the-road-to-hana

The Road to Hana was definitely one of the highlights of our recent trip to Hawaii.  I plan to do an entire travel post next week, but I felt this adventure deserved its own post!

We started by waking up at 3AM Hawaii time (6AM PST) to drive up to the top of Haleakala National Park to watch the sunrise from the top of a volcano. I’ve seen pretty amazing sunsets through the window of a plane, but never a sunrise over the clouds like this.  It was honestly the most spiritual moment of our trip. The beauty of God’s creation continues to humble me in the most incredible way.

After a few cups of coffee – we drove down the volcano and began the 64.4 miles of the beautiful tropical rainforest of Hana.  Honestly, if we didn’t have this app we wouldn’t have experienced the day to it’s fullest, so if you’re thinking of doing this in the future, I highly recommend downloading the app and letting a narrator tell you all of the history of Hawaii.

Along our drive (in our Camaro convertible that was so much fun – a huge thank you to one of Christian’s coworker’s wives for recommending we get a convertible!) we saw a black sand beach, a Banyan tree, so many insanely delicious food tents and trucks (fish tacos, Kalua pork, Hawaiian shaved ice, coconut chips, banana bread, coconut pineapple bread… the list goes on) and some of the most beautiful beaches and waterfalls we’ve ever seen.

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tank – old, similar here | skirt c/o | sandals | hat | sunnies

 

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swimsuit – Target last year, similar here and here | coverup | hat | sandals | sunnies 

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Have any of you driven the Road to Hana?  I’d love to hear your favorite parts of the experience.  Or if you have any questions about this journey – ask away!  A full review/recommendations post about Maui is to come, so stay tuned.

Thanks for reading and virtually traveling with me! I can’t thank y’all enough for all of your incredible tips, seriously we used them! XO –

 

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grand-wailea

– exploring all the beautiful neighboring hotels in our area of Maui (this is the Grand Wailea where Just Go With It was filmed) –

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 – pick a banana, any banana –

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– sunsets from our balcony –

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– taking a mixology class at the pool bar, hello Maiu Mai Tai! –

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– windy afternoons on the beach with my roundie towel –

We’ve been living a second honeymoon this week in Maui, and I have to stop to thank ALL of you for your amazing suggestions on the blog and on social media.  I seriously read every single comment/recommendation to Christian and we have used so many of your personal recs!  I know just how lucky I am to have this little Internet family of incredible friends and supporters like y’all, and I don’t take it for granted.  So thank you so much for helping make this trip so special for us. When I’m back in the swing of things at home, I plan to do a post with photos of what we did and our favorite things – so stay tuned!

It’s been a lot of exploring and eating in Maui – no complaints there.  We’re still on Pacific time, so we wake up really early to watch the sunrise from our balcony in big fluffy robes (the best).  We’ve tried to alternate between adventurous days of beach yoga, paddleboarding, driving to different beaches, surfing, shopping, driving to the top of a volcano for sunrise above the clouds with beach/pool lounging days of reading and dozing off in cabanas.

Just when I was starting to feel real fancy living the dream, something happened to bring me back to earth. After a long day of exploring the Road to Hana, we stopped in Paia to eat at the most amazing Fish Market (highly recommend). I’m in my beach coverup with a maxi skirt and I think I feel a piece of fish from my taco fall in my lap.  When I look down I realize, oh no, that was just me popping a button on my coverup.  Totally normal.  And then I finished my tacos.  I have no regrets.

I hope all of you have an amazing weekend and thank you so so much for all of your guidance along the way! XO –

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carrie-bradshaw-lied-blog

This dress just can’t help but make you happy, right? My debit card is tie dye, and when I walked downstairs for Easter Sunday church, Christian looked at me and said, “you look like your debit card!” He is actually 100% correct.

I have this theory that your significant other likes you to look like you did when they met you.  For example, when Christian and I met, I wore bright colors and had long dark hair.  Fast-forward eight years and he still prefers me in bright colors with long dark hair.  I put a tiny amount of ombré in my hair and he was all, “what is happening!?”

I’ve shared with y’all before that C loves when I wear bright colors because it reminds him of college when we were dating and I was all about the bright colors and bajillions of bangles.  I am Southern, more is more and I’m fine with it.

