Marriage. Such a powerful word for only two syllables. You’ve probably heard it all when it comes to it. The first year of marriage has taught me more about myself and how I want to live than any other time in my life. That’s pretty special. You get to experience a relationship at a capacity at which you really don’t fully understand until you’re there, in it. And that is one of the best feelings you’ll ever know. Cross my heart. That person gets to see the best and worst parts of you, the vulnerability that it takes to be completely raw and naked is only found in grace, trust, and incomparable compassion for your partner.

You will find yourself so completely in love and dumbfounded at how your heart continues to grow. You will ask yourself “how can I love this person any more than I already do?” And then your heart will find a way, like it always does. It’s like the universe, limitless and growing. And isn’t that lucky? Call it coincidence, fate, divine intervention, happenstance, whatever you like. It all boils down to, my sappy little heart is going to explode eventually.

With all of this wonderful, delicious, amazing over-arching love, you learn some damn hard lessons too. What it truly means to be understanding, selfless, and also extraordinarily introspective. The first year of marriage especially, you’ll have your disagreements (like any year but just follow me here), all the silly sitcom-inspired ones, you know the ones I’m talking about. But, I’ve decided that taking too long to get out of the house or forgetting to turn off the space heater, isn’t really what it’s about. I mean of course, good habits and tendencies are all well but it’s really about learning how to disagree. And while these disagreements are far and few between, understanding how to engage in these with your specific partner, will be monumental. It’s about understanding what it takes to have a real disagreement with context and have it matter and resolved for both of you. And remembering that you are on the same team here, with the same goals, ultimately. You never feel right about winning alone afterword’s. If you win, I win, and if you lose, well, I lose. You find a common ground on these disagreements and the team endures. And that’s how you win. Every single time.

With all of its insane and inspiring beauty, marriage can also bring out sides of you that aren’t so lovely, but taking feedback from your partner and really thinking (here’s the part about becoming more introspective) about what it means and says about you and then applying it, will mean leaps and bounds in your marriage. That doesn’t mean you have to forfeit who you are or your stubborn and strong-willed nature but it does mean that on the important stuff, you can set that aside to make sure your being the best version of yourself for you, your partner, and your marriage. And grow together. It will mean everything. This has to work both ways and when it does, it’s magic. I’ll pinky swear to that one.

I am no expert by any means and always have more to learn but I feel so lucky to have a husband who makes this marriage thing, the best ride of my life and who stands beside of me every day, giving it his all. I suppose this is getting a little personal but why not, I always tell Cody, I want him to look back on his life with me and say “she gave me the best parts of herself”. That doesn’t mean I need to be perfect because I’m human and neither of us will be, that just is not real. It only means that we show up every day and do our best for each other. Be present and feel fully because I want to be that light that I see the people I love shine in. Always giving it my all, that’s what love has done for me and to my darling, Cody, I’ll never be able to thank you enough for that.

xoxo,

your LOver and sap-extraordinaire

Hey pals! We are posting and it’s not Thursday, woah!! But we are so excited, we just can’t wait to tell you. Our new website is currently under construction and we have teamed up with some amazing web designers and local artists. We are more than thrilled to share with you all of our new content and hope you love it as much as we do! Stay tuned, as we are hoping to launch this for you guys in the next week or so!

xoxo,

Lo and Mal

Dear Mom,


Tomorrow is the day. It's the day I have dreaded for so long. I cannot believe it has been a whole year since I laid in the hospital bed with you and felt you take your last breath. I can still feel your heart stop, and I still feel that same pain I felt on that day, one year ago tomorrow. I am still angry that I never got to truly tell you goodbye - for 2 weeks you were non responsive, and I will never know if you heard me tell you over and over how much I love you, and how proud I am of you.

It still feels like a dream; when I see your pictures, I feel like I should be able to pick up the phone and call you - trust me, I have habitually done it a few times this past year, which in turn made me even more upset. Why isn't this getting any easier? I am still really, really hurting. It has been one hell of a year, to say the very least, but I have learned a lot about myself over this past year, and about other people. I wish you were here to guide me through it all, and I wish you were here to be an example for me - you always knew the best way to handle anything life threw at you.

I sat down on Monday night to write this "letter" to you and completely lost my shit, to the point I could barely breathe. If that doesn't tell you how painful this still is for me, I don't know what will.

