The Pink Shift Dress

During the Spring/Summer my perfect go to outfit almost always consists of a shift dress! A nice bright color makes me smile and an easy to care for fabric makes me pretty darn happy on laundry day! This dress is just that my friends. 

Leith pink dress / J Crew denim jacket/ Steve Madden ankle strap shoes / Sam & Libby sandals / Mossimo gladiator sandals shoes / Kate spade handbag / BP white purse / H M light blue purse, $6.19 / Stella Dot layered necklace / FOSSIL stainless steel bracelet/ Kendra Scott necklace / Merona black hat

If you follow me on instagram then you may have already seen that I wore this dress to brunch a couple of weeks ago. I originally saw this dress on Cassie  from Hi Sugarplum! and knew that it was right up my alley. I really like Cassie's philosophy of buying super versatile clothes instead of having tons of clothes in your closet that you barely wear once. I was a little hesitant to fork up the cash for this simple shift dress at first, but Cassie had me convinced with a ton of different ways she wore this dress. I'm loving her idea of pairing it with a leopard or a floral heel! I've worn this dress to brunch, on a date night, to work with a nice cardigan, and simply running errands around town. Given it's versatility and quality of fabric, I think this dress is totally worth the money.

Besides being super versatile for the warmer weather, I also think this dress would easily transition into Fall/Winter with some booties and a warm cardigan. The fabric is super easy to care for... I just throw is in the delicate cycle and hang it up to dry. No last minute runs to the dry cleaners for me! 

So, here are three ways I plan on wearing this dress. The first and second look are totally my style and I've actually worn the dress both ways already with similar pieces in my closet.... well, except my I traded the floppy hat for my fedora instead. I'm still on the hunt for a perfect floppy hat that will fit my small head. Maybe, I should try the kid's section?! However, the second look I totally copied from Cassie. I would have never thought of pairing it with floral heels, but I absolutely love this look! I wore this look with nude heels (minus the floral version) for date night. But I'm totally crushing on the floral heels! I plan on playing with a few more looks with the floral heels before jumping on adding them to my closet. Strategic versus impulse purchases is the key to building a closet that I'll love long after my crush over.

I love getting inspiration from fellow bloggers and building on it to better understand my own sense of style. It's always nice to be inspired to think outside the box as well (i.e. floral heels). I'm also tempted to purchase this dress in green because I think it would be perfect with fall colors... I'm thinking a mustard cardigan and brown boots. But for now... I'm enjoying the cheerful pink! :)

Link-Up: PinkSole: #HowISummer


What is your Spring/Summer go to outfit?

To Do List: Sleep

This month I have been spending quiet a bit of time thinking about the changes I'd like to make in my life to be a happier, relaxed and a more productive version of myself.

Since high school, my Dad has been giving me a little piece of advice (among many) that I have failed to realize the importance of until recently. "Go to bed by 10 o'clock!", he would say, right when I was about to ask if I could watch just one more episode of Friends or some other t.v. show. I was never doing anything productive during the last couple of hours before bed, but for some reason I just never wanted to go to bed by 10 pm. Of course at the time I was young and my body was able to adapt quiet well the next day to the messily 5 to 6 hrs of sleep.

Fast forward 15 years later and my body isn't so adaptive anymore. Most nights I'm dying to hit the bed by 10pm... if only I still didn't have half of my 'to do list' pending! Just like I know I should exercise and eat well for better health, I also know that sleep is equally as important. On days when I'm extremely tired and sluggish, I'm always telling myself... "After today I'm going to make it a point to go to bed early". However, the importance of sticking to my bedtime and getting enough sleep never shows up on my 'to do list'.  Until now....

