My first Disney World experience

At the beginning of January my best friend and I decided to take a trip to the magical world of Disney. The first thing you should know about me is that I LOVE Disney. The princesses, the movies... when I was little I would always have on a Disney shirt, or shoes, I had every Disney character in a stuffed form (yes of course they all slept in my bed), my first bike was Lion King... you get the point. For some reason my parents never took me there when I was younger and as I got older I just never really thought about it so this trip was something I was very much looking forward to.

We only spent two days in Disney parks but two days was enough to seal the deal. I was hooked and my life would never be the same. Today, I wanted to share my top 3 experiences while in Disney!

1 The characters. This was probably my favorite part honestly. Getting to meet various Disney characters and having them interact with me made my inner 6 year old squeal with glee. Growing up my favorite princess was Aurora (or Sleeping Beauty) so getting to meet her was so much fun. We also met various other characters as well. Every time we would be close to the front of the line I would get SO nervous and it made my best friend giggle because she thought I was being silly but I was so overwhelmed by everything it just made me want to pass out from excitement! Getting to interact with characters for the first time that had become a part of your life is a BIG DEAL!
Below are some pictures of us meeting various characters!

 

 

2 The shows. By this I mean the night time light and fireworks shows. They were so emotional for me. I literally cried watching Celebrate the Magic and Wishes for the first time (both times lets be honest). They were truly something to see. You can watch tons of videos of them on YouTube but nothing beats being there in person and watching Tinkerbell fly from the castle and having the music surrounding you and just being in the moment. It was truly amazing. This again made me feel like I was 6 again and I honestly could have watched it a million times over and still not have gotten sick of it. 

I took a few shots during Wishes and goodness Cinderella's castle is gorgeous! 

Celebrate the magic video (Here is a little link  to a video someone made if you want to watch the Celebrate the Magic shows that we watched while there)

We also got to see Fantasmic, which was honestly SO cool. This show followed the plot line of Mickey having a dream and showing you how your dreams can come to life. Watching it just gave me chills because of how they bring everything to life in such an amazing way. They had lights displayed on water shooting out of the ground and fire works and it was just something to experience. Seeing so many of my favorite characters in one show just added to the emotions I had (Yes okay I cried during this one too).

3 The atmosphere. This is definitely a big part of the Disney magic and the experience that you get when you are there. The people who work in the parks are all so friendly and wonderful and it makes the trip so nice when you have workers who actually look like they love their jobs. They were all so happy and would greet you with warm smiles and a cheery hello and it just added to the enjoyment. 

The parks themselves also added to the atmosphere. Everything you see such as the artistry that goes into even the smallest things makes it so magical as well. I remember we were walking through Cinderella's castle and the walls on the inside had little marble murals of the story of Cinderella and other princesses. It just made that such a memorable moment, just walking through somewhere. 

Having settings and places come to life that you have only seen in Disney movies is such an amazing thing to experience! You see things like Rapunzel's tower, Ariel's grotto, the Beast's castle... it is all just so amazing how they bring all of those magical places to life! 

These are a few pictures I took of various areas in the park. The first is when you are walking through Cinderella's castle, the second is inside the Beast's castle, and the last one is Rapunzel's tower.

There were so many things to see and do and we obviously only got to do a few of them but I will forever remember this trip because it made me fall in love with Disney even more than I already did and okay yes I watch videos of the shows almost weekly because I get a little sad that I'm not there at that moment. We spent most of our time in Magic Kingdom (because why wouldn't you) but we also ventured into Epcot and Hollywood Studios as well! 

This experience has made me only want to continue to go back again and again and create even more memories in the most magical place on earth!

If you have ever been to Disney what was one of your favorite parts? Who was your favorite character to meet? Do you have any funny stories? I would love to hear about your experiences!

xoxo Jess

How to de-stress after a long week

Okay so lately I have been super stressed with all of the things I have been juggling in this thing we call life and I think a lot of people tend to do this around this time of year because you are trying new things because of the new year, you want to do everything that comes your way, and life just sometimes gets overwhelming.

So today I am going to go through what I do to de-stress!

1 First things first, I take a second to sit down and just breathe. This is such an important thing to do because as you go along doing everything you need to get done you sometimes forget to give yourself a good five minutes to sit down and just breathe. Taking time for yourself is sometimes hard because of situations and time but trust me if you are ever feeling overwhelmed the first thing to do to get yourself relaxed is to just breathe. While taking those few precious minutes also remember to count your blessings. This helps me tremendously because I then am focusing on all of the good energy and things I have going on in my life and can focus less on the bad/daunting things that are the cause of my stresses.

