Category Archives: Bits+Pieces

Comfy Shoes for the Entire Family

When you run around town like we do every family member needs a comfortable shoe!

DSW shoes for the entire family!

Black couple in Jackson Hole Wyoming.

My Winter Vacation in Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Never did I ever think I wanted to visit Wyoming. No shade but it honestly just wasn’t on my radar of places to go. I typically don’t travel to cold places when I travel. This year that all changed. I experienced The Windy City (Chicago) and now Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

We ended up visiting Jackson Hole, Wyoming because all of the other winter destination places we checked out was completely booked for the holidays. We stumbled upon Jackson, Wyoming a ski destination and ended up there. As long as the place had snow it was all good!

Where to Stay

There are tons of cool accommodations in Jackson Hole but we stayed at The Cloudveil. It is probably the newest hotel in the area. The location is great as it is positioned right near town square. It is walkable to almost every place went to outside the hotel. The food at the Bistro (located inside the hotel) was great, the staff was very kind, they have free refillable water bottles (no plastic), a fire place in the rooms, heated hot tub & pool, free snack and water filling station on every floor, a concierge to help you plan your outings and a cozy lobby downstairs for lounging. Let’s just say it a perfect place to stay in Jackson Hole.

Where to Eat

I can’t lie, I had no expectations when in came to the food in Jackson Hole, Wyoming but I was pleasantly surprised. Every single meal we had there was so yummy! Who knew the food scene was so good! I wish I could have visited a few more restaurants and bars while I was there but over all, I was very happy with how delicious everything was. We had both a breakfast (try the pancakes) and dinner meal (try the scallops) at Bistro. Another day we had breakfast/brunch at Cafe Genevieve. Loved the chicken & waffles. Gather for dinner, loved the brussels sprouts and lemon drop martinis! Persephone for breakfast, amazing croissants and lattes. The last few places were Trio, Liberty Burger (try the onion rings) and Millionaire Cowboy Bar for drinks and playing pool.

Things To Do

While we were there we went to Snow King Mountain. They have skiing but we enjoyed the tubing and a gondola ride to the top to enjoy the views. They have a small snack bar at the top where you can warm up, have drinks, beer, and a small food selection. We also enjoyed walking around Town Square where they have the famous Jackson Hole, Wyoming arches that are made from antlers. There are plenty of shops, art galleries and food options in Town Square. Lastly we took an epic tour of the Elk Refuge on a sleigh. They seat about 16 people on and you can get tickets at the visitor center. It was so educational and majestic.

1st Birthday Party for Baby Girl

She’s finally 1! To be born in 2020 sounds wild to me but baby girl won’t know the difference until she’s much older and we share with her the history that was made during the year of her birth.

We had a small covid friendly birthday with grand parents and very close friends. It was small, low stress and just how I want all future parties to be for our family.

I had some great help putting it together! Shay Moné is always a great eye and helped with inspo and Tailored Moments with set up and execution! I was supposed to just bring food, the cake and plates but in true Brandy form, I got the wrong colors. I got a hot pink cake and orange plates. I just remembered the brightest colors while I was looking for inspiration and that’s what I got. Ha ha! Shay helped bring everything together with her ability to make anything work!

Despite that little hiccup, the party was a success and I wouldn’t have had it any other way!

Enjoy Color Bees!

Brandy Gueary, maternity photo shoot, color bee

A Colorful Conception

Just so we’re clear, I completely understand that if you are not using birth control and your’e having unprotected sex that you can get pregnant. Ha Ha! Although I did those things, I will still say that this pregnancy was quite a surprise for me for several reasons so let’s get into it in detail.

Timing

I had my IUD removed in the summer of 2019. We discussed trying for baby number two in 2020 and I thought I might need to give my body ample time to get back on it own natural rhythm. Well, SURPRISE!!! My body didn’t need that long.

Another timing concern was because of the state of my relationship at the time of conception. It was VERY rocky at the time of conception. Just imagine, you’re going through a lot with you spouse when BOOM, you’re pregnant! We all know babies don’t fix relationships or situations.

I’m a full time elementary school teacher so to have conceived so early in the school year was more than a challenge. I was and still am beyond tired all the time but the beginning was extremely hard. It took me a lot of time each morning to feel well enough to get out of bed and to get to school on time. On top of that my 6 year old drags his feet every single morning and I did not have the energy to help him stay motivated to get ready.

