Packing for Paris: So Many Sweaters, So Little Room

Thank you to everyone who commented on my last post about PetsMart. I was saddened to hear additional feedback about negative grooming experiences there but I was also glad to read about some good ones. Like I said, not every groomer there is bad---but the overwhelming amount of bad experiences I've read about are what drive me to have the level of concern that I do. Thank you to everyone who is helping to create awareness about this ongoing issue.

I wanted to give a quick packing update.  Packing for this trip was hard because we will be away for nine days.  That means I need lots of clothes I can layer under my sweaters and hoodies.

We already packed everything into our luggage so I'm going to give kind of a general breakdown of everything I packed.  We are sharing one large suitcase and we each have a carry on (mine is the duffel bag and my husband has an actual carry-on sizer suitcase).

So, here's what I packed:

• Tons of undies and 2 of my most comfy and soft bras from VS
• About 5 sweaters---including a zip-up hoodie, my new BR hooded sweater, the sweater Candice lent me, a Lulu Lemon zip up (super fitted and has a high neck, perfect for layering)
• Lots of layering tanks and super long tees---I would say I have 10 in total.  The tanks are from Target and Lulu Lemon and the tees are from Forever 21 and Love Culture
•  Tons of tights and leggings---I brought about 4 pairs of HUE tights and then about 7 pairs of various leggings from Target and A'Gaci to layer under my skinny jeans and Lulu Lemon leggings for warmth
• TONS of warm socks---seriously, H and I went a little sock crazy and bought a ton of thick socks to keep our tootsies warm
• 1 pair of tall Chestnut classic UGG boots
• 1 pair of Hunter Wellie boots (I'm wearing them on the plane)
• A note on shoes---I decided not to bring any heels---after seeing the crazy weather in Europe on the news and seeing the weather forecast for the week we will be there...I just can't fathom a time I will wear them, ever...I also thought it would be nice to get a pair of heels as one of shopping indulgences while I'm there---which brings me to dresses---I'm not bringing any of those either---I'll probably find one there that I love and again, can't forsee myself wearing one since we will be doing touristy stuff all day---I did bring a nice black top though that I could wear to a dinner...under my massive puffy coat
• 1 Michael Kors knee-length puffer jacket
• 1 pair of GAP black "always skinny" jeans
• 1 pair of Lulu Lemon black "still" pants
• 1 long tunic-style black sweatshirt top I bought at Target today---it's seriously awesome---it's like a supersoft sweatshirt material (but not too thick), it's super long (like almost could be a dress) and has a sort of loose cowl-neck...love it! The front also has those sweatshirt-style front pockets---I'm wearing it on the plane with my Lulu Lemon wunder under leggings
• 1 faux-fur collar sleeveless sweater vest--- I consider this to be one of the dressier items that could work for a dinner to spruce up an otherwise more casual outfit
• 2 pairs of gloves
• 2 hats---both black, one is more of a beret style and the other is the one with the ear flaps and pom-poms
• 1 black circle scarf---perfect because you can make it a neck-warmer or wear it looser
• 1 pair of PJ pants and PJ top (and I have some tees I can sleep in too---I packed a lot of them so I'd have versatility in how I wore them)
  

Then, of course, there's makeup, liquid products, electronics etc----but that's all going in my carry-on. I even carry-on some undies "just in case" out luggage is lost. I carry-on ALL valuables and I always carry on my makeup. I just don't trust putting it into my checked luggage. I buy regulation-size plastic bottles from Target or Walgreens and fill them with my shampoo, face wash, even my eye makeup remover and I put it all in a ziplock bag and never have any issues.  We also pack medication---from Excedrin to Immodium---just in case one of us gets sick---we'll have it on hand.

Notice I've once again packed a lot of our stuff into ziplock bags. I like to do this because it saves room and because it's great for keeping dirty clothes in as you travel.  I used the zip mesh part on the top of the luggage to store my leggings and tights and also all of H's boxers which I rolled into tight little cylinders.  I always try to roll everything I can into cylinders. For sweaters, I just folded them as best as I could and stacked them on top of each other.

I was originally going to show photos of everything I packed...but once I got going and H got all of his stuff packed in there too, I didn't want to unpack it all. 

To pack strategically, I laid out a "must" pile and a "maybe" pile and then I packed and saw what I had room for. I really thought about what I would wear considering the weather and what we would be doing there---touristy stuff---and I made the best choices I could.  The key for this trip was definitely layers.  Lots of tanks to wear under sweaters.

I totally wanted to be all glamorous on this trip, but the most important thing is staying warm---because if I have to suffer the whole time then I know I won't enjoy the trip (especially since I'm already one of those people who is ALWAYS cold!)

I think I have a lot of great clothing options that I can mix and match for a chic look. I don't have any dressy looks, but I have pieces that can dress-up some of my existing outfits. Living in the South, I must admit that I didn't have as many cool-weather pieces as I thought I did. A lot of my tops at sleeveless or have 3/4 sleeves.

I'm not even going to bring my beloved leather cognac boots. I just know I won't wear them. There's snow storms, rain, etc...I'd rather just wear the Hunters and protect my feet from the wetness.  I did bring UGGS on the off-chance that their might be some drier days and to lounge around in.

I think when you pack to go to a cold location, you're always going to have to pack a lot more than you would pack for a tropical vacation (because bikinis definitely take up less real-estate than big, cozy sweaters!).  Overall I'm happy with what I packed and I hope it all works out. I don't plan to buy a ton of stuff---but if I do happen to shop a bit, we'll have extra room in both carry-ons.

