When most people think about a trip to wine country, Napa is the first thing that comes to mind. It boasts some of the top wine producers in the world, unparalleled restaurants, and charming boutique hotels. Still, it’s an expensive trip, the wineries are crowded, and the best wines rarely show up on tasting menus….
How to Build Customized Travel Maps for Your Next Trip
I’m a planner, through and through. My vacations are often a combination of spreadsheets, mapped out destinations, and guidebooks. Even when we don’t have our itinerary routed, I love having a few possible destinations flagged on a map so we can pick and choose where we want to go next. We map out favorite vineyards…
Tips and Tricks for Traveling with Wine
It’s the last day of our honeymoon (a three week adventure in Africa) and Cody and I are camped outside a coffee shop, taking advantage of their free wifi to frantically search for package shops that are open on a Sunday morning. Why? Wine. We’ve spent the last three days of our trip touring vineyards…
Meal Prep: August 22
I’m traveling for work this week for the first time in months! I was always very strict about carrying my food with me when I was prepping for a competition. Now that my goals are a little different, I’ve relaxed that habit a bit. This trip was an easy one to bring my meals along,…
DIY Dip Powder Nails
I was first introduced to dip powder nails before our honeymoon when I needed something that would last for three weeks of trekking through jungles, on safari, and diving with sharks (because that’s when you really need nail polish, right?). I absolutely fell in love. Beyond the expected nail growth creating a gap between the…
Lightened Up Chicken Pot Pie Casserole
This easy chicken pot pie casserole is a family favorite, especially for those chilly fall days. Temperatures are still high here in Dallas, however a week of rain in the forecast has me pretending like we’re on the cusp of fall (but let’s be real, we still have another 2 months of summer weather here…
How Hackers Stole 98k Frequent Flyer Points – And How I Got It Resolved
Someone hacked into my JetBlue TrueBlue account last week and stole nearly 100,000 points and racked up over $1,000 in flights and fees – and it took me 10 days to realize it. I used to fly JetBlue between Logan and Washington Dulles weekly when I lived in Boston. Since moving down to Texas, I’ve…
Creating Your Own Instagram Bio Landing Page
If you use Instagram to promote new posts and drive traffic to your blog, then you’re probably as frustrated as I am about your bio being limited to only one link. The obvious/easiest way to get around this is to use a service like Linktree or Leadpages to promote several different links in your bio,…
The BEST Fit Girl Denim Under $20
Y’all know I’m all about a good deal, right? Well my favorite jeans and jean shorts just went on a CRAZY sale that I had to share with you! Like $20 or less, crazy sale. I already own several of the pairs linked below (the cutoff denim shorts are my go-to’s in this Texas heat) and…
Finding the Best Deal for an All-inclusive Resort
My parents just came back one of my favorite all-inclusive resorts, Secrets Aura, and all of their pictures have me craving another beach vacation. We tend to prefer all-inclusive resorts for our beach getaways because they take all of the hassle out of vacation planning. You don’t have to decide where to go, arrange excursions…
Evie’s Neutral Nursery Reveal
Evie’s room has been a labor of love. It took 8 paint samples and two full coats before we found the color we wanted. Cody painstakingly hung, then moved, then rehung frames and walk shelves to appease his (at the time) very pregnant wife. (Apparently pregnant Ashley = indecisive Ashley.) I hot glued myself to…
Maintaining a Fit Pregnancy: Weight Gain Week-by-Week
Moment of honesty: I spent my fair share of time during my recent pregnancy googling for photos of other women at various stages in their pregnancy to see how much weight they gained, where they gained it, and how it compared to my journey. So much about pregnancy isn’t really discussed, and I had very…