Boden: Pretty Jersey Dress, Easy T-Shirt Dress, and 30% Off!

Hi, all!

Happy Sunday!  I know many of us have tomorrow off and I hope for all of us it means incredibly lovely weather.  :-)

Boden had started a 30% off sale on Friday, but because I work Friday, I didn't have a chance to do anything more than a very basic announcement over at the blog's facebook page.  I actually can sit still for a few minutes this morning, so I thought I would get a couple of reviews done (only one with photos, though), and let you all know more about the sale.

First the reviews!

Pretty Jersey Dress.  Size 6 Long.  This is a very old school Boden kind of dress.  Of course I bought it.  ;-)  I am pleased that they are willing to still have some of the styles that brought many of us to their company initially.  (For some of us as early as 2004!)

The jersey is a cotton/modal and very comfortable.  There is actually less need for a stretchy material in this dress since the style is a bit loose (that gathered skirt is attached to a loose waist--it doesn't even cinch in at my waist, it appears that way, but that is because the tee portion is a touch fitted).  The only reason I could see any of you all needing to size up is if you are incredibly blessed in the bust department.  I could have sized down to a 4, but I like how this style looks loose, so I am fine with the 6.

The length is wonderful for teaching, it hits right above the knee.  If it fell any longer, I would definitely look pretty frumpy.  I do not recommend going with a longer length unless you are taller than 5'7".

The pockets are deep and generous, and held my phone and my ID all day. 

I wish I had straightened out my skirt before taking this photo, that bump of fabric above my bottom is from not fixing it before taking the photo.

You can see the looseness in the bodice here, nothing big, but because it is a stretchy knit, it is completely unnecessary ease.  Again, don't care, but if you hate excessive ease in knits, this may not be the dress for you.

If you are long-waisted, this style may be too short-waisted for you.  I have a short torso, so this waistband is actually at my real waistline, but I totally get and understand why those with longer torsos would prefer something less "babydoll" in silhouette for themselves.

The print is a pretty little abstract dot print, with a true dark olive background.


Pretty Jersey Dress.  There are plenty left, but most are on backorder.  Mine came before my expected date, so maybe yours will too?  The blue is selling well, so if you like that color, bear that in mind.

Easy T-Shirt Dress.  I ordered the 8 Long in the white shade.  I should have ordered the 10 Long in order for it to fit properly and well.  It is NOT a jersey t-shirt dress, it is a full on woven rayon dress.  UGH.  Dumb, Boden.  Many of the reviewers are like, "you say t-shirt dress, and that means we are expecting something stretchy, knit, and more casual."  I actually like it in the woven rayon, but my hips need more material in a woven material.  Rayon knit means I sometimes can size down since it is so stretchy, but in this style, I thought I would do a size 8 to have it look more like it looks on the model.  Grrrr.  Dumb, Boden.  ;-)

Anyhow, it fits in the 8, but barely, and the pockets become non-functional.  And there is the completely expected shrinking after washing, so I have to send the 8 Long back.

Having said this, though, the dress is nearly sold out in the white shade.  So if you love it, and it's in your "WOVEN size" in stock, then grab it.  I see there is a 10 L on sale today, so I grabbed it, but I am going to be honest, I am not holding out hope it will work for me.  I suspect that one will go back, too.


Now the sale info...

So the sale is pretty basic, 30% off everything that is current season.  It does not apply to clearance stuff, and this is the sale I like for buying items that will NOT be 30% off in the clearance sale when that rolls around in early July.  (Most of the time items that don't get to 30% off are the ones that are very popular during the regular season, you can tell those by how little of the items are left in stock right now.  The Rose Dress would be a good example of this.  When it goes in clearance, it might get to 15% off, which is about the regular "sale" price during the season.)

The sale ends midnight tomorrow night.

The link below will get you to the sale, but remember to use the code 2Z7C to receive the 30% off.

OOTDs: Festive Sparkle. And Some Plaid!

Hey, all!  I finally finished some of the recent stuff I needed to get done, including a sewing project using stretch velvet, so I can get back to posting.  I am trying here!  Maybe one day I can get back to the more regular posting I did prior to 2015.  We'll see.  :-)

The velvet dress was sewn up for the Fabric Mart blog, and it is very timely for the festive season, so if you are a sewer, or like velvet, definitely check it out.  I feel a bit like a female Oscar statue wearing it.  (In other words, I love it!)

