Our First Anniversary in Amsterdam!

We started our anniversary with croissants in bed. How can you go wrong? We were still suffering from jet lag so after breakfast we took a nap (ha!) and then got the day going around noon. We strolled along the canals and generally just explored. It was a beautiful day and walking around made me feel giddy! I couldn't believe we were in Amsterdam and we were celebrating our one year anniversary! It's going to take a lot to beat this anniversary in the future, but I've already got some ideas (of course!).

Henry is doing much better, but still adjusting, so we haven't been leaving him at the hotel alone. Because of this we decided to stick close to "home" and had dinner at our hotel on their cute back patio. Henry behaved magnificently, which let us really soak up and enjoy each other's company. We were so smiley and kiss-y our waiter even asked if we were on our honeymoon! 

Foreverago I read this post by Erin and took note. I thought it was the cutest idea for a one year wedding anniversary gift ever, so I kinda stole it (thanks, Erin!!!)! I made Corey a photo book with 50 reasons I love him, all accompanied by photos I've taken throughout our first year of marriage! I love the way it turned out and Corey seemed to really like it too :) It's a tradition I plan on keeping up for future anniversaries (a photo book of that year). It will be so fun to see how the photos change from all our travels to buying a home to having babies, etc!

I love you, Mr. Denfeld!

{Photos © Liz Denfeld}

One Year

Yesterday marked one year of marriage for Corey and me. I'm truly in awe that we've already hit this milestone. Everyone always says the first year of marriage is the hardest... Truth be told, nothing with Corey is hard, and I know I'm so lucky to have it that way. This year has flown by. We learn more about each other each day and get closer and closer as time goes on. We have experienced so many adventures this year - the biggest ones being getting a puppy and moving across the world together. Corey is truly and honestly my best friend in the entire world. Sometimes it scares me how much I love him, and more so, how much I need him. But I think that's what marriage is about. You put all your eggs in one basket because you believe in this person and you know they will take care of you, and you will take care of them. I don't know how I got so incredibly lucky. I wonder every day how I, of all people, got Corey. But then I realize, I don't really care why or how, I'm just so glad I did. 


Happy anniversary to the most loving husband a wife could ask for. I love you forever. 

We Made It!

Well, after a reallyyyy long flight with a reallyyy unhappy pup, we made it to Amsterdam! Henry made quite the scene and caused us quite a bit of embarrassment for the first five hours of the flight, but luckily after that he finally decided to pass out! 

Once we arrived and checked into our hotel we unpacked for a bit and immediately set out on foot to find some lunch and fight the jet lag. We walked over to one of our favorite areas, the Jordaan. Poor Henry seems to be struggling quite a bit and is lashing out... He hurls himself at bikes, mopeds, pigeons, children... Sounds fun, right? Hopefully he gets over this soon as it made our walk particularly unpleasant. Can you imagine a dog that doesn't like bikes living in Amsterdam? Pretty comical, actually! 

It's so strange living in a city where I don't know my way, have no idea what restaurants are good, what neighborhoods to avoid, etc etc. But this is all part of the adventure - and a huge part of the reason we decided to leave Portland for a few years. I wanted to step out of my comfort zone, and boy have I ever! I have so much to learn about Amsterdam and Europe in general! 


The second day in Amsterdam we woke up early and took Henry for a walk. We knew there wouldn't be many people (read: pigeons, bikes, kids and scooters) out in the morning - so we thought it would be the perfect time to take Henry for a nice walk over to Vondel Park. Back in Portland, we loved taking early morning walks before the city was awake. I loved how peaceful and quiet it was. Here in Amsterdam, I found that the quiet felt eerie. I'm sure that will change, it just felt uncomfortable, like something wasn't right. I look forward to appreciating the peace of the morning hours in Amsterdam someday (hopefully soon).

Now our second day in Amsterdam is over and we're settling in and hoping our six hour nap earlier doesn't stop us from sleeping through the night... Tomorrow is a big day for us. Any guesses what it is? More updates coming soon. As well as some catching up from the weeks leading up to our move. Thanks again for sticking with me as my blogging was sporadic!

{Photos © Liz Denfeld}

Guest Post: Fairy Tales Are True

While Corey, Henry and I work on getting settled in Amsterdam, the lovely Sarah from Fairy Tales are True graciously agreed to stop by and guest post for me! I'm sure you already know Sarah, but if you don't, she writes one of my favorite blogs in the entire world. Her and her husband, JB, are living in Switzerland, traveling all throughout Europe and she takes the most insanely gorgeous photos everywhere she goes. Oh, and did I mention she also looks like she stepped out of a magazine while on these trips? I had to know what her travel secrets were {so I could steal, ahem, borrow, them}, so she is here to share them with us! Thanks, Sarah!! I'll be back soon with photos from our first few days in Amsterdam!