I am dreading this "1 year" mark so much, because people are already thinking "how can you still be so sad", and I know that people just expect this to get easier, but it isn't. Its getting harder in a way. Not long after you left me, everyone else's lives resumed, but my world had literally been flipped upside down. That has been so hard - its so hard to see everyones worlds still spinning when mine has just been stopped.

Its still so unfair. I am envious of people who are getting pregnant around me and get to surprise their moms with the big news, I am envious of people who have kids who know their grandmas, I am envious of everyone who has never had to deal with a loss like this. It is hard, and it is unfair. You were my only safety, you were my rock, my mom, my best friend. Nothing ever is going to be able to fill that hole, and that sucks.

I see people every day - bad, bad people - who are lucky enough to live out their long, healthy lives, and I look at a woman like you, who was a legitimate angel on this earth, and I get angry. Still, to this day, it makes me mad. WHY? Why does someone this world needs more of have to go, and why do those horrible people get to live long lives?

So many questions consume me, still, and I have had to go through an incredible roller coaster over this entire year of questions, and more questions, and emotions, and epiphanies, and more emotions. Why - why was it so suddenly your time? Are you ok now? If there is life after this, are you ok? Why can everyone else "feel" you, but me - the most important person in the world to you - can't? Thats not fair. Am I doing something wrong? So, so many questions, and the intelligent part of me knows they will never, ever be answered, but the emotional part of me cannot stop asking.

Mom, I know you would be so proud of me - I sought help. I couldn't do it. I tried for months to cope on my own, but I couldn't do it. I found an incredible faith-based counselor, in search of answers, clarity, and an outlet. She is amazing, you would literally adore her. She is encouraging, and wonderful, and really has helped me understand that this whole journey is normal, and is very unique to me. One more thing that I KNOW you would be so proud of is my ability to cut toxic people out of my life. Truthfully, I had to do it. Without you, encouraging me and keeping my mind right, I had to let go of them. They were toxic. They were poisoning me, and without you I couldn't handle it anymore. So I channelled you, and I let them go. I wish we could share a glass of wine to celebrate that small victory.

So many things have happened in my life since you've been gone, but I haven't been able to be excited about them, because I don't have you to call and tell. Every promotion at work I wanted to share with you, every little slice of drama both in my life and things I've heard through the grapevine - I want to share it all with you because you were my person. I miss our late-night catch-ups. I miss them so much. I wish I could hear you laugh when I tell you another silly habit I have picked up from you - you LOVED to poke fun at me for that.

I am so incredibly sorry that I couldn't look at your pictures for a good few months - it was just too painful. I would see your beautiful smile and your spirit in every. single. picture. and it would hit me like a ton of bricks every time that I can't see you again. So I had to take them all down. I hate that, I hate that I couldn't surround myself with you for a while. But as time goes on, the more pictures I restore to their rightful place in our home. And as painful as it is, still, for me to see you, I feel so much love for you with every picture I put back up.

I don't know where you are, I don't know how you are, I don't know if you are okay. I wish I could know. I just wish you were here so I could tell you how much I still need you and how hard every day has been without you.


Mom,
I miss you. 
I miss your voice.
I miss your smile.
I miss your smell.
I miss your hugs. 
I miss your silly jokes.
I miss your unconditional love.
I miss your positivity.
I miss how you made me feel.
I miss your everything.



I love you, still, and forever,
Mal

  

Guilty Pleasures, we all have them. Some vary in their level of embarrassing and the intensity at which you feel guilty whilst enjoying them. Nonetheless, we have them. We recently had a long conservation laughing about the things that we hate to love and feel compelled to say "don't judge me but..." when we share them and decided we'd share them with you all, because why not embarrass ourselves a little? And you know pals, there's a certain beautiful freedom about being able to laugh at yourself, plus it's almost Friday and a good laugh is always called for. Who knows, you may even find yourself good company in your own guilty pleasures?!

Lo:

Love Mala Blog does not own the rights to the above image; image origin:

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1) Pretty Little Liars: oh man, I know I'm almost 26 but I love that show, there are so many cliff hangers and I love looking at the girl's clothes! And truth be told, I'm a giant baby, so this show isn't TOO scary for me, I can handle the suspense (flying my whimp flag over here).

