2017 ch 10

There’s only two more months of 2017 and I don’t even know how that happened. It’s time to think about goals for next year, I don’t even know where to begin. Usually by this time of the year I have a plan and I start to get excited. Anyone else out there thinking about next year? 

Well so anyway, this month has literally flown by. I was sick for half of the month, so I don’t feel like I fully enjoyed it. 

READ: 

This month I read one book; The Girl You Left Behind by JoJo Moyes. It was really good! It takes place in two different time periods. 

RUN:

Hahahahahhaa. Running was almost nonexistent in October due to being sick. I did run a half marathon and it went pretty well. I was happy with my time considering I didn’t train at all. I have one more half left this year! Come run with me! It’s on thanksgiving so you can earn your turkey! 

SCRAPBOOK:

I’m not caught up, because, Paris. But I’m not too far behind. I was worried I wouldn’t keep this goal up, but I’m happy I have because I love looking back on my pictures! 

BLOG/JOURNAL:

Still going well! I’m far from perfect on writing every week, but I’ve been doing pretty well. Next year I want to try blogging more than once/month. 

TRAVEL:

I’m so sad this year is almost over. I’ve loved traveling every month, it’s been so amazing to visit new places (and old favorites) this month we went to Zions (my first time) and I loved it! If you haven’t been, add it to your list. 

I’m happy with the way this year has gone and although I don’t have many goals set for next year, I have some ideas. Have you started thinking about your goals yet? Any ideas for me? I like to set goals related to my: physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional wel-being. 

Do you have a favorite goal you’ve set in the past? I would love to hear! 

PARIS

PARIS:

Do’s & Don’ts 

+

4 Day Itinerary 

 

Oh, Paris. You’re such a beautiful city, with a rich history. I went to Paris assuming I would enjoy it as I had other European cities, I didn’t realize how much I would love it. Paris is beautiful. The food, people, history, parks, buildings, everything. 

I may be new to this whole Paris thing, but here’s what I learned from my time there.

 

DO:

 

1. Use the metro! When using the metro, buy the carte metro pack. I went with my sister and we used two packs in our 5 days in Paris. The metro made traveling between sites further away from each other easy. We walked when we were able, but took advantage of the metro as well. 
2. Visit all of the tourist sites you’ve heard about. It’s all worth it. I will leave our itinerary at the bottom of this post. My top favorites: Notre Dame, the Catacombs, and Sainte Chappelle.
3. Eat local whenever possible and often. We had so much delicious food while we were in Paris. My favorite? The French onion soup from LA source. We also sampled crème brulee, gelato, eclairs, macaroons, crepes, etc. We tried several places and ate snacks throughout the day as we wanted to eat as much as we could!  
4. We stayed in an AirBNB and loved it! We were about a 10-minute walk from the Eiffel Tower and right next to several eateries and the metro.
5. Take a day trip! We took 3: Giverny, Versailles, and Disneyland Paris…..all worth it!
6. Download the Get Out of the Line app (see more on day 2)
7. Buy a guidebook. I used Rick Steves book on Paris 
   
    

 

AVOID: (not worth it) 

 

1. Angelina’s. I had heard the hot chocolate was divine, it was so rich. Too rich. I only had a few sips and had to throw the rest away. (But if you really want to try it, they have a location at Versailles)
2. There will be many people trying to sell low-quality souvenirs around the Eiffel Tower. If you’re going to buy a souvenir, get one somewhere else. I promise you can find miniature Eiffel Towers other places, and the quality will be better. (I ended up buying a hat from a small souvenir shop and grabbed a small Eiffel Tower and they gave it to me for free)
3. If Sacre Coeur isn’t on your list, I would say it’s okay to miss. You can see views in many other places throughout Paris.

 

 

We ended up losing a day from our original itinerary, so I will show what we ended up doing. Our original plan spread the museums out and gave us more time in some areas. All in all, we were in Paris for 4 ½ days. I think one more full day, would’ve been perfect! 

 

Actual itinerary: 

 

DAY 1: Friday 

Arrived in the early afternoon. Checked into our AirBNB

Visited Musee d’Orsay, Musee d’Orangerie, and the Louvre 

Dinner at LA Source (49 Boulevard de la Tour-Maubourg, 75007 Paris, France)

We were exhausted when we finally got into Paris as our connecting flight had been cancelled and we were lacking in sleep. We decided to hit all of the museums in one shot. I wish we had been able to space them out more and I would recommend not seeing them all one after the other. If you haven’t heard of the Orangerie museum, it has works from Claude Monet. I love his art and wanted to stop by the small museum to see more of it. We bought a joint pass for the Orangerie and Orsay museums for 16 euros. We could’ve and should’ve spent more time at the Louvre, but our exhaustion got the better of us.

