On the Fourth Day of Christmas...

....my true love gave to me: four calling birds, three french hens, two turtle doves AND a partridge in a pear tree!

i love these little guys.

On the Third Day of Christmas...

....my true love gave to me: three french hens, two turtle doves AND a partridge in a pear tree!

On the Second Day of Christmas....

....my true love gave to me: two turtle doves AND a partridge in a pear tree!

On the First Day of Christmas...

I've been so busy enjoying the holiday season that I've neglected to post! And now I'm leaving in two days for vacation so I'll smoosh in my adorable days of Christmas. So:

On the First Day of Christmas my true love gave to me....

....a partridge in a pear tree!

The show will go on!

The Broadway strike is over! I was given tickets to Pygmalion for my birthday--I am so glad I'll get to see it on Dec. 15. The New York Times has the story here.

A holiday treat

candy cane
n. A striped stick of peppermint candy with the top curved to resemble a walking cane.

Sweets

There is beauty all around, when there's love at home.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Today's Mantra: I am thankful for planes...no matter how long I wait

NEW YORK - The start of the Thanksgiving holiday week has all the wrong ingredients at LaGuardia Airport: foul weather and normal congestion combined with extra holiday travelers. Flights are delayed an average of 80 minutes, and at least 10 planes can be seen lined up for takeoff. Rain mixed withgusty winds also caused delays at Newark International Airport, where flight arrivals are delayed an average of one hour and 21 minutes.

Thankfuls

I am thankful for so many things. I am an incredibly blessed person and give thanks for the following:

01. my winter coat. there is something special about shrugging on my down parka that makes me so happy

02. cashmere sweaters. sexy + cozy. 'nuff said.

03. some seriously rockin' roommates. you girls are the best and i love ya

04. burrowing under layers of blankets with a good book to tear through

05. sunsets--the view of the Hudson River from my window while the sun burnishes the sky a blazing pink is the most beautiful sight i've ever seen

06. my great job, amazing coworkers and the security that comes from having a paycheck

07. a body that can sing and dance and feel and move

08. Trader Joe's and Fresh Direct and David Kirsch's protein shakes

09. health insurance

10. the Gospel. We are so lucky to live in a time and a place where we can love the Lord and follow His commandments

and last but most certainly not least...

11. my sweetheart. I love you so much.

12. my amazing family. You are my joy and my happiness. I love each of you more than I have words to express. You are my support and my rock, my hopes and my dreams, the loves of my life. I can't wait to see you again. TONIGHT!!!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Thanksgiving

Abraham Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation
The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God [...] The mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union. It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God; to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations are blessed whose God is the Lord.- Abraham Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation October 3, 1863

Sweets

Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving. --WT Purkiser

Happy Friday everyone

To Liesel from Vin Diesel

Dear Liesel,

You are the most beautiful, intelligent and sassy girl I know and I'm wishing you the happiest birthday in the world!

xoxo,
Vin

Since I might not be able to make it to the birthday bash on Saturday, I wanted to be sure to participate in the grand Enke tradition of telling you reasons why I love you:
01. you give amazing hugs
02. you always have delicious smelling lip gloss
03. you tell the truth
04. you know you are a daughter of God
05. you are a trustworthy and faithful friend.
Happy Birthday sweet girl! You deserve a magical day! xoxo!

Happy Birthday Ellie!

A special birthday shoutout to my favorite fashionista! You are so sweet & fun & loving & kind & you understand the importance of pearls! You also seriously have one of the best giggles in the world. I'm so glad we are friends. I wanted to get you a little something from Chanel...enjoy. Happy birthday darling!

It's baa-aack!

Finally Project Runway has returned! While not only being the best reality show EVER and thoroughly entertaining and inspiring, PR will always have a soft spot in my heart, because watching it last season was how I became friends with and bonded with the people who are now my besties. Heidi, Michael, Nina and Tim are like my guardian angels. Thanks, guys! (In a strange twist of fate, one of my oldest and best friends, Liz, worked with Tim on his new show, Tim Gunn's Guide to Style--it's awesome, check it out. She assured me he was a total sweetiepie. Whew!) My early favorites are Rami of the chic gray dress and Christian of the quirky tailored suit. And Heidi. Always, always, always Heidi. "That dress looks like it's poo-ing fabric"?? I love her. They all are quite accomplished and awesomely catty. This season looks to be full of drama and surprises and some incredible sartorial breakthroughs. Make it work!

The only good thing about rain is that I have supercute wellies

Rain, rain, go away. Come again another day.

Sweets

"Other things may change us, but we start and end with the family."

--Anthony Brandt

Home is where the heart is

A week from today I will be at home with my family celebrating Thanksgiving! Oh, I can't wait to be tucked in with them in our lovely warm house, laughing and playing games and just soaking in all the love and snuggling up with our kitty. I'm really grateful I don't have to sail like the Pilgrims had too...I am thankful for planes. I'll remember that next week while I'm sitting in La Guardia Airport.

Brrrring goes the phone...or does it?

Caroling, caroling through the snow, Christmas bells are ringing! Ok, well, it's 55 degrees in New York and I haven't spied even the tiniest little snow flurry BUT no matter. I'm enveloping myself in Christmas joy. I'm just the tinest bit obsessed with Christmas music (ask my roommates, I've been known to play it in July) and have taken advantage of wonderful new software on my iPhone that allows me to create ringtones. Getting phone calls is also one my life's greatest joys. Christmas music + the telephone?? Out of this world! So can you please take a moment to imagine the glee with which I selected songs and then made ringtones last night? Five, yes FIVE (5) new ringtones were lovingly created, all from the glorious sounds of the season. (And for those who keep track of these things--you know who you are--each person has their very own.) So please call me. I might not answer, because I'll be too busy singing along to the song, but then I'll totally call you back. And tell you to call me again. xoxo.

The other thing I did last night was work out. For a really, really long time. You see, my family and I are going to Hawaii for Christmas. We've known about this trip since last December, and have all taken necesary steps to become "bikini beautiful." And not only that purpose--although it is uber-uber-important. According to my dad, here are the reasons to be in tip-top condition for this holiday:

I need to be able to go pretty hard for our time in Hawaii. That will include walking up and down a bunch of hills on the golf course (big hills per the guys in HI), surfing until my tongue hangs out, zip lining and loving it, riding bikes should the need arise, cookie baking, cooking of dinners, and, AND, multiple marathon sessions of poker, Rack Rummy and other semi late night activities, all while adjusting to a six hour time change. Yep, I think I am going to need to be in pretty good condition to be on top of all aspects of my game at Christmas. In fact, I now have an answer for people who ask me why I am training with such vigor and purpose : Christmas!!

Dad, I couldn't agree more. And while I won't have to climb the arduous hills of the golf course, we will have to (get to!) listen to you lot talk about it, so maybe I should add some inner ear conditioning to my regimen. You know, ear drum presses and auditory calisthenics. What do you think?

Yeah, this green bikini lady doesn't have anything on me. After a month of working out with her (+ lifting + cardio + not eating seconds at Thanksgiving dinner + gulping down protein shakes every morning) I'll totally be that hot. Who wants to take the bikini challenge with me?