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http://www.mickeymartfoodstores.com/portals/77/images/Taco-Bell.jpeg

2) McDonalds and Taco Bell: I know, I know, I know. But I just love their thin cheeseburgers and the French fries, especially when they are fresh and hot. I only eat them a couple times a year but I love every minute of it. And who in their right mind doesn't love a good chalupa supreme or taco, I just can't help myself. I want it all! I regret nothing.

3) Proudly eating peanut butter right out of the jar: If I get a spoon and a jar of natural peanut butter, well, just don't let that happen, especially when I promised the peanut butter it would make its way into my energy bites.

Love Mala Blog does not own the rights to the above image; image origin:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/cbeebiesgrownups/assets_c/2012/11/octonauts_facebook-thumb-640x340-100216.jpg

4) Kids TV Shows: I can't tell you how many times Cody has come home and turned on the tv to find some random Nick Jr or Kids Disney show on. I just love watching cartoons for breakfast and man, some of these kid shows are so cute, Octonaughts, commmee onnnn!!! They're adorable as hell and you know it! Hey, at least I'll be able to enjoy watching them with my kids some day.

5) A good cry: sometimes, you find yourself in need of a good cry. Whether it's after a long day or if you have a lot on your mind, so for me, I'll listen to super sappy or sad songs or I'll pull out a good movie that never fails to makes me bawl like a baby (see: Legends of the Fall-gosh, if you haven't, just do it!). And sometimes, I will venture over to YouTube and watch military homecomings, which always, always bring on the tears(for obvious reasons).  Honestly, it's so cathartic for me and you know, sometimes you just need a good cry, it's kind of rejuvenating in it's own way.

Mal:

1) TACO BELL, and most importantly - Cinnabon Delights: ok, so I know this is totally gross to so many people, including my husband (blasphemy!!), but I LOVE Taco Bell - or as we like to joke - "Taco Smell". Its just good ole, nasty but delicious fast food. And the best part about it is, now that we are vegetarians, we can still eat everything on the menu! Just sub beans and/or potatoes for the meat and voila - vegetarian fast food! And let me just TELL you about cinnabon delights. If you haven't tried them - you have to. I don't even like cinnamon rolls, but these are incredible - icing/cream filled cinnabon balls coated in cinnamon sugar. Mmmm mmmm - I literally crave them on the regular.

Love Mala Blog does not own the rights to the above image; image origin:

 http://www.sidereel.com/tv-shows/hart-of-dixie/episodes

2) Hart of Dixie: I don't know what inspired me to start this show on Netflix a few years back, but I did, and I fell in love. Its a terribly predictable and scripted show, and the acting is generally horrendous, but it is comical and I got sucked in so easily. It is on Neftlix if anyone wants some genuinely embarrassing entertainment!

3) Donuts: so growing up, I never had a big sweet tooth, and to this day I still almost always choose salty over sweet, but DONUTS. I didn't really develop this obsession/craving until about a year ago - in fact, my whole life I have always been pretty indifferent to donuts in general, but something sparked in me and now I am a donut fiend. And no, I am not pregnant. I just crave them all. the. time.

Love Mala Blog does not own the rights to the above images; image origins:

http://m.favim.com/image/2891702/

4) Long, hot baths: so on the surface, this might not sound so embarrassing, but I literally LOVE taking baths. Like, multiple a week (what a waste of water - I KNOW I KNOW). I don't know why, and its actually quite nasty if you think about the fact that you're just marinating in your own filth, but there is something about it that is just so relaxing at the end of the day for me. But bubbles or bath bombs - I'm a happy camper. 

Love Mala Blog does not own the rights to the above image; image origin:

http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrities/harry-styles

5) My crush on Harry Styles: I cannot believe I am publically admitting this - literally only a few people in the world know this. Until now. Yes, I think Harry Styles of the boy band One Direction is FLY. It must be the hair, after all, when I met Travis he had long, luscious locks too. And I know I am years his senior, but I don't care. He is a smoke show. I don't indulge in the band or their music, I don't pay attention to the tabloids surrounding Harry - I truly don't care about any of that, and I am not a huge fan of their music (although I don't despise it), but I just think Harry is totally adorable.

