I’m making like a seasonally confused bird and flying down to Florida for the week! I’ll be taking a small break from posting on the blog while I’m away, but follow @settingthebarre on instagram for updates and adventures. Have a lovely week, all!
PS, Congratualtions to our giveaway winner, Miss Kelsey M. from Texas! One lucky girl!
Hello from Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, where the biscuits are fresh and the goats are pets!
Kevin and I have been vacationing here with my family for just 3 days and we’ve already explored an entire art museum, painted miniature portraits of each other, and learned two colonial-style dances. We rented bikes and rode all around the quirky little town, visiting blacksmiths and silversmiths and tinsmiths and even a friendly family we’ll just call “The Smiths” along the way. Today we enjoyed a cheese plate (Cheddar, Goat & Gouda) at The Cheese Shop and spent an undisclosed amount of time lounging in our amazing hotel room wearing bathrobes. Not a bad way to spend Sunday Funday if you ask me.
On Tuesday afternoon, my boyfriend and I decided to head up to New Hampshire for a semi-spontaneous camping adventure. The site we chose by Russell Pond in North Woodstock could not have been more perfect. Crystal clear water, 80-degree weather, mountainous terrain, a rope swing (which I braved- very uncharacteristically!), picturesque sunsets and glowing sunrises…what more do you need? Sometimes submerging yourself in nature and living simply (no cell phones and all meals cooked over an open fire) is all it takes to clear your head and rediscover your inner child. Being just a short drive away from the Appalachian Mountain trails, we even managed to fit a completely exhausting nice relaxing hike in! At the peak of the trail, we looped around Lonesome Lake, breathing in the fresh northern air and the surreal mountaintop views. Bravo, New Hampshire. Bravo.
Good morning, dears! Just thought I would share a few photos of the views I’ve been soaking in lately…
Last night’s sunset was too gorgeous to go undocumented. And where are these pastel-colored skies, you ask? Right over the flat waves of Short Sands in the one and only York Beach, Maine- my favorite little beach town! I’m here with my family for a quick little weekend getaway, enjoying the views, the wine, and some R&R. Hope you’re all having as wonderful a weekend as I am! Ciao!
A few more photos (some stolen from Tegan and Melissa) to give you another inside peek at my trip to Nantucket. The three of us had so much fun shopping around and dressy up all fancy dancy. Melissa’s awesome job at the Jack Wills in Newport hooked us up with the super down-to-earth and friendly Nantucket staff, one of whom was nice enough to craft this, er, artistic treasure map of the island for our last day there. He sent us on a journey to all kinds of cool secret places around Nantucket, including the Lily Pond, a hidden nature reserve, the delicious Tacos Tacos, a “happy place”, and of course (one of my personal favorites) the secret candy store, which is hidden in the back of another store (I won’t say which one!) and is run by adorable little kids. Lindt truffles and sour peaches anyone? It’s funny how even though he’s from Great Britain (all of the Jack Wills seasonaires are, don’t even get me started on the accents, that would be awhooolenother post), he has this Massachusetts island completely dialed in. Lucky for us!
As if roaming around the island on our own private treasure hunt wasn’t awesome enough, we even got prizes at the end. That’s right, our very own Jack Wills party pants- Nantucket edition! Tegan and I had some fun with our Newport party pants on the ferry ride over, and decided to bookend the trip by doing the same with our new Nantucket digs…
I know, we’re super goofy. People were staring. Oops. We’re not sorry.
All in all, it was a fantastic trip, shared with the most fabulous of friends. :)
My first ever visit to Nantucket Island was an official success! Although the weather didn’t quite cooperate the whole time (so upset we never made it to the beach!), we did a smashing job hitting the shops and seeing the sights. Not only did I collect a fair amount of pretty souvenirs, but I also brought home a loooovely food baby. I am how am I suppose to resist all of the delicious sea food and those to die for smoothies at Juice Bar? (Seriously, if you ever get to the island, GO TO JUICE BAR and ORDER THE STRAWBERRY BLISS SMOOTHIE. You. Will. Die. In a good way.) Waking up at 3:15 am to embark on this voyage was totally worth it- yes, that is a sunrise in the first photo. I can’t wait to fill you in more about the trip, but for now it’s time to write a persuasive speech for my public speaking class and bookmark some good workout videos for later! Happy Monday.
Guess what guess what guess whaaaat?!?!! Tonight at 3:30 am, I will begin my journey to Nantucket Island! Can you tell I’m a little bit excited?! I spent nearly an hour yesterday attempting to pick and choose which pieces to bring and which to leave behind. Since I’m only going for 4 days, my giant stack of 8 dresses may seem like overkill, but it’s good to have options right?! I won’t sit here and pretend to be a packing expert or give you any sage wisdom on how to create the ideal selection to fill your suitcase, but I do have a few tricks up my sleeve…
1. Know your vacation. Think of the activities you’ll be taking part in (beach, shopping, fancy dinners, shows, etc.) and bring outfits that are appropriate for each.
2. Bring what you’re comfortable in. Don’t try to put together crazy new ensembles on a trip. Wear the outfits you already love- I guarantee in an unfamiliar place they will feel brand new!
3. Coordinate colors. This one can be a bit tough, especially during the summertime when brights and prints are staples in your wardrobe, but it will make putting together outfits so much easier, plus it allows you to mix and match depending on your mood that day- so much better than packing cookie-cutter outfits!
4. Edit. I like to lay my junk all out on my bed before actually packing it into the suitcase. This way, you can go through and count how many of each type of clothing you’ve chosen, edit the ones you don’t think you’ll end up wearing (this is where you need to be ruthless!), and pack just the essentials.
That’s it! Those are all my packing tips, I hope this helps with any of your future weekend getaway preparations!
See you all after the weekend! x
This past weekend in york beach, maine could not have been any better. It was a girls-only retreat, and we certainly made the most of it; There was unbridled girl talk, swapping of secrets, fruity frozen cocktails, incessant fifty shades of grey reading and discussion (any fellow christian grey-obsessors out there?!), acting like crazy fools, and an unhealthy perfectly normal amount of beach time (even though I had to wear a sock on one foot to protect the wound). We came back yesterday afternoon (after driving through what felt like world’s worst thunder storm- scary!), and I’m already missing the rich, woody interior of our home and the sound of waves lulling me to sleep at night and whispering their salutation in the morning.
ahh, the internal restoration found through a weekend by the shore cannot be matched. now to begin using the mind-makeover to influence the physical one…
[all photos via my instagram- follow me @ keeksevans]
I went instagram-WILD on my trip to Florida last week! Between daily beach time, two art openings, a ballet class taught by my very own roommie, several delicious meals (including homemade dumplings), numerous cocktails, and an awesome gourmet pizza party, there was a lot to document. Though I thoroughly enjoyed my time down south, all good things do come to an end and I’m happy to be home in the dry, cooler surprisingly humid weather of Providence!
I’m off to Florida to visit the roommie! Bring on the sand, sun, flamingos and hammocks! See you all the 29th…xoxo, enjoy the rest of May!
ps that flamingo pictured above is actually asleep…what a fancy way to nap :)
Setting The Barre 