Home Sweet Home!

This weekend, Bryan and I are in beautiful Pensacola - home sweet home. We're staying with my parents at the house I grew up in. I love being here. There's something so peaceful and calming about being home with Mom and Dad.

I'm starting to realize my love for Southern hospitality really, at its core, comes from the women in my family - my mom, especially. My grandmothers, my aunt, my good friends back home. When Bryan and I head back to Pensacola - my mom fills the house with everything we love - chocolate chip cookies for Bryan and cucumber salad (I know, how yummy, right?? it's amazingly good) for me. Bud light, sangria, coffee, mmm... funny how you know you're Southern when comfort foods are the center of a good time with good people.

We've spent quite a bit of time in the pool, big dinners, visiting our favorite spots back home. It's so refreshing being away and spending time with the people who recharge your batteries, so to speak :)

I {heart} New York.

Times Square... love the energy here.

Kate's Paperie. I could have stayed... for hours.

Bryan, my husband, at the NY Stock Exchange on Wall Street... about as happy as I was in Kate's Paperie :)

At home getting ready to leave for our 6am flight. Thank goodness for the Crown Room and strong coffee.

NYC was absolutely, positively, amazingly fabulous. Marvelous. Glorious. Seriously, I had the BEST time. My husband Bryan and I got to see everything we wanted, including a heart fluttering experience on Wall Street (I thought Bryan might jump for joy when we got there). We ate some (ok, a lot of) really great food - had a few margaritas over Mexican (our fave) at our new favorite restaurant ever - Rosa Mexicano. We went shopping on Fifth. Saw the Statue of Liberty. Rode the subway (ew). Walked through Central Park. It was... just wonderful.

A highlight of our trip was a visit to Kate's Paperie. Wonderful paper and envelopes... creativity galore.

On our last full day in NYC, I walked down to a Starbucks on Park Ave by myself (while Bryan napped in our room - lots of walking!) I took a few sheets of paper and a pen and let all of my goodpaper ideas flow with the energy of the big city. Needless to say, I ran out of room. I am so excited to the core about goodpaper and cannot wait to share all of it with you all soon.

NYC bound!

Emily Ley Paper will be closed until Wednesday, July 29. We're off to New York City to enjoy 5 days in Manhattan to celebrate our (early) 1 year Wedding Anniversary. Cheers!