This past year, I’ve traveled to some pretty amazing places.  To ring in 2016, here’s the short list of my top five favorite trips.

1. The British Virgin Islands

Hiking through the caves at Virgin Gorda was by far the most beautiful experience I’ve had all year.  What an incredible place! Completely surreal.

2. Park City, Utah

The mountains in Utah are incredible.  I’ve never skied through such beautiful terrain.  While there we took a rest day and drove to Sundance; we wished we’d brought our skis though.  Truly a serene, quiet, and magical spot!

I love the sight of trees blanketed in fresh snow.

3. Naples, FL

I flew down to Cape Coral, Florida to visit my roommate’s parents with two of our best friends from high school.  We had a great time driving around, but my favorite place, by far, was Naples.  Beautiful beaches, cute little downtown, and wonderful sunsets!

4. Grand Canyon, Arizona

What an incredible vista! I took these shots from the back of a mule.  I’m afraid of heights, so I was a bit hesitant to put my fate in the hands of Little Jed, as sweet an animal as he was.  Nonetheless, the experience  was totally worth it; obviously I lived to tell the tale!

5. Nashville, TN

I visited Nashville with a bunch of my girlfriends; so many of us, in fact, that everyone thought we were part of a Bachelorette party! We had a fantastic time, enjoying the live music, delicious food, and the warm, friendly people. I highly recommend this city.

Check out this pulled pork sandwich.  Yes, it tasted as good as it looks.

*Cape Cod, MA

Okay, so technically this is not a new location, so it doesn’t make the top 5.  That said, it’s by far my favorite place on Earth, so it makes the list as an honorary mention.

It’s Christmas time again. I can’t begin to understand how that happened; this year has truly flown by! In typical fashion, we’ve erected our metallic tree.  For a clearance find from Target, I have to say: it looks pretty good! A strategically placed garland (or three) can work wonders to fill in bald spots, and with the lights dimmed, it looks like a million bucks.

This year, my family and I are in NYC for Thanksgiving.  Both of my siblings live in the city, and it’s such a magical time of year to wander around here, enjoying all the lights.  The romantic in me cannot resist a twinkling city skyline.  I took the photo below from a rooftop bar.  We were dying to stay outside and enjoy the amazing balmy weather.

On Thanksgiving Day, we took advantage of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as a crowd diversion, and enjoyed a few touristy locations that would ordinarily be mobbed.  My sister lives in Tribeca, so we visited her apartment, and stopped by the nearby Freedom Tower.  Isn’t  the view stunning?  I wish we’d gotten a sunnier day, but even with the haze you can see how incredible the entire experience was.

We wandered down 5th Avenue, and soaked in all the intricate window displays.  I have to say, Boston does not do Christmas like NYC does! My favorite were the Bergdorf Goodman displays made entirely of Swarovski crystals.  They were truly works of art; my photos don’t do them justice.

My team and I wrapped up the week (and rang in Halloween) with an in-house holiday shoot featuring the gorgeous iittala holiday dinnerware collection.  I would love to incorporate these pieces into my holiday tabletop, they’re truly stunning!

Another day, another Market.  This week, my team and I flew down to High Point, North Carolina for the famous furniture market.  We met with all of our vendors and snuck in a little trend watching on the side.  I love that color is back in this year.  Everywhere I looked, I saw vibrant hues; designers aren’t being shy about incorporating bold, brilliant shades into their looks.  As a lover of everything feminine and bright when it comes to fashion, I think these looks are on point.  In my own home, where I favor a neutral palette, I’d pull in this look with a few strategically chosen accents.

Aren’t these tables fun? Their design is reminiscent of a different, more glamorous era, but their material and colors are decidedly modern.  Anyone who’s seen my personal space knows I love to mix refurbished antique pieces with more modern looks, so these are the perfect embodiment of my style.

This was probably my favorite showroom; all my favorite trends for 2015 in one place!  I love all the lucite pieces, and the succulent wall is so on-point.  I’ve also been seeing neon signs everywhere for the last six months or so, and this one is particularly pretty.   As an aside, I love that they had to stick a warning on the swing, as if someone would think it’s a good idea to sit down!

Anyways, back to Boston! High Point, it’s been real.

This weekend Greg and I headed up to Manchester, VT to enjoy all of our favorite fall rituals.  We visited a local pumpkin patch and I chose a bunch of mini pumpkins and gourds to bring back to Boston.  When it comes to gourds, the uglier and more misshapen, the better! I’m the opposite when choosing a pumpkin.  I perseverate until I find the perfect one.

We also went apple picking at Mad Max’s farm.  I love going further up North to pick apples; the farms in Massachusetts get very picked over after the first few weeks.  The foliage surrounding the farm was so beautiful!   The gorgeous colors are such a unique facet of New England.

Once we arrived at my family home on Green Lake, the real fun commenced.  The view from the deck is breathtaking, and the at night, you can hear the sound of the water lapping the shore.  Heaven! We love how clean the air smells; for a city dweller, it’s such a wonderful change of pace.  I’ve been coming up to this lake house since birth, but it’s only since I’ve gotten older that I’ve really appreciated how tranquil it is.  Sunsets are my favorite time of day, which is no surprise.

It rained for part of the trip, so one afternoon Greg and I decided to drive up to Bar Harbor for dinner.  Miraculously the sun came out right as we arrived! We ended up sitting outside to have dinner, and afterwards, we took some photos of the harbor. The weather was sunny yet misty; very surreal, ethereal and beautiful.

This week Greg and I headed up to Maine to spend time with my Dad’s family.  Instead of making the six-hour trek all at once, we decided to split the drive up. We drove along the coast, stopping at a number of pretty seaside towns.

Our first stop was Freeport.  We love the famous L.L. Bean outlet store, so doing a little shopping was a requisite.  Then we went to eat at the Harraseeket Lobster Company.  This local restaurant is such a hidden gem. They offer outdoor seating that overlooks a stunning harbor view; perfect for a sunset dinner.

After spending the night in Freeport, we continued our tour up the Maine coast. Our next stop: Boothbay Harbor.  We wandered around, exploring the eclectic local shops, and then we stopped at Greg’s favorite harbor side restaurant for lobster rolls.

The rolls at this restaurant were simple and delicious; just as they should be.  I can’t stand when a lobster roll contains a ton of crazy mix-ins, the lobster is good enough on its own!

After we left Freeport, we drove up to Camden.  Despite having come to Maine every summer of my life, this gorgeous town had someone evaded me.  I was so impressed! The harbor is beautiful, and if you like sailboats, this is a must-see destination.  This is the view from our dinner spot.

Greg and I both love oysters, so we ordered a couple local varieties to try.  While my favorite are still Dennis and Wellfleet Oysters, these gave them a run for their money!

Doesn’t this just look good enough to eat? And it’s calorie free.  As you can tell, I’ve jumped on the pool float bandwagon.  Who can resist? I will admit to also purchasing a Swan; Taylor and Calvin inspired me.

Every year I head down to Cape Cod to celebrate my birthday (the 3rd) and Independence Day.  My family hosts a big party and we enjoy fireworks displays all along the beach.  This year my brother built a huge bonfire and we toasted s’mores.