Currently: January 2026

I feel like I said everything I needed to about January in my February intention post. This is the superficial sister to that post. The world feels heavy, and I’m looking for a way to disconnect. To reframe. Refocus. To come away from everything with a little bit more joy. All the unexpected snow days has given me a (slightly) slower pace with a little less urgency, so I’ve tried to use some of this time to do things for me. That’s such a luxury. Whether it was cleaning my office, backing up my photos, or purging stuff around the house, I did have some time for me. I’ve also been using the Liven app and learning a little bit more about some of my inherent behaviors that may be contributing to my stress level. Ultimately, I just need to be a lot of more deliberate about how I’m going to address these things going forward. Hence the deliberate intentions for this year… While I originally thought I might discontinue these currently posts, I actually like the escapism parts of writing them. So, they will stay for now.

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Photo Editing:

I still haven’t gotten around to a lot blogging, but I thought it might be fun to share a few highlights from our Christmas trip. First of all, I added a new restaurant to my post about where to eat in Paris! We went to Allard, which is an traditional French bistro in Saint Germain. It was one of the last meals of our trip, and it was fantastic. We will definitely be back. (Also, I saw it on Dean Fearing’s instagram. Excited to be able to tell him we went at Wine Around the World!)

We visited Dijon in Burgundy for the first time! It was SO cold while we were there, but it was beautiful. People were so friendly, and the town was lovely. We had an incredible wine and cheese tasting in Dijon, and it was transformative. Erwan at Secret Wine Door in Paris got me comfortable with French cheeses, and our tasting in Dijon was a testament to my growth! I was sick while we were there, so I didn’t get out too much, but Tom walked around A LOT. While we’ve really loved spending a few nights in Beaune in the summer, I can see us replacing Beaune with Dijon this year.

We spent a few nights in Lyon for the first time! Lyon is known for its food culture in France. We stayed in between the Rhone and the Soane rivers, and it was fun to get out and walk around. We had an incredible tour guide who took us from the bottom of town to the top of the Cathedrale of Saint-Jean-Baptiste. It might be one of the most breathtaking cathedrals I’ve ever visited.

On our way to the Menghetti hotel, we stopped in Vicenza in the Veneto region of Italy. We loved Vicenza! It had some of the same energy of Padua, but it also felt uniquely different. You could see some Venetian architecture and the impact of Palladio on the city. The food was fantastic, the Christmas lights were festive, and the people were so very friendly. My only regret is that I couldn’t find a walking tour or food tour there! (Our food tour in Ferrara made it all better though. Estefania was amazing!)

Travel Planning:

2026 might be an exciting travel year for us. We have a pretty interesting trip planned that I don’t want to go into too much detail about for fear I might jinx it. However, it’s something that we planned last year and it would include 5 new destinations for us. Fingers crossed that it actually happens. Stay tuned. It will be a fun one if it works out.

I’ve been thinking about our plans to summer in France again. We’ve rented the same house in Normandy for 3 years, and it’s always easy and comfortable. I’ve been thinking about taking on a huge family history project, and I would want to spend more time in Normandy if we did that. I’m just split if we should do something more akin like what we did the first time we spent two weeks in Normandy or if we should keep exploring new places. I guess part of that could depend on whether I start on this project or not, lol.

We are definitely going back to Montalcino for the Castiglion del Bosco Members Event in the fall. We had such a fantastic time for the last two years. It’s fun seeing the same people each year, too. (We will actually see part of the wine team in Dallas in February again this year! I can’t wait!)

Wearing:

I realized that I didn’t recap some of my favorite outfits from our winter travels! I shopped my closet for everything I took this year. For both of my birthday dinners, the Kallmeyer draped Jocelyn top paired perfectly with my blackwatch tartan J Crew Factory skirt (old) and reversible tights. (I like the reversible tights because they are thicker without adding the same bulk as fleece-lined tights. On colder nights, I paired the skirt with a crewneck cashmere sweater. These are my favorite cashmere sweaters, and some colors are on sale right now. The Neiman Marcus collection cashmere has held up for more than 10 years for me. They don’t pill either, so while there are a little more expensive, they are worth the investment. I wore my Chloe scalloped flats for both dinners because I think it’s really time to retire my Stuart Weitzman 50/50 boots. (I knew I should have brought my Sarah Flint stretch boots, but I just didn’t want to admit that it was the end of an era!)

Between wine tastings and vineyards tours, I got great use out of my J Brand Maria skinny jeans in dark washes. (You will not change my mind on skinny jeans.) Sometimes I paired it with a short sleeve cashmere sweater and a tweed blazer when I didn’t need a heavy coat. (I love Akris Punto and L’Agence for fun blazers.) On travel days, I wore my oversized Oxford shirt and pearl earrings, which made me feel put together but not uncomfortable in the car. Other days, I layered with a wool cape, Wolford bodysuits, and leggings. I like the Wolford faux suede and velvet leggings because I am able to dress them up and not look like I’m wearing athleisure. I took one Emilia Wickstead midi dress and my gold Sarah Flint sandals so I could dress up for New Year’s Eve and Le George in Paris.

I did take two tartan Ellie dresses from Hill House Home. Not only do I love to sleep in these, but they are the perfect coverup for going down to the spa when I don’t just want to wear a robe. I packed two Summersalt sidestroke swimsuits so that I always had a dry one for double spa days. (We knew we would be taking advantage of the indoor pools at the Meneghetti hotel for sure. I packed one workout outfit and my tennis shoes so that I could utilize the hotel gyms or workout comfortably in our room.

I kept my make-up to a minimum and only packed my Trish McEvoy planner, which had more than enough looks for the entire trip. I was really glad that I packed an extra large size of the Soothe and Illuminate primer, as the cold, especially in Lyon and Dijon, was particularly hard on my skin.

I have put together a collection that basically captures what you’ll find in my suitcase, no matter the season. Obviously, I take more sundresses and shorts in the summer, but there are definitely shoes and clothes that are constants, no matter what.