Monthly Archives: December 2014

Walking Amongst the Giants.

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The temperatures are slowly starting to drop but the sun is still shining so what better way to spend the time then to get outside and enjoy it.  Rob and I headed to Muir Woods over the weekend so get a good hike in and breathe the fresh air.  We ended up hiking up through the redwoods to the Panoramic highway and then back down through the Dipsea trail.  It was beautiful and refreshing and a great way to have a staycation.

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The trees are so massive and beautiful.  Most of them are over 2,000 years old, pretty incredible.

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Playing around with the Hipstomatic App.  My favorite is still the Pro HDR app for photography.

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The canopies stand at over 300 ft tall.

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It is the true Fern Gully.  Simply stunning.

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Someone had strewn christmas ornaments along the trails!

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We thought we might get lucky and the Tourist Club would be open but we must have missed it for December.

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You can’t beat the views.

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Wandering down the Dipsea Trail.

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View from the top.

Happy New Year!  We will be back in 2015 🙂

Cotton Cover Ups.

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Let’s face it, after the holidays of non-stop eating and maybe a little (or a lot) of drinking, it’s hard to hop right back into your regular clothes.  Cotton tops are my go-to’s in these times since they are nice and stretchy as well as very comfortable.  I had an awesome colleague at my last job send me off with tons of cute new blazers and cover ups for my next job.  They were a life saver after I came back from my Bosnian horse trip of a lifetime late on a Sunday night only to start my new job early Monday morning.  I pretty much wore the same pants and black short sleeved body suit all week and just kept swapping blazers and cover ups.

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(Similar, affordable styles here)

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 These were great gifts to send me off to a new job as they were very wearable and saved me during my jet-lagged week!

I Love Pom Poms.

DSC_0039_2My favorite trend of the year is easily return of the pom pom. I found this great store called Dotti in Queenstown and knew this is what I wanted to scoop up!

DSC_0040_2(I want to find a pom pom maker and add them to pillows and even simple tees)

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DSC_0043_2(Great lace detail on the top of the shirt)

DSC_0034_2(Earrings: Kate Spade)

I am looking forward to finding more pieces with subtle pom poms. I think it’s a fun way to add some flare to basic pieces.

Queenstown Botanical Garden.

DSC_0653We took a refreshing walk around part of Queenstown’s Lake Wakatipu which held a frisbee golf course, botanical gardens, and a beautiful view of the lake (photos coming soon). We captured some great shots of the flowers blooming during a light drizzle on this brisk Summer day in New Zealand. God, I loved New Zealand.

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DSC_0658(Fresh drops of rain falling from the rose leaves)

DSC_0676(Bees were everywhere, grabbing up all of the pollen)

DSC_0682(My favorite part of a rose’s life, just starting to bloom)

DSC_0734(Lastly, my very very favorite flowers were these oversized peony looking flowers. So beautiful!)

I think there is no better place to be than a place covered in flowers.

Welcome to Mordor.

DSC_0065_2Part of the plan (not mine) was to hike through the Tongariro National Park up to Mt Ngauruhoe, also known as Mount Doom. I’m sure you remember the infamous journey Frodo and Sam made to destroy that infamous ring, I just wasn’t ready to fight off all those Orcs! Luckily for me (sadly for Nick and Bryan) the mountain was covered in snow and high winds in a bit of unusual Summer weather and we just weren’t prepared for something like that. We were able to do another beautiful hike (photos coming soon) but here are some photos of the beautiful mountain range.

DSC_0076_2(“The area has jagged volcanic rock formations and eerie barren landscapes, ideally suited to Mordor’s hissing wasteland.”)

DSC_0072_2(I said “hello” to the neighboring cows but they hated me)

DSC_0242_2(“Much of Frodo and Sam’s journey into the land of Sauron was filmed on and around the Tongariro National Park“- super cool, huh?!)

DSC_0244_2(I can’t explain how overwhelming it was, I can see why Peter Jackson chose it for the movies)

I’m not much of a hiker but from what I hear, this is a really great trek! It is also an active volcano which can be a little scary but also pretty cool if it doesn’t erupt while you are walking across it. 🙂

Sydney Opera House.

DSC_0330One of the places I was most looking forward to visiting on my trip was the Sydney Opera House. It’s such a unique building nestled on the water, providing gorgeous reflections at day and night. There are some places that are only fun to look at in pictures but the Opera House is even cooler in person. It is huge and magnificent!

