2015 Goals

It is that time of year to reflect on what we achieved over the past year and what we are hoping to accomplish in the upcoming year.

Last year I shared my 2014 goals and I think I did pretty good:
1. Live in the moment - while I did improve in this area, it is still an ongoing struggle for me. I still find myself stressing out about things out of my control.
2. Read 20 Books - I actually read 28 books!!
3. Continue to improve my health - this year I ran a 10K, 5K, and continued to work out with my trainer twice a week.
4. Watch movies on my "must see" list - I did better than I thought I would. Early in the year I watched the Lord of the Rings trilogy with P and recently watched Breakfast at Tiffanys.
5. Travel and Explore - well we certainly did our fair share of traveling this year (San Francisco, Kiawah Island, Charleston, Denver, Outer Banks, Europe), but we did not explore our own area as much as I had hoped. Hopefully this is something we can do this year.


Here are my goals for 2015:
1. Eat healthier - this is something that I am always striving to do. So while not a whole lot will change come January 1st, I hope to be more consistent in the choices I make.
2. Read 30 books - it was so nice to turn off the TV and unplug the phone/laptop to dive into more books this year.
3. Declutter and buy less - with a move coming up this spring the decluttering should happen pretty naturally. While we are hoping to move into a bigger space, my goal is that we don't fill it up quickly with stuff just because we have the extra room.
4. Plan one new date night each month - P has another trial this year which means there will be lots of late nights coming up and travel. In order for us to stay connected, my goal is to plan a date each month doing something new - whether it is trying a new restaurant, exploring a new museum, etc.
5. Live in the moment - a repeat from last year but something that is important to me to continue to improve. I want to be present to all things in my life which includes not rushing things, worrying less, and trusting God's plan.


What are your 2015 goals or resolutions?

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas!!!

Our Christmas cards from tinyprints

We are taking this weekend to get ready for our trip to Ohio next week. As I do each year, I will be taking a break over the holidays to spend time with loved ones.

Paris Photo Shoot

As promised, I'm going to share more pictures from our photo shoot in Paris.

But first, a little back story. I have been following April's blog for a few years now and as soon as I saw this post I just knew that I wanted to do the same thing the next time we returned to Paris. Fast forward a year later to when we were planning our trip and I remembered these beautiful photos. I looked at Stacy's blog several times before mentioning the idea to P. Like most guys, taking our engagement pictures were not P's favorite thing so I wasn't sure I would be able to convince him to get up early while on vacation to have pictures taken. Fortunately he agreed and I reached out to Stacy right away. After a few email exchanges, we set up a time and place to meet.

Stacy was so professional and made every minute of our 30-minute session comfortable and fun. She explained the benefits of certain poses and was giddy about the lighting of the sun which made me anxious to see the results. I hope you enjoy these pictures as much as we do. Now we just have to decide which ones to display in our home!

If you ever find yourself in Paris with the love of your life, do not think twice about hiring Stacy Reeves, it's the best souvenir you will ever buy!

Friday Five

It's been a while since I did a Friday Five post! Linking up with April, Christina, Natasha, and Darci to share the five things on my mind today.

//1// This weekend is filled with lots of holiday fun: P's company holiday party tomorrow and Jenny's annual cookie decorating party on Sunday.

//2// We ordered our Christmas cards this week and I cannot wait to get them in. Once again tiny prints did not disappoint with their selection.

//3// After spending most of the Fantasy Football season in last or second to last place, I ended the season in 5th place. I'm pretty happy with that for my first go around. I'm looking forward to competing again next year. 

//4// Next week P and I will celebrate ten years of being together. I can hardly believe that we have been together for an entire decade!

//5// One more week of work left until we will be taking some time off and heading to Ohio for the holidays. We are looking forward to some down time and rest!


I'll leave you with this teaser picture from our photo shoot with Stacy Reeves in Paris. More to come next week!

Europe Recap #5

This is the last recap of our amazing trip to Europe. It is hard to believe that we have already been back for a month. Not surprising, we have already started planning our return!

