life lately
[celebrated this || a gorgeous wedding with gorgeous friends!]
[cheered on this || tailgating szn has officially begun]
[hosted this || 4th annual fall party with the best cheese + charcuterie board ever]
[eating this || all the pumpkin flavored things, thanks to the best day trip to Trader Joe’s]
[enjoyed this || work travel from Florida to Canada!
You know what they say – Work Hard, Play Hard ❤️]
xo xo
life lately: summer edition
The blog is back from summer hiatus! Here’s a snapshot of our summer – from NYC to LA to everything in between. ❤
N Y C
[spontaneous meet-up in my favorite city]
[I flew in from phoenix, he flew in from bentonville + after lots of delays and a comedy of errors, we finally found each other at la guardia at 1am]
[found the cutest lunch spot with lobster rolls + aperol spritz]
[the best live DJ ride with robin + DJ john michael
350 rides for me + 400 rides for husband!!]
[mind seriously BLOWN by Dan White, the Magician – highly recommend]
[explored williamsburg: smorgasburg (a foodie’s dream come true), brooklyn brewery + the william vale rooftop]
[sunset sails are my absolutely favorite]
[greenwich village: dinner at palma + snuck in to smalls jazz club]
L A
[labor day weekend]
[soaking up the sun in manhattan beach]
[exploring santa barbara + contemplating how to retire here]
[the national at the greek theatre – 9.2.19]
[room views + hotel pools]
[ended the trip at my favorite places with my favorite people]
E V E R Y T H I N G. I N. B E T W E E N.
[LE event of the SUMMER – Stephen and Jaimie get MARRIED!!!]
[celebrated my favorite guy’s birthday with concert, cake + daquiris]
[celebrated Becky’s 30th on the lake #thirtyAF]
[hosted family + showed them some of our fave spots around town]
[attended my very first national sales meeting with this awesome crew in phoenix]
[dinner + a show with the fam]
[it’s a hard knock life/summer without this squad]
[sunset sails, whether on the hudson river or beaver lake, never disappoint]
Summer was delightful, but now on to my favorite season of all – F A L L !
xo xo
Vacation Picturebook: Reno + Las Vegas
R E N O 
We had the best start to our vacation visiting Kyle’s grandparents in Reno! They took us to Virginia City (old western town), we explored downtown Reno, and we had lots of late night wine in grandma’s gorgeous garden.
Then we took an amazing day trip to Lake Tahoe – one of my favorite places of ever!
L A S V E G A S
Night 1: We love the Cosmopolitan + Absinthe!! If you haven’t seen the show, we highly recommend, but warning it is VERY raunchy.
Pool days are the best days!
Night 2: We still love the Cosmopolitan and didn’t leave – found amazing live music + food at Rose. Rabbit.Lie, the coolest speakeasy behind a barbershop + late night milk bar cake (and secret pizza, obviously).
Another pool day and the best breakfast sandwich I’ve ever had in my life … also won $$ on my first ever sports bet. Yay Toronto!
Aaand then it was time for brother-sister Leo tattoos!
Fun last night at Container Park + Fremont Street
We had the best vacation spending time with family, and can’t wait to go back! ❤
xo xo
Vacation Picturebook: Philadelphia
W E D N E S D A Y 
[loved our hotel: Kimpton Palomar at Rittenhouse Square!]
[late lunch at Parc – the most adorable Parisian cafe on the square]
[walked around Rittenhouse Square on the most adorable little streets, then wound up in this bookstore that printed classic books right in front of us! We picked up Frankenstein by Mary Shelley – such a cool souvenir]
[one of my favorite things about exploring a new city is the food – I read about this Israeli restaurant Zahav in a magazine and immediately called to get a reservation. 2 months out and all I could get was 9:15pm on Wednesday night, so of course I took it. I didn’t get great pictures, but this was a meal and an evening I’ll never forget! we got seated around 9:30 and didn’t leave until almost midnight. we did the tasting menu and it was such an experience and the food was amazing – especially this hummus! HIGHLY recommend this place if you’re in Philly and can get in!]
T H U R S D A Y
[all the historical things! independence hall where the declaration of independence was signed, snuck a peek at the liberty bell through a window, benjamin franklin museum, and my favorite: elfreth’s alley]
[dinner at buddakkan – the edamame dumplings were the best!]
