France Friday!

Well people, I have a dilemma. Every time I feel like I find the perfect hotel for us, I do some more research and I find another one. Then I start to second guess myself. I'm the type of person that likes to look at EVERYTHING before I make a final decision. It's crazy! There are some many hotels in Paris and I feel like I'm driving myself crazy! I have narrowed my decision between 2 hotels:

The Royal Magda Etoile

This hotel has great reviews and is ranked 14th on tripadvisor.com's list of hotels in Paris. There is close to 2000 hotels on this list.

The location is good too. Situated near the Arc de Triomphe in the Palais des Congrès district.

The other hotel that I love is called The Eiffel Seine.

This is a beautiful hotel situated right near the Eiffel Tower. Its ranked 30th on tripadvisor's list. This hotel has not been reviewed as much as the other one. Its slightly more expensive {when I say slightly, I mean like 5 euros more p/day} than the other hotel.

As you can see these are 2 beautiful hotels with great reviews. Now I've got to decide which one. I still can't believe I've spent this much time on Paris hotels. I will probably pull my hair out when it is time to research Rome hotels. While researching, many recommended that you really research the area that you stay at in Paris because it can make or break your trip. Especially if its something that you weren't expecting.

For those that have traveled to Europe, did you exchange your money when you got there or here in the states? Some people say, there aren't as many fees if you do it overseas but I just don't want to worry about it once we get there, since we will be paying for most of the trip in cash. Advice please!

Have a great weekend!

France Friday!

Last time we visited France Friday, we were talking about the leg of the trip that included the south of France (Nice). Well plans have slightly changed since then. Instead of going to Nice, I fell in love with a part of Italy that I have to see while I'm so close......VENICE!

The city looks so romantic and the ambiance seems so magical as most of the city lies under water. Moonlit gondola rides, fantastic food, and historic scenery were just a few of the things that really ignited my interest in visiting this beautiful place.

There are several reasons that made me change my mind about going to Nice. The main reason was the train ride. It is 7 hours to Nice from Paris. Then a couple days later we would have to get on another 8 hr train ride to Rome. Well after doing some research, I discovered there is a fast train that goes from Paris to Venice in 6 hrs with a stop in Milan. The train from Venice to Rome is only 3 hours {Rome is the final leg of our trip to be discussed later!}

I'm really looking forward to visiting this majestic city. I've started to research hotels and they are pretty pricey to say the least but I'm sure it will all be worth it.

Have a great weekend!

Meet Timaya!

OMG is all I have to say! I stumbled upon his youtube page and I have been hooked because he is HILARIOUS! If you want to have a good laugh please please please watch this video. On this episode he is talking about blind dates!

*Disclaimer~He does use profanity a lot! So if you don't have headphones, get some so you can listen!

Biggest Loser Challenge

I'm currently competing in a biggest loser challenge with some of my online friends. I'm really excited about it because as some of you may know from this post, that I have a weird fetish about losing weight. I love the challenge of losing it, then I truly enjoy eating the foods I love and gain it back. This isn't really all that healthy, but we are only talking between 10-20 lbs each time. So for the next 11 weeks or so, I will be working out non-stop and eating lots of healthy yummy treats. There are a lot of healthy challenges going on in the blogging world. I came across this one below, located on recipegirl.com:

Recipegirl.com has some great healthy recipes, so check it out. I encourage all of you to take this challenge for yourself personally. My motto is "If you don't like the way you look, then do something about it". Its starts with you. Weightloss is a 100% mental challenge. You have to motivate yourself to make the right decisions to eat better. Everyday you have to make yourself exercise, moderate your intake, choose the right foods, etc. Find something healthy that you like and stick with it. I offer you all my moral support. If I can do it, so can you. Even if you have 100lbs to lose, it all starts with 1 lb. Set small goals for yourself. Don't waste your life hiding behind closed doors stuffing your face with foods that don't make you feel good. Life is entirely too short! Make a change today!

At the end of my twelve week challenge, I plan to post my before and after pictures. Throughout the weeks, I will share with you recipes, workouts, and support! Good luck!

France Friday!

After spending 2 nights in Paris, we will be taking a 6 hr train ride to the south of france in Nice. I've found the perfect place for us to stay that has great reviews on tripadvisor.com. The hotel is called Hotel le Petit Trianon. Only having 12 rooms, its a small quaint hotel located right in the heart of Nice.

The hotel is located right next to the famous beaches of the Cote d'Azur and the Promenade des Anglais of Nice.

Its also located near the hotel are historic neighborhoods and lots of shopping! Every room is equipped with air-conditioning and free WIFI access in each room. Rates run around $120.00p/ night with breakfast served in bed for an aditional $10.00. I'm looking forward to it.

My feelings on being a DINK

Thank you so much to Ashley and Mrs. Vincent for your comments on the below post:) I personally love being a DINK! Its definitely something that you give up if you decide to have a baby immediately after your wedding day or if you have children before marriage. I cherish this time I have with my husband. I know that once we decide to have children, you can never have this time again. I live in the south(originally from the north) and it seems like down here most women are on an EXTREME time line. Not all, but LOTS! If I had a quarter for every time I heard "I want to have all of my kids before I'm 30" I would be rich. For those that didn't click the link below to Bellyitchblog.com, here is what it states:

What Does Dual Income, No Kids - DINKS Mean? A household in which there are
two incomes and no children (either both partners are working or one has two
incomes). DINKS are often the target of marketing efforts for luxury items such
as expensive cars and vacations.

What is a BUCKET List? A list of things you want
to do before your life is changed and become consumed with more thing related to
parenting than not.

I love my life with my family and wouldnt trade it in for the world, but every once in a while, I reflect on my life before babies as a DINK: Dual Income, No Kids (or Disposable Income No Kids) and I get nostalgic. Man...Those days were filled with...
-Waking up whenever I wanted which used to mean like 11 on Saturdays and noon on Sundays.
-Taking advantage of last minute vacation getaway deals. You know on Tuesday, you'd get an email alert saying if you book by Thursday, you could be on your way to Cancun, Mexico by Friday for $200! yeah. that.
-Going away on that vacation and not really worrying about anyone I left behind and just really letting go and enjoying the vacation. I trusted my adult siblings and parents would be fine.
-Taking in a movie, new nightclub or "happy houring" on a moment's notice and not thinking twice about bar hopping til the wee hours of the morning as I didn't have a babysitter to relieve.
-Spending freely on clothes, kitchen gadgets and all the toys I'd want for myself cause all my disposable income was for me and me only.
-Not having anything in the fridge or cupboard at all and being fine with that because I could and usually ate out regularly and casually.
-Buying whatever furniture I wanted for my house without having to think if it has sharp edges or is too white and would get soiled by kids.

So, if you are expecting your first child soon or about to start the process of trying to conceive one, I HIGHLY recommend you sow your DINK oats now. Get your pencil and pen out now and create a Bucket List of stuff you have or want to get out of your system before your baby comes because life will NEVER EVER be the same again...ever. Even when you are 90 years old, you will NEVER go to bed without worrying or thinking about your adult kids and what they are doing and if they are okay.

Info taken from here.

DINK

DINK stands for Dual Income No Kids. A time that some people experience right after marriage or a time when you live with your significant other with no dependents. I was perusing the internet and come across this post that really struck me at heart. Read it and tell me what you think!