Oh sweet summertime how I love thee. Now that our back to back trips are done, and we are settled back in at home we have been busy with Lil' Miss having swim team practice and meets, some local events, and we even squeezed in a quick date night. I broke back out this cutout maxi dress that I wore to celebrate our anniversary last year with a staycation at Universal and remembered how much I loved it. Perfect for summer date nights, girls night out or of course dinner while on vacation.
We ended up exploring the "restaurant row" area near the Universal Orlando Resort for the evening. If you are in the Orlando area visiting the theme parks, I highly recommend exploring beyond the International Drive, Disney Springs,and Universal City Walk areas for dinner and nightlife. I was happy to hear some tourists mention that their hotel recommended the restaurant we went to for dinner.
We began our evening at Rocco's Tacos for their happy hour - $5 margaritas, wines, beer, and appetizers. Yes please! And then made our way to Voodoo Bayou for our dinner reservation. Everything was DELISH, and we were excited to check out the new speakeasy attached to the restaurant through a secret entrance.
How gorgeous is this speakeasy tiki bar?! It's called Roka Hula, and the secret entrance is near the hostess stand in Voodoo Bayou. If you see 2 chairs, you can pat the cheetah head and the wall will spin and bring you inside the hidden restaurant for a hidden world of exotic cocktails and exquisite elevated dishes. Every last detail was amazing!
Other recent happenings - we celebrated The Downtown Exchange in Clermont's 4th anniversary with an exclusive influencer featuring small bites and drinks from the local vendors. Lil' Miss was in her sampling glory, and she kept asking for more "zamples". Adorable!
It was also a certain pup's 4th birthday, and we celebrated her with her annual birthday treat from our favorite barkery. Our pandemic puppy is already 4 and I can't handle it! She is the perfect addition to the family, and she and Lil' Miss are two peas in a pod. Love watching the grow together!
Oh and who can forget National Ice Cream Day. Our favorite local ice cream shop was celebrating with 50% off ice cream and we couldn't resist. It was definitely worth waiting in a long line.
I'm always here for bold and bright colors. Just add a cup of nitro cold brew from my fav local coffee shop. It's been a while since I've done a dedicated outfit post, and this dress was worthy of going back to my blogging roots. Perfect for work or play - just add a jacket for chillier temps or at the office.
It had been almost 2 years since we visited family in Connecticut (quick backstory - we both grew up in CT, but moved to Florida in 2010). With all the recent health scares for both of my parents (catch up here), we felt it was important to visit and squeeze in quality time with both sides of our family which meant lots of cousin time for Lil' Miss.
We were supposed to land in White Plains, NY around 8:00 on Wednesday evening but ended up landing in Hartford after multiple delays then circling the NYC area for a while and diverting due to weather. Landing at either airport is ok due to the proximity to family in CT. However, we had a rental car booked in White Plains, and it was 2:30 am so the rental car places in Hartford were closed. Thankfully, my in-laws were still awake waiting to hear that we had landed and my father in-law was able to pick us up. In the middle of the night. In a storm. By the time we got settled in at their house and showered it was after 5:00 am and the sun was rising.
We took what I call a nap before H had to log on to his computer for work, and I let Lil' Miss sleep in. Once she was up, and had breakfast my parents picked us up to go to lunch and go to the orchard for raspberry picking. Remember - no rental car? H had to have his father drive him to White Plains (this is after picking us up in the middle of the night), and they got stuck in a ton of traffic. I always complain about Florida traffic, but I always forget how awful traffic in Connecticut and New York is. Yikes. Thankfully, it was all up hill from there.
Lil' Miss was SO excited to be reunited with her cousin and they were adorable and giggly at the orchard looking for the "pretty" berries.
Then it was time to meet up with H's sister and our brother in-law and nephew for dinner. Our best man and maid of honor from our wedding 14 years ago joined us, and it was a mini-wedding party reunion over our favorite wings and wraps at Archie Moore's.
