Back To Reality: Travel Adventures for the Holidays

I'm home! I'm back! Hi everyone!

It's always sad when your vacation comes to an end but I was happy to be back home on Friday and had the weekend to relax and catch up on my blogs before going back to work today.

K and I traveled to Trinidad & Tobago for a week to visit family & friends for a late Christmas and to ring in 2014 in the sunny Caribbean.  We spent the first 3 days in Trinidad.

~ Ocean view from my grandmother's backyard
~ K and I drinking coconut water
~ Quality time with my sister and cousins
~ View of Port of Spain (the capital of Trinidad) from a lookout
 ~  Dinner & drinks with the girls
~ Ziplining the next morning with my cousins and family
~ My cousin returning on the zipline
~ K and I enjoying some Carib beer on the way to the beach
~ Beautiful Maracas beach

We then flew to Tobago with my parents and sister and spent 3 days enjoying the beautiful beaches, touring the island, seeing friends and ringing in the new year.

View from the plane leaving Trinidad and landing in Tobago.

Tobago Adventures...

~ View from our hotel in Tobago

~ K and I enjoying the beautiful weather and views

~ We went to a casino one night and K won some money on the black jack table

~ drinking Caribbean Rum Punch at lunch

~ View of Blue Waters Bay 

~ Met up with some girl friends on the beach

~ Fireworks on NYE night

~ Local food - curry conch and dumplings

~ New Year's day was spent relaxing on this beautiful beach

We flew back to Trinidad and went out with my girls for one last hurrah before catching our flight the next day back to Florida. I'm seriously going to miss my family and besties until we visit again.

Happy New Year everyone and thank you to the lovely ladies that guest posted for me while I was gone!

How did you ring in 2014?

Joining Bella and Lisa for the Weekend Recap Linkup.

Travel Tuesdays: Cruising to Alaska

A few years ago we went on a 7-night cruise to Alaska on Royal Caribbean. This was a family trip organized by my grandmother so all of the cousins got to spend time together. The cruise left from Vancouver, British Columbia so we arrived a day early to do some site-seeing in B.C.

 Alaska was very beautiful and serene. We stopped in 3 different ports in Alaska - Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan.

We had a great time on the ship, however I prefer tropical weather for a cruise so it was a little different from the usual sunny vacation. The cousins of course found ourselves drinking at the bar every night.

Linking up with Helene today for Travel Tuesdays.

  Good times!

 

Christmas in the Sunshine State

It's Christmas night and all the festivities are winding down. It's been the warmest December that I can remember. Ever!

We spent Christmas with K's family this year. On Christmas Eve night, the whole family gathered to do the traditional white elephant gift exchange and reading of the Bible's Christmas story.

 

 

We woke up on Christmas morning to open gifts with everyone. I got really spoiled this year from K's parents and family.

My sister-in-law gave us a fondue set, which I can't wait to use for entertaining!

I'm in love with the necklace I got from my in-laws, which has my birth stone in the pendant.

We also get Lottery tickets every year from K's parents and I got a winning ticket!!

Having to work tomorrow is also quickly becoming a sad reality.....but it's been a fun and fabulous Christmas!

Also linking up with Helene for Tell Me About it Tuesday. 

 

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you :-)

Here We Go!

Hi everyone! Here goes my first blog post.... (I have actually been blogging for the past 6 years for my job but finally decided to start my own personal blog spot that I can use to share with friends and the world). For the most part, I don't plan on focusing on one specific topic but mainly just everything I love - friends, fitness, fashion, food and everything fun!

So to give you a better introduction of myself, I've decided to list my top 10 interests, passions, and all-time faves:

#1: Family & Friends

My family and friends come first, of course!! My parents and most of my childhood friends live thousands of miles away in Trinidad, but I have also built an amazing network of friends in Florida over the past 10 years. I love socializing, entertaining and just being among friends and family. I was so lucky last June when my friends and family flew in from all over the world to be here for our wedding day. Yup! I had 10 bridesmaids who arrived from Trinidad, England and the US. My husband had 7 of his best guy friends who all grew up together in Florida. It was the greatest feeling having all our loved ones in the same place at the same time and getting to introduce everyone. Our wedding was beautiful and an absolute blast (more to come about the wedding)!

