It’s been a while, hasn’t it? I’ve been MIA from this blog for quite some time (from the looks of my last post, since 2021!) Life has a way of taking unexpected turns, and in my case, it led me to a lengthy hiatus from this platform. Instead, I’ve channeled my energy into Instagram, which has been a fun and less formal outlet.
Instagram has allowed me to capture moments, express thoughts, and connect with an incredible community but, I’ve been itching to get back into the world of blogging!
My Insta feed is a kind of micro-blog. I’ve poured my heart and soul into those little captions, but there’s something about the long-form narrative that’s been calling out to me. On this platform, I can dive deeper into topics and details.
So, here I am, returning my roots. And in true form, starting with a FLASHBACK, to 2019.
Recently developed film from our southern Italy trip and love how the colors and light leaks turned out, here are my favorites from Positano:
35MM photos taken on vintage Canon using Lomography film
Next up, I’ll be sharing our full 8-day road trip itinerary from San Francisco to Los Angeles! There’s so much information to compile, so it’s going to take a moment, but I’m excited to share it. It was truly a trip of a lifetime, and I don’t use that phrase lightly!
While traveling majorly pumped the breaks last year and 2021 is just as difficult there are some ways to STILL get out. Here are some tips and tricks:
Figure out COVID restrictions or guidelines
Before you travel in 2021, figure out if there are any COVID restrictions or guidelines at the location you’re visiting + with the airline you are traveling with. For example, there is a new guideline that says you have to get tested if you are entering back into the USA. Also, places such as Sedona enforce a city-wide mask mandate. Just be aware of any guidelines beforehand, or you can get yourself into a pickle!
Spend less, travel more
When you travel, save money where you can so that you are able to travel more. So, for example, if you have to choose between a $500 hotel and a $350 hotel, choose the less expensive option. Sure – it may not be exactly what you were hoping for or envisioning, but traveling and exploring a new city is indeed traveling, right?
Make extra cash
There are 2 big ways to make extra cash, so that you can travel more.
The first one? Cut back on unnecessary spending so that you’re able to save more. Travel is expensive, so making financial sacrifices is a given. Some people, though, don’t even know where the bulk of their money goes. In a lot of cases, it’s food. Eating out for lunch every day (even the cheapest of takeout options) or grabbing a daily coffee en route to work is likely one of your biggest expenses. Foregoing a $5 latte five times a week can save you $100 per month and that adds up. Every time you go to order a second glass of wine at dinner or have trouble passing up a pair of shoes, remind yourself that travel is the reward.
Your second option? Find ways to make extra cash. Sell things you don’t need, or use your skills to make some extra cash. If you need help finding a place to sell your items, check out Chapes-JPL. They are an Atlanta pawn shop that buys and gives loans on valuables such as watches, handbags, gold, diamonds, etc. They have been the highest-rated pawn shop in Atlanta for over forty years now and have amazing reviews, too! Plus, you do not even have to go in-store to get extra cash in exchange for your valuables because they just released an at-home option. They say: “Chapes-JPL announces our National Mail-In, 100% Insured, Secure Cash for Assets Program. The dirty secret of a typical “pawn shop” is they charge the highest interest rates by law in their local city. With Chapes-JPL National Mail-in Program, you are able to get the lowest interest rates allowed by law, across the entire United States. Best of all, it’s 100% secure, insured, and licensed. Your items are insured by Chapes-JPL and mailed out with the United States Postal Service; backed by Chapes-JPL 5 star reputation since 1980.” Pretty cool, right?
Chapes JPL, Atlanta
Take shorter trips more often
If you have a limited number of vacation days from your job, using them all at once means you’ll spend the rest of the year waiting for new vacation days to kick in. Using a few here and there means you’re traveling more often throughout the year. Plus, if you’re able to drive to your location vs. driving, it will save you quite a bit of money that you can put to your current or a future trip!
Work remotely
You don’t have to turn into a digital nomad in order to work remotely. Find out whether your company would be amenable to the idea and, if they’re open to it, give it a test run or two to prove your efficiency. The ability to work remotely, even occasionally or for part of your trip, can help you stretch out limited vacation days. Yes, you’d be working part of the day, but when you turn off your computer you’re still on vacation. Thankfully, if you are in the corporate world, so many positions have virtual capabilities now due to COVID. Take advantage of that!
