Europe, Part 3 - plus EXCITING NEWS!

It's that time again...the next chapter of our European vacay is here! I have to say I think this is our best video yet. Why? Well, just watch all the way to the end and you'll see. Get ready for Florence, Italy and a little snippet from Marseille, France.


   


Who knew this trip would be SO life-changing?!








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PS...secret's out now, obviously. :)

Europe, Part 2

It's here! Part 2 of our European vacay is complete, courtesy of my handsome hubbiness. Join us as we dive into all things Rome--our absolute favorite place. We hit up some awesome sights, like Trevi Fountain, Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Vatican City. It was a whirlwind of a day, and luckily we had an awesome tour guide who kept us going smoothly from place to place. From tossing coins into Trevi Fountain (we're going back someday, woohoo!) to walking around the Colosseum completely awe-struck, it was a total dream. And it didn't stop there, Vatican City was unbelievable as well. We loved seeing St. Peter's Square and St. Peter's Basilica. I could go on and on, but I'll let the video take it from here...Arrivederci! 

Europe 2012

You guys...guess what? We went to EUROPE! And we have video to prove it. :) The trip was kind of spontaneous and maybe a little impulsive, but SO worth it. A few weeks ago, we took a 7-day Mediterranean cruise out of Barcelona, with stops in Italy and France. We had the time of our lives, and feel so blessed that we were able to take this incredible trip together.

We took a few pictures here and there, but really concentrated on getting some great video. I mean--Rich is the video wiz, so it just seemed appropriate. We came home with A LOT of footage, so we're breaking the video up into 3 parts (to keep you coming back for more, duh!).

So with that, kick back and enjoy Part 1 of our Mediterranean tour, where we set sail from Barcelona and cruise to Naples, Italy for some fun in the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii.


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Where

......have I been? I don't even know where to begin. These last several months have been a complete whirlwind, and I'm yearning to get my feet back on the ground. How does life get so crazy? Sometimes I get so overwhelmed when I think about how fast time escapes me, but I have to stop and think about how incredibly blessed I am to have such a crazy full life.

Lately, I feel as though I've been just barely surviving each passing week and month, and I hate that feeling. I cherish the slow, quiet moments where I can breathe deeply and just reflect, relax, and enjoy. This morning was the first time in a while that I've felt that way, and it was simply lovely.



Despite my feeling a little tired and burned out, life is really good. I have the most amazing husband, wonderful family, and freakin' rad friends. And more importantly, I'm loved by Jesus and there's nothing more I need than that.

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ps.. Speaking of lovely and quiet movements, Kinfolk (with the help of the talented Tiger in a Jar duo) makes baking bread seem like the most lovely experience ever.


Dutch Oven Bread from Kinfolk on Vimeo.

Now I'm off to make some bread!

Birthday Weekend: Umami Burger and Melrose Trading Post

In addition to showing my parents the Getty Center during their weekend visit, Rich and I knew we'd have to take them to experience the one and only Umami Burger. Let me just start by saying if you've been to LA and never eaten at Umami... you're SERIOUSLY missing out! It's the best burger I've ever eaten, dreamt about, drooled over, etc. And not only are their burgers the best around, but their Cheesy Tots and Onion Rings are game-changers as well. If that wasn't enough to make you loosen your belt, they've got AMAZING desserts too. Like I mentioned earlier, this is the kind of place you'll literally dream about.

Once we finished hanging out at the Getty, we ventured down to the Umami Burger on La Brea. After a little bit of a wait, we got down to business. My dad ordered the Port & Stilton Burger, Rich and my mom got the Umami Burger, and I enjoyed the Truffle Burger. To this day, Rich argues that the Umami is better than my beloved Truffle, but he is just straight up crazy. The Truffle Burger is where it's at!

{Truffle Heaven}

{Umami}

{Cheesy tots and Onion Rings...they couldn't even wait for me to get a picture!}

{The rents}

I wish I had snagged some pics of our dessert too. It was SO yummy! Cherry almond pie, ice cream sandwiches, and red velvet mini cakes. Needless to say, we loosened our belts and rolled ourselves outta there at the end of the night. So worth it!

The next day we got an early start and headed to the Melrose Trading post--one of Rich and my favorite things to do on Sundays. It was a warm, sunny day and we all enjoyed strolling around and checking out all the vendors. I even scored a cheap pair of sunnies!

{my hunny}

{new sunnies}

What a fun weekend, right? It was great spending time with my parents and showing them around town. Rich and I absolutely love having friends and family visit... so dear friends, consider these posts a bribe to come and see us. :)

Come back soon mom and dad!

Birthday Weekend: The Getty Center

Well, why not kick off November with a post about something that happened in September? Business as usual 'round these parts!

At the beginning of September, my parents ventured up to Culver City for a weekend of fun to celebrate my birthday. Rich and I were so excited to play 'tour guide' and show off some of our favorite things to do in LA. Though my parents spend a good amount of time here visiting family (my mom grew up in the valley), we were happy to show them a different side to this crazy city. 

We began our adventure by heading up the 405 to the Getty Center. Surprisingly enough, neither of them had been there before! The Getty is such a great place to spend the day--with it's amazing views, lush garden and vast array of exhibitions--there's something for everyone.

{Momma bear}

{Rich never misses an opportunity to jump in front of the camera}

{Garden}

We had a great time showing my parents the Getty Center. Even after almost 5 hours there, we still hadn't seen everything. Guess that means we'll have to go again soon!

Next up... Umami Burger and Melrose Trading Post.

Happy Friday!

Hooray, it's Friday! You guys, I am seriously SO excited the weekend is here. Life has been buckwild these last few weeks, so I'm eagerly anticipating the little downtime we get before the big move next Saturday. Speaking of moving, can you believe this weekend will be our last in Culver City? I'm still in denial about the whole thing. Don't get me wrong--I'm SO excited to move to Sherman Oaks and start decorating enjoying our new little home, but I can't help but feel sad to leave our Culver City digs. It's the first place Rich and I lived together as husband and wife! Though we're both sad to leave, I know the moment we set up shop in Sherman, we'll never look back.

On a lighter note, I'm also quite excited today because I got a great deal on a new iphone case! Isn't she a beaute?

Kate Spade is having a Friends & Family Sale right now--30% off your entire purchase. Yes please! In addition to the discount, they were offering free shipping. How can you turn that down? Well, I definitely didn't. Now I just have to patiently wait for it to arrive! I absolutely love getting fun packages in the mail.

So yeah, Fridays rock. :)