My First B&E

All my life (okay, since I was nine) I wanted to get into this house. My camera phone doesn't do it justice, but when I was a young kid running around in the woods at the end of my street, It seems like a mansion. Something about it was mysterious but approachable, and I always had the secret desire to peek inside. It wasn't always in this state of disrepair. In it's glory days, it had a perfectly manicured lawn and smoke from a warm fall/winter fire billowing out of the chimney. 

The house sits on a nine-acre estate with another farm house and was owned by the late Judge John E. Holt-Harris. It's been uninhabited for quite some time, and both time and weather have taken their toll on this once stoic residence in the woods. 

Well, the university near my parent's home recently purchased the estate and with that, they are demolishing the homes (there's a barn house on the estate as well.) Upon hearing the news, I saw my childhood dream of sneaking a peek inside, flash before my eyes. So I did what any law abiding citizen might do, I planned a little B&E (breaking and entering, for all of you squares.) 

More sunset photos from Cape May!

In my opinion, you can never have too many sunset photos, so prepare yourself, you're about to see a boat load of 'em. We had a long weekend in Cape May but this one was a bit different from our last few trips (this one, this one, this one and this one) because... my parents came with us! It was awesome to show them around this cute little town that has become our annual summer vacation spot. We brought them to H&H for all-you-can-eat crabs and gave them a thorough lesson in crab eating. We laughed over martinis at The Mad Batter happy hour where we stood outside for a good 30 minutes because of a fire alarm mishap (my dad was the only smart one in the group that brought his martini with him!) We showed them our favorite breakfast spot and our favorite late-night cocktail spot and BryGuy and I even got to sneak off for a solo dinner to celebrate Bry's birthday! It was an awesome weekend with gorgeous weather and even better company. We can't wait to go back again next summer! Check out more photos below. 

Toes in the water, ass in the sand...

We spent a long weekend in Cape May earlier this month and Lulu got to experience her first time on the beach. While she seemed to enjoy the sand and breeze, she was not a fan of the ocean water. I had some major concerns about bringing a 5-month-old to the beach because of the sheer amount of "stuff" needed, but we purchased this sun shade tent thing, and that was a breeze to set up and take down, and mostly Lu just chilled out under it and took some naps and woke up to eat from time to time. In August, we're heading back to Cape May again with my parents, which will be fun! I'm hoping Lu is more open to dipping her feet in the water next time. Check out more photos from our trip below. 

Baby, you're a firework!

This post is long overdue, but I can't let all of these great firework photos go to waste! We spent the Fourth of July holiday weekend with my family on Sacandaga Lake and took the Lulu Bug out for some boating adventures. She loved it, and by loved it, I mean that she fell asleep every time she went onto the boat. I just adore being up in the Adirondacks -- the air is fresh, the water is crisp and the campfires are magnificent. Oh, and did I mention that my friend Lindsey (the one that lives in EGYPT) came to visit me and meet my offspring?! Check out more photos from our weekend below: 

Southern Sunday Y'all

BryGuy wanted one thing for Father's Day and that was homemade coconut cake. Seeing as though it was his first Father's Day, I thought granting his dessert wishes would be a nice thing to do. And since the weather forecast looked pretty good, he decided to smoke some ribs and some pork butt. While the meats were cooking, I whipped up some coleslaw, and Bry mixed up some tasty bourbon cocktails... and my friends, Southern Sunday was born. Check out more photos from our Father's Day below. Also, if you're interested in making the most refreshing bourbon cocktail in your own home, here's the recipe for a Whisky Smash.

Family photo shoot

Meet my happy baby. She has quite the personality these days. You'll most likely find her growling when she's hungry, babbling or squealing when she's all excited about nothing, or trying to lick everything she can get her chubby little hands on. We put Lulu in her Sunday best and took her to the backyard for a quick photo shoot this past weekend. Of course, halfway through the photo shoot she decided that was the perfect time to spit up all over her top, pants, and mommy's pants as well, but we went with it and still were able to get some good family pics! Check out more photos below: 

10 Tips for Flying With an Infant

We did it. We took our three-month-old baby on a plane and survived. I was all stressed out the week leading up to this flight only because I didn't know what to expect, I didn't know what we'd need, and I didn't know if the TSA folks were going to give us a hard time. But all of that worry was pointless because our trip was one of the most uneventful flying experience of my life and everyone was incredibly kind and helpful (except one impatient fellow passenger in the security line.) But, I learned a few things along the way and figured I should share the wisdom:

We bought a house!

