Let's talk periods. Yep - the topic you don't discuss.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Tampax/Always. The opinions and text are all mine.

I got mine in the summer of 6th grade. I was in another state visiting family for the whole summer when it hit. I remember being embarrassed trying to figure out how to get my mom to come to the bathroom without telling the entire house full of people what was going on. She gave me some gigantic pad that felt like a diaper and I spent the summer without my best friend which meant talking to no one about it. Later on I tried tampons, and I remember sitting in the bathroom reading the instructions as thorough as I could. Yeah, that little sheet of paper saved the day (after what felt like an hour of trying). Once I got used to them, tampons are what I stuck with. It's been my preference through beach days, workouts, and everyday life. It just so happens that Tampax is what I've used from the get go. Look, when my period hits I want to be as comfortable as possible and that means easy protection (that doesn't contain chlorine bleach or BPA - phew) and maybe a nap and definitely some chocolate. Oh, and best part of it alll - I went to a strict uniform wearing private school, and once you got your period, you were allowed to wear a purse which was a BIG deal for us eleven year olds. Oh heyyyyy!

If you need to stock up on Tampax tampons check out your local Sam's Club or samsclub.com to get $2 off in Instant Savings for a limited time. A big pack means you'll always be prepared for any surprises that might pop up, plus, you know you'll use them. 

How was your experience? Did you also get to start wearing purses? haha!

What's in my dogs travel bag

Hey guys and welcome back to another blog! Today is all about packing for your doggos! As you might have seen in a previous blog post (here), we took Sweetpea and Loki to a super dog friendly place in Georgia called Jekyll Island. We are big fans of traveling with them whenever we can so I’ve become pretty organized when it comes to their packing situation.

Quick note: The flat lay photo above isn’t everything we bring, but the list below is! :)

PACKING LIST:

• Dog Food with measuring cup - I always measure out how much we need so I’m not over doing it or under doing it. I do typically add an extra days worth of food to the large ziplock bag (if it’s just for a weekend) or small food container (if we are traveling for a long time) for each dog incase we were to get stuck or something random happened that extended our trip.

• Dog bowls | 1 water to share and 1 food bowl for each

• Collars with tags that have their names and our phone numbers on them - I am the QUEEN of finding other peoples dogs and it’s so frustrating when owners don’t have any tags on their dogs. Please have your contact info on your dogs tags so if something were to happen they can be returned quickly.

• Harness - each dog has their own harness that doubles as their seat belt. When in the car we clip the leash to their backs so their necks aren’t being pulled but they will stay safe if we get in an accident. It also has a place to clip from the front if they start pulling on a walk.

• Leash - again, each dog has a leash that doubles as a seat belt. Each one is looped around my back seat head rest and clipped to each back part of their harness while driving. And, of course, also used as a walking leash.

• Hands free hiking leash and leash coupler - This is great for taking both dogs on a walk together. The hiking leash was given to us from a friend and it’s become one of our most used items. It goes around our waist, has a bungee leash which is AMAZING because Sweetpea is 70lbs and Loki is 50lbs so it’s absorbs a massive pull if they were to see something and pull hard at the same time, and a handy zipper pocket for keys, poop bags, etc.

• Poop bags and poop bag dispenser with hook to attach to belt loop or leash.

• Travel collapsable bowls and water bottle - If out and about I always bring the collapsable bowl with a bottle of water to keep them hydrated.

• Medication and pill pockets- your dog may or may not take medication but if they do, you can’t forget it and we always use pill pockets to disguise the medicine.

• Treats - I typically bring a few kinds incase they lose interest in one.

• Toys! - A variety that usually includes something to play with together (like the big rope pictured above) and an individual chew bone for each of them. Those are always great if they have to be left at the hotel alone and I don’t want them getting bored and up to no good. Better to be safe than sorry.

• Dog crate with blankets and dog bed- so crates might not be needed if your dogs are super well behaved like Sweetpea is, but Loki is an escape artist. He can get out of doors that have door “handles” instead of door “knobs” and he has even busted through single pane glass after seeing a cat in our front yard. He’s crate trained so it’s his happy place and we always fill it with blankets and a toy.

• Backseat cover - I didn’t have one of these for awhile and boy can you tell. My car has nail intents on the center console and dog hair was to the MAX before I got myself a nice backseat cover.

