Camo On The Mountain

     I was so looking forward to my first time at Beech Mountain to go skiing for their annual 80's weekend. Our whole show was going to hit the slopes and host an 80's costume party at the resort's ski lounge. 

    The weekend started off GREAT! Our Aupair, Elena and I made the 2.5 hour drive up whiney roads into the gloomy abyss. Unfortunately, the weather was being less than cooperative. Ski conditions weren't great since it was warm and rainy, but we were going to party anyway! Beech Mountain was nice enough to set our whole show up in one giant house for the weekend!

    As soon as we all arrived, there was fun to be had! A quick dip in the hot tub and a slice of pizza was the prelude for the evening. We all got ready in our BEST 80's ensembles and headed out for the night. Hosting the resort's party was a ton of fun and everyone really brought their A-game when it came to costumes. We saw, Ghostbusters and Joan Jet, Don Johnson and Hulk Hogan, but the first place award for the night went to Cheech and Chong!  

    The night seemed to go off without a hitch... until now. After making it back to the house everyone took another quick dip in the jacuzzi and headed to bed. That is when all hell broke loose for me. I closed my eyes at 1:45am and not long after I was violently awakened by the sudden urge to use the restroom and puke at the same time! 

   Now I know what you're thinking. LauRen, you probably just had too much to drink. I had 2 drinks all night! This was not the spins! This was something awful... something different and I proceeded to spend the next 7 hours unable to hold anything down. Ironically when I called my husband back home, he had been dealing with the same ailments. We BOTH had the stomach flu in two different cities. 

   He urged me to come home ASAP as he was feeling the same way I was. He had been watching Cashton all weekend and was afraid to be around him and give him the flu too. So Elena and I got into the car and made the horrific drive back to Charlotte. As you can imagine driving almost 3 hours puking into a plastic bag is no fun! 

    When we arrived back home Elena became the real MVP! She took Cash and let Dallas and I quarantine ourselves in our bedroom until the vomiting passed and we could sleep off the shakes. 

    All in all, I guess you could say, feeling a little "green" left me inspired to share this camo look with all of you! The earrings, pants and white waffle tee shirt are from Fabrik Birkdale. I paired them with my Gucci flip flops since the weather is a little warmer today and this bamboo bag from Red Dress Boutique. Enjoy!  

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On The Road Again

Happy Friday! Last weekend at this time I was off again! This time Dallas and I were headed out west to ski and Park City, Utah was our final destination. Now let me remind you that I had only ever been skiing one other time in my life and it was in North Carolina 15 years ago... so no doubt I was nervous.

As we were waiting on our layover flight in Atlanta International Airport, my nerves set in! I was sitting in the Delta Sky Club sipping my Champagne when all of a sudden I started to have an anxiety attack. 

I suddenly got the strong realization that it could be a long 3 days of skiing if I spent the majority of the time on my fanny, and that's exactly what happened! 

I am a decently athletic person so I'd hoped skiing was like riding a bike, but it was not. I did okay at first with the help of a fantastic instructor, but as the day went on and rigor mortis set into my legs it got increasingly harder and harder to stay upright. 

After some nourishment in the form of food and cocktails at the ski lodge, I was ready to hit the slopes again. At this point though, my instructor was certain I was ready to graduate from the "green" beginner runs and ready for the "blue" intermediate slopes. I was not so sure. 

I made it about 50 feet after dropping into the slope before I realized how steep the mountain was and immediately panicked. After throwing my ski poles I hit the deck and started to feel my pulse quicken and sweat bead up on my forehead. I wasn't ready for this after all and I clearly was not getting off this mountain by skiing down. 

Next came the "walk of shame". My instructor had to shimmy me all the way down the slope and as I looked up at the gondolas above I realized that people had their cell phones out and were undoubtedly taking photos of my embarrassing moment.

At that point, I called it a day. I was worn out physically and mentally. Luckily, my tenacity and competitiveness drove me to try again day 2, and I am glad I did because it was a breeze compared to day 1. 

All in all, I learned to stick to the beginner slopes and that I wasn't trying out for the Olympic games anytime soon. I did, however, have a blast once I got the hang of it. 

I wanted to share that hilarious story with you guys and answer some questions I received in my direct messages while we were there. 

Where did you Ski?: We skied Park City the first day and Deer Valley the second. Deer Valley was nice as the slopes only allow skiers. Snowboards were not allowed on this mountain which helps as a beginner skier. 

Was Snowmobiling hard?: I would relate snowmobiling to a cross between wave running and atv-ing.  It snowed a foot the night before we went, so the snow was fresh and not packed, making it easier to get your vehicle stuck. However, I would say it was much easier than skiing. 

What else is there to do in Park City besides skiing?: I feel like Dallas and I did a week's worth of activities in a weekends time. There is an adorable "downtown" area on Main Street with fun antique shops, art galleries, and amazing restaurants. We saw "I, Tonya" at the local film festival series and attended a "Mines and Wines" wine tour.  

Where was the outfit you wore home from?: The entire outfit I have on in the photos above is by Page 6 Boutique in Fort Mill, SC. You guys know I love my Spanx and this striped tee-shirt and the bomber jacket was so comfy to travel in. 

What are some of your travel must-haves?: A good lipstick that won't dry out your lips, Rose Water, and my Beats headphones! 

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