September BuJu 2017

I know  I know, we are mid-way through September, but I wanted to show you my September Bullet Journal spread. This month, I chose a Cactus theme.

The weekly spread is a little bit different than last month I wanted to switch it up a bit. I had been using my previous layout for 7 months.

XO,
Sam

Spain Trip 2017

Awh man guys, sorry that it took me so long to post. I feel like since I have gotten home from Spain I have been busy, busy, busy! I imported my pictures like last week and finally have time to sit down and tell you guys about this amazing trip!

Day 1 & 2 - Madrid

Day 1 was a lot of travel. We left from the Philadelphia International Airport and took a 6.5-7 hour plane ride to Madrid. By the time we got there, it was about 10am their time, and we had to wait until 12-1pm to get a bus to the hotel. Once we got there, we checked in and then passed out until we had to go to Orientation at 5:30pm (we were with a travel group of about 50 people). After that, we went and got some food, then went to Parque del Retiro and walked around a bit.

   

Day 2 We drove around Madrid a bit learning some history, then we went to the Alcazar of Segovia. This caste is said to be the inspiration for Cinderella's castle in Disney!

After that, we went exploring in the city.


Day 3- Toledo

When we got to Toledo, we started by looking at this amazing view.

Then we walked around learning more about the History of the town.


Day 4- Seville

Seville had some of the most beautiful art that I had seen the whole trip. They were heavily inspired by Moorish Architecture. We went to a place called the Plaza de Espana  which was created for the 1928 Ibero-American Exposition World's Fair. Each city designed their own area representing a significant event in their city's history.

Then, we went to the Alcazar which was used to film some scenes from Game of Thrones! The castle was absolutely beautiful.

That night, we enjoyed a Flamenco Show!

Day 5- Granada

Our tour guide told us a story about how in Granada, anyone that orders a drink is supposed to also be served Tappas (bread with a topping). Allegedly, back in the day, people would have to choose between eating or drinking (alcohol) with the little money they had, and usually picked to have a drink. With that, there became a rule that anyone that ordered a drink must also be served Tappas.

So, we all went to an outside restaurant, ordered a drink, and DID NOT GET SERVED TAPPAS! We were so disappointed. After our fail at Tappas, we got lunch and shopped for a little. That night, we walked to one of the highest points in Granada to catch a beautiful sunset.

    

Day 6- Valencia

Valencia is known for its modern architecture, so when we first arrived we went to Ciutat de les Arts i les Cinches.

Valencia was the closest we had been to the beach, so as soon as we arrived to the hotel that evening, Jenna and I skipped dinner with the rest of the group, got a taxi, and headed for the Mediterranean Sea!

Day 7 & 8 - Barcelona

On the way to Barcelona, we stopped at Pensacola, which was BEAUTIFUL!

That night, we went out to dinner and saw an amazing fountain show! We got so close to the fountains we were DRENCHED!

Then, we made it to Barcelona! We had a free day on our last day, so Jenna and I went to the Picasso Museum, the beach, and Parc de la Ciutadella.

I hope you enjoyed the post! Again, sorry it took so long to put up. There were just SO MANY pictures to go through and to be honest, I was being lazy!

XO,

Sam

Minimilist Packing for trip to Spain!

Hello all!

On Friday, I will be traveling to Spain for 9 days! We are going to be visiting a whole slew of cities including Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, and Valencia. Since we will be going from hotel to hotel, I wanted to make it very easy to pack up and go, not have to fuss with a bunch of stuff!

Here are some pics of the clothing that I will taking with me:

5 tops

4 bottoms

2 dresses, 1 romper

1 one piece, 2 bikini tops, 1 bikini bottom

Not pictured: 1 pair of sneakers for walking, 1 pair of running shoes, 3 pairs of sandals, 2 sleep outfits, 2 w/o outfits, beach cover up, undergarments, toiletries.

On the plane I am planning on wearing leggings, sneakers, tank, hoodie, and a scarf. I am also taking a few of these things and packing them in my back pack just in case they make me check my carry on. That way if they lose my luggage, I will have an outfit I can change into!

I can't wait to show you guys pictures from the trip!!

xo,
Samantha Jole

August Bullet Journal Layout

Hello all!

Today I am going to share with you my Bullet Journal layout for the month of August.

If you are not familiar with Bullet Journals, they are pretty much blank journals with little tiny dots on them so that you can make your own customized journal. A lot of people use the more systematically, but I enjoy them for of the artsy and creative side of it. I like planning things ahead, so I usually make the next months spread the month before. i.e. It is only the end of July but I have had the August spread done since the beginning of July. You will see that a lot of my spots are filled in already due to the fact that I like to be a month ahead. I scribbled out things that I wanted to keep private, but here is the spread!

