My Peace Love Life

The 10 Must-Read Books of Summer

8/7/2019

Ahhhh summer.
I don't know about you and your summer plans, but for me, I like to put in some serious reading time! And I am always searching for that next great summer beach/hammock/airplane/bathtub/porch read...

If that sounds like you (and if this place looks like the closest thing to Heaven on Earth to you [and yes, this is a real place, it is inside a mechanic shop back in Navarre, Ohio]) then get excited, because I have here for you 10 of my favorite summer reading material that will be sure to keep you company all summer long!

The Arsonist by Stephanie Oaks
The skillful way this author weaves together historical fiction with the modern day story of two young people each searching for something, absolutely and completely blew my mind! I could not put this book down! The Arsonist by Stephanie Oaks is a gripping, heart-pounding, jaw-dropping, must-read that will leave you gasping out loud!

Nights of Rain and Stars by Maeve Binchy
When I picture summer, I think of travel. Nights of Rain and Stars gripped me because it truly brought alive those beautiful emotions that only travel can bring out.

The Rope by Nevada Barr
The Rope is a great whodunit, but with the added twist of howdunit, and whydunit! An intense and thrilling read that I highly recommend for anyone who loves the creepy and mysterious.

The Testament by John Grisham
What an entertaining story! I was enthralled, enraptured, and so entertained from this book's exciting beginning, all the way through to its satisfying ending. This is a story so different from all other books I have ever read!

A Walk Across the Sun by Corban Addison
Corban Addison is a newer author with only four novels to date, but he quickly made it on to my list of favorite authors with his book "A Walk Across the Sun" (definitely read his other three books as well!). It is inevitable that I will end up sobbing uncontrollably while reading any Corban Addison book, and A Walk Across the Sun was no different. This fictional book tackles the very real and daunting subject of human trafficking-the global trade in human beings. In preparation for this book, the author actually traveled to India and spent time with a human rights agency that combats forced prostitution, interviewed investigators who roam the red light districts looking for tips about minor girls, met children who were rescued from exploitation, and actually went undercover in a brothel. Says Corban about this experience, "At the end of my trip, I went undercover into the brothels of Mumbai. Behind closed doors and drawn shades, I met girls who were not free to leave. I will never forget shaking the brothel owner’s hand after I declined to make a purchase. In our world of shifting shadows, the face of evil is often hard to discern. But I saw it that night. Then I came home and wrote the story." This is not a light beach read, you will cry, but it is such an important subject, written so incredibly, you will not be able to put it down.

The Rules by Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie
This psychological thriller was, to my delight, reminiscent of one of the best selling mystery novels of all time, "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie. When reading "And Then There Were None" I could not get enough of the terrifying notion of being stranded with ten strangers, all of whom are being picked off one by one by an unknown murderer-presumably one of you! That to me, is the absolute height of terror, and one of the most exciting things you could read! So when I began to read The Rules, I could hardly believe my eyes! The Rules definitely followed all the rules of a great terrifying thriller!

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
I have been crazy about the Jurassic Park movies since I was a kid, and was so stoked to finally be reading the book! The book (per usual) goes into so much more detail than the movie, and I was ecstatic to be discovering these new details! Both the process of how they make the dinosaurs, and Ian Malcom's Chaos Theory, are explained in such wonderful detail that I had a whole new understanding of both subjects, as well as Jurassic Park as a whole! This book is packed full of a crazy amount of things that weren't included in the movie, as well as a completely different ending! You think you know Jurassic Park? You're wrong!
I can't wait to read the second book!

Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
I absolutely adore this book! I have read it three times already, and don't plan on stopping there! To me, Eat Pray Love is a quintessential summer read-travel, self discovery, love, adventure, it really has it all! Each time I've read this inspirational true story, it speaks to me. Each time speaking something different, and every time giving me all the emotions. I know one of the reasons that this book speaks so loud to me, is that I myself have traveled the world, doing several solo trips. I think this book brings back to me those feelings that only being a solo female traveler can give you. This book will give you confidence, self-realization, and a heaping dose of wanderlust!

The Sex Lives of Cannibals by J. Maarten Troost
This book entertained and thrilled me to no end, telling about far off lands and grand adventures! The author's wit and writing style is something absolutely wonderful on its own. I laughed out loud at this true and hilarious account of two expats living in Tarawa, a remote South Pacific Island in the Republic of Kiribati. If you've ever wanted to just pack up your life and move to a deserted island, pick up this book and live vicariously through Maarten and his girlfriend Sylvia, as they navigate a completely new world and way of life.

The Great Brain Series by John D Fitzgerald
I have been reading and re-reading every book in the Great Brain series since I was a kid. They are young adult books but are super entertaining, with tons of heart. These are great quick feel-good reads.

Peace Love and The Books of Summer
Jess <3

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Make the most of your Summer, with help from New York Weekend Breaks

7/12/2019

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Make the most of your Summer, with help from New York Weekend Breaks

Ok ya'll, how is your summer so far?!
Since today is officially the beginning of the third week of Summer, I just thought I would check in with you! Are you drinking enough water? Wearing sunscreen every day?
Are you making the most of your summer?
Because not only is Fall ten short weeks away, but you all know why I love July-it is the start to the second half of the year! The first half of the year is over now, and you know that the second half will go even faster! So make sure you are making the most of it!

Don't you wish adults got summer vacation? Me too!
So even though we don't have a summer vacation, and a lot of us don't even have the vacation days to go on an extended trip, we can still have a fabulous summer weekend trip! To...you guessed it, New York City!

New York City can be the perfect weekend getaway. Remember a couple summers ago when my mom, my sister, and I spent 14 hours in New York City? Such a blast! And in such a short amount of time, we saw and did a crazy amount of things!
So I can only imagine what a magical time could be had in a full weekend.

New York City however, can be quite daunting (this coming from a girl who traveled to China by herself!)-enter New York Weekend Breaks!
New York Weekend Breaks is the absolute go-to New York City website. It is the most thorough, and my favorite NYC site I have seen yet.

New York Weekend Breaks .com has the insider tips on restaurants, hotels, nightlife, culture, and attractions, even transportation.

