Europe Trip

In four short weeks, we will be heading to Europe for three weeks before moving back to the east coast. I am so excited! I can't begin to explain my feelings about this trip. It has been a long time coming. I have wanted to do this Europe trip for over a decade and am so excited we are making it happen.

First stop is London, followed by Paris, Barcelona, Salzburg and finally Munich.  We will be spending 3-4 days in each location with the exception of Salzburg where we will spend 2 days. I am in love with The Sound of Music and can not wait to do one of the tours in Salzburg!  I am also looking forward to finally getting to set foot in the motherland (England- my dad was born there and moved to the states when he was a kid), macaroons and the Eiffel Tower in Paris, wine and tapas in Spain and watching Sam drink beer in Munich.

We have booked all transportation (two of the flights with vouchers or reward miles) between cities and have booked a place to stay in London. Need to book lodging in the rest of the cities, but have been busy packing for our upcoming move.

More to come as we continue planning!

Upcoming Travel

We have a lot of travel coming up. I am so excited about the places and people we are visiting, the sites we will see and the food I will eat! Some of this information is top secret for the moment. Will let you in our secrets as they unfold. Stay tuned!

Travel Wish List

There are really so many places I'd love to visit, but here are my big wishes (in no particular order) for the next several decades.

1) Visit all 50 states (31 down: check out http://jumpkicker.onamap.net/ for my "jump kick" pictures.  I have been to a few states that aren't on here (Penn, Georgia, West Va to name a few)
2) Canada (next month!)
3) Thailand
4) Europe: England, Germany, Austria, Italy, France, Spain
5) Australia
6) Africa
7) Central & South America
8) Virgin Islands
9) Galapagos Islands

Where do you want to go?  Where have you been that you loved and think I should go? 

Summer and Fall Travel Plans

We have a lot going on this summer.  Okay, so it's August.  Most of you are thinking, "summer is over."  Not here in Southern California.  The weather is just starting to be cheery enough for me to think it's summer and not spring.

Already this spring and summer we went to Hawaii for a week and to Las Vegas for several days. Check the labels to search for information on these two trips.

Next up on the list:

1) My sister and brother-in-law visit next week.  Okay, so we aren't traveling anywhere, but we will be exploring some new things with my family.  We will be going to Universal Studios for the first time for instance and taking them to local restaurants and beaches.

2) San Francisco at the end of August.  I am so excited to revisit Fisherman's Wharf, Ghirardelli Square, and Market Street.  We are going to eat dungeness crab and bike over The Golden Gate Bridge.  We didn't have time to eat crabs on our last trip to San Francisco, so I am looking forward to chowing down this trip.  On one of our last visits we biked from San Francisco to Sausalito.  The numerous vistas of The Golden Gate Bridge were stunning. I can not wait to do this again!  I highly suggest you do this trip on your next visit to San Francisco.  Rent a bike from one of numerous places around Fisherman's Wharf, then bike one way to Sausalito and take the ferry the other way.  Something new to explore: Alcatraz.  I have been to San Francisco three times, but never made it a priority to take a tour of Alcatraz.  I have since heard from multiple friends that it is a great tour. Sam and I are both looking forward to exploring the old prison.

3) At the end of September we are going on our first cruise- to Alaska!  It leaves from Seattle, Washington, goes to 3 ports in Alaska and ends in Canada.  I am so excited for this trip.  I have never been to Alaska, Washington state or Canada.  So many places to check off my travel list in one trip!  I really need to sit down and research what to do (and what to eat!) in all these places.

4) In October, we will be visiting Palm Springs for the first time. I have been told there isn't much to do in the area, but I'm okay with that. I am looking forward to relaxing at the pool and spa.

5) We visit family in Virginia in November.

6) In January, we revisit Palm Springs with Sam's family.

Next spring, we are hoping to plan a trip to Yosemite.

Any ideas on what to do on these upcoming trips?

Road Trip USA and our next big road trip

Sam and I are starting to dream up another epic road trip.  While browsing Pinterest, I found an infographic with a link to Road Trip USA.  Are you familiar with this site?  It lists 11 road trip routes across the USA and what to do along the way. This is a good way to start brainstorming a road trip.

I think the coastal trips look fantastic.  I have driven (or be a passenger along) much of The East Coast. Last year, for our first anniversary we drove from Miami, FL to Key West.  In a convertible.  It was amazing. I am also quiet fond of the Carolina coast.  Though a trip from Washington D.C to Boston, MA is filled with traffic, it has a lot of history along the way. If you choose to do this route you can end up exploring the museums and monuments of D.C, the food, theater and museums of New York City and the history and culture of Boston. I can't imagine driving the entire East Coast in one trip.  I think it would be more manageable broken up into parts. However, I speak as an East Coaster. If you are from else where, you may want to do all of it, or much of it, at once.

