Bring it on, January!

WHERE DID DECEMBER GO?? Oh my goodness, December is a blur. While I was in the actual month it felt like forever and ever, especially on a 14 hour direct flight to the Middle East, during which I watched 4 episodes of "The Office", three movies, took two naps, and was so eye-tired the whole time I couldn't read a single article. December couldn't pass fast enough during my bout of pneumonia when I was bed-ridden for 4 days with temperatures hovering around 103. And December felt like eternity trudging through the malls and shopping for my hard-to-buy-for husband and three fickle kids. Don't even get me started on the trauma of putting those candles in the windows, decorating... not my favorite, though the holidays would not be the same without the results.

But all in all, you won't believe this. It was the Best. Month. Ever. What an incredible month! Shooting Adam and Dana's beautiful December wedding to wrap up the year. Catching up with friends over recession-friendly potluck parties where the wine flowed and some people shared their secret dance skills doing Beyonce's 'Single Ladies' performance (no, no, not me). A quick jaunt to the Middle East for a wild project. A candlelit Christmas Eve service, so quietly beautiful and moving when the congregation sang an a cappella 'Silent Night' that tears involuntarily welled up and spilled onto my cheeks (while also hoping my kids didn't drop their candles and light the place up).

And best of all, Christmas Day. In our own home. Wrapped in my brand new Snuggie, the one of a kind blanket with arms and legs (KIDDING... did not get a Snuggie, though the kids later confessed David shot down their perfect gift idea). We had nowhere to go, I was surrounded by my favorite people, we had toys and new games to play, and it culminated in a fancy dinner with David and the kids in THE dining room (surprisingly we don't go in there much... we prefer kitchen coziness). Alas, we closed out the month with a flurry of family visits and fun with cousins over the next week, and an insane abundance of comfort food.

It was perfect. It was crazy. We might have put on a few pounds. But I wouldn't have it any other way. And now, January. We recuperate. Regenerate. Sleep. Maybe even exercise. And get ready for all the craziness and wonderfulness that 2009 will bring.

Here is a great start to the year, a "stew" piece I shot with Virginia Living. Tyler said "Shoot soup?". I said "Yup". He doesn't have to twist my arm too hard. Food? Photography? People? Great magazine? While getting paid (can't forget that part)? I'm in.

Sarah Hurst styled with her usual aplomb, creating visual feasts that made us want to live in that French country-looking fantasy stew world. Chef J Frank made mouth-watering stews so delicious that a local thief stole his amazing Salmon and Corn Chowder! We caught him red-handed, stew dripping from his snout and tail between his legs as he ran from the shoot. It was comical, we had left the stews outside in their huge pots as it was nice and cold out. A dog had followed his nose to the porch and somehow removed the top of the pot, thought he had found heaven and dove in. Literally. Sarah came out and chased him away, and he looked back at us, his only regret being not to have taken more. Thankfully we had already shot that part, but it was supposed to be our lunch! No perks that day. Well, except maybe a little wine at the end. And bread. SO francais!

A lot of the beautiful pieces and tureens came from the fab new store Fraiche on Libbie and Grove, behind Starbucks. Have you been there? I could buy every single piece in there. I mean, I can't, but I would.

Enjoy, and stay tuned! Happy, happy new year.