travel

Go Australia!

Years ago, when Paul and I met, we made a list of places we wanted to travel to. Number 2 on that list was Australia. (The first was France, and we ended up moving there.)  I had started noticing all the amazing designers and brands coming out of Australia and I realized there was something cool going on down there and I wanted to see more of it. So I was over the moon when my friends at Go Mighty said that they were putting together a really cool project with Tourism Australia and Air New Zealand. I feel super lucky to be going with 10 other bloggers to Australia where we are going to check some things off our life lists and share our experiences over at Go Mighty.

I’ve never been to Australia and have just started to do some research. Do you have any places you recommend in Sydney and Melbourne? Especially great places to eat and places to shop. When I travel I like to go to party supply shops and office supply shops, sometimes the practical stuff is the prettiest without even trying. Also, my 15 year old self is very interested in making out with Jim from The Man from Snowy River. How do we make that life list goal happen?

A huge thanks to Tourism Australia, Air New Zealand and Go Mighty for making this adventure possible. If a trip Down Under is a dream you’ve had, please be sure to check out the Tourism Australia site for all sorts of information about Australia; in addition, Tourism Australia, Air New Zealand and Go Mighty are running two additional campaigns to help make your dream come true in 2014:  the first, Fill-A-Plane, where you can sign up to be one of 322 people to get a special discount on air travel for folks who take the pledge to travel to Australia next year; the second, “Win a Wild Card ticket to Australia,” for a chance to win a trip to Australia, by simply becoming a member of Go Mighty and adding your wildest Australia-based dreams.  You can check out all the details here.

Photo of Bondi Beach by Mark Allen

Havasupai

This post is brought to you by The New Santa Fe from Hyundai.

Last weekend we had an epic trip to Havasupai at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. I wanted to share some of our pictures today. If you’ve never heard of it is this really special canyon on the Havasupai Indian Reservation where there are the most amazing sets of waterfalls with beautiful crystal blue water. It is a green and lush oasis in the middle of a hot and dry desert. It is one of the places where it actually lives up to the amazing pictures you see. I have been before but not since I was a teenager and I couldn’t remember a lot of the logistics for getting down there. Originally we had planned to go for a longer time and bring our kids but at the last minute we opted for a shorter trip and left the kids home with a babysitter. I’m glad we did only because I’ll be able to plan the trip where we bring kids a little better. The most amazing thing about Havasupai is…     (click through for full post.)

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3 Urban Hikes in San Francisco

Brought to you by Brita Filtering Bottles. One Brita Bottle can save up to 300 plastic bottles of waste. Learn more.

San Francisco has so many really great urban hikes around the city. I’ve lived here almost 10 years and I’m still discovering ones I’ve never been to. Brita asked me to put together my favorite hikes in the city and test out their new water bottles, I was happy to. The Brita Water bottle has a filter in the bottle, which comes in super handy when you are stuck with a less-than-ideal water source. San Francisco is my favorite place in the world and even if you are visiting I recommend mixing one of these little hikes in with all the regular tourist sites. They all take less than an hour and have great sweeping views.

1. Historic Trail. This trail is great because it makes me feel like I’m not smack dab in the middle of a city. It goes through a really nice wilderness area and ends up near Sutro Tower. The trailhead starts at Stanyan and 17th and is just a set of wooden stairs tucked in between two houses on the street.

See more after the jump.

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Packing for Summer

This summer inspiration is brought to you by Target. Find more fun and surprises all season long on Target’s #SummerUp Pinterest board. http://pinterest.com/target/summerup

We scored a hard-to-get reservation to Havasupai next week. If you haven’t heard of it, Havasupai Falls are these huge beautiful sets of waterfalls at the bottom of the Grand Canyon on an Indian Reservation. We used to go in high school and college a lot and it is amazing. You go for 4 or 5 days, camp, hike, swim in the clear blue pools and go cliff jumping. It is like a little hidden oasis in the middle of the hot desert. The only catch is it is a little tricky to get there. You can backpack the 12 miles in (the start point is a five hour drive from Las Vegas or Phoenix) or they have a helicopter service that flies in and out every few days. Once you get there the campgrounds are really affordable but you usually have to call in February to book them. We miraculously got some last month after a someone else cancelled theirs. I’ve been planning my packing list which includes a swimsuit and sunscreen (That’s all I need, right?) Here are some of the items I’ve been browsing from Target. I can’t wait to jump into those crystal blue pools! Have you ever been to Havasupai?

Swimsuits / One / Two / Three / Four / Five / Six

Flip Flops / One / Two

Swim Suit Cover Ups / One / Two / Three

Vera Scarves / One / Two / Three / Four / Five / Six

Havasupai Photo by Bryan Brazil

Stocking Up for Summer

This summer inspiration is brought to you by Target. Find more fun and surprises all season long on Target’s #SummerUp Pinterest board. http://pinterest.com/target/summerup

We are heading up to Stinson Beach to enjoy the beginning of summer at a friend’s beach house. I’m so excited, it’s even supposed to get into the 70’s! I went to Target last week to stock up on summer supplies, every time I go there I buy half the store. I’m not even sharing all the rad stuff I bought. I ran out of space on this post. Also, just a heads up: if you are in the market for some sand toys they have the best selection in the store (not the one below, I couldn’t find them online.) I realize by explaining this I’m revealing how I care way too much about sand toys BUT all my sand toy dreams came true at Target. I always do research before I buy anything and look for the most beautiful and best kind to buy. For two years I haven’t found any sand toys I like. They are always weird colors or really cheaply made. The selection at Target was so good I actually had to edit and take sand toys out of my cart. In case anyone cares as much as I do, get thee to Target. Have you found anything good at Target lately?

Beach Toys: As a mom of two little boys these get used at just about every park outing (find the good ones in-store.)
Chambray Skirts: I love these (here/here/here) for summer because they are casual and comfortable. So easy to throw on over a swimsuit.
Heart Sunnies: I bought a pair of these last week. I lose sunglasses like nobody’s business. Best to keep ‘em affordable.
Towels: All of our beach towels had disappeared so we were due for some new ones (here/here/here/here). Such a good selection.
Floppy Sunhat: I literally tried on 20 different hats at different stores and this is the only one that didn’t fall in my face.
Beach Bag: I’ve been wearing lots of basics like chambray lately so the pattern on this bag livens up my outfit.
Sandals: I like sandals I can wear to the beach or out to dinner. These are perfect.