Champs-Élysées

Hello! I am back. Whenever I think I'm back on a fairly regular schedule, the pains of settling into a new city come back to me. Half of the summer is gone, and Chris and I are trying our best to enjoy the little time we do have together. If we are lucky, we get one day off together once a week. These photos were taken one month ago [blogging fail :(]. We happily tried the coffee and chai lattes at our local cafe! I adore this urban space and love our neighborhood.
I found this dream vintage blouse via Crossroads! Las Vegas has a replica Arc de Triomphe. I've spent many nights in Vegas at these tacky replica sights wishing I were at the real thing. Hopefully, one day I'll see Champs-Élysées with my own eyes.

vintage Givenchy blouse | J Crew skirt | UO tights | Report shoes | Dotti sunglasses | H&M purse



That day we ate beans on toast thanks to Chris' friends in New Zealand! And we met up with C&P and Chance browsing the local antique and throwback sportswear shops. We heard the Pete & Pete soundtrack at another cafe in Capitol Hill. The barista smiled when we recognized it.

My alma mater! I'll always be a Runnin' Rebel at heart. I got accepted at the University of Washington for a certificate program! UW is an AMAZING school, and I'm feeling incredibly honored to have such talented professors . I'm in Pac 12 husky territory now, but I'm still a rebel. :)

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Houndstooth Obsession

If you know me very well, you'll notice that I have an obsession with a particular geometric pattern...HOUNDSTOOTH! I tend to gravitate and purchase money on anything houndstooth and bold prints. It's my downfall.
 
H&M houndstooth shift dress | Dotti blazer | Ayala patterned tights | Report shoes | F21 necklace



Chris and I had Sunday off, so we ate comfort foods like biscuits and coffee. We tried the world famous Beecher's mac n' cheese! So delicious, but I felt so guilty afterward. We walked for a good three hours that day, so that helped a little bit.

Everytime we go into the city, we notice something new at Westlake Park.
Where's Chris?
 
hey, hey break it up!
 
We walked past Pioneer Square. Next up on our agenda, explore this part of the city.
 
And the perfect day had to be topped off with this stunning view, a few blocks away in our neighborhood!

I'm going to get my DSLR camera back soon. PHEW*
Thanks for reading this!
xo
jv
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Our new life in Seattle

WELL! We've been living in Seattle for nearly three weeks now! We crashed on our our amazingly hospitable friends' couches. We've been eating Mexican food, learning our way around Capitol Hill, the CBD, Queen Anne etc. We completed the arduous task of finding an apartment. The first apartment we looked at seriously depressed us, and I was worried it would foreshadow my experiences in a new city. But during day two, we actually found a great place we could actually live in! C& P took us to the best pizza in town- Proletariat Pizza! We visited the Pacific Science Center and watched Thor :)

1.) C& P pizza time
2.) North of Seattle

Chris & I ate the most delicious vegan sandwich at High Line. LSL & I woke up ridiculously early on a Saturday morning to drive to the suburbs for a bi-annual community wide garage sale! I had a group interview and was a successful applicant! I will be working as an assistant for an amazing Nat'l Geographic exhibit :) We went on a mini-shopping spree at Target thanks to our friends' generous gifts! We rented a car. Chris drove because I lost my drivers license, DOH! Not surprising. We moved into our flat, settled in. We saw The Drums.


3.) The Drums at Neumos 4.) Our neighborhood


5.) & 6.) More happy hours on the hill

Watched Avengers, enjoyed rooftop views of the city at my old Vegas friend's (Jose) place.


We also wandered to Ballard (to enjoy the farmers market)

7.) Ballard
8.) Wallingford


9.) Capitol Hill
10.) Good policies at Cha Cha's
11.) Boeing territory
12.) A beautiful day in the neighborhood

I'm happy to report that I should be blogging fairly regularly now :)




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Hello from the US of A

(DISCLAIMER: This blog entry was written two weeks ago, but I figured I should still post it.)

"Hello! I'm finally here and back home in America :) This is where I slowly transition my Queen's English/spelling to American English/spelling.

Our last week consisted of packing, unpacking, eliminating more items, donating 80% of my wardrobe and then somehow narrowing my life down to 3 suitcases. Sigh* Stressful week, but I'm glad it's over!

We didn't sleep the night before our flight. Our shuttle driver didn't arrive at 1:30AM, so we called to find out he slept in! EEPS. He showed up an hour later with enough time to race to the airport (which was two hours away). I stayed up the whole time talking to the driver, trying to ensure he stayed awake. As we pulled into the airport Oasis' "Don't Look Back in Anger" came on the radio. HAHA! Of all the songs that could have came on before I departed New Zealand, that was the ONE!

Chris' cousin was on our flight from NZ to OZ!
We had a layover in Melbourne and then traveled 14 hours to Los Angeles sitting behind screaming babies and children. Ah! What can you do? The past week has been a mad dash of setting up bank accounts, cellphones, computer/gadget purchases, replacing my driver's license that I lost at LAX. Oh! Spending time with the family and catching up with a few friends. Things are slowly settling down, so I hope to catch up with more friends as the week goes along. We'll be packing all over again for our big move on May 1st! I'll have to get super serious and start applying to jobs. It never ends.



