le shower

Saturday, my bridesmaids threw me the most amazing shower. It took exactly three minutes before I was overwhelmed with emotion and got a little misty. Thankfully, I quickly recovered and had an amazing time.

  my very own parisian cafe, complete with french tunes 



each table had an eiffle tower candle and a french phrase related to love and marriage

some of my favorite photos on display

no shower would be complete without bonbons {there was even an amazing selection of macarons!}

pink lemonade, champagne and mimosas

three generations

a big, beautiful bouquet with love notes from my fiance

"french kiss" favors {sorry, no puppies in pink berets}

Thank you to all my wonderful friends and family for making my shower so amazingly special! And a special thanks to the Mills' {especially Chris} for letting a bunch of women take over the house. And to the photographer for the day - Mrs. Stephanie Gillingham - thank you for capturing the moments I'll treasure forever.

Love you all!

hola! bonjour! nin hao!

Have you seen these videos for ef.com? It makes me want to travel around the world, immerse myself in the culture, make friends, learn a language...just generally expand my horizons.

While I love the one from Paris, my favorite has this one from Barcelona {I may be biased since I studied in Spain}. You can also check out the videos promoting London and Beijing.

EF - Live The Language - Barcelona from Albin Holmqvist on Vimeo.

happy friday!

Can't wait for the weekend - it's going to be full of family, friends, food and fun. Just the way I like it.

I stumbled upon this photo and just swooned.

{image via weheartit.com}

i need. i want. i absolutely must have!

A keychain from the famous Parisian landmark, Laduree. Macarons + the Eiffel Tower + a pink bow? Oh, be still my heart.


image courtesy of paris in pink.

parfait v. perfect


Are you Team Paris or Team NYC?

~l'obsession~

 

~la romantique~

A tally of two cities, indeed.

maui wowie

Finally! I've gone through the hundreds of photos from our trip to Maui and, boy, what I wouldn't give to go back.

We relaxed on the beach  

{so much so that I actually napped on the sand. And in the lounge chairs by the pool. Several days in a row. Highly uncharacteristic of me since I'm always begging Mark to go-go-go.} 

We drove the Road to Hana

We hiked to some waterfalls

We explored a lava tube

We enjoyed each others' company

Here are a few of my favorite shots. Please excuse the plethora of SPS {self photo shoots} - it's what happens when you vacation a deux. And Mark is a fantastic SPS photographer.

~don't you just love mark's duck face?~

~very lara croft : tomb raider, non?~

~a gorgeous old banyan tree~

smitten kitten | anthropologie

I am completely obsessed with Anthropologie. I love everything about the store. They have the most amazing clothing and everything is styled with a touch of feminine whimsy - modern vintage, if you will. There's a location that's dangerously close to work and {I'm only slightly embarrassed to say} that the girls who work there know me by name.

Do you know what else fuels my obsession? Man Shops Globe. It's a series on the Sundance Channel that follows Keith Johnson, Anthropologie's buyer-at-large, as he travels the world in search of unique and inspiring peices to sell at and style Anthropologie stores. My favorites include Paris {of course} and Italy. Check it out for yourself on Wednesdays.

a little something extra : if you sign up for Anthropologie's free anthro card, they send you a little present for your birthday. My birthday is next month, so I'm looking forward to receiving a card with a special discount in the mail!

*images via here, here, here and here

spotted : a guilty pleasure

I am a fan of "Gossip Girl." True, last season was a little lackluster, but this season starts off in Paris - and how can that be bad?

I love the fantasy (or reality, depending on the size of your trust fund); I love the fashion; I love Chuck Bass (and all the clever things they can do with his name : Basstard, Motherchucker, Bassets). And I'm not the only one who counts the show as a guilty pleasure - my future husband, Mark, watches it with me, too - just as long as it's DVR'd so it doesn't conflict with Monday Night Football.

So far, this season's fashion doesn't disappoint. From flirty dresses, Carrie-esque styling, classic pieces and daytime sparkle, I'm in love and want to fly straight to New York or Paris for shopping spree.

Spoiler alert! If "Gossip Girl" is waiting for you on your DVR, come back to this post after you've watched it. Although, I think the fashion is just too delicious not to preview!

And we can't forget the guys of "Gossip Girl" - a quick homage to my favorite...

photos courtesy of here, here, here and here.

wanderlust

Every year or so, I get a major case of wanderlust. Don't get me wrong, I want to travel all the time, but when wanderlust hits, it's almost uncontrollable and must be satisfied right away. The only thing that cures it is an international trip. Not just one to Mexico or Canada, but a real, honest-to-goodness getaway, complete with a researched list of must-sees, must-dos and must-eats, a lengthy airplane ride, a camera and foreign funds.

My last trip took me on a solo tour of Copenhagen (or at least, that was the plan). I got really ill and only managed to drag myself out of the hotel and hospital for one day. But it was enough to make me want to come back and explore more.

~my hotel, the avenue~

~the courtyard view from my room~

~city hall square~

~tivoli gardens~

Some of my friends are currently in Europe, and can I tell you? I'm so jealous. With work and wedding planning taking priority, my next international excursion will have to wait. So, while I'm trapped inside the oven that is an Arizona summer, my friends are galavanting around, eating, drinking, discovering. On the plus side, I get to live vicariously through their photos. And there are plenty of great shots to share, so if you try really hard, you can imagine yourself there with them.

Thanks to my dear friend Ziggy for taking us to Switzerland, Italy and Greece!

~chateau de chillon at lake geneva in switzerland~

~picture perfect swiss street~

~true french macarons~

~the italian coast~

~pizza umbertos in italy~

~santorini. looks like a postcard, non?~

~authentic gyro. yum!~

~just like heaven~

What country is currently calling your name?