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Here are my 100 days! I asked my students today if they noticed anything about my clothes since we came back from Christmas break, and they only came up with I wear a lot of sweaters and I've only been wearing dresses. I leave for Guatemala tomorrow, and now that the challenge is over, I'm so excited to wear...this dress! I love it, and I haven't gotten tired of it in the least bit! It has definitely helped me realize that I don't need such an expansive wardrobe at all!

Over halfway done and I still only washed it once by this point! I do wear a shirt under the dress quite a few days, so that helps, but there are still many days when it is my base layer and I just throw a sweater over top because it's too cold for just a tank top! Days 49-51: February 9-11 We are having a door decorating contest at school. It took a few days to finish, and this is just the beginning! Days 52-54: February 12-14 Day 52 was bowling! It's a little harder to see the dress in day 53, but it's there between my jacket and my cat. You can see I'm holding the bottom of it on day 54. Can you tell I'm starting to run out of photo ideas? Days 55-57: February 15-17 Day 55: Washing my car during a bout of nice weather Day 56: Sitting in the school cafeteria during parent teacher conferences, afraid I'd forget to take a better picture that day (I did, which is why we're stuck with this one) Day 57: Sitting in my Mini at a charging station! Day 58: February 18 I just really like this picture and wanted it bigger than the rest of them! Most days, I just look like a hot mess, so I am putting a spotlight on one of the days I felt put together! Days 59-61: February 19-21 More regular days. This gray and black hoodie is my favorite! I got it when I went to Peru in 2013. It was my first time ever outside of the US, and it was absolutely magical! The zipper had been broken on this hoodie for quite a few years now, and I just never got around to getting it fixed, until today! I was so excited that it was finally fixed that it became my new staple for a few days! Other Dress Updates Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge: Day 1 Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge: Day 2 Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge: Days 3-6 Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge: Days 7-11 Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge: Days 12-16 Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge: Days 17-22 Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge: Days Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge: Days Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge: Days

Almost halfway done! I can't believe how quickly this challenge is flying by! At this point, it's no longer really a challenge, but more of a habit. It's been well over a month, and people don't really notice much about what I'm wearing, and when they do, it's an interesting talking point, so I'm no longer worried about what people think. Day 32-40 : January 23-31 Not every day is exciting. These are just some of my photos from those regular days. Some days, I wasn't feeling very photogenic, so you just get my feet on those. We all have our moments. Day 41: February 1 Black History Month! I wore my "Black History is American History" shirt over my dress, so you basically just see the bottom part today. Finally, something different though! I love Black History Month because it is a time for us to reflect on important historical figures who were not always celebrated the way they should have been. I also believe Black History Month is for everyone to celebrate because you don't have to be black to appreciate contributions by black people, just like you don't have to be white to appreciate contributions white people have made to society. Day 42: February 2 I went to a Cavs game with my friend! They gave out the Cavs bag you see me wearing! They played the Memphis Grizzlies and won 128-113. I was never really a huge fan of basketball, but it was an exciting game, and I definitely think I'll start going to more because it was so much fun! Days 43-46: February 3-6 More regular days. Day 47: February 7 OELPA testing is beginning! For those of you who don't know, English learners in Ohio have to take the Ohio English Language Proficiency Assessment (Now you see why we abbreviate it to OELPA) every year around February. We have a lot of kids, so I had to get a lot of headphones from the office. I'm so glad I have such great colleagues to work together to get the testing done! It's always so stressful, but teamwork makes the dream work! Day 48: February 8 Just another regular day at school, but I really loved this outfit and wanted to put up a bigger picture of it! I love the grayscale with the little pop of red from my shoes. Also, the hoodie I'm wearing is from my trip to Peru! It was my first ever international trip, and I swear Peru still holds a piece of my heart! The zipper is broken here, as it had been for years, but you will see in a future post that I finally got it fixed! Other Dress Updates Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge: Day 1 Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge: Day 2 Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge: Days 3-6 Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge: Days 7-11 Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge: Days 12-16 Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge: Days 17-22 Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge: Days TBD

