Picnic for Two

So Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and for those of you still looking for date ideas, I’ve got you covered. Why not take your significant other on a nice picnic? It’s a simple yet meaningful gesture that I’m sure will leave more of a mark on them than a cliché dinner at a restaurant.

Last week the weather was surprisingly warm for February so my friend & I decided to go to the beach. We packed a picnic lunch and spent the entire day lounging about in the sand, it was so relaxing. We had the entire beach to ourselves which was the best part.

So what was in our basket? For a picnic date for two at a beach, park, or lake, you’ll need:

Essentials:

• Picnic basket
• Blanket (or beach towels)
• Plastic plates, cups & utensils
• Wet napkins or hand gel
• Trash bag

Food & beverages:

• Homemade sandwiches (my favorite is turkey & cheese with lettuce and tomato)
• Bottle of wine of your choice
• Big bottle of water
• Snacks (pretzels, chips, nuts, chocolate etc.)
• Chopped fruits & vegetables like apples, carrots, celery, strawberries which can be stored in containers

Optional:

• Wireless Bluetooth music speaker
• Homemade cake or cupcakes

P.s: Keep the location a surprise from your date. If you could find a secluded beach, park, lake, it would be even more romantic.

P.p.s: For perishable food items, be sure to bring ice packs or coolers!

Here are a couple of photos from the beach picnic the other day 🙂

Flashback Friday: Surfer’s Paradise, Queensland, Australia

Flashback Friday: Sorrento, Victoria, Australia

Carpe diem (n.)

I always get asked, “What’s the most spontaneous thing you’ve ever done?” and I always respond with a different answer, depending on who’s asking. But this story is too good not to be shared.

Considering I was the good girl growing up, most people are shocked to find out that I crashed a wedding one summer with my best friends. We had planned to do something crazy during the summer so when the opportunity presented itself, we took it.

We were staying at a beach resort up north for the weekend and had gone out for dinner only to come back and find an entire wedding party set up on the beach. As we watched the guests mingling from the balcony, one of my friends suggested we dress up, do our hair, and go to the wedding. At first we all thought she was crazy but eventually we warmed up to the idea (although I needed the most convincing). The only garments we had on us that seemed decent enough for a wedding were long Maxi beach dresses. After complementing the outfit with some accessories and makeup we were ready to go.

To my surprise, there was no security at the entrance of the reception so we gracefully walked across the pool and onto the beach. At that time the bride and groom had just cut the cake so we made ourselves comfortable at an empty table and waited to be served a piece. While I was eating the cake I was constantly looking around to see if anyone would notice us. But then it struck me that if we were unrecognizable to anyone they would assume we were from the other side of the family, and that’s the excuse we used when anyone would talk to us.

Having finished the cake it was time to hit the dancefloor. The DJ was playing the latest hits and we danced the night away with a bunch of random people. I’d never felt so rebellious in my life. The photographer even took a group photo of us! We made it on this couple’s wedding album and they will spend the rest of their life trying to figure out who we are and what we were doing at their wedding. All was good and well up until one of my friends saw someone she knew; at the same time the bride and groom had come back to the dance floor. We took that as our que to leave.

We spent the rest of the night laughing and drinking from a half-empty bottle of champagne that my friend took on our way out.

Till this day I cannot believe how we managed to pull it off, but I have no regrets. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.

Sea Therapy

Ever since I was a kid I was always fascinated with the sea. Building a stable sand castle seemed like the biggest mission during my childhood and collecting sea shells was a passion. The salty odor, sound of crashing waves, sunshine in my hair, there’s something about that vast deep blue space that has never failed to bring me serenity and happiness.

Somewhere on the Mediterranean

I’m so lucky to live in a country enclosed by water, where at any given moment from almost any location you can somehow catch a glimpse of the sea.

“Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you’ll look back and realize they were the big things.”