48 Hour Girls Getaway Vail Itinerary

Hi Guys!

Location: Four Seasons Vail // Photography: Jenny Nelson

Location: Four Seasons Vail // Photography: Jenny Nelson

It has been a week since I returned from my fantastic girls weekend in Vail with Emily and Victoria.  I shared a little about the first part of our trip (here) - it was such a refreshing and welcomed time with old friends.  

Jonny, and Emily's husband, Tom, go on an annual boy's golf trip so we decided we definitely deserved a retreat of our own.  Emily and I met in college when our husbands (then boyfriends) were roommates.  You can imagine the immediate bonding that takes place when you are the only two females visiting in a mice infested frat house (not kidding!).  9 years later, we live on opposite sides of the country and it never feels like a day has passed when we get together.  Em introduced me to her childhood friend Victoria at her bachelorette and we hit it off and have been planning our reunion ever since.

I am often asked about my favorite places for a girls trip in Denver (check out some of my favs here, here, and here), but it is no secret that I love Vail and with the mountains so accessible I always recommend getting out of town to enjoy the scenery a bit if possible.  

Upon our arrival on Friday at the Four Seasons Vail we were greeted with the most beautiful display of goodies.  I am always so impressed by their attention to even the tiniest detail.  My friends pointed out they even replicated my logo on a piece of chocolate, which made my day!  After getting settled in, we went down to The Remedy Bar for an afternoon drink before heading out for some exploring.

Whenever friends visit for the first time I am always overly cautious about everyone staying hydrated.  Altitude sickness is a real thing, guys so we were sure to drink lots of water on this trip and you should too!  Next we walked around town and stopped at a few of my favorite boutiques (shared them here!).  We obviously worked up an appetite so stopped in the Red Lion for a quick snack.  We were bummed that we had just missed the live music (my favorite!), but the delicious nachos almost made up for it!  We had a light dinner at an adorable local spot - Up The Creek (more about them here) and went to bed early to prepare for a fun filled Saturday!

Emily and I got up early to ski Saturday morning, although the snow left little to be desired, you still can't beat clear blue skies and sunshine on the mountain.  Victoria has never skied and decided she was going to enjoy a relaxing morning at the hotel before meeting up with us.  Since Victoria had never been on a chairlift before we wanted to make sure that she was also able to enjoy the views so we made reservations at the 10th (insider tip: if you are not skiing and purchase a chairlift ticket for $40 they will give you a $20 credit to the restaurant).  It was beautiful and we were able to eat outside on the patio and soak in some sun and scenery before heading down for the afternoon.

I think we would all agree that the highlight of the weekend would definitely be the Remedy Spa.  Emily and I both had the Mona Massage which reminded me of a Lomi Lomi/Hawaiian style massage and Victoria had a deep tissue! We all loved our treatments and then they gave us chocolate dipped pineapple and we saw the make your own hot cocoa bar and we thought we might actually be in heaven.

It was a busy weekend in town so I reserved a large table well in advance at Mountain Standard for the three of us and several other friends in town.  It is always a fun atmosphere and food is so unique and delicious.  

Sunday morning we took our time getting ready and packed up.  I had heard great things about Vintage - the new brunch spot right across the street from our hotel.  We walked over without a reservation and  were lucky that they were able to squeeze us right in - considering, as we were leaving there was a line out the door.  Honestly, they have my ideal brunch and I was sure to make reservations for Easter! It has the perfect mix of sweet and savory options.

As you know, I am a pretty indecisive person, so ordering is always a chore and with their menu, although everything looked yummy - I knew exactly what I wanted!  After brunch we packed up the car and Emily could not leave town without a trip to Garfinkels and comparing the nachos to  Red Lions'.... so we did (yolo? We skied it off??).  It was another gorgeous day so we sat on the patio and enjoyed the sun before heading back down the mountain just in time for Big Little Lies, which was THE BEST!! 

It was obviously a packed weekend with lots of fun and food and I wouldn't change one thing! I always love getting your questions and emails so please let me know if you have any questions or anything you would like me to cover!

xo

This post is in collaboration with Four Seasons Vail . As always, all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible!

A New York Minute

Hi Friends,

My trip to New York and my few days at fashion week flew by!! A super quick trip made shorter because of flight cancellations, but the long girls weekend in the city with my mom was an absolute blast.  Also, I think it was the perfect introduction to fashion week for me.  This was my first time experiencing fashion week shows and events, and I have to admit that I was beyond intimidated at the idea of going initially.  

