90 miles to Cuba, part 1

Over Thanksgiving week, my family got together in Key West. My parents had been before (and my Dad several times before my brother and I came along), but us kids hadn't.

Here's a summary of our trip: the creation of our own bike gang, Key Lime Pie (dipped in chocolate, on a stick), beer, lounging at the pool, my parents scuba diving, more beer, wine, snacks, running with my Dad, sleeping in, listening to the ocean, lounging IN the pool, golfing, shopping, exploring Duval Street, getting caught in the rain on our bikes, karaoke at Coyote Ugly, Sloppy Joe's, Captain Tony's, an Irish pub or 2, and a low-country boil for Thanksgiving Dinner. 

The humidity does crazy things to my hair (see above). I curled it one evening and it went flat in 5 minutes, so I abandoned that idea for the rest of the trip. I kept the makeup, hair, and outfits pretty simple all week - I was on vacation, after all...

tank: from a friend (Lauren Conrad via Kohl's)

shorts: Maurice's via Plato's Closet

sandals: WalMart

sunglasses: H&M

purse: thrifted

And this I wore one evening when us kids biked to Duval Street to check out the bar scene. On the way there, we got rained on, and looked like wet rats for the rest of the evening. No joke - it wasn't just sprinkling, it was POURING. I took these pictures after I'd dried out. And below is my sister-in-law just a few minutes before our rainy bike ride. Doesn't she look great in her jumpsuit and Jack Rogers? Girl has serious style.

shirt: Aéropostale

shorts: Maurice's via Plato's Closet

sandals: WalMart

not what I wore for Thanksgiving

This is not what I wore for Thanksgiving.

But if I'd had a more "traditional" Thanksgiving with a turkey and stuffing, I'd have warn something like this - stretchy skinnies, and a roomy button up. And see how I accessorized with my scarf, jacket, and purse??

Instead, I wore my bathing suit and lounged by the pool in the sunshine.

Instead of turkey, my brother and sis-in-law made a delicious low-country boil.

Instead of stuffing or sweet potatoes, we had a delicious conch ceviche. 

Instead of falling leaves or snow, we had lots of sunshine and a delightful sea breeze.

I've spent the past few days at the beach with my family, and heading home is going to be rough...however, I'm very thankful for the time I got to spend with them.

Happy Thanksgiving! Thank you for reading!

buffalo plaid: Kohl's

scarf: from a friend

skinnies: Aéropostale

jacket: Target

booties: Old Navy

purse: T.J. Maxx

Cold Snap

Recently in Colorado we had a cold snap. By cold snap, I mean the temperature didn't get out of the single digits, or even teens. For DAYSSSS. Denver set record-breaking temps (so many days in a row of a really cold temp; coldest temps for so many hours; temps for this early in the season - I used to work with climatologists, so I'm in "the know").

And I know it's winter, and it's almost Christmas, and why am I whining about cold weather when I live in a mountain state (that's a can of worms I don't think you want to open #beachloverforlife #everytimeitsnowsiwanttomovetothebeach)? However, 40 degree days are a whole lot different than barely freezing temps, which are a whole other ballgame compared to temperatures that stay in the single digits for days on end. When it's that cold, it hurts to breathe, and your nose hurts after being outside for 2 seconds. Forget about dashing outside for a quick second without your coat - you'll be a popsicle before too you can get back inside.

So, what's a girl to do when she experiences temperatures that usually wait until January or February to show their ugly faces? Several things:

1) sweaters
2) multiple sweaters
3) scarves
4) down vests over sweaters
5) sweaters UNDER down vests UNDER down coats
6) start the car a good 10 minutes before she needs to leave
7) lots of coffee/hot chocolate/warm drinks & blankets
8) not venture outside. for any reason.
9) make sure the puppies go in & out really quickly, so they don't freeze their little wrinkled selves
10) whine a little bit and dream about moving to Florida, specifically the Gulf Coast

while I DID all of the above, I've also decided that by having the appropriate "gear," I can save myself a lot of coldness. i.e. coats, sweaters, scarves, and new snow boots (an early Christmas gift from the Mr. - they're essential so I don't complain to him about how my toes are cold, even though I'm wearing 3 pairs of socks).

Interested in seeing my cold weather gear? I'll be honest, cold weather clothes make up way more than half of my closet, and our coat closet is quite full of coats for all different temperatures. 

Any other good strategies for dealing with the cold? And I mean REALLY cold, like "Since when do we live in Siberia?" cold?

sweater: J Crew (thrifted)

scarf: WalMart

jeans: GAP

boots: Rack Room Shoes