Back in the earlier days of my life in Philadelphia, I had the great good fortune to stumble my way into the most wonderful group of friends. We were nearly all new to Philadelphia, most of us were single and we were all looking for ways to connect with people. Though many of them have since moved away from Philly, these folks continue to be some of my dearest friends.

Ingrid, one such friend, is getting married in April and came back to Philly this weekend so that we could throw her a little shower. It was a such a delight to see her (and Cindy as well). The photo you see above is just part of the spread we put together for the party.

Friday night gelato from Capogiro with Cindy and Ingrid. The coconut milk gelato is so good.

Cindy and Ingrid got into town today! I haven’t seen them since my wedding 18 months ago. Hooray!

Leftovers of two kinds. Salad with last night’s salmon, beets, potatoes and balsamic vinaigrette. On the side? The dregs of a bag of nacho flavored Doritos, all that remain from Scott’s Saturday night birthday party. The salad was really good, but those Doritos were a true treat. They take me right back to special occasions when I was growing up.

A dumpster spotted while out running errands. I’ve walked by this one so many times, but that sliver of blue on the lefthand side made me notice it in a way I haven’t before. City living is dirty, but the goal is to find moments of beauty tucked away in the grime.

My cute husband turned 34 years old today. We’ve been celebrating his birthday since Friday night (burgers and fries from Five Guys). On Saturday, we threw a party, complete with a homemade sheet cake, Pimm’s cups and a crockpot full of queso. Sunday we had a fancypants dinner at Barclay Prime. For today, his actual birthday, we got take-out sushi, drank a bottle of sparkling wine and finished things off with a bit of leftover cake and ice cream. Not a bad life at all!

Happy birthday Scotty!

We hosted a party last night for Scott’s 34th birthday. This morning we slept late, cleaned up and ate a lazy brunch amidst the party remains.

I spoke on a panel about digital media careers. The audience was a roomful of high school students. It continues to blow my mind that people see me as established enough that they want me to talk about what I do and how I got there. I truly feel like I’m still just figuring it out.

Scott and I were both exhausted tonight, so we climbed into bed extra-early with books and snacks (him, whole grain goldfish; me, an orange). We watched tv and just enjoyed doing absolutely nothing.

I spent an hour at Reading Terminal Market, attending a press conference for work. On the way back my co-worker quickly grabbed lunch while I took a few pictures of fruit. I just never tire of that place.