There's nothing like Autumn in the Northeast (final chapter!).

(See part 1...)
(See part 2...)
(See part 3...)

The rest of our trip was spent in lovely Jersey. My parents took us to Lake Hopatcong and Lake Mohawk which is just a short drive from our house in Madison. It was gorgeous. Many people would be surprised to know a place like this exists in Jersey!





Lake Mohawk looked like it could have been a hamlet in Germany or Switzerland (except for the speedboat - ha!)...





We also got to spend time with my most favoritest cousins in the whole world: Paula and Steve, and their kids Brian, Colleen, and David. Paula is my first cousin. This is me with Colleen and Paula. We are definitely cut from the same cloth!


Me and my Godson, David:


Our mutant family. See where I get it??


This is one of my parents' 3 cats, Sarah, a.k.a. The Fattest Cat You've Ever Seen. She could feed a family of four with plenty for leftovers.


She likes to perch against the arm of the couch and "direct traffic," as my dad says.


Next, we went to the gorgeous Princeton University campus to visit an old dear friend, David "Keas" Keasler. What a wonderful, refreshing time we had - strolling amongst historic buildings, admiring beautiful tall trees, and talking about life and faith. Perfect.










And finally, an autumn walk around my parents' house and the town of Madison, NJ. The backyard of my childhood...




The variety of leaves we found on our walk!

H A P P Y A U T U M N, F R I E N D S !

Giving Up 2 Mochas For Africa.

Go read my new guest blog today on The Sustainable Scoop!

Dancin' the night away!

So You Think You Can Dance...LIVE in Dallas. We were in the 7TH ROW!!! I lost my voice. Bonnie and I sat on the edges of our seats with our jaws dropped open the entire time. It was stunning, moving, beautiful, and inspirational!

I thought I'd share some of my favorite photos from the night. They said not to use a flash, but somehow mine just happened to turn on all by itself. Oopsie :)

A contemporary routine with Kameron and Lacey, the first one that was on the TV show...


Then Sabra! So much strength in a tiny body.



This dance gives me chills everytime (wait for it to load - it's so worth it!) This contemporary dance with Danny and Anja is the one I saw on the show and decided it was time to stop saying, "I want to do that" and actually start attempting it. Please God, can I learn to dance like this one day?

The way they move their bodies really is an art form.




Loved the 80s corduroys in every color of the rainbow!

This might seem kind of shallow, but one of the things I realized I love about dancers is their bodies. They are not Hollywood fake skinny, but they are strong. The girls were normal and healthy sized. Some of them even had cellulite, which was oddly comforting. I thought they were beautiful exactly how they were!

It was just a joyful night! Thank you Jeny & Steven for working so hard to arrange it!


On the way to the car, we kept saying, "That was so amazing. Oh my gosh, that was so amazing." Then Bonnie said, "I want to enroll in ballet classes right now. And when we build our dream house, you better believe there's going to be a dance studio in it," and I knew she'd caught dancing fever. I love these vows we make after we've had an inspirational night like tonight. I just know that I went home a happy girl, excited for next week's class when I get to try to be a dancer once again.

There's nothing like Autumn in the Northeast (part 3).

(See part 1...)
(See part 2...)

Our second day in NYC was relaxing and lovely. Steven just had to have an authentic New York bagel for breakfast, so we went to one of those places that don't really have a name but just say "BAGELS" on the front. The line was out the door, so we figured it was a good choice. I must say, the hazelnut coffee was surprisingly good. This picture below just says "morning" to me. I love how in New York, you walk out the front door, and you're immediately in the middle of the bustling activity. There's something exciting stirring in the air!


We strolled around the Upper East Side admiring the gorgeous homes...





Here's another unique thing about New York City, besides their obsession with cupcakes: they are also obsessed with brunch. And you know, when in Rome, so we moved on to Tara Leigh's Next Brilliant Recommendation, Danal, which she also claimed was her favorite restaurant in the city. That's quite a claim, and Danal lived up to it completely!

From the outside Danal is almost unnoticeable. You descend a few steps from street level to walk inside, and you're instantly transported into a cozy restaurant in the French countryside. A smile crept upon my face as I quickly scanned the room. It was filled with intimate tables with charming lamps and flowers, ready for coffee-filled conversations between friends or dates. Our restaurant aficionado told us to ask to sit on the back patio, so that's what we did. Here it is, nestled in between tall buildings like a little oasis. Look at that Japanese Maple...it must have taken 50 years to grow that tall!


The menu was presented in a 5x7 picture frame standing upright on the table - cute! Mental note for future restaurant: menu in a frame, menu in a frame. The first thing I spotted on the menu was your own personal French press of coffee. Yes, PLEASE. We were giddy as we perused the menu and agreed that we couldn't think of a more perfect place to be at that moment, together, on a lovely patio in New York City. The French press arrived with a perfectly frothed mini pottery pitcher of milk. That's what I'm talking about. It was one of the best cups of coffee I've ever had...or three.




