Summer Bucket List

Summer is almost here! It has been feeling like summer a couple days a week in Chicago (lol it is like 80 degrees once a week and the rest of the time it’s either raining or freezing). Because of all of this, it’s time for my Summer Bucket List!!

1. Ride Divvy Bikes with Connor along the lake

2. Go to Garden of the Gods State Park in Southern Illinois

3. Run outside before work some days (I imagine most will end up being afternoon runs)

4. Go to the Skydeck on a sunny day

5. Visit Sleeping Bear Dunes

6. Go back to Detroit

7. Take two trips that require a plane ticket (one is already booked and I’m thinking Dallas for the other!!)

8. Get some plants for our back patio

9. Perfect some summer cocktails

10. Vlog more

11. FINALLY start my podcast! I have been pushing it off for so long

12. Go kayaking

That’s all I have for now! I am am so excited for a full summer in Chicago and all of the adventures I have planned. Stay tuned to see what I check off my list.

What is on your Summer Bucket List?

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Positivity Tips

Hey everyone! I have been living a really nice life lately and I think it’s because of my attitude. Here are some tips that I keep in mind everyday.

1. Start the day with a grateful heart. What are you thankful for, what is going well, what you are excited for, etc.

2. Find something to look forward to each day. Schedules tend to look the same each day, so finding little moments to get excited for makes it fun.

3. Write down the things that make you happy.

4. Smile and show excitement for life. Greet everyone you see with a smile and a hello. It puts me in the best mood each morning (shout out to the nice lady who is at my train stop).

5. Spread the positive attitude by turning the negative comments/feelings into positive ones.

6. Compliment others.

7. Don’t dread hard work, embrace it. We really can do anything. Sometimes it might take a minute to get the hang of something, or finish a big project, but hard work and a smile can be really powerful!

I hope everyone enjoys the rest of the week. What do you do to have a positive attitude?

Answering My Questions

I am following up my last post where I asked you questions with my own answers to my questions.

1. What are some of your hobbies?

Blogging and traveling. I feel like my hobbies are always changing, but these are two that I will hopefully always continue to do!

2. How long have you been blogging or reading blogs?

I have been blogging for almost 4 years. I have been reading them for about 5! I don’t even know how I got into blogging. I think I randomly decided to start one, but I’m so happy I did!

3. If you could only eat one thing everyday, what would it be?

I would say blueberries or rice with cottage cheese if I am eating at home, or ramen if I have to eat at a restaurant.

4. Favorite vacation spot?

I would say I like Miami the best for vacation. The weather is great, the drinks/food are delicious, and there are fun places to adventure to. I also feel like beaches are the ultimate vacation spot because I always associate beach vacations with relaxation.

5. Dream vacation spot?

Australia or Argentina. I feel like Australia is somewhere I would want to live. I watch so many people on YouTube who live in Australia and it looks awesome. Argentina has been at the top of my list since high school. We talked about it in Spanish class a lot, and that sparked my interest. Hopefully I will get to visit these places someday soon!

6. What is one thing that always makes you happy?

Podcasts– you are probably tired of hearing me go on about podcasts, but they have had such a positive impact on my life.

7. What is your go-to coffee/tea order?

I have a few different ones depending on where I go, but a matcha latte is my usual order! If I’m craving a coffee, I love to get a caramel latte with almond milk.

8. What is your biggest goal right now?

Starting a podcast is my biggest goal right now. I have a mic and ideas, I just need to get all the technical aspects figured out.

9. What motivates you the most?

Being happy and feeling proud of myself.

10. What is your favorite way to relax?

A yummy meal with Connor, my favorite face mask, and a TV show!

11. If you could move anywhere, where would you move?

I would move to Arizona or Utah. I would love to move out West to explore that part of the country more. I feel like nature is something I miss a lot because I live in a big city, so being out West would bring me closer to so many cool places!

12. What is the best advice you have ever been given?

This isn’t necessarily advice, but it’s something my science teacher told me in 7th grade. She told me the world was my oyster. I like to remember that I can do anything I set my mind to. Nothing is impossible and set backs should never keep me from chasing my dreams or reaching my goals. I feel like there are so many other pieces of advice and encouragement that I have received over the years. Maybe I will do a post on that some time!

