France

I've had so much fun sharing my travel capsule (1, 2, 3) and trip experiences (Italy, Switzerland) with you over the last couple of weeks!  I still have one more wardrobe post coming to you on Wednesday, but today is the final installment of my Spring Break recap!

After a day in the mountains of charming Switzerland, my group of students, parents and teachers took the TGV (the fast train) into Paris.  As much as I loved my new experiences in Italy and Switzerland, my French teacher heart felt so happy to be heading "home!"  We arrived in time for a supermarket lunch and time at Notre Dame.  The trees were in bloom and the sun was shining making for a lovely afternoon!

Travel Capsule: Springtime in Europe- Outfits Four and Five

Bonjour, mes amies!  I'm back today with the third installment of my Springtime in Europe Travel Capsule.  If you missed the first few posts, I traveled to Italy, Switzerland and France for Spring Break with only ten pieces of clothing!  Here you can find the list of items with outfit one as well as outfits two and three.

This is the outfit that I wore during our four-hour train ride from Switzerland to France.  We hopped off the train and jumped right into sight-seeing so I knew that I wanted to feel comfortable yet put-together.  I went for basic color blocking with a navy peplum, a mustard cardigan, some skinny jeans and bright flats.

The next day was spent wandering the streets of Paris, so of course I wanted to look chic while taking care of my feet.  These comfy loafers really took care of me throughout Europe!  Can you believe they are from Old Navy?!  They are totally walkable and have actually held out considering the price.  I've been wearing them non-stop since I got home, too!  The coral pair is sold out online but you can still buy them in a pretty off-white.  Old Navy is also carrying a slightly different pair of moccasins that are just as comfy!

Anyways, back to the outfit!  I can't get enough of florals lately so it was fun to have something pretty and spring-like to wear on vacation.  Add my trusty coral jacket and some skinnies and I'm all set!

And with that, we are almost to the end of the series.  Just one more post to go!  But while you're here, please link-up your fashion fashion posts lately below with The Blended Blog!

And I Think to Myself What a Wonderful World

You may have noticed that I've got this little thing called wanderlust.  You name the place, I want to go there and explore!  So when 76th & Newbury reached-out to offer me a travel map, I jumped at their offer!

I chose the Modern World Travel Map and truly enjoyed the design process!  I got to choose the name at the top, the quote and the color the the map details.  Once I made my choices, my very own consultant created a proof and e-mailed it to me so that I could see exactly what the final product would look like.

After confirming my proof, a couple of weeks flew by and the map arrived at my door with a box of pushpins (my choice of color) to mark the countries that I've visited!

I absolutely love this personal, visual reminder of my travels.  I also like to look at my map and daydream about where I will go next!

If you are looking for the perfect gift for your friend who's caught the travel bug or maybe that newly married couple who plans to travel together, I would highly recommend a travel map from 76th and Newbury!

Finding my Tribe in Toronto

Random Friend: So you're traveling to another country to meet a bunch of people you met online?
Me: Yes I am!

And I couldn't be happier I did!

Just over one year ago, I was invited to join a collaboration called The Blended Blog.  I already knew a few of the other bloggers in the group but most were introduced to me as I started to write with them.

Instantaneously I found myself a part of the most amazing group of women.  We blog across different age groups, countries and phases in life but despite our differences, these thirteen women have become the greatest of friends and one of the strongest support systems I have in my life.  In fact, I think our differences are what makes us great!  We represent women everywhere while strengthening each other through life's ups and downs.

One year later (this past weekend), I hopped in my car to make the trek from home to Toronto, Canada where I spent the weekend meeting ten of these women in real life!  I can't express how surreal it was to see their smiling faces in front of me instead of through my computer screen.  Each and every one of them was exactly what I expected.  Their blogging voices are so authentic that I knew exactly who I was meeting.  I am so so blessed to be able to call these women my true friends now and I'm already itching to spend more time with them.

Tomorrow I want to individually honor each of these women, their unique personalities and their amazing blogs, but tonight I'm sharing some pictures from our trip!

