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.
Anyone else hear Tyrese singing with the title "Lately"? Just me - the elder millennial? Ok. Man, where do I start? I am usually pretty private on Facebook, but shared an update of all that's been going on the past several weeks. My mom had a heart attack and has been hospitalized three times, my dad who we have also been concerned about was hospitalized during her 3rd visit and they were 2 floors apart as she was quarantined with the flu. And this all happened while I was traveling for work. Yep.
Oh yeah work... I was let go out of no where from the job I love and have been thriving at for over 6 years. No one knows why, and my boss has been fighting for me and showing why it was such an awful decision but the new owner just won't budge. No one understands it, and it just is what it is. Things had gotten incredibly toxic, I was incredibly burnt out and not fully present with my family - so it's definitely for the best as hard as it is to accept.
Then to top it all off, we experienced a big scare with Lil' Miss accompanied by an ambulance ride and an emergency room visit on her last day of school for the year. To say I am stressed out is an understatement. I am incredibly thankful for the friends and family who have rallied around to support and pray for us as we deal with a lot all at once.
But let's rewind and talk about the past few weeks first shall we? Trips to Universal (of course) and preparing for an upcoming vacation. Could it BE here any sooner? Kind of need it right now...
I was excited to be invited to experience the new Face Foundrie location in Orlando, and was treated to a Cryo Queen facial. I was nervous at first thinking it would be freezing, but everything was luxuriously comfortable. Oh and that glow - yes please!
Lil' Miss had three "half days" (I say "half days" because they're not truly half days when they get out at 11:15 - crazy!) before the end of the school year. So, we had a mommy-daughter date at Universal's Volcano Bay where we finally got to ride the aqua coaster Krakatau which was AMAZING! Lots of fun in the sun, and quality time with my best girl after being so busy for the longest time.
And then on Friday we celebrated the last day of 1st grade, and headed to her end of the year school wide celebration at the park. I used to be THAT helicopter parent at the playground watching her every move, and standing below her to help as she would climb. And the past few years, I've tried to let her be more adventurous on her own, and we had the biggest scare not long after arriving. She was running around with some of her classmates, and then we both noticed we hadn't heard her squealing down the slide for a few minutes and went to go look for her. There was a crowd gathered around someone lying face down on the ground. Queue immediate tears from me and hyperventilating (which I haven't done since I found out my cousin had passed away). I was ushered away by some of the moms as they tried to help me catch my breath, and drink some water. The ambulance arrived, and I boarded it with her while my husband drove our car down to the pediatric hospital to meet us. Everything is a total blur, and I was a mess crying while calling my mom and letting her know what was going on. I tickled her legs and feet to see if she would move, and she did as she giggled. Which helped me calm down immensely.
She was upbeat at the hospital, especially once they took her off the board so she could move around and then took her for some x-rays. The x-rays came back clear, and the results were bruising on her mid-back and a possible mild concussion from the impact of her falling from so high. I am incredibly relieved, however still watching her like a hawk as we want her head to heal from the possible concussion.
The next day was H's birthday, and we went to dinner to celebrate with friends. Lil' Miss brought a pillow for her back (so sweet!) and was silly with our friend's twin girls throughout dinner. It felt great to be with framily, and see her acting mostly like herself minus the pillow brought to dinner.
We laid low at the house for the rest of the holiday weekend for some pool and grill time, as we continued to be over protective of our sweet girl. She is still sore, but definitely still holding on to her big personality and alllll the sass! I can't begin to describe how thankful I am that she's ok, as I watch other parents go through so much worse. Hug those kiddos tight - children, nieces, nephews, friend's kiddos - everyone! They are a precious gift, and can get hurt or sick at the blink of an eye.
Last week, I recapped our incredible trip to Maui, but today I wanted to highlight what I wore in Maui. I will add a disclaimer that I've never been the best at photos, have zero editing skills, and the lighting wasn't working in my favor for the most part. It was either too bright or too dark, and I decided "oh well". I'm beyond done trying to create an unrealistic portrayal of my outfits or travels. It is what it is, and I enjoy telling my story with subpar photography - ha!
What I love about tropical vacations is the ease of packing - lots of bathing suits and cover ups during the day, and dresses and sandals at night for dinner. This beach kimono was nice and airy, and the print is even named "Maui". Perfect for walking on the beach or sipping Mai Tai's in your cabana.
