INFJ

Have you ever taken a personality test?

A few years back, I took the 16 Personalities Test and found out that I am INFJ.  The summary of my personality nailed me (at least I think so), saying that I am creative, insightful, inspiring and convincing, decisive, determined and passionate, altruistic, sensitive, extremely private (not sure how accurate this one is), perfectionistic, always need to have a cause and can burn out easily.  Yep.  This is me.

Photo: Emily Christopher

I'm sure this is where my need for a Bucket List comes into play.  My dreams turn into goals and if I don't feel like my life is counting each and every day, then I feel like I'm wasting away.  I'm not content to just live "the American dream".  I want to live an adventure.  I want my life to mean something.  And I'm not content to just have this for myself...I want it for those I care about.  This is a lot of the reason why I continue to blog about dreaming and traveling and bucket lists.  I want to inspire people to live the kind of life that they truly love.

I spend most of my days taking care of my home and myself, catching up with friends and family, growing with Ironman, running my small business and I sprinkle in my blog, Bible study and random things that pop up in my Calendar here and there.  I often find myself wanting to buckle down and work hard to achieve my goals, but at the same time, getting easily overwhelmed with all that it comes with.  It sometimes ends up being a constant battle...feeling down about not doing enough, but then freaking out when I do too much.  So, I usually have to take time to remind myself what truly matters to me so that I can stay focused and balanced.

Relationships always come first for me.  I would much rather be a great wife, daughter, sister and friend than stay busy working towards success.  And I don't need a lot of friends to be happy, just a few who I can trust and spend time with regularly.  With three sisters and a mother, I already have four built in best friends.  My dad and I are also very close and I would consider him one of my best friends.  Ironman, though...he is the ultimate, always there for me when I need him and the best husband I could have ever wished for.  I love that we can spend every waking moment together and not grow tired of each other.  As close as I am with my family, it sometimes makes me feel like I have little time for other friendships, but I do manage to work them in as much as possible because they are still important to me.  Over the years, though, I've had to learn a lot about friendships.  I would love to have a million friends (because I like so many people that I meet) and I want to spend time with all of them all the time, but because of how I am easily burned out, I have had to learn to set boundaries.

As I've learned more about myself, I honestly feel like it's helped me become a better version of me.  I see my strengths, but I also see my weaknesses and I'm constantly trying to improve in both areas.  I highly encourage you to take the 16 personalities test or another good one (tell me which one you take so I can try that one also).

Every person in the world is unique.  There is only one you.  Be you.  Be the best version of you.

9 THINGS TO DO, SEE AND EAT IN BEAUFORT

While vacationing in Hilton Head a few weeks back, Ironman and I decided to make a day trip to Beaufort.  Growing up, my grandparents usually kept their boat in the downtown marina, so I have been here many times, but it's been a few years.  I like to think of it as a smaller version of Savannah. There is great food, cute shops, lots of history and plenty to see.  So, here are 9 things that I recommend you see, do and eat the next time you head that way!

1.  Find the mermaid and pose for a photo.  It's located right beside a museum, so you can step in right after!

2.  Take a walk down by the marina.

3.  Stop and enjoy the swings, while you're at it.

4.  Take a horse drawn carriage tour.

 5.  Stop in The Chocolate Tree and take a bite.  This was Tom Hanks favorite place and his "box of chocolates" in Forest Gump was filled here!

6.  Stroll down Beaufort's Rainbow Row.  Downtown is full of quiet streets and beautiful old homes.  It seemed strange that people live in these places that are full of history and part of the tours. I ended up feeling like I was intruding as I admired their homes and yards (especially when they caught me looking).

 7.  Shop 'til you drop.  The downtown area is full of cute boutiques and great restaurants.

8.  Take lots of photos.  We are trying to decide how to do our own front yard landscaping, so this day trip gave us lots of great inspiration and had us wishing our yard was full of live oaks!

9.  Drop in Bay St. Treasures.  It doesn't look like much from the outside, but the inside is full of unique treasures that you'll want to take home!

Beaufort is definitely a neat little city that we want to come back to in the future when we have more time.  I would love to stay in a Bed and Breakfast downtown and see more of the surrounding area.  

6 STEPS TO NATURALLY BEAUTIFUL SKIN

Did you know that our skin soaks up everything we put on it, both harmful and beneficial?  Men and women will do just about anything to have a youthful appearance, but many of the lotions and creams and serums are raising our risk of cancer and disease because of their toxic, synthetic ingredients.  I've even read that many ingredients that are said to prevent wrinkles are actually increasing them.  Ain't nobody got time for that!  

