tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43394854160452523772024-02-07T13:15:14.350-08:00sweetstilllifeSusanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03884357724907692506noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4339485416045252377.post-13220906736584364492012-03-01T22:28:00.002-08:002012-03-01T22:33:03.731-08:00Weekend Snapshots<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>During the semester, I spend most of my days on campus or cooped up in my room, so it was nice to get out of town this weekend. For some reason, flights from New York-Chicago were half the price of DC-Chicago, so I made plans to meet up with friends in NY and fly out with them. To save even more money, I megabus'd it to the big Apple. Round-trip ticket- $23, not bad for a weekend.. although my friend has scored DC-NY tickets for $3.50, less than a drink at Starbucks(!)<br />
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As soon as my friend picked me up at midnight in Manhattan, she asked, "Wanna go try chicken and rice?" Heck yeah! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS4l6MUNdt1AhRKKgQX-vY5iDkeCWxASzFR0TLdBULvdGE9Eve4t7tFw54V20wTaL5hOANpzLaU_DQnqZirm1bNpx3nnPRSYm5m6TS_F8YDtczWZl7gIlN2-9bFjtN43wvox1ewoSR1EZo/s1600/photo-33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS4l6MUNdt1AhRKKgQX-vY5iDkeCWxASzFR0TLdBULvdGE9Eve4t7tFw54V20wTaL5hOANpzLaU_DQnqZirm1bNpx3nnPRSYm5m6TS_F8YDtczWZl7gIlN2-9bFjtN43wvox1ewoSR1EZo/s320/photo-33.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Infamous halal chicken and rice | 53rd & 6th, Manhattan</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Flight to Chicago was delayed because of weather, so we flew out the next morning. I snapped this photo of myself when we landed in Chicago to Whatsapp message to hubby. He freaked out the night before because I didn't let him know I arrived in NY safely, so here I am, trying to look fresh and bright-eyed after a 6:00 am flight.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLaUBIMK93k7zCxEMG4cAgHdYLcQ9F1uQ2VyT94NkvbnSlqTmp8Fxone8zFi7Z6h3GQevcsO97Thcp8lToLzLwm9K0TMYdgQs46ZzMqKXVuGU5Qk9XFLAmZjje88rRg9-lnnax95DXtlnA/s1600/photo-32.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLaUBIMK93k7zCxEMG4cAgHdYLcQ9F1uQ2VyT94NkvbnSlqTmp8Fxone8zFi7Z6h3GQevcsO97Thcp8lToLzLwm9K0TMYdgQs46ZzMqKXVuGU5Qk9XFLAmZjje88rRg9-lnnax95DXtlnA/s320/photo-32.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I think LA and Chicago are my absolute favorite places to eat, ever! (Sorry New Yorkers.) After we landed, we headed up to <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/toast-chicago-2">Toast</a> in Lincoln Park for brunch.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTyovhHl-1sAhvq5SB6tq84IFtIj3w0fQbzZYhiYrnO10qxcUmMDQF8jknMmgxy9cDv83ifjDQS16gTgcKVSC_t8_u20bV5bD0NhtXiOw-O3XTQnWrJStjnfmCpA7gadCLMTyhxPGf0frl/s320/425050_733133412696_9503055_35672995_869227724_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vintage-looking toasters</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2EbWGtd9P8pe5OaNBcqra9ivC24tyqW_7tG00duqmn5RIHPiTLvZbrpesY0bxdlg8fXyJrHlUtCIviA1mgnuQWeMFrq237MxA3BRhm6z3MmXsFetevZqPpTCIrhYZZFa5eBx6egXrw50L/s1600/429258_733133512496_9503055_35672997_893821560_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2EbWGtd9P8pe5OaNBcqra9ivC24tyqW_7tG00duqmn5RIHPiTLvZbrpesY0bxdlg8fXyJrHlUtCIviA1mgnuQWeMFrq237MxA3BRhm6z3MmXsFetevZqPpTCIrhYZZFa5eBx6egXrw50L/s1600/429258_733133512496_9503055_35672997_893821560_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div>This was the most amazing French toast I've ever had in my life. Wow.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2EbWGtd9P8pe5OaNBcqra9ivC24tyqW_7tG00duqmn5RIHPiTLvZbrpesY0bxdlg8fXyJrHlUtCIviA1mgnuQWeMFrq237MxA3BRhm6z3MmXsFetevZqPpTCIrhYZZFa5eBx6egXrw50L/s1600/429258_733133512496_9503055_35672997_893821560_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2EbWGtd9P8pe5OaNBcqra9ivC24tyqW_7tG00duqmn5RIHPiTLvZbrpesY0bxdlg8fXyJrHlUtCIviA1mgnuQWeMFrq237MxA3BRhm6z3MmXsFetevZqPpTCIrhYZZFa5eBx6egXrw50L/s320/429258_733133512496_9503055_35672997_893821560_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fresh fluffy bread with fruits, granola, and yummy sauces</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
I love the cute Korean cafes too. We have a few in Virginia, but it's a pain to drive 45~ minutes to satisfy a potpingsoo craving. Plus, the cafes I've been to in VA are not as cozy. :/<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyWhZKS23CiQN6Q8wwE-8I3GKNwvbxd0OtLVRf0-ukZaY08UtNPt2rjZ1rmMM71v0R05jTZuzqJIg7a6avSmu_J7nK6GglVzI9J3S_T4L-__1gZq_J25P3y0fLBVyaqAX4U0QPQVfWuNSJ/s1600/422212_733134221076_9503055_35673006_1061263539_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyWhZKS23CiQN6Q8wwE-8I3GKNwvbxd0OtLVRf0-ukZaY08UtNPt2rjZ1rmMM71v0R05jTZuzqJIg7a6avSmu_J7nK6GglVzI9J3S_T4L-__1gZq_J25P3y0fLBVyaqAX4U0QPQVfWuNSJ/s320/422212_733134221076_9503055_35673006_1061263539_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love this- "korean teas to remind you of halmoni" :)</td></tr>
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</tbody></table>Will try to post more pics later..<br />
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</div>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03884357724907692506noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4339485416045252377.post-59062038422759575932012-02-18T22:48:00.000-08:002012-02-18T22:57:01.869-08:00Korean dinner and German dessertMy sisters are in town for the weekend, so I stocked up the kitchen to cook some yummy food for them. A lot of our favorite dishes are Korean, so I made the ultimate Korean comfort food tonight- kimchi jjigae.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnLd89ADs_yk8H5n4UORwdTFenMscfXl7ONIo3GGwrpbb1wSJBoa6jB-x89G8w5t8Gd_IFBVR4cJCjpath0q2VJ8WQrAiXpzvMpCfP7MMk6hhdTUtMrTTar7UBhe2YUirHCj35zuWKgjUR/s1600/photo-31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnLd89ADs_yk8H5n4UORwdTFenMscfXl7ONIo3GGwrpbb1wSJBoa6jB-x89G8w5t8Gd_IFBVR4cJCjpath0q2VJ8WQrAiXpzvMpCfP7MMk6hhdTUtMrTTar7UBhe2YUirHCj35zuWKgjUR/s320/photo-31.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
There are a lot of Korean recipes available in English online now, including the popular <a href="http://www.maangchi.com/">Maangchi</a>. This dish is similar to Maangchi's <a href="http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/kimchi-chigae-kongnamool">recipe</a>, except I add a little more hot chili pepper paste, a pinch of salt, and throw in some glass noodles (당면) towards the end. <span class="st"> </span> <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJY-CTdyJfTYSNtIfd-I9BCExYvdSxJX-I6lPbBx2873sbQbZIhzluuOkNiWVlby-ZI-QabUzK_W1onVDnIhQyiziicZfhCnTwkJChkC3BcI8thbraWO9wNTlAO7RpIEbaql_tseqLoilV/s1600/430243_729641894726_9503055_35655351_1794580689_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJY-CTdyJfTYSNtIfd-I9BCExYvdSxJX-I6lPbBx2873sbQbZIhzluuOkNiWVlby-ZI-QabUzK_W1onVDnIhQyiziicZfhCnTwkJChkC3BcI8thbraWO9wNTlAO7RpIEbaql_tseqLoilV/s320/430243_729641894726_9503055_35655351_1794580689_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">김치찌개</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Usually Koreans serve fruit after a hot spicy meal, but I wanted my sister to try homemade <i>Maulwurftorte </i>("mole cake"), a German chocolate cake filled with bananas and cream. Easy to make but so delicious! Next time I'll substitute the bananas with strawberries or raspberries.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPHb3PIG5GmN-oQOIOdWuNPvBxRFnkirkI-gX4Zr4r_63Q59PChOva7R9GnlHuPTBOxP0_58HP2wFHkiEb2O-ALitNLiC-VaiYnZ9z8qpvofcYOjsxjoqs-y0LiTNDsq6QBHwKHP5Tcoyq/s1600/photo-30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPHb3PIG5GmN-oQOIOdWuNPvBxRFnkirkI-gX4Zr4r_63Q59PChOva7R9GnlHuPTBOxP0_58HP2wFHkiEb2O-ALitNLiC-VaiYnZ9z8qpvofcYOjsxjoqs-y0LiTNDsq6QBHwKHP5Tcoyq/s320/photo-30.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Maulwurftorte </i>| Guten Appetit!</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: left;">Tomorrow we'll probably head over to my favorite Korean BBQ place, <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/honey-pig-gooldaegee-korean-grill-annandale">Honey Pig</a> in Virginia. Love this place. :) Have a wonderful President's Day weekend!</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody></tbody></table>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03884357724907692506noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4339485416045252377.post-20793053878366164632012-02-17T10:37:00.000-08:002012-02-17T10:39:30.067-08:00this week<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Happy Friday!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This week I resolved to be super-productive, creating to-do lists and prioritizing my scheduled activities. I really need to learn some major time management skills. I read in an article this week that people who are harder on themselves for setbacks and minor failures tend to do worse than they otherwise would have. For example, those who condemn themselves for credit card debt may end up accumulating more credit card debt, or those who are kicking themselves for breaking a diet end up binging more.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I think this can apply to my productivity. When I don't get a lot accomplished for my studies and fall back on work, I end up being more lazy and procrastinating even more. I think it's to avoid the feeling of failure (and anger at myself) at the overwhelming work ahead of me. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Anyways, some random pics from this week:</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Traded in my gray Hunters for black, loving the shorter Huntress version. My previous boots were so high that they dug into the back of my knees. I didn't want to buy the kids' versions, which some other petites recommend to do, since I wasn't a fan of the shiny safety patches on the back. I also sized down this time, these boots run so big!<br />
