Twin Tested

Things to see & eat in Spain

Sam and I just got back from a 10-day adventure in Spain. We had never been before, so we spent months researching and planning. I wish I could have found something like this to help plan our trip – so here you go! I have highlighted three things to see, plus one thing you must eat in each of the places we visited!

Barcelona: beautiful, hip and braless. Apparently, the no-bra trend is very “in” right now. Barcelona is a beautiful and very hip city, it’s also the city that most definitely seemed the most touristy.

SEE:

Sagrada Familia: Gaudi’s church and a complete work of art that is still being completed. You need to get tickets in advance online. Worth going inside and we wish we would have bought an audio guide because you are unable to buy them once you are there, you have to purchase them with your tickets. Give this at least two hours
La Boqueria: This is Barcelona’s food market. It’s packed and a lot of fun. It gave us a great chance to try lots of different types of food in one place. My favorites were of course the fresh strawberry coconut juice and the chocolate stand. It’s located on Las Ramblas, which is the main walking street and area. You absolutely have to visit this part of town.
Park Guell: This was a residential area designed by Gaudi that has now been turned into a beautiful park owned by the city. It’s not perfectly manicured and definitely has very unique things to see. We liked visiting for a half day trip.
*Bonus – Rooftop Pool: Many of the hotels in Barcelona have rooftop pools and they are worth it! Ours had an incredible view of the city and it was so nice to give our feet a little break for a day.

EAT:

Paella: this dish is everywhere in Spain, but we saw it most in Barcelona. It is a Valencian rice dish with lots of spices, vegetables and most of the time, includes seafood. We decided to try the vegetarian version at the market and really liked it. Sam is not a huge seafood fan, but I think it would be delicious with fish!

Madrid: architectural, lovely and clean. I fell hard for this city. I didn’t have that high of expectations because for some reason, not as many people visit Madrid. They were completed exceeded. It’s a beautiful European city with gorgeous buildings at every turn, fantastic history and you can walk the entire thing.

SEE:

Royal Palace: I’m a sucker for anything that involves royalty and this did not disappoint. The Royal Palace is stunning on the outside, but the real treat is taking a tour and looking at the incredibly gilded and ornate interiors. Give yourself half a day to enjoy and take your time. I highly recommend the audio tour, I learned a lot.
Prado Museum: This is such a gorgeous museum and it is busy. We decided to chance it and do the free entrance that they offer from 6-8 PM. It was totally worth it! We had to wait in line for about 45 minutes and then got to roam the museum for free for two hours. We did purchase audio guides, which were helpful since we really only had time to see the highlights.
Retiro Park: it’s so refreshing to see a gigantic park in the middle of a city. This one is quite grand and you can easily spend hours exploring. It reminded me a lot of Central Park. We rented a row boat and had such an enjoyable afternoon at the park.

EAT:

Churros & Chocolate: they have this treat all over. We liked the chocolate part better than the churro because they are just plain pieces of fried dough and we are spoiled Americans that are used to have them smothered in cinnamon sugar.

Granada: cultural, detailed and different. This place was unlike anywhere I have ever been before. We drove a rental car from Madrid to Granada – which I actually would not recommend. As our hotel concierge said, “Granada and cars do not mix”. The city is a nightmare to drive in and it’s just a huge hassle. I would have taken the train in hindsight. Granada is such a fun mix of cultures because it is located so close to Morocco. This means there are a lot more food options and the buildings look different from other European cities. We had our best meal here at a place called Carmela’s.

SEE:

Alhambra: stunning, intricate, historical. This place was magical. It’s an old Moorish palace that has been restored to immaculate condition and it is just beautiful. We spent nearly an entire day here walking around and exploring because there is so much to see and learn about. You absolutely have to buy your tickets well in advance online.
San Nicolas Viewpoint: so so crowded, but the view really cannot be beat! It’s free and we loved watching the sunset here.
Street Performers/Guitar Players: this city comes alive at night. Families and couples all go for evening walks around 10 – 11 PM. It was fun to walk around and watch street performers and listen to people play music.

EAT:

Carmela’s: this is where we had our best meal of the trip. It was on the higher end, but every single thing we ordered was amazing. We ate french onion soup, a salad (with ham, of course), homemade pasta with a white wine sauce and a beef and rice dish. It’s in the heart of the city.

