You will remember this blouse from before its sleeve surgery.

I think it’s recovered nicely, don’t you? We tried cap sleeves first, and I was going to stop there … until I saw the photos. No bueno. I’m generally not the biggest fan of cap sleeves – on me, because carrying a 40 lbs toddler around does nothing for upper arm toning, contrary to all logic – so I should have known. I mean, they were better than mutton sleeves, but it was only a marginal improvement. So we* went for the full sleeve-ectomy, and I’m quite pleased with the results.

The rest of the outfit is pretty boring. Not, like, blergh-boring. Just … expected-boring. But if it works, I’ll take boring.

*By “we”, I mean my awesome grandmother who did all the work, and me. Who did nothing.

I don’t know why I bother packing for these short road trips. Guaranteed that, on the second day, I’ll wear all my shopping spoils from day 1. I’m just that impatient. So, hey, check out my new shorts, belt and clutch.

Altogether, these set me back about $35, which is the chocolate sauce on top of this sundae of an outfit. (I’m trying to say that I really like how this outfit came together. Basic? Yes. Cute? I stand by it.)

I even splurged on some joolz; the ring cost more than all the other new pieces combined, but it was still under $50, so yay. More chocolate sauce. This is an awesome sundae.

Road trips to Calgary are not normally something over which I’d lose my damn mind, except when they come with the following disclaimer: kids-free. Yeeeeee-hawww! Yep, we left the kids behind (with the grandparents and not, like, by the side of the road or anything) and blew out of town for 36 blissful hours of adults-only fun. Does my excitement appear rather unseemly? Eh, maybe. I’d probably go with “gleeful, leaning towards the obnoxious”.

(But, guys, here’s the thing I’m almost embarrassed to admit, but which other parents already know: there is no such thing as a kid-free weekend. Even if they’re not physically present, they’re still there. On your mind. Any time there’s a quiet moment. Kids (your own, to be precise) might be the ultimate can’t-live-with-them/can’t-live-without-them proposition.)

So, yes, as you might have surmised, this is what I wore on the trip down to C-town. Comfort, y’all – it’s where it’s at. I was going to go with one of my practical MbMJ bags – because this is a road trip after all – but then I got to thinking. A day without kids and their sticky messes? It might just be a road trip, but it’s also a great opportunity to bust out a “nice” handbag for once. I went back and forth for a while (because I have a few nice bags that have been collecting dust for a year), and eventually landed on the Bayswater. It’s just so damn nice and versatile. Over the top? Yes. But in Calgary, that’s kind of par for the course.

There is a reason I don’t really do travel posts. Lots of reasons, actually, but one big one. We don’t really do exciting things when we travel. If we’re traveling with the kids (95% of the time), it’s basically all playgrounds, cheapie diners, aquariums and zoos, and mall trips (to visit the mannequins, natch). When it’s just us, it’s even less interesting. Our yearly road trips are all about 3 things: eating, sleeping, shopping. In peace and quiet. But just because we’re boring folks, I won’t assume you are too. So, no travel tips from Adina. Trust me, you’re happy about that.

Here’s a look at my mani-pedi combo – doesn’t it just scream summer road-trip?