Friday Five: Status post road trip edition

I'm really inspired by tropical brights lately, thanks to my subtropical travels! (Paintings here by Matisse).

            Hello from Maryland! Today Mr. Lovey and I are relaxing with family (pups included) after logging 3,000 miles on a roadtrip down south.

         We love U.S. National Parks, and had already been to quite a few in the Northeast, Midwest, and West. This time we checked off a number of parks in the Southeast, including Congaree (South Carolina), Biscayne (Florida), Everglades (Florida), and Dry Tortugas (Florida). Dry Tortugas was the toughest; we drove all the way down to Key West and from there took a 2 hour ferry across the ocean! Of course we took time to relax as well, and spent time at a number of beautiful beaches, including those at Hilton Head, Palm Beach, and at Key West. I've shared a few picture on my Instagram feed; I'm hoping to share a few more, as well as specific park/beach visiting tips on the blog in the near-ish future.

        We're getting ready for the last leg of the trip back to sunny Chicago! While I had an amazing time on vacation, I'm looking forward to catching up with life at home. In this edition of Friday Five, I'm listing the five things I'm looking forward to back in the Windy City:

Baby Bird's a well weathered traveler as well! Here she's found a little hideout away from home.

1. Trying hot yoga for the first time
I've really enjoyed practicing yoga regularly for the past few months. It's had a noticeable effect on my strength (during climbing) and given me an overall sense of well being. Lately I've become more curious about hot yoga. I was able to pick up a cute towel-mat on Lululemon's We Made Too Much (a.k.a. sale) section that I'm hoping to put to use. Apparently Bare Feet Power Yoga (a hot yoga studio) is practically next to Brooklyn Boulders Chicago, so I'm thinking that's where I might head next.

2. Playing with Bobbi Brown 'Sandy Nudes'
Thanks to the beach, I went from translucent to tan! I'd guess that I'm a couple shades darker at this point, so I'll have to experiment with my beauty regimen. I prefer a more natural look for warm weather, so I've had my eye on the Bobbi Brown Sandy Nude collection for Summer 2015! The Bobbi Brown Face & Body Bronzing duos look particularly gorgeous. I'm hoping to have the chance to play with this as well as a few other pieces from the collection.

3. Planting a mini herb garden
We had the most delicious home barbecue today, garnished with fresh rosemary, mint, and Italian parsley from the garden. While city gardening can be a bit tricky, there's just enough room to have a small herb garden. I've been all about clean eating lately (much do to my numerous food allergies and sensitivities) so this seems like a complimentary endeavor.

4. Painting (canvases) for home decor
It's time for a little refresh when it comes to my apartment decor. I'm hoping to add a little color with some paint and canvas! It should take a bit of planning and preparation, but should be a fun project overall!

5. Penning perfume reviews
I've been going through my blog archives, and realized I have quite a few partially written posts on perfume! It's high time I polish these up to post, as well as explore new scents to share here. Perfume reviews can be the most time consuming, yet rewarding posts for me  to write on this blog. I feel like I can always discover something new upon dissecting individual notes! In the meantime, I've reread some of my old reviews; I'd recommend my posts on Diptyque Eau Duelle and Diptyque Eau Moheli if you're looking for scented reads.

Thanks for reading! How have you been? I'd love to hear about your to-do's or travel plans!

Love, Dovey.

P.S. I know it's technically Saturday, not Friday, but I guess I'm still on vacation time!