If Only....

...I had somewhere fancy and fabulous to go.

I would SO wear this dress!

Isn't is gorgeous?!

From J.Crew

Big Announcement!

Last week I mentioned that there had been a lot going on around here, and there has been! My Happily Ever After just keeps getting better...

We're expecting a Baby this April!!!

This fabulous picture was taken (pre-bun-in-the-oven) and edited by our good friend, Kelly! She gave it to us as a congratulations card, but I begged her for the electronic copy so I could share it. I just thought it was so much fun! Thanks Kelly!!

We are so excited - and a bit nervous! - and now we finally get to share the news with everyone!

Thanks for letting me share here too! :)

XO,
Ellen

Happy Anniversary, Love

Dear Nick,

Thank you. Thank you for loving me so completely and honestly. Thank you for making me laugh so often and for reminding me to enjoy every moment of life. Thank you for showing me that some people are good all the way through. Thank you for cuddling me, rubbing my feet and always taking out the garbage so i don't have to. Thank you for sharing your warm, wonderful family with me and thank you for embracing my family as your own. Thank you for teasing me and then saying that you're just kidding. Thank you for always indulging my desire for an ice cream sundae, even when I really shouldn't have one! Thank you for letting me love you and take care of you. Thank you for letting me worry and fuss over you. Thank you for looking at me that way that you do, it makes me feel like I'm the only thing your eyes can see.

I am so lucky to have you as my friend. You make my life more fun, simply by taking the ride with me. Your ability to laugh in any situation has saved me so many times. I am so lucky to share my life with you. It makes mine so much better! I am so lucky to cuddle up under your arm each night and fall asleep to the sound of your beating heart - if your stomach isn't making louder noises!

Thank you for coming to New York with me and for sometimes putting my happiness before your own. You have made me understand what it means to make sacrifices, but more importantly what unconditional love and support are. Thank you for picking me up when I couldn't stand on my own feet and for loving me anyway. Thank you for loving me enough to move across the country twice. Thank you for watching Project Runway and Glee with me! And for being such a wonderful cheerleader when I'm doubting myself. Thank you for always seeing the good in my heart.

Thank you for marrying me 2 years ago. On that day I couldn't have imagined loving you any more than I already did. I see now how love grows with time. I love you more now that I ever thought I could. When I think about our love, my heart fills up.

Watching you become a Dad will be one of the greatest experiences I can imagine. I cannot wait to see you holding our perfect little baby. I am certain that you will be the best Dad the World has ever known. I am so lucky to call you my partner, my best friend and my Husband.

I love you.

Happy Anniversary!

Long Overdue Update...

Hello my Friends!

So sorry that it's been a while... lots of things happening here! I'll tell you all about that later... but for now, let's talk about our trip to San Francisco!

For starters, I must say that if I could ever bear to leave NY again, I would love to live in San Fran! I mean, isn't is such a great city?! So much charm but with all the hustle that I love about cities. The truth is that after 2 years in California, I know I could never stand being so far from my family again... I suppose I'll just have to keep visiting!

We did have a wonderful time though. My sister and her Husband arrived at about the same time as we did, so we got to spend our first day site seeing together, which was really nice! It was good quality time with them on a beautiful sunny fall day. We checked out Fisherman's Wharf, visited with the Sea Lions, took in the views of Alcatraz and then indulged in Ghirardelli ice cream sundaes. Yum! Followed by a ride back to the hotel on the Cable Car! Some fun pictures...

My beautiful sister Jen & her Hubby Mike on the cable car!

Now, I didn't mention the fabulous hotel that we stayed in, thanks to my Sister who got us a seriously great deal! We ended up staying at the Mark Hopkins Intercontinental on Nob Hill. The rooms was huge, with great city views and the comfiest beds ever! It was a great little getaway!

My Mom came into the City at about 7:00 that evening, so we met her back at the Hotel. Although, she called as we were waiting for the Cable Car to say "I'll be at the Top of the Mark having a drink. I do hope you'll meet me there." Hilarious. Now, the Top of the Mark is perhaps one of the best parts of our hotel. It is a restaurant/bar/lounge on the 19th floor of the hotel with 360 degree views of the City. It was really a great place to sit for a cocktail! I snapped the picture below of the Golden Gate Bridge at sunset from our table. Spectacular!

And as a side note, my Mom was already on her second glass of champagne when we arrived... she was ready to start her vacation! Now, if you know my Mother, you would know how infrequently she has a second glass of anything... it was a fun night!

