Travel Diary: Los Angeles Girl's Weekend!

My dress: Karlie Clothing via Scout and Molly's Hyde Park

A few weeks ago I headed to Los Angeles for a super fun girl's weekend- and I'm thrilled to bring my travel diary with you today! This was only my second time in LA and there was so much I wanted to see/do- and although we snuck a TON of activities in, there is still so much more! 

LA is such an interesting city- diverse pockets of culture, restaurants, & shopping. Each city/area we visited was more unique and beautiful than the last! I loved Malibu- talk about a dream town (but when you see the pictures you will totally understand why!

Angie, Stephanie, & I all met when we worked at Payless ShoeSource in their HQ in Kansas almost seven (!!) years ago. We were all in long-distance relationships at the time and instantly bonded, sharing many a margarita at happy hour and some pretty fabulous memories! Life took us all to different areas of the country (California, Chicago, & Florida) but we work hard to keep in touch and maintain our friendship. This weekend worked out so perfectly because it also happened to be Angie's 30th birthday weekend! We were so happy to be able to celebrate together!

Alright, let's travel to Los Angeles! 

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Recent Market Trips: JCK Las Vegas and AmericasMart Atlanta

Arriving at the Mandaly Bay for JCK Las Vegas show!

I've been lucky enough to go on some really fun buying trips for work lately, and although I've been sharing the trips on Instastories I know that that isn't everyone's cup of tea, so I thought it would also be fun to share more about those travel experiences here too! 

Unfortunately, one of the first rules at these shows is that you cannot take pictures in the exhibits/halls (without permission from the vendor) - so unfortunately I don't have nearly as many photos as I would like! But I hope that these small glimpses into my day job give you even more insight into what I do and how I find product for my lines. 

PS- if you're wondering what it is I do (I'm a jewelry buyer!) you can learn more about it in this post!

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Weekend Recap: #AdamsTakesATL

Last weekend I was thrilled to head to Atlanta for my girl Rachael's bachelorette weekend! We had such a fun time in the A-T-L that I wanted to share some "behind the scenes" pictures with y'all and share some of what we saw and did. It's perfect timing since this Saturday, Rachael and Joe tie the knot! 

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Five Tips for Planning a Stress-Free Girl's Trip

Happy Friday Friends! I can't begin to tell you how excited I am to share today's post- in fact I've been working on it for awhile so yay for finally getting it to you!! :) 

One of my favorite things in the world are the girl's trips that I take each year. When we graduated college, my best friends and I (there are about 12 of us total) decided to make it a yearly tradition to take a trip together. Although we now are girlfriends, wives, mothers, businesswomen, entrepreneurs, and more, each year we prioritize these trips together! To make it less-stressful each year we rotate who plans the trip- and last October it was my turn. I learned A LOT about how to plan a trip and manage your stress - because if you stress the whole time, you miss all the fun! So in the spirit of sharing my learnings, today I'm spilling 5 tips for a stress-free girl's trip!

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Travel Guide: Girl's Weekend in Nashville

Hey y'all! This post has been way too long in the making, but I've been so excited to introduce more travel to the blog that I wanted to make sure it was ready before sharing!

As I've shared with you, my girlfriends and I take a trip once a year- a tradition we've been doing for about 5 years. It's always the sweetest time of catching up, making memories, and having fun (the most important thing on any trip!) We always rotate who plans the trips, and this year was my turn! The girls voted on Nashville in late October and I was thrilled to tackle the plans for our weekend. I'd been to Nashville once for a conference, so I had a few ideas of what to do/where to go, but I had to research a TON to get all the details in place so I'm sharing all my secrets with you here to make your next trip planning easier!

PS- Scroll to the bottom of this post for an easy to reference list of all my favorites/recommendations/info!

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A First-Timer's Guide to Chicago!

Happy happy Wednesday! It seems a little funny to be sharing my travel guide to Chicago while I am currently in New York- but such is my crazy life this week! 

Earlier this month I took my first-ever trip to Chicago (eek!!) and I must say, it didn't disappoint in the slightest! I had always heard that I would love it, but I had not idea what to expect. It is such a pretty and clean "big city" (and if you know New York then you know this is a pretty novel concept) and there is so much to do/see/eat/explore- I don't know how you could ever get bored! I'm lucky that one of my gal pals, Stephanie, lives there so I was able to stay with her & her sweet family and galavant around the city to my heart's content!

So for any of you Chicago first-timer's- today's post is for you! And if you're a seasoned visitor then tell me your "must sees" and "must do's" - I'm already planning my next trip back! :)

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Weekending: Green Bay, WI

I'm so excited I finally pulled this post together! I've been wanting to share my sweet 4th of July weekend in Green Bay with y'all since I got back, but sometimes I can been the slowest ever about downloading my pictures... #BadBlogger

I hadn't been to WI in TEN years (what?!) to see my mom's side of the family- so what a special treat it was to be able to spend some quality time with them! We were there to celebrate my grandparent's 60th (!!) wedding anniversary and it being a great chance to get everyone together!

