Wallpaper Stair Risers - Stairway Transformation

This is not a home improvement blog, nor will it ever be one. But, 2020 has been one whacky year and a lot of us are doing less traveling and more adventures into home improvement. If you've been following around on Instagram, you probably know that we bought a fixer-upper in May of this year. It's a 1978 classic center stair colonial tucked away in the woods at the edge of a preserve. We fell in love with the neighborhood (a cul-de-sac off a cul-de-sac) and the access to the trails (a 1-minute walk to the cul-de-sac) and decided this insane project was worth the hassle. 

Outdoorsy Girl's Guide To: HIKING GEAR

Outdoorsy Girl's Guide To

H I K I N G   G E A R 

Welcome to the fourth post in my Outdoorsy Girl's Guide (OGG) series.  The OGG guides are designed to cover introductory posts to some of my favorite outdoor topics that still serve to educate and entertain even the most experienced outdoorsy gal.  So far, we covered the OGG to Poison Ivy, the OGG to Trail Signs, and the OGG to Hiking Alone.  Today, we are talking about hiking gear - really, the stuff to get you started.  

I get asked a lot of questions about my gear from the shoes on my feet to the pack on my back.  Before I get into any specifics, let me start by saying that building a "gear stash" times a whole lot of time and research.  What works for one person may not work for you.  Some pieces of gear need to stand the test of time, and sometimes you need to do something over and over (and over) again before you know exactly what piece of gear you need.  

Stonington, Connecticut - My Favorite Corner of New England

There are a few places that really grab my soul.  Places that make me smile when I walk down the sidewalks and drive down the roads.  

Stonington Borough... it's that for me. 

I love the town in a way that's deep and devoted, in a love that's a borderline obsession.   I have so many memories here, memories that started long before I stole the zip code.  I fell in love with a new hobby here and new people.  Those lat and long coordinates at the end of the road where the pavement meets the sand. I learned the best way to spend a hot New England summer night was in the water at the Waylands Wharf or rocky walks along the jetty.  I learned the Manhattans at Noah's are absolutely lethal and that the fish and chips Friday at the Portuguese club is the best deal in town. I learned how to enjoy being home, how to garden, and how to unclog a dishwasher. I fell asleep to a foghorn on most days and woke up to the most brilliant sunrises over the water, best seen from the bathroom (the toilet to be exact).   I watched my neighborhood combine forces and joined in the plowing parties when winter storms dumped so much snow on my favorite town.

Our Wedding (recap and video) - August 9th, 2020 - Maine

The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 really forced people to rethink how they were able to get married.  Truth be told, we always wanted to elope and COVID actually made it easier for us to do just that when we explained our intimate and not-so-inclusive plans to friends and family.  

It was always in our plan to skip the big party and instead, focus on the real meaning of the day to us.  The wedding industry felt like far too much for me... too much glitz and glam, too much of people spending astronomical amounts of money on a day they barely get to enjoy while trying to greet their 200 guests.  Invoices for food and decor easily adding zeros without question just because the word "bride" was involved.  

According to The Knot 2017 Real Weddings Study, couples spend an average of $33,391 on weddings.  Depending on where you live, this number can be even higher.  Your average wedding in Connecticut is $47,435.  Over forty-seven thousand dollars for a day. 

Heublein Tower/Talcott Mountain, Simsbury - CT Best Hikes

This weekend, the calendar will mark the start of November and the (almost) end of the year. 2020 has been a good year but it's been a hard year. It's been hard to plan, hard to travel, hard to see the people you love. We have embraced seeing people outside and in a socially distanced way from outdoor movie nights to a walk in the woods. Adam and I had plans to stop at a store in West Harford, Connecticut and while we were in the area, wanted to stop and see a friend. We decided the best way to (safely) spend some time together was on a hike and when in the West Hartford area in the fall, hike up to Heublein Tower.