review: coach mini tanner

 y'all know i'm a bag person. it's just my thing. big bags, small bags, any bag - i love them all. after deciding i was interested in a new crossbody, i was briefly torn between the coach mini tanner and rebecca minkoff's mini mac. i wanted a smaller, versatile bag that was a little different than the bags i already owned. and while the mini mac is still a coveted favorite, something about the mini tanner was especially appealing - probably because it's incredibly roomy, feminine and slightly resembles beautiful celine bags with the expanding sections on the side. 

during the weekend i ventured to the coach counter in a local department store. online, the bag was backordered until july, but my curiosity drove me to just go & see if i liked it in person rather than wait. i checked out the beautiful poppy color, but my heart was kind of set on 'sand', the light, versatile brown. i'm kind of boring when it comes to bags. i like neutral tones, so they won't ever clash with an outfit. i really should invest in a bag that isn't brown, grey or black, i know... but i wasn't ready for that just yet. 'sand' is a beautiful, soft brown that is perfect for a summer wardrobe of florals - aka my clothes, hello!

what sold me on this bag was the roominess. as you can see, it easily fits my wallet, a makeup bag, keys and all the essentials. i tried to cram a larger makeup bag in there and it was a bit much, but thanks to the expanding sections on the side, if you really wanted to cram a bunch in there, you probably could. the bag features a zip compartment and a small phone pocket.

my only tiny, tiny issue with this bag is the zipper. as you can see, you have to manually re-attach the zipper together if its unzipped all the way. this doesn't bother me much because i honestly don't ever zip my bags. that's bad, i know. if you're looking for a quick zip, this might pose an issue.

as you can see, i don't carry too much - wallet, keys, glasses case and a makeup bag - so switching between shoulder bags and a crossbody usually isn't an issue. i'm very satisfied with this bag so far! i can't wait to use it this summer and forgo a shoulder bag for the time being.

what's your favorite summer bag?

i'm a university of alabama graduate!

just stopping in to say that i've finished a wonderful chapter of my life. my four years at the university of alabama have changed me forever; i truly couldn't have asked for a better college experience. i am so grateful for my family and friends for supporting me along the way. i learned so much about myself, what i want out of life and what it takes to be happy. oh, and a lot about advertising, too! the communications department at here is fantastic!

there are lots of changes soon. i'm not sure at this exact moment where i'll be once my apartment lease is up in july, but i'm planning big things and i absolutely can't wait for the future. i think i want to stick around in alabama for another few years, and then make my way somewhere new across the country. it's strange to think that this is really the moment where my life begins, where i can make the decision to go anywhere and do anything. this college town has a special place in my heart - thank you tuscaloosa. i'll always love you. psssh, i'm already planning to come back for a football game in september - can't keep me away for long!

top 5 useful roadtrip tips

having completed my first roadtrip ever last month, i feel qualified to give a little advice when it comes to planning a roadtrip of your own. while the planning involved in my trip was relatively simple, depending on where you're going, things can get more complicated.

it goes without saying, having your ultimate goal of the trip, finances and means of transportation in line are crucial. some people like to jump in the car and just go. that's fine, just make sure you know you have a reliable car and cash for gas! i enjoy the romanticized notion of driving off into the distance with no plan, but that is far from what happened on my trip. maybe i'm just type A, but with limited time on our hands, an itinerary to follow was a must. i'll explain.

keep these 5 tips in mind if you're planning a roadtrip of your own!

1. rent a car - maybe this is obvious... but seriously, rent a car. before this dawned on my friends and i, we were trying to decide whose car would undertake the journey. just don't. don't put your car through that. if everyone in your party comes together, the fee for the car can be relatively cheap. i promise, it's worth it. and speaking of cars, pick something a little bigger than what you're used to - maybe a midsize SUV that still gets decent mileage. you'll want the room when you need a nap.

2. don't roadtrip with just anyone - when telling people about my trip beforehand, some people exclaimed, "oh, you guys are going to hate each other by the end of it!", and i won't lie and say that that silent fear didn't cross my mind. i chose to go on my trip with my two best friends. for some, this might not be a great idea. for me, it was perfect. our particular friendship dynamic is so strong because the three of us know when to pick our battles, and we don't get upset over small stuff. pick travel companions who can go with the flow, contribute their part to the journey (financially and emotionally) and want to have a good time. nobody likes a cranky roadtripper. not agreeing on the destination, time spent in certain places or what food to eat can cause issues when you're running on little sleep and sick of driving.

3. plan your route, but make time for spontaneity - before our trip, we made a list of stops we'd like to hit along the way. we made it to all of these stops, but we also took an impromptu detour of 100 miles to visit another attraction we learned about via a billboard. you'll see things that look neat along the way, so make sure to factor in extra time on your trip to allow for this to happen. worst comes to worst, you've got a little extra time on your hands to allow you to sleep in a day or two or take it easy.

4. dress up, dress down, eat out, eat in - to save money and time, we packed a cooler with snacks and easy to assemble meals (sandwiches + peanut butter & jelly, cheese sticks, etc.). this saved us many stops, and we easily replenished the cooler's ice each morning at a gas station. however, make food a part of your journey. enjoy restaurants you might not have in your area, but be sure to factor it into your budget. we wore primarily comfortable, easily changed clothes for most of our driving, but if you're anything like me, you're going to want a few cute outfits for your destination. pack comfortable clothes and a nice outfit or two.

