Blah Blah Babycakes

Packing light - Inspiration

Welcome to Bali

We arrived in Bali several days ago and the jet lag is still kicking my ass. My body is taking far too long to adjust to the 12 hour time difference, but thankfully my schedule includes only the following: beach, spa, nap, yoga, shopping, dinner, repeat. So, I'm able to manage. 

Our lovely villa, complete with our own Hindu temple, is in the Seminyak beach area, which is also known as the French district or the fashion district. It's a little less crowded than the more popular Kuta, which I've heard is the Cancun of the South Pacific. (Not that there's anything wrong with that!)

My favorite things so far: The amazing, rich, smoky smell of Bali, the wonderful floral smell of your clothes when they come back from the laundry, the food, the warm Indian Ocean, the smile and the laughter on the faces of almost everyone I meet, the delicious tropical fruits, and the offerings (canang sari) the Balinese set out everywhere, several times a day to thank the Hindu gods and placate the demons.

Still so much to do and see, which we will if I ever get out of bed and Mr. Henry ever recovers from his travel/sun/foreign microbes-induced fever. Poor baby. What kind of fool mom brings a kid halfway around the world?

 

Henry makes an offering our first morning:

In-flight Shopping

It was brought to my attention recently that I'm a terrible traveler. Specifically, a "bad road-tripper", but generally terrible. Apparently, instead of just settling in for a fun ride, not only do I complain about how long it's taking, but I'm in constant need of a remedy for whatever happens to be ailing me. And a lot ails me. (Usually I'm having a panic attack or some kind of digestive issue.) Then I tend to load up on drugs and become good for nothing. (i.e.conversation, driving) I admit, I'm no fun on the road.

Phrases like, "long haul flight" and "crossing the International Date Line" make me especially anxious and my breath gets shallow every time I think about packing for our trip to Bali next month. In fact, when I think about our 36 hour, 4 leg flight to paradise I sort of want to cry, so I soothe myself with some retail therapy. 

Because for me, half the fun is never "getting there". It's shopping for the "there" that's the real joy. 

From deep in the closet I can hear my Eres bikini mocking me and the 7lbs I gained over the holidays, so today I'm going to focus on in-flight style and comfort. 

My friend Mary says that this cape from Anthropologie, appropriately named "Cover of Darkness" is a must-have for any long flight. It's incredibly soft and somehow looks chic while also being kind of a wearable blanket. I'll probably pair it with my favorite pair of David Lerner leggings and ballet flats.

One of the most important ways to keep comfortable while traveling is to stay well-hydrated. I'll have a pot of shea butter for lips and eyes, but nothing beats a blast of Evian in your face. Not only does it refresh and moisturize, but the cool spray helps prevent or recover from any mid-flight freak outs. (What? You don't have those?) Someone once told me that applying lipstick helps calm you down too, if you feel like you're about to have a spaz, because you've been on an airplane too long. (That also might just make you look crazy.)

Of course I'll need a pair of Carrera gradient lens sunglasses to wear as I'm dashing through the Hong Kong airport after the 14-hour flight from Los Angeles. The lights in the duty free shops can be so glaring.

And finally, a large, yet sleek bag to haul my entertainment, pharmaceuticals,
hydrators and any airport purchases. The Longchamps long-handled tote bag is very roomy and it has a zipper. (Lest anyone try to slip something in your bag that could land you in an East-Asian prison.) Plus, it will double as a beach bag at my final destination! 

I'm quite confident that having these material things will make my trip perfect and I'll be totally comfortable and sane. A cool and chic world traveler, right? 

 

 

Happy New Year

OMG! I totally miss drinking a bottle of wine and over-sharing on the interwebs. 

So here is my belated update. Christmas letter style.

(If you follow me on twitter you already know everything.)

Let's see...where did we leave off?

At the end of the summer Henry and I spent a month at Nick's parents beach house in Delaware where my days started off with a swim in the pool and ended watching the lifeguards syncronized-run off the beach at 5pm, followed by a dinner of fresh crab and one of grandfather's Campari cocktails.  It was a charmed August.  

We did sneak away to NYC for a few days to pick up my sister Angie and throw a quick party at The Shop in Brooklyn. If you had been there you would have seen me do a live interpretive dance to Katy Perry's California Girls. Several times. At least I was wearing a pretty dress.

Why does Nick even let me out of the house?

In September Henry started Kindergarten. I know I always brag about not being sentimental, but I totally cried that morning. Staying home with him for the past couple of years was definitely the best choice for our family, but now I look back on those years and mostly see darkness. No kitchen is sunny enough for me to be in it all day and I suck at leaving the house unless I'm being paid, so now that we both have somewhere legitimate to be most days everything feels very right and very happy. Still, I cried. 

Henry loves school. He's very much a rule-follower and when he gets home after school we have a goldfish cracker snack and gossip about all the kids who broke rules in class and on the bus. Henry is very gifted and I'm told he can go straight to high school next year.

I don't really remember October.

In November Nick and I hosted Thanksgiving at our house, which is really the only thing our big money-pit of a house is good for. Filled with family and friends, delicious food and a drunken game of Apples to Apples, it felt perfect.  All warm and fuzzy. 

December is my favorite month of the year.  I love the frenetic pace, the parties, the champagne and all the shopping. I love wrapping presents, getting cards in the mail, eating cheese constantly and multiple family gatherings.  It's all so festive and ridiculous.  Somewhere during all of it I developed pneumunia and cracked a rib from coughing like a maniac. Did you even know that could happen? Anyway, I spent Christmas high on vicodin back at the beach in Delaware and I remember it being lovely.  Dreamy and lovely. After Christmas we took the Amtrak to New York just in time for the city to completely shut down because of the snow storm. The first night we were nestled safely in the lobby at the Ace Hotel and dined at The Breslin where, fyi - they won't let you sneak in chicken nuggets just because your finicky son won't eat a scotch egg, but they do have, according to Henry, acceptable french fries and hot cocoa.  The next day we somehow made it to Angie's apartment in Brooklyn, but no restaurants were delivering food (at least not the 127 that I called) and so we starved and slept until rudely awakened by a Delta agent calling to tell us our flight back to Minneapolis had been cancelled and they rebooked us on a flight with a million connections sometime in the next decade. After a grueling and epic journey involving planes, trains and automobiles the four of us made it to Minneapolis in time for a couple of The Hold Steady shows. One of which was in Milwaukee, WI. While there I stayed at the beautiful Pfister Hotel. It's hauntingly beautiful and I loved it so much the staff had to force me to leave my suite in the morning and it was embarrassing.

And then finally it's January 2011 and after Angie went back to New York I put on my snuggie, settled into the fetal position on the couch and have been watching tv ever since.

Much love,

Andrea