Guys Behind the Blog // April

I can't believe it's been two whole months since AJ and I last participated in Guys Behind the Blog.  Life has been absolutely crazy while we've dealt with some medical stuff these past two months, so a HUGE (like, ginormous!) thank you to Laura for carrying this banner solo as I've completely slacked!

But I'm happy to say that we're back...so here we go!

1 // In what ways are you the same as your childhood self?

I still like to sleep, I'm still laid-back to the point where people think I'm dead (and actually, that happened when I was little at a Thanksgiving once).  

2 // What does family mean to you?

Family means not having to pretend.  You should feel at home and like you don't have to keep up appearances to make you look better.  Just to be able to relax and let your hair down (get it....cause I'm talking to mostly girls...I don't have long hair, but they do!)

3 // How would your family or closest friends describe you?

Probably perfect.  They'd say he's perfect in every way and makes no mistakes ever.  (Don't write that) (Oh, I'm writing that.) (You're a jerk...I was just kidding, man.)

4 // What’s your fondest childhood memory?

Probably when I was little, on a Sunday after church we'd go to my Grammy's and the whole family would just lay around the house watching the Eagles.  And we'd all take naps wherever we were.  And now I do that all the time!

5 // What words of wisdom would pass on to your childhood self?

Maybe....be smarter with your money and save money.  In high school, I had a job and spent all my money, like every doofus with a high school job does.  And now, if I would have saved it I'd have more of it, so....yeah.

So for May's questions, we thought it would be fun to do something summery to kick off the start of summer!  As we got to brainstorming, we thought it would be super fun to do a Guys Behind the Blog with a little bit of a twist!  

So here's Summer at Guys Behind the Blog....Would You Rather style!  Link up with us on May 26!

1.  Would you rather have to wear your swimsuit to work OR have to carry around a large beach umbrella open all day at work?

2.  Would you rather play on an MLB team OR get to tour with your favorite band all summer?

3.  Would you rather go to the beach and forget your towel OR go to the beach and forget your sunscreen?

4.  Would you rather take a week-long vacation to anywhere in the world OR take a month-long vacation but have to stay within 100 miles of home?

5.  Would you rather get to have as much ice cream as you want this summer, but only be able to get vanilla OR only get to have ice cream three times this summer, but you can have whatever flavors you want?

An InLinkz Link-up

Team Gettis Goes to Disney

Back in February, my dad was having some radiation when his nurse popped in the room and asked if she had heard that my parents were going on vacation.  They were not, and said nurse knew that and was just being a little sneaky.  It turned out that his medical team was planning to nominate mom & dad for a trip through For Pete's Sake, a cancer respite organization based in Southeastern PA.  A few days later, my parents got a call that FPS wanted to send them to Florida for a week at the end of March/beginning of June.

My mom and I immediately began plotting how AJ, Mark, Natalie, & I could go down with them, and we threw around a few ideas but eventually dismissed it as we just weren't sure how we would afford the trip and take the time off of work with everyone's crazy schedules.  

My parents' trip started coming together....flights were booked, tickets were received, and it was all thanks to For Pete's Sake...they literally didn't have to worry about a thing.  Then, we got some news that changed everything.  My dad's doctors were suspicious of leptomeningeal disease, meaning that the cancer had spread to his spinal fluid.  They did a lumbar puncture to take some fluid, which confirmed the diagnosis.  Lepto is aggressive and hard to treat, and the prognosis wasn't good.  (Thankfully, due to a new medicine that Dad's on, he is now doing better than we could have ever imagined...God is good!)  We knew we all needed to be on this trip, and through an appeal to FPS, they lifted their restriction on who could stay in the house with my parents, allowing all four of us to come as well.  We were also gifted flights by a generous family at church, and everything just kind of came together.  Looking back, it's still kind of unbelievable how blessed we feel as a family.  Having a support system around you while you're battling this disease is so, so crucial.

