Life Lately // Instagram Recap

It has been crazy around here to say the least. Sorry for the radio silence!

We got back from our European grand finale trip last week. Here is our collective instagram recap:

1, 2-Venice, Italy  //  3-Dubrovnik, Croatia  //  4-Santorini, Greece  //  5, 6-Corfu, Greece  //  7-Istanbul, Turkey

I hope to get a full recap from all of our destinations up soon. But with over 1,000 photos and moving across the world, it may take a bit of time. Some plane editing may be in the works.

On that note... On Wednesday, after 20 months in Dublin, it's time to pack up and head back to California. We are beyond excited to be moving back home!

Linked with B Loved Boston and Join the Gossip

Guest posting: Cornflake Dreams

I am over at Cornflake Dreams today guest posting for Jillian while she is away.

Head over to find out more about my life in Dublin, Ireland.

On that note, we are off to Palma de Mallorca tomorrow for a weekend getaway. One of my very best friends and her bf are flying over from the states. I am so excited to celebrate her birthday together in Spain!

Lastly, a HUGE congrats to Biana of B Loved Boston for winning the GiGi New York giveaway! So jealous!

Happy Wednesday!

Glamping adventure

This past weekend the bird and I went on a glamping adventure at The Old Forge Glamping with some friends.

It's a great spot for hiking, camping and horseback riding and the views and grounds are beautiful.

If you're ever in Ireland and have a free weekend, Wicklow is a gorgeous area and this place was fantastic!

Weekend recap

Happy Monday! The weather in Dublin has been so nice lately, which makes this city really come to life.

This weekend was also Taste of Dublin, a large event with food and drink vendors from all over the city in one spot, for tasting, sipping, music and an all around great time.

We also made time for 2 date nights this weekend: Forest Avenue and Dylan.

The atmosphere and decor at Dylan gets me every time.

I am off to Brussels this morning!

photo via

Can't wait to see this pretty place. Have a fabulous week!

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Weekend snippets

We had such a nice weekend. The sun is starting to shine more and we are certainly taking advantage of being outside...

... and soft serve.

Found matching pink doors on a walk + pre-dinner drinks at Dylan.

One of my favorite spots in Dublin.

More from the walk + cards and drinks canal side, with my trusty Tieks.

Hope you had a lovely weekend as well.

We are headed home tomorrow for our first visit of the year! Yay! Looking forward to posting from the flip side.

Weekend Recap

Hope you had a fabulous weekend!

Our sunshine was very short lasted and we have rain in our forecast all week... so here's a sunny pic from a couple weeks ago in Dublin at St. Stephen's Green.

This weekend we headed over to the west coast of Ireland for a weekend trip to Galway.

I did a terrible job of taking pictures while we were there, but here are a couple from our quick trip:

This was only our second time making it to Galway... but we love this little town. So lively and full of traditional Irish music and scenery.

In other news, in...
• 10 days we head home for a visit... can't wait!
• 13 days we attempt a 10k race in Sonoma.
• 28 days, I am taking my first solo trip to a new country.
(More details on this later...)

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Weekend Recap

The bird and I had a couple lovely date nights this weekend after I was away in Paris for a week.

Date night one and two (both great spots if you are ever in Dublin) + peonies waiting from me when I got back from Paris.

In other news:
This week we have friends in town visiting from home.
At the end of the month we head home for a week long visit... and signed up for a 10k while we're there. Eek!
I will have my second Paris recap up soon on Champagne and Versailles. Here is the first, if you missed it.

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Weekend Recaps

I hope you had a great weekend. Ours was lovely and I am already looking forward to the long weekend coming up!

The morning sunrise along the canal on the way to yoga Friday morning.

Saturday date night here, complete with Champagne Mint Juleps. Yum!

Arguably one of my favorite things about spring are the pretty pink cherry blossoms.

On Sunday, we took another hike along the Howth coastline.

Here are pictures from our last hike there.

Don't forget about the giveaways (one, two and three) from last week. They are all open til Friday. I will announce the winner in my post.

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Weekend Recap

Happy Monday! I hope you had a wonderful weekend!

Here is a look into what our weekend looked like:

 Dublin in Rainbows + Sunsets

 We went to the International Craft Beer Fest on Friday with a group of friends.

Forest Avenue which has been rated one of the best new restaurants in Dublin. I concur.

Oh... and did I mention I was taking French. So hard. I've resorted back to flashcards.

And my French so far is about as jumbled as those cards. Eek!

Today I am spending the day taking my cousin around Dublin! She is in town for work and I couldn't be more excited to see her! Makes for a great start to the week.

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Weekend Recap

Hope you had a great weekend.

Mine did not consist of watching the Superbowl this year, since it started at about midnight. (But I was able to catch a recap of the commercials.) To be honest, football is so not my sport. Talk to me again when it's baseball season. #gogiants

Instead we spent our weekend watching two fantastic movies... my husband has officially turned me into a movie person!

Captain Phillips // 12 Years a Slave

Both of these movies were amazing! Tom Hanks can do no wrong. He was fantastic in this movie. And 12 Years a Slave... so hard to watch, but one of the best movies I have seen in awhile. No wonder it won Best Picture this year at the Golden Globes. And watching these makes me even more excited for the Oscars this year.

I also made these delicious brownies:

Healthified Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

Recipe via Minimalist Baker

Their website is filled with deliciously easy recipes and much better pictures!