[the reason for the trip – BON IVER!!! I can’t say enough how magical this show was. the venue was stunning, our seats were incredible and I’ve loved Bon Iver for years. this was a bucket list show for me, and it exceeded all my expectations]
F R I D A Y
[recovery after late night show: donuts + coffee, and not just any donuts, some of the BEST donuts I’ve ever had – made fresh right there. my favorite was the strawberry lavender, and we may or may not have gone back saturday morning….]
[did a lotttt of walking down museum row, but totally worth it, especially to end up here…]
[is the music playing in your head right now?! we had to run the rocky steps, obviously.
and the art museum was also legit]
[y’all, the eastern state penitentiary was crazy cool and crazy creepy – totally recommend this tour. it was seriously fascinating (and did I mention creepy??)]
[drinks + apps with a familiar face!! loved spending time with AMR and hearing about Philly from a “local” ❤️]
[after a long day of walking + drinking, we stumbled upon a ben + jerry’s – it was the perfect late night snack by the fire to end our friday]
S A T U R D A Y
[because saturday morning it was rise + grind for a 60 min soul cycle! not quite peloton, but still fun]
[brunch at the cutest place The Dandelion british pub with the cutest husband. also it was 75 degrees (!!!) and we got to sit in the little balcony and people watch]
[ended the trip the best way we know how – found a local brewery, enjoyed the sunshine and talked about our favorite parts of the trip]
xo xo
You might also enjoy: Picturebook: Napa + SF, Picturebook: Girls Weekend in NYC!
Picturebook: Napa + SF
N A P A
[play hard]
F R I D A Y
[arrived at our SUPER ADORABLE boutique hotel, Rancho Caymus Inn
and yes, that is a hummingbird photobombing my picture!]
[no exaggeration, hands down one of the best meals of my life at michelin-star The Charter Oak]
S A T U R D A Y
[bouchon bakery + yountville = adorable pit-stop]
[obviously had to schedule in a stop at the napa sign]
[silver oak 2014 cabernet release day party – so many people, so much rain, so much fun!]
[photoshoot at robert mondavi – and of course, more wine]
[and then somehow we got in CARPOOL KARAOKE! this is the only pic I got (though plenty of ridiculous videos), but it was tricked out with lights, microphones and an iPad to choose a song. why is this not more of a thing?!]
[burger + french dip at Rutherford Grill was exactly what we needed]
[plus a hot tub night, ha!]
[no better way to start Sunday than with a Mumm Napa tour]
[aaand more sparkling wine with our Gott’s, which was DELICIOUS]
[our favorite winery – Bremer! we even signed up for their wine club, and obviously had plenty of fun on our own private tour + tasting]
[well yes, it did rain ALL WEEKEND and we didn’t get to do our hot air balloon ride, but we had some of the most picturesque views and seriously the best 30th birthday celebration!]
S A N F R A N C I S C O
[work hard + some play]
[first can we talk about how gorgeous these views were from our hotel?!]
[wonderful dinner with some of my favorite people at Nopa]
[ate some new food + made some new friends at Burma Love]
[couldn’t have ended the week better than with the best team building at Slide Ranch – we worked, we hiked, we ate amazing farm-to-table food and we honored a lost team member. love this work family so much! <3]
xo xo
Picturebook: Girls Weekend in NYC!
F R I D A Y
[the BEST post-flight stop: jacob’s pickles]
S A T U R D A Y
[Christmas Market Tour: Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Bryant Park, Saks windows, Strand Books, Pete’s Tavern + a ride on the SUBWAY]
[fun night in West Village listening to jazz at the Village Vanguard]
[then stumbled upon this AMAZING french restaurant, Boucherie)
[pictured: french onion soup]
S U N D A Y
[photoshoot in Brooklyn]
[amazing brunch at Cecconi’s Dumbo]
[mid-afternoon snack, obviously]
[rooftop bar (too cold) then dinner at Eataly pop-up Serra Alpina by Birrera – it was MAGICAL]
[MEAN GIRLS! such a cute, funny show!!]
M O N D A Y
[woke up at 5:30am to sneak a ride in at PELOTON before our flight – husband even rode the same ride at home and caught me on camera (getting ready for the ride, ha!]
