Inspiration – HilaryStyle

January 31, 2019January 30, 2019

Faraway Files #109

Faraway Files A Travel Blogging Community

Whether you want it to or not, time flies… January is coming to a close, and I’m still trying to work out where 2019s travel destinations will be. Thankfully I have Faraway Files for inspiration, and I’m beginning to narrow it down… But, with a tween and a teen in the house our freedom to travel isn’t what it once was and with our teen heading off to college in just two years, I can hear the clock ticking on our family holidays.

While the rest of the family can’t always join me I have found time here and there to escape on my own, and this week I’ll be sharing my adventures at Art Basel Miami.

Corey was our host last week and her favorites were:

A Day in Glamorous Opatija, Istria – My Life Long Holiday

One of the best views of the beach resort Opatija in Istria Croatia is from the coastal path

The Hamptons Revisited and Billionaire Shortbread – Absolutely Fabulous

Tourrettes-sur-Loup, France – Our World for You

The Town square, Tourrettes-sur-Loup, France

Interrailing in Europe – 1 – Le coin des Bobby

Welcome to Faraway Files, the travel link up hosted every Thursday by Erin from Oregon Girl around the World, Corey from Fifi + Hop, Hilary from Hilarystyle and Clare from Suitcases and Sandcastles.

Faraway Files is a weekly file of the best travel ideas on the web. We want to dream of faraway places, make new travel plans and share our travel secrets. We hope you’ll link up and inspire us to travel to new places or revisit a place we thought we knew. We know that you can feel faraway even when close to home, so share your experiences of travels near and far wherever you are in the world.

Don’t forget to comment on the hosts’ posts as well as any others that catch your eye. The more links you read and share the more fun and successful our community will be, so please join in.

We’ll try to read and comment on every post and we’ll share them on social media too. Each week we’ll choose our favourites and highlight them on our blogs and social media channels using #FarawayFiles.

How it works:

Link up one travel-related post and add the Faraway Files badge onto the post or your blog (code below) or link back to the hosts.
The link up will go live every Thursday at 8am, UK time, until midnight on Friday. It will alternate between Suitcases and Sandcastles, Fifi + Hop, HilaryStyle and Oregon Girl around the World. This week’s link up is right here.
Link ups work best if everyone shares so please comment on all of the marked hosts’ posts and at least one other.
Tweet us your posts (@suitandsand, @oregongirlworld @fifiandhop @hilarystyleme) using the hashtag #FarawayFiles and we’ll retweet to our followers.
Love Instagram? Share your favorite photos from your posts with us, tagging #FarawayFiles and we’ll add our favorites to our Faraway Files Instagram feed.
Check out our Faraway Files Facebook page too.

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Inlinkz Link Party

November 27, 2018July 14, 2019

Adventures of A Traveling Family

When the boys were younger I was frequently asked if I would be bringing them on our travel adventures. The answer was always yes! I know we traveled prior to their arrival, but I hardly remember what it was like, and with very few exceptions, the children have always joined us.

I confess there was a time when I thought occasionally leaving them behind would have been a nice option… Now that they’re getting older I realize our window for family travel is finite and I’m cherishing every opportunity. Speaking of which, my older son turned 16 this month, which is what led me to take this trip down memory lane.

Baby's First Road Trip #babysfirstroadtrip — Baby’s first road trip

Simon was only three weeks old when we took our first family trip, a car ride to Santa Barbara.

You might also be interested in: Santa Barbara

The London Zoo #winniethepooh #londonZoo #familytravel

The London Zoo 2006

London Zoo 2017

We visited the London Zoo when Simon was 3 years old and again when he was 15 and Elliot was 9.

#familytravel #londoneye Travel with Kids

The London Eye 2006

The London Zoo 2006

You might also be interested in: 25 Things to do in London

It hasn’t always gone according to plan, we’ve left strollers in parking lots, formula at home, and wipes in the airport bathroom. Traveling while potty training is always interesting, and I apologize for whoever sat in our seats on United LHR – LAX back in April 2006.