I would love to say we have some leftover... but they were too good. Make these immediately!

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Weekend Recap

This weekend the bird and I went on the most beautiful hike along the coast of Howth.

It only takes about 30 minutes to get there on a train from Dublin. There are 4 different trails... so we'll definitely be back!

The views were incredible and the weather on Saturday was perfect, chilly but sunny!

The bird also surprised me with news of a trip we are taking this weekend:

We are headed to London on Friday for a couple nights and get to see The Book of Mormon!

I have been dying to see this show... so excited! And looking forward to our first weekend getaway of 2014!

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Weekend Recap

What a fun weekend we had over here!

The bird and I went to dinner and Wicked on Friday! It was amazing.

On Saturday, I went out with a group of girls for a Christmas dinner! It was so much fun and it's so nice having girlfriends even when I'm so far from home.

On Sunday, the bird and I had a lazy day in and actually rented The Wizard of Oz. We were motivated to see it after Wicked. That evening we headed to the Dublin Christmas Market and started our packing. So excited to head home for the holidays this week! YAY!

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Weekend Recap: Christmas decor, a concert & trip planning

This weekend was a fun and busy one!

On Thursday, the bird and I went to The Lumineers concert. They were absolutely amazing live!

Dublin was the largest venue they have played in Europe, and still it wasn't that big at all.

Here's a short clip from my iphone:

And here's what the rest of our weekend looked like:

 A day trip to the seaside // Starbucks Christmas cups in Dublin

Lots of Christmas decor around the city // Fedora props & a fun night out

Stocking up on my own Christmas goodies

We also saw the Hunger Games: Catching Fire which was fantastic. I love how close the movie stuck to the book!

 

Lastly, this coming weekend we are headed to Copenhagen! So excited!!! Let me know if you've been and if you have any tips or recommendations for us!

Linked with Sami's Shenanigans and Join the Gossip 

Weekend recaps & a fabulous sale!

We had a fairly mellow weekend over here.

On Saturday, I was lucky enough to meet up with another fellow American living in Dublin, Briana. Sometimes, it's just so nice to chat with someone going through the same type of thing you are.

Of course I forgot to take pictures. But if you are ever in Dublin, definitely go to the Cake Cafe. Delicious breakfast, lunch and freshly baked treats!

The bird and I also went to see Gravity. It was the first 3D movie I have seen... besides the one they have at Disneyland.

We found a new hotspot in town called P. Macs.

They have a great bar, free snacks and sweets... and games!

We opted for Guess Who? A childhood favorite of mine. Did you know they have an animal version now too?!

Oh, and between all the delicious grub we had over the weekend, the bird and I managed to get through a couple of these and a few miles:

Still, it would be impossible for your weekend to be as productive as ours was! ;)

Lastly, Piperlime is having a sale for 25% off dresses (& 40% off sale dresses) through tomorrow!

I love these 3!

one // two // three

Perfect for all of the upcoming holiday parties!

Linked with Sami's Shenanigans

Weekend recap & recipes

I realize it's Wednesday. But Monday was a holiday here and I am getting back into the swing of things after we had the bird's dad in town.

It was such a nice visit... we love having our friends and family out to Dublin!

First Guinness at Stag's Head // Brunch at Avoca // Fallon & Byrne Wine Bar

We also made a couple delicious recipes last week that I wanted share with you.

First up was this pizza. Uh-mazing!

It was our first time trying out "cauliflower pizza." We used this recipe for the crust, which was so easy!

We topped ours with pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, zucchini, spinach, broccoli, basil and pine nuts.

By the way, we are making it again this week.

I also made these gluten-free & vegan chocolate chip cookies.

I am a big supporter of refrigerating dough before baking. I much prefer a thick, doughy cookie over a flat crispy one.

So mine turned out more like balls or bites rather than the normal 'cookie shape.' And they were delicious!

And lastly, but certainly worth noting- Madewell is having a 30% off sale on select fall styles. Today only!

Hope you're having a great week! Happy Halloween tomorrow!

Weekend Recap

Happy Monday!

Its a rainy morning here in Dublin. But we had a fabulous weekend, so its hard to complain.

The bird and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary this weekend. I definitely didn't take enough pictures to document... but here are a couple from dinner on Saturday at Fire.

This restaurant was just newly remodeled and its gorgeous inside. I'm not sure the service or food matched the lovely interior... but I have to say the dessert was delicious: vanilla bean creme brulee and white chocolate raspberry cheesecake.

I completely forgot to take pictures at Thornton's. But we did get to meet the owner and celebrity chef, Mr. Thornton himself. So that was exciting.

And lastly, I'm pretty sure fall lasts one week here. Luckily I was able to snap a pic before it turned to winter today.

My fall necessities: soy chai tea latte, navy polish and booties.

What's is your fall/winter go-to drink?

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Oktoberfest Dublin

Happy Friday!

Last weekend, the bird and I celebrated Oktoberfest here in Dublin.

We also celebrated briefly in Cologne, Germany at the end of September. I have to say Dublin's Oktoberfest was much better. (Still waiting on the chance to go to Munich... which I hear is incomparable.)

It was such a beautiful, sunny day too!

Such a fun time. Munich might have to be on the list for next Oktober!

Have you celebrated Oktoberfest anywhere?

Note: Excuse the poor quality iPhone shots