lake como {aka dreamland}

when we were planning the big european vacation, the mr. said, "we need to go to lake como."  he's been before and has always said it was the most beautiful place he's ever seen. he's a pretty good judge of scenery so i took his word for it and decided that i needed to experience this place of beauty. 

the second we got off the train and we walked to the edge of the lake, i could not believe my eyes, i felt like i was instantly dropped into some amazing painting. the hills were luscious and green, the homes were perfectly placed and the water was sparkling in the sunshine. you know when you bite into something sweet and you can't help but smile. yeah, that's exactly what it feels like to look at lake como. i must've said, "we have to come back here," at least a million times. and you better bet your bottom dollar that i will be back!

this adorable pebble home here was my absolute favorite.  

this perfect cream colored home with dark shutters is george clooney's house. 

venice {love to be in love in here}

from paris we flew to venice. it was overcast and wet our entire stay but we didn't let that get us down. We walked all through Venice until we got lost all the while sharing an umbrella. It was incredibly romantic and a moment I will remember always.

paris {a lovely little jewel on earth}

we've been back for over a week now and i'm finally getting to a post about our trip. here are just a few phone pictures (with more to come later this week). i'm still not entirely finished uploading the thousands and thousands of pictures from my camera but i'm not allowing myself to blog about anything else until i blog about our amazing european adventure.

first stop: paris!

european vacation

italy {best year yet}

this is happening this year. 

i'm most excited to:

eat pizza in napoli 

walk until my feet hurt

eat pastries at the cafes 

sit under a bright umbrella on the beach

listen to the little bambinos speak in italian

 and wear a sexy dress on a hot date with my husband

2012 is shaping up to be our best year yet and that's saying a lot considering we got married in 2010 and bought our first home in 2011. 

image via 

{Bermuda}

the mr. and i just returned from an amazing trip to bermuda with a quick stop in washington for some sightseeing. this will go down in history as one of my very most favorite trips of all time. washington was one giant adventure and bermuda is an absolute dream. before we jetted off i stopped by Samy's Camera in Pasadena to pick up a special treat. i've been wanting one for so long and i've consulted many friends on their opinions and i finally bit the bullet. i couldn't be happier with my new toy!
(special thanks to Joseph for all the super great advice)

here are just a few of my favorites and don't you worry, i plan on posting an entire review of our trip including some of our favorite tourist spots and restaurants!