Tomorrow is the big day where I go to Florida! I feel like I have been running around like a headless chicken because there are so many small things to take care of around the house. Fortunately though, majority of my packing is already finished so I woke up a bit early today to complete everything else.

    I have also just posted a new video on my YouTube channel of everything I am packing for this trip, so if you'd like to watch that, you can find it here or watch it at the end of this post. The goal was for both Dimitar and I to share a suitcase together like we usual do for traveling; however, my shoes are too chunky this time around so we're taking two checked bags now. Yay.

    I really wanted to pack light for this trip because I really don't like dealing with luggage. As it turns out though, I can now at least bring a few more items that I would have automatically left behind if we only had one bag with so, I suppose it all worked out for the better. Also, I really miss the days where everyone was given one free checked bag - what happened to those?

    Packing for a vacation is so exciting to me. It's the start of a new adventure where everything starts to feel a bit more surreal. The idea of getting away from your day-to-day routine is like a breath of fresh air. Some may travel much more often that I do - and I seriously envy that!- but this vacation feels extra special to me since it's been almost two years since my last vacation.

    For this trip, I'm bringing a bit of everything; shorts leggings, dresses, skirts. I know Florida is going to be hot and humid so anything tight or dark is a big NO for me. I want to feel comfortable in hot weather; not like I'm an egg frying on paved concrete in the dessert. I'm also bringing a bit of beach accessories as well like a Sand Free Blanket that prevents sand from getting on your towels as well as my beach bag from Myrtle Beach.

    Of course, I will also vlog the entire trip because I'm hoping - fingers crossed - that I will be able to see all of the attraction I have my eyes on. I've heard that Florida has a surplus of bike stations all around Miami so it should be easy to get around. We'll only be in Florida for four days so we really want to try to make the most out of each day. 

    I also don't know if I will be able to upload my video by next Friday since Friday will also be the day I come back; there is also a cat coming to board with me. The vlog may come on Saturday instead which may be better since many people are home on Saturdays anyways. I am highly considering getting a new laptop just to edit my videos while away from home!

    Right now, I am finishing up laundry, I'm about to setup the guinea pigs cage so that it holds extra hay, and then I need to make a stop to get some earplugs because we are going to be in Miami after all! Dimitar is actually returning from Bulgaria today in the afternoon so I want to try to get everything done before he arrives.

    I think this will complete todays post and again, if you want to watch my packing video on YouTube, you can below. I'll be back in a few days and I can't wait to share all the goody details with you!

    Summer is here and do you know what that means? It's vacay time! A time where you can overload on Vitamin D, forget the world for a bit, get super tanned, and relax with no shame. For me, it's also a time to celebrate my birthday which just so happens to be in August. Since I have been feeling burnt out these past few years from practically everything, Dimitar and I have decided that we'd plan a trip to Florida to enjoy ourselves. 

        * This post may contains affiliate links at no extra cost to you. See disclosure for more details.

    If you're like me, the whole trip planning process is so exciting. I love everything from searching for the best flights, finding out the latest attractions to visit, and putting together a trip planner so that it all comes together into one big memorable experience. After all, to me life is all about experiences - not material things - so we should go out of our way to make life enjoyable. 

    You may be asking, why Florida? Well...why not? For starters, my boyfriend and I passed through Florida a few years ago when we went on our trip to the Bahamas, but we didn't really have a chance to see much of Florida itself. After the little that we did see though, it made us both want to make an official visit, which brings us to today because we are officially going to Florida!

Florida Bayfront

    My rule of thumb for finding the best deals on flights is to look at least 3 to 6 months in advance. I also try to find the most affordable tickets that have the least amount of layover time; CheapOAir, Kayak, and Google Flights tend to have great deals. Before any trip, I always make sure to track flight prices too in case the prices go down and I can get an even better deal - I love it when that happens! 

    Fortunately, since I live on the East Coast, traveling to Florida around this time of year comes at a decent price; about $130 for a round-trip. I'm sure it could have been a lot cheaper if I had booked even sooner, but I was rather happy with this price. JetBlue, our Airline, is actually one of the few Airlines now that has a low checked bag fee, while even fewer have the first one being free. *sigh* I can still remember the days where the 1st checked bag used to be free...

