Fall in Love with Savannah

I have been missing in action for the past couple of weeks. Been traveling, sick with flu and there's just  much stuff going on at work. There is also the issue of my back. I have been suffering from chronic lower back pain. It turned out that I have bulging discs. Wearing my heels have been such a pain - literally. I am hoping the spine shot I received will help ease the pain and eventually ease the way back to my beloved heels. Oh how I miss them! It was also a knockout realization that I don't have a lot of cute flats other than a couple of my Tory's.  This is also the reason for my lack of outfit posts.

Anyway, we recently went to Savannah, GA. One of America's Best Cities for Hipsters (here) and voted America's most romantic city (here), Savannah lives up to its reputation. It is a favorite getaway spot for Mr. VJ and I with just a short 2 hour drive from Jacksonville.

With so much to see and so much to do, every visit is like the first time. The people are friendly, the food is divine and the city itself is full of history.

Enjoy a visual mini tour of Savannah, GA from our eyes. Enjoy!

Savannah International Trade and Convention Center

My family walking in front of the Hyatt at the river front

The quaint and unique shops and boutiques at Savannah

The Savannah International Convention Center on the left and the Westin on the right

Our family stayed at the Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa (here) which is across from the river and next to the international convention center. The resort's location is very convenient for 2 reasons: Since it is across the river, you do not have to drive through the city itself where traffic is heavy and parking is difficult. The hotel charges a resort fee which includes daily parking. There is also a complementary ferry that goes to the other side of the river every 15 minutes.

The hotel lobby...

Our kids relaxing at the lobby while waiting for us to see the city...

A gorgeous view of Savannah across the river from our hotel ...

Oma and Mik - I heart!

The ferry was a good ride to and from our hotel to the river shops and restaurants...

The River Street Market Place

The waving girl statue

Spanky's - another River Street go to

cute shop name

This is one of our favorite shops... who can resist their yummy fudge, pralines and salt water taffys? I know I can't!

fresh made chocolate fudge

Savannah's squares beckons you to sit on one of the benches and read a book...

While we were strolling around the City Market (here), I couldn't resist having a picture of this handsome labradoodle taken.

Louis Vuitton, Cole Haan boots, BCBG MaxAzria coat, 

James Jeans, Banana Republic sweater

Savannah is also home to one of the best Art and Design school in the country - SCAD. They had the Little Black Dress Exhibit that weekend and I was kicking myself for missing it.

 
And while you are there, you should definitely try the following places to eat:

Fiddler's Sea Food on River Street (here): The view is gorgeous and their seafood superb. be sure to come hungry because they have big servings.

Cafe at City Market (here). - Another favorite dining place for us is.  The service is great and the food is good. Try their Shrimp and Grits and cheesecake.

Vinnie Van Go Go's Pizza (here) - best pizza in downtown Savannah. The place is small and not fancy at all but their Neopolitan style pizzas are delicious!

Leopold's Ice Cream -  Who does not love Leopold's! Here's a trivia: The song Tutti Fruitti was inspired by this ice-cream parlor.

Just look at some of their delicious flavors!

Mr. VJ just being goofy, but behind him, notice the walls lined with movie posters.

There's always a line but it is worth the wait

Juicy Couture jacket

Mr. VJ, kids and Oma enjoying their treats

Skip:
Paula Deen's Lady & Sons (here) we were not impressed the first time we ate there (greasy food, bad service) and we were still not impressed the second time tried to go. The reservation desk attendant was rude and was on her phone texting the entire time. We were hoping the service would be better in the winter when it is not as busy but it was not.

St. Paddy's Day is coming up and Savannah is second to NYC when it comes to having the grandest, biggest celebration. If you haven't made plans yet, be sure to consider Savannah, GA. For more info click here or here.

Rain or Shine

We recently had our family pictures taken and we had so much fun during the shoot. The weather was perfect and the location was unexpected. Kate of Kate Nicole Photos suggested this area tucked behind a shopping center. Hubby and I were hesitant at first but we trusted her instincts. Loved how everything came out. It was so hard to choose which one to use for our Christmas card. 

bracelet, necklace and sweater: BCBG MaxAzria (here)

jeans: James Jeans - Twiggy (here)

boots: Cole Haan (Nordstrom exclusive - here)

It was raining so bad the actual day of our shoot. We decided to move it the next day. It is true that after the rain comes the sun.  And what a beautiful day it turned out for pictures.

Our kids had so much fun. Kate pretty much just asked them to do their own thing and she captured every single emotion we had. 

We just thought wearing our sunnies would be cute and fun, no?

Can you guess what these cylindrical things that we're in are?

