Top 5 San Diego Blogger Spots!

One of my girlfriends and I recently embarked on a little day trip

adventure down to San Diego.

 I had never been -

and seeing as we're both on broke girl budgets but we love travel,

we decided we're going to start doing little West Coast 

day trips and weekend getaways. 

This way we can save our money for more worthy things - 

like overpriced lattes and more makeup we don't need.

But hey, I'm 33 and you can't teach an old dog new tricks!

So - with a date set and the idea we wanted to try and pack as much into a day as possible -
off we went. As a basic Instagram b****,
 I of course did some preliminary research to try and find cute places
to have lunch, walls to take pics, cute little shops - that sort of thing.

I am sure these are not ALL of them -

 (I have a lot more of San Diego explorin' to do)

 but I am going to jot down the timeline of our day out there

 so you can see where we went, what we did - 

and please feel free to leave your recommendations of 

places I need to check out next time.

Our San Diego itinerary:

6am - pickup 

(Jessica drove, so all I had to do is drag my pajama-clad but to the car - thanks Jess!)

8am - San Diego arrival

We started here at  Pannikin Coffee & Tea located at 

510 N. Highway 101

Encinitas CA 92024

to have some coffee before the Flower Fields opened.

Try the Mocha Latte - it's made with real Mexican Chocolate, for an authentic taste and texture.

10am - Carlsbad Flower Fields

We arrived to the Flower Fields just after opening, located at

5704 Paseo del Norte

Carlsbad CA 92008

This stop was inspired by my endless quest to see the alleged 'Superbloom' 

happening due to an uncommon abundance of rain in SoCal Jan/Feb/March.

These 'Superblooms' happen only once every 10 years or so 

and prior to this San Diego trip I had driven out to

 Anza Barrego desert looking for these blooms. No luck.

I decided if I wanted flowers - I would not come up empty handed at a flower farm!

It was so PRETTY - I highly recommend it.

12:30pm - Holy Matcha

After the grueling work of frolicking in flower fields for an hour or so,

it was time for refreshments.

One of my favorite L.A spots for tea is Alfred Tea 

and so when I found out there was a similarly designed pink matcha bar

called Holy Matcha located at

3118 University Ave

 San Diego 92104

it had my name written all over it.

If I'm honest - I found it on Instagram and
** SHAMELESS CONFESSION TIME **
it pretty much inspired the entire San Diego trip! ;)

-

It was like stepping into an Instagram/Blogger's dream - 

everything from the wallpaper, to the greenery against a pink backdrop, 

to the drinks was so ADORABLE that I died and went to blogger heaven
 (if such a thing exists - and I know it does 

because I died and went there that day).

2pm - Pigment 

In my research for cute spots to visit, I came across

this decor store called Pigment located at

3801 30th Street

San Diego 92104

on Instagram, which doubled as a wall to take photos 

and a shop that promised very Instagram worthy merchandise.

The entire store is just one big Instagram trap -

offering cute succulent plants, chic decor, and adorable stationary, trinkets, and novelty items.

If you're passing through San Diego - this store is a MUST SEE.

4pm - FairWeather Tiki Bar

After all that shopping and photo taking - it was time for happy hour!

Next we stopped into FairWeather - which is a rooftop tiki bar

located downtown at 

795 J Street, Floor 2

San Diego CA 92101

which was a little tricky to find because it kind of doubles 

as a speakeasy since you have to walk through

Rare Form (another bar/restaurant on the ground level)
 to get to the Tiki Bar called 'Fairweather' up top!

There is also no working number listed (we tried to call and make sure they were open)

so just take our word it exists and the cocktails are delicious!

The funny part is it overlooks San Diego's baseball stadium - 

so we didn't even need tickets to get a front row seat to the baseball game going on.

The drink menu was awesome and as this blog post promises

everything was SUPER instagrammable including

the bar design, the way the drinks are garnished, and 

the overall vibe!

It was such a fun day - I vlogged the trip, so if you want to check it out,

here it is...

Hope you guys enjoyed this - if you did, please 

share it with friends and other bloggers!

I love hearing from you - so feel free to leave comments

or get in touch on social media for more of my adventures.

My IG handle is: @rachelyarmosh

XOXO

10 Things I Miss About New York!

I'll be honest, I'm in an L.A state of mind these days.

