10 best things about my life right now.

i've had a request for more '10 best' lists.  i've kind of stayed away from those posts for a while.

but, since it was requested, i came up with a new one... 

*not necessarily in order

homemade tartifilette by yours truly.

1.  i never thought i would actually say this, but the first one that comes to mind is cooking.  i've taken to going to the market every week, with at least 4-5 plans for dinners i will make.  shopping is easy, stress free, and much cheaper than it used to be.  i have plenty of time for meal planning, market hunting and experimenting in the kitchen each night, and i love it.  there is a great feeling that comes with making something new when it turns out wonderful and your husband just can't get enough.  i'm also now treating us to what i call 'the sweet of the week,' which is one baked good i try out for desserts and snacks.  it's getting me less afraid of baking, and so far so yummy.

me, while blogging, today!

2.  i'm sure you've noticed this, but another one is blogging constantly.  i'm able to post something new just about every day - whether it's a new tip, idea, some thoughts i have, photos to share, or just my own ramblings... it's nice that this blog doesn't fall to the wayside anymore as an afterthought.

me + aj hanging out on the T

3.  now that i am out east, i get much more time with my brother and dad [and his wife of course].  i haven't lived in the same state as my dad since i was in high school, and i haven't lived in the same state as my brother since before college [i don't count living in dorms - that's like a whole other world].  as much as i miss my mom, it's magnificent to be able to have sunday dinners with my dad, or call my brother up for happy hour just because.  i love it.

my mani 2 weeks ago.

4.  little things such as taking care of myself kind of took a backseat while i was working, schooling and volunteering.  now, i can give myself a mani if i want.  i am cooking a lot but also eating better, because i have time and don't have to grab a handful of potato chips for dinner as i run to a phone bank.  i have time for yoga and for running - which i love. 

tea + book = happiness.

5.  stress free living.  need i say more?

mustaches with mom.

6.  i am spending so much more time enjoying the little things and simple pleasures of my life.  becoming engrossed a great book.  a hot cup of tea.  my new obsession with the west wing.  emails from friends back home telling me how they are doing.  texts from my travel buddy in budapest.  i relish each little thing i do every day [except laundry].

boston.

7.  even though it is freeeezing out, i am loving exploring the city, our new city.  new restaurants to discover, hidden bars to learn of, learning new highways and shortcuts.  i love it.  it will be even better in a few months when we can venture outside without eight layers of clothing on and a backup plan to get home in case it's too cold to walk.

lofty living space!

8.  as much as i miss our denver cottage, our home, i totally love loft living.  it's always fun to decorate a new space and make it your own, but i especially love that our new space is totally different from our old.  it just makes it different and gives us a new experience.  i love our new apartment.

nyc visits more to see this guy! <3

9.  being out on the east coast means traveling ease.  nyc is just three and a half hours south of us, so it's easy to hit the mass pike when i want to see my family down there.  we are driving up to montreal next weekend - something i've never done before - for my birthday trip, which is going to be phenomenal.  another trip for dc is slotted for april, and now that pi is traveling for work, for the cost of just one airline ticket i can go meet him wherever he is and we can have a weekend together - hence my jetting off to los angeles this weekend!  we are so lucky.

my writing setup each day.

10.  of course, possibly the best of all, is writing again.  i feel so happy, so at peace with myself, to be able to be writing again and working on my book once more.  i feel like things have come full circle for me - when i was in such a dark, depressed place in my life all i wanted to do was write.  but i couldn't, having work and school and other involvements.  and gradually i lost interest in school and just couldn't continue anymore, not having the strength to do so.  and now, here i am years later, the happiest i have ever been, and finally able to concentrate on my work.  it's amazing how life works.




one quick note... none of this is to sound gloat-y or anything.  there are many different ways one could look at my life right now - 28 and just graduated college, unemployed, living alone often while my husband is gone... but i don't have that outlook.  i am in love with my life right now and the opportunities it affords me.  i will not always have this luxury of time, so i am enjoying every moment of it and taking advantage to write my book.

