The Good Girl Gone Blog

Better than Presents December 28, 2011

This holiday season was definitely one of the most special I've had so far. What made it so special? Well, not only did I get to spend time with my family for Hanukkah, I also got to experience Christmas with Eric's family and then finish up Hanukkah back in Boston just with Eric.

Though Hanukkah definitely isn't the most important Jewish holiday by far, I wanted to make sure that Eric got to experience a truly amazing Hanukkah celebration.  We fried latkes together for a party at my mom's, he played dreidel with my little cousins at my Aunt Sandy's and made sure to remind me that it was time to light candles when it got dark outside. Even while we were in Florida celebrating Christmas with Eric's family, we made sure to light the iMenorah every night.

When we arrived in Jacksonville and celebrated pre-Christmas with Eric's extended family, I was immediately welcomed into the clan. We feasted on veggie lasagna and a delicious salad and participated in a fun gift swap.

For actual Christmas at Eric's parents house near Tampa, we had homemade ravioli (blog post to come!) for Christmas eve and opened presents together the next morning. That was probably my favorite part, not because I received gifts, but because I loved seeing how much thought everyone put into finding presents for the people they loved. I really enjoyed taking turns opening our gifts and watching joy erupt on the faces of both the gift receiver and giver.

I truly enjoyed spending night 7 & 8 with Eric in Boston. He played the role of the "helper" and held the shamash while I said the prayers. It was our own mini family celebration and was one of my favorite part of the holiday.

I loved asking questions about Eric's family traditions and answering questions about my own. I learned a lot about the importance of family and traditions over the past week and for that I feel truly blessed.

Getting pumped for (C)Han(n)uk(k)a(h) November 30, 2010

Guys, Hanukkah starts tomorrow night- how ridiculous is that? We just finished Thanksgiving, and another holiday is less than a week after. Good thing I like holidays, food and fun!

My stepmom forwarded me this video and it's definitely getting me in the holiday spirit. I'm pretty sure you'll love it (Kate, especially), even if you're not the Hanukkah celebrating type:

PS- have you noticed there are about 16 ways to spell this holiday?

The British Climbing Tree April 19, 2010

If you grew up in Pikesville, you've definitely been to "the duck pond," also known as Druid Ridge Park. If you're over the age of 18, you probably remember going there for picnics and taking photos on what my family affectionately calls "the climbing tree."

Unfortunately for the children of Pikesville, the low branch of the climbing tree used for many a photo shoot was cut down and picnics were soon banned. My childhood memories were crushed.

That's why I was extremely excited when I spotted this tree on a recent roommate bonding expedition to Kew Gardens. I immediately made Maria take these photos, a somewhat difficult task that eventually helped her get over her fear of using the dreaded zoom on my camera.

I'm wearing:

Dress: Mango (from Granada)
Flip-flops: VS Pink
Necklaces: H&M
Sunglasses: Giorgio Armani, gift from internship

Maria is wearing:

Dress and cardigan: H&M
Shoes and sunglasses: Topshop
Bag: Nine West

There are TONS more photos on my Flickr, although most of them are flowers ;)

PS- Daddy, if you have any of those famous Brooks girls photos from the real climbing tree, email them to me- I'm sure everyone would love to see how cute we used to be!

Puppy Passover March 28, 2010

Passover starts tomorrow and I am hardly ready. Have I cleaned out my cubby? No. Have I purchased any Passover food? No. Sigh. It's a good thing I ate so much delicious food in Switzerland this weekend, otherwise a week of Passover sans my mom's cooking would probably be even worse. I'll probably buy a lot of vegetables tomorrow to get me through the week. Potatoes and salad, here I come!

The last bits of Spain March 01, 2010

I realize my trip to Spain was over a week and a half ago, but I still want to share some of my favorite photos with you. I could probably spend an entire week sharing photos and talking about the trip, but I think it's time to move on. Anyway, you can check out the rest of my photos here.