As embarrassing as some of these may be to share with you, we always like to go back and reference a quote (of course) from the magnificent Tom Hiddleston: "What's my guilty pleasure? The thing is, I never feel guilty about pleasures." - Boom. Thank you for your wisdom, Tom.

Let us know if you guys share some of our guilty pleasures or what some of yours are, we are always down for a good laugh! We hope you guys enjoyed and have a wonderful rest of your week.

xoxo, your shamelessly, silly indulgers 

**Cue the music** - reunited and it feels so goooooood! Lo has finished her cross-country trip, and is back together with Mal on the blog! So we wanted to jump right back in and talk about one of our favorite things - our husbands! 

This is not a sponsored post, but we have teamed up with our friends over at nuts.com to give you some awesome tools to make healthy food choices for you and your man. 

As wives, we find ourselves giggling over the silly and wonderfully goofy men we married. But the truth is, what would we do without these guys? These men, who make our worlds totally rock and who find a way, no matter what's going on in life, to be supportive and encouraging and are truly the most genuine definition of what it takes to be a good husband - unparalleled in their ability to love, appreciative and understanding beyond measure, and unyielding in their support. A part of being immensely grateful for all that these guys do for us and our families is making sure to reciprocate that care both, emotionally, mentally, and physically. 

Being born-nurturers, this step practically comes second-nature for both of us. Making sure to set aside quality time is so significant, especially in such a fast-paced world, just to remind that person how much you genuinely enjoy being around them. We both also find that a good outdoors adventure is a darn near perfect recipe for fostering all kinds of cathartic happiness and bonding. And who doesn't love sappy hour bonding time?! And while planning activities is kind of like a seesaw act between each of us, it's good to take the reigns sometimes and plan a fun day out with and for your partner.

Taking care of our men extends far beyond adventure-planning and can be as simple as doing little things in their daily routine, that will make their lives happier, healthier and will actually benefit us both. Whether it's by creating healthy snacks on the go or setting aside time regularly to work out, it is something that we each feel is very important and as do our men. 

While Cody and Travis are great at maintaining an active lifestyle and consistent gym routine, we help support them by fueling their bodies, and ours too, with good foods and snacks such as these energy bites. These contain superfoods like flax and chia seeds, which are chock full of protein and complex carbs. By making treats like these, they help to give you longer lasting energy and keep you full and not reaching for foods that cancel out all of your hard work! And just about any body can appreciate that! For any of you pals interested, there will be more on on the blog later about our favorite healthy snack-alternatives, stay tuned! 

If there's one thing we know, it's that there are many little steps that we can take to help out our guys and show just how much we care. And it works both ways! We are both thankful for our spouses, who are a great balance of supportive and helpful, yet self-sufficient and proactive. There are so many great things you can do to help each other lead happy and healthy lives. Our pals over at nuts.com (no, this is not a prank - it really is a rad website, don't be afraid) sent us this awesome info-graphic with 5 easy tips that will help your guy (and anyone, truly) lead a healthier lifestyle! 

If you love to eat (and who doesn't), you should definitely give nuts.com a peak - they have so many options for food - and it will come straight to your door! They have - obviously, nuts - but also dried fruits, sweets, coffee and tea, and even gluten-free options! And they have an extensive healthy snack section! And what we really love about these guys is they roast their nuts and pop their corn the day it ships to you, so you know you're getting the freshest of the fresh!

As you can see, some of the things we mentioned such as exercising and eating well can make such a monumental difference, and with today's busy world, it's so great when you can help take care of each other by doing little things here and there. Showing you care can transcend bigger things like date night and can be as simple as making your guy or gal's favorite healthy-inspired meal or making an active effort of going to bed an hour earlier, to get in that much needed rest. Who knows, going to bed earlier may even lead to a early wake up call for a wholesome and nutritious breakfast! 

Taking care of yourself and each other can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be, but devoting that time will mean so much in the long run. And in today's world we feel it's a good practice and habit to be in in general - take care of each other you guys, the world needs more of that. We love y'all!

xoxo, your nutty pals

 

According to HealthyPlace.com, emotional abuse is "any act including confinement, isolation, verbal assault, humiliation, intimidation, or any other treatment which may diminish the sense of identity, dignity, and self-worth." It is one-in-the-same with psychological abuse, and is much more common than people realize. And although you might instantly assume that an emotionally abusive relationship has to be with a spouse, that is far from the case; these relationships can be with a spouse, a family member or group of family members, or even a friend. 

