Life Changes

As I approach a fairly large life change (that I don't want to jinx so I won't name it specifically), I feel like this quotation is incredibly relevant. I'm not sure if it was a specific person who said it or if it's just one of those "facts of life" that sounds good so it becomes popular, but I adore this.

I love it. As I face the next few months with an incredible amount of anticipation and excitement, I can't help but be left feeling a bit terrified. Some days it feels like I'm making a really ridiculous decision and other days, I can't find one single reason why I wouldn't do it.

Lately I've been having more days suggesting the latter and the other days where I may be feeling a bit negative, I think of the one thing scarier than taking this leap, and that is indeed Regret.

I'll leave this here for anyone else seesawing between making a big life decision. If you've dreamed about it being everything you've ever wanted, chances are, it's a good idea and you should DO IT.

Paige xx

Travel

My Newest Obsession- Amanzi Tea

I'm a pretty big iced coffee addict as many people are in the summertime. This winter has really thrown me for a loop because it is FAR too cold for me to be walking around with my gigantic iced coffee; that's just plain ridiculous, even for me. Much to my dismay, I've had to develop a liking towards warm beverages this year.

Recently, I've been trying out all sorts of new warm drinks to try and fight the blistering coldness (that is sweeping across the country apparently.) Of course I have my coffee when I need that caffeine fix, but I've also been really into tea. I've gone through a number of tea phases in my life and continue to drink it on occasion, but this past week, I have been ALL about it.

I was out for lunch at a cafe near my house with a couple of friends the other day and decided to give Amanzi's Citrus Splash tea a try. I loved it so much that I bought a box before I even left. It's SO good. I wouldn't recommend it if you're looking for that caffeine jolt (it rates a zero on the low-high caffeine scale), but if you're trying to warm up with something delicious, it totally hits the spot.

Apparently there's even stores where you can go to smell and taste different kinds of tea, similar to Teavana I would imagine. All I know is that I'm hooked and that it's the perfect remedy for these horrifically cold days.

xxPaige

Finally SOME ANSWERS

As I walked to work a few months ago, I encountered something pretty horrifying if I do say so myself. I was walking past Bryant Park, which is about a block away from my office, and looked over to see a grotesque looking baby in a stroller that was screaming/ covered in vomit. I then noticed a few cameras filming it and decided after a few moments it had to be fake.

When I got into work, I shared my experience and how gruesome it was and how I was confused as to what I was even looking at.

Now, a few months later while scrolling through mashable.com, I found the answer!  Check out this clip that serves as a promo for the new horror movie "Devil's Due," in theaters Friday. The promotional stunt is the perfect blend of disturbia and humor. Well done, folks.

http://mashable.com/2014/01/14/baby-prank/

A Year In Review

I know it's been a while since I last posted, but I figure no better time to pick it back up than a brand new year!

This year has been quite the whirlwind. While I thought 2012 threw me for a loop, 2013 was really one for the books. I've had some very high highs, some very low lows, and some really good times with friends and family in between.

This year I became a college graduate with a great degree, I've had some life changing moments (good & bad), started a few new jobs and even went back across the pond to visit my favorite place in the world.

It has truly been a jam packed year full of surprises. I've met some wonderful new friends, lost some people along the way, but kept those who mean the most very near and dear to my heart. 

People who claim that new years are not fresh starts don't really get it I guess. Yes, you can use any day of the year to turn over a new leaf, but there is something really special and exciting about the first day of an entirely new 365 days.

This year is going to be the year of "more" for me.

I plan to:
-love more 
-learn more 
-travel more

Fairly easy to maintain, but each one has a whole lot "more" included within it and I think it'll be great as I see where this next year takes me.

Wishing a very happy and healthy New Year to all those near and far! :)

Cheers! xx

Lil Bit

Greetings from Heathrow!

Well the rest of my time in Ireland was fantastic as expected.

There were a number of nights out in town, a cake, some mandolin playing and a lot.. I mean a LOT of Jameson haha.

My cousin Courtney wanted to make sure that I had a perfect birthday, and let me tell ya, I certainly did. Her friends helped me celebrate in the best way possible. We went out, her roommate sang Happy Birthday to me while playing the mandolin and she even made me a DELICIOUS devil's food cake.

On the night of my actual birthday, there weren't many of us at the bar/ club, but let me tell you, I wouldn't have had it any other way. Darren, Kieran, Court and I spent the entire night screaming our lungs out to classic songs, dancing and drinking. A true Irish night out. And then of course we grabbed some pizza around 3am. I could not have asked for more.

Courtney and I then headed out to London which is an emotional experience in itself. London is my favorite city in the world and I could not wait to share it with her. Minus a few major setbacks (TD Bank being a bunch of morons, poor navigation on my part, etc) we ended up still having a wonderful time.

We arrived at the beautiful Westbury Hotel in Mayfair and were greeted by a bottle of champagne and a chocolate mousse cake. Originally we had planned to hit the town, but after showering and sitting in big fluffy robes, we decided that we'd much rather spend the night watching tv, drinking champagne and lounging like the princesses we are. It was PERFECT.

The next day was the day that my ATM card got shut off so we unfortunately didn't do as much as we wanted. We still did get to see Big Ben, ride the Eye, see some street performers and get a great look of the outside of the Tower of London haha.

