Dress for the Holidays.

It's that time of year again, the holidays are upon us and as a lady that means dressing up. I love this time of year and the chance I get to dress to the nines and go out for some fun. With a bunch of holiday parties on tap I am in need of some great dresses.

Last year I did a post  called Twelve Days of Dresses, showcasing Urban Outfitters holiday dress guide. This year I am doing my own dress guide, giving you some ideas for the holidays, which will have you looking sexy and not leaving your wallet empty, which is always great this time of year.

Renaissance Court Dress from Lulu's - $39.00

Noble Intentions Dress from Lulu's - $34.50

Diagonal Pleat Dress from Forever21 -$19.80

Multicolor Metallic Bodycon Dress from Forever21 - $22.80

Embellished Shoulders Dress from Forever21-$22.80

Embellished Lace Dress from Forever21-$37.80

Polka Dot Woven Dress from Forever21-$35.80

Cup of Cheer Dress from Lulu's-$31.00

Theme Bonny Butterscotch Dress from Lulu's-$61.00

Be Present.

Happy Monday Beauties, I hope you all had a great weekend and for my loves in the States, I hope your Holiday weekend was amazing. It's a beautifully crisp Monday here in Limoges, I am looking forward to getting in a nice run at the park today, taking advantage of the weather before it gets to cold, be sure to check out Project Run  for my latest workouts.

This weekend the manfriend and I , along with our puppy enjoyed our own little version of Thanksgiving on Sunday. It's hard being away from family during the holidays, so we've made it a point to celebrate no matter where we are in the world, it has become very comforting . It was an awesome day filled with yummy food, which I have to say I am pretty proud of myself for preparing a delicious feast for Kyle and I. We also enjoyed some wonderful French wine and champagne, for dessert Kyle picked out some amazing pastries from the bakery next door. It was a great day, enjoying the simple things like a good meal, great conversation, tasty wine, Christmas music playing in the background, and Wooden at our feet, life is good.

Over dinner were talking about how sometimes it's hard to live in the present moment while being away from family. Kyle and I happen to be very big home bodies, so we are constantly thinking about when is the next time you are going to see our family, what's going on back home and what we are missing while away. But for the first time being overseas Kyle and I feel content, we are living here, together and we are living well, enjoying life and the little things that make it even better. It wasn't easy getting to this point and I know there will be days when we wish we were home with the families we love so much, but we've realized, that this part of our lives will be over in flash and will make us appreciate our families even more when we eventually do settle down back home. It's about focusing on now and this present moment, taking advantage of opportunities that we've been giving by living overseas and being thankful for those opportunities.

All this talk about living in the present brings me to the quote I am going to share with you today. It comes from Henry David Thoreau, an American poet and philosopher. This quote shows us why it is so important to live in the present moment. I say, stop worrying about the past, it's done, think about your future but concentrate on the present moment, those moments will help you on your way to becoming the best you.

Enjoy!

You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land, there is no other life but this.
-Henry David Thoreau

Here are some pictures from the weekend.

Best,
Meggie

Quotable Creations for the Holidays.

Hey Loves, are you in need of some Holiday gift ideas? If so, check out my Etsy Shop, Quotable Creations by: Meg McCarrick, for some inspiration. 

One of the many Quotable Creations.

Quotable Creations are great gifts! If you are interested in ordering  a Quotable Creation for the Holidays and do not see a creation you like, you can send me the desired quote you would like and I'll whip a creation for you. 

Order by December 14th for guaranteed Christmas Delivery! 

For Questions or Pricing, you can email me through my Esty Shop or at MegMcCarrick@gmail.com 

Happy Holidays!

Best, Meggie

Visit My Etsy Shop Today!

Wooden and Me...and Kyle too.

On Wednesday Kyle and I hopped into our car and headed forty minutes outside Limoges into the French countryside to Hareswith Breeders to pick up the newest edition of our clan. Awaiting at Hareswith was our eight week old golden retriever puppy, Wooden. I can't tell you how excited I was pulling up to the breeder's place, knowing what was waiting for us inside.

The lovely breeder, Sally took us inside an old rustic barn to introduce us to our little dude. When we walked inside it was definitely a kodak moment, four amazingly cute puppies jumped up to greet us, I was in heaven. Sally showed us which one was our Wooden and my heart literally melted, he was perfect and he was ours. When I picked him up he cuddled into me, I knew he was the perfect fit, I didn't want to put him down.

Wooden aka Going for Gold de Hareswith

After we were introduced to Wooden, Sally led us into her house where we then met Wooden's dad, Laird who is a international champion show dog, he was beautiful and boy was he huge, showing us what Wooden's size could indeed be. Sally was very helpful giving us a guide on how to take care of our new pup, a huge bag of kibble  and also handed over his French passport. Yep, you read that right, Wooden has his own passport since he will be quite the jetsetter.

It was now time to take Wooden home, there was a rather sad moment when we were leaving Hareswith, Sally brought Wooden's mom Clover outside to say goodbye to her son. I had to use everything in me to fight back the tears that were welling up in my eyes, I kept hoping this wasn't too traumatic an experience for Wooden, taking him outside the only surroundings he ever knew.

