Spring Break Stay-Cation, Stitch Fix, and Young Living

Happy Spring Break!

Since the travel budget went to this

I'll be having a stay-cation this week. I know the foundation had to be repaired, but if I'm honest, I'd rather be in a Disney park right now. It's just as well. I have a bunch of National Board writing to accomplish this week, anyway. Boo to being an adult!

Friday did bring some happiness, though. (I mean, aside from when the bell rang at 3:20). I received my monthly Young Living Essential Rewards order AND Stitch Fix #2! It was a little like Christmas!

Essential Rewards is Young Living's way of rewarding regular purchases. For the first six months of monthly shipments of at least $50, you receive 10% of your total order back in ER points. The points can accumulate and be used like cash to make future purchases. As you continue to use ER, the percent you earn back works up to 20%. If you're using essential oils, signing up to receive wholesale pricing is the first way to save (24%). Essential Rewards is the other. Plus, they send freebies for ER orders of a certain total each month. Young Living also offers more than just oils. This month, I purchased some new-to-me items: Thieves Mouthwash, Thieves Household Cleaner, Ortho Ease massage oil, and Lemongrass Essential Oil. The Lemon EO on the left isn't new, but it does also help with cleaning tasks. 

Thieves Fresh Essence Mouthwash uses Thieves oil, Peppermint, and Spearmint, but no alcohol. I have a small spot on my upper gum (where a metal plate is located due to surgery) that gets irritated from time to time. I'm anxious to see if this will help that area heal. 

Thieves Household Cleaner is an all-purpose cleaner. It can be added to water or vinegar for a host of cleaning jobs. One capful goes a long way. This arrived just in time due to all that dirt pictured up above!

Ortho Ease was on my list this month due to some calf and heel pain I've been experiencing. I've mixed 2 oz of Ortho Ease with 10 drops of Panaway and 10 drops of Copaiba in a small bottle to see if that will help relax the muscles in my lower leg. (I'm sure a week of not standing all day will help, too, so it may be a couple of weeks before I know if the massage oil is really helping. Fingers crossed!) Lemongrass is also included in the Ortho Ease blend, so I purchased a separate bottle in case I wanted to add a little more. It is also reportedly good for cholesterol maintenance. *(See disclaimer below)

If you live nearby and would like to sample an oil or oily product, just let me know! If you're ready to sign up for your own Young Living account, I can help with that, too!  Sign up as a distributor by clicking HERE.  The Premium Starter Kit is a great way to get started.  It comes with a diffuser, 11 oils, and some other goodies plus wholesale pricing on future orders.  Not interested in signing up as a distributor but still want to try Young Living?  You can also sign up as a retail customer at this LINK, but be aware that you will be paying the higher retail price with this option.

Now that I've discussed products that can help me feel better on the inside, let's look at some items for the outside! 

The Stitch Fix Keepers:

I had pinned the jacket, so I was excited to see my stylist had included the gray anorak jacket. It has a detachable hood and is lightweight for Spring or travel. I had also asked for jeans, and I'm pretty happy with the Dear John straight leg jeans I received. They can be cuffed or rolled down, but I'm pretty sure anyone taller than 5'3" would only have a cuffed option. 

The other three items are going back. They just didn't fit as well as I would like for the cost. 

These were called dark gray. They looked brown in person and black in the photo. I like the print and the concept, but I've tried the Emers twice, and I just can't bring myself to love them like so many other reviewers do. They bunch up at my calf, so I know they'd drive me crazy all day. And, they are expensive. I can't spend $98 on pants I don't LOVE. 

This shirt was too long and awkward. The teal hem didn't stretch at all, yet the striped part was VERY stretchy. Not at all flattering. 

I liked the color of this, but it was very thin. I just didn't feel it was worth $58. 

I'm happy with my two keepers for this shipment. I think Stitch Fix is fun, and I get to try on things in my home with other items I already own. I've had two good stylists who are checking my Pinterest board and really trying to pick things I might like.  I also like that I'm not locked into monthly shipments. I get to choose the frequency.  I don't have another shipment scheduled until May, and I likely will skip summer months until I'm ready to shop for back-to-school items, so it's pretty flexible.  If you think you may want to try Stitch Fix, use my referral link to get started. https://www.stitchfix.com/referral/6791440

Traveling with Oils

I recently began using Young Living Essential Oils.  My original purpose for trying essential oils was to find something to help me sleep better, to be less restless at night, so I began diffusing Young Living Lavender while I slept. I wear a Fitbit while I sleep, and it monitors my movements.  The first graph shows a typical night before I began diffusing.

