May as a whole is normally a pretty great month for me. It is the early stage of Summer and who couldn't love that? The weather starts to get warmer, those grills come out from hibernation, and people get REALLY busy. Looking back on this particular May, I realized I had a pretty big month for myself and this blog. I have learned so much in a short period of time and I think that entitles May to get an "A" in motivation and growth. Not every moment was rainbows and kittens, but what it did do was help me see the bigger picture in where I am headed.

To start off, May brought me sickness. Now you are probably thinking, "why is this significant?" The reason this is significant is not only did I get Strep Throat, I got it 3 times! It made me realize how stressful my life has been over the past few months and how it makes me that much more prone to getting sick. This was significant in me deciding to start managing my stress better and leading a healthier lifestyle! That brought on my first series that just started on Friday.. Fit-Trish: A guide to healthier lifestyle on a budget. I am hoping to post every Friday easy ways to keep yourself on track without breaking the bank. I hope you will join me in leading that happy, healthier life!

One of my favorite moments of May was traveling down south to visit an old friend who I met first in Kindergarten.  This was a long time in the making and when the opportunity came up, I jumped on it. It has been roughly 18 years since I last saw Jennifer. We were both going into 8th grade the last time we crossed paths. We are now in our early 30's with lives of our own. It was such an exciting adventure and I shared it for everyone to see: My trip to the deep south! I hope you enjoy the pictures!

One of my most commented on posts of May was my post about why I loathe social media in the summer! There are so many social media trends that seem to up the ante in the summer. If you missed this funny little rant, make sure you check it out here!

Last but certainly not least, I took on a summer reading challenge this month. It is definitely something I needed to do. I love reading but have really gotten away from it over the last few years. The challenge I am participating in is the Semi-Charmed Summer Book Challenge. I figured now is a better time than any other to update my reading list which was originally posted here. This is a good way for me to track my progress as well. I hope you all decide to read this summer! I am always looking for recommendations as I haven't completely filled my list yet!

1. Freebie: Any book that is at least 200 Pages long:
2. A book that was written before you were born (1982): Wuthering Heights
3. Finish a book that you couldn't finish the first time around: Divergent by Veronica Roth
4. A book from the children's section of the bookstore: 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
5. A book that is on the New York Times Best Sellers List: The Goldfinch by Donna Tart
6. A historical fiction book that does not take place in Europe:
7. A book that another blogger has already read for the challenge:
8. A book with "son(s)", "daighter(s)", or "child(ren)" in the title: Please Excuse My Daughter by: Julie Klam (Currently reading)
9. A book that was/will be adapted into a movie in 2014: A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby
10. A book written by a blogger:
11: A biography, autobiography or memoir: Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Woman's Prison by Piper Kerman
12: A pair of books with antonyms in the title:

As you can see I am still looking for some books for some of the categories. If you have any recommendations please sent them my way! I have completed 2 books and I am reading another. I feel like I am doing better than I anticipated I would. I have until the end of August to complete! Let me know if you are also doing a challenge!

I have had a pretty busy month. I also failed to mention at the beginning of this post that I have officially been moved over to Blogger for a month now! I am absolutely loving it here and feel I have grown so much with my writing and audience. June should be an even better month! I am going live with a new layout next week as well as a link up to help celebrate it! I hope you will join me in this exciting time and milestone for this blog!

Goodbye May, you are now wrapped up! Hello June!

Happy Monday everyone! If you're anything like me today, you are enjoying a day off to remember all of the men and women who have fought to keep this country free. I hope you all take a moment to put down that beer and hotdog and thank a service man for all that they do! Because it is a lax kind of day I chose today to show you all some of my vacation photos. So without further adieu: My vacation to the deep south!

Travel Time!

Getting up early always seems to be the way when flying. We were up at about 4:30am so we could make a 6:40 flight. We made it in time with an hour to spare due to my trusty travel tips (Which you can find here). Once into the terminal we got notice that the plane was delayed due to a crew illness. The plane was there waiting for us yet we couldn't get on. It was about a 4.5 hour delay before we were finally able to board and get in the air. We ended up missing our connection flight and spent a few hours in Detroit waiting for our second flight. While in Detroit these pictures were taken:



We had some lunch which off course included a beer and saw a Sanrio Surprise. I haven't seen one of these stores in ages! I loved Hello Kitty and all things Sanrio as a kid! It was very cool to see. After the 3 hour layover we were on our way again into the air. So pretty. Calm and blue skies ahead.
It was so beautiful to see the clouds and the sky from above. I am always sitting by the wing when I fly though. Not sure why! We landed later than anticipated due to the delays throughout the day so Saturday pretty much passed as a travel day and once into the hotel we crashed early for the night.

