Maui 2012

Well, I finally broke down and went through the photos from our trip to Maui in January. I still have island fever, and the freezing fog here at home isn't helping the case any either.

We had the most epic trip we've ever taken. It was filled with a lot of lazy days, just enjoying the beach and being warm. In fact, the first five days we didn't even get into our car! Loved it. We stayed at Napili Village, and highly recommend it to everyone. Not only is it a two second walk to legendary Napili Bay beach, but the grounds are gorgeous, the rooms are super clean (and undergoing a huge renovation this year) and the staff is the most friendly you'll ever meet. They will go out of their way to make sure you're comfortable and taken care of. There's a huge sense of community up in Napili, and we just fell in love.

We saw a ton of whales, turtles and fish. Snorkeled, paddle boarded, and cliff jumped. Some of our best friends and their teenage son went along with us, which was perfect. Not only did we get to share this experience with them again (we went together kidless 5 years ago) but Rich and I got to go out on a few dates. We were semi-celebrating our anniversary and did a sunset cocktail cruise that we did almost ten years ago on our honeymoon.

If I was taught one thing on this vacation, it would be to take advantage of the opportunities life presents. And life here is in our cards for now, so I guess that includes embracing freezing fog, right?

I'll stop blabbering, and just show you the pictures. There's a lot.

Last Day in Paradise

Today was the last day of our amazing little family vacation *tear*.

It has been one for the books that's for sure. I'm excited to share more details with you, like the great things we saw, things that are perfect for kids and families, where we stayed, etc. I'll get to all those, eventually. Groceries and laundry are on the immediate list upon returning to "normal".

To finish off our trip, we had pictures taken with some phenomenal photographer friends, Gary & Courtney, who happened to be on vacation here at the same time. They have a heart for travel, like us, and have ventured the world taking pictures. They continually inspire and excite us for new ways to look at life.

Here's a couple snap shots they took on my phone at the end of our session, with the most perfect sunset.



Cannot wait to see all the pictures and share them with you too!

If you are looking for photographers who will blow your mind...look no further. We had so much fun with them and they planned out everything to make it effortless, casual, and beautiful.

You can find them on Facebook, Twitter (here and here), or follow along on their blog (they just wrote an amazing post on traveling that we really resonated with).

Tomorrow I'll have another quick and fun idea for kids of all ages!

A Little Down Time

I'm taking the week off from blogging to spend quality time with my little family.

Here's some shots of what our week of vacation has looked like so far:


{lots of silly time}


{lots of mornings on the beach with pjs, coffee and whales}


{lots of messes and sand}


{lots of local eats}


{lots of drinks with umbrellas}


{lots of family dinners}


{lots of breathtaking sunsets}


{lots of happy smiles in the warm sun}

Enjoy you're week, I'll be checking in next Monday!

Cookies and Champagne Holiday Party

It's a simple premise: invite guests, each guest brings 2 dozen of their home baked cookies, you set one dozen out, and one dozen aside for everyone to take home, eat, drink, be merry and bright.

Just the simple act of adding cookies and champagne together, makes for one magical day of friends enjoying the Christmas season.

And one of these years, I'm going to have one...

Here's what mine will look like.

And if you beat me to it, two things: I better be invited and here's the invite to send. (click image below)


This perfectly updated girly color palette will draw everyone in. Focus on pink and gold, and throw in some yellow and orange. How fun, right?!


Scroll through the pictures below for more party details. Cheers!

• set up your table for guests to set their cookies on and grab a glass of bubbly like this gorgeous table with chevron backdrop
• send each guest home with a cookie spatula and sweet tag thanking them for coming like this gift tag found here
• how amazing would your cookie labels look with some jeweled bling
• you can order these limited edition möet & chandon champagne bottles to add to the festive pink & gold
• make sure to dress up your invites when you send them out, as they set the tone for the party
• no party is a good party without drinks and humor
• make these tiny trees using champagne corks either before as decorations, or during as a fun project everyone can do when a bottle is opened

• buy or create this cute toast towel to send one lucky winner home with a bottle of bubbly to go with their cookies
• set up tables for guests to assemble their cookie take-homes while sitting and enjoying a plate like this eye catching set up
• easy decor can be done using glass pillars, water, floating candles and embellishments like found on this dessert table
• don't forget the details like this pink and gold pillow
• recipe cards are a must for your guests to bring and share so provide them with a dozen like these free downloads
• break away from just cookies and have some other treats available for your guests to munch on like these ribbon candies
• fill a big bucket of ice with plenty of bottles of champagne chilling and if you're feeling adventurous cover them in pink wrapping to spice them up even more