Thank you for joining me in my journey! Just so you know, any links you click might allow me to earn some money at no extra cost to you. I would never recommend anything solely for that purpose, and I really appreciate your readership, even if you don't click or buy anything. It really means the world to me that you would choose to spend some time in your day with me! This was me trying to downsize my wardrobe in 2020. I knew I wasn't wearing all of my clothes, and I was reading about Marie Kondo and getting rid of things that don't spark joy. To this day, I am still in the process of downsizing. The Problems with Fast Fashion I had never been the most fashionable person, but who hasn't fallen victim to the siren calls of the fashion industry? I am sad to say that I have bought multiple clothing items from online companies with questionable business practices in the past. While I am not perfect, I have been trying to avoid fast-fashion companies like Shein because their cheap clothing comes at a cost. First, the environmental cost of the fashion industry is well known. Here's a BBC article about the industry and why clothes are hard to recycle and why most end up either being burned or sent to a landfill. I am not ditching all of my old clothes yet because I know getting rid of them won't solve the problem. However, I have started buying more eco friendly options. While wool clothing is more expensive than synthetic clothing, it is more durable, needs less washing, and lasts longer. While it hurt a little bit to buy my first pieces of wool clothing, I have been wearing them like crazy, and not only do they not stink like my polyester clothes, but they are also more comfortable and higher quality. Also, the customer service has been amazing, unlike fast fashion companies, where it is often cheaper to just throw away a garment that doesn't fit correctly, the wool companies I've dealt with, like Woolx and Wool&, have been happy to exchange items that don't fit how I want. Second, the human cost of the fashion industry, which is known, but I think talked about less. How do you think it is possible to sell a dress for $8? The workers that made it certainly aren't getting paid fair wages for their labor. Their working conditions are also sometimes deadly. We have better conditions here in the US, though we didn't always have them. Have you ever heard about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in 1911? 146 people died because of the terrible conditions that led up to it. We now have laws to protect working conditions in the US, but factories abroad don't always follow our minimum pay, safety, and health standards. When you buy a $2 shirt or a $5 dress, someone was not getting paid their worth to make that clothing. Resisting Fast Fashion I understand that not everyone can afford to spend a ton of money on all their clothes, but we can all take steps to do better. Before I started this journey, I loved to go to discount stores for some "retail therapy." I loved the thrill of getting a good deal on a new outfit, but I wasn't really looking for quality or even pieces I would wear often. Here are some of my shopping tips below: Here I am at Burlington, one of my ex-favorite stores. (I ran in to have my mom take my picture, and left before I could be tempted by anything! Though honestly, it wasn't so bad because I love the feel of my merino wool clothes compared to the things offered here.) Buy Less. I've been wearing my new Wool& dress for over 40 days now, and hardly anyone has noticed. I'm not even trying to hide it either. I wear different leggings because I have a bunch of them, and I might change up the sweater or jacket I wear over it because it's a tank dress, and my classroom is freezing, but none of my students or coworkers have said anything, so I really don't think they've noticed. Check the Tags. You want to put thought into what you are buying and where it comes from. many companies still outsource their labor to other countries, and that is fine if they make sure their working conditions are meeting standards. Certified B corporations do meet those standards, which is why I like brands like Cotopaxi and Toms. Read about the high certification standards here. More on that below. You should also check what the clothes are made of. Polyester is basically just plastic, and it usually comes from petroleum, so it's not exactly an eco-friendly material. Your polyester fabric will be around loooong after you are done with it. Polyester can also be made from recycled plastic bottles, so it can have less of an environmental impact at the source. Buy High Quality Pieces, Especially Merino Wool. I am OBSESSED with my merino wool clothing now! Most people think wool is itchy, but merino wool is soft and feels like a regular fabric, especially when blended with other fibers. I have a dress from Wool&, leggings from Woolx, and two sweaters from Amazon. I rarely have to do laundry because my clothes don't need it. Wool is an amazing material that resists odors and wicks away sweat. Buy Secondhand. Not only does buying secondhand give clothes another chance, it also keeps clothes out of landfills for