Bayfront Park

    I did have a hard time trying to choose between Airbnb's though. Some were beautiful but weren't ideally located. Some had great amenities but were over our budget. I finally decided to go with a hotel that was literally in the middle of everything which would make shopping and moving around so much easier. The great thing about Miami is that there are a ton of bike rental ports around the city so we can get around easily without having to spend too much money on Ubers.

    I also have a few attractions in mind that I am excited to see as well - and yes, this trip will be vlogged for my YouTube channel! I went ahead and organized all of the attractions according to their distance, that way we can choose which one to go to first depending on how close it is to our hotel. I've also planned out each day which will help us make the most out of our trip. It sounds hectic, but the beach is literally my top priority!

Our booked hotel

    All in all, if you're looking to travel during the summer time, now is the time to do it! Take advantage of every day you are gifted with, live your best life with more experiences, and spread love and positivity where ever you go. 

Until next time!  xoxo - Sarah

    2022 is a special year because of my love for the number 22; as you all may know, the number 22 is very meaningful to me because it appears so often throughout my life. My birthday is on the 22nd of August, my mom's birthday is on the 22nd of July, and my oldest sister has a birthday on January 22nd.  On top of all of this, Dimitar and I had our first date on October 22nd.

*This post is not sponsored.

    Today's post isn't about birthdays though, but about a special surprise getaway that Dimitar planned for the two of us. He sure loves his surprises and made sure that I had nothing planned for that day. Can you guess what day it was? Tuesday, February 22, 2022. So on Monday afternoon - the day before - we both packed and I did my best to get as much information out of Dimitar as I could. The idea of not being prepared for a special moment really drives me crazy! All he told me though was this; bring nice clothes, a bathing suite, your pajamas, and anything girl related...

    After making sure the guinea pigs had plenty of hay and were comfortable - we'd be gone for a day after all - we hopped in the car and Dimitar turned on the GPS. Once I saw the directions, I realized that wherever we were going was about 4 hours away! I hadn't mentally prepared myself for a long trip, and yes I even complained a bit, but we both settled into the ride and began chatting about life. 

    Fast forwarding 4 hours later, it was about 9pm at night and we finally arrived in a small town in Pennsylvania called East Stroudsburg. We couldn't see much of our surroundings because it was so dark and foggy, but we drove down a private driveway where our destination was said to be. We came across a heart shaped sign that said, "You are now entering a land of love," which then led us to a resort looking place. Dimitar parked his car in front of the main building called Pocono Palace and said he had to take care of some paperwork before he disappeared into the building. 

Pocono Palace of Pennsylvania

    With the lights turned on, I saw we were in a two level suite. The ceiling itself was at least 20ft tall and there were Roman Pillars along the walls too that were equally as tall. Mirrors were lined against the right side of the room, opening the space up even more than it already was. In the center of the room, there was also a huge martini glass structure that connected to the second level of the suite, something I had no idea what was for. From the first floor I noticed a loft too; a feature I adored and secretly wanted in my next apartment or home. 

    The entire theme of the room was romantic with colors of red, pink, gold, and white. I absolutely loved it! There was also a retro vibe to the room too going from the furniture accents to the red carpets that had gold designs on them. Dimitar and I were both amazed by how beautiful the suite itself was - there was so much for us to take in that we both acted like little children who were just dropped off at the playground. 

Roman Tower Suite Pocono Palace Goodies

Red accents & roman features

View of loft above

    As we made our way up the stairs to the second floor, I nearly choked out of excitement; there was a room to our left with a pool inside of it! Not just any kind of pool either, but a heart shaped one! This completely explained the chlorine smell that I first noticed when I entered the room. At this point, I was too excited to focus on vlogging properly so I really hope the footage that I do have, is decent...If the heart shaped pool couldn't top it off, it turns out that right next to the pool, there was a sauna too!

Heart shaped pool

Rose petal covered stairs

    To the left of the stairs was the bathroom where majority of the bathroom amenities were gold plated. I really loved the retro vibe the bathroom gave off; it was like taking a dip back in time, something I wish I could do more of these days. Moving over to the loft area, the lighting was dim, but intentional. Above the circular bed was a reflective ceiling with led lighting inside of it to look like stars.

