from anywhere with love

Celebrating Lilly Pulitzer

2013-04-08T09:49:00.001-04:00

“That’s what life is all about: Let’s have a party. Let’s have it tonight.”

And that glamorous gathering-turned dance party by night would have been thrown by a barefoot Lilly, draped in one of her signature shift dresses, smiling & celebrating with her equally stylish guests.

Best known for her designs in the bright colors & patterns of a Floridian vacation, Lilly Pulitzer was first and foremost an inspiration to wardrobes everywhere.

Fashion designer, style icon, socialite, hostess, juice maker...Lilly wore many hats in her lifetime. Although she's widely celebrated for her eternally sunny outlook on style & life, it's the dresses she will be remembered for. The dresses which can be found on daughter, mother & grandmother all at once.

Without her, we wouldn't have our pink & green, our flower splattered & pineapple patterns or our "Lilly" dresses to throw on after a day spent in the Palm Beach sun.

I mean, how can you not love a woman whose iconic career originated with the vibrantly colored cotton dress she had made to disguise the orange & grapefruit stains she acquired from working at her juice stand.

“I was a gypsy, living a carefree life of ponies and tennis.” -Lilly Pulitzer

When I pull on a Lilly creation from my closet, I'm instantly transported to sunny Palm Beach no matter where I am in the world. Of course, everything becomes more delightful then.

Today's aspiration it to live life as brightly as Lilly. So go ahead and thrown on your favorite shift or your most flamboyant colored pieces today, not matter what the weather calls for. As she always said, "being happy never goes out of style".

{first photo via salon.com, second my own, third via nytimes.com}

neon night running

2013-04-05T09:30:00.000-04:00

Picture this: neon short shorts, headbands, side ponies, leg warmers, glow sticks & the sounds of Michael Jackson & Run-DMC blasting through the boom box.

You have the makings of a sure to be wildly fun 80's themed night run!

This past Friday Doha College hosted it's first ever Night Run. Light reflective clothing & glow sticks we're encouraged but we obviously took it one step further & opted to turn it into our own 80's-everything neon-themed dance party-run instead.

After sourcing clothes from shops around Doha & friend's closets, purchasing dozens of glow sticks, & smacking on our sweatbands, we we're ready.

We collected our bibs then began stretching with the jambox pumping out some epic warm up tunes.

Cue Ah-Ha's 'Take On Me' & some deep side lunging.

Our high intensity stretching definitely helped...

The actual race went by in a flash due to the excitement & adrenaline pumping through our veins. We crossed the finish line hand in hand with arms thrown in the air (envisioning that we'd just taken gold at the 1980's Olympics).

Still not ready for the fun to end, we continued our flash mobbing dance party around the post-race gathering & posed for photos (we we're in hot demand as you can imagine).

After the posing for the paparazzi (aka fellow runners) we we're definitely not ready to hang up our scrunchies & call it a night so we ventured over to the Four Seasons to make an appearance at their weekly beach party. Needless to say we stuck out even more here with our sweaty shorts & sneakers on the sand. However our energy & neon garb was welcomed with open arms by the manager & our friend DJ Mike who even let me spin some era appropriate tracks for every one to dance to.

Just as our post race high was coming to an end we ran into English footballer Rio Ferdinand from Man United. We snapped a quick photo with him albeit his lack of amusement with our gear was obvious.

The night run was definitely the most fun I've had at race & sure to be one of my favorite Thursday night memories from Qatar. The team is already on the lookout for the next run we can crash, running with a boom box on the shoulders & fabulous outfits are a must.

Did I mention we're available for hire at your next race or party? Choreographed dance moves disguised as stretching & horrible singing included. We accept cash, credit, personal check or beer ;)

warm weather delights

2013-04-04T10:00:00.000-04:00

The thermometer in Doha has been creeping up lately. To celebrate such an occasion we have been spending as much time outdoors as possible before the heat becomes unbearable.

: Qanat Quartier gets my vote for the cutest place to live in Doha

Naturally, summer-like weather calls for a teensy beach picnic. A day spent with friends, beers & burgers is the best kind. After lounging about with drinks in hand, we (& by "we" I mean the boys) fired up the bbq on the sand and flipped out our lunch. We danced around until the sun went down then moved the party inside where the barbecuing continued (think I ate my body weight in meat).

Then to start the work week off on the right foot we decided to sneak off to the Sharq Village & Spa. Pure bliss is a coffee & warm croissant by the pool in the early morning sunshine.

Andddd....

This weekend was equally as relaxing as we spent our time recharging at the Sharq beach. Catching up on some reading & tanning were the only things to check off my to-do list. Consider me very productive ;)

Although I was a bit bummed about not being home to take part in the shenanigans that is the annual St. Patrick's day parade in Newport, basking in the sun made up for it.

Happy St. Patrick's day, hope everyone has a chance to recharge their batteries today (especially after all the Irish car bombs & beers I'm assuming you drank yesterday).

four things

2013-04-04T08:00:00.000-04:00

1. This Hawaiian/Asian inspired dish by my new favorite food blog Love & Olive Oil. Because really who doesn't love breakfast for dinner?! Plus they had me at coconut sticky rice.

