napa is one of the most breathtaking places in america i have had the pleasure of visiting.  we experienced a range of weather, but even in the rain, it was stunning (and the rain brought out a gorgeous double rainbow).  the weather was a perfect 55 – 60 degrees, and the range of vegetation was amazing.  i sincerely hope we have the opportunity to go back soon.

while we were in paris, we stayed at the beautiful hotel providence.  our room was complete with a freestanding bar too.  i loved everything about the decor and ambience.

i just finished another stack of books on my way towards my reading goal.  my favorite here was city of girls.  any coming of age story in new york is totally up my alley.  however, the most beautiful was definitely runaway.

i’m still working my way through my new year’s resolution. here are the next five books i finished off. the best was pachinko – so beautifully written and such a compelling story.

i did like normal people though i wouldn’t rave about it like others.

every book i have read by moshin hamid has been elegant and thought provoking, and this was no exception.

the gorgeous abundance of strawberries at the farmer’s market had me craving strawberry shortcake. i used this recipe and ate it in about 3 minutes.

as much as i love a white moment in the summer, i have such a hard time keeping my whites white. it always seems that makeup, coffee, or plain ol sweat mean that i am either constantly dry cleaning or stain removing my white tops and dresses. so when i was looking for a new summer sundress, this one’s dark moody florals did the trick (and are much lower maintenance!).

i finally closed on my old apartment and wanted to take some final pictures of it (almost) empty. it was my second apartment in nyc and my home for over 5 years. i spent years fixing it up (from painting and learning to patch holes at first, all the way to the bathroom reno) and learned so much about myself in that time.

while i am in love with our new place, i will never forget all the good and bad times this apartment and i had together. i hope it is as magical for the next owners.

one of my new year’s resolutions was to read 25 books in 2019.  i love reading, but when work gets insane, it becomes much harder to focus with a book at the end of the day.  pictured below are the first five i finished.  if i had to pick a favorite, it would be rules of civility.

and yes, i still can’t tear myself away from physical books.

one of my favorite traditions every year to to buy a new planner.  although my iphone is great, i find it easier to write down all the thoughts in my head on an actual piece of paper.  late last year, i was so excited to find this smythson diary on sale in this gorgeous faux crocodile.