Onto some festive sparkle!

Day: Thursday, December 25, 2015.

Where:  Christmas Dinner.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) The salt content alone would have filled an ocean (based on how fat my fingers and toes felt at the end of dinner), but dang if this outfit wasn't super easy to wear all night.  I love J. Crew for making this plaid skirt with an elastic waistband.  Now I will never tuck anything into it, but that bothers me not one bit.

Outfit Details: Sweater, Boden; Skirt, J. Crew; Shoes, J. Crew; Necklace, Madewell (they still make it, find it here).

Anecdote of the Day: Does salt make any of you all swell up the way it does me?  Maybe it's because I try really hard not to eat too many items that have it in overabundance, but when I do eat it in copious amounts, I feel it.  I hate all those cooking show comments that say "there's not enough salt, wah wah wah."  I'm always like, "dude, really, do you want to be pickled from the inside out?"

INSTAGRAM HERE.

Day: Monday, December 7, 2015.

Where:  Meetings and writing lesson plans.  Boring.

Ease of Wear: (5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) Again, elastic waistbands to the rescue.  These Boden pants are in ridiculous deep discount, and because normally Boden pants are just crap on me, I figured these pair would be sent back.  But because they run large, and they have room for a booty, I find them ridiculously comfortable one size down from my normal Boden size.  Yes.

Outfit Details: Sweater, Boden; Pants, Boden (Jessica Jogger here, out of stock right now, but pops back); Shoes, Boden; Necklace, Boden; Sunglasses, Ray-Ban (here, they are the Meteor style).

Anecdote of the Day: I take so long to write lesson plans.  Secret--I never had to write lesson plans formally before this. I just had them written down so that the administrators could see them if they walked in the room.  I did finally write them down for a long-term sub when I was set to have CW, but that was during a frenzy of nesting, so I hardly remember it being a pain (and I did the full year for him, too, lol).  I think I may write too much, but my assistant principal seems to like it.

INSTAGRAM HERE.

Day: Wednesday, December 23, 2015.

Where:  Picking up the turkey from Whole Foods.

Ease of Wear: (4.75 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) The Oona skirt features an elastic waistband.  Really, I should just retitle this post "Elastic Festive."  That sounds like a song.  Hmmm.

Outfit Details: Top, J. Crew; Cardigan, Ann Taylor; Skirt, Boden (Oona Skirt here, but this color has long since sold out, but the Tamara Top features the same fabric); Shoes, J. Crew.

Anecdote of the Day: The turkey has to be ordered in advance, it costs way too much money, but man, it's a good bird.  I went in and heard people crowing that Whole Foods had sold out of the turkeys, so I felt good that I had ordered in advance, regardless of how silly my family thinks I am for doing so.  :-)

INSTAGRAM HERE.

Day: Wednesday, December 2, 2015.

Where:  I don't remember!  Maybe Winesday since it was a Wednesday?  I know it was raining, lol.

Ease of Wear: (4.75 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) Turner pants feature an elastic waistband.  And the Zoe coat is warm!  Hey!

Outfit Details: Top, J. Crew (here in stripe); Pants, J. Crew (no longer available in poly, but they have them in wool here); Coat, Boden (Zoe Coat here, review here); Scarf, J. Crew; Shoes, J. Crew.

Anecdote of the Day: Got nothing.  It was raining.  I was warm.  :-)

INSTAGRAM HERE.

Have a great day, everyone.  Glad I have some time to get some ootds here.  Now off to go visit some of my favorite blogs!  :-)

OOTDs: A Little Bit of Late Summer.

Day: Sunday, August 23, 2015.

Where:  Church, Elevation Burger for lunch, and Bowling with some friends.

