Packing For a European Vacation!

Today's the day my friends. Today I leave for France! I am super excited, but don't actually fly away until later tonight (we have an overnight flight) but I am pretty much all ready to go. Since there was interest in a post about packing I thought I would share some info about what I packed!

A quick note before we get started, lucky for me there was no size restriction on our tour for our suitcases. I did not have to have a carryon which made me very happy, since 11 days worth of clothes and personal items can definitely add up (I am for sure not a pack-lightly type of girl). I know many tours require a carry on suitcase, but luckily our tour did not.

My first tip about getting ready for vacation is make lists lists and more lists. One of the first lists I made was my to do list. I simply used the notes app on my iphone. I added all sorts of things to this list, things I needed to do around the house, errands I needed to run, and technology-type things I needed to get done before I leave.

My mom graciously printed off a packing checklist off the internet for each of us. The first thing I did when I received mine was cross off all the items I knew I would not be bringing with me. I also started a second list to write down all the clothing I am bringing.

In order to decide what clothing I would be bringing I decided to create outfits for each day. I pulled outfits out of my closet and listed them 1 through 11. These are not necessarily the day I will be wearing each outfit, but I wanted to make sure that I could use some items more than once. This way I know I have every piece to each outfit packed safely away.

As you can see on the bottom of the sheet I listed other items I wanted to include such as a fleece, running  shoes, etc. As each item was packed away I checked them off.

Here are all the items before I packed them away...

Then packed neatly inside...

For clothing I chose to pack:
1 north face fleece
2 pairs of jeans
1 pair of capris
3 dresses
7 tops
4 cardigans
4 bras
12 pairs of underwear
3 sports bras
3 workout shorts
2 workout tops
1 pair of pjs
running shoes
12 pairs of socks
3 pairs of flats
1 pair of flipflops
1 raincoat


I was about halfway through my packing ordeal when this picture was taken...

One of the things on my to do list was to change dollars into Euros, which was done yesterday afternoon thank goodness!

I made yet another list called my "Last Minute Packing List". This list was all the things that I didn't want to pack until right before I leave. Items like medicine, my laptop, my camera, etc are things that I may need before we leave this morning. I don't want to pack anything away and not be able to find it later. As the morning continues I will add these items to either my suitcase or my carry-on bag.

One of the items on the above list that I have completed is my jewelry. I used the case below that my mom gave me a few years back. It was a free bag and has a plastic lining on the inside. Sometimes i use it for makeup, but I decided to use it for jewelry this trip.

I ended up taking 4 pairs of stud earrings (5 including the ones currently in my ears), my Alex and Ani bangles, and two long necklaces. I don't want to take too much jewelry but definitely want the opportunity to dress up any of my outfits for a nicer dinner.

and all the jewelry inside the bag...

My suitcase is starting to look fuller!

The next bag holds my bathroom items.

Here are the things I included in this case:
razor
body wash
contact solution
lotion
body spray
2 small toothpastes
toothbrush
2 small shampoos
2 small conditioners
a bunch of Q-tips

I placed all these items inside their case. (Deodorant will also be in here, but I hadn't packed it yet when I took these pictures!)

My makeup bag is stuffed, but I won't pack it away until after I do my makeup this morning!

I decided to include:
tweezers
eyelash curler
mascara
eyeliner
foundation
moisturizer
eye cream
eye makeup remover
eye shadow

For my carry-on I've chosen to take my Vera Bradley tote.

Inside these bag is: my phone charger, my camera, glasses, kindle, and my passport/ trip information.

I set out my plane outfit the night before. Comfy black pants with a Jacoby Ellsbury t-shirt (GO SOX!). I've also laid out my flipflops next to it.

I also kept my straightener, brush, and CHI spray so I can straighten my hair this morning, but those will be packed in my suitcase.

I also have my crossbody Vera Bradley and my sunglasses (in the case) ready to go.

I'm using my crossbody bag as a wallet for plane travel. Inside it (but removed for pictures) is my license, my health insurance cards, my debit card, euros, and american dollars.

One of the last items I will be packing is my trusty laptop. Yes, I will be attempting to blog while in France. I'm not sure about my wifi situation, but know that I will be writing posts daily (or so I hope) and will be posting them as often as I can!

Some other quick tips. 

