I know we say this all the time, but time is just flying on by. The new gig is keeping me on my toes during the day, and we've had so much going on personally that I'm amazed at that we are already at the end of June. Lil' Miss has already had a week of VBS and a few weeks of camp, and we're getting ready to celebrate our anniversary in St. Maarten.
I almost forgot to sharethis yellow tie front beauty that I took out for a spin to brunch a few weeks ago. It paired perfectly with a mimosa, and brought me outside of my comfort zone. Every time I venture outside of it, I'm so glad I did. Take that leap!
I spend most of my time in my home office, and my most common accessory is a cup of coffee. Even better when said cup of coffee is Kauai Coffee from the largest coffee grower in the United States. I'm also here for the environmentally friendly and sustainable farming practices - yes please! And the flavors have me saying Aloha!
I am fortunate to work for a company that honors Juneteenth, and was off on Monday. After dropping Lil' Miss off at camp, we enjoyed time outside at Wekiva Island. Next time you are visiting the Orlando area - I highly suggest taking a break from the theme parks and touristy areas, and spend a day at Wekiva Island. Swimming, beach volleyball, local food trucks, an on-site (very decently priced) bar and they have rentals for private cabanas, canoes, kayaks and paddle boards. I always bring my giant pineapple floatie to cool off in the water.
One of the many things I love about living in Orlando are all the beautiful resorts to escape to for staycations or fun events. Emily and I were treated to an event at the Ritz-Carlton spa featuring Biologique Recherche products. Mini consultations, open bar, yummy bites and massages or facials were offered. We both chose the hand and foot massage, and they were an extra special treat. I have to get monthly massages for the chronic pain I experience in my neck and back, but there was something extra wonderful about this experience. I almost fell asleep I was so relaxed.
I broke out my new orange midi dressthat I scooped up for our upcoming vacation to St. Maarten, and paired it withBraided Sandalswhich surprisingly didn't hurt too bad from walking around and exploring the whole resort.
On Saturday, my husband and I went on a day date since I had to travel Sunday-Tuesday for my new job. (It was a quick flight down to Miami for my first new client pitch with the new team.)
We met up with a friend for a quick drink then went axe throwing for the first time before grabbing dinner and heading home to Lil' Miss and the pup.
It was really fun, and I did ok... I guess. I definitely hit the target a lot, and even got a few bullseyes. However, I also missed several times or the ax would hit the target but it wouldn't stick and then fall. Womp womp womp...
It's not summertime without a fun by the pool, and summer celebrations are my jam! I was excited when Marie Brizard reached out to me to create a delectable summery cocktail best enjoyed poolside or in the cool breeze on the patio. They sent me a bottle of Pear William liqueur which is made with fruit from Eastern France, and fun fruit infusions. I used it to create a refreshing cocktail mixed with vodka, club soda and topped with prosecco and dropped in one of the fruit infusions which turned to a magical color right before my eyes.
It's the most wonderful time of the year! Yes, I do love the holidays too but it's no secret that I love spring and summer. I'd much rather be hot than cold any day, and just love all the fun outdoor activities. We packed up the car, and headed to Universal over Memorial Day Weekend to celebrate my husband's birthday. He picked the Cabana Bay Beach Resort since it has a lazy river, and has direct access to the Volcano Bay water park. An added bonus was that our room had floor to ceiling views of the volcano which we were all wowed by.
We spent most of the day in the pool and floating around the lazy river before some passing rain moved in. So, we decided to take advantage of the bowling alley in the hotel. Lil' Miss had never been bowling, and she was tickled to pieces whenever her ball hit the pins. We were quite a sight in our bathing suits (I had a cover up on), wet hair, tall socks and bowling shoes.
Then we went and got ready for dinner, and stopped at the Aventura Hotel rooftop bar across the street for a pre-dinner drink before taking the water taxi over to City Walk. We made reservations at Antojitos, and enjoyed sitting outside for dinner. I have yet to find a margarita that compares to our favorite local Mexican restaurant, but they were still pretty good and the food was delish. I shopped my closet for my dinner look, and broke back out the dress I got last year for my birthday brunch. Definitely packing it again for our vacation later this month!
Psssst that drink was basically ALL juice - not worth the price which is to be expected when we are in the touristy areas.
After dinner, we stopped for another margarita at the Lone Palm Airport outside of Margaritaville before heading to Voodoo Doughnuts to pick up the next morning's breakfast. It's worth the long line! And the nightcap margaritas were far superior to the drinks at the rooftop bar. We were definitely there for the view, and not the drinks - ha!
After a leisurely start (we are NOT morning people to say the least - ha!) we packed up the hotel room, and headed over to Volcano Bay where we activated our brand new annual passes. We arrived right around the opening for the day, and quickly claimed some loungers and hit the water.
We then re-applied sunscreen, and headed over to Universal Studios since I hadn't seen the new(ish) Diagon Alley or taken the Hogwarts Express over to Islands of Adventure yet. We rode a few rides, explored Diagon Alley, drank some Butterbeer (of course) which is non-alcoholic so the kiddos can enjoy too and then grabbed dinner at City Walk before heading home utterly exhausted.
Side note - the birthday boy was too embarrassed to wear the birthday pin they gave him to wear all weekend for special treatment and free dessert around the resort and the parks. Guess who donned it instead? Lil' Miss enjoyed a free slice of cheesecake at the resort, was wished a happy birthday where ever we went and was sang to at dinner the last night by the whole restaurant and stood on her chair to blow out the candle on the free sundae. I couldn't stop laughing about it, but didn't feel bad about it because we were celebrating a birthday just not hers! Now that's what I call taking one for the team!
We actually headed back to Universal again this past weekend to take advantage of our annual passes before I want us to hibernate leading up to our vacation. Ever since the virus that shall not be named, I try to hunker down leading up to international travel so we don't put ourselves at a greater risk to test positive before leaving or while on vacation which will prevent us from coming home as scheduled. Since I traveled so much for work last fall (Las Vegas - Venice - Panama City - Rio de Janeiro - Dubai) I didn't venture out much between trips to protect myself. So, we wanted to ride some more rides before we return again in July.
This time, we started off at Islands of Adventure and hit up the Dr. Seuss area, The Hulk and Spiderman before heading over to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter which is what makes my heart skip a beat. Quick rides on the Flight of the Hippogriff and The Forbidden Journey inside Hogwarts, a butterbeer (of course) and a ride on the Hogwarts Express to head over to Universal Studios. But not without a quick stop in the bathroom where I heard Moaning Myrtle. Amazing detail!
