A Dream is a wish your heart makes

Aug 27, 2017

If you have come into contact with me for the past two years then you may already know my life dream is to move to France for a year. I think I have told our mailman, everyone at Liv’s French school and even total strangers who humor me with a smile while I crazily go on and on about it. I’ve always dreamed of living abroad. I have been researching, prepping and planning for this move but not exactly sure how to make it possible.

Well, I got my wish…

Our family is moving to Paris, FRANCE!!!

Antz asked me what I wanted for my 40th birthday and I said, I would like for you to ask again if you can work abroad. His boss didn’t think it would work a year ago but we couldn’t give up on this dream. Antz and I put together a new proposal and we waited a year. In hindsight, as devastating as that initial NO was, it only motivated me more. We took that year to make much needed renovations to our house and even took a lovely unexpected trip to Iceland. Antz connected with the right people at work, submitted his proposal and his boss gave him the green light! I have been waiting in agony for months having to hold in this secret, waiting to get everything in order. I am elated to finally be able to share our great news. It still doesn’t feel real. I have been wanting this for so long that I haven’t even processed that this is finally happening. When Antz told me his boss agreed, I cried with joy. I could not have made this happen without his job being onboard so I am so grateful that he was able to negotiate this move. We have a lot of preparations ahead of us but I am confident I will have everything aligned.

I posted this inspiration on my Instagram the day Antz asked his boss to work abroad, exactly one year until we leave! We are planning to swap with a lovely French family during our time abroad. I will post about how we are house swapping soon.

The trickiest part will be getting our long stay visas (carte de sejour). We have to fill out tons of paperwork, make copies of everything, and translate our paperwork into French. I have heard that French bureaucracy is a nightmare so we are hiring a consultant to assist us with the visas. I don’t want to have any surprises that will hold up the process. There’s also all the moving expenses: airfare *did you know a one-way ticket cost more than a roundtrip ticket?* and other logistics like renter’s insurance, international health insurance policy, opening a French bank account and our expenses in California. We may rent a storage unit for the stuff we aren’t bringing and we’ll need to get a post office box to forward all our mail. I have already written a post about the visa process and all of our moving expenses. We are planning to makeover our bathroom and paint our bedroom in the next few months. Hopefully, #45 won’t mess things up too badly for our swappers to get approved for their visas. Fingers crossed!

Antz wanted to set a realistic timeline to prepare ourselves for this move. So we gave ourselves year to get everything in place. I am so glad Olivia is young enough to adapt to this move away from her life in LA. She plans to stay in touch with her friends via Skype, writing letters and will check in for scheduled video chats with her class. I know she will benefit so much by traveling at a young age. I feel like this strengthens our choice of French immersion education.

During my surprise visit to Paris to see Aimee I fell in love with a school near Aimee’s rental. I took this photo and told her, I would love for Liv to go to that school. Turns out, the family we are swapping with lives a block from this school! I found a ballet school for her close by so she will continue her classes. I didn’t know it at the time but the neighborhood I was visiting Aimee was the same area we are moving to. I know those streets so well and feel very at home there. Antz will have the opportunity to visit art schools and industry events in Paris to seek new talent for his work team. He will also visit his company’s office in London. I am sure the change of environment will reenergize his creativity. I am excited to take French lessons while Liv is in school. There’s no doubt, Paris would be an inspiring place for all of us.

I often catch myself daydreaming about what our life over there would be like. I imagine us biking along the Seine, having a picnic in Jardin du Tuileries next to a gorgeous carousel with the Eiffel Tower in the distance, it’s too perfect for words. I am so excited to experience total immersion, to finally learn French so I can speak with Liv. I have no doubt Olivia will thrive in school because her French is so strong and she is great at making new friends. She is so excited to live in Paris. I can’t wait to live without being a slave to my car. I look forward to strolling along the cobblestone paved roads staring at the gorgeous Parisian architecture. I am thrilled to experience the weather. In LA, I get to wear my scarves and sweaters a few days out of the year so bring on the cold! I can’t wait to hop on a train and take weekend trips throughout Europe. There are so many cities in France I hope to visit. My goal is to travel to twenty European countries during our time abroad.

We will be leaving in March 2018. Only Six months away!! This was the most incredible birthday gift I could ever receive. Thank you so much Antz for making my dream come true!

I bought that amazing Things will work out print from People I’ve Loved.

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Last day in Iceland

Jun 9, 2017

On our last day we stayed in Reykjavik. During the entire week we drove past the magnificent Hallgrímskirkja church everyday. We finally had time to check it out and of course, it was closed the day we went! Even without going inside, it was remarkable. The door alone was rad. The church took 41 years to be completed. Inside the church is a gorgeous pipe organ. I have a DVD with my favorite singer Björk singing in this church but I hope to one day see her perform there live.