#familytravel #heathrow #layover — Layover at Heathrow

Elliot suffers from air-sickness, and has pretty much thrown up in every place we’ve ever visited, (Lucky me?) I’ve been there to catch it in just as many places. On the rare occasions when this hasn’t happened, Simon usually takes his place. We’ve lost a few retainers that way.

We brought Salmonella home from Hawaii and Fifths Disease to New Orleans. Our flight left without us in Barcelona, we filled our diesel car with gas in Ireland, and once came back to a car filled with thousands of ants in Santa Barbara.

Ross Castle

Killarney National Park

For the most part we’ve been able to make lemonade out of lemons, except maybe that time with the ants, and though our style of travel has changed as the boys have gotten older one thing has stayed the same and that’s my love of the uninterrupted dedicated time that traveling as a family gives us.

You might also be interested in: Travel Mishaps When Life Gives you Lemons…

Maui, Hawaii 2003

A trip to Maui when Simon was just 13 months was our first long distance flight as a family. Happily it went off without a hitch setting the tone for future family travels.

Kaanapali Maui Hawaii #familytravel — Kaanapali Maui Hawaii

Seattle, Washington 2004

We loved our annual trips to Seattle to visit family, especially in the summer months when we could take advantage of the city’s many wonderful parks.

Seattle Washington #familytravel — Queen Anne Playground Seattle

You might also be interested in: Things To See And Do In Seattle

Miami, Florida 2005

Butterfly World will forever be remembered in our family as the first place Simon decided to use the potty. The expression on his face is the way I felt when he said he wanted to use the bathroom!

Butterfly World #familytravel — Butterfly World Miami Florida

Europe 2006

London, Barcelona & Bilbao

Simon was three when we took Our first long haul flight to Europe. We visited London, Barcelona, and Bilbao. Everything was going according to plan until the plane left without us in Bilbao. Thankfully, the airline put us up in a nearby hotel where I had the best pastry I’ve tasted in my life.

Guggenheim Bilbao Spain #familytravel — Guggenheim Bilbao Spain

Mount Rainier National Park, Washington 2007

Mount Rainier Washington #familytravel — Mount Rainier Washington

You might also be interested in: Day Trip to Mount Rainier National Park

Washington, D.C. 2008

#familytravel #washingtondc Travel with Kids — Washington DC 2008

The Big Island of Hawaii 2009

New Orleans, Louisiana 2010

It’s no secret that New Orleans is a family favorite, we go almost every year, and I have a feeling the kids will continue to visit The Crescent City long after they stop traveling with us.

NOLA Zoo

Cafe du Monde New Orleans Louisiana #travelwithkids #familytravel #cafedumonde

Cafe du Monde New Orleans 2010

You might also be interested in: 10 things to do in New Orleans with Kids

Rome, Italy 2011

Visiting the Forum alone with two hungry boys who wanted to be anywhere else isn’t one of my fondest travel memories, but I love what happened afterwards when I treated them to McDonalds. It was the most crowded one I’ve ever seen (to this day), and there was no way I could get inside with a stroller. I couldn’t leave the boys alone, so 9 year old Simon braved the crowd, pushed his way to the front, and ordered two Happy Meals! Where there is a will there is a way!

The Forum

McDonalds Rome Italy

Trevi Fountain Rome Italy — Trevi Fountain

The Big Island of Hawaii 2012

Europe 2013

London, Edinburgh, Barcelona & Paris

A 28 day trip to Europe in 2013 was at that time our longest family adventure to date, and it went off without a hitch! Still a number of years before I would start this blog, I was definitely starting to feel like I had a handle on this family travel business.