10 ways i'm most like my dad

it's been a while since i've done one of my popular '10 best' lists, and i've had some requests that i start doing those again.  and what better reason to make one than father's day!  so, here i present:

the 10 best ways i am most like my father

10.  the most obvious would be my laugh.  it's loud and contagious (and kind of man-ish, which is fine for my dad but not so great for me).  i laugh at just about everything, and it's one of those room-clearing laughs where people turn around and say, 'what the hell is going on over there?'  it's fine at home, a little awkward at movies.  but i wouldn't change it for anything.

9.  my undying and borderline obsessive love for hockey & U2.  the two aren't really related, except that my dad loves them and i love them just as much (if not more).  but i grew up around both hockey and U2 and came to love them - sometimes for no other reason than my dad loves them, so i got on board.  and now those are two of my favorite things ever.

8.  i'm argumentative, which i really take to mean i stand up for what i believe in.  when my dad and i fight, it's ugly.  we are both very passionate and don't mind confrontation (or yelling), and i remember once even throwing tissues boxes at him.  but we voice our opinions and like to stand up for our ideology, even in the face of others.

7.  my passion for travel + adventure.  to be honest i never knew my dad loved this so much until the past decade or so, which was also when my love affair with travel and other cultures started.  i always wondered where i got it from, but now i know it's my dad.  we are both at home in airplanes and airports, and are at our best and happiest when going somewhere new.  i love that.

6.  we share the same respect for family, food, and traditions.  this is a big one.  whether it's our christmas eve walk down fifth ave, summers at the villa, nanny's spaghetti or midnight mass, i've learned from my dad that these are the best things in life.  especially when the three of them are together :)  dad & i even took at as far as taking the same picture every year during our christmas eve walk every year, just because it's tradition. 

trump tower, christmas eve 2008

trump tower, christmas eve 2007

5.  love for the water and the beach.  we aren't really camping people.  but give us a blanket, corona, italian ice and the waves - and we're just as at home as we would be in a nice loft.

4.  it's not how many times you fall down, but whether or not you get back up.  i can't even say how many times my dad said this to my brother and i growing up, and it's always stuck with me.  my dad as fallen down.  but i am proud of him because of the person he is and the person he continues to be, no matter what happens.  i try to do the same thing - for example, finishing school now that i am 27 just because it doesn't matter how long it takes me, so long as i finish it. 

3.  love for entertaining.  seriously, my dad is such a great host.  no one's glass is empty, the music is never quiet, and everyone's always laughing.  i love being the hostess too, and i like to think i'm pretty good at it.

2.  we're democrats.  i come from a long line of democrats on my dad's side of the family.  enough said. 

1. my sense of humor.  there are some movies that my mom calls 'drew movies' because they have an off-beat sense of humor (i.e. the royal tenenbaums) that my dad and i share. 

happy father's day to my most amazing dad :)

what i'm thankful for

hi friends.  i've made it to new york and it's been a wonderful trip so far.  in the weeks leading up to this trip, i was a little worried... 10 days is a long time to be away from home when we have SO much to do.  but it's been great, because we have TIME.  time to see old friends, time to laugh, time to sit and talk with family, time to reminisce.

i have a lot of things to be thankful for thankful for this year.  i thought i'd share the 10 things i am most grateful for from last thanksgiving to this one.  i'll try to keep it semi-brief, because i have mashed potatoes with truffle oil waiting for me... that's right.

1.  that i'm surviving school.  i was so worried going into this semester that i wouldn't be able to handle it all.  but i've done decently well in school and have been able to have some remnants of a social life.  some remnants.  but i've also had time to volunteer and spend time on things that are important to me, which has been a real gift.  i will have to juggle more going in to 2012, so this was a good test of just how much i can handle.

2. it's been a good year for friends, both old and new.  i'm thankful that i've met so many new people through school, the campaign, blogging, and other avenues.  i'm also very thankful that i've been able to rekindle some long lost friendships that had fallen by the wayside throughout the last few years.  i love the people in my life and i'm happy to be adding new ones every day.

3.  i'm so, so, so very thankful for our home.  sure, the roof over our heads has been leaky at times (not literally) but when so many people have lost their homes in the last few years, we are lucky that we own such a beautiful house that we are able to make improvements to.  it's our home, and i can't wait to spend the holiday seasons there for years to come.