Bought a leather crossbody bag; a <i>must</i> for hands-free grocery shopping and running errands in Germany, where I walk everywhere.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaUu3Lntb6s9NcxQj2F6Zx7k59cQcxV4U58tHdKLluyhX4q2BfOEUvKsYJ_kshvjEmJuPKFJnpaiq9IbQgnXS09cEX1S5KpWB49j6D7RKH5v0zbLE7hH3dkU98XLiXA8hmraxD8d4YFj9N/s1600/photo-25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaUu3Lntb6s9NcxQj2F6Zx7k59cQcxV4U58tHdKLluyhX4q2BfOEUvKsYJ_kshvjEmJuPKFJnpaiq9IbQgnXS09cEX1S5KpWB49j6D7RKH5v0zbLE7hH3dkU98XLiXA8hmraxD8d4YFj9N/s320/photo-25.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Huntress Boots | Fossil Leather Crossbody</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTq3p3KybhZ0PzKOeS70VYBTwhR1SQ8-yhfi2PbSniiKSr7vAjEaqjcRvbUL-E3Zuzow0NktJHKsOsIDl_D_5qvy06NAdRIO7h0C51Oon2s29cVBIXtuswJPUk9y5lBKYIrGambv5Le3lr/s1600/photo-24.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTq3p3KybhZ0PzKOeS70VYBTwhR1SQ8-yhfi2PbSniiKSr7vAjEaqjcRvbUL-E3Zuzow0NktJHKsOsIDl_D_5qvy06NAdRIO7h0C51Oon2s29cVBIXtuswJPUk9y5lBKYIrGambv5Le3lr/s1600/photo-24.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTq3p3KybhZ0PzKOeS70VYBTwhR1SQ8-yhfi2PbSniiKSr7vAjEaqjcRvbUL-E3Zuzow0NktJHKsOsIDl_D_5qvy06NAdRIO7h0C51Oon2s29cVBIXtuswJPUk9y5lBKYIrGambv5Le3lr/s320/photo-24.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Accessories for the week</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;">Nails are Rival de Loop, a drug store brand in Germany. Comes in so many pretty colors and only 1.99 euro! I like it better than my OPI for Sephora and Essie brands; it layers much smoother, in my opinion. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3eQ0ItVAibVgrD1d_itk_WwsnQ3O4MRcLBlW1c-c3VwVad3tmQechUNHWryIs4lUsZTIGSYNs9zBfh8OcmaXUjVCEOoOIhW5_i7dsPfXRveTX31RAqvtnuQyEFlMs8gfTNUjmsai9Fc2U/s1600/photo-28.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3eQ0ItVAibVgrD1d_itk_WwsnQ3O4MRcLBlW1c-c3VwVad3tmQechUNHWryIs4lUsZTIGSYNs9zBfh8OcmaXUjVCEOoOIhW5_i7dsPfXRveTX31RAqvtnuQyEFlMs8gfTNUjmsai9Fc2U/s320/photo-28.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red nails for Valentine's Day</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;">This week I had my first Valentine's Day as a wife, but sadly, my husband and I had to wish each other a happy Valentine's Day over skype. :(<br />
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Valentine's Day isn't as a big a holiday in Germany, and a few weeks ago my hubby was venting how he thinks Valentine's Day is a commercial holiday exploiting couples and making single people feel depressed. I was a bit bummed when he was saying this, since I still like Valentine's Day, so I pointed out the story of the <a href="http://pastormark.tv/2012/02/14/valentines-day">Catholic martyr</a> Saint Valentine that is believed to be associated with this day.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Me: </i>But don't you want to have one day in the year where we can celebrate our love for each other and go out and do something romantic and sweet?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Hubby: </i>If you want to settle for that...</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">oh... good answer :)<br />
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On Tuesday, I woke up that morning feeling sadder than I thought I would be and missing hubby so much, but this package cheered me up. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR-a6AeB4TSzlRGb4wuhXnITNywQg6ut6GvbBtIOZQuIYfXqohNrwJ20Ok8V8YoGuwmBG2rHykdgHCfGNbDphJCZnSPM_12_3gC1R3YFe7eQ3sAPWW8FtbX82bquIy0MJTtW3LGSHnq777/s1600/photo-29.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR-a6AeB4TSzlRGb4wuhXnITNywQg6ut6GvbBtIOZQuIYfXqohNrwJ20Ok8V8YoGuwmBG2rHykdgHCfGNbDphJCZnSPM_12_3gC1R3YFe7eQ3sAPWW8FtbX82bquIy0MJTtW3LGSHnq777/s320/photo-29.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flowers and chocolates</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div>Can't believe we've already been married for almost 10 months. The time really flies.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBMpB0_Sr34gEamHghTMwFCf9Sww7OKLi-golHqytRuvCTizDxGzooLkhU9qbSQT3NOP0NaQ2YihUYuuBuFfh5wpWhrIcSiwIC6KQKHK4GixCTMarbZtmElAbCzrO4uFA74ZoV1EuNVwa6/s1600/photo-27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBMpB0_Sr34gEamHghTMwFCf9Sww7OKLi-golHqytRuvCTizDxGzooLkhU9qbSQT3NOP0NaQ2YihUYuuBuFfh5wpWhrIcSiwIC6KQKHK4GixCTMarbZtmElAbCzrO4uFA74ZoV1EuNVwa6/s320/photo-27.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTq3p3KybhZ0PzKOeS70VYBTwhR1SQ8-yhfi2PbSniiKSr7vAjEaqjcRvbUL-E3Zuzow0NktJHKsOsIDl_D_5qvy06NAdRIO7h0C51Oon2s29cVBIXtuswJPUk9y5lBKYIrGambv5Le3lr/s1600/photo-24.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03884357724907692506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4339485416045252377.post-69860225697161716902012-02-11T21:03:00.000-08:002012-02-11T21:03:16.231-08:00Heart Handbag HolderLove my new handbag holder. :) Twist the heart, and it turns into a hook to hang purses on. It's pretty strong and good quality, and it can hold some of my huge heavy bags! No more putting my bags on the ground. :) I'm thinking I can use it as a hook on bathroom doors that don't have hooks already on them too.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAYPjFMpG5mBCh-lqKhJpLbNQlE-7wDhJhTjH3uE3qjAPQ98KJtkQvde5yESlGfmhKqsWkM7atlqFaAWZveg4Rm1-agAeJ2y6kbJ5A7uc7dUegIiVZvqnUbUIR1TSgDqTaH9oeYi10fpuy/s1600/hearthandbagholder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAYPjFMpG5mBCh-lqKhJpLbNQlE-7wDhJhTjH3uE3qjAPQ98KJtkQvde5yESlGfmhKqsWkM7atlqFaAWZveg4Rm1-agAeJ2y6kbJ5A7uc7dUegIiVZvqnUbUIR1TSgDqTaH9oeYi10fpuy/s320/hearthandbagholder.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03884357724907692506noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4339485416045252377.post-25465265727469732622012-02-09T17:31:00.000-08:002012-02-09T17:32:51.241-08:00Winter in Europe Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here are a few more photos from the winter holiday. :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Also, thanks for your encouraging words in my previous <a href="http://sweetstilllife.blogspot.com/2012/02/winter-in-europe.html">post</a>. Our friends often ask us how we can survive being apart. It's really hard. :( This week I was trying to find any possible way to maximize my frequent flyer points and be able to see my husband next month, but it looks like it might not work out. :( </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Trying to just be thankful no matter what. Anyways, onto the pics..</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Champ Elysees was so pretty after Christmas. The line for some of the stores was soo long though. We wanted to stop in Louis Vuitton but didn't feel like waiting in the cold. Btw, the picture in the bottom left is the line to.. Abercrombie & Fitch(?!) The line was even longer than the LV line! My friends told me that it's popular, even among young adults. I was surprised, since I always associate the store with teenagers and high school students.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJUlGrcUhpfQqTEQxtHHkjqzMeKlR6rgmcGN0GLe3qkxxDXbJisROz42owz_cJ14JZf74kyYBz-NqEhyphenhyphenhvjDlff1x8sPiwwTYJHikwgtsmgCtYrUGF5rRrx_t5-eLi0sE5QP9OkIK-p8LZ/s1600/396152_713832876126_9503055_35593466_2106791017_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJUlGrcUhpfQqTEQxtHHkjqzMeKlR6rgmcGN0GLe3qkxxDXbJisROz42owz_cJ14JZf74kyYBz-NqEhyphenhyphenhvjDlff1x8sPiwwTYJHikwgtsmgCtYrUGF5rRrx_t5-eLi0sE5QP9OkIK-p8LZ/s320/396152_713832876126_9503055_35593466_2106791017_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><i>Champ Elysees</i></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We didn't stay in Paris for long, but the food was good. I was looking forward to eating hot crepes, both sweet and savory, off the street. :) We didn't see the bakeries full of colorful macarons that I'm used to seeing on Pinterest and other blogs, but we had some yummy food nonetheless.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgadsI24d013SsL69t40MRCyndwbIyhwj17SGnQicacHL42X6BZ7ykCqLf3gD4VqyQkaYrksQLNbxyk3jWnHfx7jYn-JHu9rR_omORLtSEsDWqdg0UUKEA1goYUHRi_uJP002mJFRlwt63z/s320/388284_713832906066_9503055_35593468_2082637060_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Clockwise from left: </i>Hippopotamus Restaurant, "Floating Cloud" dessert, raw beef dish, creme brulee<br />