With weather in the mid 80's, sunshine, palm trees, 

 feel good vibes and PLENTY OF TIME on my hands

I'm kind of YOLO'ing 

through my days.

Sure, I've been out of work for almost 2 months

 (give or take) and fundage (I make up my own words, its fine!) 

is low, but when I land a good job,

these days of money worries will be far behind me

and I can say I enjoyed my time off.

And so did the banks I have credit cards with (HA!)

[More on my employment 'adventure' in the next post..

It's St. Patty's Day and I'm a little woozy with boozy

 - so lets save the pity party for another post 

so I can enjoy my beer-infused cocktail in good spirits.

We'll go to the dark side another day.]

However...there are of course things I miss about the East Coast,

some that are specific to New York (my home prior to 3 months ago).

Here are the TOP 10 things I miss about the Motherland:

10. Dairy Barn 

I miss the convenience of driving through to pick up milk or eggs,

and Godiva misses the free milk bones they gave her.

If you've never been through a Dairy Barn on Long Island,

you've missed out on the greatest Iced Tea...ever.

9. Dunkin Donuts

C'mon. You knew coffee was going to be on here somewhere.

Oddly enough -The Dunkin Donuts phenomenon has not made it out here

 to the City of Angels.

I'm shocked as there are tons of coffeehouses out here -

with Starbucks and The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf amongst the top.

These people have not lived until they've had a DD Iced Coffee on a 

hot summers day (which is literally every day in Southern California).

Lucky for me they've recently opened a couple of locations - 

Santa Monica, Hollywood (closest to me, about a 7 minute drive)

North Hollywood, and Downtown 

... hopefully this trend continues.

Join us L.A - after all, America runs on Dunkin.

And P.S While we're on the topic of coffee,

why have drive thru's not spread here yet?

Especially with the lack of parking,

drive thru Starbucks and DD would be so much more convenient!!!

RANT OVER.

Ughhhh!

Ok, RANT REALLY OVER.

8. Bagels

Bagel places line the streets of New York.

I have not seen ANY here, 

however there are a ton of donut shops.

Seems my beloved bagels have been replaced 

by another carb heavy breakfast imposter with a hole.

My heart is a little heavy about this...

but my @$$ thanks you.

We can also add delis to #8 - there aren't any good delis either.
I know we owe many of these places to Jewish shop owners -
but are there no Jewish people out here?

What I would do for an everything bagel

with cream cheese OR
a maple turkey, munster cheese, lettuce, bacon,
and thousand island dressing on a fresh roll
- my classic go-to deli sandwich.
I can't even think about it...
I'm starting to drool.

7. Free Parking

You literally cannot go anywhere without having to 

pay for street parking, a parking garage, or valet.

You want to run into Dunkin Donuts for a coffee? Pay the meter.

You want to run into Marshalls for some home goods? Pay $3 to park in a garage.

You want to eat in a nice restaurant during the weekend? 

Forget street parking -you'll miss your dinner rez.

 Cough up $10 to valet.

Literally, you pay to park pretty much ANYWHERE.

And DON'T YOU DARE neglect to read the parking signs

if and when you do find street parking.

My first 2 weeks here I was blessed with 2 parking tickets.

$63 for parking more than 18" from the curb (what?! Go fight crime!)

and $73 for failing to move my car in time for "street cleaning". 

Thanks for the warm welcome, L.A.

P.S When I complained to friends about this...

they said it was a rights of passage. And to be thankful I didn't get 

towed to the nice tune of $250 to get your car back from the impound.

6. Pizza

Need I say more?

They. Just. Don't. Get. It.

5. Complimentary Grocery Bags

Everything is very earth conscious/earth friendly here,

which I'm 100% behind. 

However, I'm still not used to having to bring my

own grocery bags into the store WITH me.

If you want bags, you pay for bags.

I've been a little stubborn with this because I put

some of these reusable bags into my car for this very reason,
but in my haste --

I just always forget to bring them in with me.

So, yup. I'm the jerk juggling (and dropping)

10 items in my arms all the way to my car.
But HA - I cheated the system and saved .30 cents on 3 bags.
Which I'll use towards the parking meter
 for my coffee tomorrow morning! 

4. Pomegranate Seeds

I am kinda obsessed with them

and I purchased them with ease weekly from Best Yet,
a grocery store in New York.

On a sticker attached to said poms - read "Imported from California"

yet they are nowhere to be found here.

