s ' m o r e s n o w

woke up this morning to MORE SNOW! huge, fluffy flakes that looked like cotton came pouring down all morning. we don't see much snow in good ol' durham, so it has been such a fun couple of weeks. i did still have to go into work though. a bit of a downer but we made the most of this snow day by going on a super fun 'snow walk'. i bundled  up my little nugget, snuggled him into his stroller, and we met up with the boyfriend for a flurry filled hike to alivia's for lunch. all the neighborhood kids were running around, building snowmen, and throwing snowballs. it brought back so many wonderful childhood memories of snow days when i was growing up in trinity park :) time sure does fly. maybe it's because I'm getting ready to move away from my hometown, but recently i have found myself being so appreciative of how great durham is. it truly has been an amazing place to live and i feel so fortunate to be from this awesome, quirky, artsy, and gritty town. 

i want to take full advantage of everything here before i head down to pensacola. Britt and i were talking about making a 'durham bucket list' of my favorite bars, restaurants, and places to hit before my move. there is also a long list of people i need to see and hang out with first. of course, my family is top on that list. as a birthday present my mother bought me a cooking class that we took together last night. so fun! we learned how to make several amazing seafood dishes, chocolate creme brûlée, potato gratin, and a fresh assortment of dinner salads. I'm definitely not the most coordinated or talented chef in the kitchen so i will take any help i can get. i definitely recommend taking a cooking class at Sur la Table. it could be a fun thing to do with friends or even a great date night activity. i wish i had time to take James to one, but he is making the move to pensacola this weekend to get things set up. i suppose it is time to buy some boxes and have a yardsale! the move will be here before we know it :)

t h a w

it was so hard to wake up this morning knowing that it was only 17 degrees outside and soooo snuggly warm in my bed. but this little nugget can't babysit himself! luckily we were able to sit by the fire and read books all morning to stay warm. we put the 'chill jazz' station on and sipped on peppermint tea (or a bottle in Dillon's case...) and relaxed. however, i was beginning to get cabin fever with all of this cold weather! a girl can only sit inside and do nothing for so long. we decided to brave the cold and go for a walk to our favorite cafe for a little mid-day snack and some fresh air. our faces almost froze off but it was a beautiful, clear day and definitely worth the momentary cold shock. not to mention, little dude has the warmest snowsuit known to mankind! they should make those in adult sizes...

b o o k s & b a b i e s

this morning, despite the frosty weather and icy roads, i got to go back into work to see my little bub. its hard to consider being a nanny 'work' when i get to snuggle those sweet cheeks all day long. unfortunately my little guy has a cold so he's not feeling so hot. but we will spend the day reading books, resting, and doing some tummy time so nothing too strenuous ;) 

on a separate note, I'm halfway through my most recent mass book store purchase. The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History was amazing and insightful. I loved being able to go back to my college anthropology days and read about something that truly interests me on an intellectual level. I definitely recommend this book to everyone. we only have one world and everyone should be interested in what changes we are causing as humans and how we can improve upon our time here. Unbroken was absolutely heart-wrenching. i had to repeatedly put the book down and take a break simply because it was so emotional and I'm a pansy. it also may have struck too close to home since my boyfriend has a flight contract. but all of that aside, it was well written, straightforward, engaging, and an all around wonderful story of hope, perseverance, and brotherhood. long story short, you should read it.