Well today is the day! I am headed to the hospital for my second hip surgery. For those that do not know, I had this same procedure done on my left hip six months ago and today I will have my right one operated on. I have had several people ask me as well as those close to me if I am scared. Jokes aside, I am oddly at peace.
Yes, I’d much rather be waking up and have the biggest worry of my day be what to have for breakfast. Yes, I know that the next two months are going to be hard. Yes, I’m aware that there could be pain. But what I’m also holding onto is that I know better days are coming that won’t be as painful. I will have the love and support of so many family, friends and dear followers. And what I am most excited about is that I won’t have to make excuses for my hips because of some deformity.
For those of you that would like to read more about the hip surgery that I am having to correct my hip dysplasia, you can read more about my first procedure here. I want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for your prayers, well wishes, texts, calls, messages, etc. It has meant the absolute world to me and I feel blessed to have such a strong support system on my side. I will update all of you just as soon as I am able! Also, I found this picture below and had to share:)
If you saw yesterday’s post, then you know that I am currently on a flight home. A 10 hour international flight to be exact! I thought it only fitting to share with you some of the items that I cannot travel without. While a few of these are specific to long, international flights, the majority are items that I take with me every single flight I go on, whether it is 30 minutes or 30 hours. If I leave anything important or helpful off, please let me know!
Comfortable Clothing // While some girls like to get dressed up for the airport, I do not and I think the general public would agree that comfort beats cute when it comes to airport fashion. My go to for a flight is always a good pair of leggings, joggers or sweatpants paired with a cotton tee, cardigan, and tennis shoes. Keep in mind that layers are your best friend when traveling so even if it’s hot outside, I suggest packing a sweater in your carry on for those freezing flights.
Backup Battery // Whether you plan on playing solitaire, rewatching SATC or listening to music, chances are you are going to run down your battery at some point. Having a portable charger is never a bad idea! It will also come in handy throughout your travels. This one is my tried and true favorite.
Empty Water Bottle // This is another good item to bring with you not only for flights, but also for your international travels. Isn’t it crazy to think that water is more expensive than beer in some countries?! Having a refillable water bottle with you will help you save money and keep you hydrated! I am loving this marble cased one that also keeps your water nice and cold.
Good Luggage // It might seem like such an adult thing to spend your money on (and maybe it is!), but it is well worth the money to have a set of luggage that will roll with ease throughout the airport. If you still have a luggage set that does not roll on four wheels, it’s probably time for a new set! Your arms and back will thank you. I purchased the below DVF luggage set over the past year and get compliments on it every single time that I travel.
Warm Socks // There is nothing worse than a case of cold toesies on an airplane! I always pack a pair of fuzzy socks. The best $2 that I have ever spent. If you want to splurge on a pair of “airplane socks” these are the best!
Passport Holder // While yes it makes for cute Instagram photos, it’s actually insanely helpful as it makes it easy to spot in your purse or carry on.
Fresh Face/Breath // I am not sure why but airplanes always make me feel so greasy and gross! I always pack my must have toiletries and make up in my carry on for this very purpose and also because if my luggage doesn’t make it to my final destination for some reason, at least I will have a little piece of sanity. TULA makes the best travel sized toiletries. I use their cleanser, moisturizer and exfloiating mask religiously. Get their discovery kit for 20% off with code ITSALLCHIC. I am also listing some of my favorite travel sized beauty items below.
A Good Book // If you need something to pass the time or if you are like me and an airplane is somehow the only place that you can find the time to read, make sure to pack a good book. I brought along the book Present over Perfect and highly suggest it for any other girlbosses out there.
A few other things that you might want to pack in your carry on is an extra change of clothes, hand sanitizer, face wipes, facial masks, a neck pillow, laptop, camera, phone charger, laptop charger, plug converter, headache medicine, and snacks. If I have missed anything else that you consider to be a carry on must have, please let me know in the comments below!
Since my travels are sadly coming to an end tomorrow (yes, I am headed back to the states), I wanted to give you all a chance to shop my travel outfits before I dive into my city recaps. These last 3 weeks have flown by and I am so grateful to have experienced this once in a lifetime trip. I have tons to share with you guys as soon as I get home, sleep off this jet lag and start to adjust to normal (aka no 9-5 life), If you have anything specific of things you would like me to cover from my time in Boston, Nantucket, Copenhagen, Prague, Vienna, Milan or Cinque Terre, please let me know! Tomorrow on the blog I will have my international travel must haves since I will be headed home bright and early. Stay tuned next week for travel recaps!
Kylee here, taking over one of my favorite blogger babes Shelbi’s blog today while she is busy traveling the world! Umm.. can we switch spots?! Kidding! I hope you are having the best time ever experiencing life!
I have to say I had the joy to travel a short trip with Shelbi to NYFW (while we waited for our other girls, co blogger Kelly and Brittany, with hello honey) to join us! While we rushed around the city, drank A LOT of champagne , and managed to get ready for a photoshoot at 6am – you can read more about that here. I would not have had it any other way. We decided that it would be fun to give a fresh take on things and take over each others blog. One of our favorite memories while in New York was our photoshoot on The Brooklyn Bridge. New York does not lack Instagram worthy spots to take pictures for fashion bloggers. You can pretty much guarantee every corner you turn there is some building, park, street art on walls, and if you’re a roof top bar junkie like we are the views are to die for! Everyone takes pictures at central park, The Plaza, but where are the places that you don’t think of – don’t worry y’all Ive got you covered!