That night I took Courtney to my favorite place in London, Gordon's wine bar. The two of us split a cheese platter and quite a bit of wine and talked for hours. We then went to a bar and made a number of friends (in true Court and Paige fashion) and then ended up taking a rickshaw home because we couldn't get a taxi. It was quite a night.

Saturday, we went to Buckingham Palace, my old apartment in Fulham and even Harrod's. I also got the chance to grab drink with Miguel which was absolutely lovely because I haven't seen him since I left the last time! We then grabbed dinner with a few of Court's sorority sisters and then ended our night with some gelato topped belgian waffles (and I wonder why I gained weight on this trip.)

Court left very early this morning and I miss her already. I'm currently sitting in the American Airlines Lounge at Heathrow reflecting on how absolutely perfect this entire trip has been. I love it over here, especially London, and I'm left with the exact same feeling as the last time I left- that "lump in my throat-when do I get to come back- tears in my eyes" feeling. It is all too familiar, but I am so grateful that I had the chance to come back and am eagerly awaiting the next time. A piece of my heart will always lie on this side of the pond and I couldn't be happier about it.


Until next time,
Paige xx

Slainte!

Well greetings my people!

If you follow me on any form of social media whatsoever, you probably are aware that I've made the trip back across the pond to visit my darling cousin, Courtney. My mom, Aunt Siena and cousin Cait and I arrived early last Thursday morning and had an absolute blast. We had quite a few drinks before the plane, as well as on the plane, and even when we landed at Heathrow(just tryna get the oarty started and, hey, they were complimentary!) Nothin quite like a bit of a hair of the dog that bit ya!

Thursday, we checked into our hotel, got something to eat and then grabbed a drink or two at a pub close to our hotel. It took us a bit to find the hotel because the GPS wasn't working and we unintentionally pulled into a traveler's caravan to ask for directions (think my big fat gypsy wedding.) We made it out alive though, so no worries.

That night, although we were exhausted, I pushed through it and actually went out with Court and a few of her Irish friends. It was sooo much fun. I was exhausted, but being surrounded by people with accents is my weakness so it was actually impossible for me to not enjoy myself. We played some beer pong which was exciting (even though I'm terrible) and didn't make it back until probably around 4am.

Friday, we ventured to the Cliffs of Moher and Ballyvaughn. My mom and aunt had spent a summer there over 40 years ago and were so excited to return. We found their cottage and took tons of pictures. Although it was freezing, it was nice to hear them reflect on the time they spent there.

The Cliffs of Moher is easily one of the most amazing sites I've ever seen. It took us a while to get there, but we arrived at the PERFECT time. The sun was setting and the views were incredible. I tried to instagram a picture and the filters actually made the place look less amazing. It's the one place I refused to leave Ireland without seeing so I was thrilled even though I was basically crying from how cold it was.

That night we grabbed dinner and drinks at a restaurant called Milano and had a fabulous time. The food was delicious. Exactly what we needed since for whatever reason, we were averaging about one meal a day haha. We then went to a few pubs including our hotel bar and made friends with some locals as well as some Australians. These particular Australians happened to have access to some tickets to the World Cup Rugby League game the next day that we had been thinking about going to.

Our night ended around 5am and we woke up (with quite a headache and in desperate need of some water) to tickets to the match under our door! Absolutely incredible.

We headed to the Milk Market and got some fresh crepes, cheeses and bread for later and then did some shopping at an Irish store on the hunt for some authentic Irish sweaters. The shop owner was a real character and explained the patterns on the iconic sweaters peppered in with some Irish humor.

We had an extra ticket to the game so Court invited her Irish beau, Darren to the game with us. We had a little cocktail party prior up in the executive lounge like the classy people we are, and then walked to the stadium. It was so much fun! And let's be real, how could I not enjoy watching a bunch of tall athletic men play sports? They were staying at our hotel so I was trying to match up players I had seen in the elevator to the guys on the field.

We then headed back to the hotel, drank some more (are you noticing a pattern?) and then went to Darren's friend's 21st birthday party. Since we were so late, we didn't end up staying long, but it was still a good time. Especially since we ran into some of his friends that we already knew from Thursday night.

We took a taxi back to the bar we had been at on Thursday and there were tons of people our age, loud music and plenty of whiskey. What more could you ask for? Oh pizza, fries and gyros at a popular food place near the bar? Well that's just what we did. It was fantastic. Aside from us almost getting robbed by gypsies, we arrived home around 4am without a hitch.

Sunday, we headed to Cork to do some shopping. It was a bit less exciting than we had hoped, but we got some food, and saw the city as well as some more of the countryside which was nice. Aunt Siena was the driver all weekend and handled it like a champ with only a few close calls.

The girls left today so I took a taxi to Court's apartment where I'll be living for the next few days until we head to London on Thursday! I napped pretty much all day because this weekend wore me out. I need to be well rested and recovered because Court's friend's birthday is tomorrow and mine is Wednesday so it's going to be one helluva celebration.

I love Ireland and my family and the accents and the people so much. It's an absolute dream.

That's all for now! Check out some pics we've taken along the way.

Cheers,
Paige xx

view from our hotel window (floor to ceiling windows!)

rugby game chillin

Our new friends from North Carolina and Australia

The Cliffs of Moher

just standin' on tables and whatnot

flaming shots of poison courtesy of Cait

Heathrow <3

Myself, Court and Darren

Smooches

Court, myself and Cait

Apparently we often stand in this order

My lovely mama and I