Over the weekend, Matthew took me on a date to the New Jersey Flower + Garden Show. The show features display gardens, flower competitions, and hundreds of vendors selling everything from succulents to organic meat to custom art. We had a grand time wandering through the aisles, dreaming about spring, and drooling over the beautiful flowers.
Here I am in front of one of the display gardens. Check out that bump — 7 months already!
We had Austrian pastries stuffed with spinach and broccoli for lunch.
Right at home among the flowers.
And what garden show would be complete without garden gnomes? Aren’t they sweet!
The Renaissance Faire is one of my favourite ways to say goodbye to summer. Renaissance is the perfect blend of fun, magical, and delicious. It’s become a tradition to visit the faire each year. I even got my husband to join me this year. Gypsy belly dancers, an enchanted fairy forest, giant roast turkey legs, art, music, and everybody speaking Olde English! Huzzah! Make way for the Queen! I ♥ it all!
Highlights this year included exploring the exotic bird tent; face painting; gyros & giant potato pancakes; beer; getting a real kiss on the kissing bridge; and topping it all off with the sweetest, most perfect funnel cake ever. We loved every moment.
It’s difficult to experience a city while traveling for work. Still, I try to get a flavor as I go. Last week was spent in “Sin City” Las Vegas.
The way I felt about Las Vegas is the way that I feel about a lot of cities—bittersweet. There were things that took my breath away, like the Eiffaux Tower lit up at night; the glass flowers on the ceiling of the Bellagio; and the beautiful glow of the city at sunset. There were also things that made my heart ache, like the people at slot machines who couldn’t seem to stop; the homeless; the pimps; and the girls who lost have their way.
My Vegas adventure started at JFK Airport in New York, New York. A three hour delay, and then I was in the air on a non-stop flight. Once there, I spent most of my time in meetings and conference sessions. I stayed at Caesars Palace which is, in fact, outdated. Even so, the staff was incredibly friendly & the pools were gorgeous. I spent nearly all of my free-time lounging there.
As far as food in concerned, I made the mistake of eating at two Vegas buffets. Apparently these are a part of the experience—not an experience I’d like to have again. The food at both buffets was dry and bland. (Note: I am not a picky eater.)
I imagine that Las Vegas is a wonderful place for those who love to party, love to bake in the sun, or love to spend money. I am none of those things, and so Vegas was not a wonderful place for me. That said, there is certainly something strange & beautiful about that city in the middle of the desert. I’ll be back for business, but not so sure about the pleasure part. The jury is still out on you, Las Vegas.
sometimes it is 6:23 pm on some golden august afternoon and i am laying on a bed on the thirteenth floor of some las vegas casino hotel and the sun is shining in through the window just so and i think that this life is so beautiful, so goddamned beautiful, that i almost can’t even take it.
Thank you so very much, my friend. I can not wait to try this tea.
There is nothing in the world like a parcel in the mail, especially when it comes from the other side of the world. Email is fantastic but nothing beats the real thing. And best of all, now I have a reason to use my new Alice in Wonderland tea set.
We returned from our honeymoon yesterday. We had a lovely time. We cruised out of New York and made our way to the warm & (mostly) sunny Caribbean. Our first day after arriving was spent on the island of Grand Turk in Turks & Caicos. We were meant to go snorkeling that day but wind & choppy waters held us up. Instead we hunted for seashells; I got my hair braided; & we sampled the local brew―Turk’s Head. So good!
Our second day carried us to the private island paradise―Half Moon Cay. Even though it rained & drizzled most of this day, it was still one of our favourites. Once we got our drink on in those crystal clear waters, we didn’t even know it was raining!
Our final stop in the islands was Nassau, Bahamas. We ventured out of our ship & made our way to the Atlantis Resort to explore the aquarium. After winding through the aquarium exhibits, we headed to the beach. The Atlantis beach is quite expensive so we opted for the free, public beach just a quick walk away. It was just as lovely & the little bar that we found was the perfect place to celebrate Matthew’s birthday. Once again, the local brew―Kalik―did not disappoint. On our way back to the ship we stopped into a little shack for a Bahamian favourite―conch fritters. So glad we did, they were out of this world!
There are so many other sweet memories from our trip, but I’ll keep those between us & let our pictures do the talking. xo
My last day in Disney was waking up with the sunrise (again!); working too hard; stressing too much; making new friends; and enjoying the magical Epcot fireworks at night. The best part of that day was knowing that the next day I’d be headed home. ♥
Thank you all for your sweet comments on our wedding video! We are so in love with that little film. I could watch it all day (and get teary-eyes every time!). We depart for our honeymoon tomorrow morning. We’re leaving from NYC & headed to the Caribbean. Grand Turk & Bahamas―here we come! I’ll see ya’ll when we return. xo
On my second day in Disney, I was up with the sunrise. It was a full day of work. When late afternoon finally arrived, I ventured into Epcot with a couple of friends. The World Showcase in Epcot is one of my absolute favourite places in Disney. We visited some of the best countries―Mexico, England, and Italy. We stopped for a beer in Japan. Then we wandered away from the showcase and ended our night in the Coral Reef Restaurant at the Living Seas. It was another magical Disney day. I hope that you enjoy my snaps!
xo,
Dena
P.S. Thanks so much for all the sweet comments on our wedding preview post. I can’t wait to get & share the pictures from our photographers!
As I mentioned in my last post, I’ve recently returned from Disney World. Although I was there for work, I hopped on a super-early flight on the first day so that I could spend it in the Magic Kingdom. It was magical. We hit all of our favourite rides & shops. It’s incredible how the very thought of Disney sends me shrieking-smiling around like a five-year-old! We had dinner at Tony’s Town Square restaurant―which was delicious. Unbeknownst to us it down-poured while we were eating. When we came outside, the rain had stopped and there was a gorgeous double rainbow over the park. Disney magic? I think yes! The first shot is the view from my balcony room at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. It is a very nice property and I would recommend. (Even though I could have never afforded it if work had not paid!)
I hope that you enjoy my photographs from the day. Every time I look at them I re-live the magic. ♥
This past week has been my company’s annual conference. This means sixteen hour days on my feet, cranky co-workers, and more stress than you can shake a stick at! (All of this and less than two weeks out until my wedding… yikes & yay!)
Still, the conference was held at Disney’s Contemporary which meant that I had to sneak in time for some magic like only Disney can do. I booked a super-early outbound flight to spend an afternoon in the Magic Kingdom and headed into Epcot on my one night off. Snaps from my DSLR to follow, in the meantime here’s what my iPhone captured.