Family Travel #paris #familytravel — Paris 2013

St. Paul's London England United Kingdom #familytravel

St. Paul’s Cathedral London

Trying haggis in Edinburgh

Ghost Tour Edinburgh Scotland

Barcelona

Japan 2014

Tokyo & Kyoto

In spring of 2014 we visited Japan, our dream vacation, and it was everything we’d hoped it would be and more. A return visit is high on our family’s wish list and I hope to make this happen before Simon heads off to college…

Tsukiji Fish Market Tokyo

Flower viewing “Hanami:” Kyoto Japan

Food Stalls in Ueno Park Tokyo #uenopark

Ueno Park Tokyo Japan

Europe 2015

Portugal & Spain

A last minute trip to Portugal and Spain in the fall of 2015 meant taking the boys out of school, but dedicated family time is important and we made it work, spending the time between sightseeing and dinner doing homework in the room.

São Jorge Castle Lisbon Portugal

Praia da Marinha Algarve Portugal

Albufeira Algarve Portugal #familytravel

Albufeira Portugal

Alhambra Granada Spain #generalife #familytravel

Generalife Gardens Alhambra

Seville Spain

Portugal Beautiful Lisbon

The Algarve Pinch Me Is This real?

Spain The Alhambra

Europe 2016

Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, England Belgium, The Netherlands & France

In 2016 we set off on a six week journey, our longest trip ever. During our travels we almost kissed the Blarney Stone in Cork, Ireland, signed the Peace Wall in Belfast, Northern Ireland, went to art school in Glasgow, Scotland and walked on Hadrian’s Wall.

Blarney Castle Cork Ireland #familytravel

Kissing the Blarney Stone

Signing the Peace Wall in Belfast

Glasgow School of Art Glasgow Scotland

We spent a few days in London (I wished for more) visiting some of our favorite places, before hopping the train to Belgium where we wished we’d eaten way more chocolate, Amsterdam where we visited Anne Frank’s House and Van Gogh’s Museum and finally Paris, where we practiced our French, sailed boats and wandered aimlessly.

London Chinatown

Brugges Belgium

I Amsterdam

Luxembourg Gardens

Ireland Along the way… Cork

Northern Ireland Belfast

I Amsterdam

Three Days in Brugge

Three Days in London Family Style

Les Jardins de Paris

New Orleans/American Southwest/England 2017

2017 was a busy travel year. We stuffed ourselves during our annual trip to NOLA and survived the soaring summer temperatures on a 2000+ mile road trip through the Great American Southwest. Finally, we brought the year to a close in London where we froze our Southern California butts off on multiple day trips and outings including Bath, Stonehenge, Windsor, Kent, and WB Studios.

Cafe Du Monde

Dat Dog

Mandalay Bay Las Vegas

Bryce Canyon National Park

Monument Valley

Street art master class Shoreditch — Street Art Masterclass Shoreditch

WB The Making of Harry Potter Studio Tour

Corinthia Family Christmas London England

Christmas Tea Corinthia Hotel

Visiting Father Christmas at Hever Castle

The Garden District New Orleans

Postcards from The American Southwest

12 Ways to Celebrate the Festive Season in London

West Coast Road Trip 2018

California & Oregon

We stayed closer to home this past year exploring the West Coast of the United States including Northern California, Oregon, and Southern California including Palm Springs.

Trees of Mystery Klamath California #treesofmystery

Big Foot Trees of Mystery

Eureka California

Arena Point Lighthouse

Cape Meares

Crater Lake

Secret Beach Samuel H. Boardman Scenic Corridor

Glass Beach

The Ultimate West Coast Family Road Trip Part 1: Northern California

The Ultimate West Coast Family Road Trip Part 2: Oregon

Palm Springs Art, Architecture & More

2018s’ final trip will be our annual visit to New Orleans, and beyond that I’m not exactly sure where we’ll be headed next, but I’ve got lots of ideas. Stay tuned…

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December 14, 2017December 14, 2017

Faraway Files #58

Welcome to this week’s edition of Faraway Files, a fabulous travel blogging community, where people from all over the world share their travel tips, inspiration, and adventures! I think of it as the modern day form of having a pen pal(s)! I’m excited to be to be using our new Faraway Files logo, which includes Corey and I, for the first time!

