Melbourne, Australia

First things first, one of the top things I loved about Melbourne is the abundance and ease of getting good coffee...

Isabel with her first babycino...no clue what it was that the barrista was talking about when I placed my order for a cappuccino, but I just said yes. When in doubt...

 

Heck, when I saw it, I wanted one for myself!

The other thing I originally did not like, but now that I am back home, I wish we had it, was the fact that one can't take 10 steps without passing by an Asian/Chinese/Malaysian restaurant when walking around downtown Melbourne....everything was right THERE. It was so easy to get to (no nightmare traffic like NYC).

And of course...I actually have friends there. Plural.
And family members with kids around Isabel's age.  She had a grand time playing with them

The reason for the trip:

I've known the bride for almost 20 years, all the way back when we were the tallest, scrawny kids in our year back in primary school

And Isabel got the honor of being the flower girl at the wedding

Although despite everyone's best attempts of getting her to walk gracefully and sweetly down the aisle, she got stage fright and proceeded to stomp down it like a dinosaur....We'll need to work on the way she deals with shyness...

It was a gorgeous wedding, with tons of DIY accents made by the bride, and my heart warmed at the fact that she included the peg dolls I made at the last minute as a bachelorette accent into her wedding reception

 

It was fantastic fun to being back in the company of some of my oldest friends and their spouses --

Love my girls -- and Da-Ping, you were missed!

 

And me and my best girl

 

Note to self and anyone else who is reading -- leave at LEAST a week between a facial and an event --- my skin was disgusting that whole week we were in Melbourne, post-facial....and of course, it was gorgeous 2 days after the wedding.

(wedding day pictures courtesy of CY)