World Mental Health Day - My Secret Struggle with Anxiety

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Rock Bottom

Since starting college in Miami in 2006, I have flown nearly 100,000 miles. Throughout school I regularly flew between Florida and New Jersey at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and sometimes Spring Break. After graduating, I started dating Ross and we began travelling together regularly at our birthdays and randomly during the year. We have traveled to Atlanta, Chicago, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Orlando, Honolulu, Cancun, Istanbul, the Bahamas, and Punta Cana. I love travelling, packing up, turning off my phone, getting some good nights of rest without the dog pushing me out of the bed, and seeing new places.

My excitement to travel slowly transitioned to fear, starting in May, when I woke up having nightmares before our flight to Nassau. I was wide awake at 4 AM, sick to my stomach until my parents came to drive us to the airport. Once I was at the airport and through the lines of checking my bag and security, I was good.

Shopping Rocks (Diamonds) With Ross

Hey you, you over there running out to the mall for a last minute Valentine’s gift! Stop! I know you're heading to the jewelry counter looking for something sparkly or shiny for your lady. Don’t buy in haste. Take a minute to think about the 4 C’s of diamonds. And to explain this...I hand you over to my capable diamond buyer husband, Ross. Your lady will thank you.

Hello There February

February is all about love and marriage at All About the Benjamins. Ross and I have lived through a year and a half of wedded bliss after dating for five years. What does that mean for you as my readers? Wedding and Valentine's DIY's (sans doilies, sorry 2nd grade self, but lots of sparkle), Valentines Gifts and Recipes on a Budget, Winter Date Night Fashion (with what is already in your closet, $$$) and some Post-Wedding Tips and Tricks!

Terra's Kitchen - Our First Vessel

I spend evenings private tutoring once or twice a week after work. This means that I don't usually walk in the door until 7 PM, meaning dinner doesn't hit the table til 7:30 (if we're lucky). Ross knows his way around the kitchen, but most of the recipes we eat are foods I grew up helping cook and the recipes exist in my head. For the last several months, we have been relying on pizza as a staple on my late nights. We call it in and I swing by to pick it up on my way home. This is great, but ultimately expensive and repetitive. Terra's Kitchen to the rescue!

Best Freebies & Money Making Gimmicks of 2016 - Treat Yo Self!

Over the course of 2016 I stayed a loyal member to many of my survey panels but sought out product testing and other incentivized apps and websites to bolster my income, especially this holiday season (who can't use a few extra dollars for that festive peppermint mocha?? not me!!). It paid off. To date, I have earned $600 in PayPal and Amazon gift cards and the year is not over yet. Now do I have your attention?! Yeah, I thought so!

Hello, December!

December to me means fuzzy boots (sing along with me...apple bottom jeans, boots with the fur, the whole club was lookin at her...), peppermint everything especially mochas, twinkling lights (and makeup), and SNOW. Where is the snow?! It was 52° in Denville this morning. Nothing like getting out of bed on a December morning covered in sweat. I don't even need snow, I'm not that high maintenance...maybe just some seasonal temperatures? Lower temperatures will definitely be more comfortable for all of the running around we have to do this month...

Bye, November! Holiday Travel & Packing Tips

November was a whirlwind of fun in the Benjamin house. The first weekend was my brothers birthday. The next week, we spent a long weekend in San Francisco. We came home and promptly hosted our Friendsgiving #KikkomanParty - our first Thanksgiving as a married couple. We wrapped up the month by celebrating Thanksgiving with family and kicking off holiday shopping with Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals. December will be just as exciting and chaotic!

Happy Birthday, Coco!

Ross and I adopted Coco and her mama Chanel when Coco was only 3 months old. She and Chanel were rescued together on the streets in Kentucky when Coco was only 2 weeks old. Before we met Coco, she had been adopted out twice and returned. Although she was old enough to be off on her own, she cried when she was separated from her mama. Once we met Coco and saw the love between her and Chanel, we could not separate them one more time. Instead, we adopted both dogs. To this day, they sleep curled up together, clean each others hard to reach places (ears, tops of head) and wrestle like maniacs.

Hello November

November is a busy month in the Benjamin household and across the United States. Over the 6-day Thanksgiving weekend, travel of 50 miles or greater increases by 54%, according the United States Department of Transportation. (It only rises by 23% during Christmas time!) This year, we are not part of that statistic, but we do have quite the month of travel, family and friends planned out...

Halloween Haunted House Party - DIY Troll Costumes

My husband and I love a good couples costume for Halloween, but we love saving money even more. This year we decided to throw it back to the 1980's and dress up as Troll dolls, a tribute to our childhood and a great opportunity to DIY. With the upcoming release of the animated Trolls movie, we were even able to pull our dogs into the mix! Not only did this make a great, budget friendly costume, it is a great last-minute fix too!

2016 Fall Wedding Style - Jumpsuit or Jumpdon't?

I spent 2015 concerned with the wedding fashion, ie. bridal gowns, tuxedos and suits, bridesmaids dresses, and apparel for moms, dads and grandparents. Now that I have made my journey from Miss to Mrs, my concern is with wedding guest fashion trends. My background in architecture and design gives me a unique perspective into fashion. I love mixing neutral tones with one big pop of bright color.

Married Life: 1 Year Later

Ross and I have officially been married for 400 days. Our last year has been a whirlwind but in the best way. Now that we have moved (mostly) and finished wedding planning, we have had more free time on our hands than we know what to do with. As a newlywed, this is great, but I can't imagine that I am the only new wife who felt the withdrawals of wedding planning. My new found energy has been thrown into this blog, continuing to travel the world and country with Ross, and exploring our backyard of New Jersey with Ross and friends.