Switzerland

Hey, friends!  I'm back today with another post about my recent trip to Europe.  In case you missed it, I explained the reason for my trip and my first few days spent in Italy here.

Picking up where I left off in my first travel post, our group arrived at our hotel in the Swiss Alps on the second evening of our trip.  That picture up there is of our hotel.  Have you seen something so charming in your life?!  Below you'll find the view from my balcony as well as the little street where our hotel was located.  This was by far my favorite hotel of the trip!

The morning after our arrival, we took a walking tour of Lucerne, Switzerland and had some free time to eat lunch and shop.  I found Lucerne to be a lovely, not-very-touristy town full of Alpine charm.  It was quiet expensive, though.  I spent almost $50 at the chocolate shop below!  But you have to splurge on Swiss chocolate, right?!

Travel Capsule: Springtime in Europe- Outfits Two and Three

Last week I introduced you to a series that I'm really excited about: my packing capsule for an eight-day trip to Europe during the spring.  In my first post I shared the ten pieces included in the capsule as well as outfit number one!  I'm back today with outfits two and three.

The items included in this outfit are a navy peplum, a floral scarf, skinny jeans, Converse and my coral jacket (the links to the individual items are in my first post).  I wore this outfit for a day when I really needed a variety of layers.  We started the day in Venice, spent most of it riding on a bus (comfort being key), cruised around sunny Lake Como for a few hours and then ended-up in the mountains of Switzerland.

The stretchy skinnies and loose-fitting peplum were comfy on the bus.  The jacket and the scarf were easy to throw on or take off depending on the current temperature!

This next outfit consists of a pink sweatshirt, that floral scarf again, boyfriend jeans and Converse.  My coral jacket was also tossed into this mix because this was the coldest day of the trip.

I wore this outfit for a walking tour of Lucerne, Switzerland and then to travel to the top of Mount Pilatus (more on Switzerland tomorrow).  Again, the layers worked for the varying temperatures and my Converse were practical enough for being in the mountains.

Well, we've been from sun to snow in one post!  Thanks for stopping-by today and make sure to link-up your favorite style post below for Fashion Files with The Blended Blog!

Italy

Buongiorno, bellas!  I hope you're ready for lots of pictures because I have some fun travel stories to share with you!  Yesterday I introduced my travel capsule wardrobe for a springtime trip to Europe and today I want to start telling you about my trip!  During our week abroad we spent time in Italy, Switzerland and France so I will be writing one travel post per country.

Our trip began in Italy so let's start here!  The school group I traveled with flew into the airport in Milan.  The original plan was to head straight to Venice but the group we were sharing a bus with was running behind.  Instead of waiting for them at the airport, our tour director took us to the center of the city to explore a bit and eat some gelato.  What a great bonus since we weren't supposed to see Milan at all!  The picture below is of El Duomo in the city center.

From Milan, we hopped on a bus for several hours and arrived outside of Venice just in time for a pasta dinner.  After a good night sleep (a bed, finally!), we woke-up ready for our first full day of touring the beautiful city.

Early the next morning we took a ferry to Venice.  Once we arrived, we spent the morning on a walking tour of the canal-lined city.  I wanted to take pictures of every little side street and café because each angle was so beautiful!

After our walking tour we had several free hours to eat lunch and wander.  All of our students decided to explore the city with their parents so my teacher friends and I got to enjoy a glass of wine with the most amazing Italian pizza!

Travel Capsule: Springtime in Europe- Introduction and Outfit One

I'm so excited to be kicking-off this series today because, in writing these posts, I'm getting to relive my spectacular Spring Break trip!  In early April, I took a group of twenty-one students, parents and teachers from my district on a European vacation.  It was a big (and sometimes stressful) undertaking but the trip went off without a hitch and everyone had a wonderful experience.  We traveled through Italy, Switzerland and France.  I got to visit places I've never before seen and I got to experience the magic of Paris through the eyes of my students who were seeing it for the first time!