longer! Plus, then it makes high quality pieces more affordable! I bought a Smartwool shirt on Poshmark for $25 plus shipping, and it was like brand new! Wash Less. Washing takes a toll and wears out clothing faster. When you buy high quality clothes that don't need washed as much, you are helping the environment by saving water and energy, AND you're saving your clothes by washing them less often. In summary, when you decide you need to buy a new piece of clothing, invest in a high quality piece that will not need washed as much instead of buying multiple low quality pieces. Focus on quality not quantity when it comes to your wardrobe. When you try a minimalist approach, you realize how little you really need. You don't have to become a minimalist; I am not one, but I have realized how little I actually need. I no longer go shopping as a stress relief. Brands I Trust Before I buy new products now, I *try* to buy from reputable brands. I am not perfect, and there are times that I will pick something off a shelf at TJ Maxx or something, but in general, I try to do better than before, especially with bigger purchases. So, moving on, here are my favorites so far. Cotopaxi I have loved them since I first found them! First, I love their colorful backpacks, which is how I originally discovered them as a brand. Then, I found out about how they're a certified B Corporation, which means they meet social and environmental standards while having transparent business practices. Toms I dance a lot, but I've never been much of a heels person. I do have dancing shoes with heels, but a friend said she really likes dancing in her Toms, so I bought a pair to try them out (shout out to you, Katie!). I fell in love with these shoes, and unless I'm wearing boots in the snow, I pretty much only wear Toms now. They're so comfortable, and my favorite part is that they're machine washable! Here I am wearing Cotopaxi and Toms to see Amorphophallus titanum blooming in Cleveland, July 2022. Wool& I found them when I started researching better clothes for travel because I wanted clothing made with odor resistant fabric so I could pack less and do less laundry while I travel. They have a 30 day and a100 day dress challenge, so that helped me too. I decided to do the 100 day challenge, and when I complete it, they will give me a $100 gift card for their store, so here I am, doing the challenge! I am currently in my second month, and it is easier than I thought. I can't wait to finish my challenge and buy my reward dress with the gift card! Woolx Another company I found in my search for merino wool products is Woolx! I bought leggings from them that are merino wool mixed with recycled polyester for durability. A bonus with them is that I noticed the recycled polyester outside is pretty resistant to pet hair (I have 3 cats!), so that's a huge plus for me! I'm not seeing how many days I can wear them in a row like I am with my dress, and I do mix up my leggings when I want to add more color to my outfit, but I've worn them quite a few times without them needing to be washed. As for customer service, I did have a minor problem with my first pair, and the company was very responsive. They were happy to replace my old pair for a new one, and at a different size. They recently just had a seasonal clearance sale, and I ended up buying a few shirts to try them out, and I am OBSESSED! They are so soft, and I would never guess that they were made out of wool. (Shout out to my friends who put up with me when I say "Feel my clothes and guess the material!" You the real MVPs!) Branwyn This is a woman-owned wool company focused on innerwear and sustainability I love the bra and underwear I have from them because they are seamless, they don't smell (even after working out), I can hand wash them when I'm traveling, and I can hang them to dry overnight. Also, like all of my other merino wool clothes, they are not itchy and basically just feel like regular clothes! If you want to try them out, you can use code RACHEVERYWHERE10 to get $10 off your first order! My Example Pieces! Because I am currently still doing the 100 day dress challenge from Wool&, you will see me in the dress basically all the time right now. I have tons of different leggings, but I definitely prefer my Woolx ones because they are super comfortable, and I don't have to wash them as much. When I go to the gym, I've started wearing my Woolx t-shirt that I just bought recently. My only regret is that I didn't buy more during their sale while I still had the chance! Shirt: Smartwool, bought secondhand on Poshmark Sweater: Goodthreads from Amazon I liked this one so much that I bought a second one in red! Dress: Kalle Ponte from Wool& Leggings: Merino Flex McKenna from Woolx Shoes: Alpargata Heritage Canvas from Toms Underwear: Branwyn In closing, I'm not saying you should throw out your old wardrobe and spend thousands of dollars on all new clothes. I certainly am not doing that. I would like everyone to think more about where their clothes come from and how they affect the environment. I've learned so much from the 100 Day Dress Challenge, and if you're interested, you can read about my journey here. Again, nobody is perfect, but even the small changes we make to become better can make an impact for future generations. Thank you so much for taking the time to read about my journey!