Our last long stop was in my favorite city, Paris! This was my third trip to Paris and I was looking forward to enjoying the city at a slower pace and taking it all in. We arrived at Gare de Nord around 3:30pm and had a quick cab ride to our hotel. This was our first time staying on the Right Bank which gave us a completely different experience. Our hotel was a block from les Jardins des Tuileries which we were able to walk through many times. Unfortunately by this point in our trip I had come down with a pretty bad cold but was eager to see the City of Light so I did not let it deter me. Our first night we strolled along the Champs Elysees before finding a place to eat. We didn't stay out too late since I was feeling pretty sick and also had an early day ahead of us. Our first morning in Paris we had an appointment with the amazing Stacy Reeves (pictures and more on that experience to come in a a later post). After our photo session, we decided to enjoy the morning by walking around the Eiffel Tower and along the Seine before stopping for warm drinks and croissants. After our petit dejeuner, we spent some time at the Musee D'Orsay. It was nice to see our favorite paintings without the massive crowds that are usually there in the summer. We then headed to the hotel so I could change before getting a late lunch and heading to the Musee De L'Orangerie. Neither of us had been there before and were impressed with the large canvases of Claude Monet's Nympheas (water lillies). From there we stopped at the love lock bridge to leave our mark and strolled through Saint Germain de Pres to see where we had previously stayed. We also stopped for drinks and to write out some postcards to family. After a short nap and drinks in the hotel bar, we headed back to Saint Germain for dinner at Relais de L'Entrecoute based on Stacy's recommendation for steak frites. It did not disappoint! Even though it was cold, we walked back to the hotel and ordered a bottle of wine before calling it a night.

We allowed ourselves to sleep in and have a slower start on our last day. After getting breakfast at a nearby cafe, we headed to the Marais to check out the Musee Carnavalet. The museum is free and tells the story of of Paris through paintings and other historical artifacts.  I was fascinated by the museum but I think it was tough for P since all of the plaques were in French. From there we took the metro to the Galleries Lafayette. This is Paris' shopping mall but more impressive are the views from its rooftop terrace. After taking in the city we walked around the many floors before having lunch and tasting the famous hot chocolate at Angelina. On our way back to the hotel we stopped at Laduree for macarons. We stopped at the hotel to rest a bit before taking the metro to the Latin Quarter so I could show P where I stayed during my grad school program. We started walking back toward Saint Germain and P had the great idea of stopping for dinner in the square near the Sorbonne where we had eaten our very first night in Paris together in 2008. It was a very special memory. 

First night in the City of Light

I love this guy so much

Beautiful Eiffel Tower

View of the Right Bank from the clock at Musee d'Orsay 

Adding our lock to the bridge!

View of the Eiffel Tower from outside of the Musee de l'Orangerie

Our old stomping grounds in Saint Germain de Pres

Notre Dame

Walking back from dinner in front of the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel

Inside the Galleries Lafayette already decorated for Christmas!

View of the Opera House from the terrace of Galleries Lafayette

Sacre Coeur from the terrace of Galleries Lafayette

One last walk through les Jardins des Tuileries on our last morning

After Paris we had a very quick (less than 24 hour) layover in Dublin. We were there just long enough to see the Dublin Castle, walk around the Bar Templar area, enjoy delicious hearty food, and of course, drink plenty of beer and whiskey. This trip was everything I had hoped it would be and came at just the right time for P and I. We both came back feeling rested and incredibly fortunate for the opportunities we have to travel.  Here's to our next adventure!

