It was the summer of 2002 in Texas. I was 17 years old heading to the same camp I’d spent my summers at every year since I was eight, and this time, things would be different–I would be a “counselor in training,” as they say. In other words, a couple of months filled with lots of fun memories and very little work or responsibilities. I already knew it was destined to be a great summer.

You see, that summer was also when I met a guy who I’d never seen in the previous nine summers. I was sitting on the floor across the room when a tall, strong boy walked in with his scruffy goatee and baseball cap. I didn’t know his name or where he was from but I immediately thought to myself, “Boy is this guy cute.”

Little did I know at the time, I had just laid eyes on my future husband.

What began as a young crush transformed into a great friendship and occasional summer romance over the years.

And on March 13, 2011–nearly nine years later–he brought me to the park, got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. He was charming and full of smiles. The sun was shining. It was more than I could’ve ever imagined and the most perfect moment any girl could ask for.

I’m overcome with more joy, happiness and excitement than I’ve ever felt in my life. He is smart, witty, generous, loyal, honest, driven, genuine, handsome and nothing short of incredible. And he chose me.

I am now engaged to marry my best friend. And in the summer of 2012–10 years after we first met–I will wear a white dress, walk down the aisle and wed the man of my dreams.

Remember that whole I’m-going-on-vacation-and-swearing-off-technology-for-10-days idea? First of all, let me be the first to tell you… that is NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE to accomplish.

With the exception of a few phone calls home to the boyfriend, the occasional e-mail checking and updates to Facebook and Twitter less than a handful of times, I’d say I did fairly well overall. But boy was it difficult. There were many instances when I would head off in the morning for the day and leave my iPhone at the hotel. Traveling technology-less is much harder than I originally thought but as I imagined, being disconnected was incredibly liberating.

Not only did it allow me to appreciate my surroundings much more (heck, I was in Europe for goodness sake) but I was partaking in a much more stress-free lifestyle. It’s amazing how much technology influences nearly every aspect of my everyday life. (I’ll also admit here that throughout the trip, I kept thinking to myself, “Oh my gosh, why aren’t I checking in on Foursquare?!” I was in the middle of Europe experiencing Foursquare withdrawal–I know, it’s quite the problem.)

Now the trip has officially come to an end and I’m sifting through 200+ blog posts I need to catch up on in Google Reader, 400+ e-mails and missing Europe terribly. Why must vacations always go by so quickly?

On to the good stuff

You might ask, “Where did you go on this European vacay?” Well folks, my travels took me to London, Normandy and Paris. While I’ve been to both London and Paris a couple of times before, it was my first time visiting Normandy. Here’s a little breakdown of the trip:

London: Aug. 10-12
- Milestone Hotel
- Fish and chips
- Hair
- Buckingham Palace/Changing of the Guard
- Windsor Castle
- Billy Elliot
- Tower of London
- Local English pubs
- Harrod’s
- Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms

Normandy: Aug. 13-14
- Omaha Beach
- Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial
- Lots of fresh seafood
- Quaint little chateau in the middle of nowhere

Paris: Aug. 14-17
- Hôtel de Crillon
- Monet’s home in Giverny
- Musée de l’Orangeries des Tuileries
- Versailles
- Champagne
- Crêpes
- The Louvre
- Behind-the-scenes tour of the Eiffel Tower
- Dinner cruise on the Seine River

Pics, perhaps?

Siblings in London. Tower Bridge.

Stonehenge.

Pretty excited for the behind-the-scenes Eiffel Tower tour.

View of Paris from the Eiffel Tower.

It just felt nice to get away.

Sometimes you need to leave all the technology behind and breathe. And that’s exactly what I did on this trip. I had a chance to spend quality time with my family, see some terrific sights, eat delicious food and travel. While the schedule was pretty jam-packed with sight-seeing, simply being away from the hustle and bustle of home, my daily responsibilities, my job and my “real” life was much needed and very much worthwhile.

What now?

For the first time all year, I don’t have a trip scheduled in my planner (yes, I still use a planner). And to be honest, I’m not quite sure what to do with myself. With the exception of a couple weddings, birthday parties, weekends with the boyfriend and scheduled events, my planner is mostly clean of pink and purple highlighter. Truthfully, I’m kind of excited about it.