 

The pale blue lines show that I was moving a lot while sleeping, although not always consciously.  I would get up after a night like this and feel like I didn't really sleep at all.

The second graph is more recently, with the diffuser running at night.

This is typically what I see now, with my diffuser running for four hours (it has an automatic shutoff) and oils on my feet.  I am able to fall asleep quicker and stay asleep for bigger chunks without flopping all over the place.  Even though I "slept" for 38 minutes longer in the top graph, I certainly feel more rested on nights that are like the bottom graph, even when I go to bed too late.

In the past few months, I've played with different combinations of oils, and I've discovered a few favorites: Lavender, Peace & Calming, Valor, Cedarwood, and Vetiver to name a few.  Between diffusing and applying these oils in different combinations to the bottoms of my feet, I have noticed a difference in the quality of sleep I get, though I could still work on getting into bed earlier on school nights!  

So, what does this have to do with a travel blog?  Well, if I ever want to travel with my wonderful sleep aides, I need a plan for liquid limits on airplanes.  I don't have a flight scheduled right now, but it will inevitably happen, and I can't possibly take my whole oil collection in my carry-on when my liquids bag is already pretty full with other necessities.

The Young Living website has some cases available, and they look nice, but I didn't see anything available right now that would be small enough to fit inside my current liquids bag.  I did receive an Amazon gift card for Christmas, and while searching for glass spray bottles, I stumbled upon a good option.  I normally would not buy Young Living merchandise through a third-party, but these bags are no longer on the official website, and well, the gift card meant I wasn't really spending my money!

My order came with two bags, one that will hold up to ten 5ml or 15ml bottles, and another smaller option with a key chain that holds eight 1/4  or 5/8 dram bottles.  The bags were available in black or purple at the time I ordered.  They were also available to purchase individually instead of as a pair.  I liked that the key chain case was smaller than my hand - it will also easily fit into a purse or school bag while offering protection to the little bottles inside.

The smaller bag will easily fit across the top of my liquids bag.  It came with 5/8 dram bottles, but I used the sample vials that arrived with my Premium Starter Kit, and I used labels I had previously purchased with a different order. The larger bag would be great for longer trips when checked bags are necessary.  The bag is sturdy, and the individual pockets protect the bottles from clanging each other, so I would feel comfortable putting this one in a checked bag.

The bags I purchased are available HERE. 

If you are interested in Young Living Essential Oils, you can get wholesale pricing on future orders by signing up as a distributor.  That's a a 24% savings off the retail prices.  I would be happy to help you if you're interested, or you can sign up by clicking HERE.  The Premium Starter Kit is a great way to get started.  It comes with a diffuser, 11 oils, and some other goodies!

Not interested in signing up as a distributor but still want to try Young Living?  You can also sign up as a retail customer at this LINK, but be aware that you will be paying the higher retail price with this option.

Stitch Fix #1

I may not be traveling anytime soon, but that isn't stopping me from shopping for versatile clothes! I like clothes that can be used for many occasions - work, travel, weekends, whatever. I tend to buy some of the same kinds of clothes over and over, so I decided to give Stitch Fix a try. I thought someone else might pick out something I like that I wouldn't normally pick for myself. I created an account on www.stitchfix.com and answered a number of questions about my budget preferences, sizes, and what I like style- and color-wise (NO pink!). I then scheduled my first delivery. Once my Fix was styled, I was charged a $20 fee. This fee is not-refundable, but if you buy even one item from your shipment, the $20 is applied to your purchase. You only lose the $20 if you decide to return all five items. Shipping is not a separate charge, and a prepaid return envelope is included in the box, so you don't pay extra shipping on the return, either. My box arrived two days after it shipped and included a sleeveless print v-neck blouse, a striped 3/4 sleeve top, a plum/blue (depending on the light) asymmetrical cardigan with zipper, a pair of slimming, high-waisted black pants, and a long silver necklace. After trying everything on and (unsuccessfully) trying to get selfies of whole outfits, I decided to keep two of the five items:

The cardigan is priced at $68. It will be great to wear on a plane or to throw in a bag. Nicer looking than a hoodie, I can also dress it up a bit for work or a nice dinner, too.

I love stripes and 3/4 quarter sleeves, so the gray striped top with orange accents at the neck and elbow is perfect for me. Comfortable (so soft) and cute with work pants or jeans. It is priced at $58. Stitch Fix encourages customers to create a Pinterest board and connect it to their Stitch Fix account so the stylists can see what you like. I had pinned this top to my board, so I was happy to see it in my box even though it isn't really all that different from other items I've picked for myself in the past.