Meet Allison, one of my friends from BU. Allison has a sort of effortless style that I definitely admire. I love how she always manages to look super chic, whether in an all black ensemble, or dare I say it, her newly purchased mink coat.

We enjoyed our first Paella/Sangria lunch at the top of the Castillo de Gibralfaro, a place whose name I only remember because of this photo. Though paella traditionally includes seafood, I opted for the vegetarian dish and thoroughly enjoyed it. The Sangria was great too. My favorite ingredient: cinnamon sticks!

Too funny, right? I took tons of photos of this little guy running on the beaches of Marbella. There were so many cute dogs in Spain, although there are definitely more here in London!

We must have gone to the local grocery store, Super Sol, about a million times. They had tons of great food there along with some extremely cheap wine that perfectly complimented our brie and baguette. Some of the packaging made me laugh a little, like the "Bimbo" bread and some item in a box that had a label in braille. Seriously, if it's the only item in the store with a braille label, how is that helpful?

I absolutely love rainbows. Maybe it's because they're so rare, or because I've associated them with miracles ever since I learned the story of Noah's Ark. Did you know there's even a special blessing you're supposed to say when you see one? Of course, I never remember it, but I always think about it when I see a rainbow.

Walking around the Castillo de Gibralfaro reminded me so much of the City of David in Jerusalem. Although the views were quite different, walking around the fortress made me nostalgic for the old city and its history.

I entitled this photo "heavenly" because there is just something so unearthly about those clouds. The photo was taken on the way up to the Castillo de Gilbralfaro and shows the diverse mix of trees, tall buildings and coastal construction equipment in the Malaga skyline. 

Again, you can see the rest of my Spain photo set here.

London lessons: part II January 19, 2010

Sigh, I really wanted to share a fashion post for you today- I wore the yellow shoes and everything, but the photo shoot didn't actually happen. There's always tomorrow! Instead, I thought I'd share with you some more interesting London observations. (Check out the first list here.)

1. The term "rubber" refers to an eraser
2. Brits don't say "knock on wood," they say "touch wood"
3. British peanut butter is very different than American peanut butter (or at least that's what my non-allergic friends say)
4. In order to get the 5 basic TV channels, Brits must pay a licensing fee of £139.50 per year...which goes to the BBC.
5. For words that are both nouns and verbs, the letter c is used for nouns and s for verbs- example licence vs. license
6. A small coffee here is about 2/3 the size of a small coffee at home
7. Apparently, it's normal for people to sell the five random things they have left in their basements on Brick Lane. (See photo above. Trolls? Seriously? I have an entire box of them at home!)
8. The UK = England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Britain = Scotland, Wales and England.
9. In England, married men go out to bars with their friends and hit on unsuspecting, small, Jewish American girls. Not cool. 
10. Jammie Dodgers = the best cookies ever (even if Maria eats around the Jam and then smashes the remainder of the the cookie into a huge mess).

Bagels and vintage yellow shoes January 18, 2010

Today, Hil, Iz and I decided to hit up Brick Lane for some bagels...or as they're called here, "beigels." Sunday seemed like the perfect day to indulge in our favorite Jewish food. Plus, these bagels had to be better than the rolls with holes we'd bought at the grocery store.

I'm sad to say that the bagels were merely mediocre. Also, the cream cheese was super weird. I don't even know how to describe it! I was expecting the bakery to resemble a NY style bagel shop, but this place only offered one type of bagel (plain), and some other things with weird names. We finally figured out that "chola" must mean "challah." This was not a Jewish bagel shop.

We also happened to stumble upon a really fun vintage market! I immediately spied a pair of vintage yellow pumps and purchased them for 5 quid! (Photos to come via Izzy!)

 

Strangely, I saw these masks in multiple stands on the street. They reminded me of the principal from Billy Madison- you know, the one who used to be a wrestler?

I thought these headbands were really pretty. I probably should have bought one. Oh well, there's always next time!

