Quick Trip to San Diego

Planning a vacation can be stressful, especially if it’s a quick one. If you’re planning a trip to San Diego, check out the article I wrote for Southern Departure—it’s a guide on how to make the most of your time in San Diego. Click the link above for useful tips and pictures. 

xoxo,

LT

Inclusive Resort Experience

Last summer my husband and I stayed at an all inclusive resort in Riveria Maya. There were so many resorts to choose from! But after a lot of research, we chose Secrets Maroma. Some of the reasons we chose this resort was because it was decently priced and adult only.

Rooms: The resort has multiple rooms to chose from depending on the amount you want to spend.  We chose the swim out suite.  This room has it’s own private patio with direct access to a swim out pool.  It’s a nice way to have some privacy from the main pools.

Food: Throughout the resort, there are seven restaurants to choose from.  Although the food isn’t great, there are several options to choose from.  Some of the options include French, Mexican, Asian, and Italian cuisine.  One of my favorite features was the 24 hour room service. Bars are located throughout the resort.  My favorites were the swim up bar, pool side bar, and beach bar.  Tip: Be sure to bring cash to tip the staff. They prefer US currency.

Activities: You will never get bored at this resort! There’s something to go each day.  The resort offers kayaking, snorkeling, putt putt, ping pong, tennis, and more.  Each day they have a pool activity.  My favorite was bingo and volleyball foam party.  Tip: Each morning, they leave a schedule of the day’s events.  Use that to help plan your day.

Excursions: Even though they cost extra money, I highly recommend taking an excursion.  The lobby has different travel companies that will help you choose which excursion you want to go on.  While we were there, we did two.  The first one we did took us to Talum and Akumal to snorkel with sea turtles.  The second we did was a snorkeling excursion that took us to a cenote, cave, and lagoon.  Lunch was included with both excursions; it was nice to try traditional mexican food (it was delicious).  Tip: Choose an excursion that gets you the most bang for your buck and allows you to see multiple places.

The swim out pool from our suite.

My favorite place to drink was in the hammock by the pool.

On our excursion at Tulum to see the ruins.

At our second excursion, snorkeling in a cave.

Beautiful, clean beach

xoxo,

LT

The story behind the name

Out with the old and in with the new! Now that my cancer journey is coming to an end, I thought my blog could use an update. Although I still plan on writing about cancer, I want to broaden my topics.

Chasing Life came from a tv show I watched when I was going through chemo.  The show is about a journalist in her twenties who gets diagnosed with cancer.  Obviously, this show hit home with me.  It was an emotional roller coaster ride for me to watch! Throughout the show, there were so many things I could relate to, and watching the show helped me cope with cancer.  Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the show:

“When you get out of there, you’ll be a survivor.  And take it from me, survivors are the ones who appreciate life the most.”

“Life is always gonna throw you curveballs, you can’t control that.  All you have to do is keep swinging.”

“Never stop thinking about your future.”

I chose Chasing Life as the title because being diagnosed with cancer makes you realize the importance of life.  I want to live everyday to the fullest by doing what makes me happy.  Life is short, but I’ll keep chasing it.

Chase Hope. Chase Love. Chase Life.

xoxo,

LT

 

Staying Cancer Free

Now that my cancer journey is coming to an end, I want to focus on staying cancer free. My oncologist is doing everything to make sure that happens by still giving me treatment through August and putting me on the hormone pill for ten years. However, there are lifestyle changes that I can make that might make a difference! So this summer I am focusing on those changes. It might not be easy, but I’ll give it a shot. Although there are tons of studies about how to stay cancer free, I am going to focus on the ones recognized by the American Cancer Society.

1. Alcohol: Sadly, some studies have shown a connection between alcohol and many types of cancer (including breast cancer).  Although I only drink socially, I do plan on cutting back on the amount of alcohol I drink this summer. Moderation is key!
2. Physical activity: This seems like an obvious one. Physical activity is so beneficial for your overall health. Studies have showed that cancer survivors who did physical activity daily lived longer and were less likely in having the cancer return. It can be a simple as going on walk. Just do it!
3. Nutrition: I’m not gonna lie, I’ve been slacking on this one. And I feel like it is the most important one. What you put into your body is going to determine how you feel. Studies show that fruits, vegetables, antioxidants, and fiber will decrease your chances of getting cancer. Meanwhile red meats and processed foods could increase your chances of getting cancer. A lot of people take supplements to get their nutrients, however doctors prefer their patients to get their nutrients from the food they eat. My main focus is cutting out processed foods. Although they are convenient, they are very unhealthy. In the future, I hope to post some easy recipes that follow these rules.

My aunt mailed me this book when I was going through chemo. It is an excellent resource for healthy recipes. Also, it tells the benifits of different foods.

Xoxo,

LT

Positive Thoughts 🌞

So I decided to switch things up and not write about cancer! Instead I want to do a postitive vibes post. I got inspired from a Facebook friend’s status. Cassandra Gaine’s status read: There are going to be times when people are going to be mean, rude, or nonchalant towards you and you’ve done nothing wrong. The key is knowing that it’s them, not you! So don’t beat yourself up, don’t try to force anything, and don’t ponder on it too much. Keep on pushing towards the best you that you can be. Only YOU can determine your happiness. 👊🏽💁🏽👌🏽#wordsofwisdom #alessonwelllearned #happyyouhappylife. I couldn’t have said it better myself. No matter what you do, some people will always judge you and try push their opinions on you. The key is to ignore these people and focus on the supportive people in your life. So to all those out there struggling with “mean”, “rude”, or “nonchalant” people,  keep your head up and let it go.

Nothing but love ❤️

LT