• Towel(s) - we always bring 2+ dog towels aka towels we don’t mind getting muddy or stained. They also come in handy to cover furniture and decrease the amount of dog hair you leave behind.

• Long cable tie out like this one - so again, this is usually for Loki only since he’s a runner and we don’t always use it. We originally bought the cable one so he wouldn’t chew through it as a puppy and only have it on him if he’s being supervised. It’s great for taking him outside and clipping it to itself around a tree or something sturdy so he can still run around but not run away.

• Life Jackets - each dog has their own life jacket. We always put it on them if they are on a boat or plan to do any lengthy swimming.

• Clean up - you never know if your baby might get sick or have an accident so a bottle of carpet cleaner and paper towels is brilliant if needed.
  
  

TIPS:

• if you’re staying in a dog friendly hotel, but are nervous your dogs might bark hearing every person walk by, door shut, new sound, etc - I HIGHLY recommend turning the tv on at a decent volume.

• We always put the do not disturb hanger on the door so the cleaners don’t come in while we aren’t there. I don’t want to worry about Sweetpea wandering out of the door or the dogs scaring the heck out of them. Although are dogs are super sweet, a lot of people are scared of dogs so I just avoid making the cleaning staff uncomfortable and we will just ask for anything extra like towels and toiletries if needed.

• Look for dog friendly restaurants ahead of time so you get optimal time with your furry babies.

Do you have anything else to add to the packing list or any extra tips? Please leave a comment below if so!

Also, if you’re looking to go somewhere dog friendly, I highly recommend Jekyll Island. We had such a great time!

Growing food indoors with Miracle-Gro

*This post is sponsored by Miracle-Gro but all opinions and obsessions are my own. :)

Hey guys! Today I’m going to show you how we have been growing kale inside of our living room for the past month with the Miracle-Gro Twelve Indoor Growing System. You’re going to see how we started with four tiny seedlings (pictured above) and in four weeks how they have EXPLODED with growth! We already use Miracle-Gro soil for our house plants so it was a no brainer to give the indoor growing system a try. Spoiler alert, we are obsessed!

The Miracle-Gro Twelve Indoor Growing System allows you to grow fresh food year round. It’s a hydroponic based system which means the plants actually grow in water allowing them to grow faster than plants grown in soil. Growing our own food is perfect for us since we cook from home several times a week and because Zach is vegan, leafy greens are a big hit in our house. You can grow arugula, kale, swiss chard, leaf lettuce, mustard greens, parsley, cilantro, mint, basil, oregano, dill and sage - yum!

Putting the unit together is super easy and took less than 15 minutes. The box comes with everything you need and includes a book with step by step directions. You can either grow from a seed, a seedling (like we did!) or from a plant that’s already been started for you, like a Bonnie Plant you can pick up from the store. You just add the plant nutrition directly to the water and it’s good to go for four weeks. The most convenient part of all is the app. It allows you to change the light schedule (ours is 6am-8pm), reminds you when it’s time to add more plant food, tells you the water level and the light will gently blink on the unit if you need more water, and it tells you what date you can start harvesting.

Step 1 : Fill with water.

The day we started the system.

Step 2: Add plants. Step 3: Add plant food.

3 weeks later.

Not only are you growing food inside of your house, but the unit also doubles as furniture. Another option would be to purchase the stacking kit which lets you put two growing system on top of one another so you can grow even more! What would you grow in your Miracle-Gro Twelve Indoor Growing system?

A weekend vacation to Jekyll Island

This is a sponsored post, but all opinions are my own. :)

Only a five hour drive from Atlanta, Zach and I hopped in the car with the dogs and headed to Jekyll Island for a long weekend getaway. Being our first time there, we used the Jekyll Island website to plan our trip. Although the island is small, it’s packed with plenty to do that will keep you going the whole time. It’s extremely clean, quiet (perhaps because we went before school let out for the summer), and one of the most dog friendly places I’ve ever been - woohoo!

