Getting Cozy Around Here: HUSH Giveaway

I have to work really hard 

not to spend 100% of my life

in pajamas.

It's definitely an intentional effort that I have to make on a daily basis.

I have a cute Ted Baker silk robe

that I wear so much 

during my periods of working from home

that my husband refers to it

as my "day gown."

But this isn't about me.

It's about one of you scoring a posh pair of pjs from HUSH.

{Do you know that in the UK they call them "pyjamas?" Funny, huh?}

Well, they do.

And another thing they say here

is that HUSH makes some

 bomb-diggity pyjamas & nightwear.

{They also make cute every day clothes, too.}

Now one of you will get to say it 

where ever it is that you live, too.

They offered to give me a pair to check them out

but I'd rather one of you good people 

get to enjoy them.

I don't need thanks....

just maybe someone to make me coffee

and wash my beloved robe

every now and then for me

to keep me from becoming the stinky kid.

Oh and while you're in the middle 

of your online break from the day,

check out the pinterest boards 

I made with a little inspiration from the HUSH line.

A "WEEKEND AWAY" board that left me dreaming 

of a quiet cozy cabin (or you know, small chateau in France)

full of lazy mornings, sunlight, big mugs of coffee

brought into wake me in bed....

and some cozy PG pajamas/pyjamas to live in.

"CITY BREAK" with a quick roundup of everything fabulous

about a weekend away in a great city...

Paris, NYC, London, wherever.

Nothing like a quick recharge in the electric environment

of an amazing urban setting. Right?

And of course, "PRETTY. HOT. | Beach Style" 

which lends itself more to clambakes in Hamptons

than it does to bikinis in Mexico.

But then again, that should be no surprise to you...

this is Aspiring Kennedy, after all.

Good luck & enjoy!

*Winner will be selected July 8, 2013 at random.
*Entries will submit emails to HUSH email list.

Baby's First Swim... a la mode.

Did you know "a la mode"

means "in the current style or fashion?"

While I may actually prefer

the Americanized version

that involves a mound of ice cream

being sat alongside- or on top- of something.

I mean, how did that become the term for 

adding ice cream to a hot dessert?

In the current fashion of... childhood obesity?

Not sure...

but I'm thankful someone made it happen.

I'm also thankful that my dear friend, Kyla,

snapped these pictures of Viola

having her first swim...

in an infiniti pool....

.... at a gorgeous chateau

sat amongst a vineyard

in Southern France.

That, my friend, is swimming in style.

If we keep up these kind of moves,

this baby's first words are going to be

"Treat Yo'self."

Moving beyond the ridiculousness of this girl's short life,

can I once again sing the praises of this gorgeous chateau?

If you missed it,

my full review is here.

You can go check it out

while I stare out the window

at the grey skies of London

bemoaning the pseudo-summer.

{Yes, the fairy tale is over and we are back to living in reality!}

*all images original to Aspiring Kennedy.

Zoe Karssen Speaks My (LOVE) Language.

d'accord | paris, texas | madame | oh la la

I'm a little fancy.

I'm a lotta casual...

I'm also a total wannabe Parisian.

So it's no surprise

that these French-themed tee shirts

by Zoe Karssen 

are speaking my language.

Pretty simple,

a little bit pricey...

but, undeniably, a good addition 

to your summer lineup.

Oui, Oui.

Eat Your Heart Out: The Borough Market

I'm not exactly sure how I first heard about the Borough Market.

I think I remember reading about it in some foodie's column

recounting his recent visit to London.

Regardless of what inspired the initial visit,

I've been a huge advocate/fan/fat kid 

for the kid ever since.

Tucked under the arches of old bridges 

just off *the* bridge of London

(London Bridge, obviously)

sits the Borough Market.

I could geek out and tell you all about

it's prominent history in London's Southwark borough

for hundreds of years.

(I'll save that for my student groups though.)

Instead, I'm just going to let the pictures do the talking for me....

A few items of note for your visit...

since, I am forcing you to go when you come to London.

Yes, forcing you.

Which, as author/monarch of this blog, I'm allowed to do.

1. Eat a chorizo sandwich from Brindisa. 

The stand is across from Monmouth Coffee.

If you can't find it, 

ask any employee. 

They'll point you in the right way.

One toasted warm bun drizzled in olive oil 

+ spicy chorizo straight off the grill

+ a roasted piquillo pepper

+ a bed of rocket/arugula

 _______________________________  =

AMAZING.

We pretty much bring all of our out of town visitors here

because it's such a hit.

We force the chorizo on them, too...

and they have yet to not love it.

Another crowd favorites is ROAST,

a stand that sells meaty sandwiches.