As you can see, it made me very happy :)


And then came the most delicious Eggs Benedict I've ever had in my life, with a side of cinnamon apples!!!!


Thoroughly stuffed, we then set off for Thompson Street to visit with my dad's 80-year-old Cousin Connie, affectionately known as "Cuz." I just love Cuz. She calls me "tuts" and "dahhling" and has lived in the same exact teeny tiny apartment in Greenwich Village her entire life, so you can only imagine the stories she has. She used to work at Warner Brothers and stays in good shape by climbing her 4 flights of stairs twice a day. She carries Italian bread in her purse to every restaurant, even Chinese. I never get tired of hearing her tales about all the mafia guys who owned businesses on her street and seeing celebrities like Robert Redford in the elevator.


After a sweet visit with Cuz, we headed back to the Upper East Side to eat some great New York pizza for dinner and passed Tara Leigh's "boyfriend," The Chrysler Building, shining in the early evening sun. Somewhere along the way, I bought some cute black flats at Macy's.



Continuing on...

Guess where I'm going tonight?!?!

So You Think You Can Dance with the entire cast at the Nokia Theater! An early 30th berfday gift from Jeny and my hubby! I can't wait to see my dancing inspirations, Sabra and Danny, LIVE! YAAAAAAAAY!

There's nothing like Autumn in the Northeast (part 2).

Continuing our Northeast journey... (see part 1)

Once we arrived in New Jersey, the first activity was a country drive to view the gorgeous fall foliage. Yes, New Jersey is much, much more than Newark Airport. Although the trees weren't completely turning yet and it was raining off and on, my home state was lookin' gorgeous. See?

We cozied up in the back seat of my dad's Lincoln Towncar as it gripped the winding roads at what felt like 60 mph! "Geez Dad, slow down!" we yelled from the back seat as our luggage went flying. "Calm down, will ya? I'm only going 29!" It was true; I saw the speedometer.

The next morning we set out for my beloved New York City for a few days with our "virtual tour guide" Tara Leigh only a phone call away. I tell you, Tara Leigh is batting 1000 with her New York restaurant recommendations. But more on that in a sec.

As soon as we left the train, we sprinted for Central Park, which was glorious in the fall weather. We walked around the reservoir and all through the park, enjoying the mums and tall sycamores...



This is the whimsical castle from the movie Stepmom...



I just love the one leaf in this photo, resting gracefully atop the orange mums...


Then, it was off to lunch at Tara Leigh's Brilliant Recommendation #1: Penelope. You MUST go to the website to see how adorable it was. It was just how I would want my restaurant to be, if I ever had one...



Next, we walked around and made our way over to a scrumptious cupcake place (apparently cupcakes are extremely popular in The City, who knew?) called Billy's Bakery. Now, I know what you're thinking right about now: Did you do anything on this trip besides eat? And the answer is, Yes. We walked a lot too. Walked and ate. :)

Billy's Bakery was teeny inside, but it was cozy. And going by the photo on the wall, Katie Holmes apparently thinks the cupcakes are quite scrumptious too! I loved the butter yellow/pale aqua color scheme and the huge tower of eggs that you could see in cartons in the open kitchen. I like restaurants where you can see them cooking or baking. They can't spit or sneeze in your food if you're right there watching!


Next, we trekked several avenues over to Chelsea Market, the mecca of the Food Network. But don't worry, we were too full to eat anything else! Instead, we ooh'd and ahh'd at the intricately carved pumpkins and fantastic specialty food shops in this indoor market. I have to admit, I also sashayed past the Food Network a few times to see if I could get a glimpse of Giada or Rachael Ray. One strange thing I noticed while we people-watched inside Chelsea Market...everyone, and I mean everyone was wearing tapered leg jeans. What?! I don't care who you think you are, New York City, but that is one trend I won't be adopting anytime soon.



By the time we had dinner that night at another TLC recommendation, a thai restaurant called Spice, I was so stuffed that all I wanted to do was sleep :) Our dear friends, David & Shawna, were in Texas at the same time we were in NYC, so they let us stay in their cozy apartment on the Upper East Side for a great night's rest before we hit the city for Part 3....next!

Why I Drink 963.

Go read my guest blog today on The Sustainable Scoop!

Warm glow.

(Yes, I'm going to post soon on the rest of our Northeast vacation! We have had horrible internet access for the past week, so I'm behind! Stay tuned!)

Our livingroom is now painted a lovely yellow: Warm Glow. My friend Michelle also crafted some gorgeous curtains out of an Urban Outfitters bedspread I got for $9.99, and my pink sari from India. I LOVE how it all turned out! Now I will think of my Indian friends every time I look out the window!





I made this to remind me of one of my favorite quotes from an Elisabeth Elliot book and thought it matched the room perfectly!