LA

Just came back from a whirlwind of a trip from LA.  Adam is really happy.  Ben took two days off from work to hang out with us.  I was such a third wheel.

Will update photos from the trip which included a ton of eating.  Good stuff.

photo via

dream vacay

the last couple of days in mount pleasant have been really weird. very cold and windy.  the day before that had lots of rain that melted the snow, then we got hit with more cold freezing the rain (making for icy, slippery roads).  thank goodness for the sun today.

I am totally wishing for a warm getaway.  Living in the cold is very hard.

So I am thinking this one piece ...

and the Turks and Caicos for my fantasy vacation getaway?

I want to go to there: Tulum

Is it wrong that everytime I come home from a vacation, I am already dreaming about where I want to go next?

I want to go to Tulum.  Will someone take me?  Thanks!

image via sousstyle

bananas foster

I will write about our trip soon... unless you follow me on instagram (I went pretty crazy).  I even annoyed myself with my photos (sorry).  I think of it as a journal taking/making.. so I am reminded of my time there.

The food in New Orleans is soooo good.  But you know if it tastes good, it is probably bad for you.  I am really bad at eating healthy and really good at choosing the wrong thing.  My new obsesssion of this trip was 1. fried oysters (so good) and 2. bananas foster.  Have you ever had bananas foster?

I dunno exactly what it is.  I think you cook a sauce with bananas.  I got a french toast version and a cheesecake version.  Anyway, I cannot wait to bake a bananas foster cheesecake for our next dinner guests.

image via pinterest

Travel: Morocco (Marrakech)

here are a few pictures from Marrakech.

We drove into the Atlas Mountains.  Kids run to the roadside when they see a car pass by.  We had little gifts for the children.  Doesn't this photo look like photo from Tom Shoes website?

In the Atlas mountains we had lunch made by a berber family.  Chicken tagine and vegetable couscous.  So amazing and delicious!

We took a break from getting lost in the markets.  I ordered a lemonade and it was lemon juice.  I put three packets inside.

We took a camel ride

Caroline at Ben Youssef

Carpet shopping

My handsome husband.

I took over a thousand pictures.  MOst of them blurry. haha

reads

When Adam travels to a foreign country, he always picks up a book about the country. Not a travel guide (well we buy a few of those) but a book written in the country we are visiting, etc.

Since we were visiting Morocco, his book was the Lemon by Mohammed Mrabet.

I on the other hand, like to read crappy girly books. Chick-lit.  It has turned into a tradition for sister Caroline and I.  In Puerto Vallarta we read Emily Giffin books.  She wrote Something Borrowed, Something Blue and a few others.  I read like four of her books in one week.

For Morocco, we both downloaded Fifty Shades of Grey on our electronic readers.  I was embarrassed to read those on the plane thinking the person next to me would know.  I read the book for five hours straight on a train ride.  I'm such a prude I can't believe I read those books. 

the drive home

I hate flying but airports are one of my favorite places.

This is a photo of our drive home from the airport last week.

The closest international airport is two and a half hours from our house.  It is a bit of a trek just getting there.  I miss the ten minute drive to LAX.

weekend San Francisco

Last week we took a long weekend trip to San Francisco...

day two: nashville

we start our day brunching at marche artisan foods.  they are known for "taking you out of nashville for a little while."  adam orders the potato/pastrami hash and i order the special mushroom omelette.  i see a hip guy in all black getting out of a car. i think to myself that guy kind of looks like jack white. i look a little closer, it is him.

i tell adam, "don't look but it's jack white." adam loves jack white. he's been into him and the white stripes for a long time. he looks at me like "yeah right" but looks back out the window. he panics a little.  it was pretty funny.  he couldn't eat his food after he came in.  adam had the perfect view from where we were sitting.  karen elson joins the group after a little bit. she is one of my favorite models but looked really plain and small (not at all model-like).

oh yeah, we saw another psuedo celebrity.  all these tourists were going crazy and we see cameras... the couple from big world little people?  i dunno. i took a picture of i think i deleted it because i didn't know what it was..

photo: vogue

a few memphis photos...

adam did quite a bit of research for our tennessee trip. 

it feels so nice to be in sun. i loved being able to wear flats or boots that aren't made to walk in snow.

pretty flowers

we stayed at the historic peabody hotel. 

sunset

 

same or similar?

so we saw brad goreski from rachel zoe project at a restaurant in puerto vallarta.  he was seated next to us for a little bit. 

  i haven't watched his new show. do you know if its any good?

left by brad goreski, right by sayaka nasu

dilemma: weddings

two weddings, two states, finals, one weekend.  can i do it?

about to beg, adam says not to pray for stupid things. haha

*sorry, i dont know where i got this image :(

my favorite holiday

thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays.  can you believe it is only three weeks away?

adam and i are headed to sister caroline's in berkeley for thanksgiving weekend.  last year was pretty fun, we cooked all day, ate leftovers and went on a fancy (with a stretch suv limo!) wine tour.  I can't wait for this year!

photo source

covet: map

this special map comes with pins so you can tack where you've been  (includes a red pin for headquarters and blue pin for next target and 200 black pins for destinations). 

i think it is a nice gift for adam (or is it for me?) for christmas.  $180 might be slightly out of reach. what do you think?

traveling in style

you know those people that are super stylish at the airport? well i wish i was a little more stylish when traveling. i'm in my 30's so comfort come before anything (or is it because i live in michigan?).

this week is  a travel week for a lot of people i know. elena and my brother are heading out to london (plus serbia and budapest). jason and mavis are going to tokyo. we'll be at the same airport, on the same day, just a few hours apart. i told her to come early, she tells me to change my flight.  it would of been so fun to hang out with m + j in another country. i guess next time...

source

athens

how to describe greece? i call it a dirtier paris. well the two days spent in athens was pretty awesome. i love europe because the cities are a mix of old and modern. you don't see that in u.s. since it is a new country. i love europe. in my next life, i'd to come back as a european.

oh yeah. food is amazing! i have not had a single bad food while here. everything is fresh and so good.the cheeses-so delicious!

anyway, we got to santorini today. i hope to take some pictures. it is probably the most beautiful place i have been to ever.

yes.

buy here

dreaming of

EF - Live The Language - Paris from Albin Holmqvist on Vimeo.

EF - Live The Language - Barcelona from Albin Holmqvist on Vimeo.

EF - Live The Language - London from Albin Holmqvist on Vimeo.

EF - Live The Language - Beijing from Albin Holmqvist on Vimeo.

I totally love this! Getting the itch to travel again...

superdawg

I bought Adam the 1000 things to do before you die book for his birthday. It lists places to visit, eat, etc. I thought it would be fun book to have especially since we have been fortunate to travel the past few years. One of the things to do in Chicago is to visit Superdawg. It has been a Chicago institution since 1948 and one of the last original drive-in's left in the US.Mascot's of Superdawg..Maurie and Flaurie.
Retro containers..
my whoopskidawg
Adam's superdawg with all the fixin's



It was fun. Can't wait to do it again!

traveling east

adam's sister went to hong kong/cambodia/vietnam/south africa this summer for 40 days! well she mailed us an awesome package and the package is mostly for me. yes!