Not Your Average Gal

Copywriter. Content Creator. Constant Sassypants.

Caroline Peterson

Travel Blogs I Love

By

Happy Friday! I’m currently traveling and in Las Vegas for a quick trip, but don’t be too jealous. There are plenty of other wonderful people you can drool over in wanderlust.

The bloggers below are some of my favorite writers who have been bitten and forever changed by the travel bug. I’ve truly enjoyed reading their work and I know you will too. Hands down, the best part about fellow travelers is the information and suggestions they are willing to share with just about anyone.

Enjoy some travel love. (In no particular order.)

Travel Blogs I Love that you Should Follow - Caroline Made This

1.  Slightly Astray: Anna is about a cool as they come. She quit her job and followed her heart to travel the world and has encyclopedia-worthy knowledge about each city she’s visited. She was just in Taipei, Taiwan and has drool-worthy food pictures to prove it.

Read for: Friendly, informative travel knowledge. Food porn. Quick answers to your travel questions. Day-in-the-life posts.

 

2.  Adventures Around Asia: Richelle has a knack for hitting the nail on the head about cultures and traveling. She’s currently in China getting her master’s degree and traveling around like a champion. I find her personal posts so relatable it’s scary.

Read for: City tips. Relatable stories. Quick weekend or 2-day itineraries. Fountain of knowledge about China.

 

3.  Young Adventuress: Liz says fuck in her blog and I really dig her for it. She also has solo traveling down to a science, with amazing tips to boot. She’s currently in New Zealand living her dream and I love reading about every minute of it.

Read for: Direct, honest tid-bits. Beautiful landscape pictures. Hilarious anecdotes about life. Large Instagram following.

 

4.  Be My Travel Muse: I found Kristin while googling where to stay in Cambodia last year and quickly developed a crush simply based on the way she packed all her stuff in a backpack. This chick also hitchhiked a huge part of China! Badassery (yes, it’s a word) aside, she’s incredibly insightful about her travels and its impact. She just got back from Africa.

Read for: Impressive solo travel stories. Good hotel/hostel reviews. Stellar packing skills.

 

5.  Ashley Abroad: She’s a Michigan native, holla! Ashley is about as friendly as they come and her site is jam-packed with travel destinations. I hope one day my photos can look as beautiful as hers. She just got back from Jordan on what looks like another fantastic trip! #GirlsGoneJordan

Read for: Incredible photography. Parisian love. Impressive language skills.

 

6.  Choosing Figs: “I no longer wanted to be the person constantly making lists and thinking, ‘I want to do that someday.’ I just wanted to do it.” Boom. Nailed it. Val currently lives in Chicago and while an incredibly experienced traveler, also has hilarious posts about life. (Check out the speed dating one.) She’s a hysterical midwest gal. Samesies.

Read for: Life lists. Spot-on people watching skills. An extensive country travel list.

 

7.  Wanderlust Explorers: A Creative Director and Travel Nurse take on the world. While I may have met Kiki once in real life, we are kindred spirits. Jen and Kiki started their blog on their epic honeymoon in Asia and have continued to post their travels as life continued outside the honeymoon. Currently in Shainghai, China for Jen’s travel nursing job, they will soon be off to Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, the Philippines, Singapore, Tokyo, then back in the US…and then who knows?

Read for: Honeymoon adventures. Hilarious viewpoints. An expert website layout. Food envy (the dumplings!).

 

8.  The Planet D: If the hubster weren’t in med school (overachiever alert), I imagine we’d be similar to the traveling duo of Dave and Deb. They are the travel site in the travel blogosphere, but are still down to earth enough to constantly update and answer questions. They’re Canadian, of course they’re friendly!

Read for: A HUGE amount of counties traveled. Blog tips. Magnificent photos. Country-by-country tips.

 

9.  That Backpacker: I found Audrey on Pinterest when looking for Vietnam tips. She had me at “great tailored clothes in Hoi An.” I loved watching her videos too and even with a huge following, she’s down to earth. She’s currently in Lima, Peru.

Read for: Great itinerary tips. Budget ideas. Travel gear and packing know-how.