    The next day, since it was raining outside and our trip was only for one day, we decided to visit the Recreation Room. It turns out, we were actually at a couples retreat which made so much sense! Once at the main building, I realized the retreat had more to it than I thought; everything from an indoor pool, a gym, lounge area, bar, it's own restaurant and café, and a gift shop even. The resort also had plenty of activities to do outside too but with the weather being a bit wet, we weren't able to get to those; definitely next time though!

    Once we got to the recreation room, to our surprise, we had it all to ourselves!

Recreation Room

    After playing miniature golf, we then moved onto Ping Pong. We didn't keep track or anything like that, but we did set challenges for us to complete; for example, getting to 22 hits without dropping the ball. I don't think I've played Ping Pong much when I was little but I found that once you get into the momentum of it, it's quite relaxing, especially the sound of the ball hitting the paddles. 

    When we finished several rounds of Ping Pong, we then moved onto playing Pool. When I was little, I used to go to a Recreation Center that was part of our school and I remember playing pool often. Now, if I was good or not is a blur, but I do know I enjoyed playing it. I actually almost won my first round of Pool until I hit the eight ball. After that, Dimitar won and by the third game, I almost won again until I hit the eight ball... again...wow.

    Since the recreation room was connected to a basketball court, we shot a few hoops together afterwards to burn off steam from playing pool. I didn't want to sweat too much though so I left Dimitar to enjoy himself. We spent a good two hours there in total and before we left, we took photos inside a photo boot - something we had never done before. It made us both feel like we were in High School all over again!

Taking pictures

    After two hours or so, we both were hungry so we went back to the hotel room to freshen up. We had plans to get a massage afterwards but for some odd reason, they weren't taking appointments even though we had a voucher for one.  It was disappointing but we were still happy just to have a pool and sauna to ourselves.

    Before doing anything else though, Dimitar kept checking the time to make sure it wasn't 2:22pm yet. When it was close to it though, he finally told me that he wanted to give me something and asked me to hold out my hands. I did and just as I did, he placed a small red box in the center of my hands. I had no idea what to expect, so I opened the small red box, and saw a gold diamond ring. I was shocked!

    He helped me put the ring on and I was amazed by how beautiful it was - seeing a diamond up close is mesmerizing! The ring had a Rose Gold band that had an infinity loop on it. At exactly 2:22, Dimitar then pulled out a piece of paper and read to me an intimate letter that I will forever cherish and hold dear to me. Since it was an intimate moment between us, I wont share what the letter said, but it was the start of a new beginning for both of us.

    

Diamond ring by Diamondere

Infinity Loop Diamond Promise Ring

     We spent some time talking to one another where Dimitar opened up on how he spent months planning the entire trip. He then told me about the ring and how it was custom made for me - the diamond was his birthstone to symbolize a piece of him that would always be with me. I came to admire him so much more for his dedication to create such an amazing experience for both of us and it only made our trip so much more memorable. I also suck at surprises too so to see him so successful with each one is truly respectable. 

    We later went out to eat at Spooners Cafe and I of course could not stop eyeing my ring. I've always been nervous to wear pretty rings because I have always ended up losing them in the past. This time though I would be extra careful to make sure it was well looked after. We took our time eating and conversating because we really wanted to enjoy each moment. 

Our late lunch

    After we ate, we played a couple of rounds of backgammon before heading back to the Recreation Room to play some more pool. I still didn't win and once again, I managed to hit the eight ball! That eight ball was really out to get me... We went back to our hotel room and spent the remainder of the evening relaxing in the pool, the sauna, and the jacuzzi. Just thinking about leaving made me sad, but I knew we'd come back during the Spring time. 

     Even though our trip was just for a day, it was a day that I will forever remember. I think all couples should take time off to spend it with their significant other and resorts like the Poconos Palace really make it possible to do so. Whether you're a new couple, or a couple who has been together for quite some time, never skimp out on bonding with one another. I look forward to returning to the Pocono Palace and I highly recommend other couples' to visit as well!

