Firelight Camps Travel Diary

Candle by Shop Evil Queen, Adventure Awaits. 

When I attended an event at the W Hotel in Midtown this summer, I was introduced to the world of 'glamping'. That is, glamorous camping. Or rather, my kind of camping. ;) I knew I had to experience this before the weather got too cold. That's why I brought my husband and our pooch, MaQ, to Firelight Camps right before the start to New York Fashion Week, for a lil' R&R before our chaotic schedules ensued. 

Located in Upstate New York, schools such as Cornell University and Ithaca College are nearby, yet the campgrounds transport you to the middle of nowhere. With 18 safari tents made up with high thread count linens, they are warmly lit with battery-powered lanterns and covered with mesh screenings to help keep the bugs out. The furniture is impeccable. With hardwood floors and either a king-size bed or two full-sized beds, each tent also comes with its own deck and writing desk (My DREAM). Out on the balcony there's two rocking chairs that over look a lush and leafy oasis. Imagine how the foliage will transition - oh the views! Did I mention the tents come with wi-fi? #alwaysworking But come nighttime, you can see the stars and hear the crickets while you fall asleep. Super cozy.

The main tent lobby has daily complimentary continental breakfast, complimentary happy hour tasting of Finger Lakes craft beverages (the rosé is 👌), a cozy mini-lounge where there are campfires daily both in the morning and evening (hello smores), a Bocce ball court and other onsite games like cool boardgames such as Sorry! and more. There's even yoga! You have immediate access to the Buttermilk Falls hiking trails but we instead wanted to see one of the tallest waterfalls on the east coast, the Taughannock Falls! What was really wild was the drought. It looked as if someone shut the water off! There was no waterfall, but it was totally fun running with MaQ where there should be water running through. 

Ten minutes away from Firelight Camps is the downtown scene with bars, restaurants, bookstores and cute antique shops. You can even catch a film at the Ithaca Commons. The food's delicious! One night we even tried Mexican at Viva Taqueria, and were pleasantly surprised by the freshness and quality of their food. And pet-friendly. Great service too! I also had the immense pleasure of eating Jimmy John's for lunch as well, after not having their subs since college which was awhile ago. They are so unbelievably good! There are tons of wineries and cideries to visit close by, and let's not forget to mention the spa that's literally a few steps away from the campgrounds! To see a full list of things to do, click here. 

We had the best glamping experience one could ever imagine. I'm a city girl but also love the country life and love to go hiking with the boys during our downtime. I don't get to enjoy nature very often so when I do, I like to soak up every minute of it! Whenever I escape the city I'm always left rejuvenated, uplifted and inspired. Ready to go at it, all over again! To read more on Firelight Camps, go to www.firelightcamps.com

Special thanks to Emma for making this trip possible! Xo.

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Our most recent travel experience, glamping at Firelight Camps in Ithaca, NY! Special thanks to Emma for making this trip possible. We never camped this luxuriously before! www.firelightcamps.com 

LOVE & XX'S,

FOLLOW MAQ + SUZ

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Happy International Women's Day

“A flower does not think of competing with the flower next to it. It just blooms.”

— Zen Shin

Happy International Women's Day! Ladies, my wish for you all is that we will all be able to live freely and know that you can do ANYTHING you set your mind to! YOU can be anyone you want to be because you're crazy beautiful, smart and amazingly talented in your own right. We are all unique. I love you all, through good and bad because even though we are flawed, this will never take away our self-worth because we all matter! It's what you do is what counts. To each and every day, I hope yours is as wonderful as you are.

So, why do so many women have 'frenemies', then? You know, the women who say they want you to win but deep down, hope you lose. Ick! I can't stand anyone who thinks they're better than someone else for whatever ridiculous reason they've concocted up in their head. I'm a lover, not a hater. I can, within five minutes after meeting someone, tell whether or not they're a genuine person. And no, I'm not always 100% right (because who is) and yes, people still surprise me but in light of taking better care of myself, I've steered clear of anyone who brings any kind of negative or fake vibe. It's such a loss of time and energy. I just can't.