I didn't try it, but there was a plate of raw ground beef that you could order.<br />
Our friend said it was delicious, but I wasn't brave enough.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaVBe3XURhUYQi4EfaILY75jDUnjMObSzUfFGLWYYM9SvJKXe629QnqrkR6HXJmMSrjf9Z75BkoOlquPo0nwN1EMVm7KAtJzN-kodisnAUIo_jwSVG_kwcnTKg_FL77bxKMemUjfqxQapA/s1600/388434_713936663136_9503055_35594276_1661958246_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaVBe3XURhUYQi4EfaILY75jDUnjMObSzUfFGLWYYM9SvJKXe629QnqrkR6HXJmMSrjf9Z75BkoOlquPo0nwN1EMVm7KAtJzN-kodisnAUIo_jwSVG_kwcnTKg_FL77bxKMemUjfqxQapA/s320/388434_713936663136_9503055_35594276_1661958246_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interesting flavored Lays potato chips (we saw hamburger, bolognese and chicken soup)<br />
and cute mugs, salt shakers, and egg holders</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Berlin</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRoswf5XFrORaIiYFhw6LZEMW1bGHiPhyphenhyphenrlcjMET1uORv5bHLiGsk7YTJ_0U5URADi07jvPrauZaHwNeOZj7l7cEilXMAjJvJWjyPr5mXwMt8S-E2qMeyvz68VI9c9eo_4iYy6NjFnIl9J/s1600/381388_713847052716_9503055_35593636_1672047304_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRoswf5XFrORaIiYFhw6LZEMW1bGHiPhyphenhyphenrlcjMET1uORv5bHLiGsk7YTJ_0U5URADi07jvPrauZaHwNeOZj7l7cEilXMAjJvJWjyPr5mXwMt8S-E2qMeyvz68VI9c9eo_4iYy6NjFnIl9J/s320/381388_713847052716_9503055_35593636_1672047304_n.jpg" width="240" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyvOw78e3TVAYpuyJ_VyC0BzTwRsjuH_zSv-xU5i48Cez_CNJWrIhLDnbMI4Mqcw6-3YhEnWc4M0G6ocGct_JnckZI_tDaZu6SBFhDWgOc1hQzi06DPHrStbGcpCNQV6KRkwAhwJCc7uLs/s1600/383249_713850820166_9503055_35593746_1179560823_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyvOw78e3TVAYpuyJ_VyC0BzTwRsjuH_zSv-xU5i48Cez_CNJWrIhLDnbMI4Mqcw6-3YhEnWc4M0G6ocGct_JnckZI_tDaZu6SBFhDWgOc1hQzi06DPHrStbGcpCNQV6KRkwAhwJCc7uLs/s320/383249_713850820166_9503055_35593746_1179560823_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flowers from hubby to brighten up our hotel</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwmRggeByLsHiHK0XQBd3ga4WKfiyJCDta6ATFpwDXIyTQcES2nd_oQhVl9l9HNpAJ6dR2VkqJD_5jsmTyNZENys68X6NNcI9NY7sdMQeEnUjss6grMLKE4kM5bJ_HI9R_ql07q4HcL_eR/s1600/393969_713835371126_9503055_35593483_330443989_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwmRggeByLsHiHK0XQBd3ga4WKfiyJCDta6ATFpwDXIyTQcES2nd_oQhVl9l9HNpAJ6dR2VkqJD_5jsmTyNZENys68X6NNcI9NY7sdMQeEnUjss6grMLKE4kM5bJ_HI9R_ql07q4HcL_eR/s320/393969_713835371126_9503055_35593483_330443989_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My little sister got this for hubby for Christmas :)<br />
It's a German duck, complete with lederhosen and beer. Hubby said <br />
he looks Bavarian </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"> I was surprised at how expensive certain items were. Kitchenaid mixers were 609 Euro (~$809 USD!) UGGs were expensive too. Although they're still popular, short UGGs were like 200 Euro (~$265) and tall UGGS were 300 Euro (~$398 USD!) On the plus side, grocery items tend to be cheaper in Germany, as long as they're basic items (bread, milk, eggs, meat), but gourmet or international items are much more expensive. I liked how sales tax is built into the price (hubby and sister-in-law didn't like how the prices were different than the price tag in America), but I still prefer American prices for most things.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqVfwf7XBGUjVlglkuOvjYR6IWvWxUVCYDKCWusgTOVq3BEgZBKUMIu6dpzET0ix4j4xX3GHQNNMPrx4Sqbg8kWUeNBLQBQxF0oeYLkkl7owMVlmX2uSIocAX8Pc166mrGqOdaXNXFvtPp/s1600/394192_713835176516_9503055_35593477_2027273840_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqVfwf7XBGUjVlglkuOvjYR6IWvWxUVCYDKCWusgTOVq3BEgZBKUMIu6dpzET0ix4j4xX3GHQNNMPrx4Sqbg8kWUeNBLQBQxF0oeYLkkl7owMVlmX2uSIocAX8Pc166mrGqOdaXNXFvtPp/s320/394192_713835176516_9503055_35593477_2027273840_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Date night with hubby. Since we won't be able to celebrate our first Valentine's Day as a married couple (*tear), we celebrated it a month early in Cologne. Hubby said Valentine's Day isn't as big in Germany, but it was still a romantic time. :)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfWgrzU-SdQFbZ7zxyUz56Sz4F5fqftTrepZF3TvkqRmEVbSLsPB-v1u4I5IZRVcZOjmamv4QvM45KKEAzxvPziKvzGBngdzGYHMIUh6WfWokHajUiQAhbnX4OG2v_YzQ7cuWy612zg6Sl/s1600/397995_714061438086_9503055_35595188_1131340492_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfWgrzU-SdQFbZ7zxyUz56Sz4F5fqftTrepZF3TvkqRmEVbSLsPB-v1u4I5IZRVcZOjmamv4QvM45KKEAzxvPziKvzGBngdzGYHMIUh6WfWokHajUiQAhbnX4OG2v_YzQ7cuWy612zg6Sl/s320/397995_714061438086_9503055_35595188_1131340492_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwTbEHQrRA_UyyLk6rnSp1z3j2SQGomtf36K92O5YOz8eAmPS5wmj12P1G8AzLOD45sMPpocHOsEnc9Ho34atmy-yLjcA6I5jGgXS9al_9SDP-Bj1PMWxJmrsP8igO-F-oc9bP9eq6dnSJ/s1600/402807_714307135706_9503055_35597334_1994580424_n.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwTbEHQrRA_UyyLk6rnSp1z3j2SQGomtf36K92O5YOz8eAmPS5wmj12P1G8AzLOD45sMPpocHOsEnc9Ho34atmy-yLjcA6I5jGgXS9al_9SDP-Bj1PMWxJmrsP8igO-F-oc9bP9eq6dnSJ/s320/402807_714307135706_9503055_35597334_1994580424_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="center"><td class="tr-caption">I love him <3</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwTbEHQrRA_UyyLk6rnSp1z3j2SQGomtf36K92O5YOz8eAmPS5wmj12P1G8AzLOD45sMPpocHOsEnc9Ho34atmy-yLjcA6I5jGgXS9al_9SDP-Bj1PMWxJmrsP8igO-F-oc9bP9eq6dnSJ/s1600/402807_714307135706_9503055_35597334_1994580424_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cool toilet paper dispensers at the Cologne train station gift shop</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1fTSd0il9KhMWdI76OCrUuFfVJyx3XyJdb7aiFnKlgcysxBBSsl0RVQ1Mlinisq-xqFP65f2nshgXna9KczOdr-f8uKQUJNOEbLZLRKoHnH1p1TlzH3K4U2EnO_Oi98Ldc6ZK5O3tvRA0/s1600/405206_717292702606_9503055_35610177_735956555_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1fTSd0il9KhMWdI76OCrUuFfVJyx3XyJdb7aiFnKlgcysxBBSsl0RVQ1Mlinisq-xqFP65f2nshgXna9KczOdr-f8uKQUJNOEbLZLRKoHnH1p1TlzH3K4U2EnO_Oi98Ldc6ZK5O3tvRA0/s320/405206_717292702606_9503055_35610177_735956555_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LOVE the IKEA in Germany. The food is so yummy! :)<br />
Had lunch and coffee and goofed around in the cafe :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03884357724907692506noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4339485416045252377.post-37064521372024326342012-02-06T20:57:00.000-08:002012-02-08T07:41:56.467-08:00Winter in EuropeAs soon as I finished my semester, I flew back to Cologne to be with my husband this winter. It was our first Christmas and New Year's as newlyweds, and we drove to Paris (~4.5 hours) after Christmas and flew to Berlin after New Year's for some short getaways.<br />
The holidays in Europe is lovely. My husband thinks that Christmas and New Year's are not as big a deal as in America, and that might be true, but I was gushing over the sparkling lights and decorations in downtown Cologne. And Paris was another whole story.. so exquisite. :)<br />
<br />
I flew back to DC at the end of January, and once again, saying goodbye at the airport was heartbreaking. I cried throughout the plane ride home; when I woke up from a long sleep and realized I wasn't with E, I started quietly sobbing again. The next time we're planning to see each other is in May (~94 days from today..) I have to say, being in a long-distance marriage is so hard. I always feel sorry for us, that we're missing out on our first Valentine's Day, birthday, and wedding anniversary as a married couple. We're both praying to be strong during this time, to cherish the time we have apart and to do what we can to maintain closeness and communication even while separated.<br />
<br />
