Island Vacation

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This time next week, Joe and I will be boarding a plane and headed to St. Lucia with 4 of our college friends. This trip is something Joe has talked about doing for years and I am thrilled that is is happening. We are staying at Sandals Regency La Toc for a long weekend of relaxing and exploring St. Lucia.

When Joe brought up the idea for a trip 6 months ago, I thought there was no way I would be ready to leave our baby. While I still may not be 100% ready to leave Caroline, I know it is good for us to have some adult time. Caroline will be staying with my parents and I know it will be good for them to spend quality time together.

For this trip, we are only bringing carry-on luggage. We haven't flown since our cruise 3 years ago when they lost our luggage for several days. Needless to say, it had a huge impact on how I approach traveling and am not going to make the same mistake twice.

A sneak peak into what will be in my carry-on this trip.

My secret weapons are a light cardigan which can be used as a blanket on chilly planes and under-eye serum to hide the travel induced puffiness. This Scout bag has been the best purchase. It has so many uses. It is perfect for a carry on and then doubles as a beach bag.

You really have to prioritize liquids when planning to do only a carry-on. The must have products for me are sunscreen, spf moisturizer, hair conditioner, after sun body lotion and flex hold hairspray. I always save samples of mascara and fragrances to not take up much space. I'll pack powder foundation, makeup and solid primer. I always take advantage of hotel shampoo and body wash. Conditioner is what I won't skimp on as it always effects the quality of my hair. This infographic is perfect to make sure you don't forget a thing!

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Scenes from Vacation

This past week we packed our tiny car to the brim and headed to the beach. I have been vacationing with my family at Topsail Beach since I was a kid. When I met Joe, he happily joined in our family tradition. This year we added another new recruit to our family trip which I hope to continue each year. 

Going on vacation is not quite like it used to be with a baby. Gone are the days of relaxing in the sun for hours with a drink and a good book. It's replaced with seeing the world through new eyes curious about all the activities going on around them. Vacationing with Caroline made me truly appreciate how lucky I was to grow up here. Topsail Island is such a beautiful and family friendly beach.  Caroline experienced a lot of first on this trip- boat rides, beach time, swimming in the sound and meeting new friends. 

Both Caroline and Chloe in their life jackets. 

Play time with Grandpa at the cottage. 

Caroline also celebrated her first 4th of July. It is always fun to be on the island on the 4th. You can see fireworks from all around. Little miss slept right through them so she missed most of the excitement.

We spent many mornings out on the boat or on the island. Then went back to the cottage for lunch and naps. Evenings were spent enjoying sunsets on the porch and playing board games after Caroline went to bed.  

One night we took the whole family to bingo hosted by the local historic society. I had very low expectations for this night because it was way past Caroline's bedtime. However, she did great! I wore her in a wrap and she slept for the majority of the night. We took a few breaks to walk around and eat when she became fussy. Then she would fall right back to sleep. No one in our group one anything but we still had a great time!

We wrapped up vacation on Saturday with a birthday dinner in Wilmington at one of my favorite restaurants Indochine followed by a movie. Celebrating my 29th birthday was a great way to wrap up the week. This restaurant has been a favorite since high school and never disappoints. It is not a hidden gem like it once was though. The word has got out about the amazing food and substantial portions. The restaurant was packed with locals and vacationers. It is strange to think that we are now just one of the tourists. The meal was amazing as was the company. I am thankful that my parents are always willing to watch Caroline for date night. We had a great time just the two us enjoying drinks and reminincing before heading back home. 

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4th of July Batchelorette Party

After a whirlwind weekend I finally had a chance this afternoon to sit down and document all of our adventures. Last Thursday, I drove down to Folly Beach, SC to attend my friend Jen's bachelorette party. We spent three days celebrating the bride to be in a patriotic fashion.

The group stayed at a beautiful beach cottage on Folly Beach. Thursday night we explored the adorable town of Folly Beach for dinner at drinks. The group had dinner at Taco Boy a local mexican restaurant. I enjoyed a tempura shrimp taco with Mexican street corn and table side guacamole. The group agreed that the guacamole was the best dish of the night. Something about fresh made chips topped with tons of avocado screams girls night to me.

Friday morning I woke up bright and early way before anyone had stirred so I decided to explore the island. I went on a run around the island where I ended up at a beautiful state park before heading back to the cottage.

We hung out on the porch drinking and laying out for most of the day. Then Friday night the group got ready to head into Charleston. The maid of honor surprised us with an adorable photo shoot with a local photographer. We took photos all around Charleston and it was a neat way to explore the city.

After the photo shoot, we headed to dinner at Star. We enjoyed a delicious dinner and drinks together before heading to the rooftop balcony. I split the mussels appetizer with a friend and enjoyed the homemade crab cakes for dinner. The mussels were amazing the highlight of the dish was the white wine sauce that you could soak up with their homemade sourdough bread.

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After dinner, we headed upstairs to the rooftop bar for drinks as well as a beautiful view of the city. That night we bar hopped around to several different bars on King Street before heading back to folly beach around 2am.

 

On the 4th, the group headed to the beach dressed in our best patriotic gear. We spent the day by the ocean catching a bit of sun. We had the best low key night that night which included grilling out, a patriotic cookie cake and tons of drunk party games.

It was a great weekend celebrating the beautiful bride-to-be on the coast. I can't wait for the wedding next month!

If your ever in Charleston area I highly recommend having dinner at Star. The food there was phenomenal!  

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Friday Five: Beach Vacation

The best thing about Fridays is knowing the weekend is right around the corner. Today is extra exciting as we are headed on vacation for two weeks. Blog posts may be a bit sporadic over the next two weeks as we never have great internet connection on the island. I am all packed for vacation and ready to hit the road to the beach tonight! For today's post I thought I would share a few of my beach trip essentials. 

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One. Coverup w/ sun protection. Over the past few years, I have become more cautious of sun damage. Having a coverup that doubles as an extra layer of sun protection is a must. I snagged this columbia fishing shirt and love it. The material of this shirt is very light which prevents me from getting overheated while on the water. I love the idea of getting it monogrammed adding a preppy touch. 

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Two. Sun Hat. A straw hat is essential to keep highlights covered while protecting your face. I love to rock it off the beach as well. It is perfect for a day at the park or for strolling the boardwalk. 

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Three. Sunscreen. If you have sensitive skin or breakout easily I highly recommend using baby sunscreen which is formulated for kid's sensitive skin. Another perk of this sunscreen is that it is 97% natural while having a great clean smell. 

Four. Beach Drinks. Much to my husband's chagrin I am not a beer drinker. When we head to the beach I always make sure to pack a few beach friendly adult beverages. This wine is one of my favorites the can is the perfect size so I can enjoy 2 -3 without feeling like a lush. 

Five. Aftersun Care. This lotion is perfect after spending a long day at the beach. It is thick without being greasy and does not leave a noticeable smell once it dries. I have never been a fan of lotion (Really). Partially because I already have oily skin and I hate the way it feels on my skin once it dries. I have many unused bottles of lotion in my cabinet from trying to find one I love. However, I know I will be using this one all summer!

Other things I always pack in my favorite scout bag are a good book, polarized sunglasses, lip balm & my favorite swimsuit. 

Do you have any fun vacations planned for the summer? What is the one thing that you always have in your beach bag? 

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Linking up with Tiff, Clare, Karli, Amanda & April .

Walt Disney World: Epcot

Today I am sharing the highlights of our trip Epcot. Better late than never right? You can read about our fun outside the park and exploring Animal Kingdom here and here. 

We visited Epcot over the course of two days. One day we made sure to arrive right as the park was opening to get in the popular rides without the hour long lines. Within an hour of the park opening we were able to ride Soarin', Mission Space and Test Track. 

Soarin' is a flight simulator ride that takes you on a hang glider ride over California. This was surprisingly the group favorite. I was surprised how fun the ride was due to it's unassuming location. It is located in The Land Pavillon down a long hallway with little fanfare. 

Not a favorite, Mission Space.  Mission Space is another simulator ride but extremely intense. The simulation was built to mirror the g forces astronauts experience when going into space. Thanks to this ride I know I will not be singing up to go to space. This ride made all of us extremely nauseous. Not in a fun roller coster way. If you want to do this ride, choose the Green Team!

Another favorite was Turtle Talk with Crush. Crush interacts with the crowd answering kid's questions about the ocean. I was amazed by the ability to recognize and respond to  specific individuals in the room. 

We also made sure to ride the most iconic ride at Epcot, Spaceship Earth. 

The end of the ride now features an interactive story. It uses your picture to tell a story of how life might be in the future based on answers to a series of questions. June and my story placed us on vacation under the sea while an automated robot took care of our dogs!

We also took one afternoon to enjoy drinks around the world. I could have spend days enjoying the different countries and trying all the unique food and beverages. We also stumbled upon one restaurant that served cronuts which of course we had to try!

Nome in Norway

Drinks in Italy

Delicious Cronut

We enjoyed dinner at Canada and hung out to see the fireworks around the world showcase lagoon. Everything was beautiful lit up at night!

There you have it our trip to Epcot in a nutshell!

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Walt Disney World: Animal Kingdom

Since it is coming on on two weeks since I came back from the happiest place on earth,  it's about time I share the rest of my trip! You can check out my first recap here. We snuck in time at the parks as much as week could between attending sessions at conference. So that meant visiting the same park across multiple days. I thought it would be easier to share the highlights of each park.

 First stop, Animal Kingdom! We visited the park first thing in the morning which meant minimal lines and crowds. I highly recommend taking advantage of extra magic hours if you are staying on the resort property. Thanks to getting to the park early we were able to ride multiple popular rides with minimal wait. 

There were so many highlights of Animal Kingdom. I believe it may be the most underrated of the parks. However, it should not be as it has so many attractions! The group favorites were Dinosaur, Expedition Everest, Kilimanjaro Safaris (and the nature walk nearby) and The Lion King Show.

Photos from Expedition Everest. A great tip I learned was you use your magic band to save the pictures at each attraction then when you get home you can screen shot the ones you love. No paying for unnecessary pictures! Also, the photographers around each park are more than happy to take a picture with your personal camera. 

Behind the Tree of Life

We stumbled upon a meet and greet with Baloo and King Louie. 

Of course, the highlight of the park was all the animals you get to see! 

Up next, Epcot! 

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