Easter Mountain Weekend

Hi Friends!

Photography: Jenny Nelson

I hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend.  I was lucky enough to spend the entire weekend with my family.  Jonny, Zoe, my mom and I spent the Easter weekend enjoying Spring Back to Vail which was an absolute blast! Anytime you are able to ski in shorts/leggings and grill mountain top it is sure to be a great time!  If you watched my Instagram story, you saw that Jonny participated in the World Pond Skimming Championship.  If you don't know what I am talking about (here) is a little video, and no he didn't make it across... he is already planning out his strategy for next year!

As we get older, it seems quality time with our families is harder to coordinate.  With busy schedules and double (sometimes triple or quadruple) the family to visit on holidays, it can sometimes be hard to slow down and truly enjoy the time with our loved ones.  My heart is always so full after time with mine - as I am sure yours is too! And I am always reminded how important making time for quality time is.

I originally brought this dress ($24) and blazer for Easter brunch (please excuse the wrinkles... I packed in about 3 minutes 🙈) but it was so sunny and warm I ended up wearing it to dinner one night instead.  My furry blazer is currently sold out, but I am sure will be restocked soon.   My dress is great for lunch meetings and I have a friend or two that I have already promised to lend it to for their bridal showers.  The weight makes it a perfect spring/summer transition dress and I love the bow and fringe details.  

Each spring I always stock up on things that I know I will need next fall/winter because you can always get the best deals.  For me, right now, I know I am looking for skis and snow pants (I like these and these).  But it is also a great time to snag boots that you have been eyeing! I like these $70 ( 5 colors!), these $59, and these $70.  Have you found any great spring sales?  I would love to know what you are looking for!

Have a wonderful day!

xo

48 Hour Girls Getaway Vail Itinerary

Hi Guys!

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!

Vail Travel Guide

Hi there, Friends!

As you know, Vail holds a special place in our hearts.  Jonny and I got married here in 2014 and before that, many of my childhood memories were spent just outside of the Village.  I received so many notes requesting recommendations about our favorite places in this lovely mountain town and have been meaning to give you a little tour.  I shared a few of my favorite spots last fall, but winter is often the most popular time so I wanted to be sure and share some of our winter picks as well!

Where to Eat 

• Up The Creek: Serene view, affordable, local favorite, same day reservations
• Mountain Standard: New, fun and cozy atmosphere, new-American cuisine, early reservations suggested!
• Sweet Basil: Romantic, modern, new-American cuisine, early reservations suggested!
• Matsuhisa: Sushi, creative and modern atmosphere, early reservations suggested!

Wheret to Apres

• The Red Lion: live music, cozy, good drinks
• Los Amigos: great view of the mountain, endless chips, great margs
• Garfinkel's: (Lionshead) best nachos in town, drink specials, and yummy apps

Where to Stay

• The Sebastian: We love the Sebastian (shared our love for this hotel here and here)
• The Tivoli: Cozy, doggy friendly, ski in ski out, wonderful breakfast in the morning, and a cozy apres scene with cookies and drinks in the afternoon.
• The Sonnenalp: Charming, walkable, doggy friendly, great spa, wonderful service!
• The Four Seasons: So cozy, walkable, doggy friendly, wonderful service!

Where to Shop

• Blitz Boutique: This whole look is from Blitz, wore more from them here, here and here as well! They have a great location, right by the covered bridge into town and just outside of the parking garage (so it is always hard for me to avoid).
• Gorsuch: Gorgeous furry things and ski outfit inspo!
• Odd Molly: The whole store and website is painted pink... need I say more?

xo

On Mountain Time

Hi Friends!

Jonny and I (and Stanley) are back home and getting reacquainted with "city life" after enjoying the snow in the mountains and being on leisurely mountain time for the last few weeks.  We were really starting to think that we may not ever come home.  We just love being up there and enjoying the fresh air so much - it is incredibly peaceful.  And any place that encourages a cup of cocoa and chocolate chip cookie a day gets bonus points in my book!

I got a lot of questions about this cape when I posted it on Instagram last week.  It is from my favorite Vail boutique, Blitz.  Blitz has been around forever (shared another favorite from them here and here) and always has something that I can't resist (seriously, they are probably the reason I have 97 pom pom hats).  It was too cold to think about dresses, but their dress selection is always spot on! If you have a trip to Vail planned be sure to stop by!

My exact cape can be purchased from their store online here.  I also found several similar options (all under $150!) here, here, here, and here!! I think everyone needs a pair of these liquid leggings and you cant beat the $29 price tag!  Also, I love the height of these boots (also come in a pretty tan)- they hit right at the knee which makes them very versatile.

Colorful Colorado

Happy Friday, Friends!

I hope you have had a beautiful week.  It has been ggggg-orgeous here and we have just been eating it up! 

Last weekend Jonny and I headed to Vail to celebrate our anniversary.  We are both Colorado natives, but the beauty of peek leaf season in the mountains still amazes both of us.  We thought that this may have been the prettiest season we have ever seen, but I now realize, it is just that the beauty of seeing the colors transition will never get old and always seems more beautiful than the last.  That being said, there are probably only a few more days so if you are in CO you need to get up there!

We stayed at The Sebastian, which is where our wedding reception was held and going back always brings back such wonderful memories.  We hiked Booth Falls, the trail head is just outside of Vail Village so it is quite popular, but it didn't bother us one bit.  We also strolled through my favorite farmers market which ends this weekend, so if you have been hoping to do some leaf peeping and visit the farmers market this is would be the perfect time.   

I had quite a few questions about our matching fleeces... Jonny and I actually received them as a wedding gift and we both love them! They are so cozy and great for cool fall days and very cozy after skiing (also like this for him and this for her).  My vest is one of my favorite things to wear for hikes, sunny ski days, and after yoga.  Also, I pretty much live in these leggings - I love the high waist, so they don't slip down when I am running or hiking.

Hopefully this weekend is as beautiful as the last! Would love to hear your plans and favorite weekend getaways.

xo