2 The next thing I do is decide where the stress is coming from. For me, when I have a lot of stuff on my plate but don't have it written down anywhere or on a to-do check list it makes me anxious because I can't see in front of me the list of what I need to accomplish. So, I will normally take a second and sort out my priorities based on a few factors such as  the amount of time I have, the effort each will take, the date on which it needs to be done by, and generally just prioritize. After this I like to look at the size of each project I have. I think it really helps me to take big projects that will take significant effort and break them up into smaller chunks. This helps to alleviate stress because when you have small bits to do at a time it makes the task seem less daunting. After that I then like to jot it all down on my to-do list and give myself a rough timeline for each thing and when I want it done by.

3 The third thing I do is plan in a few hours to just relax and take some time for myself. Whether this is at 10 in the morning or 5 in the afternoon I try and build in a few hours each week to refind my center and spend some time with good ole me. 

3A The next few things go along with the third thing. Once I have found time when that time arrives there are a variety of things I enjoy doing that help me de-stress so it just depends on my mood. Normally I will go for a nice hot bath with a relaxing bath bomb. This gives me time to let my body relax as well as my mind. When I get a bath I usually like to take along whatever recreational book I am reading and enjoy an hour or so of diving into someone else's world and it generally helps to calm me down. 

3B Another thing I like to do if I am not at home to take a bath is get a coffee. Whether it be in the work room or at Starbucks I like to take some time to sit down with a nice big cup of coffee and just relax that way. Normally when I am enjoying my coffee I like to also spend that time away from my phone and social media. Those things tend to remind me of everything I need to do or put me in a place where I am not relaxed and calm. I again normally like to dive into a good book or even just sit and enjoy the hustle and bustle around me in the coffee shop or wherever I might be.

4 Yet another thing that I like to do to help relax is do a beauty cleaning regime. This means give myself a proper pampering. This includes taking time to exfoliate my body and moisturize it properly and get into some comfy pajamas and then cleanse my face. I like to start by gently holding a warm cloth over my face for a few minutes to wake up my pores and then I usually put on a face mask first. It depends on what I might want at the time but any face mask will do! After that I like to use an undereye de-puffing solution. I have pads that you place and leave for 10 minutes and they are pretty great but again it is personal preference. After that I like to then moisturize my face and neck and apply any sort of special face creams that I don't include in my normal makeup routine. 

After I have had my time of relaxation to re-focus my mind I like to take some time to meditate on everything coming up that I need to get done and feed myself positive energy by thinking about how I am going to accomplish everything and how I have everything set up in a list so I won't forget anything and just generally gear myself up to complete the tasks at hand. 

Then of course I hit the ground running and go! 

Everyone needs time to re-center themselves when there is a lot going on and I hope this advice helps you if you are feeling overwhelmed at the moment!

Leave some comments about what you do to de-stress yourself!

xoxo Jess

2015- The best year yet

A new planner and a new fresh start to another year. This can mean so many things to many different people but to me it means a new year to set goals and dream big. I have never been one to hate January or the beginning of any new year because to me it hold so much promise of the next 364 days ahead of you. So what will you do with that time?

I will tell you a few of the goals and dreams I am planning on accomplishing this year.

The first one is the graduate with my masters degree in May. This is something I never would have dreamed I would be doing at this time in my life. If you had asked me three years ago if I was planning on going to graduate school my answer would have been no. However, I am so glad that God has led me down this path because I have learned so much about who I am and how to handle various life situations through this almost two years within this program. I have met people I never would have and have been able to feed off of their positive working energy and have been able to push myself to become more of the person I ultimately wanted to be.

The second goal I have is to audition for a Broadway show. Whether it be a traveling tour or in some other part of the world it has been a dream of mine for years to be able to say I gave my biggest dream a shot. I love to perform and sing and be on the stage so it comes as no surprise to the people who know me best. I just feel like if I don't give this a shot then I will never be able to be truly happy with myself by saying I gave it my best.

