Week 2 of Gratitude Challenge- Your Spouse

The second week of this challenge had the prompt titled Spouse/Significant Other and why you are grateful to have them in your life. I like to think I do a good job of letting my husband know that I appreciate him, but its not a bad idea to take time to focus on the good they bring to your world. I'm grateful for the last almost 3 year of marriage and that I truly have a partner in life.


This is just a shortened and random assortment of the things I am oh so grateful for when it comes to him.

• Taking Kavalier out on weekend mornings to let me sleep in. He knows how much I love sleeping in on weekends and does this automatically.
• On occasion (like the weeks we don't play each other) he will help me with my fantasy football team.
• He brings me a croissant on Sunday morning from our local coffee shop down the street. This is a new one that is a perk of living in the city.
• He listens to my thrift hauls when I get home from a successful thrifting trip.
• Loves exploring new places with me.
• Accepts me for who I am.
• Reminds me to step out of my comfort zone when needed.

What are you grateful about your spouse or significant other?

Time for Tailgating

One of my favorite parts of the fall season is football. I love watching both college and NFL football and have been playing in a fantasy league for the last few years. The best part of watching a live football game is the pre-game tailgate parties outside the stadium. I enjoyed tailgating when I was a student at Florida State University where it felt like the whole town came together on game day.


The NFL holds its draft every spring and fantasy football teams hold drafts as well. What about holding a tailgate party draft to decide what to bring? Man Crates asked me to draft my tailgate essentials for a football tailgate. Man Crates is a new company that ships awesome gifts for the men in your life in custom wooden crates with various themes to choose from. I love the concept for customized gifts for hard to shop for men. I was given a $25 limit to draft my essentials for a great tailgate celebration with friends.

My tailgate line up:

1. Dogs/Burgers- Good food is key to any successful tailgate party. Burgers and hot dogs are classic football food and you can't go wrong with them.

2. Beer- What is a tailgate without a cold beer to go with your burger or hot dog? I would also include water and soda to the cooler as well. I'm originally from Florida where water is a necessity on those hot day games where the temperatures can still be high in October. Soda is a good option for those in the party who don't like to drink beer.

3. Football- While I don't tend to play a game at tailgates, I think you should always have a football on hand for spontaneous games between friends.

4. Face paint- Some of my fondest tailgate memories from my college days involve putting some spirited face paint on before the game. Getting your face painted in the team colors is a fun way to get into the football spirit.

5. Option Play- Sweets. I have a big sweet tooth and like bringing something like cupcakes (in team colors) to the tailgate to share with friends.

6. NFL Barware Crate- I love the team logo pint glasses that come in this Man Crate. You can show your team support throughout the year and it is a great addition to the tailgate with the snacks. You can never have too many snack options at a tailgate party.



What would you have in your tailgate lineup?

52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge

In the past I have attempted to keep a gratitude journal where on a daily basis I think of things in my life that I am grateful for. I usually keep it up for a week or so before life gets in the way and I forget about it. I love the idea behind taking time to be grateful for what we do have in our lives.


It has been far too easy to get and stay in complain mode. Complain about my lack of success in finding a new position, how expensive things are here in DC, or just comparing myself to other people in general. I feel that this sense of comparison has increased since moving to DC. Here you have an abundance of highly educated people with impressive job titles, and I on the other hand have been going on interviews for a better job with no luck for the past several months. This city makes it hard not to play the compare game.


I stumbled upon this 52 week gratitude challenge on Pinterest and was quickly intrigued. Why not try to take time out every week to remind myself of the good things in my life? I do admit that consistency is not my strong point, but I am going to attempt to blog every week on gratitude. I'm starting this challenge to regain some focus back in my life and break the habit of focusing on what I'm missing rather than what I'm blessed to have.

DC Goodwill Shopping Tour

If you follow me on Instagram (@alifelesstraveled) you saw me post about the DC Goodwill thrifting bus tour I went on a few weekends ago. I was intrigued by the idea of thrifting with others, since I always go to thrift stores by myself. I'm definitely glad I went ahead and signed up for it. The tour started at 9:00 am with everyone meeting up for the bus to take us on our day of shopping. We went to four local Goodwill stores in the DMV area.


At the first Goodwill store in Alexandria, I wasn't having a lot of luck scouting the racks for things on my fall fashion wish list. I ventured out to the dresses section when one of my fellow thrifters showed me an orange printed dress in my size and suggested that I try it on. Normally I don't tend to wear orange but I was drawn in by the interesting print on the dress. I'm so glad I decided to just try it on. Not only was the dress a good step out of my fashion comfort zone, but it turned out to be a Jude Connally dress that retails for close to $200 priced for just $8.99.  It turned out to be the steal of the day.

I love finding J Crew clothes when I'm at the thrift stores. I love the brand but I can't justify the high prices at the retail stores, so when I find it in good condition I get excited. I found a teal wool J Crew sweater for only $5.99 that fit like a glove on me. With winter weather just around the corner it was a perfect find.


The last Goodwill we hit in the suburbs of Northern Virginia was where I really hit the jackpot.  While the store itself was a little crammed and hard to maneuver with a shopping cart, I ended up finding some great stuff at this location. I got a pair of Gap black slacks, a deep purple v neck sweater a fitted black blazer and a cross body bag. My grand total for all of my purchases of the day was just under $40.00 and the stores gave us an additional 25% for being part of the shopping tour.


For those who thrift, have you ever been on a thrift shopping tour?