Friday Pick-Six: 3/16/18

Here's what we're loving and living for this week!

1.  Last week, I saw Black Panther and it was awesome!  The effects and stunts were amazing.  I sure spent time this week looking up what workouts Lupita and the other stars used to get in insane shape! --J

2.  Have you guys watched the new season of Queer Eye on Netflix?  We were fans of the original makeover show and the new one is just as great.  We love the new Fab Five and the transformations are so great!

3.  I recently bought these exercise sliders after doing a Popsugar workout from David Kirsch (J-Lo's trainer).  Hoping they'll make me look like JLO! --R

4.  How cute are these pink Keds?  Do you think I can pull them off for spring? --J

5. I used these tips for early morning travel survival on a recent trip to Las Vegas.  Give them a try if you have an early morning flight coming up! --R

6.  Since this weekend is March Madness, it's as good a time as any to remind you of Ry's Chex Mix recipe.  We will be making it this weekend, no doubt about it!

What are you loving and living for this week?  Let us know in the comments below and have a great weekend!

TTO Holidays: Gift Guide--Stocking Stuffers

We've already given you our Gift Guides for everyone on your list, but thought we'd share a few of our favorite stocking stuffers in case you're still out shopping!

• These cozy chenille socks will keep your feet warm and show your holiday spirit!
• We love Julep nail polish and this set has some classic shades.
• These Kate Spade glitter earrings are festive and fun.
• Even the guys on your list might like these Burt's Bees Lip Balms. (Our brother is a fan!)
• We love the Starbucks Holiday Blend and always stock up on it this time of year.
• This S'ip by S'Well water bottle is a great way to encourage your loved one to stay hydrated.
• As someone who drops her phone (often), Jess recommends this case that looks cute and keeps your phone safe!
• This passport cover is stylish and inexpensive.  Perfect for the traveler on your list!
• This milk foamer turns any ordinary morning coffee into a fancy latte.

What are your favorite stocking stuffers?  Let us know in the comments and hope your shopping is going well!

Twins Take on the Trip: The Outer Banks, NC

We have been taking an annual Girls Trip to The Outer Banks in North Carolina for many years now!  It's one of our favorite things about summer and we look forward to it every year.  This stretch of islands along the coast of North Carolina offers great beaches and beautiful weather.  Here are our tips if you decide to visit OBX!

Getting There:
The closest airport is Norfolk (ORF) if you plan to fly in.  Depending on where you stay on the Outer Banks, it will be in the 1.5-2 hour drive from the airport.  Since the Outer Banks is right along the coast, there's basically one main way to get there (Highway 158 and the Wright Memorial Bridge).  If you're driving in (especially on Saturday, the traditional check-in day), plan on sitting in traffic for a while.

Stay:
There are tons of great lodging options up and down the Outer Banks.  We are partial to the Kill Devil Hills area, but we have known folks who have loved Duck, Nags Head or even Hatteras Island. We recommend renting a house or condo, rather than a hotel to give you a relaxing, personal experience.  We also like this option because with a kitchen, you are able to cook at home and spare yourself the hassle of going out each day (see below).  Also, according to our mom (and our mom is always right), ALWAYS spring for ocean front not just ocean view.  It's ALWAYS worth it.

Oceanfront is always better!

Visit:
We are pretty laid back vacationers, so we don't spend a lot of time sight-seeing.  Our main activity everyday is laying on the beach (Rent your chairs here) and reading.  If you're into water sports, rent a kayak or paddleboard and head out on the ocean.  You can fish, bike and bird-watch if you're outdoorsy.  If you're into shopping, there are tons of local shops.  One of our favorites is The Christmas Mouse, where you can find thousands of Christmas ornaments in any theme!

This tree was Irish themed!

Eat:
As we hinted above, although there are a ton of restaurants on OBX, but this kind of a case of quantity over quality.  Many of the places offer mediocre vacation food (think burgers, fish and fries) and long wait-times.  For most of our visit, we prefer to cook at home and enjoy more time at the beach, rather than waiting for a table at a restaurant).

That's not to say that there aren't a few place worth visiting.  Our favorite breakfast spot is Stack 'Em High, a family owned pancake house with two locations in Kitty Hawk (3801 N. Croatan Hwy) and Kill Devil Hills (1225 S. Croatan Hwy).  You can't call ahead or put your name in, you just wait in line until your turn arrives.  We love the pancakes, french toast and southern-style biscuit sandwich.

Another favorite restaurant is Tale of the Whale (7575 S. Virginia Dare Trail, Nags Head).  Arrive early enough to sit on the deck and enjoy a signature cocktail and live music.  The crab cakes and shrimp and grits are our favorites!

