Among the things that bring my joy on a daily basis: my dog, and night hikes. 

Earlier this summer, I did THE MOST EPIC trip in the Lake Tahoe/Truckee part of the Sierras. And I documented it all with my HOLACA Dome Port for GoPro, which allows you to take photos and videos above and below water at the same time.

According to Twitter, today is #NationalSunglassesDay. Which is why I thought I'd take a moment to make an important public service announcement: 

I only wear polarized lenses. For best results, you should, too.

​Here's why:

I recently returned from a two-month trip to Southeast Asia. It was a blast -- but I missed my dog tremendously. However, this year, for the first time ever, I was able to keep track of my dog's fitness and sleep, even from the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia, with the help of her FitBark.

This is important, not only because I care about her health... but also because I celebrate my return to the States every year with an epic girl-and-her-dog backpacking adventure, so she's got to stay in shape while I'm gone!

In a recent post about the ways in which I'm WAY healthier when I travel than I am at home, I totally fangirled out on Bath and Body Works hand soaps. So hardcore that someone actually asked in the comments, "Is this a product review?"

No, it was not... But this is. A lifelong lover of anything lavender (wine, deodorant, latte -- and, of course, essential oils), I was delighted to receive a PtahTex ColdAroma Pure Essential Oil Diffuser Introductory Kit for product review.

Play expert and game inventor Andrea Cuadra shares her favorite board games.
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My "thing" is playfulness -- which, according to dozens of young adults who participated in my research, often involves being silly. Makes sense. I love being silly! But sometimes, it's hard, right? Because it's easy to worry what people think?

I've written about three proven ways to stop caring what others think. Here's a fourth: find a legit excuse to be silly. Like... the entire month of October. Which ends in one of my favorite holidays: Halloween!

To that end, here are some perfectly silly and amazing Halloween shoes. 

Oh. My. Goodness. 

​Amazon's got this great little page called Interesting Finds, where they show you cute urban home and clothing items. They claim it's "updated daily," though I feel like I mostly see the exact same stuff every time I visit...

Until today, when I discovered Hot Chocolate Design, a Venezuelan shoe brand created by Carolina Aguerrevere and Pablo Martinez.

I ordered my FitBark (yes, it's a "FitBit for dogs") because I wanted to track Ruby Snoofer's activity. She's 11, and I wanted to make sure that a) she gets enough exercise when we're at home... and b) when we're out hiking or camping or backpacking, she's not getting too much.

I never imagined my FitBark, a tiny activity monitor that dogs can wear on their collar, would help me solve a mystery.