OOTDs: Amelia Island. Plus Shots from the Camera.

Happy Monday, everyone.  :)

I hope all of you are still above water after the craziness of Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales.  They were nuts this year.  I thought last year was crazy, but because of multiple companies offering many discounts that brought prices down by 40-60% off, I think 2012 will take the prize for most savings made by the most people over a five day period. 

With the exception of my dad and my brother, I have bought everyone's presents.  (Well, there is that American Girl I want to get CW, but I am waiting until I get paid on the 20th of December to buy that one.)

Okay, enough about that, and onto the mini-jaunt I made with Mr. Dina and Angus a couple of weeks ago to Amelia Island, Florida.

Mr. Dina had a conference to attend down there, and since he was booking the trip while I was up to my eyeballs in scheduling, errands, and kid-related catastrophes, I decided to ask him to book me on the trip, too.  Had I realized that the trip would be right next door to another trip (the one I currently am on in Mississippi/Louisiana), I might have re-thought my spontaneity, but since I couldn't look back, I went ahead and tried to enjoy myself.  (Chortle.  You all with kids know that I am being sarcastic when I say I tried...the two days I was away were insanely blissful, with just a wee baby's needs on my docket, I was in heaven.)

The weather was slightly dreadful, what with the overcast skies, cool temperatures (low 60s), and high winds, but it could have been snowing hot coals from leaden clouds and I would have still be relaxed, that is how much this time alone was needed. 

First night's outfit.  Our resort had a restaurant at it that was at our doorstep, so rather than drive to one of the other places to eat, we decided to go to the fanciest one and walk instead.  (The resort is rather large, with multiple hotels and condos.  Like the state of Florida, it is spread out.)

This was also to be the only meal I was set to enjoy with Mr. Dina (the other was Krystal, oh, yeah, that's romantic), so I wore the nicest outfit I had packed that night.

Right before we were heading out, I was trying to get a close-up shot of the details of the outfit and my makeup and hair, and Angus decided he would ham it up for us.  LOL.  What a cutie.  ;)

The next morning, Angus and I were on our own, and since I knew the whole day would be spent walking all over the resort and the beach, I wanted comfortable yet bright (yay for yellow), so I threw together a casual look.  The top is Old Navy, the shorts and sunglasses are J. Crew, the clutch is Tulu, and the sandals are from Target.

I added a merino cardigan from J. Crew to help keep the chill at bay.  I wasn't the only person wearing shorts that day, but more folks were decked out in jackets and pants than in tees and shorts. 

I set the self-timer on the walk and then grabbed this photo of Angus and me.  The mossy oaks are so pretty, and the fact they have bent by years and years of wind from the ocean is pretty incredible.

My camera (Sony RX100) allows me to switch modes when taking photos, this one is the high contrast monochrome setting.  I like that it really emphasizes the shape and shadows of the scene. 

This was taken at the boardwalk leading down to the beach.  I took it in the high contrast monochrome setting so the grain of the wood would pop, and I post-processed the image in Picasa using duo-tone (which is how I turned the black to a mid-purple color).

Boardwalk again, another high contrast monochrome setting.  I only processed it slightly, to get the rounded corners in the image (1960's does that).

The camera also takes photos in "watercolor," which is what this is.  I post-processed this image to up the color and add the rounded corners, but otherwise this is how the image looked when I took it in this setting.  The watercolor setting is fun, but probably not for the "serious" photographer.  ;)

I love this shot.  Again, set up with the timer.  I took this in the camera's regular "intelligent" mode, but heavily post-processed it.  If I had to do it again, I would add the 1960's at the end so the photo corners are pure white and not the grey (the grey happens when you add the layer of Holga-ish to the image). 

The other shots from this part of the day are hilarious, btw.  This was the only one where my hair wasn't sticking straight up from the wind. 

The next day we were set to go home, so I wore my boring, yet very practical and cozy, outfit.  For those of you interested in the two-tone cashmere sweatshirt from J. Crew, it is lovely, soft, and unique (the blending of the two colored yarns create a fun, distinctive knit).  It does run a bit short, so if you are long-torsoed, you may want to size up.  (This is a size extra-small and if I were re-ordering, I may get the small so I wouldn't have to pair it with a cami for coverage.)

