Planning for my Tennessee trip! 🌲

I love planning for trips, it’s one of my favorite things to do. Even if it’s a short trip, I still like to plan out the stuff I’ll bring and the stuff I don’t want to forget. So even though this trip is only 3 days, I still go all out 🙌🏼 I’m hoping for this weekend trip to be very social media free, I want to just unplug and relax. I think all of us need this so the only time I would be using my phone would be to take pictures and videos, in which I will also be using my camera.

So, the weather is saying there is a chance of snow/rain and I already am thinking about what shoes I’m bringing. Probably my duck boots, since those are great in the snow and rain. And since it’s a short trip, I don’t have to bring too much clothes!

The list of stuff I’m bringing:

Clothes

Pretty much just comfy clothing like:

• leggings
• undershirts
• hoodies
• hats
• gloves
• scarves
• fuzzy socks
• my slippers

What am I packing in my little book bag?

• my camera
• camera charger
• phone charger
• a good book to read
• my iPad (only for movies at night if we’re bored or during the car rides)
• a healthy snack
• my notebook and a pen
• my chapstick
• deodorant
• a body spray

Something random I might bring along is a couple board games like Sorry and UNO. That might be fun to play with the fam if we get bored (which is probably not going to happen because there will be amazing views and a nice jacuzzi to go along with them).

That’s what I usually carry when I travel anywhere. A smaller book bag is easier for me than carrying a purse. I’m not bringing any makeup for this trip because I feel like it’s pointless since it’s such a short trip and also, I don’t think I’ll need it 🙂

So yeah, that’s pretty much all I’ll be bringing! The car ride is 7 hours long so let’s hope it goes by super fast. It will be a good trip!

Tips for happier flying and a more enjoyable flight! ✈️

We all get excited to go on a vacation and if we get to fly out somewhere we know that eventually it gets boring on the plane. On my last trip, we had a four hour plane ride and I was losing my mind half way through it. I wish I had a list of things that would’ve improved that flight and made it more enjoyable which is why I am making a list of tips for future reference and for anyone else out there that gets bored on flights 🙂

• Download games on your phone/iPad
• Listen to some nice, relaxing music – since you usually don’t have Wifi on a plane unless you pay for it, I download a playlist on Spotify to use offline
• Have a comfy pillow or blanket with you
• Bring a coloring book or download a similar app on your phone
• Bring your favorite snacks if you don’t like what they serve on the flight
• Meditate – I have an app called Headspace that is great for this
• Use essential oils to relax you
• Make yourself comfortable
• Bring a notebook and write down your thoughts, plans, goals, or lists
• Read a good book
• Plan out your week/trip if you haven’t already or a future trip
• Buy a crossword puzzle book – I got a set of 3 game books that had Sudoku, word search, and a crossword
• Clean up your phone – delete apps you don’t use, organize your pictures, clean out your contacts list, etc.,

So that’s my list, what do you do on a plane to make it more fun or relaxing? 🙂

Hello December! ❄️❄️

Hello all!

Happy Monday! Have been wanting to write a December post since the first day of December, but the weekend slipped away from me and now we’re here. I already know this month will fly by, just like November did, but it is one of my favorite months. Everyone is in the holiday cheer, yes it’s COLD, but there are perks to that such as blankets, hot chocolate, etc. So December will be a great month, I have lots going on! My bff’s birthday is coming up, my husband is graduating, my other two best friends are graduating and having parties, I’m going to a baby shower, Christmas, and New Years! So yes, lots of events coming up!!! I feel like I haven’t had this much going on since the beginning of 2018 when I had my bridal shower, went on a couple trips, got married, graduated, and started my new job. I’ll have to write a separate post where I reflect back on 2018 and the great memories that were made, that sounds like it’d be fun. Oh and one more exciting thing to note! My sister-in-laws, sister-in-law had a baby!!! A little baby boy this morning! He is so precious and tomorrow after work we’re going to go meet him! I’m super excited!

