a little vacation

photo via / edited by me

I'm going on a trip! Before I explain where I'm going, I should preface this by saying, this place actually exists and no, I'm not making this up.

Tomorrow morning I'll be boarding a plane to Las Vegas! I've never been there, so that in itself is exciting news. I'll be meeting my stepmom and sister early in the morning, where we'll be staying at the Bellagio and going to see Circue du Soleil. I can't put into words my level excitement, so I'm not even going to try. Moving on.

The following morning we will begin our drive to Kanab. Where is Kanab? It's a sweet place in Utah, which currently houses Heaven. So here we go. I'm going to be spending two days at Best Friends. Upon our arrival, we will tour Dogtown, Cat World, Horse Haven, Parrot Garden, Piggy Paradise, and Bunny House. Yes, this is real. We'll spend the next few days volunteering and spending our days playing, cleaning, grooming and running around with animals. I understand that my love for animals can be a bit much at times, but seriously, this should make anyone happy! We get to stay in a cabin on site and at the end of each day, bring an animal of our choosing home, to have a "sleepover" with us. I am giddy with excitement!!

Of course, there will be entirely too many photos to share and lots of stories to tell. I will do my best to keep in touch while I'm there, but if not I'll be back soon and you can always follow me via instagram (@pienthesky)! Have a lovely weekend friends!

xo. melsa

CALI // PT.1

We stayed with Elisha's Grandmother while we were in California. It was the sweetest little home, filled with natural light, tiny treasures and the friendliest animals! I didn't get a photo of her two cats, but they were beautiful. Jack, the dachshund, fell asleep with me every night! (leaving him was a hard goodbye) The more I looked around her home, the more I saw what similar taste we have! 

xo. melisa

the packing plan

I recently went to California and I must admit, that packing is always my most favorite part, when gearing up for a trip! I never want to leave anything behind so I like to make a list. I thought I'd share my list with you; in case you're planning on taking a trip anytime soon!

Something to read //  Currently I'm reading Where'd you go Bernadette? I'm love love loving it and I'm excited to wrap it up on this trip!

Something to stay creative //  I always travel/live with tons of notebooks in my bag! You just never know when a good idea is going to come, so you have to be prepared!

Something to listen to tunes // I love to have music playing whenever I do anything, so headphones are a must! Especially if you have a noisy neighbor on the plane!

Something to keep the sun away //  Life without sunnies just doesn't work for me. I have super sensitive eyes, so functioning without them is kind of impossible, so these are a must.

Something to snack on //  I'm notorious for having snacks in my bag at all times. I have hypoglycemia so snacks are kind of a staple. I love to have a bag of nuts, crackers, or fruit just in case!

Something to keep you warm //  I think every girl thinks it's way colder than it actually is... especially on planes! So I will definitely be bringing my Northface sweater with me.

Something to capture the memories //  When I'm not using my iphone, I'm trying to get great shots with my Instax Camera and my Nikon D90. These cameras make vacations even more memorable!

Something for work //  Even when I'm not working, I'm working, so bringing along my laptop is usually required. And if I'm working on a blog design, I need my trusty Wacom Tablet. 

That about sums it up - or at least for the big stuff! I had so so much fun in Cali and I can't wait to share some photos with you! The Mr totally dominated his race and if you follow me on instagram, then you were able to catch the highlights of the trip already! I also just received my itinerary for a trip at the end of February! I can't wait to share the details on that one!! Hope your Monday is sunshine!

xo. melisa