holi-dazzle.

is it just me... or is the tree at bryant park completely captivating? i stopped by the park today on my way to an interview and found myself utterly enchanted by the ornaments and holiday decor. i couldn't keep myself from having a little fun and photographing my reflection in one, and then i just got carried away ;)

p.s. i got the internship! interning for this incredible company beginning in february is going to be a dream. i have tingles in my toes just thinking about it. and catching a glimpse of him while i was in the offices? unreal.

p.p.s. will someone take me ice skating? please?

i hope the holiday spirit around you is leaving you a bit enchanted, too.

on to the next...borough?

in just five nights back home, i ate enough stuffing, shared enough hugs, and smiled enough huge smiles to stun just about anyone. :) it was a lovely little hiatus from the usual city grind...but now i'm back. back to finish off my second to last semester of college (possibly) ever. and the exciting twist on our return to nyc in february... we are planning on moving to brooklyn!

i can't put into words how excited/thrilled/giddy i am with the thought of living there. and making our new little place feel like home. i have a hunch that moving to brooklyn will help me decide if this city is really the place for me, post graduation. so bring on the hipsters, parks, and "hood," these twins are ready!

i hope your thanksgiving was out of this world.

nostalgia.

when i have a list of things to do that's longer than i'd like to admit, i seem to find anything... anything to make or fix or clean or do... just to avoid doing what actually needs to be done. silly and irresponsible, i know. but i'm the princess of procrastination ;)

so today when i finished organizing my jewelry, in order to avoid my philosophy paper that's due on monday, i moved onto tidying my desk drawers. yes --- the drawer i've neglected for over two months now that always seems to have something sticking out of it... that's how desperate i am to avoid homework. while sorting what to keep and what to toss, i came across a box that i stored all my pocket-sized mementos from europe in. restaurant cards, hotel keys, museum passes, train tickets, my school ID, a parisian receipt for that tasty baguette... and just like that, i'm back. walking those cobble stone streets with twin, laughing over a glass of tuscany's finest red wine, lugging our groceries forty minutes across the arno river in order to save a few euro.

i miss my time in that enchanting old world city deeply, but i know i will be back someday. and that's saying a lot, considering my unbelievable fear of flying. :)

firenze, i miss you and i love you. you'll forever be in my heart.

{photo above from angelina's in paris, one of coco chanel's favorite coffee shops}

just a dream.

a front porch, fit for a midwestern queen.

call me allie calhoun from the notebook, but for as long as i've envisioned my future home, it's had a big ol' front porch. a place where i can sit and read, after the kids are tucked into bed each night. a place where i can enjoy a cup of hot tea and reflect with my husband, under a blanket of glistening stars.

i think i might be a farm girl at heart. gasp! what am i doing in nyc? (sometimes i truly don't know.)

{image via pinterest}

when words speak to you.

Yet you still value the things you've lost the most. Because the things you've lost are still perfect in your head. They never rusted. They never broke. They are made of the memories you once had, which only grow rosier and brighter, day by day. They are made of the dreams of how wonderful things could have been and must never suffer the indignity of actually still existing. Of being real. Of having flaws. Of breaking and deteriorating.

                                                       Only the things you no longer have will always be perfect.

{via i wrote this for you}

you are so loved.

on my birthday, twin handed me a little package -- wrapped ever so nicely. i ripped the paper off, and a sweet little book stared up at me. across it's cover were the words, "you are so loved." this is something that laura says to me time and time again, and i can't think of a short sentence that touches me more. i opened the little book, and found page after page of inspirational artwork -- an image that incorporated some sort of uplifting, inspirational message. the kind of messages that are perfect for a day where you feel less than yourself, or just need a little shake to remind you how lucky you are to be living. 

a few of my favorites were: 

"welcome to a suspended future covered in moon dust and glory"

"it will be more beautiful than you could ever imagine"

"it's nice to be important but it's more important to be really really nice"

i recommend picking up this darling little book.

after all, 

you are so loved.

sesame street workshop.

on our birthday weekend, twin and i had the magical privilege of touring the sesame street workshop in nyc! our friend amanda (who fits right in i might add --- she's a ray of sunshine!) is the luckiest girl in the world, because she actually works there. Like...it's her full-time job. ugh, so jealous. 

she brought a bunch of us (including her brother, our dear friend adam) on the sweetest tour of the offices, which honestly may beat out disney world for happiest place on earth. we passed incredible chalk art around every corner, peeked into elmo's office, and jaw-droppingly gazed at a slue of emmy awards. no big deal, right? ;) 

and then, we got presents! elmo water bottles, cookie monster notebooks, bigbird bags... my golly, we were in sesame heaven!

my favorite part of the visit had to have been in the elevator, when twin asked if elmo had been in it before, to which an employee answered, "yes, many times...in a trash bag."

aren't these chalk drawings so impressive?

 when you step on big bird's feet, the characters appear in nearby picture frames and start talking :)

 twin mentioned she liked snuffy. so... she was given a snuffy of her very own.
(em and ben enjoyed him, too.)

big bird was leaving feathers everywhere! ;)
twin and emily enjoying some cute company.
oscar, emily, and me.

amanda, thank you SO much for showing us around the workshop. it may have even been my favorite part of our birthday weekend :) 

a new look (and name!) for the blog.

i've been brainstorming and bugging twin for a while now, trying to come up with the perfect name for this little blog. the old name, sunsets & skyscrapers, hinted at my two homes, but didn't exactly excite me, and i didn't see it sticking for years to come. (it was also a bit of a tongue twister when anyone tried to say it out loud...like "sally sells sea shells...")

and then the other night, it hit me. 

twin in the city. 

i mean, that's me, isn't it? 

i think so ;) 

so...what do you think? 

{p.s. a birthday dress and smile, from last weekend.}

xoxo, m. 

an unexpected week (ah!) at home.

well, who would have known that our choice to come home to massachusetts on sunday night would lead to a week long vacation? these birthday twins certainly didn't! 

i do feel a bit guilty...having had this relaxing, happy week at home while places such as nyc (as well as many other cities) were so harshly impacted by the wrath of hurricane sandy. my love and thoughts are with everyone affected. and my sincere love goes out to you, nyc. my second home. i caught a glimpse of a newspaper headline that read, "bruised. battered. not broken." of course, it gave me a special case of the chills. knowing everything you've gone through. there isn't any doubt that you will come back from this... as strong and resilient as ever. 

even though the week home started with a couple days of darkness, (roar to losing electricity!) many wonderful hours have been filled with family time, story telling, my favorite food spots, and hours upon hours of my favorite show.

{here are a few photos from today in downtown newburyport, ma.}

nyc, here's to hoping you'll be as happy and beautiful as newburyport in no time at all ;)

xoxo, m.