Let’s talk home updates.
It’s been just about seven months since we moved into our home. When we first saw the home we fell in love and now that I’m thinking about it I don’t really know why. Maybe because they had it nicely decorated? For their own taste of course but it was definitely an eye catcher. Maybe it was the layout? Or better yet the nice patio, large yard, and most prettiest landscape. They knew exactly how to suck us in. If I am being honest, with all the updates we’ve done to this home I wonder what was it that made us love it so much when we first saw it.
Our home was built in the 70s and had only been occupied by the original owners. We loved knowing that they were the only owners that’s for sure. Yet as the months pass by and we see all the DIY projects they did that were pretty much shitty work we wonder how we didn’t see it on the first look. Or the inspection day. Or the walk through. I just don’t know what we were thinking. My only guess is that it was simply meant to be.
It was listed as a move in ready. Which it was. We knew we’d be changing wall colors and replacing a reddish/burgundy carpet that was in one of the bedrooms, updating the bathrooms one in particular as soon as possible, and further down the road doing a kitchen renovation to make it more modern and functional. But we never thought that something as simple as removing a carpet would lead to finding rotted floors caused by prior water damage that was not fixed correctly which would very rapidly increase our "carpet changing budget". Ever since then I feel like every room we update is more than “just a wall color change or adding trimming”.
I plan on going room by room to show a before and after picture but this post in particular I will be showing y’all our (or rather my) mood board with our plans for certain areas of the house. We started with the family room, dinning room, and what I call the little boys bathroom. Just some paint, a brick wall whitewash, and some decor so stay tune for that!
For several weeks now we’ve been updating our entryway and formal living room. That’s almost complete. We just have to finish the painting, some minor touches, and then furnish it. I look forward on sharing that space and what we decided to do with it. Now we’re moving on to the bathroom located in the formal living room area which is also connected to my oldest bedroom. That bathroom is a pretty nice size so we’re planning on dividing it into a small powder room in the front with its entrance located right in the living room and keeping the back part as an en suite to our oldest bedroom. Spoil much? He’s pretty excited about it because our original plans were to close off the entrance from his bedroom and just this week we decided to leave him his personal bathroom.
In between all of this hubby and I are giving my oldest bedroom a facelift. His room is going to be pretty cool I tell you but you’ll have to keep checking back to read about our plans for his bedroom 😉.
Here are our mood boards for the entryway and powder room.
When I decided to make our Europe trip a two country trip I was very hesitant to book Barcelona. I didn’t know much about it. It didn’t seem that there were many places that hubby would enjoy visiting and honestly nothing seemed as interesting to me. However, I am so glad I took a leap of faith and booked it. Barcelona was amazing in its own way. We fell in love from the moment we landed.
Our flight from Paris was from the Ory Airport and it was approximately 1.5 hours. This flight however was delayed almost five hours. We were schedule to flight out at 3pm and we didn’t leave till after 7pm. It was very frustrating spending all that time in the airport but the airline did provide food vouchers while we waited so that was nice.
The airport in Barcelona was so easy to get through and the taxi system was so straightforward to utilize. Seriously that right there had me so happy because I know how it is in the Caribbean and Mexico and it is pure chaos. On that night there was a big soccer game, Barcelona vs Madrid and everything was pretty much shut down. Is funny because I contemplated getting tickets for this game as our big splurge for this part of the trip and boy am I glad I didn’t get those tickets. One of my concerns was in fact if we would have had a delay and we sure did so not getting those pricey tickets was the right decision.
We stayed at the Barcelona Hotel Colonial and it was beautiful. The location was great we were only about a fifteen minute walk from La Ramblas and we had many restaurants and eateries near by. There were bus stops a few steps away from the hotel as well as a train station. We didn’t utilized the train but the bus was easy to figure out. It also helped that we understood the language so I would just tell the driver upon entering where we were heading and if he would signal us when we should get off. For this to work you must stay closer to the front of the bus so that the driver don’t forget about you :).
Attractions that we visited in Barcelona included:
Las Ramblas/Boqueria Market: This was hubby favorite place, more so the market. It was like having a child stroll through a huge candy store. I have to admit, so many food to try and the natural juices were so good! However due to my pregnant state at the time I didn’t dare to try everything he did. And the prices were very reasonable as well.
