 We can't always run away to the ocean, sadly. Happy Monday! So how are things? I am finishing up a nice weekend off. #WIN I don’t know about you, but lately, I’ve been coming home from work EXHAUSTED! I promised myself I would stop complaining about how tired I was from work on here, but I was asked recently how I relaxed after a stressful day. Honestly, in the past I just sucked it up and keep going. I used to tell myself that this was my life and that I had to keep going, people were depending on me. End of story. But over the past few years, I’ve realized that if I want to continue to kick-ass at work, I need to make my health and well-being a priority. I have to set firm boundaries and build in downtime for myself. I stared by creating a routine to help me relax when I get home. This gives me time to unwind and de-stress and makes the rest of the evening so much better. Talking to other women it's the same. Let's face it, it hard to relax after work when you have so much to do at home or if you run a side business, and especially if you have a family. OMG! The work never ends!  OMG! The laundry never ends! I’d get home and think about the 10,000 different projects I wanted to get started on, plus all the normal day-to-day stuff like gardening and laundry that needed to be tended too and then stay busy until I fell into bed, sometime around 11:45. Relaxing wasn’t something I was totally comfortable with. So if that sounds familiar and you need some help in the relaxing department, I have put together a few easy ways to relax after a long day at work. Change Out of Your Work Clothes Begin the minute you walk through the door. There’s nothing better than getting home from work and changing into a comfy t-shirt and losing the bra! Changing out of my work clothes tells my brain that its time to relax, and that I can enjoy a few hours to myself, without the stress of work weighing on my shoulders. Turn off Your Phone I’m on my phone all day long, and if I’m not on my phone, I’m on my computer. I’m answering e-mails, returning voicemails, processing paperwork, so when I get home, my brain needs a break. I’m legit sick of my phone by the time I get home, so I’ve been making an effort to unplug for a couple of hours. I’ll leave my phone in my bedroom for an hour or two and I’ll go out to the family room to do anything other than check my social media. This has helped my sanity tremendously. #BIGWIN Meditate/Do Yoga After a long day at work, it’s so great to spend a few minutes meditating. I'm actually a meditating expert, (I teach meditation), and because of that I know that anyone can learn this simple form of relaxation. Begin by just sitting on the floor for five minutes, and do nothing other than focusing on your breathing. This is also a great time to give thanks for the day and just be still. But if you’re not a fan of meditating or you’re just not ready for it, do some yoga or at the very least, stretch. Chances are, you’ve been sitting on your butt all day long, and your body needs some stretching. Trust me, you’ll feel SO MUCH BETTER! Another great way to unwind is reading. Grab A Book It's no secret I am a total bookworm! I love to sit in the garden or my reading nook and just relax with a good book. Even if you can only read for half an hour it will help you relax.  Take A Bubble Bath I swear, I think my bath tub is my favorite part of my new house. If it wasn’t for the fact that you get all wrinkly after sitting in the tub for a while, I think I’d stay in there for hours at a time. After a super stressful day at work, there’s nothing like slipping into a hot bubble bath. I use two different kinds of soaking baths- eucalyptus/sea salt and lavender- both are amazing for helping me achieve a few minutes of pure relaxation.  And speaking of scents... Use Essential Oils Right before bed I turn on my diffuser. I keep it filled with essential oil and not only does it relax me, but it helps me fall asleep quickly. I have one in my bedroom, one in the guest room and a large one in the formal living room. Plus I'm thinking of adding one to my office. I love oils THAT MUCH. Light Candles After a long day at work, I love lighting candles. It really sets the tone for the evening and it helps me remember to take it easy. It signals my brain that the rest of the night is for unwinding and a gentler pace.  Herbal Tea
Unwind with a mug of soothing herbal tea. The feel of your favorite mug in your hand and the wonderful aroma of a soothing herbal blend work together to help you relax. There are so many different blends to try, just make sure you get an organic tea that is pesticide free. How do you unwind and relax from a stressful day? I'd love to hear your tips - leave me a comment below and let's discuss. Now I'm off for a long soak with a good book and a warm cuppa! Catch you later-
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 Yes, it's VEGAN leather! Hi there lovely reader, How are you? Are you as excited about winter travel as I am? Probably or you wouldn't be here. Until I can hop on the next train, plane or boat I'm at home working away to pay for all those upcoming adventures. So being I haven't done one of these "whats in my bag" posts in a long time I thought I would overshare with you today. (I did a What's in "My Shopping Bag" in 2016. If you want to go back down memory lane.) I actually changed out my trusty black bag for a more "fall vibe" this week. What do you think? It's a vegan leather bag from Vince Camuto I received from FFF. (I think it was in the autumn box, which I don't think I've even reviewed yet? ) Opps! I really like this vegan leather bag. I find it roomy, without being bulky. One downside is that it doesn't have a snap. A snap would make it perfect.   Pretty. no?  See? It needs a snap.  So how much stuff do you pack into your work bag? I usually have files or notes, depending on what meeting I'm going to or what I'm doing that day. Other than that I try to keep my load to a minimum.  So of course I have my Mac and art supplies....  But also a lot more...  I carry cords, a charger and ear buds. You probably do the same.  Plus external hard drive, a hair clip, pens, lipstick, lip balm, a mala and a tigers eye bracelet. The jewelry is for when I need to look more put together. They match most of what I wear day-to-day and can dress up my outfit if I suddenly have a meeting that requires me to look more professional. Same goes for the lipstick. The jewelry is from www.Serenityreikiclinic.com as are the small bags. I use them to corral the small items.  I also carry a sketchpad and copic pens and assorted pencils.  So I can make art anytime!  Everyone usually asks about the earbuds...  Wireless is soooo nice! So thats currently all that's in my work bag. Half the time I don't even bother with carrying a purse. I just add my wallet and keys to this bag and off I go.