So photographers and bloggers, what’s your secret of taking photos of landmarks without all the tourists? Do you ask them to move? Photoshop magic? I get so frustrated that I had to crop out the bottom of the church because tour buses full of folks kept showing up.

Ta-dah, no people (they are hiding behind Liv)

The church was built to mimic the basalt columns of Vik. It’s the second tallest building in Iceland.

This statue is Leif Eriksson who was the first European explorer to “discover” North America 500 hundred years before that other guy. Hot ass Viking dude!

Liv took this most perfect shot of Hallgrímskirkja with her camera and Antz took this epic shot of Liv holding her Instax photo.

It was time to say goodbye to our lovely cottage and we headed downtown for breakfast at The Laundromat Cafe.

How cute is it that Icelandic people engrave their names on their front doors. I would love to do that on our door.

We stopped at the innocuous tie mural right next to the Chuck Norris Grill. Iceland has a pretty rad street art scene, although they don’t have any Banksy or Invaders.

Most random thing we saw in Iceland.

I planned to have lunch at Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur (Iceland’s version of Pink’s) however we had hot dogs one night at another place and found them to be awful (they were served cold) so we passed on the steamed dogs. We happened to park nearby so I snapped a shot of this guy getting his breakfast.

The food was great but this hot chocolate was the best I have ever had!

You find the laundromat in the basement along with a room for kids to play and read in.

After breakfast we had just enough time to visit the Viking World museum before turning in our car rental and heading to the airport in Keflavik.

The museum was right next to the ocean and let me tell you it was freezing cold. I almost died in my dress just walked from the parking lot. Since the museum is on the way to the airport it’s not close to anything so we were the only patrons.

These were real authentic, very heavy Viking weapons.

I was the only brave one to walk into the Viking ship. I was sure it would collapse. I didn’t even know if I was allowed to walk on it because no one was in the place.

I hate to say it but the museum was a tourist trap. It was cool to see a real Viking ship but I was very annoyed that they didn’t have any Viking hats for sale (although I know they are cheesy) or more exhibits. We walked through in fifteen minutes and were like “Is that it?”

We spent forever in the airport gift shop looking for last minute souvenirs. I really wanted to buy Liv a Viking hat but for some odd reason, there were none anywhere. She settled on some Icelandic candy which she ate on the plane.

I have inadvertently started a mini flag collection. My flag from France is getting pretty frayed so I’ll need to replace it. I also have been collecting pins from the countries we visit. I forgot to buy one in Amsterdam though.

Once inside the airport, it was hot so we began to shed our heavy layers.

I know, I’m the world’s greatest videographer. This was one of my scariest take-offs because there was zero visibility. I am not afraid to fly but the take-off and landing do freak me out.

Liv and I watched one of her favorite movies on the plane, Spirited Away.

Then she happily slept the rest of the flight. I woke her up just as we were flying over the Grand Canyon.

Can you see the tiny moon?

I love flights that land before dark at LAX, we rarely land during the day. Overall, I would strongly encourage everyone to book a flight on Wow Airlines and go to Iceland. It was our least expensive trip abroad and was the most memorable.

Smell ya later Iceland! Takk.

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The coolest restaurant in Iceland

Mar 6, 2017

My friend Christina gave me a list of recommendations for our trip. I was skeptical when she suggested visiting a tomato farm. Antz, Liv and I are not big fans of tomatoes but I knew if Christina says it’s good, it’s worth a visit. I called a couple of weeks in advance to make a reservation but my bad luck Liz curse struck again. The afternoon I wanted to go turned out to be the only day of the year they were closed for maintenance. I had to adjust our itinerary to make a reservation. Luckily, we got the last available spot of the day!

We drove an hour and a half from Reykjavik to Friðheimar farm. The Ring Road is Iceland’s main road but it’s mostly a two lane road so they have this subtle reminder to not speed. Those cars are from an actual accident. The irony is I nearly had an accident trying to get a photo of this car wreck (just kidding, Antz took the photo). We passed this reminder several times while in Iceland which was helpful because I am usually a speed demon. I had to make a quick pitstop on the drive to snap this rad photo.

I damn near lost my mind when I saw this sign. Björk actually translates to birch in Icelandic and there are birch trees everywhere. Too bad I didn’t see the real Björk.

Antz had to convince me to not ask the owner if I could buy this flag to bring home to LA. Friðheimar is a working farm so during the summer months they put on a horse show. There are also ten hens that live on the property.

I really didn’t understand what the hype was about a tomato farm but when we arrived it was impressive. The tomatoes are grown in a temperature controlled greenhouse so they grow year-round. The owners buy the cutest, fuzzy bumblebees from Belgium to aid with the fertilization of the plants. I think the key to making these tomatoes taste so good is the natural Icelandic geothermal water.