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Eyelet Lace Babydoll Dress + Weekender GIVEAWAY!

Dress: Wyatt via Bluefly (on sale for under $35!) // Heels: Target // Apple Watch

I shared this dress a few weeks ago during my Currently Obsessing Over post and I wanted to circle back and show you what it looked like "in real life". I have to tell y'all I'm totally a fan! I love a good swingy, loose dress and this one fits the bill perfectly (without making you lose your shape!) It's also a really high quality material- much more than I expected- so that's a great surprise! I went simple when accessorizing so that the shape of the dress took center stage, and the results are the perfectly easy look I love. Bonus: this dress is now on sale for under $35! (So jelly!)

I'm also thrilled today to bring you an AMAZING giveaway for the Carolina Dandy weekender that I adore! Details on how to enter at the end of the post :) 

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A First-Timer's Guide to Key West

As I'm sure y'all know (you couldn't miss it on Instagram!) I spent the past weekend with two of my best girlfriends from high school in Key West! Although we are all Florida girls, this was our first time in the Keys- and boy was there a lot to learn! We packed a lot into our three days, so I thought it would be helpful to share our tips, favorite activities, and places with y'all too! 

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How to Pack for Key West in a Carry-On

Weekender: c/o Carolina Dandy

Confession: I am a chronic over-packer. Going on a trip for 3 days? Pack 15 outfits. (A girl needs options!) I always have way too many pairs of shoes, and a whole lot of clothing that doesn't see the light of day! So, for my trip to Key West I decided that it was time to change my ways and pack for the trip in just a carry-on. Considering we will be in bathing suits, sundresses, and sandals the whole time, it didn't seem necessary to pack all that other "stuff" that often finds its way into my luggage. So, with my goal in mind I came up with the following five tips to help streamline my packing!

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Travel Tuesday: Asheville, NC

I'm warning you in advance that this is going to be a picture heavy post, but I had such an amazing time in Asheville that I don't want to miss out on sharing a single detail! About two weeks ago 7 of my college girlfriends and I flew in from across the country to meet in Asheville, NC for three fun-filled days of catching up, exploring, sight-seeing, and girl time! It was truly the perfect trip and I am insanely thankful the the Lord put these women in my life, exactly when I needed them, and they continue to be such a positive force in my life. 

Now let's get to sightseeing! :) 

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Wheels Up!

I'm so excited today to head off to Asheville, NC for my annual girl's trip with my college best friends! We have such a fun itinerary planned and I can't wait to squeeze all my love bugs! Excitingly, today I'm chatting all about the trip with my girl Julie Leah in her "Let's Go There!" series; so, if you want the scoop on everything I packed and what we're doing, then check it out here! 

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Weekending: City of Angels

I got back last night from Los Angeles and I am so excited to share some snaps with y'all! This was my very first time in the city and I now know what the appeal is- it's the best!! I was there Wednesday-Sunday, and there was so much to see and do, and I can't wait to get back asap so I can see & do more! Since I was there for the Junior League Annual Conference, I was in sessions all day but had the nights to sightsee. Get ready for some serious picture overload (because this girl is crazy for LA)! :) 

When I got in, I grabbed some of my girlfriends and we headed to Hollywood to see the stars/Chinese Theater and we trekked all over the city blocks to find the NKOTB star for my gal Terri (ha!) Luckily when we found it, it was right next to the BSB star ;) Although I'm still hunting for N'SYNC's... 

Night One, I was wearing: Loft Black Romper (shop black rompers here) // Sam & Libby Sandals // Stella and Dot Necklace ℅ (PS- I'll be hosting a Trunk Show soon!) // Bourbon & Bowties Bangles // Judith Jack Ring // Sophie & Trey Clutch (shop gold clutches here)

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Junior League Annual Conference Recap #jlac14

I apologize in advance- there are a LOT of pictures in this post! But I can't resist sharing all the fun that was had in St. Louis at the Junior League Annual Conference!

If you aren't familiar with Junior League, it is one of the largest women's non-profits in the world- there are literally leagues is just about every city in the US and we are in 4 international countries. Each League has their own focus area/specific issues that they tackle (in St Petersburg we tackle School Readiness) through community service projects and fundraising. It also is phenomenal for learning leadership skills that you might never have gained otherwise. I absolutely encourage all ladies out there to look into the League in your area- you won't regret it! :)

Alright... off my soapbox! ha! Now onto the pictures from the weekend...

This is Tuesdi (our president) and I on the very first morning. We were so excited to be at the conference and learning so many new ideas!

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