The lunch line is made up of about 92% dudes in suits

waiting for their hot pork belly smothered in bramley apple sauce.

It's often seen in food shows- 

I think Mr. Bourdain visited there, if I remember correctly.

***

Tube Stop: LONDON BRIDGE

Full Market Days: Thursday, Friday, Saturday

Lunch Only (10-3) : Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday

*all images original to Aspiring Kennedy

FAQ: How Do I Get To/From Heathrow?

Let me field a question that I get asked quite frequently:

I'm coming to London via Heathrow...

but how do I get in from the airport?

Here are the three options that I recommend:

 Heathrow Express

This is a train that runs every 10 minutes from the airport

that will take you into central London's Paddington Station

in only 15 minutes for £19 each way.

It's not cheap, but it's fast and easy to do

when your brain is foggy with jetlag.

From Paddington, you can hop on the tube,

jump in a taxi or take a bus

to wherever you are staying.

*You can also get on the Heathrow Connect,

it's only £9.50 to get to Paddington,

leaves every 30 minutes,

and will take around 45 minutes.

TAKE THE TUBE

Did you know you can take the Tube 

all the way to & from Heathrow?

Yup. The Piccadilly Line runs all the way to Heathrow.

It takes about 50 minutes from Piccadilly Circus,

but it only cost about £6. 

You pick it up at Heathrow right near the Heathrow Express trains-

just follow the signs, you'll see it.

If you're on a budget and have the time,

it may be worth it to get your bags down the escalators of the underground

and read a book on your way out there.

TAKE A TAXI

Don't wait to get a cab until you're there

or you'll pay around £75-100.

Yikes.

Book ahead and the taxi TO Heathrow is approxiamately £30 

for up to 4 people.

The taxi is an awesome option to the airport 

as they pick you up (and you don't have to deal with transport to the train/tube)

and drop you off at the departures terminal.

Best case scenario and cheaper than two tickets on the Heathrow Express, too.

Booyah.

Book ahead and you can get a taxi FROM Heathrow for around £50

for up to 4 people.

The price is a bit more 

because they have to wait for you 

to go through customs 

and pay for parking while they come get you.

Dialing from outside the UK: +44 845 612 1212

Dialing from inside the UK:         0845 612 1212

I use a taxi company that can be reached at this number. 

I'd book 24 hours in advance.

****

Now, you've got that issue settled

and you can spend your time thinking about the important issues....

Like where your first meal will be when you arrive in Central London.

{I like these places, btw.}




*     *     *

Also, as many of my readers are involved in the study-abroad scene
with US universities here in London or elsewhere, 
I hope you'll get in touch with my new sponsor, Tyler Knight.

Tyler can help staff your program with some top-level business professors.

(The guy went to Oxford, so he doesn't hang out with dummies.)

Contact him with any staffing needs
to beat that last minute panic that we all often feel!

*images via

Life's a Beach: The Ups & Downs of Expat Living.

Living in England means I can travel to Italy 

several times throughout the year

on a budget that is anything less than luxurious.

Living in England means

I can be a ten minutes walk 

from Kensington Palace...

and that much closer to becoming 

best friends with Kate Middleton.

Living in England means

I get to dress my baby in Baby Zara.

Living in England means

I get to wander Notting Hill's Portobello Road

ever single day and still be enchanted 

by the colorful houses & stalls of aged wares.

But living in England also means

that I'm far away from home...

and that we live, as expats, in a transient society.

People come for a few years

to work or study,

and then, it seems, 

that they leave in waves.

Right now, we are in one of those times

where it seems like life is pulling our friends

back out to the lives 

where they originally came from

and our community is washed down

like a sand castle by the tide.

image via

This month, we are saying goodbye to several of our friends here

and also the two expat bloggers that I've spent my time abroad with:

Liz (Explore. Dream. Discover) & Megan (Across The Pond).

I'll be honest,

as excited as I am to see our friends so happy 

for theses new chapters of life,

it kinda sucks to start over.

When I arrived at college 

and was feeling the standard freshman awkwardness

of the gap of loneliness that happens

when you leave your high school friends,

but are yet to make your college friends.

My friend, Amanda, was a sophomore at the time,

told me that her freshman year,

she asked God to give her just one person for that day

to help her feel less lonely.

So that's what I decided to do,

and over a few weeks & months,

those small interactions became friendly faces

and then those friendly faces became friends...

and by Christmas, 

I had more friends than I knew what to do with.

So when we moved to England,

I did the same...

and, again, God was good

and brought some ridiculously sweet, smart & talented people 

into our lives.

When you live abroad with family far away,

your community of friends 

becomes like family to you.