The beach was warmer the second day, so instead of just playing on the boardwalk, the three of us sauntered down and walked on the shore instead. 

This is really cute, but imagine the next scene...Mr. Dina screaming loudly, "OWWW, tiny, stop pulling my hair...STOP TINY STOP!"

This was on the plane.  Angus fell asleep and I loved the way the light sort of created a halo on his scalp.

Okay, that's it.  Have any of you all ever been to Amelia Island?  I keep insisting that we go back when it is a bit more seasonal (read: warm, sunny, and still), but Mr. Dina isn't so sure.  Convince him that I am right.  ;)

Ladies who love Boden, quick reminder...in five hours the Boden Preview shuts down the 20% off promo (PRV3), so if you were thinking of grabbing something with the extra off, you have until 11:59 pm. 

Miami: The Outfits.

Hi, all!

Today I am publishing all of my outfits from the Miami trip that we took back in early June.  Last night I published a post with lots and lots and lots of family type photos, so if you are a fan of my kids and my hubby, go on over there to take a look.  ;)

Onto the outfits!

Day One. If you open the photo you will see the info on the individual bits of this outfit.  I was glad the shorts with the embroidered fish matched the top well enough.  I could have worn this outfit again (second outfit), but I really wanted to be more festive on my first day in Miami.  Now looking back, I prefer the way I wore the outfit last year, but this one didn't get any tomatoes thrown at it, so I guess it wasn't over the top offensive.  ;)

CW was wearing her outfit from the plane, a dress from baby Boden (it sold out already, that was fast).

Day One (night) and Day Three (night).  I love Boden's maxi dresses.  I now have three and have worn them constantly through last summer and this summer.  I never, ever considered even buying one years ago.  I have seen the light, ladies.

I don't normally rewear a dress twice on a short vacation, but the other dress I had brought, this one from Liberty of London for Target was too small on my now more full bustline (thanks, Angus!).

I had purchased these earrings from Anthro on super sale a while back and love how large they are.  I was expecting something smaller, but was pleasantly surprised when they came, I prefer the visual impact these have.

Day Two.  I knew we would just be hanging out not doing a whole lot (outside of walking around and taking in the sights), so I opted for super easy casual.

Day Three.  I wasn't sure if I would be able to wear this particular outfit (I brought a tee just in case it was too hot for the sweatshirt), but that day was a bit rainy and cloudy. The outfit was only really too warm at around 2 pm after the sun had come out.

I really do love that printed skirt by the J. Crew factory.  I have another version of this skirt that I last wore here.  From what I recall, the above skirt sold out in one or two days.  Ridiculous.  Some items at J. Crew never sell out and sit in final sale for MONTHS and then there are ones like this skirt, proving more popular.  And I never know which one it will be...

Day Four.  Much warmer this day, so I pulled out all J. Crew for this look.  The silk of the casbah top is insanely soft and perfect for a day like that, when humidity threatens to suffocate.

CW wore her tropical princess look, courtesy of Carter's.  ;)

Another view of the outfit.

Day Four (Night).  You all have seen this one already, when I did a review of it here.  This Everyday Summer Dress is currently in the clearance section over at Boden, for $58.50.  This color was the only one not threatening to sell out.  I don't get it, but whatever.  I didn't even consider the other colors, I loved this shade and pattern so much.  :)

CW is also in Boden, but baby Boden.  Her dress is long gone (it may not have even made it to the sale).

Day Five.  Since we were in Miami, I figured we could wear our The Webster for Target pieces at least one of the days.  I am actually in a girls top, size 14-16.  It fits perfectly, btw.  (Kind of like crewcuts, the size 14 is sized similar to a misses size 4.)

Miami Packing 2012. by dinagideon featuring j crew shoes

Above is my packing polyvore.  

Okay, that's it.  This post was so much easier to get done.  I guess when you don't have 37 photos (!!!) to publish, it is gonna be easier.  :)

Talk soon!

Scenes from Miami!

Hey, all.  I was all, "ooh, I haven't published any of my photos from Miami on my blog...must get those done."  So I went into active mode today and got all the editing and junk done (after I waited with bated breath for the Boden sale to commence, of course, lol).  :)

I plan to publish the "Outfits from Miami" post tomorrow, but tonight I will bore entertain you with the more family/atmospheric photos from the trip we took in early June.