 

Tell me some of your favorite Travel Blogs. I’m always looking to add to the list!

One Month: No TV Conclusion

By

In March, I decided to give up TV for the entire month and on March 18th, I cracked. I watched the 2 hour reunion of Vanderpump Rules. Worrrrth it.

pumpsreunion

Jokes aside, that month taught me a lot about how easily distracted I am by television. The only other time I watched TV all month was watching Michigan State play twice, even though I said I wouldn’t. Oh ahem. GO GREEN! I was honestly surprised they made it that far in the NCAA basketball tournament, so I allowed the exception.

Like an addict.

I think the best way of describing not having TV in my life would be: quiet. I got ready in the morning with just a radio, something I hadn’t done since high school. When the GermanWings plane crashed, I listened to the TV news while I was getting ready (a condition I said I would allow if bad news happened). But I immediately noticed how quickly I was sucked in, standing there, just watching.

Like an addict.

(Ironically, I’m watching Intervention while writing this.)

When April 1st came around, I had basically 10 hours of shows DVRed. 10 HOURS. Did I watch them all so far? Of course. Ha. Except that’s not really funny.

I could have been reading the book I started reading. I could have been dancing in the kitchen while making dinner. I could have planned out future blog posts.

All more productive than watching mindless television and all things I did last month when television wasn’t around.

Things I’ve learned:

  • I’m more aware of how TV can suck me in for 5, 10 or 60 minutes.
  • I can live without it and didn’t miss anything life changing.
  • I can multi-task and watch TV while doing something else, but turning off the TV makes me accomplish that task 10x faster.
  • I have a major Bravo TV addiction.
  • I noticed that without TV other distractions payed a bigger role: Facebook.
  • Reading before bed helped me sleep better.

So there it all is in total honesty.

bethanny

Would you be able to give up television or something you know is a total distraction?

My Favorite Things: Beauty Products (and a Giveaway!)

By

From time to time, readers ask me what lipstick I’m wearing or what foundation I use. I even get texts from friends asking about it. You guys are a demanding bunch of divas.

I actually wear a lot less makeup than I did in my 20’s. It’s probably a combination of feeling more confident in how I look, not giving a shit what people think and also being a lazy sloth in the morning not wanting to spend more than 5 minutes on it. I actually *gasp* only wear foundation to work once a week when I’m not meeting with clients and impressing them with my copywriting skills and sunshine smile.

So I thought I’d start a “My Favorites” series about my favorite things. <cue Julie Andrews> Let’s start with the beautification process of making me look so damn awesome.

 

Beauty Products

1. St Ives Fresh Skin Apricot Scrub

This has been in my shower since I was in high school. Yes, I’m being serious. This is my stand-by scrub and I only use it 1-2 times a week for my face and neck (and sometimes knees and elbows if they’re extra dry). It’s less than $4 too. Holla atchya girl!

2. R+F Microdermabrasion Paste

My dear friend and former roommate sent this to me as a sample telling me it would make my face feel like a baby’s bottom. (How’s that for a sales pitch?) Shit got real because it totally did! I use this two to three times a month in replacement of the St. Ive’s Apricot Scrub. It’s so damn good. BBS. Baby’s bottom soft. If I’m feeling feisty, I’ll put on R+F Redefine Night Renewing Serum afterwards and wake up like Princess fucking Aurora. Beauty sleep in a bottle, babes.

3. Josie Maran Argan Daily Moisturizer SPF 47

I was introduced to this 5 or so years ago by a sales associate at Sephora when I was looking for a moisturizer with SPF in it that wouldn’t make my skin burn or eyes tear up. My skin is a sensitive bitch, just like my heart. She raved about this and told me just to buy the small sample in case I didn’t like it. Well, I LOVED IT. It’s lightweight and hello SPF 47. Josie Maran has free shipping for anything over $25 too.

4. Bare Minerals Original Broad Spectrum 15 Foundation

I’ve used this for the past 10 years, easy. It’s lightweight and covers well without making you look like a street walker. I used to be a Medium, but have changed to Medium Beige. Damn the Florida sun. I tried Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue recently as my skin was a bit dry from winter and I like it but I’ll go back to the powder after I finish it up.

