Diaries of an Unslept Woman | Things Irritating Me Now

#1: The eternal backlog of pictures. I wish I had a better process, but I don't. I am so freaking backlogged with pictures it's not even funny. Blogging about Barcelona? Just thinking about it gives me hives. Not only do I have pictures on the camera, I have just as many on my iPhone. Can I just delete them? HELL NO! That's like blasphemy. They ALL must be dealt with accordingly. Oh and don't even get me started on iPhone pictures from London pre DSLR... Yeah, I spent two hours at Tate Modern a couple of months ago, but there's a good chance you'll never get any proof of it.

#2: Overthinkers and people who take themselves too seriously. Y'all. Come on. It. is. not. that. serious. Seriously.

#3: People on Instagram who direct you to their blog when you're just asking a simple question. I. HAAAAATE. THIS. Like seriously, dude. I don't care about your miserable blog, I just want to know where you got your skirt from. Be a decent human being and just tell me without scrounging for blog traffic. Delete. Delete. Unfollow.

#4: Seeing the same damn interior design trends over and over and over and over, etc. Does it irritate anyone else that every single person out there is decorating their home the exact same way? It's nearly impossible to create a unique living space without someone stealing your idea from Pinterest or Instagram. Okay, Okay. Let me give it a go. Youuu can'ttt liveee withouttt-- a funky Navajo, Persian, or cow hide rug, vintage bar cart (stocked with only the finest liquors), white walls, brass/gold accents, and fresh flowers, excuse me, peonies and/or succulents, EVERYWHERE! Wow, I never would have guessed! *just to be clear, these are all trends I enjoy as well! but still, it is irritating.

#5: Not sleeping. I started writing this post at.. eh.. 4:00 AM. Then I stopped to leave and take pictures of the sunrise around Islington and now I am back at 6:30 AM finishing up this post. sigh. I've been up all night. I would crush some ambien right now.

first picture of the day. vintage bug right outside my door.

#6: Cheating on my diet a day early. Sooooooo not worth it. Turns out sharing a bottle of wine with a friend on an empty stomach after nine days of being dry, means that you will wake up at 1:30 AM to a raging hangover and not be able to fall back asleep. Now I am eating cereal and blowing my diet to smithereens.

unhappy friday.

Channeling Roman Holiday | A Feminine Touch

J Crew hello tee / / Madewell biker jacket / /  Martin Grant long black tulle skirt / /  Zara pointy flat shoes / /  Madewell zip pouch / /  Forever 21 panama hat / /  J.Crew matte finish sunglasses / /  NARS Cosmetics lips makeup /  / Italian Photography; Rome, Cafe photography / / Starfrit Gourmet Double Wall Glass Coffee Mug 12-oz

Our Roman holiday is just over two weeks away and we couldn't be more thrilled to experience Rome with two of our very best friends. I've heard such amazing things about the Eternal City and how it is a magical place, I just can't wait to see it for myself!

Now begins the tedious and exhilarating process of figuring out what to pack! After researching the weather and cathedral guidelines, one thing is for sure, I will be putting a more feminine spin on my Roman attire. Obviously I want to be comfortable, but if Rome is such a magical place, I at least want to do my part to contribute to that image!

So, yes. I will be adding a bit more va va voom to this upcoming travel light series... Now if onlyyyy I could find that black tulle skirt for £2,455 less!

Home or Away | Can you tell the difference?

via

I recently got involved with a campaign to see if people could successfully identify a holiday destination in the United Kingdom from other parts of the world. I was super excited to get involved because I am currently researching UK destinations for James and I and this campaign is making it super easy! Two birds, one stone, anyone?

Okay, here are the deets:

Parkdean Holidays launched a fun competition called 'Home or Away.' It's a super easy, interactive quiz that features a selection of scenic photographs of beautiful holiday destinations from all around the world. All youuuuu have to do is identify which image is in the UK and which is abroad. Home, or away... You get the idea. After you finish the quiz you can sign up for a chance at winning a seven-night holiday at one of Parkdean's 24 award winning holiday parks situated in some of the UK's best coastal and country locations! Helloooooooooo... EASY PEASY!

