Travel Tuesday ~ Aruba

Aruba was our first stop on our cruise out of San Juan in 2009 and the stop we were looking forward to the most on the trip.

We were super excited when we woke up that morning and enjoyed breakfast out on our balcony (word of advice.. room service is always free on a cruise so order your breakfast to be delivered as your wake up call and enjoy out on your balcony or in your room instead of going up to the overcrowded buffet). We then disembarked and met up with our excursion which was snorkeling over at an actual ship wreck and a boat party back.

My favorite part (other than the unlimited rum punch of course!) was the little slide we went down to enter the water and go snorkeling.

After our excursion we took a cab over to Moomba Beach and had lunch out on the beach and continued swimming and enjoying fruity cocktails.

Then we made our way back into town and did some shopping and stopped at Senor Frogs for one more drink before getting back on the ship. The next day we stopped in Curacao....

Linkin' up with the fabulous Helene for Travel Tuesday, hop on over and share your travels with us :)

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Weekend Shenanigans

Oh Monday you rear your ugly face at me once again *sigh*

It's so hard to go back to the grind after a fun and relaxing weekend, but the sooner we do the sooner another weekend of fun will be here :)

~ H sitting in our "almost pool" having a drink during our "happy hour" Friday after work

~ Baked oatmeal chocolate chip cookies for our friend's housewarming party and as a thank you to our wonderful neighbors for watching Roxy last weekend.

~ Picnic basket full of goodies we gave our friends for their housewarming party

~ Girls pic at the housewarming party

~ Silly boys

~ Cheers to the new homeowners

~ I looked freakishly tall in my wedges while everyone else were in flats :-P

~ The new homeowners *yes he's donning a bow*

~ End of the night shot

Linkin' up with Sami for Weekend Shenanigans, hop on over and share your weekend :)

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Sephora and F21 Mini-Haul

I feel like I haven't been shopping in forever, but I had some things to restock at Sephora and needed an excuse to use my VIB 15% off during Chic Week.

I restocked my Erase Paste and got some more primer

Then I stopped in F21 and this cute top caught my eye:

and what new top isn't complete without a new necklace?

*terrible pic* but it's minty green.. my latest color obsession :)

All in all, I've been really good about cutting back on my Sephora purchases. I'm very proud of myself for only re-stocking a few items and not filling my basket with new items that I just had to try. I need to stay strong!

Forever 21 Sephora

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Long weekend in NYC and CT

Yesterday I gave a little preview of our long weekend. We flew in late Wednesday night after working most of the day (not recommended!) and then took the train into the city on Thursday.

Get ready for a photo-dump!

Once we arrived at Grand Central, we took the subway to lower Manhattan and walked around the financial district (H's favorite!) and went to the 9/11 Memorial which is absolutely beautiful!

How do I always end up with such ridiculous photo bombs?! lol *sigh*

After the memorial, we went and had lunch at a burger bar at the W hotel. We made our way upstairs to the Living Room bar on the terrace and then made our way back up to midtown. We had every intention of roof top bar hopping into the evening but we were absolutely exhausted. So, we did a little more shopping and site seeing and went back to Grand Central to catch the train back to CT.

That evening, we enjoyed pizza (this means something when you're from the northeast and used to good pizza and can't find it anywhere outside of CT, NY, or NJ) with H's family.

Friday, I went to go see my hair stylist of over 10 years to get my hair done for the wedding that evening. I went more blonde than I have in almost 5 years! She always does the best highlights and I miss being able to go to her on a regular basis.

Then we went to go get ice cream from hands down the best ice cream place EVER! If you're ever in CT you have got to make a pit stop at Rich Farm in Oxford!

Had to get my cookie monster ice cream fix :-D

Then we went back and got ready for my cousin's wedding that evening. And in true CT fashion... we hit a bunch of traffic trying to get there. Luckily, we left early enough to get there just in time.

My little cousin is married! Well.. he's not so little! He's been taller than me for a while now :-P

Then it was time to party!

Saturday, we went out for some lunch and afternoon margs with H's cousin and my brother and his girlfriend. I forgot how much I missed that Mexican place. YUM!

