Less than a month; no turning back now
I can’t believe it, but one month from now I’ll have already been in Korea for 4 days. That this trip has completely snuck up on me is an understatement! I’ve started making lists of things to remember to do, find, buy, and pack before I leave. One of them is to investigate new luggage. I’ve had Away’s original carry-on for a couple years and I love it. I used to think it was too small, but over time, perhaps I’ve just become a better packer. So much better in fact, that last week I packed for a 5 night, 6 day trip in it (I’m very proud of this, if you can’t tell!). Away just launched a new bigger carry-on that has an exterior pocket (perfect for a laptop if you’re carrying on), and I’m thinking about getting the medium size for my trip. I had been scheming ways I could carry on for a two week trip, but was quickly disabused of this notion by tour alumni — apparently, you’ll come home with a lot of stuff! Have you purchased an Away suitcase? I can’t recommend them enough!
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Went home; now I’m home again
So where was I on my fabulous 5 night, 6 day trip? Texas! I flew home to Austin last week on Tuesday, to spend some time with my mom and also see how renovations on her house were going. She’s had a team working on it in earnest for the past 4 months or so, though planning and designing has been happening since last summer! I was hoping the entire thing would be done and moved into, but you know how a big renovation goes… I missed the big reveal by about a week. My mom used local designer Sarah Stacey to help her with space planning, all the decor choices, really everything. Her design is gorgeous; hope I can share it at some point!
Oh, so the other part of the trip: after a few days in Austin, we drove to Houston to attend my cousin’s law school graduation. Other news to report from the home front is that Texas was rather hot, culturally I sometimes felt like I was visiting another planet, the Tex Mex made me happy, and the amount of change Austin has undergone since the early 2000s still weirds me out.
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What I’ve been shopping
Been doing a little shopping as I lead up to the trip! Everyone keeps warning me that Korea will be very hot and humid, intensified because we’ll be walking around a lot. I had ordered this skirt from Madewell a while back and it finally arrived after being backordered. It’s so cute! Flowy comfortable, soft, it’ll be perfect for humid temps. If you order it or happen to find it in your local store, I recommend going a size up. I also bit the bullet and ordered a Hanover backpack from Lo & Sons during their Mother’s Day sale. I’ve only recently become a backpack convert, and for traveling, this baby seems like it’ll be perfect.
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An education
While I was in Texas, I read the book Educated. If you haven’t picked it up yet, I can’t recommend it enough! Have you read it?
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A quick review (before another review)
So I’m going to do a longer review of a few things I recently purchased from Everlane, but I wanted to mention how much I love these slingback flats before they sell out. These shoes are SO flattering, with their gently rounded point toe and vamp. They just make your legs look longer. I love the tan woven style for summer too — it looks so cute with jeans, skirts, even shorts (I wore them on repeat in Austin!). I personally have sized down in Everlane slingbacks (am normally a 7 or 37 in Italian sizing, and bought a 6.5 for these). More to come on these, some Everlane denim, and another pair of Everlane shoes soon!
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Blogs on sale!
Over at <em>press themes, we’re having a sale on all themes and plugins, starting today! If you’re a blogger who’s been thinking about changing up your theme, check out ours right over here. You can get 15% off with code MEMORIAL18.
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On to Big Sur!
I am SO excited to be heading down to Carmel and Big Sur over the long weekend. Nothing like a short road trip, insanely gorgeous ocean views, and Mexican food on a Friday night to kick the summer off, amiright? I’m hoping to take lots of pictures on the new camera too (that particular goal is going fairly well, though I’m still getting used to all the settings on the Fujifilm!). What are your plans for Memorial Day? Doing anything fun?