We stayed in a spacious suite at the ocean-front Holiday Inn Resort. Our balcony overlooked the ocean so every morning we spent some time waking up to the sound of waves hitting the shore. The room came with two queen sized beds, a kitchenette (full-sized fridge, microwave, stove top, and sink), two tv’s, and the living room had pull-out couch. If cooking is more your vibe, this is the way to go. You won’t find any big-box grocery stores on the island, so you may want to bring some groceries with you. You can also pick up a variety of groceries and local provisions at the nearby Jekyll Market or hit a larger grocery story right before the entrance to the island. Parking was easy, and the property featured several gas fire pits, a kids’ playground, a gorgeous pool, cabana sitting areas, a coffee and martini bar, fitness center, several beach access points, bike rentals, and a dog-friendly restaurant called “Beach House” on site.

We are the type of people who like to stay active on vacation and bring our dogs as much as possible so we tried to fit in as much in as possible and adjusted as necessary considering there was a bit of rain for a few days while we were there. First on the list was taking our dogs to the beach! It was drizzling when we got in on Friday afternoon but after we settled in we took the dogs out to the beach right outside of our hotel. They LOVED it and we ran up and down the beach with them. This was also the day we realized the tides change quite noticeably on the island which was unique to see.

Saturday was filled with sunshine so we hit up the Summer Waves Waterpark first thing in the morning and checked out all of the slides! That afternoon we ventured around Beach Village which is a small shopping center featuring several restaurants, shops, and Jekyll Market. Lastly we caught the beautiful sunset while exploring Driftwood Beach. This beach is dog-friendly and filled with the remains of fallen trees due to many years of erosion. It’s one of the most photogenic places we went and was voted one of America’s “Ten Most Romantic Beaches.”

Sunday stormed so our hotel lost power a few times so it was PERFECT that we had tickets to go behind- the- scenes at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. Because they take care of animals, they have generators  to continuously power the hospital. Although the general entry gives you an inside look at turtle care and is open rain or shine, I HIGHLY recommend the behind-the-scenes tour. We happened to be in the vet area when they brought in a turtle who needed blood work done which was incredible to witness! You also get to see where the food is kept, see the other turtles not out on public view, and ask all of the questions you want - it was truly an incredible thing to experience. During the lighter drizzle times, we walked around the Historic District admiring the beautiful historic buildings and large trees covered in Spanish Moss. That evening, when the weather had cleared up, we took a spontaneous sunset dolphin tour with hilarious husband-and-wife duo tour guides. We saw a ton of birds, learned all about the ecosystem of the island, learned a little history, and of course saw dolphins at sunset!

Knowing the weather on Monday was going to be incredibly sunny, but we had to check out by 11, we woke up early to take full advantage of the time we had left. We finally rented bikes and took advantage of the islands 25 miles of paved bike paths. These paths almost always keep you separate from the road allowing for you to venture out on a bike with the family in a very safe way. This made for a unique and beautiful way to see the island! Of course, we ended our trip with one last visit to the beach with the pups and said goodbye to a wonderful weekend getaway.

Below are a few bullet lists for dog friendly places, activities we did and didn’t do, and a few extra tips!

Although not a full list, here are a few dog friendly places that we visited while on Jekyll Island:

• The Holiday Inn Resort

• Oceanview Beach Park of the Holiday Inn Resort

• Driftwood Beach

• Walking through the beautiful Historic District

• The expansive bike path is also shared by dog walkers and runners alike

• Sunrise Grille Restaurant

• Beach House Restaurant

• Tortuga Jacks Mexican Restaurant

• To note, there are plenty of other places to eat that have outside seating, but because they aren’t full service restaurants it would require you to either tie up your dog outside while you go in, or have an additional person to wait outside while you go inside to order. To name a few: all of the places inside of the Jekyll Market including Hibiscus Cafe, Boardwalk Deli, The Love Shack BBQ, and A Sweet Shop Named Sprinkles. Fuse for froyo, The Westin Cafe for Starbucks coffee, and Red Bug Motors Pizza and Pub. My recommendation is to call ahead if you aren’t sure.

Activities that kept us moving and a few others we didn’t get to:

• Summer Waves Waterpark

• Driftwood Beach

• Biking

• Georgia Sea Turtle Center

• Dolphin tours

• Stand-up Paddle Boarding/Kayaking

• Mini golf and/or regular golf

• Tennis

• Mosaic, the Jekyll Island Museum

• Horseback riding

A few extra tips:

• Heads up, there is a parking pass that you must purchase when you first arrive.

