Merry Christmas...

And a very Happy New Year! We are off to Holland later today and will post lots of photos when we return.

Mom's Birthday

It's a wonderful coincidence that my Mom's birthday often falls during the Thanksgiving break. I can't remember the last time Mike, Erik and I were all there to celebrate with her, so this was really special. We embarrassed her with singing and cake at two different restaurants, one the night before her birthday and one on the actual day. Hopefully 52 will be a great year for her!

Hatch Show Print

Most people head to Nashville for the amazing music scene, but we were dreaming of visiting this incredible print shop: Hatch Show Print. It did not disappoint. Our biggest dilemma was deciding which posters to buy to go with the great ones from Isabelle and Nick in our little office. They even have two cats!

mammoth cave, ky

nashville news

dropping leaves and pins

Obama!

Election Tuesday was amazing! Erik and I are thrilled Obama won. The scene in Grant Park was just incredible. Mike was lucky enough to be there and to be able to walk there from his apartment even. I voted early in the morning. Woke up before the sun, put on some comfy shoes (in case there was a long line) and headed 3 blocks over to vote. Erik kept me company even though he wasn't able to vote. There was the usual amount of disorganization, but I was able to cast my vote in less than thirty minutes. It was hard to focus at work with all of the anticipation. The first poll results came in around 7pm and, while the past two elections taught me to be cautious, things were really looking up. After Obama's great speech, we went for a walk around the neighborhood. The bars and restaurants were all full and buzzing with excitement, people on the street were smiling and cheering. It was such a special (and very long) day.
The next morning morning I dragged my tired self onto the subway. Erik emailed around 11am saying he was hoping to buy a New York Times, but all of the delis on 6th Avenue were sold out. I checked 5th Avenue on my way to the gym. Nothing. It was almost a game. Finally, the guy at Universal News let me know they were even sold out right outside the Times building and people were waiting in a long line for the next shipment.
Americans love Obama...and standing in lines!

Quiet Marathon Sunday

Just winding down from a lovely, relaxing weekend. Cheered on some marathon runners this morning, took photos on an empty Manhattan Avenue and picked up groceries for the week. We've been cooking a lot more at home lately and really enjoying it. It's hard to resist all of the great city restaurants, but it's even more satisfying to make something delicious for yourself. While the cats didn't make it out to see all of the action, they did seem to enjoy the views and the warm sun from the windows. Meisje even found time to give a massage to our stuffed rat.

Max and Meisje Muses

Tonight we went to a party for the Bridgeman Art Library, a fine arts stock house based in England. The party took place in the Museum of Sex...certainly a funny location for small talk. Part of the exhibition included slide shows of works of art from the library's collection. It was a pretty quick slide show, but Erik and I couldn't help but notice this amazing painting. Who knew Max and Meisje were posing on the side?

Toronto Weekend

Last weekend we had the wonderful chance to take a little trip up to Toronto to visit Edwin while he was visiting his home town. It was a short flight and a jam packed, fun filled weekend. Saw a lot of the city on foot and from up above (in the CN tower). It was great to be shown around be a native and fascinating to be in Canada, where they were also on the eve of Thanksgiving and elections. The weather really couldn't have been nicer. We all took lots of photos and here are just a few...