Casa Batllo + Casa Mila (La Pedrera): We visited both of these location on the same day. I personally enjoyed Casa Mila the most as their audio tour was very informative and I was able to see the world through Gaudi’s eyes. It was an amazing experience and the sights from the very top were beautiful. I enjoyed our time in Casa Batllo but it was under construction and although very nice and different from the other site it didn’t give me the warm fuzzy feeling Casa Mila gave me.
Gothic Quarter: Such an adorable area. We didn’t really venture deep into the gothic quarter but the little bit that we did see we loved. There were so many hidden gems. From restaurants to bar to shopping. Is easy to get lost as you’re wondering through but it feels so nice to walk through the narrow streets and take it all in. It was so different from what we are used to in the states.
Sagrada Familia: My favorite attraction of the trip. Guys this is a must do. Must see. Must tour. It was so easy to get in, meaning there were no set backs or no issues. You have to pass through security and a checkpoint but as long as you are complying with their rules you shouldn’t have any issue getting in and the line moved pretty fast. I have no regrets. Except I should have gotten the tickets that gave us a tour of the top as well.
We didn’t get to visit all the attractions on our itinerary because we decided to go at a slower pace this time around. I feel like Barcelona, or maybe even Spain as a whole, moves at a slower pace. The time seemed to somewhat drag a little and nothing ever felt rushed. It was a very weird feeling but much appreciated. We would always be back at our hotel by 6/7ish at night and we would just rest or go down to the lobby area. Then we would go out for a night stroll, late dinner, and pick up midnight snacks. I would always get hungry around 11pm which would be dinner time in the states so it made sense.
When we return to Barcelona I would love to make it to Park Guell and to the Montjuic Hill Attractions, specifically the magic fountain. I was hoping to see the sound and light show but that too was happening on the day that we arrived and we were not going to make it on time plus we weren’t up to the adventure late at night without knowing the area at all.
Overall, this baby moon was a dream come true. A year later and I remember those moments so vividly and I am so thankful for the experience, specially with all of this Social Distancing. I look forward to planning our next trip, God willing with our boys, and visiting more of Europe.
I’m so excited to share about our adventures in Europe last April. Following up on my post about it last year I booked this trip as a surprise to hubby and while being pregnant with our third baby. The trip was indeed approved by my OB and hubby did not make me cancel everything (thank goodness) after finding out about it.
We landed in Paris during the late morning after an overnight flight. I had booked the shuttle transportation service a night or two before departure and although they made us walk to the other side of the airport to the pickup location and were almost an hour late in picking us up we did have a smooth ride to our hotel. We booked our room at the First Hotel Paris in the 15th arrondissements. Honestly deciding on which arrondissement to stay and picking a hotel was the most overwhelming part of booking this trip. There were so many things to take into consideration and so many options. It literally took me weeks to make a decision. Yet after it was all set and done I’m happy with the location I chose. There was a metro station that was literally across the street and another one a block away. All the tourist attractions that we wanted to see were easily accessible from both station. We had a nice view of the Eiffel Tower not to mention that it was only a fifteen minutes walk to get there. There was a super cute baguette place around the corner that we stopped at every day for morning snacks to take with us on our adventures and in the evenings to take back to our rooms. Because you know how us pregnant ladies can be with those late night cravings. We had several restaurants and supermarkets near by and the staff was very welcoming and helpful. The room was small, as that seems to be the theme in Europe, yet comfortable. I would definitely stay here again. But I would like to try other locations as well although I don't know if I am up for the challenge of researching hotels in Paris.
Places we visited included:
The Eiffel Tower
We visited the Eiffel area several times during our stay in Paris. On the first day we walked there from our hotel to get acquainted with the area. We did not book tickets to the of the Tower as I was unsure if it was something I really wanted to do being pregnant (I’m terrified of heights) and then when I had decided on it there was no tickets available for any of the days we were there. There was the option to try getting tickets at the booth but every time we went the line was ridiculous so we ended up not doing it. I would definitely recommend buying tickets online and early if that is something you’re interested in doing.
Trocadero Gardens
We ended up here several times after walking around the Eiffel Tower and each time they had entertainment crews that were putting on a show by either dancing or performing tricks. It was pretty cool to watch and of course entertainment while we snacked on what became our favorite dessert of the trip, crepes.
I loved this museum! For starters it is huge! So much walking and lots of people but it it didn’t feel crowded. Plan to be there several hours, we did three and we didn’t even see everything. After the three hours I my feet were hurting, I was starving, and we were jet lagged of course. I always carried snacks in my bag because of being pregnant and that always turned out to be a lifesaver.