4.  it's been a rough year for my family.  but i am so thankful for my ever-changing family that is so wonderful in so many different ways.  we lost someone very special to all of us back in february and it's taken my family a while to re-adjust itself to what it means to exist without her.  but we've made some strides, and i hope that we are on our way to a new definition of family.  she was a great woman, a true matriarch that held us together.  we've fallen apart a little without you nanny, but we'll get it together.  we've had some great additions to our family this year - my new aunt beth, my first and most-loved nephew little man, and my cousin's soon-to-be-husband patrick (wedding is tomorrow!).  i'm thankful that i have such loving and supportive parents and in-laws.  i don't know what i'd do without this support system.

5. we have had a few ups and downs health-wise this year, but everyone in my family is strong and healthy.  i'm very, very thankful for that.

6.  i'm blogging while on vacation.  i'm thankful that i have a job that allows me to take this time off to spend with my family during the holidays and my cousin's wedding.  i'm thankful that i'm able to semi-relax on this vacation, too :)

7.  one miracle of this year is the celebration of love during the holidays we get to experience tomorrow.  i can't think of two people more in love than my cousin and her fiance and i just can't wait for the wedding tomorrow.  no black friday shopping for me, just manicures with the bride and my fellow bridesmaids before it's off to the rehearsal.  it's the perfect reminder of what this time of year should really be about - family and love.

8.  our kitties.  they just make me happy.  :)

9.  my husband, the love of my life, philip.  i couldn't do half of anything i do without him.  he's my everything.  a quick story: five years ago it was our first thanksgiving together (or rather our first holiday together) and i remember almost every moment.  holding his hand before dinner, kissing in the kitchen, choking up at the dinner table with our friends in prague talking about how thankful we all were for one another in our lives.  i was convinced it would be the only holiday i'd get to spend with him.  and every thanksgiving, i remember that feeling and i'm thankful that he's the person i spend all my holidays with.

10.  it's been a year for personal growth.  i've kind of figured out what i want to do, i've gone back to school, and my life has a direction.  and i love the direction it's going in.

happy thanksgiving friends.  what are you thankful for today?

xoxo

my husband is better than yours.

today is philip's birthday.

philip turning 22 in prague. classy.

i love his birthday.  for a lot of reasons, but mostly because it has a lot of significance for us as a couple.  it was the first time we really shared a secret, and we started to get to know each other on a not-so-superficial level.

but enough with the mushy stuff.  interestingly enough, the '10 best' thing isn't just something i started on my blog.  back when philip and i were doing the long-distance thing, we would send each other top 10 lists.  our top 10 favorite moments together, top 10 best kisses, etc.  and when we chose to write our own vows for our wedding, i just knew i had to do another list - the top 10 reasons why i was marrying philip.  it was a huge success.  but, anyway, here are the 10 reasons why philip is the best husband in the world.  if it's too lovey-dovey for you, then... don't read it. :)

1.  because he makes me laugh more than anyone else in the world.  and not only does he make me laugh, but we have the exact same sense of humor.  we've made up our own humor-based language where we can quote our favorite tv shows and movies and we know exactly what the other one is going to say before it's even said.  plus he has the best laugh in the world when he really gets going.

2.  because when i am in an awful mood and crabby and cranky (such as i was thursday night, yelling that the crock pot screwed up dinner and cursing all the people who tell me crock pots are easy because that's just retarded), he doesn't get mad at me.  he doesn't get upset.  he calms me down.  while i'm cleaning my floor from the 3-bean-chili that boiled over, he's running to the liquor store to buy me a 12-pack of my favorite beer.  and when i'm stressed about homework, he's standing behind me rubbing my neck.  it's insane.

3.  because we just so happen to want the same things.  careers, travel, kids, everything - it's like our interests and life goals just happened to be perfectly aligned. 

4.  because he's the smartest person i know.  sometimes my mom makes comments to me about all the stuff i know, but inside i know that i only have half the knowledge i have because of him.  he is totally brilliant.  he's fair, balanced, intelligent and witty.  and he makes me a smarter, better person just by being around him.  

