Mallorca!

Unfortunately it was raining for most of the day so no beach time :(






You can see our ship to the left of the palm tree!

New address labels!

Now that I am back home, I need new address labels! Here are the ones I just bought from Susie at My Flip Flopz!

Pink polo shirt address labels


Other designs you can choose from:


And you can get matching notecards!

Let's talk TV

I know (most of) our favorite shows ended awhile ago but I was cruising for the finales so I am finally posting about them!

I am assuming all Chuck and Blair fans are quite happy now. Thoughts?? I thought the final scene was cute but I loved this scene even more (sorry couldn't find a video to embed)! Not sure how I feel about the Lily-Rufus child becoming a new character.

Where are my Greek fans? Were you all screaming at your TVs at the end of the finale? (At least we only have to wait until August!)
This scene=totally romantic. Look at the way Cappie is looking at her. They have great chemistry!


LOST. January 2010? Just mean to make us wait that long! Did any of you correctly guess who would be in that box??

I wasn't going to talk about Jon and Kate but I will say that they need to stop filming (not just go on a hiatus). My parents are divorced and I can't imagine what it would be like to have someone filming during that period! I am wondering if there is anyone who thinks it would be a good idea to continue filming. I am definitely biased so I'd love to hear both sides!

Lastly, R.I.P Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, and Ed McMahon


One Year Ago Today (Australia edition)--> You can see my sky diving photos!

Barcelona!

Park Guell:








La Sagrada Familia:

We went to the top-amazing views of the city and construction. We also went down the very scary spiral stairs!

Casa Milà (La Pedrera):


Roof:


Nautical children's room in La Pedrera:




Casa Batlló:







There's an anchor on here!

Busy, Busy, Busy!

Today was just one of those days!

This morning I was home alone and eating breakfast (oh how I missed good sourdough bread!) when I heard some weird noises. Well I went into the dining room and discovered a SQUIRREL inside the house! You know how there are cat ladies? My mom is a squirrel lady. She feeds them (unsalted peanuts) and we have like 10 of them in our backyard. Anyway apparently one of them chewed a hole in our window screen and got stuck between the screen and the shutters. I immediately closed the doors to the hallway and kitchen just in case he figured out how to get through the shutters. I called my dad and he suggested I ask my neighbor to help. No one was home there either! Fortunately the gardener was in my yard! Rafael saved the day! I went outside (in my PJs) and explained the situation. Rafael came inside and was somehow able to get the squirrel to go a bit higher up the screen for a minute so he could unlock the screen and open it. The squirrel then jumped back outside!

Then I quickly got dressed and went to pick up the little girls I used to babysit for. Their parents got divorced a couple of years ago so they spend most of their time about an hour away at their mom's. Thankfully their dad didn't move so I try to see them whenever they are visiting him. I started babysitting for them when G was a little under 2 years old. She turned 12 last month! Scary thing: I was the same age (12) when I first babysat her (I was more of a mother's helper back then but still!). I still remember when their mom told me she was pregnant with M (who is now 9!). So many memories! We went to the mall, had lunch, and G picked out some belated birthday presents. They admired the Vineyard Vines whale sticker on my car so I gave them each their own sticker :) It seems that whenever they come over they leave with at least a couple of books and/or something else of mine too!

I took them home and ate a quick dinner before heading to see Farragut North at the Geffen Playhouse. All my DC girls will recognize that name: it's a DC metro stop! The play is "set against the backdrop of a close presidential race." Chris No*th (yes, MR. BIG!) and Chris P*ine (most recently from Star Tr*ek) are the stars. And yes, there is a scene with Chris P*ine in his underwear ;) I highly recommend it, especially if you are into politics (or just like either of those actors ;)

My travel posts will be starting back up tomorrow-we didn't have wireless for the past few days so I couldn't post any of my photos!

One Year Ago Today (Australia edition)

Summer swap!

Thanks again to my great partner Michelle. She really spoiled me!

The shipping label:


Notepad and candle:


A new Tervis Tumbler to add to my collection:


Cosmetic/toiletries bag:


LL Bean mini anchor tote:


J.Crew flip flops:

HOME

8 states and more than 2,600 miles later I AM FINALLY HOME!

