Recap of 2013: part 1

What a year we've had. Like one of the best yet. And it has definitely ended with one of the best trips yet: two weeks at home with friends and family!

And since I have this sweet little blog, I thought it was necessary to document this wonderful whirlwind of a year, full of trips & travels.

January: Dublin + Galway, Ireland

February: Paris, France

March: Edinburgh, Scotland

April: Barcelona, Spain + Berlin, Germany

In May, we took our first trip home to the San Francisco Bay Area.

I will post part 2 on Wednesday... and I have to say, our trips in the second half of the year were our favorite!

Exclaimer: Please know, this isn't how my life has always looked. The bird and I were presented with a wonderful opportunity to move to Ireland for (the bird's) work. And since we live in California, one of the furthest places from Europe you can get, traveling for us was a must!

If you are traveling to any of these places and would like any tips or recommendations, my email is all yours! I would love to help!

Thank you for all the love in 2013!

Here's to 2014!

Update from Home!

Sorry for the silence over here lately! The bird and I came home last Tuesday and its been an amazing whirlwind of family and friends. So good to be home!

When we flew in Tuesday from Dublin, I immediately flew out to Idaho to surprise one of my best friends!

Love her!

When I got back into San Francisco, we organized a dinner with the bird's friends: bow ties & babes.

We've also been to local performances from two of my brothers, celebrated another best friend's birthday and went to Cirque du Solei: Amaluna at AT&T Park.

Busy bees birds! We are gearing up for Christmas now. Finishing up last minute Christmas shopping, wrapping presents and currently working on a Christmas puzzle (a yearly tradition for my family)! I absolutely love this time of year!

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Weekend Recap

What a fun weekend we had over here!

The bird and I went to dinner and Wicked on Friday! It was amazing.

On Saturday, I went out with a group of girls for a Christmas dinner! It was so much fun and it's so nice having girlfriends even when I'm so far from home.

On Sunday, the bird and I had a lazy day in and actually rented The Wizard of Oz. We were motivated to see it after Wicked. That evening we headed to the Dublin Christmas Market and started our packing. So excited to head home for the holidays this week! YAY!

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Sequin Skirt 1/2 Glam

Hellllo Friday!

We are gearing up for our trip home next week! I don't think it will officially feel like Christmas until I am sitting at home with my family in front of their tree. Sounds heavenly.

Today I'm bringing a little outfit inspiration to the blog for all the festive parties & outings coming up:

chambray top // crystal necklace // gold polish // beige polish // sequin skirt // tan booties

You could easily switch out the boots for heels or top it with a sweater or more dressy tank. But I love these boots and the look of chambray and sequins together.

Tonight the bird planned a Christmas date night for us at Wicked! I am so excited to finally see it! And tomorrow I have a girls night out which will consist of a Christmas dinner, gift exchange and way too much fun.

Hope you have a lovely weekend!

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Copenhagen trip recap

Last weekend the bird and I took our last trip of the year to Copenhagen! It was such a lovely city.

The canals running through the city reminded me a lot of Amsterdam. And the colored buildings were so gorgeous!

One of the many attractions in the city is The Little Mermaid. It was a gift given by Carl Jacobson (son of the founder of Carlsberg beer). He was so inspired by the ballet performance, he had the sculpture commissioned for the city of Copenhagen.

One of my favorite things about Europe in the wintertime is all the Christmas markets! We ran into several in Copenhagen.

The highlight of our trip was definitely walking along the famous Nyhavn Canal area.

We loved Copenhagen and I would definitely recommend a trip there! The city is beautiful and so progressive. They have amazing restaurants, including 13 Michelin star restaurants. In addition to the gourmet foodie scene, there were so many popular healthy restaurant options too. The one downside of Copenhagen, and any Scandinavian city, was that everything was so expensive. That just made it a perfect weekend trip!

Here are some places I highly recommended from our trip:

Details:

• Hotel
Copenhagen Marriott Hotel
All of the hotels in city center were pricey, but this one had decent rates and was in a great location, right on the water. It was close to restaurants, site seeing and shopping. It was also only a short walk to the main train/metro station.

• Restaurants
BioMio: Great spot for lunch or dinner. Very popular among the locals!
Mikkeller Bar: Great spot for an after dinner drink.
42 Raw: Don't let the name of this place scare you... it was the best lunch I have had in awhile!
Torvehallerne: A very nice enclosed food market. Great spot to eat, buy gifts and walk around.

• Site-Seeing
Tivoli Gardens: The 2nd oldest amusement park in the world. But it is so much more than that. Highly recommend!
The Little Mermaid: Read and see above.
Christiania: A freetown in the middle of the city. Interesting place for a stroll. Read about it before you go.
Strøget: The longest pedestrian street and shopping area in Europe. Lots of shops, restaurants, cafes, etc.
Kastellet: A military fortress dated back to the 1600s. Gorgeous grounds to walk through on your way to The Little Mermaid.

If you are planning a trip to Copenhagen, send me an email and I can give you more detailed information.

Weekend recap & Christmas movies

Happy Monday to you! I hope you had a great weekend!

Ours consisted of lots of online Christmas shopping, a fun night out with friends and a Home Alone movie marathon.

Little Green Cars at Victor Street in Dublin

Loved this intimate venue!

I also purchased a new pair of glasses! I wear contacts daily, but love being able to give my eyes a break.

I've been loving our Christmas movie weekends lately. We didn't get a tree in Dublin, since we are headed home next week (yay!), so I've been counting on the Elf and Home Alone to get me in the festive spirit until then.

What are your favorite Christmas movies?? We may need to add a couple more to the list!

And lastly, I finally got our Copenhagen photos gathered up and will have a recap for you on Wednesday!

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Holiday Party decor

I so meant to post a recap of Copenhagen this week... and I completely failed. It was a wonderful city and great mini trip! I will definitely get some pictures up next week.

Today I am putting together a little post for holiday party decor. Christmas time is without a doubt my favorite time of year. The festive feel in the air gets me everytime. And what better way to kick off the festivities than a holiday party!

gold charger // polka dot plate // striped straws // christmas crackers

wine set // holiday invitation // wine decanter

napkin ring // mercury candles // gold candlesticks

I have never done Christmas crackers... and in Dublin they are everywhere! I think I want to bring some home this year for the family and I to pop open on Christmas morning. I also love the idea of using them as favors at a holiday party! And how gorgeous are these invites!?

I hope you have a fabulous weekend full of holiday party goodness!

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Stocking Stuffer ideas

I'm fairly certain that stockings are one of my favorite gifts on Christmas. I love all the little goodies I get to stuff for the bird's (and my mom's) stocking. And they always do such an amazing job with mine.

So I was thrilled when Jaime from La Vie J'amie reached out to me for a guest post on Stocking Stuffers!

Here are some of my favorite gifts ideas that you can add to your stocking stuffer wishlist!

Head over to La Vie J'amie for all the links!