LA Source had delicious French onion soup! We also had crème brulee there.

 

DAY 2: Saturday

Notre Dame- (get the out of the line app, which will let you make a reservation/get in line on your phone). Climbing the bell tower was one of my highlights of the whole trip.

Lunch at: Bertrands (10 Rue Lagrange, 75005 Paris, France). Make sure to grab some macaroons!

Shakespeare Book Co (where famous writer used to hang out)

Walked around the Latin Quarter and had gelato at Amorino (gelato shaped like a rose)

Sainte Chappelle- (which houses the most beautiful stained glass I have ever seen) I would’ve loved to spend more time admiring it all.

Catacombs- (we booked a skip the line tour through Viator and found it worth the cost) If you go to the Catacombs on your own, make sure you pay for the audio guide so you can learn all of the history. The Catacombs were another highlight for me. 

Luxembourg Gardens/palace- This was a lovely park. We sat down to enjoy as we planned out our evening.

Pantheon- it had closed for the day, so we enjoyed it from the outside. *It is right next to Luxembourg Gardens

Arc de Triomphe and the Champs de Elysees- Did you know the McDonalds on the Champs de Elysees is the most profitable in all of the world? We stopped in for some macaroons, they are inexpensive and were surprisingly good. 

 

DAY 3: Sunday

We took a day trip to Giverny to see Claude Monet’s home and water garden. The train will take you to Vernon, where you will then find transport to Giverny. We used le Petit train, which we loved! The gardens were so beautiful and it was nice to see a different part of France. I would recommend this as a day trip if you have time.

Sacre Ceour- (we climbed the dome for the view) It took us a long time to find the cathedral, so once we arrived, it was almost a disappointment. It was rainy and a little hazy so we didn’t have a good view. Ultimately for me, it was my least favorite part of the trip, but I think I would’ve liked it better if we found it easier. Walking around, did give us an opportunity to see Montemarte. We enjoyed street crepes.

Eiffel Tower (day time and evening) We didn’t go up the Eiffel Tower, so that may be something I do next time. I knew I wanted a good view of the city, but I wanted the Eiffel Tower in the view. **Make sure you see the Eiffel Tower on the hour in the evening as it lights up and sparkles for 5 minutes each hour.

 

DAY 4: Monday

Disneyland, Paris

I love Disneyland, so this was so much fun for me. It rained half of the day, but we still managed to have fun. Disney Paris is smaller than Disneyland, but I almost liked it more. The food is different and it was cheaper. I was glad we were able to go. You can visit Disneyland, Paris by metro/train…it’s very easy to find!

 

DAY 5: Tuesday

Versailles (we ate at Angelina’s and Laduree while there)

Versailles was so lavish. I took AP European History and it was fun to visit Versailles as I was able to see the table the Treaty of Versailles was signed on. I enjoyed having a brush up on the history and the palace was amazing! We booked a private tour and enjoyed the extra history we learned. (It also helped us skip the line). We didn’t walk into the gardens as we were a little pressed for time, but I think next time, it would be something I do. Angelina’s and Laduree are both at Versailles, so we took advantage of both. Laduree really is that good.

Paris, LDS temple- As I’m Mormon (see more at lds.org), it was nice to be able to walk over to the LDS temple from Versailles.

Rue Cler- This is an older market-style street. It was close to where we stayed and we wanted to ensure a visit to A La Mere de Famille (candy shop that has been in Paris for a long time)

 

*Food places worth eating*

LA Source 

Bertrand’s

Laduree 

Amorino 

Le Petit Cler

 

Truthfully, I could’ve spent more time in Paris, but I think 5 full days would give you plenty of time to see what you want, with at least 1-day trip.

 

Paris was amazing and I can’t wait to go back! Have you been? Leave your recommendations in the comments below! 

RUN • 2017

Run 2017

If you’re a runner, there’s nothing better than the perfect playlist! And if you’re not...there’s nothing better than a perfect playlist. Here’s what I’ve been running to the last few months. This playlist is about 2 hours, perfect to get that sub 2! 

This playlist has a good mix of old and new, well-known and not. 

