Louisa at the Icon

 

Did you read Eloise as a child? It was one of my very favorite books from a childhood full of excellent books. It's told from the perspective of the incomparable Eloise, a little girl who lives full-time at the Plaza Hotel in New York. What could be more glamorous?

Even as an adult, I have a great love of hotels. I still stay in them (especially the nice ones) rarely enough that it seems special every time. I go nuts for complimentary mini toiletries, unlimited cable (watched from bed, no less—so decadent), and don't even get me started on the glories of room service.

So I was quite excited when I found out that during my stay in Houston I would be put up at the Hotel Icon. For TWO WEEKS. And it was all I could have hoped for and more. I highly recommend the Icon for your next stay in Houston. They upgraded me to a deluxe room upon arrival, which featured a view over downtown Houston, an enormous comfy bed, and a giant bathtub with JETS. I've never taken so many baths in my life. My room was beautiful in every detail, and I felt so well taken care of during my entire stay.

I'm thinking that it is entirely possible that the key to my complete and utter happiness is daily maid service. Also, a bar downstairs doesn't hurt.

Can that be arranged?

Wedding Wednesday: Engagement photos

Oh, hello there. Are you still here? Lots has been happening over here. I've been to Houston, gone on safari, remounted Butterfly, and happily reunited with my CameraMan and my Bossy Cat, and all of a sudden May is almost over and we're getting married in 6 weeks. Ack!

Last month we met with our wedding photographer Paola (find her here, here, and here) for an engagement shoot at the Prater, where we got engaged. It was a great opportunity for us to get to know her (and vice versa, of course). As I'm sure you can imagine, choosing a photographer was one of our most important wedding decisions, and I'm so happy with how the pictures turned out!

That's the Riesenrad in the background!

 

All photos copyright Pink Pixel Photography. Please do not use or modify in any way without express permission.

Big day

We woke this morning to the news of Bin Laden's death, learned through dozens of Facebook updates rather than in real time. We turned on the news and heard sound bites of the president's speech, and saw clips of our fellow Americans rejoicing in the streets. My first reaction was "Ick." I haven't become much more articulate since then.

Thank goodness for others who have.


Best article of the day: David Sirota at Salon.com
"This is bin Laden’s lamentable victory: He has changed America’s psyche from one that saw violence as a regrettable-if-sometimes-necessary act into one that finds orgasmic euphoria in news of bloodshed."


Best quote of the day: Martin Luther King, Jr. some 44 years ago
"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."

UPDATE: So, it turns out the internet done me wrong and the above quote was partially mis-attributed. I of course meant Dr. King no disrespect, and this quote, mish-mash that it is, still elegantly encompasses my feelings on the situation.

Happy weekend!

Well, the Royal Wedding was all I could have hoped for and more (the dress! the choir! the coaches!). I loved it all, and it was even better with tea, scones, finger sandwiches, and running commentary from the peanut gallery (aka our couch). I am ready for the weekend! What are you all up to, lovely readers? Tomorrow is CM's opening night, which is sold out (yay! but boo! I wanted to go). If the weather's nice on Sunday, I think we'll ride bikes to the zoo. I'm ready to see it when I'm in no danger of freezing.

In the meantime...

Jillian will always be my #1, but at the moment I'm addicted to Tracy Anderson. You can find lots of her workouts on YouTube—I swear my abs look better after doing this one TWICE. CM concurs.

Oh, the pretty.

Have you tried Martha Stewart's Grocery Bag feature? She gives you ideas for weekly menus, and then a printable grocery list for each one! I like the look of this one.

We discovered a new store in our neighborhood tonight, and ended up buying up vases, candle holders, and sweet little wood bowls to hold our rings on our bedside tables. I can't find pictures of any of those on their website, but look at these adorable animal cups!

I know you probably haven't looked at it in forever, but I'm just about caught up with my 365 project, and I'd love you to check out my latest photos. I'm 114 photos in!

Here's a picture of a gorgeous breakfast I had the other day at Haas & Haas. Isn't it beautiful? The little dishes hold honey and chopped chives, respectively.

Wills and Kate (plus LMB)

Soooo... will you be watching the Royal Wedding tomorrow?  I know for most of you, doing so would mean an EXTREMELY early wake-up time, and although I am quite excited about it, I am probably not 4am excited. I am, however, definitely 12 noon excited, which is when the wedding will begin Vienna time.

I'm having a couple girlfriends over for tea, finger sandwiches, and scones while we switch back and forth between CNN and BBC (and maybe an Austrian channel or two for Deutsch practice). I'm thinking of wearing a dress, and I will not be wearing a hat ONLY because the ones I own are either made of stretchy wool or have the names of baseball teams emblazoned on them.

I've been reading lots of trivia about the wedding, as have you. (If you say you haven't, I will call you a liar. Or maybe you don't have internet. But then how are you reading this blog? No, the only explanation is that you're lying.) I especially enjoyed this article about British weddings, which happens to be written by a friend of mine from elementary school. I'm fascinated that British bridesmaids are generally children. That must make for some awkward bachelorette parties.

I'm looking forward to the dress, the crowds, and the general spectacle of the thing. Plus, I've been wondering what to do with that extra £20 million we've got floating around in the wedding budget, so I'll be taking notes, of course.

Image via Notonthehighstreet.com