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• under your bed, if the bed frame is tall enough
• on a high shelf in the garage of basement storage room
• in a short storage closet under a staircase
• in your closet, laying down under you hanging clothes or tucked in that hard to use corner
• on the floor of a linen closet with adjustable shelving

After packing all of my suitcases inside each other, I stacked everything up on the floor of the closet, and positioned the bottom shelf high enough that I can easily roll the luggage in and out.

HOW TO ORGANIZE TRAVEL GEAR AT HOME

HOW TO STORE BACKPACKS & LARGE TOTE BAGS

SHOP THIS ORGANIZED CLOSET

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SHOP MY FAVORITE TRAVEL GEAR

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Photo courtesy of David Keith Photography

Last fall, I received an email from an editor at Better Homes & Gardens asking if they could photograph my garage to be feature in the magazine. Ummm… yes! About a month later, they flew in a stylist and sent a photography team that spent a full day taking photos of the space, and it was featured on two full pages in the March 2018 issue. {Read all the behind the scenes details about my BH&G photoshoot}.

Photos courtesy of David Keith Photography

From the moment we arrived at the event, there were so many friendly and familiar faces! And that view… can we just talk about how cool these BH&G greenery letters are with the NYC skyline in the background?!

The day started with breakfast, lots of meeting and greeting, and of course, a few photo ops.

Photo courtesy of David Keith Photography

Stephen Orr, Editor and Chief of Better Homes & Gardens, kicked off the morning education session by giving us a video tour of the BH&G headquarters in Des Moines. I wish Scott could have seen the footage of their prop room {which is more like a prop warehouse} – maybe then he wouldn’t think I have too many pillows and vases in my own prop closet at home. LOL!

Photo courtesy of David Keith Photography nopin=”nopin”

The morning included some great panel discussions and educational sessions. Then at lunch, we heard from celebrity chef and Chopped judge, Maneet Chauhan. First of all, how stylish is her take on the traditional chef whites? And second, did you know that Basmati rice is kind of like Champagne? It can only be called Basmati (meaning “full of aroma”) if it’s grown in a few select regions of India and Pakistan.

Photo courtesy of David Keith Photography

After lunch, we had a panel discussion on photography strategies with BH&G Beauty and Fashion Editor, Erica Metzger and lifestyle photographer, Annie Schlechter. I definitely need more practice to feel comfortable in front of the camera, so I can use all the tips I can get!

The afternoon also included some hands on workshops, including a cocktail making class led by Marie Viljoen, author of Forage, Harvest, Feast.

She taught us how to make a very fancy Yuzu Sumac cocktail.

Of course, we couldn’t just make the drink … we also had to do what bloggers do best –  take photos of the process.

Photo courtesy of David Keith Photography

After taking lots of photos, we also posed for some as well.

Photo courtesy of David Keith Photography

The afternoon wrapped up with a keynote chat between BH&G Editor Stephen Orr and Carla Hall, former contestant on Top Chef and co-host of The Chew. Carla started her career as an accountant, then spent years traveling Europe as a runway model, before finally finding her way to her true passion as a chef – a winding path to find her true passion that resonated with many of us in the room!

Photo courtesy of David Keith Photography

After a quick break to grab a bite to eat, we reconvened for a cocktail party with stunning views of the Manhattan skyline!

Photo courtesy of David Keith Photography

A little rain and a lot of wind couldn’t put a damper on this party!

Photo courtesy of David Keith Photography

Throughout the event, I had a chance to catch up with some of my long time blogging friends, like Corey of Hey There, Home…

…and to finally meet in person some of the bloggers that I’ve admired and collaborated with over the years, including Rachel of This is Our Bliss.

Blogging isn’t usually a glamorous job – most days it looks like one of two things: (1) me dragging photo lights and camera equipment around and making a mess of 90% of my house to get a good photo of the other 10%, or (2) sitting on my couch editing photos and writing content in between driving school carpool. But for this one day, Better Homes & Gardens put on one heck of a party and gave us all a reason to dress up and step out from behind our cameras and computer screens. The BH&G Stylemaker was a whirlwind day of inspiration, education, and celebration, and I feel so fortunate they invited me to attend! 

We made the most of our remaining time in New York City by seeing a Broadway show, doing some shopping, eating good food, and of course, taking in the views.

WHERE WE STAYED

 

The Public Hotel, where the Stylemaker event took place, was gorgeous, but it was also expensive. If we’d just been staying a night or two, we probably would have splurged. But since Melissa and I wanted to spend a couple of extra days in the city, we decided to find more affordable accommodations.