Until next time! xoxo - Sarah

    It's been awhile since I last went to a spa. I'm normally not the kind of person who craves physical stimulation to relax but Dimitar is the complete opposite. He needs physical touch to feel at ease and I need quality time instead. Since I don't enjoy giving massages either, we've both managed to stay relaxed together with massage tools and taking long hot baths. Occasionally we'll go get a massage together, but Dimitar can be quite picky when it comes to his masseuses.

* This post is not sponsored.

    Last week, Dimitar was complaining about his neck aching - he's a stomach sleeper after all - and so he later told me that he made reservations for us at a place called Spa World. I've only heard of it once through friends, but I had personally never been there before. After doing my own research, I realized it was a Korean Spa Center based in Centreville that offered a variety of different spa services. I was actually excited to try it out so Dimitar and I both waited for Sunday to roll along, which is when we typically have free time together.

    Sunday in general started off weird. For starters, it snowed! I had no idea it was going to snow either so it was a really nice surprise but it made the day very cold - perfect for the Spa! Since there was no set time for us to arrive at the Spa, we took our time getting there by running a few errands first. We also grabbed a quick bite to eat at an Italian restaurant. Since Dimitar wanted to watch the snow, we decided to eat in the car which was something we normally didn't do, but it was still nice. 

It's snowed again!

Enjoying a Cannoli

    When we arrived, the building itself was huge and located around many oriental shops and restaurants; something I was excited about coming back to visit. Once inside, we checked in easily where we were  given spa uniforms to wear and directed to drop our shoes off into the lockers that were in the lobby. From there Dimitar and I made our way to the Women and Men locker rooms where we went our separate ways to change.

    Since the locker rooms are connected to the pools and showers, it's worth mentioning that nudity is expected; I was already informed of this policy so I wasn't shocked. To keep the pools clean, no swim suits are allowed and everyone is directed to shower prior to entering any of the pools; creating a clean environment that everyone can enjoy together. Since I didn't plan on going into the pool though, I simply changed into my uniform and made my way to the Poultice rooms where Dimitar was waiting. 

Locker Rooms

Poultice Rooms

    Once we were in the Lounge area, we saw that the seven different Poultice rooms were all positioned around the room itself. For those who don't know what Poultice rooms are - because I didn't at first - they're basically similar to saunas except each one has different temperatures and are made out of different materials to help target certain holistic health benefits. For example, the first Poultice room we went into was called the Amethyst Gem Room which was great for balancing the body from within and had an internal temperature of 150 degrees Fahrenheit. 

    It was hard at first to adjust to the heat since I enjoy being cooler than most, but after ten minutes of relaxing, it was easier to tolerate. The best part about being inside the Poultice rooms is how each one is decorated differently, which made me feel like I was immersed in a different world completely. 

The Amethyst Gem Room Benefits

    Once inside a Poultice room, you can either sit down on the benches provided and let your body do it's thing, or you can lay down if there is space. I honestly preferred to lie down as it allowed me to fully relax my muscles. I found that spending fifteen minutes in each room was as much as I could tolerate before I had to leave to replenish myself. Since Dimitar loves the heat though, he would often stay in the rooms much longer than I would and he'd always come out drenched in sweat; it was quite amusing.

Taking a break

        Amongst the seven rooms, my favorite rooms were the Red Clay Ball Room and the Salt Room. Even though the Red Clay Ball Room was one of the loudest rooms to be in because of the little beads you have to lie on - it was the most comfortable. Unfornately, because of the noise from other people moving around on the beads, it was the room I spent the least amount of time in. The Salt Room though was the last room and the most detoxifying. I did my best to stay inside for as long as I could but Dimitar of course beat me by staying in a total of twenty minutes! Crazy crazy.

Inside the Amethyst Gem Room

Inside the Red Clay Ball Room

 Every year, Dimitar and I try to go camping. We first started camping several years ago and since then, we can both now say we can start a fire; our first time trying left us with no firewood - so funny! This year however, because of the move and settling in, we just haven't been able to consider going. Since the weather is getting colder, and we really missed the experience of being outdoors, we made our reservations at our favorite park and began to prepare for our trip.

