wonder of the world: chichen itza

With traveling to Mexico, there was absolutely no way that we were going to miss out on visiting Chichen Itza. NONE. It's a modern wonder of the world for goodness sake. It's also a UNESCO world heritage site. So if that's not a clue to how spectacular this place is, then maybe you're just not paying enough attention. But, with this being such a popular site to visit, I thought I'd share a few of our tips for managing everything, especially since we visited on our own. 

3 months without buying clothes

I've seen others do this...3 months, 6 months, even a year (a little excessive I think) without buying clothes. I have to be honest and admit that I didn't necessarily set out to do this, but once a month or so had gone by, I found myself asking is it worth breaking my no-spend streak for this {insert ridiculous over-the-top girly ruffled glittery skirt that I don't need}? And while this whole process didn't exactly start out intentionally, I wanted to jot down a few life lessons I learned. 

why we skipped the resort stay in Mexico?

When we started telling friends and family that we were headed to Mexico, so many people asked us what resort are you staying at. Everyone seems to fly into Cancun and stay at a resort, so people naturally assumed that we were doing the same. And then I would promptly inform them that no we aren’t staying in a resort, we’re road tripping around Mexico and figuring it out from there. And while we got lots of crazy eyebrow raises, I know that this was the best way for us to travel through Mexico. 

We travel to step outside our comfort zones, to challenge ourselves, and to see a world beyond our own.

And a resort would have been the death of all that. It was definitely nerve-racking and scary to take this on, but it was perfect and wonderful and I don’t regret a thing. So I felt like I had to share our reasoning for why we chose to skip the resort stay in Mexico.

engagement gift for ele

 If you're a regular around here and you don't know Ele, then you're missing out because she is my kindred. Ironically, we've never met in person, but we've connected over the fact that we are in similar life situations. Like me and my husband, she lives apart from her significant other while they both pursue their dreams at different medical schools. I feel that I know better than anyone how hard it can be to make a relationship work over so many miles. There's a whole new set of rules. But you commit yourself anyway and you support your SO in their dreams while pursing your own. It's kind of a lot. So the fact that they have managed to keep their relationship alive and thriving with all the distance is a testament of their love. So Ele's recent engagement truly deserves to be celebrated. And I love to support love, so I couldn't resist mailing off a care package to the bride-to-be to say congratulations.

Vibrant Valladolid

While visiting the Yucatan in Mexico, we spent the majority of our time along the coast soaking in those crystal blue waters. But we also took the time to go more inland in order to visit some of the larger Maya Ruins. And while we were there, we made the cute city of Valladolid our home base.

This city surprised us and turned out to be a total show stopper. We had initially planned it just to be a place to rest our heads at night, but each day we found ourselves making excuses to spend as much time as possible exploring this city.

it's still winter

With what seemed to be an unusually mild winter, I may have gotten ahead of myself with jumping right into Spring. But this recent hike was a very big reminder that it's still winter. The days may be getting longer and the plants are getting a little greener, but March seems to have greeted us with a cold snap. And the temps are still requiring cold weather gear, as in ridiculously warm full-length coats ha! Cold or not, I can never resist a chance for a good hike, especially one that involves getting to witness the seasons transition. So while, yes it is still technically winter, Spring is sprouting through. 

farewell to february

You wouldn't know it from all of my happy go lucky shares lately, but this past month has been incredibly rough. How can such a short month be filled with so much stress and turmoil? So to say that I was happy to see February come to an end would be an understatement, but even with all the stress and all the late nights and all the tears, there were some really beautiful moments in February. And I'm thankful to these for helping me to hold things together during the low points. So here's just a few of those good moments worth sharing....
like my little white dog in the cutest little red coat
Lots of late nights practicing dentistry (in my pajamas of course! May as well be comfortable right?:) 

Plus cozy winter study sessions with my favorites = candles + coffee  
#studyessentials