3 Smiles

Necessary quality time spent with my brother on a boat in Bellingham Bay

Eating breakfast with my husband and still swooning over his new left hand accessory :)

Just a week after graduation, this guy landed an incredible job... and we're moving to San Francisco!

Happy Friday!

Croatia

Croatia is still, after all of our travels, one of my favorite countries. It’s one spot I would absolutely do a repeat trip to because although in our 12 days we ventured down the entire coast, it was not nearly enough time.

Croatia was always in our itinerary, but we had no set plan of how we were going to maneuver the country. Unfortunately, we began our first few days in Zagreb coming off of miserable food poisoning we got in Budapest. After a few days spent in bed at our friend Dorian’s house, we drove to Rijeka to stay at his parent’s home. We arrived at night and had a delicious local meal of Ćevapčići (a Croatian sausage) and rice at his dad’s restaurant. We woke up in the morning to the most breathtaking view outside of our room. We spent the next few days exploring the town and visiting our friend’s favorite spots.

Over the next week, we took buses down the coast and literally got off in little coastal towns that looked appealing or that we had gotten recommendations for. We stopped in Baška, Lopar, Rab, and Zadar. We ended the trip in the southern most city, Dubrovnik. My brother also flew in for a few days to end our time in Croatia with us.

I loved getting off the bus at a terminal or on the side of the road and then having to figure out where we were going to stay the night. Sometimes we had to walk 3 or 4 miles with our 30 pound backpacks in tow before we found an information center or a local who could guide us in the right direction. We had to sleep on a bench in Baška because we couldn’t find an affordable place to sleep for the night.

Once we found a place to sleep in a new town, we would drop our backpacks and venture out for the rest of the day, finding unbelievable hidden restaurants and spots to stop for cold beers or gelato.

We spent an entire day at Plitvice, a national park located in Plitvička. We hiked through acres of turquoise water and waterfalls and enjoyed a wonderful Croatian barbeque on the water.

One of my favorite days was one of our last days spent in Dubrovnik. Felix, Christopher and I tried to find a beach we had heard was pretty popular and we got super lost and ended up in a completely different area. We followed a private access path through some trees and brush and it popped us out on small cliffs overlooking the water. We hiked down the rocks and ended up in our own private cove ‘beach.’ The beaches in Croatia aren’t sandy, but made of small pebbles. The Mediterranean water is SO clear and clean and incredibly refreshing. We stayed at that spot all afternoon before exploring the narrow cobblestone alleyways and enjoying a late lunch of mussels and beer.

Croatia was so beautiful and full of history and delicious food. It truly was my favorite leg of our European travel. It was incredibly easy to get around and as long as you like flexible travel, I would absolutely recommend making a trip there. 

Baby Brother

Dear baby brother,

Today is the day that you are graduating from college. To say I am proud would be an absolute understatement. Not only are we all shocked that you have kicked college's ass in only 4 years, you have done it with such conviction, grace, and genuineness. You've always been one to fly under the radar and under promise to everyone around you. But you have so far succeeded beyond my biggest expectations. You have turned into a man. A man who treats his family with respect and love, a man who looks at his girlfriend with such sweetness it makes me want to cry, a man who is well travelled, well-educated, and so very smart. I'm not sure you will every be able to remember my birthday, and your grammar is embarrassing, but I love both those things about you. I hope you never stop surprising me. I want to wish you unbelievable luck in all future endeavors, but I also know that you don't need luck. You never have. You will figure it out, just like I did (and still am!) You keep saying 'I feel so old!'... let me tell you baby brother, you are not old. You are so incredibly young. Cherish these next few years. I would argue they are some of the best in your life. I love you more than you'll ever know. Please continue to inspire and awe me. I know you're going to make yourself a damn good story, and I can't wait to be next to you throughout the whole thing. I love you boo.

Your sister

Around here

There's been some major excitement around here lately. It's been an absolute whirlwind and an unforgettable few weeks. 

Felix and I got engaged on May 14th. He designed the most amazing ring and I couldn't have dreamed up a better proposal.

A day spent in the park writing our vows

We decided to elope in an intimate ceremony on May 18th and I officially became Mrs. Bernhoerster!

We headed off on a mini-moon for the weekend. We spent 3 incredible days at the St. Julien Hotel and Spa in Boulder, CO. We were wined, dined, and pampered our entire stay. It was the most amazing beginning to our marriage.

We began the fun but stressful task of choosing a venue for our 1-year vow renewal ceremony where we will celebrate with all of our friends and family in a more 'traditional' celebration. 

Today is the start of a VERY exciting weekend. My husband (yikes! not sure when that will start to sound normal) graduates with his MBA today, and we leave early tomorrow morning to watch my baby brother graduate college. It will be an exciting week of celebration. Fingers are permanently crossed over here as well - Felix has a couple of HUGE interviews coming up in the next few days.

Other than that though.. things have been pretty usual around these parts :)

Happy, happy June!