Tulum

Tulum is a free spirit's Heaven. It has a pleasant vibe of peaceful freedom while also being vibrant, relaxing, fun and most of all beautiful. It's a place I'd love to return to soon.

We ate beautiful organic food. Fresh catches of the day... and by night, we were just right for a dip in the pool. Kev even taught me how to swim...doggie paddle. 

All in all, Tulum has a piece of my heart, mind and admiration. If you ever get the chance... GO.

Beach Anniversary

We celebrated our first year of marriage on the beautiful shores of the Atlantic Ocean. It was a beautiful and relaxing trip. 

We ate really amazing food. Talked endlessly about our dreams. Basked in the sun's rays... and listened lovingly to the stories of the ocean's waves as they crashed near our feet. 

It was all that we needed and more. We'll always celebrate our anniversary by taking yearly "honeymoons". I think it may be one of the secrets to marital bliss and pleasure.

Love is the theme for Sweet 2016

LOVE :: I've been thinking of how I want to make Sweet 2016 better than this year has been for myself and my family. As I reflect on this last day of 2015, I am beyond grateful for the MANY blessings God permitted for me. I married my Love, who is a reflection of all things wonderful, beautiful, and complex. I met one of my personal inspirations, Ms. Mimi Thorisson, and was able to learn from her and bring a piece of her and her family's style back to my own home. Lastly, we purchased a beautiful new house that instantly felt like home.

With the amazing things also came a few challenges and heartbreaking moments. We recently learned that our beloved dog, my dearest child of 11 years, is dying. When I adopted her, she was 2 months old and I never thought I would fall so in love with an animal, but her big personality won me over. She's been the epitome of love, forgiveness and absolute FUN. I've learned how to be more patient, kind and forgiving because of her.

We also learned earlier this year that our chances of having a child are very marginal. It was heartbreakingly crushing to receive that news and as I type this, tears are welling up in my eyes. I can't say that I always dreamed of being a mother - I did not. Growing up, I was not very fond of children at all. I think around the age of 28, I began to feel motherly and my feelings completely changed toward wanting children. I sometimes think that my disdain for ever wanting children in my early years somehow programmed my body to also reject the notion. Who knows? Life is filled with ups, downs, disappointments and laughter and taking the good with the bad is the truth in learning and living.

As we move forward toward Sweet 2016, I've decided to choose Love as my personal theme for the year ahead. To Love my God, who loves me despite me. To Love my dog every day that she remains to be with us here on earth. To Love myself and all of my imperfections. To Love my husband. To Love my family, friends and even those that don't wish the best for me. I choose to LOVE.

Thank you 2015 for the joy, lessons and blessings ... Sweet 2016, I welcome you with loving arms.

xo, Dana

believe in yourself

On this day as I reflect on the beautifully magical year I've had, I'm reminded that the beauties in life are filled with imperfections. In the day of beautifully curated blogs and images, I'm reminded that the persons behind them are equally as flawed as I am and are doing AMAZING things with their gifts and talents, so why shouldn't I?

Since I was a child, I always had high hopes of doing great things in my life. I didn't want my small-town country upbringing to hold me back from seeing the world. I wanted MORE for myself and I dreamed of traveling the world. I wanted to experience the richness of life and to see the ocean in person. I'd grown up watching Denise Austin working out every morning on the beach and I wanted that life for myself.  Her life, it seemed, was beautiful, magical, and serene. It looked like the ultimate FUN. Every summer I looked forward to waking up and watching her because she was HAPPY doing what she loved.

Fast forward to today and I am a woman who is grateful. Grateful that I was given the dream to one day experience the magical vibrance of the ocean. Grateful that after dreaming for so long, at the ripe age of 21, I was finally blessed to experience the beach in all of it's glory in person. My first experience was beyond magical. I'll never forget it and will always cherish that time in my life. 

What does all of this have to do with believing in yourself, you may ask. To be honest, I don't know. I don't always understand my thoughts and feelings. I just give myself permission to express and feel them in the way that they want to be expressed and felt (within reason :)). I've been wanting for quite some time now, to write...to live...to express...to share - and have been so afraid. But this morning I woke with that phrase in my head..."believe in yourself"... so I will.

xo, Dana

Him

Kevin, Paris 2015

"Aimer, ce n’est pas se regarder l’un l’autre, c’est regarder ensemble dans la mêmedirection."

"Love doesn’t mean gazing at each other, but looking, together, in the same direction."

~Antoine de St-Exupéry

Médoc

Since returning from our honeymoon, Kev and I have reveled in our experience in Médoc. From the beautiful ride to our bed and breakfast that was made glorious by a mesmerizingly dark sky filled with vivid stars and moon like that of a planetarium; to our beautiful experience at the home of Mimi and Oddur Thorisson. It was a dream come to life.