Costa Del Sol: salty, smoky and sunny. Europeans love to smoke, so you do have to expect a lot of that at the beaches. We tried to do our homework and found a beach favored by locals in Nerja. We rented beach chairs for a day and just enjoyed the Spanish sun. Beware all beaches in Spain are topless and there are lotsa boobs! If you’re looking for a beach vacation experience, I would recommend Costa Del Sol over Barcelona. There are many more beaches to choose from and they are less crowded.

SEE:

Balcony of Europe: gorgeous viewpoint above the ocean in Nerja. Free
White Hill Towns: these are absolutely the cutest and reminded me of Greece. We loved driving through town and seeing them.
Malaga: the most underrated stop on our trip. I wish we would have had more time here. Beautiful, walkable city right on the water. We loved spending one night here and would definitely go back.

EAT:

Gelato: I can’t leave it out because I had a lot of it on this trip. It’s the perfect treat after a day at the beach!

I hope this helps if you are planning a trip to Spain. If you have been, I would love to hear your favorite spots as well!

Happy Traveling 🙂

{Sagrada Familia in Barcelona}
{fresh strawberry coconut juice at La Boqueria}

{wandering through Barcelona}

{how come we don’t have macaron ice cream sandwiches in the US? best idea!}
{Park Guell in Barcelona}

{Royal Palace of Madrid}
{The gardens at the Alhambra in Granada}

{Nerja}

28 Things I have learned at 28 {Brooke}

Reminisce about falling in love with your significant other. To find your forever partner in life is the greatest and best adventure you will ever have. I still think back to those nervous/excited moments when Parker and I went on our first few dates. It’s always fun to talk about the sweet moments at the beginning of your relationship.
Always have cookie dough or ice cream in the freezer. More times than not it comes in handy. Personal favorites? Ruby Snap and Halo Top Icecream (only 250 calories in a pint!!)
Don’t let anyone else make you feel insecure. That includes crappy boyfriends or people that tear others down.
It is okay to be nervous. It usually means that we are jumping out of our comfort zone and attempting something new.
Death is hard. In my opinion, the death of a loved one is the biggest trial that we will face in life. Time, prayer, and love can help.
Babies always make things better. The cuddles, coos, and smiles can’t be beat.
Laughter can save a lot of situations from getting too serious.
Everyone relaxes in a different way, find what works best for you. Exercise is my time to relax my mind and focus on strengthening my body.
Ask people about themselves, you will usually find out something interesting.
Find some female role models to look up to. Read their stories and experiences. Learn about their pitfalls and achievements. Every story can teach you something. Here are a few different articles that feature women I think are fascinating: Joy, Megyn, Oprah, and Mindy.
You will always need your mom, to talk, laugh, and cry with.
Fill up the car with gas BEFORE the gas light comes on.
RSVP to events. When you become the party planner you realize how helpful it can be.
If you find yourself in a bad mood and it is past 10 pm you probably just need to go to sleep.
Get a grill so that your husband can wow you with his cooking skills.
Remodeling a house will be much more work than you expect, but the results will be very rewarding.
You can make new friends in your late twenties and thirties! This includes couple friends, gym friends, cooking friends, running friends, etc. Embrace new relationships!
Don’t waste your time at a nail salon, just buy the at-home kit (this is the one I have been using for 3 years) and save hours and hours of time and $$$.
Find your “hair lady” and stick with them. Someone you trust that won’t leave you crying in disappointment after a haircut that went 6 inches too short or a dye job that left you with purple hair instead of brown.
Buy yourself some “nice” sweats. You know that you will get enough wear out of them.
Be assertive. Learning how to say what you mean takes practice. It is obviously something that I strive to improve every day. {especially when my words are broadcast on TV every day}
Find a job you look forward to going to every day. Being in the news business can be tough at the beginning. However, I have happily found my niche in the lifestyle genre and look forward to interacting with our shows varied guests every day.
Social media free Sunday’s are a good thing that I need to try to stick with!
Dinner parties are fun! Your guests will not be mad if you do not serve them on your best china. They will most likely remember the conversation and how you made them feel.
Your family is not perfect, no one is, so you shouldn’t expect them to be. Love them for all of their quirks, but mostly because they are yours forever.
Listen more than you talk.
Ask for advice. On anything. From your morning routine to your marriage, it is always refreshing to hear someone else’s perspective.
I have so much to learn. Thank goodness we are able to gain wisdom through experience every day!

