Coundown OVER (almost)

My friends!

Tomorrow is the day! I'm finally packing up to go on my long-awaited Europe trip with my dear friend, Kristin.

Though I was against the idea at first, I'm bringing along my computer on the trip. I didn't want to lug the thing around, but Robbie, my dad and Kristin's parents convinced me it would be a handy thing to have while we're over there. I'm guessing that they mostly just wanted us to bring a computer so we could Skype them!

Having my computer, though, means I'll be blogging while I'm there!! Look for photo posts of our adventures. I can't wait to share the bazillion photos I'll be taking while we're there.

Tomorrow, I'm heading up to San Fran to stay at Page and Ryan's place until I fly out with Kristin on Monday.

Which means tonight is PACKING NIGHT!

A couple of things that are going in my bag:

This is one of the two purses I'm bringing. This one's smaller and for going out at night. I love the across-the-body trend that's going on right now with purses, so I'm trying it out.

(Target)

After going out to a birthday dinner for the lovely and talented Carizza and seeing one of her close friends wearing this top, I had to get it. She pulled it off so well! I LOVE all things lace.

(Forever21)

My sister, Page, was TOO thoughtful. She went on an Amazon rampage and bought a ton of things for me to take to Europe (including five converters for my electronics...!). One super cute thing she bought for me was a pair of little ballet flats that fold up and fit in my purse! EXCELLENT for a night out on the town.

(Thanks, Page!!)

Also wanted to give a BIG thank you to Miss Ashley Sacknoff. She lent me the backpack she used when she studied abroad in London last summer.

(Thanks, Ashley!)

Another cool thing Page got for me: travel-sized laundry detergent, body wash and hand soap! I LOVE the idea of being able to wash a shirt I've worn twice in my hotel with this tiny little laundry detergent. I never knew doing laundry could be so cute!

(Thanks, Page!!)

A must-have for any trip I go on: travel journal. I got this at Borders a while ago. Aren't the little buildings adorable?

My kindle!!! My dad bought this for me as a graduation gift and it's been a beautiful gift thus far. I have a LOT of travel time on this trip, so I'm happy to have access to millions upon millions of books.

(Thanks, Dad!)

Travel documents... itinerary, flight schedules, hotel reservations, maps, passport, etc. Marilyn, Robbie's mom, always makes Robbie a folder with his travel info in it. I got the idea from her!

(Thanks, Marilyn!)

Also got this lovely Izod pouch from Marilyn! On my visit with the Moens a few weeks ago, she gave me this little guy to take to Europe with me! I'm using it to store all of my electronic stuff and as a passport holder during the day.

(Thanks, Marilyn!)

THANK YOU to everyone who has made this trip extremely easy to look forward to. I even got an email from an Electrical Engineering student, Allan, from Cal Poly giving me all sorts of travel advice! So thoughtful!

Look for more posts this week of travel bliss.

xoxoxoxooxxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxox

Come back, Roberto

Friends,

This last week I was feeling especially sorry for myself that Robbie is more than a thousand miles away, so instead of continuing my pity party, I headed to San Diego to visit his parents, Marilyn and Tim.

I'm so glad I did.

Marilyn and Tim are the kind of people that make you feel like you've known them your entire life. They have the greatest stories and they're so welcoming. It was great hanging out with them for the afternoon in beautiful San Diego. The three of us had lunch and spent the afternoon on the back patio. Marilyn and I did what we always do- sipped on almond champagne and white wine.

I got my little dose of the Moen family this weekend, which will keep me going for a little while longer.

Missing this boy.

Starting the four month count down until we're in the same place at the same time...

xoxo

The ya-ya sisterhood

My lovelies,

I have two wonderful sisters. One knits, the other blogs. Today, I'm going to tell you all about the blogger. Another time, I'll share with you the knitter.

(left to right: Lauren, Page, Nikol. Photo courtesy of the talented Anne McCarthy)

Page, aka The Mrs. (she was married a year ago to the wonderful RC), is wonderfully creative. She has an eye for design and has always had a knack for fashion. The reason I love, love, love her blog is because it keeps me up-to-date on what's "in" AND it features her amazing crafting ability. This girl can craft like none other. Everything she makes looks like it either came out of Pottery Barn or a Martha Stewart magazine.

What also is awesome about her blog is that it features some really cool, unique spots in San Francisco. Since she's a newbie in the city, she's exploring the nooks and crannies of everything San Francisco has to offer.

Basically, her blog is a fashionable, crafty must-see list of SF. Or something like that. Definitely check her out before August 20th and leave a comment to be entered into a drawing for a FREE birchbox.

Some fun facts about my sister:

- I used to call her ya-ya because I couldn't say Page.

- She is fantastic at poetry. Her rhyming ability is amazing- I swear she could be the next Eminem.

- She's the greatest at giving gifts because she is so thoughtful.

- The girl can't sing, but she sure has rhythm and sweet dance moves.

I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful and talented sister. Thank you, Page, for all that you do for me.

xoxo

Next up: Miss Lauren Mae and her knitting skills!

