Sailing and Pedaling

Sailing and Pedaling

I am still talking about how we all lucked out with the perfect day over the weekend for a Pedal Pub Cruise with Sail Cocoa Beach. I was excited to break out my new twist front bodysuit (it's available in 5 different colors) as we were experiencing warmer than usual weather for mid-January. We've had a lot of cold fronts and some rainy days, so when the date that worked for all of our schedules ended up being partly cloudy and upper 70's/low 80's we were thrilled. 




If you're in Central Florida, or fly in a day early to take a cruise out of Port Canaveral (right near Cocoa Beach) I highly recommend booking a pedal pub cruise with Sail Cocoa Beach. The boat featured 12 pedaling seats around a sunken bar with coolers stocked with ice, water, soda and branded cups. You can bring your own canned beer or wine and of course snacks. The driver was knowledgeable, and gave us a lot of history as we went down the river and also played music for us. And there's even a bathroom on board that was super clean (always a win!) 




We had the perfect day, and the pedaling seats were enjoyed by both the adults and kiddos alike. Lil' Miss could barely reach the pedals, but she was proud to "help" drive the boat. She was also excited when we came out into the port area, and saw all the cruise ships ready to head out for the week. Countdown to vacation is officially on! 






Bodysuit | Light Wash Jean Shorts {40% off} | Necklace | Sunnies | Lipstick in Crème Cup






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Top 8 Places to Visit Whenever You are in Los Angeles

Top 8 Places to Visit Whenever You are in Los Angeles

The city of Los Angeles (LA) is known as the entertainment capital of the world for several reasons. Aside from hosting top events, the city also has numerous attraction areas to keep tourists always coming. Talking of wineries, beaches, museums, movies, dishes, and thrilling nightlife, the city has a lot to offer first-time visitors. As always said, “a bad day in LA is better than a good day anywhere else,” and most importantly, the Los Angeles jet charter offers safe, convenient and reliable air travels in and outside the city. So, you can move anywhere within the city with no stress. As you plan your next Los Angeles trip or vacation, here are ten attraction areas to explore:



Hollywood

Undoubtedly, travel makes you richer in various ways. You get richer experiences, and a richer mindset about people and cultures, and the personalities you meet on the trip can make you richer financially through business dealings and networking. These are some benefits you can get from touring
Hollywood, LA. Associated closely with the movies industry, Hollywood is filled with breathtaking and
famous places and if lucky you may just meet your favorite celebrity. Areas to visit include the Walk of
Fame, the Hollywood Sign, the Chinese Theatre, La Brea Tar Pits and Museum, and the Hollywood
Museum.





Universal Studios Hollywood

Another interesting place to visit in Hollywood is Universal Studios, located in the San Fernando Valley
area. A visit to the Universal Studio Theme Park offers you rides through some interesting movie-based
themes. With your family, you can enjoy rides through themed shows and movies including Super Silly
Fun Land, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Despicable Me Minion Mayhem and Jurassic World -
The Ride. etc. It is also a working movie studio and you can enjoy in-depth studio tours to witness
behind the scenes of some popular movies, depending on the ticket you buy.

Another exciting area to explore while at Universal Studios is the three-block entertainment area, for
your shopping, dining, etc.





Griffith Park

Located in the eastern part of the Santa Monica Mountains, Griffith Park is the largest city park in LA,
covering an area of 4,210 acres. While there you can explore numerous sites the Greek theater, Los
Angeles Zoo, a planetarium, and the Griffith Observatory. If you are a sports lover, you can have access
to tennis courts, and golf courses, or go on a hiking adventure.

The most interesting and experience-based attraction site in the park is the Griffith Observatory. The
observatory has lots of telescopes on display. Looking through the Zeiss telescope you can see the moon and other planets in the evening. You can also view the sun using solar telescopes.





Disneyland Resort

If you want to have a family fun time, then Disneyland is your surest vacation destination. Though
located outside of Los Angeles, it is still within California and you wouldn’t have a headache with
transportation either by air or land. Have a family ride experience in the exquisitely created movie
theme lands and enjoy the adventure and memory that comes with it. Some of the theme lands sets to
enjoy are Adventureland, Frontierland, Critterland, and Fantasyland among others.

If rides are not your thing, you can enjoy the many more facilities and entertainment options, at
Disneyland Resort.





Petersen Automotive Museum

If you are an automotive enthusiast, then the Petersen Automotive Museum is a must-visit whenever
you are in Los Angeles. Catch a view of the wide range of vehicles spread over the four floors of the
museum. With over 300 vehicles, the museum features both temporal and permanent exhibits. Among
them are exhibits that date as far back as 1886. Visit there to enjoy a piece of the history of various
vehicles.





