this time three years ago, kacey and i were enjoying our honeymoon in st. lucia. care to come along as i reminisce?

for the first three nights on st. lucia, we stayed at ladera which is a magnificent resort that’s very open to nature. it has the most breathtaking views of the pitons and caribbean sea. everywhere there is this beautiful rich wood, and lots of it is carved.

although the suites & villas are close, each was super private and quiet. at night we only heard the sounds of nature and babbling water from our private plunge pool.

each suite and villa at ladera has only 3 walls. the 4th is an “open wall” allowing for uninterrupted panoramic views.

ah, and then there was the beach! such a beautiful beach!

ladera was very laid back. it was like we were on nature’s time. no phones. no tv. yes, there was internet, but it was on one computer near the open air reception area. it was a place to go for peace, quiet and inner reflection. it was the perfect calmness we were seeking after the whirlwind of the wedding.

Are you as excited about Autumn as I am? It’s my favorite season. For us, so many celebrations happen in the fall. My birthday. It’s when we got engaged + our wedding anniversary. Plus, all the yummy scents + colors of the season. I love it all.

So, how was your weekend? I was busy doing a bit of work, but Kacey had quite an adventure this past week + weekend. He went on a road trip with his two brothers and his father to the Black Hills in South Dakota. They rented an amazing cabin high up in the hills. They saw Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Devil’s Tower and went to the Badlands National Park. I can’t wait to see pictures. I hope to share some with you when I do.

do you remember this post about irish butter and how i was eager to try the butter in paris? well, i was looking through my paris pictures and happened upon this one we took beneath the sparkling eiffel tower. the butter in france is good. real good!

as soon as we booked our flight to paris, one of the first things we did was contact jim hoping he had space for us at one of his legendary sunday dinners. he did, and it turned out to be a big highlight of out trip.

i can’t recall where i first heard about his sunday dinners, but most hear about them on npr. he’s been hosting these sunday dinners in his parisian home for the past 30 years. fifty to sixty strangers from all over the world attend each sunday. people meet, mingle, and connect all over a casual dinner. 

we met students. artists. teachers. doctors. all sorts of people. all different ages. different backgrounds. different races. from all over the world. everyone had a story to tell. and it was wonderful. it was truly an incredible experience.

in paris, we also dropped by muji which has several locations around the city. if i remember correctly, we visited the two stores on rue saint-sulpice. each of the stores there are different. the first we popped into focuses on fashion + office supplies. the first two pictures above were snapped there. the second location on rue saint-sulpice focuses on the home + travel supplies. the third picture above was taken in the travel section there. i’ve been a fan of their online store, so visiting muji in person was such a treat.

one of my absolute favorite finds in paris was au petit bonheur la chance. it’s a little shop exploding with fabulous finds. from dishes to little apothecary bottles. parisian house numbers to vintage school supplies. silk ribbons to lovely table linens. old parisian pictures to vintage stamps. calligraphed cheese labels. little parisian chalkboards. vintage postcards. old labels. vintage greeting cards. and much, much more. i could have spent days in that little store.

comptoir de famille is a little shop we discovered while strolling the streets of paris. taking it’s inspiration from the french countryside, it’s a shop that sells wonderful french furniture, home decor and accessories. the pieces found at comptoir de famille remind me of items i’d imagine i’d find at french flea markets and traditional french country homes. i particularly loved their jars, chairs, metal serveware and milk bottles [which you can purchase here]. i still regret not picking up a little metal napkin holder i spotted there. i think it would have been perfect for holding mail on our entryway table.