a good apple

{the midwest young artists annual gala}

daddy, teresa, stoop, me, johnswik

photo credit: my six-year-old sister. look at that. annie leibovitz, watch out.

stoop does her hairs.

a heavily processed potential for a holiday photo/why daddy should take raw pictures

stoop and johnswik get pouty! 

i creep in stoop's room.

daddy get's an award!

dr. niles crane, ladies and germs!

+++

midwest young artists is one big big reason why i play music. i grew up in the mya orchestra and percussion ensemble, and i can't imagine a better way to have spent my saturdays throughout junior high and high school than rehearsing with these ensembles. performing beethoven 9 in orchestra hall, competing in fischoff nearly every year, forming some of my closest friendships, and developing a deep affection for domino's pizza are just a few of the awesome things that became of my time in mya. 

on saturday morning, i tagged along with my dad to rehearsal and filled in for the three missing percussionists. and it was by far one of the highlights of my week. more of a highlight than meeting niles crane from frasier {no offense, david}. playing in that beautiful sunny room in the old jail building with dr. d as the conductor, daddy as soloist... 
i couldn't shake that feeling of oh, yes, this is why i love playing so much. 
that night, we got all fancy schmancy and sipped cocktails and ate devils on horseback and bid in a live auction and enjoyed shostakovich. pops got an award and it was ever so sweet!

it was the loveliest of times, it was one of my favorite of times.

-yeh!

home {again}

for the second weekend in a row, i flew home. 

and it was bliss.

bliss because i got to see my dad accept an award for his work with my old youth orchestra,

bliss because, as much as i love my life in new york, every day i think about how much better it would be if i could see my family without having to get on a plane.
every weekend i could do exactly what i did this weekend...

i could have lazy mornings in the kitchen reading cookbooks while mum makes crepes,

we could make chocolate rugelach whenever we please,

pops and i could take zumba classes {and i would die watching him}.

stoop and i could curl our hairs while we sip mimosas,

and i'd sit with mia while she practiced the piano.
{this weekend. oh it was perfect.}

-yeh!

chicago

first of all, f.m.l.

here is a pizza at great lake.
the thought of waving down a server to ask
for a paper napkin to blot the absurd amount of grease
gave me anxiety. however the cheese and tomato sauce were
delicious!! but was the two hour wait and that awkward
moment of realizing that it is b.y.o.b. after being seated
better than sitting in my jammies and telephoning lou mal's?
probably not.
better than keste?
i don't think so.

a sit with stoop's doggie, audrey.

a boozy lunch at longman & eagle.

another lunch at urban belly.

{short rib fried rice,

piggy cilantro potstickers,

the best edamame i ever had...}

happy 2012, everyone!

i am back in new york. these photos are from my last

few days in chicago, spent in the city, crashing at

stoopie's. and getting fat!

-yeh!!!

cue the huey lewis

on friday i put on spandex pants and frye boots, got out the old d&g light blue, and smeared on that makeup that comes in bright sets of like a hundred colors. then jaclyn picked me up, and we went to the high school football game. 

hi, nostalgialand.

i clapped to the fight song, 

discussed the world with my old teachers, 

visited steak and shake afterwards...

 {usual: small fries more salt honey mustard 

kiddie shake i don't want my cherry} 

there might as well have been a delorean waiting in the lot to give me a lift home. the only difference this time around was that the football team was actually winning.

{oh, and i wasn't in a band uniform... but you didn't hear that from me...}

you'd have thought it was cool for a 22-year-old to be surrounded by high schoolers on a friday night.

-yeh!