Anyway, back to Disney.  My parents flew to Orlando on the Tuesday after Easter, and Mark, Natalie, AJ, and I followed on Wednesday night.  We hit Magic Kingdom on Thursday and then went to Universal Studios on Friday (which was decidedly not as magical, hence prompting a return to the wonderful world of Disney on Sunday).  Saturday ended up being a rest day, which was perfect since it rained all day (though we did get a family shoot in with the awesome Jordan Emmitt Photography), and then it was back to Disney for Hollywood Studios on Sunday.  The four of us kids flew home Monday and my parents came back Tuesday. 

The one thing I wanted going into this vacation was for it to not have a cloud of despair hanging over it.  When we all stepped on the plane, we went into the week not knowing what the future was going to look like.  I was so worried that we wouldn't be able to let the fear of the unknown and the worry of this disease go and that it would cloud the week for us.  But it didn't.  For Pete's Sake's motto is "Take a Break from Cancer" and it was exactly that:  a much-needed break from years of battling this monster.  

If you want a full account of our trip, check out Mark's vlogs!

Day one: 

Day two:

Day three:

Day four:  

Day five:

5 Steps to Hydrated Skin

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Dove, but all my opinions are my own. #showerawaydryskin #dovedifference #dovepartner  http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

Guys.  This weekend, the weather was perfect.  Like, shorts and a sweatshirt perfect and I wore my sunglasses all weekend and couldn't I just live outside forever? perfect.  And I keep having to remind myself that it's only April and we have so many more glorious months ahead of this beautifully warm weather just so that I don't squeal with excitement and want to bottle it all up.  I mean, really, whatever it was about this winter just made me really long for spring.  And going to Florida at the beginning of this month didn't help either.  (I'm starting to think that maybe AJ and I should just move down there.)

In all seriousness, though, one of the things that always hits my radar about this time every year is the normal "getting ready for summer routines" that I find myself needing to get into.  And as I get older, one of those things that always makes that list is getting my skin healthy.  I think it's just the cold of winter that does me in:  it's dry and sucks moisture right out of my skin, I'm a million times less likely to put lotion on because I hate the feeling of putting clothing over freshly-lotioned skin, it's chilly so I want warm drinks and I drink far less water.  It's kind of just the perfect storm of dehydrating my skin and it never really catches up to me until it's time to start donning shorts and skirts again and I see my dry desert legs.  So now that things are heating up, it's time to put that spring routine into practice, and this year I've written down 5 easy steps that help me get into the habit of loving my skin.  I’ve partnered with Dove to tell you all about their New Dove Dry Oil Collection featuring their Dove Dry Oil Beauty Bar and Dove Dry Oil Moisture Body Wash. And I'm also excited to share a few other tips with you for keeping your skin happy and healthy!

1.  Drink Water!  

Ok, this probably seems super obvious, but it's not always easy to do!  I have a pregnant friend who's husband recently scolded her for her lack of water drinking and told her "water is the essence of life!", which of course we made fun of, but he's right!  It's amazing how much better your body functions when you consume the recommended amount of water each day!

2.  Love your Skin from the Outside In, Starting in the Shower

My new favorite cleansers are Dove Dry Oil Beauty Bar and Dove Dry Oil Moisture Body Wash, and I'm finding that starting your day off right while you're in the shower. Dove Dry Oil Moisture Body Wash maintains and nourishes skin’s protective layer during cleansing and replenishes 12x more skin natural nutrients than competitors while the Dove Dry Oil Beauty Bar contains ¼ moisturizing cream and Moroccan Argan Oil to gently cleanse and care for your skin, leaving it soft and smooth.

3.  Make It Easy

I'm on the go all the time, but especially in the summer.  Between hitting the gym (and sometimes showering there), sleeping over at my in-laws, or even just traveling, I've found that being prepared and thinking ahead can make keeping up with any habit easier.  I love the Dove Dry Oil Beauty Bar for it's portability, so I keep a box of it in my on-the-go bag.  It's also great for packing in a carry-on, and will definitely be in mine when we head back to Florida with AJ's family next month!