Vacation time and work time with the same dress! This was my second trip with Girls LOVE Travel, and I can't wait for my next one! I'm also excited that I have more interesting photos of me instead of just boring selfies for once! Day 23: January 13 Travel Day! I always try to pack light because I frequently fly with budget airlines, and I don't want to pay extra for my bags. In fact, I took Frontier on the way down to Florida, and Spirit on the way home for this trip. Wearing the same dress everyday has definitely helped me with packing lighter! I did take extra clothes just in case I spilled something on the dress and needed to wash it, but for the most part, I was in the dress, PJs, or a bathing suit! Day 24: January 14 Operation Room! We couldn't go to the house until 6, and I will write more details about my Orlando adventure in a separate entry, but here is a summary of the Great Escape House! The whole house theme was games! They had giant games outside like human bowling (we'll get to that further down), pool, but with soccer balls instead of the regular ones, and life size foosball. Each of the bedrooms had a different game theme, and the theme for mine was Operation! It's the first time I've worn my dress with mouse ears! Day 25: January 15 It was 56 Fahrenheit (about 13 Celsius), and I wanted to swim because I was in Florida. The sun was actually really warm, so I wanted to check out the hot tub. I did have to walk through knee-deep freezing pool water to get to the hot tub, but after I took this picture, I changed into my bathing suit because it was warm enough in the hot tub for me to enjoy the sun! Day 26: January 16 Back to the game theme! This is the human bowling I was telling you about earlier! You get into the ball and roll down the lane to hit the pins at the end. This day, it was in the upper 60s, so it was warm enough for me to not need a jacket, especially with the warm sun. Also, I loved that I could wear shorts under my dress instead of my usual leggings! Day 27: January 17 This was the checkout day at the house, so I had to say goodbye. I wanted to get a picture with the wildcard window because I think it sums me up pretty well. You never know what you're getting into with me! haha Days 28-29: January 18-19 Shortest work week ever! Back to boring selfies, but only for two days! I was at school Wednesday and Thursday, but I had Friday off for the conference. Day 30-32: January 20-22 Weekend conference with Ohio's New Educators! The dress was perfect because it was dressy enough for a conference, and perfect to layer! I was also lucky enough to win the book "Atomic Habits," which I haven't started yet, but I had so many people come up to me and tell me how it's such a good book! (You can get the book here on Amazon using my affiliate link!) It was so cold in the conference rooms that I wore a sweater AND a jacket, as seen in the third photo. I'm obsessed with the purple sweater that I actually bought a second one in red! I've been on a merino wool journey, which has brought me to this dress challenge, and this sweater was the perfect addition to it. (Check it out on Amazon! It was super cheap, which is why I bought two!) I started wearing merino wool because not only is it an ecofriendly material, but it is also odor resistant and thermoregulating. The leggings I'm wearing are also a merino wool blend, and I am excited to see my outfits having more wool and less polyester! Other Dress Updates Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge: Day 1 Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge: Day 2 Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge: Days 3-6 Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge: Days 7-11 Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge: Days 12-16 Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge: Day 17-22

I'm getting behind with my posts, and day 23 is the start of a mini vacation, so I'm doing 6 days here. Thanks for reading! :) Day 17: January 7 I went to see Disney on Ice with a friend. They were remodeling the restrooms, so everyone was confused about the urinals being in the women's restrooms. Also, moms brought in their young sons who knew what the urinals were for, so it was funny watching the moms trepidation as they turn around and see their sons walking towards the urinals. The boys didn't understand why they couldn't just use the perfectly good urinals in front of all the women and their daughters (as opposed to being in the men's room), but the moms were all able to keep them patient enough to wait for a private stall like everyone else. Definitely a weird and comical experience for everyone. Days 18-22: January 8-12 Here are the photos from days 18-22. The ones in school are in my coworker's room because I was tired of just selfies and went to her to take my pictures for the day. I finally washed the dress on day 20! It still didn't smell, but I spilled something on it and figured I should just wash the whole thing anyway since it had been just under 3 weeks since I started wearing it. I did put it in the dryer on a low heat setting because I was hoping to shrink it a little bit. As you can see in the middle photo, it is still pretty loose around my armpits. I like how the rest of the dress fits though, so that's why I didn't want to send it back for a smaller size. Maybe one day, I'll have someone take it in for me. As always, thanks for reading! You can check out the links below if you are interested in the other dress updates! Check out the rest of my blog for travel tips as well as fun posts about my vacations around the world! Other Dress Updates Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge: Day 1 Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge: Day 2 Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge: Days 3-6 Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge: Days 7-11 Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge: Days 12-16 Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge: Day 23-32

