embracing the good

As you may have noticed if you've been following for awhile, the site recently got a new look. When I first started this blog in March of 2015 (how has it been that long?!), we had just learned that we'd be moving to Germany. I was a veritable basket case of emotions. I was also about four weeks pregnant, which didn't help matters, but we didn't know that yet. I knew I'd be temporarily leaving behind my business, and I wanted a space of my own both to both document our adventures and use as an outlet for all these big feelings.

Then, we had Miles. The single most life-changing, heart-altering experience of my life. This blog quickly became a place to preserve milestones and memories. Since it was easier to type than write, I would usually go back to my posts every few months to update his baby book. It also served as a way for family and friends to keep up.

And now, here we are almost to the flip side of our two year stay in Europe. Our grand adventure abroad may be coming to a close, but one thing I didn't want to end with it was this space. Writing is good for my soul and cheaper than therapy. I've been questioning what I want my career and my life to look like when we return, and though I'll be continuing my photography in some capacity, I kept coming back to words. Maybe I could find a way, once again, make a living from my passions? After all, I've done it once. I explored the idea of narrowing it down to a smaller niché... that's what all the "experts" recommend. I have my blog for my photography work, and I had an inspirational blog with my friend Miranda. Maybe this one should focus on parenting? ...travel? ...food? Those are the things that take up most of my time and headspace, but putting this space in a tiny box just didn't sit right with me. My favorite bloggers are the ones who cover a bit of it all - that is real life anyway, right? 

And that's where I came up with the following - not necessarily a new purpose for this blog, but rather a sort of mission statement... a hope, which is this:

“This space is about embracing the good things in life - whether it’s the adventure in living 4000 miles from all you know, the light-your-heart-up giggle from a toddler playing in the room that looks as if it’s been devastated by a tornado, or the satisfaction in sitting around a table with people you love enjoying a home-cooked dish. It’s the freedom to be your realest self and share your deepest, darkest thoughts. It’s finding the time to read a book. It’s helping new moms, new business owners, newlyweds get through the challenges and celebrate their own goodness. The good things can’t be contained. They are everywhere, in the memories and the epic adventures, in the mundane and monotonous. And I’m not sure about you, but I intend to savor them all.”

I hope you not only find the musings of these pages mildly entertaining, but that they also inspire you to embrace the goodness, no matter how simple.

My favorite people: sleep deprived, jet-lagged, and sick, but this - this is the good stuff.
Photo by Rachel Moore.

books of the month: inspiring reads for moms

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If you checked out my post about goal setting for the year, you know that one of my main aims was to take care of myself, and for me, part of that included finding a way to read more. In case you didn't know, finding spare minutes to read with a toddler running around is not exactly easy, BUT I carved out the space and read FOUR WHOLE BOOKS last month. That's literally more than I read in the whole last year!

Miles likes for me to stay in the room as he settles down in his crib for a nap, so I decided to use that time to quietly sit in a chair by the window and peruse the pages. I thought it'd be fun to do a little book review with my own little 4-star scale, so here are my thoughts...

Bringing Up Bébé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting

* * * * This book has been recommended to me so many times, and to be honest, I've put off reading it for two years. I was pretty against reading any parenting books while I was pregnant and during Miles's first year for fear of developing pre-conceived notions of the way things were gonna be (and because what new parent has time for that?!), but this book really is worth the time. It reads less like a "this is how you should raise your kids or else" and more like a memoir of an American raising children in France. Plus, it really does provide some good insight into parenting and reveal how crazy the American way can be at times. I've already implemented the French idea of feeding Miles in courses and not letting him snack all the live long day, and it has been life changing!