I've been looking for weeks, in numerous locations,
leaving no stone unturned. I've come up empty handed.

I am starting to think California ran out

because they literally sent them all to New York.

Cali, PLEASE.

Take care of YO PEOPLE first.

3. New York time DOES NOT EQUAL L.A time

I miss people/companies who say what they mean.

In New York, when I say I'll call you in 5 min...I call you at 4 min and 59 seconds.

In L.A when I say I'll call you - it means I'll email you. Maybe.

 In 3 weeks.

In New York, when an employer says you have the job --

You have the job. They send you the offer in a reasonable timeframe.

You're kept informed and their word is reliable.

In L.A, when an employer says you have the job,

it means they possibly liked you, but were smokin' something good

and forgot about your existence post interview.

 Or that they're not even a real company.

If I didn't know better, I would think there are hidden cameras on me

and I'm being punked.

Stay tuned for a JOB UPDATE Storytime on my YouTube

(Please subscribe while you're there:

 youtube.com/missyarmosh)

2. Gas Prices

When I was traveling from N.Y to L.A, I paid gas prices as low as $1.42 

in good 'ol Alabama - but even in New York they were under $2. 

I am paying almost $1 more per gallon here.

Now I know why everyone walks, runs, and bikes here.

It's too expensive to drive, especially due to the gas guzzling 

nature of the stop and go traffic in Los Angeles.

1. Family

You knew I was going to include at least one sappy/heart warming

reason. But in all seriousness, I miss being able to drive 

5 min away and meet my Mom and sister for coffee at Starbucks.

Or the warm nostalgic feeling I get driving through my cute little Village

on the water, with all its familiar faces and shops.

I miss popping in to visit family across the Island.

Or the short 55 min express train ride into Manhattan

to spend the day & explore.

I miss the 5 hour drive down to Washington D.C

to visit my 2 nephews, brother, and sister in law.

I miss it all.

If you want to make me feel a little closer to home...

I'm now accepting visitors!

Shoot me a text or give me a call...

just because I'm drenched in the California sun all day

doesn't mean I don't love to hear a familiar voice.

Its a little slice of home.

xo 

Risky Business.

It's kind of a weird story.

I find that the best outcomes often

come from these odd or bizarre instances or occurrences

that set people on a trajectory they didn't even see coming.

Here's one such occurrence,
the one that made me decide to move to Los Angeles.

I was leaving dance class on a beautiful September morning last year,

the kind of weather that just makes your heart feel happy

(or maybe it was the endorphins from exercise? Maybe a combo of both? Who knows!)

I always make a b-line for Dunkin Donuts after a particularly hard workout

because I feel like I've earned the half and half, which is how I prefer my coffee.

I order my iced coffee, turn on my radio,

and start driving home. 

I felt like I could conquer the world.

I had my windows down, my hair thrown up in a messy bun, 

these ridiculous teal sunnies on,

some r&b jams, and an iced coffee in hand.

I often like to think about things on the 20 minute ride home, 

and that day was no exception.

I have always dreamed of traveling more

and those days - I was thinking about it more and more.
The need to 'leave' was a constant fixation.
(Which is strange, because I really love New York so much!)

After plans of moving to Australia the year before fell through

(there were no working visas available at the time that would allow me to secure work)

I began to ponder other, more 'realistic' options. 

Miami? Dallas? Los Angeles?

Was it the right move to just uproot my life at 32 years old?

Could I find work and would I be able to support myself

so far from home with little to no support network?

Would I be able to make new friends?

Would I be happy or was this just a 'phase' 

and once I got "here" (wherever that someplace was)

would I instantly regret it?

There were so many unknowns.

I tossed the idea of travel around so many times 

and the ache to leave home and explore
a new part of the world never really went away.

It was deep, deep, deep.

I knew it wasn't a phase and
 I knew time wasn't going to make it just go away.

But that morning driving home I made my decision.

I caught a glimpse of myself in the rearview mirror in those

ridiculous, over the top 'almost famous' teal sunglasses 

and said to myself: 

'Rachel, you don't belong here.

You belong in L.A.'

And just like that
 -with one glance in the mirror at my reflection
 of blonde messy hair blowing in the rearview, 

I had made up my mind.

I was resolute in my decision.
This. Was. Happening.

