summer in the states. part deux.

scrolling through my iphone photos recently i noticed that i had actually remembered to take some photos of the time i spent in the states.

and had never posted them.

figures.

so here goes.

the savannah and ohio highlights.

my cousins, aunt and i went to a reds game. i hadn't been in years. but it was so fun.

wish that hat would actually sit on my head. 

almost all of us

I remember Pete playing from when I was growing up. #memories

we visited washington park and over the rhine.

growing up over the rhine was where you. do. not. go.

but now, it's been overhauled and gentrified.

music hall.

katie, nancy's daughter, me and my cousin nancy

we ate at camp washington chili. because chili and cincinnati are synonymous.

this was my first time trying camp washington.

verdict? next time i'm sticking with the gold standard, imo.

madtree brewing.

after some fun days exploring many of cincinnati's new revitalized areas and the local breweries that have come with it, i headed to columbus to meet up with two friends from bg.

sausage and cream puffs are the thing here.

strolling through germantown.

what's a fun couple of days with the girls without a charcoal mask?

i mean, this place is gigantic.

after ohio, i spent several weeks in the sultry south.

classic savannah cuisine.

celebrating my dad's 83rd birthday

my old school opened a new building

#rainbows

hanging out at sheila's

boiled peanuts.
#itsathing

these ladies. super women that have educated thousands and i've learned so much from them. 

and that about wraps it up! looking forward to another summer in savannah in just a few short weeks!

Home for the Holidays

Finding the motivation to write this blog has been difficult of late.

I'd rather be engrossed in watching the handsome Wentworth Miller in Prison Break.

For the 2nd time.

(Clearly once was not enough.)

Anywho, I spent quite a bit of time in the States in December, as my dad had some major surgery and then I returned home for the holidays.

I was also able to swing by Cincinnati for a few days with my family and college friends there.

I always wish there was more time.

My aunt treated my cousins and me to dinner at a Cincinnati favorite, Montgomery Inn.

my cousins and my aunt! <3

half slab, quarter chicken and onion straws, with LOTS of sauce!

And a trip to the Queen City isn't complete without a scoop of Graeter's!

mocha chocolate chip. my personal fave.

A few sorority sisters and I gathered for lunch in Columbus.

Laurie, Susan, me, Ellen (my big), and Susie (my little)

And then a group of us also met for dinner.

Tudor, Poprocks, Hogg, me, and Suz

Laurie and Susan stayed in Columbus with me for two nights so that we could catch up. It's always so nice to see them and I hate that our time together is always so short. Perhaps one day we'll manage to change that.

we're still working on our selfie skills. 

Once in Savannah, I had lunch with this little cutie!

#i'mstealingher

Gathered with my supper club girls for some Mexican fare at Christy's house. I swear I could eat cheese dip every day and not get tired of it.

Jessica, Lori, me, Christy and Tammy

Sheila had several of us over for a delicious dinner to complement the wine I brought home from Tuscany.

deliciousness and was perfect with that great Tuscan wine

And Janet had me over for a bowl of chili and the Georgia football game. Her chili is amazing!

again, working on our selfie game.

On New Year's Eve, I had some fun trying to record the fireworks in slow motion on my phone. Kind of fun!

Danielle and I painted the ponies my sister jokingly gave me for Christmas. Now they're on her desk!

I once wanted only a horse for Christmas.
#theneverendingjoke

It's always nice to be in Savannah with the people I love the most.

And it's always nice to get back to my own space, routine and life when I return to Milan.

I'm happy that I can have both.

Summer in Savannah: Version 2.015

Every summer I have eight weeks off and this year I spent five of them in Savannah. 

Here are some of the highlights of my time in this southern city.

Taking selfies with these cuties, Hudson and Grady. 

Took my niece and her husband to dinner and had these yummy shrimp and grits tacos.

It's always a party when all of the dogs are together!

It's treat time!

My Aunt Joni came to Savannah again this summer. It's always so nice to get to spend time with her.