The last big goal I have for this year is to put myself first. This may seem like something easy and something that many people probably already do, but for me I never put my needs first. I always try and give everything I can to those around me whether it be friends, family, or co-workers so I know that in 2015 I will focus more on giving to myself. This includes overcoming my laziness with my weight loss goals. After losing 90 pounds you get a little complacent and I have done that over the last month with the holidays and birthdays and everything in between. I promise to myself to focus on me and become the best me I can be and that includes being happy with my physical self as well as my mental.

What are some goals you are hoping to achieve this year? What plans have you set into motion for 2015?

I believe that 2015 can and will be my best year yet and I know you can do that too!

xoxo Jess

Christmas Time! (Winter favorites)

Christmas is my absolute favorite time of the year! So I decided to do a winter favorites blog post to let you know of a few things I am loving this holiday season and every year around this time!

The first thing is Christmas music!
I am currently obsessed with the new Pentatonix Christmas CD "That's Christmas to Me"

I have been absolutely loving this CD and I have been blaring it in my car every time I get in and I listen to it when I'm working on anything as well. It has some really great new twists to some of my all time favorite Christmas songs! The song I am loving the most is a tie between "White Winter Hymnal" and "Mary Did You Know" both are just SO good!

The next thing I have been loving this Christmas season is scarves!

Anyone who knows me will tell you I have a slight obsession with scarves but I just LOVE them especially in the colder months! They are a staple in my winter wardrobe and I am currently obsessed with the sweater/knitted thicker type scarves right now. They just add that nice finished touch to any outfit.

The next favorite I have is any and everything bright and sparkly!

In my wardrobe I have noticed I have been picking up more items that have sparkle in them or shimmer. I have recently just bought a really gorgeous gold shimmer top from Forever XXI (Below)

Forever XXI

I have also been buying really shimmery cardigans and little throw over a shirt type over-sized jackets that I have been in love with ( My favorite online boutique for those is www.mintjulepboutique.com) . I just think it adds just a little bit more to each outfit and helps to add to the feel of the season!

Another favorite this time of year is all things comfy and cozy. I have recently bought a few super comfy and cute Victoria's Secret sleep shirts and I have been living in them during these chilly winter nights! They have the cutest sayings on them and are great for people who get hot at night!

Victoria's Secret

Another holiday favorite of mine is a place in my city. It is Bellingrath Gardens. It is a place where you can go and walk through a beautiful historic home and garden and look at TONS of Christmas lights! It is always a tradition to go with me and my friends and we went this past weekend and it was so magical!

It is always such a magical experience and I love going and having fun spending time with friends and enjoying the spirit of the holiday season.

Another absolute favorite during the holiday season is buying everyone's gifts! For me, I really enjoy buying gifts for my friends and then wrapping them really cutely and giving it to them! I love surprises and giving gifts is just so enjoyable for me! I really love sentimental things and so this time of year really makes me want to craft and make the cutest gifts for friends! I have been really busy this past week trying to get everyone's gifts figured out and bought so that I don't have to worry about rushing around as it gets nearer and nearer to Christmas day!

Some of my next favorites are makeup and skin care products! Some of the things I have been LOVING recently are the really yummy holiday scents and colors!

First is a new fragrance by Bath and Body Works called A Thousand Wishes. It smells so heavenly and it has a sweeter scent but it is still very strong and is something that just smells so great. I also got this in a shimmer body lotion because who doesn't want their skin to glow!

Bath and Body Works

Another favorite I am loving right now is the Urban Decay Naked 3 palate. It just has so many Christmassy colors and festive bright colors and I have been wearing it every day for the past month it is SUCH a good purchase!

Urban Decay

This palate is mostly rosy tones and I am loving that so much right now. It also has some really nice subtle darker colors that are great for blending into your eye crease to make a nice smoky eye.

Another favorite makeup product I am loving is something that I think everyone should have in their makeup drawer! A good concealer is something that is super hard to find and I have been loving the Benefit 'Stay Don't Stray'  in light/medium as an amazing under eye concealer.

Benefit Cosmetics

A favorite winter relaxation product line that I have fallen in love with is Lush Cosmetics. They have some of the most amazing bubble bath and bath bombs I have ever tried. They always smell so good and leave your skin feeling so refreshed afterwards! The best thing about it is they have the cutest holiday themed bath products!

Lush Christmas

Not only are they amazing products but they also are festively shaped and scented! Such a great little gift idea too!

These are just a few of the great things I am loving right now during the holiday season! I have also left links under all of the products I have shared in case you want to go check out these awesome products!

What are some things you are loving this holiday season?

xoxo Jess