Currently: September 2024

Well, I made it through a rough end of August and a slightly disappointing start to September. Truthfully, September is always full of highs and lows, and this year was no exception. We had our big fall event on Saturday, September 14, and then I immediately left for a back-to-back trip to Southern California and DC that involved a red-eye flight across the country. Work travel is hard because I have to work both sides of the day. (I am giving myself credit for cancelling a non-essential meeting that would have been at 6:00am my time though!) I ended up coming home for the weekend before hitting the road again. Sometimes I amaze myself with what I am able to accomplish in a single day. All that work hasn’t left me a lot of time to foster my creativity though. Must do better, she tells herself every month.

Disclosure:  This post contains affiliate links for tours and products I love at no additional cost to you.  You can read my full disclosure policy here.

Celebrating:

Our 11th anniversary was on Saturday, September 7. As I mentioned at the end of August, our planned anniversary trip fell through because of work. Once we felt like everything had stabilized as much as we would able to get it to, we decided to take a whirlwind weekend trip to Paris for our anniversary. We had sent a case of Bocale wine to Paris to share with our favorite sommelier at Le George, so we were worried about losing that. We were able to book the entire trip to Paris on points, which made it super easy. I think we booked the trip 6 hours before departure. While it was FAST, I’m so glad we did it. We were able to book our favorite wine tasting in Paris, visited Ste. Chapelle, and had dinner at some of our favorite restaurants. Our anniversary dinner was at Le George on our actual anniversary, and it did not disappoint. (It never does!) Did you know that coral is a traditional 11th anniversary gift?? They made the most beautiful dessert using coral as the focal point!

I’ve been into this kick of trying to make repeat destinations feel new lately. So, while we were in Paris, I went back to my saved list of places I’ve wanted to try. We found a fantastic wine bar in the 9th arrondissement, Wine Therapy. Laurent was an incredible host. We did a blind tasting of several wines, and then we were able to choose a wine by the glass to enjoy with a delicious cheese plate. He has a mix of small and large producers, and we enjoyed chatting with him very much. We will definitely be back. It is very convenient to Hotel Dress Code, Hotel de Seze, and the Hyatt Madeleine, all of which are also in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. (We actually walked to Wine Therapy from Hotel du Louvre. It wasn’t too bad.)

We also visited Jardin d’Hiver at the Hotel de Crillon for a nightcap and dessert. The bar was beautiful, but it seemed to lack the same warmth of Bar Vendome at the Ritz Paris. (We also really love the pianist at Bar Vendome; it adds to the atmosphere.) I did enjoy my raspberry millefeuille and the cocktails were lovely. The hotel itself is stunning, and I’d love to stay there. I have the fondest memories of being in Concorde when the fountains were on at blue hour on our honeymoon.

Since we were in Paris during the close of the Paraolympic games, we got to see the cauldron, which was literally so cool! It made up for our poor decision to not stay in Paris for the opening ceremony in July! I know it seems like something super silly, but it really was so cool to see!

Wearing:

My original September schedule had me on the road for 13 days. I was highly amused when I unpacked into my first hotel room and found that my ENTIRE wardrobe had a blue aesthetic. Most of the things I took are things I’ve had in my wardrobe for YEARS, but I packed this new Sara Roka shirt dress, and I am obsessed with this dress. I had tried this dress on when I was shopping for our France trip, but it didn’t fit that well. When I saw it on sale a few weeks ago, I decided to try it. I’m so glad I did. It’s so comfortable and so flattering. (AND… it has pockets!!) It’s definitely one of my favorite dresses in this transition season.

If I had to make a single recommendation for pants that travel well, I would put sale alerts on the Lafayette148 gramercy pants. You can get them on Gilt sometimes. I flew across the country on a red-eye and I felt completely comfortable going from the airport to my meetings. While it was a very long day, I didn’t feel rumpled at all. They are fantastic. My first pair has lasted more than 3 years, and they are still going strong!

Also: Don’t forget that you can save 15% off your order with my Sarah Flint discount code: SF-SARA-15. I wore my sandals all day every day, and my feet were perfect! I’m really excited to share more about their stretch boots in a few weeks. You can save 30% on Sarah Flint boots using BOOTS30 between now and September 23!

Travel Planning:

Obviously, I haven’t had much time to think about our holiday travel this year. I am still hoping that my sister will be able to join us on a Thanksgiving adventure. Right now, that plan is to spend a few days in Bordeaux / Saint Emilion and Paris. My sister studied abroad in Paris, and I think it would be so cool to experience her favorite places in Paris. I suspect it would feel like a very new experience. It would also be fun introduce her to some of our favorite people in Paris, too.

Our Christmas travel is largely up in the air, too. We will be back at the St. Regis Florence for New Year’s and start 2025 at Castiglion del Bosco again, but beyond that – the world is my oyster. I really want to try some new experiences this year. I did see that La Scala in Milan is performing The Nutcracker right before Christmas, so I could be convinced to go to Milan again… but I also feel like I might really want to do southern Germany, Salzburg, Prague, or Budapest. It’s been so long since we visited some of those places that I’m feeling extra nostalgic for the Christmas in Europe magic.

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, so I definitely think we should mix up our holiday travel. Getting some completely new places on our itineraries is also a large part of my 2025 travel goals.

Here’s hoping the next few weeks will be a little quieter…