Blog Posts

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

1/20/2019

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

2 Comments

How to Save Money for Your Next Tattoo

1/3/2019

0 Comments

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

0 Comments

A week in Vietnam with saigon om

11/20/2018

4 Comments

"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

4 Comments

An update on this crazy thing called my life

10/10/2018

0 Comments

Hello there everyone! If you have been following my Snapchat, Instagram, or Facebook the last couple weeks, you have probably caught a glimpse into the craziness that my life has become! By some cruel twist of fate, everything that could possibly happen, has come together to happen in the same three months. The months of September, October, and November 2018 have come together for the perfect storm!

On September 29th one of my best friends who I've known over half my life got married, so we of course had to be there! Me and Nick left the 26th and drove up to Ohio. The wedding was incredible, and getting to see and hang out with everyone was even better!

We spent the next six blissful days at my parent's house, spending our time sitting outside talking and laughing, enjoying each others' company, and the wonderful fall weather. We also went shopping at all the amazing discount stores we have in the area, snuggled with puppies, shot guns, me and my mom read a lot of books, and we hung out with some friends.

On Friday we headed over to Nick's Dad's and Step-Mom's house. We had a great time hanging out with everyone. Saturday morning we got to watch Nick's sister's volleyball game, then headed from there to Nick's cousin's wedding!
On Sunday we returned to Atlanta, getting home at 2:30 in the morning.

All day Monday and Tuesday was spent printing out tons of financial paperwork, hanging out at the police station, filling out more paperwork, getting fingerprinted, paying about a million dollars in application fees, and running all over God’s green earth, all to get our business license! Now we are just waiting for them to do inspections and get back to us! This is really stressful, because we don't really know when they will do the inspection, or when they will approve our business license. So we could be open this weekend, or in a month, who knows! So as soon as we get the go ahead, we will be moving everything in to the shop, and opening!
Now on to even more craziness...

I'm sure all year you've been reading and hearing about our upcoming trip to Vietnam for a yoga and mindfulness retreat with saigon om. We leave for this retreat that I planned almost a year ago, in less than two weeks!!!

So to sum this all up, in the same month that we are trying to open our own business, we are traveling not only out of state, but out of country as well! And we will possibly be opening up right before we leave for Vietnam, leaving us to pay rent the entire two weeks we are there! Sheesh!
Obviously we didn't plan for any of this to go this way. We had a lot of trouble finding a location for the shop at the beginning of this year so we had to push it back. We thought that we wouldn't be able to open until next year, but then this location popped up out of nowhere, and here we are!

So what are we to do? Stress like crazy and freak out?
Nope! I have decided that that is not the way I am going to handle this! The whole situation is definitely not ideal, but there is nothing to be done about it, it is what it is. I have just decided to be as prepared as possible, and not under any circumstances let it get me down! We have rent and all of our other bills (excluding the shop) for November already paid, so when we get back from Vietnam we won't have to worry about anything except for the tattoo shop.
So there it all is! The craziness of our lives right now. But you know what, I wouldn't trade it for anything, because I know that we are going for what we want. Even if it's scary. Because I know that fear is temporary, but regret is forever.

I will just leave you with this, because it is us. Yes we are scared. Really scared actually! We have moved away from home, spent so much money, and put everything else on the back burner for this dream. And going all in on something is about the scariest thing you can do. But we are doing it, and we know that it will pay off!
So thank you for reading, and following us on this journey, I will keep you updated on our life!

Peace Love and My Crazy Life
Jess <3

0 Comments

Why I am a Modern Day Housewife

9/15/2018

2 Comments

I am so excited to share that I have recently written an article that got published in the first issue of Peachy Keen Pinup Magazine! Not only were some of my waterfall photo shoot pictures included in the magazine, but directly opposite it was my article that I wrote specifically for the magazine! Go check it out, you can purchase a digital copy, or have the magazine shipped directly to your door! There are some beautiful girls in there!
So since I love you guys so much, I am sharing this article with you that I hastily scribbled down in a day to meet the deadline, but it actually turned out really good, and I am very pleased with it! Here you have, "Why I am a Modern Day Housewife", accompanied by the amazing photos I just received from my latest photo shoot at Dixie Pinup Studios. They were shot by the greatest pinup photographer around, Brooklyn Brat Images. Enjoy!