• We are bringing one converter for our room (purchased by my mom)
• I will be binging soft socks for the plane so I can get nice and cozy and hopefully sleep through the flight.
• I downloaded two books for my trip, JK Rowling's new book "Cuckoo's Calling" and Ellen Degeneres' book "The Funny Thing Is..." I like to have a couple of books to read in case I finish one quickly.
• If you can, exchange your dollars for Euros at your local bank. They don't charge you for the exchange which is much nicer then paying a fee at the airport. 
• Make two copies of your passport, one to leave at home with your family and one to take with you.
• Make copies of your license and credit cards to leave at home in case anything is stolen.
• I also bring a trash bag with me in my suitcase where I put all my dirty clothes. This way they are separated from the clean clothes and I don't end up doing extra laundry when I get home!

I be back after my trip to let you know what I did use and what I didn't use from my packed items. I will also let you know if there was anything I wish I had brought that I didn't end up taking with me!

Au Revoir!

Summer Empties!

Happy end of summer everybody! Although I'm not entirely happy about the end of summer, fall is my favorite season and I after a humid summer I am ready to toss on some boots and a scarf. With the end of the season comes an empties post. I have gone through a few products this summer, some from my Birchboxes and some that I bought myself and will share my thoughts on all the products I've used now.

I had a full bag of goodies this season!

Here are most of my hair products. I went through a big bottle of shampoo, a big bottle of conditioner and a small bottle of conditioner. All these products are a part of the Clear Scalp & Hair Therapy line and I love them. I always use more conditioner then shampoo on my dry hair, but this line of products is one of the few that actually seems to work on my hair. I cannot recommend it enough to you, especially if you suffer from dry hair.

I used up two Bath and Body works soaps this summer. Island Breeze was a nice, light summer scent that I really enjoyed. I also liked the Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin although it wasn't exactly seasonal. I would definitely repurchase both of these soaps in the future.

I liked this Oceanside candle from Bath and Body Works but it definitely wasn't my favorite. I would rather purchase other candles from the store then this one again. I'm not saying that it wasn't a nice scent, I definitely liked it, but there are scents that I liked a lot more. This one smelt a lot like the ocean, which I usually love the scent of but it just wasn't something I loved my room smelling like.

I used up a Listerene UltraClean which is my mouthwash of choice as well as a trial size mouthwash from the Omni Parker Hotel chain that I picked up on one of my visits. I liked that one as well, but obviously it cannot be bought.

I used up four bath bombs. I absolutely loved the Pink Sugar bath bomb from Basin. It was exactly the type of bath bomb that I love to relax with. I will definitely repurchase it in the future. I also used an old favorite, The Comforter Bubble Bar from Lush. It is one of my all-time favorite bath products because it smells exactly like bubble gum. I know that's not what they say on the website, but to me it smells like bubble gum. I also used up two Christmas bath bombs, So White and Candy Mountain. Neither of which I will repurchase since they are not my favorite bath bombs at all.

Some other shower products I used up were the Davines shampoo from my Birchbox which I reviewed already here. The Skintimate shave gel in Tropical Splash has an amazing scent which I am so thankful for since I bought it couponing and have a bunch more containers to use up! The Wonderstruck Shower Gel by Taylor Swift is one of my favorite shower gels of all time. I love the scent of everything Wonderstruck so it was a luxury to have it as a shower gel as well. I also used up a shower gel that I believe I picked up at a Hilton hotel. (Yes, I always always take the free products with me when I leave!)

Some random products I used were a sample of the Essie cuticle oil which I didn't find much of a use for. I don't think I will ever pay money for it because fixing up my cuticles isn't something I do regularly (I liked to leave that to the pros!). I have already reviewed the Fresh Feet Wipes here.
I believe I have already mentioned that I love love love Sensodyne toothpaste. I highly recommend it to anyone with chronic canker sores. I used to get them all the time and now guess who never gets canker sores anymore? This girl! *Knocks on wood*

I went through SIX (yes six!) Burts Bees chapsticks this summer. I have a problem, a serious problem. I can't express my love for Burts Bees in words, but anyone else out there with a Burts Bees addiction should understand where I'm coming from. I finished up two Cover Girl eyeliners in blue. I use to love these eyeliners but now I tend to stick to black. I wanted to finish these up so they didn't go to waste. I used up a Maybelline Define-a-lash mascara which I think just might be my favorite mascara of all time. I don't like really wet mascaras and this one is definitely on the dryer side. I really enjoyed it and will be repurchasing it again in the future. I have previously reviewed the Suki product here . 