5. It Cosmetics Vitality Face Disc

This has lasted me over a year and a half. It’s a bronzer and highlighting powder with blush. Somedays I use all, some I use just the blush and other days I don’t use it at all. As in, my face goes commando. Ohhhh, kinky.

6. Laura Mercier Full Blown Volume Supreme Mascara

I have a dilemma most bitches hate me for- my eyelashes are quite long. Frankly, I love them and I don’t say that about many parts of this ol’ body. They are so long that they leave black mascara marks above my eyes because…they are long enough to touch my brow bone. I can feel the death glares now. I found this in my Birchbox one month and became an instant fan. It’s much easier to take off than Benefit’s They’re Real mascara, which was my go-to for years.

7. IT Cosmetics Brow Power Brow Pencil

Don’t you wish your eyebrows would grow as thick as your armpit hair? Gross? Sure. But if there’s a hairy joke line, I’ll cross it. Sometimes I need a bit of a filler to make my brows fuller and this does the trick without making me look like 80’s Madonna. It’s a universal color so anyone can use it and not screw it up. Allegedly.

8. Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer

I’m not sure if I just have greasy eyelids or what, but whenever I wear eyeshadow I’d get this weird crease in the makeup on my lids. This stuff solved it. One tube will last you a really long time.

9. Coastal Scents Revealed 2 Palette

I change up my eyeshadows the most often (read: once a year) and usually use what Birchbox sends me, especially since they’re small samples and travel well for a girl-on-the-go like me. Hey-o, travelin’ superstar! I liked this one so much that I bought the full size set. It’s similar to Urban Decay’s Naked line, but half the price and just as good.

10. LAQA Lip Lube Pencils

Another find in my Birchbox (are you sensing a trend?) and this really surprised me. I’m not a lipstick gal. I actually wore lipgloss for my wedding and even then someone had to push me to do it. These little puppies pack a punch and keep my lips hydrated, which is often a problem when wearing liptstick. I love the Lambchop and Menatour colors.

Other products:

Right now, I also use Olay Regenerist Advanced Anti-Aging Regeneration Cream Cleanser and Neutrogena Alcohol Free Toner before I put facial cream on at night. That’s usually Oil of Olay Regenerist Micro Sculpting Cream, R+F Redefine Night Renewing Serum or Retin-A.

 

The Giveaway:

The first 15 people to comment below about what’s in their beauty arsenal will get free samples from my dear gal pal, Emily, at R+F. I know what you and your Facebook newsfeed are thinking, sometimes I feel like I need to teach a few R+F gals some marketing skills– bombarding my newsfeed with how omg! wonderful! great! a product is isn’t selling something, it actually creates something called consumer fatigue.

I digress…

Emily isn’t like that. In fact, I bought an R+F product last year and it wasn’t right for my particular sensitive skin. She never got pushy, never bombarded my email asking if I wanted anything more. I just told her last week about how “pink” my skin is and she simply described one product she loves and the ingredients in it. (She knows her stuff.) I’m so excited to try it! (Update: the Soothe step #2 is awesome.) For sanity’s sake, everything has a 60-day money back guarantee if you don’t like it, even if you’ve used all of the product.

But you’re getting free samples to try, so everyone wins! I’ll contact the 15 winners via email.

Now go ahead and share in the comments– what are your go-to beauty products?

Disclosure shit: If you purchase one of the products sold on Amazon through these links, I get a small commission at no extra cost whatsoever to you. As always, these are truly the products that I use and recommend. 

I Left my Heart in Cambodia

By

From the moment we landed, I thought it was a mistake choosing Cambodia and Thailand for our honeymoon.

It was a 14 hour plane ride to Tokyo. Then 7 hours to Bangkok. A quick evening layover at the airport hotel and the next morning a 1.5 hour plane ride to Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Siem Reap Cambodia Airport

After a haphazard visa experience in the airport where you shove 25 US dollars in the general direction of border patrol agents and they yell out your last name to collect your newly-minted passport with a Cambodian visa, I walked outside to see a gentleman holding a sign for PETERSON. He had the largest grin I had ever seen and gestured proudly to his tuk tuk while offering us water from a small knock-off Igloo cooler.