28 things I have learned at 28 {Britt}

Summer is and always will be the best season. Bright, crisp mornings and lazy warm afternoons just make me happy. This has been one for the books: decorating our house, evening walks (we’re closer to 90 than you think), family time and more.
Honesty truly is the best policy. I had to learn this one the hard way because I maybe can kind of sometimes be quite the exaggerator. (Don’t ask Sam)
Having someone to come home to is the greatest feeling.
Celebrate the little things – job promotions, half birthdays, successfully assembling IKEA furniture, etc. It just makes life more fun.
Take off your makeup every night – your face will be so much better for it. I am so embarrassed to say it, but when Sam and I were dating I remember thinking how humiliating it would be for him to see me without makeup on. Oh the hilarity. Now that’s how he sees me 99.9% of the time.
Laser hair removal is life changing.
Good lip liner > good lipstick
Being a morning workout person sounds so sucky, but is actually so awesome because you don’t have the dark “I still have to exercise” cloud hanging over you all day.
Believe in yourself. No one else will if you don’t first.
Wear whatever you want. So you love all black? Leopard print? Crazy heels? Go for it! The only sure thing about fashion is that it’s always going to change, so do what makes you happy.
Exploring in nature is the most enjoyable way to de-clutter the mind.
Use a tinkle razor and shave your face. It sounds so ridiculous, but your makeup will go on and stay on so much better. Plus you won’t have fuzz all over your face anytime the sun hits it just right. I know some of you are disgusted right now, but try it before you knock it!
Husbands can’t read minds. So you actually have to communicate needs and expectations. “Oh you really didn’t actually mean it when you said you didn’t want anything for your birthday?” hahaha
Trust your gut at work. Know when you need to speak up or move on.
Start each day with a grateful thought – still working on this one.
Home ownership is actually really fun. I know people give it a bad wrap, but there is something really great about having a place to call your own where you can plaster whatever you want on the walls.
Love where you live. Appreciating what a beautiful and lovely place Salt Lake City is has really changed me. Yes, I love to travel, but I also love to explore my city.
Complaining is a habit. It takes work to get out of the habit. (totally still working on this one too)
Getting gray hairs is one of the most shocking and humbling experiences. My dad was basically all gray by 30, so HELP!
No cell phone during date night. I leave it at home or in the car and don’t look at it. This has resulted in conversations where I am actually paying attention and listening intently.
Kindness is all that matters. When you make someone feel valued and interesting, it’s the best thing.
Give yourself credit for reaching goals. Acknowledge it and write it down.
After you write it down, savor that moment. I am so terrible at being happy in the moment, I would rather talk about what I need to do next and how I can do it better, but I’ve learned simply sitting back and being pleased for a moment feels great.
Surround yourself with people who make you laugh. Real friends are priceless. You can tell them your embarrassing moments and it just makes them love you more.
Mentors are movers. They move you to accomplish more than you imagined you could. I am in the lucky position of now being able to offer advice (to the poor souls who ask for it) and I take it very seriously. I am still in debt to all of the people who took time to explain things, offer advice and encourage me.
Identify nagging thoughts. This one is straight from the Queen of Happiness, Gretchen Rubin. If you do the things you really don’t want to do first, all of the sudden your day gets so much better when you accomplish them quickly.
PMS is real, but chocolate really does work. Brooke would say Midol, but just pass me a cookie and I’ll be fine.
I am who I am because of those closest to me and I am so grateful to them. To my husband for constantly loving me, supporting me and attempting to read my mind. My mom is still my biggest fan and it’s the best to know there is always someone cheering for me. I wish everyone could have a twin sister. It’s amazing to have a confidante and best friend, as well as a sister.