So pretty much this whole month will be slow at work, so it won’t be that stressful yay! A lot of people will be taking vacations so the office will be pretty empty which gives me a chance to work from home more AND blog more! Still trying to get up at 5am everyday to make a routine for myself, but it was obviously hard to do when I had the flu so I will keep trying. The goal is to wake up with enough time to blog, eat breakfast, workout, and drink coffee or tea before heading out for work. That way I get a good start to my morning and accomplish a couple things while I’m at it. 

I am currently on keto and didn’t give up last week even when I was sick, but I REALLY REALLY REALLY want some cookies. I hope I don’t give in, I know I’m stronger than this! But it’s so hard 😦 I guess what is motivating is that December will fly by and I’ll have one more month of keto to do. Trying to do only 2 months (until February) and trying to lose as much weight as I can so I can be at a healthy weight for my height. And after that I’ll switch to a normal, balanced diet with a little bit of every food group. 

I already put up my tree, I moved it to an even better place in my house, I’ll have to upload some pictures soon. So far, there are 3 presents underneath it! One of my goals for 2019 is to start taking more pictures, whether that be of nature, the city, or people. Also want to start recording more of my life to have for memories. So taking pictures of my tree will be a great start! 

Until next time! 

Happy Thanksgiving + weekend plans! 🦃

Hello!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Just wanted to write a quick post about my week/weekend! We had a nice Friendsgiving on Wednesday night, so we ended up not doing anything yesterday which was totally fine because I literally just relaxed. I took paid time off today because I wanted to have a 4 day weekend and just relax. So far, it’s been super relaxing and I am hoping to extend that to the next two days as well! 

We went shopping today and I got some good stuff and I also did some online shopping. I’ll have a post about everything soon and also when the rest comes in! I mostly went to two actual stores and the rest was online. I wasn’t looking for anything particular, but I did need some new stuff so the things I did get were perfect. I did wait for Ulta’s online sale to start at 5pm and their website crashed for a good 45 minutes before I was able to even access it. That was super annoying, but I’m glad the items I wanted didn’t sell out. 

Our Friendsgiving was so fun and the food was so delicious! We just chilled and hung out after that, so it was a nice night. I’m actually craving all of that food right now, especially the turkey!! Makes me want to cook now after seeing that picture. 

Super glad I took PTO today because after the last week and a half, I really needed a huge break from everything especially work. I’m looking forward to the next 2 days I’ll have off next month. Speaking of that, I cannot believe that in a couple days it’ll be December and then we’ll be a month away from 2019! Like holy crap!!!!! This year FLEW BY! Seriously, it feels like I only moved into my new house and got married like 2 months ago tops… time slow down plz 🙂

Also, I think I already mentioned this, but I HATE the new post thing for WordPress.. does anyone know how to get back to the old one? This one is too much for me!

Tomorrow it’s going to be 62 degrees surprisingly, so I plan to spend a lot of time outside (hopefully) and maybe get a nice workout in. But like I said, I just want to RELAX 🙂 

But yeah, that’s it for now! Black Friday haul post coming soon!!! 

How I spend my “me time” + ideas ✨

Hi all!

“Me time” is super important to me because I think it’s an essential to happiness. Taking time to be alone, give yourself some love, and take that time to rest and rejuvenate. So here’s how I spend that time. 

I usually like to take a Saturday and spend a couple hours for this. The first thing I like to do is either take a bath or a nice shower so my face is fresh for the face mask I am about to apply. After I apply my face mask, I’ll sit down in my quiet space (which I made sure is clean and organized) and pick something to do. Of course, I can’t relax without a candle being lit! 