Since I missed about 50% of my planned events and shows (talked more about it in this post), I packed as much into Saturday as I could! The first thing on my list was the ShopStyle Social House event.  Once I arrived, my initial hesitation of not knowing anyone or not having the funkiest clothes was immediately put at rest.  I met new friends and old (like Maggie from Blush and Blooms and Emily from Vita Brillanti who I met at Create and Cultivate last year).  We explored the fun event and each got a a cute monogrammed Gigi New York file folder and browsed the clothes that were available for borrow for the week - it was like a giant closet... so fun!   After the event I met up with Lauren Bloom, the sweetest photographer from Dallas and we shot this look.  

I ran to our hotel for a quick outfit change and went to a fun happy hour that Maggie organized for everyone.  As I have mentioned before, my favorite part about this industry is the great connections you can make with people from all over! 

Next, I went to the Julianno Bass show and got to bring my momma!  We loved her gorgeous gowns and tailored jumpsuits.  Finally, (I told you it was a long day!!) mom surprised me with tickets to the live show of SNL!! So we stopped for a quick bite at The Standard (yummmm), and scooted off to 30 Rock!  

When I was deciding what to wear, I wanted something that felt true to my girly style with a little edge and thought this skirt ($44) was perfect! There are only a few left in the white I am wearing (also comes in navy)!  My turtleneck ($39) is the softest shirt that have and sleek enough for a skirt or loose enough to wear with jeans.  These boots were great for walking around all day - although I really wanted to wear heels, it just did not make sense since 1. freezing and 2. I was going to be running around all day!  

I love these earrings from Kendra Scott - they go with everything and I love even more that 20% of proceeds are currently going to the American Heart Association which I think is such an important organization! For local friends, I will be celebrating my 30th with Kendra Scott and the American Heart Association next Wednesday, Feb. 22nd at the Cherry Creek store 5-7 p.m. Please join us for some drinks, treats, and shopping for a great cause of course!  Hope to see you there!!

xo

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Holiday Week of Chic: Coats for him and her and lip kit giveaway

Happy Sunday!

I hope you have all had a wonderful weekend and that you have been enjoying this Holiday Week of Chic Giveaway series as much as Lacey and I have.  Today we have partnered with Glo Minerals to give away a Lip Temptation Kit which makes for the most perfect holiday lip color!

We are exactly a week away from Christmas so today I am spending the day ordering the last of my gifts online to ensure they arrive on time.  With the amount of snow we have gotten over the past few days I have had coats on the brain as a great Christmas gift.  I snagged mine this summer (you know I never plan ahead, but this time I did and am so thankful!) and got this coat for steal! It is so incredibly warm and still on sale HERE and I also love this one and this one also on sale!  I found a very similar coat in four colors, I like the white, and 50% off ($89).

A person or two on my list have requested this coat (40% off with code Holiday).  I have this similar option in grey (worn here and here) and currently $134.  I also love this long puffer jacket very similar to the one I am wearing and $80.

Jonny always needs a new jacket (or two).  With the weather constantly changing and outdoor activities here in Colorado he always has a need for a slightly different layer (or so he thinks ;) ).  

Jonny gets the a ton of use out his Patagonia jackets and fleeces - he wears them to the office, after skiing and out with friends, so you can imagine he wears through them pretty quickly.  I love this plain one and this quilted one, and know he has eye on a patterned one like this .  For work I always think it is nice for a guy to have a classic pea coat and this one is 65% off!  I also like the idea of an updated fun parka like this one $199 that is nice enough for work, but warm enough for weekends in the mountains. 

Be sure to join today's giveaway and the other great giveaways that will be open for a few more days (we have two more coming your way!!) Have a wonderful Sunday!

Join the giveaway below!

Winter Wonderland

Happy Wednesday, Friends!

Geez, this month is flying by... I must admit, my Christmas cheer has been a little low this year.  Typically by this time I am blaring Christmas music and the house has been decorated for almost a month, but this year has been different.  I think it may have a little to do with the loss of Charlie Brown  (Jonny says Charlie had a lot of Christmas "whoop") and the warm weather late into the fall.  As much as I love this time of year it hasn't felt the same until last night.

Last night we went to our first Christmas party of the season.  The snow started falling just before we arrived and it was just magical! We toured all of the beautiful Christmas lights in the city after the party and I finally feel like I can put up some decorations today :).  Wish me luck!

I am so happy that rules like, "No white after Labor Day," are a thing of the past.  I think a completely white or off white look is perfect for the holidays.  I am planning on wearing this whole J.McLaughlin (minus my boots which are currently 25% off and purse) when we head to the mountains over the holidays.  My fur poncho is so warm and cozy, and I have been wearing the turtleneck under everything!!  I love that that their clothes are tailored to a woman's body, which means the jeans I am wearing have a great mid rise.  I would also recommend sizing down if you are between sizes.

Stay warm today, friends!

This post is in collaboration with J.McLaughlin . As always, all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible!