In vs. Out Link Up

Hey y'all! I can't believe it's already the last Friday of October! This month has absolutely flown by and I'm happy to be celebrating with another In vs Out link up with Allison. In case you missed my last post, Allison does a weekly round up of what's "in" and "out" in her life. I just love it and am so excited to join in! I will again be doing a monthly round up since I do not participate weekly. Here's what's been in and out with me for October!

IN:
My new mixer. Did you see my Instagram photo? I have been dreaming of owning one of these for years and finally took the leap. It's a beautiful white mixer and will fit perfectly in my future all white kitchen one day.

Mattel's new Barbie commercial. Have you seen this? I'm just floored by how adorable this is! I love the little business lady and the teacher! They just say the cutest things.

Seasonal Kettle Corn. One of my friends recently introduced me to candy corn popcorn.. it's exactly what it sounds like. Totally something out of a dream! I love kettle corn as it is, and the drizzled flavor of the candy corn makes it even better! I tried the Book Chicka Pop brand and think you should too!

Visitors. I love hosting people, and had the opportunity to host several people this month. Recently, my sister visited last weekend! I loved spending time with her and showing her around my new home. I'm also hosting a friend this weekend and look forward to running around with her as well!

Blogging Courses. I purchased my first blogging course and couldn't be more excited! It's been going well so far and I really feel like I'm learning a lot of valuable information. Learning is a passion of mine and I'm excited to have invested in myself instead of some more stuff this past month. I'm hoping to get some great results and I hope you enjoy them as well. Interested in trying out the course I'm in? Check out Quit Your Job To Blog here!

OUT:
Rain. Y'all, I'm totally over wet weather. It makes my job really miserable. Although as soon as it starts to snow I'll be missing the rain.. but for now it stinks. I featured my rainy work day essentials yesterday, be sure to check them out!

Spreading myself too thin. I love to be busy and involved, but I also like to give 100% when I put my name on something. Lately, I've been involved in tons of different things and feel as though I'm spread so thin I'm not able to do my best at each individual item. I need to do a better job of assessing my commitments and saying no when needed.

Cold feet. Not the emotional kind.. the literal kind. I haven't quite transitioned over to close-toed shoes during work and keep ending up with freezing toes!

Stomach Aches. I've had a really stressful month and I often manifest stress in my body. I don't think that it's something that I can control, but I get physically ill after I reach a certain stress level. This has meant stomach aches for me lately. I'm OVER it.

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In case you've missed them, here were my favorite posts in the month of October:
7 Bible Verses to Ease Anxiety
2 Podcasts You Need to Listen to
My First Blogiversary!
5 Packing Tips for Business Trips
Great Hair Days with Hask Hair Care

What are your ins and outs for the month? What was your favorite post from October?

Gear to Survive a Rainy Work Day

Hey y'all! I hope you're having a wonderful week so far- we are so close to the weekend! Mine has been great, however we've had wet weather all week. YUCK. For most people, rain stinks- but they go inside for their job all day and only deal with the weather when arriving and leaving. For me, rain is TERRIBLE (almost as bad as snow!) because I of the nature of my job. I'm in and out of the car all day. So, rain is basically my enemy. I've always struggled over what to wear to work on a wet days and have come up with my essential rainy day gear through trial and error over the past few years. I wanted to share these fabulous items with y'all so you too can survive a rainy work day!

Water Proof Trench. I absolutely love my London Fog trench coat. It's the perfect color khaki and has a flattering silhouette. It's great to wear with pants or dresses, and keeps my outfits dry on rainy days. I purchased the coat with a detachable liner that really comes in handy on cold, wet days!

Stylish Rain Boots. A pair of cute rain boots are a must! I love the bow detailing on the back of these, especially in comparison to my plain black pair! I love that these look like riding boots and could be worn in a professional setting.

Umbrella. This is a must- no one likes to wear wet hair to work!

Travel Mug. Rainy days call for an extra cup of coffee or tea to keep you warm. Obviously, this is another opportunity for stylish accessories. I typically use Tervis cups but this Kate Spade mug is adorable!

Scarf. If your rainy day comes with wind or cold temperatures, adding in a scarf will help keep you dry! I think few things are more miserable than we clothing.

Boot Socks. I don't have Hunter boots, but I love how these look! They have an assortment of colors that look absolutely adorable in a rain boot. They definitely keep your feet warm and dry on dreary days!

What are your rainy day essentials?

Great Hair Days with Hask Hair Care

Hey lovelies! I'm super excited to be sharing today's post with y'all. Do you have hair envy like I do for the girls who appear to have perfectly coiffed manes 24/7? As I've shared before, I have thick hair that can be unruly at times. This has lead me on an interesting but tiring journey of finding the perfect hair routine to tame my locks and give me perfect hair days every day. I was given the opportunity to try out the Argan Oil Hair Care line from Hask and think I may have found what I've been searching for! Helllooooo gorgeous hair!

This line features a repairing shampoo and conditioner, repairing deep conditioner, and a shine oil (all packaged up in the cutest little bag!). All of the products are free of sulfates, parabens, phthalates, gluten, drying alcohol and artificial colors! The potent ingredient in all of the products is Moroccan Argan oil- which works to repair, strengthen, and moisturize your hair while adding amazing shine. Hask Beauty's products combine high quality ingredients and amazing fragrances with bright packaging to deliver real results. They truly speak for themselves!

