My in-laws live in Washington, and we have friends scattered around both Washington and Oregon, so I have been lucky enough to visit this region often, at least once a year.

There is something about this region of the world that is just…kind of special. It feels like home to me–or one of my homes, because as I’ve discussed before, home can become a rather fluid concept.

But really, I feel at home in the Pacific Northwest. I love being so close to the mighty Pacific itself–and I love all the green everywhere (I suppose my obsession with places like Scotland and Ireland gives you a hint about my love affair with green landscapes). I love the trees, and I even love the perpetually cloudy skies. I like the weather because most of the year, you just want to get cozy. The air almost always feels SO FRESH AND SO CLEAN. I like the ability to get privacy in your yard just because there are trees everywhere. I like that you can live on Puget Sound and sometimes even forget it’s saltwater.

It’s true that it is often cloudy–but when the sun is shining, it’s the most beautiful place in the world.

We are now back in Montana–but I can see myself, one day, maybe even moving to the Pacific Northwest. It’s just that wonderful.

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For my 30th birthday last August (and for our “babymoon”), my husband and I spent a few days in Charleston and on the nearby Isle of Palms. We chose Charleston mostly because of cheap flights, and because we’d heard the food was good, but truthfully I went into this trip already disappointed (which sounds like the brattiest thing ever). I was six months pregnant and we had just moved back from Europe, and I was kind of hating the United States at this point.

Yes, yes, I know this is the epitome of first world problems, don’t worry! But mostly I’m telling you this because I wasn’t that excited for Charleston and oh my gosh, did I love it. Even in the August heat and humidity (although I think a different type of year might be a little better, ha).

Charleston is completely charming, full of great history, close to beautiful beaches, and full of the BEST. FOOD. I was looking forward to the food and it was so much better than I expected. I would seriously consider moving there, just for the food!

I’m no foodie, but these, in my humble opinion, are some of the best places to eat in Charleston:

Poogan’s Porch for brunch.

Magnolias for lunch. Get the fried chicken!!! And the pecan pie.

Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit. We had to try more than one, of course!

Husk. (the bar). We tried to get a reservation into the famous Husk and sadly could not–but we got an insider tip to just go next door to the bar area, which has open seating and a smaller menu. Amazing!

82 Queen (dinner). Crab cakes!

Pawpaw…for beignets!

Okay, okay, enough about the food!!  We did do more than eat there, I promise–but not much.

We started out with a few days at on the Isle of Palms, not too far from Charleston (we used Uber to get around). The resort is huge and has a lot to do–but mostly we just hung out on the beach, slept, had breakfast in bed, and listened to their live music. Also I got a massage…I mean, that’s essential for your 30th, right?

After a few days of straight relaxing, we went to Charleston for the rest of our stay. We spent a few nights at the great little Elliott House Inn–really cute and great breakfast, and a good location!–and then moved to a bigger hotel closer to the airport for our last night.

In Charleston, we mostly did…just eat, ha…but we also toured the Nathaniel Russell House, walked to Waterfront Park, and visited the Instagram-famous Rainbow Row.

The majority of the time, we wandered the streets, with a lot of breaks because OMG THE HEAT (have I mentioned that going to Charleston in August, while pregnant, was probably not my best idea…?), and soaked in the history. There is so much!

Also if I win the lottery I am buying a house in Charleston. Who’s with me??

My visit Charleston marked my first foray into the American South…and it was quite an introduction! Honestly I’m not sure how the rest of it will measure up…maybe I should have saved Charleston for last ;).

The post Charming Charleston appeared first on Amy and the Great World.

Here’s more of life lately!

// An old friend and her sister threw me a wonderful baby shower! Since we’ve been living all over the place, and are living in Montana temporarily, I did not expect a baby shower at all. It was so amazing–and our little babe got totally spoiled.

We all decorated onesies and people got quite creative…

and I put on normal clothes and took off my glasses for the occasion (although I couldn’t mask the fact that I’m puffing like a marshmallow, am about the size of the moon, and always look tired nowadays).

// I’ve been hanging out with my parents’ dogs, as usual! Their little faces always cheer me up.

// I celebrated Halloween–my first in the United States for a long time!–by wearing a shirt with a pumpkin, passing out candy to cute littles, and carving a pumpkin!