Of course, my personal demons in this post are not relating to my wonderful husband - actually quite the opposite. Travis has been a cornerstone for me to actually take steps to get rid of an emotionally abusive relationship I have been in for most of my life. 

Maybe you are right there with me, ready to rid yourself of toxicity, or you're thick in an abusive relationship and are just starting to do research, or maybe you haven't even been able to identify that what you're experience is real abuse. Either way, I wanted to share some of my knowledge I have acquired from my own personal research and experience. I have put together a list of 10 things I think are important to know if you're in an emotionally abusive relationship (or just to know if you have a curious mind). 

1. Know the signs

There are many, many signs to pay attention to, and even just a quick Google can give you a great starting point if you are trying to figure out how to "label" the relationship you're in as abusive. Some of those signs are:

Name calling / insulting / mocking

Threats and intimidation tactics

Isolation

Denial of abuse & playing victim themselves 

Guilt tripping

Humiliation

Dominant behaviors (like forbidding contact to your family)

Jealous behaviors 

Stonewalling - making you feel alone, isolated, and unimportant, and making you doubt your own sanity

It is very important to recognize these and understand that it is a reflection of the abuser, not you. They use these to control you and make you more dependent on them. 

Many times, abusers will take to using their charm and sometimes status to slander you to family, friends, anyone with an open ear. This can be extremely difficult especially if the people they slander you to are people you care about. I wish there was good advice I could give to this point, but unfortunately this part just sucks all around. What I remind myself is the people who truly know me know that what they say are lies and I can take some comfort in that. If you follow our blog, you know my love for quotes; one that I constantly mantra to myself is "what Susie says about Sally says more about Susie then it says about Sally." Just remember that even if you don't think people see it, many do. What your abuser says about you is more reflective of them than it is of you, and you just have to hold onto that hope that your loved ones being influenced by the abusers see it this way. 

2. You are not submissive, even if they try to make you think so. 

Abusers will do everything in their power to make you feel submissive to them. Remember, you have just as much value as a human on this earth as they do. You have value, you have worth, you have feelings, you have rights, and you do not deserve the abuse no matter how small they make you feel. 

3. Recognize the potential physical health risks. 

Aside from the obvious mental trauma an emotionally abusive relationship can bring, other serious health issues can arise from remaining in these relationships. 

Depression

Anxiety

Sleep disturbance

Suicidal ideation

Substance abuse

Stress-related conditions, such as onset of autoimmune disease or heart condition

Stockholm Syndrome in serious cases

PTSD

It is important to take the proper steps to distance yourself from toxicity before any of these become a threat to your personal health. As hard as it might be, you really need to look out for yourself first. Around the peak of my anxiety before I decided enough was enough, I started noticing serious heart palpitations that came after an emotional trigger from my abusers. That was a HUGE wake up call to me, seeing as this was right after my mom passed away and she had stress-related heart issues. It was at that time I really, truly realized that I had to look out for my own safety. Even though the abuse I was experiencing was not physical, it had a very serious physical effects on my body. 

4. You cannot change them. 

Trying to make your abuser understand you or your point of view is not your responsibility.  And if you are anything like me, you have likely tried many times with no result. The hardest part is understanding that it is not you who fails to communicate properly, it is them who fails to hear you. 

5. Don't fight back. 

Abusers are master manipulators. They can push all of your buttons in all of the right ways to provoke you into retaliation, and then quickly blame you for everything. Of course, I know this is much easier said than done, but just try to remember that it is a trap whether subconscious or not, and it may be you in the end that suffers the consequences. Always take the high road, which is usually the hard road. 

6. Don't be afraid to reach out for help. 

Surround yourself with people who truly love you. Whether it be family or friends or coworkers, being around people who know you, really know you, love you, support you, and better you can provide a perfect support foundation for you. Not only is it good to have positive people in your life who are willing to listen, but also it is paramount for you to understand that not everybody shares the opinion of your abuser, because sometimes that is very easily forgotten. 

