good morning upper eastsiders

Last night we journeyed back to Dallas, but only after a truly wonderful Christmas break. We tried to make the most of being on the east coast, so on Thursday we went to New York City for the day. Despite the arctic chill, I love being in New York in December because it feels so magical to me. We left very early Thursday morning and our first stop was High Line Park. If you've never been, you should check it out. I bet it's even better when it's warm outside.

After High Line, we ate at a way too crowded Shake Shack but I will have dreams of my peanut butter shake until my next visit. Then I lost Preston in Japan aka Uniqlo where I bought a ultra lightweight down vest, pictured below. Then we went to the Museum of Modern Art. Wow! Everytime I go to an art museum, I have a newfound appreciation for the pieces because I took Art History my last semester at BYU. It's honestly really fun to recognize and pick out different artists when you're in a world famous museum. If you have room in your schedule or need the arts (or letters?) GE, I recommend Art History. We also ventured to Central Park and ate fabulous halal food in the cold. Luxe.

We made lists of where we wanted to go prior to trip and obviously mine was mostly food. It's truly a shame there are only 3 substantial meals in a day. Unfortunately, 3 of my 4 food requests were a disappointment, but I came home with Laduree which I tried to consume as delicately and slowly as possible. And my mom made masterpieces every night. BTW did you guys know you can take prepared food you brought from home through airport security?? I did not! We feasted like kings on the way back to Dallas thanks to my mom's farewell dinner.

On Friday we went to Longwood Gardens in PA. It belonged to the du Pont family and is basically a beautiful plot of land with greenhouses, fountains and gardens. Above is us in the largest greenhouse. I also got to see some of my best friends Emilee and Kaile who were also home on the east coast.

Leaving home was sad, but I had such a perfect week with my family. I'm so thankful I got to spend my favorite time of the year with my favorite people in the world.