It’s no secret around here that I LOVE London. I always tell people when they are thinking about making their first trip overseas, that London is a great way to dip their toe into international travel. This incredible capital city has something for every traveler. Incredible history, stunning architecture, big city energy, delicious foodie markets, … Read more
When I was a kid, summer vacation was all about road trips. My dad LOVES to drive. Always has. My grandpa did too. Every summer I remember my dad taking a couple of weeks off from his shop and we would hit the open road on long road trips. Sometimes my grandparents would join us … Read more
It’s been said that Paris is always a good idea…and I’m here to let you know that Paris is a good idea at Christmas too. A couple of years ago John threw out the idea of heading to Paris for Christmas. Andy was on his mission and we were looking for a bit of an … Read more
A couple of months ago John had a conference at the Omni Dallas hotel in the heart of downtown Dallas. Whenever he has work meetings, if I can, I like to tag along. These days it’s gotten a lot easier with both kids in college. Its kind of a weird thing to have the freedom … Read more
If you’ve been following along with the blog or on instagram for a while, then you probably have a pretty good idea of just how much we love Disneyland in our family. 😉 Living with Disneyland park just 20 minutes up the road for the last 20 years has turned us into slight fanatics. This … Read more
John had a work conference in Nashville, TN in November and I tagged along. I was SO excited. I had never been to Nashville and it has been one of those places on my list for years. In late 2020 John had to go for work and I just wasn’t comfortable traveling at that time, … Read more
Have you ever been to the Cotswolds? The Cotswolds are a region in central to southwest London comprising more than 800 sq miles of lush rolling green hills, ancient moss covered stone walls, roaming sheep, wandering rivers, and quintessential English villages with their stone buildings and thatched roofs dotting the landscape. In other words, it … Read more
Staying at the Halekulani Sixteen years ago John read an article in Travel & Leisure about this magical place in Honolulu, right on a stretch of Waikiki Beach called the Halekulani. It was our tenth anniversary and we were heading to Hawaii to celebrate. We had spent our honeymoon in Honolulu and we were excited … Read more
Christmas Markets, incredible lighting displays, festive decor, amazing shopping and dining, seasonal shows and events, and lots of entertainment are just a few of the many reasons that visiting London at Christmas is a must. I’ve been fortunate to spend time in many world class cities at Christmas time – Los Angeles, New York, Paris…and … Read more
A trip to London always leaves me feeling inspired and like my cup is full. It’s always an absolute dream to be wandering down the bustling streets in this beautiful city lined with gorgeous townhouses and quaint shops and restaurants. This post contains affiliate links. Click here to read my full disclosure policy. On our last couple … Read more
Summertime in Phoenix anyone? If you’ve been watching the news this week, I’m sure you’ve seen the record setting 100+ degree temps that they are currently dealing with…not unusual for Phoenix, but I’m sure it doesn’t typically scream “I want to vacation there right now!!” 😉 Well, hopefully this post might change your mind. John … Read more
I hope you are having a great start to your week. I spent yesterday being lazy and recouping from a busy week and now I’m ready to dive into another one! Do you ever need to do that? Just take a minute to kind of reset? I definitely do or else I can get kind … Read more
It’s what fairytale dreams are made of…a princess castle nestled in the forest of Germany. Take one look at Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany and you can see how it inspired Walt Disney to create Sleeping Beauty’s castle. When we added Germany to our travel itinerary, driving out to see this gorgeous cliffside castle was a … Read more
Ashley and I are headed on a little UK adventure in a few weeks so I’ve been researching (one of my favorite things to do when planning a trip!) for all the best of everything that London has to offer. I have been fortunate to spend a fair amount of time in London, but I … Read more
How do you plan your family vacations? With the kids schedules and John’s schedule being SO crazy these days, we have found that the easiest thing for us to do is to sit down as a family at the beginning of the year and look at the calendar so we can get something planned out … Read more
One Hotel Brooklyn Bridge is a sanctuary in the city. John and I had the chance to stay on a trip to the Better Homes & GardensStyleMaker conference and it did not disappoint! Located waterfront on Brooklyn Bridge Park, 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge sits right beside the East River and five blocks west of the … Read more
For Christmas last year we had the pleasure of traveling to France for the holiday break. As you know, if you’ve been following along with our travels for the last many years, we love to rent a car when we travel and drive all over creation. On this trip we started in Paris, where we … Read more
Rome, Venice, Lake Como…these are just a few of the names you often hear when people are asked where they would like to travel in Italy. A name you don’t hear very often…Verona, Italy…but I’m hoping to change that! Don’t get me wrong, Verona, Italy is a popular travel destination, but because it’s not one … Read more
Last December I had the pleasure of planning a trip to London at Christmas for some of John’s work colleagues…and lucky me, we got to join in on the fun! I had never been to London at Christmastime, but it was definitely on my list of things I needed to do. The best thing about … Read more
If you aren’t familiar with The Ham Yard Hotel, The Covent Garden Hotel, The Haymarket Hotel…well, any of the Firmdale Hotels for that matter, let me be the first to introduce you. 🙂 With eight boutique hotels in London, two in New York, and a handful of bars and restaurants, they are a growing company. … Read more
I am a bit overwhelmed even trying to think where to start with this post! I LOVE London. Can’t get enough of it. In the last few years I’ve been fortunate enough to travel there several times at all different times of the year and each time I go I just fall more and more … Read more
I grew up in San Diego and admittedly never spent much time in Oceanside. We were a little bit inland and further south in San Diego..so our beach trips took us to La Jolla Shores, Del Mar and points south. Living in Orange County these last many years Oceanside has been a bit closer, but … Read more
When Ash and I heard that John was headed to a conference in Dallas a couple of weeks ago, we immediately saw our chance to go visit The Silos from Fixer Upper and the shops at Magnolia Market so we grabbed a couple of plane tickets and tagged along. John and I had visited the … Read more
Now that things seem to be getting a tad back to normal, John is back to traveling for work some and that means….Ash and I tag along! Woot, woot! A work conference means a great excuse for us to get away for a few days and a fun weekend in Dallas, Texas for some sun … Read more
These past 2 years (I can’t even believe I’m saying that!) have felt a bit stifling, feeling stuck in one place and generally unable to travel. Things feel a little like they are starting to normalize in that department, we just got back from our first big trip in a few years and while it … Read more
Paris is always a good idea…especially in the fall! I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Paris during three seasons, and let’s just say it’s beautiful every time I go, but something about Paris in the fall is magical. John and I had the opportunity to visit in late September back before the pandemic hit, and … Read more
You may have heard me mention it here before a time or two ;), but I am a Southern California girl through and through. I was born and raised in San Diego and then transplanted to south Orange County 25 years ago when I got married and started my own family. I remember the day … Read more
Dare I say…travel is back? Could it be? I decided it was about time to dust off the travel archives and write a travel post. This has been the strangest 15+ months. I have never been so grounded. While there are parts of being a home body I have definitely enjoyed, the wanderlust has been … Read more
January is always a great time for cleaning, organizing, reflection and goal setting. Having a slower month to focus on getting life in order for the new year is something I have really come to appreciate. I’m excited to kick off a new year of blog hops with an organizational post. As I thought about … Read more
I am a bit slow getting going this morning. It’s a cold dreary day here in Utah, the tops of the mountains are covered in snow and it’s a bit of a rough re-entry after a fun weekend in the sun back home in OC. This last week was our fall break…so we headed home … Read more
