IWSG #7


– Figure out the RAID system, decide how much it will cost, and when we will purchase
✗ Is there a better way to organize my pictures?
✓ Finish July travel planning.
✗ Work more on Egypt planning.
✗ Rotate truck's tires.

Additional Successes:
• Worked on September travel planning to NYC.
• Spent more time spring cleaning. Got rid of a lot. Organized.
• Checked another item off of my 101 in 1001 list! (It's slow going these days…)
• Took on additional duties at my job.
• Continued helping my mom by cleaning out another coat closet.
• Washed my car, rotated the tires, waxed it.
• Started organizing the spare bedroom and the garage.
• Opened a new email account. (My school email account is closing and it is one of my most used accounts.)
• Bought a wedding gift 3 months in advance! Woot!

July Goals
• Continue Egypt planning.
• Prepare for August Break.
• Take a much needed break from life by going on vacation.

IWSG Question: What are your ultimate writing goals, and how have they changed over time (if at all)?

The answer to this question is twofold: I would like to get paid for my writing, and I also would love for my writing to improve over time.

Writing a fiction used to be my goal, but I have since changed. Now, what I would really like to do, is either make money from writing about my travel accounts with my blog (which I have failed at doing recently), get noticed for putting together research (I love to research!), or put together a nonfiction accounting of my travel in a nonfiction book. I'm not sure I'm fast-paced enough to write for a magazine, and I don't think I have enough interest in writing anything fictional.

As for improving in writing? I've been too busy to think about it recently. I have several books with writing prompts that I was working through and you guys (gals) responded quite well when I used those writing prompts to create blog posts. But responding to writing prompts is fairly time consuming, so I've put it on the back-burner. I'm finding it's hard to balance everything I want to do + my writing. It's important for me to spend time with family, travel, and maintain my income, so writing often comes last, whether or not I want it to.

Your Turn

Do you ever find yourself putting goals on the back burner when life gets in the way? What goals take precedence in your life over others?


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The Friday Five #4


Guess what?!?! Another Friday Five!

I've been really enjoying participating. You never know what questions will be asked and I think that's what makes it fun. Please join in. I love reading your responses to these questions! It helps me get to know you better. :)

1. Describe your favorite outfit. Winter sweaters and jeans. Flowing A-line dresses.
2. Describe your personal style. Girly. A little boho. Simple. My favorite stores are Anthropologie and Free People, if that helps.
3. Approximately how much do you spend on fashion/personal care annually? Maybe $500? I'm having a hard time guessing because I don't shop often (maybe one or two outfits every 3-6 months) but when I do I buy more expensive clothing. But then I have hair appointments twice a month. (Trying to grow it out and clear out all of the split ends that drive me crazy.) I rarely buy makeup. Maybe once or twice a year? I don't have time to wear it … and I don't really know how to either. So why bother? I spend even less on jewelry and shoes. I wear the same things over and over again. I may as well have a capsule wardrobe.
4. Do you dress for yourself or for everyone else? Both? I like cute, comfortable, casual clothing, but, due to my job, I occasionally have to wear something specific.
5. Give us your best fashion/personal care advice. Be yourself. I mean – dress for the occasion, but don't let anyone else's opinion effect your style. If you aren't comfortable, it will come across.

What's new with me? Just last weekend we …
– Bought some shelves to organize and store my husband's tools.
– Cleaned up, labeled, and organized our electronics. Now I know which cords are which.
– Went through the kitchen cabinets tossing old and unused items.
– Trashed a bunch of pictures. If I don't like them, why keep them?
– Took my sweaters to the dry cleaner and, less than a week later, now have them stored neatly in a container under the bed.
– Put together a coat tree and hung a hunch of bags and hats.
– Another box went to Goodwill. And we filled up the trash bins and recycle bins. Yet we still have piles and piles of stuff. What does that mean?
– Ten loads of laundry.
– Sprayed insecticide and poison to keep bugs at bay.
– Opened a new email account. Turns out my school email will expire in a month. I use it as one of my main email accounts. Now I have less than a month to get my email address updated on a million accounts and back up all of my old emails. :(
– Agreed to work extra hours at my job.

Phew! I think it's time for vacation.

Wordless Wednesday #17

Bowen's Island Restaurant in Charleston, SC (August 2015)

One of the best places in Charleston, SC to watch the sun set is at Bowen's Island Restaurant on Bowen's Island. The restaurant is really laid back. You stand in line (which can get quite long at sunset!) to order your food, then grab a table either inside or on the deck to wait for your food. The biggest appeal for seafoodies are the fresh oysters which you can buy in either whole or half size trays. If you order the oysters, you will have to work for them! Clawing and peeling and pulling, my husband has been known to leave this restaurant with bloody hands! Other seafood options are available, but my go-to is typically the keylime pie. I prefer to get my dinner in town since I don't care too much for seafood. Having a slice of yummy pie and watching the sunset is definitely my idea of a good evening though! Who could pass up a beautiful sunset like that?