1. Reunion with Christie (This is happiness!)
2. In N' Out with Chris



3. Tapas with my mama
4. "Whatever major loser" and side ponytails! ...Homage to Clueless (BFC reunion)




5. noodles with Remi B!
6. our we live back in America/wedding #2 party!

I hung out inside my beloved Champagnes Cafe where Joe Pesci, Robert Deniro and Martin Scorcese frequented when they stayed here while filming Casino. In true Vegas fashion, we spent one night out exploring empty ritzy casinos, looking for good views of the city. It is so strange being back! I only slightly have that fleeing feeling knowing that my time here will expire as it usually does. I don't have to fly back to NZ. It is so strange! I immediately lost 5 pounds upon arrival. My diet does not consist of sugary tea, muffins and cake. I am now eating smaller portions, mostly Mexican food, and it is so good and so cheap! We had a party and old friends/family from all parts of my past life came to see us. It was surreal and such a good time. Seriously, big thanks to those who came out to see us! This life is too short, busy and hectic and who knows when I'll have this chance to see everyone again. I am so thankful!

I am figuring out my place back in American society. Also, slowly figuring out how to use my phone and text and being social. Learning how to drive again. It hasn't been easy re-integrating myself back in American society and customs. I have changed so much. I am looking forward to the new places I will see, the new friendships I will make, and the memories I will be creating with my long lost family and loved ones."

PS. I'm on instagram, my username is jenvegas :) Twitter - Facebook - Pinterest

South Island Nov. 2011 (part five)

Continuing on from my South Island updates...
After our drive through Otago, we finally made it to our destination of beautiful resort town Queenstown, New Zealand! If you ever come to this part of the world, it's a MUST SEE place. Don't skip Queenstown in the South Island! It's absolutely lush, majestic and everything you'd expect it to be from the movies. (Lord of the Rings, Narnia, Avatar etc.)


November 2011

These are the views from the lodge we stayed at!

Frolicking around town, enjoying the beauty...


I tried to channel my inner adventurer spirit settling into a new land.

It rained on and off, so we stayed inside our cozy room drinking wine listening to old punk music. It was so relaxing not having to be anywhere. When we left for the night, we ate some AMAZING pizza at Winnie's!

I WISH WE COULD EAT FOOD LIKE THIS AND NEVER GAIN WEIGHT. SIGH* I love pizza and Queenstown. :)

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Happy birthday to my love!

We've had an awesome weekend celebrating Chris' birthday. I planned a surprise dinner with our close friends and drinks at DOC. The next day we went to Waitomo to look at the glorious caves. Later we relaxed at home and ate burritos! Today we went out to brunch, bought a suitcase and started packing in prepartion for our new life.





Mannnnnnn, I'm gonna miss these sweet faces!

All photos taken with Android phone, Vignette Demo App- Toy Camera, Colour Highlight filters

Happy birthday sweetie! I love you <3

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Big News: WE'RE MOVING TO SEATTLE!!!

WELL, I have some big news to announce! :)

After three and a half years of living in Auckland, New Zealand, my husband and I are moving to Seattle in two-months time! When I first moved here, I had no idea how long I would be staying and the future of my relationship. Well, well, well! We are absolutely thrilled to start a new life in the Pac NW. I've been dying to get back home to the USA, closer to my family and friends who are basically my LIFE. (They are mostly scattered across the west coast aka. best coast) :P

I have been keeping this secret for a while, and now I feel like I can actually write in my blog without being so reserved. (I don't publicly divulge that much info. about my personal life on the Internet even if it does appear to be that way.)

For the last three and a half years, it's been an unforgettable adventure filled with joy and heartbreak. I have changed so much and am so grateful for the good people I have met along this journey.

There were times when I felt like this:



Add one dose of culture shock, an isolated island 12-hours-direct-flight away from home! Round trip tickets cost anywhere from $1,500-$2000, heaps of homesickness and there it is. It's time for me to move on. I've met some wonderful people along the way; you know who you are. And have learned SOOO much about my husband's country that he calls home.

You may be thinking, "Why Seattle????" We've discussed and debated over this many times, and Seattle was winning out of all the places on the west coast. We wanted to to be closer to my family. Great economy, lots of industries and opportunity, my closest friends already live there, the great outdoors, the beach, good coffee, great music scene, affordable living, public transportation, progressive green-thinking culture, close proximity to Portland/Vancouver, BC...the list goes on. Win win win! If you're thinking about the rain and lack of sunshine. Would you believe that it actually rains MORE in Auckland than in Seattle? And Seattle actually has a few more hours of sunshine than Auckland! Basically, we're moving to a place with the same sort of climate. I'll make sure to visit Vegas and LA frequently where I can rely on heavy doses of sunshine.

I cannot wait to get back and have a fresh new start. New home, new city to explore w/ old friendly faces. Also, I would love to connect with any Seattle or Portland area friends/bloggers. :)

This is us when we first visited Seattle together back in 2008.



And as we wrap up this Auckland life, I will be posting a series of blog posts titled, "Best of Auckland and New Zealand" showing our favourite places to hang out. Watch this space.

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Happy Anniversary To My Love!

It was one year ago today when I married my best friend Chris. <3


Photo by CG Wing Photography


Photo by Carmen G.

I wanted to share some photos of my husband long before he was my husband. LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!! :)





Happy anniversary sweetie! I love you.
This next year is going to be amazing.