Last month I went on an all-ladies Big Sur camping trip. I have been wanting to go to Big Sur for years and it did not disappoint. I'll have a full post on travel tips and where to go, but in the meantime, I wanted to share some camping essentials. Whenever I travel, I try to take things that can serve more than one function.

1 I love me some thick-ass Mexican-style blankets. These types of blankets do more than just serve as pretty picnic blankets. I used as an extra layer over my sleeping bag and to shield food in the car from the sun.

2 We learned the hard way-- buy a shit ton of wood-- more than you think you'll ever need. My great accomplishment of the trip was creating an awesome fire on our second night there. Once you get that fire going, you don't want to run out of wood.

3 A good book is essential-- I don't think I need to go into more detail about this. Take something that is a fun read. This year I'm giving myself permission to read more fantasy, more teen-lit, and sci fi.

4 If you don't have a headlamp, you're a big dummy. Having a hands-free light when you need to do dishes in the dark, need to find your way to a safe pee space in the middle of the night, and just for general walking in the dark safety. For some reason people think these are dorky...I think they're big dummies.

5 I always take a couple of good cotton scarves when I travel. They're good for sun cover, to cover your mouth if you're somewhere smelly or with a lot of bugs, and they're good for an extra towel in a pinch. I also use mine to cover my eyes when I sleep because daylight coming through your tent can be a pain.

6 Take more towels than you think you'll need, especially if you're doing a lot of "gourmet" cooking. We also used towels to wrap delicate dishes or food that needed extra protection.

7 Yes they are ugly, but you should take some sort of slippers or uggs with you. I got some fake uggs right before the trip-- they not only keep your feet cozy at night, but because they're higher up you can tromp through the campground without worrying about getting your legs dirty or rashy from poison ivy. 

if you could re-read any book ...

Last week I wanted to a post about books from my childhood or past that I would love to re-read. It got me thinking...what do all the awesome ladies in my life wish they could re-read? I emailed them all and they very thoughtfully responded. I decided to do a series based on their answers!

The first up is my lovely cousin Suleena. Saying she loves to read would be a gross understatement. She literally has 4-6 new books on her bookstand at any given time, and has stacks and stacks of books all around her childhood bedroom (much to her mom's dismay, I'm sure). She and I shared the love of books when we were little, though she out sprinted me in the reading Olympics years ago. Here are some of her favorites:

Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie

Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Doughlas Adams

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

2014 goals | books

I started off this year with great energy and wanted to capitalize on that by establishing reasonable monthly goals (rather than my usual grand, big picture initiatives). So far it's working great! I have been able to work on a few things each month without feeling bad about myself if I go a week or so here and there without making process on one HUGE project or endeavor. 

Every month my goals varies except for one: I am challenging myself to finish two books a month. The term "finish" is really important because I am notorious for starting books; I usually am actively reading 2-4 books at a time. I get bored, so I jump around. The unfortunate side effect of this practice is that I rarely finish many books. It has been really really really hard not to pick up new, interesting books and read them alongside the ones I currently have in the pipeline. Having this clear, attainable goal has made it easy to focus.

This month I finished three books instead of two! The first, Franny and Zooey, I had been reading for a couple of years, on and off. The other two were enjoyable reads. Girl Walks into a Bar... was laugh-out-loud funny (thanks, Katie!) and Lean In was written in a very accessible way. I am going to have a separate post on my thoughts on Lean In (and there are a lot). 

What are you all reading? Any suggestions for April? So far I've started reading Anita Desai's The Artist of Disappearance. I love Desai's writing and can't wait to devour this book.