Southeast Asia Honeymoon: Packing Light

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Screen Shot 2014-12-14 at 6.13.04 PMOnce we booked our tour (through Intrepid Travel – I’ll do a review after the trip, but so far they’ve been great to work with!) and flights for our honeymoon in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, I took to the blogosphere to research what to take and how to pack. A lot of what I found was from backpackers, gone for months at a time and either camping or staying in extremely modest, low-budget accommodation. 

We’re not doing a five-star trip by any means, but we’ll be in comfortable three-star hotels most nights, and a five-star resort for a few nights that we splurged on (although it was still cheap compared to what it would have cost elsewhere in the Western world). I quickly realized that I didn’t need, nor did I want to spend, $100 on convertible hiking pants, $80 on moisture-wicking athletic shirts, etc. These items would have such a short-term use, as I don’t currently use these items in my day-to-day life. 

So for all those who are traveling and want to do so as a minimalist, but not necessarily as a serious backpacker, this post is for you! I’ll explain what I’m taking and why. Continue reading →

My 30th Birthday Weekend

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We’ve gone to the North Georgia mountains for the last two years to celebrate my birthday, and we’ve always had a great time. Just the two of us, along with the pups, we enjoy hiking, visiting wineries, cooking and reading. It’s always a relaxing and lovely weekend.

This year for my 30th birthday, I still wanted to go to the mountains. However, my dad bought a small bungalow in the mountains of Southwest Virginia, so we decided to go there instead. I was curious to check out the new place and to explore a new area. 

Continue reading →

Tori’s Lavender Limoncello Recipe

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Screen Shot 2014-11-14 at 3.33.28 PMI’m not sure exactly when I got the urge to start infusing liquors at home and make liqueurs, but it was probably around the time I began considering different ways to use the herbs from my garden. One of the first liqueurs I made was a traditional limoncello and I liked it so much that I decided to use it as a base for variations. Lavender limoncello has so far been the best variation and I make it with fresh lavender that I harvest from my garden. 

It may seem too cold outside now for a chilled, lemon-flavored liqueur, but the lavender brings in an earthiness that makes this warming and delicious at any time of year. Lavender is also hearty so I can use it all winter long from my garden!

It’s very easy to infuse liquor and make liqueurs at home, and I hope this simple recipe will inspire you to get creative with some new flavors for your favorite cocktails and spirits. Homemade liqueurs also make great gifts around the holidays! Continue reading →

Getting Crafty: Custom Wedding Dog Collars

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GRE_4558Sean and I love our sweet pups and are happy that they get along so well. Chelsea is 11 and Stella is 3 and while they’ve only known each other for about two and a half years, they play like they’ve been together forever!

I wanted to have them wear something matching during the wedding. They weren’t a part of the ceremony, but were with us throughout the first part of the day and for the festivities leading up to the wedding day. I didn’t want to get them dresses or shirts because I knew the weather would be warm.

I had the idea one day to wrap their collars with leftover fabric from my wedding dress and then add bows – the perfect solution! See how I did it: Continue reading →

Wedding Week, Part 2: Bachelorette Night and Rehearsal Dinner

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My last post left off with Sean and me getting our marriage license and having a night out on Tybee with Tyler and Kym. The next two days saw wedding preparations start in full swing with our Girls and Guys nights and the rehearsal dinner/pool party.

Wednesday morning was a beautiful day to be at the beach. Except that we weren’t there – we were having a ladies day full of pampering! But here’s a lovely beach shot from my brother since we were technically at the beach all week._sandbar_into_the__sea__tybee__island__toriandsean_by_t_a_dunmire Continue reading →

Wedding Week, Part 1: Family Vacation and Marriage License

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IMG_0431I’ve been chronicling many parts of our wedding planning journey this past year. I’ve shared things like our engagement photos and party, my bachelorette party, and our fun cake tastings. It seemed to only make sense to also share the wonderful festivities that took place during our amazing wedding week in Tybee Island and Savannah, Georgia. 

We rented a gorgeous house on Tybee Island and had my mom, stepdad, dad, brother, brother’s fiance, aunt, and grandparents stay there as well as Sean’s mom and stepdad. His aunt, uncle and cousin rented a house less than a block away.  Continue reading →

7 Things to Do on a Short Trip to Chicago

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IMG_9020I’ve often had the privilege of traveling to fun, exciting cities for work. When this happens, I try to make the most of all the free time I have to see the sights and eat at great restaurants. Sometimes, I end up with a good bit of time, as happened on a recent trip to Chicago. With about a half-day and an evening to myself over a two night stay, I was able to try seven new and fun things that I’d recommend to others who have limited time in the Windy City. Continue reading →