"As someone who loves 1950's culture, I have come to take the role of housewife very seriously. I have always been pretty good at cleaning, budgeting, and cooking the occasional meal, but it wasn't until I got married in 2015, that I began taking all of that seriously, and embarking on my housewife odyssey!

For those of you getting offended, saying that women aren't servants, and that the concept of a housewife is antiquated, just know that being a housewife isn't about being inferior, and treating your spouse as if they are your superior. Just the opposite actually! I feel such an overwhelming sense of pride and accomplishment when my house is spotless, the money is budgeted, the bills are paid on time, and there is a healthy, delicious meal made from scratch, waiting on the table. For me, being a housewife is about the most empowering thing I can think of. And of course there's that lovely Mother Teresa quote; "If you want to change the world, go home and love your family." Swoon! That is exactly what to me, being a housewife is all about. Showing my husband, our dogs, (and someday if we have kids) how much I love them.

I am a housewife but; I also work a part-time job as a waitress, I have my own blog which I
love, I donate time and money to different charities, I do pinup modeling and events, and
my husband and I are in the process of opening our own business!
I consider myself a modern-day hosewife; I am a strong, smart, independent woman who does a little bit of everything, while taking care of the people she loves. And I love it.

P.S I'm not always in the mood to cook and clean, so I found myself a man who also likes to cook, clean, and who does the laundry every week (because I hate laundry)! We are a team, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

Me with some of my beautiful Georgia Pinup Posse girls, embracing the nostalgia together.

What do you think?! Does being a modern day housewife resonate with you? If this is something that you want to delve more into, I have tons of great resources on this blog!
Check out my recipe section for some great food inspiration,
my money section for budgeting tips,
and my blog post "How to Host a 1950's Housewife Dinner Party" for inspiration!

P.S Go like my pinup Facebook page, or follow my Instagram for more great pictures like these!

Peace Love and Modern Day Housewife
Jess <3

2 Comments

Tiki Time!

7/26/2018

0 Comments

Hello fabulous darlings!
A couple weeks ago I was fortunate enough to attend the Trash Diva Atlanta One Year Anniversary Tiki Party! I was able to attend this amazing event with my fabulous ladies of the Georgia Pinup Posse, which made it a thousand times more memorable!

First there were free mai tais in coconuts, along with great sales at the North Highland Avenue location of the beautiful Trashy Diva stores!

Next we were treated to a completely fabulous burlesque show at the stunning North Highland Inn and Ballroom. I have never quite seen anything like it!

We even saw a black cat laying around. And did I mention that it was Friday the 13th?!

The rest of the night was spent taking pictures, dancing, and laughing!

Don't forget to come on out to the Georgia Pinup Posse's end of summer yard sale! I'll see ya there!

Peace Love and Tiki Time
Jess <3

0 Comments

Be Strawesome...use Glass Straws!

6/27/2018

4 Comments

Lately I have gotten really jazzed up about the environment, and doing everything I can to help stop polluting our air and oceans. I have always recycled, but lately I decided that I needed to do more, and get into re-usables as a way of life. There is a new blog post coming your way soon with lots of fun re-usable items that I have found and tested out.
But today I am going to talk about straws. Yep, little plastic straws!
If you are not yet aware of what disposable plastic straws (and other disposable plastic things) are doing to this earth, here is an excerpt from Strawesome's website;
"In the beginning, there were plastic straws everywhere and people thought this was good because straws helped suck things up faster and easier without messes. You could find plastic straws almost anywhere a drink was served.
But soon plastic straws were found in places that were not so good. They were found used and thrown away along streets, on the beach, and even in the waterways. Used plastic straws were everywhere. But it got worse.
Plastic straws were found in the bodies of animals that lived out at sea (like in turtles’ noses). That was terrible to discover, but then something unimaginable and worse was found….the Pacific garbage patch! It was a huge collection (like hundreds of tons) of plastic things floating on the ocean the size of Texas! Someone did some research and discovered that millions of straws every day were being used once and then thrown away. And most everyone didn’t even realize what they were doing. Who’s great idea was this? But it got worse. Plastic was discovered to be toxic and non-decomposable. It was both unhealthy AND not going anywhere, EVER! Yikes!!!..."
If you haven't seen the many videos floating around Facebook and Youtube where plastic straws are being pulled out of turtles noses, and turtles are being pulled out of the ocean wrapped in plastic and garbage, go and watch those now.

