small shore town love

We had an absolutely delightful long weekend at our new family shore house... the kind of weekend where I forgot to take lots of pictures because I was too busy relaxing/laughing/stuffing my face. (Yeah, I have renamed the weekend Caloriefest 2010 and it was NOT good for my diet. Oh, well.)

I did manage to snag some photos of this gem of an ad for a local dive bar. Small shore town, I adore you.

It's true — their ATM is always broken. Now, that's honest advertising if I've ever seen it. And don't forget, they "got the greatest cheesesteaks," but you'll have to go to the end of the world (and then one block to the left) to get one. Fantastic.

This is pretty much what the rest of the weekend consisted of:

Nick dug holes. I lounged around with a great book and zero people coming between me and the ocean. Heavenly.

animals are pretty

We took a little trip to the Philadelphia Zoo last weekend with some friends — Nick got a year-long membership for his birthday last August, which includes entry for the two of us, along with entry for two guests, AND free parking! It's a great deal, and we have already gotten our money's worth (or, rather, my mom's money's worth, since she's the one who gave the membership to him!).

all photos by me

The Philadelphia Zoo is America's oldest zoo, and if you're ever in the area, you should check it out. Going while the weather is still cool is a plus if you have the option, since it's never quite as crowded as it is in the summertime.

a very Claremont Christmas

Has everyone recovered from the holiday craziness and gluttony? Last weekend was such a lovely long weekend spent with family; Christmas was delightful, as always. We didn't win the Gingerbread House Decorating Competition this year (I demand a recount!) but I think our house still came out great. See?

This year, we bought pre-made gingerbread houses from the grocery store, and we all shared candy and icing... except, there was one twist that Kim added this year. Each couple could bring two additional "wild card" items that only they could use. The only rule was that they had to be edible. Our items were Juicy Fruit gum (which we used as siding), and we planned ahead and baked our own gingerbread to add dormer windows and a chimney! Things did turn out slightly wonky and the windows were waaaaay out of proportion with the rest of the house, but hey — we tried. And our house smells really good whenever you walk by it :-)

We ran out of black nibs for our roof... to cover the empty area I suggested we use the blue icing and call it a tarp — our gingerbread contractors pulled out of the job before it was finished ;-)

We had a blast opening gifts and just spending time hanging out. Nick and my brother bonded over potato peeling...

And we later put on our holiday finest to get a little family portrait by the tree.

I have off again today after a few days of work and we will be enjoying another long weekend to celebrate the new year. Nick and I will be heading out for our customary New Year's Eve dinner at our favorite fancy Chinese restaurant tonight, followed by the ball drop in our town and some midnight smoochin'.

I hope you all have a wonderful New Year's Eve, whether it be festive and fancy or low-key and lovely. Happy New Year to you!

PS- my "Merry Christmas" post was actually my 200th post on Claremont Road! I'm movin' up in the world... ;-)

the Drapers

We're big fans of Mad Men on AMC, so we decided to be Don and Betty Draper for Halloween this year. We were both able to pull our costumes together mostly with things we already owned, so that always makes it more fun for me than getting something store-bought that comes in one package. Oh, and I look pretty funny in a blonde wig with my super dark eyebrows (which I attempted to make more blonde-ish with yellow makeup, but succeeded instead at making them sort of green), but I don't mind adding a silly factor.

Nick bought the Fedora at Target; I bought the wig and white gloves at Halloween Adventure; we already owned everything else. I wore two skirts underneath my dress to give it a fuller 60s look without spending money on a petticoat.

What did you dress up as for Halloween? Do you go the store-bought-in-one-fell-swoop or pulled-together-on-your-own route?

sweet young love

My friend Alison posted on her blog about her little boy's first "date" with an adorable little classmate who wrote him a love note. Coincidentally, they are both missing the same front tooth. Seriously, it couldn't get any cuter if you tried.


Check out the original post and a super sweet slideshow here.

Number 97

I have a HUGE crush on Matt Lauer. I wake up to him every morning on the Today show, and I have always secretly wanted to be one of those people who stands outside on the Plaza, waving to the camera and holding a nerdy sign. So, I added this mission to my 101 in 1001 list, and while in NYC this past weekend, I did it.