Olivia was excited to cut her own fresh herbs to add to her food. When you arrive, you can check out the greenhouse and hit the all you can eat tomato soup bar. Everything has tomatoes, even the water! I tried my first blood Mary (sorry, I’ll stick to margaritas).

We met the owner Knútur, he was very kind and gave us a quick tour of the greenhouse. Liv was a little nervous around the bees but they are so fuzzy and cute.

The food was amazing, I must have had three bowls of tomato soup. By the time my entree arrived, I was stuffed. The tomatoes were sweet and perfectly ripe. Not soft and mushy like most restaurants in LA serve. The greenhouse was fascinating. We learned so much about horticulture. It wasn’t the smelly, traditional farm I envisioned.

On the way out we stopped by the Little Tomato shop and taste-tested tomato preserves and jam.

We bought a jar of green tomato jam and it’s still in our fridge at home!

The Friðheimar Tomato Farm is a must-see/eat stop in Iceland. The staff is friendly and genuine and the food is exceptional. The owner takes pride in his farm and really connects with his customers. I wish that same warmness would happen in Los Angeles. Most restaurants are over-priced and I often feel like there is not a lot of quality put into the food and the waiters can be rude and pushy. Maybe I’m just over pretentious LA.

Friðheimar

Bláskógabyggð
IS-801 Selfoss
(+354) 486 8894
fridheimar@fridheimar.is

Open from noon – 4pm daily. I strongly recommend making a reservation.

Iceland Day Three

Feb 17, 2017

As much as I wanted to just sleep in the next day we had a prepaid tour that was FOURTEEN HOURS long! I was hoping to avoid booking any guided tours but I also wanted to see parts of Iceland I didn’t feel so confident driving to. Plus, this tour was highly rated and it was only a group of ten. The bad news was we had some lame people in our group. They were from Boston and incredibly annoying. They complained about missing some dumb football game and were always late returning to the bus because they had to smoke. They seemed bored during the tour and just plain rude. The good news was our tour guide made the day interesting and was a delight. Our tour guide/driver was named Good Jon but I accidentally kept calling him Lil’ Jon. He didn’t seem to mind. I know we were the only ones who tipped him when the tour was over. I booked our tour through Viator which I have used on past trips. I like that they pick you up from your house and drop you off. It was nice not having to drive all day. We saw so many amazing sites but I do wish we could have spent more time as some places. Unfortunately the dinner we had (at a gas station) wasn’t yummy.

Here’s an interesting fact about the bridges in Iceland, due to budget, many were built with only ONE LANE!! This was particularly terrifying because there are no lights or signs warning the other cars when you are driving across. They simply play chicken with on-coming traffic and pray one of you make it to this tiny spot to pull over all while driving 70 km! Antz was grateful I wasn’t driving.

Our first stop was Seljlandfoss which is the only waterfall you can walk behind without getting wet.

Not too far away is Skógafoss. Not too shabby.

We stopped at a gas station where Liv ogled the cheap souvenirs.

Our next destination was located in the village of Vík. There is Reynisfjara beach that has black sand and basalt columns. The beach is popular for viewing puffins however they weren’t in season when we visited. Boo. It is also a famously dangerous beach due to the strong current from the Atlantic ocean. We were told to stay far away from the water because some tourists were fatally swept away by the tide.

This guy wins for most epic hair! And I thought my braids were long.

Our next stop was Jökulsárlón lagoon for a boat ride. I met a cutie from Italy but he spoke Icelandic with an Italian accent.

Our tour guide broke this ice into small pieces. As an avid ice eater, I am not exaggerating when I say it was the most crystal clear yummy ice I’ve ever had.

We stopped by the beach to play in the sand. It was crazy seeing the ice get washed away by the tide.

On the drive back to Reykjavik we passed one of the country’s oldest churches.

We stopped at another gas station for dinner. There aren’t many restaurants open late so most gas stations serve lamb. I ordered some sort of chicken stew. I was hoping to buy an authentic Icelandic wool blanket but the shop closed just as we arrived.

It was after 11pm by the time we made it home and I still felt like I haven’t had a full night’s sleep. ZZzzzzzz!

Iceland Day Two

Feb 2, 2017

You know those mornings when you wake up feeling like you only got fifteen minutes of sleep? Well, our day was packed so we got our bloodshot eyes up and checked out of the Ion hotel. We didn’t have a set schedule but I wanted to see as much as we could in the area before driving to our house rental in Reykjavik by 4pm.

Before we checked out I took a quick stroll outside for as long as my frozen fingers could bear the wind. I was planning to take a quick dip in the outdoor spa but hells no, I am not crazy. But how lovely is that pool and all the gorgeous moss?

Since we were beat from the night before I didn’t get to the Northern Lights bar so we popped in to take a few photos of the space. I sat in silence and daydreamed that I was watching the Northern lights.

