The NY Times does cookies!

[Rich chocolate cookies; ginger cookies; Norwegian Hanukkah cookies; honey-gingerbread houses; all recipes on the NY Times]

If you are a cookie fanatic like me, then you'll enjoy the cookie feature on the NY Times today. Readers submitted recipes and photos, and the best of the batch were chosen. They all look delicious. Happy baking!

I have just one more day at work and some more presents to finish and then we're off up the I-5 with a full tank of gas, four audiobooks, some caffeine, and each other's company. Safe travels to anyone in transit the next couple days, and to everyone in the Northeast, I'm sending some sunshine from San Diego. *whoosh* {that's the sound of sunshine}

I Heart Emma Pillsbury

[Oh Emma...if only I could have your flower necklaces, t-straps and embroidered sweaters in my closet]

While watching the last episode of Glee I almost cried at the end (I won't spoil it for any of you who haven't seen it,) and now that I am ALMOST done with my deadlines, I think I am going to treat myself to some Emma Pillsbury-esque purchases. In case you're thinking...Emma-who? then check out one of my new favorite blogs: What Would Emma Pillsbury Wear?

What should I add to my wardrobe this season?

A chunky necklace

[Ombre pearl cluster necklace from JCrew]

An embroidered cardigan

[From the Green cardi from Anthropologie]

Anything with a bow

[Valentino deep rose clutch at bluefly]

A hot green dress (if Emma Pillsbury goes on a hot date)

[Tannenbaum dress from Modcloth]

All of the above, yes?

One More Thing To Look Forward To...

[Visit The Professional Bridesmaid's blog here]

This holiday season I get to meet the infamous Professional Bridesmaid! I am really excited as we have become close blog buddies and she has offered me sage advice and fun blog posts to read. She will also be the very first person I have met in blog world in the real world. Everyone else who reads this blog has either never met me or has known me pre-blog. It will be so nice to meet someone that understands and doesn't think I'm nuts after I explain my obsession hobby.

Have you met people in blog world in the real world? Any suggestions for eateries in the OC we will enjoy? I am OC-clueless.

Relatives Say the Darndest Things

"You're going back to school? For what? What's that? Oh...well, you'll always have a chance to get your MBA later."

...10 minutes later

(pats back sympathetically)

"How's the boy? Is he finished with *insert whatever deadline he's working on*? What is he planning on studying in *insert whatever course of study is next up for him*? Wow, that's really great, can he give advice to *insert relative's name here*.

...10 minutes later

"Where do you work again?"

"Wow, you look different, how much weight have you gained?"

...10 minutes later

"You're not eating enough! Here, try some of this." (splat!)

...and at a different family function...

"You eat like a bird."

...10 minutes later

"Seconds?? Wow, you must really like that dish a lot."

I promise that for the most part they are nice people. But, seriously, is it just me, or do other people get really annoying comments about eating during the holidays? I swear I get told that 1. I am not eating enough, please eat more prime rib, while also being told that 2. I am eating too much, and need to watch my weight. I have a feeling it's a combination of 1. people not knowing what else to say to you, and 2. people trying to be good hosts and feed you so that you are happy and in turn they are happy.

Or maybe this is just an evil societal plot against us all to make us feel even worse about what we're eating (or not eating).

Maybe if I get my MBA I'll feel better.

10 Things to Look Forward to after the 21st

1. A break from work-work: Oy.

2. A break from school-work: Whose idea was it to go back to school while working full-time? Hmmmmm? 'Fess up!

Oh, crud, I think that was me?

3. The Monterey Bay Aquarium with my niece and sisters: My baby niece has started talking, and I can't wait to go have fun with her at the aquarium.

[I adore aquariums, and this one is incredible.]

4. Cookies: Admittedly I can have cookies now, I just like to mention them whenever I get the chance. Especially when they look this pretty!

[This book looks tasty!]

5. Going home to see family and friends. We are driving up north (I-5, here I come!) which is always a long and boring process since it takes 8 hours. Perhaps if we consume enough coffee and eat some McDonald's along the way, we'll have enough energy to keep each other entertained.

6. Cheongsam shopping with my Mom. We're going to try out Ling's Bridal in Oakland. I'm looking forward to it because my Mom never went wedding dress shopping with me, so this is to make up some lost time. It's unfortunate that if I find something I'll be fitted during my chubbiest time of the year. After I eat all those cookies.

7. Sleep! One of my favorite things to do!

8. Food in the Bay Area: Fried siu loong bao, good pizza, and if we have time and money, a restaurant to splurge on.

9. An actual date with the boy in which we can both be at ease. It's been a long time since there has been no anxiety over a test, or a paper, or a work deadline, or a conference. I think the last time we had a true honest to goodness break in which neither one of us was tied up in deadlines or stress was Disneyland. Didn't we look happy on that day?

10. Time to do some wedding planning! Some things I've been looking into/thinking about: live music during the ceremony and cocktail hour, an ipod reception, ordering goodies for dessert, and of course...a honeymoon in Japan! I think we're thisclose to making that decision, we just have to figure out the logistics! In the meantime, I've been getting more pumped up by revisiting some of my favorite movies as a kid, Kiki's Delivery Service and My Neighbor Totoro. I couldn't understand either of these movies as a kid, but I still watched them a hundred times over.

What are you looking forward to this holiday season?

Remember Me?

I wish I had a juicy excuse for being gone almost an entire week, like, I won a trip to Hawaii and just left all my responsibilities behind, or the boy and I decided to elope and left our laptops and cell phones at home only to be contacted by carrier pigeon.

Unfortunately neither of these scenarios happened. I just got a terrible cold that is still lingering, and I was in bed, partially drugged up from Nyquil/Sudafed and watching Biggest Loser re-runs. I'm slowly getting back in the swing of things, and coughing less. I missed my blog.

In wedding news, the boy and I are spending hours researching and debating what to do about our honeymoon. Cake toppers, honeymoons, we're really good at being picky. Or as my mother said (my loose translation from Cantonese,) "so fussy!" The basic gist of our debate is that he wants a jam-packed site-seeing trip in a city. I would like something more relaxed, with little time spent in a city. He doesn't mind expensive destinations, I would like to go somewhere less expensive, and so would our bank account. His latest idea is Tokyo/Kyoto which is not budget-friendly and would take some time to save money for. I'm torn since it's so expensive, but I would like to visit the Studio Ghibli Museum and eat authentic food. Plus, neither one of us have been to Japan.

Where will we end up? I don't know, but wherever it is I hope we don't go broke getting there.