Cruises can be overwhelming for first timers and long-timer cruisers. There’s so much to see, do, buy, eat, drink…so how do you decide what to do first and how long until you feel like you’re on vacation? For me, I get my sea legs within about four hours of embarkation. From years of cruising everywhere […]
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Why I Blog (Well…Why Not?)
I want to start the new year by reintroducing myself and why I’m here. By the 12 month milestone, my blogging peers have followers in the thousands, fill their calendars with sponsored posts, and hustle like nothing I’ve ever seen. Me? I’m just getting warmed up. I’ve been blogging for about 16 months now. If […]
Cruise Tips: Planning and Packing
So you booked a cruise! YAY!! Now what? Whether it’s your first cruise or you’re twentieth, I’m sharing a few tips that I’ve learned through the years of cruising everywhere from Alaska to the Caribbean & Bahamas to the British Isles & Mediterranean. I’ve sailed on Carnival, Norwegian, and Princess many many many times and […]
Move Over Cruise Lanyards, Bracelets are the New Chic
Cruise tip: if lanyards aren’t your thing, maybe a beaded bracelet could be. The bracelet option is convenient for getting on and off the cruise ship, stylish for handing to the bartender after ordering a sidecar, and compact enough to throw in a small clutch when not wearing. I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel […]
Mediterranean Cruise on Norwegian Jade (Part 2: Turkey)
Continued from Mediterranean Cruise on Norwegian Jade (Part 1: Sea Days, Greece, Italy) We arrived in Turkey without any expectations and were blown away by the exotic beauty and history! Similar in culture to what we had seen in Greece, but still wildly different. Our first exposure to Turkey was in Izmir (for Ephesus), […]
Mediterranean Cruise on Norwegian Jade (Part 1: Sea Days, Greece, Italy)
Continued from Under the Tuscan Winter Sky After one last panini in Rome, our shuttle took us about 40 minutes to Civitavecchia to board Norwegian Jade for a 10-day cruise around the Mediterranean. We would stop in two cities in Greece, two cities in Turkey, and one city in Italy before returning to Rome. […]
Under the Tuscan Winter Sky
Continued from When in Rome for a Week Just when I thought Rome was my happy place, I experienced Tuscany! During our week long stay in Rome before our 10-day Mediterranean cruise on Norwegian Cruise Line, we took the train to Tuscany twice. As a wine lover, how could I not? Florence is only […]
When in Rome for a Week
Rome is my favorite city in the world (out of the 17 countries that I’ve traveled). Two years ago we stayed in the heart of historic Rome for an entire week prior to a 10-day Mediterranean cruise on Norwegian Cruise Line, and I fell in LOVE with the city. Our home base for the week […]
A Chic Wedding that Didn’t Cost a Gazillion (Part 2)
Continued from A Chic Wedding that Didn’t Cost a Gazillion Planning chic DIY wedding wasn’t only about the crafts and consumables. I needed to plan logistics, and that included a variety of spreadsheets and checklists. I modified a Martha Stewart wedding checklist to fit my needs and went from there. Knowing we would be sailing […]
A Chic Wedding that Didn’t Cost a Gazillion
I planned a chic Christmas wedding in four months. It wasn’t a shotgun wedding or anything, it’s just that I was in grad school and we wanted to just do it. Neither one of us have wealthy families, nor did we want to spend tens of thousands on a wedding when we would rather spend […]