{ vegas on the rocks }

I never thought I'd say that I miss Vegas but I miss Vegas...

the last time I was there, I was moving from the west coast and didn't know when I'd be back

so almost six years later, I saw a whole new side of Vegas that I'd never seen before...
there's something magical and normal (not my normal) about the suburbs

like anywhere, it's really about the people you're with and my people are the best

but in Vegas there are cute neighborhoods and great local restaurants

and you can have turtles named beastie in your backyard

and there is lots of space and if you feel like putting on your heels you can head down to the lights

it's like a little mini everything...more like a fabrication of everything

but there are still shows { Celine! } and restaurants and all of that stuff...

and when you really need to get away from the city lights you can take a little drive...

red rock canyon is GORGEOUS...I'm definitely not going to let another six years go by.

{ snowballs for dinner }

temp and I met for a walk after work for some storytelling & exploring...

one of my favorite things to do in the city.

Christopher was where we started because it's always a good place to begin

we sat in a little park with a fountain and then made our way to a much bigger fountain

and maybe temp decided it was the night to dance in the fountain and then we walked some more

and came across this lovely little shop called Imperial Woodpecker Snowballs

and it was oh so perfect and oh so lovely and we sat and ate snowballs for dinner...so delicious!

The sky was getting dark so we decided to make our way home and outside the subway

it was downpouring and we forgot our umbrellas but sometimes it's fun to just go for it

so we ran as fast as we could...screaming through the rain and still got drenched but it was worth it.

{ so much love new york }

I love new york but sometimes I wonder why I live here....but just when I'm having one of those moments when I've had it with the crowds and the smells and the stairs and the cockroaches...new york reminds me how much I love it.  I get to watch movies with Marilyn Monroe in Bryant Park and take the ferry across to Staten Island to see Lady Liberty anytime I want and watch the sunset along the river, and eat the best tacos I've ever had and I get to explore new neighborhoods and go to the MOMA after work and then and go to a baseball game at a cool stadium with fireworks and shake shack and I get to be a New Yorker and go to brunch and governors island to ride bikes and relax and I get to hang out on the Brooklyn Bridge and then walk to Brooklyn and eat the most amazing ice cream sandwich ever and I get to look up and realize I'm at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge, at a hip hop festival and then Busta Rhymes shows up unexpectedly and then Kanye...yes, THAT Kanye...and I sort of feel like I'm in a dream but it's too real and feels too good to be a dream and I realize that I LIVE here.  This is my LIFE and it feels oh so good.  So much love New York, so much LOVE. And the thing is, the story doesn't end here...there was Williamsburg and the perfect time of day and the best street music and dinner at an outdoor garden with my favorites and then ice cream and a birthday barbeque on my roof and whiffle ball along the river and then........................

my life is so good, and yes, I'm grateful, and yes I know how lucky I am.

{ coming to america }

I had everything I could have ever wished for this year on the Fourth of July...

well, except for fireworks but I don't think there's anything else that I missed.
country music and friends and the pool and fruit salad and whiffle ball and brunch and bikes and baseball and corn on the cob, a BBQ and a cute crab shack on the river and traffic and heat and flags and pancakes and ice cream and sparklers and the real deal washington DC monuments...it felt so good to be in America.

I was in Australia once for the Fourth and they had a Yankee Day celebration complete

with fried chicken, corn on the cob and apple pie...it was a lovely night but nothing feels better than
being home, seeing the stars & stripes that I love and listening to Lee Greenwood on the radio.

{ lobster rolls }

For some time now, I've had this vision of eating lobster by the sea in Maine...

The funny thing is, I really don't love lobster. It all just seemed so perfect in my mind.

So northeastern, so nautical, so me...

I was supposed to be exploring Amish country this weekend but

a cheap ticket and a last minute change of plans and I was going to have my lobster.

The lobster...well, I could probably never eat lobster again and be happy

but Maine was gorgeous and rustic and serene and oh so beautiful

just as beautiful as the Maine you see in pictures

we had our cute little (freeeezing!) cottage by the sea and walked the coast

and it sort of felt like our own little freezing summer camp but the cold was worth it.

we roadtripped up to Acadia and took as many pictures as our cards could hold and

stopped off on the road every single time we saw something that needed our cameras attention

(that's the beauty of roadtripping with friends who love their cameras as much as I love mine)

we saw donkeys and cool road signs and swamps and coastline and I had the best 

coconut ice cream I've ever had...and the worst buffet I think I've ever had to pay for

 and when it was time to come back to our freezing cottage, Josh made us a fire

so that we were nice and cozy and we roasted marshmallows, just because.

The Amish can wait.  Maine was pretty much just as perfect as I had pictured it.

{ london calling }

fourty two hours in London

the most beautiful and sunny weekend that they've had in a long time
Thank you London for letting me fall in love with you!

FRIDAY morning we arrived not too early and made our way to Julie & Simon's lovely flat

where I took a nap (red eyes don't make me happy but it was a bit more entertaining as the girl

next to me was a roller derby star...for real...funny as I had just watched Whip It two nights before).

I woke up from my beauty sleep and we made our way to lunch....yummy crepes and a gorgeous
stroll through Hyde Park. Played in the Princess Diana memorial fountains with Julie's son Mason and then made our way to Covent Garden for strolling and a walk on the Thames and Trafalgar Square and the

National Gallery and dinner at Jamies Italian...yes, THAT Jamie. Phew! I was tired. SATURDAY Woke up not too early, plans for a run never happened...beauty sleep was more important, but had a lovely breakfast in Hampstead (my new favorite! place in London), followed by a gorgeous walk around the Hemp...

and cartwheels...then off to Borough Market...delicious!...got talked into buying like 10 pounds of the most delicous cinnamon dusted chocolate almonds and then made our way to the Tate...sunflower seeds...that's all I can say...unbelievable! Strolled over to St. Pauls and caught the last fifteen minutes of mass and then off to

a Chocolate festival...quick dinner then made our way over to a I'm not sure exactly what to call it performance at the Shunt...so exhausted but so happy from a perfect day of exploring...had a cup of K's new herbal tea...girl talk and then zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. SUNDAY Church of course...love loved the chapel

then back to Hyde Park for more sunshine and strolling...crossaints at the Orangery and then a valiant effort to rent the Barclays bikes but it wasn't meant to be...and that was okay because the sun was out, and we were in London! Sadly, it was time to head back across the pond but London treated us well and

I'll definitely be back. Next time, I'm going to give myself more time to breathe....