Arc de Triomphe
We walked here from the Musee de Louvre and oh my gosh what a walk. It felt never ending! Again I was 25 weeks pregnant so I might be exaggerating a bit. We stopped for lunch and dessert twice before getting there and we also purchased tickets to climb to the top the night before. I would normally buy our tickets for the sightseeing locations the night before and it worked out with the exception of the Eiffel Tower. And yes I climbed all 200+ steps after walking the entire Champs-Elysees Avenue to get there. The view from the top was beautiful. Another must do for sure. After getting back down we decided to ride the metro back to the hotel.
Musee d’Orsay
I really wanted to come here because I wanted a picture in front of the big clock but hubby and I enjoyed the paintings in this museum. Again lots of walking involved but we were better prepared this time.
Notre Dame
We didn’t get tickets for this as it was free admission unless you wanted to book a tour. The line to get in seem to be long but honestly it took us less then 10 minutes to get in since starting the line. From here we walked to the Ponte de Art (the lock bridge) but unfortunately there were no locks. Rumor has it that the locks were weighting down the bridge.
Sacre-Coeur Basilica
On our last day in Paris we made our way to Montmartre. This was the farthest we ventured out from our hotel location and I am bummed I put it last on the itinerary as we didn’t have much time to really enjoy the area. There were lots of places to eat and shop here and seemed like it could have been a whole day type of trip. It was definitely a walk to get to the basilica itself but the views were pretty awesome. When we return to Paris in the future this will be first on the list for sure. While here we also stopped at the love wall which was literally a couple minutes walk after getting out of the metro station. This wall was the reason why I really wanted to go there to begin with. It is said to have the word love written 311 times in 250 languages. Pretty awesome right! And as the cherry on top we found the lock covered fenced right in front of the basilica. We ended up buying a lock for 7 euros but we just had to right!
Many people told us that Paris wasn’t all that it was hyped to be. Some even said they would never go back. I don’t understand why because we loved it. I was worried I wasn’t going to enjoy it but I was glad I kept an open mind because I loved the places we were able to visit, I loved the feel of it all. The ease of riding the train and getting around. The helpfulness of the people. All the baguettes and espressos. I can't speak much on the food because I didn't dare to try anything out of the ordinary. I basically ate pizza, burgers, baguettes and croissants, crepes, and macarons. Hubby did eat escargot but he had eaten them before in the states.
Can you even count a trip to Paris if you didn't lock it in ;)
Who would have imagined what 2020 had in store of the entire world. Not just you, me, a few people in Europe and the Caribbean, but the entire world. Some days I still can't completely grasp everything that is happening. From not seen my mother in over a month to not leaving my house for several weeks now. It's heartbreaking y'all. Is this the new norm? How much longer will this last? Social distancing is no joke. There's so many things that I miss doing. Granted, I am a homebody. I would chose a night in any day over going out but even I have had enough of this virus. I guess it's a different story when you suddenly lose control of deciding if to stay in or go out and are rather mandated to stay home.
You're probably wondering what I mean when I say I haven't left my house? Am I not a nurse? An essential worker? Well my friends, I am currently a stay at home mom who is homeschooling her children. Ha! 2020 has definitively been full of surprises. But that's a story for another post.
So. Life lately amidst being quarantined.
We have been in our new home for six months now and guys, we are loving it. There were some "damn it!" moments for sure over the time frame but we are slowly turning this house into our home and updating it to make it feel warm, welcoming, and a little more us. I will be sharing some pictures real soon.
Hubby and I celebrated 8 years of marriage last June. What a journey. I'm not going to lie, somedays I just want to put him outside with all 150 pairs of shoes but I couldn't imagine a life without him and his beautiful smile. The shoes though, that's a different story.
And me? well I'm another year older and ten pounds heavier. I still haven't figured out if it's part of the baby weight or just effects of being in quarantine. I guess we will find out eventually. I would like to say that I'm little wiser these days but I might be biased.
Other than that we've been pretty chill at home. Enjoying our blessings under the circumstances. Adjusting to the new way of living and praying that it will soon be over or at least hoping that soon enough we can start doing the things we once enjoyed and kept us sane. Until then it will be lots of family bonding time and missing the rest of our families and friends.
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