I have a fun giveaway for you guys today! Steph Anne is one of my all-time favorite people. She is gorgeous, sweet, and one of the craftiest and creative people I know. (Have you seen her house? Sigh. Perfection.) I have followed her blog for a long time and have seen her switch up her layout multiple times. It can be such a subtle shift in her header or sidebar, but I’m always impressed by her design skills.

Steph Anne runs a design business, Yellow & Savvy Design. She does everything from blog designs to business cards to “Save the Date”’s. Her designs are whimsical and feminine, always with a creative edge I don’t normally see in other designs. The blog designs she has done are some of my favorites which is why I am so excited to say I am giving away one of her templates to one lucky winner!

The prize is this: if you have a Blogger blog or are on self-hosted WordPress, YOU are eligible to win one of these fantastic templates. You get to choose which one! She’ll work with you on customizing the theme to your blog title and tagline and give you detailed instructions on how to install the template. Seriously, I’m so excited for the winner!

So, how do you get in the pot to win? You have three ways!:

• MANDATORY: Visit Steph Anne’s Etsy shop and tell me what blog design you would choose if you won!
• Tweet about the giveaway! Feel free to use this tweet: “I want to win a pre-made blog design made by @luxechandelier! Hosted by @stephanywrites — http://bit.ly/y8s0ZW”
• LIKE Yellow & Savvy Designs on Facebook

This giveaway is ends on Monday, February 20 at 11:59pm. The winner will be announced on Tuesday, February 21st. Good luck!

It’s no secret that I’m trying to lose weight. Or that I struggle with motivation. Or that I’m doing it the old-fashioned way: by changing my diet and adding in exercise. So far, exercise has been the easiest part of the battle. I’ll whine and complain, but I usually drag my butt to the gym five days a week, working out for at least an hour. And when I’m there, I’m fully invested in bettering myself and my body.

And looking good while doing it.

PlanetGear.com is a website that offers huge discounts on fitness gear, apparel, and travel destinations. All sales are made on a first-come, first-serve basis, start at 8:00am PST, and last up to 72 hours. They offer up to 70% off on all their discounts and the sales are pretty sweet, if I do say so myself.

Spinning fanatic as I am (even though, uhhhh, I haven’t gone in maybe 2 weeks? Whoops?), I have my eye on this pair of TYR Sport Women’s Kinetic Spin Sports, valued at $46, selling for just $22. Yes. I need these in my life. Or maybe a TYR Sport Women’s Kinetic T-Back Tank to go along with it, valued at $42, and selling for $22. Yes, please!

And from now until the end of October, PlanetGear.com is donating $1 for every new member and “like” they receive on Facebook to the Breast Cancer Fund. The Breast Cancer Fund “works to connect the dots between breast cancer and exposures to chemicals and radiation in our everyday environments.” They want to educate the public on scientific evidence and truths about chemicals and radiation to help prevent cancer and sustain our health.

The most fun part of all of this? PlanetGear.com has agreed to host a giveaway! One lucky winner will receive this pretty awesome training ball. I am a huge fan of training balls for exercise because they’re a great way to do add something NEW to your workout. They have the ability of taking a workout to a higher intensity (ever do push-ups on a training ball? Not. Easy.) or lower intensity, which is especially helpful if you have back or knee problems. Plus, they’re just plain fun to work out on! I feel like a kid when I use a training ball!The even cooler thing is that this ball has printed exercises located around the spine so you have built-in ways to use this to target specific muscles in the body.

Want to win it? You have four ways to enter:

1 – (Mandatory) You must be a follower of my blog. Leave a comment saying you do.

2 – Become a member of PlanetGear. (Membership is FREE and super simple! Be sure to mention my email stephanywrites@gmail.com when you sign up!)

3 – “Like” PlanetGear on Facebook

4 – “Like” my blog on Facebook

Leave separate comments for each entry. Multiple entries in one comment will count as one entry. The giveaway ends on Monday, October 3rd at 11:59pm. Winner will be announced on Tuesday, October 4th.

Good luck!

Today I wanted to bring you my final guest post of the week, even though I’m home and my cruise is over. Just go with it. Cait from Finding My Balance is a great friend of mine who seems to be my carbon copy in all things anxiety and health. (Although she’s tall and skinny. I’m…not. Whatever.) Her blog does not get the recognition it deserves so you need to check it out where she details her life dealing with anxiety, health problems, and life with E, her boyfriend. Even her mushy relationship posts make me smile, and mushy relationship posts generally don’t. First, enjoy her post and then visit her blog!

Right now, Stephany is off on a cruise doing … cruise-y stuff. Truth is, I’ve never been on a cruise, so I don’t know what actually goes on. Whatever she’s up to, I’m sure she’s having the time of her life because vacations are simply awesome.

For me, the word ‘vacation’ is synonymous with ‘the beach’ … or, as we say in New Jersey, ‘the shore.’ Yes, I am from the great garden state and  am only about an hour’s drive away from Seaside, the suddenly infamous birthplace of MTV’s Jersey Shore. While I won’t deny that the boardwalk is often crowded with people who spend their nights in clubs pumping their fists (it is Jersey tradition – we pump our fists, not our gas), I will say that there are several other beachy destinations in the state that are guido-free.

The best of these by far has to be my aunt and uncle’s shore house. It’s a two-hour drive, but is absolute heaven and worth the trip. As soon as you step out of the car, all of your stress melts away. Everything looks and feels light and airy, and with the bay only a block away, there’s always a cool breeze. It’s rarely ever too hot to spend the entire day outside, but even if it is, you can sit inside and the breeze rolls in through the open windows and doors.