Siem Reap Cambodia tuk tuk Siem Reap Cambodia tuk tuk

I sat in the first of many bumpy, dusty, tuk-tuk rides on the way to our guesthouse. It had a kind sign letting us know that our driver didn’t speak much English and it was in that collective, jet-lagged, exhausted, heart-pounding, eye-opening moment that I wondered if we should have chosen Europe for our honeymoon.

I was in complete and utter culture shock.

It took a day or two to adjust to the new sights and smells. Oh the smells. I never, ever thought I’d get used to the smells. It didn’t take long, but I did. The distinct smells of pure delicious street food could be taken over by a quick waft of sewage. By the second day, I didn’t even flinch.

Siem Reap Cambodia

Siem Reap Cambodia

It’s funny there’s a route I take while running here in Florida that goes over a small bridge that has a sewer drain and every once and a while on a hot, humid day (every day) you can get a whiff of something not so spectacular. Ironically, I immediately think, “Awww, Cambodia.” And I write that sincerely without condescension.

They say smell is your strongest sense for evoking memories and I have some amazing memories from Cambodia.

Cambodia has forever changed me in such a wonderful way.

It slapped me in the face for my preconceived notions of a third world country and enthusiastically questioned my version of a good life.

There are undoubtedly issues pertaining to living conditions and education that shouldn’t be glazed over when speaking of Cambodia.

Joseph Mussomeli, former US Ambassador to Cambodia, once said, “Be careful because Cambodia is the most dangerous country you will ever visit. You will fall in love with it and eventually it will break your heart.”

The truth is, I was left with so much more in my heart given to me by the people we met.

Golden Butterfly Villa
The Golden Butterfly Villa sent us this picture after our stay.

Such as, Nary, an employee at a guesthouse where we were staying, who pointed out the Detroit Tigers hat the hubster was wearing and asked him if he was American while winking at him.

Siem Reap Cambodia

Or Nat. Oh, Nat, our tour guide that took us around Angkor Wat, who spoke with such an enthusiasm for his people and culture one minute and the next, openly spoke of the atrocities that occurred in Cambodia in the late 70’s. He told us so many times he was happy we were here and we needed to tell all of our friends back at home about Cambodia.

So I am.

FullSizeRender

I can’t wait to share more with you about our experiences.

Have you ever had a city or country forever change your perspective?

Enjoy Your Hollow Chocolate Bunny

By

Remember when the holidays could be THIS exciting?

10370900_10106478836441654_8279983672915929702_n

I still react like that to chocolate, let’s not lie. (My sister is giving her best “Not Impressed” face.)

So often we get wrapped up in holiday planning and logistics that we forget all you need is a hollow chocolate bunny to be happy. The hubster and I are heading across the state today for holiday festivities, plus I’ve been going to the gym extra early to avoid the gross grunting crowd, putting in a lot of hours at work and then just crashing in bed when I get home in a drool-filled induced sleep. It doesn’t exactly put me in the Easter spirit.

Then I came across the above picture and although I may not remember that moment (or interesting haircut), I do know feeling pure joy and apparently it’s wrapped up in the shape of a chocolate Easter bunny.

I’m going sit back and embrace that this weekend.

Enjoy your hollow chocolate bunny this weekend too, folks!

“Why are you here?”

By

I will never forget that question, because I couldn’t quite find a good answer. In the spring of 2007, I was driving back to the office with a coworker after an absurd meeting with a client. She had recently started at our small Michigan agency and I was explaining my background, which included having an internship in London for 6 months. She asked me a bit about it because she loved to travel as well.

I’m sure my eyes lit up when speaking for my love of London or all things British. I still swoon for those rolling English hills and I was just there 2 years ago. Or maybe I started mumbling about how I was supposed to meet Prince William then but it never worked out. Either way, I must have left an impression because she caught me quite off-guard.

“Why are you here, Caroline?”

I couldn’t give a good enough answer. I couldn’t think of a solitary reason…why I was here. Not even my now ex-boyfriend was a reason for me to stay and deep down I knew that.