The Getty Center

Designed by Richard Meier in 1984, the Getty Center is a massive complex measuring 0.75 square miles 
and built on 110 acres. Located in the Santa Monica Mountains, the $1.3 billion edifice, was opened to the public in 1997 and gives you an overlooking view of Los Angeles. The magnificent architecture includes J. Paul Getty Museum, which holds several beautiful and historic collections, including sculptures, European paintings, decorative arts, drawings, etc. There are also restaurants to enjoy some good meals as you view the beautiful city of Los Angeles.





Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

The Natural History Museum holds a vast collection of galleries and permanent collections on various
topics. It contains items on the natural history of California and other places across the world. The
museum is best known for it its dinosaur collections in the 14,000-square- foot Dinosaur Hall. The hall
exhibits different species of dinosaurs. It also has an experience-based Discovery Center and Insect Zoo, especially for younger visitors.





The Original Farmers Market

During the Great Depression, a group of farmers came together to set up stalls near Wilshire Boulevard
to directly sell their farm produce to consumers. This gave birth to the Los Angeles Farmers Market in
1934. It began as a fruit and vegetable market, but with time it expanded to accommodate sellers of
other farm produce. The market now hosts several vendors selling different products from food to
jewelry. So, visit the market for anything you need on your next Los Angeles visit.





**This blog post is in collaboration with Stack Influence

First Trip of the Year

First Trip of the Year

Another super chilly weekend in sunny Florida. When the temps drop the manatees move from the river into the springs for warmer water, and if you're anything like me it's exciting to go see them hanging out all cute and sweet. 




Unfortunately, the manatees were such a hot commodity that after sitting in stop and go traffic for 40 minutes just to get to the park entrance, the park ranger said it would be another hour to actually get all the way in and park. So, we decided to check out a local brewery and pizzeria nearby for lunch as we were already getting hangry. 






I tried the White Water Cream Ale and the RumChaCha which was infused with rum and delish! For lunch, we ordered the buffalo chicken pizza and pepperoni pizza for Lil' Miss. After we were done, we headed back over to the park and it was still an hour wait to get in so we surrendered and decided to head home. Below, is a pic from several years ago that I'm hoping we'll re-create in a few weeks when we try again at a less busy time. 




Lil' Miss and I also enjoyed a breakfast date at First Watch where she ate ALL of her food and "helped" me with mine as well. A little over an hour after we got home she asked for a snack. Can I have her metabolism? 









In other news....

It's no secret around these parts that I love to travel (you can check out my travel recaps here on my Travel tab which features travels to Cape Cod, St. Maarten, Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas, Dubai, Rio de Janeiro, Panama City, Venice, Las Vegas, Florida Keys, Marco Island, Milan, Singapore, Western Caribbean Disney Cruise, San Diego, San Francisco, Napa Valley, Bermuda Cruise, Dominican Republic, NYC, Chicago, Eastern Caribbean Cruise, Barcelona, Marseille, Palma de Mallorca, Lisbon, Bahamas Cruise, Jamaica, Central America Cruise and our honeymoon to Fiji). 

So, just 2 weeks into the new year and it's no surprise that we have our 1st trip booked for 2023. Drum roll please..... we are taking Lil' Miss on a Southern Caribbean cruise with 3 new to us stops. 




As much as I love fully exploring new places, I also love love love cruising. It's a floating resort with SO much to do on board including amazing food and service. You only unpack once, and wake up at a new island most days. So, we are excited to be cruising again after not having been on one since before the pandemic. I've traveled extensively since the virus that shall not be named with my old job and as a family, and we can't wait to cruise again. We did a lot of research before heading to the Bahamas in 2021 and to St. Maarten last June, and it was worth every second. 

With all the issues lately with airlines, we wanted a stress-free vacation where we could drive to the cruise port and set sail. We also usually try to only carry-on (the lost luggage lately is insane!) when flying so since we are driving we can pack our larger suitcases as well as bring the allowed bottle of wine or bubbles per person on board. Yes please! 




We were researching a Princess cruise (a new to us cruise line as we have sailed with Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Disney and Carnival in the past), but ended up changing our minds after weeks of research to Carnival. Back in 2015, we vowed to never sail with them again after they skipped our stop in Grand Turk which was the whole reason we booked the cruise. Well, we're giving them another chance and of course picked an itinerary with Grand Turk for a "take two". 

We decided the itinerary was way more important than the cruise line or the ship itself, and are getting excited about all the features on board that we wouldn't have had on Princess. Plus, they have a lot more features and activities geared towards kiddos such as water slides, a splash pad and a better kids club which Lil' Miss is SUPER excited about. She's always here for the food and the water slides. Ha! 