Lulu and Daisy sale

10% OFF THE ENTIRE SITE until June 22! (discount appears at checkout-no code needed)

Hand painted anchor keyfob:


Hand painted drawer knobs


Hand painted Hangers:


One Year Ago Today I went sky diving! (Australia edition)

My favorite necklaces

ETA: The necklace holder is from Pottery Barn Teen

(click to make collage bigger)

I love Picasa but sometimes the collage part has a mind of it's own: the A.Tierney pendant is shown twice

From left to right (starting upper row):
A.Tierney preppy pendant,
Tiffany & Co heart necklace,
Blue anchor pendant (not sure who this is by),
Alexis Bittar anchor necklace (out of stock),
Baccarat B Mine Necklace (same designer, slightly different style),
Rachel Leigh bow necklace,
Hand made Melbourne necklace from Maria at The Pied a Terre

BOTTOM ROW (L to R):
Juicy Couture cupcake necklace
Maya Brenner World Peace,
Dogeared anchor necklace,
American Eagle anchor necklace (with heart cutout),
Tiffany & Co "K" necklace

** My travel posts will continue next week

I love my...

A. Tierney corduroy Jewelry Tote! For only $5 these are such a steal (you can even get it monogrammed)! I have the navy with pink trim and it is the perfect size (pockets for rings and earrings and room in the middle for bracelets or necklaces). It even came with me on the cruise!

On the road!

By the time you read this I'll be on the road driving home to California! It is a miracle that I managed to fit (almost) everything into my car! I am driving by myself for the first two days and then my parents are meeting my in Oklahoma City. In OKC I am also meeting up with my friend M who studied in Australia with me. She lives about an hour and a half away from OKC so we are going to meet for dinner before I pick up my parents at the airport.

My dad has suggested we stop at the Grand Canyon. The summer before I started college I drove halfway across the country with my sister (I met her in OKC) and we stopped at the Grand Canyon then (all 3 of the nautical sisters have made the cross country drive at least once now!) . But it was unplanned so I only had flip flops. This time I have my running shoes! It appears that the hotels I am staying at have wireless so hopefully I can update you during the drive.

Monaco!

I had been to Monaco before (and the day we were docked there was a big Grand Prix event going on so all the stores/restaurants were closed) so we decided to just head to the beach. We took a train to Menton, France.

Anchors*** in the port of Monaco


Signs with anchors:



Pink and green apartment:


We could see our ship from the train! (upper left)


Palace


Port


*** I couldn't get photos of the anchors in Tunisia and Livorno but otherwise I had a picture of or with an anchor IN EVERY PORT we went to! I made a photo book called Anchors in Australia so this trip will be.....

Maritime in the Mediterranean!

CARDIGAN by Lynne Hiriak

Check the website to see where it is sold near you (available online at shopbop.com, revolveclothing.com, intermixonline.com, eluxury.com, and barneys.com)

Screen caps from the website:




Striped cardigan:


Striped dress:


Sweater:

Florence and Pisa

This was one of the more stressful days because we were docked in Livorno, which is a train ride away from Florence and Pisa. Because of long lines we didn't get to see Michelangelo's David at the Accademia Gallery (though we did see the replica in Piazza della Signoria). We did get to the Uffizi Gallery (no photos allowed though), which had some great pieces. Piazza del Duomo was gorgeous-I loved seeing Ghiberti's doors, Giotto's bell tower/Campanile, and Brunelleschi's dome (takes me back to AP Art History!). I really wish we could have spent more time in Florence. Next trip I guess!

On our train ride back to Livorno we stopped at the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Unfortunately my sister didn't quite get my photo right (see top left) but you get the idea (I am supposed to be holding it up)!

Lacoste headbands on sale!

My absolute FAVORITE headband is on sale! There are 4 solid and 2 striped colors on sale for $8.99. These are SO comfortable. I have 3 (light pink stripes, dark pink stripes, and solid pink-see a trend? ;) and they are so worth it!

Rome Part 1

We spent 2 days in Rome before we got on the cruise-that still wasn't enough time to see everything!

Trevi Fountain (ETA: thanks for the spell check M! Obviously I am still a little jetlagged here ;)

(click to enlarge)

I love my...

Carrie Dunham camera case!

I have this chocolate brown one (with pink seersucker inside). I carried it with me on the ship (it also has a pocket for ID cards, etc)-perfect for capturing those beautiful sunsets after dinner!



25% off all products until June 30!