// The day after Halloween, winter officially arrived with about a foot of snow! Since we didn’t get much snow these past few years in Europe, E and I are loving this weather. Although it does make driving more interesting.

// We’ve been slowly getting ready for the baby. I feel like we’ll never truly be ready, which is stressful, but part of that is because we have no idea what we’re doing. And, can you ever really be ready for such a huge life change?

Although I am thoroughly sick of being pregnant, I’m also pretty nervous about the next part. E and I are trying to soak up all the just-the-two-of-us time we can! Can any other pregnant ladies or moms out there relate to the sadness I feel saying goodbye to this just-the-two-of-us life?? Not to say I’m totally unhappy–the baby is on track and looking good still, and that makes me over the moon!

// I joined Amanda for the Bake Off Bake Along with choux buns (cream puffs in American-ese).

I made these Caramel Apple Cream Puffs (it was Halloween when I made them, so they needed to be somewhat on theme and appropriately autumnal!), and they were very delicious.

However, as it was my first foray into choux buns, I was mostly proud of the buns themselves! You just never know how these things will turn out in high altitude.

But they puffed so beautifully.

The recipe calls for this caramel sauce, and at first I was hesitant. They already were plenty sweet with just the apples and the cream filling, and I was worried the caramel sauce would make them sickly.

However, it was Halloween, and in the United States, that means sugar and decadence so eventually I ended up covering them in the caramel. It didn’t make them sickly–just more delicious, as salted caramel sauce is wont to do–but it did make them a bit harder to eat.

But that didn’t stop us from eating them up!

What’s life look like for you lately? Did you celebrate Halloween where you are? 

The post Life Lately + Bake Off Bake Along Week 9 appeared first on Amy and the Great World.

This color, and this trail right by my new place, makes the transition from living abroad–and the transition to becoming a parent–a little bit easier.

One of my favorite things about autumn, too, is baking, of course! Some good recipes I’ve made lately–this spiced pumpkin bread and this carrot bread.

I was also able to participate this week with Amanda for the Bake Off Bake Along…and this week was Italian week!

The first challenge was cannoli, which I’ve always wanted to make–but not enough to buy the tools (such as a deep fryer). So, I decided to make…

pizza!

A classic Margherita pizza–with a twist. A whole wheat crust, that is. (So not so much of a twist).

I haven’t made pizza in years, and when I did, it never turned out so wonderfully.

But this pizza was pretty good!

I may have overdone the mozzarella just a bit (ya think?).

But it’s hard to complain about extra cheese. There are much worse things.

The post Montana Snapshots + Bake Off Bake Along Week 7 appeared first on Amy and the Great World.

E comes first–in early July. For his birthday, we took an amazing road trip around Scotland. (I wrote about our itinerary here!) We celebrated E’s birthday on the Isle of Mull, trying whisky and finding as much haggis as he could stuff himself with and wandering around the beautiful island. We ended the day with the best fish of my life, back in Oban, where we were staying.

I followed E to our 30s, in mid-August. This time, we didn’t get to fulfill any bucket-list trips, yet we have been traveling non-stop, it seems, since we arrived back in America. Although we did have airline vouchers that happened to expire on my birthday, the fact that I was about 7 months pregnant made the idea of being on a plane longer than 2 hours (and even that is a stretch, let me tell you) quite horrible. So we used our vouchers to visit the cheapest destination we hadn’t been: Charleston, South Carolina.

Besides Texas and the odd layover, I have never been to the South of the United States. In fact, I have never really been to the East Coast in general.

Turns out, I loved Charleston, despite the fairly unbearable heat and humidity. It is so, so picturesque, with adorable buildings and brightly colored walls and stately trees. We also got time on the beach, with sugar sand and near-bathwater temperatures. And THE FOOD. I think the South might have some of the best food in this country. Especially for a pregnant girl who really only wants all the comfort food (and fruit).

I admit, I struggled with turning thirty. Especially as my life looks absolutely nothing like I thought it would (and really, do I want it to? Should it? Does anyone’s?). However, it seemed harsh to have a big birthday like this when I was jobless, homeless, insurance-less (thanks for that one, America), oh, and did I mention pregnant? When you add turning 30, I think that’s a lot to handle for anyone.