I think it’s going to be a good year! Brooke’s list is coming soon and will probably be a lot more insightful than mine 🙂

A Fill-in-the-blank Travel Guide to Big Sur, California

Q: The very best part of Big Sur is the ________

A: The very best part of Big Sur is the coastline! Every visitor feels like a professional photographer because the scenery is so beautiful. No matter where you stop along the coast – you will get a beautiful photo! (All the pictures on this post were taken with an iPhone #nofilter)

Q: The ___________ surprised me the most.

A: The quaint atmosphere of the town surprised me the most. I expected a bustling tourist town with shops, crowds, and lines. Sort of like Carmel or Monterrey. Instead, we were greeted with a beautiful campsite (surrounded by dozens of ancient redwood trees!) and a few small gas stations and hotels. I would encourage anyone planning to visit the area to come prepared with your own food and supplies. The “shops” in town are more like convenience stations with higher priced items.

Q: My favorite memory from Big Sur is ________.

A: The conversation and smores at our nightly campfire chats. Our campground was surrounded by the most beautiful redwood trees and had a stream running alongside us. We were able to visit Big Sur due to the fact that our friends, Erin and Cole who live in Palo Alto, reserved a campsite 6 months in advance! They were really the brains and organization behind the entire trip. We just love their little family and had so much fun chasing around their hilarious toddler! Roasting marshmallows while chatting with good friends is a great way to end each travel day.

Q: The worst part of the trip was the ________.

A: Traffic. I will never understand California traffic. We are so lucky to be able to travel so quickly to our destinations here in Utah that I usually take it for granted. That being said, the traffic was only backed up on our way to and from Big Sur. While we were there things were very smooth.

Q: My 3 favorite spots on the trip were _______.

A: McWay Falls, Pfeiffer Beach(for the purple sand!), and Bixby Bridge.

Q: ______ was the moment when I audibly squealed because I was so blown away by the view.

A: When we were driving into Big Sur and stopped off on the side of the road to look at Bixby Bridge. It was our first glimpse at the crystal clear water and breathtaking cliffs after a long trip in the car.

We loved our time in California!

Britt’s Master Bedroom Update

If you’ve noticed a long absence from the blog, it’s probably because Brooke and I have both been at a home improvement store. Seriously, we live there now. Between her fixer upper and a few summer projects I wanted to get done this summer, we’ve been getting our hands dirty. No one tells you that any house project is a lot harder than they make it look on TV. Unfortunately Chip and Jo Jo did not show up to magically transform my master bedroom in a quick 30 minutes, but I think it still turned out pretty well, although it could definitely use some ship lap 🙂 . The main change was paint. Our entire house is painted in the same taupe-ish hue. I honestly don’t mind it that much because I’m just happy to have a house (and mostly a garage), but paint is a pretty simple change. After fine-tuning my painting skills at Brooke and Parker’s house – sorry about the guest bed closet- I decided to paint our master bedroom. I wanted the room to be brighter and lighter, but was set on not doing plain white. I settled on Sherwin-William’s 7070 Site White, which SOUNDS white, but is definitely a very light gray with a sky blue hue. I used their Emerald Interior line because the paint already has primer in it, which meant I only had to do two coats of paint on the wall instead of three. I split the painting in two days to let the paint fully dry. I love how it turned out and now maybe want to tackle the rest of the house…

(totally spaced the inside of our shutters – how in the heck do i get in there? I’m seriously contemplating using one of my tiny makeup brushes so I don’t screw up too badly)I really love these lamps I found from Target. I originally fell in love with a verrry similar looking lamp from West Elm, but these were $150 cheaper! I’m on the hunt for big, fluffy white pillows for our bed. I think they will offset the rest of the pillows nicely. Where do you find them? Any and all interior decorating advice welcomed!

How to accentuate your best facial features in photos

Britt and I are often asked what makeup is best for TV or photos. After more than 6 years of trial and error on TV we have found our time-tested favorites. Today I am sharing the products that help accentuate your best features. It’s important to note that foundation is a must when you are in front of a camera. It evens out your skin tone and makes it so you don’t look washed out. We’ve shared our foundation favorites in a previous post here. The three features I like to accentuate in photos tend to be: eyebrows, lips, and cheeks.