Be lucky you don’t have smell-o-vision because Strokkur geyser smells like rotten eggs. However, it erupts every eight minutes and is quite majestic.

I dig this chicks braids! We arrived at Gullfoss, one of Iceland’s largest waterfalls. Also the most touristy spot so our visit was quick.

On our drive to Thingvellir national park I felt compelled to stop on the side of the road to say hello to these gorgeous horses. They were like, “Uh, we are camera ready lady, get shooting.” Iceland’s scenery feels like a movie set. I was so happy to have the rented wide angle lens, my regular lens would not have captured such beauty.

Yep, unfriendliest animals in the world. That sky is totally unfiltered. We may have missed the Northern lights but those moody, blue skies almost made up for it.

I am a great actress because I look relaxed and happy here but the reality was I was foolishly taking a sitting photo in the middle of the famous Ring Road which was terrifying. We were at the bottom of a hill so we had a three second window between cars and trucks hitting us. I tested my agility to get up from a sitting position in less than three seconds many times before we go these shots. I was literally jumping for joy when I got the last shot. So here’s my tip future travelers: Don’t get out of your car and stand in the middle of the busiest road in Iceland because it’s illegal and dangerous. But then again, YOLO!

Thingvellir is massive. We drove in from the back side of the park which was great because we missed most of the tourists and busses. There is so much to see and do you don’t have to visit the same spots that the travel companies go to. You do have to purchase a day pass which you buy from a kiosk and place it in your car. Bring cash for the day pass because the credit card option wasn’t working when we bought ours. We walked to Öxarárfoss and it was magnificent. Hardly anyone there and an easy hike. I found it funny that we would stop on the side of the road to explore empty spaces and several cars were following us to take the same photos we took. Like the horses, no one was there when we decided to stop but when we walked back to the car, there were about six cars pulling over as well as a bus full of people. Copycats!

I wish we had more time to spend in the park (where Game of Thrones is filmed!) but I wanted to get to the rental so we could shower and go to dinner. It is about an hour and a half drive to Reykjavik.

Liv was stoked to have her choice of two bedrooms and I was elated to have wifi and two bathrooms. We usually have to wait in line to get ready in the mornings so it was heaven to simultaneously get ready. Most Icelandic bathrooms have heated floors!

Our first stop was Kex Hostel which I heard about on Instagram. We had a cocktail and it was a cool place but we decided it was too noisy for dinner.

Off to find some grub!

On the drive to downtown Reykjavik, we passed the lovely Harpa concert hall. My dream is to see Björk perform there one day.

This is the Sun Voyager sculpture. It’s a sun dial that is commonly mistaken as a Viking ship that represents Iceland’s lengthy history. Close to the harbor we came across a restaurant that had a quote from Anthony Bourdain painted on it so that was a good enough reason to give it a try.

I had lobster, of course, prepared four ways. I even tried a lobster shot!!

Our waiter recommended we try the chef’s special dessert which was incredible. I wish waiters in LA were as friendly and helpful (but I understand, most Americans are assholes).

It’s Beautiful Here Part Two

Jan 19, 2017

As I said in my last remodel post, our ten year old furniture was showing its age. Timing was on my side since we began the remodel in October, it was close to Black Friday sale time. I am the self proclaimed queen of shopping on a budget. Our biggest purchase was a new sectional sofa but I couldn’t find one that came with a washable slipcover. I finally ended up buying a custom couch from the same place I bought our first couch ten years ago, Sofa U Love. Olivia was happy to test all the couches out for us and was completely satisfied with our selection.

We ordered this comfy, custom, L-shaped sectional with a washable slipcover in aqua blue and white linen denim. I love that we now have a backup slipcover so our couch doesn’t end up with as much wear and tear as our last one. It was going to take six weeks for the couch to be built which was perfect since we were knee-deep in construction. Since we replaced our old black and white striped throw blanket three times, I found the perfect throw in navy from Anthropologie. It may have cost more than the Ikea blanket but it’s such higher quality that it shouldn’t get ruined in the laundry like the old one always did. We mixed our old pillows with few cute ones I bought from Target.

Next on my furniture list was replacing our Ikea coffee table and our old, clunky bar. I came this close to buying a vintage steamer trunk from Rejuvenation but it was pricey and wasn’t the best storage solution to hold all of our scrapbooks and photo boxes. I gotta say, I didn’t have a huge budget to work with at this point (thanks to our new HVAC!) Isn’t World Market is the most underrated store? I find their furniture to be better quality than Ikea and totally affordable. I not only got all of my pieces on sale, but because of Black Friday sales, they practically gave it away! I bought our coffee table, bar and hanging light fixture all under budget. So you know what that means…?