[until next time, new york! I’m sure it won’t be too long …]
xo xo
life lately: fall party + kc weekend
3 R D A N N U A L F A L L P A R T Y
[wine, appetizers + friends to celebrate the best season of all]
W E E K E N D G E T A W A Y : K A N S A S C I T Y
[fun, albeit rainy, weekend getaway with friends + a concert]
[55 degrees and rainy shopping day on the plaza]
[KC must-eat: bbq!]
[the BEST brunch at the corner restaurant]
[WWI museum and memorial – highly recommend and beautiful views of the city]
[The National at Starlight Theatre – amazing show and we were so close to the stage!!
It did rain the entire show, but we made the best of it!]
[and THEN – Matt Berninger, lead singer of husband’s all-time FAVORITE band, came into the audience RIGHT NEXT TO US and husband sang into the mic with him. You have to trust me because I barely got a pic, but this “after” photo of husband is pretty telling. Life complete.]
xo xo
life lately
[enjoying this || first tailgate of the season – WPS!]
[celebrating this || cheers + beers for 30 years. hbd stephen!]
[arranging this || beautiful flowers with a beautiful team]
MINI DALLAS GETAWAY
[dinner at an incredible steakhouse (Nick and Sam’s) with the best dessert:
salted caramel creme brûlée]
[the reason for the trip – queen bey + jay-z! SUCH an amazing concert!]
xo xo
Weekend Picturebook: Palm Springs
F R I D A Y N I G H T
[delicious steak dinner for Kira’s 30th birthday!]
S A T U R D A Y
[early morning walk + coffee with these balcony views]
[hands down, the best huevos rancheros I’ve ever had
breakfast at Kings Highway + the Amigo Room before pool party at the ACE hotel … ]
[so much fun at ACE pool party! how could we not, with a bubbly bus?!]
[post-pool party burger – the.best.]
[great night at the cougar-town piano bar, where I got asked to be in a “hand dancing” music video ha!!]
S U N D A Y
[more chill pool day, round 2]
[dinner and exploring at The Saguaro – yummy fish tacos + queso]
[love this beautiful friend of mine and so happy I got to spend her 30th birthday with her in California! <3]
xo xo
You might also enjoy my other Summer Weekend Picturebooks: NYC, Chicago
Weekend Picturebook: NYC
T H U R S D A Y
[Gorgeous views flying into the city]
[Late night bite at Jacob’s Pickles, a few blocks from our hotel – the buffalo chicken blue cheese mac and cheese was TDF, and see husband’s chicken and pancakes with bacon in the background – good-ness!!]
F R I D A Y
[First things first – had to get that Peloton ride in! It was seriously such an awesome experience! 90s Pop Ride with Emma Lovewell (Husband’s fave instructor)
(If you don’t know about Peloton, ask me!)]
[Lunch at Momofuku Noodle Bar with birthday boy Mark – pork ramen was delish, and so cool to finally eat at this place!]
[Undoubtedly one of the best parts of the trip – we stumbled upon this freaking amazing rooftop bar with the most delicious frosé I’ve ever had!]
[Next stop – checked something off my NYC bucket list: Top of the Rock! Views were incredible.
And we definitely didn’t *almost* fall off from all that frosé…]
[Cheers to pour decisions! Such a fun night out celebrating one of our dear friends’ 30th birthday!]
S A T U R D A Y
[Explored Upper West Side and found one of my new favorite places – Zabars!
If only I lived here and could shop there every day – speciality cheeses, homemade bread …
at least I got to try a bagel and coffee.]
[Walk along Riverside Park – another gorgeous day in the city.
The locals thought it was too hot, but low 80s felt great to us Southerners!!]
[American Museum of Natural History was amazing! (Night at the Museum, anyone??)
My geologist/developer husband especially loved the rocks]
[Saturday night in Greenwich Village – mine (and T.Swift’s) fave <3]
[Dinner at Emily West Village (aka Pizza Loves Emily) – tried to do a cute blogger pizza photoshoot … total fail haha! But I do have a cute Instagram Husband]
[Found the most adorable Air’s Champagne Parlor – this was the BEST rosé! The quote on the mirror says: “I only drink champagne on two occasions – when I’m in love, and when I’m not.” – Coco Chanel
Amen, Coco!]
[Comedy Cellar! SUCH a cool experience – I would highly recommend!]
S U N D A Y
[Brunch at Jacob’s Pickles before our flight home – we learned our lesson for next time, definitely share!!]
