Home From The Holidays

And we're back from our first trip home since we moved in May.  The weather was unseasonably warm for November, guess someone heard we were coming and adjusted the heat accordingly.  I was delighted to get a cup of this- oh Dunkin, how I've missed you:

 DD <3

We dove into the infamous Pumpkin Torte, went on the annual Christmas tree hunt, had breakfast with a wonderful old friend and our parents met!!  It's kind of unbelievable that our parents hadn't met until this weekend but it went swimmingly and we had a great time at one of our old favorite restaurants in New Haven.

After we swapped households, we got to see the unreal devastation in Somers and Massachusetts from the freak snow storm hit a month ago.  There are still huge piles of debris still lining the streets four weeks later and tons of trees came down under the weight of the leaves and the snow.



Debris lining the streets

I wouldn't trade the tornado scare from when I first moved to Texas for this- it looks like it was pretty brutal and the power was out for almost two weeks.  Luckily, most of the homes in the area managed to avoid serious damage but the landscaping companies must be making a fortune cleaning this up!

How 'Bout Them Cowgirls?

One of the things that New Yorkers have to 'tolerate' is having models and celebrities walk among them on their city streets.  While Manhattan has their models, and sure, that may not make the rest of the female population feel great about themselves, Dallas has this:

Her white teeth meet her white boots

Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders.  America's sweethearts.  Women who look as good in person as they do in print (where I liked to assume they've been photo-shopped to perfection).  I should also mention that we have Troy Aikman and the cast of Dallas's Most Eligible, that has to count for something.

Anyways, I was perversely fascinated by these women when I attended my first Cowboys game.  How was it possible that there really are creatures that look like this, and more importantly, exist alongside mere mortals in cities across the country!?  They made me wish I could dance, schedule a teeth whitening appointment and break into a swift jog towards the nearest tanning salon all at the same time.

What Up East Coast!

Tomorrow we head back to the great white North to celebrate my favorite holiday!  This won't be my first trip back since moving but it will be my first non-work trip home which will make all of the difference.  In late October I was sent to NJ for work and while there, I saw some things that were so un-apologetically Jersey that I can't help but share.  

First, there was this street:

Yes, I am that immature. 

And how could I forget, there was this vehicle:

Riding dirty?

What's back there?  I tried to follow as closely (and safely) as possible but I couldn't see what was in there.  A hot tub?  A couch?  Maybe a bear skin rug?  The world is that vehicle's oyster. 

There were also the little things I really miss from the North East- Italian delis, pizza shops where you can get a slice, restaurants that weren't chains- all very refreshing (and delicious). 

And on that food-related note, I hope you all enjoy the holidays wherever you celebrate!



What We Missed in October

Although I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't do much to recognize Breast Cancer Awareness month this past October, I was glad to see that my neighborhood got in the spirit of protecting the girls.

The breast tree in town

No there aren't flocks of pink birds in Dallas (but more to come on birds later), there just happen to be a ton of bras hanging from the trees in the West Village. 

Again, not sure what this outdoor decoration was intended to do, other than cause locale Dallas ladies to double check their underwear drawers, but if it drove anyone to support BCA, I like it.

Keep Austin Weird

Thumbs up

I haven't done a lot of traveling within the great Lone Star State since moving here, mostly because this state is massive and it takes hours to get anywhere.  It's like saying "Hey, you live in CT, right?  I'm moving to Baltimore, we're going to be so close!!".  That sounds ridiculous, right?  Well that's how far Houston is from Dallas, and it's only a few steps away on a Google map.

That being said, earlier this Fall I did have the chance to visit Austin for work.  It was charming and there was so much live music around the city.  It reminded me of Memphis, but it wasn't so.. how do you say.. sketchy.  And how can you not love a city that claims to be weird, and wants to keep it that way.  It's precious, really. 

I also took part in an activity that I've wanted to experience since I lived in Boston in 2005 (wait, I'm old enough to start saying stuff like that!?  ugh).

That's quacktastic!

Austin has it's very own duck tour!!  And I'm going to be honest here, I thought it was kind of terrifying.  I was sitting in the front of the "bus" and watching us drive into the water left me wishing I was wearing some adult diapers.  So on that immature note, I'll close this post by promising to return to this fine state capital with some Depends and a plan to stay on land- can't wait!

Don't Call It A Comeback

Aaaaaand, we're back!

I can't believe it's been three months since I've last blogged.  Don't worry, the blog break had nothing to do with my 13 faithful followers but it did have to do with my poor, poor Mac.  My faithful laptop died a quick death and took all of my pictures, music from the early 2000's and access to the internet with it.  Sure, I have my work computer, but how weird would it be to have blogged from that machine? 

So it took a few weeks of grieving for me to get over it and haul my bum to Walmart to pick up my new laptop.  This is a valuable lesson- back up your files!!  The good news is that I've had my trusty camera with me to capture the great things that I've been seeing and doing during the blog hiatus so I'll be able to share those with you in the coming days. 

Brace yourselves, this comeback is going to be greater than Britney's.  Plus, I didn't have to shave my head or marry a washed up back-up dancer to get here.