Then, we went to dinner at Plan B Burger Bar (seriously the BEST burgers!) with some of our friends. I got the west coast burger which has fried egg and avocado on it. Mouth watering good! Afterwards, we went out for some drinks and finished off our last night in CT with some of our best friends.

Great weekend with friends and family, but it definitely feels amazing to be back home :)

Linkin' up with the fabulous Helene for Travel Tuesday

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Weekend Travel Shenanigans

What a whirlwind weekend! H and I flew up north for my cousin's wedding in CT, but we flew in early so we could also spend some time in the city (that's NYC for those of you whose lingo doesn't include "the city" lol).

I promise to do more of a photo dump in tomorrow's post, but for now I'll leave you with a preview:

~ We visited the 9/11 Memorial (beautiful!)

~ All the pretty tulips throughout the city

~ Pretty skyline as we walked from the subway to Times Square

~ Got my hair did by my stylist of over 10 years (LOVE having an excuse to see her!)

~ BEST ice cream EVER! 

~ My cousin got hitched!

~ Beautiful cake

~ Cousins pic

~ We spent Saturday evening with some of our CT peeps

Now off to do all the fun stuff after returning from a trip.. you know... unpacking, laundry, grocery shopping, a much-needed shower, and the list goes on :-P

Linking up with Sami for Weekend Shenanigans :)

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Colorful Living Room

The living room was an on-going project. Just a few months ago it was a complete blank canvas and when I say blank I mean blank! Nothing on the walls, no curtains, and no furniture. We slowly started to work on the room... we got a palm to go in the corner, then we got curtains, then we got the big clock, and last but certainly not least we got some furniture.

The biggest piece of advice I have for new home owners is to take your time filling up your house. It may feel like you have a lot of empty space at first, but before you know it you'll feel like you have too much stuff and you should not go into debt to fill it up. When we moved into our apartment together several years ago we financed a new bed and our couches which was fine for us at the time, but we decided that moving forward we wouldn't buy furniture unless we could pay for it in cash (or our checking account) now that we have the necessities.

Since we're never going to even attempt to paint this room, we decided we wanted to make it colorful with how we decorated it. The first item we bought for the room was the wall art from Target which had a pastel palette. We decided to keep the pastel theme going and keep the room light and airy. So, we went with light blue curtains and light green chairs.

~ Curtains and wall art are both from Target

~ Chairs and matching ottomans are from Overstock

~ Table is from Wayfair

~ Vase is from Pottery Barn

~ Palm and planter are from Home Depot

I also just picked up a candle from the Target Threshold collection and it smells amazing and I love that it has the same frosted glass look as the vase from Pottery Barn.

Clock is from Kohls and sconces are from Target

We still have a few more finishing touches such as adding a pillow to each chair and something to go in the corner near the entrance to the dining room. But, other than that, we love that this room is finally complete and has a function. 

Home Decor Target

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What I'm Loving Wednesday

Happy Wednesday! Linking up with Jamie for What I'm Loving Wednesday.

~ I'm loving how our country comes together even at some of it's darkest moments. My brain/heart cannot comprehend the hatred one must have to commit such horrific acts.

~ I'm loving my VIB discount at Sephora for Chic Week. Just in time to re-stock some of my staples :)

~ I'm loving that I'm getting my hair done with my stylist of over 10 years this week. Miss her! 

~ I'm loving my recent finds on Pinterest:

Sparkly tights

Canal Water Slide in Bali

Strawberry Margarita Cupcakes

~ I'm always loving my silly H

What are YOU loving today?

Michael Kors

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Southern Caribbean Cruise ~ Travel Tuesday

Last week I talked about when we stayed in Puerto Rico before our Southern Caribbean cruise out of San Juan on Royal Carribean's Adventure of the Seas. Hands down this was our favorite cruise we've been on. Amazing itinerary and beautiful ship!

~ Exploring the ship on our 1st day

~ Our balcony stateroom (1st time I sailed in a balcony cabin and the saying is definitely true.. once you go balcony you can never go back to an inside room!) Worth every single penny!

