The happiest of holidays.

This time of year tends to be more hectic than usual in our home, as I am sure is true in most households around the holidays. The husband and I hosted Thanksgiving at our house again this year. My brother prepared a completely from scratch meal as usual with the help of the everybody, of course. We had a wonderful time with my family and a few unexpected guests. Our friends in Icarus The Owl were on the last leg of their US tour and ended up playing in Las Vegas the night before, so they joined us in our holiday feast and we were so happy to have them. A few days later, my wonderfully thoughtful husband took me on a surprise trip to Scottsdale, AZ in celebration of my 28th birthday. Scottsdale is a darling place full of amazing restaurants, unique shopping and not to mention the home of the Super Bowl of Arabian horse shows (nerd alert). My absolute favorite place to stay in there is the 3 Palms where he booked us a room. We had a lovely time dining at The Breakfast Club, Deseo, and Petite Maison to name a few. I highly recommend the ceviche Millionaire Tacos from Deseo and anything your server suggests at Petite Maison. The menu is printed nightly so that the freshest, local ingredients can be used. Reservations are definitely recommended. In true Shapiro fashion we spent the majority of the trip stuffing our faces but we also managed to get some shopping in on Mill Avenue in Tempe, and make a stop off at the Phoenix Zoo before heading home. I just love visiting this town and I can't wait until we return in February for the horse show.