The Phoenician

I wanted to get out of town for Memorial weekend, but plane tickets were outrageously expensive given that it was a last minute decision.  Thanks to a few of my girlfriends, I was introduced to the idea of going to a local resort and spoiling ourselves with rest and relaxation.  I decided on The Phoenician in Scottsdale, AZ.  The service was exceptional and the weather was perfect.  It was a wonderful weekend full of good food, sunshine, and pool time. 

View of the resort

Cactus garden where there were huge lizards running around!

View from the resort room

St. Petersburg

I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to travel to Russia for a week for work, and as luck would have it, I had more personal time than professional hours during my trip.  We were based in Moscow, but flew to St. Petersburg for a couple days to explore the sights there.  The architecture was beautiful and full of history and the people were very friendly.  I loved that the days don't end until after 10PM during this time of year.  We made sure to hit all the tourist spots!

Standing in front of St. Isaac's Cathedral

Inside St. Isaac's Cathedral

Climbing up the 300 steps to the top of St. Isaac's Cathedral

View of St. Petersburg from the top of St. Isaac's Cathedral

Bronze Horseman

On the path to The Church of Our Savior on the Spilled Blood

Inside the church

Outside the Hermitage Museum

A photo with one of Da Vinci's finest pieces

Just a glimpse of how beautiful it was inside the Hermitage Museum

Cinnamon Twists

I felt inspired after watching Giada At Home one afternoon and decided to try my hand at making her Cinnamon Twists.  The recipe called for carmamon, but I decided against it when I found out that one small bottle costs $15!  I also didn't make the dip and decided to use honey and Nutella instead because a lot of the reviews indicated that the dip was not very good.  All in all, such an easy recipe and delicious treat for dessert!