Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, I had a book review blog. And while I don’t blog there anymore, I certainly didn’t stop reading and I definitely didn’t stop having opinions about what I read. So once a year I like to share my favorite books, the ones I’d recommend you pick up as well. Let me know what you’re reading and loving, too! If you have a macabre fascination with cults (like me), …
Isle of Skye, Scotland
Our last stop on our trip to Scotland (after a stay in Edinburgh and Glencoe) was two days in the Isle of Skye. This island has an otherworldly charm and so many natural wonders to explore. On our way there, we stopped at Eilean Donan castle. We splurged a bit and decided to stay at the Kinloch Lodge on Skye. The hotel reminded me of a classic English hunting lodge and they maintain some traditions that might …
Glencoe, Scotland
After our days in Edinburgh, we drove north into the highlands. We decided to stay in Glencoe, but I wanted to make a stop in the Loch Lomond region to hike. This region is known for its spectacular lochs (or lakes, as we say) and beautiful green rolling hills. We parked at a trailhead in the village of Balmaha and did a short hike to the top of Conic Hill. P.S. This is the best website I …
Edinburgh, Scotland
Andrew and I are actually going on two honeymoon trips. I know, I know, but are you really surprised? After all, travel has been very important to our relationship—we even included it in our wedding design by naming each table after a destination we had visited together. We were married in October and decided to wait until the next calendar year to go on our long honeymoon so we would have enough vacation time to spend a full two …
Deception Pass, Washington
After visiting the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, we drove to Deception Pass State Park for some hiking. We did two trails: Lottie Point to see the namesake Deception Pass bridge and Rosario Beach to explore the tide pools and expansive views of the Pacific Ocean. We parked at the Bowman Bay picnic area near the fishing pier, which allowed us to take the short hikes in both directions. We spotted a deer and two bald …
Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, Washington
I’ve had a love affair with tulips for a long time and seeing the tulip fields in Holland has been on my bucket list. Imagine my wonder and surprise when Instagram alerted me to the fact that there are fields of tulips to be frolicked in right here in the USA! Last year I saw pictures of the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival in Washington State and immediately knew I had to go. It was so …
Our Wedding
A lot of people asked me how Andrew and I chose Maine as our wedding destination since we’re not from there. The answer is that in the second year of our relationship, we took a trip to Bar Harbor together and fell in love with it (and which each other, duh). Afterwards, we talked about making a trip to Maine a yearly tradition and both strongly felt it was something we wanted to do. As …
My Charleston Bachelorette Party
I recently celebrated my bachelorette weekend in Charleston with my best girls and I am still buzzing with excitement. It was absolutely the perfect bachelorette for me, full of relaxing beach walks, classy specialty cocktails, delicious Southern cuisine, a little bit of dancing and hours talking and laughing with the ladies I love most. You can find my complete list of recommendations for a Charleston bachelorette at the bottom of this post. The Details I met up …
Camping in the Catskills, NY
Early in our relationship, camping became a yearly tradition for Andrew and me. One of our favorite destinations is New York’s Catskills region, in particular the town of Saugerties. We love the close proximity to New York City—about a two hour drive—which allows us to get away for a long weekend without much fuss. Here I’ve put together a little guide of some of our favorite things to do in the lower Hudson Valley. Campgrounds First, …
My Whole30 Experience & Results
I first heard about the Whole30 on one of my all-time favorite blogs, A Beautiful Mess. Elsie’s post about her experience is well worth the read and a lot of things she said really resonated with me. At the start of her post, she talked about how frustrated she was that exercise never led to weight loss for her. She said: One of the biggest things I have learned is that fitness and weight loss …
Caitlin Kenney Smith 