It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

With the first snow falling, we decided it was time to break out the vintage Aluminum Christmas tree (thx sis for finding this for us!). It's the PERFECT tree for our new place and though we're not really set up to decorate fully, the tree makes us feel just a little bit like Christmas.



Krampas makes a guest appearance on our tree (the red devil of German Christmastime).



Chubba was a really uncertain about the snow, having never experienced it before in his life. He gave it a try, but opted to stay inside (the other cats literally ran from the door in terror, opting to observe from the safety of the window.

You can move across the country,

...but you never lose your best friends.

You KNOW I must love these people, if I would opt for the best picture of someone else instead of picking MY best pic.  And with that in mind...Happy Birthday Kiki!:

CUPCAKES!...

Our great friends from LA came to town for a big event at Lincoln Center (which was amazing and fun).  And the best part, was that it was also Kiki's birthday.  So Joe and I ran up to Magnolia bakery (home of the best cupcakes in NYC...seriously!) grabbed a box full, grabbed a cab and took our very lovely ladies out to Snack Taverna in the West Village.  We had fabulous food and a fantastic time.

Since we had a few days together we took the opportunity to get together as much as possible:

Shopping Soho...

Eating at our favorite restaurants...

Taking in "the arts"...

...and walking around in the COLD COLD COLD!

 It was so great having them here, and we're gonna miss them SO MUCH!  Thx for spending your vacation with us kids!  We love you all!

A good time had by all...

Well,...so much for pics from the party.  But it was a great time, with lots of wonderful people bringing TONS of fantastic food.   Holly was so satisfied, she snuggled up on the couch as the party dwindled and took a little cat nap!  Now THAT's  a compliment, when your guests feel comfortable enough to just catch a few zzz's on the sly!  (I blame the tryptophan).  

Thanks to everyone for coming.  I'll try to be quicker with the camera next time!

Hipster Housewarming!

We are having a Housewarming Party the weekend after Thanksgiving. Barring an attack of hipsters from the neighborhood, it should be a nice, low-key affair. It's a potluck, so hopefully we'll get enough left over Turkey to fill a bathtub (I'll eat my way to the bottom....mmmmmmmm.....turkey). I'm inviting all our local friends and a bunch of people from my work. If they don't come, well then I can't say I haven't tried! I work with some really great people, but it's hard to get to know them when we're all on constant deadlines. And as for our local friends, I'm not sure how many will be around, but they really all should get to know each other! They are all so great! This is what I'm calling a Phase 1 party, sort of a pre-decorating event. Then, once we get the curtains, and paint up, we'll have a post decorating party (a Drapewarming, perhaps). I'm not sure what drinks to make, (will it be cold enough for hot toddies????that would be fabulous!) but there are sure to be Shu-Mai! Come by and bring a casserole! Pix to follow!

1st view of the new place

Joe out did himself. I can't express just how excited I am with the new place. We are located dead center of Williamsburg, in this little side neighborhood that I've had a crush on for some time. We are on a main thoroughfare, with large windows, but it's quiet and lovely, with lovely light and trees lining the street. A coffee shop sits right across the street, a lovely bar and restaurant is kitty corner, and the block is full of great places to eat and shop. We are a stones throw from the Metro station and Bedford avenue (with all it's great shops and places to eat). We can walk to the water, or meet with friends (who are also local) for dinner or a drink. Not that there is much reason to leave the new apartment. It's the perfect place for entertaining, and working from home. We even have a little balcony off the back! I can't wait to get home (and continue to unpack) just thinking about it!

New York New York , a wonderful town...

While it's taken some time to get settled, I have not completely forgot about postings. I have, however, been living out of boxes and unable to have reliable access to the internet at home. Add to that my bear of a commute (I spend between 2 and 3 hours a day between home and work, all in a noble effort to provide humanity with stories that nourish the soul (or at least keep the rugrats out of mom's hair for a few hours). Now I'm so far behind I'll have to just rush out a post or two for catch-up purposes.

On September 1 Joe and I moved to New York City.

Our last evening in LA - Shannon and Mary saw us off in the only way to leave LA; filled with Tacos. With a drought of Mexican food on the horizon, we doused our sorrows in Margaritas and bid farewell to our home for the last 6 years. Onward to NY:

While we were ready to leave LA, we weren't ready to give up everything. So we took Shannon along as our Catsitter on the plane. That meant we had a few fun days left with him before we started our new lives in NY. Old life, meet new life: We met up with our lovely friend Alexa (see previous posts) and her friend Christina and headed out for what we were afraid was the last weekend of Coney Island ever (it's gotten a reprieve of another year, since then, but we couldn't take a chance and miss it).

Never let it be said Shannon doesn't know how to cut right to the heart of a good time.

The day was fantastic and ended with a warm sunset on the beach. It was an amazing way to start our new adventure (I know, it sounds stupid, but it's true) here in NY.
Of course, this was followed by 2 months of living in an apartment that was right above the subway line, in the heart of Garbage truck central and plagued with everything from spoiled college students from the private business school in the neghborhood to the odd bites in the night that suggested some sort of mite or bedbug! UGH! Add to that a difficult time adjusting to the commute and work, and you have 2 months of...well...good reasons not to post. But now, well...see the next posting for more on "Now" (and maybe a little on why I dislike Blogger's coding, which is making the layout of this post very annoying to me...)