Next 5 days, here we go! Day 12: January 2 This was the last day of my days off school. I went to the gym to make sure I continued to close all three rings for the day. (Though that ended up being the end of my streak for the year. oops) I thought this would be the day that I would have to wash the dress, but it literally didn't smell like anything. Also, it probably helped that I wasn't working up much of a sweat. I was just walking fast enough with enough of an incline to get my heart rate up for 30 minutes of cardio. Day 13: January 3, First Day Back to School! I was not happy to go back to *work,* but I was excited to see my kids again and to hear about their break! I wore a short sleeve shirt underneath because I never know what the temperature will be in my classroom. It's usually freezing, but they did fix the vents to my room over break, so now it's comfortable. I have a map in my room, and I put pins where I've been! I've been planning my summer vacation this past month, so I added ladybug pins to where I'll be going this summer. I'm so excited to see old faces and new places! "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page." – Saint Augustine Day 14-16 January 4-6 Nothing super exciting to write about, so here are the pictures! The last two are also from my class! My room's them is travel (are you surprised?) because I love it, but also because it goes so well with ESL! What I've Learned so Far First of all, nobody has really noticed outside of the people that I have told about the challenge. It has been two weeks, and I still haven't washed it! It's so wild to me that it has stayed clean for so long and still doesn't smell. I will wash it soon because the sides at the armpits stick out a little bit, and I want to see if I can get it to shrink just enough in that area until I can get it taken in. Other Dress Updates Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge: Day 1 Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge: Day 2 Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge: Days 3-6 Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge: Days 7-11 Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge: Day 17-22

Here's a 5 Day update on my dress challenge! Day 7: December 28, 2022 I had school bus training! For those who don't know, my first job was driving buses around my college campus. I absolutely loved my job! Many of my colleagues continued to drive buses in some capacity after they left Kent, but I started teaching and never really had the chance to do anything bus-related until now! Like many other districts, mine needs staff across the board. We've had buses come an hour late because there were drivers out and the only way to get those kids home was to have someone else drive the open route after their original route. I decided to start training because I can already drive; I just need to get my school bus endorsement, and I want to help! So, that brings us to today. I have my permit, I've been working with a trainer, and I'm on my way to becoming certified to drive buses in order to help out my district. By the time I'll be able to drive (I have to take a state mandated class first, and that's only offered once a month), cold and flu season will probably be over, but there are always personal days that need covered too! Day 8: December 29, 2022 Another day of bus training! I took a selfie in the bus this time before we started driving. I don't really have anything else exciting to add here. Day 9: New Year's Eve Eve I tried a little something different by layering it with this purple smartwool shirt underneath. When I went out, I just wore a hoodie over it because I'm just that fashionable. Day 10: New Year's Eve! I didn't wear it to the New Year's Eve dance party I went to, but I did wear it around the house for the day and as I was getting ready for the party! I met some friends for dinner, and then I left for Cleveland where I spent the evening. I got to ring in the new year with some great music and dancing! Day 11: New Year's Day 2023! Probably the most productive January 1st I can remember in a long time! Usually I just sleep in all day. There were a few years that I slept so late that I missed the sun before. But this year, I had already closed my exercise ring because of all the dancing I did after midnight, but I ended up walking a bit to bring my exercise for the day to over an hour! I've also closed my move and stand rings as well! I celebrated the New Year by having my first lunch out at an Indian buffet, then I had dinner with family. Other Dress Posts Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge: Day 1 Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge: Day 2 Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge: Days 3-6 Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge Days 12-16 Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge: Day 17-22