Anyways, here are some random photos from my iPhone:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbivDVMZP8erUxI5XKDnNBMsW4pn7rHxi0Xo6npZ2Q_OWJFnywzNHXny6JU_BEgtn-FMnG6HRFLcLaAgU1FUN-vtt-4RrAvVcDqQfzsoGuEr7UZF4Ke6175hYKgkHYjvSVhqVhyphenhypheniI6zXzB/s1600/378959_713835216436_9503055_35593479_1928207307_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbivDVMZP8erUxI5XKDnNBMsW4pn7rHxi0Xo6npZ2Q_OWJFnywzNHXny6JU_BEgtn-FMnG6HRFLcLaAgU1FUN-vtt-4RrAvVcDqQfzsoGuEr7UZF4Ke6175hYKgkHYjvSVhqVhyphenhypheniI6zXzB/s320/378959_713835216436_9503055_35593479_1928207307_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmasmarkt near the Cologne Dom. The lights were so lovely.<br />
Reminded me of the movie Tangled :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAn-GQVak1PinQN9p4a3cfTGow9klo_kY62U275WxQ8k_g91QqN0K4U_71Vsf3jlmCymUDsr_dtyh3X_Ft-T4nyjkmSUppZnd0U1J9K82Ha0qVr-yBgnc6RDJB3ISuxUTvdC6F1wSCx-Xu/s1600/402631_713832741396_9503055_35593461_495256275_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAn-GQVak1PinQN9p4a3cfTGow9klo_kY62U275WxQ8k_g91QqN0K4U_71Vsf3jlmCymUDsr_dtyh3X_Ft-T4nyjkmSUppZnd0U1J9K82Ha0qVr-yBgnc6RDJB3ISuxUTvdC6F1wSCx-Xu/s320/402631_713832741396_9503055_35593461_495256275_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are unedited photos straight from my iPhone.<br />
The Eiffel Tower really is this stunning and beautiful.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRAx9tGT65mF1-MhAzWxBpqIx1aAG5ZzVr2NIEpLn2HbmFlnPHE0iAatn4D7b9W7xwawP-4aF2zkwsGTtf9rla-nF5tdz2TZPNHQEL_Yc1Ify9B8vhGTR7q4U3038lBTJ_1OZxosIBmPcz/s1600/385438_713832851176_9503055_35593464_990188676_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRAx9tGT65mF1-MhAzWxBpqIx1aAG5ZzVr2NIEpLn2HbmFlnPHE0iAatn4D7b9W7xwawP-4aF2zkwsGTtf9rla-nF5tdz2TZPNHQEL_Yc1Ify9B8vhGTR7q4U3038lBTJ_1OZxosIBmPcz/s320/385438_713832851176_9503055_35593464_990188676_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CLASSY McDonald's in Paris</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVxpWOUGi-e6SysfXuv13kekrZs6ivnQmwpbViUJadwzye6We4gtYQb0DDPFJF0tDqO5Zgy_tP8Pa_-xvwQBlz4vh7unRp8WOIO8WqKP1rXyvJGyo0cHQxWpL73QcrM0kaZxhkeHdfDt5H/s1600/403031_722114075536_9503055_35627626_167287003_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ttqRZ6Ifsr_8o2gtd-xB9QJQMCFnKYE8HA7PO8-y9p-5lhCV4lH59ZyO9QYPwXlY7v8BIuJTeBMtE1dFMaJaHIZhYgeFTVAZujZdihrmTyFjnj9sPuwKvH7vl3Mn6cu1HCfkS6HPBI2X/s1600/390355_713838963926_9503055_35593519_630388254_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ttqRZ6Ifsr_8o2gtd-xB9QJQMCFnKYE8HA7PO8-y9p-5lhCV4lH59ZyO9QYPwXlY7v8BIuJTeBMtE1dFMaJaHIZhYgeFTVAZujZdihrmTyFjnj9sPuwKvH7vl3Mn6cu1HCfkS6HPBI2X/s320/390355_713838963926_9503055_35593519_630388254_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Montmartre</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkbQmQF560yCBTEVnvi8SAHDIxy0NPLze5BmgwQlvAvuhnSfQlcCoJeaBhtDVjYiRNU1nPPMo8XdHxOZ3FWWyD22oUrWNqBrPmX8z0kEImt594VpQC3q7DKuvshyphenhyphen33Jsm7ltUmB21VERMm/s320/389494_713838824206_9503055_35593510_1603757532_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Avenue</i> <i>des</i> <i>Champs</i> <span class="st"><i>Élysées</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2X0xhw3YZHeHeJzSUbSZ311XakkejlNxvzTkS0DFt0AJJOn2SWEJMXLbEkUh5XyXLRhF42-sdB4Ru1zaD3dLllbfNfchksXHN7bEztjcieWgrcUmQAjovNcfQua7IGyr5g84M3p9QkN56/s1600/397074_713850690426_9503055_35593738_1912293068_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2X0xhw3YZHeHeJzSUbSZ311XakkejlNxvzTkS0DFt0AJJOn2SWEJMXLbEkUh5XyXLRhF42-sdB4Ru1zaD3dLllbfNfchksXHN7bEztjcieWgrcUmQAjovNcfQua7IGyr5g84M3p9QkN56/s320/397074_713850690426_9503055_35593738_1912293068_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our apartment-style hotel in Berlin. <br />
Small, modern, reasonably priced</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO1ZS_WArHR3cVLDTEk6dXevX5QRs12h5qRX61VBpeIcvweoYfcJuc8IMkBoCl1QixAjuDcLG_25ztEfoJTu34pFO7vRshsx-dRQTJ565DDMRrBcPlFMWLofAtmE35PgwHEE4DC2vlebWV/s1600/406601_713850999806_9503055_35593755_773825061_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO1ZS_WArHR3cVLDTEk6dXevX5QRs12h5qRX61VBpeIcvweoYfcJuc8IMkBoCl1QixAjuDcLG_25ztEfoJTu34pFO7vRshsx-dRQTJ565DDMRrBcPlFMWLofAtmE35PgwHEE4DC2vlebWV/s320/406601_713850999806_9503055_35593755_773825061_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Weather was gloomy, so we hit up the Berlin Aquarium</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmLkI90MJLR3AUZwSorfVmzusDFEOTKbhM3ooHpdvNpKU4VpXp7BRb9kl1Q0irDa2xJLCUD6CbQXtVoWYXgBn9rzpCoyy3O1ome04i_ez8nDRI8PlelpEZlaS0Xk-kCcykfJxAnMN1AwTO/s1600/409113_714307170636_221343053_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmLkI90MJLR3AUZwSorfVmzusDFEOTKbhM3ooHpdvNpKU4VpXp7BRb9kl1Q0irDa2xJLCUD6CbQXtVoWYXgBn9rzpCoyy3O1ome04i_ez8nDRI8PlelpEZlaS0Xk-kCcykfJxAnMN1AwTO/s320/409113_714307170636_221343053_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mongolian BBQ, with all kinds of meat for grilling,<br />
including kangaroo and shark</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVxpWOUGi-e6SysfXuv13kekrZs6ivnQmwpbViUJadwzye6We4gtYQb0DDPFJF0tDqO5Zgy_tP8Pa_-xvwQBlz4vh7unRp8WOIO8WqKP1rXyvJGyo0cHQxWpL73QcrM0kaZxhkeHdfDt5H/s1600/403031_722114075536_9503055_35627626_167287003_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVxpWOUGi-e6SysfXuv13kekrZs6ivnQmwpbViUJadwzye6We4gtYQb0DDPFJF0tDqO5Zgy_tP8Pa_-xvwQBlz4vh7unRp8WOIO8WqKP1rXyvJGyo0cHQxWpL73QcrM0kaZxhkeHdfDt5H/s320/403031_722114075536_9503055_35627626_167287003_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas gift from my sister<br />
Personalized heart mugs (notice my name is written in pink:)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03884357724907692506noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4339485416045252377.post-12150008734701631792011-12-13T23:51:00.000-08:002011-12-13T23:54:58.685-08:00Nail CareA few weeks ago, I discovered <a href="http://chloesnails.blogspot.com/">Chloe's Nails</a> and educated myself on some nail care tips. I always thought I was taking care of them properly but noticed they would break or split easily before they would have a chance to grow out. This made for some potentially sad/asymmetrical French manicures unless I got the broken tips replaced. Later I learned some news that's apparently obvious to anyone who's done a manicure- I was filing them improperly. Instead of filing cleanly all in one direction, I was sawing them back and forth with an emery board and weakening my nails.<br />
<a href="http://chloesnails.blogspot.com/">Chloe's Nails</a> also recommended using glass files, so I ordered a few on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=glass+file&x=0&y=0">Amazon</a>. I bought four pretty glass files for less than $5; they're sturdy and hard to break, and all you have to do is run them under water after using them and they're good as new. They won't file down or get dull the way emery boards do, and they seem to do a cleaner and smoother job.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin3ABwGg9N7_7PCklEI4Ipeq_T8Jy4cUrTy1mbfbQ79Z4tPJDpwXdlLj67mnWec3VhpIBQNvAjoBcfhyphenhyphengY9K0j5GLYJRJIC2VZcUzndJf9kYJ5nVHZbYm4-_0bnAlBg8V49nznQ1bGzvF0/s1600/41-RXwzmWEL._SS400_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin3ABwGg9N7_7PCklEI4Ipeq_T8Jy4cUrTy1mbfbQ79Z4tPJDpwXdlLj67mnWec3VhpIBQNvAjoBcfhyphenhyphengY9K0j5GLYJRJIC2VZcUzndJf9kYJ5nVHZbYm4-_0bnAlBg8V49nznQ1bGzvF0/s320/41-RXwzmWEL._SS400_.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin3ABwGg9N7_7PCklEI4Ipeq_T8Jy4cUrTy1mbfbQ79Z4tPJDpwXdlLj67mnWec3VhpIBQNvAjoBcfhyphenhyphengY9K0j5GLYJRJIC2VZcUzndJf9kYJ5nVHZbYm4-_0bnAlBg8V49nznQ1bGzvF0/s1600/41-RXwzmWEL._SS400_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid1wp4cz1MNmb6_wccAaqsFyr-fjzXpVPWW3gL4_JVw2UnQ31es_OhkOsksqyjaV8HM9Q0Hjtdak77g9FohUddAo5-7OTIqZdFBeZTtMbK4wQFa1qF5_S0ceIiUh9YAEcrpBpowd6OnHU7/s1600/41Ke6U7L3IL._SS400_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid1wp4cz1MNmb6_wccAaqsFyr-fjzXpVPWW3gL4_JVw2UnQ31es_OhkOsksqyjaV8HM9Q0Hjtdak77g9FohUddAo5-7OTIqZdFBeZTtMbK4wQFa1qF5_S0ceIiUh9YAEcrpBpowd6OnHU7/s320/41Ke6U7L3IL._SS400_.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here are some new colors I got this month! [Please forgive the unsightly smudges on the sides.]</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyy92KEUNjcmJVD-KxJdrq-QvVrAK6O3sIPGl3EdLfZAKYARK0hD0voWAtATnr3assSHVuWctCuU6ervqYEt93UgfxBqMhZ5jB4oVNjcYqSQb-dVALFHid8FMSw3zFKq2gqoMOYIK3uJh6/s1600/photo-2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyy92KEUNjcmJVD-KxJdrq-QvVrAK6O3sIPGl3EdLfZAKYARK0hD0voWAtATnr3assSHVuWctCuU6ervqYEt93UgfxBqMhZ5jB4oVNjcYqSQb-dVALFHid8FMSw3zFKq2gqoMOYIK3uJh6/s320/photo-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love this Tiffany blue<br />
China Glaze | For Audrey</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnLR9OVJe4Vr9Ur-YuJXtpdH5Sddim2hfvsaxzh2XdvxLMgPcE9Z28P021_23lmhiU13NJdzRVs_3ti86keQOSyFBGC0cedWcMi2F-wy20v2h7vNIyFgx-GMMbZYgFYBb1xm5LKsW23F4i/s320/Af31jEmCAAEXLuM.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The perfect grey/brown<br />
