Author Archives: Wendy

Pilgrims and Partiers in Logrono

by Wendy
Follow me on twitter @wendylooksleaps

We felt a little tired when we got to Logrono, Spain. Jack and I were about midway through our 2 week road trip, moving at a fairly fast pace through Madrid, Valladolid, La Seca, Saint Jean de Luz and San Sebastian. It was time to catch our breath and stay in the same place for 3 whole nights – and Logrono was the perfect spot for this. Continue reading

Stupidity Almost Made Us Skip San Sebastian

by Wendy
Follow me on twitter @wendylooksleaps

San Sebastian, or Donostia, was one of our favorite places we visited during our recent road trip. It is located in the beautiful Basque country in Spain. And we almost missed it. So many people raved about it online that we foolishly worried that it would be too touristy. I confess, we might have snobbishly (stupidly) considered skipping it in favor of a smaller, potentially more “undiscovered” coastal town nearby. Sometimes we get so caught up in finding hidden gems, we forget that places are popular for Really Good Reasons.

Jack and I love cities and beaches. San Sebastian has the most gorgeous city beach we’ve ever seen. Continue reading

Spain Again! A Note on the Fun of Repeat Visits

Trip #3 was very special - my parents joined us! Celebrating our first night in Cordoba

Trip #3 was very special – my parents joined us! Celebrating our first night in Cordoba

by Wendy
Follow me on twitter @wendylooksleaps
Jack and I had a rare 2 week vacation and we spent at least 2 months debating where to go. We sketched out a few different itineraries in countries we’ve never visited. And after discussion and research…we happily decided to go back to Spain for the fourth time. Continue reading

Post-trip Packing Post: Spain 2 Weeks

by Wendy
Follow me on Twitter @wendylooksleaps

You know we love posts about packing on Looks and Leaps. We’ve written about the summer capsule wadrobe, spring transition, and packing for a ski trip, to name just a few. My recent challenge was two weeks in Europe (mostly Spain but also 2 days in France) with carry-on only. My husband Jack and I each took a carry-on suitcase and figured we could do laundry at some point. My goals were to 1) bring clothes that I really liked wearing, 2) mix and match items for a variety of outfits and 3) avoid any fashion fails. Continue reading

Looks and Leaps Lag

Is anyone else wondering where the month of September went? We haven’t posted much lately, but everyone’s been especially busy wrapping up summer and transitioning to fall. You know how it is! There have been family parties, visits and trips, getting kids back to school, new jobs, a new pet, drafting a fantasy football team, looking for Pope Francis in DC, trying to understand Twitter, binge-watching Justified, cheering baseball teams (Go Mets! says Jack and Wendy. Go Cardinals! says almost everyone else in the fam). We hope to get back in the habit of posting regularly soon. We have lots of stories to share. Hope everyone is doing great!

End of Summer To-do List

by Wendy
Follow me on twitter @wendylooksleaps

Walk around during your lunch break and enjoy the last few weeks of jacket-free weather

Binge on baseball games. Consider listening to one on the radio, old school. Baseball is classic summer.

If your garden is overrun with tomatoes, try roasting some in the oven with olive oil, oregano and garlic Continue reading

Waiting for Medical Test Results (while trying not to flip out)

by Wendy
Waiting is challenging in the best of times. We tick off the slow workdays before vacation. We get impatient when the person ahead of us in the fast food drive-through seems to be requesting a farm-to-table chef’s tasting menu – and all we want is coffee. We become annoyed with flight delays or when we can’t board multiple metro trains because they’re all so packed. But I think the worst is waiting for medical test results. I hope you have no idea what I’m talking about: that call from a doctor telling you something is wrong, then the horrid cycle of nervous testing, then nervous waiting to get the results, then nervous consultation, and sometimes a few more rounds before some kind of resolution. For those of you who are dealing with anything like this, I’m sorry and it’s not fair and you don’t deserve it. I’m not a doctor and have no medical advice to give, but I can share my own experience of what I did to try and stay relatively calm in this situation. Continue reading

Pack Quick (and get out of Dodge)

by Wendy
Follow me on twitter@wendylooksleaps

Jack and I take a lot of weekend trips – sometimes only for one night. I used to feel like I needed adequate notice to plan, organize and pack. Now I can be ready in a few minutes’ notice. Part of this is due to practice, but I think part of it is frame of mind. If you’re going away for 1-2 days, you really don’t need much. You can do this without a checklist, and if you forget something it usually is not a big deal. Of course, the situation probably changes if there are kids involved, but you can still pull your stuff together faster. This is how I pack quick. Continue reading

Pro or Converse

by Wendy
Follow me on twitter@wendylooksleaps

Do you have trouble letting go of a favorite pair of shoes? I bought a pair of Converse in 2012 that are definitely in my footwear hall of fame.

Every year I bring my Converse on trips, thinking I’ll leave them behind at some point and free up more room in my suitcase. They’ve been to places like Spain, England, Denmark, New York, New Jersey, Kentucky, Massachusetts, California, Utah, Puerto Rico. They’ve hung out at beaches, mountains, restaurants, bars, cities, casinos, hospitals, baseball games, family parties, museums, bookstores, churches, concerts, backyards, hotels, airports, train stations. They’ve been very loyal. They’re practically charms. Continue reading