Are you ready to plan your three day NYC Weekend Break? Perfect! Let's begin by checking out the 3 Day Itinerary page on New York Weekend Breaks. This page is the perfect place to start when you begin to plan your trip. This page already has three days in New York City perfectly planned out for you! Including how much time needed at each attraction! You can just print out this page and have your entire 3 days in New York planned, or if you want to customize your trip a bit more, use my favorite part, the Trip Planner!

New York Weekend Breaks' Trip Planner lets you build your perfect customized vacay by saving any content in the site on to the the Trip Planner page, so you can have access to your entire New York itinerary at any time!

Next time I visit New York City I will definitely be staying longer than 14 hours, and I will definitely be using New York Weekend Breaks to plan my entire trip (you can even book your flight and hotel directly on the home page!).

So are you ready for your summer vacation?! Start planning today at
www.newyorkweekendbreaks.com

*Huge thank you to New York Weekend Breaks for sponsoring this post! The content and opinions expressed here are all my own.*

Peace Love and New York Weekend Breaks
Jess <3

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My Summer 2019 Thrift Store Haul

6/14/2019

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By now you guys all know what a fashion-cheap-sta I am (did I just make up a new word right now, or is this already a thing?!). I love clothes, shoes, accessories, and hair and makeup, but I also am all about saving (and making and investing) money!
I am not the most comfortable person in front of a video camera, but I really wanted to make a haul video for you guys, my own kind of haul video-a thrift store haul video!
So check out my Summer 2019 Thrift Store Haul video below, with pictures following.

I hope you guys liked it! I wasn't tooo awkward in front of the camera was I? If you enjoyed it please give it a like and subscribe to my Youtube channel thaaanks!
And a very special thank you to Rocco for his adorable appearance!

The $54.90 Akira skirt that I nabbed for only $3.00.

My $1.00 clip on earrings that I am obsessed with!

Shop my earrings here! They're not $1, but still great deals!

My $.50 cardigan that matches perfectly the Bob Dylan pillow that is for sale on my Etsy Shop hint hint.

Who doesn't love espadrilles? And for only $2.00, I'm obsessed!

I got this whole thrift store haul in one fell swoop at my favorite thrift store while visiting my family in Ohio last month. My Mom flew me back to attend our family reunion, but I made almost a week long event of it. I had a marvelous time seeing all my relatives, and my parents and I had the most wonderful time eating at little local diners, and shopping at antique stores, flea markets, and thrift stores. My wonderful Father footed the bill for this thrift store excursion (as well as all my food), he's just the greatest!
You can see me in my black and white $3.00 dress above, with most of my crazy cousins (there's a few missing, there's I believe 31 of us)!

And all that for about $12.50! Aren't thrift store finds just the greatest?!
So what are you waiting for? Grab a twenty dollar bill and some friends, and head out to your local thrift store to stock up on your new (used) summer wardrobe!

Peace Love and Thrift Stores
Jess <3

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Money Management Mondays Part 18; Redefine your Birthday List

5/17/2019

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Money Management Mondays Part 18; Redefine your Birthday List

Greetings dear and wonderful readers! Thank you so much for stopping in and reading the blog today! It is true that I have not been posting as much as I used to (oh the days where I posted once a week! And now it's down to only once a month!), but this is as much as I am able to post for now with all that is going on in my life, so I am ok with that! But if you simply can not get enough of me, and you must have more of My Peace Love Life, why not check out some of My Favorite Posts? These start all the way back at the beginning (including my first post!), and you have 15 pages of posts to read, if that doesn't keep you busy I don't know what will! Or how about re-reading all of my previous 17 Money Management Mondays (posted below)?!
As for me, here are some of the things that have been keeping me busy;

-Tatty Zaps
Tatty Zaps, otherwise known as our tattoo shop that we opened last year! Nick has been doing a fabulous job of running the business, but I get to help with the social media aspect of it, and the finances, which has kept me pretty busy.
-Work
I have a lot of finance based goals for myself this year (including pay off my credit cards, which I did in March[!], and have $3,000 in an emergency fund [which I now am over halfway to!]), so it was important to me to keep working outside the shop, no matter if it is doing good or bad. So I have been working my normal waitress job, as well as working as a cater waiter, and doing focus groups whenever I can!
-Instagram
I have been doing a great job of keeping up with my Instagram page lately, and am loving doing it! I am very excited to keep growing my Instagram.
-My book
Yes I am writing a book! This has been taking up a lot of my time and energy lately, but I am just so excited about it, I am loving writing it! I am not exactly sure when it will be ready, but I do know that it will be released this year, so keep your eye on here and my Instagram page to be kept in the loop!
-Nick LaPinta
My husband turned 30 on Wednesday, so we of course celebrated his Birthday then and had a wonderful time, but I have been planning something else for him as well! With our business and our finances as they are, we knew that we couldn't do anything big on his actual Birthday, so I have been planning for some time now a big 30th Birthday surprise for the end of the year. I can't tell you what it is, because duh it's a surprise! But stay tuned for later this year to find out!
-Etsy
I have been making my wonderful t-shirt pillows and selling them on my Etsy Shop the last couple months. I have also just recently begun selling my pinup pictures on there too.

1. Don't own a smart phone.
2. Don't have a car payment.
3. Don't smoke cigarettes.
4. Don't play the lottery.
5. Purchase my Financial E-Course.
6. Live Cheaply
7. Be Positive about Your Money.
8. Financial Course.
9. Decide what is important to you.
10. Simplify Your Christmas Shopping.
11. Save (and Roll) Your Change.
12. Don't Drink a lot.
13. Keep Track of Everything you Buy for an Entire Month.
14. The No Spend Month.
15. My #1 Secret to Saving Money for Travel.
16. Don't Make Excuses.
17. Don't play the bank's games.

And now for #18 in my Money Management Monday Series; Redefine Your Birthday List.

