-Splish Splash-

I'm her. I'm that total jackass friend of yours who, while the rest of the country is battling blizzards and black ice, she lives in South Florida, three minutes from the beach, and never in her life has ever even seen a snow ball.

And it's true. Excepting my college years in landlocked Northern Texas, I've never lived more than four minutes from a beach. A warm beach. An Atlantic freaking Ocean beach. It would be fair to say that I'm the tropical type. I'm the type that my Yankee friends call "thin blooded". Rightly so.

I had a fantastic childhood. Diving, boating, The Bahamas, skin surfing, that was all part of it. All of that stuff is still a part of my life. And now that I'm back in my homestate I've realized something I never thought I'd say: for the first time in my life, I don't own a bathing suit.

It's a little shocking. Ergo, time to shop. And also maybe watch Blue Crush again.



Now, despite being a Florida girl, I've never been much of a sun bather. I'm an extremely fair skinned woman, and as such, I basically soak in SPF 75 on a daily basis, least I fry. Also, I'd much rather actually be in the damned ocean than next to it. As such, my beach wear tends to lean a lot more towards the active side of things.



1. No matter what I'm up to, I'm a complete and utter nail polish junkie. If I'm in a funk? New nail polish. Bad grade on a test? New nail polish. Awesome day and I want to treat myself? New nail polish. There is an actual bucket in my closet that is nothing but a veritable feeding trough for my addiction. I have a love affair with shades of coral, so when I found this sunny coral Essie polish in California Coral, I added another bottle to the bucket - $7 at Walgreens.

2. Other than liberal applications of high SPF sunblock, it really doesn't make much sense to bother with makeup when you plan on being in the ocean. In fact, it's kind of stupid. However, all that salt water can fry your lips and that's where Smith's Rose Balm comes in handy. It'll stave off chapping and even out of the water, it's a nice little gloss. Plus, I'm kind of loving on the antique-y tin that it comes in. $6 at Sephora.

3. Rashies. I loves me some rashies. Rash guards were originally a surfer thing to prevent chaffing. Growing up with a surfer for a brother, I picked up the habit of wearing them myself (despite only being able to wake and skin board). They're a great alternative to a bikini or even a traditional one piece. I hate my stomach, so anything that allows me to cover that up and still be functional is a win in my book. Plus, being a busty girl, I can totally get away with wearing a proper bra underneath for support. Both of these are Hurley and can be found at Tactics for about $40.

4. I personally really like the look of contrasting separates. And these bikini briefs from Nike offer great coverage for your booty and come in some great little colors. About $40 from Nike.

5. Growing up, every single one of us had one of these stupid straw backpacks sitting by the garage door, ready to go. They were perfect for carrying a change of clothes, your wallet and anything else you had with you without worrying about your day purse getting trashed by the sand. In the course of my life, I've probably gone through about twelve of these things, all of which I bought at the little local stores that plague the beachfront.

6. When it comes to watches, I tend to favor men's styles. My father is a professional diver and I used to love the ones he always wore. It's also the only kind of jewelry I'll wear in the water. (Excepting, of course, a stint in my teen years when I was preoccupied with cowrie shell necklaces.) This one from G-Shock is both water and impact resistant and I completely love the version of it in Chalk White. $110 from Tactics.

Every time one of my friends visits and is blown away by the massiveness of the ocean, I can completely understand. It's been there my entire life, but I'm never out of awe of it.

So to my friends and readers stuck landlocked and/or in the blizzards sweeping parts of the country, I'll make sure to stay in the water extra long, just for you. And look great doing it. But here's some Ace of Base to keep you company:

-Airplane Runway-

I have a love-hate relationship with travel. I love-love going places and experiencing things and generally getting the hell out of my usual environment.

However, I hate-hate the airport. It's crowded, there's always some kind of mad shuffle getting on and off your flight. Factor in the nightmares of delays and you're starting to look at a stressful mess. Now, given that the next year has me in transit both domestically and internationally, it's going to be unavoidable and brings me to the need for solutions.

Clean, crisp, classic basics tend to keep me calm. And I never need it more than stuck inside a people-filled frenetic airport. If my appearance is put together and well planned, then that's one less thing for me to worry about- both before I leave home and after I arrive at my destination.



1. I freeze. I have no body temperature whatsoever and it makes me miserable if I have to sit like that. Ergo, a nice light coat is a savior. Especially in a beautiful neutral, like the blush camel trench from Dorothy Perkins $50.

2. I'm an American girl. Tried and true. As such, I love the hell out of denim. The average American woman owns something like 7 pairs of jeans, with many of us, myself included, exceeding that. A slim cut in a dark wash, is comfortable enough to sit in for several hours and matched with a beautiful coat, like the one above, is going to be more than acceptable appearance-wise without risk of looking sloppy.

3. I might be the kind of girl that will trot around the house in my Jeffery Campbell's but even I can be made to see reason when it comes to travel shoe wear. Ballet flats become a must when you're taking shoes on and off to make it through security. Whether your tastes run Repetto or Target, a good pair is always a sound investment.

4. I inherited my mother's love for jewelry, so it's bizarre for me to go without, but at the airport, I try to keep it pared down to a pair of bold earrings that are easy on and off and store the rest of my loot in a travel jewelry case that gets tossed in my purse. It speeds up the time of taking items on and off and sometimes it's best just to go with one big extravagance than several smaller ones.

5. Make-up. A Southern woman never leaves the house without her face on. This has been drilled into my head since I first knew what LipSmackers was. When traveling, less is always more. I usually run with three things: a manicure, a very sheer perfume, and a hydrating lipstain. The first just makes me feel put together in general and a self-mani is my way of making sure I pay a little attention to myself. The last two become crucial when dealing with the contained, recycled air inside a plane.

With perfume you don't want to over power, so sheer is a priority. I always travel with a roller ball of the perfume I wear to bed. It relaxes me and as it's a roller ball it doesn't permeate the air and bother other people as much. Versace's Bright Crystal is a good choice.

That same air tends to be rather dry aboard a plane and for that reason, hydration is important. Either a lipstain such as Clinique's Black Honey or a tube of Smith's Rosebud Salve can be a complete life saver.

6. The bad itself is crucial. Well made, simple and size are my main concerns. The last thing I like to do is fuck around with baggage check, so carry-ons are what I deal with primarily. I found this faux alligator one for $40 at Target and which also comes in a precious plum color as well.

7. Only 25% of Americans have a passport. With such a giant country, it's easy to travel for years without needing one. But think of all the things you'll miss after that? It's an important piece of documentation and the lady wife has gotten me so conditioned to believe that all things need a proper case, that a passport cover is a must. Plus it doubles as a great place to store additional cash other than your wallet.

8. Laptop, iPod, smartphone, Kindle. We carry our lives as well as our entertainment with us now. Personally, I have a stronger relationship with my Kindle than I do most people. Lightweight and with an amazing battery life, coupled with the magic of being able to purchase and download books the second I finish or become uninterested in the one I'm currently reading? Perfection.

We all have our little rituals when it comes to travel. We all have our creature comforts. For me, it's usually about getting through the ordeal without having a full blown shit fit. This is just how I do it. Bon voyage!