Oh, The Places I've Been...

In the Fall of 2002, I was entering my second year at college and had declared myself an international finance major.  I knew I wanted to travel, and had found two programs that would let me do so that year - I was to spend winter break traveling Europe with International Business Seminars (including spending NYE '03 in Paris - something I'll never forget!) and the summer living and working in France (major for me as I spent most of my middle and high school years studying French) followed by three weeks backpacking through Europe.

Once I had signed myself up for both programs, I worked on renewing my passport and by October of that year had a fresh new passport in hand.  I remember feeling so "adult" as I had completed and processed the application myself, and I vowed then to fill all the pages in my new passport by the time the expiry date arrived.  Well, here we are ten years later and I am happy to say that I achieved my goal (actually ahead of schedule as I was told on my last international trip in October that I could no longer fly abroad without either getting additional pages or a new passport)! 

As I start the proceedings to get a new passport, I can't help but look back on all the memories I created doing what I love to do most - travel - over the last ten years!  Unfortunately, travel stamps aren't as pretty in real life as some images make them seem so I'll only share a few pictures of my passport pages to show just how full they really are. (and sorry for the Iphone pictures - but my camera is still not working!)

And to tally it all up for posterity, these are the places I've been (with this passport - a bit misleading as all the travel I did within Europe was mostly by train so no stamps from those places visited):

Dominican Republic - Puerto Plata, Punta Cana and Santo Domingo

Colombia - Bogota

Mexico - Mexico City and Cancun

France - Paris

Chile - Santiago

United Kingdom - London

Costa Rica - San Jose

Venezuela - Caracas

Jamaica - Montego Bay

Brazil - Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro

Canada - Toronto

Panama - Panama City

Argentina - Buenos Aires

Peru - Lima

And in map form (including all countries visited, regardless of whether I have a stamp or not ;))

http://bighugelabs.com/map.php

I really need to get over to Africa / Asia / the Middle East!

Work It Wednesday - Drop-Shoulder Cardigan

Around mid-week last week, I received an email from Banana Republic announcing a 50% of everything "Power Hour" sale between 11am - 2pm. My colleague and I took our lunch breaks together, and, rather than eating, drove to our nearest Banana Republic to see what they had.  I wasn't shopping for anything in particular, but I found this drop-shoulder cardigan and thought it was cute.
 

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When I saw the price, I knew I could not pass it up.  The original price was $120, and online you can still find it at 99.99.  In the store it was marked down to $24.99 and eligible for an additional 50% off.  That's right - this beauty came home with me for a mere $12.49!!  So for this Work It Wednesday post, I wanted to show different ways I could wear it - buttoned over a white tee and skinny jeans on the weekend, unbuttoned over a black shirt and leather leggings with killer shoes and statement jewelry for drinks with the girls, or belted over a patterned sweater dress for work.

Work It Wednesday - Drop Shoulder Cardigan by wpolanco featuring knee high leather boots

Don't you love a great bargain? I always say - make sure you sign up for the email/mailing lists of your favorite stores because you never know what perk they will give you!

Head on over to The Good Life for Less to see the other Work It Wednesday posts!

My Weekend in Pictures

Since I had the day off work yesterday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, I gave myself a little blogging break as well;)  Here are some snippets from my three day weekend, filled with some house projects, quality time with my family and Esposito, and lots of eating & drinking!

Friday night, I finally finished my molding project and put our dining space back together.  A lot of the molding is hidden either behind the curtain or bookcase, but I love it and think it makes the room look so much bigger!



On Saturday, I spent some quality time with my little sister before she headed back to college after her winter break.



Since we were at my mom's house visiting my sister, Esposito and I decided to dine at the Uno's we always visited when we first started dating (and I lived at my parents)!  While it is a far drive from where we live now, this is one of the best Uno's in the area as it has its own brewery.  We may or may not have bought ourselves one of these 64oz growlers of beer to take home, and may or may not have finished it already.



While Esposito worked on Sunday, I got to work on a little DIY project.  I fully intended to have it done by yeseterday so I could link up to a Pinterest challenge sponsored by another blog, but alas the weekend got in the way.  I'll still share the project once I'm done - but here's a sneak peak at the inspiration!



Sunday night, Esposito and I enjoyed a cozy night in catching up on some of our favorite shows (he hates that I snapped proof that he loves Desperate Housewives!).



Monday we both had off work for MLK's birthday so we started our day with diner breakfast (the best kind ;)) and then headed out for some outlet shopping.



Monday night, we visited the newest bar in our area for dinner and drinks!

As usual, I'm linking up to a {little} dash of ash's intagram link party!  Now, it's time to get back to work which is always all the more difficult after an extended time off!  How was your weekend? 

Friday's Fancies - Color Crush

For this edition of Friday’s Fancies, the theme is Color Crush.  Now that the holiday festivities are out of the way, and the winter doldrums are setting in, it seems everyone has been turning their attention to color - my feedreader has been off the charts with color stories for both your wardrobe and your home.  While I don't shy away from color myself, it never comes naturally either.  When I look at my selections while shopping, more often than not I find a sea of black, greys and other neutrals.  Likewise in my home, while I enjoy a pop of color here and there, the overall palette tends to be more neutral.  So for my Friday's Fancies post I decided to go all out in monochromatic color, and my color of choice is emerald green.  I own a dress similar to this from Lulu's (the much loved La La Love dress) that I have yet to wear - I'm waiting for the right midday wedding or other social event to wear it to!

Friday's Fancies Color Crush by wpolanco featuring a green clutch

Head on over to Long Distance Loving to see the other Friday's Fancies looks!

Give Me Stripes!

I'm pretty set on having striped curtains in the dining room - I love the look of striped curtains in various bloggers' homes, and I know that I want a print and something with a lot of white to bring more light to the space.

Inspiration

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Source: southernexposure1.squarespace.com via Kylie on Pinterest

At first I was on the fence about making them myself, buying pre-made panels, or going an in-between route and making panels out of striped fabric.  Who am I kidding - though I admire all the bloggers and their DIY savvy, I know that I will never have the patience to measure out and paint/sew perfectly straight stripes.  At the same time, there are few striped panels available in the colorway I'm looking for (gray/white) and those that are available (like the much loved shower curtain from West Elm that I would in some way/shape/form make taller to fit my room) just don't make sense from a budgetary perspective.  So semi-DIY it is.  Here are some fabrics I'm considering - I think I need to see these in person so I may just be ordering some samples in the coming days!

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Which do you like better?