wide-eyed and wonderful~ my little heart just melted

i may be lovesick this winter, but nothing can jade me about valentine's day! tomorrow i am leaving for vermont, fully equipped with red velvet cupcakes, chocolate lace, and a bottle of malbec. i am on my way to a ladies' ski weekend in vermont with my mom and little sister!
though i am so far from my second half, it seems that i am so lucky to have such a warm and caring family of friends right here with me, and all around the world. i am sending you all a big kiss today!

i used to love making mix cd's for my friends, but these days it seems so impractical... here's what i'm listening to lately~ if you're feeling the same i hope you'll enjoy!

the truth is that, of all of the seasons, winter is certainly my least favorite. my toes are always freezing and i just want to hide under a sea of blankets where only my eyes peek out to see if spring has come yet. but when it comes down to it, i hate being cooped up inside all day even more, and so the time does come when i must emerge from my plush nest and face the world! and so, went on another windy//wintery beach adventure in westport last friday... what people don't know is that the beach is just as good in the winter as in the summer. the sun reflects off of every tiny crystal of ice, the wind blows so hard you have to crack up, and parking is free! just make sure to layer layer layer up, and don't forget your shades!





photos by sam rutkin

we got a little relief from the winter winds this weekend so i was finally motivated enough to take off my HUGE fluffy robe and spend some time in my yard with my best friend jan. if only spring was coming soon... but if i know new england winters (and i do quite well), there will be another blizzard on the way any day now... better bundle back up!

brian's been trying to take me to this beach for ages, and finally we found each other in the same place for long enough to spend a night climbing beach clubhouses and finding where the low tide finally crept onto the shore, everything so quiet and steady at night. all it took was a little flask of whiskey (for the boys) and some big old blankets to keep me happy and enjoying our perfect night on the the sandy shore.

i've had many homes throughout my small, seperate lives, but grand old house on grand street is the one i'll always come back to. in a house that's seen more than a century, it's the perfect place for a dreamer like me to feign a life of decadence, right down to our golden apples.

by some coincidence i happened to be in chicago at the same time as trey, so on my last afternoon in town we met up for to share a sublime cheese platter (!!) and to shoot the sunset on the sears tower! i hope that in a few months i'll feel as on top of the world in chicago as i did this evening...

the biggest downer of my time in argentina was the complete scarcity of breakfast! a coffee and a mini croissant just haven't been cutting it for me, so i was THRILLED to go to breakfast at grandma's, complete with pancakes, ham, bagels, eggs, coffee cake, and fruit... THIS is the way breakfast is meant to be eaten!

well, it was sort of horrible, but i have finished my life in the summer san telmo loft and traded it for the DEAD OF WINTER here in chicago... and i know you are thinking: is this girl crazy?
but i find that the time does always naturally come to close a chapter and continue on to a new one. i will miss my little loft family and my jogging route through san telmo, i'll miss my cooking lessons and even the sleepless madrugadas. i will mostly miss mauri.
at least my family is here to celebrate the new year with me! it truly takes seeing the people who know me best to realize how i've changed in my absence. and anyway, better get used to this windy city: i will be starting a new life here in chicago in march!