Southern California has been our home for the last 10 months. I have driven the coast line from San Diego to Carlsbad, San Clemente or farther north numerous times. It is unbelievable how much untouched beauty there is along the road. There are so many quaint beach towns along the way. I am very much looking forward to traveling farther north along The West Coast over the next year.  I have heard the drive, particularly north of LA is stunning.

Our next long road trip will be planned around some of the amazing National Parks here on The West Coast. We will drive north along the coast, hitting Redwoods, Crater Lake and Olympic National Parks. We are also hoping to explore Yellowstone and the Tetons on this trip as well.  Sam is a huge fan of Glacier, but we aren't sure we will have enough time to make a detour to see that park as well.

What are some must do's along The West Coast?  Any favorite National Parks? I am looking forward to seeing the diversity of this beautiful coast.  Stay tuned for more information as we continue to plan. 

Aria, Las Vegas, NV

My husband and I just returned from a stay at Aria.  The hotel and casino was built recently. The lobby, casino, and rooms are modern and tastefully decorated. The casino is bright (and doesn't stink of smoke) unlike some of its older neighbors on the strip. The rooms themselves are decked out with remote EVERYTHING. From the curtains to the lights and music, everything can be changed with the touch of a button or an on screen control.

There are plenty of food and drink options on the property. We rarely left the hotel (with the exception going out for shows and tours) because we found so much to eat and see at Aria. The crepes at Jean Philippe Patisserie are not to be missed (the sandwiches are good, too!).  Our favorite crepes were the chocolate and the nutella.  Julian Serrano serves great tapas and sangria. From 4 PM to 5:30 PM, the sangria and 11 of the tapas are half off. The sliders, meatballs, lamb chop were my favorites. We also had the calamari, tuna cones, and raspberry tuna skewers. This restaurant serves three different types of sangria- red, rose, and white. We tried the red and rose. The red was one of the best red sangrias I have ever tasted. The rose was light and refreshing.

The fitness facility is huge with plenty of cardio equipment, free weights and Cybex machines. The treadmills overlook the pool and have tv's mounted to them. Swipe your card at the desk when you arrive and grab a towel and bottle of water.

Be sure to get to the pool early if you are visiting at the end of the week or weekend. The pool started to get crowded on Wednesday and Thursday was much busier.  I imagine it is packed on weekends.

SoCal excursions

The longer I live in SoCal, the more I wonder 1) why I would ever leave and 2) how can I afford to stay.

California is so much larger than the East Coast states with which I am familiar.

I have spent the last month or so moving to San Clemente, CA and exploring the local area. I am trying to spend more time exploring and less time on the computer.  Thus, my lack of posting.

Check back soon for reviews on Maui, Seersucker in San Diego, the San Diego Zoo, and another review on Disney and California Adventure.

In the meantime, here are some updated travel/exploring lists:

SoCal Must Do List:

Burlap in Del Mar and Herringbone in La Jolla: Part of Chef Brian Malarkey's Fabric of Social Dinning, LLC.
Explore Dana Point
Tour the Missions
Santa Barbara
Palm Springs
Joshua Tree
Catalina Island
Revisit Santa Monica
Revisit The San Diego Zoo (especially the new Koalafornication exhibit)
Revisit The San Diego Zoo Safari Park
Revisit Temecula

West Coast Must Do List:

Seattle, WA
Portland, OR
Hiking in both Oregon and Washington state
Yosemite
Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, & Glacier and Banff
Phoenix, AZ (okay so this is Southwest, but we can drive there so I'm including it)
Mammoth for snowboarding
Tahoe
Sequoia National Park
San Francisco, CA

Other Trips on our Wish List:
Alaska and Canada-scheduled for this September!
Cabo
Europe: The UK, Italy, Austria, Germany, Spain...the list goes on and on

Did I mention I want to see all these places in the next 1-2 years?

Where do you want to go?  Have you visited any of the places on my lists? Any tips?

Marley Lilly Monogrammed Weekend Bag

I have been casually looking for a weekend bag for a while now.  I hate lugging a rolling suitcase around for a short weekend holiday. I have a few totes, but they aren't very visually appealing, nor are they durable.

Thanks to Pinterest I found a cute monogrammed bag from Marley Lilly.

I would have loved the navy bag, but it wasn't available, so I went with olive as the least abrasive color option. I love that it has a detachable shoulder strap in addition to the handles. The leather detail is a nice touch.  As a Virginian who has some time with some southern belles in South Carolina, I also approve of the monogram.  I choose chocolate thread for my initials.

Speaking of monograms.  What style do you prefer?  I like script, but nothing so curly that you can't read it.  That kinda defeats the purpose, doesn't it?

I was surprised to note that Marley Lilly is based out of Greenville, SC.  I lived there for two years after finishing grad school and was well versed in monograms by the time I left. You really can't live in South Carolina without embracing monograms.

Will try to post pictures once my bag arrives!

If you like monograms, definitely check out Marley Lilly.  They have cell phone cases, koosies, clothing, towels, glasses, bags and so much more.  I think my next purchase may have to be one of their cute tanks.