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Tuesday, June 26, 2018

You're Only Taking Backpacks?!?!


While we booked our flights, we saw the price to check a bag.  Holy cow...y'all, it was no Southwest.  So we decided that we weren't going to pay to check a bag and instead, we were going to take backpacks.  I mean, it was part of my dream, but I didn't know that it was really going to happen...until it did.

After being in this travel group and finding another travel group that talks all about fashion, I started printing off packing lists and making my own.  We knew that since we were going to Switzerland, we were going to need coats.  But how do you pack coats in just a backpack?!  We knew that it would be very warm in Venice, so we'd need our summer clothes.  And who knew about London and Paris?! We'd need all sorts of layers.


Several years ago, Tyler took me to Minnesota for our anniversary.  We ended up at the Mall of America.  It had been years since I had been there.  We ended up in the North Face store and saw these super neat coats that packed into their pockets.

Upon remembering that, we headed out to the North Face Outlet here in Oklahoma City in hopes that they might still be selling them.  And guess what?!  They were.  So we made our first purchase for our trip...each getting a coat.  They are super light yet so warm.  This was a great investment.

My travel groups came in very handy.  They are such a source of information and knowledge from other seasoned travelers.  I researched all sorts of types of backpacks.  I wanted to hear what others thought of them...the real reviews.  We didn't want to pay a ton of money for them, but we did want quality.

I purchased mine first.  When we got it in the mail, Tyler loved it enough to buy his own.  Here's a money-saving trick:  create an account with the website.  Then add your item to your cart and leave it there, maybe even overnight.  The company will then send you an email telling you that you forgot something in your cart and they'll also attach a coupon to it. ;)

We both got our backpacks for $80ish each when they retail for $120.  Not bad, right?!

We purchased the eBags TLS Mother Lode Weekender Convertible Junior bag.  [Sign up here and receive $10 off your first purchase.]  We chose this one because it fit within the carry-on requirements for the budget airlines that we were flying in Europe.  It also not only got great reviews in my travel groups, but it has over 2,000 reviews on the website for this bag and 96% of them recommended the bag!



Yes, we really squeezed everything we needed for an 18-day adventure into these bags.  They are sturdy.  They are quality.  They have an expander.  They are great carry-ons.  In fact, I just got back from another trip that I took it on and was still as impressed.

Our bags had to weigh less than 10 kg (22 lbs) because the airlines had a weight restriction.  Many will tell you that they won't weigh them, but we didn't want to take any chances.  We found that all three of the airlines we flew didn't measure or weigh them.  But if we were caught with a bigger or heavier bag, we would have had to pay $100 or more each to check them.  We didn't want that, either.

I also wanted to take some sort of daypack with me.  I knew I wouldn't take my backpack everywhere we went, but I needed my purse to hold a bajillion things at the same time.

Back to my travel groups, I went, searching and looking for a decently sized purse, yet small enough to fit within the "personal item" size requirements for the airlines.

The one I ended up choosing is the Travelon Anti-Theft Classic Essential Messenger Bag.  It has RFID blocking card and passport slots along with locking zippers.  It got great reviews on Amazon, so I went with it.  I'm glad I did!  It fit all of these things in it, and I had everything I needed while we were out and about!


To make our bags more organized, we also purchased these packing cubes.  I will never again pack without these!  They create an organization in your bag where you can actually find things.  I took three out of the four with me.  One for toiletries, one for tops, and the other one for bottoms, which I then used for dirty clothes until we did laundry.


Yes, we did do laundry twice while we were gone.  I purchased a laundry kit with a universal sink stopper and individual Woolite packs.  It was easy to do laundry.  We had just about 4 days in each place, so we did laundry our first night so the clothes had time to dry.  My husband packed a lot of quick dry things, but I did not.


In Paris, we used the sink to do two loads of laundry and hung them to dry in the bathroom.  In Switzerland, we had a bathtub and a deck, so we did one large load of laundry and hung them to dry outside.  They dried a lot quicker.



The thought of having to do laundry overwhelmed me a bit.  I mean, I was going to be on vacation, I didn't want to have to be washing clothes.  But it didn't take very long at all, and I'm so glad we chose to go this route!  It really made me think about the necessities of what I needed, and in the end, it has truly transformed how I have packed my bags since.

**This post contains affiliate links which will pay me a small amount if you make a purchase through them.


Friday, June 15, 2018

I'm a Hoarder...a Points Hoarder



My original dream was to take three months to backpack Europe.  I thought that I would be able to do a lot, get a feel for different cultures, stay in hostels, see the world and live the dream.  When you're a college student, you can do that since you've got summers off.  As an adult...well, it may be frowned upon to ask for more than a week off of work.

Thankfully, my husband has accumulated a lot of time off in his job.  He's worked at his company for almost 7 years and with that comes the perks. We both talked about how much time he may be able to take off, and in the end, he only asked for 11 days off.  That meant we could be gone a total of 18 days! [There was a holiday in there, too.]