[Cheers to an awesome trip and watching the World Cup final in the airport!]
xo xo
You might also enjoy some of my other NYC picturebooks: Sept. 2017, Aug. 2016, Dec. 2012
Weekend Picturebook: Chicago
T H U R S D A Y
[First stop: Eataly then shopping!]
[The most AMAZING dinner at Girl and The Goat – oysters, goat empanadas + fall off the bone pork shank. Seriously a meal I’ll never forget.]
[We would highly recommend the architectural boat tour – even though we were freezing our booties off! Good thing there was plenty of coffee + baileys.]
[Cliché touristy things: pictures in front of the Bean, chicago dog + Art Institute]
[Cindy’s Rooftop was perfection – and boy do we have a story to share. Ha!]
[HAMILTON! finally! 100% lived up to (or possibly beyond) the hype]
S A T U R D A Y 
[SNL exhibit at the Broadcast Museum was too cool – we could have easily spent all day in there!]
[Walk along the beach + a drink at The Drake – not exactly beach volleyball weather to us Southerners!]
[PIZZA, obviously]
[almost time for TAYLOR ….. !!!]
but first, a little history …
[T.Swift in LA, 2010]
[T.Swift in Nashville, 2013 – 2ND ROW. Don’t even ask how we got those seats.]
[T.Swift in Chicago, 2018!]
and yes, we’re wearing matching touristy sweatshirts because, again, it was freezing
[I swear I’m still on a high from this show. 2 hours of pure adrenaline, singing at the top of my lungs, dancing to my heart’s content. Best part was when she came to the second stage right next to us!!!]
[and then it started pouring, but we were okay with it because, Taylor, duh]
[and then we had to walk 3 miles home, in the pouring rain, couldn’t get an uber, and I was so over it… BUT THE CONCERT WAS AMAZING]
S U N D A Y
[Ended the weekend on a perfect note – brunch at The Hampton Social. Pictured: Frosé, lobster bisque + crab and avocado – all delish!]
What a perfect mother-daughter weekend. I couldn’t have asked for anything more!
xo xo
Aldermans Go Global: Mexico Family Vacation
[champagne toast – WE’RE FINALLY HEREEE!]
[first night mexican fiesta]
A D A Y I N T H E L I F E ….
[step 1: coffee on the balcony]
[step 2: drinks by the pool/in the pool (yes, this was still before noon)]
[step 3: hammock relaxation time]
R E P E A T .
[fun afternoon on the beach + a beautiful butterfly release ceremony husband and I were a part of]
[catamaran ride to isla mujeres – so much fun!]
[loving the coconut water … and this adorable mother/daughter pic!]
[hibachi, sushi + silent dance party!! tori and I were the only ones willing to make a fool of ourselves dancing to our own beat – I would highly recommend this if you ever get the chance!]
[S P A D A Y … ahhhhh]
[family pictures on the beach, kardashian style]
[final night dinner – don’t make us leave!]
[so thankful for marrying into such an amazing family
definitely a family vacation to remember!]
xo xo
You might also enjoy: Aldermans Go Global: St. Lucia
Weekend Picturebook: Lake Tahoe
The BEST weekend with LITERALLY everyone.
T H U R S D A Y 
[first stop: truckee! the cutest little town ever.
lunch: bar of america with the best jalapeño poppers on the planet, wine: pour house wine shop]
[first night in the hot tub – complete with snow angels…]
F R I D A Y
[my birthday!]
[could we have asked for better views to wake up to?! all the heart eyes.]
[snowmobiling with these two was so fun! it was seriously a winter wonderland]
[and here’s the rest of our crew skiing/snowboarding at squaw valley!]
[post-snowmobiling bloody mary]
[birthday dinner at bridgetender tavern + a robust discussion on my 30 before 30 (another blog post to come soon)]
S A T U R D A Y 
[shopping in truckee – yes, I came home with both of these purchases (and more!!)]
[met the crew for lunch at Squaw – ate some of the best pizza + tried on literally a million hats]
[final night – dancing + drinks on the patio!]