I read this quote a few days ago. I've always wanted to be a morning person, but I've come terms with the fact that I'll never be the person who wakes up at 5am and goes for a morning run!! However, recently, I've had a lot of changes happening in my professional life and I've grown tremendously because of them. I want to continue to work towards not only achieving but exceeding my goals and dreams.  In order for me to be more productive in all aspects of my life, both personal and professional I need to get in the habit of waking up earlier than I normally do. Usually, I don't go to bed at a decent time, so I snooze my alarm several times before I finally get up and rush out the door at the last minute. In order for me to change this and wake up refreshed and ready to take on the day, I obviously need to get plenty of sleep the night before. Why are parents always right?! grr...

So, I'm making a few small additions to my 'to do list' in hopes of forming a habit of getting to bed at a decent time so that I get at least 7 hours of sleep. This is definitely a work in progress and by no means have I been in bed on time 100% or even 50% of the time yet. But having these few items on my 'to do list' makes me consciously aware of importance of sleep on a daily basis. I'm hoping this in turn will help me get ahead start on waking up feeling refreshed and re-energized the next day in order to make my dreams come true!

Here are the new additions to my To Do List:


Set an Alarm

Not a wake up alarm, but a "Time to Get Your Beauty Sleep" alarm. I plan on setting this alarm at least 40 minutes prior to my bed time every night. Thirty minutes (10 mins of cushion) allows me enough time to make sure I've packed a decent lunch for the next day and taken a relaxing shower prior to hitting the bed. It serves as a reminder to wrap up whatever I'm currently doing and make my bed time a priority!

Tea Time

Sometimes I'm in such a rush to hit the bed that when I'm finally laying there, all that's going through my mind is the list of things I didn't get a chance to finish today and the list of things I need to get done tomorrow. So, I've decided to add a little 5-10 minute cushion to my "Beauty Sleep" alarm to account for my nightly "Tea Time".

After a take a shower and I warm up a cup of tea and just sit and relax for 5-10 minutes. My current favorite is the mixture of the Samurai Chai Mate and Cha Ven Thai Tea from Teavana. The mixture of the two smells incredible and it's just really smoothing to sip on. This is my time to reflect on my day and or just clear my head and simply stare at the wall. Sometimes, I'll rub my hands and feet with my favorite aromatic lavender lotion and just get into a relaxed state of mind. This is not the time to make my 'to do lists' or worry about tomorrow's agenda.


Eat Breakfast

My usual breakfast consists of having my Keurig set up ready to brew my coffee as soon I come down the stairs, quickly grab a granola bar (if that!) and head out the door. This usually results in me feeling quiet hungry before lunch time rolls around and also feeling a bit 'blah' during my mornings.

My favorite breakfast consists of either oatmeal (this one is my fav) or scrambled eggs with light cheese. I'm hoping that by adding breakfast to my to do list, it will also motivate me to get to bed earlier so that I give myself enough time to sit down and eat instead of rush out the door. This helps me achieve two goals: getting enough sleep and eating healthy!


There are a few items I'd like to add to this list, however I've decided that for now I'm going to stick with these three easy items. I find that adding too many new items on my 'to do list' at one time usually results in failure for me. Hopefully, these three I can handle.

So far, I'm happy to report that I've made great progress with sticking to my tea time and eating breakfast. However, I'm still hitting that snooze button quiet a bit once it's time for me to get my beauty sleep. Baby steps I guess...


Do you have any tips for getting enough sleep?

My Online Shopping Spree

Just a quick post to share my crazy shopping spree this morning with the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale! I have had several items on my wish list since Fall/Winter of last year. The prices are really unbeatable and several of the colors sell out fast. It's really hard to me to get to the mall these days with my crazy work schedule. So, shopping online is just the quickest and stress free way for me to shop. I've decided to keep my fingers crossed and invest in some key pieces I know I'll be wearing a lot this Fall/Winter. 