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dress c/o Tangerine NYC | sunnies c/o | clutch c/o | necklace c/o | silver cuff c/o | knot bracelet c/o | earrings | gold necklace c/o | silver bangle | turquoise bracelet c/o | sandals

 

Do y’all feel like your significant other prefers that you look like you did when you first met or is my theory totally off? I’d love to hear

Thanks so much for reading y’all – XO –

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wednesday wish list

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12

 

It’s all about the shoes this week! I know everyone has these beauties, and I mean… it’s because they’re perfect. A spring and summer nude heel staple, I think they will go with everything.  Pinks and corals are on my mind, but it could be because I’m in a tropical paradise in a coral bikini drinking out of coconuts…

That was rubbing it in, right?  Don’t be too jealous, I’ll be back in my cubicle in my bouncy chair yelling at my computer (per usual) in a week!

Lace up sandals and tassels are my obsession – nothing new there!

What’s on your wish list?  Are you lace up sandal, tassel and pink/coral addicted like me? Thanks for reading y’all – XO –

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kathleen-barnes

Blue on blue never felt so right.

Kendra Scott baubles are some of my favorite accessories to wear as well one of my favorite items to give as gifts. My mom, grandmother, sister and I can all wear KS pieces, and I love that we can trade if we are ready for a change in color.

With Mother’s Day around the corner, Nordstrom offers all kinds of amazing jewelry for your sweet mama, and I personally think Kendra Scott has a little something for everyone.  Even better? With their amazing return policy, you’ll know they can exchange their gift if it’s not the perfect fit.

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dress c/o | earrings | necklace, old, similar here | clutch – Bahamas souvenir, love this one and this one | gold bangle 1, 2 c/o | watch c/o | cable bracelet | sunnies | lipstick | sandals

 

What do you plan to get for your mom’s for Mother’s Day? Any memorable gifts? I’d love to hear. Below are some of my favorite Kendra Scott and Nordstrom picks for this year –

 

Thanks so much for reading! XO –

Brought to you by Nordstrom

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black-nikes-street-style

I have been admiring black Nikes worn street style with denim, dresses, skirts and so on, but I wasn’t sure if it was something I could pull off. I always tell you guys to get outside of your box and try something new, to try pairing things in your closet together that you might not normally think to. So now it’s time I practice what I preach!

I love this outfit for traveling (and it’s what I wore from LAX to Kahului, HI on Saturday) – it’s comfortable, casual and on-trend.  I also love to layer whenever possible, so this jacket is exactly the kind of layering piece that pulls everything together.

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Nikes via DSW c/o | denim c/o | tee c/o 20% goes to support various animal shelters (!!) | chambray, old, love this one | jacket, old, similar here and here | wrap bracelet, evil eye bangle, silver bracelet c/o | gold bangle 1, 2 c/o | Via Maya Collection turquoise bracelet c/o, available 4/15, similar here | bag

Thanks so much for reading! XO –

Brought to you by DSW

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hermes-tray

– after oogling over hand-painted Hermés trays for so long, we added one to our den –

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– this fringe beauty that I can’t wait to take on the town –

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– hot pink roses –

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– two pair of shoes that are each under $30 and seriously adorable (mules / sandals) –

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– palm leaf crosses from my mom, something my Catholic grandfather use to always do for us –

I haven’t been this excited on a Friday in quite a while because… C and are headed to Maui tomorrow for a full week of a “second honeymoon” vacation!  As Southerners, neither of us has ever been to Hawaii because it’s almost 10 hours of flying, so now that we can cut that time in half we’re excited to travel somewhere brand new together.  CBL will continue on as usual, and I will be sharing snippets on instagram, facebook and twitter so let’s do this together you guys. And if someone doesn’t hand me a floral lei when I get to the hotel like everyone gets in the movies I’m going to throw a riot. I’m just 100% envisioning Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Just Go With It because I’m an American and that’s just what we do.

Confession: I’ve been a little sad lately about leaving Lula LaShonda for a whole week.  She has been doing SO well even though she was given only a few months to live in July 2014… and she’s still with us! I have only left her for a few days at a time other than our trip to Mississippi back in October. While I’m convinced I’m loving her back to health, C is convinced she doesn’t actually have cancer and is instead living like she’s dying while I let her sleep in the bed, sleep in between us, eat canned food every night at exactly 7pm, eat the dog’s food, drink the dog’s water, sleep on my clean clothes, headbutt me at 4AM… but I mean, “she has cancer, let her do whatever she wants!”  I plan to do a full blogpost about this situation soon, but I wanted to give a quick update to all of you who have asked about Queen Lu (and thank you so much!). Thankfully while we are gone my sweet coworker who is a cat lover is going to keep my girl, and I know she is in great hands. My brother’s family will be keeping Bailey the indoor pony – and she’ll have fun with her cousin, miniature dachshund Pollack!