Hello there friends! It's been a while. Let me give you a little rundown of what's been hap'nin' since we last chatted. Well, my maternity leave whizzed by and before I knew it, I was bringing my chubby little baby to daycare and rejoining the herds of folks commuting into the city for work. At first, it was so so so so sad (like, all the tears kind of sad), but now it's becoming the norm and every day is a little easier. But let me tell you, my gym time has taken a serious hit because when you come home from a long work day to your smiling happy baby, you really don't want to spend any more time away from her than is absolutely necessary. 

Oh also, we bought a zoo house! (Quick side note - have you seen that move We Bought a Zoo? It's quite precious and every time I start to say that we bought a house...I first think about saying we bought a zoo, which would be much cooler, but unfortunately, isn't applicable.) ANYWAY, I digress. Yes, we bought a house. The most perfect house with a nice front porch, gorgeous wood work, an updated kitchen (my happy place), and a cute little backyard. Here she is, Casa de Williams:

It's a twin home, meaning it's attached to one other property, so we own the left side. Well let's be honest, right now we own like the front door and the bank owns the rest, but in 30 years, this puppy will be ours! The neighborhood is so cute and perfect, we're walking distance to restaurants and shops, close to a couple of parks, but we still have a little yard and some more privacy than our existing spot.

Engagement Session with Megan and Jeremy

This past weekend I headed out with my friends Megan and Jeremy to shoot some engagement photos. We had a blast, especially taking a little walk with Miss Stella (she was such a good model.) Then after our time among the nature, we headed to Main Street in Manayunk for some photos of beer -- and maybe a little whisky too. Check out more photos of this awesome couple below. Congrats Jeremy and Meg! 

The 2nd Day of Spring

We can all agree that the first day of spring was a total bust. There was a lot of that stupid white stuff on the ground -- which is just ridiculous. So, here's to the second day, which I'm just going to pretend was actually the first day of spring. 

Our friends Josh and Shayna were in town for the weekend so we headed outside for some fresh air with Lu. We walked along the Schuylkill River Path which is always beautiful. The sun was shining and glistening off the river, it was still a bit brisk, but the smell of spring was in the air. Clearly, BryGuy was having a great time. Check out more photos from our river stroll below. 

Playing Catch-Up

This holiday season has been a whirlwind. I would sit here an apologize to you about how I've been MIA but the truth is, it was kind of nice to put the blog on the back burner and focus on myself and my family during the holiday season. So to catch you up since Thanksgiving... we've spent the majority of our time mentally and physically preparing for this baby to come, expected in about four weeks time (maybe a little sooner, maybe a little later, who knows?) 

BryGuy and I had a fabulous Christmas in Upstate New York and were incredibly blessed with lots of gifts from Santa, ridiculous amounts of family time, all the delicious treats and unhealthy food one can consume. We headed back to Philadelphia before the New Year to get all settled in and spent a nice night with friends on New Years Eve. We had a delicious dinner at a restaurant that I've always wanted to try and then got cozy in our PJ's and watched the ball drop and had a lot of laughs. Quite possibly the best part of my New Year's celebration was watching my dear friend Josh get engaged to the love of his life, Shayna. We are so happy for them and so excited to dance the night away at their wedding in September! 2015 is going to be an amazing year :) 

Peep more photos from Christmas and New Year's Eve below. 

Family fun day at Highland Orchards

Do you ever dream/fantasize about certain life situations? For instance, I always had this future vision of myself renting out a big beach house with a group of friends and partying all week in the sun and surf. Well, I sort of got to live out that dream this summer when we headed to Ocean City for the Fourth of July weekend. Unfortunately, I didn't get to do much partying seeing as though I was 10 weeks pregnant... but whatevs, not all fantasies can be played out perfectly. 