The East Side

Friends,

It's about a month away. Just a few months ago, my wonderful friend Kristin and I decided we were going to Europe. Just like that. We thought, why not? We could scrounge up the money and wouldn't that be a nice reward to ourselves for finishing four years of college?

And here we are. Five weeks away from hopping on the plane to visit Eastern Europe.

Sometimes I can't believe how incredibly blessed I am to have the life that I have.

Lots of people have asked, why Berlin, Prague and Vienna?

Answer: I've been to France and Switzerland. Kristin's been to Italy. Neither of us wanted to go to Spain or Great Britain at this point in our lives, so we figured Eastern Europe was the way to go.

During these last couple of days, I've been gearing up for my trip:

Thanks, Borders, for the lovely maps. While I'm sad you're going out of business, I'm happy for all the deals.

*p.s. Has anyone noticed how much they've jacked up the prices of their books and then put them on "sale?" Psh. Rip off.

And thank you, public library, for the wonderful travel guides. Check out my travel survival book- if I get stuck in the jungle, desert or sea, I'll know just how to get by, thank you very much.

If you have any travel tips or books I should read, please tell! Kristin and I need as many recommendations as I can get before we can hit the road!

Next up: the long awaited and promised feature on my sister Page.

xoxoooxoxoxoxoo

How old am I again?

My dears,

I don't know about you, but I've been obsessed with Harry Potter since the book series began in 5th grade. Since the last movie came out a couple of weeks ago, I've been finding all sorts of fun Harry Potter things all over the internet.

The star of the show, Harry Potter:

The adorable and charming Ron Weasly:

And the once-frizzy, now-elegant Hermoine:

(via a spot of whimsy, source Empire Magazine)

Adorable.

If you haven't seen the movie yet, shame on you.

xoxo!

I heart Star Wars

My friends,

If there's one thing you must know about me, it's that I adore Star Wars. I don't know how many Halloweens I dressed up as Princess Leia and Queen Amidala. After watching the original Star Wars: A New Hope with Robbie and realizing what a big Star Wars nerd he was, I knew he was it.

So when I came across this photo, I couldn't help but share it with you.

(via reasonswhyweloveclaire)

Translation: "That's not a moon."

Adorable.

xo

Converting to Texanism

My lovely friends,

I'm back in action in the blogging world, I promise. There have been a ton of changes in the last month or so that have kept me from posting, but I'M BACK!

I'm a graduated girl now! Graduation weekend was the best weekend ever. If you're interested, read all about it on my sister Page's blog, PageonPaper. If you haven't had a chance to check out her crafty little blog, please do. She's a wonderfully talented little lady with an eye for design & all things crafty. She's always posting cool finds around the internet. I'll be sure to do a feature on her and her adorable blog soon!

Since graduation, I've moved back home to save money, plan a trip to europe with my hilarious friend, Kristin, and get ready to move to Austin, Texas with my handsome boyfriend, Robert.

That's right, I'm going to be a Texan.

Before diving into the responsibilities of being a Texan (which I'm assuming are wearing cowboy boots and loving America- two things I pretty much already do), I took a trip to Austin to check it all out.

I met Robbie there (he was already in the city training for his job) and we spent the week exploring the weird and wonderful city of Austin.

Texas is hot. Riverside is hot, but Texas is Texas-hot. The secret to keeping cool? Swim whenever possible.

Robbie took me to a sweet pool that his new Austin friends had taken him to: Barton Springs. Let me tell you, this place is a Godsend.

The water is refreshingly cold. There's great people-watching. AND, if you're lucky, since Austin is one of the few cities in America where going topless is legal, you may see a pair of you-know-whats hanging around.

The pool itself is huge. It looks like a normal pool, but the bottom is totally natural. There are rocks and seaweed and fish swimming around in the water.

Sam (Robbie's friend from school) and Robbie jumped off the diving board.

Sam's flip was fantastic.

Robbie's jump... a little less graceful. Equally fantastic, though.

The city of Austin is gorgeous. Even the graffiti was pretty. I think the graffiti on the train bridge in this picture said something along the lines of, "peace and love," or something to that effect. Adorable.

The bars and clubs in Austin were awesome. Sam's uncle owns The Continental, so we were treated like VIPs when we went there. They had some excellent bands playing there, including the Mother Truckers and The Happen-Ins. Loved both bands.

On 6th Street, which reminded me a lot of the French Quarter in New Orleans, we went to the Blind Pig and the boys played this punching game. (I wasn't a fan.)

Robbie practically broke his hand.

And Sam broke something else...

His pants.

One thing to note about Texas: they don't care if you drink in public as long as your container is covered.

So noted the dry-erase board when we entered Hamilton Pool: "No public display of alcohol consumption." As long as your beer is in a beer koozie, you're set.

This was taken right before we saw the pool. Before we saw...

THIS! This picture can't show you just how massive this rock is. Hamilton Pool is absolutely gorgeous.

The handsome boyfriend.

My not-so-fantastic photo-taking skills.

There were mini waterfalls everywhere. The pool was absolutely stunning.

My first impression of Texas was definitely a good one. I'm looking forward to going back and spending some more time with the McCarthy family/my second cousins.

Texas, I think I can handle you.

xoxoxoxoxooxoxox