Fun in Manchester and Glasgow

I haven't told you much about my time in Manchester and Glasgow as a lot of it was spent simply hanging out, catching up, drinking tea by the fire, going on walks, watching man TV, taking baths, eating pasta, working on the little children's book I wrote (more on that later) and hanging out with a little child. Just time with people who are so close to me but live so far away. Amazing yes, but not too much to report on there. But then again, what a good time we had just being us and being silly. Going out and having fun, staying in and having fun, from evenings jumping on the bed with my niece to late nights in the Northern Corner wearing hats and being ridiculous with new friends. Oh and there was my brother channeling Elton John, Nick eating a really big fish and two year old Sadie cooking us all dinner. I do seem to have a few photos of that: 

Sister Act

I don't have a sister, but I like the idea of them, I especially like the idea of a whole magazine of them, especially one with my faves Mary-Kate and Ashley on the cover. I mean who else would it be for Vogue's Best Dressed Sister Edition? Such a good idea, right? I mean sisters are so hot right now! They've also got the Knowles sisters (cool), the Clarins sisters (creepy), the Middleton sisters (boring) and the Fanning sisters (adorable) up in the mix, as well as some models, Frenchies and other rightfully fashionable siblings. I got to get my hands on a copy.

Sometimes I do wish I knew what it was like to have a sister, that unbreakable bond, that other closet to raid, boyfriends to steal (JK). But in the last years, I actually have gotten a little taste of sisterdom — I have become really close with my two sister-in-laws and my oldest brother has two little girls who I get to watch grow up as sisters just two years apart. And I'm not done yet: in just a few hours I am driving up to Glasgow to see my other brother, my other niece and the earlier said sister-in-law who in fact is pretty much nine months pregnant (she is due next Thursday) with another girl! Sisters all around! So exciting. 

Here's some of my sister photos for you, can't wait for the new one to be added to the bunch. I'll keep you posted from Scotland...

My nieces Maisie and India and sister-in-law Deanna in NYC by Daniel.

Sisters in Stripes: My sister-in-law Catherine, Deanna, my bro's GF Nicole, me and my mom at Stinson Beach.

Cath and soon-to-be-big-sister Sadie in Scotland.

Sisters India and Maisie in California.

Me and Deanna in NYC.

Cath and Deanna in Italy.

My Summer So Far...

At the end of June a sad thing happened: my trusty camera broke. Completely my fault, as I left it on the deck of the beach house where my family was staying the one night it rained, ugh I know. Sadly, it was an issue that a bowl of rice could just not solve. Boo. So I am not sure if you have noticed, but there has been a lot less personal stuff on the blog as of late, well this lack of a camera is why my friend. I had my little Samsung (gifted to me at CosmoGirl) forever, so it was hard to come to terms with its demise. I know it is just a material object, but it's been with me at all times, documenting my life in NYC and Berlin and my travels and so many purchases in between.

I may not be the best photographer, but I am good at always taking photos to cherish on my own and share with you. So to spend a month plus change without that ability felt like losing a limb. Okay maybe that is a little dramatic, but it was hard. Letting go is hard, forking out dough is hard. But now that I have scored a few more gigs, last weekend I was able to buy myself a new camera and begin documenting once again. But I still felt like I lost so much time, so I decided to scour my Mom's Flickr, my friends' Facebook pages and my iPhone to see if I could illustrate just how fun this summer has been with their pics and the few I took before and after the camera debacle. So here's what I came up with from the lakes of England to the beaches of California to the rooftops of Brooklyn to the Fire Island ferry to the baby pool on the stoop and beyond... 

Family Values

The Cahn Kids 

I have returned to boiling hot NYC after a long stay at Stinson Beach with my family, a family that continues to grow as my brothers have more kids and as their families get added up into the mix. About 20 members came in and out of that amazing waterfront beach house (with an outdoor shower and bonfire!), among childhood friends and girlfriends here and there. Growing up I never had such big family vacations and even though I had three older brothers it never really seemed like I had that big of a family. But now there are little ones, and little ones on the way, and grannies, and aunties, and extravagant beach houses — it's pretty amazing. So many people, so much food and a bit of the stuff that comes with a bunch of family members sleeping under the same roof: drama.

Even before all this exponential growth, my family was an intense one. My bros are all competitive, intelligent and unique and when we all get together there is no shortage of sibling rivalry, whether during a game of scrabble or a conversation about music. We know each other better than anyone — the perfect recipe to get under each others' skin, but more importantly to make each other laugh and feel better after it's all said and done. At the end of the day, at the end of the trip, despite little bumps here and there (that is family, right?), I look back and feel so lucky to have the luxury of spending time with these peeps and can't wait to add my own family additions to the ever-growing bunch. 

How would you feel about spending 10 days in a house with your whole fam? What about with the families below?

The Baldwin Brothers

Tent-dwelling hippie Family of the Mystic Arts commune

The Carter Family 

The Jolie-Pitt Family 

Samoan family bathing in a natural pool on Western Samoa

The Zoe Fam

The Obama Family 

Photos from LIFE archive and EOnline.