Ease of Wear: (4.25 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) I almost sold the Barbados dress, but because I had plans to wear it on an upcoming cruise, and because I didn't get back to the blog reader early enough (she found it on ebay!), I was able to hold onto it for longer.  I am so happy it worked out since re-wearing it and matching CW has reminded me of why I fell in love with it in the first place.  It is super lightweight, very cool on a hot day, and made in a silhouette that is super friendly to my pear shape.  :-)

The Cole Haan sandals have been in my closet forever and I love them so much, they give height without being too uncomfortable. 

Outfit Details:  Dress, J. Crew; Shoes, Cole Haan (similar here at amazon.com); Necklace, J. Crew; Sunglasses, Anthropologie.

Anecdote of the Day:  We saw some good friends at mass and when we mentioned that we were going bowling, their ears perked up.  We thought, "hey, let's invite them the next time we go," but they could come that afternoon.  I love it when plans fall into place so easily.  It was awesome.  :-)  I did okay, but I want to always do better.  BTW, I am not joining the bowling league this year (sad) since my new job means I don't have enough spare time to make it happen. So I really will need these outings to keep my bowling skills up.

INSTAGRAM HERE.

INSTAGRAM at bowling HERE.

Day: Wednesday, August 19, 2015.

Where:  Winesday at Whole Foods.

Ease of Wear: (4.25 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) The dress features buttons that gape a bit at the back, but other than that, seersucker in a bright yellow in a pear shape friendly dress style?  Yep, a winner.  I sometimes wonder why I bother to wear trousers and shorts.  Ever.

Outfit Details:  Dress, J. Crew; Birkenstock Madrid Sandals, this exact pair can be found here at amazon.com (amazon.com also has the shade in these sandals and J. Crew still has some of the mirrored Madrid available); Necklace, J. Crew; Sunglasses, Anthropologie.

Anecdote of the Day:  So the week before I had seen my ex-roommate at Whole Foods at Winesday.  I am happy to report there was no sighting of him this time.  :-)

INSTAGRAM HERE.

Day: Friday, August 21, 2015.

Where:  Swimming Pool.

Ease of Wear: (4.75 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) It's a ruched femme swimsuit from J. Crew, my favorite swimsuit style ever, hands down.  It even beats out the iconic Speedo one piece styles with the racer backs that I wear for swimming laps.  The only reason for the slight ding is that this particular version of the ruched femme ran a bit longer in the torso than the other ones in the past.

Outfit Details:  Swimsuit, J. Crew (my version is only available in d cup or long torso, but the pretty fern print one is still around in a regular length).

Anecdote of the Day:  I did nothing but laze around with my kids and my dad at the pool that day.  I was glad I took those moments, though, since the next week was an endless parade of school meetings and classroom work.  I was exhausted from all the teacher prep I did.  (I will do those teacher type outfits later this week, fwiw.)

INSTAGRAM HERE.

Day: Saturday, August 22, 2015.

Where:  Rex's baseball tryouts, Stella and Dot party, and a dog fair.

Ease of Wear: (3.75 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) Like I said above, I don't even know why I bother ever wearing anything other than dresses or skirts and tops.  I find shorts and pants a bit uncomfortable, except when they are made by me OR when they feature an elastic waistband and stretchy material.  And since that's not always appropriate everywhere you go, I suck it up and do the "real" thing with proper closures from time to time.  But I can't help the feeling of "I want something better!"  :-)  These are fine, and really, they aren't nearly as bad as I know they could be, but unless I feel super thin (which is almost never), I feel very conspicuous when wearing pants and shorts.  

Outfit Details:  Tee, Madewell; Shorts, Boden (this year's styles here); Shoes, J. Crew (in navy here); Sunglasses, Anthropologie; Necklace, gift.

Anecdote of the Day:  My friend, A., mentioned there was some kind of fair near us when I was at the Stella and Dot party.  Initially I was supposed to walk three miles home from the party, but instead I went with her to the dog fair.  In the end, snuggling cute puppies and then only getting 1.5 miles seemed to be a fair trade.  Right?  ;-)

INSTAGRAM HERE.

Okay, I hope you all are doing well!  Have a great last few hours of August and happy early September!

OOTDs: Suddenly in Summer.

Hey, all!  Happy end of July.  :-)

If you missed it, I am selling quite a few dresses and some swimwear from my great closet cleanout.  I will have more for sale next week, probably shorts and other summer type clothing.