My Dad arrived - straight from a business meeting - late Friday night. So I didn't get to see him until we were up - bright & early - for our tour Saturday morning. I was nervous that with a late flight, early morning and jet lag he'd be a bit grumpy, but to my delight I walked into the hotel lobby to see a big smile on his face! It seems that we were all so happy to be on vacation that there were endless smiles! Our tour on Saturday took up along the coastline South to Monterrey Bay and Carmel. What spectacular views! This is a stretch of road that I will visit again - although next time I envision myself in a red convertible, not a huge tour bus! I will admit that the spot in Monterrey where we stopped was not at all what I expected. It was very built up and touristy, so that was a bit of a disappointment, but the views made up for it 10 fold! Some snapshots taken from the moving bus - please don't judge the poor quality!

The first shot is looking straight down a steep cliff into the ocean. There was dense fog in the morning, but it burned off by the afternoon. It made for a more dramatic ride though! The second and third pictures are of Monterrey Bay. While the town disappointed a bit, the view of the Bay did not!

After Monterrey, we drove along the 17-mile coast and Pebble Beach. If I were driving, I would have stopped ever 5 feet to take a picture, but alas I was not driving. The views were awesome though, even from a moving bus! We did get to stop at the Lone Cypress Tree though, which was cool! We even got to snap a family photo.

The second stop was at the Pebble Beach lodge. Not the place I would have stopped, but it was beautiful! I'm not into golf at all, but this course must have phenomenal views! The first shot is of the lodge, which was quite fabulous inside - I didn't snap a picture in there - and the second is from the patio. It's a bit hard to see in the small picture, but if you make it bigger you will notice a lovely yacht in the background. Wow!

The last stop on Saturday was in Carmel, where we had a lovely dinner together. Unfortunately, I didn’t snap a single picture there, so I have none to share.

Sunday we were booked for another tour. This time we headed to Napa Valley for some wine tasting! Again, it was a really great day! If you’ve never been to Napa, I highly recommend a visit – even if you’re not a wine enthusiast, the landscape is really beautiful! And the vineyards are all unique and beautifully decorated. It was really fun to visit several wineries and have them all feel worlds apart. Our first stop was to Chandon where we tasted sparkling wines – if they don’t come from the Champagne region in France, they must not be called Champagnes! My Mother especially loved this visit! We had a tour there and got to see the wine making process and the huge barrels where the wine is fermented. Then we sat out in the grotto for our tasting, which made for great ambiance!

Our second stop was at V. Sattui where we had a lovely picnic lunch after tasting. This is the only winery in Napa with a deli attached, so it gets pretty busy. But the deli has a fantastic selection of cheeses, meats and sandwiches. We really had a great lunch! We also got a photo of the immediate family - my Dad, Sister, Mom & I after lunch.

Third stop was the Black Stallion Vineyard. Another beautiful vineyard with great stonework. The first picture is of the barrels where the red wines were aging and the second is the front of the vineyard, which looked like something out of Tuscany only with palm trees. Isn't is beautiful?

Last stop was at the Mario Andretti vineyard. Truth be told, I thought it was a little silly to stop there. I mean what do race car drivers know about wine, right? But I found out that they know how to hire fabulous winemakers! These wines were excellent and the grounds, again, were beautiful! Now the gift shop, which was full of race car gear, was a bit excessive. The grapes in the picture are Merlot grapes that hadn't been harvested yet. I got a tip to try the grape right off the vine. Wow, it was absolutely delicious! So sweet! I advise you to snag a grape if you visit!

After the wine tour, we took a ferry across the Bay back to San Francisco. While it was insanely windy on the deck, the views were worth bearing it! Here's a great shot of the Golden Gate Bridge taken by my sister from the boat.

I didn't mention that Sunday also happened to be the 2nd Anniversary of my marriage to my very Best Friend. I'd like to write a little something about that separately, but wanted to include a little something here. While we were visiting the Black Stallion winery, Nick & I stole away for a quick moment together where we read our vows. It was so incredibly romantic and beautiful. And to my surprise, my Sister took this fabulous picture of our moment. I wanted to share. More on our Anniversary soon.... but thanks, Jen, for capturing such a special moment!

Weekend Getaway!

We're heading West for the weekend! San Francisco here we come!