When I announced I was moving, of course I was instantly met
with criticism, backlash, and negativity

that filled me with self doubt to the brink. And then some.

Everyone had something to say
(whether I asked for their opinion of not)

Here is the cliff notes version:

Blank stares. 'Why?'

'Such a dumb move. You don't even have a job!'

'You're having a mid-life crisis' (unless I'm dying at 60, I was sure this wasn't the case)

'What are you running from?'

'You just feel this way because you're not married and you're looking to fill a void'

(cause that's NOT insulting!)

'This is really risky. I thought you had a better head on your shoulders'

I could go on and on.

But I don't have time because I'm still working on proving them all wrong.

Fast forward 6 months.

I am living in Los Angeles, California

drinking coffee and looking at blue skies and palm trees outside my balcony.

It's a cooler morning than its been the last few weeks

(we've been experiencing a heat wave)

but I'll still take 72 degrees in March!

The sunglasses that made me decide to move to California!

I'm not going to preach it was easy to get here.

It wasn't. 

It took planning, saving, extreme organization, a lot of coordinating,
 and of course -there were setbacks.

 [That's a WHOLE other blog post - Cross Country Relocating 101.
If anyone is interested, let me know in the comments and I can share some tips!]

But I'm here. I'm happy.

And it's a beautiful sunny day in Los Feliz,

a humble little section of the universe I now call home.

This adventure doesn't end here.

There is much more work to be done
and the risk of relocating and taking a huge chance
 is not all together gone.

I need to find full-time work.

I need to set up my new apartment and buy furniture.

I need to put myself out there and make new friends.

And I need to continue to invest in goals and aspirations.
Check things off my bucket list.

Vision plan. Work hard. Keep dreaming big.

I wanted to share my story in hopes

it inspires or encourages EVEN one person 

on the verge of making a huge decision to follow through.

Take the risk.

I am living proof that all it takes is a teal pair of sunglasses,

an iced coffee, and a particularly beautiful September morning

to set your dreams on fire.

RY

P.S If you're interested in watching my Cross Country trip from N.Y to L.A,
I'll link the video for you!

Cross Country Roadtrip | MissYarmosh by missyarmosh

Happy Dreaming,

Quote of the Day: 2.17.14

“I travel not to go anywhere, but to go.

 I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move.” 
― Robert Louis Stevenson

Thailand....

10 days.

Have a great Monday!

xo,

10 Things to Do in Los Angeles

Heading to L.A today 

and as a Los Angeles virgin,

I am compiling a list of things to do

so I don't miss anything...

Do you have anything to add?

1. Take a photo in front of the Hollywood Sign...

OBVI :)

2. Visit the Beverly Hills Hotel

3. Shop on Rodeo Drive...

and longingly gaze in windows.

I'm okay with window shopping! 

4. Stroll along the Hollywood Walk of Fame

5. Check out Venice Beach ....

ha ha

6. ...and Santa Monica Pier

7.  Stop into the Original Farmers Market,

recommended here.

8. Visit La Brea Tar Pits

9. Have brunch at The Ivy...

looks like my kinda spot!

Check it out here.

10. Check out Walk Disney Concert Hall...

Is that not the most amazing architecture ever?

Have anything else to add?

Message me! :)

xo,

Quote of the Day: 12.3.13

             
                          "If it's both terrifying and amazing,
                          then you should definitely pursue it."
                                                     -Erada

                     

   Bucketlist 2014: Coming Soon!

xo,

#300: Travel Adventures Abroad

First off, this blog post commemorates my

300'th post [WOW]

so I want to 

- THANK YOU ALL -

for visiting what has come to be

a [public] online diary of sorts,

and continued to read while I learn and figure out

 what the heck I am doing. :)

I've never been a private person,

I've always had a natural inclination to share
 - albeit often a little too much

so blogging feels like an organic space for me. 

I'm aware this often puts me in a vulnerable spot -

but I'm okay with that as long as there is always

 integrity and honesty in what I share.
I'm not a robot, I'm human.
I'm not perfect, this post may contain typos or
grammatically incorrect verbiage, and in fact-
I hope it does. 

I'm cognizant of the fact I don't always post in a timely manner,

 write for a broad audience, or have the most riveting content -

 often it's meanderings of my mind (try and keep up)

quotes, recipes, D.I.Y projects, reviews on makeup/products/services

and anything I feel like discussing really.