The thought of cuddling at home with Louipup, spending time with friends, getting back into Bikram yoga, catching up on some reading, getting ready for fall (where did the summer go?) and staying put for a little while sounds pretty nice. So for now, it’s back to the grind and back to business. Vacation was fun, but it always feels nice to be home.

- L

Congrats on getting through the week! It’s FRIDAY!

Honestly, I’m pretty surprised I made it to Friday without pulling all of my hair out. Check out what this week has included:

- Houston heatwave (slash thunderstorms).
- Work overload. <– understatement
- European vacation preparation.
- Reality TV deprivation.
- Enormous lack of sleep.
- Never-ending to-do lists.
- Zero time for workouts.
- Bills.

Sounds pretty unbearable, right?

I did, however, manage to sneak in some fun this week and meet this lovely lady for some tasty wine and snacks. And let me tell you, boy did I need a drink. We went here and truth be told, this place never disappoints. If you live in Houston, GO THERE. Oh, but avoid the ketchup at all costs–they make it in-house and even the waiter told us to steer clear of it. To put it gently, it’s nothing like Heinz. Otherwise, BIG thumbs up on the menu and wine. Delish.

Can you believe it’s almost AUGUST? How are we already in the eighth month of the year?

Hey 2010, SLOW DOWN.

And since I love, love, LOVE the summertime–and this weekend’s going to be 100+ degrees (no, I’m NOT kidding)–I plan on enjoying every last bit of summer outside (with occasional dips in the pool and trips for snow cones) while it lasts.

So what’s on this weekend’s agenda?

- Margaritas + fajitas.
- Loui + dog park.
- Loui + grooming.
- Sun + pool + friends.
- Haircut.
- Dinner and movie date with good gal pal.
- Friend’s engagement brunch.
- Shopping for European vacation.
- Finish current book: Eat, Pray, Love.
- Anything else my little heart desires.

Oh, and I’m seeing Dinner for Schmucks on my gal-pal date because it looks HILARIOUS.

What do you have planned for the weekend?

Whatever you do, I hope it’s FABULOUS. Cheers!

- L

I need to relax. I’m the type who literally doesn’t stop going until it’s time to go to sleep. Between the 8-5 job, freelancing, working out, seeing friends and family, attending networking events, running errands, traveling and volunteering, the weeks and months seem to fly by–and yet, I haven’t even had a chance to breathe. The thing is, I like being busy. Even on the weekends, I’m up and ready to go by 10 a.m. and really don’t know what to do unless I have a list or a plan in place for the day ahead. It’s no surprise that I’m not very good at going with the flow or just “winging it.”

The thing is, I’m stressed. Really stressed. I worry about everyone and everything ALL. THE. TIME. People always say “take a day for yourself”–but as funny as it may seem, I’m really just not very good at it.

And it gets worse.

Summertime is right around the corner… which means I need to be able to wear the oh-so-dreaded bathing suit. Don’t laugh, I’m serious. I absolutely love summertime. I love cooking (and eating) BBQ; going on trips with friends and family; wearing pretty sundresses; driving with the windows down and music blasting; getting my toenails painted bright, fun summer colors; drinking ice cold lemonade (spiked, preferably); going to the beach; and most of all–spending time by the pool, floating a river, lounging on a lake or swimming in the ocean. I spend nearly every weekend of the summer in a bathing suit. And let me tell you. None of this counts as relaxation to me because mostly all of these festivities are planned and facilitated by me.

So here’s my resolution for summer 2010. Not only do I need to get in bathing-suit-body mode, but I need to learn to relax. What’s the answer? You guessed it. YOGA.

Nearly a year ago, my friend Megan started going to hot yoga on a regular basis. She told me I should do it with her–I said I would but never did. Honestly, I was pretty terrified of the idea of wearing tiny clothes in a 105° room filled with complete strangers, heavy breathing and crazy positions that would most likely leave me looking like a fool after I collapse (probably breaking a few bones) from lack of coordination.

But that’s all about to end–I’m facing my fears. Starting this week, I’ll be going here. I’ll learn to hydrate like crazy, breathe and finally, RELAX. I’m really looking forward to this new experience. I’m officially committing myself to taking some “me” time every once in a while (the goal is at least three times a week).

Plus, that bathing suit better look good this summer. Real good.

- L