Splurge time! I had to splurge on an early Christmas present for our family. I spent weeks putting together this gorgeous photo book from our trip to Iceland and ordered museum quality photo prints from Artifact Uprising. I have wanted a photo book from them for years but I knew they were expensive. I gotta say, the quality is so worth it. That book is one of my most prized possessions. Their customer service is excellent. I plan on making a photo book from their site for every trip we take from now on.

We bought a new rug for the dining room and an eucalyptus wreath for our front door from West Elm on sale. We found a comfy armchair in the as-is department at Ikea for 60% off that fit the space perfectly. There was absolutely nothing wrong with it, just a floor model. I had a mini shopaholic spree buying a new rad doormat, and a beautiful vintage French flag from Etsy. I wanted to splurge on a new doorknob set too but our furniture and accessories budget were already stretched. I just polished our old doorknob and it looked awesome against the bright yellow.

I was so happy to finally have shelves to display my knickknacks and books I’ve had in storage over the years. At first, I put my nice things away because we had a wild toddler on the loose but over time, we didn’t have the space to display them. It was like Christmas unwrapping our toys and books.

Speaking of Christmas, by the time our house was finished it was mid December which is why some of these photos have Christmas decoration in them.

As we made progress putting together our living room, Antz wanted to leave the walls stark white and clutter-free but I had a strong opinion about that…

As much as I agree with him the walls needed some dressing up. I guess I am forever a thirteen year old girl at heart because I’m a sucker for all thing cute and colorful. The last element for decorating our space was hanging artwork and family photos. We chose a mix of classic white frames, an elaborate vintage frame Antz found at a thrift store and some gold frames I bought from Anthropologie. I am hunting for an enormous frame for a poster I want to hang. I am also saving for a piece of art I have my eye on.

Here’s the room as a blank space. You can see the before and after of our refinished floors!

And here’s our newly remodeled house. Ta-dah!

We are so happy with the new paint color! What a relief we didn’t stick with that ridiculous Smurf blue. The paint is Behr Premium. Since we had to mix our original color choice it’s a hybrid of Tidal and Dark Denim.

The door color is English Daisy. I bought the ceramic bonjour plate months before the remodel from…you guessed it, Anthro. Our rocking chairs are from Lowes.

Let’s look inside.

We got rid of the old blue desk and moved a small desk we had in the bedroom in the corner. We had to find a new space for my sewing machine and our crafts. It’s tricky working with a small house (remember it’s under 900 square feet) but the white walls and higher ceiling makes the space feel more open.

I love our new workspace. It’s compact and efficient and best part, clutter-free! We used to keep our printer across the room from our desk which was always inconvenient. I somehow purged all of our files and office supplies to fit into this West Elm file cabinet. After having no luck in finding an affordable frame for my vintage Björk poster, Antz took it to Aaron Bros to be vacuum-formed to a piece of foam board. Then he made this frame with leftover wood. He is so resourceful! The total cost of this project was $51 bucks. I love finally being able to display this rad poster after it was in a tube for 15 years.

The bonus on top of the remodel was we finally upgraded from a queen size bed to a king! I spent a lot of money on our W Hotel mattress but after buying cheap spring mattresses over the years, but I think it is worth the investment. Antz spent eight frustrated hours building our last storage bed frame so this time we paid our workers to build the new king frame. It only took two of them five hours but our bedroom is almost the same size as our new bed. The king bed takes up so much space that we had to remove our old bedside tables because they didn’t fit. I found a new one that matched the walnut frame and just fit by an inch. By upgrading to a larger storage bed frame all of our bedding fit under the bed. Let me tell you, having the mattress shipped from New York was expensive and full of drama (that I do not want to relive) but every night when we roll around on our huge bed we are super happy. I sleep like a baby now. Liv can sleep with us (she does most weekends) and we don’t feel cramped. It was a bummer to have to get rid of all our old bedding and start from scratch but I saved $300 using coupons from Bed, Bath & Beyond.

We are pinching ourselves that we were able to create a space with so much of our personality reflected. We stayed positive during the stress of a remodel, the dumb election, Antz moving into a new office at work and constantly making compromises due to our budget. Thanks for checking it out, let me know what you think!

Wow! Our Trip to Iceland

Jan 18, 2017

I still can’t believe we went to the most beautiful country in the world. Last spring I heard of an airline called Wow Airlines. They were starting nonstop service from LAX to Reykjavik and there was a special sale in October for $99 one way fares. The dates happen to synch with Olivia’s school October break so it sounded too good to be true. At first I was skeptical. I read some horror stories on Facebook about Wow having issues with flights leaving on time but then again, at that low rate, it wouldn’t bother me. To be fair, those delays were due to weather and no airline can control bad flying conditions. Let me disclose, our fare was $99 per person flying to Reykjavik, but our return fare was $189. This didn’t include meals and if we wanted to bring additional luggage, it cost $58.99 per bag, per flight. I knew there was no way I could go anywhere with just a carry on with a maximum weight of 22 pounds so I would definitely have to pay for our luggage. If we wanted to pre-select our seats in advance, that cost $12.99 per person, per flight. So when I priced the entire fare with all those extras the cost for the three of us came to $1,300. That is still less than ONE plane ticket we paid for our trip to Europe back in 2014. This was a deal I couldn’t resist.