Asian women have some of the most beautiful skin in all the world.  They work hard for their amazing complexions by using up to 18 products per day just on their face!!!  Since most people (including me) don’t have the time or money for that, we have another suggestion: “Less is more”…here are six easy steps, using my favorite Young Living products, for a beautiful, radiant glow…cleanse, exfoliate, tone, restore, moisturize and refine!!!

1.  CLEANSE.  I really love the both the ART Gentle Cleanser and Orange Blosom Facial Wash, but if I had to choose one, I would go with the Orange because it smells like a smoothie if your shower.

2.  EXFOLIATE (twice per week).  The Satin Facial Scrub is amazing because it gently exfoliates, without stripping my skin, and leaves a nice, clean glow.

3.  TONE.  This is also great in the morning when you don't want to wash with soap, just add a little to a cotton round and give your face a swipe.  The ART Refreshing Toner is my favorite...or just plain old Witch Hazel!

4.  RESTORE.  This steps really makes a huge difference in my skin tone and appearance of tiny wrinkles creeping up on me.  I was slack for a while and just got back to using the ART Renewal Serum and can tell big time!  I've read that in the summer when it's so hot and humid, it can replace your regular moisturizer.

5.  MOISTURIZE.  There are several options here, but my favorite is Sheerlume because it visibly brightens my skin, without leaving me feeling greasy or causing me to break out.

6.  REFINE.  This is my favorite step to do, while I take a nice, long, hot bath and read a book.  I use the scrub mentioned above first, leave for about 10 minutes, wash it off and then slather a tiny amount of the ART Creme Mask and leave from 10 minutes to even overnight at times!

EXTRAS

Rose Ointment.  This is a must have for dry skin, rough skin, lips, cuticles, irritated or itchy skin and so much more.  Basically, if you have skin, you need a jar of this.

Wolfberry Eye Cream.  Perfect for the delicate skin around the eyes!

Lavender Lip Balm.  This stuff if my absolute favorite.  I love how it feels and looks on my lips.  Plus, it stays on for a long time so I don't have to continuously be reapplying!

So, here I am without makeup...I took this selfie this morning after a walk with my sister!  My skin still has some issues, but has really improved since I began using this Young Living regime I shared with you (I learned from the pros at the 2014 Young Living International Convention).  My oil has decreased, acne has gone down, less blackheads, the tone and color is more even and I don't really have many wrinkles yet.  I decided long ago that I'd rather spend money on quality products for my skin, than spend all that money on makeup.  Instead of hiding my bad skin, I want to be proud of my natural face and be confident enough to leave my house without makeup anytime I need to go out.

If you have some questions, just shoot me an email.  Or if you'd like to try this amazing 6 step protocol listed above, click my link here and I'll hook you up!  Be sure to leave my enroller and sponsor id in the boxes so that I can be your go to girl and answer your millions of questions :)  Still want more info?  Click here to read more about my personal story with Young Living Essential Oils.

16 THINGS TO DO, SEE AND EAT IN HILTON HEAD

Although we travel a lot, we rarely get a restful, just the two of us, type vacation.  Usually we are visiting friends and family or traveling for business.  The last time we took a week-long vacation for just us was almost 6 years ago!  So, one of our goals for this year was to go on a trip together, without inviting anyone else along or visiting anyone else during our getaway.  We had a great time and know that we need to do this more often.  

Groupon had a great deal on the Sonesta Resort in Hilton Head, so we chose to go there based on my mom and sister loving the place.  We weren't disappointed, so I wanted to share a few things that I would recommend the next time you take a vacation in Hilton Head!

1.  Go shopping at the Tanger Outlets.

2.  Eat dinner at Holy Tequila, the best mexican restaurant we have ever been to!  The atmosphere was quiet and relaxing, with a live guitarist every single night.

3.  Take a walk (or run) on the beach.

4.  Eat at Poseidon.

5.  Go explore Pinckney Island...you might even catch a glimpse of a gator!

6.  Stop by Healthy Habit (as often as possible) for juices, smoothies and chopped salads.

7.  Grab a burger at CharBar.  Bonus?  Get sweet potato tots on the side.

8.  Rent a bike for the day.  We biked for 7 hours and covered 27 miles, stopping along the way to check things out and eat.  It was definitely an adventure!

9.  Stock up at Fresh Market and Whole Foods.

10.  Enjoy Tapas at Wise Guys.

11.  Drive over to Savannah for the day.  Even better...hop on a trolley to get around town, while learning history!

12.  Pick up some books and grab a coffee at Barnes and Noble for a relaxing afternoon.

13.  Grab some Italian and Trattoria Divina.

14.  Head over to Beaufort for the day.

15.  Eat breakfast at The Hilton Head Diner as many times as possible.

16.  Take lots of photos to document all the memories you're making!

Have you been to Hilton Head and got something I should add to my list?  Share with me in the comments below!

