Merry Christmas

the good life

with the year coming to an end i find myself looking back on it and i can't help but smile because this year has undoubtedly 

been my best year yet.

for the first time i'll be celebrating new years eve in the city
it breaks tradition as i've never been away from my family on the first of a new year,
but i won't lie -- i am excited to ring in 2012 with beloved friends and a boyfriend whom i'm just as thankful for.

i constantly find myself reminded of how good i've got it
at the end of a day, no matter how stressful and seemingly unnecessary, i'm thankful for the reminders and the ability to filter noise, because it's supposed to be easy, letting go of the little things.

a friend posted this quote and to be honest i think it perfectly summarizes 2011 for me:

"don't rush: what is really important always finds a way of revealing itself."
                                                                           --paulo coelho

cheers to the important things worth waiting for,
an amazing 2011, and an even better 2012
what's not to love
xxmon

home is where the heart is, part two.

over thanksgiving break, i spent some time outside with my dad as he was determined to rake all the fallen leaves. my dad is a very outdoors, hands-on kind of guy who pretty much created our backyard from scratch; building the deck, planting the trees, creating a vegetable garden, making birdhouses, seats out of stones, all the flowers, etc. he treats everything out there with the same love and care he gives his own children.

i'm certainly not the outdoors-loving kind of person he is (hate camping.), but i do love spending time with my dad. i really started to notice how much change had taken place around the house since the last time i was in maryland -- all the reds, yellows, and oranges -- just so beautiful.

when i'm in maryland, the sky looks brighter, trees look greener, and i end up feeling much smaller than i do when i'm in new york. in the city, you're surrounded by tall buildings, no trees, and even in places like the botanical gardens, undeniably beautiful, you can hear the traffic when you near the edges of the perimeter. i always feel so peaceful when i visit home, and this past thanksgiving was no different.

love that my dad uses the branches as hangers when he's outside

this picture makes me laugh because i showed my dad the picture and he said that he hated it!

when i asked him why he said that the leaves shouldn't be up there, and on the ground instead 

(: 

wonder what the backyard will look like this winter

things to be thankful for

thanksgiving was..

perfect.

boyfriend, dad & his friends went golfing in the morning

mom, sister and i took charge of groceries and the feast

a dinner table filled with good food, stories, and laughter

and we ended the night playing games, just enjoying each other's company

honestly, it was the best thanksgiving i've ever had.

in my 25 years i've yet to spend a thanksgiving without my family and pray that there won't be many, because in any given lifetime, i can't think of anything else one could be more thankful for. 

i've certainly been blessed.

cheers to the holidays,

xxmon

escape from manhattan

my boyfriend and i have been doing a lot of traveling lately, and life has seemed a bit exhausting. i decided that a change of pace was necessary, so we spent the day at the brooklyn botanical gardens. it was exactly what we needed: fresh air, beautiful scenery, and a simple escape, even if only for just for a few hours.