Graham Blackall, World Traveler.

I have a confession to make: I haven't baked in almost a month. 

For me to do such a thing is unheard of. It sounds pathetic, but to think that my fingers haven't touched the preheat button on an oven for such and extended period of time sends me into a bit of a panic myself. Such a shocking circumstance could only be a product of one of three scenarios:

1) A zombie apocalypse has ravaged the small town of Covington, Louisiana. 

2) My most cherished possession — my beautiful, huge new KitchenAid mixer that I still have yet to name (any ideas?) — was stolen, burst into flames, or walked out on me when she found out that sometimes I cheat on her with my ex-mixer. (Hey, making small batches of cookies in a 6 quart bowl results in lots of butter-sugar residue getting stuck in the bottom of the bowl. You can't blame me!)

3) I've spent that time galavanting through Europe on a life-changing trip full of memory making, relaxing, donkey riding, shopping, and eating my body weight in bread alone. 

Luckily, it was the latter. 

Original plans had me boarding my Air France flight with laptop in tow so I could share each and every moment with you guys via thrice-weekly travel diary updates. I even had a schedule! But shit happens. Namely, that shit being you deciding that carrying a laptop and camera bag in addition to a rolling carry-on and the inevitable bag full of airport purchases — did you know they still have crispy M&M's in Europe? Neither did I, but my pantry does very well now — is just too much of a hassle. So I left it, and opted to go the Instagram route for the duration of my trip, giving me ample time to truly savor each and every moment. Sorry not sorry. 

Instead, I'll give you the highlights of my amazing trip ex post facto:

1. Flying Air France business class, also known as the land of endless champagne, Valrhona chocolates, macarons, and warm mini baguettes. Given my strange childhood obsession with A View from the Top and the subsequent urge to become a flight attendant, this was like bucket-list level for me. Seriously, how I am I going to go back to economy after this? #firstworldproblems

2. Selfie-ing in front of the Trevi Fountain, because I really didn't like a single thing about Rome. Oops? Sorry, but I really just don't get off on history. Gelato, on the other hand...

3. Riding donkeys and getting a fish pedicure in Santorini, because I'm totally a Kardashian. 

4. Having a traditional Turkish bath and the most amazing rooftop dinner in Istanbul, the most foreign and crazy-ancient-yet-weirdly-modern city I've ever been to. 

5. Beach hopping and exploring an abandoned lighthouse on the top of the world in Mykonos. 

6. Ditching touring the Acropolis for more important things, like you know, froyo.  

7. The Amalfi Coast. No explanation needed. 

8. Binge eating pizza napoletana at Da Michele in Naples. This changed my life for the better. No really, this was the best pizza I've ever eaten; and trust me, I've eaten a lot of pizza. 

9. Having a traditional Dutch-Indonesian rijsttafel. Hands down, the best meal of my life. 

10. Falling head over heels in love with Amsterdam. From biking through De 9 Straatjes, visiting the mind-blowing Anne Frank House, visiting the Van Gogh Museum, shopping at de Bijenkorf, gorging on stroopwaffels and french fries, going from one cute cafe to the next one, I immediately felt a deep connection with this amazing city. Now I'm researching how I get back there immediately, because it's the best place I've ever been. 

Alas, I have (unfortunately) returned from my trip. (Cue the sad face emojis. In particular, the one that looks like it's having a debilitating mental breakdown. This one.) As if the separation anxiety I'm feeling wasn't enough torture, I have still yet to adjust to the disappearance of surplus of attractive people, my inability to legally drink alcohol, or you know, sleep. Thanks, jet lag.

Brb, I have to mend together my currently-fragile relationship with nameless mixer. Lots of vacation-themed recipes are coming your way. 

Get ready :) 

a post in which i rant about my hectic life

If you couldn't already tell from the title, this past week has been the week from hell. (Cue the round of applause for me making it through relatively intact.) From fashion shows to concerts to lots and lots of school, I wanted to share with you some of the stuff I've been up to outside of the kitchen.

In some strange turn of events, Mondays have turned out to be one of the easiest days of the week this semester and math has become my favorite class. Seriously, wtf? I hope that puts into perspective how backwards my life is right now.

I have a not-so-secret confession: I'm 600% obsessed with Miley Cyrus. I know, I know — I'm sure that many of you probably think differently, but I adore her (pun totally intended). With that said, it should come as no surprise how excited I was to attend her Bangerz Tour concert in New Orleans on Tuesday night.

After replicating her signature pigtail buns and indulging in one too many slices of pizza, my friends and I headed downtown for the concert. The show was essentially a huge two-hour party that began with balloons dropping from the sky and ended with a giant shower of confetti. Naturally, the in-between was full of flying hot dogs and lots of twerking. Too much fun. 
 

On Wednesday morning, I was awoken way too early by my alarm to head to school. As if a full day of classes and copy editing sessions for the National Student Advertising Competition weren't enough for laggy brain to handle, I was off to my next destination: New Orleans Fashion Week.

Me, Noel, and my nipples. 

A polaroid with Becca of Style Crossings. 

I've mentioned this before, but I've been photographing the runway shows and fashion presentations for New Orleans Fashion Week since 2011. On Wednesday night, I had the pleasure of shooting backstage at my dearest, fiercest, and most talented friend Noël Martin's A/W showcase. Per usual, Noël's presentation was stitched and sewn for the gods. Below are some peeks into her amazing collection. (That pink vinyl getup gets a resounding "yasss" from me.)

And if that wasn't enough for the night, I had to head back to campus to finish up editing our team's NSAC plans book. Somehow, I managed to not fall asleep behind the wheel on my commute back home at 4:30 a.m.

Considering how busy I've been, my weekend was largely consumed by more schoolwork and a mental state located somewhere between being asleep and awake. Definitely skewed way more towards asleep; that seems to be the general trend this semester. I am so stoked that this semester is finally almost over. Until then, I'll just be dreaming of summer.