Questions For You!!

I was thinking about this post while I was making a bagel for Connor today. I thought about how I always talk about my thoughts, my weekend, etc. in my blog posts. I would love to learn more about all of you, so I thought it would be fun to put some questions together for you to answer in the comments, or even in your own post!

1. What are some of your hobbies?

2. How long have you been blogging or reading blogs?

3. If you could only eat one thing everyday, what would it be?

4. Favorite vacation spot?

5. Dream vacation spot?

6. What is one thing that always makes you happy?

7. What is your go-to coffee/tea order?

8. What is your biggest goal right now?

9. What motivates you the most?

10. What is your favorite way to relax?

11. If you could move anywhere, where would you move?

12. What is the best advice you have ever been given?

Feel free to answer all of the questions or some of the questions! I will share my answers in my next post.

Thanks for following along with all of my random posts– blogging is one of my favorite things that I do each week. I look forward to posting and reading all of your posts. I hope you all have the best day!

No Room for Negativity

My levels of positivity have been all over the place the past few years. There was a period of my life where I don’t think I experienced an emotion other than pure happiness. There have also been times in my life where I wasn’t so positive. Overall, at this moment in my life, I would say I am positive person. I like to see the bright side. I like to see people smile and succeed. I like to make the best of any situation. I try not to stress about little things that won’t really matter the next year, the next day, or even the next hour.

I have been a “real adult” for over 6 months now. Things happen. Life happens. But what I am 100% sure of is there is no room for negativity. There is always something to be happy about or grateful for.

A few weeks ago I went to the doctor because I hadn’t been feeling well. I now have $400 to pay for my appointments. Yeah, it’s not my favorite thing in the world. I would much rather save that money or go on a trip, but I am happy that I went to the doctor. I am thankful that nothing was wrong and that I am healthy. There is always a positive spin on things.

If I am feeling grumpy about waking up early to go to work, or something along those lines, I try to think of it differently. I have a job. So many people don’t have jobs and would love to wake up and head into work. I am so grateful that I have the chance to improve myself professionally each day. So yeah, every work day isn’t going to be perfect. I’m not going to jump out of bed every morning, but what I can do is try my best and smile my way through life.

Being grateful and seeing the good is so important. It has made me an even happier person. I truly believe that smiling and being a positive person spreads so easily to others. For me, at this time in my life, there is no room for negativity. I always want to have a reason to be happy.

Tips to Create Positivity in Any Situation

1. Step away from a negative situation: take a walk, workout, get a coffee, put your headphones in to enjoy a podcast or music, etc.

2. Slow down: rushing around and feeling like you are in a big hurry can make you stressed. I know if I am in a rush to get to work and something gets in my way, I can get annoyed or frustrated. When I feel this way, I slow down and take a longer route to work.

3. Smile: having a smile on your face puts a smile on someone else’s face. Spread the happiness!

4. Create a list of goals or a to-do list: even after a “bad day,” seeing the progress you made toward your goals, or crossing things off your list will give you a boost of happiness and accomplishment.

Happy

Happy Thursday! I started writing this on Tuesday night, but I fell asleep haha! Anyway, I feel like I have been very happy lately and I’m so thankful I can say that. Life is never perfect, but feeling content with my life and the things I am doing is a really good feeling.

I was skeptical about moving to Chicago at first. I knew I loved the city. I had a great summer here the year before I moved here officially. I had a lot of friends coming back to work at the company I am at now, so that was comforting. But I really didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life.

I wasn’t sure if the job I took would be the right job for me. I wasn’t sure if Chicago was the city for me. There was just a lot of uncertainty. I wanted to make sure that I was happy.

I am so thankful that I moved here. Chicago is such a fun place to live. I have a nice time at work each day. I think the most important thing about my job to me is my coworkers and the friendships I have built with them. Going to work is so much more fun when you know you’ll get to see your friends.

I guess what I’m saying is you should always do things that are outside of your comfort zone or that you might not be 100% certain about. I am so happy I gave Chicago a chance, took a job here, moved in with Connor, and lots more.