You remember how when you were younger, adults would ask you what you wanted for your Birthday (or Christmas, or Hannukah, or Easter, or whatever), and you would immediately answer enthusiastically about the latest toy or hot wheel or doll you wanted? Now as an adult when someone asks what you want for your birthday you probably think something like, "How about you pay my rent, buy me a new alternator for my car, or help me out with some of my student loans?!" You of course don't say these things, and instead mumble an unenthusiastic, "I dunno." Sound like you?
Well today on our Money Management Monday, I want you to redefine your Birthday list (and Christmas list, and Hannukah list, and Easter list), to not only save you some money, but to actually have an answer when someone asks what you want!
My husband and I, along our Money Management quest have discovered a way to redefine our Birthday lists, to save us a ton of money over the years, as well as answer that pesky and ever-present "What do you want for your Birthday?" question. Today is a very simple Money Management Monday. Here it is!

I keep a special notebook in my desk, and whenever I realize that Nick or I need anything, I immediately write it down in the book. Whenever I catch myself thinking, "I would really like to have this or that", I write it down in the book! Once you start doing this, I think it will surprise you the amount of items you have written down, it did me! Then whenever I get asked by someone what Nick or I want for our Birthday, I just pull out this list, and I have a very specific, good amount of present ideas to give them!

Making these lists has drastically cut down on the amount of things Nick and I purchase for ourselves, thus cutting down drastically the amount of money we spend!
Here are some examples of things we have received for gifts, and didn't have to spend any money on;

-I no longer spend money on cds (yes I still listen to cds) or records (yes I collect records), or dvds (yes we still watch dvds).
Whatever cd just came out that I want, I ask for it for Christmas! I love love love opening cds!
-An umbrella.
I lost my cheap little umbrella before moving to Atlanta, and soon found out that when you live in a city and walk a lot, you need an umbrella! So I added it to my list, and for Christmas my Mom bought me one of those super awesome reversible umbrellas, and whenever I use it people are always jealous of it!
-Most of our kitchen appliances.
I don't know about you, but spending my hard earned money on any kitchen appliance does not make me happy! We fortunately got most of our kitchen appliances as gifts when we got married (which was awesome!), but anytime we've needed any other appliance we just ask for it! And our families are really good about buying us fun new appliances that we haven't even had to chance to ask for!
-Socks.
I can not even remember the last time Nick or I bought socks. We always get them as gifts, and as an adult, I love getting socks! I'm not the only one am I?
-My sewing machine.
-Clothing, accessories, and shoes.
I don't usually even ask for clothing, accessories, or shoes, but my family always gets them for me (and I always love what they buy [they know me so good!]), cutting out the need for me to go out and buy lots of clothes, shoes, or accessories throughout the year.
-A French press coffee pot.
After I dropped and broke mine, my Mom swooped in and saved the day by buying me another one for Christmas!
-Home decor items I want, office supplies, plants (real and fake!), car parts, bedding, and lots more! Though you can take it too far-my family still makes fun of me for when I asked for toilet paper and canned goods as gifts right before we moved to Atlanta! Hahaha live and learn!

So what do you think, are you ready to whip out your own notebook (or a new notes in your phone) and start redefining your Birthday list? And Christmas is really just around the corner, so why not be prepared for that too?

Peace Love and Money Management
Jess <3

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Where to Stay in Mui Ne, Vietnam- Full Moon Village Resort

4/11/2019

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As most of you who read this blog know, about six months back the husband and I spent two glorious weeks in sunny Vietnam!
The first week was spent attending the yoga and mindfulness retreat with saigon om. I wrote all about this life-changing retreat if you would like to read that.
The retreat was in Mui Ne, Vietnam and was held at the fabulous Full Moon Village Resort.
If you are traveling to South Vietnam, this place is a can't miss!
Here's why you need to book your room at Full Moon now;

Ok first let's start with the room! And when I say room, I mean an entire villa! To ourselves! Completely fenced in! With an outdoor hot tub! Yeah this is it right here!

As you can see, to say this space is luxurious is an understatement indeed!

And housekeeping is wonderful!

Pretty romantic huh?!

And don't even get me started on this pool...too late! You got me started!
But for real, have you ever seen a more luxurious pool?! And let's face it, at least half of a resort's must-stay factor lies in the Instagram worthy-ness of its pool! And with this incredible view, you will have all the Instagram pictures you need! Don't believe me? Check these out!

Swimsuits hand-picked by me

Now let's not overlook the ocean in all of this (pun intended!)!
A resort on the beach needs...a great beach!
Sadly with so much pollution the beach was littered with trash, but the resort staff did a great job of clearing the debris from their beach every morning! So that left us with a beautiful beach to relax on, and take lots of great pictures.

One of my favorite things about this beach was that you could see ocean and mountains at the same time. Breathtaking!

The Full Moon beach is the perfect place for some early morning qi gong and mindful walking, both of which we did every morning during our retreat.

Speaking of mornings, the sunrises here are definitely something special!

The path from our room to the beach.

The food and drinks were absolutely gorgeous! Prepared by an on-site chef, everything was fresh, healthy, and delicious.
Everyday I got to feast on freshly prepared pho, while sipping fresh squeezed watermelon juice, and the darkest most perfect Vietnamese coffee, as well as plenty of other fresh fruits and some of the healthiest and best meals I have ever experienced.
Side note, if you are vegetarian or vegan, Full Moon has plenty of options for you!

We loved staying at the Full Moon because it is located at the very end of the long stretch of seemingly un-ending ocean side resorts that the southern coast of Vietnam offers, so it was nice and secluded. The other reason it was perfect is that they have a van that runs multiple times a day between the resort, and their sister resort that is located in downtown Mui Ne! By staying at Full Moon you have access to the other resort, and can simply hop on the (free!) shuttle bus and be whisked downtown!

This aspect was so perfect because after our retreat was over Nick and I wanted to explore downtown Mui Ne (as you definitely should, read about our experience). The bus not only took us into downtown Mui Ne free of charge (even though we had already checked out of the hotel!), it also dropped us off directly in front of our new hotel (that was not the sister hotel)! This was especially incredible considering we don't speak the language!

The owner of The Full Moon Village Resort, Pascal, is a Frenchmen. So if you speak French or English, no need to worry about communicating, as you will find plenty of people there who speak both languages!

And the best part? Rooms at Full Moon Village Resort start at less than $70 a night! You can't beat luxury living for that price!