Lips: After years of being a lip gloss girl I have discovered the benefit of lip liner. Don’t worry, this is not the brown lip liner of the 90’s. My very favorite is made by Butter London. The color is “Sweet Something” and can be used under practically any other gloss or lipstick. However, I really love it plain. The key is to line your ENTIRE lip, not just the outside. It has a matte finish that looks great on camera and is not too shiny.

Brows: Eyebrows seem to be the name of the game in 2016. Everyone is making theirs bigger and bolder. I like to keep mine looking semi-natural by using a brow gel. Fiona Stiles has created a product that helps separate your eyebrow hairs while enhancing them. I use it every single day!

Cheeks: Since learning how to apply blush properly (only on the apples of the cheeks) I have loved the little pop of color it can add to my face. Powder blushes are great for this but can fade quickly. For longer lasting wear, especially in the summertime, I like to use Tarte Fearless Cheek Stain.

Britt and I plan to continue our makeup tips throughout the summer by sharing our favorites!

Would you coordinate outfits with your husband: Yes or No?

Parker and Sam get wrangled into a lot of things thanks to the fact that they are married to us! We love fashion and like to believe that it has rubbed off on them a little bit. We thought we would try something new and try to come up with a coordinated date night look. You’ll notice we used the word coordinated – NOT matching. Growing up as twins we have matched enough for a lifetime. However, when a couple is coordinated, their individual looks simply compliment one another. To accomplish this experiment we took a trip up to Station Park where they have a wide variety of shops and I could bribe Parker with chocolate filled beignets and savory crepes at Caffe Torino! (Definitely try the Roma option, it’s amazing) We also love to eat at Settebello and ParkStone Wood Kitchen (The grilled shrimp is my fave).

Anyways, back to the outfits, we agreed upon the color palette of navy blue and kelly green. After browsing for a little while we ended up picking both of our outfits from H & M, excluding my shoes which are from Nordstrom Rack and his that are from JCREW. H & M’s men’s clothing is mainly slim fit which looks great on Parker so I was pleased with the fit of his button down. Plus, buffalo plaid is an easy wardrobe staple to coordinate with so we went for it. For my outfit, I finally caved and got a jean jacket! At first, I felt a little like Kelly Kapowski from Saved By the Bell but I love that it is such a versatile style piece.

So, final consensus on “coordinating” my outfit with my husbands. Fun, but not for everyday wear. Will we be coordinating on a regular basis? Heavens no. However, I think that we will definitely try it again in the future, especially when we are attending a photo taking event like a wedding, gala, etc. All in all, I am just happy that my husband decided to play along. I’m not sure there is anything better than spending a day in the sunshine with the one you love! To see a list of the shops and restaurants at Station Park go to www.shopatstationpark.com.

Jean Jacket here

Parker’s green button down here

Similar dress here

I like to get H I G H

High Fitness is my new favorite fitness class. It’s fun, upbeat and feels like you are hanging out with a bunch of your best girlfriends. I was introduced to HIGH last summer at Soulstice Retreat with Albion Fit. After that first class (in high altitude) I thought I was going to pass out and die. It was tough, but still so much fun! The creators are darling best friends Emily and Amber. They work so hard to create not only easy to follow steps, but exercises that sculpt and tone your entire body. I don’t know if I should admit this, but I don’t hate doing burpees during their classes because they feel like a dance move when you’re listening to Beyonce blasting. The class switches between “toning” and “cardio” tracks. Both are equally challenging. I promise once you come to a class you will start doing the HIGH moves every time one of the songs comes on! They add a new song every week, so every class is different. Brooke and I have invited lots of friends to try HIGH and all of them have said the same thing – that was the most fun I’ve had working out EVER! So, if you’re looking for something a little different, come to Xcel Fitness and take a class with us!

These two have absolute hearts of gold. They were on the show a few weeks ago while Amber was in town and did the sweetest interview. When I asked what it meant to them that HIGH Fitness was literally changing lives, they both teared up. This program means so much to them and I cannot wait to see where it goes in the future!

For more information on class schedule at Xcel Fitness, go here.