We stayed at the Cambria Hotel in the Flower District of Chelsea. We arrived on a rainy evening, but woke up the next morning to find the sidewalk surrounding our hotel packed with greenery.

Nearly hidden between all the foliage were dozens of store fronts, each leading to narrow, but deep, shops specializing in different types of flowers and plants. This orchid wholesaler was my favorite!

I was impressed with the size of the rooms at the Cambria Hotel {you may have noticed in that hanger photo above that we even had a couch in our room – that’s pretty unheard of for NYC}, but the bathroom was straddle-the-toilet-to-close-the-door tiny.

In between rain storms, we took advantage of the Cambria’s rooftop bar – even taking out laptops up here a couple of evenings. You can take the blogger out of their house, but you can’t make them stop working.

Our hotel was also within walking distance of the High Line Canal – a public park built on a historic freight rail line elevated above the streets of the West Side. Urban landscapes have always been my thing, and the juxtaposition of old and new along the High Line really makes my heart pitter patter!

WHAT WE SAW

 

Being married to a professional musical theater actor, I’m pretty sure I would be disowned if I went to NYC and didn’t see a show on Broadway.

 

Since this was a girls’ trip, it seemed like an obvious choice to see Mean Girls. I know the movie well, and I like pretty much everything Tina Fey does, but I still wasn’t sure what to expect of this stage adaptation, especially because the Mean Girl’s performance during the Tony Awards didn’t really wow me. But I’m happy to report that I really liked it! As you’d expect, it’s pretty fluffy, but  the music was fun and catchy, I set design was very clever, and the show kept me laughing out loud from beginning to end. In a show full of female characters, it was actually Damien, played by Grey Henson, who was my favorite.

WHERE WE SHOPPED

 

For years, I’ve been hearing that ABC Carpet & Home is the holy grail of furniture, accessories, and rugs. Since it was within walking distance of our hotel, Melissa and I window shopped our way there, finding lots of other gems along the way. Favorites included the three-story flagship Safavieh store, and Fishs Eddy with their quirky dishware and kitchen goods.

When we finally made it to ABC Carpet & Home, we found out that it’s currently under construction, so only a couple of it’s six floors were open, but it was, nonetheless, every bit as “must see” as I had expected. New York Magazine describes it best: “Worn hardwood floors creak under your feet, glittering chandeliers and gigantic antique carpets adorn the high ceilings, and furniture vignettes—often more piles than displays—stand everywhere. It’s like an estate sale for your packrat dowager aunt, albeit with impeccable taste.”

In the building across the street, there are three more floors of rugs and carpets. And tucked back in the corner of the upper floor was a revelation that blew my mind – an entire custom rug design studio called the Design Lab. There are tables covered in thousands of rug fiber color samples that can be used as a starting point for designing completely unique carpets and rugs. Of course, I could never afford to do this, but it sure is fun to imagine the possibilities.

After spending a day shopping for home decor that we can’t afford, we decided to spend our last day in NYC shopping for clothes and accessories on 5th Avenue. We started on the affordable end of the scale at stores like Top Shop, then worked our way up to the iconic Henri Bendel, which is sadly closing at the end of this year after 123 years. Since this was my last chance to be a #bendelgirl, I found a purse that I couldn’t live without (though it won’t officially be mine until Christmas).

WHAT WE ATE

 

Normally when I travel, I do a lot of research and have a list of restaurants I want to try. This time, we were pretty much winging it, and we got really lucky! During our first shopping day, we were wanding through the NoMad district when a sign outside a small restaurant caught my eye. It advertised a seasonal peach and bacon sandwich and grilled corn with lime aoili and coconut. That was enough to draw us inside.

As it turns out, we’d happened upon Num Pang, a Cambodian sandwich shop with a cult-like following that has been named the #1 Fast Casual restaurant in New York by Zagat. Well, it totally lived up to that reputation {the reputation I didn’t know it had until I got home and did some research}! It was so good, in fact, that I just ordered the Num Pang cookbook last night {affiliate link}.

Another afternoon, we were looking for a sit down lunch near Rockefellar Center when the decor aesthetic of B&H Kitchen and Bar caught our eye {because that’s how everyone chooses what to eat, right?!}. This restaurant has been owned and operated by the same family for seventy years, so you know they must be doing something right.

Melissa spotted a wall in the restaurant that warned, “Don’t Share, You’ll Regret It.” But we shared, and we didn’t regret it at all! It meant we got to try the club sandwich, the chili, and the onion rings.

A few years ago, Scott and I discovered the European-style “food hall” in the basement of the Plaza Hotel, which was created by celebrity chef Todd English and features lots of specialty food vendors. After a stroll through Central Park, Melissa and I wanted to something to hold us over for a late dinner, so I introduced her to the Plaza Food Hall where we snacked on some savory and sweet mini doughnuts. I may not be able to afford a night at the Plaza, but at least I can eat in the basement. Ha ha ha!

