I'm thankful...

for all the opportunities to travel the world.

Barbados

Photo (c) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

Chicago

Photo (c) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

Las Vegas

Photo (c) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

Florida

Photo (c) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

New York City

Photo (c) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

Turks and Caicos

Photo (c) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

Bahamas

Photo (c) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

Seattle

Photo (c) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

Canada

Photo (c) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

Maine

Photo (c) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

Boston

Photo (c) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

Sicily

Photo (c) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

Pompeii

Photo (c) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

Florence

Photo (c) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

Rome

Photo (c) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

Pisa

Photo (c) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

Villefranche, France

Photo (c) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

Barcelona

Photo (c) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

I'm thankful...

for my wonderful family... past, present & future.

Thanksgiving Day, 2008


Wedding day, 2007


at an Indians game with my awesome brother-in-law, 2010


One of my four aunts, one of my four uncles, three of my 14 cousins, 2008


Welcoming my brother home from six years of Air Force service, 2010


Dad & me in Barbados, February 2010

I'm thankful...

for my amazing friends.

Forever friends...


New(er) friends...


Very dear friends...


Friends who were your friends way back when...

(we were so young once!)

Your husbands friends who became your friends...


(a countdown leading up to Thanksgiving on what I'm most thankful for)

list 25 - things I'm likely to buy at Target (other than what I've come to buy)

(yup, way behind on my lists... what time is better to get back into it than the present?)

1. junk in the $1 spot
2. cute ballet flats
3. sweaters for Brad
4. greeting cards
5. another black purse
6. turtlenecks and/or cardigans and/or t-shirts
7. some food item on an end cap that I wasn't looking for
8. boxed wine
9. holiday decorations
10. luggage
11. gum
12. chap stick
13. picture frames
14. Kleenex
15. another hair brush
16. sheets
17. candy

(and what did I go there for? probably toothpaste, laundry detergent, and deodorant)

Published!

A few weeks ago the Orange County Register contacted me to see if they could use one of my photos in an article for their Travel section on "America's Best Breakfasts." I was excited about this for two reasons:

1. I love sharing my photos with people who wouldn't normally get to see them, like people in California.

and, more importantly,

2. I have a serious soft spot in my heart for a traditional all-American breakfast.

I was even more excited when they sent me the link to the article today. Not only was my photo in there but, hello, two of my favorite breakfast places were featured (I'm looking at you Athenian Inn and Lou Mitchell's)!

So, without further ado, click on the link above to read the article and check out my photo of the fabulous Athenian Inn in Pike Place Market, Seattle below:

I'm dreaming...

Photo (C) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

of when it looks like this outside

(go ahead, hate me)

Recipe Tuesday: Butternut Squash "fries"

Mega Yum

Photo (C) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

Do you love french fries? I do. If you name a restaurant within a three mile radius of our house, I can probably tell you if they have good fries or not (Hard Times Cafe & King Street Blues tie for most awesome fries in Old Town). But I hate how bad fries are for you.

Enter: butternut squash french fries. They look like fries. They taste like fries. But they're actually butternut squash. Total Weight Watchers points value: 1. Let the world rejoice!

Butternut Squash Fries

Preparation Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 18 min

Ingredients
- 3 spray(s) olive oil cooking spray
- 1 pound(s) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, long “neck” cut into sixteen 3/4-inch-thick sticks
- 1 tsp table salt, or to taste
- 1/2 tsp chili powder, or to taste (optional) (I didn't have any, so I used an all-purpose seasoning & it did the trick)

Directions
- Preheat oven to 450ºF. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Arrange squash fries on prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and chili powder; liberally coat with cooking spray.
- Roast, turning once, until desired crispness, about 14 to 18 minutes. Yields 4 fries per serving.

Notes
Start with a large squash. You will end up using about 1 lb of squash and have the “bulb” of the squash left over.

Any hard winter squash will work in this recipe.

Since every day should be Veterans Day...

Photo (C) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

... I don't feel guilty posting my Veterans Day post four days late.

Thank you to all the brave men & women who have served & continue to serve our great nation. The sacrifice you & your families make to protect our freedoms can't possibly be appreciated enough. We are the land of the free because of you, the brave.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Recipe Tuesday: Pumpkin Spiced Latte

Photo (C) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

There is no one who loves coffee more than I do (I take that back, I have a good friend who makes, and drinks, at least one pot a day).

