While disclosing this may make some folks wonder if I've lost my mind, I have to share with you the love I have for my car-less life. Relying on public transportation sounds much, much worse than it actually is--and I'm here to prove that misconception wrong. I made the decision years ago that at some point in my life I would live car-free to support the charming Mother Earth. Life in Detroit doesn't allow for such a thing because of it's geographic situation and because a proper public transportation system doesn't exist in any way, shape, or form. Sigh.
So, while I was 100% unsure of what to expect upon our transplant to Hamburg, I was equally as sure that I would adore being vehicle-free. The phrase WE REALLY NEED A CAR (in all caps) has escaped from my mouth on the days that we are buying enough food supplies for a small army or are carrying home bags of boulders. Nevertheless, on a regular day I couldn't be happier with my 40-minute train commute to school.
Thanks to my fab phone I can catch up on correspondence, write, and get my life organized. While doing those things improves my all-around efficiency, my fav way to kill time on the Bahn is to surf the interwebs to keep up with my favorite bloggers and to discover new ones to fall in love with. An oh, have I discovered some stars.
Smitten Kitchen is a home-kitchen weblog from a little NY kitchen. The yumminess found all over this site is dangerous--I've missed more than one train because I was totally absorbed with/heavily drooling over the recipes and food pics posted by the witty author.
On her personal blog, my college friend and an employee of United Arts of Central Florida, Emma, shares her art, jewelry, and recipe finds among a tasty plethora of other things. Unfortunately I haven't seen her in years but keeping up wtih her charming blog makes me feel like I haven't missed anything.
Raw on $10: I refer to this site as the Site of Omnom. The author, Lisa, posts incredible, cost-conscious raw vegan recipes weely. I am not a completely raw-food eater but I do stick with it pretty regularly. You wouldn't beLIEVE how good some of the recipes taste--and you don't even have to cook! My favs include mango pudding, pad thai, triple chocolate dessert, and stuffed mushrooms. Yum-o.
Etsy exists so all of us can get and give the most wonderful handmade and or vintage gifts to all those folks we appreciate. Prior to moving to HH this was the only site I used for gift giving. But, an ocean could never stop me. I still take more than a few glimpses at this chic site weekly. Some of my favorite gifted purchases:
and of course, one that I'm eyein':
One of the cutest, most wholesome, and equally delish food blogs I have come across is ohsheglows.com. Angela Liddon candidly describes her story of unhealthy to healthy and happy via lifestyles changes, particularly in her food choices. Her recipes are mouth-watering and her writing is charming. I highly, HIGHLY recommend her raw, vegan chocolate chip cookie dough. Cookie dough is a weakness of mine--basically I dive into the bowl of goodness and bake what is left over if I get around to it. Classy, I know. Lucky for me, this dough can be be eaten without even a twinge of guilt; all the ingredients are raw, nourishing plant products and the stuff tastes spectacular. Honest.
I met my amazing friend Kristin at the youthful age of six months and our friendship has had no interruptions since. Kristin and her husband, Dave, are angels that have been enhancing the lives of children and families in the Dominican Republic since 2009. Kristin is a special education teacher by tarade and has taught many children in the classroom, in after school activities, and through their church. She is selfless beyond belief and each time I read about all the great things she and Dave are making happen I remember how fortunate I am to have such a compassionate and giving friend in my circle. http://dominicandeyoungs.blogspot.com/
Dan, of Single Dad Laughing, has created an adorably hysterical yet tear-jerking blog dedicated mostly to his life as a single dad, as well as other deeply insightful topics. My affection towards this site comes from both the fact that Dan is a dad that is head over heels for his son, Noah, and that he is willing to say what lots of people think but lots won't say. If you haven't read The Disease Called Perfection or The Small Side of the Numbers you really should, stat.
Finally, though I use a baket-full of travel sites to coordinate our adored vacays, there is none so enticing and exquisitely written as the New York Times travel site. Oh, the pictures. Oh, the writing. Oh, I love love LOVE this site. Seeing these pictures on their 36 Hours in Lisbon guide made choosing Lisbon as our next weekend destination a no-brainer:
See what I mean? Let's just hope I have enough will power to stop this site from causing me to go broke.
Though the train commute to work is a long one and the walks to and from private clients' homes are dark, cold, and often wet, thanks to my friendly phone I have the chance to not only catch up on and discover the works of wonderful writers, I get to do so while listening to my current favorite artists, like:
So, while I was 100% unsure of what to expect upon our transplant to Hamburg, I was equally as sure that I would adore being vehicle-free. The phrase WE REALLY NEED A CAR (in all caps) has escaped from my mouth on the days that we are buying enough food supplies for a small army or are carrying home bags of boulders. Nevertheless, on a regular day I couldn't be happier with my 40-minute train commute to school.
Thanks to my fab phone I can catch up on correspondence, write, and get my life organized. While doing those things improves my all-around efficiency, my fav way to kill time on the Bahn is to surf the interwebs to keep up with my favorite bloggers and to discover new ones to fall in love with. An oh, have I discovered some stars.