I have coarse naturally curly hair and struggle with frizz on a regular basis. Combating these problems usually requires goopy serums and thick creams that leave my hair weighed down and don't always fix my problems. Thankfully, I have found real solutions with Hask. For me, the most miraculous part of this product line is how light and soft my hair feels after use. No heavy products or extra weight to worry about. Which is awesome.

Thus far, I've used the shampoo and conditioner every other day (my hair gets cranky if I wash it every day), the shine oil on my ends every day, and the deep conditioner once a week. They all share a fresh citrus scent that stays with me all day! I just love it and find it extra luxurious while in the shower. Used together, the products provide softness I've rarely experienced and certainly have not found at this price point.

All-in-all, the Hask Argan Oil Hair Care line has been the start of my great hair days lately and I couldn't be happier with my results. If you're interested in prepping your hair for great hair days, check out their website here.

Full Disclosure: I received a complimentary product sample from Hask Beauty to review honestly. As always, all opinions and words are my own. Thank you for supporting brands that support A Peachy Sonder!

5 Packing Tips for Business Trips

Hi hi! Today I wanted to talk to y'all about a small, but important part of my job- business trips. More specifically, I want to talk about packing for one! Week-long business trips are something that I do 2-3 times a year. So pretty rarely. But one of the biggest challenges I've run into is how to pack for the meetings. We usually head out to attraction destinations- I've attended meetings in Las Vegas, Orlando, and Scottsdale. These locations are mainly warm, so packing for the trip can be a little tricky.

Layers are key. For those of you who haven't been to a corporate meeting hosted at a hotel, let me set the scene for you. You are bustling around with hundreds of other people packed into conference rooms chattering all day. You may or may not change rooms depending on your meeting agenda. Hotels see large groups of people and decide to BLAST you with air conditioning, regardless of the temperature outside. I understand that it would be terrible in the rooms without the flow of the air. However, I am cold-natured and this is my worse nightmare. I pack plenty of layers that can be worn in different combinations to keep warm through the meetings.

Bring conservative post-meeting attire. While it's absolutely necessary to let loose after meetings end for the day, executives are also going to be around the hotel. I recommend either wearing your meeting outfit to the evening activities or packing something more comfortable yet still conservative for the evening. At my company meetings, everyone generally hangs around the hotel bars and it is a wonderful time to network. Be comfortable yet still try to look professional! You never know who you might run into!

Travel in style. In my experience with business trips, we are expected to fly in on the morning of our first meeting day. This means that we will be seeing people in the arriving airport to get transported to the hotel and be expected to sit in meetings after lunch. For my first trip, I traveled in the outfit I wanted to wear for the day but planned to shower at the hotel before our meetings. Big mistake. I didn't know that everyone would be completely done up even though they got to the airport at 5AM! Since my first mistake, I shower the night before and wear light make-up for my flight. I will typically wear my glasses on the plane so I can sleep (don't forget your travel pillow!) but fully ready myself in all other aspects! In addition to feeling more put together at the airport, I have enjoyed having the extra time to rest or get settled into my hotel before my meetings instead of frantically getting myself ready upon arrival. 

Create a packing list. This is huge for me. I have always suffered from over-packing when I travel, even when I was a little girl. Due to the clothing that I bring for work and the length of my stay, I need as much room as possible in my suitcase! Writing a packing list (and sticking to it!) helps me ensure that I'm bringing exactly what I need and helps me leave what I don't need at home. I've also found that preparing a list helps me create outfits with pieces that I can mix and match. I think that's truly my trick to packing less! I've also found that if I make my list a few days in advance, it is more reasonable. Without the pressure of a time crunch, I can make a well-thought out list that covers all of my bases.

Bring all of your chargers. While this should be a no-brainer, the last thing you want to do is show up to a company meeting with uncharged technology (especially if you were enjoying some in-flight entertainment). I have a laptop, iPad, and phone for work- so I need to make sure that I have the right chargers! I think that while chargers are important, they are easily forgotten. Make sure you add them onto your packing list!

While these ideas just scratch the surface, I find them to be helpful when planning my trips. I hope they help you pack for your next business trip too!

  
***This post is linked up with Tutu Tuesdays! Check out more great posts here!***

What are your travel secrets? How do you keep from over-packing? Do you have any travel essentials?

My First Blogiversary!

It completely snuck up on me, but I'm excited to share that today is my little blog's 1st birthday! I can't believe it's been a year since I took the plunge to start blogging. Honestly, I didn't have a vision when I sat down and wrote that first post, but I couldn't be happier with where I am now! I've had the opportunity to work with some amazing brands, interact with inspirational bloggers, have some awesome readers stumble across my blog, and learn so much about all aspects of blogging.

I've been so lucky to connect with so many sweet people and I honestly can't believe that I've had so many kind responses to my posts. Who knew anyone would care about what I have to say?! I set out to have a place to express myself and my thoughts- this blog has been a therapeutic outlet for me and I've really enjoyed writing each post that I've shared so far.

Some of my most popular posts from the last year are:
My Lilly for Target Experience
How to Appear Confident (even when you don't feel it!)
My Fall Bucket List
French Toast for One
How to Save Money in Your Twenties

I'm so excited for what the future of this little blog holds and want to sincerely thank everyone who has had a hand in my experience so far. Cheers to you! xox.