Bobeau petite cardigan / DKNY coat / Trouvé real leather jacket / BLANKNYC 5 pocket pants / Sam Edelman d'orsay pumps

• The perfect cardigan.  Jean has me sold on this cardigan. This color was sold out last year, so I bought the grey and wore it all of Fall/Winter. I think the mink is going to be perfect with my camel colored booties.
• A great puffer coat. For the past two years I've been on the look out for the perfect puffer coat. They are so warm and ideal for commuting. I think the stitching of this coat will be quiet flattering on my body and minimize the chance of looking like a big marshmallow. 
• The leather jacket. This jacket looks like perfection! Unfortunately, the camel color has been sold out everywhere. So I bought the black color for now to check out the fit.  Hopefully if this is the one, I can hunt for the camel color in the after sale returns. 
• A great pair of leather pants. I've been looking for these for quiet some time. I see myself wearing these for a night out on the town with a neutral top, some statement pumps, and a cute clutch. 
• The red pumps. Speaking of some statement pumps, do you remember the red pumps from my previous post? These are slightly higher, although I really like the Sole Society ones they are sold out in my size. I'm going to give these a shot. A red pair of pumps are also perfect to dress up the LBD for a holiday parties. 

I think I've pretty much blown my July and August budget out of the water. I have high hopes for these items, but I'll keep you posted with my next budget post. 

Are you shopping the Nordstrom anniversary sale?

Three Things Thursday: An Audio Book, A Funny Movie, & A Good Wine

Happy Thursday, everyone! It's that time for one of my favorite link ups: #3ThingsThursday, hosted by Salma, Raj, or Nisha. Be sure to check out their blogs and find out how you can join!

One: A World of Audio Books

I've just been introduced to the a new world of audiobooks! So if you're not much of a reader like me, this is a great option to get you started. I recently finished the audio version of Marie Kondo's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.  Although her methods seems a bit drastic and I don't think I'll ever be talking to the items I own... I do think she has a great point to make in this book. You have to tackle an entire category in one go. In today's world, we have the luxury of having living in bigger houses and items tend to be spread all across the house. I'm not sure if I can follow her methods to a T, but she has definitely motivated me to ask myself time and time again... "Does this spark joy?". 

via Audible

If you are interested, currently there is a Groupon for Audible. You can check it out here.

Two: A Funny Movie

Sometimes a hilarious movie is all you need to get you out of your daily funk. I've been working quiet a bit lately with hardly any time to unwind at the end of the day. So I'm really looking forward to kicking back and catching a good movie this weekend. Trainwreck, starring Amy Schumer and Brian Hader seems like it may fit the bill. 

I'm kinda selective when it comes to comedy movies, but this one looks like one I'd really enjoy. This has really been an amazing year for Amy Schumer and so I have some pretty high hopes. I'll keep you posted!

via Wiki

Three: A Good Wine

Although I love a good happy hour, there are days the end of a long work week when I'd much rather go home and curl up on the couch in my pajamas with my hubby and a good bottle of wine. I'm not much of a wine connoisseur, but I had to share one of the most inexpensive and amazing tasting wines I've  come ever across! I find myself coming back to this one time and time again - The Cabernet Sauvignon by Three Wishes. Ready for the best part? It's merely $2.99 from Whole Foods!

For me it's a super smooth wine that pairs well with almost anything, but if you'd like a more detailed description of the flavors, I'd refer to you this old post from the Bottle Report. I've tried the Merlot in the past, but I have to say the Cab is my favorite. 

via Whole Foods

What three things are you sharing this Thursday?

Peanut Butter Tofu

Last night after a week of eating dinner out for one reason or another, I finally decided to cook a quick and easy meal after a long day at work. When asked Chirag what he would like to have, he quickly said "Peanut butter tofu!".

This has definitely become one of our favorite tofu dishes. I tell myself it's healthy because it has tofu and I try my best to control the amount of salt and sugar; however, I hesitate to label it as such. It tastes a little too good to be healthy! ;) I believe I found the original inspiration for this recipe on Bhavana's Kitchen YouTube Channel. However, I couldn't find the exact link. I'm not sure what the correct name for this recipe is... it's more like sweet and sour tofu, but we just like to call it peanut butter tofu in our house. I've made it countless number of times now and tweaked it slightly to suit our taste. 