• Bring bug spray or purchase the local spray called “No Natz” found at several local stores.

• Dogs must be leashed at all times and the leashes can’t be longer than 16ft. So happy about this so other people’s dogs can’t just come up to yours and cause a potentially dangerous situation.

• Dogs are allowed on beaches except South Beach between South Dunes Picnic Area and 2,000' northeast of St. Andrews Sound Picnic Area, to protect nesting shore birds..

• Be careful about walking out to the sand bars on the beach as the tide rolls in and out 8 feet every six and a half hours. Also, plan your beach visits accordingly as I had no clue about the tide and there are times when the water completely covers the sand. Mother Nature is so cool!

• The water is not clear, but it’s not because of pollution. In fact, the water is very nutrient dense which allows for all of the thriving wildlife!

  
  If you’re a fellow lover of Jekyll Island and have any recommendations that we missed, please leave them in the comments below so myself and others can enjoy during their next trip!
  

Snowboarding at Beech Mountain

In early February, I drove from Atlanta to visit Beech Mountain, North Carolina and the Beech Mountain Ski Resort with Zach and six of our friends. Based on my experience, I’m going to give you a few tips for food, lodging, your first time on the slopes, and how to dress accordingly. Spoiler alert, we had an incredible trip.

Lodging
There are plenty of places to stay and several options to choose from : Bed and Breakfasts, hotels, property rentals, and so on. We used Beech Mountain Realty and Rentals and stayed in a dog-friendly house a little over a mile away from the resort. Regardless of how you book, if your main itinerary is to ski/snowboard, I would recommend you stay in a place that has walkable slope access. Our friends did this and we ended up using their house as home base because it was ridiculously easy to get to and from the slopes. In total, it was about a 45 second walk from the slopes to their house. This allowed for everyone in our group the ability to stop for a break, eat, etc on their own time without having to gather the whole crew to get in a car and coordinate leaving and coming back. If you take one piece of advice let it be this: stay slope side, especially if you’re with a group.

Food
The mountain offers a decent amount of food options including pizza, Mexican food, BBQ, and so on. We did a mixture of eating out and cooking at the house, but I'll be honest I never found a breakfast place that I loved. I opted for eating at the house in the morning and grabbing straight espresso at the coffee shop located in the resort village - I think it was called Beech Mountain Cafe. If you need that caffeine kick, this is the only place that opens early and serves espresso drinks that I could find. Heads up though, they only make hot drinks (they literally don't have an ice machine) so if you're a year-round iced coffee lover you'll need to plan accordingly. However, if you are a late riser, I saw that Brick Oven Pizzeria has a coffee shop inside, but I asked and they don't open until 11am. Can you tell that finding strong coffee was very important to me?

Alright, on to lunch. So, if you're like me and want as much time on the slopes as possible, there is a cafeteria style place called The Lodge located at the resort that offers food and alcoholic beverages. It's your basic chicken tenders, fries, chips, burgers and such - but the convenience of just walking in with your big ole boots, covered in snow, and safely leaving your board/skis outside made it worth it. Also worth noting was Valle De Bravo which is a short drive from the resort and is where we stopped and ate as we left to go home. It was by far the most reasonably priced place so if you're on a budget (or not) and want some good Mexican food definitely hit this place up.

We only tried two places for dinner and I recommend them both. Brick Oven Pizzeria is a cool and casual little place that also has the previously mentioned coffee bar inside and a small arcade geared towards kids. The serving sizes are generous, the food is good, and they have PLENTY of desserts to pick from (I got a cookie the size of my face). Lastly, my favorite place of all was Beech Mountain Grille. It's considered casual upscale dining and the food is amazing. It's perfect for large groups, the service was spot on, and the menu was the most extensive that I found. These two places are only about a half mile from the resort and as I didn't do any night riding, it was nice to shower and go out to eat after a long day of snowboarding.

When it comes to alcohol there is no short supply at Beech Mountain Resort. They have a brewery in the resort village called Beech Mountain Brewing Company who put on cool events like "Girl Scout Cookie and Beer Pairing" nights and have live music. During the day you can take the ski lift to the very top and grab a drink from the 5506' Skybar, but you have to be able to ski down from the top so choose wisely.

