Atacama Desert, Chile + Hayward, Wisconsin
Merry Christmas!! Happy Holidays! Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanza, Happy Winter Solstice, or just a Happy day-off-work-granted-by-the-federal-government Day if you aren't committed to any one particular celebration.
We are trying our best to get into the Christmas spirit, and that all started with our most recent 10K Saturday interview with Jolly Pickle Pants, the Elf! This week’s episode is a special Christmas episode, instead of our usual formula, we planned 10K Days as *cough* imaginary *cough* gifts for each other. So Alison planned Lulu's day and Lulu planned Alison's. How benevolent, and what an interesting test to see how well they know each others likes, preferences, and dreams!
We would love to hear about your holiday festivities, gifts, surprises, etc, so hit us up on the Bae page! Frankly, we are just happy to be celebrating the end of this year drawing near. Geez. Congratulations and celebratory exclamations to all of you!
Now, instead of our usual Obsessions and Wishlist discussions - which by the way, you can find a lot of them on our Obsessions & Wishlist Pinterest board - we are doing a "gift exchange". As in, Alison and Lulu each came up with five presents for each other and are going to exchange them now. Of course, they don't actually have them for each other, this is imaginary. But if they had money, this is what they'd be gifting and getting.
There are a lot of sites offering name-a-star packages, but this is the official registry, so it’s legit! Also, you can name stars that orbit each other for couples…how adorable is that?!
starting at just $34.99
Lulu loves sustainable anything, so Outdoor Voices’ longevity and circularity mindset when it comes to design makes these “crazy-soft”, high-rise, super flattering sweatpants the perfect gift for her.
$88 per pair
Lulu talked about her wish for a Saguaro cactus in a recent episode. This art piece-cum-light source by Desert Steel is absolutely perfect for Lulu, and for anyone else who loves the desert climate and its terrain, unique pieces, or outdoor entertaining.
$279
Lulu has had this before, but with the pandemic had to cut costs. Alison would get her going with a year-long membership! Rent instead of buy luxury items, and have a constant rotation of luxury items in your closet! Swap out as often as you like, and keep any item(s) as long as you like!
starting at $89 month, click here for $30 off your first order!
a Social Media Manager
Lulu sure could use a break! And some guidance for how to boost and streamline her social media presence. Alison hires a social media manager for a year to take charge of representing Lulu and her companies and projects across social media channels, crafting a cohesive voice. That Lulu won’t have to be attached to her phone is an added bonus.
$60,000
This hoodie is as sleek and sexy as it is comfortable, and in solid black Alison is sure to wear this every day.
$450
Gardetto’s Original Recipe Snack Mix
Alison’s favorite salty snack, as Lulu discovered while they were on the #10KDrivewayTour roadtrip together, Lulu “splurges” and gets her the 2-lb. bag.
$17
These carbon neutral sneakers are stylish, comfortable and super-functional! A whole load of color combinations for the upper and the sole means you may need a couple of pairs…
$17
This kit makes your laundry - and housecleaning for that matter - much more eco-friendly! Buying their concentrate and following a refill model saves so much waste. Plant-based, frangrance- and preservative-free products mean good news for the environment AND your skin!
$59
This kit makes your laundry - and housecleaning for that matter - much more eco-friendly! Buying their concentrate and following a refill model saves so much waste. Plant-based, frangrance- and preservative-free products mean good news for the environment AND your skin!
$6.97+
This gift was all about avoiding perfumes, floral prints, sugar, loose-fitting clothes, and being barefoot. If you haven’t tuned into our 10-minute The Daily Happy podcast (yet!), Alison recently got stung by a bee and found out she was super allergic. This gift is clearly from a super-concerned-for-your-wel-being friend!
When Alison started in on her attempt to plan the perfect day for Lulu, she knew she would be landing on something surrounding one of Lulu's favorite activities: stargazing.
A quick google search led her to Travel + Leisure's “The Best Places to Go Stargazing Around the World” article. Coming in at number one was the Atacama Desert in Northern Chile. It is the driest place on earth (excluding the North and South Poles), receiving a few millimeters of rain a year. High altitude, few clouds and little-to-no radio interference or light pollution make this area optimal for a night under the stars. Astro-tourists flock to this top stargazing destination, and now Lulu will - imaginarily - become one of them.
Alison could not have picked a better accommodation for Lulu. Hidden behind an ancient adobe wall lies Awasi Atacama, a boutique hotel with just 12 suites but tons of amenities, unique features, and offerings. It is also carbon neutral. Not just itself, but the entire Awasi group, which has three lodges in South America, is carbon neutral including the travel emissions of its guests! How amazing is that?! The Awasi Atacama features individual pre-Incan adobe suites, each coming with a private guide and a 4WD vehicle, meaning your entire stay can be as chock-full of tailored-to-you private experiences as you want! Alison has reserved the Superior Round Suite for Lulu, which comes with a private patio with a reading lounge and sun loungers, a solarium, and an outdoor shower. There is also an open-air bar and restaurant featuring the local Chilean flavors of the world's driest desert prepared by chef Juan Pablo Mardones. You can even elect to take a cooking class with the chef! Depending on the suite and the season, the all-inclusive rates including airport transfer range from $1400-2700 per night.