DSC_0317(We walked up on a hot sunny day, I wish you could see the small details on the roof a bit better!)

DSC_0318(Inside the Opera House: “The sun did not know how beautiful its light was, until it was reflected off this building.”)

DSC_0327(We sat at a cafe outside of the Opera House and watched the seagulls attack people eating french fries)

DSC_0345(The view of the Opera House as we ferried under the Harbor Bridge. Side note, Katy Perry was climbing up the bridge that day!)

It’s nice to reflect on the time spent in this big beautiful city. The people are so friendly and wonderful and having a landmark like this really signifies their strength.

Craters of the Moon.

DSC_0256_2In the North island of New Zealand, we visited Craters of the Moon in the city of Taupo. It was a 45 minute walk that showed off all of the thermal activity including bubbling craters and steam vents. You could hear the water under the Earth bubbling which in turn created all of the steam. It was unreal, like something out of Jurassic Park. They call it “Gollum’s Lair” in our guide book which isn’t exactly accurate (as they didn’t film that there) but it was fun to think that he lived there.

DSC_0283_2(The steam was huge and went high into the sky)

DSC_0301_2(Just take a look at all of this thermal activity!)

DSC_0325_2(Bryan and I walked into the steam and my sunglasses got all fogged up and blinded me. It was fun!)

DSC_0332_2(Each of those small holes created a ton of steam and were pretty loud as well)

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Just another natural wonder in New Zealand. Such fun, I can’t wait to go back!

Kupres.

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I realized I hadn’t finished sharing all of my photos from Bosnia and I really want everyone to see how beautiful it is.  Definitely worth a visit even if you aren’t an avid horse rider because there are many other things to do.  Every day was fun to wake up and look out the window because the weather was changing so fast.

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IMG_0913The horses coming in for the night.

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The cabins!

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Fred overseeing the horses going out in the morning.

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The beautiful mountain colors.

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Morning fog.

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The babies!

IMG_1201Petra and Fred.

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Hanne at the barn 🙂

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Barn chickens.

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Fred laying in the snow.

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Snow cover!

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Gorgeous snowy covered Kupres!

Kupres is a short 3 hr drive from Split, Croatia.  You get the best of both worlds by flying into Split because you arrive near the ocean and end up in the mountains in Kupres.

Outfit Re-do: Sleek Skirt

DSC_0288We believe in wearing your favorite piece over and over again because they are just clothes and it is fun to reinvent in outfit in a new way. But sometimes, there is that one skirt that just looks best with a basic tank and this is that skirt for me. You have seen it before here but I chose to wear it again on a crazy warm day in Sydney (think 95 degrees)! We were walking through the Botanical Gardens to the Opera House, this was a great day!

DSC_0290(The view isn’t too bad, is it?)

DSC_0295(This hat went through a lot on this trip, it flew off my head on a boat but was retrieved thankfully because it was my saving grace against the sun)

DSC_0309(A bit washed out but there is the Opera House behind us)

Sydney is such an active city, everyone is running, jogging, or walking around the city. It was a beautiful day and we were so happy to soak in the sites!

Milford Sound.

DSC_1002WARNING: This is real life. In the South Island of New Zealand sits a fjord which was created by glacier erosion. We glided through the water surrounded by mountains and waterfalls. I have never seen anything as magnificent as Milford Sound, and I imagine I won’t ever again. If you get a chance, I highly recommend seeing this, it is absolutely stunning.

DSC_0857(Part of our drive to Milford Sound)

DSC_0868(A rushing waterfall under the highway we were driving on)

DSC_0880(Still, just our drive to Milford Sound)

DSC_0898(Took a pit stop to take a photo)

DSC_0904(Your first view once you are on the boat is of this gigantic waterfall which supplies the majority of the tiny town’s power)

DSC_0916(We were lucky to be there on such a cold day, the fog created a majestic view)

DSC_1040(A waterfall behind me)

DSC_0919(A few hundred meters away from the first waterfall, it still looks huge!)

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DSC_1025(Bundled up and taking it all in)

DSC_1047(Just one of the dozens of waterfalls along the way)

I can’t say enough about how incredible this spot is, it was actually named a wonder of the world and I can see why. It is so much larger and astounding in person, see it! See it! You will not regret it!