Grace, Not Perfection: Embracing Simplicity, Celebrating Joy

* * * I had actually started this a few months ago, but in the midst of travel and toddlerhood, I didn't make it past the first section. I've followed Emily Ley for years (since attending Making Things Happen back in 2012), and it was so fun to see her story in the pages of this GORGEOUS book. Very lighthearted yet inspiring without being overly self-helpy. <--- That's totally a word. If you're feeling overwhelmed by the pressures of parenting, work, or the need to live a Pinterest perfect life, this one will lift you up and give you some simple tools to get back to what matters. A beautiful, meaningful gift item for a mama, friend, or teacher.

The Magnolia Story

* * My dad had sent this over with my mom when she visited, and since I'm a fan of Fixer Upper, I was looking forward to reading it. At first, I didn't love the way the book was written with the back and forth dialogue between Chip and Jo, but after awhile, I got used to it. This one is a quick and easy read, but it didn't change my life or anything and was only mildly entertaining (thus the two stars). That said, it is inspiring to see their whole story from humble beginnings to a TV show.

Hands Free Mama: A Guide to Putting Down the Phone, Burning the To-Do List, and Letting Go of Perfection to Grasp What Really Matters!

* * * * This was by far my favorite book that I read last month. Another of my goals for this year is to be more present with my family. I find it so easy to get sucked in to my iPhone or the computer, and avoiding them some days can seem like breaking an addiction. I've been trying to break out of the habit of spending time on #allthethings when he's around, and this book was just the kick in the seat I needed. The author's own experience reiterates what we miss out on when we go through life distracted and "busy" and drives home the whole "live in the now" mantra. A great read for any parent in this "go go go" world we're living in now.

So there you have it... more to come at the end of this month as I'm already halfway through book two for February!

What are you reading right now? I'd love to hear your recommendations!

an italian birthday celebration: 48 hours in florence

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For a full list of what to eat, where to stay, and things to do in Florence based on our experience, scroll to the bottom of this post.

As you may have already gathered if you follow me on Instagram, we spent my 30th birthday celebrating in Italy! My mom flew into Germany on the Wednesday before I said goodbye to my 20s, and we flew to Florence on Thursday. I have to admit I've been terrible at taking photos on our most recent trips - I've been carrying Miles in the Ergo, and he's usually trying to rip the camera from my hands or screaming about it blocking his view.

Since I took Josh to drive a Ferrari for his 30th birthday a few years ago and we're living in Europe for mine, he knew we had to do something extraordinary. I let it be known basically as soon as we moved here that I wanted to celebrate in Italy, but I pretty much left the choice of city up to him. Having been to Rome, Venice, and Florence back in college, the latter was the one that stood out most in his memory, so that's where we went! And I must admit, a great choice it was... Florence is right up there with Amsterdam as my favorite city in Europe.

The shopping! The history! The food! Oh.my.gosh.the.food. AMAZING.

By the time our flight landed on Thursday and we got settled into our airbnb, it was getting pretty late. We decided to head over to the upstairs of Mercato Centrale to get a quick dinner. Despite warnings that it was a more "touristy" spot, the food was incredible. I had a truffle pasta dish (which Miles, shockingly, LOVED - a refined palate!), my mom had pasta with fig and sausage, and Josh had a sausage and collard green pizza. And because when in Rome... errr, Florence... we capped it all off with cannoli.

The next day, we hit the ground running. We wandered around town to see some of the sights, stopped for gelato (duh!), picked up sandwiches for lunch at I Due Fratellini (on the recommendation of multiple friends), perused some art at the Uffizi Gallery (where Miles proceeded to have an EPIC meltdown to trump all meltdowns), bought a new leather jacket at Sabani, and finished the evening with a lovely dinner at Trattoria da Giorgio per the recommendation of our airbnb host.

All those things were awesome, but by far the highlight of the trip for me was the goings-on we had planned for Saturday. We booked this incredibly well-reviewed cooking class on Viator, left Miles with his Grandma for the day, and set off on a Tuscan adventure. 

It started with a little tour of the city with our excellent guide, Gloria, from Walkabout Florence, and our fellow students from Australia, Indonesia, and a fellow American family stationed in Italy. We stopped at produce stands, bakeries, and the huge market to pick up essentials for the feast we would be creating later that day...

