Holiday Weekend Recovery

I can't believe the holiday weekend is already over, and I have so much to recap! Exhausted doesn't even begin to describe how I feel today, and I'm pretty sure that my liver would like to disown me....

Wednesday, Emily and I had a happy hour blate with Rebekah who was in town for the week and we chatted over mimosas and an amazing cheese plate. Thursday, I was lucky enough to get out of work early and hit up happy hour again with some work peeps. It was great getting to know some people better outside of the office.

Friday, was my friend's annual 4th of July party which showcased their brand new pool which is beautiful! Absolutely amazing times with great friends, and watching the fireworks over the lake in their brand new hot tub was priceless!

Saturday, I almost skipped out on going to the beach, but decided my liver needed one more beating before the holiday weekend was over.

After only being on the beach for a few hours, those darn thunderstorms rolled through so we moved to a beach bar for some more drinks and to watch the game. Next thing we knew it was dark out and almost time for the fireworks. So, we went back down to the beach and all jumped in the ocean to watch the fireworks. Such an incredible experience! Loved watching the fireworks from the water. It was all fun and games until one of the guys got stung by a jelly fish. Womp womp....

Sunday had me glued to the couch for most of the day until some neighbors came over to catch up and go swimming. How is the weekend over already?!

Joining Leeann and Kimberlee for Monday Morning Gossip

and

Biana for Weekending

and

Lisa and Bella for Weekend Recap

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Outlet Shopping Pretties

Just like every other blogger, I have a serious obsession with Tory Burch and Kate Spade..... all the prettiness I just can't handle it! What I love even more than all the gorgeous accessories, are the amazing deals at their outlets and of course Kate Spade's surprise sales throughout the year. If you know one thing about me, you'll know I never pay full price!

*No trip to the theme parks is complete without a stop at the outlets*

I saved an extra 25% off my whole purchase at the TB outlet, and 50% off my necklace at KS. Pushing through all the tourists does have it's advantages sometimes.

Robinson Middy Satchel in Emerald City

Cell phone case {similar}

Kate Spade bow necklace

Kate Spade Tory Burch

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Feeling Stripey

One of my favorite new dresses is a striped v-neck dress from VS. It's super cute, yet casual enough for anytime and the best part is how comfortable it is!

Dress - VS | Wedges - Target | Necklace - F21 | Watch - MK

*Mirror selfies before work*

Target Victorias Secret

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Recipe Swap Tuesday ~ Southwest Salad

One of my weekly staples is to make a big salad that not only is for dinner, but enough for both H and I to take to work for lunch the next day. I like to pack it full of different ingredients so that it's not just good for you, but will also fill you up and not leave you hungry and wanting more.

Ingredients

Head of lettuce
Roma tomato
Cucumber
1 can of reduced sodium black beans
1 can of no salt added corn
Diced grilled fully cooked chicken
Black pepper
Reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

Rinse and chop veggies and add all other ingredients and toss to mix it all up. You can also toss the chicken in some bbq sauce and use light ranch for your dressing to make it a bbq ranch chicken salad.

If you can't tell, we kinda like cheese in this house.....

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Link-up Rules:

1. Follow Emily and myself on GFC and Bloglovin

2. Link up your favorite recipes or food related posts

3. Grab our Recipe Swap button and link back to both of our blogs

4. Be sure to visit other blogs and find new recipes!

Recipe

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Staycation Weekend

We spent a fabulous weekend at the Omni Champions Gate resort enjoying cocktails, floating down the lazy river, and of course standing in line with all the kids for the water slide.

We picked the resort for our anniversary staycation because of their lazy river and great pool area with a waterslide. We checked in early so we could take full advantage of the resort and their amazing pools. The best part was, our room was ready when we got there around 10:30 am. 

*Ready for the lazy river*

We had some drinks from the pool bar, but at $12+ a pop, we sure were glad we packed some nips and club soda in our cooler. You know... the necessities...

My favorite drink was from Crocs poolside bar which had coconut rum, midori, banana liquor, and pineapple juice. YUM!

I'm happy to report that even with a UV index of 11 neither of us got sun burnt. We practiced safe sun and were diligent about reapplying sunscreen, and I wore my beach hat while lounging in the formal pool. The weather was absolutely fabulous!

Ruffle Top Dress - VS | Wedges - Target

*Ready for our anniversary dinner*

The resort was even prettier at night. The sunset was absolutely gorgeous over the golf course, and they even had The Lion King playing at the pool and a giant fire pit where you could roast s'mores. 