So tell me, what 'must have' essential am I missing? Or what is the one thing you can't live without in your bag? I'd love to here. Until then~  One of the greatest challenges for a global wanders is finding community. There are times when I personally crave being alone and everything solitude offers and other times when I want a connection. I find connecting with other people can be difficult because not everyone understands my life. Finding kindred spirits takes more effort and usually isn’t the person living next door. The more I travel, the more I learn, the more I find my personal culture changes. Which is great, because part of the reason I wander is to keep growing and learning, but it also makes it difficult to relate to other people. Do you find this to be true as well? All I can say is thank goodness for the large, online community of other wanders! Now you can find your tribe and stay connected even as you wander further a field.  Meanwhile closer to home- Last week I missed a memorial service for a good friend. I was across the country and probably could have made a better plan to attend, but I didn’t. I so dislike these services. To me they are not a celebration of persons life, but a heart wrenching reminder of all that was left unsaid and undone. While I understand this is a type of closure some people need, my mourning is a private affair. I will be attending a personal service with her other friends next year. (We are scattered all over the globe and need time to organize everyones schedule.) No matter how long it has been since we have come together, we will be united by her memory. Just the act of sharing a meal with former colleagues and co-workers from our mutual past reinforces our personal connection. Stories will be told, memories shared. Hopefully there will be more laughter than tears, but I know both are therapeutic.  But I dislike the fact it takes a funeral to bring us together. How do you build a community while you wander? Do you have these same issues or is it just me? Leave me a comment and let’s discuss it further.
See you at the airport~ How's your weekend going? The weather is changing fast, winter is almost here. The winds have kicked up and the temps are dropping just in time for the yearly Balloon Fest. This year it will run from October 6-14, 2018. *Hit the link to read more about it.  The mass take-off in the morning is defo something to see. Guess what I did instead?  #TrueStory Turns out Balloon Fest here is a lot like Mardi Gras in NOLA, all the locals leave and let the tourist run wild! One of my native friends told me it's not safe to drive, as all the tourist are looking up watching the balloons and not paying attention to the traffic. She has gone to Vegas for the weekend to escape. #VegasIsAlwaysAGoodIdea I did manage to get out of bed today and go for a walk. Spotted this lovely morning glory, blooming like no ones business while I was out. The color was so intense and vibrant my silly iPhone did not catch it, but you get the idea. I always marvel at what thrives in the desert.  The wind is howling tonight.  It's a lot better than it sounds, trust me.  It could be time to unpack the winter clothes. Although I'm more excited about buying new clothes since I dropped more weight! Either way it is time to do some closet cleaning and make room for new leggings and fuzzy sweaters. I was looking around yesterday, in two years we have filled this house! It doesn't feel empty anymore. Funny how that happens, isn't it? You grab a few things and then a few more and before you know it, a 5 bedroom house is full! If you have been following me awhile you know I dislike clutter and too much stuff. I'm not a minimalist, but I also don't like the general disarray that too much stuff can cause. So I may spend this month editing both my summer and winter wardrobe and boxing up stuff to donate. Meanwhile I went outside to pick the last of the tomatoes and this happened....  The sunsets are always amazing here in central New Mexico! Hope you have an amazing week~
 And the blogging challenge continues.. This is an easier post for me than some of the other topics in this daily blogging challenge. I'm very fortunate to have so much good in my life right now. It hasn't always been this way, but I do feel very blessed right now. Ten things that make me happy and/or I'm grateful for: #1 is of course my son. #2 Nature #3 Travel! #4 Plants!  I know I said nature, but plants just by themselves make me happy!  #5 Books! (Bet you didn't see that one coming.) #6 FOOD! All the wonderful fruits and veggies! I'm so happy we get to eat healthy food everyday.  #7 My friends! They are so cool, so supportive and are so crazy! They make me happy everyday.  #8 My health. It sucks ass to be ill and I'm very lucky that I feel great 90% of the time now and that makes me VERY happy!  #9 My home!  #10 Tie--Sunsets/Raining days  Rainy days and watching sunsets always makes me happy. :D I feel so blessed!