Later that night, we finally made our way to Hell’s Kitchen where we planned to eat at a small Thai restaurant. When it had a long wait, we took our chances on K Rico, the South American Steakhouse next door and It. Was. Delicious!

ENDING THE TRIP ON A HIGH NOTE

 

On our final night in the city, we got a call from some of our fellow Stylemakers that they were headed to the top of the Empire State Building so we decided to join them. I’ve been to the top before and enjoyed the views during the day, but never at night… it was fun to see the city lights from this perspective.

The romantic comedy fan in me loved being at the top of the Empire State Building (a la, Sleepless in Seattle), and being there with these Stylemakers made it even more fun!

Bigger Than the Three of Us, House of Wood, Place of My Taste, Polished Habitat, Hey There Home, Brepurposed, Home Made by Carmona, and me.

Ok, if you’ve made it to the end of this post, I am seriously impressed!

Until next time, New York!

 

The post Better Homes & Gardens Stylemaker Event appeared first on Blue i Style.

If there is one thing that I have learned in all of our travels – especially our international travels – it’s that it is inevitable that something will go wrong on any trip. It might be a lost bag, it might be a reservation snafu, it might be a technology failure. But it’s bound to be something.

I’ve also learned, however, that a little bit of planning and preparation in advance can ensure that whatever challenge arises can be more easily dealt with and you can be back to enjoying your vacation with much less stress!  That’s where my organized travel binders and my free printable planning pages come in…

ITINERARY

My travel binders always start with the most important part, the itinerary! I use the same format every time, and I continue adding to it as we plan our trip. Download an editable version of my Itinerary as a simple Word document.

My itinerary planning page starts with a “General Info” section. This is where I include a few basics that will prove very helpful for you, and for family or friends that may need to reach you while you are away:

• Primary phone number (usually a cell phone) where you can be reached. 
• Instructions for calling the destination country from the US {this is helpful if your flight gets cancelled and you need to call to change a reservation, or if someone at home needs to reach you at a hotel}
• Instructions for calling the US from the destination country. 
• Time Difference – If you are making an international call, you’ll need to know the time difference, so I always include the time zone and how many hours it is ahead of or behind home.
• Exchange rate – I update right before we leave on the trip

Below the “General Info” is a section for each day of the trip. I always include both the day of the week and the date, because it can be become hard to keep track of the date when you are traveling.

My itinerary template includes five sections for each day. I copy and paste these five sections for each day of the trip, and then as our travel plans come together, I delete any unused sections under each date.

• FLIGHTS/TRAVEL:
• Airline Name(s)
• Fight Numbers
• Arrival and Departure Times {noting time zones}
• HOTELS: 
• Hotel Name
• Address
• Phone/Fax
• Email Address
• Confirmation Number or Confirmation Details {I only list this on the day of check in}
• I copy and paste the hotel info for each day of our stay. This might seem like overkill, but if someone back home needs to reach you in an emergency {something always on my mind when I traveling without my kids}, it’s much easier for them to have all of your info in one spot for each day.
• TRANSPORTATION: This is where I add notes about:
• Hotel Transfers {whom to look for; will they have a board with our name, etc.}
• Rental Car Pick Ups {rental company name; reservation number; car type}
• Taxi Notes {I always research the expected rate from airport to hotel in advance, as you may get overcharged as a tourist if you don’t know the reasonable rate and confirm it up front}
• Any Public Transportation Info {which train to take, etc}
• TOURS & ACTIVITIES: In this section include:
• Tours:
• Tour Company Name
• Departure & Return Times
• Location or Pick Up/Transfer Info
• Contact Info (including a day of cell number for the guide, if available}
• Confirmation Number or Booking Details
• Activities (such as sights, monuments, museums, etc.)
• Destination Address
• Hours of Operation
• Admission Cost
• REMINDERS: This is the section were I make reminder notes to myself, such as: 
• Check in for a flight 24 hours ahead
• Call to confirm a flight in advance {especially important on very small airlines}
• Call to confirm a tour/activities {often required for activities that are weather dependent} 

LIST OF IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS

After the itinerary for our trip is complete, I always put together a list of important phone numbers. Download the editable phone list template as a Word document.