Food from Beech Mountain Grille

Food from Brick Oven Pizzeria

Rentals
You can rent everything from snowboards, ski gear, boots, helmets (highly recommend), bibs (which are your waterproof pants and you will want these), waterproof jackets (also highly recommended), and lockers to store your stuff.

First time on the slopes?
Besides lift tickets and gear, I HIGHLY recommend lessons at Beech Mountain Resort. They offer lessons several times a day and keep the groups small. We each got personal attention and the guy who taught us was a really good instructor. I’ve been snowboarding once before and didn’t take a lesson which resulted in a full day of falling. Believe me when I say that a GOOD lesson makes a MASSIVE difference. I went from being terrible and having no coordination to snowboarding from the very top - all in one day! Total game-changer. I still suck at getting off the lift, but hey, can't have it all.

Clothing
Proper clothing is arguably one of the most important things that you need to have on the slopes. In my opinion, it can make or break your experience because if you're cold and wet you're probably not going to have the most enjoyable time.

At the very least, you need:
- waterproof bibs or pants
- a waterproof jacket
- waterproof gloves
- tall warm socks
- ski goggles
- a moisture wicking base layer

Depending on how cold it is, you'll want to add layers such as:
- a beanie or warm headband that covers your ears
- scarf, neck gaiter or balaclava
- glove liners to make your fingers even warmer
- another jacket or sweater
- leggings under your bibs

The first day I snowboarded it was 14 degrees and snowing. I wore a beanie under my helmet, goggles, an Under Armor long sleeve base layer, a lightweight insulated jacket, a waterproof snow jacket, a Lululemon Vinyasa Scarf (I forgot my Buff so opted for this and it worked great), Lululemon Fast and Free tights, waterproof snow bibs, thick knee high socks, snow boots, and waterproof gloves.

The temperature shot up by the third day and at the hottest point I was only in a casual sweater, bibs, socks, boots, helmet, and gloves. It made for quite the look. Oh, speaking of look. If you're wondering what people wear - literally anything goes. I saw people in t-shirts, crazy outfits, and even someone shirtless at one point. So dress in whatever makes you feel comfortable, but you know, keep it waterproof so you aren't soaking wet from falling in the snow.

Lastly, see the yellow ski suit in the top photo? Yeah, don't wear that. I found that places like ASOS will list items as "ski" but it's definitely all for the looks and isn't actually meant to be skied in. I would recommend sticking to trusted snow sports shops and always look for the word "waterproof." I've said it a bunch already, but trust me you don't want to be wet and cold - not worth it. Real ski jackets and pants/bibs are expensive, so if you can't afford to get your own just rent them from the resort, borrow from a friend, or buy second hand.

Tip: There is ski shop in the resort village. You can literally ski up to it, it's so close. They sell helmets, boards, goggles, skis, clothings, layers - you name it. I ended up grabbing my own helmet and an ear warmer headband.

Miscellaneous things worth noting
Although I didn't do these things so I can't elaborate on them, the resort does have ice skating and tubing at an extra cost; a terrain park if you're, you know, talented like that; and a children's nursery.

We had such a fun time that two of my friends, who were brand new to snowboarding, ended up buying their own boards! We will be back next year that’s for sure!

This trip was kindly gifted to me, but my experience and opinions are always my own. I take a lot of pride in only recommending places and products that I TRULY love.

Women inspiring women

A huge thanks to Athleta for sponsoring this post!

In a world that is rapidly changing - where we have so much at our fingertips - it’s still incredibly easy to stay in our own lane and never venture beyond what we currently know and do. The world is ours to explore yet sometimes some of us stay in our bubble. I 1000% can be that person, but just because I can be that person doesn’t mean I want to let it define me or become who I am all of the time. The first step is realizing it, right? Look, for whatever reason I can get on a podium in front of 60+ people to teach and motivate a class, but somewhere along the way in the last two years I’ve found hesitation in doing something outside of spin and yoga. I decided it was time to shake things up a bit so I asked my friend Jen for a little help. Look, if I was going to leave my cozy bubble, I needed a little hand holding, OK?

