I am winding down on this Friday night on my grandmother’s couch in Florida.

WE MADE IT TO FLORIDA! 

Me and my little travel buddy flew out of Charlotte early Thursday afternoon and arrived in Fort Walton Beach right around 2p thanks to the change to Central time.

Short flights with Finn are a breeze these days. They still require allllllllll the snacks but he’s content to play games or watch shows on his tablet (headphones here). I can actually read a book or work on my phone. I’ve found short flights a great time to do things that don’t require wifi like editing photos and videos and organizing my photo library.

I thought this day would never come during the flights we took in the 12 month to 3 year range when I was mostly a human jungle gym, haha. Throw back to a flight at 15 months when Finn had his eyes set on all the buttons he could push. One thing I do miss about this is being able to fly with a lap child ticket! 🙂

My mom picked us up from the airport and it was great to get home and find my dad doing so much better than when I saw him last week! He’s been going on short walks about three times a day and walking without a walker in the last couple of days. He is still moving slowly, tires easily and has a good bit of pain due to his sternum healing and the overall stress of the surgeries on his body but headed in the right direction for sure.

And of course Finn was thrilled to be reunited with Mema! I had a long-time reader reach out on Instagram and request I do a Q&A style interview post with Mema while I’m in Florida this week and I think that sounds like a lot of fun. If you have any questions for her, let me know in the comments below or shoot me an email!

I have a few Friday favorites to round out this post with.

FRESH VANS

I prefer to travel in comfortable, closed-toed shoes. I recently ordered a fresh pair of white Vans Old Skool Platforms and have worn them for all of my recent flights and I wore them almost every day in the hospital. They go with everything and are easy to wear all day.

SUNSKI SUNGLASSES

I picked up a pair of Sunski sunglasses at an outdoor outfitter earlier this summer. I was unfamiliar with the brand but instantly drawn to the lightweight, stylish frames and the reasonable price point. I chose the Madrona polarized sunglasses and learned that Sunski is an independent sunglasses brand out of San Fransisco. They offer sustainable design with recycled frames and a forever warranty to fix or replace broken shades.

I would compare the lightweight comfort of these Sunski glasses to my Goodrs. Highly recommend!

Unrelated but I am trying to embrace wearing my hair in its natural wavy/curly state this summer. No blowout my hair gets can withstand the Florida humidity. I struggle with styling my hair when I wear it like this (especially second day or if I pull it back for a workout) but I think I’ve found some strategies that work for me. I’m all ears if you have a similar natural hair type.

BURTS BEES BABY HALLOWEEN FAMILY JAMMIES

I realize that it’s only August 5 but stay with me here while I talk about Halloween pajamas because the time to order is now. I am partnering with Burts Bees Baby over on Instagram to promote their matching holiday FamJams for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Hanukkah. They offer sizes ranging from newborn to adult men’s and women’s…along with matching bandanas for furry family members.

FamJams are Burts Bees Baby’s most popular product line and they sell out quickly every year. If I am being honest, I am typically not the type of person to be think ahead and order Halloween pajamas two months in advance. I would 100% miss out on all of this cuteness were I not actively participating in a partnership with the brand.

If you’d like to order Halloween or holiday FamJams for your family, use code jen_pbrunner20 at checkout for 20% off your order. 

Lastly, I have to tell you that I am super impressed by how soft the 100% GOTs certified organic cotton is and every time I wash the PJs, they get even softer.

THE TRIAD GOLDEN RETRIEVER RESCUE NEEDS HELP

The rescue that I got Benji from recently took in an influx of young dogs into their program. They are in desperate need of fosters and adopters. Fosters need to be in the NC Triad to Charlotte area and adopters can be anywhere in the country. If you are interested in fostering or adopting, please visit their website and complete an application. Please note that all of these dogs are not active on the website for adoption at this time but will be.

That’s all I’ve got in me for today. Have a great weekend friends. xo