Holiday Update

I've been really busy lately, but I wanted to update everyone on what I've been up to!

I finished school on December 10th with a 4.0, which was an amazing way to end my first semester back in college.

I spent my birthday at home with my family and boyfriend, Justin. He conspired with my mom to surprise me by coming over for dinner. It was really nice to have a quiet celebration at home, and it was definitely my best birthday in years.

Christmas was wonderful. All of the Maryland Andrews came over for an early Christmas dinner, which was absolutely delicious! A few days before Christmas, the New York Andrews (Peter, Susan, Carol, and Mark) stopped by for a few days. It was great to see everybody, especially Carol. Susan surprised me with a beautiful "hope" quilt that she made for me, and I still can't believe how much work she put into it! It's amazing and will be something I will cherish for the rest of my life.

I just got back from a New Year's vacation with Justin. We spent a few days in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. It was my first "real" New Year's, and it was fantastic. We arrived on Sunday afternoon and spent some time at the outlets before having a quiet evening at the hotel. On New Year's Eve, we spent the afternoon at the Dogfish Head Brewery, followed by an early dinner at Fusion, a great (and GF-friendly!) restaurant less than a block from our hotel. After I rested a little, we went out to Finbar, a very mellow bar in the heart of Rehoboth. We spent the evening chatting with our bartender and just enjoying each other's company. Tuesday morning we walked around a little and spent some time sitting on the beach. It was a beautiful day, and we watched families and dogs (in sweaters!) playing in the sand. If you ever get the chance to go to beach in the off-season, do it--it was a real treat to see the ocean in the middle of the winter. Although I caught the flu during our travels, I had an amazing time. I look forward to more adventures with Justin in the future. Click here for pictures and his take on the trip.

Tomorrow, my family and I are heading up to New York for our Christmas trip. We are planning to see a few shows, do lots of shopping, and just enjoy New York in the wintertime. We are also planning to have dinner with Molly and Erica, which is super-exciting for me since I've been really missing them lately!

Well, that's it for now. I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays as much as I did!

Happy Birthday, Carol!

They grow up so fast!

NYC

My sister, Chrissy, and I traveled to New York City a few weeks ago.

We had a fabulous time visiting with Erica, Molly, and Cody (as well as Amber, Loren, and Brian!).

Chrissy and I arrived on Thursday afternoon, and since everybody was still at work, we happily wandered around the Upper East Side for awhile.



On Friday, Chrissy and I ventured down to the SoHo area for some of the oh-so-delicious (and award-winning!) Babycakes gluten-free cupcakes. We bought a few (or twelve) to take back to the apartment so that we could share the deliciousness with everybody.

The fabulous Babycakes bakery
(babycakesnyc.com)


On Friday night, Chrissy and I met Molly, Erica, and Amber at Sambuca restaurant on the Upper West Side (at 72nd and Central Park West). We thought about walking, but it was too rainy and cold (58 degrees! In August!). We did, however, wear our new matching shoes. We bought these shoes thinking that they were just cute black and white flats...
But once we got home, Chrissy noticed an unusual pattern: skulls and crossbones. It's very me, I know.


Saturday was a beautiful day, and we took a walk through Central Park since Chrissy had never been there before. Loren was in town, and he was nice enough to take our picture whilst dodging annoyed runners.

Erica, Molly, Chrissy, and me at the Jackie O. Reservoir.
Yes, I realize you can barely see us, but it's the best picture we could get.


Unfortunately, Chrissy had to leave early (it was her last weekend to visit with her friends before she had to leave for school), so we all escorted her to Penn Station Saturday afternoon.


Saturday night, Amber and Brian came over for dinner and an intense Monopoly game. I never played much Monopoly as a child, so it was the perfect time for "Team Body" (Beth + Cody) to reunite.

Fun was had by all.


Amber and Brian (showing off his newly-discovered moneybag game piece).


Erica and me.

"Team Body" is not doing so well.


The whole crew (minus Erica).

Sunday was another beautiful day, so we walked the two blocks to Central Park and spent the afternoon people-watching and eating fruit with chopsticks. It was the perfect way to spend my last day in NYC: relaxing outside with my friends, watching two over-grown frat guys attempting to play frisbee.

No, this is not actually them.

I had a wonderful time visiting NYC, and I know Chrissy did too. It was the perfect way to cap off a great summer.

The three girls, so happy together (cue cheesy music).