I almost decided to keep the black pants. They fit well and would be useful for work, but they were the priciest item in the box at $98, and I already have black pants. I did think they were slimming, and I really did like the fit.

The v-neck shell was orange, black and blue, all colors I like but something about it was off. Great length, great hemline, but the print just didn't work for me. The material didn't move with my body as well, and it probably would have needed ironing (or wrinkle releaser for those of us who don't iron). It would have been $48, which was a bit pricy, too.

The silver necklace would have been $38. I didn't really need it, so back it goes.

My total came to $126, and I got to subtract my initial $20 stylist fee, so I paid $106. Not too bad. I may go in and adjust my budget options a bit. I did allow for a higher budget on pants/jeans when completing my profile, and if those black pants had been denim, I probably would have kept them. I do wish "pants" and "jeans" were viewed differently on the options because I'll pay for a pair of jeans that fits well and looks good. Work pants? I'm not as excited to pay a lot for those.

Had I decided to keep all five items, I would have received a 25% discount on the total. So, my total would have been $310 - $77.50 (25%) - 20.00 (stylist fee) = $212.50. If I had decided to keep the black pants, it actually would have been more cost effective to keep the whole box rather than pay for the three items I really liked because of the 25% off.

If you think you may want to try Stitch Fix, use my referral link to get started. https://www.stitchfix.com/referral/6791440

Happy New Year!

Dave and I would like to wish everyone a happy new year! 

2015 was full of travels and adventure, and I appreciate you all reading along about our journeys. 2016 looks to be less busy. In August, Dave began a new job with Wilson Chevrolet after Wilson acquired Ron Shirley Buick/GMC. The transition has gone well, and Dave can now sell Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, and GMC products, but we don't expect any paid vacation time during his first year.  This is probably for the best - our companion pass through Southwest has expired and we will be taking this time to make foundation repairs to our home and some other minor updates.  I will also be working on my renewal portfolio for National Board Certification, which is due this spring, so I should probably concentrate on that instead of trip planning. 

Looking ahead, we have discussed a return to a Sandals resort in early 2017 (probably a different location than our honeymoon resort), and I have booked a tour through a group at my school for June 2017. This tour will take me back to Germany, as well as Switzerland and Italy with an added stop in Paris. I am excited to revisit some favorite places in Germany and see new sites along the way. I could still use a roommate on this trip, and, no, it won't just be a bunch of middle schoolers. Anyone want to go with me? (I'm being serious - you can check out the tour here: http://www.eftours.com/tour-website/1805286rh). Dates are still approximate and will be finalized when the tour fills up. 

Here's to a fun-filled 2016, wherever that may take you!

Disneyland, Day 3

(I just realized, four months later, that these next two posts never actually posted. Better late than never, I suppose!)

Our final full day in Anaheim would begin at California Adventure. We were in the holding area before rope drop so that we could get Fast Passes for Radiator Springs Racers right away. Fast Passes secured, we then met up with Marta, my sister-in-law, for a day of fun. We rode Toy Story and Little Mermaid in Paradise Pier and the Racers in Radiator Springs, had a yummy lunch in the Bay Area, ate dessert at Flo's diner, and rode Soarin' and Grizzly River Run (the ponchos weren't completely effective). Late afternoon, we hopped back over to Disneyland to visit Pixie Hollow and Toon Town. We ended our day with the nighttime parade, fireworks (and a popcorn bucket dinner!), and shopping on Main Street. It was a great, relaxing day!

Disneyland, Day 2

(I just realized, four months later, that these next two posts never actually posted. Better late than never, I suppose!)

Today started with an early start and an early visitor, Diana's long-time friend Jean. Johnnie and I have heard lots about Jean over the years, so it was nice to finally meet her! We headed out to Disneyland and got started with birthday buttons and a picture with Mickey all dressed up for Disneyland's 60th anniversary. 

Even with the Labor Day holiday, we were able to ride just about everything we wished to ride in a pretty leisurely fashion. After adjusting to Magic Bands at WDW in Florida, going back to the old Fast Pass system was a little strange, but a true Mouseketeer never forgets her touring strategies! Highlights of our day included pictures with the Evil Queen, an amazing lemon cupcake, yummy dinner at Blue Bayou to celebrate birthdays (all four of us turn a year older within six weeks of each other), and reserved seating for Fantasmic. We also had a pretty creepy encounter with some Storm Troopers at Star Tours and spotted Nicole Ritchie and Joel Madden on Big Thunder Mountain.