was full of laughs, holding Paige, gifts, a Pebble Beach/Monterey visit and a special spa surprise for the ladies (from Brian and Dad)!! My first massage ever (geesh, am I a spoiled girl now?!). I had to leave early due to work purposes but the visit was awesome and I left with a strong addiction to holding my niece and watching her attempt to smile with only gums to show! Brian and Kristen were doing well and had adjusted swiftly to the new location. I landed back in Philly to see Dario waiting with flowers and airport guards yelling at him to "back away from the entrance!" --hahah..he was excited to see me (and apparently very threatening-looking!)

PS I have suspicions Paige will be an artist. She is very dexterous! (of course coming from artsy-fartsy Aunt Amy!!)

A surprise in the middle of nowhere.

A couple of weeks ago we were off to Hancock, MA for a surprise Birthday Weekend for Dario's best friend, Chris. The weather was rainy, it was cold, and there was no tv but we had the best time playing Texas Hold'em, Scrabble, Apples to Apples and breathing in pollutant-free air while hiking. On our trip up we met our travel buddy (the plastic finger puppet) and named him "Henry". (Yes Dario and I are equally strange!) It's quite amazing how two graphic designers can be so easily amused. The two couples we met up with were from Manhattan so we all enjoyed the rural, laid-back atmosphere. A much-needed escape from the busy bustle of city-life.

Trick or Treat?

Dario and I did whole "couples" costume - Mr. Clean and a 1950's housewife. This was my first time of getting to hand out candy (since my former neighborhood consisted of nearly no children) so I (like the Girl Scout I am) had 2 HUGE bags of candy prepared for the little ones. My party (the weekend prior) was a success and 2 very special guests showed...Mrs. Pepper and Mr. Salt! (aka Dad and Mom). I need to obtain those photos immediately! I will post soon.

Go Phillies!

Dario met me after class in center city just in time for a relaxing dinner...and a World Series WIN! (In all honesty, the only Phillies game I have been to was in '85 and I think our family left early). But I was super happy for them and the city. The city folk were pretty well-behaved until about 1 am, when the true vandalism began. Fortunately for me, I do not live off of Broad Street, so I slept pretty soundly.

Life of Advertising.

Now, the movies make advertising out to be some big deal. Its really not. Mostly consisting of overly cocky people, it's a strange world of good vs. evil. On one side, you want the product to look delicious, tantilizing, beautiful, elegant, efficient...whatever. On the flip side, you know it tastes bad, makes your stomach hurt, is a horrible product, is way too expensive, or just a plain old bad purchase. But, it earns me the money for the time being. Here's a little look into my work life. The picture of my feet up is a completely "staged photoshoot". --That just never really happens. Sometimes I'm lucky if I get to the park to enjoy lunch;)

Yum. (and I will admit I'm not the best cook!)

Dario and I have a bit of a deal: He cooks me fantastic food, I clean up. Now, don't get me wrong. It's not all black and white. I'll help him cook and sometimes he will even give me lessons. He will help me clean...and sometimes I give him lessons. But the other night he came over to cook me one of my favorite "Dario-delicious treats"…Fish. I had to document. So here you have it. A peek into an evening of fun and food. Oh, and I forgot to document the end product...it disappeared into my mouth too quickly!

High School Get Together '08

Once again, my friends met up in the tiny-Island town of Chincoteague. The location was perfect. The setting, beautiful. The company, fantastic. And as usual, we had a blast. Everything from long days on the beach to long nights of chatting about the good 'ol times. We had fun. Just posting a few of our pics here.

Dario and I were 'Teagers for a week.

This past summer was full of excitement. One exciting event was the annual Pony Penning week in Chincoteague, VA – a place my family has now gotten to know quite well. I took Dario down for the week with my family and we watched the wild ponies crossing the river. On a personal note: Seeing the fear in the eyes of those ponies left me feeling a bit sad for them as they thrashed through the water. I think it's a once and done event for me. Dario taught me how to crab. I taught him how to lay on the beach and be a bum. We also had a chance to visit Brian and Kristen (mind you, this is pre-Paige!).