When our babies were born,

our little group of friends rallied

in a way that made us feel so loved.

I'll always be thankful that our lives were so full of dear friends at that time.

image via

Now as it begins to drain back down

I can only wonder what new, wonderful friends 

the tide of relocation & expatriotism will bring our way.

It can be lonely.

It can be awkward...

but it always shakes out to be okay, doesn't it?

Yup.

I think so, too.

Pack Your Bags: Staying at Le Chateau Les Carrasses

I stumbled across this gorgeous chateau

while researching a place for a work project.

{Yes, I know- best job.... but it is a lot of work!}

Like most places online,

it looked too good to be true.

Which, as a traveler, can be a common disappointment

after arriving to find the location of your vacation

less than it looked in the photoshopped pictures online.

So while these photos are, indeed, photoshopped-

don't worry,

I've taken the risk and checked it out myself:

Le Chateau Les Carrasses 

is not only as amazing 

as it is in pictures...

but it's better.

Here's what I loved about it:

1. First things first, 

it's affordable for people like me....

which makes me think

that you can afford it, too.

For a two bedroom apartment in high season,

we paid 280euro a night.

Split up between friends staying with us,

 this wasn't bad pricing...

especially when you consider how luxe the property is!

2. You have your own kitchen

so you can keep food costs down.

Not only does each place within the property have a full kitchen,

but they also have a terrace or garden 

with outdoor dining & a barbecue. 

You can shop at the market in town

and make your own outdoor dinner party...

or head to the chateau's terrace restaurant 

for a gorgeous night of being pampered.

3. The staff is wonderful.

A common complaint from American travelers

is that while the destination is gorgeous,

the service is lousy....

but guess what,

not here. 

I was blown away by the kindness and attentiveness of the staff.

From the initial inquiry I made online 

that gave me an immediate email & call back

to the sweet waiter who laughed off 

the pool of baby poop our daughter left on a chair cushion.

Viola didn't seem to mind, but Tyler & I were horrified. 

Nothing says "classy" like pooping on a chair.

{Plus, they offer good free wifi... major plus in rural France.}

4. It's so easy to get there.

To reach the Chateau,

you fly into Beziers...

a little under 2 hours from London Luton

if you're flying RyanAir or Flybe.

From there, you hop in a rent car from one of the companies sitting in the small airport

and drive 43 minutes- according to our Garmin route- to the Chateau.

5. The pool.

This pool will receive it's own post later this week...

but let's just say,

I was in heaven....

And I wasn't the only one

with such affinity for the infinity. :)

6. The possibilities it offers for day trips.

The Chateau sits in a great point to explore the region.

If it's vineyards, castles, churches, rivers, beaches, hillside towns... 

whatever,

it's not too far away.

The medieval city of Carcassonne is about 1.5 hours away.

The gorgeous hillside city of Roquebrun is 40 minutes away.

Montpellier is an hour away... 

and the smallest city in the world 

to be the home to a cathedral sits at the footsteps

of the chateau's vineyard...

And for everything else,

the chateau leaves extensive/honest book of options

in your apartment to let you choose your fun.

****

So if you're looking to stay somewhere amazing, affordable & accessible in France-

this is your place. 

Made up of private apartments and "maisons" that you can rent,

I have no doubt that you'll be as smitten with your stay 

in the Southwest of France as we were.

*all images original to Aspiring Kennedy

Bonjour, Y'all.

Where have you guys been lately?

I mean, day after day, 

I've been checking in to the blog

and nothing is here.

Oh wait,

I guess that might be my fault.

But I have a good excuse...

and it's that 

I've been in France.

{Southwest France, specifically.}

 I discovered a whole new area 

that I'm ridiculously excited to share with you.

It was a game changer for us

for future travels to France.

Just a couple of days there,

 opened up a whole new travel destination for me,

and I'm pretty confident that it will do the same for many of you

who are looking to get an amazing European vacation

in a spot that is untouched by the chaos of so many popular places,

is easy to get to...

and, oh yeah, is actually pretty affordable.

{Which, let's be honest, is the most important factor when we typically travel.}

But I can't do that quite yet.

I've got my best friend in from college

who is lifting my spirits in a way that only she can do,

I've got Regent Tweet happening this weekend

and get to see Megan & Stephen because of it,

and I've got a group of students that are touring London this week

that will land me in the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch in about 35 minutes.

So, do you know what all that means?

That it's time to get out of my pajamas,

brush my teeth,

and get the heck out of here.

Au Revoir for now!

PS. It is widely accepted that the pistachio macaron is supreme flavor, right?

I thought so, too.

*all images original to Aspiring Kennedy