Merry Christmas!

I'm spending the morning with my dad and brother, then we're heading out to the Cape to see some of the extended family. Last night we went to the Christmas Eve service at the First Unitarian Church of Providence-we loved the candlelight one! Hope you're having a peaceful and joyful celebration.

Merry Christmas, y'all!

xoxoxo
Emma

Feeling Festive

Hey all! Long time no chat...I've been totally swamped with Christmas stuff at my main job plus working quite a few hours at Athleta, as well as trying to get all my personal Christmas tasks done! I'm essentially done with gifts (I just need a few more stocking stuffers) and have 3 more Christmas cards to write, so I'm in the home stretch.
I had the most festive day this weekend, from Providence to Stoneham. I would highly recommend all the following activities! :)

On Sunday morning, I went with Dad and Georgina to pick out our Christmas tree. Henry's Christmas Tree Farm has a gorgeous selection, both already cut and out in their fields. They also have wreaths and other greenery-we always pick one up for our door!

This time, we decided to take the ride out to the field and pick out our own. We had a great time walking through them all, even if my toes froze a little bit!

When we got home to put it up, I decided (of course) we needed a Christmas movie. We lucked out and Miracle on 34th Street was on TV! It was perfect to have that on while getting the tree settled (and enjoying some desserts, of course).

Later that evening, back in the Boston area, I picked up Elly and we met Michelle at Stone Zoo. They have ZooLights every year, and it is a blast! It's pretty small, but definitely worth the $10 admission. We made friends with a monkey and wondered just how badly we would be mauled should we cuddle the black bears...

I do feel uncomfortable with zoos, particularly ones with small/unnatural enclosures (which this one appeared to have some of), so there was a bit of cognitive dissonance of course.

All in all, though, there's still time for festive things-get out there and take advantage! Just 5 days till Christmas!

xoxoxo
Emma

Happy birthday, Mom!

When booking tickets for Thanksgiving, I decided to extend my trip a bit to get to spend Mom's birthday with her. Lucas decided to do the same, so we are finally all together for it! It's really wonderful to have family that actually all enjoys spending time together. 

I write similar sappy things every year, but it's true every time-I am so grateful to have my mom. She has been so supportive of every major choice I've made, change I've undertaken, and experience I've gone through. She cares so deeply for her family, friends, and the world and is always trying to make it a better place. 

She loves me even when I make her listen to Christmas a cappella music...and go shopping the weekend after Thanksgiving. I take it as a compliment every time someone says we look or act alike-the cliché of growing up to be your mom is a pretty darn good one here.

I love you, Mom, and am so so happy to get to celebrate with you!

xoxoxo

Emma

Happy 60th Birthday, Dad!

Today is my dad's 60th birthday, and while I can't be there for the day itself, Lucas and I had a blast creating a whole surprise weekend a little early :)

I had no idea, but apparently I ordered the cake from one of the best bakeries around! LaSalle, you were great!

I picked Lucas up at the airport on Friday and we spent the afternoon eating, prepping, and avoiding running into Dad. Lunch at Tallulah's Taqueria and dessert at PVDonuts was a great way to do this!

We conspired with some of our friends (thanks Georgina, Manu, José, and Rici!) to show up at Dad's regular Friday evening haunt, GCB. It was a surprise when I walked in, since I am very rarely able to make it down on a Friday at all, let alone early enough, but Dad's reaction to Lucas was priceless, and totally worth hiding the fact that he was coming in from Denver.

After GCB, a few of us went to dinner at Lim's (our go-to!) and ate waaaay too much, but had to still have dessert! I made one combining Dad's favorite flavors-raspberry cream cheese brownies. Delicious and oh-so-rich!

Dad had to speak on a panel Saturday morning, so Lucas and I took advantage of this to clean a lot of the house and tried to play it off as one of his surprises. Naturally we also had to go to Rebelle Artisan Bagels-I think it lived up to the (my) hype! When Dad returned, we also filled him in on his next surprise-going skydiving! Obviously I would not partake in this (though Lucas did), but we all drove down to Newport to spend the afternoon there. We started with a yummy lunch at the Tavern on Broadway so they could fuel up for their dive. I, on the other hand, took the opportunity to wander around Newport.

