Success at REI!

While in Dallas on Sunday, I knew I needed to go to REI to look for my winter coat and a few other things. Kevin and Mitchell made the trek with me, both very aware of how long it can take me to shop :) Approximately 2 hours later, I ended up walking away with my winter coat and a raincoat, both fit for Ukraine!

My winter coat needed to be something that would keep me warm in the (sometimes) freezing Ukraine winters. My sister-in-laws sister, Kim, actually has this jacket as well. I saw hers when I went to New Hampshire a few weeks ago...loved it because it looked so great on, but also because it looked warm. Turns out she too loves it! It can get quite cold in Boston, so it was reassuring to hear from someone I know say that it keeps them warm, rather than just reading a review.

Doesn't she look adorable and still super warm?! That's her sweet puppy Amora nosing around in the snow at my brother and sister-in-laws house.

Kim and Amora

And here I am in the store...if I wore the jacket for more than 10 minutes inside I started sweating because it was 65 degrees outside. The best part about the jacket? It was on sale...and the only one left. It was like we were meant to be :) I wanted a brown, fur-trimmed, down coat, as long as I could get it. The North Face down coats are 2 inches longer but in the end, this one was here and now and I could try it on. In some of the North Face pics online, I couldn't tell if I would like the outer material (they almost look plastic-y?). So the Mountain Hardware Downtown Coat it was!

My apologies for the poor picture quality...Iphone pics and bad lighting in the store.

I knew I wanted a raincoat that would cover my but, because there is NOTHING worse than having to sit on something when it's raining. This jacket was on clearance for $59.00...a total steal for what it had been. And the best part? I could check it off my list!

What's wrong with this next picture?

Oh yes. That would be Kevin standing in the sleeping bag display, inside one of the sleeping bags. I wanted to glance at the sleeping bag section to see if there were any I loved...30 minutes later, I had in fact tried out a sleeping bag and figured out some pros and cons of them. Now, to do some more research and make my decision.

More posts soon about the rest of my time spent in DFW. It was a great weekend and I am so thankful for each one of the people I got to see while I was there. They each hold a special place in my heart and were all incredibly sweet and welcoming for my last weekend in the big D! Toodles :)