I knew that this vacation would not be a cheap one.  Several years ago, we decided to get a credit card that would help us pay for vacations.  Please hear my heart when I say this...I am not advocating that you go out and get another credit card.  I don't encourage you to go into debt.  We paid cash for this vacation (and everything else in our life) because we pay our entire credit card off monthly, and I'm not saying that to brag, either.  We do not spend money that we don't have.  We do want to be a good steward of the money God has given us, and I do want to see the dollar stretched. We got the card to accumulate points to pay for parts of vacation.  Our bank doesn't give us a very great ROI, but the credit card gives us what we want...the ability to travel for less.

We have had this card for 2 and a half years. My husband found it one day after hearing The Points Guy talk about it.  Previously, we had a Southwest card that helped us rack up airline points.  But after my husband stopped traveling for work, we gave it up.  We didn't earn near as many points with it anymore and it wasn't worth the cost to us.  We do still have some points left though, so it will help with a future domestic flight...probably to go cruising. HA!

Anyway, we talked it out and eventually applied for it.  We got accepted and our cards were sent to us. Sidenote:  we live in Oklahoma where we have to pay tolls.  This card gives us $300 in travel credit every year, and it basically pays for most of our toll fees. That in itself was a huge perk.  We started accumulating our points and it started adding up.  I didn't even pay attention to our points until I started planning this vacation.  We originally talked about having our points pay for our airfare.  However, before we heard about Scott's Cheap Flights, we decided that we would rather the points pay for our hotels.

Chase has certain hotels that you can exchange points in return for a stay.  I started researching and researching the different hotels and looking into our "points budget" that we had.  We had almost 250,000 points that we could use.  That was about 14,000-15,000 points per night.  I had a running list of hotels in our budget range--and then I would add more because some of them would run deals.  I'm a huge fan of review sites, so I used TripAdvisor to help give us a snapshot of what the majority of people said about the hotels.  I also took into consideration the areas and hotels that Rick Steves talked about in his travel guides. [Spoiler:  those travel guides were the best investment for our trip.]

Our criteria for hotels:

  • at least 500 reviews on TripAdvisor
  • at least a 4-star rating on TripAdvisor
  • close to the things we wanted to see and do OR
  • close to public transit
  • a safe part of town
  • in our "points budget"
  • breakfast is always a huge perk
I've got to be honest, when we start researching something, we research it to death.  I think we looked at hotels for a month before we actually booked something.  But in the end, it was all worth it.  We used every last point that we had accumulated and spent less than $150 on 16 nights of hotels.  We loved every hotel that we stayed at, and being able to stay in hotels was amazing.  Don't worry.  I'll share the hotels with you later as I recap the trip. ;)

Having a specific travel card made this trip a lot easier and more affordable for us.  It's not necessary, but it was a perk.


Monday, June 11, 2018

upLIIFT--July Freedom FitCamp

This summer, I'm doing something a little bit different.  I'm only going to be working out 4 days a week!  Say what?!  Yes, this is a HUGE change for me since I usually workout 5 to 6 days a week.  If you've been following me very long, you know that I've been working on living in my freedom.

What does that mean exactly?

First of all, Jesus set me free from my sin so that I may one day live with Him.  But He didn't just set me free, He has called me to live in that freedom.  For so many years, I've been enslaved by my thoughts and mindset.
  • You're bad if you eat that.
  • You better go work off those treats you had last night. 
  • You better be good today...no treats!
  • It better be perfect.
No more!  I cannot let my thoughts control my day.  I am still a work-in-progress, but thankfully God loves me anyway. Anyway, the best way to learn something is to work on it every day.  That's what I'm going to be doing. I would love to have you join me.

Enter LIIFT4.

I am excited about this program, simply because it's going to push my idea of freedom again.  Summer is always busy, and I have hardly been home.  So sticking to a strict schedule can be very tough.  What about the idea of fitting a workout program around your life?!

LIIFT4 is a brand new program that combines lifting weights and strength training with high-intensity interval training (HIIT).  This program contains 30-40 minute workouts only FOUR days a week. 

It doesn't officially launch until October, but we have the chance to get ahold of the program now!  If you are short on time, tired of walking around a gym without a plan, want to see results in less time, just want a shorter commitment, then take advantage of this program!

There is a simple meal plan that even includes a treat day!  
There are 8 weeks of workouts that are totally different--basically 32 different workouts.
There's a modifier, so it doesn't matter what your fitness level is you'll still be able to get results!

Check this out:

What is LIIFT4?

The program is divided into two parts:  the first six weeks are designed to tone and the last two weeks will burn calories and fat.

The only equipment you will need is a set of light, medium, and heavy dumbbells or resistance bands.



What's included?

You'll get a workout calendar as well as a weight progression tracker.  The program also comes with a nutrition guide just to help you make sure you're eating the right foods and getting the right amount of nutrients.

When can I start?


LIIFT4 launches October 1st, but VIP Early Access is already on sale!  Workouts will begin on July 16th.  If you're interested in learning more about the program, you'll want to complete this contact form so we can connect and start chatting about the best option for you!

