bacharlotte!

This past weekend I headed to sunny Florida to celebrate the last nights of maidenhood for my dearest friend Charlotte.  As far as bachelorette parties go, this one was a total slam dunk: just the right mix of activity and relaxation with enough bachelorette-y type festivities to check all the boxes.

Wanting to take full advantage of my trip down there, I took a red-eye Thursday arriving in Friday AM in time for brunch with Charlotte, her sisters, and her mom.  The afternoon was spent doing some ample sunning at the pool before the rest of the girls arrived that evening for a casual BBQ.  

The next morning (in true Charlotte fashion), we headed to a high-intensity work-out class decked out in matching neon t-shirts (compliments of Char's youngest sis and co-maid-of-honor).

The class involved lots of cycling...

...as well as copious exercises that have left me walking gingerly even 3 days later.

the bride showing off her crazy strength with some weights

After that, we headed back to the house for a decadent brunch of eggs, toast, fruit and yogurt.

again - right up this healthy, wholesome bride's alley!

The groom's sister - who is also getting married this year and lives in LA - couldn't make it to the festivities, so she opted to surprise the bride with an extra special afternoon activity: a beach photo shoot for her and all her friends.

en route to the beach with all of our "props" - compliments of the groom's sister

More (professional) pictures to come!

That evening, it was time for more traditional bachelorette activities: 

a lingerie shower

(details concealed!)

Cocktails with Penis Pretzels 

(homemade by the Mother of the Bride!)

We then rented a stretch limo and headed out for an evening on the town.

Bride with her two sisters / co-maids-of-honor

The next morning people were up early for runs and walks before a relaxing yoga class and then brunch at the club.

en route to brunch!

All in all, a fabulous weekend!  Congrats Charlotte!

xoxo

KK

the path of gods

To offset some of that delicious, delicious Italian food, we decided to spend one day conquering the famous Path of Gods – a cliff-lined trail that leads you from Positano (where we were staying) to Priano (the next town over). 

Most people opt to take the bus (or a taxi) up to Nocelle – the town directly above Positano where the trail really gets gorgeous – to avoid the 2000+ steps required to get there by foot.  But since we are always game for a good challenge, we opted to do the full sha-bang.

When one reviewer said the path up to Nocelle was a series of "endless steps", I was sure this was just a figure of speech.

It was not.

See the beach of that little seaside town down there?

That’s where we started,

And this wasn’t even halfway up.

But the views from the top were well-worth the unbelievable effort required to get there.

that island over to the left there is the island of the Sirens 

(from the Odyssey)

But our journey was far from over.  Once up, we needed to hike along the cliffs to the next town – an exercise that was scary even for one without a fear of heights.

Stefan, however, is one of those crazy people who seems to be not afraid of anything.  While I’m always thinking of the worst case scenario where everyone ends up dying, he can only see the best.

this kid is insane

We stumbled upon an old (but still functioning) monastery where we enjoyed a bit of shade before finishing the hike down to Priano. 

Priano was small and nice, but lacked the charm of Positano – we opted to skip a lunch there and head back to our little town instead.  There, we enjoyed tomato-mozzarella paninis seaside and then spent the afternoon lounging and swimming in the warm sea.

We were exhausted, but satisfied, ready for more delicious Italian food.

xoxo

KK

DB at RLP

That would be (DB) Dickie Boy at (RLP) Rancho La Puerta.

Yes - Dickie Boy's time at Rancho La Puerta was SO epic, 
it requires it's own special abbreviation.

To kick off my explanation, I must confess I actually didn't get a full week at the Ranch.  Due to work constraints, I could only join the crew on Wednesday morning.  But by the time I arrived, the whole Ranch knew me.

As I my mom escorted me from the Welcome Desk to our villa on the other side of the property, every single person that passed us would greet me in 1 of 3 ways:
"Oh, you must be Dickie's granddaughter!  Welcome!"
"You must be KK!  We just ADORE your grandfather!  So glad you're finally here."
"Oh, are you the final member of Dickie Boy's clan?  We've had so, SO much fun with him and have heard so much about you!"

Obviously by the end of our 10-minute walk, I felt awesome.

But Dickie Boy's fame on the Ranch went beyond his omnipresent among patrons, he was an international celebrity when it came to people on the Ranch.  EVERYONE wanted to spend as much time with him as possible.

When we'd walk across the property to a class or a meal, anyone we passed would greet him with adoration.
"Dickie - how ARE you?"
"Oh Dickie - are free for a drink at The Bodega tonight?"
"DICK! Are you going to the lecture at 7pm?  I'm debating, but if you're going, I will too."