Watch airfare sales
If you’re the spontaneous type, take advantage of airline sales by signing up for email notifications (Google flights is a great option), learning the best time to book flights, as well as all the ways you can score cheap flights. Airlines like Southwest often have big sales where they practically give flights away. The sales may be for last-minute flights, but don’t be fooled into thinking that every trip needs to be planned way in advance. If you have a free weekend or some extra vacation days, just throw your stuff in a carry-on and in a few hours, you could be at the beach or on the slopes.
Just like my wardrobe, my sleepwear HAS to be comfortable and thanks to Lunya, I’ll be sleeping in silky softness in this gorgeous set –
My favorite part is the leg slits! Nothing worse than feeling constricted while trying to decompress, relax and SLEEP.
Growing up, one of the Christmas gifts my brothers and I could always count on were pjs. It was usually Old Navy fleece pajama pants so I’ve definitely leveled UP with this chic set. If you’re a pj gift giver or love to receive/shop for yourself (no shame!), and are shopping around for Black Friday deals, Shopbop has you covered. They are currently running a sale for 20% off $200, see details here and have a HUGE collection of loungewear, sexy lingerie and pajamas, SEE HERE. Happy shopping friends!
Five years filled with fun times, exploration, kitchen dancing, belly laughs, TLC and my BEAUTIFUL WEDDING RINGS. As it falls on Halloween, we celebrated a day earlier with fancy sushi. As well as at the beginning of the month opening our guestbook box that contained notes from our wedding guests during our last visit to the Daufuskie house, where we got engaged. Super special reading notes from friends and family!
I love love love the story behind my wedding rings! Here goes…
When we first set out on finding a ring we looked at vintage and estate options at AmericasMart. I liked some of the pieces but none made us want to INSTANTLY pull the trigger. Talking about our shopping trips with my mom she said “I have my mothers and you can keep as is or rework!”
DONE.
It was two rings, soldered together. The main had a tiny diamond that was surrounded by a lot of silver and a few super small diamonds along the band. By this time Dustin knew what I liked so I handed over the rings and said “lets keep the band as is, but I trust you!” When he popped the question and I saw the made over ring I WAS BLOWN AWAY!
He worked some magic and turned her into a work of art.
He upgraded the largest stone to a bigger more clear estate diamond, added two baguette diamonds, kept two small ones from the original and added two sapphire triangles to the underneath/side area for a total of 7 stones which is a lucky number to us. The touch of blue represents Dustin and the triangles were a little something for me <3 We wanted it to remain two-tone, yellow gold and white gold to be able to go with whatever I want to wear with it.
ITS PERFECT.
The accent triangles are usually hidden when wearing but I absolutely adore the detail. Dustin drew it out in a moleskin and took it to the jeweler and viola! Feeling like a lucky lady all over again just typing this out!
Above are two other rings I wear everyday. The dainty sapphire band I got from Shopbop and the croissant ring is from Mejuri. Ring holder by local Atlanta ceramicist, Honeycomb Studio.
Hope you enjoyed reading about something very near and dear to my heart! Happy Anni Dustin <3
Since March we’ve had our gym membership paused, and as of September, we cancelled it all together. So what have we been doing for workouts?
Meet our newest addition:
A Bowflex Velocore Bike
She’s badass! Back before covid I would go to the gym 3, usually 4 times a week but when it was no longer safe I started doing things around the house. For months I did POPSUGAR Fitness videos on YouTube, Ryan Heffington’s SweatFest on IG Live (they are also saved so you can watch reruns), bike rides on a road bike and a lot of dancing around the house and stretching, lots of stretching.
That was fine and pretty fun tbh, the gym can get repetitive, but my main source of cardio, on the bike, was dangerous. The roads around our neighborhood are pretty industrial for one thing but also in terrible conditions with areas of heavy liter (dodged some of the grossest stuff I don’t care to mention!) Really I was hoping covid risks lessoned and we would be able to comfortably go to the gym but when we realized it’d be a long while, I started seriously considering investing in a stationary bike. When you think of at-home stationary bikes your mind probably goes to Peloton, which we really considered but once Dustin did some research, we liked the swaying feature of the Bowflex best. If unlocked you can drift from side to side getting a better core workout, and I can confidently say this because it’s a FACT.
So far I’ve done the assessment ride, a nice cruise through Amsterdam listening to EDM, 2 rides with instructors and a bunch of manual rides. We’re currently using a trial of the classes + apps and when that runs out, we’ll consider subscribing. As of now, I’m loving the coaches because I’ve noticed if I just watch something on Netflix or just listen to music, I don’t ride as hard. But we’ll see if I get tired of them ;)
Curious how you’ve transitioned your workouts around the pandemic?
