Fix #9 came in the mail shortly before my Key West trip and it completely underwhelmed me. While I did do a live unboxing on Instagram, the entire fix was quickly returned before I could even blog about it. The box was so far from what I'd requested (conservative work pieces and brown booties) that I even requested a different stylist for my next fix, which just arrived. Let's see how she did:

This was super soft but there just wasn't anything special about it, and I didn't love the fit around the arms. Returned.

I wanted this dress all. summer. long. It was a bummer to get it in an October fix when I won't be able to wear it until at least April. I hated the thought of paying $80 for this to sit in my closet until spring, so I begrudgingly sent it back.

In pictures, I thought this was the same top I was sent in my last fix, but I was pleasantly surprised. This is super soft and has a front panel that acts as a cami so you don't have to wear a separate one. Kept.

This was super comfortable, but a tad snug in the chest and I thought the elbow patches made it look a tad too casual for my style. Returned.

These were a pleasant surprise. The print was subtle, the fabric was stretchy, durable, and amazing....but $88 for a pair of pants isn't going to happen. Returned.

Thoughts

Were it not for price, I would have kept 3 of the items. That's kind of a bummer. Weather is getting colder so I need pants, and I need them to be affordable. Hopefully I see more affordable options in my next fix. Stay tuned!

What piece is your favorite? Let me know in the comments!

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed some vacation-y posts lately. Sean and I joined 7 of our neighbors on an almost-weeklong trip to Key West and had a blast!

Most of the clan booked flight inclusive packages through Expedia that flew them right into Key West. Sean and I used points from Southwest for a free flight into Fort Lauterdale (the credit card rewards are worth their weight in gold!), then rented a car for a scenic drive through all the Keys. I usually hate road trips, but this one was gorgeous and full of plenty of fun places for quick stops to break things up. Totally worth it!

Between the 9 of us, 4 rooms were booked at the 24 North Hotel on Key West's "rooster row", a location closer to the airport than it is the action of Mallory Square and Duval Street. Between the hotel's free shuttle and 2 rental cars, we were able to get around easily to anywhere we wanted.

We had booked a standard room with a water view. Since we drove, we checked in last and the front desk kindly accommodated our request to be near our friends. Unfortunately, that put us in an obstructed view. While I certainly wouldn't have left a bad review for this (they did give us what we asked for, after all), I did mention that the obstruction was a bummer and they upgraded us to a top floor suite the very next day! It was one of many examples of incredible service.

The hotel never felt crowded and featured a gorgeous pool, fitness center, and restaurant/bar both inside and outside. In addition, 4 hotels in a row were sister properties, meaning we could hop about if we wanted (we're lazy. we didn't').

While there's water everywhere, Key West isn't exactly known for it's beaches. The more accessible Higgs and Smathers beaches weren't a hit with our group (most people wouldn't even go in the water), but for a small entrance fee, the beach (and fort) at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park proved to be a winner!

I'll be honest and say I was worried there wouldn't be enough to do. Thankfully, this wasn't the case and we managed to fill the time together:  Sean and I didn't even hit all the things on our list! Our favorites were the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum, Nancy Forrester's "Secret Garden" (a rescue parrot sanctuary), and enjoying the sunset from the Key West Cocktail cruise.

Home of Ernest Hemingway

The home is still home to dozens of siz-toed cats. You can see how wide the paws are on this guy.

Cockatoo friend Mr. Peaches (don't judge my humidity hair)

We also spent plenty of time exploring Duval St, tasting spirits at local rum distilleries, and forgoing the line for the popular Southernmost Point photo by taking it at night. Oh, and the girls got matching henna tattoos because why not?!

We ate Key Lime pie whenever possible (we thought the best was actually in Key Largo at Mrs. Mac's) and had decent food overall, but our favorite dinner hands down was the Cuban fare at El Meson de Pepe in Mallory square. We split a combination platter including 3 meats (hello, ropa vieja!), plantains, yucca, and rice and beans. I could have happily eaten there every night! On the flip side, the famous Sloppy Joe's bar was a spot I could have skipped. The expensive cocktails were way too sweet and the Key Lime pie tasted more like old glue. I know it's a tourist staple, but not one I'd recommend personally.