They don’t have any in-flight entertainment (TV Screens) but that helps keep costs low and there are plugs for your devices. They also rent out iPads with movies and games loaded on them. We bought a few sandwiches and of course we brought candy for our sweet flight attendants so we got unlimited free drinks! The flight was a short eight hours and I was surprised at how roomy the seats were. When I bought the tickets, it felt like a just say yes and figure out the rest later moment. I wasn’t even sure about our itinerary and was concerned with our lack of a warm wardrobe but I booked the flight nonetheless!

I knew we didn’t have any warm clothes for the trip so I took advantage of the spring clearance sales and bought heavy coats and hiking boots for all three of us. Nordstrom Rack was the perfect source to find 70% off North Face boots and jackets. I also recommend picking up some Hot Hands from Amazon. I was so happy I had these during our long hikes in the rain.

Here’s the best part…I didn’t have to pay for our accommodations. Last year I joined a house swap website called Love Home Swap. At first I wasn’t sure about having strangers stay in our house but after a few people stayed in our house while we were out of town for a weekend, I realized it wasn’t an issue. Since I listed our house, we have had over 50 requests to swap with people from all over the world. It’s such an easy process, you search for the city you want to swap in, then you can filter by neighborhood, the size of house and you look through who is available to swap on your dates. There are three different ways to swap. You can do a direct swap, which means you go to the person’s house and they come to yours. Or you can swap for points, which means you can go to the person’s house but you use your points so they don’t have to stay at your house. They can then use those points to stay in your house at a another time or use their points for another house. The last option is a traditional cash rental which is similar to Airbnb. We ended up using our points because the person who we swapped with owns a house in Reykjavik, but she lives in Portland, Oregon. I became friends with her on Facebook so we could get to know each other first. I wanted a more authentic Icelandic experience so it was helpful to find a house. We saved so much money and stayed in a lovely three bedroom house in Reykjavik for a week!

I would say it’s definitely better to stay in a house than a hotel in Iceland. Let me also say that I didn’t find a diverse selection of rentals in Reykjavik on Airbnb. A majority of the rentals were small, Ikea furnished and looked like a typical Los Angeles boring apartment. Due to the surge in tourism (thanks to the cheap airfare) most hotels are booked up to a year in advance. Personally I don’t enjoy being around hordes of American tourists while I’m on vacation. I found it more pleasant to have a house with our own kitchen to cook in, we were able to wash our clothes and it was heaven sleeping in our own beds and having two bathrooms. Most Icelandic hotels are small and expensive but if you are looking for a hotel in Iceland, I do have an excellent recommendation but I’ll get into that later.

So once I covered where we were staying, next I needed to figure out what to do. Lucky for me I have a few friends who have traveled to Iceland so it was easy to put together an itinerary. I also follow When in Iceland on Instagram so their photos were a huge source of inspiration. I must say “Takk” (thank you in Icelandic) to my sweet friend Christina, who sent me her itinerary so I had an inside source of great places to stay, see and eat. Her photos are mesmerizing! I really crammed a lot of places into our six day trip.

Here is a list of my Must See & Do:

The Blue Lagoon

Admittedly this is Iceland’s biggest tourist attraction but a must see wonder. You must book tickets well in advance and I recommend going early or late due to the heavy crowds. We booked the Comfort Package for 9 am when they open. It wasn’t terribly crowded but the women’s changing room was packed. The best thing about the lagoon, once you get used to the smell of sulfur, the space is huge so you can swim away and have a whole section to yourself. Don’t worry about the weather. We went in October and even though it was forty degrees outside the water is set at 100 degrees year round.

The shipwreck museum/Hopsnes Lighthouse in Grindavik

Our flight arrived at 4 am and if you are flying into Reykjavik on Wow airlines, so will yours. However, I was happy for the early start because by the time we took the shuttle to pick up our rental car and stopped for an early morning meal, it was already 7 am. We had some time to kill before the Blue Lagoon opened so we drove into the town of Grindavik. It is so surreal seeing the sheep everywhere you look. We were in awe watching the strong waves of the Atlantic ocean crash into the rocky beaches. There is a cute lighthouse that we stopped at for some photos and I gotta say it was worth the brutally cold winds to get the shots.