Full Moon Village Resort's Facebook.
You can also find them on Booking.com, and Expedia!

Send me a postcard when you're there!

Peace Love and Full Moon Village
Jess <3

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How to Take Care of Your Tattoo

3/28/2019

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How to Take Care of Your Tattoo by Tatty Zaps Tattoos

Hello all! I know I have been a bit MIA on here lately (follow me on Instagram to keep up with my life, I post multiple times a week!), but we have been in the full swing of being business owners, doing all the side hustles, and some other very exciting things that I have been getting in to!
So since I have not had any leisurely time to write posts on here, I am stealing this post from our tattoo shop's website!

Today's post comes to you from none other than Tatty Zap's very talented tattoo artist, and my husband, Nick LaPinta! Nick has just recently started dipping his toes into the very exciting waters of blogging, when we started our Tatty Zaps Tattoos website and decided that we should have a blog portion! So far we only have a couple posts, but he is getting pretty good! So without further ado, "How to Take Care of Your Tattoo", with pictures all taken from Nick's impressive portfolio.

So you finally decided to put your big kid pants on and get your first tattoo, or maybe it's just been a while. After searching or asking your friends about which tattoo shop to pick, you finally find one (hopefully one with reputable work and great reviews *cough Tatty Zaps Tattoos cough*)! You go through the whole process and it comes to the end. Surely by this point, your artist should have given you a physical copy or verbal instructions on how to take care of your tattoo. Well, just in case they didn't or you just forgot and are too embarrassed to call them, here are our tattoo aftercare instructions!
Many artists and tattoo shops have different methods and products to use in their aftercare. I, in no way am claiming that mine is better or more right than another artist's. These are my methods and that is all.

1- Your tattoo is most likely wrapped, maybe by plastic wrap or Saniderm. Remove your wrapping once you are home.

2- Wash your tattoo off. Use anti-bacterial soap such as Liquid Dial or Dial Gold bar soap. Be gentle, you were stabbed many times and your skin is probably mad at you. Lather it up and make sure you get all the plasma and blood off of you (if there is any). Rinse your new tattoo with warm water and then pat it dry. Don't wipe. Again, your skin is probably pretty mad at you.

(Get started on your summer outfit to show off those newly healed tattoos!)

3- Let your new tattoo air dry over night. If you got a tattoo in an area that can be covered by a shirt or pants over night, please do so! If your tattoo were to stick to something (clothes, pillow, bed sheets), it's easier to take your shirt to the bathroom, rather than your bed sheets. In the case of your tattoo sticking to something, soak the stuck area in warm water and allow the tattoo to soften up. Remove whatever was stuck to you off your new tattoo SLOOOOOOOOWLY! Pulling it off too fast may result in pulling some of that precious new ink out.

4- Ointment! Now this part is important. lack of this step can cause your tattoo healing time to take forever if you neglect to take care of it. Sometimes that can even void the "FREE TOUCH UP" offer (if your artists offers one).
We here at Tatty Zaps Tattoos prefer you to use 1 of 4 things (in order from best option to last resort).

1- Tattoo Goo or other tattoo aftercare made products, these are designed for healing your tattoo. Wal-Mart may still sell it, but don't quote me on it. Some shops may carry it for you as well!
2- Aquaphor, you can buy it pretty much anywhere. Wal-Mart, Target, CVS, Rite- Aid, ext.
3- Burts Bees, yup you heard me. It works great.
4- Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, like I said... Last resort!
Do NOT use Vasoline, A&D, or Neosporin!!!!
Wash your hands first. Then apply a very light coat, covering the whole tattoo. Do this at Least twice a day (once in the morning and once at night). If you're able to, apply a coat in between during the middle of the day.
Do this everyday, until all the scabs have fallen off (the average person should be scab free within 5-10 days).
If you have any questions or concerns, IMMEDIATELY contact your tattoo artist and they will do their best to make sure you're taken care of!

And that's it everyone!
Thank you so much for reading, be sure to pin this for later, follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and if you are ever in the Atlanta area, be sure and get tattooed while you're here!

Tatty Zaps
(678)539-7932
2531 Piedmont Rd. NE
Atlanta, Georgia
Suite 100 Salon 502

Check out Tatty Zap's latest post, "How to Take Care of Your Piercing".

Peace Love and Tattoos
Jess <3

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World Changing Wednesday; Ten Disposable Items to Ditch

2/6/2019

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Ten Disposable Items to Ditch and alternatives to replace them

Lately I've become kind of obsessed with taking a good hard look at my environmental impact. My family has always been into recycling and various other earth friendly practices, and so I in turn have always recycled, and try not to be too wasteful. However lately, I've decided that I can do more! Here's why;

This!
We found this, and plenty more trash that had washed onto shore while in Vietnam a couple months ago. Human trash is threatening our oceans, our environment, our animals and sea life, and our own health! Over 100,000 marine mammals and 1 million seabirds die from plastic pollution every year. Yes, disposable plastic products make life simpler, but at what cost?! We are destroying our planet! And ourselves. Are we that lazy, that convenience is more important than the well-being of ourselves, our children, and this planet?
I say no more!
I have embarked upon a journey! To stop using as many plastic and single-use items as I possibly can, and instead, start using reusable items whenever possible! Follow me and join me on this fabulous journey, and we will find ways to work these items into our everyday life, without spending a ton of money, without inconveniencing ourselves, and maybe even saving some money! We will take that one extra step, and make a huge impact!
Together we will save this planet!
So here I have for you ten disposable items to ditch today, and the alternatives to replace them, forever!

#1. Plastic shopping bags
When I was in China in 2008, I found these adorable little reusable shopping bags. I had never seen anything like it in the United States at the time, and it took a couple years before they started to catch on, but I am glad that they finally did!
This is definitely one of the most popular, normal, and socially acceptable item on this list. If you want to start small, this is a great one to start with!
Reusable shopping bags are super easy to find, and they are super cheap! You can find cute ones at craft stores and novelty shops, or plain ones at any grocery store. If you shop at Target, they will give you five cents off for each reusable shopping bag you present and use at checkout! Yes! Keep a few in your purse and the rest in your car, so you always have them with you when you stop at the grocery store.

