Hey Frolic & Courage Family,
Over the past few years, our community has grown! We went from a few hundred to a thousand, and now we’ve crossed the ten thousand mark on YouTube (11,297 to be exact!). With this growth, I realized that although I post travel blogs and updates to help you plan for your next trip, it’s been a while (read: years?) since I’ve shared more about what’s going on in my personal life.
As a 9-5 job holder who travels part-time, oftentimes the “behind the scenes” takes center stage since i’m not constantly on the road. Real life happens in between travel, y’know? I want to share more of this side of me with you and get to know you all as well. So, I’m starting a new blog-exclusive series called the monthly “Check-In,” where I’ll update you on all things life-related. Just like checking in for a flight or accommodations, it’s a way for me to connect with you on a more personal level and share more beyond travel tips. I’ll be sharing the pros, cons, thoughts, happenings, and life lessons I’m experiencing. I hope you’ll chuckle and laugh with me, cry with me, and grow with me every month. I’ll post a monthly recap on the last day of each month, so keep checking back! Who knows, maybe the monthly check-in will turn quarterly as time goes on (depending on my anxiety, lol!) I look forward to hearing from you, so don’t be shy!
Now, here goes my first official January Check-In! There are three major sections: What happened this month (life update), Seat Selection (favorite picks), and the Next Flight (preview of next month).
🙋🏾♀️ What Happened This Month?
I Pushed Past Discomfort
What happened? Well… a LOT! After Christmas came New Year’s, and my Hun and I decided to participate in a fast. My in-laws’ church hosts a yearly fast to seek clarity and purpose for the new year, giving thanks, honor, and praise to God for seeing a new year and pray for the year ahead. The fast ran from January 6-26. Some members choose to go on a liquid-only diet, most give up meat (Daniel’s fast), and others give up things like social media, smoking, or soda.
So, what about us? What did we choose? Hun decided to give up all forms of sweets—the cookies, cakes, pie, candy, soda, all the good stuff he knows and loves. It took me a while to figure out what I should give up for the fast. I felt it had to be something that would impact my life and cause me to call on the Lord. Should I give up sweets, too? No, not really. I don’t even like pastries or eat them regularly. Meat? Eh, not really. Per the doctor’s orders, I need to consume more iron through food (more on that in another check-in). Social media? Definitely not—traveling and social media is my side business, so that wouldn’t be a good idea!
Then my Hun spoke the words that figuratively punched me in the gut: “What about dining out?” Gasp! Every month, I budget for “fun money” to spend as we please, and every month, without fail, I spend it on dining out. I have all the apps, know all the restaurant people, and have the DoorDash credits. How dare he mention something so sacred! Just the thought of not buying lunch or dinner made me scramble for a justification. “Dining out?” I questioned, “No, that’s not really a problem, y’know… it’s my ‘special treat’ when I’m in the office. And Sundays? Surely that’s the Lord’s day, He wouldn’t want me to work by cooking!”
At that moment, I reached a full stop. If I’m stuttering and grappling to justify why I need it, that’s God’s way of telling me that’s the thing I need to give up. So, here we are. No dining out, no DoorDash, no lunch specials, no Sunday restaurants. Just me and a skillet.
To be 100% honest, some days it really sucked. Other days were okay. But all days I called on Jesus to help me resist picking up the phone! Flash forward, the fast ended on the 26th, but we decided to extend it to our next trip. Why? Because it showed me that I can push past discomfort. It’s hard to think that there’s something positive on the other side of something so uncomfortable, especially when our bodies and ever fiber in our being tells us to STOP the discomfort immediately. But what if there’s something good happens afterwards? What if the pain was not in vein? What if there’s a blessing on the other side that you weren’t meant to see? Have you ever been there?
Even though dissatisfaction, annoyance, and anger were strong, I learned to tap into God for strength and endurance. Funny thing is, my doing so, the fast also gave me the strength to push past a creative block with my vlogs. I tapped into something new, and the Marrakech vlog is now the highest-ranked video on YouTube I’ve had in months! Oh, and not to mention, I’m 7 lbs down. Who would’ve thought fasting from dining out would have such positive effects?! Only the Lord 😏
An Unexpected Travel Plan
In addition to the fast, I’m planning three upcoming trips: one domestic adventure and two jaunts abroad. I don’t want to spoil anything, but since you’re reading this, I’ll spill a little sumthin’ sumthin’. As you read this, I’ll be onboard Virgin Voyages’ (VV) “Dominican Daze,” sailing out of Miami! I’m excited to return to Miami—we haven’t been since Hun’s birthday years ago. I’m also excited because it’s my first VV cruise, and I’m going with friends from college. I’ve heard nothing but great things about VV, so I’m eager to share the food, entertainment, balcony room, dance lessons, spa, and ports with you!