Now that it’s been a month since I turned thirty, I am no longer homeless or jobless–and now that I actually am thirty, I feel…strangely relieved. Like, happy that the birthday is over and I can focus on other things. Weird, I know.

One of the things I’m focusing on is, as cliche as it sounds, the things that bring me joy. And one of these things is most definitely baking!

It’s now week 3 for the Bake Off Bake Along with Amanda.

And week 3 is…bread week! Always one of my favorites. (I mean, look at this gorgeous loaf I made last year!)

Sadly, I really wasn’t too inspired by bread week this year. Tea cakes, a cottage loaf, or a bread sculpture colored with natural ingredients? None of that immediately caught my fancy.

I have no idea what a tea cake is, blame America for that one, although I had never heard of a cottage loaf either. Since none of the bread sculptures seemed to taste all that delicious–and since I’m not actually on the bake-off, I probably care more about flavor than anything else–I decided to go for the cottage loaf. I love making bread from scratch like that! If you haven’t tried kneading the old-fashioned way, you really should. I swear its therapeutic!

I used this recipe, which seems to be a slightly Americanized version of a cottage loaf–and since my current measurement tools are cups, tablespoons and all that jazz, it worked for me!

My only issue with this bread was that it was slightly too dense–and I’m still enough of a bread novice to be unclear why. I suspect it was that I needed to knead it longer–or that I didn’t bake it long enough. Or it could just be the high altitude here in Montana which is always an easy culprit to blame ;).

Again rustic, but rather pretty, no?

The post The Summer of 30 + Bake Off Bake Along Week 3 appeared first on Amy and the Great World.

We got engaged in March, and since we had been together so long already and planned to keep living overseas, but wanted to celebrate with our families (and a variety of other factors that I won’t bore you with) we decided to have a short engagement. The best option for our short notice and the best location for us ended up being in his parents’ backyard in the town of Olympia, Washington, near Seattle, USA. Their “backyard” is gorgeous and borders on a forest!

It was stressful to have such a short engagement–and to be abroad and unable to plan for a large portion of it–but our wedding ended up nearly perfect and it was one of the best days of my life!

Sometimes I wish we’d had a longer engagement–it’s a special time of your life that only happens once, after all–but now that we’ve been married for six months, I’m so happy to be married and could not have imagined a better wedding day if we had waited (except maybe I would have gotten more sleep in the weeks before…or maybe not because I tend to procrastinate anyway!).

Since it was a backyard wedding, that meant that everything had to be brought in, made, ordered, or borrowed. My extremely talented aunt did our flowers–some of them in pumpkins, that is the dream!–and that helped everything tie together. My childhood friend just happened to be starting her wedding photography business so we snapped her up right away. Two more friends sang us down the aisle (we have a lot of talented friends). A good friend of ours was the DJ. Eric’s cousin married us, his mother (Eric’s aunt) and my mother made the soup, a group of my family helped with the food…it really “took a village” as they say and I’m so grateful for everyone who made our day!

Here are some of the details:

^^In lieu of a guest book, we had everyone sign this globe. It turned out even better than I hoped and I will always treasure it!

^^We had everyone help us make a “bucket list,” too :).

^^The cake had to incorporate travel, too, of course!

^^The flowers in the pumpkins! Also, we made these lanterns out of mason jars, candles, and…you won’t believe it…all-natural cat litter made from walnut shells!

^^E and my sister’s fiancé put up the arbor, and my aunt decorated it.

^^The pumpkin aisle!

^^Taking pictures with our bridal party was one of the highlights–I, at least, had a great time! We also took a shot of Becherovka, a Czech liquor, with the whole party after we were married and had walked back down the aisle. We had to bring a little bit of Prague into our wedding!

^^We had two kegs that E’s dad brought out on a tractor. It was a hit and one of the kegs was Pilsner Urquell, of course!

^^E’s sister and I did chalkboard labels for everything, including the program (no paper for us).

^^I was so nervous before the wedding that I ended up doing other makeup as well as my own.

^^One of my favorite details–E’s dad helped me make these signs to show all of the important places to us, and how far they were from our wedding site. We also used to help guests navigate the venue.

^^E’s dad (a talented carpenter and craftsman, by the way) had these extra wine barrels that we borrowed.

^^A friend of the family happened to have a bunch of lights leftover from his wedding, so we paid him to borrow them and help us set them up. We also found hot-air balloon lights that we hung over the wedding party table.

