Winter escape: reminiscing about our favorite tropical vacations

We’re back from our annual NYE trip to the Washington Coast! I’ll share some photos with you later this week. Per usual, we had a fantastic time with fantastic people. It was sunny, but very cold which seems very contradictory when one is at the beach. Sand and warm weather go together IMO. So in honor of the true sun and sand combo, I’ve dug into the archives to find my five favorite tropical vacations. Enjoy with a side of margarita 🙂

PicMonkey CollageCabo San Lucas, March 2010
Granted, this trip was with the family but hey, it was a relaxing getaway anyways! I think I ate guacamole and chips for lunch nearly every day and poolside lounging was the no. 1 priority. My parents even sat through a boring timeshare meeting so we could get this awesome zip lining trip. This is one of the most fun activities I’ve ever done!

PicMonkey Collage2Panama, Fall of 2010
2010 was a big year of travel for us! We got invited to a close friend’s wedding in Panama and made a week-long trip out of it. Guests came in from all over the world and it was a big party moving from hostel to hostel until we arrived at the Al Natural Resort for the wedding. I will never forget staying in these rustic, wall-less cabins overlooking the ocean. Oh, and that beautiful beach wedding!

PicMonkey Collage3Tulum, May 2012
What can I say? I love me some Mexico! I found Tulum on a travel blog and those white, sandy beaches had me sold. We stayed in this funky little hotel right on the beach and spent our days swimming in cenotes and discovering the local ruins. I’d 100% go back to Tulum in a heartbeat! I even talked my parents into vacationing there this coming spring.

PicMonkey Collage4Austin, October 2012
I guess Austin isn’t exactly tropical, but it’s a warm destination compared to Seattle! We made a trip down south to visit our dear friends and take in Austin City Limits, our first major music festival. The beers flowed, BBQ consumed and the warm weather beat out those fall blues. What a cool, hip city to explore.

PicMonkey Collage5Jamaica, November 2014
Oh Jamaica and your all-inclusive resorts! Honeymooning there was the ultimate treat for us and the perfect unwinding destination after a stressful wedding. We even extended our stay to come home post-Thanksgiving. It was just that good. Quiet beaches, friendly people and bottomless drinks…pure heaven!

OK, I’m dying to hear about your favorite tropical vacation! Give me some ideas so I can start planning our next one 🙂

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Best Nine

bestnineOh Instagram, my favorite app of all time! What would I do without you?! I’m sure you Insta-fans have seen the ‘Best Nine’ floating around so I thought I’d share mine too. Not surprisingly that many of our Eastern Europe photos made the cut, along with our first anniversary and a lil NYE clam digging from 2014/2015.

Speaking of 2015, it really treated us well, so very well. I’m so grateful for all that we’ve been able to experience such amazing things this past year and can’t wait to see what’s in store for 2016. Per usual Brown/Sugiura NYE, we are headed to the coast to celebrate with friends. Looking forward to sweat pants, day drinking and perhaps some casino time 🙂

Cheers to a fantastic new year!

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Game of Thrones Self-Guided Tour through Croatia

Games of Thrones filming location in Dubrovnik, CroatiaOK, so I’m going to admit something very embarrassing…we based our trip on a show. Well not just any show, but Game of Thrones, the most epic of all shows in the entire world in my humble opinion. Some might have thought that it was the castles, or the history or even the people that enticed us halfway around the world. Nope, a TV show my friends. Ugh, we are SO American.

Game of Thrones self tour in Dubrovnik, Croatia - cultivatedrambler.com

I’m a HUGE fan so the thought of being able to see some of those beautiful filming locations live and in person = heaven to me. Croatia quickly rose to the top of the list and all of a sudden we had a 3.5 week trip planned and were headed to Eastern Europe. Obvi, after our initial research, we found a million other things to see and do so our trip wasn’t FULLY just about the show, but it was what got the ball rolling.