Lots of fun matching on this trip - we are officially hooked on Kenny Flowers! It all started on the Virgin Voyages cruise we went on in November to celebrate a friend's 40th birthday, and we carried on the tradition in Hawaii and Lil' Miss joined the fun too. She was so excited to wear her lemons with us, and then she and I matched on our last full day as well. Too cute!
I shopped my closet for this dress to wear to our Farewell Dinner on the last night, and paired it with my new favorite sandals that I wore 4 out of the 5 nights to dinner. Sandals are > heels with all the walking at a big resort.
We also brought hiking clothes to explore the state parks around the island. Everything I'm wearing is old, but the belt bag is recent and I can't get enough of it! It's perfect for sports games, school events for Lil' Miss, hiking, running errands, etc..
On Monday, I recapped our trip to Connecticut and Cape Cod last weekend for my cousin's wedding. Today, I'm recapping the wedding itself. It was black tie optional which gave us an excuse to get dressed up. I broke out the "fancy heels" and my husband purchased a tux that he can use for future events.
My beautiful cousin who was a Junior Bridesmaid in our wedding back in 2010 got married in Cape Cod last weekend. It was amazing to see so many family members I haven't seen in years, and to have a weekend getaway where we used to vacation growing up.
She's now the BRIDE! Cannot believe it's been over 12 years already, and she has found her Prince Charming. I've never seen her so incredibly happy, and the whole weekend was perfection.
The cocktail hour and reception were at the Wychmere Beach Club, and the views were amazing! We enjoyed watching the boats during cocktail hour, and had magnificent views inside during the reception as well.
My brother, husband and I with my aunt and uncle (father and mother of the bride)
All of the table place cards had a personal message for each guest which was such a heartwarming touch. There were over 200 guests, so I can't imagine how long it took them to handwrite these sweet messages.
*My grandparents on their wedding day in the late 1940's*
I can't believe that not only are we in the latter half of the month of August, but that fall is almost around the corner. Lil' Miss started kindergarten last week at her new big girl school (queue the momma who wasn't quite ready yet tears), and my cousin's wedding that she has been planning for the past two and a half years is in just a few more weeks. I'm looking forward to flying back up north to see family again after what seems like forever, Lil' Miss having some much needed cousin time and my husband and I escaping to Cape Cod for a few days to relax and attend the family wedding.
Before we head up north for all of the festivities, I am going to change over the decor around the house to some of my favorite fall touches. I want to incorporate more dried floral table arrangements that will compliment the pumpkins, candles and my favorite little trucks and bales of hay. The entryway table, dining room, coffee table and bar cart will all be spruced up and extra festive with the fun pops of color that will be perfect for the new season. I'm also excited to see the tablescapes and florals my cousin has chosen for her wedding, and am sure there will be some coastal New England and fall charm mixed in.
This will be our first ever black tie wedding, so my usual cocktail dresses just wouldn't do. Who am I to deny an opportunity to not only go shopping, but to get all dolled up and fancy? I ended up choosing this satin navy blue number, and just need to get it hemmed since it's a tad bit long even with 4 inch heels on. I'm already clumsy enough without any extra help from tripping over my gown - ha! I plan to pair it with a fab pair of heels and a simple clutch.
We also looked into pricing for tux rentals, and it just made more sense to purchase a classic tux that my husband will be able to use for any other upcoming black tie attire events. I love that we both went with navy blue, and we have these formal looks for future shindigs. Can you tell that I love to get dressed up?
Now, I need to figure out what to do with my hair. Other than a basic ponytail or bun, my hair is usually down and blow dried straight. Every time I have attempted soft waves or curls they fall flat pretty quickly and it's just not worth the time spent for them to disappear quicker than a magic trick.
I continued the blue trend, and scooped up this midi dress for the day after brunch. I'm not sure what the weather will be like as it could be really warm or quite chilly for that time of year. So, I'll also arrive armed with a wrap and a jacket.
Between all that's been going on professionally, building my portfolio, balancing blog campaigns, birthday celebrations (hello birthday month), Lil' Miss starting the new school year, preparing for our upcoming trip and starting to plan a certain little girl's sixth birthday party (seriously - how is she going to be SIX already?!) I need to start planning now how to decorate our home to fully embrace the upcoming new season. How do you like to add special touches for each season around your home? I can always use some extra inspiration!
**This blog post is in collaboration with Jodiecball.com, however all opinion are my own.**
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