^^Family photos! We collected photos of us and our lives, as well as photos from our parents’ and grandparents’ weddings. We hung them up with twine and clothespins–easy!

^^We gave out mason jars with the guests’ names for drinks and as favors.

^^We had a grilled cheese bar!!! E’s sister designed our menu and a group of his parents’ friends helped us set up a station and make them. They were delicious! Luckily we also were the taste-testers for the menu…best job ever.

^^Handmade road signs to help our guests find their way.

^^We had a photo booth, too. We set up a Polaroid camera, lent to us by our photographer, and a background, and yet another amazing friend made props. It was a fun addition!

Despite all of the DIY–which I am not a fan of–I loved our wedding and our day and most of all, I’m so happy that many of our favorite people were there to help us celebrate!

All photos by my talented friend, Hannah Traver Photography! 

The post October 3, 2015 appeared first on Amy and the Great World.

-Our wedding is in one month from TOMORROW. Cue dramatics!! For all of you, I don’t recommend this being-abroad-then-planning-everything-in-six weeks approach. However, it does mean that instead of waiting a year or longer to marry E, I get to do it in four weeks! So it has some pros.

-I can’t help but find it a little amusing that I’m ending up with a largely DIY wedding when every DIY project I’ve ever endeavored has turned into a disaster.

-Another thing I don’t recommend? Wedding dress shopping the day after an international flight. If there’s anything that will throw you into reverse culture shock, it’s wedding dress shopping (and rush hour traffic). There may have been some tears in the dressing room, but I ended up picking a gown that was the most fun. Since that is the ultimate goal for our wedding day, I figured why not have fun in my dress, too? And by fun, yes, I mean fun in the it’s-poufy kind of way. I can’t really remember it all that well at this point even though I picked out it two weeks ago…so hopefully when I try it on again I’ll still be happy with my decision.

-I admit that I’m having a lot of guilt when it comes to wedding planning. Or, really having a wedding at all. It’s a unique reason for most of our loved ones to come to one place, which is great since we’ve been living abroad (and will continue to be doing so). But, I have to admit that sometimes weddings feel so commercial and consumer-based. Everything is so expensive, from the food to the dress to the chairs. It also feels…socially irresponsible! Can any other brides relate to this?!

-It’s really nice to be back home, but now I am so homesick for Prague and Europe in general. America is just…gigantic! After arriving in Seattle, three days later I drove back with my parents and sister (who had come to meet us!!) to Montana. It was a full twelve-hour drive, and that’s barely a third of this whole country! Yet another thing I don’t recommend…a long-haul flight followed almost immediately by a long-haul drive.

-Reunited with my favorite pups and it feels so good.

-Not only is America the country gigantic, everything else here seems to be giant, too. The houses! The stores! The cars! The cups of coffee (there is nothing as wonderful and American as the bottomless cup of coffee.)! The serving sizes! The freeways! Dare I say…some of the people?! And I’m not even talking about the obesity epidemic…everyone here seems so tall!

-E and I officially booked our honeymoon!!! We are going to spend…wait for iiiiit…SIX WEEKS IN CENTRAL AMERICA! I am beyond excited, as I’ve never been to any of the countries and neither has E. We were looking for an adventure honeymoon close to home (read: cheap, cheap flights) since we will be back for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and we found an amazing deal from Seattle to San Jose. We are flying in and out of Costa Rica but otherwise we haven’t made any plans. So, for those of you who’ve been, I would love all of your tips for the area, especially Costa Rica, Panama and Nicaragua!

source

-Now it’s your turn! Tell me what’s up with you in the comments!

The post Catching Up (+ Honeymoon News!) appeared first on Amy and the Great World.

My name is Nathalie and I blog over at Snowflakes in California about my life in the US. It’s been almost two years since I moved from Belgium to San Diego and since Amy was kind enough to let me take over her blog for today I thought I’d show you a (tiny) bit of my adopted city. Ready?

To be honest, I had never heard of this city before I met my husband who grew up here. Everyone around the world knows Los Angeles, but San Diego seems a bit underrated next to its big sister. And for no good reason, because it has the same mild climate, (even better) beaches & waves, some of the best craft beer in the United States (although I’m not particularly fond of it) and LESS traffic. Very important.

