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

Continue Reading →

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!

Continue Reading →

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

Continue Reading →

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

Continue Reading →

Tuesday's Recipe Swap ~ Unstuffed Peppers

I love stuffed peppers, but what I didn't love was all the work and time put into making them. Ain't nobody got time for that after a long day of work. So, instead of broiling the peppers in the oven and then re-doing it with all the fixings inside, I decided to try everything out with the peppers chopped up and cooked alongside all the fixings.

Ingredients

2 cups of brown rice, cooked

Diced grilled chicken

1 green peppers

1 red pepper

1 can of reduced sodium black beans

1 can of no salt added corn

Fat free sour cream

Reduced fat cheddar cheese

Reduced sodium taco seasoning

Directions

Cook the rice according to the directions on box

Chop and sautee the veggies in extra virgin olive oil over medium heat, add about a handful of the grilled chicken.

Reduce heat and add the corn and black beans

Sprinkle on some taco seasoning to taste and then mix in 1 cup of sour cream and sprinkle on cheese

Serve pepper mixture over cooked rice

**********************************************

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

Continue Reading →

I needed a "me weekend"

Other than my work mixer on Friday evening and some shopping and pool time I did a whole lotta nothing this weekend and it was just what I needed. I felt awful, but I cancelled on my friend's jewelry party and on another friend's housewarming party. But I really needed to just lay low this weekend, and that's exactly what I did.

Friday, I had a 007 Casino Royale mixer at work and it was so much fun. They went all out with the details, and I loved that as soon as I walked in I was greeted by guys in tuxedos handing out raffle tickets, play money for the casino, and cosmos.

Saturday morning I took spin class outside again and went for a beautiful bike ride. I only stopped once and it was to take a picture of these beautiful flowers that smelled amazing as I rode by.

The rest of the day was spent by the pool and then I did a little shopping.

Picked up this awesome pool volleyball net ($10 at Bed, Bath & Beyond... only $8 with a 20% off coupon) and cashed in my fast cash at ON and took advantage of their $10 dress sale. Picked up 2 new tops and a new dress for only $17 out of pocket. Booooo yah! Absolutely adoring the white top with little gold pineapples on it... too cute!

My new bathing suits also arrived from the VS semi annual sale. Can't wait to use both of them this weekend at the lazy river. Cannot come soon enough!

We also finally ordered some theater chairs for the bonus room. Have I ever raved about how much I love overstock.com?! Amazing deal... free shipping + I saved 15% ($120 smackers!), aaaaaand I earned 1,300 points on Southwest by going through there first. Move over ebates, I always go through Southwest Rapid Rewards Shopping first and I've already earned 3 free flights from it. I flew back for sis-in-law's wedding for free, my cousin's wedding for free, and now I'll be flying to Chicago when H and I join Emily and K on a late summer trip to Chi-town! Cannot wait!!! Flights are officially booked and we're counting down the days.

Joining Leeann and Kimberlee for Monday Morning Gossip

and

Biana for Weekending

and

Lisa and Bella for Weekend Recap

Continue Reading →

5 Beautiful Memories

Today is a super emotional day for me as it marks the one year anniversary since I lost my beautiful cousin. I loved that girl unconditionally, and no one else will ever hold the title of cousin, sister, and best friend. So, today I wanted "my five" to be five of my favorite memories with her. We used to get into a lot of shenanigans, so some memories may need to stay put locked up in the vault 0:-)

1. My nana lived on Hilton Head, SC and we all flew in for a family reunion when I was about 4 years old and my cousin was 2. After we boarded the plane, I asked my parents where she was and they said she was on the "Eastern plane". Being a 4 year old, I thought I heard the "Easter plane" and got all upset and jealous that my cousin was flying with the Easter bunny and who knows what other fun characters.

*Sitting on our Nonnie's chair in SC*

2. I had originally asked her to be co-maid of honor with my best friend at my wedding, but as it got closer she had to drop out due to financial reasons (of course I offered to pay for her dress, but she refused to let me). I knew I still wanted her a part of the wedding, so I asked her if she'd like to do a reading instead which she did a beautiful job with and she even teared up near the end *love watching the wedding video*.

3. The jug of life.... a creation which was the combination of our 2 brilliant under-aged minds. Back in college, we used to get our hands on a bottle of cheap vodka, and would then go to the grocery store and get a jug of fruit punch and dump half of it out and fill it back up with said vodka. We would then pass it around and all share it on the way to the club. Sometimes there would still be some leftover in the morning, and one morning after we had all crashed from a night of fun her boyfriend at the time woke up while we were all hungover and feeling like death and took a swig of it and said "Mmmmm that's the jug of life".

4. Another great college memory was when we we happened to be at a club one night where some of the cast from Real World Philly were there (Landon and Shavonda) hosting. I don't know how it all came to play, but next thing I know Landon pulls us up onto the bar and we start dancing with him while Shavonda was pouring shots down our throats. Not a bad night for a college kid...

5. I honestly can't narrow it down to 5 memories... countless nights out, family gatherings, hours spent on the phone, pool parties, meals out, frat parties, and shopping sprees. She was the closest thing I had to a sister and my heart will never be whole again. 

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

Continue Reading →

Fresh Face for Summer

It's that time of year where you can find me either by the pool or at the beach on the weekends. I try to minimize my look on these days by wearing less makeup and my hair in effortless waves.

~ BB Cream with SPF as a base

~ Dust a little powder on top

~ Add a little blush for some color

~ Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray for effortless wavy hair *that also smells great*

~ Neutrogena Clear Face Sunscreen for touch ups 

~ Up & Up Sport Sunscreen for the rest of my body *don't forget to re-apply!*

What's your go-to look for the beach and pool days?

Bumble & Bumble Sephora

Continue Reading →