Our camping gear - we still forgot some items

    Our reservation were for two nights. Originally we were going to stay one night because of the piggies and the cold, but after some arrangements we made, we decided on two nights. We pulled out all of our camping gear from the storage and organized everything; I even made a list, but deep down, I knew we'd forget something; we always do. Since camping is often gritty and testing of ones simplicity, I baked a pizza for us to enjoy for dinner. Since I wanted to have soup while there, I chopped up some vegetables and prepared a seasoning so that I could make the soup once we arrived. I was so excited!

   Before leaving for the park, we had to go grocery shopping to stock the cooler with goodies; I wasn't going to do a keto diet while camping since the weekend was normally my time to splurge which I was very much looking forward to. After our shopping, which took awhile, we finally went to the park and checked ourselves in. Also, both my phone and my camera batteries were both charged before leaving and all of the batteries ended up dyeing; so weird since this happened the majority of the trip!

    We arrived at Pohick Bay Park and checked in at about 4 o'clock; pretty late since the sun goes down around that time! We also picked up our firewood before making our way to our campsite and figured out that for winter time, it's best to get at least four to six  bundles of firewood for two nights. Dimitar and I have written down the best camp sites throughout the park and every year we always try to go to different ones; this year we picked #56. 

Pohick Bay Family Campground & Park

    Since the sun was close to setting, we tried to be diligent. We managed to put up the tent quickly but it was setting up the fire that took the longest and was the hardest to maintain since our memory on how to arrange the firewood was a bit faint. By the time we had the fire going, the sun was completely down, and it looked like we were in a Blair Witch Project movie! So creepy.

    We stayed up late that night pigging out on smores, pizza, and listening to christmas music; after that we then listened to ghost stories which didn't help after me talking about the Blair Witch Project movie. It was also pretty cold and neither Dimitar and I wanted to leave the fire so we stayed up for as long as the fire stayed burning; about 11pm. 

    When the fire burnt out, we both hit the tent. We had a new camping bag that we were excited to try out, SleepInGo, and many people reviewed that it had a decent insulation rating for colder seasons. Well, even though it was very spacious, I had to wear multiple layers to stay warm the entire trip, including 3 socks, 2 layers of clothing, a hat, and a fleece blanket on top of us; it wasn't fun but it kept us warm. Of course, this was all probably due to the fact that our tent wasn't winter friendly and had mesh walls, so we've made a reminder to get a new tent!

    

Our tent with top off - not winter friendly!

    

    That night I woke up with a kink in my neck and had weird dreams that left me waking up crying; so weird! Dimitar had to stop by the apartment to check on the piggies and to also get some of the items that we forgot; the canopy, can opener, our camping pillows, and a pot to cook my soup in. The whole process took about 40 mins. While Dimitar was gone, I entertained myself by doing my makeup, vlogging around the campgrounds, and reading. It was so peaceful to hear the crows around me chatting away as I read my new favorite novel, "Circe," by Madeline Miller.

Comfort Station

Hand Washing Area

Left: Stalls | Right: Showers

    When Dimitar returned, I put the soup on the fire and warmed up his beans; the weather really improved at this point and everything around us became orange, it was so magical! Since I was making my soup from scratch, I had to wait 40 mins for my soup to cook but I was able to sit back and admire nature's beauty and let myself be grounded. Fall is my favorite time of the year because of all the colors and it was surreal to be surrounded by it all. Nature is one of the purest gifts that one can immerse themselves in and it's everywhere for us to enjoy.

Waiting for my soup!

    After I ate - finally - we geared up for a trail walk and drove to the trail entrance which was only a few yards away from our campsite. At this point my phone and camera both died on me so I was left to use Dimitar's phone; it made me wonder if there was a ghost around because my batteries just wouldn't stay charged! 

    

Beautiful trails

    We got back at the camp site just in time to cut more firewood and start the fire before the sun went down. As a treat, we made ourselves more smores because... why not? The fire we made this time around was so much better too and lasted the entire night without going out; all we needed was a fresher upper. We first had our charcoal bits on the bottom, then small wood shavings laid out on top, small sticks afterwards, and then the large logs to top it off. It was a great "formula," that kept us pretty warm! Whenever the flames died down, we simply added more sticks or logs to it to keep it going which did the trick. 