[sunset in the hot tub …
and not thinking about how rough it will be to come home!]
xo xo
You might also enjoy: Weekend Picturebook: NYC
2017: my year in pictures
J A N U A R Y
birthday celebrations in Vegas
F E B R U A R Y
the best tour guides + the best pizza in Chicago
M A R C H
feeling fancy at NWA fashion week + the first of many trips to minneapolis
A P R I L
the month of amazing concerts – radiohead + blink 182
M A Y
always one of my favorite months of the year – mother’s day + weddings + anniversaries + beer festivals
J U N E
BEST VACATION EVER #HotarmansItalianCahoots, Part 1 + Part 2
J U L Y
someone turned 30 (not me) + fun family reunion in portland
A U G U S T
a mother-daughter trip to pioneer woman’s ranch + my favorite puppy turned 5
S E P T E M B E R
labor day weekend NYC fun + polo in the ozarks
O C T O B E R
a work trip to virginia with some pretty sweet views + won halloween (again)
N O V E M B E R
the best girls weekend in LA
D E C E M B E R
celebrating the season’s best with my favorite people
xo xo
[a catalog – my year in pictures] 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010
Weekend Picturebook: NYC
F R I D A Y
[late flight in – so, amazing pizza at our hotel restaurant (you can read more about here), and drinks at our rooftop bar with these views || also, how cute is this little hotel room?]
S A T U R D A Y 
[up and at ’em, ready for shopping! husband’s only request in new york was to go to the nintendo store … just like a kid in a candy store]
[more shopping and central park views]
((not pictured: a glass of pinot by the lake and delicious shake shack lunch after a loooong day of walking))
[ready to brave the weather for our sunset sailboat ride]
[despite the drizzle (then eventual downpour), we had an incredible time on the Hudson in our sailboat. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone!]
[post-dinner jazz session in an underground cafe in greenwich village – perfect end to the evening]
S U N D A Y
[sadly, we woke to more rain so it put a damper on some of our plans, but instead led us to eat an incredible brunch in west village]
[bucket list: walk the brooklyn bridge – check! so much fun!]
[explored dumbo, brooklyn heights + another awesome rooftop bar || next time we’re staying in brooklyn!]
M O N D A Y
[late morning risers – I could not get over this comfy bed and these views || did I mention they also had automated blackout shades?!]
[took a 4-mile stroll for none other than our favorite cookies, then enjoyed them with coffee in central park]
[final hours in the city spent at The Met – who knew this rooftop garden was up here?!]
Until we meet again, NYC.
xo xo
You might also enjoy: Weekend Picturebook: Portland
Food Picturebook: Minneapolis + NYC
[ M I N N E A P O L I S ]
B A R L A G R A S S A
This place was PHENOMENAL. I cannot recommend it enough. Top picture is their famous lobster + soft egg bruschetta – I was definitely skeptical, but I will definitely be getting it every time I go back. Next was a mushroom pasta that transported me back to Italy.
Y O U N G J O N I
I read amazing reviews about this place and it was named one of the top 10 restaurants in the country, so you’d say I had pretty high expectations … that were not met. The pizza was very good, but nothing special. However, the place was very cool with a hidden bar and trendy vibe.
P S Y C H O S U Z I E S
Even though this isn’t food, I had to include this one because the cup is cute and the place was so fun. A full-blown tiki bar on the river – how could you go wrong?!
[ N Y C ]
M A S S O N I 
Okay, so this isn’t a food pic either, but the food was SO delicious and we were SO hungry from traveling that I couldn’t get one in time. However, it needs to be accounted for because it was one of our favorite things we ate on the trip – buffalo chicken pizza with blue cheese crumbles. Oh my gosh. This will haunt my dreams.
S O T T O 1 3
Hands down, the best breakfast pizza I’ve ever had. Ever. Ever. This was also a great brunch deal with a lot of food and delicious rose sangria in an adorable location.
M A G N O L I A B A K E R Y 
I’ve always known about this place, but only recently did I learn about their banana pudding. You guys. You think you know banana pudding – or you think you don’t like banana pudding – but you don’t know banana pudding. We literally got one of the last ones and devoured it in minutes.
K E S T E P I Z Z A + V I N O 
Another meal that reminded me of Italy – this pizza was fantastic. The mushrooms and prosciutto were divine and paired with an Italian bottle of wine was exactly what we needed after getting unexpectedly drenched in the rain.
L A E S Q U I N A 
Another one where I did not get a photo of the actual food, but the place must not be forgotten. This was a Mexican speakeasy where you walk through this “Corner Deli”, down the stairs, through the kitchen to get to a dark, loud, trendy bar/restaurant. While it wasn’t conducive to holding a conversation, it had fabulous queso, tacos and the best ever street corn.
I’ll be posting more NYC trip pics soon!
xo xo