Valentine's in Israel

Faced with the fact that we would spend our first Valentine's Day alone as a married couple, Alexander saved his own you-know-what and flew me out to Tel Aviv where he was working. I received a first-class treatment not only from my husband but from the Israeli people. I fell in love with the people, scenery and food and can't wait to go back! Here are a few pics from our journey, where after work happy hour is on a beach and Americans are fed drinks well after 2 a.m. I am totally in love with you, Tel Aviv. Next posts are pics of food and Jerusalem from the rest of our trip.

New Year's Eve in NYC

Alexander and I were lucky enough to spend New Years with a couple friend in the great state of New York, which in fact meant more snow! We spent our first day eating a lunch of east coast oysters and sipping champagne before heading to 5th Avenue for some shopping. Not something people like us get to do everyday! We had a fantastic meal at an authentic Italian restaurant (also not something that happens in Austin, Texas) before calling it a day. On the 31st, we woke up to snow that we watched from the top of a very tall apartment building and then headed to our friend's parents house in Woodstock, New York. It was a beautiful place and the company was warm as we rang in the New Year. One more sushi meal and a bagel later, we headed home to some very neglected cats. Happy 2010!

Christmas in Brussels Top 10 List

Top 10 things about celebrating Christmas in Brussels:

1. Hanging with my new aunt-in-law and her awesome friends

2. Chocolate!

3. Frites

4. Drinking champagne at every meal

5. Hoegaarden and all the other awesome beers we tried

6. A day trip to the fairy tale-like Ghent

7. More Christmas markets

8. Seeking out the local dive and enjoying a bowl of potato leek soup after eating rich foods for a week & Paying 1,50 euros for the soup after spending all your money in Paris.

9. Seeing the manneken pis wear a Santa suit with my awesome new sister-in-law.

10. The fact that Belgium is very French in food and style but Belgians are a whole lot more friendly and relaxed. Cheers to that!

Paris at Christmas at night

Just a few more pics from when the sun went down and the Eiffel tower laser light show started....

Oyster Season in Paris!

Never in a million years did I think we would ever go back to Paris, or better yet go during oyster season. But the stars aligned as we headed to Brussels, Belgium for a destination Christmas with Alexander's family. We spent two magical nights in Paris on our way over and have to say that Paris is best in winter and that staying in a working class residential neighborhood beats the tourist trap that St. Germain has become any day. The first night we bought some oysters right on the street and a bottle of champagne and headed over to Eiffel tower for a picnic. We stumbled upon a great Christmas market, filled up on vin chaud and even went ice skating with the help of some liquid courage. We finished the night watching the Eiffel Tower light show, which was unexpected and truly spectacular. What a night! The next day was full of shopping (my cheek bones get higher just thinking about it) and we finished it off with a decadent meal at La Truffe Noire just in time to catch the end of the white truffle season. Bon Appetit!

Note: Pics coming soon!

Happy Birthday to Me!

I finally decided on my 29th birthday present to myself. I knew I wanted a classic quilted Chanel bag but was having a tough time deciding on which style and what size until I saw it in person (LOVE!). I chose the Chanel Reissue 2.55 in black with gold hardware.

I love the charming story of the features. For example, Chanel grew up in an orphanage, and the shoulder strap, which is a double chain, resembles the chains that the keepers at the orphanage would wear at their waists. The zippered compartment on the inside of the front flap was the place where Coco Chanel would stash her secret love letters. The interior of the bag itself is a brownish red, which was the color of the orphan’s uniforms, and the back outside flap was where extra money for tips could be stashed.

What really sold me on this one was the Mademoiselle Lock over the CC logo closure. After all, it is the way Coco Chanel designed it herself in 1955, and I have never been a logo kind of girl. It is so nice to finally be at a point in my life where I can treat myself to such luxury!

Perfect Fall Day in the Texas Hill Country

This Saturday, I escaped from a long work week by heading west to the Texas Hill Country with one of my best girl friends. We first stopped at Driftwood Vineyards for a bottle and a picnic. We ate mozzarella, tomato and pesto sandwiches and sipped wine overlooking the vineyards covering the Texas Hills. It was perfect for the cool, crisp October weather we have been blessed with recently. Next we headed to downtown Wimberley for some shopping and came back with some really great finds for our homes (pictures to follow). It really was the perfect fall day!

- Photo courtesy Driftwood Vineyards -