Before I explain what I did, let me paint you a little photo here. Jen is a BADASS. Like, four-stripe blue belt in Brazilian Jujitsu, vegan, incredibleeee cook, super positive, calming energy, shows up when you need her, most organized person I know, and an amazing friend to everyone - like, when I think about the kind of person I want to be I’m just naming qualities of Jen. We have talked about her coming to one of my classes and me coming to a class with her for months, but it just never happened. Finally, I just sent her a text and we set it all up. At this point I know NOTHING about MMA, the gym she goes to, where to start, what to bring, etc. In fact I only know two people who even practice Jujitsu - Jen and my friend Anna. I’ve always thought how cool it was, but from a distance, like a farrrr distance on Instagram, and here I was about to put myself out there and try it.

Thursday rolls around and I’ve now committed to taking an intro Jujitsu class at Creighton MMA & Fitness Academy. Was I excited? Yes. Was I nervous? ABSOLUTELY. I made such a big deal out of it in my head it was all I could think about the entire day. To some people trying a new workout class is totally normal! Why was I so freaked out? I don’t know, maybe because I was about to wrestle on the floor with someone else! Literally, I got so nervous on my way there that I knew if Jen wasn’t waiting on me I would totally bail. Once I got there the guys at the front walked me through everything and were SO nice. The gym is broken up into three sections - the lobby, an area for group fitness classes, and a huge mat area. I put my bag in the girls locker room, took off my shoes and walked out to the mat area where class would be. Although everyone else in class were beginners (except Jen because she asked to stay with me - thank God lol), I believe I was the only brand new person. We started off with a few warm ups going up and down the mat and moved straight into learning three moves. This class was LEGIT you guys. I literally learned how to flip someone off of me and a rear choke hold!!! We did more than that, but those were the two that really BLEW MY MIND. I was so excited and proud of myself after class, plus I learned something completely new to me! A few of us jumped into the Total Body Fitness class afterwards and then I hung out and watched Jen in her advanced class for a little bit. Right as I was about to leave, a girl that was in my intro class came up and introduced herself to me. I asked her how she found out about Creighton (thinking she also came with a friend) and she said, “Google.” Come to find out she comes by herself and has for a few classes now - so brave!

I literally came inspired by someone and I left inspired by someone. Never under estimated the impact you have on people! You never know how much you’re helping them by just being YOU!

Again, a huge thanks to Jen for just being herself! Her badassery on Instagram led me to want to try Jujitsu, her encouragement made me actually pick a time/day, her kindness in taking class with me made me less anxious, and her patience in helping me take all of these photos allowed me to share my story with others!

*Also, thank you for only accidentally hitting me in the face once. 🤣

P.S. here is an outtake when we couldn’t stop laughing (who knows why) when we were trying to re-create our sweet jujitsu moves, hehe.

Shop our Athleta looks here:

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Hosting a stress-free holiday party

This year was our Second Annual Christmas Sweater and Ornament Exchange Party. I don’t know how you are, but I very much get stressed out when it comes to hosting. I love it, but I definitely let it overwhelm me. I can honestly say this past Saturday was the most relaxed I’ve ever been leading up to a party at our house.

Here are a few tips, and even a holiday punch recipe, that I recommend:

Party Invite and Theme:​

The invite was so easy. I found a wallpaper on Google and added text over it using the app called WordSwag.

The theme every year is for everyone to come wearing a Christmas sweater and bring a wrapped ornament for the ornament exchange. I love the sweater idea because people can either wear something they already own making it a no pressure situation, get creative with DIY, or buy one that really shows their personality. My sweater is from Missed Calls on Etsy!

Holiday Cocktail Recipe:

(Super alcoholic, but you cannot taste the alcohol. You’ve been warned.)
Everything was purchased from Kroger (thanks, Kroger!)

Ingredients: 

2 - 750ml bottles of Prosecco (I bought Menage a Trois brand because it’s $10/bottle)

1/2-2/3 - 750ml bottle of Vodka (you can add more or less)

1 - 24 fl oz Pomegranate Juice

1 - 52 fl oz Orange Juice pulp free

1 - 64 fl oz Cran-raspberry Juice Cocktail

1 - 12oz bag of cranberries (frozen or fresh)

2 Oranges sliced into rounds

2 limes sliced into rounds

0.5 oz Mint to garnish

Ice (only need if you bought everything last minute and didn’t have time to chill your ingredients)

Directions:

Combine everything (except the mint) into a beverage dispenser or massive punch bowl. Stir. The oranges, limes, and cranberries will all float to the top making it very pretty and festive to serve. Garnish with mint.