While you're at the grocery store, you might also need...
#2. Plastic produce bags
I buy a lot of produce, as I'm sure you do. Every week the husband and I roam the produce aisle and buy a large amount of fruits and veggies. I have not personally bought reusable produce bags yet, since I have only recently started this journey and can't afford to buy all the reusables at once- So I decided to make my own! I made this cool, reusable produce bag out of an old t-shirt!
To make your own re-usable produce bag out of a t-shirt for free, cut the t-shirt into a tank top and cut the neck off, then turn it inside out and sew a straight line at the bottom of the shirt. Or you can do like I did, and cut strips with knots at the top and then without turning the t-shirt inside out, sew a straight line right above the knots. You will have the most stylish produce bag at the grocery store! Keep this bag with the rest of your reusable shopping bags in your car.

#3. Coffee filters
I know I am not the only one who loves to sit at home on my porch (or couch, or desk...) and drink coffee. If you are brewing your own coffee at home, then you are already saving money, and fighting against single-use items by skipping the disposable cup, lid, stirrer, sleeve, etc. at your local coffee shop. However, there is still a single-use item that you are using every time you use your coffee mate. The coffee filter! My mom gave me my own reusable coffee filters for Christmas a couple years ago, and I am loving them! By using a reusable coffee filter every day you are saving a good amount of money by not having to purchase packages of disposable filters every month. I love my organic Coffee Sock!

Speaking of coffee...
#4. Disposable Coffee cups
Construction workers have known it for years, put your coffee in a thermos (or travel mug)!
Reusable coffee mugs come in every shape, size, color, pattern, and style! Buy yourself one, and use it! Starbucks, Seattle's Best, and Peet's all offer discounts if you bring your own reusable cup, as do many other local coffee shops! Saving money, and saving the planet...score!

While on the subject of beverages...
#5. Water bottles
Using planet destroying plastic disposable water bottles is an absolutely crazy notion in my opinion. Don't be crazy, opt instead for a re-usable water bottle! I have a few, and I take them everywhere with me. While carrying your own reusable water bottle, you can also skip the disposable cups at fast food restaurants!
Bonus! If you purchase your water bottle from 4ocean.com you will help pull one pound of trash from the ocean!

#6. Plastic straws
I am absolutely loving my new reusable drinking straws from Strawesome, and Francesco Palmieri so much, I'm ashamed I didn't start using them years ago! I have bought one for me, my husband, and gave one to my mom. I will probably start giving these as gifts!
Plastic straws are so small, do they even cause any harm? That would be a big fat yes! Millions (MILLIONS!) of plastic straws are thrown away each day! Let that sink in! And one plastic straw takes at least 200 years to break down, but plastic doesn't actually decompose, it just gets smaller. And! It's toxic! Plastic straws send toxins into your drinks. Guess where they go next? Yep! Into the cells of your body. Enjoy that with your glass of water! Plastic straws are littering the ocean, washing ashore (like the one I found in Vietnam above), and have been found stuck in the nostrils of poor sea turtles. That does it! I am done with plastic straws! My glass drinking straw (with a lifetime guarantee!) is so enjoyable to drink out of, when I'm drinking something really cold, the straw gets cold too, and it just tastes better than plastic straws! Read my complete blog post about these great glass straws from Strawesome!

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I believe in this product so much, that I actually became an affiliate with Strawesome, trying to help them sell as many re-usable drinking straws as possible! Click the banner above to buy your own beautiful re-usable glass straw, or click the link above to become a Strawesome affiliate!

The glass straws from Strawesome are a bit pricey, so I have also found some much more affordable reusable straws. The reusable rainbow colored metal straws from Francesco Palmieri on Etsy are absolutely incredible! And costing only $3.55 each, you have no excuse not to have several! Plus, use coupon code RECYCLE for 20% off! I have several different ones in different colors that I carry in my purse in the adorable draw-string bag that you can also purchase from his Etsy Shop.

Speaking of drinks...
#7. Anything restaurant related
I work in the food industry and goodness gracious you can not even imagine the amount of things wasted here-especially single use items! I am talking disposable chopsticks, spoons, forks, knives, to go containers, to go cups and tons of little plastic dishes with plastic lids for sauces and small items!
There are several different facets of this thing, and thus several ways you can go about eliminating the use of these items.
The first facet is delivery. With the rise of food delivery services such as zifty and doordash, the use of disposable items are skyrocketing! Try to eliminate having food delivered to you as much as possible! The styrofoam containers, plastic utensils, and all the little sauce packets, I shudder! If you do have food delivered from somewhere, tell them either on the phone or on the app you're using that you do not want any sauce packets or plastic utensils. Also, look for restaurants that are more eco-friendly and use paper and cardboard instead of plastic and styrofoam. For example at my work, we do not use plastic bags, we use brown paper bags, and we do not use styrofoam containers, we use recycled cardboard boxes.
Next up we have take out. We have this awesome guy Josh, that orders food from my work at least once a week. We all know who he is, and we all know not to use any single use item for his order! When he comes to pick up his food he brings with him a glass tupperware container and lid, hands it to us, which we hand to the cooks, and they put his food in the container! We don't give him any plastic utensils, and we don't put his container in a bag-he brings his own!
Eating in. When eating in at any restaurant whether it be fast food or dine in, it is important to be prepared! I carry my Francesco Palmieri drawstring bag in my purse with me everywhere I go. This bag contains a set of reusable chopsticks, and my reusable straw. I don't carry any utensils because I don't eat at restaurants that use plastic utensils.

#8. Feminine hygiene products
Yes I am talking about pads! And how perfect and absolutely adorable are these reusable cloth pads from the Etsy Shop Mama in the Moonlight! I am obsessed!
These soft, absorbent, and beautiful handmade moonpads come in all sizes and designs. Are you tired of using crunchy bunchy disposable pads full of chemicals? Then shop around and see what many women are discovering to be completely revolutionary: a fun, chemical free, and comfortable moontime! Not to mention how much plastic you will be saving from being thrown away, oh and the money! The average woman spends $150-300 a year on pads and tampons-go buy yourself something nice with all that money you're saving girl!
And is it just me or is this another perfect gift to give all the ladies in your life?!