The ingredient list may seem a bit long, but this is honestly a quick 30 minute meal. First, I start by cutting up some firm tofu in little cubes and slow fry them in a bit of oil. Once I start to see them get slightly golden, I will add about 1 tbsp of ginger-garlic paste, depending on the amount of tofu. Splash a bit of sesame seed oil and saute until the tofu is golden brown on all sides. At the end for the last minute, I'll add some sesame seeds and cook them with the tofu. You can leave this last step out, but I like the texture and layer of flavor this adds. At this time, I also go ahead and start cooking some rice to go with this dish. I use Basmati rice, but Jasmine rice would probably be more appropriate.

I set my tofu aside and in a medium-sized sauce pan I add some oil and saute some onions and green-bell peppers. Now, I get started on the fun part - the yummy sauce! I push the onions and bell peppers to the sides of the sauce pan and in the middle I add about 1 tbsp of peanut butter, 1 tbsp of ketchup, 1-2 teaspoon of Sriracha sauce, a splash of rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, and about 1/2 to 1 tbsp of soy sauce. The key ingredient here is the plum sauce! It adds just the right amount of sweetness and although I've substituted it for regular sweet and sour sauce in the past, the plum sauce really is the best in this dish. I add about 1 - 1/2 tbsp of plum sauce to this mixture and cook this sauce for about 30-45 seconds. The sauce will be quite thick and clumpy at first, but allowing these ingredients to cook together at first helps the flavors really develop. However, more than 45 seconds and you may over cook it... so be careful at this stage. Then I add about 1/4 cup of water or more depending on how thin you'd like the sauce. I like it the consistency of pasta sauce so it hangs on well to the veggies and tofu. Speaking of which, lastly I add the tofu and let it cook together for about 5 minutes and you're done!

I love adding pineapple to almost any dish and it tastes absolutely delicious in this one as well. You can totally adjust the amount of spicy and sweet depending on the amount of Sriracha and plum sauce. Experiment with different veggies you have on hand that day and could also substitute chicken for tofu here. But honestly, this sauce adds so much flavor to the tofu that I believe it would totally please both the veggie heads and meat-eaters alike. 

What are you cooking for dinner tonight?

Packing Post: Into the Water

Packing for the beach always gets me a little nervous more than excited. Yes, I love the sunny weather, diving into the water, and relaxing on the beach... but what I don't love so much is feeling self-conscious about my own body.

Prior to a beach vacation with my now-hubby five years ago, I had never even tried on a bikini let alone strut my stuff out in public. I've never been incredibly overweight, but just like most people I've always thought I'd look better if  I could lose an extra few pounds (or 10), maybe tone up my arms or abs, etc. One thing that I really love about my husband is that he really and truly loves me for who I am. He is always giving me confidence to be more comfortable in my own skin. I can't say that I've become so confident with my body now to where I see myself frolicking around the pool with in my tiny bikini by any means. Yet, I've definitely learned to make peace with how my body looks and still strive to be fit and improve my health with a positive frame of mind.

view from our balcony

Last week when I was starting to think about what I would be taking with me on our upcoming trip, I had those same negative thoughts going through my head again. Instead of focusing on being happy about being on the beach/pool and enjoying the vacation, I was more focused on worrying about how I would look in my bathing suit. I really envy people who don't have those perfect bodies, yet are still so confident in their own skin. Sometimes, it's just having that internal confidence that makes them look so beautiful on the outside.

Somewhere along the way as I started to pack and realized that I probably should have been working out a lot harder several months in advance, I finally just threw my hands up and went... "It is what it is... I deserve this trip and I'm going to make the most of it!" I didn't look all that bad in the mirror. Maybe if I found a cute cover-up and started thinking a little more positively, my confidence would disguise my imperfect curves and I'd just have more fun on the trip.