On this phone list, I include every number we might need while traveling,  as well as numbers that friends and family back home might need in order to assist us, or in case of an emergency. You can read all of the notes in the template above, but I’ll highlight a few important points:

• US EMBASSIES: If you passport were lost or stolen while you are traveling abroad {or if you were the victim of another crime}, you would have to contact the nearest US Embassy or Consulate for assistance. Most embassies have a daytime phone number, as well as an after hours emergency number, so be sure to note both.
• In the event that your passport needed to be replaced, you would also need copies of several documents, including a copy of your drivers license and your passport. I always travel with a copy in my binder and leave a copy, a copy in my email {or Google Drive}, and a copy at home with a family member who could fax it to me. Here is a full list of requirements from the Department of State.
• AIRLINES: Many airlines have different numbers to call for reservation changes, and for baggage. If you miss a flight or lose your luggage while traveling, it can save a lot of time and hassle to have each of these numbers at your finger tips {otherwise you may find yourself on hold and being passed around endlessly – trust me on this one!}
• CREDIT CARDS: If your wallet were lost or stolen, you would need to have all of the numbers on hand to quickly call and report it / cancel cards. All of the relevant numbers are listed on the back of your cards, but that doesn’t do any good if you don’t have your cards, so save the hassle by adding these numbers to you phone list. 
• In order to report your cards stolen, you may also need to know your account numbers, therefore it’s a good idea to make a copy of each card that you are traveling with and leave the copies with a family member. I don’t recommend putting these copies in your binder, or emailing them to yourself, since this risks the info getting into the wrong hands.
• Also be sure to inform your banks and credit card companies of your travel plans before you leave. Failing to inform banks/credit card companies of planned use abroad can result in fraud concerns, and if the bank cannot immediately reach you, they may freeze your account, rendering your card unusable for a period of time.
• Check with your financial institutions regarding foreign transaction fees. The fees can vary widely, so make an educated determination of which cards you want to use abroad so that you won’t be surprised by the fees when you return
• FAMILY / WORK / SCHOOL: It’s always good to list numbers for all of the people you might need to reach if you were to be delayed or in case of an emergency. Don’t rely on having these numbers programmed into your phone, because phones can be very unreliable when traveling abroad. Include even those numbers you have memorized, as it’s easy to forget a number when a stressful situation arises, or someone else back home might need to call for you if you get stuck somewhere.

GENERAL TRAVEL TIPS

• This is a good place in the binder to put any general info that you might want to reference quickly while traveling, such as: 
• Instructions from your cell phone carrier about how to get your phone working when you arrive {this may require international codes; etc}. If you arrive and your phone isn’t working, finding this info online won’t be an option.
• Tipping customs {who to tip, when, and how much} 
• A conversion cheat sheet {I make my own based on the exchange rate at the time}
• Basic questions/phrases if you are traveling to a place where you don’t speak the language
• Guidelines for appropriate attire {important if you’ll be visiting small villages or religious sites}

FINANCIAL

I typically don’t include a separate Financial section in my binder – instead I usually just put tipping and conversion info in with GENERAL TRAVEL TIPS section. However, there are times when having this separate section can be helpful. This was the case on our trip to South Africa two years ago.

Some countries {South Africa, China, and many in the EU, to name just a few} levy a VAT – or Value Added Tax – on many transactions, but offer a refund on of this tax amount to tourists.

• In order to receive your VAT refund, you typically have to identify yourself as a tourist when paying for goods and request a special tax invoice from shop owners. You then fill out a form at the airport and provide your tax invoices prior to departure. 
• The amount of your potential refund can add up quickly when you are traveling and purchasing goods and gifts, so you don’t want to miss out by failing to keep receipts organized! This is why, for our trip to South Africa, I included a dedicated financial section with information about which purchases qualified for refund, and pocket to keep all of the eligible receipts/tax invoices in one place. This made it very fast and easy to fill out the form and have our refund processed at the airport before flying home to the US. 

DESTINATION SPECIFIC TABS

Finally, I include a tab in the binder for each city or town where we’ll be staying.

• I put document copies relevant to each location behind these tabs, such as hotel confirmations, documentation for rental cars being picked up in this location, tour bookings, etc.

• Maps & Driving Directions: 
• When we travel, we love to explore at our own pace, so we often end up renting a car to drive from town to town. Any time we will be driving abroad, we always rent a GPS for that country {either from the rental car company, or from a third party if necessary}. But while a GPS makes driving in an unfamiliar country much less stressful, it’s also not fool proof. Like all other technology, GPS isn’t reliable all the time, and the last thing you want is to be lost between destinations in a country where you don’t speak the language enough to get directions.
• I always put an overview map from each Point A to Point B in my travel binder. Having this map provides a good check against the GPS. Before setting out to drive to a new town, we always zoom out on the GPS and ensure that the route looks somewhat similar to our printed map to make sure we are headed in the right direction. 
• We’ve discovered that often the American spellings for towns are different than the local spellings {Fira vs. Thira for the main town on the island of Santorini, Greece, for example}. There are often also towns with similar spellings. This can cause confusion when you are inputting the destination into your GPS, so checking against a printed map makes sure you don’t waste time driving in the wrong direction {this is another “trust me” moment”}.

