1 Year Self-Employment Update: Life as a Blogger, Influencer, Entrepreneur
Holy spicy guacamole.
I quit my job one year ago.
A lot happened. I chronicled all the details in my 3-month update & again in my 8-month update with a word of encouragement - I talked about my travels, my brand campaigns & sponsorships, & all those juicy details. But it's been a few months since then.
I ended up spending my one year self-employment anniversary in El Paso, Texas as part of a press trip!
Read my updates from Year 2 & Year 3!
It's crazy to think I gave my two weeks notice & quit my corporate job one year ago!! I recall that nerve-wracking day. How could I forget? I left the office for the last time feeling scared, excited, hopeful.
I had no idea what it would be like to be on my own as a San Diego blogger, influencer, & budding entrepreneur. Ups & downs. Highs & lows. Successes & failures. A bit of everything, really.
One year later, I’m walking around downtown El Paso, Texas for a familiarization tour with Visit El Paso. We had breakfast on a mountain at Franklin Mountains State Park, then I fed a state park AJ the giraffe. We hopped over to La Union, New Mexico for wine at La Viña Winery. It's all a part of the job. It's part of the ever-changing landscape of being a writer, a San Diego blogger, a content creator, a travel influencer, an inspirer.
Expect to see an El Paso travel guide in the upcoming weeks!
My El Paso, Texas press trip inspired my career even further. It reinforced the reason why I quit corporate America in the first place. Dare to follow your dreams, but more importantly, don’t forget to put in the work. In the day-to-day, it’s practically impossible to see your progress but you must believe, have strength, & faith & continue putting in the effort.
Dream on.
Work hard.
Live harder.
After weeks of struggling with self-doubt, I empowered myself to take action & LAUNCH.
I launched the July Blogger & Influencer Challenge as a way to cover some of the information in my private coaching but make it affordable & accessible to more people. Every weekday in July each registrant receives coaching content straight to their inbox geared for badass bloggers & influencers looking to increase their social media reach, following, opportunities, & income.
Need some help making progress on your blog or social media platform? Want guidance on how to get more views, followers, opportunities? Struggling to understand the online world or how to find readers/clients? Fill out my FREE Discovery Questionnaire if you're interested to find out about more coaching & how I can help you.
I launched the July Blogger & Influencer Challenge as a way to cover some of the information in my private coaching but make it affordable & accessible to more people. Every weekday in July each registrant receives coaching content straight to their inbox geared for badass bloggers & influencers looking to increase their social media reach, following, opportunities, & income.
Need some help making progress on your blog or social media platform? Want guidance on how to get more views, followers, opportunities? Struggling to understand the online world or how to find readers/clients? Fill out my FREE Discovery Questionnaire if you're interested to find out about more coaching & how I can help you.
Stay up-to-date on my travels & San Diego blogger adventures on Instagram & Instagram Stories.
So tell me: are you new around here? What kind of blog posts do you want to see? How can I HELP you? :]
A Mini Guide to Tijuana's Breweries, Craft Beer, & Tasting Rooms
San Diego's craft beer scene began in the 1990s, expanding from a handful of breweries to 125+ (& growing). With the #SDBeer scene well established, grab your passport & let's head to Tijuana, Baja California for a delicious array of beer at an affordable price.
Watch out for the growing craft beer scene in Tijuana, a border city in Mexico, just south of San Diego. Craft beers range in price, but cost around $4 on average, a bargain to the $7+ craft beers of San Diego. I checked out a few local breweries during my Tijuana travels. Here are my findings!
Cheers from Tres Fuegos Cervecería! |
Watch out for the growing craft beer scene in Tijuana, a border city in Mexico, just south of San Diego. Craft beers range in price, but cost around $4 on average, a bargain to the $7+ craft beers of San Diego. I checked out a few local breweries during my Tijuana travels. Here are my findings!
Donkey Punch Brewing Co.
Located on Paseo de los Héroes, Donkey Punch offers a good range of beers like blonde ale, imperial stout, or coffee porter. They have a flight board in the shape of a donkey ear - pretty cool!Border Psycho Brewery
Try the Imperial Psycho Ale or La Perversa (double IPA). Better yet, order a flight. Take a peek at their tap handles while you're at it. Spoiler alert: they're dildos.Cervecería Insurgente Tap Room
Insurgente has an eye for design & packaging. I tried Cervecería Insurgente while visiting Festival Plaza in Rosarito, Mexico. The La Lupulosa is an American-style IPA with 7.3% ABV (alcohol by volume).
Mamut Brewery Co.
Don't miss Mamut Brewery Co. inside Pasaje Rodríguez, an arts & culture alleyway. Pasaje Rodríguez used to be an arcade for tourists in the 1950s but relaunched in 2010. Mamut offers India Pale Ales, stout, amber, & more.A look at Teorema/Lúdica Co. Tasting Room |
Teorema/Lúdica Co. Tasting Room
This sleek tasting room allows you to sip inside or people-watch Avenida Revolución from the patio. I loved the minimalist look & convenient location to downtown Tijuana.Tres Fuegos Cervecería
Browse the murals & art throughout the brewery, then grab a table near the balcony. They usually have three house-brewed beers, with the rest being guest. We stopped by for a pint one night but they invited me back to taste some of their vegetarian cuisine options. A yummy bonus!Vibra Tap Room
Stop by Vibra if you enjoy unique flavors like the Hu La La... (peanut butter cinnamon milk porter) or Aloha (fruit beer with tangerine & peach), among others. Grab your beer & head to the second story balcony to enjoy the view/sunset/nightlife.By the time you're done reading this, another brewery popped up in Tijuana, Mexico! Tijuana's craft beer scene continues to grow, so what are you waiting for? Pack your passport & get hopped up on North Baja California's breweries & taprooms. See you there. Cheers! ¡Salud!
