Friday, July 26, 2019

Currently Loving

Happy Friday! I hope you have had a great week! We are wrapping up our final day of summer camp today and I think this might have been the best summer yet. We have had so much fun with a great group of students! I know I sound like a broken record sometimes but I really love my job and I'm so thankful for the opportunity to get to do what I do for a living. 

Today, I'm sharing my weekly roundup of what I'm currently loving. I recently purchased a few of these items and the rest are definitely on my wish list! 


Which of this week's picks is your favorite?! 

1. E A R R I N G S | I have owned these earrings for over six months and they are still one of my most favorite pairs that I own! I reach for them over and over. They are oversized without being heavy or uncomfortable to wear. I love them!


2. T E E | I am loving that tie dye is back in business! We even tie dyed staff t-shirts for summer camp and it was so much fun. This tee is $8 and it's the same style as my very favorite budget friendly tee. The fit is true to size. I had to get this one!


3. H E A D B A N D | I'm still really loving headbands! I have been wearing my pink one and a similar leopard one all summer long. They are perfect for holding your hair back out of your face in style. This one is under $10 and will transition perfectly into fall, too.


4. T O P | Give me all of the comfy black tops! I love the flattering ribbed fabric and side slits on this top. Wear it now with denim shorts and later with skinny jeans. Such a great basic on a budget!


5. D R E S S | This dress isn't budget friendly but it sure is beautiful. The colors of the color blocking are seriously my favorite. I will be stalking the website for a good deal on this one!


6. B A G | This is probably my favorite pick of the week. I spotted this adorable bag in store last weekend and had to take it home with me. It's $18 and the perfect size crossbody. It comes in four colors but this leopard print is most definitely my favorite! 


7. S H O R T S | I'm so happy to be able to find cute denim shorts that aren't shorty shorts! For me, there's nothing worse than a pair of shorts that are too short and uncomfortable. I am really loving the length (that can be rolled as well) and the high rise of this pair!


8. B R A C E L E T | I picked this bracelet up in store last weekend and it's definitely even prettier in person. It was the perfect addition to my arm party!


Thanks so much for visiting! I hope you have a great weekend!

S H O P  T H E  P O S T:

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Puerto Rico Travel Diary Day 4

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Hey y'all! Today, I'm sharing day four of our trip to Puerto Rico and this day was probably my most favorite day of the whole trip! I think most people would be super surprised at how little planning I actually did before we took this trip. We didn't even have an itinerary, which I know would stress some personalities out. My personality type just doesn't want to miss anything. I literally have dreams where we go somewhere (like a theme park), we probably arrive late (so stressful), never actually go on any of the rides, and then it rains or we have to leave early. So for this trip, I honestly just had a mental list running of the things I definitely didn't want to miss out on while we were there. But since it was our first trip to Puerto Rico (definitely not our last) and we were staying with Josh's grandma, I also knew that I had to be flexible. This kind of trip planning doesn't always work but it definitely worked out for this one. Also, I'm the event planner in my family. Josh will literally go along with pretty much any of my crazy plans and where I want to go. His personality type definitely compliments mine as far as traveling and adventuring go.

Our first stop this day was to visit a local bakery that makes breads, cakes, pastries, coffee, and many other breakfast items like bacon and eggs. It's also like a convenience store inside so we were able to grab snacks and other things we needed for the day. Every day of the trip, we took a small cooler with us and filled it with drinks for the day. This was especially great on this day and our beach day. This place that we frequently stopped at was very close to Josh's grandma's house and it's also owned by family. The girls were so excited to see their last name on the building! We had some of the best coffee from here. Puerto Rican coffee is served strong with a splash of milk and sugar.

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After picking up some pastries, we hit the road to El Yunque National Forest! El Yunque is unique because it's the only tropical rain forest in the United States national forest system. Visiting this rain forest was in my top three things that I absolutely had to do while we were in Puerto Rico. I had never visited a rain forest before and definitely want to experience it. However, there were some challenges to experiencing the rain forest since it suffered so much damage from Hurricane Maria a few years ago. Many parts of the rain forest are still closed down. At first, I was super disappointed to find that out but I would say about half of it is still accessible and it is absolutely worth the trip to go while you are in Puerto Rico. 