We had an amazing weekend, and I can't wait for our next staycation! And no staycation is complete without a trip to the outlets. I picked up a new bag and phone cover at Tory Burch, a necklace at Kate Spade, and H got some new clothes at Guess. Can't beat the prices at the outlets! However, I could do without all the pushy tourists. Ugh...

Joining Leeann and Kimberlee for Monday Morning Gossip

and

Biana for Weekending

and

Lisa and Bella for Weekend Recap

Travel

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Toasting to 4

Why hello there Friday, so happy you're here!

1. Yesterday was our 4th wedding anniversary. We celebrated low key last night by toasting with some almond champs *aka the best champagne ever* and watching our wedding video. I love our tradition of watching the wedding video. Always good for many many laughs and of course I love hearing my cousin's voice.

Never thought you'd hear my H "rap" did you? Especially not on his wedding day.....

*Wedding Regulators*

2. Painted my nails with Essie's Fiji in honor of our honeymoon to Fiji 4 years ago. Still can't believe it's been 4 years! Craziness!

3. Lunch outside with some co-workers.... I never say no to a good salad with all the fixin's

4. The office was a ghost town yesterday afternoon as everyone was at the open air bar across the street watching USA play Germany. I know we only advanced by default, but I'll take it!

5. Looking forward to celebrating our anniversary this weekend at the lazy river. Can't wait to float around with a frozen cocktail and get all dolled up for dinner. I fully intend on participating in #GlamourDateNight

*Have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE living in Florida?!*

Linking up today with Darci for 5 on Friday and Lauren for High Five on Friday. Hop on over and join us! Happy Friday!

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4 Years

I can't believe it's been 4 years since I married my other half. I know every bride says this, but it seriously was the perfect day. We had a 16 month engagement because we still lived up in Connecticut at the time and knew we wanted to get married outside on the water and up there you only have a small window in which do so and everyone snatches up the warm weather dates. So, after 16 months of worrying that the weather would move our outdoor ceremony and cocktail hour with ocean views inside the weather ended up holding off and we couldn't have been more happy.

*I spent hours on DIY projects that I couldn't wait to unveil on the big day*

I even designed and assembled our pocketfold invitations, and hand rolled petal cones for the ceremony. 

..... then it was time to party!

We'll have a low key celebration tonight, and then this weekend we'll be heading to a resort with a beautiful lazy river to relax with cocktails while floating along. Can't come soon enough!

*Cheers to 4  years*

Wedding

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Always Shop the Deals

I was on a big shopping freeze while I was out of work in the spring, but have been enjoying filling up my closet again now that I've been back in the working world. That doesn't mean that I haven't continued being the savvy shopper that I am and cashing in on good deals though!

I cashed in 500 Beauty Insider points for the NARS cults favorite pack which came with blush in Deep Throat, satin lip pencil in Rikugien, eyeliner, and smudge proof eyeshadow base. One of my favorite 500 point rewards so far!

I also picked up some Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray which I've been loving and it has quickly become one of my summer staples. *Review coming soon*

Wedges are my favorite shoe this time of year... they give you the elongating look of wearing heels but are more casual and comfortable than stilettos. I was on the hunt for a tan pair and picked up the Mossimo Sylvia wedges at Target. I printed off a $5 coupon for women's shoes off of target.com and of course cashed in on another 5% off with my debit red card. 

Cashed in some fast cash at ON during the $10 dress sale and left with a new dress and 2 new tops for only $17. How adorable is that white top with the gold pineapples?!

Women's Slub-Knit Tank w/ pineapples

Strapless Jersey Dress in black stripe

VS Bandeau Top in Aqua Reef

Cheeky Low Rise Bottom in White Paisley

Colorblock Sequin Top

Colorblock String Bottom

I was sooooo good and was not planning on purchasing anything from the VS Semi Annual Sale. I was getting bombarded with emails daily and catalogs in the mail, but I held strong. I deleted the emails, and threw the catalogs right into the recycle bin. But, then H got the mail.... and said, "Does baby want to get any new bathing suits?" And that did it... if he's going to tell me to order some new stuff then what's stopping me?! That and the fact that I love a good deal. Nothing's better than saving money, getting free shipping, and racking up more Southwest points. Cha ching! 

I also raided the Bath & Body Works semi annual sale (why must their sale be at the same time as VS?!) I went to the store armed with a $10 off coupon and got all that above for only $30 out of pocket. Craziness! 

What great deals have you scored lately?

Bath & Body Works Old Navy Sephora Target Victorias Secret

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