Professional help is nothing to be ashamed of either. Unfortunately, there is a negative stigma that surrounds seeking professional help, but I am here to tell you to throw that stigma out the window. There is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of in seeking help. These psychologists and psychiatrists are so equipped to give you tools you need to take the next step in the right direction, and having an unbiased ear who knows no parties in this relationship can really dissolve those walls you have built up and allow you to open up even more. And if you are ready for that, don't be overwhelmed with the task of finding the right person. Do some searches in your area, read reviews, email counselors to see if they are equipped to help you with your particular situation. Eventually, you will find the person that just fits. 

7. Know your limits and when you need to leave. 

Set boundaries for yourself: What are you not willing to put up with? What is crossing the line? It is important to have those boundaries so you can say when enough is enough. 

The death of my mom was my biggest turning point in discovering what I was willing to put up with. Rather than surrounding me with love and supporting me, my abusers cut me down and victimized themselves. At a time where I could not be any lower, they proved me wrong. They isolated me even more and they attempted to further slander me and even my mother. It was then that I realized I needed to channel my mom's strength and pump the brakes. How much of this abuse was I willing to put up with from people who are supposed to support me? I finally mustered up the strength to cut out the toxicity, and thanks to the support of my incredible husband and my network of family and friends, I did it. 

8. Take care of yourself. 

Don't allow yourself to cling to the relationship because of guilt or brainwashing that you would be wrong to leave. Don't stay in the relationship because you are scared to go. Remind yourself of all the pain and suffering that your abuser has made you endure and that the toxicity is bad for you. It may be hard to imagine your life without this relationship, and it may really shift the dynamic of your life at first, but remember that you deserve respect. You deserve to be happy. You deserve to be loved. 

9. Remember you are not alone. 

Unfortunately, emotional abuse is more common than people realize. Like I said before, many don't think about the fact that an emotionally abusive relationship does not have to be a spouse/partner. You can be abused in so many ways by so many people. And I think if it is not a spouse, it may be harder for the victim to except what really is. But regardless of what stage you are in, you should always, always remember that you are not alone. There are so many people in this world who understand you, and that gives me comfort. 

One way I like to remind myself that I am not alone in this is through music. Music is so monumental to me anyways, but I am so touched by songs whose lyrics speak to me in this. It gives me an emotional release to feel my feelings in someone else's words, and it gives me the confidence I often forget I have in physically hearing someone else relate to me in such a real way. 

10. And finally, and most importantly, there are no rules to this. 

Do not let anyone tell you what is right for you. Only you can answer to that. There is no "right" way to handle the abuse, and there is no shame in following your own path to free yourself. If you make the decision to cut off all contact, that is okay. If you try to leave and fall back in, that is okay. If you take baby steps to free yourself, that is okay. Only you know what is right for you, and there is no shame in finding your own way as long as you're looking out for your own safety. Don't let anyone make you feel like your path is wrong, because they can't fix it for you. 

When you do decide to take that leap toward freedom, know that there will be a roller coaster of emotions you will experience, and that is all totally normal. You will feel free, you will feel confused, you will feel guilt, you will mourn the loss of the relationship, you will feel empowered, but eventually you will feel like yourself again, and that is worth the ride. You will find yourself self-worth again and that is so beautiful. And maybe you will even be inclined to reach out on some platform to try to help others, like I am doing today!

Stay strong, pals. You are beautiful. You are strong. You are important. I love you, truly. 

xoxo, Mallory

If you or someone you know is fighting these demons and needs immediate assistance, call the numbers below:

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255

The National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (1-800-799-7233) 

ChildHelp National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453)

Whether you travel by plane, car, boat, or wagon, there are just some things you can't imagine traveling without. Aside from your typical things – wallet, phone, other purse and day-to-day items – there are things you just need to make it through a journey 30,000 miles in the air, or 3,000 miles across the country.

In light of Lo’s upcoming cross-country adventure, we thought what better time than to share with you some of our travel necessities. We want to share with you things that, for us, can make-or-break our adventure.

In the interest of a lack of redundancy, we are not going to go into detail about our normal purse items. If you are interested in seeing in detail what we keep in our purses, we did a whole post on that previously - click here if you want to check that out! Also, we realize that, like most women, our purses are constantly changing and items rotating, so let us know if you are interested in an updated What's In Our Purses post!