Are you from a warm climate and visiting someplace cold? Or are you from a colder climate, but not used to spending so much time outside? Here are some tips to help you stay warm during your winter travels! I fall into the latter category. I live in Ohio, USA, so we regularly get some pretty cold days every winter. However, I usually don't spend much time outside other than the occasional ski trip, so I've never really dressed for the cold. This time last year, I was in Utsjoki, Finland to see the Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights. Here are some things I did to keep warm while out and about! I do use affiliate links, so if you buy one of my suggestions from those links, I might earn a little bit of money at no extra cost to you, so it's a win-win for us! In any case, I appreciate you taking the time to read my tips and stories! ♡ Here I am in Snowman World in Rovaniemi, 2021. 1. Hand Warmers! If you're going to be out in the cold, you don't want to have your fingers and toes go numb. Warm gloves and thick socks can help, but they can only do so much. Even if you don't think you will need them, have at least a few ready to use, just in case. It's definitely a relief to have a little spot of warmth when spending extended amounts of time outside! Hot Hands or Similar Disposable Hand WarmersThese are what I packed for the trip. At the time, I didn't know about reusable ones, and these ones were cheap in bulk. They kept us so warm, and the trip would not have been the same without them! Pros: Heat up to 100-180°F or 38-82°C According to their website, the HotHands hand warmers are made from natural ingredients including: iron powder, water, salt, activated charcoal and vermiculite. The company says they are safe to throw away in regular garbage. You can take them in your carry-on or in your checked bag on an airplane. These got really hot and stayed hot for hours. (The reusable ones I'll talk about next do not stay hot for nearly as long.) I know they're called HotHands, but I would throw them in the toes of my boots, and they kept my feet warm as well! Cons: Single use only. There is a lot of plastic waste. Each one is wrapped individually in plastic because they react when they are exposed to air. **Can be toxic to pets! According the the ASPCA website, the iron in the packets can give them an upset stomach and thermal burns if the warmer is not cooled. Like anything else pets eat that they shouldn't, the warmers can also cause blockage. These can take up a lot of space if you're packing for a long trip. Hot Snapz Reusable Hand Warmers: I just bought these for this winter because I wanted to try something that I could use again and again, while cutting down on plastic waste. Pros: Reusable hundreds of times! You "charge" them after use by boiling them until all of the crystals go away. Heat is about 120-130°F or 49-54°C Non-toxic ingredients: sodium acetate, water, and the metal activation disc Can be used in water for activities like snorkeling! Cons: They only last for 30-60 minutes, depending on the size of the warmer and the conditions outside. They are larger than the liquid allotment for your carryon bag, so they *must* be in your checked bag when flying. They did still come wrapped in plastic packaging, but way less than the disposable handwarmers use. It does take time to recharge them, and if you don't have a stove or other way to boil them safely, then they just become useless weight. HotSnapZ FAQs here 2. Dress in Warm Layers When you spend time in the cold, you want to make sure you can regulate your temperature easily. If you only wear a tshirt and a heavy winter coat, and you get too hot, you have no way to adjust. However, if you are wearing a base layer and different midweight layers, you can easily remove a layer without cooling off too much. Where to start with your layers though? Base layer: This should be something that wicks moisture away from your body. If youare like me and get hot quickly, you might start to sweat. This layer goes for your shirt and your pants/leggings! (I usually wear leggings, and yes, men can wear leggings too! Who's going to see them under your outer layer of pants anyway?) NOT COTTON!! If you are wearing a cotton base layer, the cotton will hold the moisture in and cause you to cool off. That's not something you want in the winter! Synthetic Many times base layers are synthetic fibers, like athletic shirts, because they are cheap and keep you dry. Merino Wool If you have a little bit more money to use to invest in your base layers, merino wool is a better choice because it is warm, eco-friendly, and antibacterial! If you have never felt merino wool, you might be picturing the scratchy wool we all know. However, merino wool, especially as a blend with other fibers, is soft and comfortable! You can even find merino wool bras and underwear! Finally, the thickness matters too! The amazon suggestion I gave you gives you the option of three different thicknesses, depending on how cold you will be expecting. I generally opt for medium weight and just add an extra layer if it will be extra cold. That way, I'm not packing too many thick layers that I might not even use because of how easily I get hot. Middle Layers: You can wear just one midweight shirt or sweater, but I prefer to wear multiple thin-ish layers instead of one