May252018

A Non-Spoiler Review of Solo: A Star Wars Story

As per usual, we saw the newest Star Wars movie on opening night. Solo: A Star Wars Story is one of the “off-shoot” movies (like Rogue One), as in it’s not part of the episodic saga like The Force Awakens or The Last Jedi. I felt a great deal of conflict about this movie. Han Solo is my favorite Star Wars character and only one actor can play him, the beloved Harrison Ford. Was this movie going to be good? Did it have a chance of me liking it? These were the thoughts leading up to the movie. Hungry and I have the joy of living walking distance to Disney’s El Capitan theater and we try to see new Disney movies there (and that does include Star Wars movies now) because they usually have cool shows or behind-the-scenes stuff. And we did so last night, walking our way over to the theater. It wasn’t as huge and high-energy as the Last Jedi release, but still plenty of Star Wars fans buzzing. There was a fun photo op with Chewbacca and some Stormtroopers and they had props from the movie downstairs. But you’re not here to hear this, you want to hear what I thought of the movie!

May242018

We Flew WOW Air and Here’s What Happened

If you’ve been keeping up with our social media and the blog, you’ll know that we just returned from our honeymoon in Ireland. We’re not rich and we needed to save some money on the trip. I had set a watch for cheap flights on the app called Hopper and lo and behold, cheap flights appeared. The only thing was…it was WOW Air. We had heard horror stories about WOW Air so we were a little apprehensive, but the price was too good to beat. After scouring over a million different reviews of the budget airline, I made a decision and bought the tickets.

I was able to put it out of my mind for a little, but as the trip neared closer and closer, my worry grew again. Would we be cramped up like cattle, starving and parched? Would it be the worst flight of our lives? Would it ruin our trip? All of these things passed through my mind, but I kept remembering how much money we had saved by going with them. I also asked around with my friends and got mixed reviews. Basically, the advice was to manage your expectations. So we did. We went into the flight expecting it to be the worst in our lives. We flew four flights with them: two at 9 hours and two at 2.5 hours. Let’s break it down.

May232018

Our Honeymoon in Ireland

You may have noticed that we have been absent for a good bit here on the blog. However, if you follow any of our social media accounts, you would know it was because we were honeymooning in Ireland! Yes, we got married two years ago, but a late honeymoon is better than a non-existent one, wouldn’t you say? We had a 16-hour layover in Iceland since we flew WOW Air (more to come on that airline later), so we got to explore Keflavik very briefly. Then we were back on the plane, sleep-deprived and body-confused, and arrived in Dublin in the morning. Look at our map below to see our exact route–starting in Dublin and going north then counter-clockwise the WHOLE island. We’ll share with you pictures for now based on each location (of course we can’t show every little place, we did lots of driving and saw lots of things!), we hope you enjoy!

Iceland

May192018

4 Helpful Tools That You Can Find Online

The online space has grown rapidly over the years and has now become the hub of all kinds of information, products, and services that you could ever need on planet earth. Numerous businesses have established an online presence displaying their amazing inventions and product offers which you can benefit from with the click of a button.

But with all this amazing stuff available on the internet, it can be quite overwhelming for you to effectively consume it. This is where online tools come in handy. Tools are software programs designed to serve a specific function and to help you accomplish a specific task. Here are 4 tools you can find online that will be super helpful to you:

Fitness Tools

Fitness is a primary priority for everyone including you. Your health matters a lot and the healthier you are, the more productive you can be. It takes a lot of discipline to eat healthily and work out and this discipline is lacking in most people.

Luckily though, there are numerous online fitness tools that can really help you stay on track for personal fitness. These tools are programmed to help you organize your workout schedules, prepare a meal plan, track your weight, and so much more. They keep you focused on staying fit. Find a fitness tool online and start using it today.

Financial Planning Tools

Money answers all things and you practically can’t do without it. It’s easy to misuse the money you’ve so much worked hard to earn and end up broke and depressed and that’s a place you don’t want to find yourself.

But the good news is that there are financial planning tools available online that you can use to effectively plan and manage your money. You can create budgets, track your spending habits, plan for short and long-term projects, save for the future, and manage your debt payments using these online financial planning tools.

Why handle your money aimlessly when you can make use of a financial planning tool? Get one online and start using it today.

Personal Planning Tools

Time is an equal but limited resource available to every human being but how you spend it determines the outcome of your life. It is almost impossible to recover wasted or lost time.

There are online personal planning tools that can help you plan your time, define goals, set priorities for them, and ensure that every second of your time is well spent in a productive way. Don’t just slide through the day. Use a personal planning tool to properly organize your time and daily activities.

Online Shopping Tools

There are millions of products and services on offer online that are waiting for you to purchase and use. But it can be overwhelming determining which deals are genuine, which online retailer to buy from, which promotions to go for, and which prices are correct. It would take you forever to go through every product on offer.

