Golden Birthday Recap!

Ever since I came back from the States earlier this month, it's been one thing after another. Last weekend however, was the big event of the month: Steven's Golden Birthday! (He was turning 27 on the 27th of May) I should preface this birthday recap with Steven and I have opposite approaches to birthdays: I love celebrating them (others, not my own) and he is a no-fuss, no-frills kind of celebrant. So this year, especially with a big trip planned this summer, he especially didn't want to do much. He agreed to one small birthday dinner on Sunday, since his birthday fell on a Monday, and I got a post-work celebration the day of.

If he gives me a small in, I'll take it! A couple of our close friends came over for dinner and ended up staying the night, since they had a wedding to attend the next day in The Hague and I instructed Steven to stay upstairs all afternoon while I prepped for the "party".

Italian-themed menu included:

Cocktail hour: warm snack (puff pastries stuffed with herbed brie cheese and sundried tomato)+ a cold snack (Canadian smoked salmon with creme fraiche and dille) made by my good friend Christine

1st course: Caprese salade with toasted pine-nuts and homemade basil pesto

2nd course: Spaghetti with two choices of sauce: bolognese (birthday boy favorite) or a The Best Spaghetti Sauce You'll Ever Have (this recipe) 

Dessert: Homemade tiramisu with candles, of course!

I also decorated the kitchen with some fun colors and made little placecards for everyone. (Sidenote: I made the greetings in Dutch - my writing is getting better everyday!) The meal came together great, much to my relief, I'm always nervous about multiple courses and keeping everything hot and everyone's wine glasses full!

The night ended in the wee hours in the morning, drinking the last of the prosecco and dancing in the kitchen to old music before finally heading to bed around 1:30am.

Not my typical bedtime for a Sunday night but I was so happy that Steven spent the first hours of his 27th birthday surrounded by people who love him, full of his favorite foods and great memories :)

Happy 27th Birthday, my love!

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Proud Sister: Graduation Day!

Today is a special day for my family. My younger brother Carlo is officially graduating from college! There are lots of things that I love about my brother, but the thing that I admire the most about him is how he's really grown into a man of his own. As kids, I must say that our sibling dynamic was very imbalanced; I was a princess, competitive and vocal while my brother has always been the quiet force in our family. To see him grow up and shine as a young adult is a proud moment as a big sis.

+ College was a turning point. He studied biology for nearly four semesters before deciding that science was not the right path for him. It took a lot of bravery (and time) for him to confess it to our parents, switch majors and start all over.

+ Instead, he'll graduate with a Communications degree, a leadership position in his fraternity, the college radio talk show co-host and internships with some of the top brands in the entertainment, music and art business. It boggles my mind how at the tender age of twenty-three, he's done so much for his career.

+ Most recently, he just returned from a semester in London! Aside from classes, he traveled to different European cities by bus, train, plane and learned lessons of independence while living in a foreign country.

+ At the core, he is artistic and passionate like our mom but has inherited our Dad's qualities of being one of the most patient and kind-hearted people I know.

Carlo, I know that you will continue to shine in all that you do and I am cheering for you every step of the way! I am so sad that I'm not with you in person today but am thinking of you!! Congrats on your graduation. Welcome to the real world :)

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I'll Make You Banana Pancakes

Two things that make my day: when my boyfriend calls me "Darling" (chivalry is not dead) and pancakes. It's the little things, right? Sunday morning the sun was shining gorgeously so I decided to whip up an easy but decadent breakfast of gluten-free pancakes topped with softened sweet bananas. I use this mix, which my Dad so kindly sends me from the US (can be found at Whole Foods or any health food store).

While the mix settles I heat two pans at the same time, by the time the pancake mix is poured and browned, the bananas soften to the perfect bite.

1 pan: Gluten Free Pancakes
Follow directions of your choice of gluten-free pancake mix
Optional additions:
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1 tsp of ground flaxseed
few good shakes of cinnamon
chopped nuts (I would, but I'm allergic)

1 non-stick pan: Sweetened Soft Bananas
small pat of butter
thinly sliced ripe banana
drizzle of honey
cinnamon
Allow each side of banana brown before gently flipping to other side.

Healthy plus... There is absolutely no need for maple syrup with the banana topping. Enjoy with a cup of fresh coffee + someone you love and you have a great Sunday morning :)

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An Expat Mother's Day

I celebrate as many holidays, birthdays or special events when I'm in the States regardless if it's a little early or even a little late. Just being home in itself is special, but this past trip I was fortunate to be able to give my mom her Mother's Day gift in person (which is something that I haven't been able to do for three years now). We celebrated on Tuesday, a few days before the official Mother's Day but that was just fine. What mattered was that my mom, dad, brother and I were able to be together to honor my mom, especially after her big year of beating breast cancer.