4.  Exfoliate

One of the best things you can do for rough, dry skin (can you say hello heels and elbows!) is to exfoliate it!  Helping your skin by getting rid of the old allows the new to really flourish!  I love keeping an exfoliating sponge or pumice stone in the shower for a quick exfoliation of my heels, and even better, to schedule a few pedicures throughout the summer...a little pampering plus good-looking nails?  Yes, please.  

5.  Wear Sunscreen

Ok, this might not have quite as much to do with keeping your skin hydrated as it does about just keeping your skin healthy in general, but can I take the opportunity to stress how stinking important this is?!  I used to think that I didn't need sunscreen, that my Italian roots would just help me to "tan, not burn" (despite the fact that I did indeed burn) and that I was untouchable, but after my mom's ocular melanoma diagnosis last year, I don't mess around anymore.  My makeup has SPF in it, I wear sunscreen if I'm in the sun, I try to be smart about being in the sun, and my skin is thanking me for it!

Did you know that 9 in 10 women are concerned about having dry skin?  Dove Dry Oil Moisture Body Wash goes beyond basic moisturizing to help women nourish and protect their dry skin, which is one of the things I love about it!  Check it out while combatting your winter skin this year!

WHAT TIPS DO YOU HAVE FOR KEEPING YOUR SKIN HYDRATED?

Your Best Summer Legs with the Schick 7-Day Challenge

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Schick, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #pmgschick #7dayshavechallenge #ad http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

If you follow me on social media, you probably noticed that our family headed south last week.  We were gifted a trip through an awesome organization here in PA (more to come on that soon!) and we got to spend a few really relaxing days in the Florida sunshine.  It was a great retreat and I loved spending time with our family while enjoying the warmth!

It also reminded me how excited I am for that beautiful season...summer!  I never realize how much I love summer until winter is here, and with snow in PA this weekend after spending last weekend in 90-degree weather, I really am ready for constant sunshine and hot days.  Our trip also made me realize that my legs were so not ready for summer!  Not so much in the hairy department, but just in that dry, harsh winter way.   Even Quincy is excited for those warm summer days!



Since shorts weather is (hopefully) not too far away, I partnered with Schick to get my legs summer-ready in just seven days by taking their 7-day challenge!  The 7-day challenge is easy: just shave with Schick Hydro Silk Razors and Skintimate Island Berry Breeze shave gel for seven days, and then feel the difference...your legs will be silky smooth and moisturized!

I typically don't have to shave my legs every day, but usually shave every three or four days, and even less in the winter.  But since I was really concerned with getting some moisture back into my dry skin, I decided to fulfill the challenge to the fullest, and lathered up with the shave gel and did a quick shave every day for a week.  Just a few extra minutes in the shower and it was amazing to see the difference!  I was able to breathe new life into my legs by adding that simple regimen into my shower routine and I'm so happy to report that my legs will be looking good when it's time to don my shorts again.

Let's talk about the products a bit!  The Schick Hydro Silk Razor actually hydrates your skin...I don't think I can say that I've ever had a razor that does that!  Pair it with the Schick Hydro Silk Shower Hanging Refills, and you're never far from a new razor blade.  They hang right in your shower, making it easy to store them where you need them and giving you a great shave every time.  The  New Skintimate Island Berry Shave Gel is a great first step in caring for your legs.  This moisturizing shave gel gives you a close, comfortable shave and healthy-feeling, smooth legs.  Finally, the Skintimate Silky Skin is packed with a Moroccan Oil, Vitamin E, Olive Butter, and Sunflower Seed Oil and helps replenish your skin's natural moisture! 

So what do you think?  Would you take the Schick Hydro Silk 7-day challenge?