Sally Hansen | Fearless Fog</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi19JqCFB-BXDQkpU7AZcWmVUTjaeWntHM5mc85A30zrjAXED5Y5GDY__AS_P98SmmEkNIUr4kPcd6oC5kR9NqZZTeDfTU8mmE-ZjTIJNS8b5tpLXKA6nWlJ-CmeCrFclsZJFV5WGZkdMV-/s1600/AgMwgPZCEAAItCb.jpg_large.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi19JqCFB-BXDQkpU7AZcWmVUTjaeWntHM5mc85A30zrjAXED5Y5GDY__AS_P98SmmEkNIUr4kPcd6oC5kR9NqZZTeDfTU8mmE-ZjTIJNS8b5tpLXKA6nWlJ-CmeCrFclsZJFV5WGZkdMV-/s320/AgMwgPZCEAAItCb.jpg_large.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sally Hansen | Lacey Lilac</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03884357724907692506noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4339485416045252377.post-78837783229313593052011-12-04T17:18:00.000-08:002011-12-07T23:16:11.679-08:00Winter Favs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Christmas is my favorite holiday of the year! :) I love the sunny, cheerful weather of spring and summer, but there's something so special and cozy about this season. I know a lot of people associate this season with stress (final exams, grading, Christmas shopping crowds, etc.), but this time of year always brings up warm and happy memories of snow days, hot chocolate and Christmas cookies, family time by the fire, and decorating the Christmas tree. I heard Mariah Carey's "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXQViqx6GMY&ob=av3e">All I Want for Christmas is You</a>" a few days ago on the radio and couldn't help dancing and singing in the car. :)<br />
<br />
The weather here is still crisp and cool and fall-like, but here are a few of my winter favs:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Winter accessories</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMazYWpqB35smwyLzM41w0gc2r57-r3WteMlLwEiyc_EzSM4D2y9auZw1IOFhHsMljlHRAGH5gADaDCl5oPMAJ62ryqEkMkRRbMHFKD-NLCATm3OimDe1P-yMSaocKyzi12Xjg7Uk8wjqT/s1600/IMG_1240.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMazYWpqB35smwyLzM41w0gc2r57-r3WteMlLwEiyc_EzSM4D2y9auZw1IOFhHsMljlHRAGH5gADaDCl5oPMAJ62ryqEkMkRRbMHFKD-NLCATm3OimDe1P-yMSaocKyzi12Xjg7Uk8wjqT/s320/IMG_1240.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fuzzy Earmuffs (AE) | Burberry Wristlet (came with Burb tote) | Leather/cashmere gloves (from Korea)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit29GotxnEML44m67tWVfGCTqt9X-etU3t5u9-HJsOX4beVzZUbAEgKBt4RQgo7IgXWzJZSNw_xdW9EVv387Y29H_QQWb2Jv8LG57hCXCQUVNnVV2I9uP7JAeXWrJeEOPXrZ-lRdtLN7a6/s1600/IMG_1241.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit29GotxnEML44m67tWVfGCTqt9X-etU3t5u9-HJsOX4beVzZUbAEgKBt4RQgo7IgXWzJZSNw_xdW9EVv387Y29H_QQWb2Jv8LG57hCXCQUVNnVV2I9uP7JAeXWrJeEOPXrZ-lRdtLN7a6/s320/IMG_1241.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black booties from Luxury Rebel (LOVE the mauve pink soles!) <br />
Cardigan from The Limited | Double Strand Pearls</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"> I know people lean towards dark nails in the winter, but it's a pastel/gray palette for me!</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAAd-kDNuHwDpZvA7aSbu8sTF3W0X3xwjxIrUZ3T3JighQEKvfMoaL9aw4hnQc7pNKop6XpxMl6yymlqt63UY10FsBPvcIMgqjNAIAQKqAIh8vFT09SFX0IC8ujC6yQDZAJkjsTzSGTtKO/s1600/IMG_1242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAAd-kDNuHwDpZvA7aSbu8sTF3W0X3xwjxIrUZ3T3JighQEKvfMoaL9aw4hnQc7pNKop6XpxMl6yymlqt63UY10FsBPvcIMgqjNAIAQKqAIh8vFT09SFX0IC8ujC6yQDZAJkjsTzSGTtKO/s320/IMG_1242.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ballet Slippers by Essie | Lacey Lilac by Sally Hansen<br />
Fearless Fog by Sally Hansen | A True Romantic by Sephora OPI</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
Picked up these two lacy tops during the post-Thanksgiving sales.. yes, they're the same top in winter cream and gray :P</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSOH2d2gAftQ2MJue7zO8vbsgVA1ceXeqsvBDSX6S7ngYUA9lbngXcE56YkV_8IPUVDVC2vieVkOV_favPIUR5j2ynj2_4I6ZRJ4IeRYqQQ8QMKYFViE6EtN0mL9kq1NkmFfUFBGWoSQTu/s1600/IMG_1243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSOH2d2gAftQ2MJue7zO8vbsgVA1ceXeqsvBDSX6S7ngYUA9lbngXcE56YkV_8IPUVDVC2vieVkOV_favPIUR5j2ynj2_4I6ZRJ4IeRYqQQ8QMKYFViE6EtN0mL9kq1NkmFfUFBGWoSQTu/s320/IMG_1243.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Banana Republic</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
Keeping the footsies warm around the house</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4U0SNoFkHs8A5sfv3QDGcBhUo5_HajFTozPIqsyVS4aBiIdPIhd3x282xIDTXeoqSJ-SGt8_Qku3eTjwXLsbfky6zxuikI3vXi2MWV0_xrOD5hh2SLdi9PY1lAPDsSvjZDCmtAsQofS1t/s1600/IMG_1244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4U0SNoFkHs8A5sfv3QDGcBhUo5_HajFTozPIqsyVS4aBiIdPIhd3x282xIDTXeoqSJ-SGt8_Qku3eTjwXLsbfky6zxuikI3vXi2MWV0_xrOD5hh2SLdi9PY1lAPDsSvjZDCmtAsQofS1t/s320/IMG_1244.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fuzzy bootie slippers from LOFT | Forever 21 socks (95 cents each!)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"> I saw these lovely silver candle holders from Bath & Body Works during Black Friday shopping. They were already on sale, but my cousin suggested to look up additional promo coupons on my iPhone. I showed the cashier my iPhone and got an additional $10 off (yay), so I picked up a few candles + silver ornate candle holders, one for my apartment in Germany and one for my mother-in-law :)</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ZDGvcSqs2t9MhtYvpneZvuRQOj8X8bmiMroWKTYceFlEq4DyVwsZQEzIGgxgqHBX7F7p5ZIxd-UVATkXoS5CFYsxbZtGG_TxRnBQkj2VNbyQ0KerV2Il29JVhHvjjJtbBfOhREJiWtOS/s1600/IMG_1245.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ZDGvcSqs2t9MhtYvpneZvuRQOj8X8bmiMroWKTYceFlEq4DyVwsZQEzIGgxgqHBX7F7p5ZIxd-UVATkXoS5CFYsxbZtGG_TxRnBQkj2VNbyQ0KerV2Il29JVhHvjjJtbBfOhREJiWtOS/s320/IMG_1245.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lollia hand cream | Candle from Bath and Body Works</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The next week will be super busy with research papers for school, but I'll be flying to Cologne next Thursday and </div>f i n a l l y reunited with hubby after almost 4 months of separation. There were moments in the semester where it was so hard that I thought I would do ANYTHING to see him. I even looked up plane tickets, crossing my fingers that there would be some fluke cheap air ticket sale but of course, couldn't find any. :( But twelve more days until we're together again, I can't wait! :)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It'll also be nice to celebrate Christmas in Cologne, which was #1 on <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/02/travel/christmas-markets-lp/index.html">CNN's</a> list of great European Christmasmarkt cities. I'm looking forward to trying some German <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluewein"><i>Gluhwein</i></a> (warm spiced mulled wine) and visiting one of the seven Christmasmarkts in the city!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjTGvFR4AbOF8dMD7KqaPArAv023U0EX48HgYClY4RctPWm1SBbvqJrEZvOe8iUTiQn2EPHOUVZrGAfIQaSUMALHhJjtTpc5B-kgCAzwmhboDuNLjKLAbzt3WmufU78IM3h5_3ouP-d8WK/s1600/gluhwein.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjTGvFR4AbOF8dMD7KqaPArAv023U0EX48HgYClY4RctPWm1SBbvqJrEZvOe8iUTiQn2EPHOUVZrGAfIQaSUMALHhJjtTpc5B-kgCAzwmhboDuNLjKLAbzt3WmufU78IM3h5_3ouP-d8WK/s320/gluhwein.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.kiwicollection.com/blog/refreshing-fridays-keep-warm-on-the-ski-lift-with-a-gluhwein/5643">Source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjTGvFR4AbOF8dMD7KqaPArAv023U0EX48HgYClY4RctPWm1SBbvqJrEZvOe8iUTiQn2EPHOUVZrGAfIQaSUMALHhJjtTpc5B-kgCAzwmhboDuNLjKLAbzt3WmufU78IM3h5_3ouP-d8WK/s1600/gluhwein.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhReMGM5zXr_k6-yd33OSqBTlnHM6O93bOPC4PATL66lef_kPOXqqRJCbuMswms7u4fqHj7N5zuuU6oDvejIJ8xflS21YjiJtTVToH5aWuTCtNlcr4q5a841VPXdQCSAn8xda7Z0KWe0SuJ/s1600/Christmas+Market.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhReMGM5zXr_k6-yd33OSqBTlnHM6O93bOPC4PATL66lef_kPOXqqRJCbuMswms7u4fqHj7N5zuuU6oDvejIJ8xflS21YjiJtTVToH5aWuTCtNlcr4q5a841VPXdQCSAn8xda7Z0KWe0SuJ/s320/Christmas+Market.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.simplygroups.co.uk/Locations/EuropebyEurostar/">Source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03884357724907692506noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4339485416045252377.post-28016161876896575472011-11-10T09:43:00.000-08:002011-12-07T23:15:56.908-08:00Fall Favs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Fall is almost over, but I'm holding onto fall fashion as long as possible. September and most of October were uncharacteristically warm (except for a fluke snowfall on Halloween), so I had to hold off on the boots, trenches and blazers until a few weeks ago. I never envisioned myself wearing gold or animal print, but inspired by the fashion trends this season, I found some of the looks for less. Below are some of my fall favorites.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjT2ewhAeFmStNBIfyWaMvYAYDXdDGAAWNxR9L0P2Vi1GtDXEtA9Lksh4OlYPYzjJT6CRYs4G0Of9g_HLcwnQSQNdNwRSrCKsxkwHVsf9yelS-xpT_lSlXe79k-3G1tn1HeDOye4fKvuGg/s1600/photo-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Pinks and golds</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFjhHNWP9l8l3aVJIOgGVrIfGxRoZEyQmn4k6LtJsk7T7u7Pto27Oa86TOJmesGaFoVynA4SOLeB2NN7gwvnwyd2nz9ghI9HQGag1FmxMkhsrC3iWVBjgiKJNF6iXxSdMJacXBKtIkxspn/s1600/photo-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFjhHNWP9l8l3aVJIOgGVrIfGxRoZEyQmn4k6LtJsk7T7u7Pto27Oa86TOJmesGaFoVynA4SOLeB2NN7gwvnwyd2nz9ghI9HQGag1FmxMkhsrC3iWVBjgiKJNF6iXxSdMJacXBKtIkxspn/s320/photo-3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coach Madison Sabrina | Rose gold case from Köln | Michael Kors Runway Watch<br />
