Lianhua.nu

Rory

I think one of the best things about this Christmas is getting to meet my adorable 11-week-old niece, Lorelai (Rory).

The Glow Worm I got for her was a big hit today! :)



It’s going to be really hard to go back to LA after being around this cuteness.

O Christmas Tree

Forgive me, this is mostly going to be a photo post. :) I borrowed a tripod from Derek and took some gorgeous photos of our tree, including some macros/close-ups (well I used a macro lens anyway) of some of my favorite ornaments.

We love the Christmas tree this year. We had a few little mishaps – the trunk was too short for our tree stand, and then the bowl they put on the tree at the lot started leaking, so we had to make a quick fix – but it turned out really gorgeous. Derek loves it too. :) And it smells so good! Growing up, my parents didn’t really ever buy real Christmas trees, we always put up a fake one (until I moved out, then they started getting real ones, what the heck, mom?!). There’s really no comparison, though… The real one smells so good, and it looks so much better!

The lights are LED lights and kind of have a blue tint to them. On long exposures, with a white balance set to cut out the orange light coming in from the courtyard lamps, they look super blue. I kind of like it!

See? Orange lights! It looks like the courtyard is on fire or something.

This little guy was made by my good friend Christin last year. I like to think he’s protecting the tree. :)

I’m so happy to have my own little ornament collection. They’re mostly blue, green and silver – and last year I found these adorable snowmen ornaments at Target, which fit perfectly!

When we get flat cards or photos I like to put them on the tree. This one my grandma had printed and sent to us, it’s a great picture of us. :)

Here’s my fishie! I’m a huge marine biology nerd — Chrissy even made me a clownfish hat, I’ll have to get photos soon! — and so when I saw this little fishie I had to have him. My ex’s mom bought him for me at Saks Fifth Avenue in New York a few years ago. He’s still one of my favorites. :)

My mom gave me this Angel of Learning for my tree. I love how the light was shining on her in this photo.

And this one was from my friend Kelly. Along with our friend Sarah, we share a very special almost sisterly bond — that is best served with a nice pinot noir!

You may be wondering, with my professed Buddhist tendencies and lack of a strong religious sense, why do I have a Christmas tree? Well, in the next few days I have a big entry planned, in which I’ll talk all about what the holiday season means to me! Be on the lookout.

Until then, take care, stay warm and enjoy the holidays!

Sneak Peek: Holidays!

So, even though Derek and I are going to be in separate places for Christmas (I’ll be in Indiana with my family, he’ll be in San Francisco with his) we decided to get a tree anyway.

Unfortunately, since it’s getting dark so early (seriously, like 5pm, ick!), I haven’t been able to get any really good photos of our tree just yet, but I did manage to snap a couple with my iPhone to give everyone a little sneak preview!

Our tree! For those of you who remember what our apartment looks like from way back when I posted photos of it, we put the tree in front of our gorgeous little bay window. :)

And here are two of my favorite ornaments:

This little monster was lovingly made by my dear friend Christin, who happens to sell some of her beautiful handmade goodies on Etsy – Love California. He’s very fitting for our household, especially since Derek refers to me as a “little monster” on a pretty regular basis.

And this is my Fishie! I got him back in New York, I think at Macy’s on 5th Avenue? He was a gift from a friend, she offered to buy me one gorgeous ornament to get my tree started. And I chose Fishie! After all, I love fishies! :)

I love our tree. It’s smaller than last year’s (about 6 feet tall total, I think? maybe a little less) and it’s just cute. Plus it makes our apartment smell amazing, and curling up on the couch with a cup of tea, a blanket and the light from the tree is a wonderful way to unwind after a long day. Love it. :)

This weekend I’ll be able to get a few daytime shots, and maybe some really pretty night shots as well, and I’ll write up a little entry about what Christmas means to me. So be on the lookout for that goodness sometime this weekend! :)