Tag: 2019

Let's Get Personal

Reflection

marcetheblogger

Hi All,

I am feeling a bit nostalgic today so I wanted to share some thoughts. At the end of 2017, I took a very crazy leap of faith and accepted a new position. Why was it crazy, you ask? Well because it required a significant pay cut and leaving a job after 4 years (my longest job).

I had decided earlier in that year that I would return to grad school and get a degree to work in higher education. I knew it would not be easy and I knew it would require sacrifice. I went through so many situations since making the switch and they were not easy.

Many don’t know but I had interviewed at other schools but was never offered a position. But I did not become discouraged!  I knew I wanted to do more with my life. I wanted to make an impact on people’s lives.

I was fortunate to have started my higher education career at the beginning of 2018. Since then I have moved on to a different institution and feel beyond excited for the new opportunity. I am fortunate to be working with a great team and cannot wait to see what the rest of this school year brings for me.

Travel

Dolphinaris – Cozumel, Mexico

marcetheblogger

During our family cruise this past August, our ship docked at beautiful Cozumel, Mexico. This was our one stop where we decided to participate in an excursion. It was a family friendly activity that we all truly enjoyed.

For our last stop, we booked the Dolphinaris Experience. Due to my son being so small we opted not to do swimming with dolphins since he would not be able to participate and we were also on a budget. We booked the excursion directly on the Carnival app which was super easy and convenient.

We received our instructions in an envelope the morning of our excursion. Typically we would have received it the night before but we booked it super last minute. Once we docked, we made our way to our meeting spot where we had to wait about 45 minutes to be taken to our transportation. Our group was split into different taxi vans and the drive was about 15 minutes.

When we arrived, we were greeted by the super nice staff. We were able to watch some of the excursions that were already taking place while we waited for our host.

Shortly after we were given instructions to get ready. We had to shower beforehand to make sure we washed off any products that could harm the dolphins and water life.

Our instructor was great and we were in a small group of 4 plus the baby. The instructor explained what we had to do clearly and also shared valuable information about the dolphins. The two dolphins were named Marce and Frida. We were able to interact with them and had such a fun time.

After we were able to enjoy a buffet with an open bar before we had to head back to the ship.  The options ranged from building your own taco to a good ol’ burger or hotdog. We also enjoyed some drinks called “Sex on the beach.”  At the end, we had the option to purchase our pictures and other gift items. Tip: NEGOTIATE! 😉

Below are some pictures of our adventure.

Jena getting a kiss 😘
Dancing!
Baby John got in on the action!
Frida jump!
Splish splash!
Family, Mom Life, Travel

Cruise 2019 – Pictures

marcetheblogger

Hi everyone!

I am a picture fanatic so this post will be dedicated to a few pics from our family cruise. We went this past August and had a great time! It was an amazing experience and we all enjoyed ourselves! We stopped at some beautiful ports in a week span. Thank you Carnival for the memories!

Family, Mom Life, Travel

Family Cruise 2019

marcetheblogger

This summer we went on our first family cruise. We did it right before the beginning of the school year as a way to close out our summer. It was a 7 day cruise leaving from the Port of Miami to the Grand Cayman Islands, Roatan Island, Belize, and Cozumel.

We flew into Fort Lauderdale a day in advance and then took a cab over to Miami. We stayed at a Marriot close to the Port. We didn’t have a car so we mostly just walked around the surrounding area to do some exploring. We ended up doing a late night Target run and were able to get some necessities for our trip that we were missing.

This post will focus on some of the items I felt were important to have on this cruise especially traveling with a family. I will do a post and share some great pictures at a later time.

Items to bring in no specific order:

These were the key items to have. The cruise ship helped with our milk supply as it was available 24/7 for the baby.

I will keep updating this as I receive feedback. Feel free to share your own tips and I can continue to keep this growing!

NOTE: LINKS ARE NOW COMMISSIONED!

Let's Get Personal

2019 Goals

marcetheblogger

When I take breaks at work, I travel with my planner from Pretty Simple Planner and 2019 Goals Notebook courtesy of the Leadership Certificate Program at Montclair State University. I love writing to-do lists and find joy crossing items off of my list. This year instead of making verbal resolutions, I decided to write my goals in a notebook. I gave each goal it’s own page and make notes when I make progress towards each of them or I cross off items listed below the goal that I complete. It makes me feel accomplished and at the end of the year I can see what I have accomplished and hold myself accountable for those I may not complete. I am optimistic but also a realist and truth is some goals might have to wait because we all know life happens.

Posts

Support FRANCDPRVL Clothing Line

marcetheblogger

One of my goals this year was to support more of my friends’ small businesses.

My 1st Support Small Business feature is the fashionable Francois Duperval Clothing Line. Available for men and women featuring bottoms, tanks, crop tops, hoodies, jackets, and more!

Click the link for more styles: https://www.francoisduperval.com/.

You can also find them on Instagram: @francdprvl