It's the kind of travel scenario a person has nightmares about, and I still can't believe it happened to us. Last Wednesday (8/30) Joshua and I were headed to Cuba for 7 nights. We took a Lyft to the airport and were checking in for our flight when we realized.... Joshua's passport expired last month!! I'm a very chill traveler. I don't expect to make it anywhere without delays, and choose to enjoy the journey, not the destination. But this... this... really threatened to destroy all my chill. Like every single bit of chill I've ever had in my body. So many thoughts were going through my head... how did we get approved for visas? Or spend months planning this trip?! How did we overlook this?!!

I know we aren't the only ones who have experienced a travel fiasco - maybe your kids have gotten sick and you had to cancel a trip, or bad weather kept you grounded. It's an awful feeling; all that pre-trip excitement, whoosh, out the window. But this was next-level bad, because it was also akin to loosing your work computer, and along with it, two weeks of work. And your employer is not going to pay you if you don't do it all again from scratch. (In case you're wondering, as someone who is self-employed, that horrible sounding boss is me, haha.)

So what did we do? Make lemonade with lemons!! Within hours, we had Joshua's passport renewal in the mail, a new trip booked to Cuba (thank you Southwest for the amazing customer service - we didn't lose a single dollar on our flights!), and - my favorite part - a brand new business plan that was even better and more exciting than the original! Take that stupid travel fiasco!! Part of our plan involved driving down to Miami for the long weekend to take photos at Wynwood Walls. I was so excited and hopeful for the new plan, never losing that positive attitude, even when our weekend in Miami presented a whole new set of challenges (insane holiday traffic, insane heat, medial issues) that really made the whole thing a bummer, at least from a "fun" perspective. (Work wise it was productive, so at least there's that.)

I tell you all this to bring up one very important question: with everything going on in the world - namely, Hurricane Harvey, which dominated U.S. media the past week - what is acceptable to share on social media? I shared our travel fiasco on social media (private account) and was told that other people have it harder than me and I shouldn't be upset about Cuba. Then, later, I shared a positive post about taking a moment to really stop and smell the roses, and was told that having fun is insensitive to people who are dealing with Harvey right now. SO... how can it be both ways, right?!! Don't post something bad, but also don't post something good... and are either of these even correct?!

Personally, I think it's a balance. It seems like shutting down all the good or all the bad in our own lives is probably not the answer, so the answer must lie somewhere in between. When I share the bad (anytime, not just during a national disaster), I keep it in perspective. Our travel fiasco would upset anyone, surely, but at the same time, I only speak about it from a place of knowing that it's truly a privileged problem to have in the first place, and remain positive even in that bummer moment. When I share the good, I keep that in perspective, too. Nobody wants to hear from Smarty McHumbleBrag about how they are having the most amazing time ever, national disaster or not. In other words... I experience my emotions fully, share them in a respectful way, all while aiming to keep it context. The key theme here though: allowing yourself your emotions!! Just because someone else is hurting does NOT mean you can't hurt too, or that you shouldn't have a good time. (Note: This is a much larger topic that I go into depth in my book, but for now I wanted to share this smaller story.)

As Hurricane Irma bears down on the Caribbean with record-setting winds, everyone is pretty much panicking in Florida, and truly, it could be bad. It may not hit us at all, but let me tell you if it does, even we lose everything - please continue enjoying yourselves. I mean it. Stop to savor the small things, love on your family, and keep going on trips (and please, for the love, don't be like us and check the DATE on your passport!!). And don't let anyone tell you that your spilled coffee, traffic jam or fight with your spouse is "not something to be upset about" because those are your feelings and you should absolutely feel them 100%. Respecting our fellow man, helping them in times of need (via disaster relief charities for Houston and South Asia), and sending them our love is so important (what we are put on earth for, even), but those things also don't mean you have to ignore your own feelings and circumstances - good or bad.

Okay loves, I'm stepping off my soap box, and getting back to regularly scheduled blog content. (Heart.) Lots of happy fashion "fluff" (as I like to call it!) to put a smile on your face and perhaps an outfit idea into your closet. This wall and dress combo, I think, is so perfect together. (A little "too" perfect or matchy-matchy, even, one could argue?) This dress is old, so I gathered some aptly rainbow-ed attire for all you fellow color lovers below. Get your eyeballs ready for a barrage of colorful Miami posts over the next week! Excited to share them with you.

Dress: Dillard's, $35 (similar below)
Purse: Vince Camuto c/o Off 5th, $70 (similar, similar, similar, similar)
Shoes: boutique c/o (similar, similar)
Earrings: Kendra Scott c/o Amazon, $36 (same)
Sunglasses: boohoo c/o, $8
Approx. dates: Dress, shoes, purse, earrings are 1 year ago. Sunglasses are recent.