Personal – Page 56 – Snapshots & My Thoughts by Ailee Petrovic

Personal July 27, 2015

Week in Review

Happy Monday, y’all! The last four-or-so days have been a complete whirlwind, with us packing up and traveling back to Houston from Durango after being gone for a month (Isla and I, flying and Sasha, driving) and then hitting the ground running with photo shoots on Saturday night (just hours after landing) and again on Sunday (for Jessica’s blog – Feather Thread). I’m doing a sneak peek of some of Jess’ photos below, as they are absolutely my favorite we’ve done so far. I have a hippie-inspired styled shoot tonight with five other talented ladies/friends’ involvement, and I am anxious for 7:15pm to roll around for us to get started.

Some of the highlights from the past week (other than taking a much needed ‘blogcation’) include:

Seeing my parents and Sasha’s mom after being gone for a long time! I know they were all way more enthused about seeing Isla, but I’ll pretend it was equal love for all! Ha.
Getting picked up at the airport by my very best friend, McKenzie. She met us in the baggage claim area and I could have hugged her all day long. She also made my favorite vegan dessert and had it in a cooler in the car. Yup, she’s perfect.
Making multiple trips to the Durango Rec Center, sliding down the slides at least 50 times with Isla and hearing Sasha brag about being the “fastest person ever to go down the big slide” (which is clearly made for 13 year olds).
Going on multiple bike rides with Isla along the Animas River – we even stopped one day and let Isla wade around. She is a champ, because it was so cold I couldn’t even last ten seconds. I adore the photos of her holding onto her Tata’s hands. They melt my heart!
Eating at every single one of our favorite restaurants in Durango before heading back to Texas – Himalayan Kitchen, Cyprus Cafe, Fired Up, Carver’s, Cream Bean Berry and Eolus. Best meals and drinks! I am going to miss each place a lot.
Lots and lots of swinging at the park. Isla is addicted, and I’m obsessed with her squeals of joy, so it’s a win-win activity!
Trying the Animas Brewing Company and having my first glass of wine from a can. And y’all, it was so good. The company is called The Infinite Monkey Theorem, and if you can get your hands on a can, I recommend it.
Getting a package in the mail from Bookroo – I cannot wait to share details about this cool company/concept this week!

How was your week?? Get up to anything fun?

#GIRLBOSS July 22, 2015

#GIRLBOSS: Esther of cuteheads

I first met Esther (owner of cuteheads) when we both were on Great Day Houston on the same day (related post here). We had a very brief introduction, but I knew immediately that I liked her. After a few months of Instagram following, liking and commenting (i.e. modern day bonding!), we met up again with a group of Houston mamas for a splash pad playdate in June. Although we all spent most of the time running around after our crazy kiddos, Esther and I got to chat a bit more, and the craziest thing is that I already feel like I’ve known her for ages and ages. She’s just one of those likable people (a common trait amongst all of the ladies I’ll feature in the #GIRLBOSS series).

Besides being incredibly sweet, this working mama is unbelievably talented. Her clothing is adorable – my favorites being this chambray pom-pom romper (that Isla owns!), this blue and white zebra romper, this seersucker dress, and this (sadly sold out!) Carrie top. I also adore the cuteheads custom dresses that Esther makes and will occasionally post photos of on Instagram (like this one and this one). Her skills are endless!

Personal July 20, 2015

Week in Review

Alas, our trip in Durango has almost come to an end! We are embarking on our last week here, and although I’m so ready to see family and friends at home in Houston, I’m going to miss the gorgeous weather here in Colorado. We have a “punch list” (as Sasha calls it) of things to do before we leave on Saturday – most of which includes doing certain hikes and eating at our favorite restaurants. We made the most of the past week and plan to do the same for the next five days. I’m even taking a “blogcation” from Wednesday onwards so that I can spend every single second with my sweet family!