Odds and Ends:

• Many rental properties are rented by the same families year after year during the same weeks.  Because of this, if you're traveling in the summer, you'll want to book in advance!
• We aren't kidding about the traffic on arrival and departure.  Most rental properties feature the same check-in and check-out times, so most folks are coming and going at the same time.  Plan ahead by arriving early and hitting a public beach or shopping if you want to avoid the gridlock.

So there you have it--our tips to have the best Outer Banks trip you can!  Have you been there before?  Let us know if you have any favorite spots in the comments below!

Twins Take on the Trip: Beach Packing List

Every summer, we head to one of our favorite places, Outer Banks, North Carolina for a beach vacation.  This year, we flew instead of driving and we carried on luggage.  As chronic over-packers, it's always a challenge to make sure that we can get everything we need but this really forced the issue!  Here's our tips to traveling light on a beach trip!

• Multi-taskers for the win: When you're short on space, you don't want to pack items that can only be worn one way (Swimsuits are an exception to this rule).  Try to think about clothing that you'll wear more than once and in different combinations with your other pieces.  Your workout leggings can double as traveling gear.  A swing dress might be worn to dinner or thrown over your swimsuit at the beach.  Be sure to include at least a couple of items like this to maximize your space!

• Pick a color scheme and stick to it: This tip works for any short trip.  We always pick a color scheme and stick to it, which allows us to mix and match everything we've brought.  You can often get a clue as to what color scheme will work by spending some time studying your closet.  If you're like me, there are colors you gravitate towards and some that you never wear.  If you choose one color scheme, you'll know that all of your items will coordinate well.  Make sure to include jeans or chambray for your pants/shorts options.  This ensures that you have something to go with every top you have. 

• You don't need all those shoes (We promise!): Jess is decidedly a reformed over-shoe-packer.  Her husband likes to joke that to calculate the number of shoes she might pack for a trip would be "number of days of the trip multiplied by 3".  However, shoes take up lots of space in the suitcase and often you end up wearing the same pair over and over again.  Think carefully about the activities you will be participating in during the trip.  At the beach (at least for us), this usually means one pair of sandals for the beach, one pair of nicer sandals (for dinner out) and tennis shoes (for workouts and/or travel).  

• If it's an option--share:  We grew up sharing a room, and we're more successful at sharing as adults than we were when we were 13!  We don't wear the same size, but we often share accessories on vacation.  To maximize your sharing, chat with your friends before you leave on the trip.  We try to talk first so we bring different options, especially since we have a lot of the same items!

What are your keys to packing successfully for a trip?  Let us know in the comments below.

Twins Take on the Trip: What's In Our Suitcase?

Here are some items that we are bringing along on this week's beach vacation!

Top Row (Left to Right): Lilly Pulitzer Essie top, Lauren Ralph Lauren Halter Swimsuit, Gap Striped Caftan
Bottom Row (Left to Right): Jack Rogers Georgica Jellies, Old Navy Cutwork Swing Tank, JCrew Factory Sleeveless Pocket Dress, Old Navy Graphic T-Shirt

Top Row (Left to Right): Gap modal crop tank, GapFit shorts, J Crew Andiamo T-shirt, Midi Bikini
Bottom Row (Left to Right):  Jcrew Off the shoulder Beach Dress, Old Navy Relaxed cut out back blouse, Mossimo Dark Wash Jean shorts, Ray Ban Aviators

What are your must-haves when packing for the beach?  Let us know in the comments below!

Twins Take on the Trip: Saugatuck, MI

Hi friends, it's Jess.  Recently, my family and I wanted to plan a short beach vacation.  We decided to check out a town we've never visited before, Saugatuck.  Saugatuck, Michigan, is a small beach town located on Lake Michigan.  It's been named the best coastal small town by USA Today and is known for its great beaches and vibrant arts scene.  We spent a couple of days there and here are our tips if you decide to plan a trip yourself!

Stay: 
Saugatuck and its sister city, Douglas, offer lots of different options for lodging.  We booked a last minute trip (through Expedia) to a chain hotel which was fine, but not exciting.  If we were to go again, I would check out some of the many options on AirBNB or VRBO.

Visit: 
If you're anything like us, you probably came for the beach.  Our favorite was Oval Beach (Perryman Street) It was an easy drive from the city and signs marked the way from downtown.  You have to pay $10 for a day parking pass (or you can pay $50 for a season pass), but you can come and go as you please on that date.  There's a small snack bar, a picnic and grill area and clean public restrooms!  When we were there, on a cloudy week day, there was plenty of sandy beach space, but I imagine it gets crowded on weekends or nice weather days.   Other popular beaches are Douglas Beach (Lakeshore Drive in Douglas) and the Saugatuck Dunes State Park (6575 138th Ave).

How cool is that vintage sign?