Actually, I probably shouldn’t have called it “Dominican Daze” because, a week before our sailing, they unexpectedly changed the main port from Puerto Plata, DR to Turks & Caicos and Bimini, Bahamas. At first, I was bummed about missing the dune buggy driving, waterfall jumping, and zip-lining adventure I planned, but Turks & Caicos was on my cruise bucket list, so I’m thrilled!
A New Creative Outlet
This is really hush-hush 🤫, but for the past few months, I’ve been working on a new creative project—my own line of travel clothing and accessories! Fun fact: I actually have a master’s degree in publications design (graphic and web design + writing), so the whole concept, design, layout, copywriting, web design, and sample process was fun, challenging, and sometimes straight perplexing…but I love it! Plus, the shop is something you can all partake in (if you choose!) with a 20% discount on apparel and accessories until March 31, 2025 with code FCLAUNCH25.
Finding durable, lightweight, and comfortable travel clothing is tough, and creating timeless designs is even more challenging—but I did it! You’re the first to see the site, and I value your opinion. Should I add more (or less) color options? Different products? Embroidery vs. print designs? Custom products that allow you to order your own variation? Let me know!
Oh, and because you’re awesome, I’m giving away a free shirt! Simply leaving a comment on this blog post with your constructive opinion below to enter a drawing for a FREE shirt of your choice—open to all countries! The giveaway ends on March 31, 2025 at 11:59pm ET, so please share your thoughts below! Who knows? I may end up giving away more…
💺 Seat Selection
Let me introduce you to seat selection – where I share my my top entertainment picks for this month!
TV Show of the Month: The Day of the Jackal on Peacock. Wow, what a thrill ride! It’s a cat-and-mouse game between a hitman balancing life in the shadows and a British MI-6 agent (basically the CIA in the U.S.) trying to balance family responsibilities. From the technical precision and planning of The Jackal to the relentless pursuit of the MI-6 agent, I eagerly awaited every episode. I was hooked from start to finish. I’m always looking for new things so watch, so leave your tv show recommendations below!
Movie I Enjoyed: Back in Action with Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz. Critics were harsh so I had low expectations, but I found it to be a fun, lighthearted action comedy. Jaime Foxx has perfect comedic timing and Cameron Diaz brings a fun zest of life to her role. It’s about a couple who leaves the foreign espionage game to raise a family, but their past comes to threaten the stability they achieved. I chuckled at some of the obviously unrealistic action sequences, but the comedic chemistry between the leads and family dynamic made it an enjoyable watch.
Song of the Month: Billie Eilish’s The Diner. It’s such a bop! Her album Hit Me Hard and Soft hit me unexpectedly on a flight from Marrakech to D.C. I figured that by sitting in flying metal with nowhere to go, it was the perfect time to discover a new artist and boy did Billie deliver! Ok, so technically she’s been around for a little bit, but I wrote her music off as just another teen who was going to come and go. I fully admit now that I slept on her music and I regret it! Billie’s haunting yet magnetic persona and her brother Finneas’ compositions create a perfect storm. The Diner is based on her real life experiences dealing with stalkers, but instead of singing from her perspective, she takes that of the stalker! The beat goes hard – heck, I actually paid for the song so I could listen to it whenever I wanted. Now that’s something I rarely do and as a result, The Diner has been on repeat ever since.
✈️ The Next Flight
What’s in store for next month? Well, not much that I can think of. February is a great time to travel if you can brave the cold…but I’m not one of those people! I don’t have any major travel or personal plans, but you never know what could change.
I hope you enjoyed my first ever check in! It felt nervous writing something a little more personal, but I’m happy that I committed to sharing and I’m really proud of breaking through the mental block that kept me from starting. BTW – if there’s anything you want me to add to the check in series, I’m all ears! I’m also really thankful for YOU for reading this far – you are a real one and I can’t wait to share more next month!
Talk to you later,
Antoinette | Frolic & Courage