So I am in great appreciation to those who 

continually come back, leave their thoughts, 

promote my posts or just visit occasionally. 

I don't know who you all are -

but 'DIARY OF A SWEET LITTLE BLONDE'

formerly titled, 'TODAY WAS A FAIRYTALE'

has had over 25,000 visitors,

and as large as the Yarmosh clan is - 

we're nowhere near 25K strong...

so people [outside of my family] are reading!

Thank you all for hanging in there

throughout the evolution of this blog

and I strongly encourage you to

leave your thoughts and comments

so I can interact with you more.

In fact, I'm currently working on a way

to make that a little bit easier for you, but until then -

please use the section provided

 at the bottom of my posts.

Ok, enough of that administrative 'stuff'.
Lets get to the real meat of this post -- my travels abroad!

So you all know I recently returned from some international travel

and I wanted to share some thoughts about my 

traveling adventures with you. 

For one, this trip was special to me because I paid for it myself.

While I don't expect a round of applause for growing up,

becoming more independent, or no longer falling within the
  'financially unstable leech' category,
I DO expect an interwebs pat on the back.
 It feels more meaningful when the luggage you are carrying,

the plane ticket you hand the flight attendant, the hotels you check into,

and all the tourist attractions you visit
 are all paid for with your [own] hard earned money. 

While I've been lucky enough to travel abroad many times

before this, this marks only the second trip in my adult life that

I've paid for all by myself.

That may not sound like a monumental accomplishment to anyone else,
 but it's something I am proud of and feels like growth to me.

I'm a BIG [little] GIRL! :)
This trip wasn't cheap (close to 4K)
and tookme nearly a year of saving
(I'm not a millionaire...YET!)
but it was worth every penny.
I can't put a (metaphorical) price tag on travel...
it's THAT important to me.

Call me an old soul, but I'd much rather drop $400
on a monthly trip payment then blow it
  drinking or gambling over the weekend. 

Secondly, this trip was also very special to me because

I got to spend it with my partner in crime...my mother!

Traveling is one of my very favorite things to do

and it's so much sweeter when you get to make lifelong 

memories that are sacred because they are shared by you both.
I never take time for granted - we both won't be around forever
so I really cherish time with my Mother.
Forget being my travel buddy, she is my best friend
and these traveling adventures have taken
 'bonding time' to a whole new level.

This is the second A.C.I.S trip Mom and I have gone on

together and I think we enjoy it so much because 

even though we are both out of school, we have an unquenchable

thirst for knowledge, language, and culture
 that not everyone understands.

It's like 'Professional Development' for the aging traveler.

I hope traveling never becomes mundane because 

the very second it becomes lackluster in nature,

I'll bury my passport and wait for the feeling to pass.

Everyone leaving the country for travel should feel lucky.

Travel [to me] is a privilege.

This quote sums it up nicely: 

"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page." 
— Augustine of Hippo

Lastly, I loved this trip because it marked some new,

unchartered territory for me and I ADORE getting 

new stamps added to my passport in customs [!]

It's so worth that line and awful wait. :)

This trip we did a lot of moving.

5 hotels in 10 days.

I visited:
1.Dublin, Ireland
2. Wales
3. the Lake District
(Lake Grasmere specificially)

4. Edinburgh, Scotland
5. York
and last but not least 6. London, England.
Entitled 'Kingdom by the Sea' Tour,
we were ALL OVER THE BLOODY UNITED KINGDOM.

While it was blissfully exhausting,

it was also one of the coldest VACATIONS I've ever experienced.

I say that because when you think vacation

in the Northeast, you think:

WARM. TROPICAL. EXOTIC. DRINKS WITH UMBRELLAS.

Feel me?

I kid you not, this trip I had to buy winter apparel

because nothing could prepare you for the 'unprecedented cold spells'
the U.K was experiencing

(and that's literally what they called it -
 that's not me being dramatic).

We had to buy hats. We had to buy scarves. We had to buy gloves.

We had to buy coats for crying out loud

(most of us thought Spring would bring milder temperatures
 for the trip and only brought light jackets)

I mean, it was literally insane.

News reports we watched on the local weather channels

in our hotels said livestock had to be pulled out

of snowdrifts (it's lambing season, those poor babies!)
and emergency funds were being allocated to farmers
struggling to protect their livestock (aka livelihood)
from the elements.
Like, what in the world?
Nearly, April!
I mean, if we wanted to be in the tundra
 we would have gone to Russia for heaven's sake!

