Our Favorites: Sevilla

We were really only in Sevilla for about forty hours total, but I absolutely loved it.  Sevilla is much more laid back and relaxed, which was a nice reprieve between Barcelona and Marrakech.

To Explore:

We stayed in the Old Quarter, which is where basically all of the major tourist things to do are located. It was really nice to be within walking distance of everything we wanted to do, and the neighborhood is absolutely beautiful, one charming street after the next.  We also spent our first afternoon across the river in Triana, which has a gorgeous view of the city and some yummy riverfront restaurants.

To see: 

The bull ring, the cathedral, Alcazar, there's tons to do and see in Sevilla.  We especially enjoyed the view from the top of Giralda, the tower in the cathedral.  We did not enjoy the 42 ramps you have to walk up to get to the top of the bell tower (they used ramps so that they could ride their horses to the top of the tower instead of walking), but were amused by all of the dads pushing their kids in strollers to the top.  Also, if you're visiting the city, make sure to buy tickets to a flamenco show.  We also enjoyed the tour of the bull ring, but in case you didn't realize it, the point of a bull fight is to kill the bull.  No, I didn't realize it.  

Bonus: we found Christopher Columbus' tomb by accident inside the cathedral.  Maybe it wouldn't have been a surprise had I read any guide books about Sevilla.

To eat:
I'm pretty sure while we were in Sevilla, we only sat down for one full meal.  Instead, we went on a mini tapas tour of the city, and got a few tapas (and lots of Sangria) at each restaurant.  Our favorites were:

Genova: Their menu includes Chicken "Lollipops" with glazed almonds and mustard sauce.  This is the one place we actually stopped in twice because the boy loved these so much.

El Pasaje: We stayed here for several glasses of sangria as well as the bull burger and some other unusual tapas from their specials.  Just a note, the maps had this one marked in the wrong spot, we wandered for ten minutes looking for it before realizing it was right around the corner from our hotel.




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Fun Basics

How do you define a basic?  I like to think of them as easy pieces in your wardrobe that can be mixed and matched with anything.  A lot of people might think of basics as plain or neutral, but they don't have to be.  It's important to have really great basics in your closet because they end up being your workhorses and will last much longer than trendier pieces.  I've mentioned before that this gray tee is one of my favorites, but these polka dotted pants have quickly worked their way up to favorite level too.  I like that they're a little bit dressy and a little bit casual.  I've worn them dressed down with tee shirts and flats as well as dressed up with pretty blouses and heels for work.  Yes, they're polka dotted, but I still consider them a basic.  Would you consider polka dotted pants to be a basic?  

Pants - Old Navy / Tee and Flats (on sale!) - Target / Necklace - Loft (old, similar)

And behold, another score during the great Target binge of September.  I've never owned anything camo before because I didn't feel like it was girly enough to fit into my wardrobe.  Then I saw these flats that had not only camo, but also sparkle cap toes and bows, and I was sold.  It's also partially thanks to these shoes that I decided to go on a shopping ban for October.  We'll see how I do ;)



P.S. In case you missed it, we went and picked up my engagement ring yesterday!  I now can't stop looking at my finger ;)

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This weekend...

This weekend I...

- Went to the boy's 10 year high school reunion, which included lots of awkward conversating.  Then, instead of an after party or heading to a bar, we went to a French restaurant for dessert.  I guess that's how you know you're getting old.  Or that you're really into chocolate.
- Booked a venue for our wedding!! Bring it, Summer 2015!
- Tried Costa Rican food for the first time, including an oatmeal cinnamon milkshake - yum!
- Finally started passing out some of the souvenirs we brought back from our trip.  Now our bedroom smells a little less like a Moroccan spice shop.
- Drove all the way up to northern Wisconsin and back in a day for work, which was actually kind of cool since it was like driving into fall.
- Finished up my first real freelancing job for a paying client.  Watch out world!
- Tried quail for the first time, which I hate to say, tasted a  lot like chicken.
- Had a celebration dinner with my parents, Jeff's parents, and my grandma, which included quite a bit of toasting.
- Consumed a fried cheese platter while in Wisconsin, which included not only mozzarella sticks and cheese curds, but also fried queso dip with jalopenos.  More, please!
- Played a game of elimination Apples to Apples, which we decided even with the added element of kicking people out of the game is still not quite as fun as Cards Against Humanity.
- Successfully made it six days without shopping.  I decided I'm on a shopping ban for the month of October (except for Halloween costume supplies, of course) so I'm hoping I can make it another 25.

I hope you had a great weekend!




