Daisy is 3 today!

My sweet baby girl is three years old today! Already! I wish I could see her!

Happy Birthday, Daisy!

This is how small she was when I first got her, and look at all that dark hair, where did it go?!

I love you, Daisy!

Melissa.

Flying jerky patterns like snowflakes in the air.

Nemo found us this weekend! We had a (mini) blizzard! Zach came up to visit me in New York just in time for the snow to start! Once it was finished falling, the next day, we went to Central Park! It was so beautiful there walking around with so much snow and so many kids sledding all over the place.

The above photo is from a section of Central Park I'd never been to before, but it was like a hidden gem.

CP.

CP. Zach taking photos on his nice camera, while I took photos on my iPhone :)

Snowman on the roof of the building next to me!

Zach's friends turned this outdoor theater into a place to snowboard near their apartment in Brooklyn.

I prepared for the storm by making cookies and buying lots of hot chocolate. Besides that I've been trying to keep to healthier food! On the left is a healthy pizza I've been eating a lot recently - in place of pizza crust use a whole wheat tortilla, marinara sauce, low-fat mozzarella cheese, and then put any vegetables on top which you like! I used cucumber, pepper, and broccoli here. It's also delicious plain or with pepperoni.. I've tried all the variations I could ;)

Fiat Cafe, right around the corner from where I live, and one of our favorite places. We grabbed breakfast here one weekend morning - french toast and fresh fruit, yum!

And on Sunday we unwound with a little treat from Little Cupcake Bakeshop.

Last weekend when I was home we went to Red Lobster because they were having a special deal on shrimp. Though I'm not a big seafood fan, I really enjoyed what I got: mango jalapeno and ranch parmesan shrimp. Ok, ok, I know it looks like I'm really "breaking" my diet or healthier eating, but I promise I broke the Red Lobster meal into two days worth of meals! :)

This adorable pup posing for me on our walk back from Central Park. I wanted to take him home with me! :(

And my beautiful pup, to make up for the want I had for the previous one. Also, a pretty necklace I got from Francesca's last weekend.

This weekend was also the Chinese New Year (lots of stuff going on this weekend). There were festivities in Chinatown.

He needed to buy one of these party popper things since everyone else was setting them off and confetti was all over the place (mixed in with slush from the snow, too, which was kinda gross).

Some panorama's I've taken while either walking or jogging.

The East Side.

And the West Side.

Melissa.

The month has been slow and cold. It's funny - when it was summer I was dying for the winter, and then during the fall it was staying so warm, I just wanted snow and the cold! Now it's been nice and relaxing having to stay in since it's so cold, but I can't help but get cabin fever sometimes. I have, though, gotten the chance to watch A LOT of new movies and television shows on Netflix, since there isn't much more to do. Also, I've been trying to work on my health more - eating healthier, exercising more. I saw this challenge on a few blogs "a mile a day" where you run one mile each day as a New Year's Resolution. Unfortunately, I have to be serious with myself, and as much as I'd like to be able to do something as daring as that, I know myself, and I know that's just unrealistic. Anyway, I've been taking pictures of my feet each time I go running anyway (which is part of the challenge), and it works for me - it makes me feel better about working out and continuing to do so. My goal is to work out more! I just know that it's unrealistic during my life right now to go every single day.

Above is a photo of Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, NJ where Hurricane Sandy struck. We've driven around there a few times now, and it's truly devastating all of the damage that's still there. My dad has been working to clean up and restore the infrastructure there, too, and he said how it was even worse - I can't imagine it being much worse than it is even now. It's unbelievable.

Anyway, before I had to go back to school for the Spring semester, we did get in two day trips in one weekend, to Philadelphia and Atlantic City!

We went to the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, which was really fun but dangerously tempting with all of the delicious food there!

Here is some of the food which Zach got from there: fried mac and cheese and cajun fries! I had a few bites, but tried to resist mostly.

Love Park! I'd never been there before. It was beautiful at twilight.

Zach in Atlantic City, at the roulette table - his favorite new spot in the casinos.

Coming back to New York, I went running before school the other morning and finally went over to the East Side running path on a lovely, foggy morning.

More of the running path, it's beautiful there! I wish I could spend more time over there: another goal!

Some of the delicious and (hopefully) healthier food I've been eaten lately. By the way, grapefruits always look so cheerful and happy, but once you eat them, there's juice all over your face and it looks like you've destroyed it.. it's kinda funny.

Flashback: here's a photo I took (around) this time last year, down at Wildwood. One day when it was nice and cold out and there was nothing else to do, we went for a ride down to Wildwood just because. It's one of my favorite photos I've ever taken. You can see the lighthouse out in the distance, a bit, too :)

Melissa.