The Relaxing One

After traveling last weekend for the long weekend, a relaxing one was in order so I made sure to clear my schedule and focus on getting caught up with blogging and stuff around the house. A relaxing weekend means nothing majorly exciting to share but definitely check back on Wednesday for my Nashville trip recap which was action packed.

On Friday K returned home from a business trip so he was tired and I had no problem ordering Chinese food for dinner and relaxing at home. Easy and much needed!

Saturday morning was a slow start until the coffee kicked in and then I tackled the long list of things to do around the house and errands. I finally got my car full detailed and then stocked up on some groceries before retiring home for another relaxing night.

K dressed Lola in his UCF Knights shirt to watch the game on Saturday and of course she doesn't look entirely impressed but she did watch the whole game attentively. lol

On Sunday morning I tried my hand at making chicken and waffles for the first time with a side of smoked Gouda scrambled eggs. So incredibly good!

I did some errands and shopping for Kate's baby shower coming up and then went for an hour massage, which was much needed after having a stiff neck for almost a month.

It was a low key weekend but it was everything I needed to get back on track and feel rested. Hope you had a good one and you're ready to tackle this week!

Joining the lovely Biana by sharing some weekend action.

Thankful For Today

I'm thankful this week was a short one because it started off sluggishly after returning home from Nashville on Monday night. Nothing the weekend can't fix right?

While at the airport, I spotted this shiny object which made me get all excited. Has anyone seen a Benefit makeup kiosk at the airport before? Luckily I didn't have a whole lot of time to do much damage but how convenient is that to stock up on makeup while traveling?

On a slightly more obscure note,  I witnessed a high-speed chase as I was commuting home on Wednesday evening.  A mini van (of all vehicles) was tailgating behind me until he swerved through cars to escape the cops. It was quite a scary little scenario!

I'm excited to try something new and become a mentor for the College of Business Mentorship Program at my Alma Mater University. In the next few weeks I should find out who I've been matched with.

It feels like I haven't made a new recipe in months and since I've been on a major avocado kick recently, this BLT Chicken Salad Stuffed Avocado recipe sounds perfect!

With the new work schedule, weekends have become my only uninterrupted time to write and plan posts for the week ahead. Traveling and other weekend happenings have caused some radio silence recently but I'm hopeful the next few quiet weekends will help me get up to speed.

Speaking of that, I need to get my recap of Nashville together this weekend because it was a trip of a lifetime! A big thank you to Ashley and Missy for sharing some amazing recommendations for fun and food in Nashville!

Cheers to the weekend! I hope you have a good one!

Virgo Birthday Celebrations

This weekend was our much anticipated trip to Nashville for the holiday weekend to celebrate K's birthday. Instead of birthday gifts, we have been on a roll with traveling to new places to experience more than the bubble we live in.

Funny enough Lola and K share the same birthday so Friday night was all about spoiling Lola for her 2nd birthday.

On Saturday we made our way up to Nashville to stay with one of K's best buddies for the long weekend. We, admittedly, live an adventurous life but I don't remember the last time we had THIS MUCH FUN!

 More details of the trip coming soon but K and I agree that Nashville exceeded our expectations and was such an amazing city to explore.

Joining the lovely Biana

August Fun & Favorites

This week was like any other except a hurricane was heading toward Florida and we really weren't sure how bad it would affect Orlando. Either way I failed to adequately prepare but luckily we only had some heavy rain and the winds felt like I was sitting on a beachfront property. Unfortunately other areas in FL weren't so lucky and I'm just catching up on the news myself.

Since my blogging has been few and far between these days, I figured a recap of August happenings was due. Still can't believe we're already in September!

At the beginning of August I had some relaxing weekends after returning home from a family trip to Montego Bay for my cousin's wedding. 

We still found time to go out to celebrate some special occasions ~ baby's 1st birthday, dinner & drinks for my girl friends birthday, and K's fantasy football draft party.

And of course being home meant lots of time spent with my love bug Lola. Her 2nd birthday is this weekend so we're spoiling her rotten tonight with some doggie treats and a new bed. 

