Remembering Vacations in Our Decorations

Chris and I have gotten the chance to go some really cool places. We also happen to collect trinkets from the places we visit. I am always looking for cool - yet classy ways to display these items around the home. I was extremely excited to do this with a set of three display boxes I got at Kirkland's for only 15 dollars:

They are hanging up in the foyer on the wall that you see immediately upon entering. I picked that spot because it such an empty wall and it is unlikely that we will put any furniture in there any time soon. Makes the place feel lived in as soon as you walk in, which is nice in my opinion. Now for some close ups:

In the largest of the three boxes, we put a painting and some figurines that we got while in Jamaica. This is my favorite of the three boxes because it adds a lot of color to the corner. Now for the two smaller boxes:

These two are lacking in color and that is something that I am hoping to change. The top box has a photo from a waterfall climb in Jamaica and a glass ornament that we got eating at a fancy restaurant at Columbus Circle (Chris won the meal for free and it was amazing). The smallest box contains a shell and a glass bottle that we found while snorkeling in Bermuda. I tried to balance each box with one tall item and one short item so they looked unified. The other thing that I really like about these boxes is that if I get bored with the items in the boxes, I can always switch them. 

Trip to the Dominican Republic

Chris and I just got back from the last 'Hurrah' of the summer: our trip to the Dominican Republic. We stayed at a beach front all inclusive and could see a slice of the Atlantic Ocean from our balcony:

The room was nice and has some cute touches. For example, the cleaning personnel would make towel sculptures. One day we got a swan swimming in the sink:

We spent some time at the beach, but the highlight of the trip was our day of SCUBA diving on the other side of the island. Here is shot of me getting ready on the boat - only mildly amused that Chris broke out the camera:

One of the highlights of the trip is that on our way out to the first dive site, there were dolphins that were racing with the boat:

The dives were good. We saw some rays, lionfish, and a huge crab. Sadly, our underwater camera isn't rated to the depths that we were traveling to - so, no pictures from the bottom of the ocean. *sad face* Even without pictures, it was memoriable and diving remains one of, if not one of my favorite things to do on vacation. Our last dive of the trip was in a national park, which also offered the most scenic views from the boat:

These pictures don't do the colors justice at all. It was so gorgeous. After three 50 minute dives, it was great to enjoy the views and the cool breeze:

We had a great trip and it was the perfect end to my last free days before starting school. 

Trip to Montauk

So today marks the end of my summer. It is the first day of orientation. I wanted to take the first part of this week to recap some of the things that Chris, Lucy, and I have taken part in over the summer. Today will be all about the weekend trip Chris and I took to Montauk for his cousin's wedding. 

Montauk is at the eastern most end of New York's Long Island. The traffic getting out there was awful, but otherwise we had a really good time. The weather for the wedding couldn't have been better and we had some time to explore. We saw the Montauk Lighthouse:

And we climbed to the top where we could see the light:

The spiral staircase to reach the top was a bit intense, but the view from the top was a sight. We could even see into Connecticut/Rhode Island and Block Island:

 We also enjoyed some of the local establishments. Chris picked out a restaurant called the Sloppy Tuna simply because it had a mixed drink called the "Clum Bucket" - yea, like the fish slop they feed to attract sharks:

We also found sometime to enjoy the beach (yay, squinty picture):

Overall, we had a great time. It was nice, but Chris and I both agreed if not for his cousin's wedding, the drive out there wasn't worth it.