Playing catch-up

February 6, 2017 Allie Ellenbogen

I just love these shots from the drive down. California is so incredibly beautiful.

And I mean serious catch-up. But, Thanksgiving was so much fun that I had to share my snaps. We went down to visit our friends in LA, you know, the ones who came to visit us last year for Thanksgiving. It’s a bit of a tradition and honestly, we have a little something up our sleeves for next year to keep the tradition alive even though we’re no longer on the West Coast. More on that later though.

Golden Gate Sail

January 30, 2017 Allie Ellenbogen

A couple weeks before Christmas we crossed another thing off of our 16 in 16 list. And it was sailing the Bay and under the Golden Gate Bridge. This was the last thing we got to on the list which we didn’t finish, more on that later. And, it was kind of the perfect way to cap off the year. Not to mention a little bit fortuitous, as we’d find out a couple weeks later that we’d be moving back to NC. Without knowing it, it was kind of a farewell to the city and it was really perfect. It had been really rainy and cold for weeks before that. We actually had the tour scheduled for the weekend before, but it was too rainy and we had to reschedule. I was fully prepared for piercing cold and wind, but the day turned out to be SO beautiful. We got really lucky. Take a look!

It’s time for an announcement!

January 24, 2017 Allie Ellenbogen

I know it’s been pretty quiet around here and I feel like I have a little explaining to do. Since Thanksgiving things have been crazy. An opportunity came along that we weren’t expecting and we decided it was the right time to move back to the East Coast. We’re going to be living in Asheville, NC.

Restaurant Recap: State Bird Provisions

November 19, 2016 Allie Ellenbogen

A few weeks ago we ate at what could currently be argued as San Francisco's hippest restaurant. Does that make up hip? Haha, I think it takes more than that. It's called State Bird Provisions and it's right between Western Addition and Japantown. It was on our 16 in 16 list so we were bound and determined to go. About 6 weeks ago Xan drove me to the airport for a really early flight and when we got up at 3:30 am we made the reservation. You make them on Open Table and they can only be made a certain number of days out. 30 I think. And people literally wake up at midnight (or in most people's cases they just don't go to bed until midnight) to get a reservation. But, that's just how it is here. San Francisco is a reservation city. We pretty much don't go anywhere without one. We were just excited that 30 days after the day we had to get up at the crack of dawn anyway was a Friday! I mean seriously, it doesn't get much better than a 7:30 reservation at an awesome restaurant on a Friday night, does it? Okay, I’m probably a bit skewed from living in a city where eating is one of the best things you can do.

5 Steps to a Perfect Dinner Party Every Time

November 13, 2016 Allie Ellenbogen

For Xan’s birthday my parents got him the brand new cookbook from our favorite chef in Raleigh, Ashley Christensen. It’s called Poole’s Diner, named after her original restaurant (she now has 5 restaurants, a speakeasy style liquor bar, and an event space). Her food is amazing and Poole’s Diner was one of our very favorite restaurants when we lived in Raleigh. We loved going and sitting at the bar, eating delicious food, and just being together. So, this one was extra special. When I found out that she was doing a book signing in San Francisco I was so excited! I’d been seeing posts all over social media of people at her signings in the southeast and feeling pretty jealous, so this was the best news ever!

Design Project: Garlands

October 29, 2016 Allie Ellenbogen

I shared a little tour of our living room in its current state a few months ago. Not much has changed because we're being seriously slow about what we bring in.