So by then I have already picked something I want to do, I usually pick something like this:

• Blog
• Watch a movie I’ve been meaning to watch
• Catch up on shows
• Catch up on my Youtube videos I subscribe to 
• Drink coffee with my husband (this relaxes me, so if I am feeling like I don’t need to be alone at the moment, he will join)
• Read a book
• Read the news
• Read some interesting Buzzfeed articles
• Write a to do list and things I need/want

Yes, there’s SO MUCH you can choose to do! Maybe even just lay there and think about your day or meditate, craft, treat yourself at the salon, or go outside and explore some nature. There’s so much to do. I haven’t been able to meditate for some reason, I tried doing it with my husband, but I end up laughing at him lol. I can’t keep it together hahaha. 

I think everyone should have some “me time.” I believe it helps us in these ways:

• Helps us relax
• Gives us some time to think deeply 
• Makes us more productive
• Gives your brain a break + a reboot

So take some time for yourself and let your mind speak to you!

Things that keep me organized 🌻

Hi all!

For me to function correctly and get stuff done, I need to be organized. So, I’ve decided to share some tips on things that keep me organized!

• Use a planner
  • I like to plan out my days when I can or at least have an overview of my schedule. It helps me organize my day and remind me of anywhere I need to be. Sometimes if I don’t know what I am doing for the day or don’t have some type of a schedule, I start freaking out and feel like I lost control of my day or it’s going to waste doing nothing
• Write a to-do list everyday
  • Writing to-do lists helps me figure out what needs to be done, whether that list is for the day, the week, or for the month. This is also a good reminder for things you have been meaning to do, but always forget about
• Creating a relaxing workspace/environment
  • Writing a to-do list and writing in your planner is fine to anywhere, but what really gets my brain flowing is if I am doing this stuff in a relaxing environment. I like to clear my desk or area I am sitting in and light a candle if possible, get myself a cold glass of water and begin thinking. This helps me personally get my brain flowing and it kind of helps improve my memory as well for some reason, I remember things much better

Those are really the top 3 things I do to keep myself organized. I think the key to getting stuff done, even goals is organization. Maybe some people can be unorganized and do it, but for me.. I need to have my shit together 🙂

 

 

Dallas, Texas Trip 2018

Hey there!

Earlier this week I promised a Dallas blog post and I am here to fulfill that promise 🙂

So this Dallas trip was meant to be a short, weekend trip. It was my birthday last Wednesday and we decided to leave on Thursday after I got off of work. One thing I will never do again is wait last minute to pack… I literally came home at 3pm and we wanted to leave at 5 so that left me 2 hours to pack everything I needed and also take a quick shower. It was lots of pressure to get out of the house by 5, but we did it and had to go grab some food and go to Walmart because we forgot something. So we actually ended up leaving around 6 lol. For a second I was annoyed because that means we have to drive until like 3-4am, but I got over it because after all IT IS a weekend trip 🙂

We had lots of fun on the drive, lots of good music, some good snacks, and just the open road. Honestly, I feel like there really is no better feeling in life than taking a trip, driving out on the open road, blasting your favorite music, and forgetting about all of your worries.

We arrived at our Airbnb around 3-4am, I was a little scared of walking around so late at night in a new city, but it actually ended up being perfectly fine and safe. Our garage was right next to the Airbnb so we checked in with security. As soon as we got into our room, we knocked out. Woke up the next morning ready to explore. We swam a lot on the rooftop pool, ate lots of BBQ, and explored what the city had to offer. I didn’t take lots of pictures, but I took some and they are good memories to me.

 

It was a very fun trip and for the first time in my life, I heard Mirhad say “that was fun, we should do it again, I’m excited for the next trip!” Literally have never heard him say that, so I was so excited to hear it and that means many more weekend trips to come 🙂 and also going back to Dallas because we had so much fun and it’s not that far!

His birthday is coming up so I am trying to figure out a cool city to visit, we want to take a train this time so it can literally be anywhere. Maybe Houston? He was saying he would like to visit Houston, but we’ll see. I think I’ll take off that Wed-Fri so that gives us some more time to enjoy his birthday week/weekend 🙂

Anyways, I recommend visiting Dallas if you haven’t already. It’s seriously a beautiful city, I mean all of Texas that we saw was super nice. Also – Southern Hospatality is so real, this is the first time I’ve experienced it and PEOPLE ARE SO NICE HERE! It’s so different compared to St. Louis and the people are so different and much nicer lol.

