What I Packed for a Week in Mexico

What I Packed for a Week in Mexico

by | Mar 23, 2024 | Slow Fashion, Travel

We celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary with an overdue tropical getaway.

After a lot of discussion and many nights of scrolling through travel sites, we decided to call the travel agent who booked our Disney trip. Jennie designed the perfect trip for us, originally described as “anywhere warm enough in February where I can live in a swimsuit”. And is not touristy, crowded, or feels like we didn’t leave the US. Also has amazing food. And right on the beach? She came through and then some. We booked it and finally the time came, we flew to Playa del Carmen, just the two of us and it was absolute perfection.

WHAT I PACKED:

4 swimsuits: black Everlane one-piece, blue Athleta one-piece, black J. Crew two-piece, blue Roxy two-piece, and striped J. Crew rash guard
2 dresses: Madewell embroidered dress, Sundry striped dress
4 pairs of shorts: white Madewell denim cutoffs, Target white chinos, blue Patagonia baggies, black Everlane shorts
2 pairs long pants: Hudson blue jeans, black J. Crew linen drawstring pants
3 tank tops: black Banana Republic tank, navy GAP tank, blue LOFT tank
3 tees: blue David Bowie tee, gray Banana Republic tee, striped long sleeve J. Crew breton
2 sweaters/sweatshirts: black Santa Cruz sweatshirt, cotton navy J. Crew sweater
3 pairs of shoes: Nike daybreak sneakers, brown J. Crew sandals, black Rainbow flip flops
3 bags: J. Crew woven tote, Element backpack, olive green duffle
1 hat: black GAP baseball cap

I fit everything into a nylon duffle and was able to avoid checking any baggage. And I didn’t buy anything new for the trip.

DAY ONE: I wore Jeans, the Bowie tee, and a sweatshirt, with Nikes. We flew from Philly to Cancun. After we settled into the resort I changed into my striped dress and sandals for dinner.

DAY TWO: I wore my Everlane one-piece, white jean shorts, navy tank, and flip flops. We spent all day lying on a Bali bed by the beach and reading. At night there was a Mexican fiesta on the beach with an amazing buffet, dancers and a Mariachi band.

DAY THREE: I wore my black J. Crew bikini with the rashguard, black Everlane shorts, blue tank, and Nikes. The absolute highlight of the trip: a tour of the ruins at Tulum, plus a Cenote, a lagoon snorkel, and lunch at a beach club.

DAY FOUR: I wore my blue Roxy bikini, with the striped dress as a coverup. Later I changed into my black linen pants, striped breton, and sandals for dinner.

DAY FIVE: I wore my navy blue Athleta one-piece, white jean shorts, and flip flops. We went on a tour of the premium part of the resort and then went Jet skiing. I changed into my embroidered dress and sandals for dinner.

DAY SIX: I wore the black J. Crew two-piece again, baggies shorts, black tank, and flip flops. We went on a Catamaran snorkel tour. There is a world renown coral reef off the coast of Cancun and you almost don’t need a boat to get there. I saw so many tropical fish as well as a turtle and a manta.

DAY SEVEN: I wore the blue bikini again and did a lot of nothing. Really getting used to living in the Caribbean and have no plans of leaving.

DAY EIGHT: I wore my last clean outfit: white chino shorts and gray tee. We spent a little bit of time on the beach before checking out and heading to the airport to fly back.

 

Almost every day I woke up before the sun without an alarm and walked on the beach while the sun rose over the ocean. It was so beautiful. I cannot recommend Mexico enough. Everyone is so friendly and laidback. We did water aerobics and played volleyball and got to know some of the other guests. The food was excellent, the weather was perfect. Thank you El Dorado Maroma for the best vacation ever. And to Jennie at Evergreen Travel for making it happen.

My Favorite Healthy Smoothie Bowls

My Favorite Healthy Smoothie Bowls

by | Mar 21, 2024 | Let's Get Fit

I LOVE A SMOOTHIE BOWL.