F21 and H&M accessories | Coach wallet<br />
<span class="st"><i></i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOBLmIV-0tp-SsP1ah4Y3aU_VVVLpKVyVTUXgX5oGiEjdM7eIqdmahKkbiyP39fTWxtrxHUZlB90dDCH0Rb-QgB3gt1ZIZO5xdcfqrC-RTKx_13q2fnJMeYL98KACpUga68_qnTSIKGYLJ/s320/photo-4.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leopard scarf | Gunmetal flats </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUvmfAXZPmoFYkq8D_QnNPhGXfug199QHWv8mrwH05vHTGLJftiMWJv8VK1ydVmusZC3cHpxfIjoZbPmXBp847geiM63yUkc5rMOWpbZ_honkUZLl-MYtevm9mHDQbk0RD3CS21KPDHT09/s1600/photo-5.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUvmfAXZPmoFYkq8D_QnNPhGXfug199QHWv8mrwH05vHTGLJftiMWJv8VK1ydVmusZC3cHpxfIjoZbPmXBp847geiM63yUkc5rMOWpbZ_honkUZLl-MYtevm9mHDQbk0RD3CS21KPDHT09/s320/photo-5.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love these nail colors, bought for 2€ each in a Köln drugstore :) (Rossmann) </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Boots are a must for the unpredictable weather here</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjT2ewhAeFmStNBIfyWaMvYAYDXdDGAAWNxR9L0P2Vi1GtDXEtA9Lksh4OlYPYzjJT6CRYs4G0Of9g_HLcwnQSQNdNwRSrCKsxkwHVsf9yelS-xpT_lSlXe79k-3G1tn1HeDOye4fKvuGg/s1600/photo-2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjT2ewhAeFmStNBIfyWaMvYAYDXdDGAAWNxR9L0P2Vi1GtDXEtA9Lksh4OlYPYzjJT6CRYs4G0Of9g_HLcwnQSQNdNwRSrCKsxkwHVsf9yelS-xpT_lSlXe79k-3G1tn1HeDOye4fKvuGg/s320/photo-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hunter | Fossil</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03884357724907692506noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4339485416045252377.post-14231028768076343852011-11-07T08:27:00.000-08:002011-12-07T23:15:44.954-08:00Underwater Hotels<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>I saw some photos of these underwater hotels and resorts, and I couldn't believe my eyes. The photographs look amazing. Can you imagine dining or sleeping in the ocean, watching fish and huge manta rays swimming by?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBsHTBPN2WJfF1PNrmtST5X2bo9-D68KNW_YO_aE4kQdVcuzROv8uFnNvtN-xcIpv5R3aIDH847S6meEb6eSw73FNqy4QuLxpPWU7xllJWUUjBgZMb_jOOHlMrwdT_cWZFk-0GPaC5l9qx/s1600/379738358_io0elbT7_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBsHTBPN2WJfF1PNrmtST5X2bo9-D68KNW_YO_aE4kQdVcuzROv8uFnNvtN-xcIpv5R3aIDH847S6meEb6eSw73FNqy4QuLxpPWU7xllJWUUjBgZMb_jOOHlMrwdT_cWZFk-0GPaC5l9qx/s1600/379738358_io0elbT7_c.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBsHTBPN2WJfF1PNrmtST5X2bo9-D68KNW_YO_aE4kQdVcuzROv8uFnNvtN-xcIpv5R3aIDH847S6meEb6eSw73FNqy4QuLxpPWU7xllJWUUjBgZMb_jOOHlMrwdT_cWZFk-0GPaC5l9qx/s320/379738358_io0elbT7_c.jpg" width="234" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From <a href="http://www.poseidonresorts.com/poseidon_flash.html">Poseidon Undersea Resorts</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBsHTBPN2WJfF1PNrmtST5X2bo9-D68KNW_YO_aE4kQdVcuzROv8uFnNvtN-xcIpv5R3aIDH847S6meEb6eSw73FNqy4QuLxpPWU7xllJWUUjBgZMb_jOOHlMrwdT_cWZFk-0GPaC5l9qx/s1600/379738358_io0elbT7_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh014oWw2r7ATmyQS-tTbi0eJSr8FqIBVkPctpWjv0F3GvOag2zwEI46suMGV2AMYyKpB_GooPIJlQrc5_vdXZcVu0zRnYZ9XfYy_uTwoPLS8XyqyXIqfIs0Z3Wdh9AawMIW27YaRjlKf7U/s1600/underwaterfeature-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh014oWw2r7ATmyQS-tTbi0eJSr8FqIBVkPctpWjv0F3GvOag2zwEI46suMGV2AMYyKpB_GooPIJlQrc5_vdXZcVu0zRnYZ9XfYy_uTwoPLS8XyqyXIqfIs0Z3Wdh9AawMIW27YaRjlKf7U/s320/underwaterfeature-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Underwater Bedroom in the <a href="http://limewedge.net/underwater-paradise-underwater-bedroom-in-the-maldives">Maldives</a></td></tr>
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I think this would be breathtaking and maybe a little scary too! I would probably worry that the glass would crack or a shark would ram against the thick glass and we would cave in. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll find out for myself anytime soon. Reservations for Poseidon Undersea Resort range from $15,000 per person (or $30,000 per couple a week). Oh well, I can still appreciate the amazing concept. :)Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03884357724907692506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4339485416045252377.post-85034185852357752692011-11-01T22:16:00.000-07:002011-12-07T23:15:09.030-08:00LessonsI can't believe it's already been six months. Marriage has been an incredible time, more than I could have ever imagined. :) <br />
We received a <i>lot</i> of marital advice from various people before marriage, but most of it seemed really abstract and theoretical during our engagement period. "Don't have too many/too high/<i>any</i> expectations!" "Remember, the only person you can change is yourself!" "Marriage is work!"<br />
Since we're still newlywed novices, we haven't yet gone through some of the experiences that other married couples have told us about. <br />
<br />
But after marriage and living together, you do learn a thing or two about yourself and each other. Below are some of the simple lessons I've learned. Sorry if they might sound cliche and stereotypical, but in our experience, these are some of the words that have rang true for us.<br />
What would you add to the list? <br />
<br />
1) Men are fairly simple and easy to please. Women are not.<br />
2) Open and honest communication is important... but timing, tone, and choice of words are important too. <br />
3) It's true what my pastor's wife said shortly before our wedding.. "Men never remember.. women never forget."<br />
4) A home-cooked meal goes a long way (see #1) I really think food is the universal male love language. It's so funny the positive impact that good food has for the hubby.<br />
5) Romance goes way beyond chocolate, gifts, and flowers. It's sweet to notice and appreciate the little, unconventional, romantic things you do for each other.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ytEpWYyzBSHIxgh5u007WSnWDhOMTvZcgEVpGxcuK7pYX-A4vd4QZztIeh4IcrzNjjzDEg94k_H2UPFWtagO393sybuU_a_hvUqi2djGaSPl_AlyDGlYa-yB7x84uiCXlCMHS1gPMsF2/s1600/slide15.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ytEpWYyzBSHIxgh5u007WSnWDhOMTvZcgEVpGxcuK7pYX-A4vd4QZztIeh4IcrzNjjzDEg94k_H2UPFWtagO393sybuU_a_hvUqi2djGaSPl_AlyDGlYa-yB7x84uiCXlCMHS1gPMsF2/s320/slide15.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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<br />
6) You're not always going to be the rational, calm, level-headed person you want to be. Factor in stress, sleep deprivation, or PMS (female or male PMS, yes I do kinda think it exists), and you've got one moody spouse. In those cases, the voice of reason is still there (including that archive of all that grand marriage advice you accumulated), but you just don't care. What I love about my hubby is that he has a gift for encouraging me and calming me down, even when I know I'm being completely irrational. At that moment, he doesn't try to prove himself right, isn't dismissive of my feelings, and doesn't lecture me with logical counterarguments. Instead, he listens, tries to understand, and does his best to comfort me. His loving and patient response sometimes catches me off-guard, because I'm expecting him to treat me the way I deserve.. but I hope I can treat him and others with this kind of grace.<br />
7) Living together also allows you to learn from each other's strengths. I've learned from E's patience, loyalty to his friends, respect towards his parents, and generally accepting nature towards all kinds of people.<br />
8) Genuine words of encouragement can really lift up your loved one's spirits.. and negative words can have the exact opposite effect.<br />
9) Give each other the benefit of the doubt...<br />
10) ..But don't dwell when things don't go exactly the way you want or expect. <br />
11) Praying together and for each other is so important.<br />