While preparing for this trip, I challenged myself to create a travel capsule wardrobe.  We were constantly on the move so this capsule helped me to pack light while always feeling put-together.  The trouble with traveling in Europe during spring is the unpredictability of the weather.  Not to mention we were traveling to several locations across the continent!  Being prepared for all weather conditions was a priority as was dressing comfortably because we were often on our feet all day.

Here is what I brought with me for my travel capsule wardrobe:

1.  blue and white striped dress (similar)
2.  navy floral sleeveless top (exact)
3.  navy peplum sleeveless top (exact)
4.  light pink sweatshirt (similar but short-sleeved)
5.  mustard cardigan (similar)
6.  floral scarf (exact)
7.  skinny jeans (exact)
8.  boyfriend jeans (exact)
9.  coral loafers (similar)
10.  white converse (exact)

Extra #1: coral jacket (exact)
Extra #2: navy bag (exact)

In coming-up with this lineup, I started with a color scheme: coral and navy.  From there I chose basics that would mix and match but with some fun details like stripes and floral prints (so I didn't feel too bored).

Here is the first outfit I created from my list of ten items!

I wore this during our day trip to Venice, Italy.  The knit dress was the perfect weight for a sunny day in Northern Italy.  I mostly wore the scarf for show but it did come in handy on the chilly ferry ride to the city.  And these loafers!  They are from Old Navy so I was a bit worried about how comfortable they would be, but they were perfect for a day of sightseeing!

I also have to note that I found the most perfect travel bag!  I wanted a cross body bag for security purposes, something big enough to hold the paperwork I had to carry, and something chic that would go with the other items in my capsule.  I found this awesome messenger bag from eBags.com and it comes in a few other colors and prints.  I would highly recommend it if you are in the market for a travel bag.

I hope you are as excited as I am for the continuation of this series!  I will also be posting reviews of the actual trip and you will find my Italy installment tomorrow.  And while you're here, link-up your latest style post with The Blended Blog below.

中国 China 中国

For my first post of the new year, I've decided to share with you my biggest adventure of last year.  In November, I was blessed with the opportunity to travel to Beijing, China!

You see, for Spring Break this year, I'm taking a group of students to Europe.  We're traveling to Italy, Switzerland and France, to be exact!  While this is amazing in and of itself, this travel opportunity lead me right to China!  When we go, we will be traveling with an educational travel company called E.F. Tours, and if you are a first time group leader (like me) the company will provide you with a free training tour.  Training tours are offered in a handful of countries, one of them being China!  I thought to myself that I may never get another opportunity to travel to Beijing, so why the heck not?!

So, one early morning in November, I found myself on the way to the airport preparing for a fifteen hour plane ride to China on my own.  I was quite nervous but I 'm so glad that I pushed myself out of my comfort zone because I had an amazing trip!

I took about a million pictures while I was there but I will only share a few of my favorites here.  Despite that, this will be a longer post than usual.  But let's jump right in with the most amazing part of the trip: visiting the Great Wall of China!

What I Wore in Nashville

Wow!  I'm posting awfully late...in two different ways.  First of all, I should have had this post done this morning, but here we are.  Also, I took these pictures in July.  Blogger friends, do you ever take pictures with the intent to post soon and then find yourself two months later with unused photos?  Oh well!  Better late than never, right?

This summer I got to spend a week at my sister and brother-in-law's home watching my niece while they were on vacation.  They live just outside of Nashville so my mom and I had a "grandma and aunt's night out" on the town in Music City!

I wanted to dress the part so I knew I had to wear my cowgirl boots (plus they don't get a lot of wear during normal life).  I kept the rest of the look simple with a sleeveless chambray dress and a cognac purse.

If you find yourself in Nashville, I would highly recommend a meal at The Listening Room!  You enjoy delicious southern food while experiencing an intimate concert with up-and-coming country artists!

After dinner my mom and I wandered up and down Broadway, popping into the various honkey tonks as we went.  We really enjoyed all of the talent that Nashville has to offer.  The live music in every single bar was spectacular!

Speaking of country music, have you seen the Forever Country video yet?  It's an amazing collaboration from so many iconic performers!

And while you're here, don't forget to link-up for The Blended Blog's What I Wore series!