Happy Friday! I've had such a productive week--Ender tried out a new daycare on Wednesday so it gave me a chance to clean the house (he hates the vacuum and the mop), I did lots of reading and writing, and I have a couple exciting projects in the pipeline that I'm pumped to get started on!

This weekend we're laying low, but on Saturday we're going to head to San Francisco and then further north to Santa Rosa--Russian River Brewing Co. is one of our favorite places and it's been a while since we had a pint of Pliny the Elder! 

To Read: 

• Gilmore Girls' final words change everything we believe about Rory and Stars Hollow. I really enjoyed this piece. I felt like the revival did an amazing job playing into our nostalgia and love of the show, but overall I felt disappointed (don't get me wrong though, I'm still Team Logan all the way). I'd love to hear what you thought! 
• This made me laugh so hard.
• I had the pleasure of meeting Emily at our last La Crema event and her recent news has touched me so deeply. Wishing you a speedy recovery and good health in the months to come, Emily! And then we can finally schedule that brunch date. (If you don't read her blog, you should--she's talented and hilarious.)
• I'm reading Modern Lovers for my book club next weekend and really enjoying it.

Wish List/Shopping:

• I want to live in this sweater. (Here's a similarly cozy-looking one for less.)
• How beautiful is this dress?
• I accidentally bought this night cream for post-menopausal skin but dammit if it doesn't feel amazing!
• I had a pair of shoes that looked just like this (except they were waaaay cheaper, haha) and I have no idea where they went.
• My curling iron pooped out on me and now I'm looking for a new one. I'm tempted to splurge and buy this one (I love DryBar)--does anyone have a recommendation? I don't know how to use the wands so it needs to be an old-fashioned curling iron with a clamp and everything.
• What do you think, does Ender need this sweater?

Stocking Stuffer Gift Guide:

Rob and I (and our brothers) aren't big on Christmas gifts, but sometimes it's nice to gift a friend or family member with one or two smaller goodies like the ones I've included below. I've never done a gift guide like this so let me know what you think! I could definitely put together a few more in the next couple of weeks. Everything is under $50 and most of the items are things I use and love already. The image below is clickable but I've linked to everything underneath it, as well!

• I have this Bobbi Brown shimmer brick and use it not only for blush, but also to highlight (the light strip at the top is perfect for that).
• This little initial ring is so sweet and the perfect way to give something more personalized.
• I've never experienced a Diptyque candle because I think they're way too expensive, but the price of the mini size is a bit easier to justify.
• I'm obsessed with this Mario Badescu face spray. I keep it in my bag or on my desk and use it all the time when I'm running errands or at my computer for too long. So refreshing.
• See's Candies have been part of every holiday I can remember since I was a kid! My mom and I always got the Nuts & Chews. Now that we're in California, I'll have to stop by one of the stores and stock up to bring them back before every trip!
• I've linked to this dry shampoo before, but I have to do it again--it's seriously one of the best I've ever tried. My friends and I are all very oddly proud of how rarely we wash our hair, so I may be gifting a few this holiday season.

That's all for now! I'd love to know what you have on your holiday list this year. Also please feel free to dish about Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life!

This post contains affiliate links.

I'm sitting on my couch next to Ender, huddled together under the blanket that my friend Andy's dad gave me before I left for college. It's black and white with fringe around the edges and a Norfolk Southern train weaved into the center. "So you don't get cold," he said with what I'm pretty sure was a tear in his eye. It's been ten years and I still break it out every winter, because Jim Ed doesn't want me to be cold and you just gotta listen to Jim Ed.

Can you believe December is here already? I know we moved at the end of September but I still keep telling people we've been here a month, as if time stood still the moment we turned the key of our Silicon Valley townhouse. But the holidays are upon us and our tree is up, decorated with lights and ornaments (including several hilarious ones with baby pictures of me and my brother); and our stockings are hung not on the mantle (we don't have one of those), but along the edge of our staircase.

We're finding our routines--it takes time usually, so I've tried to be patient about it. Sneaking out of bed in the dark for an early barre class, coffee at the computer as I start my workday, a mid-morning break to take Ender to the dog park to play. I joined a book club and am reading again for the first time in too long (and stocking the bar with Baileys for next weekend, when I'm hosting). Thanksgiving in Half Moon Bay with my side of the family was exactly the low-key, relaxing, and fun first west coast holiday we needed to really start feeling at home here. It takes time usually, so I've tried to be patient about it.

California still feels like a different world sometimes. But December feels like an old friend.

As you probably know by now, Rob and I have moved several times. What you might not know is that by this point, it sometimes feels as though we have friends or family in almost every city in the country. Between the friends we've made in our many homes and the friends from home who have moved to other cities, we really can travel to a wide variety of places and meet up with people we grew up with, or people we've come to know and love more recently.

All of this is to say that over the years I've become a big fan of traveling and then staying in with friends for a cozy dinner now and then.

And of course, blogging makes the world a lot smaller. I feel really lucky to have been introduced to not just great friends, but creative colleagues in Annie and Kristan. Getting together last month to host our autumn lunch in Sonoma was so fun that it barely felt like work, and it also felt like no time had passed since we all met up to do the same thing in Seattle.

The night before we headed to Sonoma, we stayed in San Francisco--at a seriously gorgeous apartment in the Mission. There were five of us (Ozzie and John, our photographer and videographer/Kristan's husband), so it made more sense to rent a place than to get a couple hotel rooms.

We stopped at a nearby market for some flowers and snacks--we joke that The Cheese Board is really our thing, and for a good reason! We always manage to put together the most delicious cheese and charcuterie platters whenever we're together--maybe because we don't want to cook when we're hanging out, but also probably because we're usually drinking wine (as usual, we opened a couple bottles of La Crema's Sonoma Coast Chardonnay and Pinot Noir) and what goes better with wine than cheese? Grapes, olives, prosciutto, nuts, and just a little bit of chocolate--it's one of my favorite meals.

We spent an hour puttering around the kitchen, plating food, taking photos, sipping on wine, and as we brought everything outside to enjoy our happy hour party on the patio, suddenly it dawned on me that none of us actually lived in the city we were entertaining in! It's easy to make yourself at home when there's food, wine, and good company.

Annie and Kristan and I put together a list of tips for hosting a happy hour on the fly (especially if you're traveling), and you can check it out today on the La Crema blog! 

Many thanks to La Crema for sponsoring this post (and my amazing travels to and from Sonoma)!

Photos by Oguz Uygur.