THE CITY CENTER

Downtown vs. Old Town

So let me start with the beginning: San Diego is the first place on the West Coast where the Spanish built a settlement many centuries ago and is therefore sometimes referred to as the ‘birth place of California’. Since then it has become the second largest city in the state and the eighth largest (!!) in the country – according to dear Wiki. And even though it all started in the historic center appropriately called Old Town, you’ll find the pretty skyline Downtown.

The Convention Center

If you are short on time and want to get a first feel of the city, Downtown is definitely the place to start. The Gaslamp Quarter provides the perfect surroundings for happy hour drinks or a night out. There’s the convention center to admire – world-famous for hosting Comic-Con – and Petco Park right around the corner if you want to catch a baseball game. And don’t forget the harbor, where you’ll find the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier, now a museum.   

BALBOA PARK

The next stop for every tourist has to be Balboa Park. With 1,200 acres it is the largest urban cultural park in the US and home to 15 major museums. There’s a replica of The Old Globe for anyone who’s into theater and can’t make it to London, you can spend a day at the famous San Diego zoo or you can just wander around and enjoy the scenery and beautiful architecture. Also, as you can see from these pictures it can be pretty cloudy in San Diego. So don’t let anyone fool you, it might never rain in Southern California but that doesn’t mean it’s always sunny!

ACROSS THE BAY

The Coronado Bridge

Hotel Del 

One of my favourite things to do when I find myself Downtown is cross the Coronado Bridge and drive into the city of Coronado. Coronado beach was ranked the number 1 beach in the country only a couple of years ago (according to this list) and you can’t miss the incredible Hotel Del Coronado while you’re there. It’s the second largest wooden structure in the country and a National Historic Landmark. Like any old building in the US – this one opened in 1888 – it’s supposedly haunted, but I wouldn’t know since it’s a bit out of my price range. Nevertheless, I love the architecture and the lobby will simply take your breath away. It always makes me feel as if I stepped onto the Titanic…

THE WAVES 

Mission Beach

La Jolla Shores, Children’s Pool with seals, Torrey Pines State Beach

There is so much to say about San Diego and so little time, but one thing is for sure: there’s plenty of coastline to explore. Whether it’s a good surf spot you’re looking for or you just want to soak up some sun, don’t leave without sticking your toes in the cool waters of the Pacific Ocean. From Torrey Pines or Del Mar in the North of San Diego to the more touristic destinations of La Jolla Shores or Mission beach, there’s something for everyone. Even though I did not grow up near the beach, I don’t think I would want to miss it anymore.

La Jolla Shores/ The Pier

And if you’re lucky you get to see some rain!

San Diego is a fun and laid back city where you can pretty much wear whatever you want wherever you want. I’ve had some of the best food in my life here and my favourite is still the obligatory California breakfast burrito or the fish tacos. You pick. Beer enthusiasts can tour the many breweries and wine lovers definitely have to take a trip to Temecula. Bored of the beach? Then there are plenty of beautiful hikes to do. My only advice would be to remember it cools off quickly at night and it can be pretty cloudy near the coast – especially at this time of year – so don’t be me and bring some extra sweaters on that first visit!

Have you ever been to San Diego? 

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Whew.

1. It’s been a whirlwind last few weeks. My emotions are all over the place, and we have kind of been all over the place. Like Seattle and Olympia, Washington:

2. And Oregon:

3. And even California!

4. No matter how many times I go abroad, I never seem to get more efficient at packing. Or timely! We leave alarmingly soon and I still have clothes scattered all over the place. It also never seems to get easier to decide what to pack. It is for a year, but I also have to remind myself that we will be able to find, most likely, whatever we need in Prague. But what can I say…I’ve never been there before and I like to be prepared. Like, any-illness-any-weather-any-occasion-any-mood kind of prepared. Which is not conducive to the small amount of luggage we are bringing!

5. It’s just hitting me that I’ve said goodbye to all of my stateside family and friends for the foreseeable future (well, at least six months until a possible visitor!) and my emotions are going out of the control. I think I’m really, really fun to be around right now! Hopefully my blog will also be more fun to read in a week or so, too ;).

Linking up with Lauren!

Catch ya from PRAGUE!

The post The Next Time I Blog… appeared first on Amy and the Great World.