Mal's Travel Necessities





While we do our fair share of road trips, Travis and I tend to adventure by plane. I grew up flying solo, from the ripe age of probably 10 or so, as well as traveling with my mom all the time, so I have mastered the art of packing a carry-on!

Aside from snacks which vary depending on when our flights are, and the $17328973 bottle of water we sometimes have to buy past security, I want to share with you what I just cannot travel without on a plane!

The Bag

Typically I carry a tote-style purse, and especially when I travel! This way, I can still bring a full carry-on suitcase if I need to, and have a large enough bag to pack whatever I need handy. Recently, I took a plunge and became a first-time Louis Vuitton owner, and I am in LOVE. I will be doing another post in the near future about that experience! I bought the  Neverfull MM, Damier Ebene and it is PERFECT as a purse/carry-on for me. So naturally, I have my other purse items tossed in here as well. As we mentioned above, we did a whole blog post sharing what is in our purses and linked it above if you are interested!

Makeup & Brushes

Yes - I carry my makeup with me. I never check it with my luggage. I have had too many instances in the past where my luggage is lost and I do not want to be without my makeup! Plus, any of you makeup addicts out there know that it is a legitimate investment! I don't want to lose that much of value!

TSA-Approved Liquids Bag

If you do any flying, you know that you have to have your small liquids in a quart-sized baggie to go through security. I have the cutest little "On The Fly" bag from Sephora that is TSA-approved. I typically carry my travel perfume, lotion, and liquid makeup (such as lipsticks, concealer, etc.) in here.

Sunnies

This may seem obvious, but I mean a good ole pair of big sunnies to cover your tired eyes, and to block out the sun that sometimes kills you if fellow passengers won't close their windows. I have a few pairs of Quay sunglasses and they are PERFECT for just this.

Jewelry

Again with the value thing, I just don't ever want to pack my jewelry for fear that my luggage will be lost, or worse - someone will steal it from my suitcase during a TSA check (yes, this has happened to a few people I know! Scary!) So I always tote my jewelry with me in my carry-on. I use this adorable little case that was my moms - its a travel, zippered pill box that keeps things from getting lost and tangled!

iPad & Headphones

I literally canNOT travel without my iPad and some headphones. Guys, like I need music and movies to survive. Truly!

I have an iPad mini 4, gold (128gb) and I adore it; It is the perfect size for me. And my Kate Spade case is perfect for traveling and watching movies - it has a little picture frame arm so I can prop it up on the tray table and relax! In terms of movies, I usually change it up, but always keep some silly movies I love and have usually seen 100 times.

My headphones are actually a new addition to my arsenal of travel gear and I am super stoked on them! They are the Beats Solo 2 (wireless, but can be wired - which is a big deal for me, I hate wireless headphones, the idea of having to charge headphones makes me cringe). They have incredible sound and are really great at noise cancelling - perfect for a loud airplane!

Charging Port and Cables

Between my phone, my iPad, (and my headphones if I venture on my wild side and take the wire off), I use a lot of juice traveling. So I always take my husband's external charger with me (thanks, Trav!) This way I don't have to worry about  a dead phone stranded in an airport or a dead iPad and boredom on a plane!

A Good Book

I do like to always travel with a book, because I do get tired of movies and music sometimes, and a good book is a great way to make my eyes tired if I want to take a nap! And ever since my mom passed away this past year, I have used her memorial card as my bookmark so it is kind of like she is traveling with me.

Swimsuit

Again with the lost luggage thing - if any of you have ever been on a trip somewhere with water, and your luggage is lost, it is the worst feeling not being able to enjoy your vacation with no swimsuit. So lesson learned for me - if I am going somewhere where there is water involved, I always pack a swimsuit, so if anything happens to my luggage, I can still have fun!

Passport

Obviously if you are traveling internationally, you will need your passport. I keep mine in this adorable handmade case from Lucse on Etsy!




Lo's Travel Necessities

Cody and I do most of our adventuring via road trips, mostly because we do a lot of off-roading and love to incorporate camping into our trips whenever possible. And as you may well know, we are doing a le tour de America pretty soon, in which we will off-road and camp our way across the good ol’ US of A from New Hampshire to California, baby! What better time to get your brain cooking on travel bag essentials, especially of the road trip variety!

