Haven in Paris

Haven: a safe and secure place
Paris: where a piece of my heart lives

Put it together: “A safe and secure place where a piece of my heart lives.”

Need I say more? Paris means so much to me, largely attributed to the season of life that brought me there and the much needed respite, play and beauty that it gifted me. I will never get over the glimpses of God’s handiwork there: the Seine, the art, the lingering lunches and breathtaking gardens. Paris feels like a best friend. The kind of friend that even if you haven’t talked to them in a really long time, you know that you are going to effortlessly pick back up, right where you left off. I have strong affections for Paris and the little French life I got to have. I know I will go back… I just know it.

This little rental service is what sparked my nostalgia for crepes, coca light and a language that isn’t my own. It is called Haven in Paris.


Wednesday is a great day for a macation (make believe vacation).

Casa de Reyes

Texas summers go hand in hand with the lake! Last weekend we had a blast hanging out with some of my old college buddies at the Reyes' lake house. The boys wake boarded. The girls lounged by the pool catching up. We played a heated game of Cranium. Scott continued to whip up delicacies from the grill. We ate. We ate again. And then we ate some more. I think I am still full.

It was really sweet time. The tender thing about picking up friends from different seasons of life is that when you reunite, it kind of takes you back. I felt instantly youthful and ready to play the second we got out of the car. Not to say these friendships don’t become integrated parts of what all of our today’s hold, but they just make one appreciative of days past.


A big gracias to the Reyes/Wilmoth’s for being such thoughtful and generous hosts, as always. Love and adore those people.

Magnetic Rope

I think these hanging magnetic ropes are endlessly fun. They could be used to display fun mail (weddings, baby announcements, invitations etc…), perhaps they could boast your to-do list in a friendly way? The possibilities are endless. Ohhh… I have a good one – what if they were filled with little love notes or words of encouragement for you and your roommates?

I think I'll go to Boston; I think I'll start a new life

We took the Amtrak train from Penn Station to Boston South side and I believe train travel to be my most favorite kind of travel. Some of the highlights were as follows:

1) Eating at Bricco’s (lobster ravioli) yum yum

2) Eating at Giacomo’s (tiny hole in the wall Italian where the owner/server yells your order from your table to the kitchen in the back)

3) Eating at Navy Yard Bistro

4) Whale Watching the Boston Harbor Cruises; this was truly magical. We could hear them singing and we saw copious kinds: hump backs, minke whales, finback whales, and white sided dolphins

5) Long walks

6) Chris and I got stuck in a horrible storm while walking through Cambridge so we took cover in a pub, sampled the local brew and played darts for hours. Naturally Chris made friends with every person there.

7) Harvard is really pretty.

Boston, thanks for the great time.

NY ... F-U-N

Chris had a meeting with his publisher in the big apple so I packed my walking shoes(heels and cab fare) and headed NE with my man. The best part was spending time aimlessly wandering around getting lost in the busy streets and scenes. Chris and I got to talk and play and just enjoy one another. That is the definition of happy in my book. Some highlights were eating, hanging out indulging in late night conversation with the Vassars and meeting some of Chris’ work people. My new favorite street in NY is Perry street. It is the greenest street I have ever seen in the city and the local pub was ideal for people watching. Sidewalk table, a good brew and millions of people walking by provided hours of entertainment. We maybe got a new hobby discovered on Bleeker street, old vinyl’s. Why did we ever let go of the pastime that is, putting a good record on and listening from start to finish? We are bringing it back. We got to dine at Mas (farmhouse) and enjoy the special exhibit at the Met, Models as Muse. The visuals were incredible. In effort to hide from the rain we stumbled into a nice café called St. Ambroeus for the most delicious gelato and cappuccino! We got to worship at Apostles church which resulted in a lot of honest conversation about what are the things God has prompted us to do that we have been complacent about getting around to. It also just made us so grateful that we can travel somewhere and find a group of believers that treat you like invited relatives; we were received with warm affection. We packed lunches every day and spent good time in Central Park. I think my favorite place we ate though was a tiny Italian restaurant that was DELICOUS! It is called Trattoria Toscano, and the owner’s name is Franco. It has a window store front that opens into the street where a talented guitarist played subtly and beautifully. The food was exceptional and the service matched that of a five star restaurant. The owner is proud and should be. The hospitality and ambiance (and the lemoncello) were a real treat. If you are traveling to this great city any time soon, dining here is a must.


After this adventure we took the train to Boston for my work. I will post that adventure soon. To be continued…

Joss is a trip...

Not to be confused with her brother Trip (pictured below).

After baby brother departed to dream world, Joss and I decided to make chocolate chip cookies. Joss just turned two and I can't get enough of her person. She is so funny. She kept sticking her finger in the batter and when i would catch her I would say, "Joss-e, not yet..." to which she would repeat back, "Joss-e not yet." She would then scrape the stolen dough from her finger back into the bowl, grinning. Though, I hardly blame her. Here is a montage of our baking adventure.


Which leads me to my concluding thought... MAKING MESSES IS GOOD CLEAN FUN. I saved the best picture for last. My sweet hubby called from NY and Joss took the phone and started talking to him. Apparently girls start multitasking earlier than we thought.



Hope this adds a little happy to your weekend, KP