See to me, the community of women is greater than competition. That's the beauty of New York as well. You never know who you're going to meet or what you'll end up doing! But when it comes to some women and their attitude towards their driven career paths, they can very much be 'mean girls'. Which is why last week when I attended a blogger network party, thanks to the wonderful hostesses from Out of Office NY, I was a bit uncertain of what the environment was going to be like and also what kind of women I'd be meeting. But to my pleasant surprise, everyone was so genuine and sweet as cherry pie! I loved how we were all rooting for each other rather than talking behind each other's backs. I'm all for celebrating every woman's success, both in work and in life. I very much look forward to getting to know these fabulous women better and meeting other like-minded bloggers in the future!

Lastly, here are some selected photos from the New York Botanical Garden's desert section. You know what's one of the things on my bucket list? To see the sunrise alone in the desert. There's something completely isolating about it, yet at the same time, overwhelmingly connected to everything. The older I get the more I'm in tune with mother nature. I respect her and admire her. And yes, I am convinced she's female! :) Hope you all enjoyed my favorite photos from the NYBG. (Click source below for all the orchid photos.) Coming up next on the blog is a new food recipe! I'm not telling you what it is, but know I'm sticking to Korean fusion cuisine! Stay tuned...

Love & xx's,

FOLLOW MAQ + SUZ

Sunday Hiking Adventure

To close the long holiday weekend, I took the liberty to stop everything I was doing and to escape the city, even if only for the day. Life has it's unexpected twists and turns in every chapter of a person's story, and since we haven't been able to get away for a while, we just wanted, and more importantly, really needed the break.

Yesterday we went to Harriman State Park, the second largest state park in New York. With over 200 miles of hiking trails, it is a haven for hikers and paradise for dogs! We've been up to Bear Mountain last year and wanted to mix the trail up with a new path, taking the Blue Disc Trail. 

The trail climbs two mountains (!), Almost Perpendicular and Pound Mountain, and passes two major rock formations, Elbow Rush and Claudius Smith Rock. It's crazy, the trail dates back to the 1920s! It wasn't the hardest hike I've ever done but it was steep and all together we trekked around 7 miles! We played with MaQ's Hawaiian Flyer Frisbee, and of course, he chased around one of his Chuck It balls, his ultimate favorite toy. All the exercise was a great way to burn off all the turkey from this weekend. :)

Take a look at our photos from our hiking adventure below! I love when my hubby and I go somewhere because the photo results always speak for themselves, but the making of memories are what are instilled within us forever. And for every day I'm alive, I'm am utterly grateful. And, any time spent with those two hooligans is always a plus! At least to me it is! ;) ♥

How 'bout it, New Yorkers? What are some of your most memorable scenic trails in New York? There's so many to choose from, I know! What are some of your ways of staying fit with all the Holiday food ready to entice you? 

Love & xxs,

maQ + suz 

A Day in Central Park

Last week's Fall Mini Session left me inspired to shoot more of this glorious Fall weather before everything becomes bare and brittle. Did I mention frigid? We lucked out yet again today, here in New York City, with 70°F+ temps. So, with my rollerblades intact and MaQ by my side, I ventured the nearly 3 mile-trip uptown to Central Park. The workout wasn't exactly easy, given the backpack I was carrying which included my camera, a change of clothes, my boots, treats, a large bottle of water, his ball, and then some! Phew! I would say it was about an extra 20 pounds on my back during the trek! To say the least, we did it and it was totally worth it!

Isn't that just a spectacular view?! I was so glad to visit there today. It reminded me why I live here again. The hustle & bustle of the streets; the competition, the raw honesty in it's purest form; the smells of every kind of food you can imagine; the beauty within the park; and those wondrous skyscrapers that can't help but make you dream big. Live big. Love big. This is my city and I'm so proud to call New York my home. It ain't always pretty, but it's undeniably f*cking real to me! So is life.

When we first entered the park, MaQ was really excited about the horses! I remember when my husband and I got married in Strawberry Fields he totally went bananas over 'em and desperately wanted to make friends. Regardless, he's quite the stud muffin, isn't he? Plus, Fall makes for the best pictures! And trust me when I say this folks, the foliage is looking pretty groovy at this point! Y'all need to go for a stroll before all the beautiful colors are gone!