Have you watched the videos yet? Or can you just picture it in your head and realize how sad this all is. Yes? Me too. So, what are we to do?!
Well, right here I have for you the solution to the plastic straw epidemic! Glass straws!
Taken from the Strawesome website, here is how Strawesome's glass straws got started;
"A creative glass artist made a straw from glass. Huh? A glass straw? What is that? Is it a bean shooter? Is it a crack pipe? No silly, it is a straw you drink from. Kinda like all those plastic ones you use all day long, but these are non-toxic, can be used over and over again, and look way cool like art. Oh, I get it. That’s a great idea! Freaking brilliant! I can’t believe no one thought of this before. Since I don’t want to use plastic straws anymore, can I get a glass straw? Can I get a bunch of them for my family and friends? Can I get long ones, short ones, bent ones, and colored ones? Please? Pretty please? Yes! Of course! We would love to! How about we work together and spread the word to everyone we know that there’s a solution to this plastic straw problem and make the world a better place in our lifetime? Sound like a good idea? Yes! Let’s do it!
So Strawesome was born and people on earth lived happily ever after with their glass straws and healthy planet."

I have had my Strawesome glass straws for a couple months now, and I. LOVE. THEM!
These straws are so unbelievably smooth, I love the feeling of drinking out of them, they make even the blandest water exciting! And when I'm drinking something with ice, the straw gets super cold, and makes the drink even colder, and even better tasting! Yay! Plus Strawesome is a small business which you know I love!
I bought four of them, gave one to my Mom (she loves it, she sent me the picture below and said, "I like drinking out of this straw! :D), gave one to my husband, and have two for myself!

"So where can I find these beautiful looking straws?" I'm so glad you asked!
Strawesome.com is where you can see how exactly they are made (so cool!), find out how to clean them (super simple!), design your own glass straw (wow!), and lots more! Click on the banner below, the banners on the sidebar, or any other banner in this blog post, to get started shopping for your very own Strawesome glass straw!

Strawesome's Mission Statement;
"The world is plagued with plastic debris and toxins in our oceans and water ways, on and in the soil of our land, and in the bodies of animals and humans. It is a major problem. Rather than just give up and 'deal with it', Strawesome was born to do something about it. Since March 2009, we have been working towards sufficient awareness and action to forever eliminate the need for single-use plastic drinking straws. Our mission is to provide the world’s most artistic, eco-friendly, and health-conscious drinking straw. Combined with a lifetime warranty and great customer service, there’s every reason to join the alternative straw movement and eliminate the need for single-use plastic drinking straws. Will you join us?"
I will! But what is the best way to make an impact with these glass straws? The first thing is to buy a couple for yourself.

Once you've received your glass straws in the mail, you need to make sure to use them! As with anything new, remembering to use them does take some getting used to. I started keeping them in a pocket in my purse, so I can use it at work, and when me and the husband are out and want to make a quick stop to eat, I have both of our glass straws with me! I started putting them in fabric chopstick holders, it works brilliantly! They also have pouches and to go cases that you can purchase on the website. I also keep some in the house for when we're making mixed drinks or smoothies, it just tastes and looks so much more fun!

Now that you have your very own Strawesome glass straw and are doing your part in saving the world (and the beautiful turtles!), is there anything else you can do? Of course there is! Start buying glass straws for everyone you know! Glass straws make such great gifts! Instead of buying someone something that they probably won't use, and don't need, get them a gift that they will use every day, and give them the gift of knowing that they are helping save the planet! Wow! Ok now that everyone knows what I'm getting them for Christmas...

The next thing you can do is start spreading the word!
Share all those sad turtle Facebook videos, but instead of just sharing them and leaving it at that, talk about re-usable glass straws as a solution!
Start a conversation! Tell people about your experience using re-usable glass straws.
Share with your friends why #plasticsucks.
Make a vow to cut back on plastic products, and cut out plastic straws completely!