Most of the photos speak for themselves, so I will just add a few words below each to give you a teeny bit more info on where the photo was taken or what was going on.

Miami first day.  It was cloudy and stormy but we "weathered" it.  Groan.  :)

My bro downloaded a few films to my Kindle Fire.  Loss of hard drive space worth it for the priceless feeling of "OMG, he's isn't bothering the entire plane."  It's Finding Nemo if any of you want to know Rex's vice.

Aw.  He's yawning.  That's all I have to say about this photo.

CW looks so pretty here.  And Angus looks far too contented.  Doesn't he know he is on a cramped plane?

We found this cool arty stained glass window display in the Miami airport.  It was possibly the best thing about the Miami airport.

They look like they get along all the time, don't they?  Such con artists.

No words needed.

The lifeguard stands were brilliant...both in design and in hue.

Somehow he fell asleep, even without the aid of the bjorn.

CW has hints of future sassiness in this shot.

We actually saw this rainbow on the first day.  See clouds and storms are worth "weathering."  Groan, part two.

CW takes some great photos, but this is one of my all time favorites.

Target collaborated with this store to create some pretty cute items.  CW and I are wearing two of their collab pieces in the last few shots here in this post.

The best day for the beach was the second day, when the sun was bright and the water was clear.  Sadly days three and four did not afford such nice weather, sigh.

The water was calm enough that my scaredy cat kids had no problem frolicking and playing.  (I know, I am a swim coach, you would think my kids would be able to swim no problem.  You would be wrong.)  ;)

You all have seen this photo before, but I couldn't resist showing it again.  So freaking cute.  Gah!

I have a pic of me doing this pose at 16.  If only I could have my teenage jawline again, I would be set.

I have no idea how Rex did this.  Kids and their flexibility.  Scary.  This is at the Miami Marlins stadium, btw.

The Nationals gear was not superfluous.  They were actually playing that night.

After the game, the kids continued to play on the oversized letters that litter the outside of the stadium.

All parents should visit children's museums with their kids.  After all, how often can you say that you've been in the company of a giant pink snail?  Thought so. 

Rex should become a cop.  That means he will use his power for good.  Not evil.  ;)

Clearly I want to use my power for good, not evil, too.  Angus seems to agree.

 CW will use her power to help stuffed puppies regain their sight.

They had a baby room in the Miami Children's museum, too.  Rex, although five, seems to find the toys more than agreeable for his needs.  Angus was perfectly happy to share.

That night, I drank my 211th cocktail of the trip.  This was at Sushi Samba, which is on Lincoln Road.  I want to point out that they thought nothing of us bringing the kids in there to eat at 9:30 pm at night.  I suspect they thought we were from Europe.  Or they just thought we were crazy and are used to it...or something.  LOL.

Loved the decor of the restaurant.  Those lights above are ridiculously cool.  And likely expensive, which might explain why our meal cost so much.  (But it was SO good we said we would go back in a heartbeat.  After we save up for six months or so.)

The sign says: Virginia Oysters, Large, Meaty, Salty.  Ha.

Posing on Lincoln Ave.  I am just that cool.  Chortle.

I just liked this hotel.  Very South Beach, no?

On the last day we were able to spend the morning at the beach (so two days at the beach total), and again, utterly perfect.  Love this beach.  Wish we had one like this a bit closer to DC.

Darling.  I caught her, and she had no idea.  I hope she likes this photo when she gets older.  I used to bite my nails, too.  I have something like twenty photos like this in my baby photo album.

We were at Monkey Jungle, which is this preserve for all sorts of monkeys.  Anyhow, you could buy seeds and such and put them in the saucer thing CW is holding and the monkeys would come along and hoist it up so they could get the goods.  The kids were fans.  I just wanted to spread their whole bodies with antibacterial gel after each "feeding," but I let my OCD tendencies go for the afternoon.

Here we are near the monkey lagoon area.  We are both in the Webster for Target items I mentioned earlier. 

That monkey loved CW.  I think it wanted to hold hands with her.

Rex wore that Burger King crown hat the whole trip (he got it the day before).  I think he may have even worn it on the plane (it made it through TSA screening).

Last photo.  Gus's hair cracks me up here.

That's it.  I hope you enjoyed.  :)  Miami outfits tomorrow.  Have a great night!