Taking the guide and vehicle that comes with the suite, Lulu is heading out on a cactus hike in the Los Cardones Ravine. According to the Eat Work Travel blog, while "at first glance a cactus hike may not sound all that thrilling"...this is the kind of hike Lulu can get behind. Interesting terrain, and a decent amount of exertion, but she won’t be exhausted afterwards. And the best part, she gets to see loads of cacti, some of which are upwards of 30 feet (9 meters) tall! To make the trek all the much easier, Alison has called ahead to Ms. Sticks to have a customized hiking staff known as a "life stick" made for Lulu. You can give special dates, list hobbies, names of loved ones, anything really! Alison asks Debi to list every place Lulu's travelled to in real life and to draw a few symbols and names: a dog bone for her passed pup Ajax, a music note, four stars to represent herself and her immediate family, and two smaller stars for her best friends Alison and Danny. Waiting for her after her hike in her vehicle is a satchel of her favorite snacks, Bucky's nuggets, beef jerky, Diet Dr, Pepper®, and a selection of cheeses. That should tide her over for a bit!
Alison has arranged for Lulu to have a post-hike massage at Puri Spa at the Alto Atacama Lodge Hotel. Their packages consist of treatments that emulate the four ancestral elements: fire, water, earth and air. They use sound and aroma to channel the selected element during your time in the spa, and they use only local, artisanal, organic products. Lulu enjoys the sauna, the baths, a mud wrap, and an outdoor massage.
To end her day in the Atacama Desert, Alison has arranged the star gazing adventure of a lifetime for Lulu. She'll need to dress warmly, so Alison has purchased Lulu a bunch of items from Lululemon's cold weather shop. She has set the scene with this indoor/outdoor pouf ottoman, a CBD-infused blanket, and a high-definition monocular telescope with a smartphone adapter that allows you to capture and record the spectacular skies above you. Comfy and cozy while taking in the cosmos...the perfect activity for Lulu!
This day in Hayward, Wisconsin that Lulu planned for Alison is very rural Americana meets outdoor adventure meets thrill-seeking meets comfort foods. So Alison's perfect day, basically. She will be staying at the Lenroot Lodge for $105 a night. First class accommodations here in Hayward, Wisconsin. It was once a schoolhouse in the 1930's, and now its log columns and beams are repurposed from blow-down areas, retired buildings, and old telephone poles. How resourceful!
This is where the Lumberjack World Championships take place, which is going to GREATLY inform the day. While Lulu could have signed Alison up to compete, she knows how competitive she is, and that a little preview and some training first would be preferred. Not to worry, Lulu put in a call to Benjamin Edgington who happens to be the king of the World Axe Throwing League, (hereby referred to as WATL), and "possibly Batman" according to his Instagram bio. For real though this guy is the 2018 WATL World Champion, the 2019 WATL Killshot King, and the champion of both the 2018 and 2019 Rocky Mountain Axe Throwing Tournament. Lulu pays him $5000 to put together a weekend axe throwing camp for Alison. This is some serious training we are talking about here. Alison is going to be so prepared for next year’s WATL Championship. She’ll also be properly outfitted with this official WATL axe for $84.95. Did you know you can't just use any axe for axe-throwing? It has to be specially designed to be thin and sharp. You know, aerodynamics and what not.
Knowing Alison would revel in some company, Lulu flies herself up to join her in this axe-centric adventure of a day. Their first joint stop is Fred Scheer’s Lumberjack Show, touted as "a blend of sport, history, and comedy" that takes place in the same arena as the Lumberjack World Championships. Logrolling, power sawing, pole climbing, canoe jousting, axe throwing, and much more comprise this show suited for crowds of all ages! Come see the burl and brawn on full display! Lulu pays $2000 to have them do a private show just for them!
After all of that axe-throwing and axe-throwing watching, they’ve worked up quite the appetite! Going for one of Alison's favorite foods, Lulu prepares an instant ramen smorgasbord. She spent some serious dough on fancy instant ramens in an oriental market (so not in Wisconsin!).
Alison gets back to it at her axe-throwing camp with the axe-throwing king. Lulu decides to cheer Alison on during her training while wearing this Lumberjack mascot costume. She also has an axe-throwing medal in-hand to award Alison upon completion of her training.
Dinner is going to be one of Alison's other favorite cuisines: Tex-Mex! They head to Main Street Tacos for queso, "super nachos", and a few tacos each!
They are ending the day at Sevenwinds Casino, where they are hoping to find a game of thrones slot machine. They don some K-95 masks, and put up some velvet ropes stanchions around themselves to keep themselves safely distanced from the other casino-goers while hopefully winning some money!
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