5.  because he accepts the fact that i hate basketball (his favorite sport) and started to watch and learn about hockey (my favorite sport) so we could have something that we can watch together.  now he totally loves hockey and tries to rival me in hockey trivia... we'll see about that :)

6.  because he's sooooo damn handsome.

7.  because he's level headed.  he can handle my sicilian temper, and when we fight, it's only for a few minutes.  inevitably he can calm me down and we can have a rational conversation.  and if you've ever met me, you know that's not an easy task.

8.  because he supports everything i want to do.  when i went through a phase where i wanted to open my own home decor boutique?  he said he'd help me write a business plan.  when i was younger and wanted to be an author?  he's proof read every story i gave him.  now that i'm going back to school for politics?  he cooks me dinner while i study.  and encourages me to volunteer even on what little time we have together - like the obama phone bank on our anniversary.  we went out to dinner afterwards.  he would do anything to help make my dreams come true.  it's absolutely priceless to know that i have someone in my corner, no matter what i'm doing.

9.  because someday he's going to be an amazing father - and i love getting to watch him be an amazing uncle now.

10.  because he can deal with my family, sometimes better than i can.  i actually drew him a family tree of my crazy new york italian family and he tried to learn all the names and relationships.  it was one of the sweetest things ever.  he's learning all the ins and outs of my family's business so he can be in the know.  he does anything to help improve my relationship with my family and to keep my family happy - including converting all our old home movies to DVDs for my mom and dad last year on christmas :)

happy birthday philip.  i love you more every year older you get :) 

the 10 best of [f]all

yes friends, that's right... it's finally time for fall.  i know it's october, but tomorrow is the day according to the forecasters that it is finally dipping into the 70s, and only getting cooler for there.  it seems like it was just yesterday we were posting about the beauty of spring and summer.  but alas, it's time for autumn.  you know, cool weather, down comforters, IPAs, hats, school work... it's the best time of year.  my favorite season, which could explain why we just celebrated our three-year wedding anniversary during this most beautiful time in colorado :)  but that's just one of the many great things of fall - below are the rest of my favorites.

what are you favorite things about fall?

oh yeah. avs baby.

10.  start of hockey season

it's possibly the best day of the year - the day of the avalanche hope opener.  the day when the air smells just right, the beer is at the perfect temperature, the fans are riled up, the opening video is new and still looks cool, and you have just the right of optimism to think in that moment before the puck drops that this really could be your year.  it's fantastic.  we usually go to every opening night, but this year we will be in LA, missing peter the great's retirement ceremony.  but that won't make the day any less fantastic.

scarf + hat. you can't see it but i have boots on too.

9.  sweaters/boots/scarves/hats

you could say i'm a little obsessed with scarves.  a few years back i even had a bunch of thin scarves i would wear in the summer a la jennifer aniston in along came polly (side note: guess who is in that? PSH.).  seriously.  now i wait until september to break them out - but between september and may a day won't pass where i won't be adorned with a hat or a scarf.  and boots.  i could write poems about how much i love boots... but i will leave it at this little paragraph here.  a good pair of boots makes my month.  my old faithfuls are the black patent leather marc jacobs flat boots i snagged before moving to prague.  best purchase ever.

8.  fall seasonal beers

you could say i like beer.  after reading this blog though, you might think i am obsessed with beer.  but the octoberfests and fall seasonals that come out are just about one of the best parts of fall.  especially when i can enjoy it after finishing homework, sitting outside in my backyard with philip while the leaves fall around us.  perfection.

the list.

yes, the list.  everyone has one.  and it is a constant source of stress in my marriage.  ok not really, but there is kind of an ongoing joke philip has that i just add whoever i feel like to my list and there is no end to it.  well today i will change that and post my list here in a very public way so i can't change it any more.

ok people... don't judge.  but do feel free to create your own list!

now these are in no particular order - but here they are.


10.  philip seymour hoffman

i know.  unconventional.  but he's amazing.  it all happened when i became obsessed with truman capote, and then his bio was turned into a movie, and capote was played by my boy here.  of course i know capote was gay.  but do i care?  no.  i still love love love mr. hoffman.

the coolest guy i know.

today is AUGUST 7th, 2011: also known as my little brother's 25th birthday.  so in honor of aj being all growed up, i thought i would share the 10 best reasons why my brother kicks ass and is the best brother a girl could EVER ask for.  sorry all those of you reading this who have brothers, but it's just a fact.

