Rome: The Sights

After our time on the Amalfi coast, we headed to our final destination of Rome.  Since there are so many amazing historical sights here, this is a picture heavy post and I will keep my comments relatively short.  We were in Rome for 5 nights and had some days with great weather and a couple of rainy ones too.  Rome is beautiful, just like everywhere we went, but it is SO touristy.  You can see in these pictures, it is so busy everywhere and we weren't even there "in season."  Everything also felt so sprawled apart.  Our hotel was gorgeous and felt very luxurious, but I didn't love the location.  If there is a next time, I would pick to stay in the Piazza Navonna area.  I have two more posts on this never-ending honeymoon series, one about the food in Rome and the final one with some of my thoughts and cute pictures of my husband and I.  Let me know if you have any questions about any of these pictures, I always love talking about travel and planning.  :)

Where We Stayed:

Hotel Eden

Simple 5 Day Trip Up North

Part of my 2015 goal to simplify my life incorporates my wardrobe and packing skills.  Unfortunately, I had an unplanned trip to Massachusetts last week to attend a funeral.  I thought this would be a good opportunity to put my simplification to the test.  Being from Florida, I only have a few winter clothes to begin with (although I have a lot more sweaters than I thought I did), so it was easier to stick to a smaller number of items.

Aside from the essentials (undergarments, socks, and pajamas), I took three sweaters, three shirts, two pants, two coats, two boots, one dress for the funeral, and a hat, scarf, and gloves.  I wore everything I packed and feel good about my lightweight travel essentials.  Even my carry on was simplified.  I only took my Kindle, iPhone, headphones, and charger (not shown).

Most of these items below are not the actual ones that I took as most of my winter gear is very old, but they are similar.  I have placed an asterisk (*) next to the ones that I actually own.

Simple 5 Day Trip Up North by happythursdayblog

ASOS zipper dress  / Madewell sweater pullover* / MANGO cotton cable knit sweater / Design History ribbed cardigan / J Crew stripe tee / Merona t shirt* / Cuddl Duds thermal tee / Helly Hansen red hooded coat* / Carven Coat / Sanctuary clothing pants* / Gap dark wash skinny jeans* / UGG Australia short ankle boots* / Badgley Mischka pebbled leather handbag / H&M shoulder strap purse / Forever 21 black scarve / Isotoner spandex glove / Forever 21 black beanie hat / EOS Lip Balm* / STEVEN by Steve Madden Women's Intyce Riding Boot* / Osmia Organics | Hand Repair Cream with Organic Aloe and Shea *

Edison and Ford Winter Estates

I can't believe I have lived here for 17 years and never been to the Edison and Ford Winter Estates before!  It is really fun and a beautiful piece of property.  My husband and I did the whole thing, including the gardens, houses, museum, and botanical lab, on a self-guided tour with an audio guide about a year ago.  The entry fee was $20 each and it took us about 2 hours to cover it.  There is a lot of history and fun facts throughout the properties on signs and via the audio guide.  Plus it is located on the Caloosahatchee River and benches have been placed all over to relax and enjoy.  It was really beautiful! Rarely are you told that you can walk on the grass at these historical locations, but here you can explore wherever you want and are told only to avoid stepping on the roots of trees and not pick any fruits or flowers.

Walking around the estates reminded us of being in Italy and going through the palaces, gardens, and museums.  And thinking about that trip is getting me excited for our next trip to Spain this summer!

Goals for 2015

We are a month into the year and I haven't posted my goals yet.  I think this is indicative of how busy I have been so far.  First of all, I had a great Christmas and New Year.  On January 3rd my little sister got married!  After that, I was sick for about a week.  Once I got better, I finally felt motivated to reflect on the past year and plan for the future.

My first thought about 2014 was not a very positive one.  My biggest disappointment about last year was that we did not save as much as I expected to, but I hadn't considered the rise in health insurance costs (our monthly premiums almost tripled) when I planned how much I was going to save.

When I really thought back about what we did and accomplished, I was impressed.  We did a lot of traveling in 2014 and had a really great time!  I did a great job with being healthy.  I started Pilates reformer classes and I am in love.  After only 5 or 6 classes, I already had the body I wanted.  Now I've been doing it for about six months and I am stronger, leaner, and so much happier with myself.  I have also continued to do barre once a week for my cardio.

My theme of 2015 is going to be SIMPLIFY.  I just want to strip everything down to the essentials, to get rid of the distractions, and focus on the people that I love and want in my life.  I divided my goals up into six areas and honestly I'm just really excited about the year to come.

SOCIAL
    1.  Saturday is the only day I will be checking Facebook.
    2.  Sundays are internet free days.
    3.  Have friends over to our house once/month.
    4.  Have girl time once/month.
FAMILY
    5.  Try new diets that work for Jesse.
    6.  Read 2 more books with Jesse for our book club.
FINANCIAL
    7.  Stick to my budgets for groceries, gas, and "play money."
    8.  Only buy 12 new articles of clothing.
PHYSICAL
    9.  Wake up without pressing snooze.
    10. Get outside for at least 10 minutes every day.
CAREER
    11. Read 2-3 business books.
    12. Get long-term care insurance licensed.
    13. Get more advanced PPA training.
HOUSE
    14. Redo closet systems.
    15. Add garage shelves.
    16. Replace shower door.
    17. Move microwave over stove.  Increase my cooking prep space.
    18. Do some landscaping.