What it’s like to meet a Backstreet Boy when you’re 27

Our 13-year-old selves would’ve died had we known that one day we would meet our absolute FAVORITE Backstreet Boy, Nick Carter. The opportunity came up because of FanX, which is part of Salt Lake ComiCon. As teenagers, Britt and I did not just like the Backstreet Boys – we were obsessed with them! We had their posters plastered all over our bedrooms, learned the dance to every music video, and attended every single concert. Nick was invited to SLC ComiCon because he is working on a new movie about zombies and 90’s boy bands…? We hear there are even members of N’SYNC in the movie. Anyway… before we met Nick for our photo-op a few questions raced through my mind:

What do you say to a Backstreet Boy when you are 27 years old?
Do you fan-girl or act like a polished professional?
Small talk or just smile and nod?
What exactly are you supposed to wear while meeting a member of a 90’s boy band?!

Well, here is the conversation. In all it’s 90 seconds of glory:

Nick: “You must be sisters?”

Brooke: “Twins”

Nick: “Well you both are beautiful.” (as he wraps his arms around our waists)

Brooke: *Cheeks start turning red* “We are doing the picture together so that we can put it on our show Monday.”

Nick: “Oh, really?”

Britt: “Yes, we host a lifestyle show here in Salt Lake.”

Nick: “That’s great, thanks for coming, you both are beautiful.” and wave…

Quite eventful, right?! No, but really, the experience was really fun. We were lucky to skip most of the line thanks to our press passes. The line must have gone on for hours! Nick was really gracious and kind to all of the fans that we saw him meet with. Life is crazy, you never know who you are going to meet. Now, I am off to go listen to some BSB!

5 Books You Should Read Right Now

We love to read and love it even more when we have time to read for fun. I have been blabbing about my favorite books to Brooke for a few weeks, so she finally said, “Just write a blog post!”. So here are some of the books that I have loved lately.

1. Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling

I loved every page. She is such a great female role model for young girls. She has worked extremely hard to get where she is and I am so impressed with the empire she has created. It’s fun to get refreshingly honest insights into what it’s like to work in Hollywood. The best part of the book is that it will have you laughing out loud throughout the entire thing.

Fave quote: “People get scared when you try to do something, especially when it looks like you’re succeeding. People do not get scared when you’re failing. It calms them. But when you’re winning, it makes them feel like they’re losing or, worse yet, that maybe they should’ve tried to do something too, but now it’s too late. And since they didn’t, they want to stop you. You can’t let them.”

2. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

Heart wrenching. Tear inducing. Meaningful.

This book was written by a surgeon in his last few months of life. It’s an incredibly thoughtful take on life and how we live it. I am a loyal follower of Joanna Goddard’s blog Cup of Jo and was so pleased to find the book through her. The doctor who wrote the book was married to her twin sister, Lucy. Lucy finished the book after her husband passed away and her writing is beautiful. You will cry reading it, so keep that in mind and maybe don’t bring it on the plane.

Fave quote: “Will having a newborn distract from the time we have together?” she asked. “Don’t you think saying goodbye to your child will make your death more painful?”

“Wouldn’t it be great if it did?” I said. Lucy and I both felt that life wasn’t about avoiding suffering.”

3. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

After reading “What Alice Forgot” by Moriarty and absolutely loving it, I was eager to read more of her books. Turns out, there’s a bunch of other good ones! This one is full of surprising twists and turns and keeps you guessing the entire time. It takes place in the suburbs of Australia, which makes it that much more interesting. Moriarty is skilled at making all of her characters very human and relatable. This is a great vacation read.

Fave quote: “All conflict can be traced back to someone’s feelings getting hurt, don’t you think?”

4. The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright

I read this New York Times bestseller a few years ago and recently picked it up again and re-read it. I had the chance to interview the author and it made me like the book even more. It’s an American story centered around family and a man who writes his wife a letter every Wednesday. I am a softie and love nothing more than a handwritten note, so that was definitely my favorite part of the book.

5. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

I read this one about a year ago, but it left a lasting impression. I just found out it’s being turned into a movie, so now is the time to read it! It will break your heart a thousand different times, but I really enjoyed it.

Fave quote: “You only get one life. It’s actually your duty to live it as fully as possible.”

***I also just started reading The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are by Brene Brown and it is SO good! I will do a separate post when I finish because it has really opened my eyes to a lot of the thought processes I put myself through for no reason. ***

Have you read anything great recently? Please share!

*Photo via Stylist magazine

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