christmas wine trail

"always more time for a little more wine"

- savory brown

i returned to the wonderful cayuga wine trail with my family over christmas...

...here's a glimpse inside our fun day!

[see larger wine bottle photo on flickr]

three screens

today i'm stuck in the lab all day for meetings and work.

so i've made it a "3-screen" day...

2 screens for work

1 screen for a movie :)

definitely makes the day much more enjoyable!

happy friday

goodbye joe

it's been an emotional week at penn state.

we've lost our beloved leader of 61 years, our joepa.

but yesterday's procession was incredibly touching and comforting

as thousands of our penn state family lined the roads to "guide joe home."

 the buses honor joe while people start to line up on curtin & allen

 the crowds wrap all the way past the library & continue 3 miles around campus

 the crowds patiently wait 2 hours in the cold

 the procession begins - we are...penn state

...and we say goodbye, as joe takes his final lap around campus.

also here's a beautiful video of the past week:
http://www.youtube.com/user/gopennstatefootball?feature=watch

...while students sing the alma mater,
it shows the memorial at the statue,
the candlelight vigil at old main with over 10,000 people,
and the stadium which will stay lit until friday...

the two little boys at the statue are actually my friends
julie and dan's kids, liam & owen. so sweet.

birthday {part 2}

...some more photos from my birthday weekend...

feeling very blessed :)

birthday {part 1}

thanks to my wonderful parents and my dear friends

i had a great birthday weekend

filled with lots of wine, chocolate, laughs, and love!

we did a limo tour of the cayuga wine trail
and around our 3rd winery, we decided it would be a great idea
to count out the number of wineries we were visiting ;)

...i've finally gotten around to editing some photos,
so here's a little peak inside our winery countdown...

more photos to come!

color crush: nittany blue & white

"they ask me what i'd like written about me when i'm gone.

i hope they write i made penn state a better place,

not just that i was a good football coach."

- joe paterno (1926-2012)

you made penn state the great place it is today, joe.

we will not be the same without you.

you were an incredible man & you will be greatly missed.

{alittlebead eyeglass necklace via etsy, ruche polka dot flats, victoria beckham jeans via coggles}
{lions pride legacy rugby stripe scarf, nike ladies sunny day t-shirt via lions pride, lions pride joe paterno banner}

rest in peace, coach.

(beautiful statement from the paterno family = http://live.psu.edu/story/57324#nw4)

color crush: carnation pink & black

it snowed here in state college!

so this week's color crush is dedicated to it FINALLY feeling like winter.

i've patiently put up with upper-40 degree weather for many weeks now.

it's about time i get my pretty white snow :)

so to celebrate we have a sweet snowflake sweater,

cute snow boots & gloves, and a pop of pretty pink.

{zoya polish in lo, miu miu leather tote via net-a-porter, topshop snowflake sweater, revlon lipstick in carnation via target} {pelican quilted boots via lori's shoes, michael kors cable knit long gloves via bluefly, 7 for all mankind roxanne jeans via harvey nichols}

have a bright, white, snowy day :)

simple joy {cupcakes}

cupcakes are definitely a simple joy.

...especially the chocolate salted caramel cupcake!

it was sooo delicious :)

try out the recipe here:

http://www.20somethingcupcakes.com/2011/11/chocolate-salted-caramel-cupcakes

have a joyful day,

color crush: navy blue & mulberry

this week was the first week of classes and it is also my LAST semester of classes!
after spring i'll be totally focused on research :)

so this week's color crush is all about a comfortable & cute outfit for meeting my new classmates.
it's complete with some really sweet "good luck" jewelry from etsy
...a four-leaf clover necklace & a horseshoe ring...
 because i'll take all of the luck i can get!

{frye paige tall boots via zappos, modcloth crinkle in time scarf, ruche midtown avenue floral dress}
{east merino wool cardigan via john lewis, BellaBijouToo "lucky lady" horseshoe ring via etsy,
JenniJewel four leaf clover necklace via etsy, tory burch patent robinson tote}

hope you having a great week!

a dickens christmas

over christmas my family visited the sweetest town in upstate NY called skaneateles.

the town is right on a lake and has pretty artisan shops & beautiful victorian houses.

aaaand, the best part is that at christmas time they have a "dickens christmas" event!

characters from charles dicken's "a christmas carol" stroll the streets...

they sing, gossip about scrooge, and tell the dickens story.

 

it was definitely a fun day!