First and foremost, I got my journal from Barnes and Noble. A lot of people like to use the Leuchtturm 1917 I think that I am going to get that one next (my journal is almost full).

I got this spread idea from AmandaRachLee I always like to have the month name on the right and a quote on the left. Throughout the spread, you will see I also added some Mermaid silhouettes throughout.

Next I always put my August Future Log and my August Task Log. I use the future log mostly for laying out my workout schedule. I am often training for a race, so I like to plan ahead. I usually do not put much on the August Task Log except for mind dumps or reminders of things that I want to do. I have also recently been writing out blog ideas and when I want to post them (so you are getting a sneak peak!).

The next pages are my Run Log and Bills page. On my Run log, I like to write out the day that I ran, distance, time, pace, and location. That way, I can reflect on my runs and hopefully see improvements! Bills are nothing special, but it helps me ensure that everything was paid on time.

Lastly, here is my weekly spread. This is where I log tasks that I am doing daily. As you can see I have the number day and day of the week, followed by any tasks I need to complete, my planned workout, and what I plan on eating that week. As you can see, when I am in Spain I have it blocked out because calories don't count when you're on vacation! Jotter is another place that I will do some mind dump type of things and Meal Ideas is where I plan what meals I want to have the next week. I have been doing a similar spread like this since February, so you will see next month I decided to switch up the format a little bit.

That is pretty much it for my August spread! I hope if you come across this and you like to BuJu that got some inspiration for your next spread!

XO,

Samantha Jole

My 10K Training

Hello all!

I am in the midst of training for the Philly 10K that will be held on August 27th of this year. The course, as the Philly 10K website states, "... starts on South Street near the intersection of 8th and explores large parts of South Philly and Center City before ending back on South between 4th and 5th Street." This should be a pretty cool race because most Philly races are held around the Art Museum, so it will be a new, interesting route. I have heard that they also do not give out medals, but a surprise trinket which is very exciting! I will be sure to let you know in my race recap post.

I started training for the 6.2 miler July 2nd and man has it been BRUTAL. The heat in the Philadelphia area has been pretty unbearable this past week. I ran yesterday in about 96*F, was supposed to run 2.5 miles, but stopped at 2 because I just could not take it anymore. I tried running in a shady area, but it did little for relief of the heat. 

With that being said, I have a 4 miler that I am supposed to be running this Saturday. I will probably try and get up early that morning to try and beat the heat, although looking at the weather it is supposed to be 80 by 8am! UGH!

I will also be traveling to Spain in the beginning of August. It looks like it is even hotter there, when I am scheduled to run 5 miles! I am not sure if I want to explore the city with my 5 mile run or if I will succumb to the "dreadmill". I guess we will see!

How do you get through hot summer runs??

XO,
Sam

Broad Street Run 2017 Recap

This time last week, I completed the countries largest ten mile race, the Broad Street Run. I finished in 2:02:37. This is the second time I have run this race. The first time was in 2015, and I finished in 2:18:24, so I PR'd by 16 minutes!

This time around, I knew myself a lot better when it came to long distance running. This time, I ruled myself using a GU waffle and a string of GU energy blocks. I can not to the GU gel packs because they severely mess with my stomach. in Broad Street 2015, I went with the recommendation on the package which said to take one 15 minutes before then one every 45 minutes. Now, I am a slower runner, so that meant i had a total of 4 GU's for a ten mile race. That day, I puked my guts out and couldn't move because my stomach literally sounded and felt like a chemistry experiment was going on inside of it.

This year, I ran pretty much the whole way up to 7 miles. I stopped to pee once which NEVER happens in a race, then around mile 7 it started to downpour. That really got me down so I walked about every mile for one minute. If not for those few factors, I think I would have run it in under 2 hours! I guess there is always next year!

XO,

Samantha Jole

Kindness

The other day I was driving into work. I have to turn left into the parking lot, and there was a car coming out to turn right onto the road. It looked like they were going to turn out at the time that I was turning in, so I beeped. At that time I was annoyed and nervous that this moron was going to hit my car. Then, something happened that I was not expecting.

As I turned in and beeped, the woman waved and smiled at me. I turned from annoyed and anxious, to relieved and happy. Her smile and wave literally made me smile and lifted my mood. I wished that I had stopped and thanked her for that wonderful reaction. 

With that, remember that your actions do affect others moods and actions. Be kind. Smile. Heck, wave. It will make the world better, more enjoyable place to live. As they say, smiles are contagious.

xo (and a smile),

Samantha Jole