Don't forget to follow them on Instagram to see more adorable pictures like this one!

What if you don't like pads and prefer tampons? How about an eco menstrual cup? I haven't used one yet, but I have several friends who have and absolutely love them! No more waste, no more spending money on tampons, and no more toxins sitting inside your body!
Pssst use the code RECYCLE for 20% off your eco menstrual cup!

#9. Paper towels
Don't even get me started on paper towels! You buy these things, just to turn around and instantly throw them away! My mom (and now me) would cut up our old shirts for use as rags. After wiping up a spill, you can just rinse it off, and wring it out! Imagine how much money you will save after cutting paper towels out of your budget!

#10. Your toothbrush
In the United States alone it is estimated that over 850 million toothbrushes are discarded every year. Yikes...
Bamboo toothbrushes, while still disposable (I don't think anyone wants to use the same toothbrush for the rest of their life!), are actually compostable! Compostable means that a product is capable of disintegrating into natural elements in a compost environment, leaving no toxicity in the soil. Usually in only about 90 days!

I got this super cute rainbow compostable bamboo toothbrush from the same Francesco Palmieri Etsy Shop that I got my reusable straws from.
I have to tell you that I am loving this company! All their packaging is made from recycled paper, they only use all natural ingredients, and they try to keep everything zero waste!
On their Etsy Shop they have these toothbrushes, the straws I have on here, and some essential oils. On their website you can find all that plus the menstrual cups mentioned above, their own natural skin care line, and a bunch of other cool stuff (eco friendly pencils say whaaaa?!!).
Oh, and I have a coupon code for you! Use the code RECYCLE for 20% off!

The earth is all of our responsibility, let's get started today!

***This post contains some affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking one of the links, this blog receives a small commission. Also, I received some of these products for free in return for my feedback on this post. As always, I keep my opinions honest on all products, regardless of them being affiliate related, or given to me for free.***

Peace Love and Mother Earth
Jess <3

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Mui Ne Vietnam, a Fishing Village by the Sea-that You Have to See

1/20/2019

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Mui Ne Vietnam, a Fishing Village by the Sea-that You Have to See

A couple weeks ago you read all about our yoga retreat in Vietnam with saigon om.
We spent five wonderful days at this retreat, but spent a total of two weeks in Vietnam. So what did we do the other nine days? I'm so glad you asked!
We split our time between Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and Mui Ne, so I will split these two cities into two blog posts-here is the first one, welcome to Mui Ne!

Mui Ne is an adorable little coastal fishing and tourist town along the southeastern edge of Vietnam.

During our first five days in Mui Ne we enjoyed the luxury of the Full Moon Village, a secluded and glorious resort that we stayed at during the retreat. This place was so awesome it will be getting its own blog post soon!
We love the ocean, and there was no shortage of it here as you can see!

I absolutely loved watching the fishermen hard at work, their little boats bobbing around in the ocean, and cruising around the beach on their motorbikes!

Once the retreat was over, Nick and I hopped on a bus and headed into town, a bustling little touristy area with no shortage of restaurants, bars, convenience stores, and seafood. Downtown Mui Ne is divided in two- the ocean side of the road, and the non-ocean side.
The ocean side of Mui Ne is where you can find the luxurious ocean front hotels, ocean front dining, and one of the best clubs I have ever been to. The non-ocean side is usually made up of less expensive hostels and backpacker hotels.

Nick walking on the ocean side of the road.

We found ourselves smack dab in the middle of the long stretch that is Nguyen Dinh Chieu, the street dividing the ocean side and the non ocean side, staying at Cocosand hotel, a little hole in the wall on the non-ocean side. It only cost us $16 a day! We could have gotten an even cheaper room, but we wanted a private bathroom.

We absolutely loved it here-I mean look at that courtyard!

This drop dead gorgeous, magnificent, perfect courtyard was in the middle of the hotel, with a sidewalk going all the way around it, and the rooms branching off of the sidewalk.

This was our room!

Can you tell I'm obsessed?! We were so very happy with our stay here.

Oh yes, the food! Food and drinks are usually one of our favorite parts of vacation (ok life!). Add in an ocean view and crazy cheap food and drinks? We were in heaven!
This was our favorite place, with our favorite view, with our favorite food!

Speaking of restaurants! I am obsessed with this little hole-in-the-wall restaurant where you take your shoes off before you enter, sit on mats on the floor, and the waitress brings you newborn puppies to hold because her dog just had babies!!!

Goooooood morning Vietnam!

As you can tell, we had the best time during our stay in Mue Ne, Vietnam. I would whole-heartedly recommend it as a vacation spot! Why not join saigon om on their next yoga retreat here?!
Thank you so much for reading- stay tuned for upcoming posts about The Full Moon Village Resort, and our time in Saigon!
Have a wondeful week loves <3

Peace Love and Mui Ne Vietnam
Jess <3

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How to Save Money for Your Next Tattoo

1/3/2019

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Greetings all! I hope the New Year finds you well!
Today I am kicking off 2019 with a fun blog post that I hope you will enjoy!

If you have been reading this blog or following me on Instagram lately, I'm sure by now you have figured out that my husband and I have just recently opened up our own tattoo shop, Tatty Zaps! Today's post is one part shameless promotion (if you live in the Atlanta, Georgia area come get a tattoo or piercing!), mixed with my love for managing money!
I decided to write this post because A. I love managing money, talking about money, and telling other people how to better manage their money, and B. My husband and I are constantly having people tell us, "I would love to get a tattoo, I just don't have the money for it." Well no more! Today's post is based a bit off a blog post I wrote three years ago, "My #1 Secret to Saving Money for Travel." If you want to travel and just don't have the money, go read that article after you read this one!
Let's dive right in!

Step 1. Make some decisions
What tattoo do you want to get? Do you want it in color, or black and gray? Where on your body do you want to get it, and what approximate size?
If you aren't exactly sure on all of these things that's not a problem at all-some people rely on the artist's judgment on some things since they're the professional. And Nick says that is perfectly fine with him! We are just trying to figure an approximate price for your tattoo. So once you have most of your ideas together, the next step is...