I will be hosting a FitCamp starting July 16th, and I will be walking side-by-side with you through this program!  That means I'm going to be a challenger, just like you!  And guess what?!  For the first time EVER, I am inviting you AND your significant other to join in!  That's right...I'm hosting a co-ed group!  My husband made the commitment to join in the program with me.  Exciting, right?!  So grab your partner, and let's do this all together!

Let's chat about the Presale!

You can purchase the program now and you'll receive access to the ENTIRE program on July 16th.  If you order now, you'll also receive access to the B4 LIIFT4 workouts. That includes four workouts that are 20 minutes each.  You'll be able to sample the workouts before we officially get started!  Not only will you get the whole program, but you'll also have access to my FitCamp test group that kicks off on the 16th!


What are the requirements?

They really are simple.  You will need to purchase a Presale Package.  When you fill out the contact form, I will go over the options with you.  I want to make sure that the package you choose will match your financial season that you're in.  You will also want to make sure that I am your coach.  If you're currently working with another coach, please reach out to them to gain access to their group.

What will the Test Group entail?

All of my FitCamp groups are faith based.  No, you do not have to be a Christian to join me, but please know that Jesus is the center of these groups.  We will be talking about the characteristics that we need to be STRONG for life.  We will be upLIIFTing one another.  You can expect encouragement, recipes, support, prayer, and short devotionals.  You can also expect a whole lot of fun!

Ready to Commit?

Fill out this contact form.  I will be in touch with you so that we can talk about your goals, why you want to join in, and what package would be best for you!

I am so excited to get to know you more.  Thank you for trusting me to help you in your journey!

Want to try a sample workout for FREE?! Find it here.

Friday, June 8, 2018

The Grand Plan

My husband and I have a love for travel.  We really enjoy taking vacations and seeing parts of the world.  We started cruising a couple of years ago and have been on several cruises since.  Last year, he started talking about the next cruise, but I had to stop him.  I reminded him of how badly I wanted to go see Europe.

My want to go to Europe only intensified after college.  I told myself that one day we would go and it would be a great big adventure.  So I kept dreaming of that "someday."

When I reminded him again of my dream to travel to Europe, he told me to plan it.  Actually, he told me that several times before I actually did start planning.  But what I wanted was for him to help me.  I quickly realized that he truly didn't care about where we went.  He was letting me take the reigns on this vacation planning.

In January of this year, I finally started planning.  I wasn't sure where to start, so one night, we ended up at Barnes & Noble. I headed over to their travel section and started pulling books off the shelf.  I wasn't sure where we wanted to go or what we wanted to see.  I just pulled several destinations.  We didn't end up purchasing any of the books that evening, because we could get them cheaper on Amazon and we didn't have a set itinerary yet.  But it was good to see them in person and put my hands on them.



When we got home, I also remembered about this little thing on the internet called Pinterest. Ha!  Honestly, the only thing I've really ever used Pinterest for is for recipes and crafts. It wasn't around when I was planning my wedding, and I've never really used it in depth.  But y'all...there's a wealth of information out there!  I started creating one huge board dedicated to Europe but since then had to break it out into countries.

Somehow we narrowed down the countries we wanted to visit.  Originally, I told Tyler that we needed to save London for a vacation all on its own.  However, we found really cheap flights* in and out of London, so we purchased them.  I knew that Venice and Paris would have to be on the itinerary, so I thought that Switzerland would be a great connecting country.

*We signed up for Scott's Cheap Flights Premium so that someone else could do the flight searching for us.  They send out emails frequently when they find good deals.  I'm a customer for life!  They do a great job and find some amazing steals!

Once we had our countries set and we got the travel books ordered, I got to work.  I started doing lots of research.  I asked my social media friends questions.  I read the books.  I pinned a million things on Pinterest.  I wanted to know all I could know.

Please note: Yes, I am a nerd.  I like to know the history of things before I see them.  I want to know why something is important.  I'm pretty good with my American history, but not so great with the history of other countries.

Our final itinerary ended up looking like this:
3 days in London
4 days in Paris
4 days in Switzerland
1 1/2 days in Venice
1 day in London


These are the books we ordered:
Rick Steves Switzerland Eighth Edition (the 9th Edition is out currently)

Scott's Cheap Flights also has an incredible Facebook group with people who've got a lot of travel experience.  I was able to search that group and find answers I needed regarding the types of bags to take with us, things I should pack, places to see in our destinations, restaurant tips, language tips, and so much more!  If you like to travel, you should definitely consider signing up for their emails!

I started a little travel notebook that would be easy to carry with me in my purse. After reading the travel guides, I wrote out the important information: the things we wanted to see, the hours they were open, how much it cost to get in, and so forth.  This proved to be very helpful in planning our actual itinerary.



This allowed me to see the options for what we could see and figure out what would be a priority. I'm such a pen-and-paper type of girl that this was super helpful. It also was where I wrote down suggestions of restaurants and tips from the travel group.  Yes, you could probably say that my planning was a little excessive.  That's okay...this was my bucket list trip.  I wanted to make the most of it.

Over the next few days, I'll share all my tips from only taking backpacks, to our favorite sights, to what we didn't like.  I hope you'll join me as I recap our incredible adventure.