Icelandic horseback riding

There is an interesting fact about Icelandic horses, they are the only breed of horse in the entire country. There is a law saying that if an Icelandic horse leaves the country it is not permitted to return. They are committed to keeping the Icelandic horse breed pure. We booked a private two hour tour and it was the highlight of our trip. I cannot emphasize enough that you have to ride an Icelandic horse during your stay.

Þingvellir National Park

Thingvellir is an absolute must-see! The park is enormous so anywhere you choose to go, you will find waterfalls and endless nature hikes. The park is about five times the size of Griffith Park in Los Angles so it would take days to see everything. The most popular attractions are listed here. Most of the filming of Game of Thrones is located here. We would drive around and pull over every time we saw a picturesque spot. You can purchase day passes at the entrance.

Southern Iceland/Vik

Iceland has an unique and diverse landscape. On the southern side of Iceland is a small town called Vik. It is home to the black sandy beach and a cliff called Reynisfjara/Reynisdrangar rock formations. This is the best viewing point during Puffin season. We just missed the puffins but it was still worth a visit because during low tide you can climb the incredible basalt columns. Be sure to hurry and book your trip because the town of Vik is endangered by local volcano Katla that is over due to erupt by ninety nine years!

Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon

Not too far away from Vik is the magical glacier lagoon Jökulsárlón. Depending on the time of year you visit you will find the bluest icebergs you have ever seen. Be careful when driving on the Ring Road, there are one lane bridges that gave us a heart attack playing chicken with the on-coming traffic.

Friðheimar Tomato Farm

It should be mandatory that if you are in Iceland you must dine at the Fridheimar tomato farm. You guys, I don’t even like tomatoes but it is sooooo good! Christina highly recommended it so I called to make a reservation. Turns out the day I wanted to go was the only day they closed the farm for annual maintenance. How is this my luck? Fortunately I was able to shift our schedule around so we could get a reservation (the last one of the day!) We devoured the endless tomato soup bar. Everything had tomatoes in it, even the water. Be sure to make reservations, it’s always booked!

We met the owner of the farm, Knútur. He was kind enough to explain how the farm operates and gave us a mini tour. We loved everything on the menu. I even brought home a jar of green tomato jam!

Downtown Reykjavik

The city of Reykjavik is similar to Los Angeles but more colorful. There are trendy restaurants, bars and coffeeshops. Alcohol is terribly expensive. Parking can be tricky but not as bad as a Saturday night in West Hollywood. A good place to begin a city tour is at Hallgrimskirkja Church which is in walking distance to Laugavegur street. There you will find gift shops, restaurants and the infamous (random) Chuck Norris Grill. It’s the Icelandic equivalent to the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica. You keep walking and soon you will end up at the harbor where you will find the iconic Sólfar (Sun Voyager sculpture).

So there you have it, my top must see locations in Iceland. Now, I have barely scratched the surface of this vast and unbelievable place. Thus I say, do your own research. There are some things we couldn’t do with the kid in tow that I would love to do on our next trip. For instance, scuba diving at the continental divide and riding a snowmobile. I suggest going during the fall. Prices are lower and you have a better chance of booking a cool rental in September or October. The summer months means 24 hours of sunlight and music festivals but also means you won’t have a true Iceland experience due to the crowds. The weather was cold enough to wear a coat but not miserably cold. I hope to catch some snow on our next trip.

Book your flight today before prices…gain altitude!!!

Train to Portland, Oregon

Dec 31, 2016

It’s funny how we ended up back in Portland during the same week as our summer road trip last year. Since we were heading north to visit Evelyn & Dion in Seattle, I thought it would be fun to take the train back home to LA with a stop in Portland to visit our friends Story & Chris. The Amtrak train from Seattle to Portland was just under four hours.

We departed early from the magnificent King’s Street station. Traveling by train felt so elegant. The station is by far one of the prettiest I’ve seen in North America. To be fair, Union station in Los Angeles is pretty too, however all the times I’ve been there it’s been under construction or populated with homeless people so I haven’t enjoyed the beauty of it. We didn’t have to stand in long frustrating lines like at the airport and I was the first person to check my bag. We were expecting a hectic morning so with our leisure time, I spent most of the morning photographing the empty station. I realized I wanted some coffee for the trip so Liv and I walked a few blocks to a nearby Starbucks.

The train had an authentic Alfred Hitchcock film vibe. Everyone was very friendly, it almost better than flying. Less rude passengers and we could walk around as we pleased.

In the observation car, we had a historian/national parks ranger aboard giving us a lecture on the National parks and the people who founded the cities we travelled through.

This is the famous Tahoma Narrows bridge known as Galloping Gertie that collapsed in 1940 due to a strong wind. Did you know that the only fatality from that day was a pet dog who refused to be rescued from a car?

We purchased business class tickets for this leg of the trip, it was about $60 per person. I highly recommend taking the train, the scenery was incredible and we were in Portland in no time.