The boys loved skydiving, but we had one more surprise up our collective sleeve-a party, of course! I told Dad I wanted to be back in time to watch the Michigan game (which wasn't untrue, but *sigh*...that game was a travesty), so we again coordinated with Georgina, Manu, and José to time it perfectly. Dad, Lucas, and I may have had a couple drinks on the porch of the Lobster Bar to both enjoy the sunset and delay our return.

We had so many lovely guests...thank you all for being a part of making this birthday so special! The party raged on until the wee hours of the morning and Dad had a blast.

The night is never complete without a group selfie!

Sunday morning we relaxed and went to breakfast at the Classic Cafe before Lucas had to make it to the airport. I hung out a few hours longer, managing to sneak in lunch and a strawberry milkshake from Three Sisters before driving back to Boston.

Had to get that family photo!

Dad, thank you for always being such a support to everyone in your life. I hope you have the most wonderful birthday; I'm so glad I got to celebrate to the extreme with you this weekend!

xoxoxo
Emma

21 hours in NYC

This summer (following our Denver adventure), Dad and I drove down to NYC just for a day. Sounds crazy, right? It may have been-but it was also 100% worth it, because we were going to see HAMILTON! When we selected our tickets last winter, it felt like the day would never come-but it finally did!

On Tuesday after work (I had a training so I even got out a little early), I drove down to Providence to meet Dad, and we immediately hit the road. We got insanely lucky with traffic and made it to the default bar by my friend Kate's place (where I was staying) by 8:00, so Dad dropped me off and went to his hotel in Queens.

When Kate finished up her yoga class, we headed over to a new wine bar that had recently opened around the corner, Pop & Pour Cafe. It is a tiny space but adorable-and has delicious food and drink! I had also started to forget the joys of happy hour but was soon reminded. Come on, Boston-please hop on that train!
Despite having no plans until brunch before the matinee, I woke up early (of course), but took full advantage of that to enjoy the perfect summer day. I hopped on the train-oh how I love NYC public transportation-and went straight down to Central Park. After walking from the bottom up to around 72nd St, I stopped by Le Pain Quotidien for a croissant, fruit, and cappuccino to tide me over until brunch. Unfortunately the scaffolding outside kept a lot of light out, but it probably is my favorite chain so it was definitely worth it.

I also swung by Alice's Tea Cup for some looseleaf tea to take back with me-the Kashmiri green chai is such a treat with almond milk and honey.

Dad and Kate then met me by the Bethesda Fountain for a little stroll. Dad had never been to Central Park just to spend time there, so we went through the ramble on our way back up town. It's pretty amazing that you really can forget that you're in a city while in Central Park-and even get lost!

We brunched with Kate, her friend, and his sister at a great place right by her apartment (also, weekday brunch? The greatest!) before heading back down to Times Square.

Waiting in the line to get into the theatre was crazy-we all had tickets already, yet were in a crazy long line to get in. Everyone was so excited and there were clearly a range of people in terms of all demographics.

What to say about the show itself? It was amazing. I had such high expectations for it given all the hype and how many times I had listened to the soundtrack, ha-and it lived up to them. I was a little concerned because it of course wasn't the original cast and a couple of the leads are played by their swing performer for the matinees. However, I didn't need to worry-everyone was fantastic!

Dad was not nearly as familiar with the show as I was, but I think loved it just as much. He was astounded at some of it (especially loving the timely line "immigrants-we get the job done") and has since purchased the biography-it's sitting on his coffee table!
After the show, we simply drove back to Providence and then I continued on to Boston since I had to work the next day. We didn't get quite as lucky with traffic on the return trip, though it was still 100% worth it.
Dad-thank you so, so, so much for taking me to see Hamilton! It was well worth waiting almost 10 years :)

xoxoxo
Emma

Eating Elsewhere: Denver (Part 2)

Our second day in Colorado was not much shorter, despite flying out that night (I believe our flight was at 11:59pm), but we didn't manage quite as many food stops. We still fit as much in around the christening and family party, though!