The Tote

I am of the wholehearted belief, that a good tote can make a world of difference in your day to day life. And this guy is my game changer. I use it for day-to-day travel, to and from my office (carrying all the things: computer, headset, workout clothes, shoes, makeup, etc) and for road trips and beyond! And it gets the job done, incomparably. Cody bought this Alex and Ani Mermaid Sail Bag for me as a birthday present last year and I couldn’t love it anymore! Even an ounce more, it’s just that good. Handcrafted from recycled sailboat sails off of the coast of Maine, each bag is entirely unique and the signs of age and hard sailing vary from bag to bag, which is pretty damn rad, if you ask me. I thought it entirely appropriate coming from my sailor. And that beautiful mermaid print, which if you haven’t guessed already, I am obsessed with mermaids and more than that for sentimental purposes, my husband calls me his mermaid and he’s my sailor, so it hits home in all the right ways. But sap aside, this tote is an incredible one, not only for its aesthetic beauty but for its functionality as well. It is a sturdy and solid piece (as it is made from quality retired sails) and the rope (which is also recycled), as a handle is brilliant because it’s thick and stable, allowing you to carry a fairly decent amount of weight. This is just perfect for me, as I said before, I carry this to and from work every day, with practically my whole life packed inside of it and it never fails to do a killer job. If you are interested in these bags, it does appear the mermaid bag is no longer being sold but it does look like they have a few others on the website.

Makeup and Hair Products

Gotta look fresh to death, y’all. There’s no way in this whole wide world I could have said that straight-faced, even with all the seriousness I could muster. But for real, keeping this in my tote, rather than having to rumble through my luggage, mostly just seems more convenient and on long road trips and camping, you’re mostly just touching up quickly in the car anyway, keeping the maintenance pretty low and the products easily accessible.

Jewelry

For accessibility and readiness, I have found it easiest to keep a small bag of your everyday/go-to jewelry in your tote or purse on trips. Mostly because like the makeup, it is much simpler and quicker to grab right out of your tote and throw on and it is safer than leaving it in luggage, which can be left unattended more often that a purse or tote would.

Technology

The gadget gallery! Firstly, there’s the iPad, which I have the iPad Air 64 GB. This is a must have on our road trips, as it is data enabled and because we do a lot of off-roading, we use it with specific softwares, as our primary GPS system. While it’s most common function on the road is for mapping, we also like to use this to stream Netflix or HBO, especially if you want to change it up and have something aside from music (of course, the passenger would be the only one watching, we be safe, y’all).  Next up is the iPod touch, he’s an oldie but goodie. Road trips are never complete without a good road trip playlist and in this case, we will have quite a few playlists to choose from because is there ever enough music for a 3,000 mile voyage? Probably not. You have to change up the genre and style and depending on the length of your trip, variation is a b.l.e.s.s.i.n.g. And then there’s the portable charger, because as you can see, if you squint your eyes real hard, my iPad in the picture is on 2% battery and if that is any indication of my inability to keep things with a decent charge, well there ya go! What can I say, I am rebel, dudes. Thankfully, there are also car chargers too, what would I do without these sweet, sweet conveniences. Last but certainly not least, the GoPro! This is a newly acquired device in our arsenal, we have the GoPro HERO3+. If you know anything about me, it’s that I like to document. It all! I love having photos to look back on and am a big fan of the home videos, see our first trip to Cape Cod, Uwharrie National Forest, and our day trip to the Outer Banks (where dreams are born).

Workout Journal

This workout journal contains my daily routine and a layout of all of my exercises, which makes it easy to do just about anywhere. So I take this with me wherever I am traveling, there’ll be more on my fitness routine later.

Sunnies

Because what would a proper road trip be without your favorite pair of sunglasses. I have the Ray Ban Polarized Aviators and I am telling you (as my Grammy says and finger pointing to boot), that polarization makes a world of difference. Especially on those road trips, when the sun hits the horizon at just the right time of the day and no less, just in the direction you are going, the polarization really does help block out some of that glare.

And that about wraps it up, folks! Hope you enjoyed exploring the contents of our travel totes, whether by plane or vehicle, it’s crazy how even the mode of transportation can affect what you deem necessary for travelling. Let us know what your must-haves are and what you just can’t travel without.

Until next time, pals!

xoxo, totes yours!