• I also like to print out the turn by turn directions from Google maps, and include those in the binder as well. I only reference these directions if we run into trouble getting where we need to go via GPS, but it seems that at least once a trip I need to refer to these directions, and when I do, having them is a life saver!

• DESTINATION TRAVEL TIPS: 
• We like to visit a lot of small towns when we travel {to get more of a local feel}, and I often end up consulting more than one travel guide in order to find complete info on each place we are visiting. Rather than having to carry multiple bulky books with me, I simply make copies of the few relevant pages and put them in the binder behind the tabs for those destinations.
• I do the same with destination specific travel tips that I’ve found from online review sites or recommendations from friends. I copy and paste the info into a single document and put it in the binder behind the tab for the city/town.

• INFO TO BRING HOME: In addition to filling your binder with all of the info you may need while traveling, you’ll also want to be able to easily add to the binder throughout the trip. The easiest way to do this is to put a bunch of clear plastic sleeves at the back of the binder, and then move the sleeves to the appropriate sections as you fill them up.
• Invoices & Receipts: Make sure to hold on to the invoices and receipts from hotels, rental cars, tours, etc., so that you can compare them to your credit card statement after you return home. More than once we have discovered that we were overcharged {or double charged}, and it’s much easier to resolve this if you have the documents on hand.
• I always like to pick up brochures and post cards from each place we visit. They help me remember the trip, come in handy to recall names of places if you decide create a photo book, and make it easier to give recommendations to friends later on. Putting all of the brochures from each destination in a clear plastic sleeve in the binder keeps them from cluttering up your purse or luggage, and makes it easier to find them again when you need them {even if it’s years later}.

IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY – DOWNLOAD THE FREE PRINTABLE PLANNING PAGES! Make sure to also pin the image below so that you can easily find your way back to this post for all of these tips when you’re ready to put together your organized travel binder!

Be sure to pin the image below so you can find your way back to these tips when planning your next adventure!

The post Create an Organized Travel Binder + Free Printable Planning Pages appeared first on Blue i Style.

I can’t wait to put together a full trip recap post for those of you who are interested, but since I’ve been down with a stomach bug today I thought I might as well take advantage of my couch time and share another little glimpse into our travels.

Remember last month when I told you about the fun wedding ring selfie photo tradition that started on our honeymoon in Greece? Well, the tradition continued in South Africa! So without further ado, here’s a whirlwind tour of South Africa as seen though our wedding ring selfies!

The first week of our trip was spent on safari in the KwaZulu-Natal region of South Africa. It’s spring there now, so the landscape was just starting to green up, but was still quite dry.

This is actually an idea season for a safari because there is not yet much foliage and the grasses are low, making it much easier to spot animals, and because water is in limited supply before the summer rainy season, the animals movements are a bit more predictable, making them easier to track.

On safari, there are some animals you are likely to spot daily, like zebras and giraffes, and others that you are lucky to see even once, like lions {which we were lucky to see}. Some guests told us we would tire of the zebras by the last day of our safari – but I never did. Maybe it’s just my love of black and white, but I could happily watch zebras all day long!

This game viewing vehicle even had a special seat mounted to the front for a second guide, called a spotter. The spotter is specially trained to track animals using all sorts of visual clues.

In between our twice daily game drives, we had several hours free for other excursions. We spent one early afternoon visiting a neighboring game reserve for an incredible elephant interaction experience. I’ll share the incredible story of these elephants with you in another post, but Scott and I both agreed it was one of the coolest things we’ve ever done – so it was also worthy of a ring selfie!

When our safari came to an end {tear} we drove along the Indian Ocean coast to the city of Durban. Since it was our first time seeing the Indian Ocean – you guessed it, another wedding ring selfie.

We flew from Durban to Cape Town, and quickly discovered why everyone calls Cape Town one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The weather was quite overcast a couple of the days we were there, but we did get lucky with one gorgeous, clear day, perfect for taking the cable car to the top of Table Mountain. Here’s a view from the top, looking down over the city.

Cape Town is also home to an extensive wine region {about 10 times the size of Napa Valley}. We were only able to see a bit of the Cape Winelands in the one day we had allotted, but it was amazingly beautiful and I discovered several new wines that are now on my list of favorites! If you’ve never tried Pinotage – I highly recommend it!