Day: Sunday, July 26, 2015.

Where:  Church, then to La Madeline for lunch.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) This linen dress by Boden is a perfect one for summer, nice and lightweight for the heat but still substantial enough to be worn to church or any other place where you may want to be dressed up without sweltering.

That said, as per usual with some Boden dresses, the hips started off a bit snug because the material hadn't stretched out enough to be super comfortable.  One hour after wearing the dress, the material had stretched a bit and it felt just fine!

Outfit Details:  Bow Shift, Boden; Birkenstock Madrid Sandals, sold out in this shade (Amazon.com has the shade in these sandals and J. Crew still has some of the mirrored Madrid available); Sunglasses, Anthropologie.

Anecdote of the Day:  We have no kneelers at church right now since the actual church is being renovated.  We have to meet in the basement for mass instead.  I told Mr. Dina to go back into the house and grab pillows for the kids to kneel on, and he was all, "they can handle the bare floor."  That sounds like something I *would* have said.  In the end, sense prevailed and we decided to bring them for the kids, but not us.  (Our knees were fine.)

INSTAGRAM HERE.

 Day: Tuesday, July 28, 2015.

Where:  Harris Teeter.

Ease of Wear: (4.25 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Besides the fact that it was six thousand degrees with a gazillion percent humidity, the outfit itself was awesome.  I love this tank but struggle to style it, and was pleased to see how cute it looked with the shorts. 

Outfit Details:  Vacationland Shorts, J. Crew Factory; Tank, J. Crew Factory; Necklace, J. Crew; Sunglasses, Anthropologie; Sandals, Madewell.

Anecdote of the Day:  We walked to the back of Harris Teeter and there on the floor was spilled beer, everywhere.  I joked with one of the employees that I needed a long straw so I could started to help them clean it up.  He informed me that it was Corona that spilled.  Mmmm, Corona.  :-)

INSTAGRAM HERE.

Day: Saturday, July 25, 2015.

Where:  Rex's Swim Team Banquet.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  I should have dressed up more, I just figured if the banquet was at the pool, it would be more casual.  For once in my life, I showed up not as dressy as everyone else.  It was actually a bit freeing.  :-)

The shorts are reversible, which is stupid cool, but the silky material rides up when sitting down and it required me to adjust a few times.  Blegh.  I hate adjusting!

Outfit Details:  Tee, WalMart; Shorts, TruthNYC (Marshall's); Birkenstock Madrid Sandals, sold out in this shade (Amazon.com has the shade in these sandals and J. Crew still has some of the mirrored Madrid available); Sunglasses, Anthropologie.

Anecdote of the Day:  Looking for a place to sit and hang out with other swim team members was redonk.  Even though none of the tables/chairs had anything to indicate they were occupied by human beings, I was repeatedly told by pinched face people that the entire tables/chair were occupied and that my five would have to go somewhere else. *When I say entire tables/chairs--I am talking tables that could fit fifteen.* I guess a smile or some gentle kindness would have helped the situation, but as per usual for the DC area (God bless my home and its influx of selfless folks, lol), it was all ME ME ME not YOU YOU YOU first and foremost.  Thankfully, a friend from the pool felt badly for us and let us pull up with him and his amazing wife and girls.  See!  I can crowd in (and am happy to!).  I guess in the end I was at the table that was the best one, anyhow, just had to find it.

INSTAGRAM HERE.

Day: Morning Wednesday, July 29, 2015.

Where: Lasagna lunch at my friend's house (I made it for her as part of a meal delivery).

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  This was super comfortable. Kind of boring, but at least I tried a skirt, I guess.  ;-)

Outfit Details:  Tee, Target; Skirt, Lands End Canvas; Shoes, Boden.

Anecdote of the Day:  My friend wasn't sure if she was going to have us come over that day or one of the others, but I read that it was "National Lasagna Day," so I texted her and said, "well, it's national lasagna day, which means my offer of lasagna is even more appropriate."  She insisted I come that day after seeing that.

INSTAGRAM HERE.

Day: Wednesday, July 29, 2015.

Where:  Winesday at Whole Foods.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Many Boden fans own this dress, the Adelaide.  There's a reason this one and its sister, the Blackberry, are so popular.  Super soft jersey, not too heavy for summer, pockets, cute styling, etc.

