It’s been almost a month since Nolan and I got back from New York City, and I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to upload pictures from our trip. It was a bit of a whirlwind but we did almost everything on our to do/see/eat list! Thank you for your recommendations, they were so helpful! We did a fair amount of touristy things– visiting Grand Central Station, MoMA and The Met, walking through Central Park, along the Highline and across the Brooklyn Bridge – but we also got to act like locals too (many thanks to Emily and Kara for helping us fit right in) – we went to the Brooklyn Flea, bar hopped in the East Village, got the hang of the subway system, gallery hopped in Chelsea. We visited with old friends and new friends and even snuck in a stop at Etsy Headquarters. (What a cool place to work.) I really can’t imagine having a better trip. We’re already planning our next one… :)

We’re back from New York! It was an amazing trip, packed to the brim with exploring the city and visiting friends. I’m still catching up on work and emails from last week and haven’t had a chance to upload photos from my camera yet, so here’s a little tease with some iPhone pics.

skyscrapers and reflections | MoMA | drawing class at The Met | Subway | Cocktails | fabric at Mood | Grand Central Station | Blue Bottle Coffee on the Highline

Pretty sure I need this shirt. It looks like it was made for twirling!

Loving these pretty little bohemian dresses from Stone Cold Fox.

{photos by jason lee parry}

I have been getting pretty lazy about taking photos lately, but that should change next week– I’m headed to New York City! It will be my first trip there and I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am. I’ve been browsing the Manhattan and Brooklyn guides on Design*Sponge and the  guide to NYC Joanna (A Cup of Jo) shared last week, but if you have any recommendations for things we must see or eat or do while we’re there I’d love to hear them!

Anywho, back to this weekend. Saturday was a crazy day of errands (shopping, hair cut, cake deliveries) before running home to make a dish for a dinner party we were invited to. Some friends who are really into food and wine started a dinner club of sorts; every two months the group gets together at someone’s house to put on a six-course wine pairing dinner. The host provides the wine and every person/couple is in charge of a course that pairs with the provided wine (we were given tasting notes ahead of time). This weekend my friend Lauren was hosting and one of the couples was unable to attend, so Nolan and I were invited to round out the group. We were in charge of the pasta course, and the theme being ‘fall harvest’ we made a butternut squash ravioli with brown butter sage sauce. Everyone brought their A game and it was seriously one of the better meals I’ve had! We had poached pear salad, ravioli, roasted duck with a coconut cherry compote, braised lamb with pomegranate reduction, a cheese course, and pumpkin pie, each paired with wonderful wines (I couldn’t even begin to remember what we had). Needless to say, we were in a bit of a food and wine induced coma on Sunday and spent the day recovering, watching Sports Night (so! good!) and snuggling with the kitties. I caught them taking a nap on the same side of the couch, cuties.

We went to the Fleet Foxes show at the Greek Theater a few weeks ago, and I was so inspired by the animated backdrop imagery. I took a few less-than-stellar snaps on my phone, but Alyson Redding got some fantastic ones when they played in Seattle. They were designed by Sean Pecknold; you can see more of the designs for the concert backdrop on his website.

{photos by Alyson Redding, except for the block of square pics from my phone}

A perfectly intimate wedding on top of a mountain… Surrounded by only your nearest and dearest– so sweet, so simple! Kinda wishing my husband and I could get married all over again.

{photos by Sean Flanigan; see more from this gorgeous wedding on his blog}

I’ve been battling a cold since staying out late for the Bon Iver concert Thursday night (totally worth it, the show was amazing) so it was a fairy uneventful weekend here. Gabby had her baby last week so I helped deliver a couple of wedding cakes this weekend; the picture above is of Talya putting the finishing touches on a cake we delivered to City Hall. I was getting a bit stir crazy by Sunday afternoon so I took advantage of neighborhood free days and explored the California Academy of Sciences for a few hours. My favorite part was walking through the aquarium; I sat and watched the jellyfish for a while, and was tickled to spot a clownfish and a dory fish swimming together as I had just watched the end of Finding Nemo on TV the other night. Back home to veg for the rest of the evening and play with the kitties, who are getting along pretty well these days. What a difference a week makes.

One of the old Victorian homes on our block had an open house this past weekend, and I couldn’t resist stopping by. It was staged beautifully and I could have moved in right then and there. I mean, look at those built-ins! And all that natural light! Too bad I don’t have $1.5 million…

{photo credit Open Homes Photography}

Sorry for my absence last week; Nolan and I took a quick trip to North Carolina for work (and a bit of play!). We got back Friday afternoon and spent the better part of the weekend relaxing and recovering. Highlights were a first birthday party on Sunday, a stop by Golden Gate Park to visit Meg and Siri and their amazing ice cream truck, and picking up our new kitten Lola! She is a playful and curious little thing and loves snuggling and belly rubs. She’ll fit in just fine here. :) Oliver is slowly coming around, but I think they’ll be fast friends.