souvenirs

things you can find at the st. john spice co. in cruz bay:

spices galore!

mocha mint coffee, raspberry vanilla tea, habanero dipping oil...

trindad charlie's, miss anna's and a multitude of other island hot sauces...

hand crafted bowls and other artisan gifts...

OH AND THIS:

pack of playing cards - keepin' it classy ;)

unexpected day off

and aren't those just the best kind?! and it is because Oasis, ie. the Ass of the Seas is not coming into port today so we don't have two full trips of the stupidest tourists to float around the Caribbean!

none of this shit today, thank god!

to do today:

• straighten this hot mess we call a bedroom in anticipation of visitors tomorrow (yes, more! yay!)
• get more water since the cistern still tastes a little *off* - may be the coki frogs and cucarachas? mmm!
  
• surf teh internets for tickets to jamaica under $600RT per freakin' person, for christ's sake!
• share this gorgeous short film by ben briand, found on gypsy*diaries and watched in the quiet of midnight last night. enjoy!!

sharing is caring

just a round-up of things I've been reading/digging/loving right now:

why oh why wasn't it i who took this photo?! ie. i want to be there!

Prêt à Voyager is quickly becoming one of my favorite blogs, mostly because she resides in paris but also because she hails from baltimore!! i lovelovelove the boarding pass series and frequently find new blogs to read through the interesting travelers she features. also, great paris blogs and generally fabulous links on her page!


she recently returned to charm city for a wacky race around (and in! eek!) the harbor called the baltimore kinetic sculpture race - check out the post and pics here!

gabby the gypsy in budapest

one of the blogs i've found through her and become devoted to is gypsy*diaries by a chica living in budapest. oh man can i tell you i've had a thing for budapest ever since seeing how cheap the housing is there on househuntersinternational? i want to mooove there! the city looks gorgeous and i am totally living vicariously through this girl

a sneak peek from england!

emma and james emmerson of greeting card and stationery publisher 1973 show off their gorgeous victorian home in brighton, england. click the picture for more!

the sneak peek feature on design*sponge is one of my favorite recurring posts because of all the inspiration garnered from real homes around the world. granted, i may be partial to the european aesthetic, but i like them all in their own way ;)

other newly-found blogs intéressants:
bikinis and passports - vicky, living in vienna - travel, pics, fashion
5 inch and up - sandra, finnish fashion student in london - some beautiful pictures


ciao for now! bedtime!!

earthquake!

I fell asleep with Jake at 10pm and just woke up at 12:50, decided to get ready for bed and finish facebooking and checking my google reader when the house started trembling! It felt like a big airplane was passing, and the water bottles on the desk were vibrating.

I looked it up and the time matches perfectly, so it really wasn't the space shuttle.

Not a huge event, but it lasted about 10-15 seconds and was only the third earthquake I've been awake to feel! I guess I've probably felt them during the daytime before, but I think they're more noticeable in the quiet hours late at night and in the early morning when you don't have 30 other things going on to distract you.

Not enough to make Jake jump up and flee the house (like some other earthquake we felt and over-reacted to!) but he did lift his head up and look around sleepily.

In other news, I broke the g key on our laptop. It just completely doesn't work, but I still press it and forget it does nothing, so pardon any missing g's! Typing is slowed and editing a must. Google and going are difficult. Le sigh.

What Kate is...

Reading

Listening to

Gazing at



;) ... now to decide what Kate is eating ...

Mexicooooo

Hotel Hacienda Xcanatun

Based on the title, you might assume this means we're headed south of the border for a bit... but you'd be wrong :( Someday though I hope to stay in one of these gorgeous haciendas while exploring all Mexico has to offer!

Hotel Hacienda Santa Rosa de Lima

Hotel Hacienda Santa Rosa de Lima

Hotel Hacienda Santa Rosa de Lima in the Yucatán Peninsula consists of 11 rooms in an 18th century villa, nearby to ancient Mayan ruins and colonial villages. Outdoor activities such as mountain biking, caving, horseback riding and sink-hole exploration are all available as well.

Hotel Hacienda Santa Rosa de Lima

Hotel Hacienda Santa Rosa de Lima

Hotel Hacienda Xcanatun

Hotel Hacienda Xcanatun, also in the Yucatán was rebuilt after being abandoned in the 1980s. Originally built to raise horses, this 18-suite hotel reopened in 2000 after extensive work to preserve and renew the original architecture and ambience.

Find many more photos of gorgeous hotels, haciendas, ruins and villages of Mexico here, and start planing your trip today!