I'll always remember Médoc and the freedom, love, and happiness that I felt while being there. It's truly something that I cannot describe fully. I just know that it is something that I want to recreate every day of my life. Togetherness, family, food, meaningful conversations, candlelight, delicious lunches and dinners, exploring the world around me, LIVING ...

a honeymoon in Paris

We strolled the streets of Paris as if we were natives. We visited my favorites the Louvre and Eiffel Tower, as well as the Rodin museum, Napoleon's Tomb, and the Musée de l'Armé. We continued our adventure on the boulevard of Champs Elysees where we ate the best pizza I've ever eaten in life and at night, we'd cuddle and kiss the night away.

It all started out as a dream really. I'd wanted to return to Paris for an adventure and he wanted to go because he'd never been across the seas. It was a perfect dream - as dreams go. We'd talked about what we would like to see, do, and experience. He talked as if it were only a dream, I talked as if it were going to happen. It was much like our wedding. A bit planned but mostly spontaneous.We'd talked for a few months about getting married and told our family and close friends about our intentions - we'd even set a date, but made no plans.Then it happened. Mimi Thorisson, my favorite blogger and personal icon, announced she would begin her cooking workshops in March 2015 in Medoc, France and I found it the perfect opportunity to book our trip and begin planning our intimate wedding (which took place 1 year exactly from the day we first met). The wedding was beautiful, filled with love, sunshine, beautiful decor by my amazing mother, delicious food and just the right amount of quirk. Some things didn't go as planned, but that's  the story of weddings. It was a beautiful experience that we'll cherish for the rest of our lives together.

A week after the wedding, we began our journey to France. I was in charge of planning our excursions in Paris since I'd already been and considering Kevin isn't much of a planner.  My main goal was to show him all of the things that had amazed me when I visited for the first time and fell in love with the dear city of love. I made sure to re-create my first experience of seeing the Eiffel Tower for Kevin. We waited until evening on the first day we arrived so that he could experience the magical and mesmerizing lights that sparkle up and down the beautiful structure every half hour. He absolutely LOVED the experience and that made me happy. We were blessed to stay near the Eiffel Tower in a nice cozy Airbnb that was simply perfection. The flat was situated on Rue Grenelle just steps from the bustling Rue Cler where there were many restaurants and the best street market in Paris. We chose to eat at the same restaurant for lunch and most nights, Cafe Roussillon - it was convenient and had the most amazing creme brulee (my favorite dessert) and chocolate mousse. The food was also delicious, of course. As the days in Paris quickly went by, we became nostalgic for how much we would miss our little apartment and strolls exploring both the tourist attractions and our little neighborhood. We didn't know what to expect as our honeymoon adventure continued in Medoc. I wasn't sure if Kevin would like the experience since he wouldn't be a part of the action while I cooked. Little did we know, we were in for the the most extraordinary time of our lives. Looking back, we had no reason to worry. Our experience in Medoc with the Thorissons was beyond life changing, eye opening, and simply beautiful. It set the tone for how we want to live the rest of our lives together.

c'est le debut ... Paris

As I look out of the window, my thoughts are of my time spent in Paris. It was a short trip with friends exploring as much of the beautiful city as possible before being whisked off to Rome.

The Lourve museum was my favorite, after seeing my other favorite the Eiffel Tower and before seeing my super favorite, the beautiful Château de Versailles.   Paris to me is a city that you can't help but fall in love with upon first seeing. It's as if there is a spell on all those arriving in the city to fall in love immediately. Its mystique, the beautiful architecture, romance... it's all so beautiful and alive.

When we arrived, our first stop was to get a glimpse of the beautiful Eiffel Tower. It was nighttime and the tower was lit with the most beautiful lights streaming and flickering up and down it's metal frame. I couldn't believe my eyes. There I was, standing before this gigantic art piece that is the beacon of this magical city. I was in awe, but most of all, I was so grateful and felt so blessed to be experiencing such magic. After taking in as much of the tower that our minds could hold, we walked to a crêpe stand that was just across the street. It was my first crêpe and my first time experiencing Nutella. I was in sensory overload. My eyes and taste buds have never been so delighted in all my life. The experience was an absolute dream that I didn't know I ever wanted to come true. I was in love from that moment forward.

As daylight streamed through the windows of our Paris apartment, we were all excited to start exploring the city & seeing more of the major attractions. Our first stop of the morning was the beautiful and enormous Lourve. We didn't get a chance to see even half of this fantastic museum. It would literally take days to view it in it's entirety so our plan was to see as much as possible & especially the famous Mona Lisa.

As we strolled the halls, I immediately fell in love with the sculpture exhibit. The attention to detail, the intricately beautiful replications of human shape and expression. I'll never forget the way I felt - so inspired and in complete awe of the talent of the sculptor artists that had created these beautiful treasures. I walked away with a fantastically deep appreciation for their talent, dedication, and artistry. I also walked away knowing I will one day be back.