Merry Christmas from beautiful Lake Tahoe!
My absolute favorite place to spend the holidays is in the snow! I would love to make Tahoe with my dogs a yearly tradition!
I’ve included photos from the beautiful rental house and some fun portraits.
Wishing you all a blessed Christmas!
xoxo
A
From gloomy Oregon to sunny Lake Tahoe, spending the holidays in the snow is absolutely magical. Today I visited Squaw Valley, one of the largest ski areas in the United States and host to the 1960 Winter Olympics. Such a beautiful place to walk around, shop, eat and of course, ski. I took a gondola 2000 vertical feet to a gorgeous lookout point. Talk about fresh mountain air!!
What a wonderful first day! Looking forward to future explorations throughout this week.
xoxo
A
Although only 3 weeks since my last trip, a weekend getaway became necessary. Destination – Multnomah Falls, Portland Oregon. These photos barely capture its breathtaking beauty.
From here, I await a flight to my next destination… (hint) … more snow!
xoxo
A
Finally completed the editing of pictures from my visit to Ireland. Since it was a road trip, my brother and I were able to stop along the coast and enjoy the beautiful scenery. The adventure included Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge and Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland. Truly one of the most picturesque destinations.
Enjoy!!!
xoxo
A
Our last stop…Dumbo, Brooklyn.
Have I mentioned my love for New York? Each area is so different and a photographer’s dream. While I enjoy living in Orange County, I long for a variety of local spots for photoshoots. Tempted to move to New York City for it’s endless photogenic buildings within walking distance. Yet, I am NOT a big city girl.
I’ve included photos from my walking tour of Dumbo and my new favorite ride, the SeaGlass Carousel. Being skeptical of paying $5 for a kid’s ride, I was not disappointed. It was a magical carousel. You need to experience it to understand. Loved the melody it played. Would so enjoy falling asleep to it each night!
This concludes my final post from my girl’s trip with Larissa. Although this being my first trip to this city, it certainly will not be my last. So glad my initial impression included Fall in Central Park. The icing on the cake was having everything decorated for Christmas. Such a perfect trip!!!
xoxo
A
Enjoyed sightseeing in New York. First stop was the unique Flatiron building in Manhattan. Although interesting to look at, more important is the delicious establishment next store. EATALY!!! Known for its Italian markets and seven restaurants, I wish I could of tried them all! The food is authentic… actually better than half of what I consumed in Italy. My appetizer was Prosciutto con Mozzarella, with an entree of house made potato gnocchi with tomato sauce, smoked ricotta and parsley. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
Next stop was Top of the Rock where we enjoyed a breathtaking 360º degree view from 70 floors up. Such beautiful clear blue skies!
Such a picturesque trip. Can’t wait to come back!!
xoxo
A
HELLO NEW YORK!!!
Before Fall ends, I’m trying to visit as many places possible. It’s my favorite season, yet Southern California is forever stuck in summer. Of course, New York is a prime destination with its gorgeous Central Park. My first day in the city was spent walking around it until sunset. After hours, we barely covered even half of the park. Wouldn’t you love this Central Park in your neighborhood?
Sweater: Madewell // Jacket: Burberry // Fur: Zara // Leggings: Alo // Boots: Stuart Weitzman
xoxo
A
From my blog you can discern that I love adventure…. whether it’s catching a flight for a cross country trip or somewhere closer to home. However, my latest idea included coercing 4 friends and 2 dogs on a 6.5 hour drive to Yosemite. (Unfortunately my passengers thought it was a 4 hour trip to the Sequoias.) This venture started at 1 am as we all piled into my Tahoe. The dogs thought it necessary to enjoy the view with heads out the window. We made it to the entrance of the park around sunrise and watched the fog lift over the valley. We hiked and explored for a few hours. The dogs made friends with the tourists who asked to ‘pet the wildlife’ . With the spectacular fall colors and 55 degrees, Yosemite was absolutely gorgeous.
By late afternoon even my crazy energetic pups were exhausted. With traffic, we arrived home in 8 hours. Once inside, the dogs slept 16 hours.
