This past weekend is always one of my favorites of the year…. family, friends, festive gatherings, the weather is usually beautiful, and it always just makes summer feel even more summer-ish. And these past several days didn’t disappoint. We visited with out of town family, had our annual sleep over at my parent’s house, swam in the pool, snuck in a date night, and relished in all the small, in between, moments. I hope it was equally as fun and festive for you as well…

Today we head to Italy for 16 days, as a family of four…. starting in the north of the country and working our way down south. We’ve been anticipating and planning this trip for the past year, and it’s hard to believe it is finally here. We have a fairly substantial travel day ahead of us, about 20 hours door to door, so we’re mentally gearing up for that this morning (I knocked out a 5 mile run, trying to shake out nervous energy), and running around tying up loose ends, before our adventure.

Given that, my posting cadence here will slow down, and this will be my last post for the next 20ish days, with the exception of my yearly Nordstrom Anniversary Sale post (currently working on finalizing that).

And with that, I hope that everyone has a wonderful month of July, see you at the end!

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(Friday lunch to kick off the extended weekend… shorts, tank, top, sandals (SHANNON20 for 20% off first purchase, also here without code)

(Then a Friday evening bike ride to my sister and BIL’s house for a Friday happy happy hour… shorts, sandals)

(This dip was so good- people say it tastes more like a good dip versus the real deal queso- but nonetheless, I recommend)

(Saturday morning bike ride for some tea and breakfast… bike shorts, sweatshirt)

(Sunday afternoon things….)

(Summer day essentials… bag, sunglasses)

(Enjoyed a beautiful summer evening date night at one of our favorite spots, Zinque… jeans, top, anklet)

(A fun day before the fourth with my sister, cousins, and their kiddos…. suit, top, shorts)

(4th of July pool bound… shirt, shorts)

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A few cute, new, accessories I’m bringing along for our trip include these sunglasses (under $70), these hair ties (I brought them to Hawaii and they are so pretty), these dome drop earrings, chain anklet, and I am bringing along these heart socks for the flight….

Bringing along our favorite vacation sunscreen (this stuff smells SO amazing….), glowscreen sunscreen for my face (it has the prettiest tint and I blend it with my foundation for all day wear…), and the sunscreen lip gloss for the beach part of our trip…

Loving these cute new arrivals under $100: floral and lace tank, blue and white floral tank, tan new balance sneakers, checkered market tote bag, and this basic black t-shirt dress (I wore this a couple of days ago and it was so comfortable).