Fun in Philly

Last Spring I attended the ACES conference in Philadelphia with a few co-workers. Being a Midwest girl, I had some preconceived notions about Philly -- I mean, I imagined it would be dirty and full of mean people. I fully admit to my ignorance and was seriously impressed with the City of Brotherly Love. I had a great time exploring the Reading Terminal Market for the best eats and hitting up Old City and meeting locals at Sassafras Bar.

My friend Jaime and I walked to Philly Cupcake from the conference for a little break.

One of the days we took a walk around the city and ran into the set of Dark Fields, a movie starring Bradley Cooper as a writer who becomes addicted to prescription pills. It's set to come out this year. We even got to see Bradley get whisked off the set and into his waiting black SUV. He's pretty delish BTW.

More of Philly ...

Music for Your Snowpocalypse

Chances are if you're anywhere in the US and Canada this week, you're about to get pummeled with snow, freezing rain and, if you live in Indy, no chance the roads will ever be plowed or salted (sorry -- the snow removal in this city bothers me almost as much as the entire state of Ohio -- almost).

Anyways, while you're watching Jersey Shore reruns working from home, put these songs on for some added inspiration. And yes, I know none of them are new, but they're still great and worth listening to again and again.

1. Miike Snow -- Sylvia
2. Passenger -- Night Vision Binoculars (Okay, so it's like the Stalker's National Anthem -- it's still good!)
3. Guster -- Satellite
4. Phoenix -- Lisztomania (Classixx Version)
5. Grace Potter and the Nocturnals -- Paris (Ooh La La)

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Image found here

New Mexico

This summer I was sent to Taos, New Mexico for work. This state is stunningly beautiful. I felt very lucky driving on the winding highways through the shadowy mountains taking in the scenery. I often stopped to take pictures of the immense rocky gorges or the hot pink flowers laced with prickly pear cactus. Here are some photos from my trip:

Buffalo Chicken Dip Recipe

This dip is SO simple to make, but trust me, it's delish. I found it here.

In a crock pot, mix:

-One 8 oz. package of cream cheese.
-1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese.
-1/2 cup of Ranch dressing.
-1/2 cup of Frank's Red Hot Sauce.
-One 12 oz. can of cooked chicken, drained.

Cook on HIGH for one hour, then turn to low to keep warm. Serve with celery sticks and crackers. Enjoy!

Music Monday

My brother always keeps me in tune with the latest music and for Christmas he got me a bunch of great music to keep me awake during my drive back to Indy.

My favorite is The National's High Violet. Download "Sorrow," I like it because it has some great piano melodies in it.

http://www.pastemagazine.com/

He also gave me The XX's self-titled album. It's very mellow and a little different from what I'm used to, but I loved it all the same. Check out "Islands."

Here are a few other songs I've been loving lately:

Miike Snow -- Black and Blue
Empire of the Sun -- Walking on Dreams
Passion Pit -- Little Secrets

Mont Tremblant

Last weekend I spent the days snowboarding in Mont Tremblant which is about an hour and a half north of Montreal. My boyfriend, a few of his friends and I were lucky to rent a very nice chalet close to the hills. The skiing there definitely beats anything we have in the Midwest, and I hope I can go back next year!

Here are some photos from the trip:

The first day was -22 degrees on the summit!



View of the Village from the Mountain.




The boys in the chalet.



Warming up by the fire in the Village.