Once we had everything we needed, everyone loaded into a couple of cabs to escape this city to the cutest little farmhouse where we met our instructors for the day. Chef Isaac is a Seattle-native who's been living and cooking in Italy for many years, and Carmella is the cutest Italian grandmotherly character. She barely speaks a word of English but had no reservations about singing, clapping, and chattering in Italian even though none of the students understood her.

The menu included bruschetta on fresh Tuscan bread, homemade pasta with ragu, pork loin with roasted potatoes, pizza from scratch and cooked in the outdoor brick oven (see me tossing the dough below... I look terrified!), gelato with aged balsamic, and tiramisu.

A photo posted by Elizabeth Glessner (@elizabeth.glessner) on Jan 15, 2017 at 11:29am PST

We concluded the afternoon of cooking with eating our finished products alongside free-flowing Chianti and this view...

Josh and I left with our hearts and bellies full, feeling refreshed and grateful for the experience. And we were super happy to meet back up with my mom and Miles who'd had a day of adventures themselves! We did some more shopping in the outdoor market for scarves (so many scarves and so cheap!), made one last stop for some more leather, and headed back to our apartment for some shuteye before flying out early Sunday morning.

I can truly say it was everything I hoped for and more, and I can't think of a better way to kick off my 30s! I absolutely fell in love with Florence, from the incredible food to the the beautiful city rich in history to the excellent wine and the Florentine people, who were so very friendly and just seem to love life.

If you'd like to check out some of the places we enjoyed in Florence, here's a complete list with a few additional details included:

where to stay in florence

airbnb is our favorite way to travel as a family, especially in Europe where hotel rooms tend to be tiny and often don't even have a mini fridge. You get to experience the city as a local, and it's usually cheaper than hotels, too! The great thing about Florence is that virtually anywhere you stay within the city is walking distance to everything you'd wanna do.

what to do in florence

A Tuscan cooking class: I can't recommend this one highly enough! On top of the actual class, we got a great little tour of the city, plus a full day's worth of meals. And let's not forget the stunning views from the farmhouse outside of the city. We had a great experience with Walkabout Florence (request Gloria as your guide!), which we booked through Viator! 

Shop for scarves and leather: Our favorite shop for leather items was Sabani. For scarves, we just bought at the outdoor market outside Mercato Centrale. Beware that you should go in ready to negotiate. We found that you could haggle on price at most places, especially if you're buying in bulk.

Escape indoors to the Uffizi Gallery: The building is gorgeous, and though we didn't enjoy it because of a certain toddler, they have a nice little cafe with a lovely view. Be sure to check out the works of daVinci and Michelangelo on display.

where to eat in florence

Mercato Centrale: Above the markets in the center of town is an epicurian dream - they've got everything from pizza and pasta to burgers and steaks to fish and charcuterie. And don't forget about the gelato and cannoli. We were warned that this place is a bit on the touristy side, and though that may be true, the food was still incredible. I'd recommend just one thing, except that everything we at was absolutely delicious. Bonus points that it's super kid-friendly, too, from the many options to the abundance of high chairs.

I Due Fratellini: This little, literal hole-in-the-wall sandwich shop was recommended to us by not one, but two friends who've each spent more than their fair share of time in Italy. Get a simple but tasty sandwich and a glass of wine for next to nothing, and enjoy it on the sidewalk. I thought Josh's was best, so I say order the panini with prosciutto crudo, caprino, and rucola - if you forget, it's the first one on their menu.

Trattoria da Giorgio: This one was recommended to us by our airbnb host, as it was less than two minutes up the street from our apartment. Away from the city center, you can guarantee it's not a tourist trap. The crowd seemed to be a mix of locals and visitors who had likely received a recommendation just like us. Not only was it family friendly, but the prices can't be beat - at dinner, its only 15€ for two courses, a side dish, bread, wine, and water. They have quite an extensive menu, as well.