They live on a block of absolutely wonderful and welcoming neighbors who will stroll in while you’re drinking your morning coffee and sit with you sipping wine late into the evening. Every weekend, so long as the weather prevails, everyone gets up and goes out on their boats, riding across the bay to a sandbar that becomes our own private beach. When the sun starts to set, we all haul ourselves home, shower, and every family cooks up a yummy dish or two for a potluck dinner.

Although these are weekly occurrences, there’s no pressure to participate if you’re not feeling social. On several occasions, we opted for a relaxing day at home instead, maybe cruising garage sales in the morning and spending the afternoon reading outside. When we were younger, we’d go swimming in the lagoon that’s right off the back deck; now we go for trips around the marsh in the small motor boat that my two cousins are both licensed to drive.

I’m so lucky to have a wonderful aunt and uncle who open up their shore house to me and the rest of our family. As long as they’re planning on being there, we can show up whenever we like, staying for one day or the entire weekend. It’s the perfect little summer retreat that allows me to have a weekend ‘vacation’ whenever I’d like. (Plus, no Snookie or MTV cameras in my face.)

It’s Thursday, which is a sad day for me. My cruise has come to an end. Since I know today and tomorrow will be busy with recuperating, unpacking, and trying to get back to normal life, I decided to keep the guest blogs coming! Today you get to read about Krysten’s view on the amazingness that is cruising. Her post made me so flippin’ excited for my own cruise.

Hi all, I’m Krysten of After ‘I Do’ and Stephany asked me to drop by and look out for her blog today while she’s away on her fabulous cruise (which I am ridiculously jealous about, by the way).

Today I’d love to tell you all about the first cruise that I went on with my family in January 2007.  I remember being a little iffy about cruising at the time.  You hear stories about people getting really seasick and those pesky murders at sea (I know you know what I’m talking about you Lifetime Network watchers).  However, I couldn’t pass up a free vacation from my parents!

We did a Mexican Riviera cruise with Carnival Cruise lines and let me tell you, I was pretty impressed.  The boats themselves are kind of amazing – gorgeous dining rooms, a mall area, multiple pools and so much more.  The entertainment is not to be passed up and each night there are large shows (comedians, magic acts, dance routines to name a few) as well as several small shows, plus places to dance, do karaoke and a casino.

I think the neatest thing about cruises is being able to visit different ports.  If you aren’t sure if you want to spend an entire vacation in a specific place a cruise can help you decide that.  Not sure if you’ll like Jamaica?  Take a cruise that includes that as one of the ports.  Chances are you’ll be able to figure out whether or not you like the place after spending the day there.  And if you don’t like the port all you have to do is get back on the boat and spend the day at the pool!

And don’t even get me started on food.  All day long there’s an amazing buffet of every kind of food you can think of.  At night there’s a dining room serving the best food you’ve ever had – and you can order as much as you want.  You like dessert?  Order one of everything off the dessert menu.  Just don’t be mad when you come home weighing more than when you left!

I never thought I’d have as much fun as I do when I’m cruising and I can promise you that Stephany is probably living it up right now!  If you haven’t cruised before I very much encourage you to try it out.  And if you have, tell me, where did you go and what did you think?  Do you love cruising as much as I do?

Hope you’re having fun Steph!

Today is my last full day on the ship. (Cue tears.) It’s a “Fun Day at Sea” where I will be nothing more than sipping on fruity drinks, reading, and trying to soak in the last of this amazing vacation. For today, I bring to you someone who I adore with all my heart: Lisa from Lisa’s Yarns. I started reading her blog when she was training for the Portland Marathon with Amber and loved everything about her blog. She’s funny but introspective. And she is Super Aunt to four adorable nephews! Enjoy!

Good morning and hello, it’s Lisa of Lisa’s Yarns! While Stephany is gallivanting away on a much-deserved tropical getaway, she has asked me to fill in for her. Since she is on a fabulous vacation, it only seems fitting that I talk about some of the vacation destinations I am dreaming of these days.

So without further ado, here are 5 places I’m dreaming of visiting these days.

1. Dubrovnik, Croatia

This charming seaside city is a seaside port of the Adriatic Sea. Its Mediterranean climate would make it a perfect getaway! Besides basking in the sun, I’d also like to walk the ancient walls of the city, check out the Old Town, which is a World Heritage Site, and sail to some of the surrounding island.

2. Machu Picchu, Peru

This has been on my vacation dream list for years!! I hope to someday see these ancient Inca ruins. While you can take a train to the ruins, I would prefer to do the 4 day trek (which is known for being extremely physically challenging!). There are rumors that they may stop handing out permits to do this trek, so I should probably try to get there sometime in next couple of years!

3. Positano

Every since I saw the movie, Under the Tuscan Sun, I have wanted to visit the seaside village of Positano. I think this cliffed city looks so charming! It’s located on the Amalfi Coast of Italy, close to other equally charming cities! I’d rent an apartment, visit the local markets, and feast upon fresh seafood.

4. Algarve, Portugal

Are you noticing a theme? This is the 3rd dream destination, located by the sea. This area is known for its beautiful beaches, ancient ruins such as Cabo do Sao Vicente, and quaint villages.

5. Paris, France

No travel list would be complete without Paris! Those who read my blog know that I am a total Francophile. I’ve visited Paris twice and can not wait to return. I can’t wait to rent another apartment (possibly in the Latin Quarter this time), shop at their local markets, stroll along the Seine, and eat lots of mussels, French fries, and gallettes! On my next trip, I’d like to try to stay for 2 weeks so I can check out another area, such as the Loire Valley or Provence.

So there you have it! Since I was just in France in February, I will have to settle for dreaming about these destinations for now. I have set a goal to pay down my student loans by a certain amount; once I reach that goal (which is an aggressive one), I will start to plan my next trip as a reward!

Where do you dream of vacationing to?