Party Activities:  

Ornament Exchange - we ask everyone (or every couple) to bring a wrapped ornament to the party. We play white elephant style by having everyone select a number from a jar. Whoever draws #1 goes first, #2 can either steal their ornament or open a new one, and so on. We made the rule that once an ornament got stolen twice, it couldn’t be stolen anymore. Some people play where they allow more than two chances to steal so that’s up to you. At the end, everyone who brought an ornament ends up with a new one! 

Bon Fire - last year we had a fire pit put in our backyard and it’s always a hit. It gives the smokers a place to go, keeps everyone warm, plus, s’mores are always a good idea!

Puzzle - this was perfect for the people who weren’t really drinking and wanted to be more low key. I put out a 400 piece Christmas puzzle of a dog sitting by a fireplace and Christmas tree and it was finished in 2hrs and 10min.

Christmas Music started it all, but we ended up with rap music by the end of the night. 

Food (no cooking required): 

All food was purchased from Kroger and this part made my life SO easy! I was in and out with everything I needed in no time.

•  chicken tenders party platter ordered from the deli about a day before and picked up a few hours before the party

• Tostitos chips and everything needed to make homemade guacamole.

• a few other dips for the chips including refried beans, pico, and salsa.

• Pita chips and hummus

• Doritos because we are big spicy sweet chili fans

• all pre-made desserts like Private Selection brownies, red velvet bundt cakes, and Private Selection Sea Salt Caramel Cookies. I cut them up and served everything on nice plates and topped with Christmas sprinkles so you couldn’t tell, hehe. 

* although we didn’t ask anyone to bring anything we did have some guests bring a cheese plate (HUGE HIT), bruschetta, and a vegan cake! 

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Do you ever host parties? If so, do you theme them? I’d love to hear more below! 

Working out while in Cancun

Working out while on vacation is important to do, yet sometimes we neglect it. Do you have to go all out? Absolutely not, but getting in a good sweat will boost your mood, give you some time to yourself, and keep you on track. Plus it helps if you’re like me and you eat every delicious thing in sight :P

Zach and I visited Cancun last week and we stayed at the Royalton Riviera Cancun. This isn’t the first time I’ve been to an all-inclusive, but it’s hands down the best one I’ve been to. Although I’m going to touch a lot on their fitness offerings, this is NOT a fitness resort. It’s a luxury resort that just so happens to offer everything you need.

THURSDAY EVENING - ARRIVING AND DINNER

We arrived on a Thursday night just in time for sunset. We shuttled from the airport to the resort with their service called Nexus. When you pull up you’re greeted with a non-alcoholic drink, your bags are taken, and you’re walked to the check-in room. From the moment you walk-in until the moment you leave they have exceptional service. There is only one person that I didn’t care for the entire trip, but one bad egg didn’t effect or discount the SEVERAL other people we had the pleasure of experiencing. We stayed under Diamond Club status which meant a little more privacy and other add-ons. Check this link to see what all it includes.

Once we checked in, we were taken to our gorgeous room that included free snacks and drinks in the fridge, a balcony that looked over the beach and pool area, a shower, jacuzzi bathtub, and two very comfortable beds. You are given a bracelet that serves as your room key, FYI - SUPER convenient. We quickly settled and went down for dinner at Agave for some Mexican cuisine - this is one of the 9 restaurants they have on the property. I highly recommend sitting outside at night because we had perfect access to the Pop show that was happening by the pool area. It was literally dinner and a show. Also, the shows they have are LEGIT. It’s not some cheesy, half attempt. It’s full blown costumes, lights, fog machine, etc. After dinner we walked around the different parts of the resort. It has four sections- kids, main, diamond, and hideaway. That evening the hideaway section, which is only for adults, was having a chocolate party. It featured a half-dressed man and woman covered in gold paint in front of a large chocolate display. As a chocolate loving woman - I WAS OBSESSED. After that we turned in for bed since we had an early start the next morning.