~ The beautiful Vivaldi dining room we went to dinner at every night

~ H loungin' by the pool

~ Dressed up to go to dinner our 1st night

~ Enjoying Johnny Rockets at sea

~ My sunburn after our 1st day at sea, I did not practice safe sun back then *foolish*

~ One of our many beloved towel animals we got every night at turndown service

~ Pre-dinner drinks at the Champagne Bar

Now, remember I mentioned that my story of our friends from San Juan wasn't finished even though they didn't go on the cruise? Well, we bumped into 3 brothers on the cruise (not the 3 brothers from the Deathly Hallows lol) who we recognized from the resort in San Juan. We all hung out one afternoon and enjoyed drinks by the pool and some rounds of shots together. We told them about our adventures in San Juan with 1/2 of a couple from the pool and they admitted it was their fault that the girl was sick and couldn't come out. They said after we left the pool area to get ready for dinner that they were feeding her Jager shots and she was all about it but eventually threw up in the pool YUCKKKKK! So, for the rest of the cruise whenever we bumped into any of the brothers we yelled out "Jager bombers!!" 

~ Pre-dinner drinks at the sports bar

~ Breaking it down on Deck 3

~ Dancing under the stars party up on the pool deck... so much fun!

~ Late night shenanigans

~ Formal Night

~ H on board before we left the port of Dominica

~ Our wonderful servers

~ They decorated the ship beautifully for the holidays

~ Pouting because we didn't want to disembark and go home

Join me over at Helene's for Travel Tuesday and tell us about your fun travels :)

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Weekend Shenanigans

This weekend was pretty quiet which was nice and definitely needed :)

Friday, we went to happy hour with some friends, but we spent the rest of the weekend relaxing at the house, grilling on the patio, and enjoying a cozy movie night.

~ New happy hour spot with a great outdoor area

~ $2 Miller Lites yes please!

~ Funnel fries Ahhhh-mazingness

~ Everyone did a shot except me (I've learned too many hard lessons that have taught me not to mix yipes!!)

~ Silly boys trix are for kids

~ They started digging the pool which was surreal

~ We picked up lounge chairs for the pool at Target (of course!) which were on sale so that plus my 5% savings for using my Target debit card we saved a lot :)

~ We have a hole! Can't wait until it's filled with pretty blue water and can be enjoyed.

Come join me over at Sami's and share your weekend shenanigans

Target

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5 Truths

The fabulous Emily tagged me in her truths post and I thought it would be a fun way for my new readers (and some of you OG's too!) to get to know me a little better :)

Truth #1

I'm a "water baby" at heart. I love the summertime so much that I moved south to enjoy many more months out of the year of warm weather and I could enjoy more beach days and pool time. I'm happiest swimming and lounging the day away on a raft in the water with a frozen drink.

Truth #2

I am OBSESSED with Harry Potter... obsessed doesn't even begin to describe how I feel! I've read all the books and have watched the movies over and over and over again and they never get old. There is so much incredible detail, that I always end up picking up on something new each time I watch. 

Truth #3

I have OCD tendencies a la Monica Geller. Everything has to be a certain way down to the way the dishes are placed in the cupboards and even my toiletries have to be facing the same way. I'm very similar to her down to her love of cleaning and her competitiveness. You're on my team and my team ALWAYS WINS!

Truth #4

I was a dancer for 13 years... no not THAT kind of dancer! Get your minds out of the gutter! I danced from age 4 to 17. I did everything from tap and jazz to ballet to gymnastics. My poor mom driving me around to all those classes, competitions, and costume fittings. My parents still have all my trophies and costumes packed away in bins and I've requested that they send them down with H's parents when they move down here in the next few months. 

Truth #5

Traveling is hands down my #1 hobby/passion. As much as I love fashion (hence the title of this blog) I would much rather have a passport full of stamps than a closet full of designer duds. It actually kinda hurt to type that... but it's true. Fashion is definitely a close 2nd! H and I have been to 34 of the 50 states and all over the Caribbean and we even honeymooned in Fiji but we have yet to "hop the pond" and go to Europe. Can.not.friggin.wait to get over there finally!

Hope you enjoyed learning more random facts/truths about me... now I'd like to pass along the torch to Jenn, Sarah, and Emily let's hear it! What are your 5 truths?

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