When in Tijuana, make sure to stop by Playas de Tijuana, Mexico.
How to Survive a Family Vacation as an Adult
This post is sponsored by Perrier® Carbonated Mineral Water but the content & opinions expressed here are my own.
Family vacations are just peachy when you're a kid, but surviving a family vacation as an adult is something else entirely. When you're young you can fall asleep in the stroller & get shuttled around to the next destination by your parents. As an adult, sorry buddy, but Mom & Dad won't be rolling you around in an adult-sized stroller anytime soon. When you're a kid on a family vacation, you can spend time with your cool aunt. When you're the adult on a family vacation, you are the cool aunt! Here are my tips on how to survive your next family vacation as an adult.
Related reading: How I Saved Hundreds of $$$ on Flights!!
1. Schedule time to yourself
It's vital that you allow yourself time to be alone on the trip. That might be an hour each day of your three-day-weekend getaway to the woods or that could be an entire day to yourself on the month-long family voyage. You set the rules. While the family went out for Sunday brunch, I stayed in our ocean view rental, popped open a Peach Perrier, & blasted music on my laptop. It felt nice to breathe in the salty ocean air, feel the warmth of the sun on my skin, & be by myself. I drink Perrier because it surprises my tastebuds & inspires the unexpected & my family has been drinking carbonated mineral water since before I can remember.
2. Do a Snack Run Immediately
Grab snacks with the entire crew (harder task) or make a couple people buy some supplies at the nearest store (easier task). Having some water & food is always a good option. There's nothing worse than 12 people coming back to the rental after a long night out with absolutely no food or water. We had a supply of bread, peanut butter, jelly, bananas, & oranges to curb any hangry moments.
3. Bring games
Card games. Board games. This is the 21st Century so you can even download game apps to your phone. After a couple days of bickering, nothing beats the hilarity that ensues after a game of family poker. Try it. We played games until 1 a.m. & laughed the entire time. Games can help cut the tension, allow people to get to know each other, or simply facilitate good old fashioned family bonding time.
4. Keep your perspective
If your family is pestering you about your career or relationship or life choices, remember that this family vacation is a small blip in life, a small moment in time, & you never know when the next trip is. My last vacation with cousins was 11 years ago. We were kids then. Now we're grown-ups. Some of us are married, some have kids, some moved across the globe. Things change. This family vacation is a tiny part of your life, enjoy the details.Enter to win a year’s worth of Perrier flavors! Perrier’s new Peach flavored carbonated mineral water is a sparkling fusion of air & water. Add zest to your morning or serve as afternoon refresher, or enjoy it while your family is out to brunch like I did. Here's hoping you'll survive your next family vacation. :]
* Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Perrier® Carbonated Mineral Water. As always, all opinions are 100% mine aka Carmen's. Learn more about my disclosure. :]
That Time I Spent the Night at London Gatwick Airport
I'm only 4 hours into my 24-hour+ airport adventure at London Gatwick. I'm sipping on my Costa Coffee. People order food, eat, then head off to their flight. Must be nice. I'll be chilling here for a couple dozen hours.
I'm writing a blog post for a sponsored ad campaign, but little do I know the Wi-Fi expires after 90 minutes. After those brief 90 minutes of glorious but slow freeeee Wi-Fi, I'm forced to sign up for a Boingo account to pay for Wi-Fi to get my work done by deadline.
Ah, the joys of the laptop lifestyle.
Here's the kicker, I forgot to cancel my account & paid for another month. Oops.
I will eventually spend the night tossing & turning on a lumpy loveseat with my lovebug Fred, as terrible Christmas covers blast overhead. We're running off a high from 9 exciting days of exploring London. We found a prime spot at the upstairs Caffè Nero, one of the only spots I saw that had couches without armrests (better if you want to fully lie down).
The hustle & bustle of the airport lulls for a bit from 11 PM - 4 AM, I would know, I was up. The flights slow down & people start to congregate by couches & seats. A couple of guys speaking Arabic play cards on my left. A few ladies from New Zealand laugh over a cup of 2 AM coffee. I watch something available on British Netflix.
Related reading: Welcome to the Cologne Cathedral in Germany
I inhale the beautiful range of people & languages. I love travel. Even though I have a sexy batch of pimples festering from my 36 minutes of sleep on the arm of the couch, I am grateful for this experience, to travel, & most importantly, to be alive.
We toss & turn our way through the night until our flight the next morning. We grab breakfast at Pret-A-Manger, a staple during our trip. We love their affordable pricing & vegetarian options. Then board our flight on Norwegian Airlines to head back to San Diego. Back home to the real world, back to the sobering reality.
But yeah, that was the time I spent the night at London Gatwick Airport. If you get the chance, stay in one of the Gatwick Airport Sleeping Pods They're located in the South Terminal. The pods are part of YOTELAIR London Gatwick Airport.
It took two weeks to recover from the lack of sleep at the airport & then lack of sleep on the flight home. Not a good time, but the travel memories are worth it (kind of).
It took two weeks to recover from the lack of sleep at the airport & then lack of sleep on the flight home. Not a good time, but the travel memories are worth it (kind of).
Have you ever spent the night at an airport? I'd love to hear your story. Leave a comment! :]
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