Off to Paris!

This will be my last post for about a week while I vacation in Paris! I'm so excited to meet up with my best friend and enjoy the amazing city. On the top of my list of things to see is The Louve, The Eifle Tower, the Catacombs, the Picasso museum and The Grand Palace. Other than that, we will see what we want to see as time allows and just be flexible about it. I want to spend lots of time in cafe's sipping coffee and eating pastries and crepes while people watching and learning about the culture of Paris!! Do you have any suggestions of must do things while I am there?

Tis the Season.....to get engaged

I've had several friends get engaged this past week! It's a really exciting time for them and it has put weddings on my mind. I'll leave you to dream about them too, with this georgous and simple wedding photo I saw over on A Cup of Joe

Countdown!

5 days until I leave for Paris! I am so excited I can hardly stand it. I will be super busy up until the moment I leave, doing holiday things like a gift exchange, an ugly sweater party, going to a Blazer game (4th row baby!) and trying to pack smartly for my trip. For now I'll leave you with a photo my good friend Lauren took on her recent trip to Paris (last week!)

Weekend Getaway!

My dear readers, I am so happy to be taking off this afternoon for a weekend getaway! My boyfriend's company party is being held at the Resort at the Mountain at Mt. Hood here in Oregon. This cozy retreat looks fabulous!

What I will wear:



Where we will be:





Where we will sleep:




Can't wait!! Any holiday parties for you this weekend? Comment away!

Wish I Was Here Wednesday

Olivia has inspired me again....

http://oliviakcarter.blogspot.com












I wish I was staying at a snowy winter cabin this Wednesday, snuggled up with my love and drinking hot coffee.


Make sure to head over to Olivia's blog and play along!

Temptation....

December is a month of joy, anticipation, holiday cheer and.....temptation. Holiday parties serve mouth-watering treats and my office is constantly filled with sweet goodies. It is also a time when management decides to order lunch in almost everyday as a reward for hard work. The choices are not so healthy and leave me feeling sluggish. I've been trying to squeeze in extra work-outs, but I think the solution is to just say no! No to the chocolate croissants from Beaverton Bakery (I'll be eating enough of those in Paris in a few weeks anyway, right?) No to the chocolates our sales team brought us back from Hawaii, no to the home baked goods my co-worker's wife made and no to the tins of popcorn sitting in the aisle. I have had my share of indulging already and it is only Dec. 14th! Don't you worry, I know I'll enjoy a few sweet treats, just not ALLLLLL of them.

Here's to temptation.....

A Parisian Vacation

I can now share with you the most wonderful news! I will be spending Christmas and New Year's in PARIS!! I am so excited I can hardly believe my good fortune. I have spent the last few days making plans and reading a travel guide to Paris so I can decide which of the sights I most want to see. My Friday will be spent dreaming of this romantic city and my adventure that will begin soon!

If you have traveled to Paris, I would love to hear your story and any advice you may have. Comment below or email mandee6321 at yahoo dot com.

Peppermint & Chocolate at Christmas

This time of year, these two ingredients just take so good. This year, my roommates and I have gone a little overboard. We've had peppermint chocolate cookies, peppermint pretzels, peppermint oreos and peppermint creamer in our coffee. I also love Peppermint Mocha's and am dreaming about one of these heavenly treats below!

A Holiday Greeting

Shane and I put our Holiday cards in the mail today. Yesterday we had a nice snuggly Sunday watching movies and addressing the envelopes. Last year we sent out regular cards that we wrote messages inside, but this year we had a photo card created. It was so much easier, and I think it's adorable! The photo was taken at a vineyard on one of our recent visits to Wine Country in Oregon.

New Obsession

I am obsessed with this nail shade of the season by OPI, We'll Always Have Paris. I love the names of nail polish's and secretly wish my day job was coming up with those beautiful, picture painting names. There may be another reason for my obsession with this color, but that, my dears, is a surprise to share with you another day!!

Craving.....

Doesn't this sound (and look!) so yummy? It's been my new favorite snack this week.

Busy as a Bee

I have been so busy this week at work I have barely had time to breath! Combined with my my full social calendar outside of work, I am a busy bee. Stay tuned and hopefully things will slow down and I'll be back to blogging!