Anyway, the only thing I don't like about coffee is how expensive it is to buy from a restaurant/coffee house. Which is why I was really excited to find this recipe for crock pot pumpkin spiced latte's! Is there anything more perfect for fall?

Note: this recipe is also gluten free!

Ingredients
- 2 cups milk (I used 1%)
- 2 T canned pumpkin
- 2 T white sugar
- 2 T vanilla (not a typo. it asks for tablespoons)
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice OR: 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp cloves, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, and a teeny tiny pinch of ground ginger
- 1/2 cup brewed espresso or 3/4 cup strong brewed coffee

- garnish with whipped cream (optional) (lets be honest though, this isn't really optional)

Directions
This will make enough for 2 people to have a big mug with a bit leftover. If you are having friends over, adjust the recipe accordingly. I used a 4-quart crock pot, but as small as a 1.5 quart will work with these amounts.

Add the coffee/espresso and milk to the crock pot. Whisk in the pumpkin, spices, sugar, and vanilla.

Cover and cook on high for 2 hours if everything is cold. Whisk again.

Ladle into mugs, and garnish with whipped cream and additional cinnamon.

a simpler time...

Yearning today for a simpler time and a simpler place...


Photo (C) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

the ballerina project

As a huge ballet fan, I am totally in love with these images.

As a photographer, I am totally in love with these images.

Such grace and beauty, I just had to share. To learn more about the project, view more images, & purchase prints, just click here.

the day after

Photo (C) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

In my non-photographer life, I work in politics. I worked for various members of Congress for the first six years of my working life & now have a job that revolves around what the president & Congress are doing. In my world, election day is not just another day. It's a holiday. A day when there are winners & losers. A day when jobs are lost & careers are started.

I stayed up late last night... much later than normal, furiously refreshing the Twitter (that's @christinasaull if you're interested) feed on my BlackBerry, trying to get the latest results on the races I was actually interested in, which of course were not what CNN/MSNBC/Fox News/anyone was showing (I actually turned off CNN & watched HGTV most of the night, which was refreshing).

I won't get into who won & who lost here... but will say that the biggest feeling I came away with yesterday was one of pride & patriotism (okay, that's two feelings). We are so lucky that we live in a country where every citizen, regardless of race, color, or creed is allowed to vote. We are so lucky to live in a country where we can go vote without the fear of being shot at or blown up while doing so. We are so lucky to live in a country where a change of the political party in power does not mean the whole government collapses.

If you voted yesterday, regardless of who you voted for, thank you. If you did not & are eligible to, I ask you to reconsider next time around. It's the least you can do.

Front Porch Sittin'
Del Ray, Virginia
Photo (C) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved


Iwo Jima Marine Memorial
Arlington, VA
Photo (C) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved


Chagrin Falls, Ohio
Photo (C) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved


Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia
Photo (C) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved


Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn, New York
Photo (C) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved


Ground Zero
New York, New York
Photo (C) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

Washington, D.C.
Photo (C) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

Recipe Tuesday: REAL Greek salad

Traditional Greek Salad


Photo (c) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

There is nothing I love more than Greek salad. No, not lettuce with feta cheese. But real Greek salad which is made without lettuce. That gorgeous salad above is Royal Caribbean's version of Greek salad, which (surprisingly) might be the best I've ever had.

This is kind of a summer recipe, but a favorite one, full of really good fats and veggies.

Ingredients
* 4 medium sized tomatoes
* 1 small cooking onion
* 3 ounces Feta cheese
* 2 teaspoons oregano
* 3-4 ounces olive oil
* ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste

Instructions
1. Slice up the tomatoes into wedges, and place in a salad bowl.
2. Peel and slice the onion, and add. Sprinkle in the salt and oregano. If the oregano is in larger pieces, crush it up a little more beforehand, as it will help to release the oils.
3. Add in the feta cheese, which can be crumbled by hand or with a fork.
4. Drizzle in the olive oil.
5. Mash up the tomatoes slightly, and toss the ingredients gently.

This salad will serve up to 6 people.

Three years ago...

Photo (C) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

I was bumming around Sicily on my honeymoon, eating fantastic cannoli, & enjoying an unplugged life. Oh, to be back there...


Photo (C) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved


Photo (C) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved


Photo (C) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved


Photo (C) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved


Photo (C) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved


Photo (C) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

Photo (C) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved