The Perfect Spring Floral Maxi Dress

Dress: "Avant Garden Maxi Dress" by Free People  // Purse: Rebecca Minkoff // Flats: Zara (almost sold out but on sale for $22) // Sunglasses: T&J Designs

No other store's products sizing confuses me more than free people. Am I alone in this? I swear, I own mostly XS and S items from them and I'm NOT small. it always leaves me wondering what the actual small girls are wearing or are they just REALLY embracing the flowy slouchy look and wearing the same size as this 5'9 girl??

Case in point, this dress. I saw it in the Free People store at City Creek Mall and all they had was a small. Normally this would be enough for me to stop looking at an item but I remembered this is Free People, where sizes are merely a suggestion so I gave it a go. The slip that came with it was comically small on me, like more of a tank top length than a slip. Luckily i have an extensive collection of vintage slips and knew I wouldn't need it. 

This dress was just too pretty to pass up. That is the other thing you can always count on Free People doing, taking all your money. You win again, Free People. But then again, with this gorgeous floral dress that's perfect for spring, so do I.

Photos by Sandy Chang

Family Moab Trip

My friend Kylee kept putting up posts about her trip to Moab, UT so I suggested to Andrew that we take one of our own. Then I immediately started to get excited about taking Athena on her first real hiking trip.

Moab holds a special place in our family's heart. Andrew's mom and dad lived there shortly before he was born; his mom passed away 20 years ago so it's pretty sweet for him to be in a place that his mom lived and loved. 

It's also special to us because it is essentially one of the biggest reasons we moved to Utah. Four years ago Andrew and I took a trip to Utah for him to run a half-marathon. We flew into Salt Lake city, and really (and somewhat unexpectedly) loved the city. After a few days, we drove the quick trip south to Moab and realized that if we lived in Utah we could have the best parts of city life, with amazing places like close enough for weekend trips. It was the best of both worlds in our eyes. Nature and city, a little something for everyone!

Fast-forward to last summer, about a half-year after we made the move to Utah. I was 18 weeks pregnant with Athena, my girlfriend Amanda flew in from Chicago and we drove down to Moab together to do the famous Delicate Arch hike. I knew it was only a three-mile round trip so I thought it wouldn't be that bad. Boy, was I wrong. It was 100 degrees with unrelenting sun and no shaded spots except for one tiny tree. We got about 3/4 of the way there and I just couldn't do it. I got yelled at by some older women to come sit down and that I needed to think about the baby and stop. I was so bummed because in my head this was going to be an easy hike, but I never got to finish.

Needless to say, this past weekend we went back to the Delicate Arch hike with unfinished business.

This time, with a cooler temperature and Andrew and baby Athena strapped to his chest, we made it to the arch in just under an hour. It's amazing how the heat can really get to you, especially when you are pregnant. That 30 degree temperature change made all the difference!

On the delicate Arch hike as well as a couple of other hikes throughout Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, Athena made the most adorable cooing noises while watching everything and every one. She loved it! It was so special for both Andrew and I to get to experience a place we love so much with her right there with us. It was such a fantastic trip. 

First gas stop of the trip. Baby girl needed to stretch her legs out too.

Andrew found us the best little two-bedroom condo with a balcony. We got there right at sunset which was perfect and so pretty with the red rocks in the background.

This is the Balanced Rock in Arches National Park. Pretty incredible, huh?

First hike was a quick one, only a half mile roundtrip, to see the Double Arch. Athena was still a little sleepy so she hid from the sun in the Ergo carrier with her cute little sun bonnet on.

You really get to see how massive this is when you see just how tiny I am standing next to it

The hike to the Delicate Arch did not disappoint. It's pretty amazing what nature creates!

At the end of our hike the moon made a pretty appearance.

Athena's Outfit:" Tee // Bib // Bonnet

Just an average side-of-the-road view in Moab!

Andrew and I managed to fit all of our stuff in this new neoprene "Landon" weekend bag from Dagne and Dover. It's roomy and sleek and even Andrew likes it!

Activewear was really all I brought with to wear on this trip but it worked out just fine! My Albion jacket is super thin and light and matches with everything. As for shoes, I didn't want to bring hiking boots because I knew the terrain wouldn't be bad so I settled on my Nike Fly Knits! They are so comfy and light and can be worn with or without socks!

Andrew and Athena at Canyonlands National Park

Family picture at the Mesa Arch! You can see the red-rock canyons and the snow-capped La Sal mountains in the background.

Getting Back in Shape After Baby

Bomber Jacket: Audrey and Olive (30% off with code HOTPINK) // Tee: Libre T-shirt via Aritzia (my fave tee ever!) // Leggings: Athleta // Diaper Bag: Jujube // Watch: Armitron c/o // Car seat: Chico Key Fit 30 // Carrier insulator: 7AM Infant // Shoes: Nike mesh Blazer via eBay

If you knew me before my rough pregnancy, you knew I LOVED to workout. I love taking classes and trying new ones as much as I can. However with my pregnancy came serious nausea, heartburn and carpal tunnel that swelled my hands so bad that even prenatal yoga became impossible. I had to quit doing Bar Method at 18 weeks because the nausea and heartburn were both too bad. Then at 26 weeks even my once a week attempt at prenatal yoga was too much on my hands and wrists that I couldn't even do a down dog. 

Now coming from a girl who liked to work out every day, this set me into a serious funk. Working out was always my release and happiness for the day. It made me happy to do something good for myself, and without it, I didn't feel strong or have that daily reset that I craved. I didn't feel like myself and it wore me down hard.

I have been dealing with this here body of mine for 35 years now and I know that I have the type of body that will gain weight quickly and loose strength if I don't keep active daily. When I had to stop working out I could feel myself loosing strength and muscle and it felt just plain gross, especially because I couldn't do anything to control it. To make matters worse I hated everything about food, especially veggies and fruit for 9 months straight and it was all kinds of depressing. It sucked to just watch my hard work disappear and there wasn't much I could do about it.

So now here I am on the other side of that rough pregnancy trying to fix the damage. And any of you who have had a baby or even a serious injury, know how humbling it can be to start back at square one. Classes I was once good at and excited to take, now make me feel like a newbie and leave me drained. But I am not letting that stop me! I have been back at hot yoga for the last 3 weeks, Bar Method at least 3 times a week and hiking and walking in my hilly hood with the baby daily!

Food also instantly changed after I had the baby. I love Whole 30 and clean eating because they are the easiest for me. The fruits and vegetables that once made me absolutely sick when I was pregnant are back to being my main source of food. It was so strange that the instant I had Athena, I was ready to eat them again and it was such a welcome comeback. First thing I ordered in the hospital was green beans and 2 fruit cups!

I knew this would be a struggle but it really is a whole new beast after baby to get healthy again. Aside from just making healthy choices you have the struggle of being able to actually carry out those choices. You want to workout but are exhausted from being up with the baby all night, or you can't get away for long enough to take a class or even pick up groceries to do meal prep, also just preparing a meal can be daunting. At one point in my pregnancy I was so scared I'd forget healthy things I liked to cook so I made a list called "Jill Food" so I would remember what I liked when food didn't make me sick. I still look at this list because my brain did forget all the yummy things I used to cook on the regular. I'm glad I made it because I look at it now and get great "new" ideas!

People also keep telling me to cut myself a break and that it takes time and I think I really am doing that even though it's throwing up new challenges daily, I think Andrew and I are working really hard to make sure we keep up with a healthy way of living. He's been very supportive of helping me to get a work out in and allowing me time to rest to have energy to recover from it. 

Progress will be slow and steady, but I'm up for the challenge. If you have any tips for getting back in shape after baby (or after injury, cause I've got one of those from childbirth) send it my way.