roughin' it.

by Crystal

When we found out about the Perseids meteor shower last weekend, we knew we needed to be outside for the night. Considering we live in such a thriving metropolis (I mean, come on guys, there's like 10,000 people in this town), we thought it best to head out of town and in to the country - camping!

We planned on going Friday, but when we saw that there was 95% chance of storms, we figured we could wait, sleep in our own comfy bed for the night and head out in the morning. Yes, that's how committed we were.

After packing our vehicle to the brim, we head out.

When we got there, we set up camp and hiked to the top of a mountain.

Here we're doing balancing poses on the Balancing Rock. Only appropriate.

 While at the top, we decided it would be good to take note of my ensemble. I realize this is not the most fashionable or flattering outfit I've ever worn, but folks, when you're walking up a mountain in the heat, you need to think about staying cool and comfort first. Essentials to hiking attire:

• A hat, or something to cover your head (watch out for those tics!)
• A breathable top/tank top
• Comfortable shorts or pants - I usually choose pants to avoid bug bites
• A sturdy pair of shoes - mine cover my ankles too, to avoid sprains or rolls on uneven terrain

E wanted to take part in the fun too. Notice he honors the same hiking attire rules that I do!

At night, we hiked down to an area with an open sky, climbed a fence, and laid down a blanket to watch the show. We saw around 20 meteors. Seriously. It was awesome.

The next morning photo. A few other essentials to take note of:

• Sunglasses
• A bandana for greasy, day-after a hike hair
• A percolator - coffee is necessary
• Portable speakers
• Gallons of water
• Citronella candles - I can't stress enough how much I hate mosquitos
• Trash bags - keep our planet clean
• Food to grill on an open fire 
• Not pictures: board games!

 

I'm convinced my fiance should be a professional open-fire chef. Lemon-pepper tilapia with red potatoes, bell peppers, and onions. Aka deliciousness!

 Before we head home, we did a short hike that led to a small waterfall. Perfect way to end the weekend!

Don't be fooled. I'm about to fall down in that last photo. Definitely time to go home.

5, 6, 7, 8...

by Crystal

So I haven't been posting my outfits daily for #StyleMeMay, but I've still been participating. Here's the weekend (plus a few days) round up...

Day 5 - put a scarf on it. Normally I would have no problem, because I'm wearing scarves at least every other day, but this one didn't last long in the 80 degree weather, folks.

Day 6 - layer jewelry. Not something I usually do. And I felt awkward taking a picture of it.

Day 7 - world traveler. Paid homage to my first word traveling. I studied in Spain ("hola" means "hello" in Spanish. Yeah, I'm knowledgeable.), and I got this scarf in Morocco. See? Scarf every other day.

Day 8 - fresh lipstick. I made a special trip to the CVS for this color. I'm obviously an amateur lipstick buyer because I didn't get the kind that doesn't go on everything your lips touch. For example, your chicken salad wrap, water glass, fiance's face...but I still loved it!

Also, totally loving the Instagram filters. They make every picture look better! But you better believe for the few that I take that are good without one, I'm #nofilter-ing those babies so you know I made that look good all on my own!

Outfits: t-shirt love.

Sometimes for me, comfort is the most important thing (then again, sometimes I feel the need to wear those ridiculously cute heels that pinch me toes). On the day I wore this outfit, we were going on several appointments with the wedding planner, so I wanted to make sure I was wearing something that I felt comfortable in, without being too casual. My new J Crew v-neck (on sale!) was the perfect thing! And my logic says that since it comes in several different colors, I need to buy more, right?