Greece (...Opa!)

I realized this weekend that it’s been almost two years since I embarked on my inaugural trip abroad - to GREECE! In honor of the special occasion, and because I didn’t have this awesome blog two years ago, I decided now was as good a time as ever to share some adventures from the trip. Here are the highlights from my eight day vacation to one of the most beautiful places on earth...

Day One: Arrive in Athens

Luggage in tow, we hopped on a bus and headed to the Acropolis.


Immediately following our tour of the ruins, we headed to the port to catch a high speed ferry to Mykonos. Here are some photos of the adorable, family run hotel we stayed in - Hotel Nazos.



Day Two: Day trip to Paradise Island – a very appropriate name for the beautiful beach….


…that turned into a beach-dance club around 4:00pm. Later that night, we hit up Space Bar, a very fun dance club where Europeans danced, drank, and threw napkins in the air! We partied the night away and before we knew it the sun was rising! Opa!!!



Day Three: Exolore the island's historic Windmills before taking another ferry to Santorini.


We stayed at the Pelican Hotel in Santorini. Although the hotel did not have the typical Santorini views overlooking the cliff, it was located in the center of town and was really great!


The photo below was taken at an adorable restaurant we found nestled on the side of the cliff in Santorini. The views were absolutely breathtaking!



Day Four: Toured the beaches of Santorini (red, white, and black sand) via water taxi



Day Five: Boat Cruise to the Santorini Volcano for hiking the volcano and swimming in the hot springs. The boat also took us to Oia, where we abandoned ship to explore the town. From there we were able to take a bus back to our hotel.


Day Six: High Speed Ferry back to Athens


Day Seven: Fly back to U-S-A! Errr, spend night in airport.

Day Eight: Fly home to U-S-A!!!

California

I spent an extended weekend in California earlier this summer and I stumbled across an adorable storefront. How cute is the window treatment?!

One part clouds, two parts sunshhine. Wish you were here.

We spent most of our time exploring Corona Del Mar, Laguna Beach, and Newport Beach. More to come on some of our favorite spots.

DIY Wedding Programs

The last several months I've been helping my sister plan her vintage-inspired dream wedding. Lucky for us, we have creative bones and love crafting so we were able to save some money by taking on some do-it-yourself projects, one of which included the wedding program.

Throughout the process, we learned that it's hard to find a "template" for wedding programs (unlike the unlimited supply of self-service invitation websites!). It really is different for everyone, tailored to the marriage ceremony, including special traditions based on religious affiliations - or lack thereof. To me that means one thing: Ultimate Creative Freedom!

After a quick shopping trip to Michael’s for supplies, we printed the verbaige on cardstock and started assembling. Here’s a look at what we came up with... more wedding photos and posts coming soon. Enjoy!

Best Tasting Cupcake

Today at work I won the "Best Tasting" Cupcake Award for my mascarpone cupcakes with strawberry glaze! The recipe is from the Food Network's Giada De Laurentiis and is always a crowd pleaser. I recommend baking a double batch - one is never enough!



Ingredients
8 ounces mascarpone cheese (about 1 cup), softened
2 egg whites
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 box white cake mix
1 cup water
1/3 cup frozen strawberries, thawed and drained
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar


Directions
Special equipment: 4 mini muffin tins and 48 mini muffin paper cupcake liners

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the mini tins with paper liners.

In a large bowl combine the mascarpone cheese, egg whites and vegetable oil. Using a hand mixer, beat the ingredients until combined and creamy. Add the cake mix and water and mix until smooth, about 3 minutes. Fill the mini cups to just below the rim and bake until puffed and golden, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool slightly in the tin then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack.

Meanwhile, puree the strawberries in a blender or small food processor. Place the powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Pour in the strawberry puree and whisk until smooth. Top the cooled cupcakes with the strawberry glaze. Let the cupcakes sit for a few minutes for the glaze to firm up, then serve.

Happy Holidays!

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

The magic of Boerne, TX

Boerne, TX is an incredible place! I recently attended a very cool concert in Boerne. In a barn. Far away from the city. With Ray Lamontagne. And 400 of his biggest fans.



You can read about it here: www.blogsouthwest.com/blog/southwest-airlines-presents-ray-lamontagne-%E2%80%93-live-artists-den

You can also see more photos and watch the awesome video footage on the Artists Den's website: www.artistsden.com/raylamontagne

The Girls are Back in Town!

I recently traveled to one of my MOST favorite places for the 100th Anniversary of the Oklahoma Alpha chapter of Pi Beta Phi. The fun-filled weekend was full of "Ring Ching," TTFs, and stories of sisterhood! I feel so fortunate I was able to experience this once in a lifetime celebration...

Pledge Class Reunion at Louie's Campus Corner

Late Afternoon Brunch at The Mont. A few swirls later we were headed to "1701 Elm Avenue..." for a house tour...

How many swirls did we have? Can't be sure, but someone had the GENIUS idea to re-create a photo from Big/Little our junior year. Funny stuff. We were all in tears by the end of this...

After gaining our composure, we captured this lovely photo before heading off to the next activity...

The Centennial Ball! Not to be confused with "dinner banquet."

Love you girls! TTF.