Pretty even on a crappy weather day!

Caftan and nail polish

As I mentioned, there's a huge arts scene in Saugatuck.  There are no less than twenty galleries which you can visit and explore.  The Saugatuck Center for the Arts also has lots of weekly performances and exhibits to check out.  The performances sell out, so order tickets ahead of time if you want to see something while you're in town.

Eat:
Hands down, the best place we ate was The Southerner (880 Holland St).  Chef Matthew Millar is a James Beard Award Semi-Finalist and the food is traditional Southern fare with a twist.  The decor is Southern and charming and our waitress (Hi, Jessica!) couldn't have been sweeter. We loved the  Horseradish Pimento Cheese and the Mac and Cheese.  The portions are generous (which made it easy to share with the kiddo...see below for more).  Please, PLEASE, order the chicken biscuit Nashville Hot style and you can thank me later.  Their drink menu is also great and the slushies are perfect for a vacation.

Margarita Slushie = Happy Place

The Horseradish Pimento Cheese had a great kick!

Best Nashville Hot this side of the Mason-Dixon!

If you're not totally stuffed after that dinner, head into town for some ice cream.  Our joke on the trip was that you literally can't walk two steps without finding an ice cream parlor.  They all claim to be the best, but our personal fave was Charlie's Round the Corner (132 Mason St).  The portions were crazy large and there was a giant flavor selection.  Our kid woke up in the morning asking to eat breakfast there, so I guess that's a ringing endorsement.

All these choices, and my kid chose Superman!

Birthday Cake Ice Cream--it even coordinated with my nails!

Finally, we didn't eat there, but we saw dozens of people carrying pizza take-out boxes from Marro's (147 Water Street). Looks like that's the place to go if you want to grab a pizza and sit on the beach, and, really, who doesn't?


Odds and Ends:

• Saugatuck is pretty well-known for being gay friendly and was in full Pride Month mode when we went!  Even our random hotel was flying rainbow flags--cool!
• Although we did see many other families with kids, I wouldn't consider it to be a particularly family friendly spot.  None of the restaurants we visited featured basics like a kids menu (lucky for us, our kid isn't terribly picky, but it was a bummer to pay for adult price/portions), family-friendly bathrooms or booster seats.  Most of the tourists we saw were probably 50 or older.  No one was at all unkind to us, but folks seemed sort of surprised to have a kid to deal with when we came in.  We rolled with it just fine, but for you mamas out there, I think I might choose another spot if I were booking a trip with a toddler.

So there you have it, Saugatuck in a nutshell.  Have you been there before?  If so, let us know in the comments below what your tips or tricks for travel there are!

Twins Take On Travel: Denver

Ryan here!  I recently had the chance to spend a long weekend in Denver, and although I didn't have a ton of time to explore the city, I did visit a few places that I'd love check out again the next time I'm in town.  Here are some of my picks-

For a quick, tasty and healthy lunch, we hit up Colorado chain Tokyo Joe's.  My friends and I each built our own bowls of delicious and fresh meat and veggies, but the sushi and poke bowls also looked amazing.  They have outdoor seating looking out over this pedestrian mall-- the weather was a little cloudy here, but trust me, that day was gorgeous!

Hands down, our favorite Denver hangout was the Burnt Barrel.  It's a locally owned sports bar with a giant selection of craft beers and spirits.  The menu features classic bar favorites like wings, chicken fingers and burgers, and incorporates fresh locally sourced ingredients.  The service was great (Seriously, we had the most adorable and attentive waiter both times we visited-- we love you Trent!) and it was the perfect spot to watch a little college basketball and unwind after a long day.  At Happy Hour, try the handcrafted cocktails.  A few of my friends and I tried the Awesome Sauce (bourbon, raspberry puree, lemon, and a splash of club soda) and it was, as the name suggests, awesome.  If you're a beer drinker like my pals Danah and Jeannie, they also have a great selection of local brews on tap or bottled.

If you aren't renting a car for your stay, you can easily take Denver's light rail to and from the airport for only $9.  On the way, make sure you give yourself enough time to check out Union Station which features a combo of bars, restaurants and shopping.  Plus check out the decor!  The place looks straight out of a movie.  For real-

Next time I'd love to check out Milkbox Creamery- I noticed a sign that they have boozy milkshakes... ummm yes, please.

For lunch at Union Station, we hit up Mercantile Dining and Provision. The place is beautifully designed (check out the pics below) and it's one part coffee shop, one part bar, one part restaurant and one part market (featuring an amazing looking array of meats and cheeses).

I had the grilled cheese and with a side of house made truffle kettle chips and couldn't pass up a strawberry macron for dessert.

So there are a few of my Denver faves... what about you?  Let us know if you have any additional recommendations in the comments.