 Address: 1870 Bowens Island Rd, Charleston, SC 29412
Hours: Mon-Sat 5-9:30PM

The Friday Five #3

Brittany, France (July 2016)

1. Do you think you have a health lifestyle?

Not really. I eat what I want when I want and the most I exercise is when I travel.

2. What could you do to improve it?

 Eating more fruits, veggies and protein. Drinking more water. Exercising with purpose three times a week.

3. Are you tempted to eat every time you are hungry or do you wait for the next meal?

 YEP! If I'm hungry, I eat. I skip meals all the time.

4. When are you most tempted to snack?

 While watching kids. There is nothing like watching them eat a popsicle or ice cream and wishing you had one yourself…

5. Do you agree with the saying: "Eat your breakfast, share your lunch with a friend and give your dinner to your enemy" or do you think it matters?

 Breakfast is the worst meal of the day. What are my choices? Eggs? … which I don't like. Toast is full of carbs. Pancakes and waffles have tons of sugar especially when you add syrup. Cinnamon rolls are delicious but bad for you. Cheerios (one of the few cereals without sugar) are disgusting and taste like cardboard.

In the morning, if I'm going to eat breakfast, I should eat something with a lot of protein. Corned beef hash is a go-to, if it's the weekend. If I could have eggs cochon (eggs benedict with pork) outside of New Orleans, I would have it every day of the week. Cheese grits are good. I like homemade fried chicken with drop biscuits and red pepper jelly. And breakfast drinks (full of sugar) like mimosas and bellinis are super fun!

Then there is lunch. Lunch is almost as bad as breakfast. Who really has time for it? Sandwiches are meh. Lots of carbs with only a small bit of protein. Fast food which is terrible for you. Leftovers from last night's dinner are meh.

No, no. Give me dinner. My enemy can have my breakfast. And I am totally up for sharing lunch. No one needs a full meal then anyway.

And yes, I know the general idea of this quote is that you shouldn't have dinner so close to bed.I don't care. If I'm going to eat healthy (at all), dinner is my meal of choice.

Join me in responding to The Friday Five!

The Friday Five

Roussillon, France
Roussillon, France (May 2014)
I've been kind of quiet on the blog recently, and it's not for lack of things to say! It's because I'm continuing to get my life in order. Only a few more items on the spring cleaning list: going through sewing supplies, tools, a few more items of clothing, my husband's books and textbooks, and electronics. Phew! Of course, that doesn't include getting more organized.

We've started buying the hard drives for our RAID system and now we are looking at purchasing a DROBO to hold the back up drives. THEN I will be able to pull my California images off of my camera cards and look at my water drenched hard drive to see if any of my files are recoverable.

I'm also finishing up planning for our trip to Florida, working ahead on planning for our time in NYC when we attend a wedding this fall, and getting ready for our trip to Egypt this winter. Although, let's be real: Egypt is definitely on the back burner. With a summer vacation coming up quickly (that wasn't my choice), obviously my focus is on that. And trying to save money too.

Anyway, here's last Friday's The Friday Five! Please join me in answering these questions. I'd love to read your responses! :)

1) Where did you go, and what did you do, on your last vacation trip? I went to DC to the JapanFest and to see the cherry blossoms. We had a friend participating and performing in the JapanFest. We didn't do a whole lot. We walked around, ate pizza, and explored the National Portrait Museum.

2) How often do you take trips for pleasure? As often as I can! I like going during US holidays because I typically have them off of work. Any chance to get out and see the world or explore a place I've never been to!

3) How much vacation time do you take each year? I am given 3 weeks + a number of holidays. I often get extra days during the year equaling to more than four weeks off. (I don't get a choice in the extra days.)

4) Are you satisfied/happy with the amount of time off you can take? I feel like I get a lot of time off compared to others. My biggest worry is that if I take too much time off I could lose my job. Or if I take too much consecutive time off, that could be a problem.

5) What would be your ideal or dream vacation if money and time were no object? Exploring the world. I mean money and time are no object, right? There are too many places I want to see and not enough money or time to visit. A snippet of places I want to see: Japan, Morocco, Greece, Russia (I know, I know), Italy (again), Spain, England, Portugal, Switzerland, Netherlands, etc, etc, etc…

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!