Speaking of family – yesterday was our second year anniversary, and we are so engulfed in the laid back mountain lifestyle that we had no idea what the date was! We figured it out when a friend posted an anniversary picture on Instagram in the evening, and I checked the date right after. We had a good laugh about it, then I walked two streets over and bought a bottle of Chandon Rose and we celebrated 730 days of marriage. I love that man to pieces.

Some of this week’s highlights included:

Making two trips to Maria’s bookshop – I finished The Girl on the Train and We Are Called to Rise – instead of having a second reading list post, I decided that I will just update this post as I read new books! But in short: you must read both. The latter is one of my favorites ever. Sasha also read Into the Void and loved it. We read every evening on the front porch with a glass of wine (i.e. I was in heaven).
Joining the Durango Recreation Center and spent three days playing in the splash pad and sliding down the fun slides – watch two short videos of her sliding here and here.
Eating meals at Himalayan Kitchen, Fired Up Pizzeria and Grassburger – our top three favorite restaurants in Durango (you can read my full guide here).
Taking morning hikes up to Fort Lewis College – the view is so gorgeous (photo here), and I will miss it so much!
Shopping at the Durango Farmer’s Market and getting some delicious treats from local farms and restaurants. There are some great markets in Houston, but this one is definitely my favorite.
Perfecting the “Neiiiigggghh.”
Riding our bikes to the numerous nearby parks where we did lots and lots of swinging – Isla loves it! The Yepp bike seat is a hit around here.
Playing soccer with a beach ball at Buckley Park – Isla was getting so into it! Belle loved it too, but she burst one of the balls we bought, which was a slight inconvenience!
Drinking oodles of flavored water – even tried Codi of Creative Wife, Joyful Worker’s kiwi mint recipe here. You can read my healthy basil lemonade recipe here.
Getting featured on Annie’s blog for her #theprettypursuit roundup. MontgomeryFest is one of my favorite blogs out there and you should definitely be reading!
Updating my website – Snapshots by Ailee Petrovic – with some new photos and cannot wait to add even more after the 8 shoots I’ve got lined up when we get home. So excited about them all! Incredibly appreciative of this journey so far. I also spent time working on a client relationship management database, which is so dorky, but makes me so pleased to have things become more organized!

How was your week? I’d love to hear your highlights in the comments below!

Personal July 17, 2015

2015 Summer Reading List

Last summer, I was on a major reading kick given that I spent many, many hours a day breastfeeding Isla. Instead of wasting time on social media, I was determined to be glued to my iBooks app, and I finished a lot of interesting books. I published two posts – 2014 Summer Reading List Part 1 and Part 2, with detailed book descriptions and my recommendation to read or skip on the books. My reading dwindled in the fall and winter, but one of my 2015 Resolutions was to read more and I’ve stuck to it! I recently finished six novels, which I’m sharing brief synopses about below and also my opinion as to whether or not you should immediately buy the book and start reading!

#GIRLBOSS July 14, 2015

#GIRLBOSS: Joy of Priya

My friendship with Joy dates back fifteen years to the very glittery days of competitive cheerleading in 6th grade. Joy and I remained good friends throughout middle school, high school, college (in different cities), and now see each other every few months (although I wish it was more often!) now that we’re both living in Houston. It is safe to say that I adore Joy. She is one of the most genuine people I’ve ever met. Not only is she incredibly talented with apparel design, she is also a savvy business owner, as well as being a dedicated philanthropist (more details below!).

Joy is definitely one of my business role models. After graduating from The University of St. Thomas in 2011, Joy launched Priya, which originally sold artisan-crafted silk purses and bangles made by women in Asia who had been taken out of human trafficking and were being taught useful skills like sewing. In 2014, Priya debuted its first contemporary jewelry collection – the Zama Collection, which I posted about here. I adore all of Joy’s gorgeous pieces of jewelry, and I cannot wait to watch as Priya continues to evolve.

Joy launched a Kickstarter campaign yesterday to raise $30,000 to help support The Priya Foundation. I encourage you to watch the video, read the interview below, scour the Priya website, and if you feel moved by this cause, then support this campaign. I can guarantee you that the money will be put to good use.