Vindicated- Dashboard Confessional 

Thunder- Imagine Dragons 

Boom clap- Charli XCX

Midnight city- M83

Bored to death- Blink 182

Don’t take the money- Bleachers

A little respect- Erasure 

Wish I knew you- The revivalists 

Good intentions- The Chainsmokers 

Some kind of heaven- Hurts 

Fire escape- Andrew McMahon in the wilderness 

On top of the world- Imagine Dragons 

Brooklyn, you’re killing me- Andrew McMahon in the wilderness 

Walking in a dream- Empire of the Sun 

Body like a back road- Sam Hunt 

All the small things- Blink 182 

Could have been me- The Struts 

Different colors- Walk the Moon

Rollercoaster- Bleachers 

Young blood- The Naked and Famous 

Look what you made me do- Taylor Swift 

Dark blue- Jack’s Mannequin 

Can’t stop the feeling- Justin Timberlake 

How far we’ve come- Matchbox 20

I miss those days- Bleachers 

One of us- New Politics

Cut to the feeling- Carly Rae Jepsen 

Loaded gun- Tyler Hilton 

Holiday from real- Jack’s Mannequin 

She’s out of her mind- Blink 182

Work this body- Walk the Moon 

Swing swing- The All American Rejects 

All the small things- Blink 182

Until you were gone- The Chainsmokers

Spirit in the sky- Norman Greenbaum 

Happy running! 

2017 ch. 9

"It's not about the goal. It's about becoming the type of person that can 

accomplish the goal." -Tony Robbins 

Not sure how it's already October. Because where did this year go? I literally say that every month, but time just goes by too dang fast. 

September was a fun month! Day trip to Logan, birthday month, favorite race, oh and Paris. (it's own blog all in good time) 

READ

I read some new books in September:

Better than Before- Gretchen Rubin 

Trauma Stewardship- Laura Van Dernoot Lipsky 

The Life Changing Magic of Tidying up- Marie Kondo 

I enjoyed Better than Before. I love Gretchen Rubin. But like I said, I'm in a personal development phase this year. I read Trauma Stewardship for work and it was good too, but I don't know that I would recommend it to someone outside of the social services field. Last I read Marie Kondo's book. I was a little intrigued by it because of it's popularity. It gave me some ideas to declutter, but it's also intense. haha. 

12 new authors read this year is done! WHOOO! Always a nice feeling to finish a goal. :) 

RUN

I ran my freebie race this month. I had said only new races, with one freebie. I had been saving it for Big Cottonwood because it's my favorite! I didn't PR or even do as well as last year, but it's okay because it was beautiful and fun as always. I can't wait to go for that PR next year. 

Next up is the haunted half SLC! Want to run with me? There's a 5k! Message me for my link! I'm also running Thankful 13, so you have time to train for that one! :) 

SCRAPBOOK

I'm kind of behind on this one again. It's been a busy month. But September pictures are ordered. In October I will be working on getting my 2013 scrapbook ordered. 

BLOG/JOURNAL

Somehow, I'm still going with this. Every once in awhile I skip a week, but I've managed to make it up. I don't know that I (or anyone else) will read what I write, but there's research that journaling is good for your mental health, so there's that. 

TRAVEL

And last's the best of all. Paris. Oh Paris. Paris was a dream. It was beautiful. Delicious. Friendly. Historic. Everything just wonderful! I can't wait to get back there! I plan to blog ALLLLL about Paris so I won't bore you here. But it was the best. Next up is a quick trip to Zions, which has been on my list for such a long time. 

So, there you go. Slow and steady progress for the year, but progress is progress. There's 3 months left in the year, which is definitely enough time to set a goal. Set one today. It's amazing all you can accomplish by setting one small goal. I've started thinking about what I want to do next year and it's getting me excited. 

Need help reaching your goals? Reach out, I'd love to help! 

Happy Fall!

Happy fall! 

I love this time of year. Sweaters, scarves, soups, chili, blankets...everything cuddly! 

This year I am excited to spend time with the people I love, doing fall activities I love. 

Here's my fall list for the year: 

• Gardner Village 
• Oktoberfest
• Utah State Fair 
• Caramel apples 
• Make apple cider 
• Caramel apple spice from Starbucks 
• Take a fall foliage drive 
• Visit Millcreek Canyon 
• Bake a fall pie 
• Visit a pumpkin patch 
• Visit a corn maze
• Carve a pumpkin 
• Take a fall hike 
• Watch: Its the great pumpkin, Charlie Brown, House on haunted hill, Hocus Pocus, Nightmare before Christmas 
• Be thankful 

What am I missing? What are your favorite fall traditions? 