The holidays are upon us, and while I do love our holiday traditions, its nice to shake things up every now and again, so for the first time in six years, the boys and I will be spending our winter holidays away from home! I’ve assured my younger son that Santa will find us, even in London!

Speaking of which… Faraway Files will be taking a break for the holidays, and will return on January 4, 2018, with Katy as the first host of the New Year!

I’m excited about all the fun things we’ve got planned during our visit to London! In the spirit of discovery I’m sharing my post about things I’ve discovered in my own hometown: Los Angeles! My post 50 MORE Things to do in Los Angeles, is a companion piece to last year’s post 50 Things to do… and if you can believe it we’re already deep into EVEN more things to do in LA!

Just like every week there were many inspirational posts! The following were some of my favorites from Faraway Files #57:

Shades of Courage gives us the scoop on transatlantic stopovers, and I’m already thinking we need to plan our next big destination, just so we can include the Azores on our intinerary!

I know I’ll be in London for Christmas this year, but Esther of Your Dutch Guide’s post about the Amsterdam Light Festival has me thinking ahead to next year’s Christmas destination.

Jacki of Hit the Road Jacki shares 5 of her favorite US National Parks. Her photos are stunning, and reading about them gives you an idea of just how vast the United States really is.

Welcome to Faraway Files, the travel link up hosted by Erin from Oregon Girl around the World, Katy from Untold Morsels, Corey from Fifi + Hop, Hilary from Hilarystyle and Clare from Suitcases and Sandcastles

This is the place to link up your travel posts every Thursday. Faraway Files is a weekly file of the best travel ideas on the web. We want to dream of faraway places, to make new travel plans and share our travel secrets. Inspire us to travel to places we’ve never considered before or revisit a place we thought we knew. We know that you can feel faraway even when you’re close to home so share your experiences of travels near and far wherever you are in the world.

We love our link up and the supportive community we’ve created. If you join in, please reciprocate and comment on the hosts’ posts as well as any others that take your eye. If we see a pattern of people not joining in, we have decided that it’s fairest to all of us to remove the links of those posters.

So let’s inspire and share each other’s posts. We’ll try to read and comment on every post and we’ll share them on social media too. Each week we’ll choose our favourites and highlight them on our blogs and social media channels using #FarawayFiles.

How it works:

Link up one travel-related post and add the Faraway Files badge onto the post or your blog (code below) or link back to the hosts.
The link up will go live every Thursday at 8am, UK time, until midnight on Friday. It will alternate between Untold Morsels, Suitcases and Sandcastles, Fifi + Hop, HilaryStyle and Oregon Girl around the World. This week’s link up is right here.
Link ups work best if everyone shares so please comment on all of the marked hosts’ posts and at least one other.
Tweet us your posts (@suitandsand, @UntoldMorsels, @oregongirlworld @fifiandhop @hilarystyleme) using the hashtag #FarawayFiles and we’ll retweet to our followers.
Love Instagram? Share your favourite photos from your posts with us, tagging #FarawayFiles and we’ll add our favourites to our Faraway Files Instagram feed.
Check out our Faraway Files Facebook page too.

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July 4, 2017July 4, 2017

Wanderlust is Calling! Travel Resources & Inspiration Hilarystyle

It’s no secret that exploring the world and everything it has to offer is something I love and want to do more of (hence this blog), but realistically I can’t always be traveling… So how do I keep my wanderlust at bay? I admit it’s not always easy, and some who know me, mainly my husband, might say I fail miserably.

#generalife — Relaxing in the Generalife Gardens of the Alhambra Granada Spain 2015

Feed Your Wanderlust

Feeding my wanderlusting spirit is a full time job! Have I mentioned, I love my job!? Eating out and cooking food from favorite destinations, or places I dream of going is a fun way to satisfy my wanderlust. In fact, we’ve picked destinations based solely on a meal!