I stumbled over my words and ended up just saying, “I don’t know.”

I kind of wanted to punch the bright-eyed newbie in her pretty face for making me question my life so much in the blink of an eye.

I just didn’t know why.

The project management job I had at that marketing agency didn’t provide a viable path for advancement (obviously) and ultimately, it wasn’t what I wanted to be doing. Sure I had ideas of what I wanted to do, but more often than not, I knew what I didn’t like…and I was doing just that.

I accepted a job offer about a year after that innocent gal dared to asked me why I was still in Michigan. It seemed a step in the right direction, but I quickly saw it wasn’t a good fit.

Like most people though, I didn’t do much about it. I was being paid well enough. The now hubster and I were looking into various countries to visit and dreaming of adventures. Egypt was at the top of our list. I was keeping myself busy by imagining what else was out there.

Instead of seeking out what would really fulfill me and not just what was comfortable, you know what really made me reevaluate my life?

I got laid-off.

Me and 20% of the company. (And a huge part of Metro-Detroit.)

BAM! An entire auto-industry, in the shitter. Here’s your severance package. Here’s your office stuff. Thanks for playing.

You aren’t supposed to feel a mixture of relief and bitterness as you walk back to your car and swipe your parking pass through the gate one last time. But I did.

My heart couldn’t let me go back to that dynamic. It’s hard to describe to people who so fervently dismiss exploring your dreams for something more consistent and comfortable. But I knew it wasn’t for me. Sure the paycheck was, but that sort of grind wasn’t. Not one that sucked my soul and creativity.

bud

At a crossroads, I chose to be perpetually poor for years and decided to go back to school for broadcast and media arts, something I always wanted to explore more. If I’m being honest, I still debate to this day as I pay back my student loans if it was worth it, as I’m sure many of you do. Sure I gained great skills, but nothing tangible besides my freelance work was panning out afterwards.

I was in a holding pattern of part time jobs, school and freelance work that weren’t career paths while the hubster applied for medical schools. I kept writing here, in retrospect, probably as an outlet. I knew there was an end. I held onto that little fleck of life until I squeezed every last bit of hope out of it I could.

When we moved down to Fort Lauderdale 2.5 years ago, much to the husband’s chagrin and our bank accounts, I stuck to my guns about jobs I would apply for. With a decade of marketing experience, I could mold myself into a lot of positions that were similar to what I had done before. But I knew I would be miserable, eventually. I had to trust my gut, even at the behest of more arguments.

When I applied for my current job as a copywriter that involved enough writing to make my heart swell, I knew I had found a solid direction and I was right where I needed to be. All my marketing experience and each track I’ve taken in between had conspired to get me here. I also work with people who say fuck a lot. So, basically, I’m right where I need to be.

Today, I’m happy at my job (more often than not) and I’ve worked really hard to set up a life that allows for traveling around the world just for funzies. Something my heart desperately, desperately needs. And also something that the former “comfortable” life didn’t leave much room for.

Now if I can write about my travels, we’d be set. Oh wait, that’s what this here blog is.

What is my point in this little, cushy feel-good story?

Don’t let some pretty, fresh-faced college grad make you question your life. Take the reigns and ask yourself now, “Why are you here?” If you can’t find a good answer, get crackin’!

Even if that means you stumble along the way, you take jobs that are below your pay grade, you volunteer in something that’s interested you for years, take a class you’ve been meaning to try or even if you are left looking back wondering if you should have tried something different. Who cares? Try it. I’m a prime example of trying it and it working out.

I questioned myself nearly every step of the way. The tauntings of the comfortable life while we were flat broke left me wondering if this direction I was going was right or justified. I looked at the hubster and felt pure and utter guilt. I kept the easy way at bay when some days I just wanted the easy answer. Sure there are aspect of my every day job that are quite “normal”, but I set it up on my terms and waited for something that felt right, not just comfortable.

I’m not just a bumbling mess when having to explain why I’m here.

I did it. I dug my fake leopard heels in and did it. That’s why.

Why are you here if not to experience this wonderful life as you see fit?

quitslacking