Becky & Scott's Wedding Invitations

My dear friend, Becky, is marrying the love of her life this September near Washington, D.C...and asked me to design her wedding invitations.

I met Becky my freshman year in the dorms and she's had me laughing ever since. I don't think I've met anyone as adventurous, fearless, or free-spirited as the B. Cox...Scott will have his hands full with this one.

Mike & Marlene's European Adventure Part VI: Munich and Surrounding Areas

Click Here...to see the whole mac-daddy collection (this includes the whole of Mike & Marlene's European Adventure)

I spy my little head in the reflection...

Neuschwanstein Castle...I've never seen anything like it


Small mountain village



LInderhoff Castle

Mom...holding on for dear life on the German autobahn

Dad...extreme closeup

Sandberg, Germany

Sandberg, Germany…the little village where my grandmother and grandfather (aka. Pop) were originally from before they moved to the states.

This is one trip that I’ve always wanted to experience with my dad.

“If I’m only a small piece of the man that my father was, I’ll know that I’ve led a great life.” –my dad talking about Pop

It’s difficult to grasp the struggles that our ancestors had to face in order to offer a new life for their families. It’s humbling to say the very least. But in that moment, what was even more humbling was hearing my father talk about his parents in such a candid, genuine, and heartfelt way.

Germany is a gorgeous country! The language...mmm...not so much.




Stacked books in the church

The village at a distance

The Catholic Church in Sandberg

Pop used to go mushroom hunting as a kid in these forests...

Table for One: The Joys of Traveling Alone

There was a time when I was too embarrassed to order candy from the concession stand at my older brothers’ baseball games. Strange, really, given I was rowdy, unabashed, and extremely outgoing as a child. I needed my parents there for support, to guide me in the right direction…and after all these years, I’m grateful that I can still look to them for much needed guidance and advice. These were the thoughts that filled my mind as a trace of discomfort began to set in…at my table for one. Sometimes being alone can be the best thing. It forces you to step outside your comfort zone and attempt to find that tiny bit of comfort within the discomfort. Once you’ve discovered that, nearly any place can feel like home.

…And then, there are those times when you desperately want to share the experience with someone else.
For example, I ate a piece of lasagna for lunch and it tasted like a giant dumpling. The tomato sauce consisted mostly of carrots and there was this strange, white, nacho cheese methodically smothered on top. I would’ve named it Giant Ball Park Dumpling with Swiss Beef and Carrots. However, from a marketing perspective, they were probably smart to label it lasagna.

Is Italy not directly below Switzerland?
Amazing…how something can go so wrong so quickly.

Lucerne, Switzerland

Chapel Bridge constructed in 1333







I'm not going to comment on this one...

Mike & Marlene's European Adventure Part V: Paris

It's official, Mike and Marlene have made it safely to Paris by train...sans drama. There comes a time in a woman's life when you start worrying about your parents...that time has come my friends.

On the MB front:
I arrived in Lucerne, Switzerland late this evening. Stopped at Burger King for a juicy hamburger...afterall, I haven't had Burger King since, like, second grade. They didn't offer me a crown. That's kinda the only reason I went. Whatever.

Switzerland Observations so far:

* After the plane took off, the Swiss stewardesses came around with chocolate bars. Where am I?!
* Swiss men are tall, rugged, and sporty looking. Me likee.
* Is it crazy quiet here, or is it just me? The trains are quiet, the toilets, even Burger King...
* Double decker trains are the coolest...and they're always on time.
* So...where's the cheese?

London Trend Report 2009

From printed pants to looking like you've just performed a heart transplant, the streets of London were all about variety this summer.

Mike & Marlene's European Adventure Part IV: London

In London, my key objective was to educate my parents on how to navigate the underground...so that when they got to Paris, they wouldn’t have any trouble getting from point A to point B.

The edification didn’t quite go as planned.

On our first attempt (leaving Kings Cross), Mike got his hand stuck in the door and Marlene…well, Marlene got left behind. Looking through the glass door at her terrified face was both heartbreaking and hilarious…only because that’s so something that would happen to my dear mother. I calmly signaled that she wait right there, while dad and I discussed whether or not we should go back to rescue her. We came to the agreement that we should. Who else was going to entertain us for the remainder of the weekend?

After the abandonment...

Aren't his blue eyes purdy?

and...my favorite photo of all times

Anyone Hungry?

No?

Good.
Because that box of animal crackers is almost gone...
...and I think I just heard Mr. Cream of Wheat Man callin' my name.
I love it when he does that.