Step 2. Contact Nick at Tatty Zaps (or your artist and shop of choice)
Tell him all the decisions you made above, and ask an approximate price. He will give you a ballpark. No lower than this price, but no higher than this one.

Step 3. Figure out your timing
Once you've talked to Nick (or your artist of your choice) and gotten your ballpark price, now you need to decide when you want this tattoo. Do you want it right before a big holiday to shock your family? Do you want it right before a vacation to show off in all your pictures? Figuring in healing times, decide on what month you want your tattoo. How many months is that from now?

Step 4. Get your magic number
Take the highest number from your ballpark amount, add in a tip if you will want to leave one, and divide this number by the number of months you have from now until you want to get your tattoo. Divide that number by two if you get paid every other week, or four if you get paid every week.

And that number my friend, that little tiny number you see before you, is all the money you need to put aside every paycheck, to get your next dream tattoo.

Unless you want an exceptionally large piece, and only give yourself one or two months to save, that number is going to be smaller than the price of going out drinking every weekend, smaller than a $5 Starbucks a day coffee!

Want a nice $500 piece in four months and get paid every other week?
500 divided by four divided by two= 62.50

So the grand total you would need to set aside every paycheck, is only $62.50!
Only $62.50! That is only $125 a month for four months, and you can have a brand new tattoo that will last you forever!

And you don't need to spend $500 to get a beautiful tattoo at Tatty Zaps! Want a $150 tattoo in three months and get paid every other week? You only need to set aside $25 a paycheck!!!

Step 5. Start saving
Every paycheck, set aside in a separate savings account (bonus, you will be making interest on your money!), a piggy bank, or in an envelope hidden in your underwear drawer, the amount of money that you need. And that's it!

Ok so, what if you've read this, figured out your magic number, and are saying, "I can't save that amount of money every paycheck!"

Here is what I have to say to that;
-You're lying. Ok, maybe not. But! I do find it very difficult to believe that an adult person, with a job, can not save an extra hundred odd dollars a month!
-Read my complete Money Management Series. You should be able to save at least $100 a month with most of my money saving tips.
-Give yourself longer to save. If you need $500, but can't save $125 for four months, instead, save only $100 for five months! Still doable!
-If after all of this, you still can't manage to scrounge up an extra $100 or so a month, then you don't want it bad enough. You would rather spend your money on other things And that's fine! If a tattoo isn't your priority, then you will not be able to save up money for it, and you don't have to! If you can't give up your daily Starbucks or cigarettes for a couple months to save for your tattoo, then continue buying your Starbucks and cigarettes. But, if getting tattooed is a priority, then I know that you will be able to find a way to save that money!

Tatty Zaps
Instagram
(678)539-7932
2531 Piedmont Rd. NE Suite 100 Salon 502 Atlanta, Ga

Peace Love and Tattoos
Jess <3

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A week in Vietnam with saigon om

11/20/2018

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"Sitting on our mats on the ground, joining in a guided meditation, listening to the birds chirping in the top of our shala, and the waves just beyond, I couldn't help but smile, and just be thankful to be alive, and to be spending a part of my life in this glorious slice of God's earth."
This was an entry I wrote in my journal I kept while at the retreat. I don't normally journal, but there were so many moments, and so many emotions happening, that I didn't want to forget a second of it. A good portion of this post has been taken from the journal I kept at the retreat.

As I am sitting here looking at my three hundred plus pictures, and going through my pages and pages of hand scribbled notes, I am wondering how on earth to truly share with you guys, and do justice, to the five days and six nights I spent with saigon om. I guess I will just share with you what our week looked like, and start by telling you our daily schedule while at the retreat. I know I wrote a little about the schedule in my previous post, where I told you all about saigon om and how excited I was to attend a retreat by them. If I'm being honest, when I wrote that schedule down, and then showed it to my husband, it left us both feeling a little overwhelmed. Neither of us were super advanced in yoga, had ever attended a retreat, or knew anything about mindfulness, and that schedule, while it looked amazing, was a bit daunting! If any of you felt the same way when you looked at it the first time, don't feel bad! But I knew it would be good for us, we wanted to do it, and so we did it! And wow, I can't even begin to explain how happy I am that we did! So with that in mind, here is what our week looked like while at our yoga and mindfulness retreat with saigon om in beautiful Mui Ne, Vietnam.

Daily Schedule
6:00-7 a.m. Qi Gong, mindful walking on the beach, and guided meditation
7:00-7:45 a.m. Fruit, tea and coffee
7:45-8:30 a.m. Lecture
8:30-10 a.m. Morning yoga
10:00 a.m. Brunch
11:00 a.m -4 p.m. Free time
4:00-6 p.m. Evening restorative yoga, mindful tea drinking, group sharing
6:15 p.m. Dinner

6:00-7 a.m. Qi Gong, mindful walking on the beach, and guided meditation
I am a bit embarrassed to admit that one of the things I was worried about, was our schedule beginning at six o'clock in the morning. I have trouble getting to bed before midnight, and getting me out of bed before eight is nearly impossible, so the thought of having to start my day every morning at six, was a bit troubling! However, I discovered with delight, traveling to a place eleven hours ahead of home, is the perfect solution for that! I fell asleep every night before eight, and every morning we arose before sunrise. Sneaking out of our villa, following the trail to the ocean, we would watch the magnificent sunrise, the clouds slowly peeking above the ocean, the sun casting its fiery rays. This was a beautiful moment for Nick and I every morning.

Once the sun had rose, we would wander up to our shala, which was a second story open-air hut with a beautiful thatched roof that housed a large number of birds, that had a breathtaking view of the ocean. Shala means house in Sanskrit-it is used in yoga to mean a house of yoga. This is me at the front of our shala.

The Chinese practice of Qi Gong was a delight! Qi in Chinese means energy, and Qi Gong is the practice of using breathing, meditating, and movement to get your energy moving (Sarah and Hang explain it much better!).
I loved learning about this thousands of year old art form, and getting to use the free flowing movements to wake up my organs, and even ease some of the tension in my shoulders!
The photo above and below are courtesy of Pascal Lefebvre, the owner of Full Moon Village Resort.