Victoria, British Columbia

Dec 30, 2016

We have friends who recommended taking a day trip to Vancouver Island, so we spent our fourteenth wedding anniversary in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. We sped across the Puget Sound on the Victoria Clipper. The ride was two hours but it felt like a few minutes because we were flying.

Victoria, Vancouver Island British Columbia is beautiful. It’s a shame it was so hot but being close to the sea gave us a nice breeze. Liv insisted we tour the city on a horse drawn carriage.

We stopped so we could pick apples to feed to our horse.

The Parliament buildings were fascinating.

These guys were reenacting the history of Victoria in British accents.

This is our favorite Misha Lulu dress which was a gift from Karen.

Out of all the whale watching boats that went out that day, we were the only ones to head east and we saw a huge pod of orcas hunting for fish. We saw entire families and learned that the grandma was 80 years old! It was such an incredible moment seeing them jump out of the water but my camera was too slow to capture it.

The seafood was fresh and the service was amazing. Our waitress was so excited to speak French with Olivia. I was delighted to discover the dollar has more value to the Canadian dollar so our anniversary meal was less than half then what I would pay in LA.

My only complaint about Victoria is they don’t have Uber. We were lucky to find friendly taxi drivers and our last one gave us a quick tour of the city on our drive back to the boat. I was lucky enough to even catch some rare Pokemon *nerd alert*

Victoria was so much fun and quaint town. I loved seeing the intricate totem poles, the grand Parliament building and the harbor were so picturesque. We would love to return and spend a weekend at the Empress hotel and have high tea.

Seattle Day Two

Sep 30, 2016

We spent the next day being typical tourists and hitting the popular Seattle spots; the Space Needle, Chihuly Glass Garden and Pike’s Place Market. It was one hundred degrees!

Can I please put a vintage radiator in my house? Just look at that iron detailing!

After breakfast I saw our neighbors were checking out of a cool Shepard Fairey themed room. I originally requested that room but it only has a twin bed and no private bathroom so I’m happy with our fancy cat room.

My floral ascot is from Etsy shop Fox & Brie.

The Ace hotel is within walking distance to most of Seattle’s landmarks.

During the 43 second elevator ride up the Space Needle, we saw these spiders that were sculpted to look three dimensional from above.

I must admit, Liv has an issue with heights lately and I somewhat feel responsible. I try not to show my fear of heights and I was much more comfortable here than on top of the Eiffel Tower yet there was a slope in the floor that Liv didn’t like. She was a trooper to actually go outside and face her fears but those smiles you see were after tears were shed.

Please help yourself to a huge slice of cheese this photo is serving.

Evelyn and Dion met us at the Chihuly Glass Garden Exhibition. They ride their bikes all over the city and told us that Seattle has the safest bike lanes they have ever ridden. The Space Needle is next door to Chihuly, we bought package tickets for both venues but honestly, you don’t need to go on top of the needle. However, I would highly recommend visiting the glass garden. The exhibits were stunning! I couldn’t take enough photos to do it justice and forgive the quality of my photos, the attraction were in low light which I find impossible to shoot.

We kept finding hidden items in this ceiling exhibit, cherubs and cute little objects, it was overwhelmingly beautiful and ornate.

This room reminded me of my favorite singer Björk, all that was missing was her whimsical Vespertine album playing.

This is my favorite shot Antz took of our day! He goes through great lengths to get the perfect angle!

Next we boarded a trolley for a tour of the city. I was going to book the Ride the Duck land and sea tour with but unfortunately they had an accident not too long ago that made me reconsider. I love any activity that involves learning interesting facts and history while relaxing (sitting on my lazy butt!).

I’m bummed we didn’t have time to stop at the UPS Waterfall park which is such an incredible small space on a city block. We got off at the most famous place in Seattle. I’ve wanted to go here ever since The Real World Seattle aired in ancient times (1998!)

Pike Place Market reminds me of LA’s 3rd Street Farmers Market. It has classic charm and numerous vendors with beautiful produce but is somewhat ruined by the hordes of tourists. I luckily did my research and read about the lower level that is less crowded and has a quirky area dedicated to the world’s tallest man Robert Wadlow. Random I know but I love anything related to weird and obscure.

One of my favorite free things to do while on vacation is check out playgrounds. So far San Francisco hold’s the title for the best slides and Paris has the prettiest playground but the Artists at Play adjacent to the Space Needle and the Experience Music Project was pretty rad.

Since it was the final stop on our trolley tour, we stopped for Liv to play while Evelyn & Dion rode their bikes home. It was too hot to stay as long as we wanted so we took an Uber to Evelyn & Dion’s house. We got stuck in traffic but our lively Uber driver gave us a scenic tour of the lovely Queen Anne district. We only see our niece and nephew once a year so it was great to spend precious time with them.