ABSTRACT

I last wore this graffiti maxi dress in Hawaii. Truth be told, I have problem with buying too many dresses, and sadly they never get enough wear. However, this has been one of my best impulse buys to date.

This weekend we’re heading out for a couple trips and while the destinations aren’t as tropical as this one, I’m reminded of the many reasons we love to travel, and most importantly the many friends we’ve been able to make long the way. As you know, we’ve moved around a lot, and we are so lucky to have friends all over the world. In fact, it seems that wherever we travel, there’s always the chance to reconnect, and we love this part of our trips!

I always say the best way to organize a trip is as follows…

1. Explore, Get Messy, Adventure

2. Visit Friends, Eat Well, Shop, Get Local

3. Recover, Unwind, & Relax before heading back home
   

I’d say 90% of our trips follow this recipe whether we travel alone or with friends. So next you get away for a trip, try it out, and let me know what you think! As for this dress, unfortunately it’s old and no longer available, but I’ve linked my favorite similar styles below.

As always, be sure to follow in stories! These next two destinations will include lots of friends and lots of outdoors– turns out you can take a girl out of Alaska, but you can’t take Alaska out of the girl ;)

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FETCH

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We got to bring these pups home with us for the holidays, and a few of you reached out with questions about traveling with pets. Honest truth: it's not bad, but two vs. one is a game changer. A few words of advice...

• Research Airlines– We love Alaska Airline, so when traveling with the pups, we are exclusive to Alaska. The pet fee is reasonable, and the service is exceptional– in fact, once you're seated, a flight attendant will bring you a note with your pet's name confirming they're safely on board too. It's all in the details. 
• Map Your Route– While flights to Alaska are long, when traveling with the pups, we always try to keep our total travel time to a minimum. When possible stick to direct flights.
• Plan Ahead– You'll need a health certificate, so make sure to schedule a vet visit a day or two ahead of travel. Depending on your vet, this certificates should be valid for 10-30days. Depending on your pet and travel destination, your vet may recommend additional vaccines/medication. 
• Burn Energy– Before heading to the airport, (when possible) play catch or go for a run. 
• Supply Comfort– We do our best to make the pups kennels comfortable. If all goes well, hopefully they sleep the whole flight, but regardless we make sure they each have a sleeping pad and favorite toy for comfort. 
• Finally, brace yourself for the heartache... – While our pups have traveled a lot, I've never met a dog who actually liked flying. Long story short, they get super excited when they see our suitcases and realize they're coming with us. The excitement continues when we reach the airport and they have a hundred new faces to greet! If they've gotten to burn some energy prior to arriving at the airport, check-in runs pretty smoothly. In general, all is good and well, until the kennel door opens and they realize they'll be separated from us. This is the hardest part and always tears me up a little, but in our experience, they're so excited to arrive at our destination, that it makes the whole journey worthwhile! 

One last word of advice, don't make your pets fly for just a few days. We never bring our pups along for weekend getaways, thats when we hire a sitter. We only consider bringing them along, when travel arrangements extend beyond 7-10 days. In our experience, this gives them enough to to adapt to new surroundings and take a break before making the journey back. Bottom line, know your pet, consult your vet, and if possible start them early. Both of our dogs started flying when they were puppies, and they usually get 2-4 flights with us a year. 

Hope this helps all you fur momma's out there, and feel free to reach out if you have any questions. Also, don't forget to follow along in Instagram stories- Camp Grandma & Grandpa is their favorite!

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EASE

I've mentioned this before, but if I could shop from one store alone, I'm pretty positive I'd choose All Saints. This shirt-dress is extra fun, because worn simply, it's just an extra long silk button down, BUT there's a small hook along the seem, that allows you to create a whole new outfit with a more waist enhancing silhouette. Trust me, it took me forever to figure this out, but now it's the perfect light weight travel piece, easy to dress up or down and always comfortable. 

Happy Friday!

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BAREFOOT

Just booked a weekend in California & I can't wait to get back! I think we always knew we'd end up back in Chicago, so our time in California was always viewed as time of adventure & we made the most of it (more on what this means this week).

While we were tied to work Monday to Friday, weekends were for exploring, & these beaches marked our favorite getaway! Just a couple hours from Silicon Valley, nestled along some of California's iconic coastlines, it was the perfect escape & the pups loved beach life. 

It was a somewhat wild time, we were care-free, our only goal was to see as much as we could in the the time that we had– always somewhere new to explore, hike, relax, or dine. 

We haven't decided exactly where we'll head once we land, but we have tickets, transportation, and Google Maps, the rest we'll figure out as we go ;)

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Cardigan c/o Vineyard Vines

Travel // Alaska

Shirt | Henley | Pants | Boots | Hat | Lipstick | Aviators

"We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us!"

City in a Snow Globe

Coat| Pants | Boots - similar | Bag | Scarf | Hat - similar | Aviators | Lip

Today, we're throwing it back to February when the hubs and I got to escape to Chicago for a weekend getaway. As much as I prefer 70-80 degree weather, a fresh snowfall in the city is magical, and the 3 days we got to spend in that snow globe were perfection!...

Travel photos here!