Between the wedding whirlwind I told you about in my last
post, you won’t believe this. But. I. Went. On. Vacation. This. Summer.
Miracles do happen! Not only was this a MAJOR feat because I was successfully
able to sneak away for 7 days and not miss a wedding, but my little
retail-working self has not vacationed during June or July since… high school?!
You all know I love my work, but this is the first summer that this Nordy girl
wasn’t slinging sales and clocking 13 miles a day during the Anniversary event
(trust me – I wore a pedometer last year and it was SCARY. You don’t want to
see those things when they are reading double digits after your regular day at…
work!). This year, fear not – I am still a Nordy girl, tried and true (duh),
but after 7 summers, I have a new home on the 4th floor that I LOVE.
I am in Human Resources, recruiting and hiring,
and this position comes with a wee bit more work-life balance. This makes the
husband happy! I thought he would be even happier when I invited him to go on
vacation with me, but not so much.
When I say I invited the husband to go on vacation with me,
it’s because I did. I extended a personal invite (actually more than one), and
I got declined! We did take a lovely week-long vaca to Maui with my family
(and yes, I absolutely bought and sent vintage postcards like the one above because they are SO cute and make people smile when they get their mail), but a couple weeks ago, I decided I needed one more
mini-trip. I like using “mini” when I want something, because it seems like I’m
asking for less. One of my frequently used phrases is “Can I have a mini
massage?” This implies that I want him to give me a massage equivalent of
service I would pay $100+ for in a spa, but I throw “mini” in there so it seems
like a quick and easy request! Try it at home and see what happens!
Back to my mini-vaca. We usually go with a group of friends
on a (wild and crazy and not G-rated) house boat trip every year. Last year, 6
couples on the trip were engaged. This year, guess what? They all got married.
Not that married people aren’t allowed at Lake Shasta – I proudly pioneered
that trend! But, with all the weddings and honeymoons, we took a hiatus and will resume Shasta 3.0 in 2013 (get excited for that post, people)!
Thinking this would be the perfect opportunity to go on a 2nd
honeymoon (ok, more like 3rd or 4th but who’s counting?
Those things should be endless, right?), I suggested several genius ideas to
the husband. First, I generously offered to take him to Lake Chelan, where I
could conveniently lay out all day and wine taste all night. Who wouldn’t want
to spend a few days with the happiest version of Erin? After I spent 3 days
researching places to stay, he informed me he was not interested in going.
No problem! Me and my “mini” requests will not be deterred.
I quickly changed pace and invited him to a romantic getaway in Mexico. We love
Mexico. It’s inexpensive and guacamole is one of my favorite foods. What’s not
to love? When the only “serious” decision of your day is choosing the beach or
the pool, life is pretty grand. We went to the Riviera Maya last year and spent
8 days in paradise for practically pennies! We literally NEVER left the resort.
I read 9 books on my Kindle, and the husband kept busy refilling our travel
mugs with adult beverages. We were both in heaven. This is why I was confused when he AGAIN
dissed my invitation! I was all hot and bothered to go to Puerto Vallarta and even found an all-inclusive resort that was definitely calling our names.
This time, he says we shouldn’t spend the money (or some stupid excuse like
that). Would have been nice to know that BEFORE I devoted a week of my life to
Travelocity.com! Oh well.
After all that, me and my mini vaca are ON! The moral of the story is – I’m (oh, i mean we) are going to
Newport Beach. This place really IS calling our names – frequent flier miles at
the ideal days and times, friends to visit, and by that I mean free places to
stay? Yep, California sunshine, here I come!
You know I have plenty of dresses to bring. But what else
will I pack in my suitcase for along weekend full of fun in the sun? Here are a
few of my current faves:
- ring necklace – the husband got this (in mixed metal) for me as my “mini-present” when we were in Maui, and I absolutely worship it. It goes with so much. Easy to layer or wear on it’s own, casual or formal.
- iPad with cute Dodo cover, made especially for J.Crew (here is the chambray one, but I obviously have leopard, which is in-store only - totally won't be offended if you copy me)
- long black maxi dress – I found a strapless, wrinkle-free one and have worn it for many an occasion this summer. It’s ideal for travel and can be quickly accessorized to dress up or down.
- rompers! Love these little guys. I have yellow, blush, and my favorite – leopard! Perfect for swimsuit cover up or just with gold gladiator sandals and some gold bangles for a day out and about.
- big hats! The only problem with the extra large wide brim hat is that it can be challenging to navigate with, especially while driving (warning: danger!) so just beware that looking good really does come with side effects (see big hat PLUS leopard romper above; that's my mom with me, embracing her own visor-hat-hybrid trend. I do appreciate, however, that she is rocking a black maxi. Whew, since she often refers to your truly as her "mini-me!")
Safe travels, fashionistas!
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