Smitten Kitchen is a home-kitchen weblog from a little NY kitchen. The yumminess found all over this site is dangerous--I've missed more than one train because I was totally absorbed with/heavily drooling over the recipes and food pics posted by the witty author.
On her personal blog, my college friend and an employee of United Arts of Central Florida, Emma, shares her art, jewelry, and recipe finds among a tasty plethora of other things. Unfortunately I haven't seen her in years but keeping up wtih her charming blog makes me feel like I haven't missed anything.
 |
| Check out Emma's lovely site at: http://www.smvblog.com/emmabunny/ |
Raw on $10: I refer to this site as the Site of Omnom. The author, Lisa, posts incredible, cost-conscious raw vegan recipes weely. I am not a completely raw-food eater but I do stick with it pretty regularly. You wouldn't beLIEVE how good some of the recipes taste--and you don't even have to cook! My favs include mango pudding, pad thai, triple chocolate dessert, and stuffed mushrooms. Yum-o.
 |
| Pad Thai photo taken from http://www.rawon10.blogspot.com/ |
Etsy exists so all of us can get and give the most wonderful handmade and or vintage gifts to all those folks we appreciate. Prior to moving to HH this was the only site I used for gift giving. But, an ocean could never stop me. I still take more than a few glimpses at this chic site weekly. Some of my favorite gifted purchases:
 |
| photo taken from http://www.etsy.com/people/sassyapron |
 |
| photo taken from http://www.etsy.com/shop/YoursTrulyxoxo?ref=pr_shop |
 |
| photo taken from http://www.etsy.com/shop/prettytough?ref=pr_shop |
and of course, one that I'm eyein':
 |
| photo taken from http://www.etsy.com/listing/66553797 |
One of the cutest, most wholesome, and equally delish food blogs I have come across is ohsheglows.com. Angela Liddon candidly describes her story of unhealthy to healthy and happy via lifestyles changes, particularly in her food choices. Her recipes are mouth-watering and her writing is charming. I highly, HIGHLY recommend her raw, vegan chocolate chip cookie dough. Cookie dough is a weakness of mine--basically I dive into the bowl of goodness and bake what is left over if I get around to it. Classy, I know. Lucky for me, this dough can be be eaten without even a twinge of guilt; all the ingredients are raw, nourishing plant products and the stuff tastes spectacular. Honest.
 |
| vegan raw cookie dough that tastes good as it's Paula Deen-like counterpart?! Believe it. ohsheglows.com |
I met my amazing friend Kristin at the youthful age of six months and our friendship has had no interruptions since. Kristin and her husband, Dave, are angels that have been enhancing the lives of children and families in the Dominican Republic since 2009. Kristin is a special education teacher by tarade and has taught many children in the classroom, in after school activities, and through their church. She is selfless beyond belief and each time I read about all the great things she and Dave are making happen I remember how fortunate I am to have such a compassionate and giving friend in my circle. http://dominicandeyoungs.blogspot.com/
 |
| with Kristin at her farewell to the Dominican bash |
Dan, of Single Dad Laughing, has created an adorably hysterical yet tear-jerking blog dedicated mostly to his life as a single dad, as well as other deeply insightful topics. My affection towards this site comes from both the fact that Dan is a dad that is head over heels for his son, Noah, and that he is willing to say what lots of people think but lots won't say. If you haven't read The Disease Called Perfection or The Small Side of the Numbers you really should, stat.
 |
| http://www.danoah.com/ |
Finally, though I use a baket-full of travel sites to coordinate our adored vacays, there is none so enticing and exquisitely written as the New York Times travel site. Oh, the pictures. Oh, the writing. Oh, I love love LOVE this site. Seeing these pictures on their 36 Hours in Lisbon guide made choosing Lisbon as our next weekend destination a no-brainer:
 |
| the above three images taken from http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/12/14/travel/1214-LISBON_index.html |
See what I mean? Let's just hope I have enough will power to stop this site from causing me to go broke.
Though the train commute to work is a long one and the walks to and from private clients' homes are dark, cold, and often wet, thanks to my friendly phone I have the chance to not only catch up on and discover the works of wonderful writers, I get to do so while listening to my current favorite artists, like:
Certainly, I am irrefutably addicted to my iPhone. But, I find no reason to make excuses because it's hard to put a price on everyday convenience and entertainment. If only I could be sure to avoid missing any more trains due to my iPhone absorbtion.
Hey Laur, so funny you had this picture right when I was wanting it! Now if only I could write like you, my blog would be worth reading and I would have more followers and commenters than my oh so faithful BFF who reads consistently and always leaves me kind and encouraging comments no matter how random or boring it might be. :) That and if I had faster internet so I could actually download my pictures in the time I have before we lose internet! But thank you for the reference and your loving words. I love you to pieces and am so proud of you - I love your blog and I love YOU!!! xoxoxo have a spectacular week!! Tomorrow is 100th day of school here, when's yours?
ReplyDeletep.s. Isn't that the necklace you gave me third one down?? It took me a second but I just realized I have that necklace in my jewelry box back home! :) Wish I had it here!!
ReplyDelete