I've also always had this dream idea of heading to an apple orchard with a group of friends and their kids on a crisp fall day and picking apples, climbing trees, eating cider donuts and selecting the best pumpkin from the pumpkin patch for carving. Ding, ding, ding! Daydreams are coming alive here people! Last weekend, we drove out to Highland Orchards in West Chester with a big group of friends and kiddos and had a great time! Check out photos from the day below. 

Camping and Oktoberfest 2015

This post is coming a little late, but I thought I'd share some photos of our fun camping trip and Oktoberfest party from last weekend. We headed up to New York for the Columbus Day Weekend and spent one night in the Adirondacks freezing our butts off and the second night we spent at my parent's annual Oktoberfest party. 

Camping was gorgeous despite the chilly weather, but we knew what to expect so we packed our winter clothes accordingly. We sat around the fire for the day and shared a lot of laughs and a few sing-a-longs as well. As the sun dipped down we warmed our bellies with s'mores (or adult beverages for some) and looked into the clear sky for a spectacular view of the stars. 

The following day was spent eating German fare, playing hammerschlagen and then watching the Giant's play a pitiful game of football.

A Birthday World Tour

It was a birthday to be remembered, it started in France, made a quick stop in Italy, spent the afternoon in England, and headed to Morocco for dinner. Okay, okay, so all of those "visits" occurred within the confines of the City of Philadelphia, but it was wonderful nonetheless! I'm not big on birthdays, I always feel a little embarrassed when there's a fuss made about me on that day. Typically, birthdays just involved a quiet dinner with Bry and some drinks or a rented movie after. 

Well since 28 was a hell of a year, and 29 is going to be life changing, I figured that I would take one day to do some things that have been sitting on my bucket list waiting to be checked off. We started off with a visit to the Rodin Museum (which we have been meaning to visit forever) then as our bellies started to grumble, we headed to Pizzeria Vetri for a little snack. After that, we took advantage of the gorgeous fall weather and strolled along the Ben Franklin Parkway until we landed at The Four Seasons where we were scheduled for afternoon tea. After our bellies were full of sugary treats we went home and relaxed a bit and then got ready for an evening with friends at our favorite Moroccan restaurant. Check out lots of photos from our fun day.  

New York state of mind

What do you do when the temperatures start to drop? Unpack your flannel shirts and sweaters, take a drive up to New York and binge on apples, pies, and cider donuts. Well... at least that's what I do. There's no autumn quite like an upstate New York autumn. The air smells of earthy leaves, the colors take your breath away, the crisp air makes you want to lace up your riding boots and drape a super soft scarf around your neck. Check out photos from last weekend.

Made in America 2014 Style Guide

This is the third year the Made in America Festival is being held in Philadelphia and of course, I got my tickets nice and early. However, if you're anything like me, you wait until the very last moment to get your outfits together, so this weekend I'm headed out in search of some festival appropriate attire. Last year, I put together this 2013 MIA style guide, which I think is still appropriate, so check it out for some additional inspiration.

Wardrobe lessons learned over the past two years:

1. Wear comfortable shoes. This is not the time to try out knee-high gladiator sandals or your daintiest flip flops, for two reasons; one, your legs and feet are going to swell from standing and being in the heat (ouch) and two, the concert is dirty, really, really dirty. Protect your piggies and your pedicure and stick with close-toe, flat options with good support.
2. Leave your romper at home. I made the romper mistake last year. Think about it a romper is a one piece outfit with shorts...how do you think you go to the bathroom in that? I'll tell you. You either strip naked in the port-a-potty (so nasty) or you pull the shorts and your underwear to the side (also nasty, but faster.) Save the romper for another time!
3. Hands-free is key. Bring a back pack, cross body bag, fanny pack, whatever. You're just going to want to not have to worry about a shoulder purse/bag all day long.

Friendcation in OCNJ

Happy 8th of July! I hope you had a fantastic Fourth of July weekend. Mine consisted of sun, sand, games, friends and a lot of laughter. We headed to Ocean City, New Jersey for a long weekend with friends. We played countless games of Salad Bowl, ate and drank wayyy too much, enjoyed some fireworks, and soaked up some sun rays. Special thanks to our friend Jimmy for letting us crash his parents' vacation home. It was so perfect for hanging out and cooking and spending a rainy day on the porch and late nights watching Drunk History. See more photos from the weekend below. 