I spent Friday over at my parents house with my brother helping them clean and organize their stuff so they can finally join us and move to Florida. They've been talking about it for years, but between lots of health set backs and other various reasons it just hasn't happened yet. I mostly worked on the kitchen while my brother worked on their various files, items to shred, and fixed things around the house. There's still so much more to do, but that will be for another trip when they're feeling better and won't be as overwhelmed.
I headed over to my sister in-law's which is right up the hill from where I grew up. Lil' Miss had been there most of the day playing in the pool and running around the yard with her cousin. We grilled dinner and had s'mores by the fire. The perfect summer evening.
On Saturday morning, we got ready to head to Lake Compounce for the day with my brother and our niece. I may live down the road from Universal, Disney World, and Sea World - but I grew up going to Lake Compounce in the summer. Lots of fun memories over the years. It's the oldest amusement park in the country, and Boulder Dash was the fastest wooden roller coaster on the planet until recently, but still ranks high. Lil' Miss declared it her favorite ride!
I scored the front row on Boulder Dash, and my niece requested to sit with me, and Lil' Miss sat with my brother while H rocked it in the 3rd row. I forgot how intense this coaster was since I'm so used to the coasters at Universal. It takes you up the mountain through the woods before the first drop, and the rest of the ride is really fast and it shakes you in a way that the steel coasters don't.
As we continued our tour of Connecticut, we met up with my high school bestie and her fam for dinner at a new to us Mexican restaurant which was of course YUM. I always look forward to catching up, and it's always as if no time has passed.
On Sunday, we went to brunch at 66 Church before heading back to my sister in-law's for more swimming and cousin time. Have I mentioned lately how much I love the summer time?
On Monday, we checked out a local coffee shop while H worked remotely before heading to lunch with my family. Lil' Miss had slept over at her cousin's house, and we were excited to see her.
That evening, we went to dinner with one of H's best friends from high school. He has also moved south, but happened to be in town visiting family as well so we took advantage of all being back in CT to catch up over dinner.
On Tuesday morning, I brought my mom to the hospital for her monthly infusion while H worked from his parent's house. Unfortunately, my mom needed to be admitted after the infusion due to another infection that isn't clearing on it's own. Thankfully, it's not related to her heart but it's still hard to watch her suffer and have so many setbacks. I'm glad I was able to spend that time with her, but hope she can recover from home in the coming days.
I raced back to finish packing, and get some work done for a client before we headed to lunch with beautiful views of the golf course with H's family.
Lil's Miss and my nephew with their grandparents at lunch. This trip reminded me how much I loved CT in the summer time. The winters (and the high cost of living) is what caused us to move to Florida, but I do still have a big soft spot for the summers. Definitely making this an annual trip!
It's my most absolute favorite time of year - the days are long, the pool is frequently jumped into, dinner is usually cooked on the grill, and we are just all around more relaxed. I was excited to ring in my favorite season at the STK Summer Solstice party in Disney Springs on the 1st day of summer. And they sure know how to host a party! Signature bites, cocktails, a DJ, and rooftop views were on deck for a wonderful evening with friends.
I donned my new smocked maxi dress (which has pockets!) in the cutest oyster print, and even though I'm allergic to seafood it's perfect for visiting New England this summer to spend time with family. This summery dress and the below bathing suit set are a part of Kenny Flower's 4th of July sale, and I wish I could scoop up each and every piece. They've been my go-to resort wear and matching bathing suit pieces this past year, and Lil' Miss still loves it when we all wear our lemon print bathing suits. Their destination inspired prints are all ethically made, and bring all the vacation vibes.
I also had no idea that Firehouse Subs have names of the day, and if your name is on the list you get a free medium sandwich. Lil' Miss was VERY excited when her name was on the list recently, and we went to pick up her free lunch while out picking up the grocery order one afternoon.
She also had her first ever swim meet with her summer swim team, and placed 2nd in her first event. We are so proud, and VERY excited for the upcoming Olympic games. Those two weeks will be all about watching as many events as possible - my favorite!
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