I am excited to see what I’m up to in a year. As long as I’m happy and healthy, I know I will be content with where I am. Of course I want to be successful at work and in my hobbies. I want to travel a lot. I want to do so many things. But most of all, I always want to be happy!

Thanks for reading this random post. I am happy to have all of you sticking around to read about my thoughts, adventures, etc. If there are any posts you want to see, let me know!

What I Pack For A Weekend Trip (Beach Edition)

I realized I forgot to schedule my post for yesterday! I already broke my schedule (oops) But I’m here with a new post!

I am always going on weekend trips with Connor. We figure it’s the best way to maximize our time off and our money at this point in our lives. We will take short day trips on the weekend, full weekend trips, or even long weekends where we take 1 day off work. Trips give me something to look forward to, plan for, and keep me motivated at work.

I thought it might be fun to share what I typically pack for a weekend trip. We usually drive places, so I have more wiggle room for those sorts of trips, but with flights, I like to keep it simple. This post will be more geared to a weekend trip where we fly, but just imagine me bringing double if we are driving. Also, depending on the weather of where we are visiting, that can impact my packing (winter clothes/boots take up way more space in my bag than summer clothes/sandals). I feel like that was obvious, but I wanted to mention it just in case.

Since I’m dreaming of warm weather, the beach, and tropical drinks, I’ll share a packing list for a warm vacation Basically, sub out the sandals and swim suits for boots and warm sweaters for those chillier trips.

1. Backpack: I don’t have the biggest backpack. It’s just a black, single zipper, Jansport backpack I got at Kohl’s for 35 dollars or so. I like it a lot though. It’s not too bulky and you can get a decent amount in it for the weekend. Sometimes I struggle to get a second pair of shoes in it, but if you have a different type of backpack, you should be good.

2. Toiletry bag: For flights, I really narrow down the products I bring. I stick to a little tube of toothpaste, my toothbrush, floss, a small brush, chapstick, deodorant, a razor, and sometimes mascara if I am feeling crazy. I really don’t require a lot of cosmetic items for the most part because I really don’t wear makeup. I usually leave face wash behind as well because soap and water, or just water, works just as well.

3. Sandals: If I’m just packing a backpack, I go with one pair of shoes in addition to the ones I’m wearing (most likely gym shoes or “cute”/versatile sneakers) If the trip is more beach oriented/outdoorsy, I’ll choose my Chacos. I like that they are comfy for shorter hikes, but can get wet and be fine. If I’m just walking around, I’ll bring some black sandals. They are cute for everyday, but I could also wear them to a nice dinner or a bar.

4. Swim suit: I feel like this is obvious if I’m going to the beach. I think you can get away with just one if it’s just a weekend trip. Two would be ok too. Also, with flying, I will just purchase sunscreen on the trip because with my sensitive skin, I’ll use the entire bottle in a couple of days haha.

5. Sunglasses: I feel like these are essential for a warm weather trip. If I drive to a beach trip, I’ll bring like 3 pairs to spice things up, but with a small bag and only a couple days, I will usually stick to one pair (still in love with my blue lens Quay sunnies).

6. Clothes: I am the type of person to wear basically the same thing the majority of any trip, so I don’t bring a ton of clothes with me. A pair of leggings (gotta be comfy sometimes or even hit the hotel gym), a romper, a pair of shorts, and 2 or 3 shirts usually does the trick. Also, socks and underwear, but I feel like that’s obvious.

7. Hair tools: I either wear my hair natural in a ponytail or braid, or straighten it on occasion. I like to bring my flat iron with me on trips just in case. It doesn’t take up a ton of space, so I don’t feel silly bringing it along. Honestly, I usually don’t use it, but it doesn’t hurt to have it!

I’d say those are most of the essentials I pack. Nothing too crazy or out of the ordinary. I don’t like to make everything I bring on a trip the focus of the trip. I am really on vacation to have a fun time, explore new cities, enjoy nice weather, etc, so if I forget somethings, its not the end of the world.

Where are you planning your next trip to? Do you like vacations to colder climates or warmer climates? What is your number 1 essential when traveling?