Our first family trip to New Orleans came about while planning a ski trip in Tahoe. Sitting in a New Orleans themed restaurant planning, we realized, why not New Orleans? We went straight home and booked our tickets! To this day we’ve never made it to Tahoe, but we do visit New Orleans every year.

#lovecitypark — Taken in City Park during our most recent visit to NOLA in April 2017.

Interested in visiting New Orleans? I’ve written a “few” Articles:

I love fish & chips, and they’re a nice reminder of our visits to London, a favorite destination of mine. We make regular visits to The Wee Chippy, on Venice Beach, and although they don’t offer mushy peas, it does help keep that particular craving satisfied.

We love the food in Spain with two of my favorite items being Manchego cheese and chorizo. I keep a steady supply of both these items in the house at all times!

I don’t know how “Spanish” the Spanish Latte at Menotti’s is, but I do love the coffee in Spain, so this is a nice reminder.

Cheese is easily my favorite food! My local market has a great selection and I was pretty excited to discover they even had Blarney Castle cheese?!

Cork Blarney Castle — Here we are at Blarney Castle in 2016

Blogs & Books

Blogs

Of course I don’t only write a travel blog I also read other travel blogs, which not only helps with planning, but they’re also great for “visiting” places I may never make it to, and for inspiration and advice!

#datdog — I met up with my fellow Blogger, Cory, from Fifi & Hop in New Orleans!

I’ve discovered many wonderful blogs, and have come across real world advice which I know I’ll use. In fact, I already have!

I’ll be traveling throughout Nevada, Utah, and Arizona in a few weeks, and I booked rooms based on Oregon Girl Around the World‘s blog. Thanks to Tanama Tales, I learned I’ll need advance reservations for the Las Vegas Neon Museum, a place I definitely plan on visiting.

Travel Blogs I read frequently:

Clare from Suitcases and Sandcastles writes about family travel. Her photography is stunning, and her destinations are wide ranging, they include everything from remote Greek Islands to The Hundred Acre Wood (otherwise known as Ashdown Forest)!

Katy from Untold Morsels writes about her family’s travels with an emphasis on food and unique places to stay! After reading about her stay in Amsterdam I’m definitely putting houseboat on my list!

Lorelei from Caliglobtrotter is a California girl currently living in Germany. I love reading about her adventures, especially the many castles she visits! Her photography is amazing, and now I know how to pronounce Ljubljana! (Pronounced: Lub-lee-yana)!

Erin of Oregon Girl Around the World currently lives in Copenhagen, but we’re both from the PNW, and I love that we connected with eachother via blogging! She’s full of fun and eco-friendly ideas!

I always look forward to reading posts by The Adventures of Daisy the Bus, written by Jonny a father of four, who loves to travel to places off the beaten path. He paints a lovely picture with his words, his photos are pretty great too, and I have wanted to visit just about every place he mentions!

Cory of Fifi & Hop, who I was lucky enough to meet in New Orleans, writes about her family’s adventures on the East Coast and abroad! I especially loved her post on Tuscany, I was ready to book a flight after reading it!

I love reading Joy Loves Travel who seems to have some similar interests to my own! Her info on Belgium came in handy prior to my own visit there.

Dannii Jane of A Beautiful Thing writes a lifestyle blog, but features her adventures in and around London and Europe. Thanks to her we found ourselves in Camden during our last visit!

Books

I admit I have a guidebook habit. As soon as I learn I’ll be going somewhere, or even if it’s just a possibility I’ll pick up the guidebook(s). I also love travel magazines, the big glossy photos, Best Of lists and the off the beaten path recommendations all feed my passion to see more of the world!

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Though not a book, Instagram is great for inspiration, and I have discovered not only far away places, but many fun ideas much closer to home.

