Self Care

Posted on by Ashley Mazur

This morning I woke up earlier than normal even though it’s my day off. The norm for me is to sleep in as late as possible. I sipped my coffee while going over my bullet journal, threw a load of towels in the washer, checked e-mails and social media, and enjoyed the fresh air and sounds streaming in from the open windows. I even took a mini walk with my dog around my boyfriend’s property while I finished my coffee. This is when I began thinking about how I need to do this more often because it just feels so damn good. I need a self care routine badly.

Self care is so important. Not only does it keep you grounded and happy but it also keeps you sane. I can get so caught up with work and trying to have a social life that I rarely take the time to just stop and enjoy the things I love doing most. Whether I’m gulping my coffee because I’m running late for work or speed reading an article I found interesting during my thirty minute lunch, I’m always, always trying to squeeze so much into the 24 hours I am given each and every day. And I need to stop. 

Take time to enjoy yourself.

My newest goal for myself is to schedule some self care time at least once a day. I am going to try and start with at least 30 minutes but I may give myself more on the days I don’t work as long. I’m going to keep track in my bullet journal (they have a tracker for everything) to see what routines and self care components work best for me. I encourage you to try and do the same for yourself. You are one human and you can’t be one hundred percent all of the time if you don’t take care of yourself first.

I will try to post an update in the future about some of the practices I’ve tried with self care to give you guys some ideas for your own routine. So far I am thinking more reading, sipping coffee instead of downing it, walking my dog, long baths, face masks, and writing. If you have any ideas or anything that has worked really well for you I would love to hear about it! Good luck on nailing down a self care routine that works for you and I’ll try my best to keep up with my own. It’s a lot easier said on my day off than done on a day I work ten hours but we’ll see how it goes!

<3Ash

Planning a Bachelorette Party Weekend

Posted on by Ashley Mazur

One of my very close friends, Abby, is getting married this October (YAY!), so myself along with one of the other bridesmaids have been planning the bachelorette party! She decided on Traverse City, MI (all the wine!) for her “last fling before the ring.” I’ve never thrown a bachelorette party before so I was very excited to get started organizing hers. We have been planning for a few months now and I wanted to share some things I’ve learned in the process.

Abby’s Bachelorette Party Weekend! This was on the wine tour.

First off, if you are doing a weekend getaway it is best to invite only people you know to be reliable i.e. if they say they are going then they are going. We had a problem where a few people dropped out which led to us canceling our first Airbnb and paying a fee plus having to find a new spot to stay for the weekend. In the end it all worked out but for about a week we were a little stressed out over it! Another good rule of thumb is to not invite a ton of people –the more people you invite the more opinions you get and the more people you have to keep track of. Sometimes less is more and it will most likely be less stressful to please a smaller group of people than a big one.

Second, let the bride pick the place (or give a few ideas for places if she’s up for whatever) and also some things she’d like to do while there. For example, Abby picked T.C. and said she definitely wanted to do a wine tour and go to some breweries. We ended up booking a wine tour on Old Mission Peninsula and left a day open to go explore the area and check out the local breweries. We also added in a few things we knew she would love like brunch on the last day and a movie/game night in our Airbnb so that she could have a more relaxed night too.

Third, when you are going out of town (especially if you haven’t been there before) ask people who have been there for suggestions on hot spots to go/must see things in the area. We got some great information by asking around and most of the restaurants/bars we are going to are suggestions we got from other people. Trip Adviser is also a great reference for booking things like wine tours and restaurant reservations. Read the reviews; you won’t regret it!

Fourth, take care of your attendees. Since they are paying good money for a bachelorette weekend away they should be spoiled a little bit with something fun like a goody bag to say thank you for being here. Ours will include shot glasses, key chains, penis straws (obviously) and a few other fun things for the weekend. We are also providing the champagne, one breakfast and one lunch at our Airbnb which is a nice gesture since they will probably be spending decent money on dinner and drinks when we go out.

Fifth, make the hard decisions. This is your friend’s last big night out before she becomes a Mrs. which means that you need to take the responsibility of planning everything off of her shoulders. Brides can’t have fun if they are worried about the details. The other bridesmaid and I took initiative to plan this out. We set up a night to get together and go over our plan for the party. We each took responsibilities like booking the Airbnb and making the T-shirts to wear on the wine tour etc. We also planned who we would delegate what tasks to along with an itinerary for the weekend. Then after we hashed everything out I sent a semi-lengthy e-mail to all the attendees to notify them of the itinerary, costs, and what they are responsible for bringing. You are never going to please everybody but having a plan is better than getting a bunch of different opinions that may not have the bride’s best interest at heart.

Overall, it was actually a lot of fun to plan Abby’s Bachelorette Weekend in T.C. I think it helps when you really love the person and want them to have the best experience possible. It also helped having another person there planning with me to think of things I may have forgotten or to point out what’s too overboard and what’s just right. Hopefully this posts helps with any future party planning you do, whether it be a bachelorette party or a birthday getaway. Either way make sure there is champagne involved! Goodluck!

<3Ash

p.s. Try not to get the bride too drunk the first day! If she feels like crap the rest of the weekend she won’t enjoy herself as much… I may know this from experience 😉

Turning Twenty-Nine

Posted on by Ashley Mazur

Twenty-Nine wonderful years ago today I graced this Earth with my presence. That year my parents were a little irresponsible ringing in 1989, had a shot-gun wedding in May and I was here just after Labor Day. Next year we will celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary and subsequently my thirtieth birthday [insert crying emoji here].

Actual footage of me waking up next year on my birthday ;P

Just kidding.

I’m actually pretty excited to turn thirty. I’m not sure if it was growing up watching Jennifer Garner in “13 Going on 30,” but I’ve always thought there was something regal about being in your thirties. “Thirty, Flirty and Thriving,” she says to herself as a cloud of magic dust falls upon her and she wakes up seventeen years older with everything she thought she wanted at thirteen. Being thirty comes with a sense of know-how, class and sophistication that you just can’t pull off in your twenties. Every time I go to a winery with my friends or post on instagram about a great historical novel I feel like I’m being a poser. It might be the millennial in me but I’ve just gotten so used to people thinking I’m young and naive before they even hear a sentence come out of my mouth (I work in customer service). Regardless I am excited to finish out the last year of my twenties and enjoy being a “twenty-something” just a little while longer.

I can’t tell you guys what kind of blog posts you’ll find here because I honestly have no idea myself. They could range anywhere from an experience I’ve had recently to something I’ve been thinking about a lot, or even just a how-to if I’m trying something new. Either way, I promise I will try to be entertaining, helpful, (maybe) insightful, and hopefully you guys enjoy it! Please subscribe and comment on anything you find interesting! Thanks!