There you have it – a quick tour of South Africa as seen through the eyes of our wedding ring selfie tradition. As soon as we have time to go through all of our photos, I’ll be sharing a full trip report, complete with lots of animal photos and a lot more gorgeous scenery around Cape Town.

The post Rings Around South Africa appeared first on Blue i Style.

While you were seeing my blog posts about fall decor for the last couple of weeks, I was traveling through South Africa!

And now that we are home, I am so excited to finally tell you all about it!

Two weeks ago, Scott and I set off for a week long safari, followed by several days spent exploring beautiful Cape Town!

Since returning home on Saturday afternoon, we have barely scratched the surface of reviewing the thousands {and thousands} of photos that we took while in Africa, so I’ll be sharing the details of our travels in a series of blog posts over the next few weeks. There will be much better photos of the animals and landscape to come, but, for today, I wanted to give you just a quick sneak peek at the safari half of our trip.

While on safari, we went on two game drives each day – a three hour early morning drive, and a three hour late afternoon drive. Since these are the coolest times of day, they are when the animals are most active.

We were with the same guide, and the same group of eight other travelers the entire time. We got to know each other quite well and many of us became fast friends! Ironically, four of our eight safari companions were also from Denver {as were quite a few other people we met and befriended at the lodge}. We are already looking forward to a Denver-based safari reunion and photo exchange in the near future.

Our guide, Paul, was so much fun! He had just begun his job as a ranger, and we were his first ever group. But he had just completed a year worth of guide training {in addition to his related education}, so he was amazingly well informed and made it a wonderful experience for all of us.

While we did spend the majority of our time driving around in the safari vehicle, Paul was eager to get us an even closer look at some of the animals, so we did some walking as well!

I have some pretty crazy stories about some of our walking adventures, which I’ll share with you soon, but let’s just say that we later walked even closer to this cheetah, and under very different circumstances.

After our safari came to an end, we left the KwaZulu-Natal region of South Africa {along the north east Indian Ocean coast}, and traveled to Cape Town {on the south west Atlantic Ocean coast}. No photo sneak peeks of this part of the trip today, but let me just say that there is now no doubt in my mind why Cape Town was named the top travel destination for 2014 by the New York Times and why it is often regarded as the most beautiful city in the world!

I also thought I would use today’s post to answer a few of the questions about our trip that we’ve been asked most frequently.

How long was the flight? Getting to the safari lodge took two full days. Our flight left Denver on a Saturday at about 10 am, and didn’t arrive at the lodge until Monday morning. We flew from Denver to Washington D.C. {3 hours} where we were very rushed to make our connecting flight. We then flew from Washington/Dulles to Johannesburg, South Africa via Dakar, Senegal. It was an 8 hour flight across the Atlantic to Dakar, where the plane landed to refuel and collect a few additional passengers. We were on the ground in Dakar for about 1 hour, but we were not allowed to deplane during that time. It was, however, a good chance to stand up and stretch our legs a bit. The flight then continued on for another 8 hours across the continent of Africa, arriving at the Johannesburg airport a a little after 5 p.m. local time. For those that are counting, that means it was 17 hours on the plane from D.C. to Johannesburg! I was curious how that ranks, and it appears to be in the top 5 longest flight routes in the world {just slightly longer than LA to Sydney, Australia, which I have had the pleasure of flying}.

We spent the night at a hotel attached to the Johannesburg airport. It wasn’t much to see, but we were thrilled to be off the plane and sleeping in a real bed that night.

The following morning we boarded a very early flight on a small prop plane which took us from Johannesburg to Richards Bay {the nearest airport to our safari destination}.

When we arrived in Richards Bay {about an hour later}, we were then driven the final hour and half to reach the lodge. All in, we flew just under 10,000 miles from Denver to Richards Bay.

After the week of our safari, we then had a car transfer for the 3 hours drive from the safari lodge to Durban {South Africa’s third largest city}, where we boarded a 2.5 hour flight to Cape Town.

On paper, our return to the US took only one full day, instead of two, because we gained back 8 hours rather than losing it, and because we didn’t have to overnight at an airport hotel. But in terms of total flying time, the return trip was actually a bit longer. We flew from Cape Town to Johannesburg {2 hours}, then had a two hour layover during which we went through customs before boarding our flight from Johannesburg to D.C., again via Dakar, Senegal {17 hours}. We had a another two hour layover in D.C, {again taken up by customs procedures}, and then boarded the final leg of our flight from D.C. to Denver {4 hours}. From door to door, our return trip was 30 hours of non-stop travel. Exhausting, but so worth it!

