This is for anyone who has ever felt not-good-enough; for anyone who has been frustrated by their own impossibly high standards; for anyone who struggles. My friend Talya wrote this little prayer for herself and posted it on Facebook months and months ago, and when I initially saw it, it just seemed so beautiful and–…
We walked into the former macaroni factory-turned-artists’ lofts, a character-filled space perfectly befitting Jessica and Alex. After we ascended six flights of stairs, we were treated to the most spectacular gem, with all of downtown Chicago ready to serve as the backdrop to the wedding ceremony. It turns out those 80% chance thunderstorm forecasts were all bluster….
Ever since I got my little office space this year, I’ve been hosting wonderful little tea parties for my friends and prospective clients. I recently fell in love with the idea of afternoon tea because of all the attention to detail and the care that it takes to put together all of the different treats and…
Four Chicago boys and me. I picked up Vince and his brother Kevin who had each flown in to SFO, and we drove southeast from the Bay Area while Alex and Eric drove northeast from Los Angeles. Our destination: Sequoia National Park, one of the nine national parks in California. We would camp for two nights…
In mid-July, I found myself taking a spontaneous trip to Chicago to meet Jesse who was there for work. We then commenced with lots of eating and even a bit of boating. Meal one as soon as I got in from O’Hare: Boka, (located next door to Alinea, but we’ll be back for that next…
We awoke on day three of our Sequoia/Kings Canyon camping trip and got ready to tackle the 9-mile hike for the day. Our campsite for this second night was pretty perfect, with the sound of the river nearby, tall trees surrounding a clearing, and nice flat ground for all our tents. We packed up everything…
We opened the second half of 2014 with a lovely week in the Bay Area when Jesse came to visit. Basically, we ate our way around the Bay and enjoyed some Fourth of July fireworks too. We got to use the remainder of a gift certificate I had to Pizzaiolo in Oakland. And them some ice…
My first visit to Houston! I was Jesse’s guest to his friend Stephanie’s wedding. We were in Houston for only two days, but we survived the stifling humidity to enjoy this beautiful wedding and check out… the mall? See below! Ashton Gardens was such a gorgeous venue just north of Houston. Everything was indoors but…
Back in New York City again! I photographed this beautiful Brooklyn wedding in June, and of course I got to spend some time exploring more of Manhattan while I was there. We kick it off with a classic shot of Grand Central Station– this was en route to our Blue Hill at Stone Barns day trip….
On an absolutely beautiful early summer day, we hopped on a train from Grand Central and headed thirty miles north of Manhattan to the bucolic Stone Barns Center in New York. Blue Hill is a restaurant located on Stone Barns, their sister farm. We spent the afternoon nibbling on bites from the farmer’s market and the…
I visit Seattle pretty regularly but it had been two years since my last visit, so when the opportunity came up to pick a west coast destination for Memorial Day, we flew on over to Seattle. As always, it was a wonderful time with delicious eats and good friends! Our first stop from the airport: The Whale Wins. Margaret…
We drove off the ferry and headed in to Richmond, BC, for our first stop: beef noodle soup. And so began our relaxing vacay filled with delicious eats and relaxing outings. Highlights below: I’m not sure if I ordered the wrong soup, but the beef noodle soup at Chef Hung’s wasn’t nearly as awesome as…