 

My family reunion picnic that happens every 5 years was at the end of August so I made my way up to Toronto for a quick weekend trip.
 

With all the different family events scheduled for that weekend, I only had Sunday to explore/shop/do whatever I want so my sister, cousin, and I went to the Distillery District downtown Toronto to walk through the market and check out some cute boutique shops. The weather was perfect and a nice break from the sauna heat in Florida.
 

 

And of course, I made sure to get some Tim Hortons coffee and snacks which is a must (for me) when in Canada!

 

When it comes to shopping, the only thing I fell victim to was this MAC Look in a Box Lip & Eye Kit. They have a few different color combos good for different skin tones but I went with the more neutral nude pink set plus I've had that mascara before and it's amazing!

That's a wrap for August! I have some fun things lined up for this month so I can't wait to share.


Enjoy the long weekend and be safe my friends!

The Weekend In Between

The summer slump has definitely been sticking around longer than I expected or maybe I've just been running around like a headless chicken trying to keep up with life in general. Things have been busy with work and traveling but I wouldn't want it any other way.

Last weekend I went to Toronto for a family reunion (trip recap) and now we're heading to Nashville for Labor Day weekend so this past weekend was all about relaxing and recharging those batteries. Friday evening was a quiet one with some happy hour beer on our patio and Thai takeout for dinner. I wasn't quite ready for pumpkin beer since we're still in the hot and muggy summer months but that's what K brought home to try.

On Saturday, I got to sleep in a bit and then went off to the hairdresser to do the usual highlights with a trim. From there I went to meet up with K and friends who were doing their live fantasy football draft at Dave & Buster's. We ended the night at Yard House for dinner and drinks.

If you have a Yard House in your area, I highly recommend Ahi Tuna Poke nachos as an appetizer. The photo doesn't do them justice but they were delicious minus the jalapenos which had my mouth on fire.

Sunday morning was all about coffee and relaxing before heading to the grocery store to stock up for the week and get prepped for our dinner guests.

Kate and H came over in the afternoon to hang out and catch up. I missed her birthday brunch last weekend when I was in Canada so I wanted to host a late birthday celebration.

We grilled ribs, chicken, and mixed veggies skewers along with corn on the cob and rosemary red potatoes. It was a nice Sunday spread to cap off the weekend.

Kate gave me the cutest bulldog cookie jar as a housewarming gift which I'm in love with and goes so well with our new kitchen.

Now the countdown is on for Nashville next weekend!

Joining the lovely Biana.

Toronto Weekend Whereabouts

The details from last weekend are coming to you a little late since I was in Canada for a long weekend family reunion. I love visiting Toronto in the summer and this year was our family picnic so it was the perfect opportunity to make my way up there. My sister picked me up from the airport on Friday afternoon and we all went to the adults cocktail party that evening.

The family picnic was on Saturday so we gathered at a beautiful park to have some lunch followed by our traditional family photo plus some more of the different generations. The rest of the day was filled with different sports and then cooling down at the ice cream truck.

 

That evening my (immediate) cousins went out for dinner and drinks at Hungry Brew Hops in the cute downtown area of New Market. My sister and I shared their homemade "Woodsy" pizza (mushrooms, mozzarella, roasted garlic, truffle balsamic) which was amazing!

I stayed the weekend at my cousin's house and her pup, Pepper, was the sweetest little companion in the mornings while having some coffee.



Sunday was really my only free day to explore Toronto so a few of us started the day with some dim sum in Chinatown.



We then headed to the Distillery District in Toronto to walk around the local market and check out some boutique shops. The weather was warm but comfortable, and a nice break from the sauna heat in Florida!







While walking through the cute cobblestone streets I spotted a familiar face and it was a good friend of mine from high school who now lives in Toronto. How random is that? Such a small world sometimes.

On Monday it was time to make the trek back home. My sister drove me to the airport after one last stop at Tim Horton’s for some coffee.

It was a wonderful trip and time spent with family, but...you probably already know what I’m going to say…it was TOO SHORT!