I'll Try.

I may be the only one but...

As a mom, it requires a conscious effort for me to get dressed.  I have an internal battle every.single.day.  The sleepy me feels like brushing my dirty hair into a messy bun and throwing on my favorite sweats as armor to survive the crap life may throw at me.  The ready-to-conquer-the-world (RTCW) me, however, wants to remind sleepy me that we should and shall look like a functioning adult.

For the record, RTCW me totally gets on sleepy me's nerves.

I.Go.Indigo.

Earlier this week, we talked about Halloween NOT happening for our family this year.  I admitted that I was so sad about it... blue, if you will... well, speaking of blue, I have an update.

I got a haircut. O and my hair... it's indigo!

Bucket List - Update 1

I figured now that the Vegas wedding updates are finished, I'd provide an update on my Dirty30 Bucket List.

Hubbs and I are in a great place.  We've reconnected like never before.  We date, we cuddle, we talk... We truly are best friends.  Isn't that great news?  Well, it is for us.

We'll get more into that soon enough... Maybe my improved relationship is possible partially because I feel like I found my sexy. 

Feeling cute before a family date night.

Can you see him watching me and NOT the road? LOL.

I found my sexy like I just stopped by the lost-and-found, recognized it from across the room, picked it up and kept it moving like I never lost it. 

I snuck in some sexy by wearing a cute sundress with cutouts on the sides...  It was Hubbs' birthday, lol.  I showed a little skin.

Now, I didn't say I was sexy... I said I found MY sexy.  As in my own version of the very-best me there is.  I feel good.  I feel like I look good because, again, I genuinely feel good.

On a recent impromptu dinner with the girls, they made me feel like a superstar because they were really encouraging me through this whole beauty thang.  Plus, they recognized I was rockin' my makeup and heels, lol.

I've been wearing makeup everyday... Not like makeup-makeup but it is makeup for me.  I can't wait to share my "routine" because I'm just so frikkin' excited to say I have one, lol.

Anyhoo...

I get facials.  I have my me time.  I've connected with a fabulous hair stylist who knows how to maintain my hair with minimal heat damage AND she's 5 minutes from my home.  I will, however, continue on my hunt to find the perfect jeans and to attend a blogger conference.

The other two bucket list items - try lash extensions and join a gym - are... well, I mean -- they have an update, I guess.

First, on a routine trip to the nail shop (mistake #1),  I mentioned that I was considering trying lash extensions.  I was there for waxing but the tech insisted that she was the best in town and if she were in Maryland, she would make LOADS of money and blah blah blah.  She would not shut up about it.  So, against my better judgment, in my weak moment of desired quiet, I agreed.  She glued 2 little lashes on me.  I looked in the mirror and I could see the glob of glue on my lashes... I could feel them when I blinked... I was GROSSED out.  She didn't give me the look I wanted.  They were too long for everyday wear and I -- I freaked out.  They had to get off of my face immediately.  They were fake lashes NOT eyelash extensions.  I'll try again soon.

Now, this gym business. I am a member of a gym.  I just don't go.  It's the newest gym in Woodbridge.  It's in a great area.  It's huge. O and fancy.  It's REALLY fancy.

It's just 15-20 minutes out of the way and, with everything else we have going on, who has time for that?!

I do, however, have to get my photo i.d. for this facility that I pay to NOT use every month, right?

We'll have more updates soon enough...

Dirty30 - Souvenirs 101

Hello and welcome to Souvenir Shopping 101. Today, I'll offer tips for purchasing quality souvenirs.  I know... and you're welcome!

...

Let's rundown the souvenirs from the Dirty30 cruise, shall we?  

I didn't find much on the Bahamas shopping trip (except for my bathing suit) and the Virgin Island's shops were a bust.  They didn't seem to have any jewelry in Munch's size.  The productive shopping wasn't until Puerto Rico.

I've spoken about our gallery wall of masks before.

I didn't have any masks from the Virgin Islands and I was bummed.  So, after our tour in Puerto Rico, Hubbs and I went on a hunt; we HAD to find a mask to symbolize my Dirty30 trip.  Not too far from the port (near market of street vendors), there was a Haitian-owned store (it was very well designed and had fancy track lighting so everything seemed more appealing).  Inside, we found some fabulous masks for TRIPLE the amount we normally pay.  While we were excited to FINALLY find masks, we did NOT want to pay that inflated cost.

Decisions. Decisions.

We stood in line.almost paid.got out of line left.

Hubbs was right.  We could always come back... So I agreed to check the other stores in the area.  A few doors down, we found a store (without the track lighting) and it had great masks for great prices.  I actually splurged and purchased two because it was too difficult to decide on just one... Aren't they fabulous?

