Paris: in a nutshell

the most comfortable sleep i had the entire trip: Paris. Hotel Secret de Paris

the jet tub lit up!

Oh hey, Moulin Rouge!

first view of the Louvre!

Notre Dame.

it's even more spectacular in person. sigh.

okay. the Eiffel tower is HUGE in real life.  I was not expecting that.

we got roses at church!  It was so sweet.

wear red lipstick in Paris: check!

this is the best pic I got of me in front of the Mona Lisa... I refused to take my left hand off of my bag (there were 'beware of pickpocket' signs everywhere) and there were so many people pushing it was impossible to get a decent shot!.. so here ya go.

their version of Diet Coke.. It wasn't great, but it was a special treat while I was in Europe.  I had it 3 times!

Eiffel Tower + view of Paris from my airport hotel.

I had this room all to myself! It was so nice to unwind and just be alone for a few hours before my flight back to the states at 5 am the next morning!

i was really really nervous to visit Paris. for various reasons. i won't get into that here. but, after sticking around for a few days Paris completely won me over.  i had a fantastic experience and have been gushing about it every chance i get! Paris made me want to be holding hands with someone the entire time... it explodes with romantic vibes...is that just me? who knows. who cares! every corner is filled with character and every part is so charming. the people are much nicer than they get credit for! i didn't encounter one rude person while i was there.  i only learned a few key phrases while i was there... bonjour, au revoir, and merci...hopefully next time i will be able to communicate a little bit more.  thank heavens Parisians for the most part spoke english! and.. if it wasn't so darn expensive to visit i would be all over that at least once a year.  i made a promise to myself that i will go back soon. i have to.  it was that good. 

agh. 

Paris, you have won my heart!

songs i'm loving lately

love love love.

no doubt, anyone?  i just really like gwen stefani. also, i love that this new no doubt song sounds just like they did back in the day. i seriously love it! (ps they are so fun to watch. some concerts you go and you're like... hmm. they're not so good in real life.  but gwen/no doubt is fantastic!)

too many loves?

this morning i was thinking.
so much that i couldn't go back to sleep. i even pushed snooze.

anyway, i was thinking that i love too many things. is this a bad thing? good thing? i haven't quite decided yet.  see, here's my problem. i am having a tough time deciding what i want to be when i grow up. i always have this problem, it seems. it's because i love too many things!

i want to do something that incorporates:
floral design
being an artist of all sorts
being crafty
fashion design
traveling to awesome places.
and being a mom is somewhere in there too. but someday. not any time soon. (that's a full time job itself, right?..)


if i could find a way to wrap all of that into one, it'd be grand.

beautiful flower fotos!

aka the story of my life a couple weeks ago.  One of my friends who also happens to be a very talented photographer came to take pictures of the billions of flowers for my lovely cousin's wedding! 

Go here to Cassidy's website and check out the rest of her work.

Here are some of the photos.  Go here to see some more!

a few date ideas

it's always good to have a list of fun date ideas handy just in case you can't think of something and need a quick plan!  some of my favorites are in a different color!  what are some of your ideas, peeps?

local art shows
free outdoor concert
game night!

stargazing

movie night
go on a bike ride
hike!
dance party
go to a playground

the zoo

sledding
photoshoot

go for a scenic drive

fly a kite
have a picnic

bake a cake

create a scavenger hunt
have dinner in the backyard
re-watch the first movie you watched together.

have a theme night. You must dress, eat dinner, and watch a movie with the same theme. western, french, star wars....

sit outside and read together. read-a-thon?
make a mix CD or playlist
work out together

cook together and try a new recipe for dinner

play video games together.

watch a sports game and eat stadium food like nachos and hot dogs.(jazz season is starting in a couple months!!!)

set up a pair of chairs and stick your feet in the kiddie pool.

Rooftop Concert Series

concerts are super fun.

free concerts on parking garage roofs are even better

especially when you discover new music

we really liked book on tapeworm! way good.

call me maybe!

bahahah. this makes me laugh every time.

for the actual song watch this:

my weekend according to instagram photos

Venice