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Ailee Petrovic

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Durango City Guide

DurangoTravelCityGuide

In 2012, my parents bought a home in Durango, much to our dismay, as we were rooting for a lake house in Austin. We are now so glad they ignored our pleas, as this old-timey city has definitely won over our hearts (and the lack of Texas humidity is a huge bonus). Durango has everything you could possibly need in a getaway city – great food and drinks, amazing views, fun activities, good shopping (well, not high fashion), and perfect weather (ahem, except perhaps the freezing cold winters). We’re fortunate enough to live just two streets over from Main Avenue, which is where most of the restaurants and shops are found. Given that most things in Texas are driving distance, it’s nice to be able to walk to dinner. We also take advantage of the proximity to the mountains and Animas river, and spend the days outside hiking, biking, rafting, running, etc.

If you’re looking for a fun Colorado vacation spot, I highly recommend making a trip to Durango. And if you come, I suggest trying some of the following restaurants, juice bars, ice cream shops, parks and adventure centers. If you have already been to Durango, am I missing anything?


 Food and Drinks

Carver’s Brewing Co.: This brewery is a favorite in our family, as it’s just two streets over from my parent’s house and the food is delicious. I typically order the Sesame Seared Ahi Stir Fry (substitute tofu for Ahi) or the veggie burger without the bun and a salad versus fries. Both options are delicious. Sasha normally gets the Tatanka (buffalo) burger and also loves it. They have big to-go beers called “Growlers” (discounted refills), so naturally Sasha and Dad have to drink one or two of those to prove their Colorado manliness.

Sugar & Cloth + BHLDN (Plus, A Familiar Face!)

SugarandClothBHLDN2

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that I spent my afternoon with the Sugar & Cloth team for a styled shoot with BHLDN. I was ‘modeling’ (it feels wrong to not put that in a quote as I’m the furthest thing from a model) alongside Aelish and Meredith (who could both actually be models). We had a ton of laughs while having the photos taken (by the very talented Jared). Ashley was directly all of the shots, and their sweet-as-can-be intern, Kayla, was helping style too.

Summer Wardrobe Staples

My favorite season for fashion is definitely summer, as I love flowy dresses, colorful shorts and comfy sandals. I am not a big layerer, so the fall and winter cause me anxiety when it comes to getting dressed, but warm weather seems so much easier to dress for.

Isla was born at the beginning of last summer, so I spent almost the entire season wearing workout clothes. I’m much more stringent now about changing out of workout clothes by lunchtime, after I finish working out. My summer uniform normally consists of a light summer dress or colorful shorts and a light, neutral top. I’ve rounded up some items I own, as well as others I’ve been lusting at (ahem, this Mara Hoffman swimsuit). The pieces are all practical, re-wearable, and affordable (for the most part).

What does your summer wardrobe look like? Would you buy any of these summer staples?

 

 

Week in Review

Our first full week in Durango has come to a close, and it flew by. I had forgotten how much I missed this gorgeous mountain town. We spent last summer here (July through September), which was glorious as we were able to escape most of the scorching Houston summer. I think we’ll only be here for a few more weeks, so we plan to make the most of every day.

Our good friends, Meredith (of Cake & Confetti) and Trent, came to stay with us on July Fourth. Trent’s parents have a house in nearby Pagosa Springs, so they visited for the two days prior to flying back home to Houston. We had a great time with them, rafting, hiking, eating, drinking, etc. I love holiday weekends, and July Fourth is definitely one of my favorite.

Some other highlights of the past week include:

  • Lots and lots of family time. My parents are here, as are my relatives from Scotland. My older sister was also here for four days, so we’ve gotten to have a lot of fun hanging out together. I got to practice some fun Barefoot Blonde braids on my sister’s hair, which I enjoyed more than she did!
  • Spending oodles of time in the wading pool. Isla is a total fish and would much rather be in the water than on the ground. You’ve got to keep your eye on her when she’s playing in the yard, as there’s a high chance she’ll climb in the pool with all her clothes on.
  • Eating at our favorite spots in Durango – ice cream at Cream Bean Berry, frozen yogurt at Top That!, and meals at Grassburger, Thai Kitchen, Fired Up Pizza, Himalayan Kitchen, Carver’s Brewery and Rice Monkeys.
  • Walking up to the top of Fort Lewis college almost every morning for some exercise and the view. I’ve also been running every other day and doing BBG workouts on the other days. I am addicted!
  • Watching Isla learn to wink when we winked, which seriously cracked us up. Very short video here! She also learned how to go down the stairs, which is huge when there are three sets of staircases in your house!! We don’t have any in our house in Houston, as we live in a bungalow, so this has made us super nervous.
  • Finishing reading Fangirl and starting The Little Lady Agency – summer book list to come this week!
  • Going rafting down the Animas River (which was insanely freezing) and doing a 6+ mile  hike up the Animas Mountain (while carrying Isla) – needless to say, my legs are so sore today!
  • Taking our new blanket from Lindsay Marcella on a test run to the park. It’s for a shoot later this summer, but we thought we’d make good use of it this summer while we’re here and the weather is enjoyable outside.
  • Making s’mores with our cousins last night – is there anything better than sitting around a fire chatting with chocolate and marshmallows?

How was your holiday weekend? What did you get up to this past week?

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Independence Day Sales

StudioDIYFirecrackers

Happy Fourth of July weekend! Don’t you love those firecracker sunglasses that Kelly of Studio DIY posted a tutorial for yesterday (here)? I seriously need a Cricut machine. I adore this festive red-white-and-blue holiday, mainly because I love anything to do with summer time, but also because I love all of the sales! I took advantage of the 50% off sale that Loft was having yesterday, and I’m planning on getting some fun Gap Kids clothes for Isla in their big sale (as well as clear out J. Crew!) – I cannot believe she was this tiny last year on her one monthiversary!

I’m also sharing a few other sales taking place at my favorite stores! Have you found any steals yet?


Banana Republic | 30% off regularly priced items with code BRTHIRTY (ends July 5) and an additional 50% off sale items with code BRGOBIG (ends July 8).

BaubleBar | 30% off sitewide with code RSJULY (ends July 5).