I love.

After lunch in Puerto Rico, I washed my hands using this scrub in the restaurant's bathroom.  I couldn't believe it - my hands were washed and moisturized in 1 step!  They were silky smooth.  I FELL IN LOVE!  I purchased a jar of this miracle hand scrub:

After lunch, the guys went for their signature souvenirs, alcohol.  Deb and I left the restaurant and headed back to the port.  On the way, we spotted these cute little pink leather purses for the girls and, for $7, we HAD to have them:

Finally, I had evidence of the trip and started to feel good about our souvenir choices!

The shopping in Turks & Caicos was awesome! 

Hubbs and I always get Munch a "special" gift from us.  As her gift from mommy, I found a necklace (of floating pearls in shades of pink) - the real pearls will be a timeless piece she can enjoy for years:

We found a fabulous sterling silver shop.  Hubbs picked out a little butterfly ring as his gift for Munch:

He also picked out some everyday hoops for her:

We walked around for more than an hour looking through hundreds of sterling pieces... Until we found this Confetti collection.  It screamed sparkle rock star princess and we had to purchase a few pieces:

Hoops, chain and charm (sold separately)

One of my favorite parts of the sterling shop was checking out - each piece was placed in its own bag with a cute little flower tie (I saved one):

We purchased pieces for Munch that were unique and that she will enjoy for years to come.  It's NOT that she needed any jewelry, lol.  To prove it, here's her jewelry tree that sits on her bedside table:

The birdies hold earrings, how cute?!

Anyhoo, back to souvenirs...  In addition to all the goods, we got his mom a unique watch and I got these fab earrings:

You KNOW how I feel about zebra (and cheetah and giraffe and most animal prints)... SO YOU KNOW I love these earrings.  Every time I wear them, I think about my vacay :)  

We purchased a mask from Turks & Caicos too! It was a smaller version of the VERY expensive ones in the Haitian-owned shop in Puerto Rico.  I love the details of the carvings and I'm SO glad we were able to add it to the gallery wall - it makes the perfect addition!

>end<

I went on a mission to only purchase items I LOVE.  When shopping for fabulous souvenirs, remember these tips:

1.  Think of what you want before you depart for vacation

2. Try to find things you can appreciate all year long (home decor, conversation pieces, etc.)

3.  Buy unique accessories (like scarves, jewelry, shoes, handbags, etc.)

4.  Bring flavors of your vacation home (like seasonings, tea, candies, etc.)

Try this method and I guarantee you'll love your souvenirs for years to come.  Here are a few of our favorites.

Mini Ox cart from Costa Rica:

Mask gallery wall:

Hand painted wooden bangles from Sardinia, Italy:

Glass bangles from Haiti:

Handmade wooden earrings from Costa Rica:

O and keep in mind when you're buying souvenirs that I LOVE to get gifts!

Dirty30 - Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico was the first port we decided to stick together as a group.  The ship docked for only a few hours and, having heard the adventures of the parents, we just HAD to hang out.  We piled into a cab and prepared for a tour of the island:

Our tour guide was great - VERY knowledgeable and entertaining!

He told us Puerto Rico was surrounded by two bodies of water, the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.  As we drove over a bridge you could literally see the difference in the waters!  On one side, the calm Caribbean waters were perfect for lazy lounging by the beach:

While the waves of the Atlantic ocean were great for surfing:

We toured most of newer PR then stopped at a small beach for a break.  Deb and I shared a frosty treat sold by a vendor who was biking with a cooler attached to the back tire - it was SO YUM!  The more I walked around, the more I found - a nice park, a small beach, and a great water fountain (Deb and I took off our shoes and ran through it but OF COURSE the guys didn't get any pics!!).  

The get-up.

I adore this Bebe top.  It screams VACATION and completed my fashionista tourist get-up (while making me feel like I don't run around with a frizzy bun when I'm not on vacation).

Actually, we all did the tourist thing:

After a 15-minute break, we piled back onto the bus and were off to our next stop, the Capitol Building.

It was a beautiful building on the inside and out.  I took in the textures of marble and, surprisingly, I became inspired to change some things around my home!  

Something about this building... It was open and clean with no furniture but VERY ornate ceilings... Almost made me want white walls with colored ceilings... Or white bed linen with colored pillows and sheets... Maybe I'll talk about my inspiration from our travels in future posts.

Check out this ceiling:

Wouldn't it make a fabulous round pillow in an office or guest room?

OMG! Or this ceiling:

I thought of my Munch's big girl room update...  How it needs to be finished and how I love dainty prints.  I would love this in a quilt for her bed.  Matter of fact, this photo may wind up in a small gallery wall frame in her room. Hmm.