Back in DC!

Back from vacation blues. You know what I am talking about. After 24 days of vacation it is definitely an adjustment being back! I thought I would do a fun post-cruise entry today. Tomorrow will be my first photo post (starting with Rome). I will be posting about my trip (with photo collages) every other day so you won't be overwhelmed ;)

5 favorite cities visited (in no order):
1. Santorini, Greece
2. Dubrovnik, Croatia
3. Kusadasi, Turkey
4. Florence, Italy
5. Barcelona, Spain

5 things I miss about cruising (in no order):
1. It's a floating hotel and I am not gonna lie: it is nice to have someone cleaning up your bathroom every day, making your bed, leaving you chocolates, etc.
2. The towel animals. Seriously. After a long day nothing makes you feel better than coming back to your room and finding a towel animal on your bed.
3. The choices. Movie and popcorn? Dance club and drinks? Trivia or a game show? Swimming and laying out? I even did karaoke!
4. The food. Chocolate chip pancakes, pizza, ice cream, pasta, waffles, cake. YUM.
5. The people. I loved our Aussie "name that tune" group (we were the reigning champions). I met some very interesting and impressive cruisers. Plus the cute Australian crew guys? A match made in nautical heaven!

5 things I WON'T miss about cruising (in no order):
1. The majority of the old/slow people and the lines for food. Now, I never had to wait for more than 4 or 5 people which is apparently way better than some of the other cruise lines (like Carn*ival). The only lines were ever in the morning when everyone was going ashore and getting breakfast at the same time. But sometimes I really did want to mow them over.
2. The food (see #4 above).Totally a double edged sword. But hey, it was vacation! ;)
3. The hurrying to get back on the ship. I loved cruising: no lugging suitcases from city to city. But spending only one day in a city didn't always seem like enough. I definitely got my exercise running for that train or bus that we couldn't miss! I don't know if the ship will really leave without you but I didn't want to find out!
4. The slow internet. It was so hard to get used to at first. It would take so long to check email. Forget about checking blogs or facebook. But a couple of days in, it was sort of liberating not to be checking online every day. I actually had minutes left on my plan! But then I get back home, sign on, and realize I don't think I could have gone much longer ;)
5. Two words: CASHLESS ACCOUNTS! All you have to do is show your ship ID and sign. So easy. And then the bill comes at the end and you have a slight heart attack. But then it was vacation so I'll just have to start saving again ;)

Back to reality

Well today is our last day cruising-we spent the day at the beach in Taormina, Sicily: the perfect way to end an amazing trip. Tomorrow we are docked in Rome and vacation is over. I seriously can't believe I have been gone for almost a MONTH! Thank you all for continuing to read my very random postings. The first few days of slow internet were VERY hard to get used to but it was nice to take a break. I will be back in DC Monday night. I will watch the Gossip Girl finale before I even unpack ;)

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and get ready for TONS of photos in the next few weeks (don't worry-I will continue the fashion/shopping posts too).

One Year Ago Today (Australia edition)

Santorini

Let me just say Santorini is even more beautiful in person! I have to share this story with you all: There is no road going up to Santorini (well there is one by the new port but it is far from Oia) so you must go up/down over 600 stairs either walking or on a donkey or take a cable car. My tour ended and we were supposed to take the cable car down. Well it was too windy! I had worn flip flops thinking I wouldn't be doing that much walking. I had to walk down those steps in flip flops. Best part: the donkey uses the steps as a bathroom so you can only imagine how much fun that was ;) There was actually a couple that had just gotten married that had to walk down too (in her wedding dress!).

One Year Ago Today (Australia edition)

Summer loving!

Beth at Social Climbers tagged me to share 5 things I LOVE about summer!

1. Summer nights (cue 'Grease' song here ;)! I love those summer nights sitting outside (with a cool breeze). When I was little the neighbors would all play together outside and we would stay up for hours playing tag and hide and seek. Now I like to sit outside at a restaurant or just in the front yard

2. The beach! Heading to the beach with friends for an afternoon in the sun.

3. The food! BBQs, watermelon, icecream and all that good stuff

4. The clothing! Nothing like a summer dress and sandals.

5. That feeling of relaxation. No school, no worries. Unfortunately in just a few days I will have to get back to reality: time to look for a job! But I will always remember those last days of school before summer break.