Happy 4th!

 {photo from here}

Bonjour, my dear friends!  I'm just finishing up my packing and soon I'll be on the train to JFK.  I'll get there a little early, I'll get a bottle of water and maybe a snack, I'll browse at Muji (the Jet Blue terminal at JFK is SWEET), and then I'll hop on the plane to beautiful, sunny (and HOT) California.  I can't wait!! 

I hope you have a delightful 4th of July weekend!  Stay safe, watch fireworks, hold hands, eat watermelon and stay cool. 

Week Off

Did I mention that I'm leaving for a much needed week long vacay tomorrow afternoon? Yep, I sure am! And to say I'm excited would be the understatement of the century because I am literally DYING to get out of this city and into beautiful Northern California.

I'll be there Wednesday thru Thursday, and I'm packing... wait for it... a carry-on. Yup - a carry-on. Me, the queen of overpacking and giant leopard suitcases, is packing a tiny purple carry-on for an entire week! That's because unlike many (okay, probably all) of my prior trips to Cali, I do not plan on getting any kind of fancy on this trip. No, this week is devoted to comfy hoodies, yoga pants, and hot pink Uggs. I'm not packing a single bauble (SO unlike me) besides what I plan to wear on the plane (not much). Makeup-wise I only brought my favorite peach blush, a light powder, a couple of liners, and the easiest, most flattering red lipstick ever. This is so weird, but I'm kind of excited about not having to worry about how I look for an entire week. It's tres unlike Manhattan. I mean, I'm not even bringing my hairspray!

Since I'm simplifying in all those ways, I've also decided not to pack my laptop. That doesn't mean that I won't be tweeting or checking email (although I plan to limit those if all goes as planned), but I definitely won't be blogging. I'm sure I'll have lots of stories to share when I get back though so I hope you'll be here when I return!

Obviously the darling I'm MOST excited about seeing that sweet lil doll below. It's been entirely too long, and despite her love of attention, she'll most likely attempt to escape my grasp by the end of my stay. I wonder if I could sneak her back on the plane...


Also? Ma Soeur and I are going here where I'll be indulging in the eucalyptus steam room, sauna, and an 80-minute massage. My body desperately needs it, and although I know it won't be as ahh-mazing as the ones I used to get in Austin (le sad), its definitely better than nothing.

I'm ALSO excited about our camping trip to Tahoe! We're going here, and Ma Soeur reserved our fantastic spot on the beach an entire YEAR ago, and she's already bought me a head lamp (cute, eh?) and sleeping bag and pad. I haven't been camping since I was in 7th grade, but I am STOKED. I'm not so stoked about the fact that we have to use bear lockers though... Scary!




However, the idea of strolling along the beach at sunset, hiking in the beautiful mountains, and making s'mores by the evening fire are SO good, I think I can handle the bears.

Needless to say, I'm a very happy camper (pun intended!) right now. I hope you all have a divine rest of the week/weekend/next week, and I'll see you next Friday!!

September Vacay

Alerted to absurdly cheap flights by Travelzoo.com, Ma Soeur and I quickly began messaging back and forth about a possible Cali trip for moi in September. Yes, I am planning to go to California over Christmas, but I am missing Lola like MAD, and these tickets were sooo cheap that the possibility of seeing Lola in a mere month was too tempting to pass up. (Not to mention the possibility of: cool evenings, a ginormous tub in which to bathe, gorgeous greenery and flowers everywhere, a hotel-like atmosphere, free delicious food... the list goes on and on.) Flights are booked, and I am spending one whole week with my beloved in early September. Also, my sis and bro-in-law were planning to go camping in Tahoe that weekend so guess who gets to join them? WHEE!

Voila pics that my sister's dogsitter sent today of Lola and her new favorite... stick. How can I resist?

Mini Vacay

{image: jasonchristopher.com}

I know what you're thinking... what kind of vacay could I possibly need? I've been been gallivanting around New York City for the past month and a half! Nonetheless, it's nice to get away from the day-to-day and take a petite trip. So I've decided to hop on a train and spend some quality time with moi (and okay, yes, maybe see some friends along the way!). I plan to do oodles of journaling, planning (I am LOVING the filofax), reflecting, reading and work on some upcoming blog posts. I've dedicated a section of my filo to "blog posts." Voila a sneak peek at what's to come:

*filofax follow-up

*room tour (it's not perfect, but it's SO cute!)

*manifestation

*birthday reflection post (it's coming up in less than a month!)

Have a fantabulous weekend, mes amies!! I'll be thinking of you.

I Heart NY

My DC Trip in Pictures

As I said earlier, I had an amazing time in DC. It included oodles of eating yummy food, quality time with friends, exploring the city on foot, seeing the sights, meeting fabulous fellow bloggers (merci to Crystal, Lauren, City Girl, and Julia - LOVED meeting you gals!!), and surprisingly, NOT spending tons of money. Yay!


















DC - Thanks for having moi! See you soon. :)

Update!

Bonjour, darling friends! How was your long weekend? Mine was fantastic. I had a whirlwind 4 days in D.C., and it was the time of my life. I hope to post an entry about my trip (avec pictures!) tonight or tomorrow. In the meantime, I wish you all a HAPPY TUESDAY and leave you with this adorable pic of Lola in her Snuggie for Dogs. (P.S. Tomorrow is Lola's birthday - she's turning 2!!!)


(Pardon her dirtiness... she was romping around with her cousin Sofie in the snow!)

California Here We Come

Remember that Phantom Planet song? We've been on the run, driving in the sun, lookin' out for number 1, California here we come, right back where we started from... It was the theme song for the OC (ahh i still remember when that show was good...). Anyway, what happened to Phantom Planet?? They were pretty good.

ANYway before I go down that tangent, I am savoring this down time before yet another meeting, I wanted to share some highlights from my trip. Vacations are even more rare now that I'm working full-time, so each minute was jam packed with sisterly goodness. :)

HIGHLIGHTS OF MY TRIP: PART UN

Dinner Friday night @ Joya - a hip and happening tapas restaurant in downtown Palo Alto

I had my FAVE dessert there - chocolate lava cake a la mode (their vanilla was spiked with thyme - surprisingly delicious!) Also? Their mango mojitos are amazing.

Afternoon tea at the MOST DARLING tea place - Crown & Crumpet Tea Room. Seriously, if you find yourself in San Francisco, make a reservation immediately! As you can tell from the pics, it's eye candy deluxe. And the scones were delish!

Dinner in San Francisco at Town Hall, one of my fave SF joints. Cozy, unpretentious, and serves up jazzed up comfort food like buttermilk battered fried chicken, smashed potatoes and collard greens. (P.S. Isn't my sister's limited edition Unicef Gucci Indy bag FANTASTIC??)

That's all for now. Blogger doesn't seem to want me to upload anymore pics!
Hmm i wonder why...
Part Deux coming soon!!