Health

In the first 7-12 weeks of pregnancy I was extremely worried about my health and the health of the baby. Like I mentioned, the time of conception was an extremely stressful time in my life.

Feeling like you need to throw up in the morning but hardly ever doing it is rough. I had nausea in the mornings that made it hard to get out of bed. If I walked into school and smelled food being prepared for lunch it made me want to throw up. I also had nausea in the evenings after getting home from work. With teaching, blog work and my relationship being tested, I had zero energy and I really just wanted to stay home and cry most days. Of course, that was not an option for me.

Unlike my first pregnancy, I started with a host of digestion issues. This came as quite a surprise for me. I had severe bloating. It felt like within the week of me finding out I was pregnant, I was showing! It wasn’t actually the baby but my stomach was noticeably distended. On top of that I had some serious constipation kick in and it was awful. I’ve never wanted to poop more in my life. Ha ha ha! After getting on a consistent pear and prune juice regimen, it helped so much.

My breasts are massive and they hurt. It feels like some one gave me implants that I didn’t want and that are way too big. They will only get bigger ya’ll, pray for me!

I get pretty personal on Instagram but I hardly ever get this personal in longer blog posts but I can’t lie, it felt good to do it and I’ll do it more often. I don’t believe in TMI if you’re sharing for the right reasons so let me know what else you’d like to see here.

Enjoy Color Bees!

halloween, pumpkin patch, zoo boo Houston

Zoo Boo – Houston Zoo

The Houston Zoo is a great place to visit for Fall fun in October. The entire zoo is covered in Fall decor and there is a ton of fun games and activities for everyone to enjoy. The zoo staff organized Zoo Boo down to the very last detail and it shows. This post will give all of the best tips to enjoy your Zoo Boo experience.

Tip 1- Get there early!

We arrived at the zoo around 10:30 am on Saturday only to drive around the parking area for at least 20 minutes. We had to wait, look, and stalk people as they walked out to find parking. (Ha ha) It was not fun and right before we found a spot I was considered leaving. The good news is that parking was the only thing that was tough during Zoo Boo.

Tip 2- Be flexible!

When we go to the zoo during other parts of the year, the focus is on seeing the animals. I was surprised how my son’s interest changed while at Zoo Boo. He was more interested in going to each of the candy corners for trick or treating, playing the games, and people watching. He loved to just sit for a few minutes and check out costumes of the other children. I did encourage him to look at the animals but he honestly wasn’t interested. Be ready to let your child roam free!

Tip 3- Move slowly and take a lot of breaks.

The kids and possibly you will be wearing costumes that are hot and have to constantly be adjusted. Grant drank a ton of water and asked to stop at times just to sit on a bench. Listen to how everyone is feeling and stay hydrated. Our longest break was for lunch and it was well deserved. You are free to pack a picnic but we went to the Cypress Circle Cafe for pizza and it was so delicious!

Knowing that there would be candy passed out made me a bit nervous. We don’t eat a lot of candy so I didn’t want my 4 year old to be over powered by mountains of candy. Luckily the candy stations were organized so that each time you visit a station the volunteers stamp your map and give out 2-3 pieces of candy. It was comforting to know that he would only receive 12-15 pieces that day. It helps to teach our kiddos about moderation even at a celebratory time.

We had so much fun and will probably go again before the event ends. Zoo Boo is an amazing family event that I recommend for everyone! Enjoy!

halloween, pumpkin patch, zoo boo Houston

Stamps in cool colors!

halloween, pumpkin patch, zoo boo Houston

Decorative pumpkins everywhere!

halloween, pumpkin patch, zoo boo Houston

Fall decor!

halloween, pumpkin patch, zoo boo Houston

Hermann Park Train ride!

halloween, pumpkin patch, zoo boo Houston

Decorating his mini pumpkin!

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Grant enjoying the puppet show of “talking pumpkins”.

halloween, pumpkin patch, zoo boo Houston

Golf, tic-tac-toe, bean bag toss, and more games for the children to play!

halloween, pumpkin patch, zoo boo Houston

DJ booth, Jump ropes, hula hoops, and bouncy ball for the kids to enjoy!

halloween, pumpkin patch, zoo boo Houston

Giant coloring book.

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