Trip to Europe: Arqua’ Petrarca, Italy

The second stop on our recent trip to Europe was Arqua’ Petrarca, the site of Alina and Alberto’s wedding, and one of the primary reasons for our trip to Italy. There were around 25 of Alina’s friends and family traveling to the wedding, mostly from the US, but also from England and Chile. All of …

First Stop on our Europe Trip: Cinque Terre

After 22 hours of travel we finally reached Cinque Terre, Italy, the first destination in our 26 day trip to Europe.   We arrived by train from the Milan airport to the village of Monterosso. When we made it through the train station we were greeted by the sparkling blue Mediterranean Sea just in front …

Powder, Wine and New Slippers

It’s been a slightly quieter week here in the Allen household. We have been busy planning and preparing for my dad and brother to come visit us this weekend and somehow it is Wednesday evening now. The snow forecast is shaping up quite nicely for their ski trip so we’re really looking forward to their …

Cammy’s Trip To Seattle

My wonderful friend Cammy came to visit Seattle last weekend. While the purpose of her trip was primarily to attend a conference for work, she was able to extend her trip and spend the weekend with me and Alex. Back when Alex and I lived in our condo downtown Seattle, Cammy had come to visit …

Wine, wilderness and work

It’s been really, really, really busy around here, hence it has taken me until Wednesday evening to post some notes from our weekend of “w’s” – wine, working and wilderness adventures. The last few weeks have made me unbelievably thankful that I’m able to work part-time so that I can manage our house, keep tabs …

Fun Fourth Weekend

The perfect weather combined with amazing friends resulted in a fabulously fun fourth of July weekend for Alex and me. We spent most of the weekend with the Millers and “the Buffs” (Carrie and Patrick) and an evening with Sara and Carsten, as well as some other friends and acquaintances. I didn’t take any photos …

Weekend Fun in the Sun!

It was another weekend that flew by and ended up being busier than I expected it to be. The weather on Saturday couldn’t have been more perfect if I wanted it to be. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky for much of the day and it was a glorious 77 degrees and perfectly sunny. …

This Week in the Allen Household

It has been an unexpectedly busy week at the Allen household. My mom came for a spontaneous three day visit in the middle of the week, Alex has been riding his bike like a madman, Jackson started puppy class, I have been busy doing things around the house and planning trips and parties {rough life} …