FRIDAY - YOGA, AQUA FIT, + TRX

The following morning we woke up for sunrise yoga. It was outside the main pool area and was a relaxing way to start the day. We ate breakfast at the GIANT buffet they have called Gourmet Marche. It features ALL kinds of food - including vegan and gluten-free options. After breakfast we changed into our swimsuits and the main pool was having Aqua Fit. This was led by Isis who was also our instructor for yoga and taught all of the classes we took that weekend. SHE IS AWESOME. Anyways, back to Aqua Fit. It’s done in the pool and you’re given these gloves to wear. It’s low impact and all done to the beat of the music. You get wet, get in a workout and laugh because it’s totally unusual and fun at the same time. We grabbed lunch at Gourmet Marche again, took some photos, relaxed on the beach, and headed to TRX. So, here is the deal, I had never done TRX before and out of all of the workouts I did, this was the most challenging for me. TRX class is held in the upstairs part of the gym with is through the spa area and into a two-story gym that also features an outside area full of tennis courts - it’s insane. After a much needed showered we had dinner at ZEN for some Japanese cuisine. They were incredibly accommodating as we had a few vegans and a gluten allergy in our party. The chef took his skills to the next level and created a very fancy and special dish for these people. If you have special dietary needs you know that most people give you a sad excuse for options or have no clue how to even accommodate you. We were blown away with their service and culinary skills! Because we had done three exercises that day I could barely stay awake and called it a night. However, I sadly missed the silent disco that I heard was SO fun. So next time I need to make sure I leave some party energy in me, lol. I ended the night by ordering Saturdays breakfast from my TV.

This is the special vegan curry dish the chef made look like an egg. It was apart of Zach’s three-course meal.

SATURDAY - BREAKFAST IN BED, KICKBOXING + STRETCH PILATES

After a busy Friday we woke up to room service on Saturday morning. We ate and had coffee together on our balcony while the sun came up and heard waves crashing the whole time - it was so peaceful. We took our time and chilled out until it was time for kickboxing class. Again, this class was held in the upstairs of the gym. It was so much fun but wore us out so we spent the afternoon chilling in a bed on the beach with cocktails brought to us. THE LIFE, lol. After some much needed recovery and lunch at Gourmet Marche, we headed to a stretch pilates class. It was a slower paced stretch class with a little small challenges here and there - perfect speed for a relaxing Saturday. We freshened up and ate at TAJ for some Indian cuisine. After dinner we passed by the stage for some unexpected live music and dancing. I swear, there is ALWAYS a party happening somewhere. We hung out with some new friends while they played giant chess until it was time to head to bed. Other people went out to continue on partying and a few of them won $1,000 that night at the casino - so crazy!

SUNDAY - BOGA BOOTCAMP, SUNSET YOGA, + FAREWELL DINNER

Sadly Sunday was our last full day so we woke up to have coffee on the balcony, eat breakfast, and head to Boga Bootcamp. This was the one class I was unsure of leading up to it. I was like, “what the heck is Boga Bootcamp?” Turns out it’s a workout on a special “Boga” board done in the pool. The board is huge and features straps and bands and you legit do a workout on it. Several people fell of course, including myself, which just made it more challenging and fun. It is top of my list of favorite workouts though. So unusual and not sure if I’ll ever find a class like it again. After that we went to the roof to take some photos, ate lunch, walked past a raging pool party (I clearly missed all of the partying some how), and enjoyed our last day on the beach. We always sat in the adult area which was so peaceful and always included a drink and towel service - so fancy. We ended our last amazing day by doing yoga on the beach at sunset. It was a challenging class and the wind was kicking so it made for quite the balance struggle. After yoga we headed back to dinner at ZEN - this time for their dinner hibachi show upstairs. They were just as amazing this time as they were the first time we went. Zach and I headed back early to pack as we had to be up at 3:30a! We did facemasks, and had a sing-a-long to the famous Royalton jingle that they play on your TV, lol. It was an amazing trip and I can’t recommend the Royalton Riviera Cancun resort enough. I hope we go back soon and if you have any questions please let me know.

Also, if you’re more of a visual person, I have an Instagram highlight for our trip that you can see called “Cancun.” My IG handle is @MaeElizabethG