Back to Tuscany

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We are heading back to Italy today!

Unfortunately/fortunately,

my best friend Ahnika and her husband had already booked flights to our wedding in Ireland,

before we had to cancel it.

Airlines obviously don't give you your money back,

so her and her husband decided to re-route their trip from Ireland,

and go to Italy instead.

None of us were sad about it.

Stephen and I jumped at the chance to meet them there,

and make this our last little European adventure together.

We fell in love with Tuscany when we went there with Liz and Lauren,

but felt like we didn't get to spend as much time there as we would have liked,

so we made a promise to ourselves we would return before we went back to the US.

We are all heading to Tuscany and will be re-exploring Lucca, Florence, Cinque Terre,

and possibly Siena.

We have a villa in the countryside thanks to friends who marry into families with villas in Tuscany.

Friends let friends use their villas.

(I hope everyone is keeping track of these rules of friendship)

We will be without internet the majority of the time,

but will be occasionally posting to instagram when/if we are in a place with wifi. 

Wish me luck as I ride a bike through tuscany while drinking wine...

everyone is super excited about it.

And by it, I mean watching me ride a bike.

Stephen actually asked me last week if I even knew how to ride a bike.

I was offended.

Then moments later I fell getting into the shower and bruised my leg and knee...

so fair enough.

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Shop to Watch: Tailor & Stylist

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I came across Tailor and Stylist for the first time via Jenni's blog,
and instantly fell in love.
I spent time scanning their lookbook,
and felt like their classic pieces were very much me.

The shop was founded by a tailor husband,
and a fashion stylist wife.
Their pieces are beautiful,
refined,
polished,
and so affordable.
I am talking like $10 bucks for this super cute bow cuff.

Tailor and Stylist is offering all ATP readers 10% off your orders with the code
'acrossthepond10'
and they always offer free shipping and exchanges on all orders places within the US.

Happy Shopping! 

Find Tailor and Stylist here: Shop //Facebook // Twitter //Pinterest // Instagram

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Praying for Oklahoma

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Ironically, I had a post scheduled today,

talking about the places we live and how they can affect us in certain ways.

I didn't feel right posting about my experiences,

in the wake of what is happening in Oklahoma.

My emotions over what I am feeling,

are nothing compared to what others are feeling about a place that is their home,

a home that was just destroyed.

Perspective.

I hope to share my post with you soon,

but for now I am praying for all of those affected in Oklahoma,

a place that will now remind thousands of great loss and devastation,

and will also, hopefully, remind them of the kindness of others in the aftermath of tragedy.

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Proud

I have talked a little bit about my mom's story in this post,

how she overcame and accomplished so many things in her life.

On Saturday,
after 18 years of hard work,
while raising two kids on her own,
and working full time,

my mom finally received her Bachelors degree.

I have this vivid memory of my mom.
I am young,
maybe 10 years old,
and we are sitting on the floor in the dining room with tons of my mom's old college papers spread out around us.
She is looking at her old work,
and beaming at each assignment that had an A
(which was all of them).
She had started and stopped college so many times,
due to life and family.
I remember her saying to me that one day she would go back to school,
and she would get that degree.
It was important to her,
and she was determined to fulfill this life goal.

I have watched my mom struggle to make this dream become a reality.
She swallowed her pride and took classes with students half her age,
with teachers younger than herself,
but she always continued showed up.

So many times there were things that set her back;
struggles with my dad,
divorce,
financial stress,
raising Shane and I,
helping us through college,
giving a kidney to her sister,
having her appendix removed,
working a 9-5+ every day,
and family deaths and illnesses....
but whether she had to take a semester off,
or two years,
she would continue to go back,
and show up.

It could have been easy for my mom to give up.
But she didn't.

I think we can all learn a lot from my mom,
about achieving dreams.

Nothing is impossible.


I love you mom.
I am so proud of you.
Shane and I couldn't ask for a better role model.

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Quoting

source

Just a little Walt for your Sunday.

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Soon

You know those moments in life where you have so much going on in your head,

that it seems impossible to do any one thing?

I read a tweet from Elizabeth awhile back saying,

"I'm quietest on Twitter when I have the most on my mind. Funny how that works."

It makes sense though,

and is true for me as well.

There is so much happening right now over here,

things I want to talk about and will,

and things I want/have wanted to talk about but can't.

How is THAT for the best vague blogging ever?

Just give me the award now.

We are on the brink of something big...

a huge move,

a huge life change,

and the next two months are already shaping up to be totally crazy,

in the best possible way.

I am scared to make any wrong move,

and knock down the house of cards we have worked so hard to build.

I think we all probably encounter these moments,

more than once,

throughout our lives.

For your weekend I thought I would leave you with some awesome blogs to read.

Lauren has such a stunning blog with amazing photos and posts,

Lulu offers the best health and wellness advice,

and long time blog friend Devon is living the so-cal dream. 

Connect with Lauren: blog | facebook | twitter | bloglovin’ | pinterest | instagram

I recommend starting here and see inside her LA home here

Connect with Lulu: Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Bloglovin

I recommend starting with this post and for amazing posts on health go here

Connect with Devon:  Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

I recommend starting here and then reading her sweet love story here

*comments closed so you can say hi on their blogs :) 

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Weekend in Notting Hill

We finally arrived into Notting Hill friday afternoon,
and after being up for over 24 hours,
we just took it easy and slept.
On Saturday though we hit the ground running
and met up with Sophie.

Sophie was my first blog friend turned real life friend.
We both found ourselves living in Nottingham,
just mere miles from each other.

It was after my first meet up with her,
that I came up with the word Blate (blogger+date=blate).
So I have Sophie to help thank for all of my fame and fortune.

We started Saturday morning off at Granger & Co,
and feasted on their delicious riccotta hotcakes.
Then we walked to Portobello Road to take in the market.
While we were scanning the goods,
in the middle of the intense crowds,
we ran into a blog reader/friend,
who spotted us,
or lets be honest,
probably spotted Stephen since he towers a foot above the regular sized people.
(Hi Pamela!!)

When it started to rain we popped into a pub for drinks and snack food.
When the rain let up we walked the streets some more
and then had Pizza from Otto and some more wine for dinner with our friend, Ella, from Uni,
who happened to be up from Brighton that weekend.

It was SO nice to chat for hours with close friends.
Sophie and Ella are the type of people that just bring a sense of joy wherever they go.
They are so uplifting and positive,
and we feel really lucky to have those type of friends in our lives.

Sunday my new friend Amber
(thanks Lauren for letting me borrow her)
and her husband,
took Stephen and I to Electric Diner for lunch.
And omg was that place good.
It is an american style diner,
and the food is on point.

We just felt so taken care of from the time we arrived in Notting Hill,
thanks to Lauren, Amber, Sophie, and Stephen's best friend Greg,
who really went out of their way to give us a place to stay,
and to tell us where to go and what to do
(Amber made an entire map for us).

I first came to London May of 2010,
to visit the city,
and then to see the University of Nottingham.
I felt overwhelmed by London,
it seemed like there was so much going on,
and after spending four years is sloooowww paced suburban Orange County,
I felt a little anxious in the city.

However,
after this trip,
I feel like I have seen London in a whole new light,
and have a new sense of appreciate and love for that city.
I basically was just meant to be in Notting Hill.
Obviously.

*to see more photos of our time visit Sophie's blog here

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