Where are you headed in 2023?


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Slow and Steady

Slow and Steady

I closed out 2022 unexpectedly, and not in a good way. I experienced my first ever (and hopefully my last) bout of food poisoning. At first, I thought it was the worst stomach virus ever and then realized this is no virus. After enjoying a delicious lunch out during the holiday break, we stopped to do some shopping and enjoyed a few drinks at one of our favorite local spots. Then it was about 40 minutes home from there, and my leftovers sat in the car a little too long. I re-heated it for lunch the next day, and noticed it looked and tasted different. After a bite or two I dumped it down the sink, but apparently the damage was done. Word of advice - if you don't head straight home with restaurant leftovers just throw it away. It's NOT worth it. 


I was in bed for a few days after being ill, and it took almost a full week to feel like myself again. The lingering stomach pains and fatigue were no joke, but I am thrilled to be back in a normal routine. Once I had the energy, I began taking down the Christmas décor (which always makes me sad) and took breaks to lay down when needed and ventured out for a lunch date with H while Lil' Miss was at school. 


Thankfully, by the following weekend I was able to head to a local food truck festival where I enjoyed a wine slushie from the Brix and Mortar tent and the BEST pretzel from the Amish Pretzel food truck. We actually headed to the festival when I saw that their truck would be there. The pretzels are THAT good. 


OTS Sweater {40% off} | Denim Skirt | Sunnies {similar} | Necklace | Crossbody Bag | Lipstick in Crème Cup | Leopard Sneakers




The BEST pretzel ever in all her glory!


Dress {old - similar} | Ankle Booties | Double Ring


On Sunday, we headed to dinner with the family of Lil' Miss' new bestie from school. They are two peas in a pod, and it was nice to get to know their family a little more over amazing food. I'm also happy to be thoroughly enjoying food again - ha! 


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How to Style Knee-High Boots for Women Over 40

How to Style Knee-High Boots for Women Over 40

At age 40, you can still look smart and fashionable. Fashion has no age limit. It’s for both old and young. You can be over 40 or 50 and still look beautiful with some rules that guide styling knee-high-boots. Being versatile earns knee-high boots recognition among people in a different places. It affects the name they bear. 




Age limit for styling knee-highs

The statement that "women over the age of 25 should not wear knee boots" keeps coming up! Can someone explain why we freeze our knees off on the way to work, when shopping for groceries, or when picking up the kids or grandkids?

1. Why do many women think knee-high-boots are inappropriate for them? 

Many women (and men) associate Knee-high-boots with the red light district or exotic dancers, respectively, since the films Pretty Women and Independence Day. They think this footwear is appropriate for a girls' night out with our twenty-something sisters, if at all. That style is inappropriate for who
knows who, including our twenty-something sister! It is a uniform for those professions, and only they can wear them. Otherwise, patent leather stiletto knee-high boots are a costume.

2. Perfect for any age

Knee-high-boots are Perfect for Any Age. For any woman who lives in cold weather during the winter, these boots help her to stay warm. They are better alternatives when you cannot park in a heated garage.

Knee-high-boots provide enough insulation in the car to keep you warm until the heating kicks in. As a result, there are numerous mature reasons why a woman in her forties should wear Knee-high-boots. Now, how do you do it correctly?

How to style knee-high boots

1. Knee-high boots with low heels

Don't be afraid to try on knee-high-boots if you're afraid of looking silly. Knee-high-boots with a low or flat heel is a sure bet. The flat heel balances out the tallness of the boot and softens the super sexy message these boots send. Instead, you come across as relaxed and stylish. 

2. If you like heels or your office dress code requires them, look for a sturdy 3 inch heel (7.5 cm). 

It is better to not wear thin high heels on snowy or slick days. Check that they have a thick sole that is not a plateau. 

3. Suede knee-high-boots

Suede has a slightly more casual feel than leather, so a pair of suede knee-high-boots is a place to start. Try a contrasting boot like brown, merlot or the always popular navy. 

Avoid patent leather and pleather in favor of suede or plan leather. Plain leather is easier to keep clean and neat than suede and less susceptible to water and wet snow. In areas with dry, cold winters, suede is a good alternative to plain leather. To get a perfect pair of suede knee high bots, you can try them on at the Dream Pairs website. Dream Pairs is a famous footwear brand for women and kids. 

4. Knee-high-boots with a sweater dress

A sweater dress is an excellent example of a dress that looks fantastic with Knee-high-boots. Again, it comes down to balance. This dress is not a mini, but it is short enough to show off the boot. It’s a simple, clean-lined, modest style that allows the boot to take center stage, and it’s a nice heavy knit with a casual feel to balance out the sexy boot.