I started with my full coverage bathing suits. All my suits are fairly old because as you can imagine I truly dislike shopping for this category of items. This one piece is in my favorite colors - yellow. The cover-up was a last minute deal from Macy's. They only had one size left and it was pretty pricey when I first picked up. I hesitated to bring it to the cash register, but I got super lucky and it rang up for just $23 bucks (down from almost $50) score! I can't believe that it's still available online. I love the color contrast and I think blue and yellow go well together. I was thinking of buying a straw beach bag and I looked high and low for a one that I really loved, but came up empty handed. I wanted to stick with my new rules of shopping and didn't want to compromise if I really didn't like the item. Then I remembered getting this free tote with my last Victoria Secret order. I was worried about wearing black on the beach... but the little colored tassels and small pink bag made it work for me! It was big enough and it served it's purpose. The shades were a gift from Chirag. As much as I wanted the pricier Ray Ban version, I was very happy that I could be more carefree with these on the water. I loved them and wore them basically everyday too!

You may recall this next suit from my April Budget Post. It was definitely a another great deal at only $10 bucks. I was a little worried about the print & cut, but it was actually very slimming. The tank is also from Old Navy and I really liked the fun pineapple print.

Oh, the bikini! In my mind I still wasn't sure if I'd even wear it on our trip... but I remembered to stay positive. This colorful cover-up from H&M made me super happy! It was slightly pricer than the other one, but it looked super cute on and I needed something to boost my confidence! I actually ended up wearing this outfit on our very first day there. I guess I was ready to be brave and just dive right in! ;)

Cover-up with black bikini

And below is my last ensemble. I think if you are like me and tend be a little self-conscious when it comes to swim suits then a great cover-up is totally worth the money. Although once it was time to jump in the pool I had to take it off... I could hide under the water and quickly slip on my cover-up when I was ready to sit by the pool side to read my book. 

For this trip, I tried to keep the hair, makeup, and toiletries to a minimum and used up some samples I had laying around. The resort provided us with SPF 50 sunscreen for the beach/pool, which was great so that we didn't have to check in a bag for a huge bottle of sunscreen. A couple of my favorites on this trip was the Nars The Multiple Stick and the Smashbox CC cream. I wore these two products pretty much every single day.

Makeup

Hair/Face/Body

As for the evening dinner dates and walks on the beach I choose the following dresses with minimal jewelry and accessories. All the dresses and the jumpsuit were light weight and very easy to pack. I'm enjoying doing these packing pictures because laying it all out made me realize that one item I need to add to my shopping list is a nice black clutch. Since we were mainly staying in the resort I could do without it for now. 

I'm really starting to enjoy doing my packing this way. With my type A personality seeing everything laid out helped me remember the little things might forget. For example, in addition to my toothbrush and razor, I remembered to throw in some hair ties, bobby-pins, and a hair clip after laying out my toiletries. I also added an outfit with some sparkly shorts for a night of dancing. For the plane ride I grabbed my trusty jean jacket and a warm scarf. Everything was neatly packed away in my handy packing cubes and off we went! 

via my Instagram

Link-Up: PinkSole: #HowISummer

What are you packing for your beach vacation this summer?

Recharged From Jamaica

I'm excited to be back from our Jamaican vacation!! What?! No, there was no type-o there... I'm honestly feeling really good and excited to be back from our week long vacation in paradise.

This vacation was unlike any other one we've gone on before! We booked one of the best all inclusive resorts on the island and for five days we did basically nothing but relax and recharge ourselves. We didn't take any excursions or venture out into the mainland. We just soaked up the beautiful sun, took walks on the sandy beaches, ate some delicious food, enjoyed exotic drinks, and got plenty of much needed rest. We both just needed time to step away from it all and reconnect... not only with each other, but also to reconnect with ourselves.