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Trending: Emerald

Today I'm partnering with a couple of girls to show different ways to wear emerald.  I remember first falling in love with emerald when I was shopping for my senior prom dress.  I'm pretty sure emerald was the color of 2005 too because it was everywhere.  Sadly, I didn't end up finding that emerald dress and had to go with mint instead (not quite as trendy then).  I'm excited that emerald is showing up again since it's a redhead's best friend.

Make sure to check out the other girl's outfits here: 

Mega from Dress Up on a Cloudy Day
Jessica from Jeans and a Teacup
Ashley from Ash 'n' Fashn
Elizabeth from Undeniably, me

Top - Express (really old, but somehow has a trendy jeweled collar?) / Skirt - Banana Republic / Clutch - Jennifer Lopez (old) / Shoes - ShoeMint

I wore this on Wednesday to a dinner with a couple of our friends at the top of the Hancock Building to celebrate our engagement.  The restaurant is beautiful, it has views of the city and the lake.   It was fun to have an excuse to dress up, there are very few restaurants in Chicago where tennis shoes are not acceptable.  The dinner was five courses and each course included a wine pairing, which was a liiiiitle more intense than we (or at least I) expected.  And then dessert was a gigantic ball of chocolate.  Some people seem to claim that they have a separate pocket of space in their stomach specially designed for dessert. Sadly, I am not one of those people and had let a lot of mine go to waste.  I'm sorry I let you down, giant ball of chocolatey goodness.

What are your plans for this weekend?  It's Jeff's 10 year high school reunion (I've somehow managed to let slip both of our ages in this post) so we're hanging out with some of his friends who are coming into town tonight and then going to the reunion on Saturday.  We're also having dinner with my parents and Jeff's parents on Sunday so they can get to know each other a little better/so we can celebrate some more.  I foresee lots of champagne in our future...



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Color Crush: Navy

This fall, navy is really calling my name.  I may (ahem) already have a couple of these items...

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10

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Our Favorites - Barcelona

We were in Barcelona for four nights and loved every minute.  Barcelona has a lot of old world charm mixed with modern art and a fun energy.  Here are some of our favorites:

To Explore:

One of the top things we were told to do was wander down Las Ramblas, the main tourist street in town.  We thought Las Ramblas was a little too crazy and touristy, and really preferred wandering the streets alleys of the Gothic Quarter, where there's a new shop around every corner, as well as the beachfront in Barceloneta.  The Gothic Quarter and Barceloneta also have much better food options.

To eat:

Passagis de Pep - If you love seafood, this is the place for you.  They don't have a menu, and instead serve you whatever they found fresh in the markets that day.  We had amazing clams, squid, black rice, lobster tail, sea snails, and our new favorite, padron peppers.  The meal also started with complimentary pan con tomates and a bottle of cava, two staples in Barcelona.  Make sure to look up the address before you go, there isn't a sign outside and we circled the block about four times before we found it.

Tapas 24 - The head chef is a disciple of one of the best chefs in the world, Ferran Adria.  We tried some traditional tapas, but where they really shined was in their specials.  Order the truffle braised oxtail sandwich.  Yes, it's just as good as it sounds.  It was pretty hectic and noisy inside, so try to get a table outside if you can.  

To see:

Gaudi - The must-see architecture in Barcelona is all by Antoni Gaudi, who I'm pretty sure was the inspiration for Dr. Seuss.  Even if you aren't that into architecture, his stuff is pretty cool to see.  We really enjoyed Parc Guell as well as La Sagrada Familia.

Montjuic - Not only is this where we got engaged, it's also where the 1992 Olympics were held.  It's an easy hike up to the Olympic Stadium, and you can actually go swimming in the pool, which has an amazing view of the city.  We also really liked the Magic Fountains at the foot of Montjuic.




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Jacket Season

I'm over the transition period and am in full fall mode.  It's actually been chilly enough to need a jacket, which I've been loving, they're are my favorite.  This Forever 21 jacket has been treating me well and getting me compliments all over town.  I maaaaay have worn it every day last week ;)

Jacket - F21 (similar) / Tee - H&M / Jeans - Gap / Boots - Target / Necklace - c/o Shop Bevel

I haven't gotten shoes at Target in years.  The Target in downtown Chicago weirdly doesn't have a shoe section so I usually don't even see them.  I was surprised by how comfy these booties are.  I have a feeling they'll be getting a lot of use this fall and winter, I can see wearing them a lot of different ways.

In other news, I'm starting another class this week.  Watch out CSS3, I'm coming at you!

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