As we enter the last full week of January, I wanted to check in with myself and see if I was holding true to the resolutions I had set for myself. For the most part, I can honestly say I have been doing so much better with keeping up on my weekly yoga schedule and mixing in other workouts (other than the ones I teach). As for the traveling, you probably saw my last blog post and that I traveled up to Vermont for a weekend trip! That was awesome and so much fun. And to keep the traveling ball rolling, my friends and I just booked a trip to Nashville for the beginning of March! I have never been to Nashville, but I am SO excited! I LOVE LOVE LOVE country music and that whole atmosphere. Taking traveling one step at a time is great, because then you're always looking forward to the next trip you have planned.
       The only resolution I am really slacking on is the self care one. Self care is probably the most important one. As I finish up my last week at my full time job, I have planned out all of the self care tasks I am going to do next week when I finally have time to do them. I hate blaming things not getting done because of running out of time, but sometimes it just feels like there isn't enough time in the day to do everything you want to do. I feel as though for a lot of people, not only me, your own self care is the first thing to go out the window when you have a lot of things to do. I decided to really focus on the self care resolution this week, so I stopped at the grocery store on my way home from work last night and got some epsom salt, and a face mask. I finally had a moment to myself last night and took a nice epsom salt bath and gave myself a face mask. It felt amazing and is definitely something I am going to try to keep up with weekly.

HOW ARE YOU DOING WITH YOUR RESOLUTIONS?

         Per my last blog post, I stated that I wanted to travel more this year. I fortunately, started the year out strong by going to Vermont this past weekend. First of all, it may have been the coldest it gets up there and it was still an enjoyable weekend. Second of all, I have some tips and tricks and some inside info, that you might want to know if you happen to travel up to Stowe, VT. 

WHERE I STAYED:
I stayed at The Butler House, which is an Inn in the downtown part of Stowe. Each room in it is like your own apartment. It's recently renovated and beautifully done. I love staying here because it is conveniently located right in the center of downtown. It's perfect if you are looking to shop around or walk around, and it's only a quick 15 minute drive away from Mount Mansfield. In the summer, its a perfect place to stay too because it is right on the bike trail and river that both flow through Stowe.  Now, I am not biased, but the building is owned by my uncle, and my cousin is the Head Chef of the breakfast place located right under the apartments; The Butler's Pantry. This is the best breakfast done in Stowe. The menu caters to all breakfast options and everything tastes INCREDIBLE. 

Check out their reviews on trip advisor, yelp & facebook (see I'm not biased, everyone thinks its amazing!):
Trip Advisor (Ranked #1 For Restaurants in Stowe): here
YELP: here
Facebook: here

My boyfriend and I decided to go out and explore a little bit. We ended up at the TopNotch resort and then at the Stowe Mountain lodge (Pictured above). The mountain was freezing, but so beautiful. You forget how big it is until you're standing at the bottom of it, looking straight up at those trails going straight down. The TopNotch resort was lovely, and if it was a clearer day we would be able to look at the mountain from the restaurant. The Stowe Mountain Lodge, was beautiful located right on the mountain. It had a super cozy feel, with a giant fire place and wide open window opening up to the mountain. Plus, they had a hot chocolate bar, my heaven. 

It was such a nice break being able to get away for the weekend. If you want to head up to Stowe, VT feel free to reach out and ask any questions about what to do, where to stay, where to eat etc. 

​If you're looking for more info on the Butler house click here. 

P.S. my cousins got a puppy and I was in heaven. Her name is Nellie and she's the cutest little nugget. 

     Its about that time. That time where you look at a New Year like a blank slate, like a fresh start. I love the thought of new beginnings and new goals. There is one part about all this new-ness that I don't like. I don't think the new year should bring a "new you", I think it should stay the same you, but achieving those goals that you set. Maybe the new year brings a more complete you, but don't write off everything you have already worked towards. This is a great time to reflect on what you have already accomplished in life, take a deep breath, and then continue that forward momentum into the new year and set higher goals. 
    I am a very goal-oriented person and personally love setting goals to achieve. This year, along with some goals I set, I also wanted to add resolutions or rituals to add to my routine. For example, self-care. SELF-CARE is SO IMPORTANT and not something to be overlooked. My goal is to be overall better about taking care of my body and myself. How am I going to do this? I am going to commit and hold myself accountable. I beat myself up teaching multiple spin classes a week, so now I am going to vow to mix in at least two extra classes a week of cross-training. One class has to be a yoga class, and one class a different form of cardio than spin (boxing, kickboxing, running etc.). Another self-care goal is to take one epsom salt bath a week, and to get one massage a month. This goal can be tough because financially, massages can be hard to swing. However, I feel as though it is necessary for taking care of my body and will find a way to work it into my budget. With these self-care rituals, I will fall into a routine of taking better care of my body and it will have short and long term benefits. 
    Another resolution I am committing to is: traveling more. Traveling can mean just about going anywhere besides my bed. I find that I am exhausted a lot and tend to not want to leave my bed when I finally have a day off or time to myself. I want to use this time more wisely and take more day trips to surrounding places and explore more. I love new adventures, but I never have time to do anything. I am going to MAKE time (meaning cut out some naps and netflix), and take more trips to places that can be easily accessed from Boston, MA. This is easier said than done, but I'm starting out the new year strong and heading up to Stowe, VT for a 3 day weekend this coming weekend and I can't wait! 
    With that being said, take this new year and run head first into it. Get excited, have fun, plan a trip, go crazy! 

What are some new years resolutions you have planned for yourself?