Seeking Suggestions! Travel Purse/Bag

Happy Thursday, Friends! 

This week month has gone by far too quickly.  It just dawned on me that my wedding is quickly approaching!

....and with a nearing wedding means a NEARING HONEYMOOOOOOOOON!

Aaron and I will be island hopping in the Greek Islands.

Pinch me.

I've been trying to find the perfect travel purse/bag as none of my current purses are conducive to walking all day/airports/ferries. 

Source

 I was hoping to use my bloggy as a forum to reach out to my bloggy friends and see if you have any recommendations on crossbody bags (or any other suggestions).  I'm not a brand person by any means, and after researching several bags I'm learning that the brand can make a huge difference.

My Preferences

Wide-ish strap (not the thin round straps)

Medium size - Can carry camera, phone, wallet, and then some...

Not fancy designer (ie: no target sign on my forehead)

Cross body style

So with that being said - can anyone recommend a crossbody bag?!  

Every time I think I've found the one, I check the $150+ price tag and remind myself that I must have stellar taste.

Instalately!

Are we Instagram friends?

If not... we should be.

But for now, here's what you've missed lately :-)

My darling little Polly.  

This picture tells just a fraction of Polly's story.  

She's crazy.

Speaking of that little princess, she makes one heck of a co-worker for "Working From Home" days

 Aaron finished the STP (Seattle To Portland) 204 mile bike ride in ONE DAY.

Proud fiance over here.

The best of all.

Aaron whipped this out.

So I grabbed it.  All of it.

And told him,

"What's yours is mine and what's mine is mine"

.... now let's go get hitched.

theSkimm

Alright ladies - this was recommended to me so I'm going to pass this along to my bloggy world.

I do not watch the morning news.  I cherish my sleep and leave the house by 5:00 AM for work.

I do not read the newspaper.  I hate the way it feels.  And I'm too cheap to buy it every day.

Basically, I never stay up to date on current issues and happenings.

One of my co-workers recommended theSkimm.  I've loved it so much I thought I'd pass it along to my bloggy friends!

Basically, theSkimm is for the lazy/cheap people like me. 

ONE summarized email is sent each morning with an overall summary of hot topics in the news.  Should you choose to research further, there are links provided in the email. 

And if you're anything like me, one article will snowball into another making it easy to continue reading various articles.

I'm not getting any sweet perks or swag for blogging about this - I'm just genuinely trying to share the love. :-) 

I signed up for the emails to give this a try and find that each morning I look forward to my daily email!

Give it a try. 

Or not. 

But it's a good way to stay educated on current issues and understand what's going on in the world :-)

What sites/resources do you use for your daily dose of news?

I make plans for plans

Happy-Monday-After-The-Fourth-Of-July!!

I hope everyone had a safe and wonderful Holiday weekend.  

I was able to spend the entire weekend with my darling little mom.  

On the 4th we were able to get her a little hair-do-makeover. 

For those of you who don't know me, I'm such a planner.  Have you seen my last post about my summer plans?  

... it's a problem.

Anyhow - I've spent the last few 4th of July's alone at home, not doing anything.

(...and by not doing anything I mean going to bed at 9pm after watching a PLL marathon)

Guys - I'm clearly one hell of a time.

With no plans again this year, I last-minute booked a flight to spend the 3-day weekend with my mom that I haven't seen since the beginning of June (which was just what I needed).

But I've decided that next year I'm doing something fun. 

Anything.

I'm going to take a trip 

and I'm soliciting suggestions!  

My options so far are:

1. Back home to Donner Lake with the family
2. Houseboat (I've got Kimmy on board for this one!)
3. Beach cabin
4. Visiting Santanna in San Diego (btw Santanna, I just invited myself)

My requirements:

1. Water (lake, ocean, pool, river)

I'm determined to do something fun next year!  You're only in your 20's once, right?  

... and mine are flying by me.

With that being said, what did you do for the fourth?!  

Maybe that'll give me some inspiration :-)

7 Summer Goals

My darling fiance has chosen to spend his summer weekends out of town, going on climbing and hiking adventures with his friends.

Rather than sit at home alone, I've decided to compile a list of summer goals to keep me busy.  With the wedding approaching I'm certain I'll be busy with wedding items, but a girl can only address so many envelopes before her eyes cross!  The PNW summers are AMAZING, and I refuse to let this summer go to waste because I was too timid to explore on my own.

With that being said, below is my list of items I plan on accomplishing this summer/year.

Workout Classes

 I'd much prefer a group class over solo workouts any day.  I've been trying the different classes at my gym (Body Works Plus Abs kicked my butt!) and at Pure Barre (another butt-kicker).  These classes have really forced me to get out of the house, be healthy, and be social.  Kill 3 birds with 1 stone!

The Lake/River

I love water.  I might not be a swimmer, but I grew up going to the lake every weekend.  My family would pack up our lunches, the jet ski, and head to the lake.  Some of my most FAVORITE memories involve a bikini and ice cold water.

If that's not enough, my dad moved to the lake when I was young, reinforcing my love for summertime lake-time.  

While I view the lake as a social activity, sometimes I forget that I can grab my beach towel and a book/magazine and get my tan on.  There are so many spots on the river in the Portland area, so my options are open!

Go Fishing

I. Love. Fishing.

I. Love. Eating. Fish.

The last time I went fishing was with my dad when I lived in Reno.  Basically, a long time ago.  This is unacceptable.  I need to pack up my fishing pole, grab some pink powerbait, and catch me some dinner.

Punchbowl Falls

Since I've known about Punchbowl Falls, I've wanted to visit.  I never really found the time last summer, so I'm hoping I'll find some time this summer to visit the pool.

Hotsprings

I LOVE HOTSPRINGS.  Like, love.  A nature hot tub?  You'd think I'm a hippie by the amount of excitement I get from hotsprings.  There are several hotsprings in this area, so I'm hoping to visit at least one!  Stay tuned :-)

Campfire on the Beach

Did you know that in Oregon you can have campfires on the beach?!  LEGALLY!  This will be my third summer in the PNW and I still haven't had a campfire on the beach.
Shameful - I know.
Although this one might need some company.  Any takers?

Crabbing/Clamming

Need I say more?  I've always wanted to catch crab then have a crab cookout.  My little heart SWOONS when I think of this!  It's kind of like fishing in that it's not very exhilarating until you catch something, but it's still fun for me :-)

That time I was a bridesmaid

What better way to talk about Wedding Wednesday than to talk about the wedding I was recently in!

On June 7th my amazing friend, Allison, married the love of her life.  I was so excited that she included me in her special day as a bridesmaid.

The Dress

We ordered our bridesmaid dresses from Weddington Way.  Similar to my upcoming wedding, Allison struggled with all of her bridesmaids living in different states.  Weddington Way made it easy for us to all go "bridesmaid dress shopping" without physically being located in the same room.  I loved Weddington Way so much I even used it for my bridesmaids!

You'll see our dresses were a BEAUTIFUL purple.  These colors POPPED.  And even better, Allison really stood out as the bride with two contrasting colors.

The Shoes

While the shoes took great photos, they came off as soon as the cameras turned off.  Luckily for us Allison purchased flippy floppies for us for the reception so we could boogy all night.

The Event

... was amazing!  Everything.  

The cake was delicious.  

Her photographer, Jeramie Lu, was so much fun to work with.  

The food at Wild River Grille was DELICIOUS

The dancing lasted all night long

Basically, the entire event was a success.

Congratulations dear friend!!