dripping with passion

there is nothing like london in the spring. nothing!! we had an unseasonably warm week last week and bam ! spring arrived. we spent our days just intoxicated with that giddy joy that comes from the start of springtime. we're now back to dreary skies and chilly air for the time being, but the blossoms are out ! and there's a lot of warmth to look forward to.     it's been getting lighter earlier in the day, and i've been heartily enjoying sunrise runs around hyde park and kensington gardens.   we've been blown away by this incredible  yellow tree that burst in our garden, and all the magnolia trees blooming like crazy in our neighborhood.   ian and i got to go to a football match for a date night. it was such a fun cultural experience. sooo much energy in that stadium, and our home team, chelsea, won 3-0.   gabriel has been scrambling all over the flat with his adorable one-knee-one-foot crawl. he's the wiggliest, giggliest baby ever. ...

ian and i have decided to make it a general rule that we go on a trip to somewhere  sunny and warm  at the beginning of february each year. we both  love  the weather in london - it is spectacular ten months of the year ... but january and february are realllly dreary and dark. having some sunshine to look forward to half way through those doldrums is just right. this year, we used hotel points to book a stay at a gorgeous resort in tenerife (one of the canary islands). when we arrived, we were  very  pleasantly surprised to be upgraded to a crazy awesome suite (with a huge terrace that had a jacuzzi and stunning ocean views)! i've always scoffed a little at vacations that involve never leaving the resort, but besides one quick trip to see some spectacular cliffs ... we never left the resort ;) we enjoyed a stellar breakfast buffet every morning and split the rest of our time between the pools and the beach (and our epic terrace). this trip was dif...