Phew. If you have any questions about my packing, please comment below :)

Before I go---H's parents came by today and dropped of our Christmas gift and we gave Lulu the tissue paper from the gift bag (he LOVES anything he can tear apart like toilet paper) and he had a ball.

Case in point:

Hope everyone had a great weekend! I have a 6 am workout tomorrow after taking the weekend off so it's time for me to get to bed.  Thank you for reading!

xoxo,

Veronika.

A Little Weekend Trip: San Antonio, Texas & Outlet Shopping Success! (Plus, I'm Obsessed with Belts)

Happy Labor Day lovely readers!  As you might have noticed, I've been MIA.  The wonderful husband and I decided to book a last minute trip to San Antonio for some much needed R&R.  I don't get a lot of vacation time (5 days a year, to be exact) so we decided to try and get away for a long weekend in addition to the one larger trip we get to take each year.

We had such a blast and it was so awesome to go on a trip just the two of us.  I feel like I've been really getting burned out lately so this was such a nice stress reliever.

Day 1, we visited the Alamo, did a little shopping, walked around the River Walk and went out for lunch and dinner.  What a beautiful city!

At the Alamo:

A little ice-cream break (Hagen-Das raspberry sorbet)

While shopping, I picked up this adorable purple ruffle dress from Papaya.  I bought it because I loved the brown belt so much (I didn't own a brown belt).  It's so versatile!  It cost $25.99. I wore it to dinner that night (you didn't think I'd leave out my OOTD photos did you!? I made sure to take them!) I also picked up that cute gold heart locket necklace at Forever 21. I absolutely love it and have worn it everyday since.

I also picked up this sweater-jacket at GAP that day. I used my Groupon to get it. It was on display in the store's window and I just loved the collar.  It's very comfy.

The next day we went to Six Flags Fiesta Texas but unfortunately due to their stupid rules (which, by the way, have totally prompted me to write a letter) I didn't get any photos.  Unlike Paramount Canada's Wonderland which has an AWESOME system for storage of your personal articles on rides, this Six Flags was a massive fail and we ended up going back tot he car and leaving all of our things there except for a wallet, our sunglasses and car key.  There is NO WAY I was paying $1 for a locker every time I wanted to go on a ride.  PSA to Six Flags: take a note from the Canadians and learn to do it right.  We did have a blast at the park though. We left at about 4:30 because I think we both had sun stroke or something, it was blazing hot!

H won me these cute toys and won a basketball and football for himself. Yay for his athletic abilities!

That night, I wore one of my favorite dresses, this floral ruffle print dress from Zara (with my awesome new brown belt, of course):

H and I:

Today (Monday) we went to the San Marcos outlets (I had to beg, but H finally agreed- and hey, he got a Lacoste polo shirt out of it!)

I wore this cute ROXY  halter top I bought at Six Flags (all of the ROXY stuff was 25% off!)

(New earrings I got for $3.50 at Forever21)

I never have good luck when I shop at outlets. I go from store to store either not thinking the prices are right or generally just unimpressed with the offerings. Today was no exception.  I did pick up two items I am thrilled with and I think it's safe to say that it was a weekend of belts, since that's all I seemed to buy.  The other stores were a bust, but these belts made it all worth it.

First was this pretty gold metallic belt from the J. Crew outlet (which by the way I think isn't great and the prices are awful. $69.50 cardigans? Thanks, I can get that at the actual store.) I've wanted a skinny gold belt for awhile, so I was glad to have scored this for $14.50:

BTW- on a tangent here, but I swear every single girl in San Antonio was wearing Essie's Pink Parka on her toes (and nails.)  Fluorescent pink nails were bountiful.  It is my favorite polish for the summer and I guess I'm not alone.

My only other purchase at the outlets is one that I am really proud of and excited about. Check out the original price tag...

$295.00!!!! Eeeekkk!  I would have never paid that much for this belt...but oh is it ever so lovely:

I got this gorgeous Tory Burch belt for $79!!! Can you believe it?  It's so versatile because of the tan, black and gold combo. I can see it cinching sweaters at the waist and jackets and trenches as well.  I can't wait to wear it! Very happy with this find :) It totally turned my "I suck at outlet shopping" attitude around.

Oh, and another tangent- WHAT IS UP WITH THE COACH STORE!!?? Seriously. It was like a mob in there.  Women clutching 3 bags all over the place and confused looking men and screaming kids.  I was in awe.  I like some of Coach's leather bags...but these were just "eh" bags and people were going crazy!  I uh, guess people love Coach. 

Speaking of screaming kids, they were everywhere. It reminded me of the Sex and the City episode where Carrie says:

"...and then the couple has to tell each other something that all potential parents have to say in order to procreate- don't worry, our kids will be different."

H and I just looked at each other and I said, "let's just have one." As an only child, I know how easy it was for my parents to take me everywhere and I was always well-behaved and knew how to behave around adults.  I think parents need to read the Duggar's books on parenting (if they exist) because when you have 19 pretty well behaved kids, you have to be doing something right, right? OK, tangent done.

We left the outlets all smiles:

The drive home was quite awful. Two accidents, horrible traffic. But the clouds were gorgeous, I snapped a few shots of them:

Pretty, huh?

I hope everyone had a SAFE & HAPPY weekend!  Let me know what you did in the comment below...and of course let me know what you bought if you took advantage of some of the labor day sales!

I missed all of you and your lovely comments while I was MIA! Hope this massive posts makes up for it :)

xoxo,

Veronika.