12) Thankfulness is one essential part of being happy. Thankfulness to God, appreciation of each other, and a sense of gratitude for the people around you who have supported both you and your spouse.<br />
<br />
Our case is unusual because we're doing the long-distance, international marriage. A few people have asked us how we're able to survive, being newlyweds. It is <b>really</b> hard. :( There were times where I thought, I would do <i>anything</i> to find a flight to Germany right now. Maybe one day I'll write a post on our experience in a long-distance marriage. For now, all I can say is that I just want to be thankful.<br />
<br />
Married life is sweet. <3<br />
(and thank God for skype).<br />
<br />
Happy anniversary love~ <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg6P7kWnY-2y2pKGscebNDQqOukTuphPJZU-YyiwOfNo134u6c9q-zh3qdeefDCPfXPQSXhMW-Cf5i6FFCWT2M_5HXtl0mxk1XSaVICzjgigAcngyiOwaVEawPdd5vEEp0xoTqjQI9pFmE/s1600/photo-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg6P7kWnY-2y2pKGscebNDQqOukTuphPJZU-YyiwOfNo134u6c9q-zh3qdeefDCPfXPQSXhMW-Cf5i6FFCWT2M_5HXtl0mxk1XSaVICzjgigAcngyiOwaVEawPdd5vEEp0xoTqjQI9pFmE/s320/photo-1.jpg" width="320" /></a>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03884357724907692506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4339485416045252377.post-51853512816390932732011-10-20T21:52:00.000-07:002011-12-07T23:14:57.105-08:00Space and Lighting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's kinda a downer to walk into my room and see clutter chaotically strewn around. Whenever I clean up and open some windows, letting sunshine stream into a clean and open space, it makes me feel so much more relaxed and brighter. Maybe this is why I don't like studying in the dreary, fluorescent-lit, aesthetically drab office at school. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A lot of the bloggers I follow have beautiful homes and perfect closets, shoe cabinets, and even neatly organized drawers for their nail polish, accessories, books, office supplies, etc. I don't know how they do this but I want to learn! My Mom used to say to me, "Organize your room.. organize your life!" And I think she had some words of wisdom there. My room tends to become a reflection of what's going on in my head and school life. I don't know if it's psychological, but when it's clean, I tend to feel more motivated to work and be creative and productive. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I remember visiting my aunt and my grandmother's homes and being just <i>amazed </i>at how perfectly they keep their homes. Books lined up by size and color, pots and pans neatly stored away in closets (not haphazardly piled on top of each other), couches and pillows neatly pressed, every corner dust-free and spotless. There was not a single stray wire cord in sight; even power cords and battery chargers were lined up against walls and hidden away from sight. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhysjrdrtKFdu8yuLjqZ1rgx4TQjNXGqd7PGgCIzcBz1-A4zh7TQWeSIlZJT4Z-LNygGySEJbOteejqu9e-jS1njMzv7-8rb3kZ1pv-8pp7sfn8mD2UKlKNY9A6Z8ZoOxSNTI_3mBxOEdaS/s1600/Picture+1.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhysjrdrtKFdu8yuLjqZ1rgx4TQjNXGqd7PGgCIzcBz1-A4zh7TQWeSIlZJT4Z-LNygGySEJbOteejqu9e-jS1njMzv7-8rb3kZ1pv-8pp7sfn8mD2UKlKNY9A6Z8ZoOxSNTI_3mBxOEdaS/s1600/Picture+1.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Would love to curl up with a book and a cup of coffee next to this gorgeous view</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> I was browsing through some lovely spaces on <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/">pinterest </a>and found some interior eye candy. I love open spaces, lots of lighting, and pristine, white decor with accents of soft pinks or cool blues and grays. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo5tOI5V78pZwptiQ88NxgCWUBfBIiMNiIXmKqHEd2DwzYP4oKTc0yocKozHcOPRcH1IxYBTuTlboTlMb3Y-EFvS5sx3wQlkiOXSgJ6BvuMjROSPRJFi0cKQzm47BhdR1R3GRexhJK9Ch1/s320/136937644889210926_k1fA61jt_c.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="195" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pristine bathroom with lots of mirrors</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBAs0umb-w45fQRoQe5lv7kPPnwS0BUucSdoLn9gg18_ctc8LgKG_aP4ANo_YnRiahdWl6ImPDx56yI_QQYkrppg37FwPgvKWHZC6l6FJCDdNiai8eW5hZB0ojXMiYQZqgFvIH8bH22iY8/s1600/136937644889239039_3kSliln9_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBAs0umb-w45fQRoQe5lv7kPPnwS0BUucSdoLn9gg18_ctc8LgKG_aP4ANo_YnRiahdWl6ImPDx56yI_QQYkrppg37FwPgvKWHZC6l6FJCDdNiai8eW5hZB0ojXMiYQZqgFvIH8bH22iY8/s320/136937644889239039_3kSliln9_c.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spacious kitchen, lots of natural light!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnAMDaEMHvg2gYZj2mc_x__5SpqYlHfMtTnTRRptk-hmFnLA55osmsWosgJipU1dsTI9cu7qlAqdY67FZ2FCg44KN_1ZLDFCCkJxxQSQkRf2cVDSgZCbqH2PrPTcbgRYnRpyAKdO2vov4c/s1600/136937644889292483_eczPQqHO_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnAMDaEMHvg2gYZj2mc_x__5SpqYlHfMtTnTRRptk-hmFnLA55osmsWosgJipU1dsTI9cu7qlAqdY67FZ2FCg44KN_1ZLDFCCkJxxQSQkRf2cVDSgZCbqH2PrPTcbgRYnRpyAKdO2vov4c/s320/136937644889292483_eczPQqHO_c.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love the windows</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrS-bQGpZauwARO11GWFZ29U6QwIQE0a4FcpjJ5NkYG2-1y6nrrqU22Ai8wIGhbQQ0iH2qEfYZW0JHty8g_0oKP9PVpwbW8Q3wZNQT5UjSWmnGqthG5lKmpkBxXTcz2fIEdbDmX4tEkFlM/s1600/136937644889299509_J6JlM5nv_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrS-bQGpZauwARO11GWFZ29U6QwIQE0a4FcpjJ5NkYG2-1y6nrrqU22Ai8wIGhbQQ0iH2qEfYZW0JHty8g_0oKP9PVpwbW8Q3wZNQT5UjSWmnGqthG5lKmpkBxXTcz2fIEdbDmX4tEkFlM/s320/136937644889299509_J6JlM5nv_c.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">AMAZING laundry room! I think I would actually look forward to doing laundry in this room :)</td></tr>
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</div>But back to reality.. reminds me of this <a href="http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/cleaning/fake-clean-house-00000000032724/index.html">article</a> I came across recently, with tips that might be a little more realistic for those who want to keep a clean home. :)<br />
"<a href="http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/cleaning/fake-clean-house-00000000032724/index.html">How to Fake a Clean House</a>" with the tagline: <span style="font-size: small;"><i><br />
When you’re short on time, here's how to give your living spaces the illusion of cleanliness.</i></span>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03884357724907692506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4339485416045252377.post-45935396721148538982011-10-08T13:51:00.000-07:002011-12-07T23:17:22.275-08:00lovely<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Love my new cherry blossom sticky post-its from Korea~</div><div style="text-align: center;">I love how Koreans make things both pretty and functional. :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxJXhZavWD6nnTuxw8FQBrJfcxxNoRd50gJ_zcxToiLaItoom9UqQ9anDPWblOnYZQN_Mj6y6xrqijzKoeg-BrS_IUcq_APNqMnCVtIzt3WdssD-btmxuf98O2XO5GaljM75mc1kby-8dM/s1600/extra_large_cherry_blossom_sticky_note.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxJXhZavWD6nnTuxw8FQBrJfcxxNoRd50gJ_zcxToiLaItoom9UqQ9anDPWblOnYZQN_Mj6y6xrqijzKoeg-BrS_IUcq_APNqMnCVtIzt3WdssD-btmxuf98O2XO5GaljM75mc1kby-8dM/s320/extra_large_cherry_blossom_sticky_note.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglddHht7_DlIUOu8lOTNzEqahwwQI-AUrDSuG-_b__Vkn0ccLQQziJO31LD8kz-YZgbxHF0BtKfBGi8-RruceFvkwYdSEVIOVFx8fBSuHHow7PqqzM1AjYjElzAbO2M2nXcKWq3PtIwpcE/s1600/cherry_blossom_sticky_note.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglddHht7_DlIUOu8lOTNzEqahwwQI-AUrDSuG-_b__Vkn0ccLQQziJO31LD8kz-YZgbxHF0BtKfBGi8-RruceFvkwYdSEVIOVFx8fBSuHHow7PqqzM1AjYjElzAbO2M2nXcKWq3PtIwpcE/s320/cherry_blossom_sticky_note.png" width="320" /></a></div>ordered Lollia hand cream this week. I sampled it at an Anthropologie and loved it. It's slightly on the pricey side, but the most fragrant, soft, luxurious hand cream <i>ever</i>..<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjehUUPyF4CiriJSXql8n2zFmv3Oc5qe_xMqEm_IBsTLK-1DUVRJQq59TDyEz2Z3Z1bMdJyrkT8G6LtpfWwCPXDsq3OjU4E4sjbtBc02E-bRRCK-ZCmB0l9LxmTLsqeW9P6H5dcaDg-ZZFp/s1600/imagine-shea-butter-handcreme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjehUUPyF4CiriJSXql8n2zFmv3Oc5qe_xMqEm_IBsTLK-1DUVRJQq59TDyEz2Z3Z1bMdJyrkT8G6LtpfWwCPXDsq3OjU4E4sjbtBc02E-bRRCK-ZCmB0l9LxmTLsqeW9P6H5dcaDg-ZZFp/s1600/imagine-shea-butter-handcreme.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3OWj4kXXvLy3OGfDeD2DhOlkU00T_UptWWSrQyn1SSNSsP9M32MmVnxel0i1izglOyT9D1polqB2loXRd0qcaoXGi08IL_TSFVGeKJGRfrQ4yJE9kWSulj75d5zfnNHdtoUEEh6fK_SfS/s1600/lollia_story_imagine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3OWj4kXXvLy3OGfDeD2DhOlkU00T_UptWWSrQyn1SSNSsP9M32MmVnxel0i1izglOyT9D1polqB2loXRd0qcaoXGi08IL_TSFVGeKJGRfrQ4yJE9kWSulj75d5zfnNHdtoUEEh6fK_SfS/s320/lollia_story_imagine.