My favorite that I sadly finished up this summer was the Pink Warm and Cozy body mist from Victoria's Secret. This little baby has been with me for years and I am definitely sad to see it go =(

So that's it, all the products I've used up lately! I will be back again at the end of fall with another post sharing more products and my thoughts on them =)

What products have you used up lately?

Have a great day everybody!

How I'm Doing On Those New Years Resolutions...

Back in January I wrote about my New Years Resolutions for the year and I thought it would be fun to see how I'm doing on those resolutions since the year is flying past!

Here is what my original New Years Resolutions were (and my new thoughts are in blue)

Travel more. I want to get out there more, take time off of work and travel! I hope that I will be able to accomplish this one. - I am accomplishing this one, I took time off work and will be leaving for France on Thursday! I also went to Disney earlier this year as well.

Run a 10K, run a 10 miler. Think about starting to train for a half marathon (scary!) I did run in a 10K, however I think I will just continue running for fun (as fun as it can be) rather then trying to run certain races. I think that it needs to be a non-pressure situation in order for me to enjoy it!

Go back to school and start working on my medical billing certificate. I've completely changed my mind on this one. I am instead looking for jobs right now in very different areas then medical billing and when I have secured something you guys will definitely hear about it!

Get back into taking more pictures with an actual camera- not my iPhone! I did get a brand new camera and have begun taking more pictures with my actual camera. Sometimes I take pictures with my phone because I can't bring a camera into the place I am (like a concert) but i have been mostly taking pictures with my camera lately!

Get caught up with my scrapbooks!!! Well, I am certainly am not caught up on my scrapbooking...but I am definitely getting there! I do want to continue to take more time to scrapbook in the future.

Make a budget and stick to it!!! I have been working hard at budgeting my money and I am continuing to budget every month which has been a new thing for me this year. I think I'm doing pretty well

Actually complete some projects off of pinterest that I want to complete! I haven't had a ton of time to do this, but with the amount of projects I have to complete on pinterest I hope that I can complete a few.

Volunteer and do more for other people. Honestly my couponing has allowed me to do more for other people. I'm able to get things for free and give them to others!

Make time to read every day. I love to read but have not had as much time lately and should make more time to read on a daily basis. I have NOT been reading every day. But I have been reading quite a bit throughout the year. I want to continue to find more time to read in the coming months.

Take time enjoy life. I often find myself looking into the future and not thinking about the now. I need to just enjoy what's happening right now. This for me is always a struggle because I am so focused on the future and cannot enjoy what's going on during the present. I'm still working on this, but I'm definitely getting better about it!

So, overall I think I've done a pretty good job at sticking to my resolutions this year. How are your New Years Resolutions going?

Hanson Concert!

So on Saturday night I did something that made the 10 year old inside me squeal and jump around like a crazy person.

I went to see Hanson.

Yes, Hanson. The boy band from my elementary school days. The very band I obsessed about, reading their biography from cover to cover. Memorizing random facts about them and daydreaming what it would be like to get to marry one of them.

Well, now we are all a little older. I mean, each of the Hanson brothers is married and has children now. I'm also a little bit less obsessive about them and a little more grownup (just slightly but grownup nonetheless).

My friend Kristin and I were super excited and took the T into Boston.

Hanson was performing at the House of Blues right across from Fenway Park where there was a Red Sox game going on.  It was such a busy night in the city, but a super exciting one for sure!

The opening act was Paul McDonald who I really wanted to see because I love his wife Nikki Reed (who was Rosalie in the Twilight movies) but unfortunately Nikki didn't show up in Boston.

After a short while Paul was done and we started to get REALLY excited, like uncontrollably excited...and so did everyone else in the audience.

Now this is going to be a very photo-heavy post...so if you are not interested in looking at a ton of blurry pictures of Hanson, then feel free to click that little red button in the left corner (or if you are not a mac user, then that X in the right corner)

Here we go with the amazing Hanson experience...

It was truly an AMAZING night and I am so thankful to have seen a band that I have wanted to see since elementary school.

Also, the below picture is from Hansons twitter page...look at that crowd!

source