I am a bag of nerves. Last night I made myself sick I was so nervous. I know this sounds odd as I am going on a fabulous trip, but it is scary at the same time. I am a person who likes control. I do not like unknown variables. If I am unsure, I am uneasy. Today the stomach ache has morphed into a slight butterfly feeling and the headache has subsided, but I still have a sinking feeling. I have not been on a plane since the age of five and it was with my parents. I suppose I need to grow up and have fun. Any tips on settling nerves?

So I embark tomorrow morning. We first have to make a three hour trek to Minot Airport. Then we will have a three hour flight, 2 hour time change and voila, we will be at our destination of Las Vegas, Nevada. Next weeks schedule will be slightly different, and by slightly, I mean completely different. I will not be posting until Friday or Saturday and it will be an entire download of my trip. If you think that is too long to be without me, make sure to follow me on all my social networks to get updates of how things are going!

      Have a great week!!!

Travel Week #2 - Packing

If you are reading this, chances are you are like me and have a hard time packing lightly. I tend to over pack and always have. When I was 9 and went to summer camp, I filled a hockey equipment bag and I was only going for a week. Well for my upcoming plane trip, this is not an option as most airlines impose a weight limit on baggage. I think I have come up with a great way to battle this.

Heys - Christmas Gift (From Costco I think)

For Christmas I received the holy grail of luggage, HEYS. It is a 2-piece set and one fits inside the other. What sets this luggage apart is how sturdy it is, but on the flip side, extremely lightweight. With the one suitcase inside the other they still only weigh 8 pounds. I recently came to the conclusion that I can pack my clothes in the smaller one and still bring the bigger one and only pay the extra bag fee on the way home. This way if myself or my travel companions buy too much stuff, we have a whole extra suitcase that we can use. I know that the extra bag fee is pretty steep at $50, but if we all use it and split it three ways, it is very tolerable. 

Hope this inspires you to do some creative packing. Leave in the comments some other tips you might have for me to pack lightly.

Travel Week #1 - Toiletries

Forever 21 - $4.80 (now on sale for $2)

So have you been in Target and walk down the aisle with the super cute miniatures of shampoos and that beyond adorable miniature container of vaseline hand lotion. Well I have and let me tell you, such small things come at a very big price! 

My biggest tip I have found in my vast traveling (as in none. I have been nowhere), is to get some empty small bottles and take what you already have. I managed to pick up a bag of bottles at Forever 21 of all places for $5. It came with 2 bottles perfect for shampoo, conditioner and body wash, a pumper bottle that will work great for my clinique face wash and a spray bottle that I am going to fill with my Sally Hershberger Keratin Treatment. I also found I had some extras from buying my makeup bag.

The only travel sized item that I bought into was tooth paste. At $1.00, it is a good idea to go mini because, beleive it or not, toothpaste is heavy! And when you are trying to limit a weeks worth of outfits and shoes into one suitcase that is under 40lbs you have to do what you have to do. Well I am off to go pack (not really I will leave it till the last minute, as always) 

Have a good day! :)

Motivational...Tuesday?

Well I did not post on Friday or yesterday. It was a long weekend and well, today is my birthday. Bad excuses I know, but justifiable to myself none the less. 

To say that today I need to be motivated would be an understatement. With how extremely uneventful and brinking on the side of terrible my 23rd year was, I am not holding out much hope for this one. However, it is starting with a BANG!! On Saturday, I will be embarking on my first big girl trip (and my first real paid vacation). I, along with my sister and my Bestie Kristy, will be going to VEGAS! To get pumped for this I will have a post everyday leading up to it having to do with prepping for a vacation.

 Stay tuned tomorrow! Oh and Happy Birthday to me!!

Weight-Loss Wednesdays #3 - What Have I Done?

In ten days I am leaving for my first ever big girl trip. I am going to Las Vegas with my sister and friend. But that is not what this post is about. I have made a commitment with one of my friends to start training for a color run.

A color run is a 5K run that you do for charity and get colorful powder thrown on you as you go. The two most popular ones are The Color Run and Color Me Rad. Color Me Rad is making a stop in Winnipeg in July and that is my goal. To be able to do it. I don't want to come in first, I just don't want to come in last.

Struggles of the Week: With the recent death of my best friend, Dixie, my toy poodle, I have used it as an excuse to eat what I want. I am weening off now, but pop was a major thing with this. As you read yesterday, I have bought some new tea to battle this and hopefully I am on the road to recovery.

Wins of the Week: I made Spaghetti Squash as an alternative to pasta and it was wonderful. 

Let me know how your resolutions are going, or have you basically given up like I did this week?

Tasty Tuesday: Tea Haul!!

"I say let the world go to hell, but I shall always have my tea" 

This is something that Dostoevsky and I have in common. A good cup of tea is relaxing and feels like home. I have recently gotten into more adventurous pickings and have come to love loose tea. On a spur of the moment trip to David's Tea I managed to spend a pretty penny and came out with some winners.

The best tea I have ever had was a Celestial White Tea called Perfectly Pear. Unfortunately, they do not make it anymore and I have been looking for another pear tea for some time. I managed to get Cranberry Pear Black Tea (Right). Though it looks like a trail mix in the tin, it created a wonderful tasting brew and I love it. It doesn't even need some sugar or agave to taste sweet. 

The second tea I got was Cream of Earl Grey. It is a blend of my fave Earl Grey and vanilla. It is like having a London Fog without the added calories of vanilla syrup. Tastes great with a splash of almond milk.

I also decided to splurge and get an infusing to-go cup. Not gonna lie, with the $35 price tag, I expected more. Though it is very nice looking and works great for most teas, I have found that because the strainer is meant to keep the loose tea locked in the bottom, my earl grey starts tasting bitter and over steeped. I am now on the hunt for a good (and portable) steeper that I can take to work.

Well that's all for today! I hope this has inspired you to embrace tea. This spring/summer I am hoping to do a series on different trials (and errors) of homemade steeped Ice Tea. Let me know of any you have tried that I should feature.