Loads of gummies- just like in Israel. Too bad I gorged myself on fresh doughnuts. They were so much yummier than the bagels, and I even saw them being made!

There was such a huge variety of food being sold- stir fries, Indian food, churros, falafel, sushi...we didn't actually buy anything, but it all smelled amazing!

A few lessons in London January 10, 2010

I'm cheating- this photo is actually in Israel. My London dorm room is NOT this fancy!

I've been in London for less than 12 hours, but I've already learned a TON:

1. Queen's Gate (my street) is not the same as Queen's Gate Gardens or Queen's Gate Mews.
2. It's very hard to remember which way to look before crossing the street, even if it's literally written on the crosswalk (look left, look right).
3. Jacket potatoes = baked potatoes.
4. Grocery stores and chemists (aka pharmacies) close ridiculously early on Sundays...like, 5pm early.
5. The metal rack in the bathroom is for heating towels. Touching it is a bad idea (oops).
6. A la cart samosas make for a very cheap and very delicious dinner.
7. The Heathrow Express = a fast and easy way to get from the airport to central London. It's clean, comfortable, and they play BBC TV.
8. Columbia Road Market is a really cool place that sells flowers and plants. It operates on Sundays because of an old act of Parliament that changed the day of the market in order to accommodate Jewish traders. (Thanks Heathrow Express/BBC TV!)
9. The clothes I wore in Israel are NOT warm enough for London, as the temperature has decreased by close to 40 degrees.
10. Apparently Flickr is an evil Website, as it is in violation of the Internet usage policy of BU in London. Not cool.
    

I still have another suitcase to unpack and need to figure out how to shower and dry myself off sans towel (I was going to buy one here, but everything is closed). I'll let you know how that goes!

(Also, I just wanted to thank you all for your kind words about all of my recent photos. You make me feel like a superstar!)

Nikon = the new mini skirt January 04, 2010

You're probably looking at this title and wondering "what the heck is she talking about?" Well, I've come to a realization- along with my bright red coat, my Nikon is a guy magnet. Strange, but true.

First, there was the random guy in Jerusalem who showed me photos on his cellphone. Then, there were these two Israeli soldiers who posed for a photo at the Kotel.

(Just an FYI, in Israel, men and women enlist in the Israeli Defense Force after finishing high school. Men serve 3 years, while women serve 2. Army service is mandatory, but can be replaced by community service.)

And then, just yesterday, I was exploring my favorite Jerusalem neighborhood, Yemin Moshe, when a man stopped to talk to me. I honestly could not figure out his age, but he was clearly older than me. He proceeded to ask me if I was Russian. I smiled and told him (in Hebrew) that I was American, and he asked if I wanted him to take my picture. I politely declined and continued on my way.

Then, I ran into him again and he offered me a cigarette and wanted to show me around the neighborhood. Though I was a little uncomfortable with the idea, it was perfectly light out and there were people around. He told me I should stop whenever I wanted to take a photo. I tried to make sure I was walking behind him the entire time.

One of the many photos from my visit to Yemin Moshe

I then made up an excuse to leave (I have to meet my sister in 15 minutes!!) and got up to go. He asked if he'd see me again and I said maybe next time I'm in Yemin Moshe. I pretended I didn't hear him call after me and ask for my number.

As soon as he was out of sight, I called my sister and told her what happened. As I waited for the traffic light to turn green, I noticed the man again- he too was crossing the street. He told me I should stop in and see him in the coffee shop/building across the street that he owns (I think?!).

I smiled and nodded. I will not be visiting him, but it was a nice offer!

We're a Nikon Family January 01, 2010

A family of Nikons...(photo taken by my stepmom...with a Canon)

Fashion shot at the Western Wall, taken by my little sister, Sophie.

I'll post my photos from the Kotel (Western Wall) as soon as I'm reunited with my camera. Hope everyone had a fabulous New Year's Eve- I know I did. It may or may not have involved a midnight kiss with a cute Israeli boy...but I'm not saying  ;)