Santiago, Chile

I'm so excited to share the first of a few posts from my family's recent trip to Chile! My dad lived in Chile for a year when he was in high school as an AFS student and our whole family was finally able to make the trip to meet his host family and see the country.  First up was Santiago: we stayed there for one night before flying to Patagonia. We also stayed for another day after the flight back, so these pictures were taken over the those two days. Because of the New Year holiday I think we experienced a much quieter city than normal! 

Letters Are Lovely | Santiago, Chile
Letters Are Lovely | Santiago, Chile
Letters Are Lovely | Santiago, Chile
Letters Are Lovely | Santiago, Chile
Letters Are Lovely | Santiago, Chile
Letters Are Lovely | Santiago, Chile

Both of the hotels we stayed at were in the Las Condes neighborhood of Santiago, which I definitely recommend! From there we ventured Cerro San Cristobal where there is a gondola to take you up the hill, and also a large swimming pool and zoo. We mainly enjoyed the views from the gondola and from the gardens at the top, but the pool looked very inviting! Afterward we went over to the Cerro Santa Lucia which features the Terrazzo Neptuno. Another favorite of ours was the panoramic view of the city from the Costanera Center! You could see everything, and were lucky to not have an extremely smoggy day. We loved the warm weather in Santiago, especially since it was snowing back home. Next up, Patagonia!

Letters Are Lovely | Santiago, Chile
Letters Are Lovely | Santiago, Chile
Letters Are Lovely | Santiago, Chile
Letters Are Lovely | Santiago, Chile
Letters Are Lovely | Santiago, Chile
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Thanksgiving Snapshots

I couldn't resist sharing a few quick snapshots from Thanksgiving. I'm grateful for time with family, traditions & pumpkin roll β€” among other things. This year Dale and I carried on the tradition of three family meals on Thanksgiving day. Although we always eat way too much, I wouldn't change getting to spend time with both of our families. This year I was also able to put my pointed pen workshop skills to good use and created some name tags for our brunch!  I hope your weekend was filled with family & friends, food and fond memories. 

Letters Are Lovely | Thanksgiving Snapshots
Letters Are Lovely | Thanksgiving Snapshots
Letters Are Lovely | Thanksgiving Snapshots
Letters Are Lovely | Thanksgiving Snapshots
Letters Are Lovely | Thanksgiving Snapshots
Letters Are Lovely | Thanksgiving Snapshots
Letters Are Lovely | Thanksgiving Snapshots
β€œCultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson

Favorite Thanksgiving Inspiration

I can hardly believe Thanksgiving is less than a week away! Each year we celebrate with both my family and my husband's family on the same day, which is always hectic and wonderful. This year I will also be going to a Friendsgiving celebration the weekend after! Here is what has me inspired for this year's tabletops: 

Letters Are Lovely | Thanksgiving Inspiration Roundup

TOP β€” Left | Right
MIDDLE β€” Left | Right
BOTTOM β€” Left | Right


Italy GoPro Video!

It's done! I have been working on creating a GoPro video from Sophie and I's Italy trip for a few weeks, and it is finally finished! I love how it really captures what we saw from our perspective, and is a little less polished and formal than all the photos. Enjoy! 


Rome, Italy

Happy Monday! Sophie and I spent our last day in Italy exploring Rome before our flight back to the USA. We woke up early in order to take the train from Sorrento to Rome. It was a rainy travel day, but by the time we arrived the sun was shining. After checking into our hotel and changing clothes we were off exploring! 

Letters Are Lovely | Rome, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Rome, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Rome, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Rome, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Rome, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Rome, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Rome, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Rome, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Rome, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Rome, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Rome, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Rome, Italy

Our first stop was a walk past the Trevi Fountain before stopping for a late lunch. There were SO many tourists I don't know that I would recommend visiting Rome in mid-July, but we still had a wonderful day. After lunch we walked on to the Pantheon! After taking a few pictures we walked on towards the Colosseum. We relaxed there for awhile enjoying the view, and it was on to the Trastevere neighborhood of Rome for dinner. This was my favorite area in Rome, it was so peaceful compared to some of the more tourist stops and full of charming buildings around every turn. Our dinner was also amazing, if only I could remember the name of the restaurant! 

Letters Are Lovely | Rome, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Rome, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Rome, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Rome, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Rome, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Rome, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Rome, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Rome, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Rome, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Rome, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Rome, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Rome, Italy

Thanks so much for reading along about our Italian adventure! I have loved sharing each place we visited, hopefully you gained some travel inspiration. For even more photos take a peek at #sophandallietakeitalia over on Instagram. Ciao!