10.  because, like me, he doesn't take himself too seriously.

9.  because while he may have tried on different lifestyles for size, he never once stopped being true to the person he is.  and that hasn't always been easy for him, and i know that.

10 best of summer

like my little pic?  it's the denver summer skyline :)  not quite as good as the view i have of denver at sloan's lake, but i don't have any good pictures of that so... there it is.  anyway, it's been quite a while since we've done a top 10, so i thought july would be the perfect time to name my favorite things about summer. enjoy and feel free to share your own!

10. biking everywhere

so i might be singing a different tune sometimes when i'm riding uphill sweating like i'm a czech man in a crowded tram in august (a total of about five people probably get that) - but really i looooooove biking.  and since philip and i just share the one car, summer is the perfect time to take advantage of bikes.  during the weekends we are trying to bike everywhere we can: the market, the park, to dinner and happy hours, etc.  philip bought me the coolest bike basket ever, that clips off the bike so i can bring it into the store for me.  i don't have any pictures of my super cool new bike, so below is me on a rented beach cruiser in california.

9.  the water

let's blame it on my zodiac sign - us aquarius folk really love water.  it also could have been that growing up in new york (and even once we moved out of the state) we spent every summer at our summer house and on our beach (we had membership in a private beach club - woodhull landing), or summers spend on my grandparents' houseboat at lake powell.  but no matter the reason, i'm obsessed with water.  my dad always called me a fish growing up and it is still true today.  philip and his family tease me because every time we are out in california i have to go in the ocean - even if i just touch it with my toe.  but beach days or pool afternoons are the best part of summer to me, even if i don't get it as much anymore living in colorado.  i'll always have those childhood memories - and bianca's backyard pool :)

8.  city park jazz

hands down the best way to end a summer weekend.  for ten sundays from the first sunday of june, there's a free jazz concert in city park.  my uncle's old company does the sound for this perfect pastime, so my whole family got in the groove of going.  it's a time to open some wine, kick off your shoes and enjoy some live music.  leave it to denver to bring something so awesome to the people for free.

the whole fam at a concert last year when aj was around

U2 countdown: today is the day. day #1. ONE.

where do i begin?  simply put, it's the greatest song ever written.  it's a song that transcends musical genres, cultures, decades and the differences between people.  it's the epitome of a song that is a life philosophy rather than just a song.  what begins as a break-up song ("you act like you never had love and you want me to go without, well it's too late tonight to drag the past out into the light... you gave me nothing now it's all i got") turns into something much more, much deeper, in the realization that we are all human and all in this mess together.  the lyrics about the devastating heartbreak that we have all felt are somehow less sad than the unification sung at the end.  what's more, is that this song was actually written about bono's relationship with father, which makes the heartbreak that much more real.  it's not some lost love - it's the struggle within a family that we have all felt.  it's not being able to put the hurt of the past out of your mind to move forward with people who are essentially the same as you.  but in the end, we all need to "carry each other."  


one love, one blood, one life, you got to do what you should.
one life with each other: sisters, brothers.
one life, but we're not the same.
we get to carry each other, carry each other.
one, one


this is easily the philosophy of my life.  it's the lesson i've learned and continue to learn with every new person i encounter and every new heartache i become a part of.  and it's not just because this love of U2 and this song was somehow genetically passed to me by my father... it's because this is the decent thing that humans feel for each other.  no one's problems or heartaches are worse than the next person's.  no one has gotten through something that you won't be able to get through.  and even better - there are people who know what you are going through, have gone through, and people who will be there with you. 


if you think it's just me and my obsession... you're wrong.  it's popularity is indisputable.  voted #1 by Q magazine in it's list of "1001 best songs ever." voted #36 in rolling stone's list of "the 500 greatest songs of all time."  the UK voted bono's lyric "one life, with each other, sisters, brothers" the #1 lyric.  and it's been played at every U2 show since the song's debut in 1992.  the way the song's devastating and graceful lyrics are mixed with the edge's "crying guitar" at the end of the song makes for the perfect mix.  and the fact of the matter is that if the rapture really does happen today, there is nowhere i would rather be than at this U2 show with two of my favorite people in the world.


