beach babe

This summer we took our annual beach trips with each of our families.  It is so fun to take a few days and spend them relaxing by the water.  This year we were pretty busy chasing the turkey around but didn't care, we were thrilled that she loved the beach.  She ate the sand and ran it through her fingers over and over, she loved crawling after the seagulls, and loved hopping waves.  She was a such a trooper and napped on the beach which allowed us to stay out there all day.  Her little baby tan lines are adorable!  It was so fun sharing her first beach experience with her and seeing her see the ocean for the first time.  She was distracted by some puppies at first but then just looked up and the expression on her face was like, "wow!"  Thanks Mom and Dad and Mike and Judy for making these family vacations possible!

san fran i love my man

Joe and I celebrated 4 years over the July 10th weekend and made a trip to San Francisco for the occasion.  The traditional gift for four years is fruit and flowers so we planned a day trip to Napa Valley to do some wine tasting.  Fermented grapes are still fruit, right?

We were gone for about 4 days and M stayed with our parents.  It was SO hard to say bye, I was actually embarrassed at how hard I cried, it was the air gasping kind, but once we got to the airport and got a margarita I was better:)  Every time we saw a baby on our trip Joe and I would just look at each other and frown, but she had a blast on her little staycation too.

San Francisco was a beautiful city.  The weather was 70 degrees and sunny.  I loved how the hills made great views of the bay everywhere you went!  They were a pain to climb but getting to the top was worth the sights.  We did a few activities like the Go Car tour, we saw the painted ladies (two were being repainted), Lombard St., drove across the Golden Gate bridge, walked along the water and visited the Ferry building, rode a trolley car, strolled through the Mission district, and caught a Giants game.  One day we took the ferry to Tiburon and ate lunch on the patio. We also got to have dinner and catch up with our friend Tyler.  

Our day trip to Napa was great too.  The drive was pretty and when we got their we had breakfast at a little farmer's market.  We took a wine tasting class and toured a vineyard and then had a great dinner at Farmstead.  There are literally vineyards everywhere and they go on for miles.  They were so beautiful with the dark green rows of vines against the golden grass.  On our way back we stopped at Hawk point for a great view of the city.  The fog was starting to roll in which just looked amazing.

The field is RIGHT on the water!  There were boats waiting to catch home run balls!

We tasted the grapes even though they are nowhere near ripe.  They tasted like bell peppers:(

It was a fun way to celebrate our anniversary and a great time just the two of us. Happy #sanfranniversary

pack it up pack it in

Have a trip coming up??  A few of my friends are headed over seas in May and they asked me how I went to Europe for 10 days with a carry on and a back pack:  So here's my packing routine and a basic packing list below:

Suitcase:  They come in all shapes and sizes but I think the most crucial asset is the straps that tuck your clothes in.  This keeps clothes from tumbling around and wrinkling but it also helps maximize the space inside your case because they really hold things down.

The Container Store has a great selection of suitcases and Baggalini bags during their summer Travel sale.  I love Baggalini nags because they come in all sizes and have great pockets for organizing inside.

Pick an outfit for each day you will be gone. To maximize space, use the same pants and sweaters more than once, pick a color scheme to mix and match with less items, or pack some detergent and do laundry abroad.  Lay out each outfit with everything you will need to go with it, shoes, underwear, jewelry, and accessories.  Include swim suits, cover ups, pajamas, etc.

Fold each outfit and keep everything together except for shoes and accessories. Don't over fold! My rule of thumb is to keep it within the dimensions of your suitcase.

Open your suitcase and place all your shoes on the bottom.  If you can nest shoes inside of each other do so.  For instance, sandals and flip flops can fit inside of each other and then take up less room.  If you are traveling in the winter months, lay boots on their side or stuff your socks and underwear into your shoes to save room.  I always try to plan my airplane outfit so I am wearing my chunkiest shoes.

After shoes and any socks and underwear you stuffed inside, lay your pile of folded clothes on top if your shoes, dividing them in half if necessary.  I like to lay jackets and sweaters on top unfolded as they are usually pretty chunky.  After you have them all layed in, strap them in and pull it tight!!!

The other side of my suitcase is dedicated to toiletries, makeup and hair products.  I like to put everything in it's own bag so I can grab and go so I have a make up bag and a jewelry bag.  Big items like shampoo and conditioner I just leave out.  Once, I forgot to pack them and ended up just buying some when we got there which was pretty helpful after all.

Anything left is like playing Tetris.  Try to find areas of your bag that have open space and put in items that fit the mold.  Most people try to put everything right on top and then can't close the lid!

Below is a fun little packing list pad I got as a gift one year.  I know it's pretty common sense, but don't we always forget the most obvious things??

Happy traveling!

oh the places you will go

I've always wanted a map to pin all the places we have been and Santa brought Joe and I a cool map and map pins in our stocking! Thank you Santa!!  

We bought the frame from Hobby Lobby and nailed it in ourselves so it was pretty inexpensive and looks great on our travel collage wall.  I love how the mint background ties into the back of our bookcases and the desk chair.

DC day four...what a rush!

Our last day in DC was quite a rush.  We ran into metro delays on our way to Georgetown, but finally made it and enjoyed walking the streets and seeing the shops.  We made it back to Alexandria and grabbed a very hurried lunch at the Charter House.  We were so nervous about our flight that Joe left the restaurant before me to run and grab all of our luggage.  I took the trolley and we picked him up outside our hotel and then caught the metro to the furthest stop we could take to get as close to the airport as possible.  

We met another couple trying to catch their flight and decided that we would share a cab instead of waiting for the airport shuttle that only came every half hour.  We had a great cab driver but of course there was traffic!!  

We got to the airport, ran through security, and made it to our gate as they were boarding our section....I was so stressed!!!!!!!!!!!  But what an exciting way to end our trip to the nation's capitol, eh?

Georgetown University

Welcome to Virginia

Waiting on the metro

Charter House

DC day three

Our 3rd day in DC was a Saturday.  We had breakfast at the cafe next door and then stumbled upon the Alexandria farmer's market where we sampled some yummy fruit.

We headed to Arlington Cemetery which is beautiful in the saddest way.  There is something so powerful about all the tombstones being the same, it is so humbling.

We made it to the Tomb of the Unknowns just in time for the changing of the guard.

We took the train to check out the Smithsonian Zoo where we met some really cool pandas.

We went to mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

Had dinner at We the Pizza (loved this place)

and old fashioned milk shakes at Ted's Bulletin Diner