Tap tap... is this thing on? Every time I say I'll start showing up here regularly again life just happens. The holiday season was hectic (of course), then I lost a loved one unexpectantly which put my head space in a place that was anywhere but showing up here or on social media, and then life of course just picked up more steam again. I'm doing ok now, but needed some time without all the noise.
But there are lots of beautiful things happening, Lil' Miss leveled up in competitive gymnastics (our poor wallet!), and looking forward to fun travels. And right now... it's all things Olympics! What am I going to do once the closing ceremonies happen this weekend? Sigh.
Let's rewind back to Christmas morning, and always remember that al fresco dining in December and January will never ever get old.
Santa surprised Lil' Miss with the desk and the tv she was asking for (NOT the cell phone... she has no idea she's not getting one of those for a verrrrry long time). She also opened up the Barbie Game of Life which we enjoyed playing outside by the pool. I must note that we have paid for old man winter. He swooped in with a vengeance a few weeks ago and gave us lows in the 20's overnight for multiple days in a row, and it took us a while to crawl out of the lows in the 30's. A lot of people lost trees, landscaping, grass is brown everywhere etc... and most of us don't even own a proper winter coat anymore. I moved away from that mess for a reason. Ha!
A few days later, friends of ours threw a 6-7 themed holiday party which the kids LOVED. It was fun to catch up and we played a lot of games that got super serious! I broke out my
shimmery maxi skirt which was made for all the holiday (and Valentine's/Galentine's Day fun).
New Year's Eve was quiet and cozy at home. I have absolutely zero interest in going to a big party anymore to ring in the new year, and would rather sit by the fire and watch movies.
Lots of fun campaigns in the books kicked off in January, starting with an amazing all you can eat brunch at
Delaney's Tavern. Lil' Miss was there for the chocolate fountain and I was there for their lattes with house made vanilla syrup. Yum!
A few weeks later, we enjoyed the soft opening event for
ND Wellness Center. A step and repeat, small bites, open bar, lots of healthy samples, and a tour of the beautiful new facility made for a fun evening while Lil' Miss was at practice.
I've also been enjoying some of the goodies in my Christmas stocking, and am loving the glow from
this illuminating primer and am completely obsessed with the Sol de Janeiro
body cream. I totally get the hype now. Clean ingredients, incredible scent, and yes I'm noticing results. YES please!
Day trips to Universal are always a good idea, including these pretzels and views of Hogwarts Castle. Our annual passes include the express lane after 4:00 p.m. so we always make a point to go for a spin on Hagrid's Motor Bike.
Another fun collab brought me to dinner at
Corazón by Baires, and brought
Emily as my dinner date. We enjoyed catching up, she loved the sushi bar, and we both loved the tableside Fettuccini a la Ruota. Chef's kiss!
More meals enjoyed al fresco in-between cold snaps were a must, and a burns so good campaign with the new
Reform Fitness pilates studio. I felt that workout for a week! SO good!
Last weekend, Mardi Gras kicked off at Universal so we enjoyed the parade before Kaskade took the stage. We had seen him live
back in 2015 at SunFest, so it was amazing to see him again and this time introduce him to Lil' Miss who was dancing her heart out.