5. Knee-high boots with skirts


Wear opaque tights with Knee-high-boots and miniskirts or short dresses. Make sure there is more than a hand width between the hemline and the boots' end.

When wearing Knee-high-boots with cute dresses or skirts, the safest way is to go for an A-line or pleated midi version with lining and a piece of thick fabric. Then the height is covered and won't cause weird bulk.

Wear opaque tights in neutral colors when you pair them with a skirt or dress that does not cover them. Yes, bare legs with Knee-high-boots are a no-no for everyone except for women in horizontal or vertical professions.

6. Knee-high boots with pants

Knee-high-boots look best with wide midi skirts that cover them completely, skinny jeans and riding pants. Style skirts with slim or tight sweaters. It is better to style a chunky sweater or tight or tailored shirts with sporty blazers and riding pants.


How long should I wear knee-high boots?


Only wear your knee-high-boots outside. Switch to pumps or other work-appropriate shoes when you arrive at work. You have to avoid your feet and knees from sweating. Sweat will evaporate or freeze once you are back in the cold. Remember, you wear these boots to protect your feet and knees from the cold in frigid temperatures in the first place. You have to create a situation that makes you not feel cold.


Choosing knee-high-boots at over 40


To get the most comfortable Knee-high-boots in the 40s or 50s, choose ones with a wide toe box. When purchasing a pair of Knee-high boots, consider going half a size up so you can wear an extra pair of socks inside. It is best to try on the shoes with extra socks. A comfortable toe box is one of the secrets to keeping your feet warm in subzero temperatures. Cold toes are caused by squeezing the toes. When your face screams “uncomfortable,” you will never look fashionable. Bye-bye, over-the-knee boots with pointed toes!


The embellishments should complement your primary personal style.


Knee-high-boots and winter


If you live in a cold winter climate, you should invest in knee-high-boots. Purchase them in the highest quality you can afford, and in a classic color that complements the majority of the items in your closet that you wear when it gets colder outside.

For any woman who lives in cold weather during the winter, these boots help her to stay warm in windy and cold winter weather. You can use them as alternatives when you can't park your vehicle in a heated garage. Knee-high-boots provide enough insulation in the car to keep you warm until the heating kicks in. As a result, there are numerous mature reasons why a woman in her forties should wear Knee-high-boots. Now, how do you do it correctly?

Only wear Knee-high-boots in temperatures below freezing and with winter clothing. Temperatures in the single or negative digits are ideal (less than -12C). A good number of Knee-high boots suit these more. Wear them with casual or classic winter attire, as anything too glam, lacy, or sexy will turn you into a rock star, dancer, or red light district look. You should avoid all three “styles” because they are never fashionable. 




Final thought 


Aging has no remedy. We can't hold the time and stop ourselves from aging. Despite this, we can still look elegant and like sweet sixteen by understanding how to dress in style. We only need to know how to style our dresses.

At over 40, always go for a look that clearly says cold season and not to look like a rock star on stage.


**This blog post is in collaboration with Dream Pairs


Bubbles and Gold

Bubbles and Gold

Cheers to 2023 We wrapped up the fun of the final month of 2022 with more exploring around town, and I enjoyed more cozy chic looks finished with gold necklaces and of course bubbles. Always have to have bubbles! 


Sweater {available in 6 colors} | Boyfriend Jeans | Necklace | Rhinestone Bobby PinLipstick in Crème Cup




We tried Vietnamese cuisine for the first time while Lil' Miss was on Christmas break from school at Pho 813 in Orlando. I am still dreaming about the Vietnamese Iced Coffee - absolutely DELISH with a hint of spice. 




We took Lil' Miss to our annual Christmas lights viewing at a local town green, and she was living her best life running around and dancing to the accompanying music. Every so often the lights dance to the music, and she couldn't believe her eyes. So precious! 




Another new-to-us restaurant was a visit to Ford's Garage in Daytona Beach. The whole restaurant is themed to look like... you guessed it Ford's Garage. There's even an old Model T above the bar! Lil' Miss had what she claims her best burger ever, and I enjoyed the brunch burger while H and I both enjoyed beer flights with local festive brews. Such a fun experience! 









Now that we are in 2023, I'm looking forward to exploring more fun spots in Central Florida. Would you be excited for more content on things to do in the Orlando area outside of the theme parks and touristy areas? Of course, I'll still be talking about Universal since we are passholders and visit A LOT. 


**This blog post is in collaboration with Responsival, however all opinions are my own.

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