See you tomorrow for the next post in the blogging challenge!  Today was spent desperately searching through old notebooks and scrapes of paper to find some brilliant idea I had 5 years ago. 🙄 This daily blog challenge is kicking my ass! Where do you get your ideas and how often do you blog? Why did I think I could blog everyday? Shaking my head at myself over this one, I'm pretty sure I've never blogged a solid month ever! Plus it seems the last few years with me becoming busier and busier at work I'm blogging even less. #FML Well so much for inspiration from the past. I found nothing I wanted to write about. Screw this... I'm gonna make some tea and read....  Maybe this will generate a book review for later in the month. Tune in tomorrow as I continue the daily blogging challenge and hopefully have something more exciting to write about, lol.
 Not Guilty about much actually, lol - but the blogging challenge continues. This is a tough one, cause I really don't feel guilty about much. I work hard and live my life the way I want so I'm not really guilty about anything. #TrueStory I don't "cheat" as a vegan. I eat 80/20 healthy, plant based. I don't consume sugar, drink or smoke. I haven't had a Starbucks in so long I can't remember when?! So yep, I'm pretty boring and not guilty at all. Probably my number one guilty pleasure right now is too much online shopping.  #AnotherTrueStory But its my money and I work hard for it...so I'm not guilty at all. Lately I've been buying winter clothes, art supplies, vegan make up, stuff for the new house and of course stuff for my son.  Random purchase for the house.  Random sampling of beauty products, lol  Newest box.  Even though this kinda counts as online shopping, subscription boxes are another of my weaknesses. I'm currently receiving Vegancuts, Sketchbox, and Fab Fit Fun + add ons and up-sells on all of them. I stopped the beauty mask monthly box just because I wasn't using the masks fast enough. Now that I'm about out of masks I will restart that subscription. So compared to most people I know, thats not many at all.  Vegancuts  Good amount of random vegan snacks delivered to my door.  My TBR (To Be Read) pile of books is getting pretty low... so I'm not feeling guilty about that at all. If anything I feel like I need to make an effort to find more books. #Yikes!  And you? What are your guilty pleasures? Are you overspending or over indulging? Or are you like me and not guilty about it?
Tune in tomorrow as the blogging challenge continues~  The Blogging Challenge continues.. We all do love travel quotes, don't we? They get inspired and motivated. I have collected a few here if you want to read more quotes on traveling and here for Rumi quotes. "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain "Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.” – Miriam Beard "All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” – Martin Buber "The more I traveled the more I realized that fear makes strangers of people who should be friends.” – Shirley MacLaine "Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not." Ralph Waldo Emerson "No place is ever as bad as they tell you it’s going to be.” – Chuck Thompson "All travel has its advantages. If the passenger visits better countries, he may learn to improve his own. And if fortune carries him to worse, he may learn to enjoy it.” – Samuel Johnson “For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” – Robert Louis Stevenson “A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.” – Tim Cahill  "Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” – Neale Donald Walsch
The life you have led doesn’t need to be the only life you have.” – Anna Quindlen “To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world.” – Freya Stark "I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.” – Mark Twain "If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.” – James Michener "Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.” – Maya Angelou "The best education I have ever received was through travel." Lisa Ling "Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.” – Seneca The journey not the arrival matters.” – T. S. Eliot Who else is ready to hit the road? Let's go! |
Author Welcome to my travel blog, my healthy Vegan lifestyle blog and my life! It's a lot, but it's my passions and I just love to write about it. Here I share tips, stories and photos from my adventures and life. This is the place where people can find daily inspiration to travel and motivation to live healthier lives and laugh a bit too! 
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