Thanksgiving in Tulum

I'm pretty sure that Thanksgiving 2016 is one for the record books! Our Christmas gift to each other this year is a road trip through Mexico. But with December already being so booked up, the timing just worked out better to go over Thanksgiving.

In case you're wondering where Tulum is, it's along the Yucatan Peninsula, an hour and a half South of Cancun. It has the same gorgeous beaches and year round perfect weather that you'll find in places like Cancun or Playa del Carmen. But there are a whole lot less tourists and big resorts. It's definitely got more of a local feel, which is why we fell in love.

a little bit of irony

A Zebra and Her Stripes

Lately, my life has involved a whole lot of transitions. Transitioning back to grad school after time away. Transitioning into once again being in a long distance marriage. It feels like I'm constantly transforming, adjusting, altering my stripes to fit the situation. 

DIY "no sew" tufted headboard

I haven't had a headboard in years. As a poor college student that grew up to be a poor graduate student, spending money on something like a headboard always seemed so frivolous. I meant to get one, but it never seemed like the right time to spend that kind of dough. Besides, me and my mattress were doing just fine with a simple bed frame thank you very much. But when I moved into my new grad school apartment, I decided it was time. Adults have headboards and I was finally ready to join the club. 

In my complete naiveness, I budgeted $200 for the endeavor, only to find that I hated everything in my price range. Metal and wooden headboards weren't even a consideration. No, I wanted one of those nice plush fabric ones instead. You know the $600+ ones. All I wanted was to be able to sit up in bed comfortably without having to drop half a grand or more in the process. Is that so much to ask? Well apparently it is. 

And I couldn't bring myself to settle for any of the $200 options unless I loved it because do you know what I could do with that kind of money? I could pull off a long weekend in Chicago, or go air ballooning in Napa, or camping in Vermont for $200, so there was no way I was spending that on some crappy headboard that I didn't like. It was starting to look like I was going to be without again. And then I realized that there was another option. Why not make one myself, it can't be that hard right? 

And you guys, it really isn't. I've never done anything like this before. I don't have a garage full of power tools or any sewing skills. But I built (with the help of husband of course) this free standing headboard and it's perfect! So here's a little tutorial on my easy no skill no sewing required headboard. 

grad school apartment

Grad school is such an odd place to be in life. Gone are the days of being perfectly content to share cheap furniture with 3 other roommates. You're older now and have a desire for nicer things and your own personal space. Right now, I'm trying to balance wanting all the nice things with the reality of living on a student budget. Thus, my place is furnished with thrift store finds, lots of IKEA, a dash of Target, and a whole lot of DIY projects.

I've been living in my grad school apartment for a few months now, so it's about time that I finally share an apartment tour. With our crazy travel schedule and all the work that grad school entails, it has been hard to find time to work on the apartment. So I kept wanting to wait to share until the place was "finished", but our homes are a reflection of our lives and  this place will always be transitioning and changing. Even though I still have a few big projects to do, I want to remember it as it is now, so here goes.....

the best national parks for fall foliage

Wanderlust Wednesday-Week 33

Grad school is in full swing and I was in desperate need of a mental break the other day, so I did a little travel planning. But in particular, we were trying to decide which national parks we want to visit in the new year.

Oh Autumn!

Oh Autumn! You are flying right by and coming to an end. Your leaves were once the brightest hues of crimson and gold, but now they're withering away into dull muted tones. 

Lake Crescent

Wanderlust Wednesday-Week 32
During our anniversary road trip through the PNW, the place I was looking forward to visiting most was Olympic National Park. In fact, our main motivation for flying across the country stemmed from this desire. 

Knitted Sweater Dress

October in Review

Mentally, I haven't been able to let go of October just yet because it was such a beautiful dream. But if I'm honest, it was also a crazy hectic month too. And I'm looking forward to having a bit more routine and calmness with November.

day trip diaries: the north cascades

Wanderlust Wednesday-Week 31

After our time in Seattle, the next stop along our anniversary PNW Road Trip was North Cascades National Park. We originally excluded it from our itinerary, but at the last minute, we realized that we had to go. Because how could we be so close to a national park and not visit it? I knew we would regret it if we didn't stop by, so we ditched our last day in the city and took a day trip out to the north cascades instead. So glad that we did.