Life comes at you fast. One day you’re living it up in Europe, the next you are back to running late to activities, feeling overwhelmed with commitments and pondering one of life’s biggest, and most divisive questions, ‘what’s for dinner tonight?’
I haven’t really caught up with things over here in a while so I thought it was time for a catch up session. So yeah, a couple weeks ago, Drew and I went on an anniversary trip to Rome, Florence and Prague. I didn’t really talk about the planning and preparation very much over here because the time leading up to the trip was a blur or work, kids and miscellaneous obligations that left no time for holiday outfit prep or pondering my travel beauty necessities. Probably because I spent the majority of my preparation time writing a manifesto on my kids’ schedules. Not to say I didn’t ponder travel necessities. I did, in a giant panic, approximately 72 hours before leaving which lead to an epic Amazon order. Did I need a foot hammock for our transatlantic flight? No. But it was $10 dollars and made me feel prepared.
I want to be that blogger that shares all my travel recommendations, tips and insights like I’m some guru with all the answers. But let’s be real, you all are the ones with the answers. Legitimately, everything we did was either recommended by our amazing planner Katie or by one of you all. And you CAME THROUGH with the food recs. So if you’re heading to Florence and need sandwich or really just food recommendations, just drop me a note and I’ll forward you all of the delicious spots that were recommended. Most notably Il Profeta which was like enjoying the most perfect Italian dinner at a fancy family friends house. Comfortable but also incredible.
So yeah, there’s the bulk of our trip. We were just regular old tourists so I’ll leave the aspirational stuff to the bloggers that handle it like pros. Since then, it’s been back to reality in a big way which leaves less time to dedicate to this outlet where I try to sound witty and appear mildly put together.
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times but it’s true. You can do everything but not all at once. It’s just impossible. There aren’t enough hours in the day. I promise, I’ve tried to stretch them to their limit and I’ve yet to succeed in gaining another minute.
Things have been good and fun and rewarding. I took Reese to her first football game (spoiler alert: she loved it but mostly because there was an endless supply of snacks and she spent the entire time trying to get on the jumbotron), fly to NYC for a quick trip with my Mom, got back into the groove of things at work, finally organized and cleaned out my basement (huzzah… quiet possibly the biggest accomplishment of 2019) and finished up my fundraising campaign with Best Buddies by raising more than $7,500 which was $2,500 over my personal goal.
I don’t say any of this to brag but more to just check in and say hey! I know there have been a lot of sponsored posts lately and I apologize for the lack of balance on that front. Honestly, it’s been all I can to keep up with this side of things and have more of a 50/50 mix. Normally, I’d just pass on opportunities instead of trying to squeeze it in but when you have the chance to work on things you feel super excited about, it’s hard to say no. I mean, when Jet’s Pizza calls, you answer. Or at least, I run to the phone and try to act cool while internally doing a happy dance.
I always want to be open and honest about the sponsored side of things and I can promise you, I say no to WAY more things than I say yes to. Some of the pitches I get are so ridiculous or out there that I wonder who is actually agreeing to sharing but more often than not, it’s just requests to work with brands or products that don’t fit. But if you all ever have a question on that side of things, drop me a note or DM. It’s something I’m always happy to chat about because so many people are so unwilling to share.
Okay so I feel like I may have reached the point where I am rambling but there’s my round about way of giving an update on what I’ve been up to lately. I’m going to come through with the start of holiday goodness next week so stick with me. And, if you’ve made it this far, thanks, as always, for being along for the ride. If I’ve learned anything from my random instagram rants lately, it’s that we are birds of a feather.
What I Wore …
Hi Danielle!
I will be traveling to Italy next July with my niece, and would LOVE to hear about any great spots you visited (restaurants, etc.).
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
I will definitely share some. I’ll put together a post on my favorites. But just off hand, we LOVED Il Profeta in Florence and the view for drinks at San Michele was incredible. Dinner was good but a little too pricey in my book.
Going to do a full recap though at some point, haha!
Happy Thanksgiving!