Thankfully, there are online shopping tools that track products from different niches and bring them all in one place where you can be able to view and make informed purchase decisions. birthorderplus.com is an online shopping tool that brings the best and latest health, beauty, and weight loss products all in one place for you to view and purchase. Try it out today.

May082018

Avengers: Infinity War Review

Spoilers, spoilers, spoilers.

A lot of speculation manifested before the Avengers: Infinity War was released based on discussions and rumors about the contracts of some of the biggest stars in the MCU. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has dished out nearly 20 movies over the past decade or so and it is hard to see anyone other than Chris Evans as Captain America or Chris Hemsworth as Thor. For us, that remains extremely true for every character and recasting would greatly tarnish the legacy of the entire MCU.

Based on these rumors, I thought they were going to kill Captain America, especially since he survived Civil War, which he does not in the comics. Even though there are multiple timelines and realities in the comics, that one is key and I was shocked when he didn’t die in Civil War. Add the rumors of Evans’ desire to end his role as Captain, and I thought that he definitely wouldn’t make it through Infinity War.

May072018

5 Things You Should Know About Kratom

Kratom is a drug whose main origin is from the tropical region of Southeast Asia. It was first discovered from the leaves of a tree in Indonesia known as Mitragyna speciosa. The native people of the country would ground it and use it in tea as one of the herbal medicine. Over the years, there have been contradictions arising from kratom after the Drug Enforcement Administration, (DEA) threatened to ban the drug terming it as illegal. It spiked a lot of research about kratom in order to understand it more. Below are some of the things you should know about kratom:

May062018

Easy Overnight Oats

It’s Sunday! What does that mean? Meal prep time! This is when we prep as much food as we can for the week so that being tired and short of time doesn’t force us into making unhealthy decisions. For this week, I’m highlighting easy overnight oats. There’s actually no cooking required in this recipe, just a tiny bit of prep work (and I mean tiny). What are overnight oats? Dry oats that soak and become edible overnight.

This is a healthy recipe (that I adapted and tweaked from Chocolate Covered Katie) that will get your rear into gear during those sleepy struggle mornings. Basically, you’re just stacking ingredients in a mason jar, putting it in the fridge overnight and then eating it the next morning! I love it because when you actually need it, you don’t have to put any work into making it. The mornings are an important part of my day for personal development and productivity so “hacks” like these are vital! I can just go through my normal routine without spending an extra 10-15 minutes prepping breakfast. Weehaw, more productivity time!

May052018

Healthy Enchilada Quinoa Casserole

Last month, I had the wonderful opportunity to spend a lot of time with my family in Iowa, although it was for the sad reason of my grandfather’s funeral. Funerals are always difficult, especially of a loved one, but there’s that bright side of family and togetherness that makes it bearable. Every meal time we would gather round the table (there were quite a few of us) and eat and laugh and cry. Definitely healing for the soul, I would say.

It was spending this time together that brought this amazing new recipe into my life: my cousin Molly’s healthy enchilada quinoa casserole. I can’t tell you how much I ate of this dish. A lot. Like, a lot a lot. It was filled with such healthy and yummy goodness that I couldn’t stop. Just something about a warm nourishing dish in the last throes of winter (yeah, we got 7 inches of snow DURING APRIL). The dish focuses on latin flavors while boasting healthy nutrition facts. The base of the dish is quinoa, but so many others are invited to the party: beans, corn, cilantro, avocado and more. As soon as I tasted the menu, I begged her to write up the recipe and send it to me! So this one, folks, is all thanks to Molly!

May022018

Cycling Facts You Should Know

Cycling was first introduced to the public in the 19th century with the advent of draisines and velocipedes. Today, the bike family includes road bikes, cyclocross bikes, mountain bikes, fitness bikes and other types. Much more than a hobby, cycling is an effective way of incorporating an exercise routine into your daily schedule. It has since been more than just a sport – it is a lifestyle for many people. It also goes without saying that cycling has a positive impact on the well being and overall health of the cyclist.

May012018

Alternate Nostril Breathing: An Easy Way Into Meditation

Meditation can seem quite a daunting thing. Sitting still for many long minutes and trying to quiet the mind? Good luck! However, if you break it down piece by piece and just try doing one thing, it can eventually lead you to the real deal. Just trying this breathing technique here or that thought pattern there can ease you into a meditation practice. It doesn’t need to be this scary thing. You don’t need to become someone who sits in the middle of a forest, surviving on meditative breath alone. That’s why, if I’m teaching a meditation class, I like to start with something simple like the alternate nostril breathing (which I’ve blogged about before).

So what is alternate nostril breathing? It’s really rather simple. The technique requires the use of your fingers so that you can breathe through one nostril at a time. Why is it effective? By doing something active with your breath (especially active due to the use of your fingers), your mind has to focus on it. Your mind has a much better chance of focusing if you are doing something active with it. Instead of sitting there, hoping that the buzz of your thoughts will quiet, you are taking your breaths with purpose. So, let’s get started–you only need a handful of minutes.