When you arrive at the entrance to El Yunque, you will begin your journey up the mountain. They will give you a map to show you what's open. When we arrived, it was a little congested with traffic and this was on a Monday. I would definitely recommend visiting El Yunque on a weekday because I'm sure it much more crowded on a Saturday or Sunday. Our first stop was the Yokahu Tower. It was a couple of flights up to take in a beautiful view!

puerto rico travel diary, where to go in puerto rico, el yunque rainforest, north carolina bloggger, best places to go in puerto rico, style blogger

puerto rico travel diary, where to go in puerto rico, el yunque rainforest, north carolina bloggger, best places to go in puerto rico, style blogger

During this trip, we actually have lots of family photos. Josh was so great about asking other families to take their picture and then asking them if they would also take ours. This photo at the top of the tower is my most favorite family photo of the trip. The view and the company was just spectacular!

puerto rico travel diary, where to go in puerto rico, el yunque rainforest, north carolina bloggger, best places to go in puerto rico, style blogger

puerto rico travel diary, where to go in puerto rico, el yunque rainforest, north carolina bloggger, best places to go in puerto rico, style blogger

puerto rico travel diary, where to go in puerto rico, el yunque rainforest, north carolina bloggger, best places to go in puerto rico, style blogger

We hiked the Mt. Britton trail which is a family friendly trail for sure. It's paved and it's fairly easy to hike. There's lots of places to stop along the way to rest if needed. It took less than 45 minutes to make it all of the way up to the top. At the top of this trail, there's another viewing tower with amazing views. It was definitely worth the hike! While we were hiking, I thought we would see more wildlife. I guess I just envisioned seeing lots of animals in a rain forest but we didn't see many at all. However, you could loudly here the famous coquí. You'll know it's them because they say their name! The trees and the beautiful flowers are the star of the show as far as scenery goes in El Yunque. It was absolutely beautiful!

puerto rico travel diary, where to go in puerto rico, el yunque rainforest, north carolina bloggger, best places to go in puerto rico, style blogger

puerto rico travel diary, where to go in puerto rico, el yunque rainforest, north carolina bloggger, best places to go in puerto rico, style blogger

puerto rico travel diary, where to go in puerto rico, el yunque rainforest, north carolina bloggger, best places to go in puerto rico, style blogger

puerto rico travel diary, where to go in puerto rico, el yunque rainforest, north carolina blogger, best places to go in puerto rico, style blogger

puerto rico travel diary, where to go in puerto rico, el yunque rainforest, north carolina blogger, best places to go in puerto rico, style blogger

puerto rico travel diary, where to go in puerto rico, el yunque rainforest, north carolina blogger, best places to go in puerto rico, style blogger

puerto rico travel diary, where to go in puerto rico, el yunque rainforest, north carolina blogger, best places to go in puerto rico, style blogger

After we hiked back down the Mt. Britton trail, we were anxious to see some waterfalls! We travel all over North Carolina finding waterfalls and Puerto Rico was going to be no exception. To actually see waterfalls it was an easy hike to Juan Diego Creek. But another family told us that you could go up another trail to the upper level for even better access to the falls. Of course we had to do it! But this other trail was pretty tricky. You'll see a photo below of what I mean but our kids handled it like champs and no one had any injuries. The hike was totally worth it! It was an amazing experience and just so beautiful. The water was so refreshing after so much hiking. The waterfalls were one of my favorite parts of our whole trip!

puerto rico travel diary, where to go in puerto rico, el yunque rainforest, north carolina blogger, best places to go in puerto rico, style blogger

puerto rico travel diary, where to go in puerto rico, el yunque rainforest, north carolina blogger, best places to go in puerto rico, style blogger

puerto rico travel diary, where to go in puerto rico, el yunque rainforest, north carolina blogger, best places to go in puerto rico, style blogger

puerto rico travel diary, where to go in puerto rico, el yunque rainforest, north carolina blogger, best places to go in puerto rico, style blogger

puerto rico travel diary, where to go in puerto rico, el yunque rainforest, north carolina blogger, best places to go in puerto rico, style blogger

puerto rico travel diary, where to go in puerto rico, el yunque rainforest, north carolina blogger, best places to go in puerto rico, style blogger

puerto rico travel diary, where to go in puerto rico, el yunque rainforest, north carolina blogger, best places to go in puerto rico, style blogger

puerto rico travel diary, where to go in puerto rico, el yunque rainforest, north carolina blogger, best places to go in puerto rico, style blogger