Of course we had to eat before heading to the Boulder area, but had to leave early enough that we didn't have time to take advantage of the many fantastic breakfast/brunch restaurants. Thankfully, Lucas knew of a great bagel place, Rosenberg's Bagels and Deli. I had a classic bagel sandwich, as did Lucas, but Dad amped it up with cream cheese and caviar on his. I was also pretty happy to take advantage of their nitro cold brew-so yummy! The combination of current and modern certainly created a fun atmosphere.

As we drove back into Denver after our (extended) family time, we had to make a stop at one of Dad and Lucas' favorite breweries, Black Shirt Brewing. I really enjoy beer, though don't drink it as often as they do, so was happy to take advantage of their flight-otherwise I certainly would have only been able to try one!

Their music theme is also super fun-they sell some awesome artwork, both prints and original, and the name of the brewery comes from Johnny Cash. Plus, their taps handles are microphones!
We finished the evening with dinner and drinks at the Rackhouse, a taproom that shares space with C Squared Ciders and Bierstadt Lagerhaüs Brewery. The restaurant is located above the cidery and brewery, so we were able to look down on their production.

I really enjoyed my cider flight-the lavender was particularly good! I wasn't sure exactly what to expect, but it was delicious. 

The food was also excellent. Dad immediately noticed the soft pretzel on the menu, so naturally we started with that. I then loved the banh mi (subbing in fried green tomatoes) and mac & cheese. 

By the time we left, Dad and I pretty much had to be rolled to the airport, but it was totally worth it! There's only about 98 more breweries (no exaggeration) and many more restaurants to explore!

xoxoxo

Emma

Eating Elsewhere: Denver (Part 1)

Boy oh boy does Denver have good food! Tons of breweries apparently also means tons of excellent "new American" as well...prepare to drool and/or plan your next trip.

After Dad's and my late arrival on Friday, Lucas took us directly to an excellent coffee shop and bar, Hudson Hill, conveniently right by his house. I was almost too tired to enjoy it, but their cocktails were absolutely worth staying up for (till what felt like 4am!).

Of course we finished the night with a slice...I never get tired of white pizza!

The next morning we hit up Lucas' go-to spot for visitors, Jelly Cafe, to fuel up for our "nature walk". We had a light appetizer of all their donut bites (OMG the spicy Thai peanut was ridiculous). I followed this with some breakfast sliders and breakfast potatoes, all of which was great. My standard for judging breakfast/brunch spots is the potatoes so I get them nearly every time...that's a good excuse, right?

Thankfully our outdoor adventures allowed us to work up enough of an appetite to enjoy a late lunch at the Post Brewing Co. (closer to Boulder to allow us to meet up with some more family). I think if you eat meat, specifically fried chicken, it might be more exciting...though my chile relleno and Post Dark Bloody were quite tasty, and the biscuits are to die for!

When we eventually made our way back to Denver, we made a pit stop at Little Man Ice Cream. We waited for about half an hour, which is apparently not long on a summer day! It was 100% worth it-I loved both the salted maple pecan and Earl Grey tea & cookies flavors I got, and who doesn't enjoy a freshly baked waffle cone??

After dropping the car off at home and walking around for a while, we finally thought we could consume some more food & drink. We had to hit up the classic tiki bar Adrift-I wish I could've gotten better pictures, as the decor and presentation were on point, but the lighting was not conducive to it at all. I don't think Lucas minded (he doesn't exactly love my obsession with photographing my food and drink) but I gave it my best shot! The exterior shot turned out much better...

We ended up eating dinner finally (very late) at a lovely little Mediterranean restaurant, Gozo, where we obviously started with the burrata. Without fail my one complaint is not allowing it to come to room temperature. It was definitely high quality cheese, and the accompaniments were excellent, but the flavor of the burrata itself comes through so much more when it is not cold.

The brussels sprout salad, however, I had absolutely no complaints about-I was in desperate need of protein and greens so it hit the spot. Dad's risotto was also delicious-I feel totally inspired to incorporate eggplant into mine in the future now.

Stay tuned for Day 2!

xoxoxo
Emma