Brooklyn Bridge
This is just a shot that you just can’t miss. The Brooklyn Bridge is a practically a symbol of New York. For our photoshoot with Banavenue we met on the Brooklyn side. You can’t help but to turn around and just be in awe of the city.
Top of the Rock
Still so bummed that I left on Sunday and missed the Houston blogger photoshoot here. The Top of the Rockefeller Tower offers the best view of NYC, guaranteed. Just check out these photos from Shelbi’s photoshoot.
The Manhattan Bridge from Dumbo
AKA “Dumbo” if you’re looking for an instagram spot that is unique. The brick buildings, which make the perfect frame for New York City’s Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges. It’s just one of those you have to do – trust me!
Mr. Purple
Remember when I was telling y’all that I was obsessed with roof top bars – this is a must! Not only is the food instagram worthy, the view is too! It’s completely eye catching. To be honest, ALL the rooftop bars a must! Grab a cocktail and hold that drink up to the sky!
Love Wall
Lower East Side is filled with great spots to take photos. Throughout the Lower East Side you can find the #LoveWall and it’s such a fun backdrop for outfits shots.
Soho
Hello shopping meca! Cobble stone streets are a must for a fabulous photo! We also highly suggest hopping in front of a cab for an obligatory yellow car photo!
These are just some of our favorites! Like we said New York is full of great spots for a photoshoot! A huge thanks to Shelbi for letting me take over her blog. You can check out her tips on how to get ready for a photoshoothere!
You can all rest easy knowing that this is officially the last fashion week post that I will be doing! Thank you so much for sticking along with me thus far. These recaps are just as much for me to remember everything that I did as they are for all of you. I swear if I don’t write things down, the memories completely erase from my brain! I have a bad case of short term memory loss… and long term.. basically all of the memory loss.
Anywho, starting Monday you will begin to see travel posts and recaps of my travel adventures thus far. Can you believe I’ve already been to Boston, Nantucket, Copenhagen, Prague and now Vienna since New York?! The time is FLYING by. If you have anything specific that you would like me to cover in these posts, please do not hesitate to let me know. I love hearing from you guys, especially when it comes to travel!
My last two days in New York were (thankfully) much more tame than the first four. Last year I was only in the city for four days and it seemed way too short. This year I was there for six and I was itching to get out of there. Maybe five is the magic number?! The fifth day of fashion week inlcuded LOTS of photoshoots because when you are in New York, you make use of all of those pretty backdrops. First up was a photoshoot with Yash, my talented Houston photographer that I have now been working with for over a year and was able to make it to fashion week this year. Yay! Britt and I knocked out about four outfits each including these rooftop pics on top of our hotel (you can see this post for where we stayed). I loved this outfit so much that I actually wore it the following day. Outfit repeater!! Gasp.
The second photoshoot of the day was with Saltflat, a online boutique that my bestie Kailey and her business partner, Ling are opening on October 1st. I’ve seen the collection and let me just tell you everything is insanely cute and super affordable. They also have a line for all of my brides out there- think bachelorette and bridal showers. Make sure to check them out if you haven’t already!
Britt and I spent the rest of the evening exploring Central Park and walking around the city. Once the sun sets, New York is a sight to see! If you are going to fashion week, I cannot stress enough that you MUST make time to actually see the city and enjoy it. It is good for the soul! After Central Park, Britt and I headed to the oh-so-famous Serendipity 3 for dinner with girlfriends. If you haven’t heard of Serendipity 3, they are famous for their frozen hot chocolate. Forewarning: it is HUGE so definitely get it to share.
I wish I could say we went out with a bang for our last night in the city but by this point we were so exhausted and battling colds, that we caught an Uber back to the hotel and crashed! Tuesday the only notable fashion thing that I did was the Alice + Olivia presentation and it was by far my favorite presentation/show of the entire week! I definitely saved the best for last 🙂 Even though it was my only event of the day, it caused a ruckus if you will. I thought I gave myself plenty of time to get to the show, back to the hotel, and to the train station but I most certainly did not. I made it to the presentation late only to find there was an insanely long line to get in. If it wasn’t for my girl Erica that snuck me in, I wouldn’t have even gotten to see the presentation. I was about to be real mad if I got all sexy for nothin 😉
I was in the presentation long enough to snap five pictures and then I literally sprinted back to my hotel and across town to the train station with two large bags in tow. I made it with only minutes to spare. So you could say fashion week did not end without a proper send off. I sat down on my train sweaty and stinky and still fully dressed from the Alice + Olivia show but it was a total success of a week and I could not be more thankful for the opportunity to attend my second NYFW.
This concludes the fashion week recaps but if you have any questions at all about my schedule, experience or anything else that I did not include in any of my NYFW posts (all located here), please do not hesitate to ask! Don’t forget I have a post up (my most requested post) about how YOU can attend fashion week. Let me know what you think and thank you for following along!
