viva las vegas!

the strip (looking north)

at the beginning of august, craig and i packed our bags and hopped a flight to vegas.  we'd never been to "sin city" before, so we were both excited and wary of what we might find in the middle of the nevada dessert.

we met a couple of our good friends out there, which obviously sweetened the deal.  and after a lot of sun, cocktails and walking, we concluded that vegas is certainly a must-see at least once.  it's like an over-the-top disney world for adults :-)

one of our favorite things we did was a helicopter ride to the grand canyon.  we actually landed in the base of the canyon for a champagne dinner!  it was totally awesome!!

inside the bellagio

the exterior of new york, new york

we had just checked into the flamingo, and wanted some lunch -- we weren't there 5 min when the bartender started dancing on the bar as the wait staff danced in the aisles.  oh, yeah...we're in vegas.

enjoying a "fish bowl" with my ladies (from left to right: me, amy, ashley)

lounging by the flamingo's pool

our ride to the grand canyon

the eiffel tower...sort of...

the luxor

flying over the grand canyon!

view from the bellagio of the strip

more pics of the canyon

mandalay bay's over 21 pool

inside the wynn

craig and me in the base of the grand canyon!

as you would expect, the pics don't do the canyon justice -- it was truly breathtaking.  i'd tell you more about our trip, but as you know..."what happens in vegas, stays in vegas".  lol

time at the beach

friends of ours were kind enough to gift my family a few days at their gorgeous beach house in avalon, nj.  despite the fact that the wind kept us from lounging on the beach, we enjoyed long walks, exploring town, and quite a bit of poolside relaxing!  below are just a few images of our time in avalon.

avalon beach

spiked arnold palmers -- the beach is better with cocktails

gorgeous bay house that we spotted while walking

ash & han before their bike ride (my friend and my sis)

coffees while waiting for breakfast at uncle bill's pancake house

pictures from our weekend away

craig and i spent last weekend up in the lake george area of ny to celebrate his 25th birthday.  (the trip was his b-day gift.)  we stayed in the same b&b that we stayed at 6 years ago when we first traveled there together.  we had a fabulous weekend...despite the rain....so i thought i'd share a few highlights from our trip.



every afternoon the innkeeper made homemade goodies for the guests -- behold our ganache tarts



street in lake george, ny



me and craig



craig enjoying inn at erlowest's bar/lounge

drinks at bistro la roux

snapped this while driving -- yes, that is a gorilla dragging a vacuum...

our breakfast at the b&b



course #5 of our five course gourmet extravaganza.  cinnabon pancakes = divine!!!

market in saratoga springs

it goes without saying, but we had an awesome time -- and way too much food : )

happy 25th, handsome!

today is my handsome husband's 25th birthday! in honor of his 1/4 century of existence, i've planned a romantic weekend getaway for the two of us to a b&b that we visited when we were first dating. 

below is the powerpoint i created to deliver the gift : ) 

foodie wednesday: sevilla, bite by bite

craig and i were lucky enough to enjoy a 10 day honeymoon in sevilla, spain and marrakech, morocco following our november 5th wedding.  now that we're back...and have thoroughly enjoyed a loooong thanksgiving break, i wanted to share some images from our amazing honeymoon abroad.

tapas & cheese

the cathedral

antique shop

breakfast

when in sevilla...do like the sevillans do : )

le torre del oro

sevilla is a fabulously walkable city - we didn't use public transportation once!  we were able to see all the sites on foot and enjoyed every minute of the high-60 degree weather - sitting at sidewalk cafés sipping sangria. 

chocolate con churros (the richest, thickest hot chocolate ever!)

inside the cathedral

pitcher of you-guessed-it

plaza de san francisco

walk by the river

goat cheese salad - yum!

the cathedral at night

me walking inside the cathedral

our favorite shop

champagne cocktails on our hotel's rooftop terrance

our favorite course from our 8 course dinner at az zait restaurant - fluffy goat cheese wrapped in crispy puff pastry in a caramelized onion reduction

another view of plaza de san francisco

inside museum

our hotel in sevilla - hotel casa 1800

i have to credit my husband (feels so weird, but so great to say that) with the honeymoon.  while i focused on wedding planning, he took the helm and planned the entire honeymoon - hotels, restaurants, excursions and all.  he did such a fabulous job, i may have to let him plan all our trips...

stay tuned for honeymoon part 2 - marrakech!