Man Crates: What's in Your Box?

I was contacted recently with an intriguing proposition. A company called Man Crates wanted to know what my top five, must-have, do or die items are…. interesting, yes? The name captured me right away. What exactly is a man crate? I was intrigued enough to find out.

Peeps, you have no idea how cool these are.

The bacon crate

Not only are these boy-friendly, but they come with a personalized crowbar for breaking into the crate. You heard me! A crowbar… because, and I quote, "unwrapping gifts is half the fun".

The Hubs would go nuts over this. Especially the Bacon Crate. And the NFL Barware Crate. And the Golfer's Crate… and don't forget the Snack Pack Crate! Since the company also ships to APO, I am totally sold. I love supporting companies that support our soldiers (at this point I should probably add that I'm not getting paid or compensated for this review, haha. These opinions are all my own. I hope you check out the website and decide for yourself what you think).

So, the big question is… what would be my essentials? What could I not survive without? What makes my heart flutter?

That is not as easy to answer as you think. But I've thought it over, and I think I know. I'm totally discounting the basic essentials like food and water, because what fun would that be?! Let's do this.

1. My Camera - Anyone who knows me well, knows that I hardly go anywhere without my camera. I document everything. I doubt being stuck on a stranded island would stop me!

2. Books, books, and more books - You can have your TV and reality shows. What I need in life are books! Everything from Shakespeare to Harry Potter, I want it all. So load me up an iPad with all my favorites, and I'll be happy.

Well, except for the whole I'd be stuck on an island thing.

3. I really wanted to say coconut oil, but I'm hoping my island comes equipped with coconuts. So instead, I'm gonna go with my vitamins! I totally feel the difference when I don't get my daily dose. A definite must-have.

4. My Food Processor - Yep. I'll def need this for whatever random food I find on my island. Could you maybe include the electricity to run it too? Awesome, thanks. Since I'm asking, maybe we could just move my whole kitchen. Yes, that's a better idea. I promise to cook for anyone else stranded with me!

5. The Hubs - Or maybe the dog. Or the Hubs. Or my Lucy dog…

Agh, decisions, decisions!!

Yes, I know this is not a material object. But I never want to do without my Hubs! Or my Lucy dog. If I'm gonna be stranded, then he is dang well going to be stranded with me. And so is the dog.

You feel what I'm saying here? I'll give them some air holes in the crate until I can open it…

So, what is your top five? What would be in your crate? Comment below, my friends! This was fun, I might need to do a top five more often. Until next time, happy shopping (you know you're gonna be checking out Man Crates now)!

Thanks for reading, everyone!

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Keep Calm and Go To Paris, Part 5

This is the last part of my Keep Calm and Go To Paris series. And I'm kind of sad about it. I really loved visiting this beautiful city. The food, the art, the company… it was fantastic. I'll be going back again this winter with one of my other sisters, so I'll get a chance to see some of the things we couldn't get to on this trip. Naturally, I'll keep you updated!

In the meantime, you can catch up on this series by reading Part 1 (Montmartre and Moulin Rouge), Part 2 (walking tour and the Eiffel Tower), Part 3 (Versailles and Notre Dame), and Part 4 (Giverny and Monet's gardens).

For our last day, our only plans were to visit the Louvre, eat a nice lunch, and do a little shopping before catching the train home. If you're an art fan, the Louvre is an absolute must see. There is no way to see it all in a single visit, or even a dozen visits. I suppose you could run through each gallery and technically "see" everything, but if you want to appreciate what you're seeing it takes much more time.

Yes, we are "those" people,
outside the Louvre at the Invisible Pyramid entrance 

(Hint: To take pictures like the one above, it is a lot easier to move the camera versus the person! Have your subject place their hand in position, and then you move around them to get the picture lined up just right)

Of course, everyone wants to see the Mona Lisa. The largest crowds will be around this painting, and everyone will be pushing. Your best bet is to arrive as early as possible, make a beeline for the Mona Lisa, see her, and get the heck out of there.

That's what we did.

And yes… we totally selfied in front of her too. Don't judge me!

Our museum pass helped us skip the lines at the Louvre entrance, and we arrived just as they opened. This was perfect timing. Even in the few minutes it took us to see the Mona Lisa, crowds had started to form.

Since we knew we couldn't see everything, we each picked an area we wanted to walk through. Here's a look at some of the art we saw:

Winged Victory of Samothrace

Venus de Milo

After several hours, the Hubs and The Kid were really tired of art. If you're married or have kids, you know what I'm talking about. Their heads were down, feet were dragging, and the whining had begun.

Ugh.

We left around lunchtime, before anyone got too hangry (hungry + angry). We desperately wanted to eat at the Angelina's near the Louvre, but sadly it was under renovations. Next time! Instead, we found a great cafe, enjoyed a meal together, and wandered our way to the train station (shopping the whole way!)

The Kid made a new friend while waiting for the train, it was pretty funny. This gentleman was selling trinkets (candy, etc) to make money for his upcoming wedding. It was a great ending to a wonderful trip to Paris.

Until next time my friends, happy travels!

Thanks for reading, everyone!

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Living Overseas: The Little Things

Sometimes living overseas can make normal things seem much more difficult. And yes, you may have to take an extra step or two to accomplish some tasks. For example, this morning I wanted to re-order a few boxes of contacts from 1800Contacts. Back in the States, I just hit "re-order". You know? But now that we've moved, my doctor is different. And they aren't in the massive database of 1800Contacts.

Uh oh. No need to panic!

My face when I couldn't order my contacts!
(Pay no attention to my morning hair, ha)

I know these little inconveniences can feel like a massive pain in the behind. You just want life to be simple. You really want to feel like you know what you're doing. You don't wanna take all these extra steps when it used to be so simple.

I know. I really, really do. But it can't be helped. Living overseas adds complications. BUT, it also adds so much more to your life! Take these little inconveniences in stride, and keep on swimming (anyone else out there a Nemo fan??). Here's my tip for your contact lens ordering: Call. The help line is conveniently open 24 hours. The nice lady who answered was extremely helpful and friendly. All I need to do is email them my prescription, and I'll be good to go for the rest of our stay here in Germany.  See, easy peasy.

And if that doesn't work, you can always go to my fall back method: ice cream.

Happy Monday, my friends! I hope your week is starting off right, and you don't let those little things drag you down. I'll be back later with some more great posts, full of travel, and fun, and food.

Thanks for reading, everyone!

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Email me: armylifefromthewife@gmail.com