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Hi Liz's Friends!

I'm Sarah Tucker from fairy tales are true.  

I love Liz!  Truth be told I've been a big fan of her long before I found her blog (which left me gleefully giddy upon discovery) ... I was made a big Liz fan when I saw her wedding literally explode across the blogosphere.  I thought, this is a girl who knows what she loves and instead of shying away from it and playing it safe, she executes.  And the result was an absolutely stunning wedding.  Then to find her blog and see that she has that same style, beauty, and grace that I was first drawn to was pretty much perfection.  

And now she's moving!  To Amsterdam - one of my favorite places in Europe.  

{that's me!  drinking a dutch beer in Amsterdam!}

I am so excited for them!

Liz, Corey, and Henry are going to have the most incredible experiences, fall even more in love ... and we're going to benefit by all her gorgeous pictures and travel tales.  

Also ... Liz and I will be on the same time zone!!  yayyyy!  (:

About that ... I'm currently living in Switzerland and traveling as much as I can, while I can.

So here are some tips for easy breazy, stylish, and cheap, sojourning in Europe! 

1.  Skyscanner is amazing!  You can put in your city and then put in "everywhere", if you're flexible search an entire month - and the destinations will appear like magic.  The cheapest first!  

Skyscanner has been good to us and our wallet.

2.  If you're like me you want to look as cute as possible but don't want to pay to check a bag.  

I pack lots of dresses as I feel comfortable in them while still being chic without much effort. 

I find statement jewelry goes a long way and so does a fun scarf.  

& this list, found here, is always a helpful guide.

3.    Treat yourself a bit.  If you have great products and feel great it won't matter that you aren't staying in a 5 star hotel.  For instance, I'm miserable without good shampoo and conditioner - so I stock up on the essentials in travel sizes.  Also, I'm all about prevention - take your vitamins & emergen-C  and you will be good to go.  Below is a photo of products I simply can't live without while traveling.  Plus they are all a-OK for your carry-on. 

odds & ends. for Paraben free travel (:  

alpha beta glow pads - the best self tanner on the go. 

tom's sensitive toothpaste.

hair ties - don't forget!  i have before, and it wasn't pretty.

vitamins; tumeric, probiotic, magnesium, peppermint(for nausea)  ... 

& advil and benedryl for any allergies that may arise.  

emergen-C ... I take these before I step foot in an airport and at the first sign of a little cold.

my mom's organic skincare products in little sizes. 

tom's travel size deodorant 

pureology travel size shampoo & conditioner

4.  To make your flight and downtime more enjoyable I invested in a kindle, eye mask, and i-touch/i-phone.

The kindle is my constant companion as an ex-pat as finding cheap english books is a challenge.  The eye mask is great on planes and trains for some quick shut eye.  The i-touch pretty much rocks my world.  I don't bring my laptop when on holiday - just use this as needed.  The apps I love most for traveling or being abroad are:

• textnow - its free! i can text everyone from home, send photos, even place calls with an internet connection.
• whitenoise app - pretty much amazing for getting some much needed good sleep after a long day of sightseeing or traveling.  
• currency converter - this can definitely help out when you're bouncing between currencies.
• Viaden Yoga  - I love this app for yoga at home or on the go. 
• TripDeck - helps keep all of your information in one place.  It'll also notify you if your flight schedule has changed.

5.  Don't forget to make a list and check it twice!

found here

Happy Traveling Everyone!

&

Here's to hoping Liz, Corey, and Henry's move goes amazingly smooth!

xoxo

Date Night at Irving Street Kitchen

This date night was one of our last in Portland. I have to say, I am really going to miss living in a city where I know every street, store and restaurant. I'm sure we'll find our new favorite places in Amsterdam, but Portland will always be home to us. I truly do miss it already. 


I have so much going on right now, I wish I could tell you all about it, but won't for two reasons: One, I'm afraid I'll bore you to death and two, I am just so exhausted and can't find the time. Maybe someday I will tell you all about the chaos we're experiencing, but for now you'll just have to trust me that things are absolutely nuts! We fly out Thursday, yet this whole thing still doesn't seem real. I suppose that's normal? Anyhow, wanted to pop in and say hello, sorry I've been such a bad blogger, and I promise I'll be back soon. Hope this little post will tide you over!

{dress: bb dakota, necklace: j.crew via ebay, shoes: cole haan, belt: h&m, bag: cole haan, sunglasses: d&g}

{Photos © Liz Denfeld}