Some of my favorite Instagrammers:

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https://www.instagram.com/p/BTuIN1FA1ut/?taken-by=photosofbritain

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Preserve your Wanderlust

I’m sure I’m not alone when I say I have TOO many photos on my computer and no idea how to manage them all! Recently I’ve started creating photo books using not only my travel pictures, but the text from my blog posts as well. They look lovely, and make great keepsakes.

We don’t just shut our photos up into books on a shelf, we love to print them out for display too! Some of our favorites from near and far are hanging in large format around our home. We love it when people come to visit and ask about the different locations!

#mpixprints — These 20 x 20 London dessert prints hang in my son’s room!

It’s not all about photography! We love a good project, and have created various pieces of art around the house, which represent loved places. Most recently I painted this “graffiti” Union Jack flag using spray paint and resin. I’m practicing for those Venice Art Walls! We can’t forget about the around the world furniture projects!

Lego Destinations

We’re big lego fans in our house and we get excited when sets are created that represent places we’ve been!

#legotowerbridge — This rather large Lego Tower Bridge lives on top of my guidebook shelf!

We built this Tower Bridge set over the winter holidays. I’m anxiously awaiting my Houses of Parliament set, which should keep me busy this summer, while planning what I hope is a Christmas trip to the UK.

Be A Hometown Tourist

Whether or not you’ve lived very long in a place, I guarantee you haven’t done it all! We’ve had such a great time this past year playing tourist in our own town, and with all that Los Angeles has to offer, I see no signs of that slowing down!

In case you’re interested, here are just some of the articles I’ve written about our recent discoveries in and around the Los Angeles area!

The J. Paul Getty Museums

8 Reasons VENICE Should Top your LA List

50 Things To Do in Los Angeles

The Museum of Ice Cream Los Angeles

The Hidden Staircases of Silver Lake

Downtown Los Angeles Graffiti & Mural Walking Tour

InstaLA! 15 Places to Snap Those InstaGood Pics

InstaLA! Part 2: #WallAntics

Tourist In My Own Town

One Amazing Day in LA!

Warner Brothers Studio Tour

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

The Last Bookstore…

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June 27, 2017June 27, 2017

Brides & Wedding Traditions From Around the World

June is wedding season, so…

I’ve been married for 16 years, but the romantic in me still gets excited when I see a bride, and for some reason even more so when I’m traveling! Maybe because someone once told me it’s good luck to see a bride? Or because I still remember how happy I was on my wedding day and I’m reminded of those feelings? Or maybe because I know what’s coming… ha ha!

Wedding traditions vary from country to country, but apparently the lure of the white dress is universal, as I’ve seen them everywhere from New Orleans, Louisiana to Tokyo, Japan!

I always try to snap a photo when I see brides, and the following photos are collected from the past few years of travel. Please do keep in mind that these photos are usually taken from a distance, a moving car, or a hotel window, as I wasn’t actually invited to any of these weddings. Along with the photos I’ve included some fun facts and wedding traditions from around the globe. Of course I’m including my own wedding photo… Let’s hope all these lovely couples are still as happily married as I am!

Toledo, Spain

This photo was taken in 2015 at Ayuntamiento Plaza just outside the Catherdral of Toledo, one of the more beautiful cathedrals I’ve ever visited. Toledo is known as the City of Three Cultures, which includes Muslims, Christians and Jews.

Popular in many parts of the world Spanish brides also throw their boquets with the idea that the one to catch it will be the next to marry. A Spanish variation on the same theme is to pin an upsidedown corsage on unmarried female guests. If the corsage is lost during the festivities that lucky lady will be the next to marry!

Tokyo, Japan

This photo was taken in 2014 during breakfast in lobby of the Tokyo Penninsula Hotel. It was quite early in the morning, so I was somewhat surprised to hear wedding music and then see a bride appear, but I got this picture just as she was almost out of sight!

Quick Change

In Japan the bride will often wear multiple outfits during the ceremony and reception, as many as four, sometimes ending with a western style party gown, which signifies her return to everyday life. Guests at a Japanese wedding will give gifts of money to the bride and groom in small paper packets called mizuhiki.

