christmas 2015

 As I type this, it is Sunday December 27th...and I smiled today because some of the radio stations are still playing all the Christmas songs :) The cheer and the hype is what makes me really excited, and it is so contagious, all through songs, visions of red and green, and the smells of cooking, pine, cinammon-goodness...there are so many senses of Christmas.

So here are just a few (I mean, just a few) pictures from the holidays this year. Most of my efforts went into making a video, actually, so the best of the best you can see below. This is becoming somewhat of a family tradition, to make goofy movies...and I love it!

password: chritmat

ciao! xo and enjoy!

snow on march 1st.

from the prettiest snowfall yesterday. no filtering/audio edits, just the sound of snow falling.
to watch, use password 'snow'.

This quickly turned into a Georgia and Scout show, as you can see - they absolutely love the snow. I needed a way to capture the hefty snowflakes on their black coats, so I took out the tripod and focused manually on them (trying to stay still!). I love how excited and even curious they are about a fresh snowfall. Anyway, one of my march goals is to get better at shooting on a tripod, and even letting a little blur in. I liked the simplicity of this.

March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb! Although its entrance is rather peaceful and calming, it is nice to know that all this white will be green in a few short weeks ;)

ciao, xo

feeling bright and summery

just a couple of fun scenes from the beginning of my summer.

Greetings from the beach! I thought it was about time for another video! It's always good to do these once in a while, and summer videos happen to be my favorite. Having my camera out to record it all is one of those things I have to do every time there's a big event or even if it is something small out of the norm. As usual, I am starting out the summer with a BUNCH of goals - bucket list things, but also goals in outlook and lifestyle that seem to fade away once the summer ends, too. And I ALWAYS say this! But I want to be lighter, freer, airy-er (is that a word? do you know what I mean?), more open, smiling, decluttered, healthy, spontaneous, bright and vibrant. That's exactly what I want to be. This video here is a little peek into my family and me - and the first few weeks of our lovely summer! I hope you enjoy. ciao, xo :)

s&t go to italy

The rush of scurrying about Italy for a summer leaves me breathlessly nostalgic. One highlight of the summer was S's turn to visit Italy - his first ever time - and watching the absolute magic of the cities, sights, and foods sink into him. We had an (almost) impossibly long to do list, but I proudly can say that we checked most things off. I was proud because I was kind of an unofficial tour guide, cappo di gruppo, for a week - which had its trying times. For instance my stupid idea to tackle Rome in only one day left me exhausted and frazzled to say the least. Other times were much less rigorous and molto relassante. Such as our beautiful nights in Florence. Wine tasting in Montalcino and Montepulciano. I think my love obsession for Tuscany rubbed off on S.

And so, I give you, a little taste of our Italian travels!

ciao, xo

roma uncut

Use the password, "roma" :)

So I thought I'd put some of my amateur videography skills to work in a compilation that is a few months overdue. Obviously I am not in Italy anymore, but it's okay to make a video for Rome, right? So here it is - starring (sort of, not really) me. :) Enjoy it and please applaud me as I successfully toss the remnants of a gelato cone into my mouth. Little did you know, that is about the tenth take!

ciao, xo

long beach island in october

from a beautiful long weekend in october '12

One year ago we packed our weekend bags (reeaaally light, too) for a quick beachside getaway during the off-season. October at the beach is such a delight; one of my favorite times to really soak in all that I love about the beach. The screeching seagulls, hanging out at my favorite jetty and inspecting the rocks, the wind and mist against our beach front windows, and a great vista atop our spiral staircase - sort of like rooftop deck. Salt water taffy, daily stops at my favorite beach cafe, and impromptu surfing adventures. Missing the crowds was awesome, and there was just enough going on that we could get our ice cream fix and other beachy treats as if it was a normal summer day.

ciao, xo

yo-bx

In giddy anticipation of any upcoming OBX trip, we would always shout to each other, "Yo-BX!" There was a time when we went to the Outer Banks every year. We haven't been back since Hurricane Sandy, but I remember the last time we were there an even littler storm forged new inlets and little creeks of salt water within the lower islands. The Outer Banks is pristinely beautiful, home of absurdly good coffee and the kindest folks. The dunes roll and at night I remember wondering about the legend of Virginia Dare and other ghostly stories of the Atlantic as the wind brought in the salty air. Wine on the deck, fried chicken for dinner, and reckless mystery junkets to Ocracoke happen to be my favorite memories and tastes. I loved peering over the sides of the ferry, half fearful that we will sink with the weight of all the cars, half excited like a child at the sight of dolphins or even a wave from a passing speedboat. Those ferries spur such wonder - one year, we got stuck til 2am because we missed the last one out. Another time, an RV rolled on deck and I honestly thought we would sink. This particular year, yours truly got to steer the ferry. Don't ask me how, but somehow I found myself in the captain's seat - one of the highlights of my life!

ciao, xo