Beyond the blistering cold,
it was a wonderful trip.
I am obsessed with our tour guide Stan Pretty -
a lovely English gentleman
who I insist is responsible for my personal happiness
throughout these trips.
He's just the jolliest, sweetest, wittiest, most energetic
74-year-old I've ever met.
He had us walking halfway around the world,
at an ungodly pace -Mom will tell you, she couldn't keep up!
up early and out to all hours of the night,
and makes the Energizer Bunny look lazy!
I swear, that man is going to live forever! :)

There he is right there, my little English bloke!

On the bright side, the U.K has a very dark, damp, and MOIST
climate and it only rained ONCE THE ENTIRE TRIP
...the day we arrived!
My last trip to London 2 years ago, it rained nearly every day!
According to Mom's stats (I can't verify her source)
it rains 60% of the time in the U.K
so I like to think we beat the odds!!! :)
The caveat to this is that it SNOWED
just about every day, ha ha.
(Seriously.)
Hey, I'll take snow over rain ANY day.
Snow makes everything it touches more beautiful
(like mountaintops and trees)
Rain...not so much.
(Have you seen my wet poodle look?)
Not cute.

While I thoroughly enjoyed all the cities we visited
and they each had an individual charm of their own,
Edinburgh was definitely my favorite city if I had to pick!
It had this old-world charm about it
with rustic, original stone buildings,
streets with a quaint feel to them,
and the whole city is just bubbling with character.
In fact, little side story:
a group of girls and I were wandering
around Prince Street shopping during some personal time
and we were stopped by the Travel Channel
who was doing a segment on Edinburgh apparently.
We all held this sign and shouted:
"WELCOME TO EDINBURGH!"
followed by signing release forms and the whole bit.
We were told we would be featured on the channel
and to check the F.B page of Travel Channel for UK
in 8 weeks, where they would post the clip of us.
Of course the DQ in me went around bragging to
everyone the rest of the day
that we're international superstars
and that we were on our way to being FAMOUS.

Of course I did.

I'm closing out this post with a few pictures
from each of the cities I visited.
The rest of my 325 photos will be up on Facebook shortly.

[Sorry if we're not friends and you have no access to take a peak,
you can blame it on the SICKO who sent my father
 inappropriate content after getting his information off Facebook.
Now I keep my Facebook "friend" list on a short leash
because apparently, you never really know
who your "friends" are.

Dublin, Ireland: Saint Stephen's Green Park. ONLY DAY IT RAINED ON OUR TRIP! :)

Posing with a Leprechaun, right below good old Molly Malone.

A famously decorated Georgian door in Dublin.

Exploring the streets of Dublin: Fresh flowers line the sidewalks.

Visiting the Famous Book of Kells @ Trinity College.

Brief Stopover in Wales: Via Irish Ferries

Welsh Store in Wales: Longest Name Ever.

Touring the Lake District: Lake Grasmere - Home of Poet William Wordsworth

Our hotel: Daffodil Hotel by the Lake.

Snow-covered mountains in the Lake District - Poor sheep! 

Touring the town: Visit to William Wordsworth's Grave

The black sheep of the family, ha ha! :)

Stopover at Hadrian's Wall - 80 miles of fortified brick wall during the time of the Romans.
Just amazing!

Border to Scotland: Snowing like crazy!

Our Scottish tour guide: Complete with Kilt! :)

Edinburgh Castle - Unlike anything you've ever seen! 

Top of the castle - so high above the town!

New York Girls - Posing in front of Edinburgh Castle 

Famous Coffee shop 'Elephant House' - where J.K Rowling wrote the Harry Potter books!

Showing off our Scottish Kilts

Stopover in York: Visit to York Minster!

Afternoon Tea at Famous Betty's Tea House: Noon Tea, Sammies, and Scones

Mom and I inside York Minster

Exploring York!

Dinner at Hotel 53: York

Hampton Court Palace: Home of King Henry VIII

Big Ben: London, England

London: The London Eye

Buckingham Palace: Business Residence of the Queen

The Queen, herself.

St. Paul's Cathedral: London, England 

Absorbing the culture ;)

 Signing out,
The Queen ;)

NEXT UP:  Snack Attack: Healthy Snacks, 'Skinny Girl' Friendly