Our mindful walking was a beautiful time spent every morning walking in mindful silence, as a group, along the beach.

Guided Meditation
During our first morning guided meditation I sat on my mat, and participated in the guided meditation. I closed my eyes, listening to the sound of Sarah's voice gently guiding us on our meditation journey. Tears ran down my face as I listened to the birds chirping, the waves crashing, and focused on loving awareness towards myself. I was overcome by such deep feelings of joy, peace, and a love for myself and my surroundings.

7:00-7:45 a.m. Fruit, tea and coffee
Once the guided meditation was over, we all walked down from the shala where fresh fruit and teas were awaiting us. If that wasn't enough, we got to order a fancy tea or coffee from the wait staff. My iced Vietnamese coffee with coconut cream was probably one of my favorite parts of the day! I also loved the opportunity to sit and conversate with the amazing individuals from five different countries, and all walks of life that were at the retreat. Being in a group of like minded people, talking, sharing, and nobody on their cell phones (!!!) felt like paradise to me!

7:45-8:30 a.m. Lecture
After we had our fill of the glorious fruits, teas, and coffees, we made our way back up to the shala. I thoroughly looked forward to, and enjoyed the lectures. The word lecture conjures up for most hard chairs, fluorescent lighting, and a long-winded professor. More opposite of that this could not have been! We sat in a semi-circle in our shala, on our yoga mats, with the wind in our hair, and the ocean beside us, learning lessons that we would later practice on the mat, and in everyday life. Hang and Sarah enraptured and delighted us with their vast knowledge, humor, and contagious joy. We learned about the different doshas, mindfulness, the garden of the mind, and how words can affect us, and more! I took lots of notes and am so excited to keep applying these wonderful principles to my life.

8:30-10 a.m. Morning yoga
Ahhh morning yoga...can you think of anything more perfect?
Lying there on my back focusing on my breathing, hearing only the gentle sounds of Hang's voice, and the crash of the ocean, with its cool salty breeze blowing delicately on my face, I knew i was truly in paradise. And yes, this is the view from our shala!

10:00 a.m. Brunch
Brunch was an absolutely glorious time! After four hours of yoga, meditation, and lectures, we were all invigorated-and hungry! We made our way downstairs where a buffet of freshly squeezed watermelon, coconut and other various juices were waiting, along with a different vegetarian pho every day, as well as fresh salads, coffee, and other various brunch foods. We ate these with the glass doors wide open to allow the outdoors access to us. Sigh, heaven.

11:00 a.m -4 p.m. Free time
After brunch we had five glorious hours to do whatever our hearts desired. This included for Nick and I spending time at the pool, walking the beach, and spending time in our room.
A note about the hotel, I have never stayed in a place more secluded, delightful, and luxurious, all rolled in to one, than the Full Moon Village Resort in Mui Ne. It housed the most beautiful pool I have ever swam in, incredible and authentic vegetarian Vietnamese cuisine, amazing staff, the ocean right at our back yard, and don't even get me started on our room! It was not even a room, but our own private villa! A completely fenced off, perfectly private villa with a spacious kitchen, dining and living room, bathroom, and a bedroom with romantic netting surrounding the bed! This luxury was completed by our very own outdoor hot tub! I will be writing more about this amazing resort in an upcoming blog post about Vietnam.

4:00-6 p.m. Evening restorative yoga, mindful tea drinking, group sharing
At four we all arrived at Sarah and Hang's villa, yoga mat and couch cushions in hand.
We would start the evening with a mindful tea drinking ceremony, first reading the above mantra, then partaking in mindfully, gratefully, and with purpose drinking our tea.
Next was group share. I loved group share! We took turns sharing whatever was on our mind and heart. Some were joyful things, some had realizations and epiphones, and others were struggles and losses. We shared together, we cried together, we experienced together.
Last was restorative yoga. If you are a person who thinks yoga is too hard, then you must try restorative yoga! The lights were dimmed, soft music was played, and we all lay on our yoga mats using big fluffy couch cushions for comfort. Hang and Sarah took turns guiding us on this relaxing, and healing yoga session. Nick even fell asleep one day and started snoring real loud. And Nick never takes naps! It was that relaxing and good!

6:15 p.m. Dinner
The first fifteen minutes of dinner was spent in mindful silence. We first gave thanks to our higher being, and then gave thanks to the food. We were encouraged to say hello to each piece of food, imagine the journey they took to get to us, and to chew slowly and thoroughly. Doing this, we got to experience mindfulness and a different way of thinking in something we do every day, in something as simple as eating a meal. Truly amazing! I actually really enjoyed the mindful silence at dinner time. I got to really taste, and really enjoy every bite, instead of wolfing it down like I normally do. After fifteen minutes we were free to get seconds, and talk. Nick and I usually stayed until about seven thirty talking with all our new friends, then went back to our villa for bed.
The next morning we got to do it all over again!

I am someone who loves to totally immerse myself in things; cultures, languages, experiences. And being totally immersed in this culture of mindfulness was completely transformative! We got to listen to teachings about mindfulness, and then experience it during a yoga session, a walk on the beach, even eating! And that was just perfect.
And yes, yoga and meditation can be daunting. But Sarah and Hang guide you through it with ease. Giving you tips, helping your form, and always teaching you new techniques and sayings, it was such a special experience.

Not a bad way to spend five days!
I 1,000% recommend trying a yoga and mindfulness retreat at least once in your life. Hang and Sarah hold retreats and trainings year round in Vietnam and Australia, if you've ever wanted to visit one of these delectable places, and also Canada if you live in Canada or the States and don't want to venture too far from home. It doesn't matter which location you choose (though I'm quite partial to Vietnam...), just go! Go on this transformative, once in a lifetime journey with saigon om.
If you have any questions about the retreats or different training courses, feel free to email them (saigonom@gmail.com), Sarah and Hang are the greatest and will be happy to answer any questions. Just tell them Jessica from My Peace Love Life sent you! Go like them on facebook to see all the amazing things they are doing!

*A million thank yous to my wonderful husband Nick for going on this adventure with me, and for all of these amazing pictures he took, and also to saigon om for sponsoring this post and for being so so incredible*

Peace Love and saigon om
Jess <3

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