miracle on parent rd.

Not too bad...especially with last year's christmas tree stylist on holiday.

Don't worry, I didn't put any ornaments on the bottom row of branches. I learn.

i just wanted you to know...i didn't forget

...about this day.

 where we danced like fools; 

 and were so excited, we jumped up and down; 

 then we played some games; 

and in between all the family photos;

and ringing of the bell;

this lovely couple joined hands and stuck their tongues at each other.

aerobi-trailer.

coming soon......stay tuned.  

xoxo

the empire party

New York City has always been a little bit faster paced and over the top compared to those other cities.  It goes above and beyond.  I don't know why, but it just does.  The City.  The Big Apple. The City that Never Sleeps.  Call it what you will, but I think its the people...not the buildings and the lights that make it what it is....

We are dreamers; 

and we are dancers.

We are friends;

and we are lovers.

We like to eat...

and maybe even drink a little too much;

...and sometimes we get crazy;

and even a little silly.

But we are family.

And yes, it's easy to turn your back on this concrete jungle, but for some reason when you're in this great city, on the roof top, celebrating with Danielle, Paul and the best of them...it just seems like your own little empire.  Even if the next day your memory of it all is a little blurry.

Thanks Danielle and Paul for making your wedding one of the best.  You have a beautiful family and amazing friends.  And somehow you brought them together flawlessly.  If it wasn't for your love affair we would never have had Cabo.  There would never be an empire night quite like this one.  These memories will surely last a lifetime...

jack's o'lantern

Where does one draw the line between art, a mild form of child abuse and just purely amazing? 

artist: goldie

subject: jack g.

photographer: ribods

location: 715

purpose: pumpkin-butt halloween cards

a beautiful place

What makes a place beautiful?

Is it the buildings?

Or the mountains?

Maybe the language?

Could it be the drinks?

Perhaps it's the people we meet.

Or the laughs that we laughed.

I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

 It's hard to say that this place chosen to exchange vows, somewhere in the mountains, on a lake, somewhere in neutral territory in a far away land is anything but...beautiful.

For this and more, come to Spiez

i'm coming home

When I was a student at Somers High School, there was something always magical about homecoming.  Maybe it was the entire week of spirit days leading up to the football game or perhaps feeling a sense of not only having Tusker pride, but class pride as well.  On that fall weekend each year in the late-90's, the air always got a little cooler, there were parties, car pools, ridiculous clothing, and face paint all throughout Somers.  

 We were serious about our spirit.

And now...the year is 2010 and I return to that same field for the first time since I graduated.  The field is now covered in turf and the school has been redesigned.  I almost cannot even recognize it, but I notice the sea of red, black, white and silver.  There is still face paint and Tusker pride is greater than I have seen it in a long time.  

I found myself sitting with a few former classmates on this beautiful evening.  We caught up.  We reminisced.  We laughed.  We cheered.  We were Tuskers. 

Even the love birds came out.

 And I experienced the new, up and coming generation of Tuskers.
(all of these kiddies were produced by one tusker)

  Not too different from the older generation of Tuskers.

There were no class floats going around the track.  No t-shirts made with the Superman "S." There was no bon-fire. The band was half the size as I remember it.  The cheerleaders just weren't as loud without Ashley, Laura, Tara, Angela, Dana, Jacky, and Jenn screaming, "BOOM Dynamite....BOOM BOOM Dynamite."

It's okay...because I was home.

Not Your Typical Lays Potato Chip

Potato Chips. Also known as just plain 'chips' or 'crisps' in other parts of the world.  Virtually a side dish to any meal, but can easily stand on it's own as a snack.  Originating in Saratoga Springs, New York...this snack accounts for over thirty-five percent of the global savory snack market.  And yet, with all the culinary treats prepared in 3D, no one has ever attempted to make them.

Until now.



She sliced (thinly). She fried (deeply in evoo). She peppered and salted (cracked and from the sea)....even made a magic fondu with truffle oil, bacon and blue cheese.

The chips were delicious on their own.  And for someone (me) who is not fond of cream sauces, fondu included....it wasn't so bad after all.  Then again, everything is better with bacon.

Credits: Roommate acted solely in the preparation and execution of this snack. 

at last

I've been having trouble...trouble finding the right words to describe this wedding day.  I keep going back to the photos, hoping fuel some type of poetic magic, but I come up empty.  I've come to a conclusion that it is hard to find words when.....

this is the view walking down the aisle;

and this is what everyone has been waiting for;

and this is "thank you mommy";

and this is "I love you daddy";

and this is "I do";

and this is a barefoot, beach cocktail hour;

and this just makes me laugh;

and this is the esperanza;

and these are the spirits...be it shaken, stirred, on the rocks, with a twist of lime or just shot; 

and these are the proud parents from that place I call home and their children;

and these are just some of the guests;

and these are the beat fighters;

and this is the bride and groom fighting their own beats;

and this...well, this is Danielle and Paul.

Oh...and this is a little motion picture with one hundred and eighty of my favorite snapshots from this day.

Can't wait for the empire state wedding!!