Stumbled Upon | Edition 9
Clean water, hotel saves, & restocks.
I hope everyone’s year has been off to a great start — happy to report in after a very slow holiday week(s) at home and ready for the year ahead.
The first two weeks of January for me feel like the Super Bowl for travel. We’re sketching the year at large for the business, deciding on destinations to invest, reinvest, and scope out, and booking all the things. I’ve got a lot of tabs open mentally…
I’ve just come back from my first trip of the year, a getaway to Scottsdale to Kimpton’s newest resort, the Miralina. It’s set in Paradise Valley, and with its opening week, I was able to get a taste of what this resort has to offer and will continue to expand on. It was the perfect getaway, and I realized today that I’ve gone to Scottsdale three years in a row in January because the sun is that good and it's a much-welcomed break from our winter.
Up next, our first “reinvest” trip is in two weeks — to Tokyo, I go. I’ll be there to refresh the city guides. I’ll be spending the bulk of my time in the city, alongside a sidetrip out to Kanazawa, a destination I think will be part of most travelers’ itinerary in the coming years, if not already.
I’m a sucker for Tokyo; it’s a city that I could easily revisit over and over. And I can’t agree more with Anthony Bourdain’s famous words, “For those with restless, curious minds, fascinated by layer upon layer of things, flavors, tastes, and customs, which we will never fully be able to understand, Tokyo is deliciously unknowable.” It has been 6 years since the last visit, so I’m ready for my 4th go at it.
Top of mind outside of travel is organization and optimization. I’m looking at ways to win back time, whether it be pre-stocking daily used items, food prepping, or organizing.
So this newsletter is a bit of all of that — some travel, home, the oddities that catch my eye, and more. Welcome back to Stumbled Upon…
1. Things Keeping My Mind Uncluttered
I’ve found myself reworking spaces over and over again, spending minutes that add up to hours over the week, having to rearrange and reorganize. So I’m decluttering with better systems across the house. Here are a few favorites:
Baskets for things - good for books in kids’ room..
Magnatile organizing box (IYKYK)
2. Hotels Abroad, A Swoon-Worthy List
To plan a trip and then book a hotel, or to book the hotel and then plan the trip…
Fufu Tokyo Ginza, the newest location of Fufu’s brand. This one is central in Ginza, each room having its own onsen and promising an escape from the city.
Rosewood Mandarina, set in Mexico’s Riviera Nayarit. Where I’d head for a chic, understated beachside getaway.
Lake Como EDITION, set on the shores of Italy’s famous Lake Como. Been eyeing the design here for some time.
Vista Ostuni, a lovely boutique hotel in Puglia’s white city. Intricate details and couldn’t be better located.
Octant Praia Verde, in Portugal’s Algarve region. Stayed at the Octant hotel in Alentejo and thoroughly enjoyed their programming; the Algarve location looks impeccable.
1 Hotel Copenhagen, popped in here in November, and it’s as good as it looks online. Chic, green, great service, and footsteps to everything.
3. Clean Water
I pulled the trigger on a proper water filtering system for daily water consumption and our shower heads — I landed on the Rorra countertop system and shower head filter. It’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately, removing toxins and PFAS from my environment when I can. The big one I’ve been looking at and researching is water. I’ve noticed over the months since we moved into our new house, a big change in my skin and scalp, specifically. I’ve tried this, and that, changing shampoos and such, and have narrowed it down to the fact that I think it’s the water. So after lots of back and forth, I pulled the trigger on it. I could go on at length about why the Rorra, the big factors were a stainless steel system, third-party testing, and PFAS filtration.
4. Food Prep, a Game-changer
As a working mom, I think food prep I think has to be one of the biggest game-changers to our weekly stress. A few favorites to stock in the house:
Breakfast burritos (can vary to your liking)
Egg bites with cottage cheese for more protein
5. Beauty Refresh & Reorder List
I’ve been vetting through my beauty products, reordering my favorites, and adding in a few new ones.
My reorder list for the season:
Elta MD Daily SPF Moisturizer, my go-to for travel
Briogeo Scalp Revival Charcoal + Coconut Oil Micro-Exfoliating Shampoo
New finds I’m trying:
6. House Slippers, a Major Upgrade
Why did it take me so long to buy supportive house footwear? I bought the Rothy’s Clog, which I now wear every single day. My husband bought some, my brother did, and so on. It’s a major upgrade to supportive wear. I feel like my feet are never sore anymore, and it has done wonders for my plantar fasciitis. I literally bring them to anyone’s house I’ll be at for the afternoon because I love them so much.
7. Clothing Restock
There are about a dozen items in my closet that I restock every 1-3 years because I wear them so much. The items on this list are ones that I’ve been doing now for 5+ years. They wear out because I wear them nearly daily or frequently for travel. Lucky for my wallet, like 5 of them needed a refresh for the year. Here they are:
The SKIMS Boyfriend T-shirt. I work out in a set, I travel with a set, and I sleep with a set. I’m in this shirt more often than not when doing something that I want major comfort for. The shirt is soft and subtle, and stays that way for about a proper year+ of daily wear.
Studio Luxe High Waist Pocket 7/8 Leggings. The only leggings I can travel or work out in. I own 4 pairs, and cycle them through until the pilling, like all leggings, is no longer bearable.
Isabel Marant Houston Sweatshirt. If you see me in an airport, chances are I’m wearing this. It’s my go-to sweatshirt; I buy oversized to wear when flying. I’ve purchased one every 2 years. I dropped oil, which I cannot remove, on my latest, so I bought it in another color way.
A Crinkle Swimsuit. I alternate between Hunza G and Youswim, and grab a new one just about every other year. I only own 2-3 swimsuits at any given time and cycle them through until inevitably I snag the material. This year, I went back to Youswim and did this one.
Adidas Gazelle Sneakers. I clocked in some serious miles last year across Japan, South Korea, and Italy, wearing only my Gazelles — they’re literally in every photo in 2025. So I added another pair, mostly because the soles are wearing down and I want another alternative between.