Speaking of reconnecting with ourselves... ever since I discovered Happier with Gretchen Rubin podcast, I've really been wanting to read her book, The Happiness Project. So, I picked up her book one day when I running around town trying to finish up a few last minute errands as well as looking for a bathing suit cover-up prior to leaving on our trip. (packing post?) I'm not much of a reader at all. I've always wanted to read, but to be honest with you... I'm just not a good reader. I know that probably sounds a bit odd to some people. But I tend to loose interest in books really fast if it's filled with fancy vocabulary words or those which are little too philosophical with hidden meanings that take me forever to interpret. I like a book that is pretty straight forward and easy to read. I also tend to gravitate towards self-help or books on subjects that can be applied in my daily life versus fictional story books. I really envy people that can read long novels and books like Lord of the Rings or Harry Pottery. I'll watch those movies any day... but I know that reading those books would probably take me a really long time and therefore just frustrate me. I digress.

When I picked up the book that afternoon, I had the intention to read the entire book on trip. But I also secretly knew that I probably wouldn't. Reading is something I've always tried to incorporate into my life, but have failed more times than I care to recall. On the very first day as I threw a copy the June issue of Style Watch into my beach bag, I reached for The Happiness Project with hope that I would somehow find inspiration to start and finish this entire book while in Jamaica.

via my Instagram

Well, I can't exactly pin point what inspired me to keep reading each and every day on our trip.... maybe it was the beautiful weather, the relaxed and happy Jamaican workers at the resort, or being around other resort guests who seemed so engrossed in their own readings while they worked on their tan. I'm sure this is no big deal to those that read not one but several books on their vacation, but I felt so good not only finishing this book, but incorporating it into my life right away. It felt good to read something that forced me to take a closer look at my own happiness. From the minute I started reading the book I was so inspired by each and every chapter and when I finally finished reading the last sentence the only thing I could think about was my own happiness project. [More on that later].

I definitely think reading this book also impacted my interaction with Chirag on this trip. Prior to leaving, we had been bickering about something really stupid. I really can't even recall exactly what it was. I think we were both been a little stressed and too wrapped up in our daily work lives to listen or pay any attention to each other. It felt so good to be carefree and happy together again.

Appetizer

One of the best parts of the trip was our very last night at the resort. We had reservations at their Gourmet Restaurant at 7:30pm. On most days, we stayed on the beach or at the pool well into the evening and around 6:00 to 6:30pm and our dinner reservations were typically late around 8:30-9ish. So, we had created a little ritual for ourselves to go up to the lounge around that time and just sit together to have some cappuccino and cookies before heading upstairs to shower and get ready the evening. But on our last day, we tried to squeeze a couple of last minute things we hadn't explored around the resort. By the time we had gotten some lunch and dipped into the pool it was already midday. We had enjoyed beautiful 95 degree weather for all four days, but on our very last day we had barely been in the pool for close an hour when we started to see clouds rolling in. Most of the guests all cleared the beach/pool, but we decided to stay in with some friends we had met from Canada. We figured we were already wet and hopefully it would just rain for a little bit. Well, we were right. It got cloudy and rained really lightly for about 20 minutes and then it started to clear up. Chirag still got a chance to play volleyball with the other guys at the resort just as we had for the four other days.... everyday at 3:00pm. We decided to stay at the pool longer today because we had gotten in so late in the day and we wanted to make the most of our last day. By the time we started to think about calling it a day and head upstairs it was pretty late. I would barely have an hour to wash my hair and get ready for dinner. I hesitated about my daily cappuccino & cookie ritual. I was too worried about having enough time to get ready and look pretty for dinner. Chirag even mentioned that it was ok if I didn't want to go, but then I recalled The Happiness Project. It's the little things that matter and these are the moments I needed to savor on our trip. Chirag would think I looked great for dinner no matter what dress I wore or how frizzy my hair got. This little ritual we had created for ourselves was way more important that any other part of our trip. 