2017 ch. 8

If you asked me what day it was, I would say it was somewhere in the middle of August. WHERE HAS THIS YEAR GONE? I'm at a loss. A real loss. I have weekly to-do lists and they make the time go by so quickly. Sometimes too quickly. It's hard for me to believe there are only 4 more months left of 2017. I've sincerely had such a great year so far and look forward to what's to come.

With 4 more months left, I feel like I've made decent progress on the goals I set for myself this year.

TRAVEL

In August, we went camping up American Fork Canyon, which was so.much.fun. I had never camped up there and I loved it. It was beautiful! I was able to go to Scout Falls, which was so beautiful! 

We were also able to go to Lake Powell for a short weekend. I feel so blessed to live in such a beautiful place. 

I have enjoyed being able to travel so much this year. To take the time to enjoy what God has created. I've already started thinking about travel goals for next year and it makes me a little sad that I will have to pick a new goal, which might mean that I can't travel every single month. I'm going to miss it. Does anyone else travel every month? If so, how do you do it?

READ

I read some good books this month. I've been into personal development books this year...they're inspiring and remind me to actively work towards my goals and to choose happiness. This month I read,

     It's okay to laugh (crying is cool too)-Nora McInerny Purmort
     The Joy Plan- Kaia Roman
     Make it Happen- Lara Casey

I really liked The Joy Plan, it was a good reminder for me to recognize my happiness is a choice. I can choose to complain about situations, or I can actively work towards creating the life I want.

I wanted to read 12 new authors this year. So far I'm at 10. Who is your favorite author?

RUN

I ran a new race this month (Porter's Half) with my dad and sister. It wasn't my best race, but I still had a good time. It's always fun running a new course. This was my 5th half of the year...3 to go! Want to run with me? Sign up to run the haunted half or thankful 13 with my link!
thankful13  haunted half

   

SCRAPBOOK

I ordered pics for June + July and actually worked on them! I have loved seeing my pictures printed. Now I just need to work on getting books done for 2013-2016. I think I'm going to use a site for these years. Which site is your favorite to use? 

BLOG/JOURNAL

I'm shocked I'm still journaling each week. Sometimes I feel like it's redundant as I write a daily happiness log already. I've tried to emphasize my journaling to include my feelings and better descriptions from what has happened over the week. 

So that's that. This year is going well. I have a few other goals I'm working on, that I'll carry over to next year, but I'm feeling good about my progress. 

I dare you to pick one thing you want to accomplish before the end of the year and make an action plan for it to happen. See my previous post for 6 easy steps to accomplishing your goals! You've got this! 4 months is plenty of time. :) 

6 Easy Steps to Crushing Your Goals

Have you ever wanted to accomplish something, but didn't know where to start or where to go? Yep, I get it. I've been there. It can be a sea of black. A void. What if I told you there's a way to turn those dreams into reality? 

Here are 6 steps to crushing those goals of yours! 

1. Identify your goal(s) 

What specifically do you want to see happen? Be as specific as possible. 

-For example: I want to travel to Thailand by the end of 2018)

2. Write it down. 

On a post-it. In your journal. On the mirror. Physically write it down. I like to have my goals written down in multiple places, including on my phone so I can look at them regularly. 

3. Split your goal up into daily/weekly/monthly milestones (or mini goals) 

-For example, each month I will save $X

Could also include, when you'll book airfare, hotel, etc

4. Make a specific plan for your milestone goals 

-For example, I will save $X by creating a budget and determining which areas I can cut each month. 

Your plan could include talking to others who have travelled to Thailand, picking a month to look into lodging, etc. 

*The more detail you have in your plan, the better off you will be. You will know what to expect. Like your goals, write down your plan. 

5. Check in at each identified milestone and reassess if necessary. 

Have you ever made a goal to then later decide that maybe it wasn't the right time or you simply changed your mind? That's totally okay. By checking in, not only are you ensuring you are still on track, you can determine if anything needs to change. If you deviate from your goal, create new milestones and plan. 

6. Have a plan for when you finish. Where do you go now? What's next, anything? 

Looking at the Thailand example, what happens once you get to Thailand? Maybe your goal was to exercise for a year, what do the months after you finish look like? Are you rewarding yourself after you accomplish your goal? 

By knowing what it will look like to finish, you will be able to continually motivate yourself to keep it up when the going gets hard. 

So go for it! Set a goal and make your plan. It's amazing what you can accomplish when you put in the work. 

There's no better time to start than now. You don't need to wait for the beginning of the year, month, or even week. Start now! 

Let me know if these steps work for you, I would love to hear from you! 

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Graphics created by: kp.felicitari (SHOP)

Check her out on Instagram for the cutest cards + stationary  kp.felicitari