I'll Miss This Place

The next couple of months have a lot of exciting changes in store for me.  However, one of those changes is that I will be moving out of my beloved apartment.  This apartment will always have a special spot in my heart in that it was the first place that was completely 100% mine.  I spent countless hours hanging art, restoring old furniture, building shelves {thanks again Mom}, painting pictures, and above all put so much love into it.  Ryan and I got our first Christmas tree together here.  I threw my first grown-up party here.  We planned our first trip to abroad together here.  It was truly my home, and I am going to miss this place so much.

Autumn

Autumn is my absolute favorite time of the year.  Don’t get me wrong, I love spring and summer (and even winter) however I truly believe there is nothing better than fall.  Football games, apple cider, long hikes spent admiring the red, gold, and orange leaves, cozy sweaters, camping, snuggling up by a fire, hayrides, pumpkins, and let’s not forget the food (caramel apples, butternut squash, candy corn, and soups that warm your soul).  Fall is such a lovely prelude to the holiday season which feels so close you can almost touch it.  I plan on enjoy this autumn by spending as much time outdoors as possible and making sure I give myself time to enjoy the little things, because they truly are the most important.

Dilemma: Tastes Exceed Budget

I am currently planning a trip to Europe in which I will be traveling to France, Switzerland, Austria, and England.  I have my sleeping arrangements all planned out for the majority of the trip, however the last two nights I will spend in Paris and I really want to stay in a beautiful, quintessentially Parisian hotel.  Of course, a few fabulous spaces immediately came to mind...

First and foremost, let's just say it...the legendary Ritz Paris.  The hotel exudes elegance and glamour and truly seems to take you back to a time where ladies wore gloves and men wore top hats (if only we could go back).  Coco Chanel called this beautiful place her home for years, plus the hotel has played host to guests such as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor (if it's good enough for Wallis Simpson it's good enough for me) and Ernest Hemingway (my all-time literary crush).  To me, this is the creme de la creme of luxury hotels.

Another hotel which has always seemed like quite the Parisian dream is the Four Seasons Hotel George V.  With an amazing location off the Champs Elysees, gorgeous decor, and a view that simply cannot be beat, this hotel certainly packs a punch.  And with a price tag on a standard double room of nearly 1,000 Euros a night, I'd classify that punch as a wallop.

The Plaza Athenee Paris is another beautiful hotel that hold special significance to me, as this is the hotel room that my beloved Carrie Bradshaw stayed in during the final two episodes of "Sex and the City" (so aptly titled "An American Girl in Paris").  True, the incredible suite she was filmed in was actually completely redecorated for the show, but I would gladly stay in the pastel-hued masterpiece you see above.  To me, the room exudes the feeling of living in a macaroon, and really, what more can you ask?

Ultimately, as a twenty-something traveler staying in a hotel of this caliber is not in my cards.  But a girl can dream.  C'est la vie.

Moody Blues

I am getting ready to move yet again, and even though I won't be able to paint the walls of the new place I am still dreaming of being able to cloak a room in a deep moody blue or black.  Perhaps it's the changing of the seasons that makes me want to cozy up in a dark and {a bit} mysterious room.

Images via decor8, tumblr, and pinterest.

Paris in the Fall

Paris is a city that seems to get more beautiful every time you look at it.  On a bright summer day the grey rooftops provide a stark contrast against the bright blue sky, then suddenly it rains and the city glitters like a thousand diamonds.  

And then, there is Paris in the fall.  What could be better?