The Esska sandals always feel great, though they look fairly dressy, they can be worn for long walks due to their cushioning and shape.

Outfit Details:  Adelaide Dress, Boden (the Blackberry Dress is very similar); Sandals, similar Esska sandal from Amazon.com; Sunglasses, Anthropologie; Necklace, Madewell (darker version is here).

Anecdote of the Day:  I took Rex with me to the Winesday, and we took the bus there and back.  He loved it.  I am so glad I found a way to get there and back without having to drive myself back (I am too much of a lightweight to drive after the tasting).  I hadn't realized there were that many buses that could get us to Old Town, but apparently there are quite a few.  :-)

INSTAGRAM HERE.

Day: Tuesday, July 21, 2015.

Where:  Rex's swim team practice while CW and I enjoyed the path near our house; Grocery Stores (of course); Summer Preschool run.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  This dress is awesome.  It has a fun printed rayon woven front and a super stretchy jersey back.  This means that no matter what, it will always fit, even if the rayon shrinks a bit.  Score. 

Outfit Details:  Harbour Island Dress, Boden; Sandals, Madewell; Necklace, J. Crew; Selina Sunglasses, Boden here.

Anecdote of the Day:  The walk was beautiful, but buggy.  This prompted me to buy lots of bug spray at Whole Foods.  Guess how many times I have brought it with me since last week?  If you guessed zero, you would be right.  Score one for attentive momma.  :-/

INSTAGRAM HERE of outfit.
INSTAGRAM HERE of walk.

Okay, all, that's it for today.  Talk with you soon!

OOTDs: California. 2015.

I realize I actually have a California, the Outfits, post or two, here at the blog.  I guess since I travel there so much I now have to start just naming them by years.  Of course I didn't think I would have a 2015 version, but as many of you know, my great aunt passed away on July 5, so I ended up traveling back to my birth state to say my last goodbyes.  It was a great visit, and her funeral service and interment were very beautiful, just like she was.  It was also nice to see friends and relatives, of course, and even though there was a loss bringing us together, it still brought us together, which is something my great aunt loved.  :-)

I will post the California: Photos post later, but those are still all stuck in the phone and camera for now. 

I am going from most recent to furthest in dates for these outfits, starting with the outfit I wore to fly home. 

Day: Tuesday, July 14, 2015.

Where: Flight home from CA, with three airports in between.

Ease of Wear: (4.25 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Any outfit is going to be uncomfortable after twelve plus hours of wearing it (barring pjs, let's be real), but considering I had this on for that long and with a very unexpected change of flight plans, with a long shuttle ride to another airport, this outfit was as easy to wear as can be without looking too sloppy.  :-)

Outfit Details:  Pants, J. Crew here; Tee, J. Crew (but I found it at Marshall's for $16--who knew they had current J. Crew stuff); Sandals, Target here; Sunglasses, Costco; Necklace, Gift.

Anecdote of the Day:  I discovered my phone can take selfie shots on timer when propped up just so on a tall bottle of San Pelligrino (those are the shots with the white background).

Our flight plans were originally Long Beach--Phoenix--DC (National) but then the little plane set to get us to Phoenix was unable to shut its door (not good, obviously), so that flight was canceled and we ended up going to LAX (SHUDDER) to fly nonstop to Dulles (double SHUDDER).  But, meh, once on the way it was fine.  I should complain less.

INSTAGRAM of LGB here.
INSTAGRAM of LAX here. 

This is my lovely cousin, K. Isn't she super cute?

Day: Monday, July 13, 2015.

Where: Knott's Berry Farm's Soak City.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  A swimsuit, a lightweight a-line teeshirt dress coverup, and a pair of flip-flops?  Definition of ease.

Outfit Details:  Dress, Soprano (found at Marshall's); Flip-Flops, J. Crew; Bag, J. Crew; Sunglasses, Costco; Swimsuit (not pictured--but it's the yellow one), J. Crew.