2 ESSENTIAL OILS THAT EVERY TRAVELER NEEDS

As you know, I love to travel.  Another thing you may know about me, is that I love to live simply.  However, when packing for a trip, it is easy to overpack when wondering, "what if I need this?", "what if it's hot?", "what if it' cold?", "what if we go to a fancy restaurant?" and a million other things that I imagine might happen.  I try to only pack what I really need.   And just like my clothes, I also want to keep my toiletries to a minimum.  This includes my essential oils stash.

San Francisco Airport

Ever since we fell in love with Young Living Essential Oils, my mom has said that if she had to chose two oils, it would be Peppermint and Lavender.  She swears by these two oils and says that they cover pretty much everything.  Although I'd love to take all my oils with me when I travel, I find that I have actually adopted her theory.  In my purse, I always carry Peppermint and Lavender for the day to day.  But, now when I travel, these have also become my go-to oils.

Let me share a few reasons why I love these oils:

Peppermint...ahh Peppermint.
1.  Bad breath and not near my toothbrush?  Swipe a little bit on my tongue to freshen my breath.
2.  Adding a drop to my water helps with breath and keeps me energized.
3.  Rubbing a drop behind my ears helps me wake up.
4.  Massaging a drop or two into anything sore, swollen or aching...this is great during long, uncomfortable flights.
5.  When I feel nauseated, this oil is a life saver and helps me keep it all down.
6.  Bad smells from fellow travelers?  Peppermint freshens everything up really fast.
7.  Burning up?  This oil will cool you down in seconds.
8.  Tension and pounding in my head?  Peppermint relieves pressure right away.
9.  When traveling, I usually encounter some tummy troubles.  Peppermint is my go-to.  Rub it on my belly and I'm good to go.

Lavender.  It didn't get it's nickname "Swiss Army Knife of Essential Oils" for nothing!
1.  Sometimes when I am out in the sun and using sunscreen, I get these weird bumps on my chest....Lavender always calm it down within 24 hours!
2.  Can't sleep on the plane?  I put a drop in my eye mask and sniffed my way to sweet dreams.
3.  Can't sleep in a strange bed?  I massage a drop into the bottoms of my feet and wipe a little across my pillow...problem solved!
4.  Too much sun?  Lavender is great to relieve the heat and color.
5.  It's also a good oil for any scrapes or cuts from too much adventure.
6.  Tense or stressed while out of your comfort zone?  Just swipe some Lavender on your wrists, back of neck and take a sniff...you'll feel yourself begin to relax.

Do you see what I mean?  These two oils cover everything.  These are just the ways that I used them in the last week in Hawaii...15 uses in seven days with just two oils!

But I can't stop there.  Let's do a bonus round.

Another Young Living product that every traveler could use it Rose Ointment!

My view in Oahu last week!

Rose Ointment was a life saver for me in Hawaii:
1.  Weird skin issues or breakouts?  Dab on some Rose Ointment and watch them disappear overnight.
2.  Remove eye makeup without all the pulling and tugging in that delicate area.
3.  All the salt and sun dried out my skin, so I used this balm on my nails to avoid hangnails...I also used it on my heels, toes, elbows and face for some dry patches.
4.  It was great for cuts and scrapes after surviving Mermaid Cave.
5.  The bugs loved me but I hate them.  I dabbed this stuff on the itchy spots.
6.  To my dismay, I ran out of my Lavender Lip Balm, but was excited to find out this Ointment works well on my lips too!
7.  It's even great to wipe through ends of dried out locks.

And one final item and then I promise I'm done.  I know, I know...I'm a liar, I said "two essential oils" and have tacked on two products, but I just can't resist.

My "stay awake and alert" secret

Ningxia Red.  Just call this Ninja Juice, ok?
1.  This is the highest antioxidant product on the market so, as I'm soaking up the rays, my skin is staying young.  Win win.
2.  It also really helps with energy.  After the time zones get you all out of whack and when you're exhausted but still aren't back home yet, this stuff is the bomb.
3.   And for those of us who struggle with tummy troubles when away from home, this is a go to.

So, whether you're a traveler, or a minimalist, or a busy business owner, or a mom with a million kids...these essential oils and products can really make your load lighter, while covering more.  Less but better.  I like that.

Check out 11 essential oils that you need today or get more of my personal essential oils story!

Want some of your own?  Click my personal link HERE to get yours and shoot me a message to let me know so that we can connect!  I've got an online education group for you and often have in person classes and events for those who are local!  I promise you'll fall in love with your oils, just like I did!