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Travel Diary: Mount Snow, Vermont

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It may be technically the first day of spring, but the temps have taken a sudden nosedive in my neck of the woods. They’re even predicting snow this evening… Oy vey! In any case, I thought it was only fitting for me to share my pics from our recent trip to Mount Snow in Vermont. Eric and I first visited this winter paradise two years ago, and we’ve been happily trekking back ever since. This time around, we both decided to try our hands at snowboarding for the very first time.

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The temps dipped to a whopping -46 degrees! I grew up in Michigan, but even I had never experienced temps that cold before. The one good thing about the weather being so cold is that the slopes were pretty empty, and our group snowboarding session wound up turning into a private lesson for two with Eric and I both having our own instructors. If I look a little puffy in the pics above, it’s because i’m wearing two down jackets layered over a fleece, ski pants, and two pairs of long johns. Believe it or not, I actually worked up a sweat!

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Poor Eric decided to take his goggles off for a few minutes, and his eyelashes froze! Crazy, right?!
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After hitting the slopes all day, we eagerly headed inside to warm up and enjoy a delicious apres-ski meal of burgers and fries (with an side of collard greens, FTW!).
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The next day, we went down to Adams Family Farm to enjoy the outdoors along with a good old-fashioned sleigh ride. My iphone froze along away, so I didn’t get many pics from the trail.

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But I did get to capture a stolen moment with this beauty afterwards!

All-in-all, we had a wonderful weekend getaway, despite the freezing temps. It was such a far cry from our first trip when the temps were in the high fifties and we wound up taking off our jackets to ski at one point. I can’t wait to go back again next season and try out my new moves! As much fun as we had, I can definitely say that I’ve had my fill of snow this winter.  Let’s hope it’s all sunshine and bare legs from here on out!

Tips & Tricks Travel

No Stress Guide to Packing for Holiday Travel

No STRESS GUIDE TO PACKING

Traveling during the holidays is already pretty hectic, so there’s absolutely no need to add addtional stress by worrying about what to pack. This month, I’m sharing a few tips that I personally use each and every time I travel to minimize chaos and maximize the time I get to spend with my loved ones.

Let’s face it – traveling during the holidays can be downright stressful! Here are a few tips I personally use each time I travel to minimize chaos and maximize the time I get to enjoy with my loved ones during this crazy time of year.

Start with a checklist.

Ok, this first tip might sound a little nerdy, but I’m ok with that. I have a deep love of organization and spreadsheets, so over the years I’ve developed my own foolproof travel checklist. You can download a copy here and adapt it to your own needs. The first sheet, “Packing List”, spells out all of the items I plan to bring with me organized by category.  The second sheet, “Itinerary”, gives a day-by-day breakdown of the weather, scheduled activities, and planned outfits for each day of my journey

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Plan outfits out in advance.

Speaking of planned outfits… I leave absolutely nothing to chance. My husband and I are typically in alignment about most things, but our approaches to packing are like night and day. He usually starts the night before and hurriedly tosses everything willy-nilly into his luggage and hopes for the best. I, on the other hand, like to plan out each of my outfits down to the last accessory. Speaking of accessories… things like statement necklaces, scarves, and foldable hats take up very little space in your bag but can go a long way in transforming your looks. 

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Stick to a theme or color palette

With airport security and baggage fees at an all-time high, I’m all about traveling as light as possible. I’m the carry-on queen, and I’ve only checked luggage twice in the past 10 years. One thing that helps tremendously is sticking with a single theme or color palette. For instance, I cut down on shoes, belts, and handbags by choosing either black or brown—this way everything coordinates.  The same thing goes for my outfits –I’ll pick a specific color palette and make sure all of my tops and bottoms are interchangeable for maximum versatility. Sometimes I like to get really fun with it. For example, on a recent getaway to Bar Harbor, I packed all striped tops and different bottoms that I could mix-and-match. I think that was the shortest packing time I’ve ever had in my life, and I felt so cute and chic on each day of our trip.

And that’s all folks! Hopefully these tips can help guide you this holiday season. Wishing you happy and safe travels!

Everyday Outfits My Style Travel

Lake George {Geometric Print Dress + Scarf}

What to Wear to Lake George - Geometric Print Shift Dress Lake George Fall Foliage in Upstate New York What to Wear to Lake George - Geometric Print Shift Dress Corn Maze Hicks Orchard Hicks OrchardWhat to Wear to Lake George - Geometric Print Shift DressWhat to Wear to Lake George - Geometric Print Shift Dress{H&M Geometric Print Dress, Zara Geometric Print Scarf, J. Crew Boots, Prada Sunglasses, Coach Crossbody Bag}

On our last day in the Adirondacks, I couldn’t have asked for more picture-perfect weather. The temps climbed to a warm and sunny 70-degrees, so we shed our sweaters and happily frolicked through apple orchards and corn mazes before making our way back to the city. This easy geometric print dress from H&M has quickly become a wardrobe staple as of late, and I’ve got it in three prints now (see my favorite one here). It matches almost perfectly with my new scarf, as luck would have it, so don’t be surprised if you see this combo again… and perhaps again on the blog!