London, England

I took this photo in 2013 during one of our many visits to London. We had just finished the Tower Bridge Experience, which by the way is a fascinating attraction! This seems like a lovely, although crowded, place for wedding photos.

Royal Icing

Many of today’s most popular white wedding traditions can be attributed to Queen Victoria. It was Queen Victoria’s wedding cake, that first used the icing known today as “royal” icing. Hence the name royal… I love that!

Paris, France

This shot was taken in 2016 outside Notre Dame de Paris just after we climbed to the top!

After our 2016 visit to La Madeleine, a beautiful church commissioned by Napoleon, I decided to take a quick lap around the building, and came upon this lovely bridal couple!

Wedding Cake

A croquembouche is a tower of delicious cream filled pastries held together with delicate strings of caramel. These delicious towers are often served at a French wedding. I read that the idea originates from guests bringing small cakes and other treats to wedding celebrations and piling them high on the table.

Amsterdam, Holland, The Netherlands

Having only just arrived in Amsterdam during our 2016 Europe trip, we were on our way to the hotel when I looked out and saw this bridal party! Our taxi was speeding past and I stuck my camera out the window!

Bridal Showers

A popular tradition in the United States, the bridal shower originated in Holland. When a Dutch bride’s family was too poor to provide a dowry, or if the father did not approve of the match her friends would “shower” her with gifts that were often included in the dowry.

#dutchweddingclogs — Traditional Dutch Wedding Clogs

Belfast, Northern Ireland

This photo was taken during our 2016 visit to Belfast, from inside the Titanic Belfast Museum, which is apparently a popular wedding venue. We loved our visit to this museum, and what an amazing backdrop!

A traditional Irish wedding toast:

“Friends and relatives, so fond and dear, ’tis our greatest pleasure to have you here. When many years this day has passed, fondest memories will always last. So we drink a cup of Irish mead and ask God’s blessing in your hour of need.”

The guests respond: “On this special day, our wish to you, the goodness of the old, the best of the new. God bless you both who drink this mead, may it always fill your every need.“

New Orleans, Lousiana

This photo of a Second Line Parade was taken from my hotel window in 2016 at the Omni Royal Hotel on Royal Street in the French Quarter!

Weddings in New Orleans have a special added flare, especially weddings in the French Quarter! The Bride and groom might arrive at their reception via horse drawn carriage, or by leading a second line parade preceded by a jazz band! Now that’s making an entrance!

Second Line Parade

Staying the French Quarter is always interesting, and no matter night or day, you never know what you might see when you look out your window!

While second line parades stem from African American jazz funerals they have evolved to become part of many celebrations in New Orleans. The second line parade at a wedding signifies the befinning of the new life between the bride and groom. Don’t be surprised if you see one these cheerful wedding parades leading the entire wedding, guests and all, from the church to the reception.

This photo was taken during our 2015 visit from my hotel window at the Hyatt French Quarter in 2015.

Ribbon Pulling

While I haven’t seen the ribbon pulling tradition in action, I find the idea fascinating. Similar in tradition to the bride tossing her boquet the cake’s frosting has “meaningful” charms hidden within, each one attached to a ribbon. Female guests pull the ribbons to find out their future fate. You might pull out the heart signifying true love, but then again you may get the button, symbolic for old maid…

Costa Mesa, California

This photo was taken just the other day while the boys and I were running errands and enjoying treats from Susie Cakes at the South Coast Plaza Mall. While I don’t think I would chose this location for my wedding photos, I always enjoy seeing a happy wedding party!

Did you know?

Los Angeles is the most popular city in California to get married? Popular wedding trends in the Golden State include eco-friendly ideas, rustic chic, farm fresh to table fare, and free form flower boquets.

Speaking of flowers… fellow blogger, Katy from Untold Morsels, had her wedding flowers wrapped up and gifted to her guests at the end of the reception! That’s a wedding favor I’d like to have, and eco-friendly too!