Our Wedding Party

My Best Friends

#2: My Husband

This is probably a good time to introduce my other half. K was born & raised in Florida and attended UCF where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Finance. He currently works in Sales for a well-known company nationwide and enjoys his job. I also attended UCF but we never met until a few years after college through mutual friends. K is a fun-loving and caring husband who works hard and also enjoys having fun and hanging out with friends.

My other faves come in no particular order...

#3: Traveling

This is a huge passion of mine and I still have A LOT to accomplish in this category! In my 28 years, I have traveled to a few provinces in Canada, several states in the US and several islands throughout the Caribbean but I hope to see so much more. My dream destination to visit before I die is Bora Bora - a French Polynesian island in the Pacific Ocean. It looks so magnificent and peaceful.

Bora Bora - Tahiti

#4: My Home Country - Trinidad & Tobago

I was born and raised in Trinidad and obviously still have a huge attachment to my home, mainly the culture, the people, the food and the beauty of the island. I miss all of those things especially my family and friends that live there! Trinidad & Tobago are two islands but one country and are the most southern Caribbean islands that sit right above South America (Venezuela). The weather is warm all year long and the people are friendly. I try to visit for the holidays and special occasions to get a dose of everything that I love, but I also love my life in Florida. I'll be talking more about Trinidad and some fun upcoming events.

The Caribbean Chain

#5: Fitness & Health

I've recently been focusing on this aspect of my life which I neglected for a long time. I'm back going to the gym regularly and trying to live a healthy lifestyle. Of course I am not perfect and still enjoy the finer things in life. Or should I say, the funner things in life? Love a glass of wine or a dirty martini but back to the topic... My faves are Yoga and Zumba but I also do a few other fitness classes and dumbbell exercises. I have a special love for the Yoga "state of mind" & lifestyle. I still have a lot to accomplish in this category and I to share my inspirations and motivations via this blog.

#6: Beaches & Boating

 

Could you tell yet that I love beaches and sunny tropical places? LOL this one is a no brainer... What better place to live than Florida (or the Caribbean) to enjoy the sun, beach and water. K and I take  weekend trips to different beach towns within Florida. It allows me to get somewhat of a traveling fix but on a cheaper budget. My favorite beaches in Florida are Siesta Key and St. Pete Beach, both on the west coast. I am hoping one day to settle down and live in a cute beach town that reminds me of home.

#7: Shopping & Fashion

This girl loves to shop, however, being on a budget often gets in the way ;-) I love finding deals and special buys which I will now be able to share with you. I shop online almost weekly whether it's for clothing, cosmetics, electronics, household items or gifts for others, I much prefer to browse online to compare items and prices. I'm also signed up for just about every mailing list so special deals often find me. Some of my favorite places to shop at Victoria Secret, Macy's, Target, Express, Ulta, Forever 21, Amazon, eBay, etc.

Recently Pinterest has been an awesome resource for fashion advice, although my wallet is freaking out a bit since I became friends with Pinterest. Now that the weather has cooled down, I'm loving all the new outfits and styles.

#8: The Internet

My geeky side comes out now. I've been working in the digital media and internet technology industry for the past six years so half of my life is spent on the internet. I love working in this industry and playing in this industry (online shopping, Facebook, emails, Pinterest, and now blogging!) so for that I have to be thankful for the Internet.

#9: Cooking & Recipes

I have to admit I don't have a whole lot of time during the week to focus on cooking but on the weekends or special occasions I love trying out new recipes.  During the week I cook quick 30-minute meals that are pretty simple such as chicken stir-frys or spaghetti but when I have time I love testing my cooking skills. Pinterest has also been a great help for helping to find delicious and creative recipes for entertaining and for the holidays.

#10: Purple & Sparkly

I know this is a strange interest but ever since high school I have always been attracted to all things purple or sparkly. As a teenager I used to rave about having a purple car when I grow up and I often chose outfits or accessories that were very sparkly.  Knowing this about me, my girl friends planned the theme of my bachelorette around dressing up in purple & sparkly outfits and going out for a night on the town. Now that I'm a bit more grown up, my fascination for purple and/or sparkly has somewhat dwindled but it's still there. I still like to wear sparkly outfits or jewelry and I also used purple and champagne as my wedding colors.  I loved my wedding cake below,

Our Wedding Cake

Well I hope that helps you to get to know me a little better and I hope to start connecting with more bloggy friends soon.

xoxo

Emily