To the West Coast.

Traveling is something that we love to do. Whether it is a quick trip out of New York City or one where we have to travel many of hours, we love love love to explore. So much so that we try to do something at least once a month--this is so much more fun than saving up for that big bank-breaker once a year (although, I am not entirely opposed to this). However, for this time in our lives, these small, wallet friendly trips are wonderful.
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In May, we were able to fly back home to California to visit with family and friends. I guess we can call if a late birthday present for myself--which I greatly appreciated! This was our first time going back home for a long stretch since we moved out here. It was so nice to be home in the comfort of familiarity. We were so busy meeting friends for coffee and catching up that we were constantly on the go, but we agreed that it was definitely worth it. On the first day, Pat and I decided to go to the beach and grab a local favorite for a quick day date. We picked up this said treat and walked down to the beach to eat and 30 minutes later, I am a bright red tomato! My poor skin hadn't seen the sun in months (sad, sad NY winters) and was shocked back into reality on our FIRST day. With that said, I was burnt and uncomfortable for the first couple of days, but was still able to go to the beach with friends (sat under an umbrella of course). For the last 3 days of our trip, we drove up with my in-laws to San Francisco. We stayed with my sister-in-law in the city but we were also able to visit Berkeley and Oakland. We visited with friends and of course indulged in some local food favorites. Pat went to college in Berkeley, so this trip back there made him all sorts of happy. We spent lots of time with family, saw great friends, and ate amazing foods that we had missed. We can't wait for our next trip back to the west coast. Until then, California!

Sweet Treat.

A couple of weeks ago, I made a delicious treat with my sister. 

This said treat was a lemon lavender cheesecake that was raw, vegan, and gluten free. YUM! The secret ingredient? CASHEWS! It was amazing, the texture these nuts made after being blended in the food processor. I was amazed and very happy with the way it turned out. Boy, I do love a good sweet treat.
Happy Fourth of July!

xo

Life is full of adventure.

We have been all over lately! Boston, California, Tennessee...the list goes on! We are a traveling bunch and could not be enjoying this time any more. I will put up pictures from all of our trips soon but I wanted to share this picture from Tennessee this last weekend. We went canoeing down a river for a day and it was so amazing. The weather was perfect, our company was just right, and we made memories that will last a lifetime. Thank you Tenneessee for a great trip!

xo

Birthday Festivities.

Earlier this month, I turned a year older. 

We celebrated and it was a lot of fun. The husband is great with surprises and celebrations. The day before, we met my sister, brother in law, and nephew at the Pier One Park and ate Grimaldis pizza and drank ginger jasmine soda on the grass. It was a beautiful day and so much fun eating with the skyline in the background, fellow picnickers enjoying themselves, and the sun shining brightly. 

On the day of, I woke up to a whole day of festivities, mostly involving food, which was perfect.  Along each stop, he had a package and a note with a clue to what we were doing next. We ate awesome food, picnicked in parks, walked the High Line, met with friends for dessert with many stops along the way. We talked about this past year of my life and some goals for this next year. This is one of my favorite things to do on our special celebrations--reminiscing and setting goals. This is something that takes place quite often around here, especially on these types of days. I am so grateful for the wonderful memories I have from last year and I am looking forward to what is in store for me this next year. I look forward to continuing on this adventure of life with the ones I love.

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Here's to another year!

xo

Road Trip up North.

A few days ago, we returned home from our quick trip up north. We visited some friends in Providence, Rhode Island. Strangely enough, this was a dream come true for me. Ever since I learned about the states in grade school, I told myself that one day I wanted to make it to the "smallest state in the United States". I know that sounds a bit strange, but I am really glad that I was able to explore this quaint little state and the people that live in it. One of my husband's childhood friends attends Brown University, so we spent a lot of time around the school. While we were there, we also made a trip up to Boston, MA.  I had never been there before so we thought we'd make the hour drive up to explore. We visited the Central Park-like Boston Commons. We made our way to the Freedom Trail and spent the rest of the morning following the red path throughout the city visiting graves, churches, battle passes, Paul Revere's home, the US Constitution ship, etc. After finishing the historic trail, we made our way over to Cambridge to walk around Harvard University and MIT. After getting a parking ticket (nearly 4 minutes after our meter expired--they're quick!), we ventured off to grab some dinner. Life Alive caught our attention and we chowed down on some healthy, vegan food. We stopped by the bombing sites from the Boston Marathon. It was heartbreaking to see the items of homage sprawled out on the curbs. It's one thing to see on television but things become much more real when you are there, taking it all in. On our way out, we stopped by Fomu to grab dessert. This is an ice cream shop that uses coconut as the base for the icy-treat. It was delicious and definitely a place that we would go to again when back in Boston. It was a lot of walking, but I think that living in New York this last year prepped us for the day on our feet. 

The next day, we said our goodbyes, left Providence, and headed for New Haven, CT. Another one of my husband's friends attends Yale University, so we stopped by to visit him and explore the campus. Yale University is the most beautiful campus I have ever seen--the trees, gothic architecture, the community feel--all of it. It was such a treat to tour this charming school. For lunch we stopped by Frank Pepe's Pizza. Seriously, the best pizza we have ever had. If you are in the area, you must go. 

Before heading back to Brooklyn, we stopped and visited a family in Redding, CT (we also stopped by Terrain--amazing!). It was great to grab dinner and catch up with them and their lives. 

We are back in Brooklyn now but are anxiously awaiting our next road trip. We just have to figure out where to go!

XO