Seattle

This is a picture of my wedding photo because apparently I didn’t see the future of digital, and I turned down a cd with my wedding photos on it… hindsight is truly 20/20.

If I had to do it over again, I’m only talking about the wedding folks, I might like to have a destination wedding! Maybe in one of these amazing places, or maybe I’d do everything exactly the same… Anyway… if you’re wondering, our wedding and reception took place in Downtown Seattle in the atrium of one of Tim’s favorite buildings, what can I say he’s an architect. Some of the traditions we included: Something old, new, borrowed and blue, a first dance, and cutting and eating the cake together.

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January 22, 2016January 21, 2016

I. Am. A. Runner.

Earlier this month I completed my 500th class at the studio where I workout! I’m pretty proud of myself! Here’s the thing, 5 years ago, this month, when I started working out, I wasn’t really sure how long it would last. Let’s be honest, I wasn’t sure I would make it a week. However, I had recently returned from a trip to New Orleans, and from the way my jeans were feeling, I might have eaten one too many beignets. Rather than complain about it, I was taking action!

I would be a runner.

I borrowed an old pair of Nikes, buckled Elliot into his buggy and away we went!

Okay, It Wasn’t Quite That Easy…

Not really grasping what it meant to “go for a run,” I threw on some old sweats, an oversized t-shirt and those borrowed Nikes and headed to the park… 3 MILES from our house! WHAT WAS I THINKING? Now I had to get home, and to say I was out of shape would be an understatement. I stopped multiple times and had to walk/limp the last two miles home. A full week went by before I could use the bathroom without holding onto the wall for support. This was going to be much harder than I thought…

The Proverbial Carrot at the End of the Stick

I didn’t want to quit, but this running thing was hard. I needed something to help keep me on track… I needed… a new running outfit! So I set a goal for myself:

Goal: Run twice a week for one month.

Reward: New running outfit from Lululemon

This might not have been the right goal for everyone, but it worked perfectly for me, and of course once I got the new outfit I had no choice, but to get my money’s worth out of it… Not only that, but within 6 weeks my jeans weren’t snug anymore and I felt noticeably happier and healthier!

Shortly after I achieved my goal, I decided to sign up for my first race, a Half Marathon! Not only did I complete that race, but I immediately signed up for another one…

But That’s Not All…

I was now open to a whole new world, the world of fitness, and when a friend asked me to join her for an indoor cycling class… I thought why not? Guess What? 5 years and 500 classes later we are still spinning together!

I’m still running with the same group of fabulous ladies I started with! I wish I could tell you more, but we have a saying, What’s said on the run, stays on the run…

Anyway…The Rest is History

Since the beginning I’ve run thousands of miles, taken literally hundreds of fitness classes and set many goals, which I then crushed. I even became a certified running coach!

In case you’re thinking, but I’m not a runner, I’m not fast enough, I can’t keep up… Remember, I never thought I would make it past one week!

Here are a few tips that have helped me along the way:

Run Happy. Whatever it takes! Give yourself permission to do what is best for you.
Fight the mental battle. Are you really hurt? Is it really that hard? Are you just tired? You can do this!
Bring a friend or 7. That’s right, while it was me who dragged myself out of bed to train on those cold dark winter mornings and it was also me who went to those cycling classes every week for 5 years another very large part of it was the motivation I got from knowing my friends would be there sweating with me!
Listen to Your body. One of the hardest things for an athlete to do is take a break, but If something doesn’t feel right don’t keep going. Remember if you take good care of yourself you’ll have a lot of miles ahead of you.
Don’t quit on yourself. You. Are. A. Runner. It’s not about how fast or how far, it’s about getting it done and doing something for you!
Make a playlist. For those days when your crew can’t make it, bring along some tunes to help pass the miles.
Look good. Start every workout with fresh stylish gear! Nobody’s motivated when they don’t feel like they look good.