At the beginning of the trip, I was feeling the vibe that Key West was a nice place, but not one I necessarily needed to return to. As the week progressed, I actually found we were running out of time to try many of the "off the beaten path" options we'd listed ahead of time. Ultimately, we had a great, relaxing week and would certainly return to check some more activities off our list. While not your typical beachy town, there's certainly plenty to enjoy in Key West!

Have you been to Key West?
I'd love to hear your thoughts and favorite places and activities in the comments!

I have a tried and (not so) true system for dressing when I know colder seasons are on their way: keep dressing like it's summer. If I don't wear a coat, mother nature will pity me and keep things warm outside. Right?

Once that doesn't work, I move from denial into begrudging acceptance where I finally realize some cold weather clothes are in order. This year, our humid, excessively rainy summer very abruptly gave ways to fall-like temps forcing me to realize it's time to put some cooler weather pieces in my rotation stat.

I've seen plenty of Facebook ads for Dia & Co. but hadn't bit until recently when I saw an ad for first box free (like Stitch Fix, there's a $20 styling fee that is applied to whatever you keep). As a bonus, ebates had a $10 rebate  special, so I was literally paid $10 to try this box!

If you haven't heard of Dia & Co., it's a style subscription for curvier women. You complete a style quiz, pay the styling fee, and 5 pieces of clothing/accessories are sent to you in the mail. Keep what you like, send back what you don't. As you receive shipments and fill out feedback, your assigned stylist should be getting a good idea for your style and sending better options each time!

the box arrived impressively fast. I took their style quiz on a Monday and the box appeared at my desk the same Friday. The quiz was not as thorough as Stitch Fix and didn't have any photo guidance which can be frustrating. I've also tried Nadine west who also had a vague quiz, but at least had a few photos to gauge style. 

I've been able to "cheat" with the other two subscriptions and see what is being sent my way before it arrives, but no such luck with Dia. The website is overall less intuitive, without even an obvious place to check out when you receive your shipment. They email you frequently with  helpful information, but I'd rather have a user friendly website to figure things out myself.

One last petty thought before moving on to the haul: I opened the box and was greeted by a sea of purple. The inside of the box flaps, the invoice and styling note, the sticker on the (thin, easily ripped) tissue paper. All purple. If you know me, that's just...no. Stitch Fix's lovely green will win me over every time.

Here's what they sent:

I took one look at this dress and immediately thought of my colleague who has a similar one. This is cute and easy to wear, but it's not me. More importantly, it's made of a similar fabric as the LulaRoe Cassie skirts. Fine for a skirt, but way too scratchy for a dress. I expect better quality for a $62 dress.

This tank is super soft but that's about all it has going for me. The very subtle pastel in the stripes can't be picked up in the photo, but it gave it a dated vibe I wasn't loving. Also not shown in the picture is all the cleavage this showed off. Lastly, I'm trying to dress for fall and can't even write this off as a transition piece. It screams summer.

This thing was huge. You can tell by the photos just how baggy it is in the arms. It wouldn't have been an office piece by any means, but I definitely considered keeping it for curling up on the couch or outside by a bonfire. It was certainly cozy,  but I just didn't love it enough to fork over $61 for it.

I was so, so excited for these. Pants are hands down the hardest article of clothing to find. They never fit right. I can find jeans with some ease,  but any non denim pants are next to impossible. These are technically jeans so I was sure they'd fit, and the olive color which I love would have been easy to wear to the office. Unfortunately, the fit was a fail, being too skinny in the waist and calf but having that ever so sexy sag in the rear/thigh region. A shame because I'd have kept these in a heartbeat.

I liked the two tone hammered look of this, but this feels like the gazzilionth time a subscription box has sent me a circular accessory and I'm just not into it. Meh.

I kept nothing which is fine, because 1. I didn't lose $20 (I'd have probably bought the sweater to avoid this if I had paid the styling fee) and 2. I honestly felt like these was a decent shot in the dark styling-wise. I don't feel like I gave the stylist that much information, and 2 of the items I would have kept given the right sizing/pricing.

Another petty thought: why does everything have such redundant names? "pendant necklace?" "sleeveless tank top?" I'm surprised they didn't call the first item a "dressy dress."

