travel: Alaskan cruise

                Happy Tuesday! I hope you all are having a wonderful week so far. I can't believe it's almost Memorial day weekend and almost June already!! Time is flying by. Reed and I just got back from an Alaskan cruise on Sunday and I wanted to share all the details and more as I have had several people ask about what areas of Alaska and Canada we were in.

                We were gone for 10 days on The Ruby Princess Cruise and spent 2 days in Seattle before and after the actual cruise. It was our first time being in Seattle, Alaska, and Canada and Reed's first cruise. We had the absolute best time and vacation and from the pictures you can definitely tell. We only took several thousands of pictures (not kidding) but I won't post them all obviously haha!

Here is a quick overview our our trip:

Day 1: Seattle, Washington 

Day 2: Boarded the cruise to Alaska 

Day 3: At sea (cruise activities) 

Day 4: Juneau, Alaska -Whale watching tour 

Day 5: Skagway, Alaska -Yukon Railroad tour

Day 6: Glacier Bay National Park-scenic cruising

Day 7: Ketchikan, Alaska - Deadliest catch crab fisherman's tour

Day 8: Victoria, Canada -Shopping & Dinner 

Day 9: Seattle, Washington  -Shopping, Space Needle, Pike Place Market 

Day 10: Seattle & traveling home 

               We learned so much on our trip from all of the excursions and activities that we chose and we were so glad that we chose each of them. The Deadliest catch crab fisherman's tour was definitely our favorite. If you have the opportunity to go to Ketchikan I would highly recommend this. We were able to learn all about crab, octopus, prawns, fish, and bald eagles. It was really interesting and we enjoyed it so much. We loved being able to hold the crabs and prawns as well.

             The Yukon pass railroad was also a highlight of our trip as we were able to go on a 3 hour train ride. The views were amazing as you can see from the pictures below. I think what this trip reminded us to do was to slow down, disconnect, and enjoy the great outdoors and be able to enjoy the beautiful scenery. It's so easy to get caught up in work, computers, television, media, the news and social media platforms but disconnecting for a few days without wifi was really wonderful. We both agreed we needed to do it more often and that is a personal goal for us on our next trips as well. Being able to relax and unwind!

             I love sharing photos and being able to keep an online journal of our trips to be able to look back at one day. Dotsandetails has been a wonderful creative outlet for me but more importantly it keeps all of my memories and pictures together as well.

            Here are several pictures of our trip, I hope you enjoy them as much as we do :) If you ever have questions about any of the places that we visited in Alaska, Seattle, or Victoria I can definitely do my best to give you all the information that you need when planning any trips.

Enjoy and thank you for stopping by xo :)

beauty: sunscreen by Beautycounter

               Hey everyone! Happy Sunday! What a great weekend it was here in TN! It's been hot in the high eighties and nineties all weekend but we have made the best of it. My parents came down to visit for my dad's birthday and we had a great time. We went to the Franklin Mainstreet festival yesterday which is always a fun time and got to spend time celebrating Dad and hanging out with Drey as well :) 

           With warm weather and sunny days arriving I wanted to take a minute to talk about the sunscreen I have been using and will use all summer! You all know the Beautycounter brand is near and dear to my heart as it has truly transformed my skin and created a new toxic free living for me and also for friends and family. I truly love all of the products but the sunscreen has really been great during this time of year. 

         Last summer, with my skin spots being removed and literally being scared to go outside in the sun (even though I am still feeling like this) I am learning ways and how to help when I am outside during the summer months. This sunscreen is definitely one of them. Protecting my skin early and while I am still in my twenties is so important for my later life. I have realized the impact that keeping my skin hydrated and protected with sunscreen has. More importantly, protected with safe ingredients. I keep the face stick in my purse at all times in case I am outside and need it and then have my sunscreen tube for when I will be exposed to more sun time.

Here is a little information about the sunscreen:

COMES IN

-4.8 oz tube

-face stick 

-body stick

BENEFITS
– Broad spectrum sunscreen for everyday use
– Blocks UVA and UVB rays with non-nano zinc oxide,
a safe and effective physical sun blocker
– Lightweight formula applies and absorbs easily and
does not leave skin white
– Water resistant for 40 minutes

SCENT
Citrus Mint Mimosa

KEY INGREDIENTS
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice: Natural moisture-binding agent; natural protectant against moisture loss and inflammation.
Blood Orange Fruit Extract: Supplies antioxidants to support the skin.
Chamomile Flower Extract: Soothing, anti-inflammatory. Green Tea Leaf Extract: Rich in antioxidants, green tea helps
sooth and calm the skin.

IDEAL FOR
All skin types Adults and children

DIRECTIONS FOR USE
Apply liberally 15 minutes before sun exposure. Reapply at least every 2 hours, after 40 minutes of swimming or sweating, or immediately after towel-drying.
Spending time in the sun increases risk of cancer and early skin aging. To decrease this risk, regularly use a sunscreen with a broad spectrum SPF of 15 or higher, and other sun protection measures including:
– Limit time in the sun, especially from 10AM–2PM
– Wear long-sleeved shirts, pants, hats and sunglasses
– Protect the product in this container from excessive heat
and direct sun. Store at temperatures below 90°F.

SAFETY INSIGHT
Protect All Over Sunscreen uses non-nano zinc, an effective and safe natural mineral sun blocker. 

Any questions? Just ask  and here is my website: 

http://www.beautycounter.com/tesladraffin

recipe: morning go-to smoothies

         Hey everyone! I can't believe its already the end of April. Time is flying by! I wanted to stop in and share a few recipes that have really been life changing to my morning routine for the past 6 months or so. I have always loved smoothies but the smoothies I used to know and love were packed with sugar and ingredients that weren't exactly making the smoothie that healthy.

          I started making my own smoothies daily and not jamming white sugar and juices in them and they have really made a big difference to my morning routine. Unlike most of you reading this, I don't like coffee or anything hot in the morning. I don't know why I just feel better each morning if I am drinking something ice cold. Smoothies have been great for me and now learning and knowing what to put in them has been amazing.

          There are several juice shops that I enjoy visiting on a weekly basis (not kidding) for lunch if I don't have time to pack my lunch I am stopping into a local juice shop. Here are a few of my local favorites:

-Urban Juicer in Franklin & Arcade Alley area

http://theurbanjuicer.com

-9 fruits in Franklin 

http://www.ninefruits.com

-Juicebar in Hillsboro Village 

http://ilovejuicebar.com

       When I am not enjoying a smoothie at one of these fabulous places I am making my own. I try to make my own for breakfast almost every day unless I decide to have one for lunch instead. I can't do two in one day that would be fruit overload for me haha!  I wanted to share a few go-to recipes that I have tried and really enjoyed. 

Smoothie 1: 

-1 cup of frozen or fresh pineapple

-1 cup of frozen or fresh mango

-1 cup of coconut milk 

-A sprinkle of coconut chips

Smoothie 2: 

-1 cup of spinach

-1 banana

-1 cup of coconut water

Smoothie 3: 

-1 cup of strawberries

-1 banana

-1 cup of coconut milk

-A sprinkle of coconut chips

Tips:

-Use coconut milk, almond milk, or coconut water as your liquid for a healthier smoothie

-Adding bananas makes each smoothie taste better 

-Meal prepping your smoothies in advance by cutting up fruits and veggies and freezing them make smoothie making much easier during the week and for breakfast when you can grab a container or bag of pre-made smoothie and go 

This is the pineapple smoothie incorporating "dang foods" coconut chips= so good!!

fashion: memphis fashion week

            Hi everyone! I hope you are all having a great week. I wanted to share my super fun experience at Memphis Fashion week this past weekend. My sister-in-law Lauren is on the board of Memphis Fashion week and also the head stylist of the Freeze models as well. I was able to help style with her this past weekend and I had so much fun working with her. We make a great team and I loved being apart of the fun experience. Enjoy!

Here are a few images of Memphis Fashion week:

Stylist Team 

One of my models

Models & Stylist team 

recipe: whole30 taco & fajita seasoning

        hey everyone! I hope you all are having a great week! I wanted to share our go-to seasonings that we make on a weekly basis with you.  with whole 30 we eat a lot of tacos and fajitas about once a week. it's quick, easy,  and whole30 compliant.

the taco & fajita seasonings that we make are clean and light unlike a packet of seasoning you find at the grocery store where it feels heavy and loaded with sugar.  we have really come to love these two seasonings.  we found these on pinterest on a whole30 blog. I made my own containers and labeled them; therefore, you can really make ahead or just combine your mixture for one recipe. because we use these so often, i am constantly refilling these jars. oh and they have polka dots, aren't they cute?! :) here are the recipes:

Seasoning for Fajitas:

Seasoning for Tacos:

host: reed's birthday dinner

Hi everyone! I hope you are all having a great day and week. Over the weekend, I hosted Reed's Birthday dinner at our house with family and friends. We had a great time and I enjoyed having Reed's family over. I wanted to share a few pictures of my table setting. I love simple tables settings with neutral colors and fresh flowers of course :). 

Reed's mother Barbara made the brisket (Reed's favorite) and potatoes and I made a buffalo chicken dip for the appetizer along with his favorite salad, pineapple casserole, and vegetables. To top it off I made a yellow cake with chocolate icing (Birthday boy's request) for dessert haha! It was a fun night with family. Here are a few photos:

travel: mount airy, nc

hi everyone! happy Monday. i wanted to share our Mount Airy, North Carolina trip with you all from this past weekend. i had several people ask me about the trip and wanted to know more information about andy's house that we stayed at so i thought this would be good to post about.

we left Friday evening and traveled to bristol, TN which was a good stopping point since the drive from Nashville was about 6 hours. we drove late Friday after work and stayed the night in bristol. we woke up early Saturday and had breakfast and only had an hour and a half drive left until we reached mount airy. we arrived at mount airy and immediately started the day at the andy griffith museum. reed is a huge andy fan and loves the andy griffith show. he watched it a lot growing up but still watches it on Netflix every day when he gets home from work (not kidding) every day!!

we loved the museum and we stayed there for an hour or so and then we made our way downtown main street Mayberry. what a cute and quiet little town, we really loved it! we ate lunch at the famous snappy's lunch. this is the lunch spot that is mentioned in the show several times and they are known for their pork chop sandwich. this was such a good hole in the wall place. after lunch, we walked around main street and went shopping.

then, we checked into andy's someplace which is andy's actual home that he grew up in. we loved it! it was such a sweet and small older home with neat memorabilia and items from andy's life. after we checked in, we took a tour in andy's sheriff car and drove through the town learning about the history of the town. we really loved this part as well haha! you can definitely say we are old souls, and we wouldn't have it any other way. i am so thankful that reed is an old soul and appreciates the simple things in life.

after the tour, we ate dinner at 13 bones which was a great steak house. we enjoyed dessert (reeds favorite -red velvet cake) and then took a drive to see pilot mountain. it was a beautiful drive! we headed home on Sunday and took our time and made a few stops. we love road trips together and we really enjoy seeing new places together. i hope you all had a fun weekend!

here are a few links to the andy griffith landmarks in mount airy for those of you who asked and also several pictures of our trip :) enjoy!