Yesterday, I received a mystery box from my parents.
In it...all of those random things that I've been craving from back home.
When I said, animal crackers, I didn't really mean the generic, Albertson's brand kind...but, holy mother, they're amazing.

Who's the happiest girl in England? Meeeee.
Cornbread anyone?

Mike & Marlene's European Tour 2009

Mike and Marlene have been trolling around West Yorkshire this week while I've been...at work.
On Saturday, we're trekking it down to London Town and from there, our itinerary looks like so:

Monday-Thursday: Mike & Marlene in Paris...I told them that I'd prefer not to do the most romantic city in the world with my two parents, so I'm headed to Switzerland instead.

Tuesday-Thursday: MB in Lucerne, Switzerland

Thursday: Meet up in Munich and drive four hours north to Sandberg, the little German village where my Grandpa and Grandma (on my dad's side) are from.

Friday-Sunday: Munich

Sunday: MB to fly back to Manchester

Sunday-Wednesday: Mike & Marlene in Salzburg...hopefully doing the Sound of Music tour that their favorite daughter recommended.

Wednesday: Mike & Marlene fly back to Manchester

Friday: Mike & Marlene head back to Dallas, MB wipes her tears and drinks away her sorrows...preferably with Bailey's.

Mike & Marlene's European Adventure Part III: Concert in Sheffield with a Bunch of Youngins

I took my seventy-year-old parents to a concert last night (Marlene wants me to highlight that she’s only 68).
A few months back, my dear friend, Laura of Oh for Heaven Cakes, sent me a CD…all the way across the Atlantic Ocean…of Joshua Radin’s music and I’ve been listening to it ever since.

His lyrics are charming and cheerful and his voice, soft and sweet. Kind of sounds like the type of man who could make homemade jam…or something.

…Did I really just write that?

Maybe I meant the kind of man who I’d want to make homemade jam with…

There was absolutely no seating in this place, except for three lone stools and a high top table in the far back corner, which I snatched as soon as we walked through the door. That was Jesus…already forgiving me for the preggers prank you see.

Check this guy out...his music is lovely.
www.joshuaradin.com

Mike & Marlene's European Adventure Part II: The Arrival

England...When the Sun Goes Down

Welcome to binge Britain: Polish photographer, Maciej Dakowicz, documents four years of drunken revelry in Cardiff. Check out this article in the Daily Mail Online

Nights out in Britain always tend to get a lil' out of control...it's strange to see.

Happy Belated Birthday America!

We didn't get to see any real, live fireworks, but I felt them going off in my head the next morning...thanks José.

Mike & Marlene's European Adventure: Part I

Holy Schnitzel, Mike and Marlene are making their way across the Atlantic to visit their favorite daughter…that would be me…sorry siblings, you know it’s true.

Three weeks of parental supervision (note to self: Hide the booze), hauling American-super-sized luggage around the whole of Europe, and Dad…driving on the German Autobahn (holy hell). The madness begins this coming Saturday. In the meantime, Mike is administering his eleventh-hour travel plans while Marlene is stressing out over what to wear.

Marlene: “Does it really rain all the time there?”

MB: “Yes…yes it does.”

Marlene: “Do English people wear capri’s? Am I going to feel uncomfortable showing my legs?”

MB: “Seventy year old legs are the best kind of legs…especially in Shipley where they’re used to seeing either no legs or 90+ legs. Mom, you’re golden… pack your capri’s.”

Mike & Marlene’s European Adventure…to be continued…

American Crumpet...in Venus Zine

Hey hey...check out this little blurb in Venus Zine Magazine about American Crumpet:



With a photo of Fanny's (my local) above, it reads like so...

If the tanking economy has forced you to cut travel from your budget, add these blogs to your Google Reader.
With a little bit of vicarious living, you've got an instant summer vacation. You just have to decide where to go first.

Yorkshire, UK: Amerian Crumpet
Mary Beth (that's me!), a 26-year-old Texan designer,
has a knack for photographing quirky British trends -
and cute guys on the streets. Whether she's on a
Manchester shopping trip or listing her favorite English
pub names, it's hard to miss her Anglomania.

Venus Zine is the leading source for coverage of women in music, art, film, fashion, and DIY culture. Venuszine.com is the daily updated companion to the quarterly, internationally circulated magazine. Venus Zine and venuszine.com feature interviews with legendary artists (Yoko Ono, Patti Smith, and Kim Deal) in addition to edgy and up-and-coming musicians, designers, writers, actresses, and DIY entrepreneurs. -venuszine.com