Go visit Dallas!!!! You won’t regret it.

 

Sunday March 11, 2018

GOOD MORNING!!!!!

Happy Sunday, I AM BACK!!!! Had a rough past two or so weeks trying to wrap up everything for school before spring break and right now I’m just so happy I am done with three of my classes and that I don’t have to worry about anything for the next week. So there is SO MUCH I need to blog about and I can’t wait to do it. My mood has increased so much ever since I finished my last final Thursday night, I feel like I am free (only for a week I guess) but when I do go back to school I only have to worry about two classes and I can spend a lot of my time doing anything else I want like BLOGGING, YAY. Worked my ass off to complete my three online classes and it feels good to get those A’s ❤ ❤ 

So where do I begin?! I’m going to Chicago later this month with Mirhad and some friends who wanted to go for their birthday and right after that I will be going to LA for a couple of days for the Ellen Show and also to just hang out up there, can’t wait to get some sun.. I need it hahaha. I will make a blog post about how I found the best prices for this trip (it was a struggle, Cali is expensive). I’m also probably going to be doing a post about budgeting or I might incorporate that into the same posts. And then of course when I go on the trips, I will have the obligatory travel posts – travel necessities list, what I packed, the trip itself, etc., so that will be fun! 

It’s snowing today even though it was so nice yesterday…. typical. So since it’s snowing and I can’t sled on it, I’m spending the day in bed watching movies, catching up on my blogging, and just chilling. Well deserved!! Day light savings happened this morning so I woke up SUPER late, but it’s okay. I’m just so excited to be blogging again, I think it would’ve helped me deal with all of my stress if I was able to sit down and blog for 30 minutes, but I literally couldn’t even squeeze it in 😦

So what else happened??? I have a lot of house updates which I will talk about in a separate post. It’s almost time to start looking at furniture, that will be fun. 

Last night me and Sanela had a girls night and we drank some wine along with some salmon, crackers, and cheese (our favorite thing ever for a chill night) and we ended up getting some Angry Orchard because we weren’t really feeling the wine. Although Sanela did end up finishing it off 😂 We had fun catching up, I haven’t seen her in forever and I missed her so much so we had a lot of fun. We ended up making 6 podcasts last night 😂😂😂 It was very random, but it consisted of us talking about random things like what we were doing at the moment, video games, and the last 3 or so podcasts consisted of us talking about our vacation experiences. I think when we look back at these in a couple of years, we will appreciate them because some of the things I mentioned she forgot about so it’s a good refresher for the future! Good way to remember good memories. We are going to try to do them every week, but I need to figure out where it gets saved on your phone and how I will be able to find it later on, if it gets too difficult, we might just have to do videos instead. But yeah, podcasts are fun, maybe I can ask Mirhad to do one with me too 😀 

It’s almost Spring🌷so I will be changing my blog up a little bit, hopefully I will take some cool pictures on my trips and I could recreate my header, but without braces… OH YEAH I’M GETTING THEM OFF IN 9 DAYS WOOHOOOOOOO!!!!! I can’t wait to take new pictures without them! I will deff be updating my blog though in terms of header photo, background, etc., not a lot of themes out there that have what I want (like what I have now) but if I find a good one I will change that too. 

So yeah, that’s all I can think of for now, I will be posting more soon 🙂 🙂

Byeeee!

 

Self Love Challenge Day 10

3:25 PM

I can set better boundaries for myself in life by writing them down. I think when I establish those boundaries and if I went to go through with them, they need to be written down somewhere. Preferably on something I look at everyday.

February 4, 2018 ✨

12:57 PM

Good morning!!!

