Of all the things that have looked different this year, travel is one of the big ones. 2019 brought us on a Disney Cruise with "framily" and a few short trips around Florida including a staycation at the lazy river in Orlando, my birthday weekend in Boca Raton, and Thanksgiving weekend in Marco Island. My work travels brought me to San Diego, Singapore, Milan, and Rio de Janeiro. This year all work travel was canceled, and our big 10 year anniversary trip was of course canceled as well. Instead, we headed to St. Pete Beach for a few days in June to celebrate our anniversary (with our toddler - ha!), and decided to hop in the car and go down to the Keys last week. It was good for the soul.
We had an amazing couple days including lots of pool and beach time, and all meals were enjoyed al fresco as mother nature (and COVID) intended! Our only epic fail was we didn't have a slice of key lime pie. There's always next time!
I traded in my typical joggers and sneaks travel style for a tank and shorts which was perfect for the drive down. As soon as we arrived, we hit the pool and ordered some lunch which hit the spot.
We stayed at the Playa Largo Resort in a King Room with a balcony/patio. We lucked out with an ocean view which we enjoyed each morning while having coffee and breakfast on the day bed. Lil' Miss was excited to sleep on the pullout, and we brought her toddler pillow and blanket from home. I of course wiped down every square inch of the room before we unpacked, even though hotels are promising the highest level of cleanliness right now. I feel like it should have always been like that - airplanes too! Why weren't they always deep cleaning? SIGH...
Picture Lisa Rinna on RHOBH when she travels - I have always brought my own wipes and wipe everything down - door knobs, light switches, the remote control, drawer pulls, the desk, etc...I even bring a hand soap pump for our hotel room's bathroom since I feel like it's easier to wash your hands with liquid soap instead of a small bar of soap.
*When we are driving to a vacation spot, we bring our cooler filled with water and our adult beverages of choice to save money*
Oh those Florida Keys sunsets..... Can you spot the influencers in the background having a photo shoot?
We headed about 15 minutes down to Islamorada each night for dinner. On our 1st night, we stopped at the Post Card Inn to have a drink at Tiki Bar. Last time we were in Islamorada for a work trip of mine (back when I worked at the travel magazines), it was being renovated so it was nice to check it out. Lil' Miss loved running up and down the dock and of course pushing us on the big swings. Then we headed for dinner at an amazing Italian spot. SO good, we all needed to be rolled back to the hotel.
*Breakfast views from the day bed*
*Wishing every day came with lunch views like this*
*That Monica Geller in Barbados hair frizz is no joke*
Happy Thanksgiving Eve! Are we really almost ready to relax over some turkey? I have a short family trip down to the Keys to recap, but first I wanted to share scenes from last weekend.
It was time to celebrate the birthday girl who is "framily" over outdoor bubbles and strolling local shops and restaurants. It's SO important to support local businesses now more than ever! One of our good friends is a shop owner in the area we explored, and knows the lay of the land and has personal relationships with the real people we were supporting. It was SO nice to get dressed up for what felt like the first time in forever (imagine Princess Anna singing), put on makeup and have my daughter say on my way out the door "Mommy you have pretty eyes again". Out of the mouths of babes I tell ya....
The cutest flower cart outside of the French Bakery where we stopped for bubbles, and sat outside on their patio for some good ol' fashioned people watching. The owner said her husband made it for her, and it was the perfect touch for a small biz. If you're in the Central Florida area, check her out onInstagram here.
'Tis the season am I right? I have almost everything I need for Thanksgiving next week (including scoring A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving on DVD - take that Apple TV), and we are heading down to the Keys for some much needed unplugging and family time in paradise before sitting down to give thanks over turkey. I was this closeto decking the halls, but we are finally replacing the builders grade carpet downstairs in our home and everything will have to be moved while the new flooring is installed so I have to wait a bit longer to jingle our bells. Between the new pup chewing at the old carpet in some corners, play-doh stains from a certain toddler who shall remain nameless, and it rising up in places it.is.TIME. So, I am perfectly happy waiting to spread some Christmas cheer a little bit longer.
Some of my favorite scenes from last year's holiday season - lots of light peeping with Lil' Miss, the Christmas Boat Parade downtown by the lake, and girl's day out at Disney Springs for the Trail of Trees. This year will look a little different - we still plan on light peeping, and taking Lil' Miss to the 2020 version of Disney Spring's festive-ness. Lots and lots of cozy loungewear at home, but I still want an excuse to bust out the sequins and velvet and by golly I will!
Speaking of sequins, I have my eye on a few sparkly pieces that are for both lounging and for play. I even found a sparkly face mask! Because it is still 2020 after all.
Last year, we became "that family" and all donned matching Holiday Mickey Pajama Pants, and this year's version has such a cute pop of green. Perfect for opening presents on Christmas morning or lounging around watching Christmas specials.
I spend a lot of time in the kitchen around the holidays baking and whipping up fancy meals, and even Lil' Miss likes to join in on the fun. You can count on this apron being on repeat and did someone say cheese? And if we end up going anywhere fun, I'm drooling over this sequin romperand these velvet pants. They may need to be tucked away until next year or break them out for some bubbles on the backyard patio to feel fancy. We deserve it! I'll probably be more likely to be found in these sparkly leggings and this pulloverby Free People on my couch.
And how darling is this ornament? Such a great gift idea - it can hang on the tree and it's my favorite makeup setting spray to keep our look glowing all day or all night long.
Ok now I'm craving some waffles! Breakfast for dinner anyone? It's about that time of year where the sunshine state sees some cooler temps, and we break out the fall duds on occasion. I say on occasion, because we still have warmer days mixed in. One day I could be wearing a tank and shorts, and then the next I could be in a cozy waffle knit cardi like this one and my favorite jeans.
Who are we kidding though? Tis the year 2020. I don't know about you, but most days I'm in pajamas with my hair up in a ponytail or a bun. And makeup - ha! My poor family must be so used to my au naturale look. So, you'll most likely find me rockin' this look paired with my fav joggers. I say fav because they performed beautifully on my 28 hour trip to Singapore last year for work. Super cozy and Prime eligible!
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