Our best camp fire

Warm and cozy

    We ended the night telling each other ghost stories that we made up before going to sleep; it was a much colder night because of the wind, but we both managed. That following morning, we woke up around 8am to pack since check out time was around 11am. It was sad to leave since it felt like time had gone by so fast, but we both appreciated our small get-away. We knew next time we were going to go camping, that we would be better prepared for colder weather, and stay much longer.

    

Camping in November

    To watch my complete experience going camping, watch my vlog below from my YouTube channel!

   

Until next time! xoxo - Sarah

   

Finally sand to dip my toes in!

    For the longest time, I have been wanting to go to the beach. I love everything about the beach, like dipping my toes into the sand, being immersed in water and just lying out in the sun; it's so relaxing! With everything going on with settling into the apartment and focusing on projects of my own, Dimitar and I haven't had much time to really go out much, except for of course around town. If I had my way honestly, I would totally live near the beach where I could walk to the beach anytime I wanted to and be calmed by the view of water.

    Since both of us needed a small getaway, I decided to look into beaches that were near us; I only knew of two popular beaches that were near me such as Virginia Beach and Ocean City beach, but both were over 2 hours away and it didn't fit into our day trip plans. After some quick browsing of maps online, I discovered there was a decent beach that was only an hour away called Sandy Point Beach. So that following week Dimitar and I Packed for our day trip and waited for Sunday to come around. 

    On Sunday, the day started out cloudy and unusually cold, which made me wonder if our trip would even be worth it; I honestly wanted to tan so I could get rid of my pale winter skin! Dimitar reassured me that the weather would improve and we headed onto road. The drive was pleasant as we left around 8am, so there wasn't too much traffic. Again though, the weather wasn't improving, and the clouds were practically smeared over the entire sky.

Cloudy morning!

    When we arrived, we saw that other people were already enjoying themselves at the many picnic tables, celebrating and having a cook out. It was a surprisingly big area that locals seemed to enjoy a lot. We found our way to the beach where we saw more people lounging about along with playing lively music. We decided to setup our blanket near the shore so that we could easily take a dip into the water. 

    I realized soon enough though after we finished unpacking that I didn't bring anything for entertainment; no books, games, nada.  I was so excited about tanning and being in the water that I left without grabbing much. So, Dimitar and I chatted about life and enjoyed each others company instead.  Sure enough too, within an hour the clouds cleared up and miraculously it was all of a sudden sunny out; and hot! So we both put on sunscreen and laid out to soak up the sun.

    A cloudy cold day turned into a typical summer day and I was so happy that we decided to stay for the weather to improve. It didn't take long for us to get hot too and after spending time in the sun, we finally went into the water. It felt great to finally enjoy time in the water and the best part of it all was that we were so close to the beach too so we had time to enjoy it before the cold weather arrived.

Sandy Point Beach

View from beach

    We spent more time in the sun before we became hungry and had lunch; a cheese pizza I made completely from scratch. I've learned to love making pizza dough simply because they're fun to play with once the dough is made, and it's also exciting to watch the dough rise-you get so much more than if you were to buy or order pizza for a better price. So, whenever we plan anything big that requires us going out of town, baking a pizza is my to-go-to.

    Around 1 pm, we decided it was time to hit the road so we dried off and packed everything up. It made me sad leaving the beach scene, but it was comforting knowing that we were so close to it.  We made it home just in time to enjoy the rest of the evening and check out our new tans too; even with sunblock on, I tanned pretty fast! We both were tired from the sun but it was great to take a trip and get away from the usual routine of everything. 

    I spent that evening binge watching True Beauty; a Korean drama about a girl who experiences bullying over her looks and then becomes reliant on makeup. The beginning was really hard to watch because the show really shows the traumatizing effects bully has, but I enjoyed the show for it's strong message and characters. The more Korea drama shows I watch, the more I learn about their culture and begin to appreciate it even more; I rarely watch American TV shows these days, so it's nice to watch something new, from a whole new culture altogether. 

Watching True Beauty

    Well, that's all for this post. If you'd like, you can watch the vlog I made for my YouTube channel! 

Until next time! xoxo - Sarah