Spring feels like a fresh start and reset, especially when you declutter your closet. I'm sharing what is trending for fashion this year that you'll need in your spring closet to update your style to be more modern. Being truly stylish is having that closet where you always feel like you made an effort for any occasion. I want to look cute for me, because when I feel like I look horrible, then I feel terrible, and my energy drops. Here are some ways to look more fashion forward while refreshing your closet.  I like to look like a woman who has an effortless look without displaying designer logos. If you want to elevate your style and look on trend, here are some tips for a minimal, classic, chic style. 

Over the last few years I've tried many different alcohol alternatives during Dry January and have created a roundup of my favorites! You can enjoy a drink minus the buzz on weeknights with these delicious drinks. I recommend keeping them on hand to have better options for your dinner guests who don't drink alcohol. I serve these in fun cocktail glasses to make the drink festive. I promise you won't miss the booze with these! 

My blog is now 10 years old!  I would like to take a little time to reflect on its journey. It's truly genuinely my passion to share the ideas that I love, must buy products, interesting books, fashion trends and anything useful that I run across because I'm hoping it will add value to your life.

I love photography and enjoyed scouting locations for photoshoots back in the day. In the early days of blogging I remember going to blogger meetups and meeting other local bloggers, I even had a business card for my blog then. Back in the day people used to leave lots of comments on blog posts so it was a much more social venue. Now I'm starting to see bloggers abandon their blogs to focus on other avenues like IG, tiktok and youtube. I want to thank those of you who still come to my blog every week as I feel like blogs are falling out of favor and nobody is reading them anymore. I've been doing a lot of work on the back end of this blog to make it better. At the beginning of the year I tried publishing more often but that didn't result in people returning more often so I'm going back to publishing less often. I've been thinking about starting an email newsletter so you can be notified about new posts since bloglovin went out of business. 

I’ve been to 75 countries and I’m happiest when I’m heading out on an adventure into the unknown. I think you should search relentlessly until you find what lights you up inside, what makes you smile your most genuine and happy smile and then never, ever let it go. For me, that’s travel and I’ve always prioritized it in my budget. My last couple international trips have been solo trips and I truly believe that cool energy brings cool people into your life. When you're fearless and open to anything it attracts the best things possible. When you get outside of your bubble and travel alone magical things start to happen because there's nothing to interrupt the flow, thus you bump into people more easily. As a solo traveler you're able to follow intuition about what to do and where to go next. I try to see all situations in a positive light rather than in a negative way. Good energy attracts good energy!

Writing down my travel bucketlist is a reminder of everywhere I want to go but the only problem is that this travel bucketlist grows faster than I can tick off the destinations. While I have been to many places there are so many places left to travel. At the bottom of this post I’ve linked my previous travel bucketlists so it’s fun to see what I have accomplished and what is still on the list. You can use the Travel drop down menu at the top of my blog to see all of my travel posts. I continue to play the points game with travel credit cards so I can spend less while I travel more. Here's my top 10 list!

Project Pan is a challenge to finish makeup/skincare/ haircare products to get your money's worth. You know how if you use enough blush or eyeshadow you eventually "hit pan" and see the metal in the middle. This way you're not letting things go to waste and expire. It teaches you how long it takes you to go through an item and this will help to mold your shopping habits. For instance, you don't need to buy another blush when you already own 10 when you know it would take a whole year to go through a blush. This project should not be a punishment, rather it's an experiment for 12 months to get the full value and enjoyment out of things you already own. 

On Black Friday I purchased an annual Audiobooks subscription for $137 so $11.42 a month when if I were to purchase a single audiobook it would be  $20-36. For comparison Audible Premium is $15 a month, only with premium can you get new releases or books people have actually heard of. Sometimes the line at the library is so long and they take back the audiobook when your time is up so I thought it would be easier for me to get a membership and this way I'm guaranteed to read/listen 12 books this year. I listen to books while I walk down the street.  I think I will only do this for memoirs because for fictional books I really need to sit down and read to get a grasp for all the characters involved. On my wishlist to read this year are the following memoirs by Pamela Anderson, Paulina Porizkova, and Anne Heche. Last year I listened to Viola Davis' memoir which I highly recommend! 

Here's a comprehensive list of the most BingeWorthy TV in my opinion. These are all shows that have come out in the last 3 months. I know everyone is watching Wednesday (the Addams family) but here are some other good shows not to miss. 

Pamela, a Love Story releases Jan 31

Netflix describes it as an intimate and humanizing portrait of one of the world’s most famous blonde bombshells and follows the trajectory of Pamela Anderson’s life and career from small-town girl to international sex symbol, actor, activist and doting mother.

Last year Hulu had the miniseries Pam & Tommy which Pam claims to have not watched and wanted to release her own story. The hulu show followed the story of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee's relationship, going back to their whirlwind romance that started with them marrying after only knowing each other for 96 hours in 1995 and how their infamous tape was stolen. I also highly recommend watching The Dirt on netflix to learn more about Tommy. Pamela is now 55 and even though she has had quite a few plastic surgeries she said she will never get botox so she is aging naturally in Hollywood. I hope the documentary discusses her relationship with  Julian Assange as she used to go visit him while he was holed up at the Ecuadorian embassy in the UK.

Charleston is the most charming small town I've visited! From the scent of the blooming jasmine everywhere in May, cobblestone streets, charming historic district, amazing restaurants,  elaborate flower window boxes, waterfront views, pastel colored homes, moss-laden oaks and palm trees galore this Southern city stole my heart! Downtown was extremely walkable and easy to get around and I also rode the public bus which happened to be free the month I was there.  

Charleston is called The Holy City because it has 180 churches.  For ethical reasons I chose not to visit a plantation. Charleston is a beautiful city in the low country with pretty parks, beaches, has southern hospitality and incredible architecture. If you love photography, there are many Instagrammable spots in Charleston! Take a walk around the The Battery to see all the grand estates from the 17th and 18th centuries. I made a list of the best photo spots for you so you can have fun exploring this quintessential southern charm of a city.