Set Sail with Me

Well... not yet, but soon! This was the year of milestone birthdays in our framily, and we are setting sail this month to celebrate one of our favs on a cruise. I feel like we just booked it, but it's been months of planning and I can't believe it's almost here. 

Between matching suits, personalized stainless steel cups so our drinks never get warm, to an excuse to break back out my favorite sparkly heels I'm excited to pack my suitcase. Not pictured are the re-hydration drinks (without all the fake chemicals and colors) that we'll be bringing on board because I know I cannot hang like I used to and I'm not spending half the day in the stateroom feeling cruddy. 

It's my favorite way to travel - you unpack once, and wake up at a new island most mornings. All of your meals are included, and you spend the day in a bathing suit and get dressed up for dinner and a show each evening. 

When was the last time you took a cruise? 

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Lots of Catching Up

When I hit publish on my Thailand recap, I noticed that it was my 1st post in a month and a half which is crazy! I used to blog multiple times a week, and now the weeks just go by sometimes in between posts. I'm constantly collecting content, but it's just building up. I haven't even been feeding my social channels as much, and need to play catch up there too.

So where was I? Ahhh yes - catching up on all the things since returning from Bangkok, Thailand (recap found here) in late September. I was surprised not to be super jet lagged, just tired for a few days and was ready for date night that Friday. We checked out a new-to-us Mexican restaurant (YUM) for dinner before heading to reservations at a new hidden tiki bar. 

Faux Leather Tank {available in 6 colors} | Paperbag Shorts | Wedges

 

The next evening, we met up with friends for an Oktoberfest event. It was honestly not the greatest - overcrowded and super long lines for food and drinks, but it was nice to see everyone. We always love catching up and letting the kiddos play.

More trips to Universal of course, and one day while we were there we found out we could use our friend's tickets to the last home game for Orlando City. So, we left the park and headed to the soccer stadium where we enjoyed club level seats which includes food and drinks. Lil' Miss was there for the food!

Romper | Sunnies

My brother came to visit which meant Lil' Miss had lots of cousin time. They put her new bunk bed to good use for a sleep over, and enjoyed a fall festival and swimming in the pool. The giggles were contagious! 

Our friends who have twins celebrated their 6th birthday, and then it was time to celebrate Lil' Miss turning 7 the following weekend. Seriously time needs to slooooooow down.

Lil' Miss had her annual Halloween party at gymnastics and trunk or treat at school, so her costume has already been out and about before the big event tomorrow around the neighborhood. 

She also picked her wand at Ollivanders in Diagon Alley at Universal for her birthday, and had a mani pedi with mommy before visiting the corn maze on her actual birthday. Her party with friends was the following weekend, and let me just say I am done throwing parties at the house and at parks trying to do all the cute Pinterest-y details. Showing up to a place and having them take care of everything was PRICELESS. I was more stress free the morning of her party than I've ever been. I'm pretty sure H has heard me mention it about a 100 times since. And I probably end up spending just as much money on the custom cake and all the little details, food, supplies, etc... Book a place, it's a game changer. 

fashion Featured Universal Studios

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The Thai'm of My Life

Always here for a good pun... in the lead up prep to traveling to Thailand for a work event I of course had multiple stressors. But all was well, and it was a great trip. If you need to catch up on work events of the past - check out my Travel tab here to find recaps on Singapore, Milan, Rio de Janeiro, Venice, Las Vegas, Panama City, and Dubai. 

It was a long trip to get over to Bangkok, and it was the first time that I wasn't traveling with any co-workers. We met at baggage claim, but for the 30+ hour journey it was me, myself, and I. I laid over in Doha, Qatar which is a GORGEOUS airport and enjoyed the lounge. I was so tired I didn't even care about the complimentary wine. I was there for the food, and to put my feet up.

After about 30 hours of travel, it was VERY tempting to just crash. But I knew how important it was to get on the correct time zone (they are 11 hours ahead of EST) so I took a much needed shower before heading to a staff meeting and grabbing dinner.

After exploring the venue for a bit, it was time to eat and crash. The next morning I ordered some room service which was super cheap for what you get (and delish!) before heading back to the venue to capture content and help out where needed.

It felt as if no time had passed since I last wore a staff badge and worked at events around the world. A lot of you have followed along since I used to globe trot covering events for work. I ended up leaving for multiple reasons last year, and immediately regretted my decision. The grass isn't always greener folks! And was fortunate to be asked to come back this past spring. I was caught off guard at first, but after thinking and praying about it I knew it just felt like returning home. Which it has. 

That evening I was planning to take a dip in this beautiful pool, take a shower, and order some room service for dinner, but was invited to head out to dinner with some colleagues. And I'm so glad I did! It was a fun (rainy) night of riding tuk-tuks, lots of laughs, and exploring the markets. 

After we returned, we stopped by the venue to see the progress of the load-in for the event. The next day would see over 3,000 people in that room. Again, it felt like I had never left! 

*In my natural element*

For the gala at the end of the event weekend, I shopped my closet and broke back out this dress that I wore to my cousin's wedding in Cape Cod last year. She packs nicely, and wasn't even wrinkled after all the travel. 

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That's a Wrap

.... and that's a wrap on birthday celebrations. I capped off the 40th birthday celebrations with a fun dinner at The Hampton Social with framily. And can we get a moment to also celebrate these fab sparkly heels?! I ordered them last March, and finally had an excuse to break them out. They did not disappoint! 

Asymmetrical Midi Dress {available in 3 colors} | Glitter Pumps | Cuff Bracelet | Crossbody Bag

And time for some fun mail - I received the sweetest surprise in the mail from Andrea filled with thoughtful goodies. We were thankful to not feel too many effects from Hurricane Idalia, but did have a gloomy day where lighting the Froze candle was perfection. My whole office smelled amazing! 

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Birthday fashion Featured Orlando Living

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