5. don't fear the cheap hotel - it might not be the most comfortable, no. it might not even have a working television. but in my roadtrip experiences, cheap hotels were all means to an end, a mere interlude in our journey that gave us some rest and a shower (which you will desperately want!). don't stress about five star accommodations along the way - save that for your destination, if you must. since we spent late nights driving, we sometimes were only in a hotel for 6 or so hours. keep basic safety in mind and try to do a little googling about the safety of the town you're staying in just so you can rest easy.

almond flour: an acceptable substitute?

i was really, really skeptical about almond flour. since i've cut back on grains, almond flour was the next step if i wanted to keep up baking, which of course, i do! and while nothing quite beats a straight up chocolate cake, i was pleasantly surprised by this mysterious ground almond concoction. the texture is just the slightest bit off, but truthfully, i didn't mind it one bit.

the first real recipe i tried was for pancakes. i'm more of a waffle person. but i didn't have a waffle maker. so, pancakes it is. i sat down and cut a piece after i finished making these. i stared at it. i just knew it was going to be gross. i had gone to the trouble of making them, though, so i had to try it. and i did. my eyes got wide and i couldn't believe - it tasted no different than a regular pancake. having been the first time i'd had anything for breakfast besides sausage, eggs or a protein shake in months, i was a little more than excited.

 

for delicious almond flour pancakes:

•  1/2 cup almond flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon stevia (truvia)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

make them just like you would regular pancakes. whisk up the dry ingredients, then add the wet. i made some bigger pancakes, so this recipe only made 5. top with a little fruit & some sugar free syrup!

where there is baking will, there is a way. and i've found it with almond flour. i still have a lot of experimenting to do, but i'm quite pleased with these creations. if you're hesitant about a flour substitute like this, don't be!

a journey westward: my spring roadtrip

long post ahead! ever since i was a teenager, i have wanted so desperately to take a roadtrip out west. i've finally done it. words cannot express how overjoyed i am that i made this journey. this is one of the best things i have ever done, and i would roadtrip again in a heartbeat. i learned so much about my two best friends, our amazing ability to never get irritated with one another, and most of all, i checked a huge item off my bucket list.

originally, we wanted to go to los angeles, but changed our mind for some reason. i honestly couldn't tell you why, but likely because we thought there would be more to do in las vegas.

after this post, i plan on making a road trip tip guide, giving some insight into how to roadtrip efficiently and some things to take into consideration. but for now, here's what charla, sofia and i did for the entire week!

♥ day 1: we awoke bright and early to finish packing our rented car, a ford escape (never again). we were off into the distance by 8:30am, making our way north to travel through mississippi, tennessee, arkansas and oklahoma. we made incredible time, and stopped in amarillo, texas around midnight. we were incredibly tired after driving 15 hours, so we slept wonderfully. no photos - trust me, we looked rough.

♥ day 2: time for roswell, new mexico! we left for roswell and made it there after lunch. but first, we stopped by cadillac ranch in amarillo. roswell was, by far, one of the weirdest places i've ever been. the entire town was adorned with alien stuff - hotels and restaurants had alien statues out front. even the lightposts downtown were in the shape of alien heads. we checked out the UFO museum and it was just about what i expected - totally weird. afterward, we left for albuquerque, new mexico and got caught in a sandstorm along the way. that night, we tried to go out for mexican... and between two restaurants, we couldn't find any margaritas or queso. major fail.

♥ day 3: this day was so much fun!! we left new mexico for arizona, and along the way, took a detour to the wild spirit wolf sanctuary. we spotted a billboard for it on I-40 and immediately took the trip. SO WORTH IT!! this is nerdy, but i love wolves, and the sanctuary gave us a very informative tour about wolves, wolf dogs, why they aren't suitable as pets and the work they're doing to help these animals. I LOVED IT. and why yes, we ARE wearing wolf shirts at the wolf sanctuary.

afterward, we visited a classic route 66 landmark, the jackrabbit trading post. finally, that evening, we made it to flagstaff, arizona. i had no idea that place was so beautiful! the mountains capped with snow were breathtaking, the surrounding scenery was beautiful, and the downtown area was quaint and inviting. we ate at a restaurant called mama burger for dinner.

♥ day 4: we made the drive from flagstaff to the grand canyon, which only took about two hours. and afterwards, it was time for las vegas, only another 3 hours away! we rolled into vegas right at sunset and immediately went out exploring to the bellagio fountains. 

the rest of our time in vegas was spent shopping, exploring the strip and eating delicious food i had been waiting for for what seemed like forever. the day after arriving, we ventured to the bellagio's warhol art exhibit and the canals of the venetian.

the next day, i finally got to try in-n-out burger!! i consider myself a cheeseburger connoisseur. no really, i do. i've had burgers in every state i've visited, and i have always wanted to try in-n-out to see how it stacked up. for the price, it's incredible. best burger i've had in a long, long time. 10/10 burger awesomeness.

our final night in vegas, we had dinner at a restaurant in luxor called tender. i had saved my money and taste buds for this night, and it was well worth it! we got a cheese plate (we're all cheese obsessed) and steaks. not to mention, luxor is a beautiful and unique hotel.

after our last night, we woke up at 5:30am to make the drive back. originally we planned to split it up and spend the night somewhere in texas along the way. nope, didn't happen. i don't know what possessed us, but some insane force drove us to keep going and we made the drive back without stopping. we paused in witchita falls, texas for a nap around 3am, but trudged onward until arriving back in alabama around 1pm. um, can i just say that i'll never do that again? we were all pretty desperate to get home, but man... i felt like a total zombie. 

i took SO many photos but i don't want to totally flood my blog. these are the highlights! i'm so happy i chose to go on this trip. for all of college, i've resigned myself to going to the beach for spring break. i wanted to do something different. i got to see many states i'd never seen, explore the country and bond with my two best friends. i still can't believe we did it! but then again, i totally can. we're all fearless and excellent at going with the flow. hands down, one of the greatest experiences of my life.