Gage and I did a bit of a road trip after the holidays. We started in Telluride, Colorado, drove through the southwest, across to Arkansas, and finally down to Texas. I'm so grateful we had the opportunity to do this trip and spend an extended amount of time with each other before Gage went back to school. It was a little less than perfect at some points, but compared to the things we saw, tasted, and felt, the little blips didn't matter at the end of the day. Even if we've been together for two years, we're still learning new things about each other including each other's favorite snacks, embarrassing childhood memories, and the best ways to communicate with one another. I would do this all over again in a heartbeat.

Leaving Telluride, CO

"Welcome to Utah"

Leaving Moab ft. a vegan breakfast burrito

Zion National Park

Lower Antelope Canyon--Page, Arizona

Horseshoe Bend--Page, Arizona

Grand Canyon South Rim

Whylld Ass Cafe--Flagstaff, Arizona

Santa Fe, New Mexico

House of Eternal Return at Meow Wolf--Santa Fe, New Mexico

Thai Vegan--Santa Fe, New Mexico

Onyx Coffee Lab--Bentonville, Arkansas

The Walmart Museum

It was a blessing to visit where Gage's family is from.

Whole Foods Market Flagship Store (pretty darn close to heaven if you ask me)--Austin, TX

Kerbey Lane Cafe--Austin, TX: The best vegan pancakes I've ever had in my life. 

Dallas Farmer's Market

Here's a little video I filmed on my iPhone and slapped together on iMovie. Most definitely not Oscar-worthy and I wasn't able to catch every little moment, but this was our trip in a nutshell. 

Gage and I decided we would give a long distance relationship a shot almost a year and a half ago. I can definitely tell you it hasn't been easy. Gage visited me in October this semester, but because our families are going to be in different places for the holidays, we really didn't know the next time we were going to see each other after that. A visit in December/early January was likely, but we weren't completely sure. I decided I couldn't wait that long and booked a flight to Dallas for early November. I'm a real sucker for love.

Gage learned that I had never been to Sonic or Hobby Lobby before, so that's exactly where we went after he picked me up from the airport. #Texas

Recycled Books

Vegan pizza at Serious Pizza in Deep Ellum

I lost count of how many antique shops we walked into that day.

Gage and I created an Instagram account for all of our little adventures! Follow us @pbb_sg.

Even on the road, there's always time for sushi (vegan sushi of course).

First meal in R.I.: a (vegan) cinnamon knot from Wildflour Bakery in Providence...and an herb and cheese scone (vegan)...and a blueberry coffee cake muffin (vegan)...and a green smoothie (so it's healthy right?)

Color-coordinated outfits are usually never intended. Dancing along to John Scofield is fully intended.

Gregory Porter killing the game as per usual. We also sat for Norah Jones' set right before. Gage and I agreed that she's a total babe.

This photo was taken right before I ate a flipping fantastic burrito that I still talk about almost a week later.

Chicken-fried seitan waffles from The Grange in Providence. I think I almost cried tears of happiness.

The Grange-quite possibly the cutest and homiest vegetarian/vegan restaurant to exist.

When at the Newport Jazz Festival, one must always purchase a cool hat.

Vanilla bean, red currant-glazed cake doughnut a.k.a. a trip to heaven.

Gage and Gregory Porter

Hands-down one of my favorite weekends. I have never felt more at home than I did at this festival. It made my heart so happy to be surrounded by so much talent, love, and warmth. Newport can definitely expect me back. 

I went home to Long Island for spring break, and on Monday my boyfriend, Gage, and I took a day trip into the city. 

My boyfriend/best friend/better half.

We both admit that we're sushi addicts, and we needed to cross sushi burritos off our bucket lists, so we went to Uma Temakeria for perhaps what was one of my favorite sushi dates we've ever been on (I loaded mine with veggies, no fish were harmed in the making). 

We spent most of the afternoon just exploring with no real plans in mind other than our dinner reservations and the Leon Bridges concert we had tickets to that night. We wandered in and out of little shops and walked along the High Line. 

We had dinner reservations at a restaurant called Blossom which is 100% plant-based. Everything from appetizers to desserts to cocktails were vegan! I was beyond excited to eat somewhere where everything on the menu suited my diet and lifestyle.  

I got mushroom ravioli to start which I was so excited for since most ravioli have cheese in them, but this was completely vegan and equally, if not more, delicious. The carb-lover in me got even more excited for the fettuccine alfredo for my entree because it is, again, another dish traditionally made with dairy, but Blossom made a completely plant-based version which made me the happiest vegan pasta lover on the planet. Gage got the mushroom tacos and the soy bacon cheeseburger and we split tiramisu for dessert. There are no words to describe how happy and satisfied I was with this meal. 

We finished our night at a Leon Bridges concert at Beacon Theatre. The set was short, but sweet and the audience was a lot of fun. Everyone was up on their feet and dancing. It was most definitely a night to remember. 

The last stop on the European Capitals trip was Rome. This was my second trip to Rome within the same year, so I was fortunate enough to visit some of my favorite landmarks and discover new ones. I told you I would keep going back to Italy!

I don't know what it is about Italy that leaves me feeling so warm and bubbly inside (maybe too much prosecco?), but this place was even more wonderful the second time around. 

The next stop after London was Paris! Visiting Paris had been a dream of mine since I was little. Of course, I saw this as an opportunity to have my Blair Waldorf moment and take super cheesy photos in front of the Eiffel Tower (except I'm sure Blair Waldorf would have been wearing something a little more fabulous than jeans & I was without a Chuck Bass of my own). Again, it was a short visit, but I had plenty of time to get lost in the Lourve and the Musée d'Orsay.

Here are some photos from my trip to Europe last February! First stop: London!

The first place I visited was Borough Market! My first meal in London was a kick-ass sweet potato and chickpea veggie burger.

I didn't do much on the first day I got there (other than eat, of course), but the next two days were for soaking up as much of London as I could! This included taking a ride on the London Eye, London Bridge, taking the tube, visiting the Tower of London, watching the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, and seeing Big Ben!

Although my time in London was short, it was most definitely sweet. I'm looking to hopefully study abroad in London sometime within the next three years!

I was bit by the travel bug at the age of 15, and it all began with my first trip to Europe. My ninth grade history teacher was bringing a small group of students on a trip to Spain for 8 days, and I knew I had to go. It was my first trip without my parents, so of course part of me was terrified, but I'm a firm believer in the idea that true growth happens outside of your comfort zone, so I got a job, saved up, and registered myself for the trip. We flew into Madrid then drove south. We stopped in Toledo, Grenada, Ronda, Sevilla, then drove back to Madrid. My favorite cities were definitely Toledo and Sevilla. Toledo is a smaller, older city, but it had some of the best food and history, and Sevilla had the best shopping (guilty). I wanted to extend my stay by another week, but I did go back home with a suitcase full of purchases from El Corte Inglés and a belly full of tortilla. 

My first trip to Italy was in April 2014. I toured Italy with my choral group for nine days and I can easily say it was one of the best weeks of my life. We started in Rome and from there we went to Assisi, Siena, Montecatini, Lucca, Florence, and Venice. We sang during mass at St. Peter's Basilica and performed concerts in Lucca and Venice. We also did typical tourist-y stuff like take gondola rides and make wishes at the Trevi Fountain. I'm also pretty sure I ate pasta and gelato every single day of the trip (keep in mind this was a couple of months before I discovered veganism). 

It's safe to say that Italy has my heart. This was one of the most blissful and surreal trips I've ever been on. I know it's a place that I will keep returning to.