I really wanted to do a nice Fall portrait with the both of us, so I brought my little remote and snapped away. The light is a little harsh, but I only have my distraction to blame from the magnificent beauty Central Park holds! It just makes you think you have all the time in the world, I almost forgot I wanted to photograph us! Ha ha ha!

I tried to take several shots in many forms of light. The park is perfect for that, at some point, (being a hardcore perfectionist) I wasn't ready to leave because it was just too enjoyable! But there are only 24 hours in a day and I only have a zillion things to do! I love the little lens flare from the light in the shot above. He looks like Rainbow Brite! Plus I'm still that young rebel who doesn't like to follow the rules so yeah, I like to shoot against the light sometimes. ;)

MaQ is adored everywhere he goes, like today when I was right in the middle of shooting (on a non-sturdy rock of all places) and this sweet maybe 12-year old Eastern European kid bravely walked up to me, and shamelessly asked if he could pet my dog. At first, I was kind of annoyed since he didn't seem to care that I was in the middle of trying to take a shot (of MaQ unleashed all the while), but when I looked into his piercing blue eyes, there was something so familiar and peaceful at the same time, I couldn't help but say yes. I wanted him to meet MaQ. And it made him so very happy, where it, in return, made me so happy!

We also visited The Pond, which is also where the first crime scene takes place in my debut novel, 'The Fisherman's Lily'. It's nice to go back to places where you've researched, and this being one of the very first chapters I wrote in the very beginnings of writing my book, I of course had to stop by and pay homage to my special place. I took a shot of MaQ on the bridge (right above The Pond) to encapsulate the feelings I had with the initials ideas of writing fiction many, many years ago.

Toward the very end of our photo taking, we played a long, rewarding game of fetch. We played out in an open field, and it was such a pleasure to watch him at full speed. I think the day completely wiped him out because he's been asleep for the past 5 hours! He really did a lot, so it's good he's resting. I seriously had the best time up there today! I wish we lived closer to Central Park, because we'd go there everyday!

We hope you enjoyed in taking a glimpse into our adventures! We love sharing them with you and the world. Would you like to do a Fall photo of some kind in the park? Please feel free to contact me about any inquiries you may have!

Thanks so much for reading! Please pass on & share! Happy Thursday! ♡

Love & xx's,

maQ + suz

Wednesday: Boudoir Sneak Peek

WEARING: NOTHING BUT TULLE. LOTS OF TULLE.

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Happy Hump Day! We've made it halfway, phew! This week has been going supremely well! Blogging again has put a new pep in my step. I can't wait to get up the next day just to share with you all another piece of me! It has been a lot of fun and I'm so happy doing it! Today's blog post is talking about boudoir!

When I graduated from college I was approached by a photographer to do a boudoir shoot, unfortunately to my dismay, it was NOT a very good experience. It made swear off these types of shoots because the photographer made me uncomfortable. I felt exposed. A few months ago, I took a mini-retreat up to Sherman, Connecticut and stayed at my dear friend Agnes's magical tree house for some much-needed R & R.  Agnes is a wonderful, talented NYC photographer and a close, personal friend. She had been asking to work on a shoot together for the longest time and when she presented me with the opportunity, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and to get jiggy with it! I'm a firm believer in whatever you are in fear of, face it and then you will conquer it. And I did just that!

I felt the overall experience was empowering, uplifting and joyful. She made me feel 100% woman and completely confident and secure, which is not at all how I feel about myself. I actually couldn't believe how carefree I felt throughout the entire shoot! Below are few sneak peek shots from our shoot. Kudos to you, my lady! You made me feel like an enchanting fairy! I cannot wait to see the other shots! Thank you for your friendship, love, and support through the years. I hold a very special place in my heart for my favorite Hungarian photographer! If you'd like to see more of Agnes's work, feel free to check out her website, Yellow Brick Collective.

Now, I'm not saying boudoir is a risk to take or that it's for everyone, but it should be light, fun, engaging and most of all, trusting. If you don't feel right about it, trust your gut! Don't do it if you think you'll be more a deer in headlights than anything else. I'm so grateful to be able to have done this with such a close friend, it just made it that much more meaningful and personal!

Enjoy the rest of your day, my beautiful peeps! Take care of each other and yourselves.

LOVE & XX'S

FOLLOW MAQ + SUZ