Billy's Bakery

John brought home some delicious Christmas treats the other night from Billy's Bakery. It was our first time to try this bakery and I have to say these cupcakes blow Magnolia cupcakes away! They were pretty fantastic. The cake was deliciously dense and the frosting was the perfect creamy texture. We now have a new favorite!

Meeting Garrison Keillor!

I thought it was pretty cool to be in the audience for a live broadcast of Prairie Home Companion Saturday night, but tonight totally trumped that! John and I actually got to meet Garrison Keillor at his book signing tonight. It was so exciting! Earlier today on my walk with Georgie I noticed as we were passing McNally Jackson books that Garrison Keillor was doing a book signing this evening. John and I walked back to the book store after dinner and saw Mr. Keillor browsing books as we walked in. John walked right up to him and asked if he would take a picture with me (I'm so glad that John is not shy like me!)

Date Night - Prairie Home Companion

Tonight John and I had one of our best date nights ever. We went to a live broadcast of "Prairie Home Companion" which is something I have been wanting to do since I was about 8 years old! Next to our wedding day, it was one of the most exciting experiences of my life!

I snuck this picture (photography wasn't allowed) at the end of the show. You can see Garrison Keillor in the red tie in the center. On the far left you can see Yo-Yo Ma, one of the musical guests. He as amazing! We also heard music from The Assad Brothers, Connie Evingson, and Inga Swearingen.



John in front of The Town Hall in Times Square where the show is broadcast...

...and John in front of the marquee.













Afterwards we went out for cherry pie a la mode and coffee at a nearby diner and then walked to Herald Square to see the window displays at Macy's.














Here I am in front of one of the windows...a wild display of letters to Santa spinning in a spiraling funnel.




Today was also a day of celebrations. My little brother CJ turned 25...Happy Birthday CJ! Also, my dear friend Missy had her baby shower. I wish I could have been with both of you today to help you celebrate!

Dinner at David Salle's in Honor of Karole Armitage

A few weeks ago, John and I were invited to a Karole Armitage dance performance at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and then a dinner in her honor at the home of artist David Salle. It was pretty exciting for me considering David Salle was one of my art heros when I was in graduate school. Dinner was served in his studio which was very cool. It was also our first night out as Mr. and Mrs. John Newsom which was very exciting!

Margaret and Richard seated in front of one of David's paintings.

John and David Salle.

David saying a few words to the guests before dinner.

While talking to his neighbor, Barbara, at dinner, John discovered that she is the mother of the actress who played Janice on "Friends"!

The guest of honor, Karole Armitage.

Texas Skyscape

One thing I will always love about Texas is the wide open sky. I love being able to see the entire sky during a sunset and I love the dramatic change of light when a thunderstorm is approaching. This picture that I shot as I was leaving Michael's today is a perfect example. I will always love New York for many reasons, but the skyscapes of Texas are unmatched!

Apple Picking and Art

John and I were invited to spend the day apple picking at the home of two art collectors in upstate New York today. We had the most amazing time!


















We picked apples...














































...and made apple cider! It was delicious!




















Afterwards, we walked the grounds to see the couple's outdoor sculpture collection and soak up the wonderful country air.

This is actually a sculpture in the collection!

At the end of the day we were able to tour the couple's "art barn" on their estate which housed my favorite piece in the entire collection...the jelly doughnut painting!

Dinner Date with John

John took me to Raoul's for dinner tonight, a French restaurant across the street from our apartment. In all the seven years that I have been coming to New York, I've probably walked by this restaurant a million times, but never tried it until tonight. It was delicious! I had the steak au poive with pomme frites and it was fantastic.

This restaurant was also used for a scene in the "Sex in the City" movie. It was used for the Valentine's Day night where Miranda and Carrie meet for dinner and then have a fight. John was actually an extra in this scene (a single guy sitting at the bar alone), but they cut the shots he was in. But he was in the room for that entire scene!

I wish I could take credit for these pictures, but I found them on Google. I like the picture above because it's the scene I see everyday when I walk out of the aparment.


I also found this picture from Raoul's website which is the exact view of the restaurant we had from our booth.

Date Night with John

John and I had a fun date on Broadway tonight. We went to see The Lion King which was amazing!

This is a picture I took from the cab looking down 45th Street as we approached the theater.















This is the view from the 3rd floor lobby of the theater...Times Square!
After the show, I tried to take a picture of us in front of the marquee, but it didn't quite work.












Luckily someone passing offered to take the picture for us!

Guggenheim with Bijon and Alexis

Today we went to the Guggenheim Museum to see the Kandinsky exhibit. It was amazing! We met one of John's friends from high school, Bijon, who was visiting the city with his girlfriend, Alexis. Afterwards, we had the most delicious Cuban dinner together. This is all of us in the museum cafe.

John and Bijon

This is one of the Kandinsky paintings we saw today. It's always been one of my favorites!