Anecdote of the Day:  Soak City was so much fun.  I usually am so absorbed with going to Disneyland every time I visit CA that I always neglect Knott's, even though as a kid, we went there quite a bit too.  Soak City is the water park for Knott's and not the amusement park, but that was more than fine by me.  I should have worn more sunscreen, though, my very pale skin burned.  Eek.

INSTAGRAM of the other outfit I wore that day here, definitely more dressy than the outfit above.

Day: Saturday and Sunday, July 11-12, 2015.

Where: The funeral on Saturday and mass on Sunday.

Ease of Wear: (5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Garnet Hill's tiered maxi dress is one of my favorite summer staples (I have this version and this version, too).  So unique, very presentable, exceedingly packable (doesn't wrinkle), and comfortable to the max (groan, bad pun there).  Add a pair of sparkly, fun, casual flats, and it's a winner outfit.  Can you blame me for two days of wear?  (Well that and the fact that I packed very little.)

Outfit Details:  Dress, Garnet Hill here; Sandals, Target here (they are true to size); Bag, J. Crew; Sunglasses, Costco; Necklace, tru.che.

Anecdote of the Day:  My aunt is buried next to my uncle, and whenever I go to the cemetery, I am overjoyed that their final resting place is on such gorgeous grounds.  Nestled in the hills in between Los Angeles and Orange County, it is verdant, full of light, and in a position to see the mountains to the east. 

We stayed in Downey for the visit, and my dad, though raised in Downey, had never really taken me there as a girl.  Walking around the downtown area after mass I fell in love.  It is an absolute mecca for fun mid-century architecture.  I especially adored the Masonic Lodge.

INSTAGRAM of the outfit here.
INSTAGRAM of my cousin and I here after mass.

Day: Friday, July 10, 2015.

Where: Marshall's (where I got the tee and dress above from), In and Out, and one of my many visits to the hotel's Happy Hour.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  The day after traveling I always feel ugh, so I wasn't surprised to wake up and feel a bit bloated and under, so no matter what I wore, it wasn't go to be awesome, but I figured a brisk walk (our mode of transport to get to Marshall's) would help.  I wanted to show some pride in the gorgeous palm trees of CA, so I decided to wear this Madewell linen tank with one of my favorite pairs of shorts.  The outfit was comfy enough, and got comfier as the day wore on.

Outfit Details:  Tank, Madewell; Shorts, Bandolino Blu (THEY ARE SO OLD); Sandals, Target here; Sanibel Reversible Pendant Necklace, Stella and Dot here.

Anecdote of the Day: I cannot believe how much my family enjoyed happy hour.  Embassy Suites has free drinks from 5:30-7:30 nightly, and the drinks kept coming.  The first day I was jetlagged (you'll see evidence of my fun while jetlagged in the next ootd), but by the second I was more clear, so I enjoyed it more.  By that point, all the relatives had come to town, including my once super bratty boy cousin, D.  He's not bratty anymore, more like an enabler.  I have to massively detox this week to make up for my CA sins at the bar.  :-/

INSTAGRAM of the outfit here.
INSTAGRAM of the shenanigans with boy cousin here.

Day: Thursday, July 9, 2015.

Where: Flight to CA from VA, El Torito for lunch, Happy Hour, and thankfully bed thereafter.

Ease of Wear: (5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  I made that tee you see the day before and dang, it's super comfy.  Granted it is two rectangles sewn together and made out of stretchy rayon knit, but it was so comfy, I made it work as pjs later that weekend.  And leggings, I mean, really.  It barely counts as an outfit.  ;-)

Outfit Details:  Tee, handmade; Leggings, J. Crew here; Sandals, Target here; Necklace, Madewell here; Sunglasses, Costco.

Anecdote of the Day: This day was fine, but remind me never to start the weekend of drinks before my family gets to me.  If I had known what they were capable of, I would have waited (I had a glass of wine on the plane and a beverage of choice at El Torito).  I fell asleep easier than I have ever fallen asleep before.  AND--I slept better than I have in a long time, so there's that.  :-)

INSTAGRAM of the no makeup Dina here.
INSTAGRAM of the shenanigans with girl cousin here.

Okay, that's all for now.  Armchair travelers, some more atmospheric photos to come.  (And for those of you interested in more shenanigans, those are coming, too.)