thick one. This allows me to adjust better because again, I get hot really easily. Merino wool is great for this! Even if you don't like it as your base layer, you can use merino wool as one of your mid-layers! On my trip, I wore a regular, everyday long sleeve shirt and switched off between my merino wool sweater and one of a few regular acrylic sweaters I packed because they were cute. If I were to take this trip again, I would have definitely cut back on the amount of sweaters I packed. They took up too much room, and none of them got dirty or smelly because they were shielded from my sweat by my base layer and kept safe from the outside by my outer layer. Outer Layer: This will be your winter coat, and probably snow pants. This layer should be waterproof to keep you dry (even if it's not raining, snow can land on you and melt), and it should also be warm. If you get too hot, you take off your middle layer(s), and put your outer layer back on. Your coat should have a hood to block the wind, though I recommend wearing a hat and a scarf as well! 3. Gloves I was never a gloves person. In fact, I really only ever wore them for when I actually planned to touch the snow, like when throwing snowballs or building a snowman. Otherwise, I usually opt for just keeping my hands in my pockets. For this trip though, I wore gloves. I actually brought three pairs of gloves. Glove Liners: I had two pairs of glove liners. One pair, I actually used as glove liners in my bulkier waterproof gloves. I used the other pair as just a thin set of gloves because it was too cold for bare hands, but because the gloves were so thin, they weren't as cumbersome. Waterproof, Insulated Gloves: Though I didn't wear these all the time, I was definitely grateful to have them when I was dogsledding because it was so cold! They do make it difficult to do some things like using your phone or zipping your coat, so that's why I wear glove liners underneath: I can take off the bulk gloves but still have my hands covered. 4: Hats I am also not much of a hat person, but it was definitely a must-have for my winter adventure. I definitely recommend having maybe 2-3 different kinds of hats. A thin hat for when you're being active and don't want to get too hot, and a thicker hat for when it's just too cold. Be sure to have at least two if you will be spending a lot of time outside in case one gets wet from sweat or snow. When it comes to extreme cold, I instantly become a hat person! 5. Scarves I love scarves because they are so versatile! I usually take larger scarves because I can do more with them. If it's super cold, I can cover my head, face, and neck without any gaps that a scarf/hat combo would have. I wear ones that hang in the front so I can leave my coat unzipped for ventilation, and the the scarf keeps me warm without making me too hot. When I get inside somewhere like a restaurant, I'm generally too hot for a jacket and sweater, so I take those off, and put the scarf over my arms and back to keep warm. This is literally my favorite scarf ever. I bought it when I was in China, and I take it everywhere with me! Final Thoughts I hope these tips help you stay warm this winter, whether you are traveling somewhere cold or just staying at home in a cold climate. Be on the lookout for my post about my trip to Finland, coming soon!

This is from a previous blog I had when I lived in China. The website has long since shut down, but I saved all of my old posts in case I wanted to resurrect them for a new blog. This one is edited from January 05, 2016. New Year's Eve 2015 I had the day off work, but one of my coworkers was in a talent show down the road from where I live. I met some of my coworkers at KFC, then we went to the show. Afterwards, my friend Merlin and I went to the cat café before we met everyone for KTV. The cat café was one of my favorite places to visit in Yichang, since I didn't have any pets myself, so I went there quite a bit. NYE cat café visit! KTV with Friends The KTV place was really interesting because a bunch of us went, and we had a huge room. If you don't know what KTV is, it is karaoke, but not quite the same as in the US. In Yichang, KTV (Karaoke) is in a private room, and the one we got was the size of a living room. It was so big that it even had a coat closet and a bathroom. (For those of you who are so interested in my toilet experiences in China, it was a western toilet, but you couldn't flush the toilet paper. It literally would not go down, and there was even a set of tongs to take it out and throw it in the garbage. I don't even want to know what would have happened with a #2. haha) We had the room from 8pm-2am. The first few hours, people actually got up to sing, and the Chinese people with us were so good, that we thought the microphones were turned off, and we were just listening to the original songs because they were in Chinese, and we never heard them before. Nope, the girls with us were just that good! Merlin and me Me, Polynn, and Laura Group photo! This was the first year that I didn't count down to midnight. We meant to, but we lost track of time until 12:03. We pretended we didn't miss it and counted down for the fun of it anyway. There were no fireworks, but we saw a bunch of people setting off lanterns, which was pretty cool, too. These were the photos I took of the lanterns. My 2015 phone clearly wasn't so great with night photos. The After Party We walked