Of course, styling boxes are supposed to get better with time and feedback, so I've completed the checkout process (after googling how to check out because you literally can't find it on the website), and I will be trying a second box in about a month to see how they do. Stay tuned!

Did you like what I got? Let me know in the comments or sign up for your first Dia & Co. Subscription here
(but first, ebates for an even sweeter deal)!

Wow, the last Friday of September already? Hopefully I can hang on to some warm temps a bit longer even as we start losing daylight...

1. Soon, Sean and I will be headed on vacation to Key West with some friends. It's my first time there and while we've done plenty of reading on TripAdvisor, etc., I'd love to hear suggestions of your favorite things to do in the Keys if you've been!

via

2. Essential oil lovers: Ads keep popping up in my feed for Organica's sleep cream which is supposed to be miraculous stuff. I can't bring myself to spend $35 on lotion, but a little reading quickly revealed that it boasts a blend of lavender, cedarwood, and bergamot—all oils I have in my arsenal! I've been putting all 3 in my diffuser at night, and so far I've definitely felt more rested when I wake up in the morning.

3. As I transition to cooler weather clothes, I've decided to give another subscription box a try: Dia & Co! Keep an eye out for my first unboxing, and check them out in the meantime (if you want to snag a box now, use ebates  for a $10 rebate. I actually got paid $10 for my first box!)

4. Many of my family members have birthdays that fall close to Christmastime, which means I start my gift shopping especially early. I started using Zulily earlier this year to find deals and new brands and it's been a cool new way to shop for gifts; I've already got two checked off my list! It's fun to check in every day to see what is new. (Pro tip: allow plenty of time for shipping!)

5. This weekend, I'm dropping off our fourth foster pup to a potential fur-ever home! We're going to miss this silly cutie:

I often find that the most interesting stories are true stories. I saw a trailer for the new film Unbroken: Path to Redemption and was immediately interested in the fact that it was the true story of an olympic athlete. I wasn't initially familiar with this story, but this movie is actually sequel to the 2014 movie Unbroken. Here's a summary:

"...the unbelievable true story of Olympian and World War II hero Louis Zamperini.

Haunted by nightmares of his torment, Louie sees himself as anything but a hero. Then, he meets Cynthia, a young woman who captures his eye—and his heart.

Louie’s wrathful quest for revenge drives him deeper into despair, putting the couple on the brink of divorce. Until Cynthia experiences Billy Graham’s 1949 Los Angeles Crusade, where she finds faith in God and a renewed commitment to her marriage and her husband. Now, her most fervent prayer is for God to help Louie find the peace and forgiveness he so desperately needs."

Woah. We've got some heavy stuff to unpack in here. Thanks to Flyby promotions, I was able to screen the movie early and share not only my thoughts, but a free pair of tickets to see it near you!

I'm no stranger to talking about faith-based movies here. You have the overly cheesy/preachy variety which was the norm until recently, and you have the newer, high production quality variety that lets the storytelling deliver the message without preachy dialogue. Unbroken: Path to Redemption was definitely striving for the latter, but didn't fully hit the target in my opinion.

Don't get me wrong, it was on the right track. The acting and cinematography were lovely. The special effects were pretty decent. The story and focus on the very important issue of PTSD was relevant. But honestly, I felt like the path to redemption was a little too long. It was almost the entire movie. Instead of seeing a gradual transformation towards redemption, you see no remorse or change until the film's end where everything is wrapped up quickly and neatly. 

In fact, most of the film's payoff came after the film's credits for me. Because this was based on a true story, the follow up information given about Louis and his family was the true reward.

If you're a fan of the original movie, I'd give this a chance. If you're familiar with Louis' story or like stories about war heroes/athletes, give it a chance. This was easy enough to follow as someone who hadn't seen the first film, and while I felt empathetic towards Louis, I didn't feel connected or invested in him or the story as someone seeing the film with no prior knowledge.

The great thing about film and the arts is that we all have different opinions and takeaways. Flyby has allowed me to give one winner a pair of tickets to see Unbroken: The Path to Redemption for yourself! Enter below, and if you win, please share your thoughts with me!

Unbroken giveaway