Today...

I'm stranded, y'all. Not only do we have no cable in our NC house, but my car (Stiv the Civ) nearly blew up yesterday (that's what it seemed like) and it's at the repair shop. SO, I'm depending on blogs & Netflix to get me through the day when I should be heading home to visit family! I did start the morning with watching this video from Garance Dore:

Ah. Not only do I have a new appreciation for Jenna Lyons, but I would give my right arm to speak with a French accent. Or just to be French Skinny.

I just thought I'd share! J'adore.

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Now, back to my breakfast in bed and Netflix!

I really wouldn't hate it if someone brought me some Starbucks...

xo,

SugarMeg

Our Trip to New England: Boston

What a treat it was to spend an entire week of vacation with Steven! We enjoyed our trip and all of our travels. The crisp weather was wonderful and we filled our days with explorations and relaxation! Our first stop was actually Oklahoma City on Friday night as we flew out of their airport early Saturday to get to Boston. After a long Eastward trek, we arrived in Boston as the sun was setting over the city. The view from the Harbor was awesome. Once we refreshed, we took the water taxi over to the North End for some local Italian. The only night of stormy weather on our trip cut the first evening a little short, but we needed our rest. Sunday called for more local eats, a Duck Tour, window shopping, and Faneuil Hall Marketplace.

Other highlights include: Finale Bakery, Boston Public Garden, A Red Coat & Soldier spotting at the "oldest tavern in America," Mastering the T, Beacon Hill, and Parrish Cafe!

Boston totally captured my heart. I fell in love with the city in the very short amount of time that we were there! You'll have to excuse the iPhone pictures. Sadly, my camera charger was left back in NC where I am now. More updates to come from Martha's Vineyard and Mystic!

xo,

SugarMeg

Packing Queen & Upcoming Travels

It's OFFICIALLY vacation time!! So today we leave for our New England adventure. We're mainly going for a wedding in New London, CT and we have created a lovely trip leading up to the big day. First we're going to visit Boston, then Martha's Vineyard, Newport, RI, Mystic, and then we fly out of Providence, RI. I'm so ready for some R&R and I'm sooo excited to see Emily & John tie the knot!

Straight from New England, I'm heading to North Carolina for 6 weeks. During those 6 weeks, I'm a bridesmaid in two weddings. So, I'm packing for the following:

3 rehearsal dinner soirees (including a seaside lobster bash, a squaredance #notevenkidding!, and a beach bbq)
3 weddings (one as a guest)
2 bridesmaid luncheons
1 after wedding brunch

and everything in between:
a weekend at the lake
a weekend at the beach
a few days with Norah Ray
a few days in Charleston
potentially a football game (red&white!)

Not to mention, upon my return, the cooler temps will surly be setting in and fall will probably be in full force. It already is in New England!

While it's 95 degrees today in Texas (and probably still will be in NC in 2 weeks) I'm driving back west from at the tail end of October, when snowfall in Amarillo is not unheard of!

Rather than freak out over how to manage all this with flying there and scooting around NE, I made lists and tried to coordinate as much as possible! I also want to leave room for little shopping. I'm even wearing a bridesmaid dress TWICE, once before the wedding it's actually intended for! (Don't worry, I checked with the bride) It's a twist dress & maxi length, so I can wear it a unique way for the New London wedding and then wear it again at the end of October. Obviously I'll switch up accessories.

My goal is to make this work in 1 large suitcase and 1 small carry-on suitcase, in addition to my purse.

Here are some tips:

1- PLAN ahead. Alterations have been made for one bridesmaid dress. I've considered all our events and purchased what was needed. Nautical dress? Check. Little Black Dress that can be dressed up or down? Check. Gold wedges? Check. Square dance skirt? Um, I'll work on that one later...

2- Do laundry a few days in advance!

3- Space Saver Bags are life savers here, really. They sell them at Target. I know rolling is a good option as well, but these suckers fit so much inside and flatten out like pancakes! For the most part, I tried to keep outfits for MV in two bags so I know that the others are for NC.

4-Basics & Layers! Botton downs, blouses, cardis, skits, colored pants, and jeans that can all be mixed and matched are all coming with me. I included 5 dresses. A few patterned tops are packed, but mostly solids or stripes.

5-Keeping in mind that I'll have access to a washer & dryer has been really helpful, as I don't have to worry about dirtying up clothing! I'm trying to practically pack for 2 weeks.

6-Accessorize! It's no secret to anyone who knows me that I have more pashminas than you could imagine. I also have a huge armoire of baubbles and enough shoes to really fill up an entire suitcase. Narrowing down was a little difficult, but knowing that I can wear a single outfit 5+ different ways by switching scarves, shoes, and jewelry is much more friendly on the load!

7-Lessen the load and buy toiletries when you're where you need to be. I have a few essentials with me, but I didn't stress much on all my hair products, so I'm only taking a small pouch. I love travel size mousse and hairspray. I'll actually will be going right back to my house in Cary since it hasn't sold yet :( and luckily I had left some of my extra bathroom neccessities behind in case I run out of the travel sizes.

7- Travel with Style. Make sure to be comfy, yet put together!

Well, friends...any recommendations for Boston & The Vineyard!?

Would love to hear!

XO,

SugarMeg

Labor Day Recap

I hope everyone enjoyed their long weekends! We were fairly low key until early Sunday morning when we drove four hours (pretty standard for a gettaway around here) to Bernalillo for the New Mexico Wine Fest! We met up with Cassy, who got me the job at JBS! My first Amarillo friend! It was great to meet her hubby and spend some time getting to know her family! Bernalillo was definitely hotter than normal, so we cut wine festing a little short and headed up to Santa Fe! We all had dinner together at Maria's, an authentic South Western style Mexican spot. To die for. We tried all kinds of things I had never had before. The Rellenos were awesome. And I learned a thing or two about authentic Sopapillas. We piddled around the adorable  town on Monday until it was time to come back home. It was a little bit of a whirlwind trip, but I'm glad we went! Santa Fe is gorgeous! (and expensiiiive. Next time we go I'll definitely save up for turquoise!)

Last night's Amarillo Sky as a storm was rolling in:

xo,

SugarMeg