What made you decide to go to South Africa? Going on safari is something Scott and I have always wanted to do. It was originally a trip that we wanted to take before having kids, and one we had even started to plan about five years ago. But at that time the economy was bad and we both worried about job security, so we decided it would be better to keep most of the money we had saved for the trip safely in the bank, and we instead took a much less expensive, but still amazing, trip to Costa Rica.

After Beckett was born a couple of years later, we assumed that an African safari would be far, far down the road for us. That fall, we attended an annual charity event sponsored by my law firm, where each year they auction off a all-inclusive 6-day safari. Several of my colleagues had purchased the trip at the auction in the past, and had raved it. Scott and I told ourselves each year that someday we would bid on that trip…someday! But that year, the live auction was moving along very slowly. When the safari came up for bid, the room was quiet – no one was bidding. Finally Scott and I exchanged looks and without any real discussion, we impulsively decided to make a low opening bid – certain that someone would end up outbidding us {but ok with it if they didn’t}.

For those who know us – we don’t really do anything impulsively {I’m sure that won’t surprise any of you who have read about the detail to which I plan my decorating and organizing projects}, so spontaneously deciding to bid on this trip was not like us at all. As you probably guessed, no one outbid us. We got an incredible deal and we were so excited! On the way home we decided that we would go on the trip right away, before having a second child {we were already trying for number 2, but expected it would take some time based on our prior experiences}. As it turned out, just a week later we learned that Cooper would be joining our family! That, of course, put our travel plans on hold for about two years. But we managed to make the trip a reality right at the end of the allowed time frame for the safari package.

Where were the kids while you were in Africa? Scott and I are so fortunate to have all of our parents close by, so the grandparents took turns watching our boys while we were on our South African adventure. Beckett and Cooper stayed with my parents most of the time that we were away, but spent one long weekend with Scott’s mom and another long weekend with his dad. We couldn’t possibly thank them all enough for being willing to watch the boys for such an extended period of time!

Cooper is still too young to really understand that mommy and daddy were going away for two weeks, but we explained it to both boys and told them all about where we were going. Beckett {who is now 2 and a half}, loves animals, and was so excited to hear about everything we would be seeing. He would tell everyone, “Mommy and Daddy going to Africa! They will see zebras, and lions, and giraffes, and rhinos, and cheetahs, and hippos, and sharks, and penguins.” He was disappointed to learn that we would not be seeing tigers, but after we showed him, on his globe, where tigers do live, he began telling everyone, “Mommy and Daddy not going to see tigers in Africa. Tigers live in A-gia.”

We spent a lot of time preparing the kids for our trip and making them feel a part of it – including making books with them, and putting together special gifts for them to open before we left and while we were away. I’ll share more details about all of that in the coming weeks.

We missed the boys terribly while we were away, but they loved every minute of their own vacation with their grandparents, and they even went on their own backyard safari. Thankfully Facetime allowed us to talk to the boys nearly every day. I think it really helped them to be able to see us, and I know it helped us to see their smiling faces! At times, we were even able to turn the iPad around and show them zebras or other animals wandering past the front of our tented safari camp, which they, of course, loved!!

There will be much more South Africa talk to come, but don’t worry, there will be regular blog content in between. I have some pretty exciting stuff coming up later in the week, including a fall home tour on Thursday {with links to similar home tours from dozens of other talented bloggers}. And on Friday I am participating in a DIY Halloween Costume Blog Hop with over 80 other bloggers – you won’t want to miss it!

The post I’ve Been Keeping a Secret… We’ve Been on Safari! appeared first on Blue i Style.

Last spring, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to take a hard hat tour of Denver’s Union Station mid-renovation {and, of course, I blogged all about it}. Ever since that time, I have been eager to take another tour as soon as the renovations were complete. The official grand opening of the new and improved Union Station is tomorrow, but I spent some time there last weekend, so I’m excited to give you a glimpse inside!

Denver’s Union Station originally opened in 1881, but was rebuilt in 1894 follow a devastating fire. Union Station was in its prime during the 1920s and ’30s, but as train travel declined in the second half of the 20th century, so did Union Station. Beginning in the late 1980’s, the City and County of Denver and the Regional Transportation District (RTD) began making improvements to the Union Station site to accommodate bus lanes and light rail transit. Read my original post about the Union Station redevelopment plans to learn more history and see some historical photos.

Then in the early 2000s, numerous entities began working together to plan for the future of Union Station. The plans included major renovations to the historic train station, as well as converting the surrounding 19.5 acres into a transportation hub to accommodate pedestrian traffic, bicycles, taxis, pedicabs, motor vehicles, the 16th Street Shuttle, the 18th Street Circulator, RTD regional buses, intercity buses, light rail, commuter rail, and heavy rail. Read my prior post to see illustrations and renderings of the Union Station site plans.