After hiking and exploring, we were hungry. We had packed a picnic lunch and snacks, which we enjoyed while we were there but we were hungry to try pinchos at a stand right off of the El Yunque. Pinchos are kabobs or skewers of meat. We tried the chicken pinchos and they were delicious! This area also had coconuts so we had to have the girls try coconut water for the first time. It was just necessary since they were in Puerto Rico! Their faces as their first sip were absolutely priceless. They were not a fan! Haha! It's honestly not my favorite taste either, especially all on it's own but we couldn't let good coconut water go to waste so Josh and I finished it off for them.

puerto rico travel diary, where to go in puerto rico, el yunque rainforest, north carolina blogger, best places to go in puerto rico, style blogger

puerto rico travel diary, where to go in puerto rico, el yunque rainforest, north carolina blogger, best places to go in puerto rico, style blogger

puerto rico travel diary, where to go in puerto rico, el yunque rainforest, north carolina blogger, best places to go in puerto rico, style blogger

puerto rico travel diary, where to go in puerto rico, el yunque rainforest, north carolina blogger, best places to go in puerto rico, style blogger

Next, we got back on the road to head back to Mamita's house. One thing I was surprised when first arriving in Puerto Rico was that they probably have more fast food restaurants than we do in the states. There are fast food places everywhere and most of the places we enjoy in the states, they also have it in Puerto Rico. At most of the places, some of the food is better or just different because they use ingredients that are unique to Puerto Rico. For example, we stopped at Krispy Kreme for a bathroom break and decided to grab a half dozen while we were there. They have a guava filled doughnut and one made from Puerto Rican chocolate! They were all delicious!

puerto rico travel diary, where to go in puerto rico, el yunque rainforest, north carolina blogger, best places to go in puerto rico, style blogger

puerto rico travel diary, where to go in puerto rico, el yunque rainforest, north carolina blogger, best places to go in puerto rico, style blogger

Day four definitely holds some of my most favorite memories of Puerto Rico! It was day that I'll definitely always remember!

P L A C E S  T O  S E E:


Thanks so much for visiting! I hope you have a great day!

S H O P  T H E  P O S T:


Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Instagram Roundup

style on a budget, summer outfit ideas, mom style, north carolina blogger, what to wear for summer
Happy Wednesday! I hope you're having a great week! We had a fun weekend of our favorite food, a lake day with church friends, and a trip to the farmers market. This week is the last week of summer camp and the countdown to Disney is officially! We leave one week from today to head towards Florida for a magical trip. Disney isn't necessarily a vacation in the relaxing sense of the word but it's so much fun! I can't wait to ride my favorite rides and eat all of my favorite snacks.

Today, I'm sharing an Instagram Roundup, of outfits and inspiration from the past couple of weeks. It's been too hot for anything but shorts, skirts, and dresses so I have been getting so much use out of my summer wardrobe. I just really love a comfy top, a mini skirt, and a pair of sandals right now!

style on a budget, summer outfit ideas, mom style, north carolina blogger, what to wear for summer

Basics are my love language, at least when it comes to outfits.


style on a budget, summer outfit ideas, mom style, north carolina blogger, what to wear for summer

I am loving this leopard dress! The leopard print keeps selling out but it also comes in basic black. The fit is true to size.


style on a budget, summer outfit ideas, mom style, north carolina blogger, what to wear for summer

I love these sweet sisters so much! 


style on a budget, summer outfit ideas, mom style, north carolina blogger, what to wear for summer

I got this vintage inspired graphic tee last week and I am loving. I sized up one size for a more relaxed fit. It's also a budget friendly find at $15!


style on a budget, summer outfit ideas, mom style, north carolina blogger, what to wear for summer

I love layering a tee over a lightweight dress for a whole new look!


style on a budget, summer outfit ideas, mom style, north carolina blogger, what to wear for summer

White Merlot at my favorite local vineyard is one of my favorite weekend activities.


style on a budget, summer outfit ideas, mom style, north carolina blogger, what to wear for summer

Even during the summer, I love layering. This lightweight cardigan makes summertime layering possible. It's the perfect light layer!


style on a budget, summer outfit ideas, mom style, north carolina blogger, what to wear for summer

Thanks so much for visiting! Have a wonderful day!