Webmasters Earn Money Here!

Want to go one step further? Become an affiliate for Strawesome! Click the link above to get started making money while helping to save the planet!

How great are these pinup pictures of me with my Strawesome glass straw?! They were taken by the wonderfully talented Brooklyn Brat Photographer, and my hair was done by the amazing Miss Candice Hair Extraordinaire (If you are in the Atlanta, Georgia area definitely check them out!).
Let me know all about your Strawesome journey, I can't wait to hear all about it, and see your pictures!
Stay tuned for another blog post about using re-usables to save the planet!

***This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking one of the affiliate links, this blog receives a small commission. The price when clicking through my link is the exact same as going directly to the website. It just gives this blog a little appreciation. Thanks for your support!***

Peace Love and Strawesome
Jess <3

More My Peace Love Life Articles You Might Like;

4 Comments

Our Atlanta Apartment

5/3/2018

2 Comments

Hello friends! Well we've been in our apartment in Atlanta for about a year now, so I thought I would show you around our humble abode via a virtual tour!

Let's start with the living room!
Our living room has a fun travel theme to it that I just love. It all comes down to the details.

...Moving on to the kitchen and dining room.
The kitchen and dining room both have a cute retro coffee and bakery theme to them.

Next up on the tour is my office.
My office is where all the magic happens! All the household budgeting, my blogging, all goal-making and recording, my craft headquarters, and also where all our shop documents, and office supplies are kept. For that reason, it is the most cluttered part of the house; the walls are covered in calendars, to do lists, budget lists, yearly goals, and all things inspirational. The top of the desk holds all kinds of papers, folders, my laptop, odds and ends, and dry erase boards.
It is very music themed; Starting with Cat Stevens and Led Zeppelin posters, my guitar propped against the wall, and it is home to my record player and my awesome record collection.
I absolutely love this room!

And now the bedroom.
Our bedroom is pretty simple. Just our king size bed, bed-side tables, dresser, a chair, and a table that holds our noise machine, essential oils, candles, and flowers.
First we start off with the walk-in closets! Because obviously they're awesome! I'll just show you mine.

Decorations from our wedding.

The master bathroom.
The master bathroom has a beautiful gold and black color scheme.

The second bathroom.
The second bathroom is very plain, but I love it because it is where I take my baths.
Here is where I take all my beautiful bath photos you see on my Instagram.

I hope you liked our home!

Psst! Did you know that I'm now a Strawesome affiliate! Check them out via the banner above!

2 Comments

Decadent Raspberry Cheesecake Mousse (Vegan!)

3/22/2018

3 Comments

Hello my lovely readers!
Today I will be sharing with you my very own raspberry cheesecake mousse recipe. Oh, did I mention that it's vegan?!! Yes indeed!
So for those of you who eat vegan, or simply can't eat dairy, look no further for a way to satisfy your cheesecake cravings (cheesecake is one of the things I've missed most since giving up dairy).
This recipe uses simple ingredients, is easy to make, plus it's super healthy for you! It makes for a great breakfast to start out your day, a wonderful mid-day snack, and it will wow your dinner party guests as a stunning dessert!

A word about ingredients;

-To ensure this recipe is as healthy as possible, be sure to use 100% pure maple syrup. Most "maple syrups" sold at the store use high fructose corn syrup and a bunch of other nasty stuff. Read the ingredients before you buy, it's more expensive but so worth it.

-Coconut cream can be found in the Asian aisle at the grocery store. Thai Kitchen is the best!

-Use fresh raspberries! They're no good thawed out and all mushy. Plus they're healthier fresh!

Recipe for Vegan Raspberry Cheesecake Mousse

-Soak 1 1/2 cups cashews in cold water in the fridge, overnight.

-The next day, drain and rinse your soaked cashews. Blend them until creamy in a food processor (I just use my Ninja!).

-Once your cashews are nice and creamy, set them aside.

-Open a can of coconut cream. Spoon the creamy white part into a bowl, leave the watery stuff at the bottom.

-Using a hand-held mixer, mix until it stiffens (it will be kind of like whip cream).