I used to think the whole idea of a smoothie in a bowl was weird and didn’t understand it. They seemed so unnecessarily complicated with all the layered fruit and coconut and chia seeds and I wondered why people bothered. Now I’m totally on board. I totally get it. My creations are quick and easy to make and thought they vary slightly, they generally include banana, mixed frozen fruit, spinach, protein powder, almond milk, and then are topped with granola and kiwi, strawberry, or blackberries if I have them. I blend them with a Ninja Bullet blender. I actually prefer mine to Playa Bowl’s.

This granola is very good. I usually make my own sugar-free granola but when I ran out, I was happy to find this. Highly recommend.

This blender is a workhorse. We use ours almost every day.

I like this brand of protein powders. Both the vanilla and the chocolate.

Juicy — What I Like About Juicing

Juicy — What I Like About Juicing

by | Mar 19, 2024 | Let's Get Fit

Hello friends, fruit lovers. 

When I was a child, the only juice in our house was orange juice. It was made from a can of frozen concentrate, the cheap generic brand. And my dad watered it down. We drank it only at breakfast.

Fast forward to today, our grocery list includes some if not all of the following: OJ, lemonade, cranberry juice, cranberry/pomegranate juice, grape juice. We ofter mix them with carbonated water from our SodaStream. Our fridge also contains Gatorade (only “the blue”), Celsius energy drinks, Fairlife protein shakes, Diet Coke, and La Croix (lime).

I know juice has a lot of sugar and is only marginally better than soda. There was a time when many people thought juicing was super healthy. Then they questioned whether they were actually just consuming a lot of fruit-based sugar without the benefit of fiber. Back when I was in college, my mom gave me a giant industrial juicer which I never used. When our apartment was robbed, and they took the juicer I was actually grateful.

Now I’m sort of wishing I had one. I do have a Ninja Bullet for making smoothies and smoothie bowls and it’s great, but I suspect I need a juicer in order to blend hardier things like carrots, celery, apples, and the like. Just like with my smoothies, I think the trick to limiting the amount of sugar in a juice is to include veggies. Kale and spinach are practically undetectable. Coconut water or almond milk add liquid without adding more sweetener when you already have frozen fruit in there. Protein powders, oats, chia seeds and almond butter all add fiber and/or protein, not more sugar.

If you’re in the market for a juicer, here are a few options I’m considering. (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Just so you know.)

MATCHES MY BLENDER  |  NINJA

AFFORDABLE ONE  |  HAMILTON BEACH

PRETTIEST/SPLURGE  |  BREVILLE

GREEN JUICE

When I was in Mexico recently, I tried Jugo Verde. It was amazing. When I asked what was in it, they said, “cucumber, cactus, parsley, orange, and pineapple.” If I had a juicer, I would definitely make this.

Revisiting My Work From Art School

Revisiting My Work From Art School

by | Feb 2, 2024 | Art

I recently found some of my old artwork from college. And by “found”, I mean drove to the house of my roommate’s parents, and took them home to my house. The art, not the parents. Why my artwork wasn’t moldering in my own parents’ house, I can’t tell you. All these years I knew I needed to go get them. I planned to go get them. And I thought, when I get them, I’ll flip through them, remembering those idyllic days, and then toss them in the trash. But, you know what? I actually was impressed by some of the pieces. Impressed by my talent and also the talent of my professors who managed to extract something not-bad from that young artist-to-be. Now they aren’t masterpieces, they’re homework assignments. Exercises, practice pieces. But they all have a certain something. A somewhat satisfying quality that seemed to be innately me. Of course they aren’t all the work, in all media, that I produced in those four years, just a mysterious collection that got separated from the rest. I didn’t even major in Fine Art or Painting but Photography. So here is a small random collection of work that I did all those years ago. Thank you to Maryland Institute College of Art for a great college experience, and to my roommate Penny for reaching out to me.