Bright and early tomorrow morning, we will be heading to the airport. We've got a jam-packed weekend planned in San Francisco and couldn't be more excited! Not only is it our 2nd Wedding Anniversary!! (Yay!) But we're meeting up with my Parents and my Sister & Brother-In-Law for the weekend. We're looking forward to exploring the City, tasting some wines in Napa and exploring the beautiful coastline! I think it will be an exhausting, but wonderful weekend. I'll let you know all about it when we return next week!

What are you doing this weekend? Whatever your plans, I hope it's fabulous!

xo,
Ellen


This picture is from our trip to SF in 2007 - just days after we got engaged!

Fall is Upon Us!

Hello Friends!
Can you believe that Fall is here already?!
It's starting to feel more and more like Fall everyday here in New York and I must admit that I am loving the crisp air. Don't get me wrong, I love Summer just as much as the next gal. But Fall is really something. The cozy sweaters, boots, changing leaves, sunshine mixed with a cool breeze, football Sundays... Sam Adams Octoberfest on tap, which makes for a happy Husband, even if the Patriots loose! It's just the best!
But my favorite part of fall is fashion! I've been minding my spending lately, but that doesn't mean a lady can't window shop online, right? Check out these fab-u-lous shoes on Piperlime! Don't you just love them?

Right now they've got all shoes 20% off too! Happy Shopping... er, looking! ;)

My Summer Vacation

I know I've mentioned before that I love my job. I'm really lucky, because it's tons of fun! Best of all I get a ton of vacation time, especially in August! This summer I've taken full advantage of time away from the City and away from the office. Since Monday morning I'll be back in the office and into a routine, I thought I'd celebrate summer one last time. What were your favorite summer memories?

Here are a few of my highlights...

Florida...

Long Island & Fire Island...

Taken on my iPhone in Kismet, Fire Island

My Birthday party...

It was a lobster bake!

Me & Hubby - who's a teacher and doesn't like to shave or get haircuts in the summer :)

My fabulous cake made my Marney!

All of these photos were taken by my friend, Kelly. My camera broke! If I can get some more pics, I'll add them later.
It was tons of fun!

The Lake...NYC...

Many days in the park with Hubby & Daphne.
My Mom and two Grandmothers in Central Park


...and of course a day at Six Flags with my cousins. Too fun!

I've Missed You...

Hello, friends! It's been a while, huh? I've missed you!

I've been away for just over a week, trying to soak up as much summer as I can before it's gone! Spent a few days with my hubby and his family at Ossippe Lake, NH. It's a beautiful lake in the middle of the mountains. So relaxing! From there we spent a few days with my family by the beach. I love summer, don't you? I'm also really lucky to have a ton of vacation time at work, much of which was used this August. Fun!

What have you been up to?

Happy Birthday to Me!

Well loves, it's that time of year again... tomorrow is my 28th Birthday!!

I am looking forward to celebrating with family and some good friends. Tomorrow I will be heading to Fire Island with my love and my sister! We'll have a day at the beach, followed by dinner and drinks by the water. One of my favorite things to do in the Summer! Sunday I'll be hosting some good friends and family for a lobster bake at my Mom's house. I'm really looking forward to a lovely weekend. I couldn't imagine a better way to spend my special day.

My birthday wish? That's a secret, of course! But the truth is that I often think I'm the luckiest gal in the World. I can only wish for that to continue.

What are your weekend plans? Whatever you do, I hope it's fabulous!

xo,
Ellen

Yes, please.

A couple of weekends ago my hubby & I did some wondering around this fabulous city. We started in the West Village and just roamed around from there. It was a beautiful day! On our journey, we came across some dream homes. Obviously, we couldn't see the insides - but for me that's the fun! Can you imagine what the insides would look like? Wouldn't you love to live in one of these homes?

If one of these gorgeous homes belong to you... can I come over?

Don't you just love the red door?

My appologies for the poor quality of the pics - they were all taken with my iPhone on a very sunny day!

Only in New York

So I'm walking down the street yesterday and stumble upon this cupcake truck.

Now, maybe this is old news. But it's new to me! And I thought it was such a great idea - gourmet cupcakes on the go. Just thought I'd share...

I appologize for the terrible picture, it was taken on my phone at night... and no, that's not me in the picture.

Kate Spade

So I know I'm not the first person who's noticed the new Kate Spade clothing line. But have you seen it?! Wow. It's darling! I happened to wander past her store in NYC the other night and was blown away by the color and designs. In fact, I had to snap a picture right then! (The store was closed so it wasn't completely embarrassing!) My current dream item for fall has to be this black & white coat. Isn't it something?

Bottom 5 photos found here.