To give you a candid, albeit brief, glimpse into the legend that is Richard Gallun (that would be Dickie Boy), I thought it best to show you what kind of magic DB worked while on the Ranch, namely, his "dance-in-place performance" during circuit training at 10am (shown here with one of his many (many) admirers):

Need I say more?

No.

xoxo

KK

rancho la puerta

In my rush to get ready for der Schweiz, I didn't have time to fill you in on my little girls (and Dickie Boy) getaway in July, so I'm bringing you the first (of a few) today.

For awhile, my mom, sis, Dickie Boy, and I have been wanting to do a girls (and DB) trip to a spa.  When Gretch had a bit of free time in between jobs (she's leaving the world of advertising to become a teacher this fall!), we decided this was the summer to do it.  So this past July, we headed to Rancho La Puerta in Mexico for a week of activity, relaxation, and detox.

Each morning, after some coffee and fresh fruit in the lodge, we started with a 6am hike. 

morning fog nestled in between the mountains

watching the sunrise from the top

wild horses

At 8am (having already had a very good work-out), we'd head to breakfast.

Pool-side, we dined on copious amounts of locally-grown fruit, homemade organic muffins and breads, made-to-order omelettes, and fresh green juice.

Each morning was packed full of invigorating (and at times rather hilarious - see below) exercise classes.  Our favorites included hip-hop, circuit training, strip-tease dance, and - of course - cardio boxing.  

Afternoons were spent more leisurely: attending a lecture, partaking in a stretch or meditation class, or simply exploring the beautiful property.

By 5pm, it was time to shower and get ready for dinner at the dining room.  When the weather was nice (which was no less than every day), we'd dine outside under the shade of the trees.

Always a delicious three-course affair:

mushroom and field greens salad

yellowtail with snow peas and mango salsa

passion fruit panna cotta with dark chocolate

Now that's mine kind of spa food. :)

By 9pm, we were usually exhausted and ready for bed.

Rancho La Puerta, while certainly a "spa" in many ways, also has all the benefits of being a non-spa: breakfast and lunch are buffet-style so you're not limited to a set number of calories (good for some, not-so-great for others), villas are rather decadent and resort-like, AND you're allowed to drink - you just need to ask (red wine is good for the heart, right?).

More details on this adventure, particularly how Dickie Boy fared (hint: very, very well), to come.

xoxo

KK

well, hello!

Boy oh boy, it's been quite awhile since I've checked in last.  But my absence was not without good reason - I landed a new job!  While very exciting, the last month has been a whirlwind of trying to orchestrate my exit from my current gig as well as schedule some summer fun.  (More on that to come.)  

In addition, we've had time for some exciting, action-packed weekends.

Watching my baby brother graduate summa cum laude (!!) from Williams:

so proud of Sam Richard Krieg

the family crew of Williams grads

Helping said baby brother move into his new apartment in NYC:

my sister Gretchen working her magic with IKEA

My 5-year college reunion:
(which coincided with my parents' 30th and included a whole lotta mud)

charlotte and me

A wedding up in Healdsburg:

we obviously had to do some wine tasting

(at kunde's mountain top)

and some beer tasting

(at the fermentation bar in downtown healdsburg)

and some hiking in the redwoods

And finally, doing some much-needed spring cleaning:

color-coded books - yay or nay?

 

More details on these fun weekends to come.

What have you been up to?

xoxo

KK

long weekend

In addition to having an extra day (and lots of gorgeous sun) this past weekend, we had two sets of friends in town.  First: my wonderful friend Char and her boyfriend Scott who were here for a wedding, and then second: Stefan's friend from Liechtenstein, who is currently living in Brazil and was in town doing some Series B fundraising for an exciting new venture.

As is always the case when we have friends in town, we were jam-packed with activities.  The highlights were:

a wild glow-in-the-dark night out dancing

watching bayern munich take home the championship

a friend-filled walk on Crissy Field

The most delicious cocktail hour ever 

(with goodies fresh from the farmer's market)

hosted by Scott's sensational mother Randy

Randy (in the middle) is one of those mothers who has a magical way of 

making everyone feel super welcome and right at home 

(and VERY well fed)

a Sunday morning hike

(me trying (unsuccessfully) to strike a sexy pose)

more on this to come

some wine (and chocolate) tasting that afternoon

What were you up to this weekend?

xoxo

KK