…but on the other side of the station it’s an entirely different story!

A new open-air train hall with a canopy that rises to 70 feet on the ends, and dips to 22 feet in the middle, provides shelter for passengers while preserving views of the historic station.

This is what it looked like when I visited last March when the structure was in place, but the canopy not yet on.

I always love the contrast of modern construction alongside historic architecture, so I just couldn’t stop taking pictures of the juxtaposition of Union Station and the canopy structure.

I am excited about the transportation aspects of this project and what they mean for the future of the city and surrounding region, but I am equally excited about the changes that have happened inside the station! Union Station’s Great Hall, which has always served as a waiting area for train passengers, is now stunningly beautiful. The before and after photos are a real testament to the power of white paint and the importance of great lighting!

Here’s the before picture from my hard hat tour in March of 2013, and the after from last weekend…

The developers envisioned the Great Hall becoming Denver’s living room, and from what I observed last Saturday evening, this description is right on. Couples and small groups of friends were stopping to mingle and take it all in on their way to dinner, and a bit later crowds of people were passing through as they arrived via lightrail for a night on the town. And all of this on a night when the Terminal Bar, the central feature of the Great Hall, was not even open yet, and the seating in the center of the hall was roped off due to to protect the Terminal Bar’s recently sealed floors.

I just love the furniture choices throughout the space, and the details that nod to the glory days of train travel really make the renovation feel special. At the Terminal Bar, for example, the old ticket windows have been preserved, and throughout the hall, the signage resembles those would have once included train schedules.

Every detail of the renovated station is just gorgeous! The carved trim was previously painted a dark color, making the intricate details of the columbines barely noticeable, but now that the trim is painted white, these details have become focal points.

I can’t get over the new chandeliers! I could have taken pictures of them all day long {and I kinda did}!

The old benches that previously occupied the Great Hall could not be salvaged because they contained asbestos {a discovery that had been made only days before I took my hard hat tour last spring}. While I know many are disappointed that the old benches could not be reused, from the history I have read, those benches did not actually date back very far in the history of the station. I think the darker wood color of the new benches provides a great contrast to soft white paint, and they are quite comfortable!

In addition to the improvements in the Great Hall, the remainder of the building is also now being put to good use!

On the first floor, the north and south facing wings house a number of new restaurants and casual dining options {the Kitchen Next Door, Stoic & Genuine, and Snooze, to name a few}, as well as a coffee shop, an ice cream shop, and retails shops {including the Tattered Cover, Bloom, and Five Green Boxes}. Some of these restaurants and shops were open when I visited last week, while others will open this weekend or shortly thereafter.

We ate dinner at the Kitchen Next Door, and it was so exciting to see the beams that I had photographed during my hard hat tour last year still exposed in the transformed space!

We also took a peek into Stoic & Genuine, where I spotted more beams I recognized. I think the hostess thought I was crazy snapping pictures and muttering about having seen those beam last year!

The second, third and fourth floors of Union Station’s north and south wings now house the 112-room Crawford Hotel.

The hotel opened on July 12th, and last weekend Scott and I celebrated our seventh wedding anniversary with a little staycation at the Crawford. We didn’t splurge for one of the more expensive loft rooms on the top level, but our third floor “Superior Classic” room did not disappoint. The room was a nice size, but felt even larger because of the 14 foot ceilings and the floor to ceiling windows.

My favorite element of the room was definitely the orange tufted headboard with the aged mirrored trim!

Another favorite feature was the wood detail overlaid on the frosted sliding door separating the bathroom from the bedroom.

Our room overlooked the front of the station with views of downtown.

The views from our room were lovely, but even more impressive were the views down into the Union Station Great Hall from each floor of the hotel.

On the mezzanine level of the hotel is the Cooper Lounge, which overlooks the Great Hall and sits below soaring arched windows with views of the city.

When we were there, the lounge was only accessible to hotel guests, but I understand that after the grand opening of the Great Hall, the Cooper Lounge will be open to hotel guest during the day and to the public in the evenings.

The Cooper Lounge is furnished impeccably with a wide variety of light-colored upholstered chairs and couches. Fitting to its train station location, numerous vintage trunks and suitcases are mixed in amongst the seating.

We had a lovely time staying at the Crawford, and it was fun to have the opportunity to be among the very first to experience this brand new hotel and to explore Union Station even before its grand opening!

Now I can’t wait to bring our boys down to play in the new fountains in front of Union Station some weekend soon!

I hope you enjoyed the tour! If you live in the Denver area, make sure you get down to Union Station to check out the renovated station and all of the transportation improvements. And for everyone else, come visit!

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