My two favorite ladies- my mom and Aunt Joni!

I baked this delicious chicken pot pie completely from scratch. It's been awhile since I made this dinner, but I'm still thinking about how delicious it was. 

Even the crust was from scratch.

Look who came to Savannah! 

Kate came and visited for two days. We went to the beach, we went kayaking, and explored downtown. 

Taking a dip after kayaking.

I rented this cute Kate Spade romper for our day touring downtown Savannah.

 

I took this girl some delicious lunch while she was working. 

I spent some time cuddling with this little peanut.

I spent several days at the beach with my sister.

And eventually time came to head back over the Alps.

It's pretty incredible, every single time.

I did it for the shirt.

A good Nike shirt can be expensive.

So when you can get one customized for Milan with a bag of swag for 30 euro it's a pretty good deal.

Combined with a few hours of fun with friends and you're left with a memorable experience!

#werunmilano or we walk it.

It was sooooooooooooooooo hot.

Like over 90 degrees Fahrenheit hot.

But we had a good time snapping some pics before the race.

Hey Kyle, what's up with your shirt?
Did anyone else notice the "nice crew" tag behind us?
#howdidtheyknow?

I'm so thankful that Kira decided to walk the race with me since this was clearly NOT a race to walk. We were at the back and they let the traffic resume before we even got off the first street.

#classicItaly

And we all finished, despite the fact there was NO water for the entire 10 km race in the heat.

This made us real happy campers.

#insertsarcasm

But, it was fun, and I got the shirt!

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Thanks to all my regular readers! I appreciate the time you take to keep up with my travels.

For those of you in Savannah, here's the current run down of my trip home coming shortly...

July 8-Aug 18 in Savannah
July 23-30 Headed to NYC to spend time with Caitlin and attend a yoga retreat with Yoga By Candace
Aug 3-5 Kate (yes, that Kate!) is making an appearance in Savannah
Aug 7-14 Aunt Joanie is coming to Savannah! (She's always so good about coming to visit!)

Susan and I have talked about taking this tinkering class. Thank goodness it doesn't start for another month.

I'm also planning on attending Stan's Kayaking School (hahahah) with Sue. I clearly have no kayaking skills and Sue wants to learn! This is our summer!

There's still plenty of time left to make some plans! Please send me a message and we'll set something up!

What are your summer plans? Are you traveling? I'm always up for considering guest posts if you've got some great pics and travel tips! Let me hear from you in the comments!

A Southern Wedding

In May, my niece Melissa married her long time boyfriend, Kevin, at Bethesda Academy in Savannah.

I was so happy that I was able to take a few days off and make it back to the States for the happy occasion.

Here are some of my favorite shots from the weekend!

bridal luncheon at The Olde Pink House

my niece Melissa, my sister Cece, and my niece Danielle

I love this picture of Mimi, Neal's mother

Richard, Melissa, and Neal

Aunt Joni and me

gettin' hitched!

my family...Neal, Cece, Melissa, Kevin, Danielle, Mom and Dad

the reception

me, with the beautiful bride! 

For the weekend, I used Rent the Runway instead of buying a dress. I rented these three dresses for four days. It was really exciting to try this service out. The rental prices are a mere fraction of what these dresses would normally retail for in a store.

Overall, my first experience was fun, but there were some issues. Each of one the dresses was tight in the chest and shoulders, the pink dress being the most problematic. The blue and white dress came with a split seam in the back and when I reported this the rental cost was credited back to my account. In the end, all worked out fine and I'm excited to rent again soon!

If you're interested in trying Rent the Runway, you can use my referral link and we can both earn a $20 credit. For now, I think rentals are limited to the U.S.

L: dress by Carmen Marc Valvo
M: Lilly Pulitzer...kind of love this one!
R: Milly dress

Melissa and Kevin used Jade + Matthew for the wedding photos. Based on the pics I've seen, I would quickly recommend them if you're in the Savannah area. Check out the link for some of the professional shots.