back to the KTV place and mostly just played the music without anyone singing, just to dance. I had enough baijo that I didn't care what I looked like dancing for once. When our time was over, a few of us decided to go to Helen's (the bar), and I ended up getting home a little after 5am (Wow, my 30 year old self can't even imagine doing that anymore). New Year's Day I woke up around noon, but I was still tired and took way too long to get out of bed. There is a grocery store below my building, so I bought groceries, still in my pajamas (though I was wearing my coat, so you couldn't really tell, not that I cared that much at this point) and went back upstairs to cook. As I was heating up the oil, it caught fire. Holy crap--scariest day of my life! I also found out that there are no smoke alarms in my room. I knew that you shouldn't throw water on an oil fire, but I had nothing to put it out with. I called my boss freaking out (the fire was huge!), and she was a cool as a cucumber while I panicked enough for both of us. Eventually, the fire just went out on its own. Here, you can see the damage from the fire. The grease cup on the exhaust hood definitely melted. It's hard to tell by the crappy phone picture, but my apartment was filled with smoke. Kirsten asked me if I wanted to go with her to walk her dog Michael, and I told her what had just happened. It was perfect timing! I opened all of my windows and left to meet her. We got something to eat, too, because, well, I wasn't going to be cooking again. Here we are at Happy Bird! I bought a new pan, and I waited about a week before attempting to cook again. What a way to start 2016! I keep telling myself that since I'm in China, I can have a second chance at a good start with the Chinese New Year. Plus, it's going to be the year of the monkey, which is my Chinese zodiac. It's gotta be a good year! :D (Spoiler alert: I got food poisoning and shit my pants on my birthday, so it wasn't as great as I was thinking when I originally wrote this, but it did end up being amazing year overall!) Thanks for reading! We'll see what 2023 brings!

I've quickly come to realize that posting every single day is probably going to be overkill, especially because I'm not doing much every day. So, here are day's 3-6! I'm amazed that it still doesn't need washed, so it's definitely going to be part of my summer travel wardrobe! Day 3: Christmas Eve! My mom's side of the family always has their gathering on Christmas eve, so that was our first stop. Later on, we went to my dad's side for dinner. I'm not really big into Christmas, but I thought I should at least wear something red or green, so I decided on my grandpa's red flannel again. I love to wear it around my grandma because she always smiles and points out that I'm wearing "Pappy's shirt" again. He was never a party person, so that's probably the longest amount of time it ever spent at a party 😂 My grandma with me wearing my dress and Pappy's shirt. Day 4: Christmas! Honestly, I would have stayed in my pajamas all day, but a challenge is a challenge, so I put my dress on just to lounge around the house. Shadow says hello! Day 5: December 26 went bowling with some friends! 💕 I decided to layer a long sleeve shirt underneath for a little bit different of a look. Day 6: December 27 I tried to donate blood today, but my hemoglobin level was too low. They still gave me a free shirt for trying. It's long sleeve, so maybe I'll wear it with the dress one of these days since it's freezing outside, and the dress is sleeveless. Wore Pappy's red flannel again today because it's just a comfortable shirt to layer. I thought I'd try for more variety with accessories, but this is probably going to be my go-to style most of the time, especially since it's so cold now. Takeaway: It's only been a few days so far, but it's so nice not taking time in the morning to decide what to wear! Also, it still doesn't smell, and I haven't spilled anything on it (yet), so I haven't needed to wash it. Hooray for less laundry! Other Dress Posts Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge: Day 1 Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge: Day 2 Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge: Days 7-11 Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge Days 12-16

Due to the Polar Vortex, the temperature dropped significantly from yesterday. I was able to go out in just a flannel over my dress yesterday, but today, I had a hoodie and a winter coat. As you can see from the maps below, it's quite cold across the country. Anyway, I wasn't really planning on going out, but I realized I did need to get a few groceries. We have a Dollar General that's only about a 10 minute walk from home, so I decided to walk there. I put my dress on and bundled up so much that you can barely see any of it, but I promise it's under there! It was a little dressy for a walk in the cold, but it's so comfortable that I might as well have been in my pjs. Pink cheeks and frozen hair, but you can see the dress in the bottom right corner! That's really all I have for today, so check back tomorrow to see Day 3 on Christmas Eve! Other Dress Posts Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge: Day 1 Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge: Days 3-6 Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge: Days 7-11 Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge Days 12-16