Trsteno Arboretum outside of Dubrovnik, Croatia - culitvatedrambler.comAs we were finishing up our final plans and reservations, I started looking into group tours because, I mean, that’s what’s important, right? And site after site showed some ridiculous prices, like $180 per person for a tour. #$%^&* I tried to justify it to myself, that we were coming here especially for Game of Thrones and how could we NOT go on an official tour. But my practical side couldn’t pull the trigger. That amount was days’ worth of meals and sightseeing for us and blowing it all in three to four hours didn’t seem right. I was depressed, I was let down, I was uber bummed…but then I came across this website.

Now I could see all of the sights without draining the bank account. Granted, we’d probably not get those insider scoops as to which actress was a pain to work with and what actor liked to skinny dip in the ocean but whateves. This gal was going to make it happen.

The walls of Old Town Dubrovnik - cultivatedrambler.comWe ended up seeing quite a few of the sites and in the end I got the taste of the show that I so desperately sought. If you happen through Croatia and want to see some of the sights, be sure to check out that blog! It’s a great resource for us Game of Thrones fans out there.

Kliss Fortress, Split Croatia - cultivatedrambler.comDiocletian's Palace cellars in Split, Croatia - cultivatedrambler.com

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Holiday Spirit

I’m trying to get into the holiday spirit this year, but I must admit, it’s been harder than usual. As you can see, I usually have no issue busting out the ugly sweater or making holiday treats. The holidays are totally in my wheelhouse…the decorations, the baking, the parties…I mean I’m a professional event planner for christ sake! But holiday season 2105, I’m just not feeling you. I hope you understand. It’s not you, it’s me.

Not to get all deep on such a lighthearted blog, but I’ve been made aware of so much suffering this past year. Working in social services and traveling outside the US has really opened my eyes and it’s hard to ignore. Putting together a Christmas list for the things I want seems pretty silly when there are so many others who don’t have a place to sleep or something warm to eat. I’m so grateful to have a warm home, a fantastic husband, a funny dog and a supportive family. I really don’t need anything else.

So it may seem like I’m the ultimate Scrooge this year, but I’m really not. I’m just trying to put my usual holiday energy into things that matter to me, things that can make even the smallest difference. I hope you will consider doing the same.

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Choosing natural and cruelty-free beauty products

Gentle, cruelty free beauty products - cultivatedrambler.comA while back, I completed an audit of my bathroom products to see how they measured up in regards to safety and cruelty to animals. Some were down right scary! I’ve been doing my research and have begun to slowly replace those naughty products with ones that more align with my personal opinions and beliefs.

Here’s a list of the basics that I used daily with their not-so-good ratings as well as the products I’ve now switched to.

Body Wash: Aveeno Positively Nourishing Body Wash
Think Dirty – 9
Skin Deep – 4

NEW! Kiss My Face Olive Oil Soap
Think Dirty – 2
Skin Deep – 0
Cruelty Free

Lotion: Jason Soothing 84% Aloe Vera Hand & Body Lotion
Think Dirty – 9
Skin Deep – 5
Cruelty Free

NEW! Nutiva Coconut Oil
Think Dirty – 0
Skin Deep – n/a
Cruelty Free
*yes folks, this is regular old coconut oil that you can cook with!

At Home Hair Color: Garnier Nutrisse Cream Hair Colour
Think Dirty – 9 
Skin Deep – 8

NEW! Naturigin Permanent Hair Color, Ebony 
Although not on either app, I read up on the company and think this could be a good direction to go to find a less chemical laden hair color process that doesn’t test on animals. Hair coloring is never going to be super safe, but it’s the one thing I can’t give up. I can’t go grey yet!

Face wash: Cetaphil Skin Cleanser
Think Dirty – 10
Skin Deep – 6

NEW! Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castile Soap
Think Dirty – 0
Skin Deep – 1
Cruelty Free

Face Scrub: Aveeno Skin Brightening Daily Scrub
Think Dirty – 10
Skin Deep – 5 

NEW! Plain ole organic baking soda 🙂

It’s still a work in progress but I look forward to continuing to make educated purchasing decisions when it comes to bath and beauty products!

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