this is one, from 1991's achtung baby.


is it getting better, or do you feel the same?
will it make it easier on you, now you got someone to blame?
you say one love, one life, when it's one need in the night.
one love, we get to share it
leaves you baby if you don't care for it.

did i disappoint you or leave a bad taste in your mouth?
you act like you never had love and you want me to go without.
well, it's too late tonight to drag the past out into the light.
we're one, but we're not the same.
we get to carry each other, carry each other... one

have you come here for forgiveness,
have you come to raise the dead
have you come here to play jesus to the lepers in your head
did i ask too much, more than a lot
you gave me nothing, now it's all i got.
we're one, but we're not the same.
Well, we hurt each other, then we do it again.

you say love is a temple, love a higher law
love is a temple, love the higher law.
you ask me to enter, but then you make me crawl
and i can't be holding on to what you got, when all you got is hurt.

one love, one blood, one life, you got to do what you should.
one life with each other: sisters, brothers.
one life, but we're not the same.
we get to carry each other, carry each other.
one, one.

U2 countdown day 2: where the streets have no name

like i said yesterday, we are really into the good stuff now.  yesterday i talked about U2's songs being almost more like life philosophies, but today it's more about writing a feeling.  anyone who has ever written... well, you know how hard it is to explain one certain, intense emotion.  that's what this song is.  this song was written in reference to a section of belfast, northern ireland where your the street where you lived was determined by your income and religious background.  this song became about transcendence, about a place where there are no such boundaries, about being truly free.  this is the song that is usually playing in my car when i fantasize about skipping my exit on the highway and just keep on driving... i know we've all had that feeling sometime.  "i'll show you a place, high in the desert plain, where the streets have no name."  it's a beautiful idea.  to me, this song is about escaping the constraints of your life, whatever they are -- social, religious, political, or just things in your own personal life you want to break free of.  it's a beautiful, simple idea. if you get the chance to listen to this one, definitely do it -- the end of the song (listen to the long version!) is pure bliss.  


this is where the streets have no name, from 1987's the joshua tree.


i wanna run, i want to hide
i wanna tear down the walls
that hold me inside.
i wanna reach out
and touch the flame
where the streets have no name.

i wanna feel sunlight on my face.
i see the dust-cloud
disappear without a trace.
i wanna take shelter
from the poison rain
where the streets have no name
where the streets have no name
where the streets have no name.

we're still building and burning down love
burning down love.
and when i go there
i go there with you
(it's all i can do).

the city's a flood, and our love turns to rust.
we're beaten and blown by the wind
trampled in dust.
i'll show you a place
high on a desert plain
where the streets have no name
where the streets have no name
where the streets have no name.

we're still building and burning down love
burning down love.
and when i go there
i go there with you
(it's all i can do).

U2 countdown day 3: pride

so it depends on my mood, sometimes this and #4 switch places.  but lately, i'm thinking this is my #3 for sure.  now we are getting into the really good stuff.  and when i say that, i mean #378 on the list of the 500 greatest songs of all time by rolling stone.  it's beyond epic.  this is sone of those songs that you turn up super loud, and before you know it you're singing at the top of your lungs with your eyes closed.  or at least i do.  the song is written about martin luther king jr, which makes it all the more inspirational.  to me, this begins the progression of songs that are more than songs - they are life philosophies.  it's all in the name of love - fighting for what you believe in, fighting against injustice everywhere... whatever it is, it's all in the name of love. 


this is pride (in the name of love), from 1984's the unforgettable fire.


one man come in the name of love
one man come and go.
one man come he to justify
one man to overthrow.

in the name of love
what more in the name of love.
in the name of love
what more in the name of love.

one man caught on a barbed wire fence
one man he resist
one man washed up on an empty beach
one man betrayed with a kiss.

in the name of love
what more in the name of love.
in the name of love
what more in the name of love.

early morning, april four
shot rings out in the memphis sky.
free at last, they took your life
they could not take your pride.

in the name of love
what more in the name of love.
in the name of love
what more in the name of love.

in the name of love
what more in the name of love.
in the name of love
what more in the name of love.