Sunday was the day I had been waiting for. I was going to finally meet up with a friend who I met first in South Carolina when I was in Kindergarten! We were both military "brats" as they so called it back then. Moving all about every few years. It was such a surprise when her and her family showed up on our door step in Texas the summer of 1996. We were both going to be in 8th grade the following school year. It was amazing to see her, but since then we haven't crossed paths again. Social media has played a big part in bringing us back in contact. We had an opportunity to get together and I made my trip to the deep south at last to see her and meet her family.
 It was so much fun to get to see her! I loved every minute of it. The rest of the trip was lots of catching up, food, and beer of course. I will leave the rest of this post with those photos as they are pretty self explainatory!






I had a wonderful trip and definitely needed this coffee mug my friend made me the next day. Speaking was optional due to being so tired! I hope you all enjoyed my pictures. I am sorry there weren't more! Have a great memorial day!

Ahhh it's been a long few days of fun, delays, and alcohol.. I am probably half asleep right now being I am pre-writing this due to being half asleep. See how that works? :) Anywho, I will do a whole post on my trip in a few days.

Okay I do have my tickets, but I think bringing whiskey would be frowned upon and I already have some sweet company. Oh, and yeah, I am leaving tomorrow. Where you ask? Why I'm glad you asked! I have been keeping a secret from the world, and I am so excited to finally tell you! I am boarding a plane and heading down to the deep south to visit my best friend from kindergarten! We attended school together in the *gasp* 80's and reunited for a few days in the late 90's and its now been about 18 years since we have last seen each other. Thankfully the internet and social media reunited us again a few years ago and now I am finally getting to meet up with her and meet her family!

I now have an opportunity to show off my awesome travel tips. You see the first time I stepped onto an airplane by myself as an adult (I was 21) it just happened to be when all of those fun rules went into effect. You know the ones about liquids and little baggies and all that jazz? I have traveled a lot since then and have picked up some tips to get you in and out quickly. The tips I am sharing today will help you save money and time when traveling.

• Checking bags aren't cheap these days kids, so if you can cram all your stuff into a carry on you will be golden. You are allowed one carry on (Up to 45 in/115 cm (14 x 9 x 22 in or 36 x 23 x 56 cm) and one personal item such as a purse or laptop bag. Ladies you can pack a lot in there if you follow the tips below. 

This is the largest you can go with a carry on. I fit it all in for my 4 day trip!

• Get familiar with where you are going and what you are planning to do. I always start checking the weather 3 days before traveling to pack the appropriate items. This will keep your clothing options limited and won't cram up your bag with unnecessary items.
• Pack clothes that can be mixed and matched. This will allow you to make multiple outfits so you can save room in your luggage. This will save you lots of space in that carry on for souvenirs and other random things you may pick up.
• Make sure you have all of your liquids in the notorious plastic baggy so you're ready. This gets you through security so much faster if you are prepared.

Worse picture ever.. but it is my baggy. I crammed everything into that baby!

• Leave anything at home that you are unsure of. If you are nervous about something or really unsure, either look it up or just leave it at home. It will save you the frustration later.
• Wear shoes that can easily be slipped off. You will be required to take them off. They don't care if you are wearing boots that are laced up to your knees. They must come off. 
• Dress comfortable. This is not a fashion show ladies and gents. You will be shuffled from place to place and then forced to sit next so someone for the duration of your trip. Even if you are in first class, it is still close quarters and being uncomfortable is never fun.

Okay, now that we are packed like a champ, avoided frustrations in security, and saved lots of money on luggage fees, we can enjoy our trip! I am off on my adventure! See you all back here on Wednesday!

In the mean time I have some awesome guest bloggers coming your way Monday and Tuesday. On Monday you can expect some fitness humor from Christine over at The So-Called Homemaker and Tuesday, Stephanie from The Life of a Mother and Teacher will be talking about why she blogs.
I hope you enjoy what they have in store for you!

Follow me on Instagram to follow along with my adventure :)