Still morning for me because I am still kind of waking up. Cleaned my room and put my laundry to wash – I really need to stop pushing that off bc eventually I run out of clothes and then I’m stuck washing so much laundry in one day 😐 Anyways, I have a lot of stuff to do today (school wise) and I am freaking out. Even though I literally did so much homework last week so I wouldn’t have to this weekend, it somehow still piled up!!!! Week 8, where are ya???? About to update my planner so I know what’s going on this week, I know I have an exam and I think another one online so I got some note catching up to do. It’s pretty cold outside today so that means I’m not leaving my house which is a good excuse to stay in my room and do all of this stuff lol. 

Re-cap of this weekend:

• Aleksandra Prijovic concert was not good, not because of her singing she actually sang well, but because of the atmosphere of concerts. I think this is my last concert I’m going to go to for a really long time. I have no desire to see anyone else live. I’m just sick of the same things happening every time a concert is held in the same place.. people pushing and shoving CONSTANTLY, drunk people everywhere spilling their drinks and throwing their beers on the floor to crack into tiny pieces (one in which I stepped on), and the fact that there is little kids basically drunk (teens). So annoying so I just refuse to deal with it anymore. I didn’t have fun at all and I wish I didn’t go, but whatever. Lesson learned!
•  Think I need a mental vacation from everyone, maybe even a real one lol. Sometimes I really wish I could drive to Colorado by myself and just chill in the mountains alone, listening to the peace and quiet of nature, enjoying the views. But no, obviously I can’t do that because school and my parents would freak out. I’m going to figure out if I can go somewhere for Spring Break bc I’m going to need this soon.
• School sucks. Yes, all my homework and assignments are mostly from my online class, BUT there is SO FREAKING MUCH OF IT. It is like a never-ending cycle. I finish something for one class and then I have the same work load for the next class, and then the next. And then my classes I actually go to in person, I literally have an assignment due every week and it’s shit I’m so confused about, like I kind of get it but it’s not 100% yet. Which is why today will be spent learning that.
• Rosemary Essential Oil actually helps you concentrate and focus which is super crazy. I’m sitting here writing this and I’m going super hard. I look over and my diffuser is on, this is amazing. Thank God for things like this because sometimes ya need it!!
• Caught up on Riverdale and was reminded of why I love this show so much. Even tho it’s cringy sometimes, it’s so good. Latest episode had me screaming bc of the ending…. no words. Can’t wait to see what the hell happened on Wednesday!!!! Also Bughead are back together, hell yeaaaaaaaa.
• Went to IKEA yesterday with Sanela so she could buy a table for her basement, it looks amazing BTW and I ended up buying myself a little side table. Looks so cute and it’s very useful because now I have more room for stuff I put besides my bed. I use to use this storage box thingy which was very cute, but this is better. Pic below.

• Also went to Marshal’s yesterday and got some clothes. Mainly sweats because I literally have none. The one I did have Emma took so I needed these. I also bought a shirt that is sleeveless but has a hood, it’s really cute. And I also bought a really pretty OPI nailpolish called Berry something I forgot the other part, but it’s so pretty. 
• Oh yeah, almost forgot! On Friday I went to the outlet mall with Elma and Vildana bc Elma needed some tights for the concert and I’ve been wanting to go to Coach to buy a purse since they didn’t have anything good at Tj-Maxx or Marshal’s. I ended up getting a really good deal (always good deals at the outlet Coach store) and I got a purse with a wristlet and a little thing I can put my cards in if I didn’t want to carry a purse or something. The bundle was $159 and that’s amazing because the purse alone is $295. I think it’s very useful for traveling. It is like a berry color and to my surprise, it matches the nail-polish I got yesterday hahahaha. I’ve been wanting a new purse for a while anyways and Mirhad wanted to get me a present for New Years since he never did! Great for work too. 

Yeah that’s pretty much it. Need to go work now!

See ya!!!!!