Book Reviews of 2023

Book Reviews of 2023

by | Nov 1, 2023 | What I'm Reading

Tom Lake

Ann Patchett

I love Ann Patchett but had a hard time getting into this. In fact, by the time I met with my book club to discuss it, I was only half way through! I finished it two days after that and wondered if it was actually better to read the book after some spoiler-filled discussion. I’m not sure why this book felt a little flat. The premise was great. A mother of three grown daughters, telling the story of how she once dated a famous actor and how she ended up living on a cherry farm. The present day takes place during the pandemic and has a heaviness you would expect when it feels like the world is ending. Nothing so terrible happens in the past. I describe it as A Star is Born, only in reverse.

The Secret History

Donna Tartt

Half way through this book I realized I may have read it before! It was written in 1992, way before one of my favorite books of all time, Tartt’s The Goldfinch. The Secret History felt like it was more of a freshman effort. It did have some meaty content. Self-indulgent college kids living privileged lives yet being neglected by their parents. A worship of academia and resulting disconnect from reality. But then much of the book was devoted to explaining how even the best of people are capable of heinous acts and its unraveling of the mind. 

The Covenant of Water

Abraham Verghese

This was the second of the book club picks. It was long. Ultimately I didn’t love it. I even abandoned it at one point but curiosity forced me to finish it. I did like that it was set in India and chronicled much its history. I like the many female characters and multi-generational drama that unfolded. Some of the writing was artful and lyric, but some of it felt dry, and the style and tone seemed mismatched. Some horrible things happen, some of them to children and it was hard to read that.

The Overstory

Richard Powers

Oh boy. So much good stuff in this. And I have a thing for trees, so, yes. But much of it left me feeling that the world was ending which was so devastating that I couldn’t finish it. It would seem people either love this book or hate it.

Art Is Life: Icons and Iconoclasts, Visionaries and Vigilantes, and Flashes of Hope in the Night

Jerry Saltz

My fellow art student/best friend/sister gave this to me as a gift. I loved the introductory essay in this book of art critiques. It was some of the best writing I’ve ever read. Art is Life. It is everything. And it’s ridiculous. And I couldn’t live without it. And so, so, so much more. I still haven’t finished the book but thought I’d include it here.

 

Hello Beautiful

Ann Napolitano

You know how I said I’d never join a book club? Well, I joined a book club. And I like it. This was the first book we read. Hello Beautiful is a a modern day Little Women that explores so many relatable challenges — mother/daughter conflict, sibling rivalry, family secrets. On the surface, it just seemed like family drama, but this book had a slow burn. It wasn’t until I’d finished it that I realized how sneaky it actually was. The symbolism and deeper meanings only became completely clear when I heard others share their impressions and their personal related experiences. It gave me a lot to think about. Like about how few people really love us for who we are, about how painful, debilitating, and misunderstood depression is, about how amazing forgiveness is. A solid read.

 

Cloud Cuckoo Land

Anthony Doerr

The author of All the Light We Cannot See did not disappoint in this epic story inside a story inside a story. It was everything I wanted: rich, wordy transcendent descriptions, layered characters, time-hopping, mythology, history lessons, fantasy, and science fiction. Oh my gosh. It was so gripping. There are a multitude of protagonists defined by their time and life stories, all threaded together in a common fantastical tale: Cloud Cuckoo Land, a place you only get to by transfiguring yourself into a bird. The absolute best book of the year.

 

The Vanishing Half

Brit Bennett

Identical twins who run away from home at 16 and then are separated from each other when one decides to pass as white, inventing an entirely new life. I was drawn into the historical fiction aspects of living in the south in the 1950s, where races, and their various shades, are segregated and subjected to to harsh criticism and judgement. The characters are all beautifully drawn and delineated, revealing their pain, motives and secrets that keep them isolated and are then ultimately revealed. The construct of race as well as gender identity are so artfully explored. I found myself fully sympathetic to each flawed woman and her relationships with the others.

Lessons in Chemistry

Bonnie Garmus

It’s nice to read something light and funny after slogging through a challenging book. This was so refreshing. My friend Jane recommended it a while ago and said it was very funny. I didn’t think it was laugh out loud funny. I guess extreme sexism isn’t humorous. Maybe it is. I think I tend to attach to the characters and forget that it’s fiction. So, I liked it. I recently started watching the TV series and the jury is out on that. A case of this is nothing like the book.