This one of my hubby and step son is my absolute favorite of the two of them. I heart.

shirt and blazer: H&M kids (here)

jeans: Gap Kids (here)

shoes: Polo Ralph Lauren (here)

I think I have a successor to my blog, don't you think so?

cord jacket: Gap Kids (similar here or here)

sweater: Mossimo (similar here)

skirt: Forever 21 (similar here and here)

boots: Nina from Dillards (here)

I know. I am married to a gorgeous man.

shirt: Ralph Lauren

jacket: Dillards

jeans: 7 for All Mankind

shoes: Cole Haan

 

I ordered our Christmas cards as soon as we got our pictures.
Have you sent out your Christmas cards?

xoxo,
Tey


*All pictures are by Kate Barnette of Kate Nicole Photography. Please do not use without prior consent from me and the photographer.

Joyeuses Noces de Coton

I am probably one of the luckiest people out there who actually met and married their soul mates.
Forever grateful and feeling blessed.

dress: Vera Wang

shoes: Jimmy Choo (get it here; I wore the champagne color)

 tux: Calvin Klein

shoes: Cole Haan

all photos by Gwendolyn Tundermann Photography

(sharing my favorite poem that my sister-in-law Lisa read during our wedding ceremony)

i carry your heart with me
by ee cummings

i carry your heart with me
(i carry it in my heart)
i am never without it
(anywhere i go you go, my dear;
and whatever is done by only me
is your doing, my darling)

i fear no fate
(for you are my fate, my sweet)
i want no world
(for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root
and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky
of a tree called life;
which grows higher than the soul can hope
or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder
that’s keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart

(i carry it in my heart)
.
.
.


Joyeuses Noces de Coton my hubby!

xoxo,
Tey

Look: Mustard Yellow

Another fall color  that I  love is mustard yellow.  This color is so versatile you can pair it with almost every color.  You can pair it with black, navy blue, grey, cognac, earth tones such as browns and taupe or even go neutral.

sweater dress: H&M (here)
leggings: Express (here)
boots: Cole Haan (Nordstrom exclusive here)
bag: Louis Vuitton - Verona PM (here)
bracelets: Express (old; similar here)
and Pandora (here)
necklace: BCBG (old)

I love these Cole Haan pair of boots. They are so cute, the leather is so soft and they are so comfortable I have gone shopping in them. Cole Haan boasts of using Nike technology in their boots. It works. 

What do you think about mustard yellow? Do you have a favorite pair of boots? 

Happy Thursday lovelies!

xoxo,

Tey

Link up on Momtrends blog for today's Monday Mingle here.

And at CasualChicMom for Favorite Frock Fridays.

Look: Punch of Red

Work outfits can be boring. Depending on what industry you work in, you can be limited to wearing suits and whatever restrictions your HR dictates. There are a few ways to add some color and style to your daily wardrobe. I will admit, I have a ton of black, white and grey in my closet. But I also have quite a few accessories that I accumulated over the years.

Using a red belt and a pair of red open toe pumps makes this otherwise dull outfit a little more fun. Don't you think?

top: Banana Republic
pants: Ann Taylor (get it here)
belt: Cole Haan (get it here)
shoes: Antonio Melani (similar here)
bag: Louis Vuitton - Retiro PM (get it here)
bracelet: Anna and Ava from Dillards

In what ways do you try to express your style without violating your office dress code?

xoxo,
Tey

Shopping: Fall Wardrobe

I hope you all had a great weekend as we did. I am starting mine with a picture from my recent visit to one of my happy places...

 

Louis Vuitton at the St John's

I can almost smell fall in the air and did I mention this is my favorite time of the year? I just love cool crisp air, the colors and the reminder that my favorite holidays are coming.

Last week I was looking at my closet and realized I needed to do a little bit of updating to my fall wardrobe. I don't need a lot but I do have a few items I wanted. So, while my stepdaughter and I were shopping for some decorations for her room, I managed to grab a couple of items:

The Ramona Henley top from Anthropologie which will look really cute with a skinny colored jeans and boots:

from Anthropologie

Our next stop was Fossil. Although I don't care much for their other stuff, I did like some of the cute clothes they have. I found a top in wine color from Fossil but I cannot find a picture of the top online.
I also have my eyes set on this tunic dress also from Fossil but didn't have the chance to try it on since we were in a hurry. This would look really cute with a pair of tan boots.

Ginger Dress from Fossil

I also did a little online shopping and managed to snag a good deal for a pair of the Cole Haan "Poppy" boots from Nordstrom.

Cole Haan Poppy Boot from Nordstrom

Are you ready for fall?

Happy Monday!

xoxo,
Tey