Do any of y’all have Maui recommendations?  I’d love to hear – counting down the minutes over here. Hope everyone had a wonderful week following the beautiful Easter holiday – thank you so much for reading. XO –

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carrie-bradshaw-lied

When I’ve been eating poorly and am not feeling like myself, I will make a big pitcher of smoothies and drink on it all day long while also drinking lots of water, eating vegetables and some nuts for snacks.  It’s just a quick way to get back on track and know that I am filling my body with good fuel rather than my beloved junk food.

This green pineapple smoothie tastes so tropical, it hardly tastes like deprivation. I like to use a mix of fresh and frozen ingredients that create an icy cold smoothie that I sip on throughout the day.

Ingredients:

3 Handfuls Spinach

2 cups water

2 cups frozen mango (or peaches)

1 cup pineapple

1.5 bananas (I like to use frozen bananas)

1-2 packets Stevia

2 TB flax seeds

Directions: 

Blend the greens and water first (I love using my Vitamix).  Once smooth, add everything but the Stevia. Taste and use Stevia to your liking (too much and it can really take away from the fruit).

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I’m always looking for new smoothie ideas so if you’ve got a favorite – I’d love to hear. Thanks for reading and don’t forget today is the LAST day to shop Shopbop’s 25% off sale!  XO –

 

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Slipping on this dress just immediately took me to beach trips where you spend the whole day in the sun and then slip on something light, loose and comfortable with natural makeup and beach waves for a casual night of board games and wine (my favorite!).

I love the flirty peplum touch and even more so love the breezy, loose fit.

 

dress c/o Hazel and Olive | heels, no longer available in blush, similar here and here | bag c/o | sunnies | layered necklace 1, 2 c/o | watch c/o | rhinestone bracelet c/o | gold cuff 1, 2 c/o | colorful bracelets c/o

My other summer evening staples would be a thin cashmere sweater (like the one worn here) and a pair of distressed, worn in cutoff shorts. What piece is your summer night staple?

Thanks so much for reading! XO –

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carrie-bradshaw-lied

This dress had me at hello. My mom and her friends talk about Malia sundresses being all the rage when they were young, and thankfully my mom’s best friend (who may as well be her sister so I call her my Aunt) held onto two that I have had in my closet since college.  I actually wore one on CBL here!

This ladylike dress reminds me of something my mom and Aunt Re would have worn, and it’s timeless design and shape means maybe I should hold onto it in case I have a daughter. I mean… pink and periwinkle, what feels more feminine than that?

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photos by the incredibly talented Jason Huang

 

dress c/o | blazer, old, love this one | bag c/o | heels, blush no longer available, similar style here and here | sunnies | gold bangle 1, 2 c/o | necklaces c/o | earrings | gold ring c/o | arrow cuff, rhinestone bracelet c/o

Thanks so much for reading! XO –

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– two spring necklaces (here and here) and a cuff that are seriously eye-catching statement baubles –

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 – a pretty green bralette from Hazel & Olive –

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– a pre-sheet washing day that Bailey took full advantage of –

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– a sweet surprise from my always sweet girlfriend Miriam

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– falling for all this talk about dry brushing – what do you guys think about it? –

My favorite day, we’re already back to you Friday.  And I’ve got a pair of drawstring harem sweatpants (oh yes, that’s a thing) that has my name written all over it.

So I’ve been trying to watch what I’m consuming this week in preparation for a week of living in bikinis and I gotta say: it sucks.  I’m one of those girls who would rather be 10 lbs heavier if it means I can eat french fries, macaroni & cheese and drink bottles of wine.  The only time I was able to halfway have discipline in my life was before Miss Teen USA and our wedding… other than that my life is just like, all about the tacos.

Christian came home last night from a work dinner and I was like, “what did you eat? Was it good? Tell me what it tasted like.” And he was like, “maybe you should eat a hamburger tomorrow.” AND MAYBE I WILL.

I like how I say all this and I have a photo of cupcakes in my Friday’s Five – seriously who am I even kidding. Who else is hangry out there? Let’s talk about it.

Have a great weekend you guys and thank you always for reading my crazy talk! XO –

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bow-ankle-sandals

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My wish list is rosy this week – lots of gold and shades of pink with a little edge in this skirt. And I mean, this necklace? So cute.

I’ve seen these shades and this bag almost everywhere, and I after falling in love with this bag, I’m convinced every girly-girl needs a ballet slipper pink bag. It honestly acts as a neutral and really goes with almost everything.  I’m obsessed!

What’s on your wish list? As always, thank you so much for reading – XO –

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