97. Stand outside of the Today show on a weekday morning (and meet Matt Lauer)

Okay... so I didn't get to meet Matt Lauer. BUT — I did stand outside of the Today studio on Rockefeller Plaza, and I got on tv! Look!


Yup. That's me. In the middle with the gray hat. Holding a sign that says "Meeting Matt is on my life's to-do list." (I was obviously trying to bribe him to come talk to me. It didn't work.) That's my mom in the black hat on the right. At approximately 8:35 am on Friday, February 20, we were famous for about 1.5 seconds. No autographs, please.

And although I did not meet the real Matt, I did meet his two-dimensional twin, thanks to the NBC Store.


Someday, maybe I will meet the real Matt Lauer. (Perhaps next time I need a better sign that wasn't quickly scribbled with markers at 7:10 am.) For now, I'm still going to consider number 97 checked off of my list, because it was too awesomely fun and funny to not acknowledge.

Number 22

What a fantastic weekend I had in New York. I go several times a year, but sometimes it's fun to really be a tourist in the city, which is not something I always do. My tourist-status allowed me to check a few more things off of my 101 in 1001 list. First up:

22. See a Tony Award winning musical on Broadway

My mom and I got tickets to see In the Heights, winner of the 2008 Tony Award for Best Musical. It was absolutely wonderful. Great story, great music, great characters, great dancing, great set, great talent. I have seen my fair share of Broadway shows, and no matter the cost, I truly believe that the experience of attending live theatre is worth every penny. I'm always blown away by the immense talent that fits onto one stage, and I'm so lucky to live close enough to New York to take advantage.

On our way to the show on Thursday night, my mom and I decided to stop by the theatre next door where Billy Elliot was playing to see if they had any tickets available for Friday night. We're rarely in the city long enough to see more than one show, so why not take advantage of our long-weekend trip? We had both heard a bit of buzz surrounding Billy, and I am such a fan of the movie, so I was really curious to see the musical adaptation.

Lo and behold, they had just had a cancellation for Friday night — two seats, third row orchestra. Um, yes please, we'll take 'em.


As much as I loved ITH, I have to say that Billy Elliot was, perhaps, the most amazing show I have ever seen. Maybe it's the third row seats talking (I mean, come on.... third. freaking. row!), but it was honestly flawless in my eyes. The actors were spectacular, the story was hilarious and tear-inducing all at the same time, and the young boy who played Billy (Kiril Kulish at this particular performance) was ridiculously talented. (Mark my words: that kid is going to be a huge star.) I was absolutely blown away by the dancing. I would not be surprised if this show sweeps the 2009 Tonys. If you have the opportunity — go see it!!!

New York, New York

I'm currently on a little mother-daughter getaway in the Big Apple. We're having a great time and have plenty of exciting plans to keep us busy through Sunday. It's nice to have a few days off from work and there's something charming about New York in the chilly winter (even though I hate the cold!). I'll be sure to write more when I'm back home next week.

Photo found here

happy Groundhog Day (from 9-year-old me)

When I was in fourth grade, my teacher, Mrs. Armstrong, gave my class the assignment to write a story about Groundhog Day. I don't remember if the story was supposed to be from the point of view of the groundhog, but mine was (and she was female). It was later entered into a writing competition in my county, and I ended up winning for my school (along with ten other fourth-graders in the county). I still have the book that was given to me that day that includes all of the winning stories, and I thought it would be fun to share my story with you on this Groundhog Day (extraneous exclamation points and all). I think I had a pretty good sense of humor (and imagination) for a 9-year-old. Enjoy! (Story below image)

"Today is My Lucky Day!"
by Brooke C., grade 4
February 2, 1990

Ding! Ding! Ding! What? Oh my! I almost forgot! Today is my lucky day! I've got to look my best for all of those reporters! I've got to brush my teeth, brush my hair, pick out an outfit, polish my finger-nails, polish my toe-nails, pick out a.... wait a second! It's 1:00 AM! I wonder why my alarm went off so early? Oh yeah, I set it to! Well, no use in going to sleep again! Let's see how I look in the mirror this morning. EEAAAK!!!! Look at these bags under my eyes! They look like shopping bags! Come to think of it, I have gotten 3 hours of sleep every night this week!!!!!!!!!