Europe Recap #4

From Prague, we had a long travel day to Stuttgart, Germany. After a taxi, plane, two trains, and metro ride we arrived at our hotel and went to bed right away since we would have an early start the next day. We met our friend Bernhard at the train station in Lauffen where he and his girlfriend Anne live. Anne prepared us a delicious German breakfast of homemade rolls, meat, cheese, eggs, and fruit. After we finished breakfast Anne & Bernhard took us for a walk through their town. There were beautiful vineyards all around. After the walk, we headed to Neckarsulm to tour the Audi production plant. I am not much of a car person but this tour was incredible. We got to see all the stages of the car production from the coil of aluminum being cut into parts, the parts being welded, and the assembly. We learned that when a person picks up their new Audi from the production plant, they are treated to breakfast, the plant tour, and a 5-course lunch before they get to meet their new car. P promised we would be returning. After the tour we met up with Bernhard's parents in Beilstein to tour  the Schlossgut Hohen winery. Bernhard's dad has been studying wine making and practiced his knowledge on us. We were lucky to get to sample so many delicious wines and meet the owner, Hartmann Dippon. After the tour Bernhard, Anne, Patrick and I headed back to their apartment (with wine of course) to make dinner. Anne taught us how to make spaetzle (German dumplings) and we are eager to make it ourselves. Unfortunately we didn't have much time to spend with them the next day as our train for Paris left around noon but are grateful to Bernhard for meeting us in Stuttgart for breakfast. We feel so lucky to have such thoughtful friends like Bernhard and Anne and look forward to seeing them again soon, either in the United States or in Europe!

Vineyards in Lauffen, Germany

View of the vineyards from the bottom of the hill.

Church along the Neckar River in Lauren, Germany

P with Bernhard and Anne 

P testing out the R8 at Audi

Outside of the Schlossgut Hohen Beilstein. The colors of the leaves on the wall were so vibrant.

Bernhard and P working on dinner!

Europe Recap #3

After Vienna, we took a train to Prague. We arrive around 6pm on Halloween night. Fortunately our hotel was about a five minute walk from the train station. I absolutely loved our hotel and felt like we were staying in a palace with its tall ceilings, long corridors, wide staircases with red carpet and lots of ornate details. After checking in, we walked to the Old Town for dinner then made our way to the Charles Bridge. It was so magical at night and perfectly eerie for Halloween.

On our first (and only) full day in Prague we headed out early in the day. We enjoyed walking over the Charles Bridge and stopping at the different vendors. Once we crossed the bridge into the Castle Quarter we made our way to the Old Prague Castle and St Vitus Cathedral. We spent a good amount of our time just taking in the views of the Old Town and enjoying the beautiful fall day. After touring the castle and cathedral, we walked through the Wenceslas Vineyard. For lunch we ate at a restaurant on the river with a perfect view of the Charles Bridge. After lunch we strolled across the Charles Bridge again and then did a little shopping in the Old Town. We were able to see the astronomical clock ring on the hour and the very quick show that happens each hour. For dinner that night we ate at a restaurant on the square and enjoyed people watching.

Our flight to Germany from Prague wasn't until 2pm so we had the whole morning to do a little more exploring. We spent almost the entire time in the Jewish Quarter. As part of the ticket we bought, we were able to visit several synagogues (including the oldest one in Eastern Europe), a ceremonial hall, and the old cemetery. Many of the buildings have been turned into museums that capture the life of Jews in Prague or give details into their daily lives and rituals. the most moving exhibit was one in which all of the Czech Republic Jews who died during World War II were memorialized with their names inscribed on a wall in an old synagogue. There was also a display of drawings down by Jewish children during their time in the ghetto. The drawings were saved in the teachers luggage that had been left behind after deportation. After walking around the Jewish Quarter we decided to go to the Charles Bridge one last time before getting a cab to the airport.

Corridor of our hotel.

Ceilings in the hotel.

First view of Old Town Prague.

More of Old Town.

One of our favorite snacks in Prague. It was similar dough to a pretzel but a little lighter and covered in cinnamon and sugar. Yum!

Charles Bridge on Halloween night.

The astronomical clock.

Charles Bridge.

More Charles Bridge with the Old Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral in the distance.

Walking into the Castle Quarter of Prague.

More of the Castle Quarter.

P with Old Town Prague in the background.

Outside of St. Vitus Cathedral.

Inside of St. Vitus Cathedral.

The Wenceslas Vineyard.

Lunch with the Charles Bridge behind me.

View of St. Vitus Cathedral from Charles Bridge. We ate at the restaurant to the right of the white awnings.

The sun setting over the Castle Quarter.

Coming back into the Old Town from the Charles Bridge.

The cemetery in the Jewish Quarter.

The ceremonial hall in the Jewish Quarter.

Fog at the airport while waiting to fly to Munich.