So, I think this is a brilliant idea! It's brilliant because most people, especially foreigners like myself, have NO IDEA what the UK has to offer. We're all like, "I want to go somewhere exotic, I want to go to Santorini, I want to go to Marrakech..."  but really there are a ton of gorgeous and exotic destinations that are just a few hours away on the train or even less!

I took the quiz and got an embarrassing score of... WHOOOMP, WHOMP—466. Then I took it again, surely I would do better this time, and 390. Can't a girl catch a break?? It's embarrassing for me because I obviously have no clue about this country I am living in, but I applaud Great Britain for being so. damn. beautiful! How cool is it that I am mistaking UK destinations for some of the most popular holiday destinations in the WORLD! The world, people.

Pretty cool, I think!

So, stop wasting time! Go take the Home or Away quiz and don't forget to sign in with Facebook, Twitter or Google+ for a chance to win a seven-night break! 

Also, let me know your score by leaving your number in my comment section! I think you're going to be pretty surprised how difficult it is!

Week Thirty-Two

There is nothing to say about Week 32. I didn't leave the flat except to walk Oliver and go to kickboxing. Super low key. No particular reason. It just kinda ended up like that. On the upside, we cooked every night last week, which is NOTTT normal for us. No dinners out, no happy hours...

I guess I am kinda detoxing. Scratch that. I am detoxing. I haven't had a drink since last Tuesday night. That's five days guys! And my goal is to stay dry through Friday afternoon of this week and reward James and myself with red wine and filet mignon for dinner.  I make no promises, but currently I am going strong with tea.

I'm also five days into the Dukan Diet, so obviously I have been a real gem. Lucky James!!! 

Updates:

- The Cigarys arrive in London in less than two weeks.

- Rome is booked for Team Starnes and Team Cigary for May 29- June 1.

- In 27 days, Team Starnes will celebrate our ONE year anniversary. WHATTTT??!

- We have 142 days left in London on this assignment.

- By the end of July, we have to tell our property management company if we are coming back to Charlotte.

- I'm sure I'm leaving something out...

Happy Monday! xx

**linked up

eat&drink: Flat Iron Steak

Flat Iron Steak is one of our faaaaaaavorite restaurants in London. Its laidback and cozy atmosphere, not to mention their delicious steaks, keep Londoners coming back day after day, AAAAND that's even with their no reservation policy.  Yeah. They have something serious going on here!

Be prepared to wait to eat at Flat Iron. The first time we went we had an almost 2.5 hour wait and the second time we went we had a 45 minute wait. The good thing is, when you show up to put your name on the list, they will take your phone number and call you when your table is ready. Now you have time to explore Soho and grab a drink at one of the many pubs, clubs or restaurants in the area! No harm, no foul.

Flat Iron does have a small bar on the bottom floor of the restaurant that you can grab a drink and wait at, but it's super small, so you might have trouble finding a seat. I was able to snag a table in the back the first time we came, but trust me, it fills up quickly.

Flat Iron is a no fuss restaurant. You will most likely be seated next to strangers at a six-top picnic table, but don't worry, no one is listening to your conversation because everyone is too busy scarfing down their delicious steak and sides! The menu is hung above each table for everyone to see and there aren't that many options, so the response time by the wait staff is pretty quick. You can basically get your order placed within 10 minutes of sitting down and then your food is ready maybe 15 minutes after that... Bon appétit! 

Oh! Did I mention the complimentary popcorn they give you at the table? You rarely get complementary anything  in London (free chips and salsa? NO WAY!), so this is a REAL treat.

Obviously, the best part about Flat Iron Steak is the perfectly cooked medium rare steak. It. Is. Delightful. I rarely EVER get steak that is cooked to my taste. I usually I look to my husband to cook a steak properly, but ordering here I don't feel anxious AT ALL. They know what they're doing and I know that it will come out perfectly.

Within minutes, we go from this...

To this...

le sigh. It always disappears too fast. 

Andddd to top it off, Flat Iron's price is on point too! You and a date can easily walk out of Flat Iron Steak with a bill less than £40--that's a steak for each and a couple of sides. (Sorry, drinks extra.) That's nearly unheard of when ordering a beef dish in London!

Beef is fairly expensive in the UK, so Flat Iron is a great choice that won't break the bank. I would definitely recommend checking this place out if you are a beef-lover like me!

Happy eating! xx