-Fold in 2 tbs maple syrup.

-Fold in the creamy cashew concoction.

-Taste, and if you'd like it sweeter, fold in another tablespoon of maple syrup (I did).

From here, you have two choices. You can spoon your mixture into adorable dessert glasses (like these here that my awesome neighbor Hank gave me!) and eat right away, or refrigerate overnight before eating. If you eat it right away, it will have a more cheesecake feel, but if you eat it after being refrigerated overnight, it will have a more mousse-y texture. Both ways are very good! I ate some right away, put the the rest in the fridge, then ate some in the morning! Don't forget to top with fresh raspberries!
This recipe filled both glasses, plus had enough the next day for two more glasses.

Me and my husband's favorite way to eat this is spooned on top of graham crackers for a fun breakfast! Try it!
I hope you enjoy your very own vegan raspberry cheesecake mousse!

Peace Love and Vegan Mousse
Jess <3

Join Us on Our Next Travel Adventure with saigon om

2/22/2018

0 Comments

Normally I would take a little time here to talk a bit about how my life has been going lately, or give some sort of introduction about what I'm going to talk about, but honestly, I am just too excited for that, so I'll get right to the point!

I am super duper excited to share with you guys, that I have teamed up with the rad people from saigon om to plan our next travel adventure! In October, Nick and I are going to... beautiful Vietnam! Six days of yoga, mindfulness, and self discovery in tropical paradise!

Yes this is for real! I had to pinch myself when saigon om agreed to this partnership, because I have been dreaming of doing some sort of yoga/meditation retreat for years. And the fact that I have the opportunity to do it on a beach in Vietnam is just way too amazing!

What is this saigon om I keep talking about? saigon om is a holistic wellness school run by Sarah Martin and Hang Nhan. They offer teacher trainings and retreats in yoga, mindfulness, Reiki, Tai Chi, Qi Gong and massage in Canada, Australia and South East Asia. saigon om has an impressive array of classes and training sessions happening this year, and there is something for everyone. Be sure to check out their full schedule and events for the year.

This incredible 6-Day Yoga & Mindfulness Retreat is going to be held at the dreamy Full Moon Village Resort in Mui Ne, Vietnam, October 25-30, 2018. This resort has a private beach, a stunning pool, and is a TripAdvisor award-winning resort!

Our daily schedule will look a little something like this:

Qi Gong, Walking & Sitting Meditation: 6-7am
Fruit & Tea/Coffee: 7-7:45am
Lecture: 7:45-8:30am
Morning Yoga: 8:30-10am
Brunch: 10am
Free Time / Beach + Pool Time: 11am-4pm
Evening Yoga: 4-6pm
Mindful Dinner: 6:15pm
Noble Silence: 9pm - 7am

How incredibly magical does that sound!

Sounds pretty amazing right?! Well there are still spots available, and we would love to see you there! That's right, you could be doing yoga on the beach with us in just eight short months! And yes, that is the resort pictured above!

The cost to attend the retreat which includes; 5 nights ensuite villa accommodation, daily vegetarian brunch and dinner, and all activities listed above, is $675 USD per person for a shared twin/double room, and $875 USD for a single room (that does not include the cost of airfare or visas).

If this sounds like something you would enjoy, why not come along! This is a vacation that will not only be a blast, but be sure to enrich and change your life! Email Sarah and Hang at saigonom@gmail.com with any questions, and to sign up for the retreat! Be sure to tell them that you were referred by Jessica LaPinta from My Peace Love Life Blog.

saigon om's Instagram
saigon om's Facebook
saigonom.com
Full Moon Village Resort's Facebook

I will be attending the retreat with my wonderful husband, and once the retreat is over, we will be spending another week exploring this stunning country, for our long overdue honeymoon! So I am doubly excited about this trip!

Sound amazing but think you can't afford to travel the world? Be sure to check out "My #1 Secret to Saving Money for Travel" blog post. It will change the way you think about saving money for travel, allowing you to save enough money to travel anywhere in the world, be it to Australia, Fiji, or Vietnam!
Have a wonderful week lovelies!

*Huge thank you to saigon om for sponsoring this post*

Peace Love and saigon om
Jess <3

0 Comments