where gifts go to die...

i'm not sure how it started but every christmas, we get sister caroline stupid gifts. usually the infomercial variety.

i saw this thing on gilt or fab and thought perfect! it is so silly.. i don't know if anyone would actually buy/use this. i would have bought it but $80 seems a little steep to spend on a gag gift that is heading into the junk drawer.

is this a joke?

adam does own this.  i know, what dummy buys that (this dummy did).  he used it for a few oversea trips but it has since been retired.

Travel: Morocco (Marrakech)

here are a few pictures from Marrakech.

We drove into the Atlas Mountains.  Kids run to the roadside when they see a car pass by.  We had little gifts for the children.  Doesn't this photo look like photo from Tom Shoes website?

In the Atlas mountains we had lunch made by a berber family.  Chicken tagine and vegetable couscous.  So amazing and delicious!

We took a break from getting lost in the markets.  I ordered a lemonade and it was lemon juice.  I put three packets inside.

We took a camel ride

Caroline at Ben Youssef

Carpet shopping

My handsome husband.

I took over a thousand pictures.  MOst of them blurry. haha

reads

When Adam travels to a foreign country, he always picks up a book about the country. Not a travel guide (well we buy a few of those) but a book written in the country we are visiting, etc.

Since we were visiting Morocco, his book was the Lemon by Mohammed Mrabet.

I on the other hand, like to read crappy girly books. Chick-lit.  It has turned into a tradition for sister Caroline and I.  In Puerto Vallarta we read Emily Giffin books.  She wrote Something Borrowed, Something Blue and a few others.  I read like four of her books in one week.

For Morocco, we both downloaded Fifty Shades of Grey on our electronic readers.  I was embarrassed to read those on the plane thinking the person next to me would know.  I read the book for five hours straight on a train ride.  I'm such a prude I can't believe I read those books. 

weekend San Francisco

Last week we took a long weekend trip to San Francisco...

brother sister

did everyone have a wonderful thanksgiving? we had a pretty relaxing trip (minus the 13hr trek from mp to sf) to berkeley.  i just wanted to share this photo of caroline and adam napping after thanksgiving dinner. awhh.

off to work on final projects. wish me luck.

my favorite holiday

thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays.  can you believe it is only three weeks away?

adam and i are headed to sister caroline's in berkeley for thanksgiving weekend.  last year was pretty fun, we cooked all day, ate leftovers and went on a fancy (with a stretch suv limo!) wine tour.  I can't wait for this year!

photo source

sick

i'm dying here. 

no reason to post on blog about being sick. but since i am never sick...going to blame the kids in my class who are always coughing their lungs out. damn them! i felt something coming on last night (tried my usual remedies-rest/drink water/gargle, etc) but feeling so awful. glad i survived classes at least?

oh yes, big news! sister caroline gave me her IPAD! i love it. i can't wait to take it on a trip with me.

papa's pumpkin patch (2011)

so every year we go to papa's pumpkin patch to pick up pumpkins, cider, apples, etc. this year we got to take sister caroline!

my fat butt ate two donuts in a sitting.

tomato's

apples

does anyone know what these things are?

look at my handsome boy (photo by caroline).

visitor yaay!

we've got a visitor this weekend. from california. a sister. i am excited. if she isn't too tired we'd like to take her to the pumpkin patch for some cider + donuts and maybe some barbeque?

source

traveling east

adam's sister went to hong kong/cambodia/vietnam/south africa this summer for 40 days! well she mailed us an awesome package and the package is mostly for me. yes!

cafe

adam's sister went to costa rica for vacation and brought us back some organic shade grown coffee. we go through coffee so quickly but costa rican coffee, what a treat!

gifts!

adam's sister caroline brought us these funny gifts

weird photo of us on our cruise

it's a puzzle!

his and her mugs. this is us posing at one of the many photo op's at the cruise

wedding etiquette/planning books

pretty cool gifts, right?

cleaning

All week I have been cleaning and organizing the house in anticipation of our very first visitor!

Caroline is coming to visit us from New York.  I am super excited!

I was hoping to to visit some wineries in Traverse City while she is here but I don't think Adam likes my suggestion.  It is a two hour drive from Mount Pleasant. Oh well, next time.

photo unknown