We went out to sushi (a family favorite) and gave my mom her presents, which included a framed picture of my brother and I plus her fur babies. It took a few tries before we landed on a decent picture with the pups...

{practice run before we brought the big girl out}

{first few takes not going as planned}

{Stella always trying to eat our little one}

{almost...}

{that's the keeper!}

I also gave my brother an early graduation gift, since I will be missing his graduation in a couple weeks on May 23rd. Like I said, it was a combo celebratory dinner! I take what I can get.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom. You are my biggest inspiration and best friend. xoxo

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I'm Back! {Six Cities In Six Weeks.}

Yes! I'm back from the longest (unintentional) blogging break I've had to take so far due to the craziest travel schedule. Since March I feel like I've been living out of a jumbo suitcase and carrying on a long-distance relationship full of Skype dates and coordinated WhatsApp messages thanks to the terribly inconvenient 9+ hour time difference of the US and Europe.

Over the past weeks we've spent a quick weekend trips to Switzerland, London, France. Then I went transatlantic celebrating a girls weekend in New York City and then further west for a worktrip to Portland followed by a visit to see my family in Sacramento, California.

While I feel really, really thankful to have such a mobile life, the fact that I slept like a rock for nearly 15 hours on Thursday was a clear indication that I need to sloow down and spend downtime in one place for a while. (That spot being our current home in the Hague, the Netherlands.)

While I was travelling, I think it's a miracle I didn't get sick over multiple timezones and disgusting stale plane air. To be honest I was almost expecting to be warding off a bad cold at this point. Here are four little things I did each trip which I think helped strengthen my immune system.

1. Green Juice
My family has been drinking green juice way before juicing became the the latest fad and at 26, not much has changed. Each morning when I was home, I (along with my mom, dad and brother) would drink a heaping serving packed with blended spinach, blueberries, oranges, apples and wheat grass. I felt more revitalized afterwards than any espresso!

2. Stock up on travel sized essentials.
I'm the crazy one who carries a small medicine cabinet in my purse. Travel staples include chewable Airborne (I hate the sweet, fizzy capsules you have to dissolve in water), Advil PM or Melatonin to help me sleep and babywipes to wipe down my armrests. So many germs hiding there!

3. Drink plenty of water.
It may be annoying for your seat mate but I down at least one big glass of cold water each hour during those transatlantic flights. Flush out the yucky toxins.

3. Skip the in-flight caffeine and alcohol.
This is more of a vanity precaution, but I feel these two always leave me bloated and foggy getting off a plane. Not the ideal way to start a trip.

Happy travels!

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Catching the Train For Easter in France!

I've barely unpacked my suitcase from London and am off again! This weekend we are headed to France, where we will spend Easter with Steven's family. Last year, it was sunny and gorgeous - fingers crossed that it's at least better than the snow we've been getting in the Netherlands as of late. Although sleep deprived and exhausted, I feel so so fortunate that we can take impromptu weekends trips like this to see our families.

Happy Easter, everybody!

For some lesser-known getaways you can catch me over on Casey's blog today!

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London: When Travel Goes Wrong

Oh, London. You were so cold, icy, snowy and windy. Nothing went right in the beginning, but I love you still. I suppose it's bound to happen when you spend three out of four weekends in airports?

Friday night, we were so excited to be on the way to UK. We enjoyed a drink on the flight as we talked about how much fun we were going to have visiting this new-to-us city. Also, I was so excited to be reunited with my Dad, whom I only get to see but once or twice a year. Thirty minutes in-flight, the pilot announced that he was turning the plane back around to Holland due to technical difficulties. For those who have never taken a flight from Amsterdam to London it takes a mere 45 minutes, so we were over halfway there. Naturally, I was incredibly upset. My hopes were further crushed when I found out there were no more flights heading out to London that night.

But we ended up spending the night in a (surprisingly) super nice hotel.

With a three-course meal plus wine.

An overnight kit filled with all the essentials you can imagine for an unexpected stay by the airport.

Complete with a 4:30am wakeup call to take the first flight out to the UK.

Finally, when we arrived we were determined to make the absolute most of our now-shortened weekend with my family. We went walking everywhere, visiting the pinnacle sights (mainly, the London Eye and Big Ben) and eating a lot at cool weekend foodie festivals. Our one evening there we even caught the Beatles musical Let It Be, my idea of a GREAT time. Here are some snaps from our quick 36 hours in London!!

Although with a rough start, it was a great weekend. I will always love London.
(So nice to see you, family!!)

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