Some things never change...

This week has been low in blogging, 

but as I always say-

when my blog posts are down,

it means other things in my life

are being awesomely distracting.

Beyond a visit to Windsor,

{that totally charmed my face off}

I've been hitting the town with my brother & sister-in-law...

I have some great memories 

of traveling Europe with my brother...

When we sit around a dinner table,

most of those stories are pretty much guaranteed

 to induce tears upon recollection.


Their favorite being the look that I strutted
 around London & Paris one week
in the height of my awkward years.


(Beret + Vest + Pink Puffy Coat = Lifetime of Family Jokes)

Yes, tears of laughter for them... tears of shame from me. I was just living the dream.

However, some of my best memories of Europe 

come from the other half of their marriage...

My sister-in-law, Meredith

{a.k.a. my college roommate}

Oh yes,

we both studied in Florence together

when we were in college...

Florence, 2004

took the continent by storm...

lived together for the rest of college...

and even came back together for a victory lap

through England & Sicily

with my family when the two of them started dating.

It's been six years since we've bought this party
back to this side of the ocean...


and we were doing our best to make up for lost time.

Out the door went through my calm, "local" demeanor...
and I transformed back into a loud, laughing American.

So much so,
that I regret to admit that we even went out last night 
dressed in matching shirts...


This move landed us the nicknames of "Ketchup" & "Mustard" from our dear husbands.

Oh well...


I guess some things never change.

The brilliance of our youth. Hard Rock Cafe, Rome 2004

Now you know more about my family...
and can see why I've tried to destroy all family pictures from 1995-1999.

*images original to Aspiring Kennedy