I need some of that brown skin lotion! Oh wait. Thank God! I found it! Uh oh! It's all gone! I will just have to do with these Macy's bags! I think I should paint my finger nails with my shocking pink now. At least there is enough of that left! La! La! La! La! There! Beautiful! Now I should do my toe nails! La! La! La! La! There we have it! Why not pick out an outfit now? Hmmmm......... nope. Not glamorouse enough. Uhhhhh....... nope. Too fancy. Ah ha! This is perfect! My pink robe with the fancy pink feathers! Now let's see. This goes here, this goes here, and this goes here! There! Let's see.........

Now, I should brush all of the fur that can be seen. Boop, boopy doo.... DOOOO! O.K! Now I should brush my teeth. Gull, gull, gull... Pa-toooo!!! Hmmmm..... I need makeup! A little blush maybe. A little here, and a little here! Ah! I just need some of my shocking pink lipstick. Uh huh.... Uh huh.... there we go! Hmmmm..... Let's think..... of course! My purple eye-shadow! Rub here, rub there, rub everywhere! I think that is it! Wait!! I need jewelry! Let's see, a ruby ring, a diamond ring, a gold ring, gold earrings, a pearl necklace and a pearl bracelet! There!

Oh my! It's 9:00 AM already! The reporters will be here any minute! O.K. Be calm, be calm. OH! I can't be calm! O.K. I think I can, I think I can. I can! I know I can! Oh my! I hear the reporters outside! They are here? Now? Why?! They are calling me! What can I do?!?! Well, I've spent eight and a half hours getting ready so I've mine as well do it! Well, here it goes!

EEAAAK!!!! Oh my God! What was that black thing?!?!? Wait, I'm just imagining it! O.K. EEAAAK!!!! I saw it again! Well I don't care. I am not going out there again!!......

Ding! Ding! Ding! What? Oh my! What a nightmare I had last night. Oh, well. It's all overwith now! I think I will just brush my fur....... La! La! La! La! There we go! I am so excited! Oh, but wait! I must brush my teeth! Gull, gull, gull! Pa-tooooo! Got it? Good! Well, it sounds like the reporters are outside! Should I do it?! Ya! Why not! Here it goes!....... EEAAAK! I saw it for real this time! Well, the legend says it stays out there for six more weeks! Well, at least I have enough food and drinks to last me six weeks! Well, T.T.F.N! Ta-ta for now!

THE END!

So.... I liked exclamation points. A LOT. And even at the young age of nine, I enjoyed an ellipsis now and then. And I thought it necessary to end my story with "Ta-ta for now!" Despite those little quirks, though, I think I was a pretty creative writer (with quite the attention to detail). It's actually been a few years since I got this out and read it, and it always makes me laugh.

Hope you enjoyed it :-) And in case you weren't sure, it's.....

Hangovers and Leftovers

Today we're heading up to Park Slope, BKLYN to visit my brother and sister-in-law and attend their 3rd annual Holiday Hangovers and Leftovers party. Last year's party was a huge hit, and this year's Evite promises "holiday favorites from Christmases past — moldy fruitcake, sticky sugarplums, past-its-prime eggnog and enough cookies to make you fit into Santa's suit."

My favorite part of the evening is the bad gift exchange — everyone brings the weirdest/ugliest gift they received for Christmas this year and regift it to another attendee. Nick and I received only excellent gifts this year (lucky for us, but unlucky for our popularity at the party!); fortunately my lovely friend Cat "donated" a miniature Precious Moments knock-off nativity set to the cause. I can't wait to see what we get in exchange. (Last year Nick got a "gum by numbers" art set. Like paint by numbers.... but you have to chew different colored gum and stick it on the picture where that color goes. Um, ew.)

This year, there is a new twist to the festivities: bonus points for anyone who wears an ugly Christmas sweater! Well, I prefer to look cute, so I'm going to pass on this one, but hopefully the creepy nativity set will make up for it.


Have a nice weekend, everyone!