Wooden's Dad Laird.

Wooden's Mom Clover.

I sat in the backseat with our new pup on our ride back to our apartment, he was amazing, very calm but I could tell he was frightened, this was his first time riding in a car. When we arrived at the apartment it took him a few minutes to warm up into coming into the living room, he sat by our coat rack giving us one of the saddest faces. He eventually warmed up to his new home, checking everything out, playing with all his toys and eventually passing out between Kyle and I.

Wooden has been an amazing edition to Kyle's and my life and it has only been three days. He is going to play a major part in our lives. I can't wait until he's a little older when I can start taking him on my easy runs, I've read that they make the perfect running partner. I'll be sure to post about Wooden from time to time so you can see him grow as we do. They say dogs are a man's best friend and it's clearly to see why.

Forever Thankful.

It is with the greatest sincerity that I wish you and your loved ones a very happy Thanksgiving. I have so much to be thankful for these days, I could sit here and write a list that could go on for days, but I won't do that because it would take you away from your delicious turkey and stuffing. I will say however that I urge you to carry your thankfulness over to the other 364 days that make up a year, that's a goal I've set for myself in this next year.

Much love and thanks to my family, who I miss terribly especially on days like today, your love and support is something I am forever thankful for. Today when you take a bite of your turkey remember how much I love you. I'll be seeing you soon.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Best,
Meggie

Imagine.

Hey there Loves, Happy Wednesday! To all my family back home in the States, Happy Thanksgiving Eve, one of the biggest party days of year, I hope you all enjoy and please be safe. It's so crazy that the Holidays are upon us, makes me so excited! Even though Thanksgiving is tomorrow because we are in France and Kyle's practice schedule we will be celebrating our own little Thanksgiving on Sunday. I figured I'd DVR the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and play it Sunday to keep things festive, haha.

Today is a day I've been waiting for for the last two years! Over the last two years I've been begging and pleading my case to Kyle on why we should get a dog. I believed it would be the perfect companion for us while living abroad. Well I guess I stated a good case or he just got sick of hearing me beg, (most likely the latter) because today we are driving 45 minutes outside Limoges and picking up our puppy, a golden retriever named Wooden. I am so excited to pick him up, he's going to be the perfect addition to our little clan. I'll be sure to post some pictures of the little dude.

I've been working on a little project over the last month, you may have noticed a new addition to the Jeans and Tees and Travel and Cakes sidebar, a link called Project Run. Check it out it's something that I've wanted to do for awhile now and figured this would be the perfect year to give it a go. If you are a runner or an athlete in general Project Run shares some helpful insight on the world of fitness. I hope you enjoy and there will be much, much more to come.

Here's the link...Project Run

The quote I'm going to share with you today is not so much a quote but more of a personal challenge. This morning while skimming through my news feed on Facebook, which has become a daily ritual, waking up to see what my family and friends were doing while I was asleep six hours ahead of them in France, I stumbled upon a wise statement from my awesome Uncle Kevin. Since he was kind enough to share these words with his Facebook family, I thought I'd pay it forward and share them with you.

Choose your own path.

We all have this perfect picture of how are life will unfold. It might not go perfectly, but why shouldn't it go in the direction you'd like it to go. This blog's motto tells you that your life is a journey and only you hold the map. This couldn't be any truer. Go after what you want, do it right, work hard and respect the process, make your story better. I believe in you.

Enjoy!

There is a narrative to each of our lives. Who can tell the story better then each of us? Imagine the best story you can and make it your own!
- Thanks to Kevin Enderes for these wise words.


Best,
Meggie

Bordeaux.

This past weekend the manfriend Kyle and I hopped on a train and headed to Bordeaux.  Bordeaux is one of the larger cities in France and is greatly known for it's wine. Since Kyle and I love a good glass of wine we figured this would be the perfect place to visit and enjoy our weekend. The city is located along the Garonne River, which for Americans the city would greatly remind you of Chicago, since Kyle and I love Chicago we quickly fell in love with Bordeaux.

Bordeaux is the perfect city for walking, and we did plenty of it, taking in the beautiful architecture, making our way over to the the river and walking along the vast promenade, this city really has a lot of charm. We did enjoy a few bottles of wine as well, we figured when in Bordeaux do what the Bordelais do. (I'm sorry that I am corny at time.) I believe our best discovery in Bordeaux was a restaurant along the Garonne called Les Docks, the food was to die for and perfect for the mild November weather we got to enjoy. I highly recommend visiting Bordeaux if you are in the area, it's a great city with tons to offer, I can't wait to go back. 

I love exploring a new city, taking in the views and seeing how the culture is, I  also really love doing it on foot. Kyle and I have decided that that is the best way to really get a feel for the city you are visiting. Our favorite time to walk around a new city is Sunday morning, this is when most of the tourists are still asleep and you see the locals out doing their everyday thing, to me it's really a beautiful thing to see.

Happy Travels,
Meggie