Thanksgiving Outside of the USA

For any of you who find yourself living outside of the USA during the holiday season you aren't alone. Many Americans head into November looking forward to Thanksgiving, a time to give thanks for what you have and gather those that you are thankful for around you to eat and enjoy the company. If you're like me the thought of being far away from family makes these holidays harder to handle but there is a way to bring the holiday joy to where ever you are.

Last year I was still in my first 6 months of living in Brazil and it was the first time in my life that I had not been with family for Thanksgiving. So what did I do to shake the Thanksgiving blues? I brought Thanksgiving to Brazil. It wasn't easy and it took a lot of preparation and planning but now that I have already held a Thanksgiving dinner successfully here once, I plan on trying again this year! This got me thinking that I should share what I learned on here to anyone else that might be struggling with the question of what to do for Thanksgiving outside of the USA. Although it can be extremely difficult to pull off a good old American style Thanksgiving dinner with all of the foods that we've grown accustomed to, I am here to tell you that it can be done no matter where you are as long as there is a grocery store!

In 1 short week I'm planning on hosting my 2nd annual American style Thanksgiving dinner here in Brazil and my friends are already looking forward to it. I hope that what I learned last year will help any of you out there in the same situation.

(Taken from google search)

xo Jessica

Transamerica International Prime Hotel São Paulo

Over this past holiday weekend (November 15-17), Luiz finally got to enjoy his first 3 day weekend without work since May. In honor of this, and hitting the milestone of 2.5 years in our relationship, we headed to São Paulo to enjoy the city and get away for the weekend.

Westin LAX

The Westin LAX, located just down the street from California's busiest International Airport, is an ideal stopping point for anyone with a long layover or looking to get a good nights sleep before heading out to the local beaches or other points of interest. Featuring 700 rooms, a full service spa, workout facilities, pool and free transfer shuttle to and from the airport, the Westin LAX is perfect for a night or day of relaxation before or after your travels.

Hotel Mercedes

In honor of "throw back Thursday" we wanted to post our review and some information about one of our favorite hotels with maybe more throwback Thursday posts to come in the following weeks to highlight some more hotel or excursion reviews from past trips.

Today we want to highlight the Hotel Mercedes in Ilhabela, Brazil.

(Taken with iPhone 5 in the rain)

xo Jessica

Los Angeles Updates

Wow! Today has been a very busy day of trying to get more content on here! Going through old pictures and trying to figure out what to write about has been fun and challenging but worth it. I hope that you enjoy some of the small updates that we have made to our Los Angeles page! There are some more posts about San Diego to come and hopefully we will be traveling this weekend (since it is a holiday weekend here in Brazil) and that will give us a new place to tell you all about! Stay tuned for more soon!

xo Jessica

Click here to read all of our updates for LA and Santa Monica including some information on Hollywood!

Torrey Pines California State Reserve

I wanted to share with you an amazing excursion situated right within San Diego's city limits that will have you thinking you were transported to an entirely different city. Torrey Pines is a large California State Reserve that is every urban-living outdoors person's dream. Located just a short drive away from San Diego's central area, Torrey Pines State Reserve offers everything from hiking to biking to just relaxing by the pristine and peaceful ocean without all of the crowds.

I hope you enjoy reading about this wonderful place as much as I enjoyed visiting! It was definitely one of my favorite places that I've yet to explore in San Diego! If you wish to donate to help keep Torrey Pines in great condition for future visitors, they accept donations through paypal on their website which can be found here (this is completely optional but always appreciated by those who take care of the reserve!).

xo Jessica

Old Town San Diego

Old Town San Diego is one of San Diego's historic areas. Often considered the birthplace of California, Old Town San Diego is the site of the very first permanent Spanish settlement in California. With buildings dating back to the 1800s and an abundance of Spanish cuisine and architecture Old Town San Diego is a spot often overlooked when compared to the gorgeous beaches and luxurious streets of downtown.

Although this past trip marked my first visit to Old Town, I can proudly say that I will be going back again during future visits.