Shopping in Paris

I did quite a bit of window shopping in Paris.  I only purchased a couple of things, but it was fun to browse and see what the shops there had to offer.  I ended up not buying much because the prices there were higher to begin with, and the exchange rate did not help matters at all.  A lot of the things I wanted, I knew I could find online for cheaper.

Let's start with what I did buy!  I found this dress at a little shop we stumbled across while walking to the  Sacré-Coeur.  I found 2 things in the shop that I wanted to try on - this dress and pencil skirt that I didn't end up getting.  Both were from the same brand, "Who's That Girl".

I wore this dress yesterday for the first time and I have to say, I love it!  It's a great dress for summer and I think the buttons really make the dress interesting.  

Dress:  Who's That Girl
Shoes:  All Black via Anthropologie
Bag:  Hue


The other thing I purchased was this ring.  I came across it at the Clignancourt flea market.  I paid for it, put it on and it hasn't come off since!

Now, let's take a look at some things I DID NOT buy.  Shoes, shoes, shoes! 

I saw so many adorable pairs of Campers, including this cool pair of twins with an underwater scene (can be purchased from endless here)

I also spent quite a bit of time drooling over some gorgeous Chie Mihara shoes.  It was nice to go to a shop with a decent selection of Chie's that I could look at IRL and daydream about:)  

I recognized the Edelia, Nabila, and Guarana styles.  The Guarana can be purchased from Ped Shoes (my favorite online store for Chie Mihara shoes!) in a different color and on sale. 

cheating

Hi Ladies!  I came across these photos from a couple of months ago that I forgot to post.  These were taken right before our trip to Paris.  We went out to dinner that night to get our honeymoon celebration started.  I decided it was the perfect night to wear my wedding shoes:)

Dress:  Anthropologie Two-Wheeler Shirtdress
Belt:  J. Crew
Shoes Chie Mihara Lara


I have been on a fairly strict paleo/primal-ish diet for the last year.  I'm not following anything super specific, just eating very high protein/fat and very low carb in general.  Ben and I went from a vegetarian diet to a diet that includes quite a bit of meat; it was a huge change.  We eat organic/hormone-free meats and eggs, organic/local vegetables and fruits, lots of nuts, and some dairy.  Cutting out sugars, carbs, and processed foods has been one of the best decisions I have ever made.  My body has changed quite a bit over the past year and I feel fabulous!  I have more energy and I feel more stable throughout the day.  I think that is the biggest change I have noticed - instead of feeling super full after every carb-filled meal and then "crashing" a couple of hours later (getting the shakes, becoming irritable, feeling overly hungry), I feel stable and consistent throughout the day.

Something we have implemented that has helped this new way of eating be successful is "cheat day" (or really "cheat meal").  We choose one meal a week where we can have anything we want.  We had our "cheat meal" tonight and went a little bit crazy, as usual.  I think this method works really well because whenever I get a craving for something during the week, I just tell myself that I will have that during my cheat meal.  I just kind of save up all of my cravings for one meal.  We have a lot of fun planning our cheat meal and we like to push limits to see just how many carbs/sugars we can cram into one meal:) Here are a couple of pictures from tonight.       

Cream cheese brownie, ice cream, and hot fudge.

Pool of the Winds

Ben and I went on a beautiful hike today.  We planned on going yesterday, but we woke up to gray clouds, rain, and cold.  So, we ran errands and got some new curtains instead (more on that later).  I'm glad we decided to wait until today because it was absolutely perfect.  The sun was out, the sky was blue, and there was a cool breeze blowing!   

 We hiked to Pool of the Winds first.  This is such a cool spot.  I didn't get any great pictures of it, but here's the description, "A fissure in the bedrock forces a rush of water twenty feet down into a small, dark whirlpool within a cave-like enclosure. As the name implies, wind continually blows out of the cave - offering hikers a nice respite on a hot summer day."  It is wonderful to stand at the entrance and see the huge waterfall and feel the wind and water rushing out.  It you are in the area, I definitely recommend checking it out.

We continued to hike up Hamilton Mountain to the first overlook.  It is a fairly large elevation gain, but the views are worth it:)  

That's me!  I'm having a snack and taking it all in.

Ben pretends like he knows how to do yoga:)  See that tiny white peak in the background, just to the left of Ben?  That's Mount Hood.

Bloom over Bud

How was your Saturday?  Mine was pretty low-key.  I spent the morning lounging around being lazy, then I picked up my "little sister" (through big brothers/big sisters).  We spent some time hanging out, taking photographs together.  Later, Ben and I went grocery shopping and out to eat.  Other than that, we've been enjoying a "Hatfields & McCoys" marathon this evening.  Have you guys seen that show yet?  It is surprisingly good.

I hope you are not sick of these purple jeans just yet:)  I have a feeling that they will continue to get a lot of wear this summer.  I decided to go with a simple white top on this warm(ish) summer day.

Top:  Anthropologie
Jeans:  AG Stevies via Anthropologie
Shoes:  Seychelles
Bag:  Anthropologie Bloom over Bud bag