Next thing I knew, I was sitting on the steps inside the building plotting on my next house project.  As if he could tell Home Depot was on the brain, Hubbs quickly offered to take my pic. 

Something about the camera makes me act silly.  NOPE, I'm not a duck lips or facebook profile picture type of person, I'm just silly:

I bumped into a fabulous iron gate and started talking about the home projects swirling around in my fro... Mid-sentence, I turned around and Hubbs was gone.  I later learned he slipped into the courtroom with Chaz and the 2 apparently reenacted some political debate ON THE MICROPHONES.  I guess they forgot it was a working day so when the staff kicked them out, they were slightly embarrassed, lol.

FUN TIMES!

I spotted some things across the street when we pulled up that I wanted to check out so off Hubbs and I went.

Across 4 lanes of traffic the street from the Capitol Building is this statue of St. Christopher:

He points his finger in judgement to ensure the work inside the Capitol Building is God's work.

While this was greeeat and the view was amazing, I spotted up a hill about 200 meters down the way... almost falling off a cliff, there was something REALLY cool:

Aren't they fun?! I thought they were awesome!!

Hubbs? Well, I thought he was equally as excited to hike up a small hill and balance on a cliff... Until I saw this pic:

Hey, why didn't you smile?

Him: OK, take another one.

So, we balance over the cliff (you can see the water behind us) and *CLICK*

Ok, forget I asked... Just stay with the cool face.  No more posed smiles for you, guy.

Goof.

I scurried across the road to ask Dad to take a group shot.  IDK what it is about vacation but... I seemed to catch my parents being frisky more often than usual and... it was just... INappropriate.

Maybe it was the -- WAIT.  Remember, we promised NEVER to discuss the conch body part the dads ate for the "allll night long" effect (you have to sing it in your best Lionel Richie voice... go back and read it again, I'll wait).

Back to the INappropriateness... We cross the street after risking our lives. I come around the cab and see Dani taking a pic of my parents.  Unbeknownst to poor sweet (twice as frisky) Dani, Dad was messing with Mom from behind.  Without thinking I yell, "HEY, I FRIKKIN' SEE YOU, OLD MAN!!"

*click*

Mom and Dad both get the giggles. I throw up in my mouth and proceed to ask if Dad'll take a group shot of the girls.  He agreed BUT...

MAYBE if this guy:

...could get his mind right he'd be able to take a pic of the girls instead of himself, LOL.  

After a few takes, we had a good one.

Our next stop was Old Fort in Old San Juan.  It was this huge grassy plain surrounded by water.  We only had 15 minutes so, rather than take the 5 minute walk from the street to the entrance, pay to enter the fort and feel rushed for the tour, we chose to stroll around the beach and take in the scenery of the area. O and we called home because one of the beauties of U.S. territories is cell phones work without roaming charges!

We loaded up the cab and headed to the heart of the city for shopping and lunch.  In the market, you can watch the vendors MAKE what you buy; it was amazing to be surrounded by so many talented people.  I can't imagine the reward of paying your way by doing what you love.  One woman said it didn't feel like work because she met so many nice people everyday.  

Quote me on this, Islanders:  

"One day I will generate enough revenue to sustain my family doing what I love!!"

We enjoyed lunch at Restaurante Raices.  It was a great time with great service and amazing food!  If you're in PR, you DEF want to check this place out!

After lunch, the girls split from the guys and went shopping.  I was still on the hunt for a unique gift for Munch... The closer we got to the port, the more street vendors and entertainment there was.  I got some really cute things but I'll share all the fabulous finds later ;)

Ok so, did you see my hair?

Instead of 2 big french braids, I made 4 ponytails (2 on each side) and divided each ponytail into 3-4 twists.  I just pinned them up to create 2 big knotty buns.  It was a way to keep the heat of this mop off of my neck without resorting to the bun.  PLUS, it made for a playful style that was a conversation piece on a few occasions.  

Later that evening, however, I released the twists to rock a twist out:

It was a little too tame in the pic above.  To fix that issue, I turned my head upside down, sprayed some Carol's Daughter Black Vanilla moisturizing spray and stood in the bathroom while Hubbs was in the shower.  The moisture really helped my hair puff up... It was the perfect style for my itty bitty shorts, electric blue zipper blazer and one of my Christmas gifts from Hubbs:

I stepped out of my comfort zone this day because I wore shorts (that weren't bermuda-length) and showed my chicken legs... OMG. I survived that ordeal and Mama felt fancy!  Who waits until 30 to rock itty bitty booty shorts?!

This OLD girl.

Tomorrow, we'll talk Turks & Caicos!!