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Our family recently returned from summer vacation. We traveled with another family and made some awesome memories. First stop was Chicago. What a beautiful city! We stayed at the James Chicago hotel. Located perfectly in downtown, we were able to jam pack a lot in just a few days. Visiting…

Lincoln Park Zoo

The Bean at Millennial Park

Navy Pier

The Baha’i House of Worship

Needless to say, we met our step goals every day 🙂

While in Chicago I finally met, in person, one of my very good friends from Instagram, Lena. She made the 30-minute drive to my hotel to visit with me. This amazing human has been such a ray of light since day one of my social media adventures. She has shown me so much kindness and support. I am forever grateful for her and she holds a very special place in my heart. Her Instagram handle is @simplemakeup_review if you’d like to go show her some love.

Next stop was Toronto. We rented a 15 passenger van and road tripped it. Five kids and 4 adults in a small space for over 8 hours. Yes, I deserve a medal. Haha! It wasn’t too bad though. Thankfully we have amazingly patient children. In Toronto, we visited…

Niagara Falls

The Butterfly Conservatory at Niagara Falls

Both were experiences I will never forget!

The last night in Toronto, Rebekah and I were able to catch Rachel Hollis for her Girl, Wash Your Face book signing. It was totally fate or maybe determination haha! The first event ended up selling out so fast but we were able to get tickets for the second event with help from Rebekah’s sister. We were literally on the plane to Chicago when ticket sales went live. It was a super fun evening!

I have been “reading” Girl, Wash Your Face on audible and I have to be honest in the beginning I wasn’t feeling it. A lot of what Rachel was discussing felt like common sense or maybe just nothing new to me specifically. I’ve been working on being more aware, woke, conscious, whatever you want to call it, for a few years now. Maybe that’s why or maybe I just wasn’t in the right headspace. I think I’ll go back a listen to the beginning again once I’m done and see if I feel differently.

However, midway through the book, I found the topics more relatable/interesting. I realized that everything I had been listening to may not have been new but was a great reminder and that the deeper I get into the book the more my wheels start turning. This book really gets you thinking! And I’m not even done yet 🙂 I highly recommend it!

So far my favorite chapter has to be 14 The Lie: I’m A Terrible Writer. I should mention that every chapter starts off with a lie Rachel would tell herself. Chapter 14 talks about creating. To create for yourself and to remember “someone else’s opinion of you is none of your business”.

It was a very eye-opening chapter for me when it comes to my social media pages. Just what I needed. Thank you, Rachel!

As I finish the book I’ll be sure to update this post with any more favorites but in the meantime, you need to get your hands on Girl, Wash Your Face ASAP 🙂

This was a trip to remember with great friends, delicious food, and amazing experiences!

How has your summer been? I’d love to hear all about it. Leave a comment down below and don’t forget to subscribe.

Thanks for reading!

💛 Noosha