• Getting gifty

    personalized gifts

    As an unrepentant shopaholic, I love shopping for everything. Even a trip to the grocery store is fun. Still, I think the best is shopping for gifts for others. I’ll admit that buying things for other people can be a little stressful if you don’t know them that well (and I have been the recipient […]

  • Surfing in SoCal

    newport pier

    Long-time readers may remember that I am somewhat obsessed with the idea of learning to surf. I’ve taken lessons a few times, and while I’ve been able to stand up on the board every time, I don’t think I’ll be joining the pro tour anytime soon. Still, practice makes perfect, so when my parents planned a […]

  • The Kentucky Derby

    jenandtobyderby

    I am so sorry for my extended absence. In the last two months, we moved out of our townhouse in Virginia, I dyed my hair pink and then reddish brown, we went to Michigan, Kentucky, and Disney World, and we moved to the Middle East. I will write more about all of those adventures, obviously, but first, […]

  • Aaren’s Spartan Races (and a giveaway!)

    Unfortunately the universe has been conspiring against me for the past few years, so I haven’t been able to do a Spartan Race yet, but one of my BFFs, Aaren, has now run two (because she’s a bad ass!). I asked her to write about her experience to give you an idea of what to […]

  • Yoga in the outfield

    nats game

    Despite the fact that we lived in California for two years — which seems to be the yoga capital of the US, if not the world — we never really got into yoga. Meanwhile, my dad has become quite the yogi up in Michigan. He even borrowed my yoga mat when he drove Toby’s car […]

  • Go Navy!

    annapolis friends

    One of the first things we did upon arriving in the DC area was look up the Navy football schedule. We didn’t get season tickets or anything, but we did manage to get tickets for a few of the games, including the first home game of the season. I think you all know my philosophy on dressing […]

  • Surfing in Lahaina

    royal hawaiian surf academy

    Maybe it’s because I grew up in the desert, or because my father played the Beach Boys and Jimmy Buffett on near-constant repeat through most of my childhood, but I am a little obsessed with the beach and the ocean. I assume that’s why I think surfing is the coolest sport in the world. Yes, you […]

  • The Feast at Lele

    feast at lele

    While it’s certainly possible to visit Hawaii without going to a luau, I wouldn’t recommend it. Some luaus are better than others, of course, and it seems like the kind of super tourist-y activity I try to avoid. But it really is the best and easiest way to learn a little about the history and […]

  • Diving at Molokini

    molokini dive

    About 20 years ago, long before I finally got certified to scuba dive, my family went to Maui and we snorkeled at Molokini — an underwater volcanic crater that is protected from fishing, so it’s basically like swimming in an aquarium. Toby and I thought about diving at Molokini the last time we went to […]

  • Surfing Goat Dairy farm

    hawaiian goats

    YOU GUYS. There is a goat farm in Maui… and the goats know how to surf. OK, so maybe the goats don’t actually know how to surf. But I’m sure they could learn. Don’t they look smart? We had eaten some Surfing Goat cheese the last time we were in Maui, and Isabel and I had an […]