Mr. Pedantic and I spent last weekend in New York City admiring lights, fulfilling Hallmark-inspired dreams, and eating…lots of eating.
Read moreLet's Take a Road Trip! - His & Hers Travel Kits with Cost Plus World Market
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Summer has made her arrival. It is undeniable. Summer solstice or no summer solstice, her golden spell has been cast. The farmer's stands are overflowing with melons, berries, and sweet corn and the barbecues and cook-outs have begun. These warm days make adventurers of us all, and I find myself at my desk typing away, all the while dreaming of my next road trip.
Tomorrow Mr. Pedantic and I will head off on our first road trip of the year and I cannot wait to be out of my to-do list's reach. While I am excited to reach our destination, the mere call of the road is enough to get me giddy.
Growing up, the majority of our family vacations required a fair amount of driving, but I never remember minding very much because my mother always found a way to make the car ride nearly as exciting as the destination.
My mother would assemble travel bags for each of us children, stocked with new audio books, road trip snacks, a few car games, new sunglasses, and a blanket for when the drowsiness set it. Those bags were such a delight to unfold. They made the morning of our vacations a sort of Christmas as we pulled out each item with building excitement.
Though I am grown now and my mother will not be packing us travel kits, I thought that I would revive some of that vacation-morning magic by making Mr. Pedantic and myself His & Hers travel baskets. This summer, I have teamed up with Cost Plus World Market to create these adorable road trip kits for you and your sweetheart/car-buddy. Whether you are going near or far, these baskets make the venture a true delight!
Each Basket Includes
- a salty snack
- candy
- chewing gum
- travel journal & pens
- travel cup
- sparkling water
- blanket (because I am always, always, always cold in the car when Mr. Pedantic is driving)
I used this general outline for both baskets, but tailored the items to our individual tastes.
This sunny colored basket is mine - the "HER" basket.
Here's the run down of what's inside my basket...
salty snack - Hot Pepper & Vinegar Kettle Chips
candy - Chimes Orange Ginger Chews - I love having these little bits of ginger on hand for when car sickness sets in. Ginger is a natural anti-nausea. Alternatively, if you are very prone to motion sickness, tuck a bottle of peppermint oil in your bag - it's a lifesaver!
chewing gum - Grapefruit Melon - We love the Project 7 gum.
travel journal & pens - I love recording where we go and what we do each day.
travel cup - I love these colors.
bonus items - dried mango & hand lotion
For Mr. Pedantic's basket, I followed the same general outline, but picked out items that fit his tastes a bit more, and threw in some extra sweets for his insatiable sweet tooth.
Here's the run down of what's inside Mr. Pedantic's basket...
salty snack - Cheddar & Caramel popcorn mix
candy
Chimes Toasted Coconut Toffees - These are sooo good and one of the mister's favorites.
Sour Blueberry Candies - He will definitely end up sharing these.
chewing gum - Coconut Lime - He really loves his coconut.
travel journal & pens - If your man is not much of a journalist, try asking him to list his five favorite moments from your trip or record the best things you ate.
travel cup - I love this pattern so much.
blanket - For the off-chance that he lets me drive and wants a nap.
I will probably tuck in a few items from home before we leave, such as an audio book, sunglasses, lip balm (gotta have my EOS), and a set of headphones.
Even though the contents are not going to be a surprise to me, I am so anxious to finally move these baskets out of my office and into the car!
Wherever your travels take you this summer I hope that you will be inspired to make road trip baskets of your own!
Happy, happy adventuring!
Sincerely,
Pedantic Foodie
SHOP THIS POST!!
open road journal // retro pens // wire baskets // yellow mulberry tissue // yellow and gray woven throw // ivory crinkle paper // find what brings you joy journal // aqua mulberry tissue // orange blossom hand cream // Clear Canadian sparkling peach // gray dots woven throw // acrylic tumblers // orange ginger chews // hot pepper vinegar chips // grapefruit melon gum // popcorn mix // coconut lime gum // coconut chocolate bar // toasted coconut toffees // sour blueberry candies
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a very London kind of morning
Perhaps it seems odd to begin in the middle, but putting ten of the most beautiful days of my life into words has been a formidable challenge, and one that I am broaching slowly. I can give you the travel guides and the gritty details of what I ate (um, literally everything in sight), but for now, all I want to give you is a few of my favorite hours. A few, precious morning hours with my beloved. So here we go.
It was our next-to-last day in London. He walked down to our newfound favorite breakfast spot - a tiny French bakery that sat just around the corner from our hotel. He returned with three plump brioche buns as big as my face, in a paper bag -- two sugared and one with chocolate chips. We ate them, our faces sticky with the caramelized sugar, as we walked to the gardens - Kensington Gardens.
There was so much joy in my heart as we trotted down to the one place on earth that I had dreamt of visiting more than any other.
We walked through the gates and I am sure my smile nearly dislocated my jaw as I looked at Mr. Pedantic and exclaimed in an elated whisper, “We’re here!”
There was a soft, autumnal hush that fell over the landscape - interrupted only by the swishing of blowing leaves, and Londoners whistling for their strangely obedient and leash-less dogs that pranced about the green in front of Kensington Palace.
It was surreal and beautiful and breathtaking. I found myself wishing, more than I had at any other point on that trip, that I too could own the privilege of visiting this English sanctuary for my morning walks and weekend picnics.
Then, we saw it. The statue. The statue that I had so longed to see - a forever monument for the literary world’s dearest character.
“Good morning, Peter. I’ve been looking for you.”
I never wanted to leave.
Now, as I sit here in my new home, where I am completely content, there is a aching sense of longing for those moments gone by. I would live that morning over and over again forever, if only I could. Having Mr. Pedantic there by my side, no trivial responsibilities to separate our hands or hearts -- only us. That was the best of times.
This morning I made breakfast that was not brioche buns. He left me to go to work instead of the bakery. I spent my morning hours working by the Christmas tree rather than walking through the park. I guess this too, is the best of times.
Sincerely,
Pedantic Foodie
Hannah Everly kept me fashionable for our morning in the gardens and she would love to help you prepare for your holiday parties, or revamp your work wardrobe. You can find this skirt as well as a full line of festive patterns in her shop now!