Yosemite is one of my favorite camping locations. Next year, I’d like to return in an RV. The pups should be older and hopefully not interested in chasing every single squirrel!!
xoxo
A
My second post is Galway, Ireland where we visited our dear family friend Kayla. For the past four years, she has been studying Human Rights Law here in Ireland. Although Kayla is in the process of returning home to Southern California, she took time out to be our tour guide. We enjoyed the Cliffs of Moher from a spectacular view point few tourists ever visit. We then enjoyed the beautiful campus of her college. I was obsessed with this college…. beautiful vines, bright flowers and gorgeous buildings. Must be difficult to focus on studies here. Such a fun day! Next up, pictures from Northern Ireland.
XOXO
A
Excited to share my photos of Ireland. Well, just the favorites since I have over 1500! My brother and I recently enjoyed our first international road trip together. We arrived in Dublin and traveled through the countryside to Killarney. If you envision Ireland to be miles upon miles of green pastures and ruins of castles, you would be correct. Enjoy a few favorites from the first two days and scroll down to the bottom for our itinerary.
Now for our officially itinerary. Keep in mind this is all based on renting a car and being flexible. While we had our main destinations decided, we took all backroads and stopped whenever we wanted. When road tripping in new areas I usually turn on “avoid highways” on my maps in order to explore more. ENJOY!!! (if you have any questions about this itinerary feel free to leave it in the comments below and ill be happy to answer!!!)
Day 1
•Fly out of LAX overnight Flight
Day 2
• Arrive in Dublin @4:15pm
• Rent car at Dublin Airport
• Dublin Airport > Hotel in the city (we stayed at The Louis Fitzgerald Hotel)
• Dinner and explore in Dublin (we ate at a local pub and it was delicious!!)
Day 3
• Hotel > Trinity College Dublin (25 minutes)
• Trinity College Dublin > Dublin Castle (2 minute drive)
• Dublin Castle > St Patrick’s Cathedral (2 minute drive)
• Overnight Dublin (Night 2 at The Louis Fitzgerald Hotel)
Day 4
•Dublin > Glendalough (54 minute drive )
•Glendalough > Cashel (1 hour 42 minute drive)
•Cashed > Blarney/Cork (1 hour 3 minute drive)
•Cork > Killarney (1 hour 6 minutes)
•Overnight Killarney (Hotel: The Fairview Killarney)
Day 5
• Killarney > Limerick (1 hour 20 minute)
• Optional: Bunratty Castle & Folk Park (On drive from Limerick to Cliffs)
• Bunratty Castle & Folk Park > Cliffs of Moher (55 minute drive)
• Lunch at The Cliffs (Cliffs View Café or The Roadside Tavern)
• Watch sunset at the Cliffs!
• Cliffs of Moher > Dunguaire Castle, Kinvarra, Co. Galway, Ireland (55 minutes drive)
• Overnight Galway (Hotel: Menlo Park Hotel)
Day 6
•Galway, Ireland
•Kylemore Abby > Hotel (3 hours 35 minute drive)
•Drive to Northern Ireland + Explore on the way
•Hotel: Clanree Hotel Donegal County
Day 7
•Hotel > Dunluce castle (1 hour 20 minute drive)
•Dunluce castle > Giants Causeway (8 minute drive)
•Giants Causeway > Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge (15 minute drive)
•Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge > The Dark Hedges (17 minute drive)
•The Dark Hedges > Belfast (1 hour Drive)
•Overnight Belfast (Hotel: Hilton Belfast)
Day 8
•Belfast > Ballynoe Stone Circle (45 minute drive)
•Ballynoe > Tollymore forest (45 minutes)
•Tollymore forest > Dublin (2 hour drive)
•Optional: Guinness Storehouse, St. Stephen/s Green Park, Glasnevin Cemetery
•Overnight Dublin (Hotel: The Louis Fitzgerald Hotel, Dublin)
Day 9
•Depart Dublin 11:45am
xoxo
A