Main Course

Jamaicans have a very laid-back attitude and don't take life too seriously. It took me sometime to realize that this would be the best souvenir I could take back with me from Jamaica versus any little trinket. At first, I was getting a bit frustrated because I like to get things done on time and tend to be a bit of a perfectionist. There was a few minor things that didn't quiet go right during our stay at the resort. I really think that it was reading Rubin's book that was reminding me to keep the bigger picture in mind and just let it go. So, what if we didn't get our room service delivered to us at 2am? We had fallen asleep anyways. So, what if they forgot our turn down service one night? I can pull the covers down myself. Normally, I would have probably called the front-desk to complain. But getting upset over these little things was just going to have a negative effect on our mood and in the end it wasn't going to change anything. The workers at the resort were super relaxed... it wasn't like they would not be attentive towards us. If we asked for something, they would definitely get it done... but it might take a little longer than expected. It's just their culture and it's actually something I needed to learn to embrace myself.

Our Canadian Friends: Monika and Casina

It's funny how life works out when you make your own happiness a priority. Somehow, that last evening we had enough time to enjoy our relaxed evening cappuccino, shower, ( I even had time to blow dry my hair), and make it to dinner 5 minutes early. On top of all that... I didn't have high expectations for our dinner because what was I (as a vegetarian) going to get a a Gourmet Restaurant for dinner besides some steamed veggies and at the least a pretty good desert dish? But from start to finish... I enjoyed each an everyone one of my three courses! The highlight of dinner however, wasn't the food at all. In the middle of dinner, Chirag and I were just discussing our past few days at the resort. In passing Chirag made a joke about being "snooty" (since were at this "gourmet" restaurant) and I busted out with a huge laugh... which only made us both laugh out even louder! I remember thinking this feels so good... when was the last time we genuinely laughed together like this? Although it had rained and I was a little concerned about making the most of our last day at the resort... the best part had been our evening cappuccino and reconnecting with each other.

Desert

This trip was exactly what a doctor would've prescribed. I feel recharged, refocused, and re-inspired to continue on my pursuit of happiness. 

Our Daily Elevator Selfies

How did you recharge this past weekend?

Follow me on BlogLovin!

Three Things Thursday: July 4th Rewind

This week I have been busy getting ready for the upcoming vacay and also been reminiscing about our last July 4th. long weekend. I have to say it was one of the better ones for sure. So, for today's #3TT I thought I'd rewind and share three of my favorite things from last July 4th.

Are you interested joining #3TT? Please visit the hosts: Salma, Raj, or Nisha's blog, for all the details on how to join the linkup.

One: Kaboom Town

Last year we celebrated July 4th. by going to Kaboom Town with our friends K&V. It sort of ended up being a little last minute, but we had a great time! It's a big outdoor concert in our local area with fireworks, funnel cakes, and an awesome air show.... oh, yeah!!! :D
I think this is one of the best ways to celebrate the 4th. Just grab a picnic blanket and head out to have enjoy the fireworks with your friends and family!

Two: Rent a Cabin

A long weekend is always a great time to get away. Last year after Kaboom Town we rented a small cabin in the hill country and enjoyed a little time away from the busy city life with our friends M&A. Road trips and little get away with friends is always a great way to reboot yourself. We had such a fabulous time doing wine tastings, spending a day out on the water, and exploring another side of Texas.

Three: Red, White, and Blue Spirit

Going through my old pics from the last July 4th, I came across this instagram pic of planning my outfits for the long weekend. This was probably one of the first times that I actually wore red, white, and blue on July 4th... I paid much attention to these little details before. I have to say... something about wearing these colors did make me feel a bit more patriotic!

Although I'm a little sad that we will be missing out on Kaboom Town and watching the fireworks this year with our friends... I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I'm dying to hit the beach in Jamaica!!! :)


What will you be doing this July 4th weekend?