{love & olive oil's Loco Moco from their recipe book, Breakfast for Dinner}

2. Each & every item from J.Crew's spring collection has me yearning to redo my whole wardrobe with pastels. Starting with this blue leather bag by The Cambridge Satchel Company.

{I'll take the dress & heels too. jcrew.com}

3. The Londoner's recipe for Kali Spera Feta Dip + this photo have me lusting to sail away to somewhere Mediterranean. I'll have to settle for pairing this dip with some chilled white wine in the sunshine this weekend instead.

{Turquoise Sea, Sardinia, Italy}

4. "Hey'Ya: Arab Women in Sport" is a very cool looking exhibition featuring portraits of female athletes in the Arab world. It was first displayed during the 2012 Olympics in London and now it's here in Doha. Tonight I'm heading to Katara Cultural Village to check it out and try a new Lebanese restaurant. Art + hummus is my idea of a fantastic {week}night out.

{Mariam Hussein, basketball player from Somalia}

club telegraph

2013-04-03T11:30:00.000-04:00

Unicorns & rainbows can't even compare. It's the stuff of legends.

Off the coast of the Musandam peninsula in Oman lies a hidden gem. Telegraph Island.

: a 360 view from Telegraph Island

This remote inlet is surrounded by massive rocky mountains, crystal turquoise water & amazing marine life. I'm talking dolphins, sharks & nemo-like fish.

: view from our campsite

Back in the day, Telegraph Island was used by the British to send telegraphic messages along the Persian Gulf.

Today all that exists is the crumbling ruins of the station, an ideal camping locale.

The adventure commenced by flying from Doha to Dubai, driving through the UAE desert across the Omani border & then navigating the serpentine curves of the mountains till we reached the sleepy fishing village of Khasab.

: traveling through almost deserted emirates of the UAE

: no electricity=lots of firewood

: making our way to the UAE-Omani border

: break for cattle

: flanked by the sea & mountains as we drove through Oman

: Khasab, Oman, capital of the Musandam peninsula. popular with Iranian smugglers

: our method of transport to the island

Dropped off on the island by two friendly Omani men we met in Khasab, we were cut off from everything, surrounded only by mountains & water. We climbed the rocky steps to the top & set up camp as the men drove away in their traditional dhow boat. We were truly stranded.

: our navigator

: not a good photo, but behold, the first dolphin sighting!

: enjoying the ride to Telegraph

: upon arrival

: view from atop the ruins

: campers hard at work

: ruins of what used to be the station

Cooking dinner over the fire & sharing whiskey induced stories made up our night. The only way to end such a perfect day was with a midnight swim in the phosphorescence water, all of us glowing & giddy with delight, we looked straight out of a scene from Avatar.

: celebrating our successful adventure

The following day was spent, stand up paddle boarding around the island, peering deep below into the clear water for sightings of aquatic life. We we're collected by our Omani friends once again who kindly took us to their secret spots & coves throughout the day. Stopping off to float in the water, snorkel & collect shells from the white sandy beaches, it was the definition of paradise.

: not a bad view to wake up to

: K & I paddleboarding the morning away

: soaking up the sun

: aboard the dhow boat

: kigus even made a repeat appearance

: happy campers

: new friend & Budweiser enthusiast

: a piece of paradise

We've been plotting our return since we left last Saturday. Here's to hoping that Club Telegraph remains our little secret.

kigu madness

2013-04-02T09:30:00.000-04:00

We attended a soiree in Dubai over the weekend where everyone was obliged to come dressed in KIGUS, otherwise known as the most ridiculous thing since the snuggie.

Kigu comes from "kigurumi", meaning 'costumed animal character' in Japanese. The kigu craze originated in Asia & has now made it's way to the Middle East courtesy of my ridiculous friends.

The party was a success & everyone thoroughly enjoyed bouncing around dressed as cozy animals for the evening. We even went as far as to combine two trends & harlem shake it in our kigus. Check out the zebra with the magnum of champagne...

I know, absolute madness.

Join in the nonsense at www.kigu.co.uk so you can make your own harlem shake video, wear it on public transportation, go skiing or just lounge around.

about time

2013-03-31T13:24:00.000-04:00

Two years, 3 continents & over 15 countries later, I’ve decided it’s high time to begin documenting this crazy ass journey we have found ourselves on. What commenced as an amazing job opportunity overseas for K has turned into our little game of spin the globe. 6,555 miles away in the tax-free sandbox of Doha, we’re definitely not in the us of a {insert borat accent} anymore. Hopefully this blog is descriptive and photogenic enough to allow you to taste the chicken feet we ate at a regretable hungover breakfast in Hong Kong (con) and view the countless sunset pictures in all their flaming glory (pro) while residing in your home worlds away. Bon appetit!

{yup, this happened. wan chai, hong kong}

{almost as pretty as chicken feet. koh tao, thailand}