Coffee Time: Our Favorite Morning Ritual

I wanted to share one of our favorite weekend rituals: coffee time. My parents started “coffee time” when they were first married. And now, they have passed on this tradition to their daughters! Each of my sisters and their husbands have a designated morning coffee time. And when we are all together as a family up north for the weekend, we always look forward to coffee time. And the coffee time tradition continues to grow! So what is coffee time? I’ll tell you.

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Traveling Skin Care Routine

Agh, skin care. It’s a love-hate relationship. My skin is a pretty constant battle. I had terrible acne in high school and most of college. I have tried it all from prescription topical creams and gels, oral antibiotics, so many different face soaps, lotions and routines, etc. And I use to always get stressed out about my skin prior to traveling because without fail I always seemed to breakout during and after travel. After several years of trial and error – and there was a lot of error, I am so happy to report my skin is the best it’s ever been! This is my skin care routine that works for me, and the extras I add to that routine before and during the flight to ensure I arrive at my destination fresh faced!

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Airbnb: Pros & Cons

Airbnb isn’t a totally new thing, but James and I are slightly late to the party and have just started staying at Airbnbs this year! I realize, they are not for everyone. But they are for us! We love them. We’re no experts, but this year  we’ve stayed in three Airbnbs in a two month time period. Let’s talk about where we stayed, why we love Airbnb, why they aren’t for everyone, and what to look for when you book.

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Go Pro Hero 5 Black Review: Pros and Cons

James and I bought a Go Pro Hero 5 Black for Christmas last year, and let me tell you, we love it. We were first introduced to the Go Pro when my sister and her boyfriend came to visit us in New Zealand. At the time, they had a small Go Pro 4 without a screen and it was in a waterproof case. They took it everywhere – skiing, swimming, biking, hiking – and they documented the trip so well! We loved the easy video settings, and the fish eye photos form the top of Treble Cone.

We have owned our Go Pro Hero 5 for about 5 months at the time of writing this, and like I said, we’re obsessed. BUT it didn’t come without a few headaches at first. If you’re thinking about buying a Go Pro, I’m here for you. I’m going to share the pros and cons of the Go Pro Hero 5 Black.

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Spring 2018 Favorites: What We are Loving and Planning

I can’t believe how fast spring has flown by. To be perfectly honest, I didn’t have a ton of time to write the post I had planned for this week. I’ve been planning our trip to Denver and getting ready to start my new job! Not to mention celebrating my sister Allie’s upcoming wedding and my sister Mandy’s graduation.

I’ve been listening to tons of podcasts lately. I love to listen to them while I am working out, cooking, driving, or just doing whatever! One of my favorite Christian podcasts is the Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey. At the end of every podcast, Jamie asks her guests what they are loving and what they are reading. I love this and thought this was such a great idea. I don’t want to be that typical lifestyle blog that share things they love every month or every week, but I thought I’d share with you guys what I’m loving and reading each season!

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Gift Guide: For Lovers of Adventure & DIY

Christmas is right around the corner! I really love Christmas… the decorations, the lights, the snow… not to mention the presents. The gifts are good too. I love giving as much if not more than I love receiving.  And finding that perfect gift is everything! I’ve rounded up a few of my favorite fun and practical gifts this season for the adventure lover or DIY-er on your list! I’ve also included several of my favorite gifts that I just couldn’t leave out in the snow.

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A Girl and a Kiwi Has Been Nominated for the Liebster Award

I wanted to take minute to share a bit of a different post… I’m really excited to share that this little blog was nominated for the Liebster Award!

The what? Yeah, that’s what I said. I had heard of this award a few times since I started this blogging adventure a few months ago, but didn’t really take the time to look into it… until we were nominated!

So what is it?

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5 Key Points to Writing a Great Thank You Note

Fall is typically the season to give thanks for friends and family. But it’s so important to give thanks all year round! I was raised to write a thank you note for everything. And not just “thank you” notes but also “I’m thinking of you” notes, for every and any occasion. I feel like it is so important to express your love and appreciation to the people in your life. You might just make somebody’s day.

Honestly though, I dislike getting thank you notes that say something to the effect of “Thank you so much for the gift, and for coming to my wedding. Love, so-and-so”. Like, do you even know what I got you!?  Please. Let’s get personal. Brides, future brides, and all gift receivers – I’m talking to you.  Listen up.

I’m going to talk about the 5 key points to writing a great thank you note your guests, friends, or family will love. Don’t worry, I’ll give examples as we go.

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