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://lollialife.com/">Lollia</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03884357724907692506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4339485416045252377.post-61498086642384936302011-10-05T22:10:00.000-07:002011-12-07T23:13:20.430-08:00Tiger Mom ReviewI came across <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/04/sympathy-for-the-tiger-moms/8399/1/">this Atlantic Magazine article</a> on the controversial book that has ignited a tornado of heated Internet discussion on parenting, Western/Eastern culture differences, and definitions of success. Writer Sandra Tsing Loh critiques Chua for boasting meritocratic principles but neglecting to recognize the "blind spot" of the privileged and affluent. She points out that although Chua's tiger mom skills might have instilled hardcore work ethic in her kids, Chua under-emphasizes the connections and resources that her own Yale law professor position made available. Basically, she's saying, her kids would have probably turned out pretty successful anyway.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/04/sympathy-for-the-tiger-moms/8399/1/">Source</a></td></tr>
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Some quotes from the article:<br />
<br />
<i>But of course, sometimes children—particularly those from cultures in which children are not routinely given names such as “Harvard Wong”—fail in spite of their parents’ diligent efforts. Amid the debate within elite motherdom about Chua’s book, it’s far too easily forgotten that the professional class tends to have a blind spot. Clearly, Yale law professors who write books on economies in developing-world nations do not often ride the bus in America’s cities, for there they might see, as I once did, a Guatemalan maid earnestly working with her son on his math homework and, heartbreakingly, giving him all the wrong answers. (But, my Credit Suisse tablemate would say, he won’t go to Harvard, because she didn’t READ to him! She didn’t READ to him!) </i><br />
<i>.................</i><br />
<br />
But being half-Chinese herself, Loh also offers her own sympathetic take on this book, describing the complex emotions, wistfulness, and nostalgia she felt as she reflected on and related to Chua's own parental yearnings.<br />
<i> </i><br />
And Loh's conclusion could very well have been written about Korean parents as well:<i> </i><br />
<br />
<i>I read </i><i>Tiger Mother as a kind of </i><i>Amadeus, a story of not-quite-requited love for classical music, told by a somewhat monstrous narrator who can understand Mozart only in terms of notes and competition. Maniacally driving Chinese parents are like Salieri—they can name the notes, but they do not have the magic. And as such, I think of my own formerly hard-driving Chinese father, now 89, in his weekly singing classes for the elderly. It seems all his fellow Americans are effortlessly charming, pleasurably singing “Misty,” “Cabaret,” “Has Anybody Seen My Gal?” Meanwhile, my father, the former Shanghai genius, insists on singing opera, in six flats, not in his range, and not in his language. The lyrics are in Russian, and I mean the Cyrillic alphabet. He believes anyone can sing in English, so he sings in Russian. But my father cannot carry a tune in any language. He sounds like a braying donkey. </i><br />
<i>One of the most painful things about being us is how we ache to be as beloved as Mozart, but are stunted. When I think of Chinese parents, I think of people who weep upon hearing Beethoven, but who can’t necessarily bring that joy to others. Perhaps we can do so fleetingly, through our children, while they are still young, decades before they, like me, will sit at a piano, Fallen Prodigies in their 40s, their own kids squalling, dogs barking—once-perfect dolls who berate themselves for losing their youthful technique. </i><br />
<i>In the end, art isn’t about numbers. In the end, there was only one Mozart, and he wasn’t Chinese. So don’t hate us because we’re hardworking and successful: in a century, no one will be humming us.</i>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03884357724907692506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4339485416045252377.post-53373940429492192372011-09-28T21:41:00.000-07:002011-12-07T23:16:31.624-08:00New blog and Photo overloadNew name, new blog!<br />
I'm hoping I can use this blog to write and post pics and keep in touch with friends and family, especially since they're scattered all over the place now.. And it'll give me a good excuse to procrastinate in the middle of studying. :)<br />
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I don't have much to say for now, so I'll just present a photo overload.<br />
Some highlights from this year:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHF1P6VrAcCe1hGBIF6KVd4wMjAPt26ZRHKr15inA7135j3X7nxpIRrGTAFJlYQP8wW4u6SH8jSLdedk1B8kLRkJZ7N-_k3bkiz5hSPSzdmIxMV9vEE170SKvp3wLygEUGXTgnxtz3TYdo/s1600/Slide5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxPiN0p4py4KST48PRhXPJqDgq3W24prk4gFmY-rhnRPNdFal1521txcnDl-adbso5xvA_SK1zMP-Oc6wvoXxGWGaYVOSbaq5aHRuYJ2KK8RwqvdjTi3N5iepNBAqbfiQQ3HT-s4kn2is4/s1600/Slide1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxPiN0p4py4KST48PRhXPJqDgq3W24prk4gFmY-rhnRPNdFal1521txcnDl-adbso5xvA_SK1zMP-Oc6wvoXxGWGaYVOSbaq5aHRuYJ2KK8RwqvdjTi3N5iepNBAqbfiQQ3HT-s4kn2is4/s400/Slide1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I got married!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXXXS40BP0-be2EI6GzAG-4d9EqIIStGQAxmv0A2fy1rurtNJD3WLW8aUExQ3JLqZ74MhQPYZL7F2T2RXwQsdI1oOZkUgaJN7sCWxcbWrAjzLGllB2HZtwRnZYZ2ZoMw8i4QPTAPW6TO5Q/s1600/p20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXXXS40BP0-be2EI6GzAG-4d9EqIIStGQAxmv0A2fy1rurtNJD3WLW8aUExQ3JLqZ74MhQPYZL7F2T2RXwQsdI1oOZkUgaJN7sCWxcbWrAjzLGllB2HZtwRnZYZ2ZoMw8i4QPTAPW6TO5Q/s640/p20.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of our photobook pages. Layout and photography by <a href="http://photographyjun.com/blog">Jun Kyeung Photography</a></td></tr>
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Lived in Germany for the summer. I love how easy it is to country-hop in Europe. The Netherlands is about a 2 hour drive from our home in Cologne, and Paris is about 5 hour drive! It's like driving to Philadelphia or NYC from my home in Washington.. although gas is more than double the price in Europe.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWB6YEhWOqODSPkSie1SQ5yOrVOT4Lx02_xM7k9jNGfZPSUXshOda8QCt7rja-tan8ei_nkmsQH4QiUNzMQq9ZtWdt2oKVPAcBEUczwwNMGFVNDxY_Y8Xu_iTo9mIAlj1LHw4m742UkGUO/s1600/Slide3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWB6YEhWOqODSPkSie1SQ5yOrVOT4Lx02_xM7k9jNGfZPSUXshOda8QCt7rja-tan8ei_nkmsQH4QiUNzMQq9ZtWdt2oKVPAcBEUczwwNMGFVNDxY_Y8Xu_iTo9mIAlj1LHw4m742UkGUO/s400/Slide3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cologne and Kaub | Germany</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizN3bDGDqZ4yC74trOdiV1jDUFry19iAVxx0zLtJyo_DKe4gxDoyG0ouRAHrsb_x_jYBK1nlScoXGhMKLdSwnVIOdPDqRmsjjhFiE2HB7g4oUv-GeRYnK82Re0vweeBfNl7QPcrs5sTADT/s1600/Slide4.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizN3bDGDqZ4yC74trOdiV1jDUFry19iAVxx0zLtJyo_DKe4gxDoyG0ouRAHrsb_x_jYBK1nlScoXGhMKLdSwnVIOdPDqRmsjjhFiE2HB7g4oUv-GeRYnK82Re0vweeBfNl7QPcrs5sTADT/s400/Slide4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Made a day trip to visit Amsterdam.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghlA48bUqTLlqJ9szXglrJIbreNG5Hic8atbZE6y2doLkCsSvSd7TkcGplqpMBnPan4t0VgfhhS5H_GatwNggg1mEe06po25ApSYDtXoeYwkc0a_j3b0UOi4tIA7CBwZMs7Wvuuq2TXNHS/s1600/Slide2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghlA48bUqTLlqJ9szXglrJIbreNG5Hic8atbZE6y2doLkCsSvSd7TkcGplqpMBnPan4t0VgfhhS5H_GatwNggg1mEe06po25ApSYDtXoeYwkc0a_j3b0UOi4tIA7CBwZMs7Wvuuq2TXNHS/s400/Slide2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Went to Budapest, Hungary for E's work trip</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHF1P6VrAcCe1hGBIF6KVd4wMjAPt26ZRHKr15inA7135j3X7nxpIRrGTAFJlYQP8wW4u6SH8jSLdedk1B8kLRkJZ7N-_k3bkiz5hSPSzdmIxMV9vEE170SKvp3wLygEUGXTgnxtz3TYdo/s1600/Slide5.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHF1P6VrAcCe1hGBIF6KVd4wMjAPt26ZRHKr15inA7135j3X7nxpIRrGTAFJlYQP8wW4u6SH8jSLdedk1B8kLRkJZ7N-_k3bkiz5hSPSzdmIxMV9vEE170SKvp3wLygEUGXTgnxtz3TYdo/s400/Slide5.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Went to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alicante">Alicante, Spain</a> for our honeymoon. <br />
Alicante is a quiet beach town with beautiful beaches, warm and friendly people, and delicious food!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03884357724907692506noreply@blogger.com3