Currently: May 2025

Every day in May. It’s something I find myself uttering every time someone asks how things are going in May. It’s always a frantic month, and it seems that schools are finishing earlier and earlier… and there’s just never enough time to get everything done. Couple that with some last minute changes in directions and directives, and it just gets to be too much. As I write this, we’re about to head home after spending the long weekend in London.

I realized over Memorial Day Weekend that that there is no better sleep than that of Saturday night of MDW. That night, I realized that no one would call with work stuff for 24 hours. And, coupled with a bit of jet lag, I slept 15 hours that night, arguably the most I’ve slept in a single night in years. It was glorious. It also was made possible by the blackout shades in my hotel room. (I really need to find a way to replicate this at home.)

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Eating & Drinking:

One of the reasons we went to London was to pick up some wine we ordered a few months ago. (Joke was on us – it turns out some of the wines were en primeur, which means we’ll get them in a few years… not a few months. Live and learn!) However, we were able to pick up some older vintages – 1999, 2004, 2008. and 2010. These are all things that aren’t easy to find in the Texas and would cost a lot more if we did. We opened a 1998 Fanti Brunello di Montalcino on our last night in London, and it was fantastic. We purchased a variety of cheese and charcuterie from Mons Cheesemongers and Delizie D’italia and had a very delightful picnic in our London hotel room. (We actually did that a couple times because the food was so good.)

While in London, we found out that Berry Bros & Rudd offers tutored tastings, so we booked a Rhone Valley wine tasting while we were there. This was probably one of my favorite wine tastings we’ve done outside of a winery. It was academic with an in-depth overview of the geography, the grape characteristics, and a variety of wines at different price points and of different vintages. We enjoyed it so much that I might consider taking the class for my WSET with them. It’s seriously such a great learning experience.

No trip to London is complete without a spritz and a beer at The Three Tuns though, and we enjoyed seeing the same folks from last year. While it was quite a trip from our hotel this year, we love the ambiance of it. It’s also become a bit of a tradition for us.

Wearing:

I’ve still very much been in the mode of shop my closet. Recently, I pulled out this Lela Rose maxi dress that I bought in 2017, and it’s been perfect for spring! I’ve worn it for school events and date nights, and I fully expect to take it to France this summer. I also found a Tory Burch polka dot blouse that I bought when Tom and I first met… so it’s probably from 2008?

My trusty Stuart Weitzman 50/50 boots took me all over London. We’re talking miles every day. I grabbed them at the last minute when I saw it was supposed to rain, and I was reminding how much I love them. They were a 2018 Nordstrom Rack purchase that have served me so well. I’m pretty sure I’ve walked thousands of miles in them. I also wore my Sarah Flint block sandals in London and walked several miles in them without any issues. Friendly reminder you can save 15% using my Sarah Flint discount code: SF-SARA-15.

I’ve been loving my jersey tops from Lafayette148. I’ve purchased a couple of them to match my Gramercy pants, and I love the monochromatic look. They are also perfect my J Brand Maria skinny jeans… which are entering their 9th year in my closet. (I am low-key terrified of not being able to find those again when I finally wear out my last two pairs.) It was a mistake not to look for them in London, I suppose.

Travel Planning:

I have a quick work trip to North Carolina next week, which I’m excited about. It’s an event that I love participating in and it’s with people I love. From there, I’ll go to Chicago for a work-ish trip and important celebration over the weekend. And then… it will soon be time to relocate my office for the summer.

I can’t remember if I talked about it on my April post, but I threw a couple of weeks of our France trip out the window and replanned them. Instead of going back to Bayeux and Honfleur, we’re going to spend a few nights in Dinan and Saint Malo. One of my goals for that part of the trip is to truly take advantage of shopping the markets and cooking at home. We’re renting the same gite near Mont St Michel, and we’ve found similar properties in Dinan and Saint Malo.

We’re also going to spend a few nights in the Loire Valley. While I originally only wanted to visit the Loire in the fall, I really wanted to push us to go more places in France this year. Our friend Erwan, who runs Secret Wine Door in Paris, is always reminding us that we should visit… and so I put it on our list. I’m also excited as we’ll be staying at two Relais & Chateaux hotels: one in a small town and one in the countryside. I’m hoping the latter will be like our stay at Chateau d’Audrieu – close enough to visit a few sights or wineries but also a great place to slow down and relax for a few days.

We have a couple nights booked outside Epernay, which is in the Champagne region. I keep going back and forth about whether I want to change that part of the trip, too. We’ve only been to Reims in Champagne, and it was lovely… but is that really where I want to go? I’m not sure. I feel like I’m missing some hidden gems.

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