It has been a while!!!

Hey all!

I know it has been a while since my last post, but I have been busy!

I had THE ULTIMATE spring break; my sister and I went to Paris for a week...it was A-MAZING...We literally did EVERYTHING except go to the top of the Eiffel Tower, because A. the lines were SO long, and B. it was very expensive. We went to the Louvre, L'Opera, Montparnasse, Eiffel Tower, Palace of Versailles, we saw L'Arc de Triumph, as well as MOST of the Embassies in Paris, Place de la Concorde, Champs Elysses and a ton of other places. We went into Le Printemps; (the biggest designer mall in Paris, if not all of France) they have all the best stores; Gucci, Prada, Chanel, just to name a few :)

I did a lot of speaking French, and I did a lot better than I had imagined that I would. We ate TONS of pastries, and a lot of usual French foods, soufflé, crepes, quiche, croque-monsieur, etc. It was a lot of fun and I am SO excited to go back.

The highlight of my trip was definitely meeting my pen pal of at least 3 years in person. :) he is SO nice and I am very thankful that I have him as a friend. He helps me with my French ALL the time and I could not be more grateful for him; I help him with his English sometimes when he gets something wrong, but he is pretty good at writing in French.

LUCKILY, I will be going back to France in December!!! I will be there for a WHOLE year as an Au Pair for a very nice French family. I will help their children speak English and while I am there I will be speaking French when I am not around the family. I will be living in a town in Normandy, which coincidentally, my dads side of the family is originally from! so maybe one of the weekends I have off I will have to look for some French relatives and get to know them. I doubt that I have any family over there since most of them moved to Canada LONG ago, but it will never hurt to look and not to mention I am sure I will learn something about my family along the way.

When I go over there I will be sure to start a new blog about my experiences as a French Au Pair :)

Stay tuned all!

Much love <3

Rachel

Aromatherapy for Beginners

     Everyone believes that they should be royalty. So why not treat your body like royalty? In ancient Egypt the process of mummification, frankincense, myrrh, galbanum, cinnamon, cedar wood, juniper berry and spikenard were all known to have been used at some stage to preserve the bodies of their royalty in preparation of the after-life. So why not start treating your body like royalty? No need to wait until your dead. 
     Aromatherapy oils can be bought at most natural living or health stores. The most popular includes Lemongrass, Tea Tree, Lavender, Orange, Peppermint, and Eucalyptus. Each scent provides unique health benefits when they are in an oil diffuser or applied to affected areas. [Be sure to read labels before applying oils to skin, consult your doctor if you have any questions.] 
     According to The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Essential Oils, peppermint is used to enhance alertness and stamina. Peppermint also used to alleviate symptoms of asthma, exhaustion, fever, sinusitis, scabies and vertigo. 
     Lavender and Lemongrass helps reduce symptoms of labor pains, insect bites, chicken pox, stress, and earaches, plus much more. Lavender is used for relaxation and soothing. 
     Tea Tree and Eucalyptus have been used for centuries alleviating symptoms of the flu, whooping cough, athletes foot, ringworms, and sores. 
     And finally, Orange oil will help clear a smoky room and get rid of lingering pet odor, not only that, it will help reduce symptoms of colds, constipation, gums, stress, and the flu.
     Aromatherapy is beneficial for everyone and can help you with a variety of ailments and your overall mood throughout the day.