Hawaii Baby!

Well folks... we are leaving Monday for Hawaii... land of Pineapple, Coffee (yum!) and overpriced tourist attractions! No, seriously I am so excited...Seth and I have been trying to go on a "legit" vacation since we got married. And now here we are just days away from snorkeling, humid weather & most likely a sunburn for me, ahh... bliss. We received an offer that we couldn't refuse to take a vacation with my husband's side of the family, whom I love.. I must say, I am very lucky to love my in-laws so much!

We will be gone for 12 days, and packing for this adventure has been somewhat of an adventure in of it's self! 

Like usual, I think I've over packed, I am one of those people who HATES that feeling like an outfit would have been perfect if only I had brought that one specific item... so needless to say I like options. However with those pesky baggage fees, it really does help to keep thing into perspective! Thanks baggage fees, you rock! sarcasm... So here is what I compiled..

The packing list...

This will be separated between 1 checked bag and a carry on...

• 1 pair of jeans (which I will wear on the plane)
• 4 dresses, 3 casual & 1 wicked awesome... for a romantic dinner (just for the two of us)
• 2 pairs of shorts, 1 black & 1 jean cutoffs... 
• 2 skirts
• Basics.. tanks for layering, etc..
• 8 tops.. because a girl needs options!
• 1 light sweatshirt (which I am sure I will never use)... 
• 5 pairs of shoes, oh brother ..... 1 Nike's, 3 pairs of sandals & 1 wedge heel.. (which I will be wearing on the plane)
• Swimwear
• And last but not least... "the essentials" 

 Well believe it or not folks, this is an edited version! I had more... I must be the girl scout of packing "always be prepared".  In packing up all this greatness, I have not even mentioned that this doesn't include the hair stuff, makeup or  accessories which we all know how fond I am of those!  3 sunglasses may be a little excessive... but who cares right? Sunglasses are a MUST HAVE in my book... and you need different ones for different outfits...sigh.. I know... it's over the top. 

Well, this time, Seth and I are sharing the 1 checked bag, to cut down on those "baggage fees" aka... highway robbery. So I did what learned years ago, I started rolling my clothes... Yup.. it works folks I swear by this method.  and I did it smart this time, I rolled the outfits!!! the world is all "whoa, Hope we are not ready for your genius!" in Seth's words "brilliant".. yup pretty much.

See, whenever I travel, I like to just pack all of my favorite items and then "make" the outfit the day of, not a great plan. It inadvertently creates the apocalypse of the exploded suitcase and me frustrated that I have "nothing to wear"... not great when you are traveling. So this time around I purposed to do something different, make outfits ahead of time and roll them together!!! I mean... shaking my head in disbelief. Who could have known this could be so life changing? Well, time will tell.. but I am pretty stinking proud of myself, and whenever that happens it's always a good day!

I swear half of this is his...