A trip to the lake

Following my brother's high school graduation ceremony on Saturday, my family and I packed the cars and made the drive up to Sacandaga Lake where my parents rented a house for the week. The few days we got to spend there were perfect (minus the relentless mosquitoes.) On day one, we had some boat issues, so we spent the morning hanging out at the dock, soaking up the rays, playing endless games of fetch with Titan, and letting dad work his magic on the boat. Finally, the boat was up and running and we headed out on the high seas. Titan got to practice his fetching capabilities in deeper waters and everyone jumped in for a cool off.

Beach day essentials

Beach Day Essentials by marissasays featuring a blue beach towel

This little heat wave has me thinking about parking my tooshie in a beach chair and sticking my toes in the sand. Instead, I'm sitting at a desk in an overly air conditioned office. Major bummer. A girl can dream, can't she? I'm headed to Ocean City, New Jersey for the Fourth of July Weekend with a small group of friends, and since I'm a crazy planner, I'm already writing my lists of things to bring. When you're a beach bum like me, you have to be prepared or there's no way you're going to make it all day in the sun. So here's my list of beach essentials, for a full day on the beach. 

The key is an even mix of activities, entertainment and relaxation tools:

1. First up on the list, an over-sized beach towel, preferably in a nautical print. Whether you're lying directly on the sand, or sitting in your chair, you want a towel made of nice fabric, that's going to keep you comfortable and dry. 

2. Sunnies - beach sunglasses should be a) cheap and b) mirrored. This way if you happen to go in to the ocean with them on, you won't be too bummed when a rouge wave rips them from your face and you can eye up the man (or lady) candy without looking like a major creeper. 

3. Havaianas - I'm specifying the brand of flip flops because in this case, it matters. Sure, you can score 20 pairs of Old Navy flip flops for the price of one pair of Havaianas, but they're not going to be as comfortable and they're definitely not going to last as long. These are the best. Hands down. 

4. Sunscreen - I don't care how well you tan, grab a sunscreen with at least 30 SPF and apply that goop in liberal doses every hour. Believe me, you'll still get tan, but you'll protect yourself from the harmful rays, the ones that lead to a trip to a dermatologist years down the road. 

5. A hat - Don't forget your scalp when applying sunscreen, but I know it's hard when you have a full head of hair. Sometimes when you feel like your face or head is getting a bit too much sun, the hat is a perfect solution. I am a fan of the fedora variety, which has an air of cool and casual, but if you can pull off the wide brim Gone-with-the-Wind-fabulous look, by all means... 

6. Kindle, book or magazine - People-watching at the beach is one of my favorite past times, but I also love getting lost in a good book or gossip magazine at the beach. What I love about my Kindle is that it's super light and easy to pack, has an anti-glare screen and allows me to have a handful of books loaded up, so I never run out of reading material. 

7. Games - When you need to stand up and stretch your legs a bit, Pro Kadima is the perfect game to play with a friend. BryGuy and I love to play a version where you stand at the edge of the water and count how many times you can hit the ball before it hits the ground. If you're feeling a little less active, but still want to interact with your beach mates, spread out a blanket and play another board game like Bananagrams, cards or Scrabble. 

8. Boogie board - If I go into the ocean, it's usually just for a quick cool off and then I'm out again. But if I have a boogie board, I could stay out there for hours, trying to catch a wave, or just bobbing along. 

9. A good beach chair - We just invested in some Tommy Bahama beach chairs, they are definitely a little more expensive than I'd typically spend on a beach chair, but they are so comfortable, easy to carry (they come with backpack straps) and have a cooler pouch on the back! 

10. Beverage koozies - You need a way to keep your beverages cold in the hot sun, so grab a clever beer koozie and stay refreshed! 

11. Cooler - Keep your beverages and food cold all day long in an insulated cooler. Don't forget to pack plenty of water and lots of snacks! 

Softball, crabs and darts

Because I've been totally slacking on the blog this week, I'm going to make it up to you. How does two posts in one day sound to you? How's that for setting things right? I thought you would like the sound of that.

First up, a little weekend recap, featuring a softball game, a lot of crab eatin' and beer drinkin', followed by a healthy game of darts. Photos galore below.