The Weekend with Amazing Weather

 
Did anyone catch the solar eclipse on Friday night? We were looking out for it but didn't see anything spectacular.

The weekend started with some happy hour and hanging out on our patio since the weather is back to being warm again. K just returned from a work trip so it was a perfect night to catch up and watch some movies at home. If you follow me on Instagram (emilyalisonb) you might have seen that Lola joined us sitting on a patio chair like the human she thinks she is.

On Saturday the weather was absolutely gorgeous so we headed to Universal Studios to make use of our annual passes. We went on some of the simulated rides, checked out Harry Potter's Diagon Alley, and saw the show Fear Factor Live where people eat bugs and all sorts of creepy things. K went on a couple of the huge rollercoasters while I sat back and watched.

  

We ended the night with some dinner at Cowfish Sushi & Burger Bar which sounds like a weird concept for a restaurant but has some really delicious food.

Sunday was all about relaxing and getting stuff done around the house. We also watched Dirty Grandpa this weekend which was quite funny.

Joining the lovely Biana for her Weekend linkup.

Oh The Sunsets

The sunsets this week have been amazing driving home from work with vibrant orange, pink and purple colors tie-dying the sky and then last night those colors turned into pastel tones. Nature's beauty made my, otherwise boring commute, so much better.

Friday's are for sharing some favorite things and happenings around here so let's get right into that.

Colorful Accessories

These pretty infinity scarfs are perfect to brighten up a neutral outfit especially for Valentine's day.

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If you're looking for some unique and trendy gifts for Valentine's Day, check out the Guide for Her and Gift Guide for Him that I recently shared.

Herbal Remedies
I've been fighting a lingering cough and head cold for over a week now and I found this Herbal Immune Booster with Vitamin C on Amazon to help fight it off.

SkinnyGirl Products

I'm a big fan of SkinnyGirl products and love to see that their product line is expanding. I just purchased some of their salad dressings over the weekend (for only around $2) and I'm loving the Raspberry Vinaigrette so far.
 

Salad Dressings / White Cherry Vodka / Organic Stevia / Workout Plan

Winter Soups

I've always been a fan of Butternut Squash Soup and this recipe has me craving it just in time for the weekend.

Travel Plans

We just got some exciting news that K has a company meeting in Germany this summer. Neither of us have been across the pond to Europe so this is the perfect opportunity to plan a trip to explore before he goes off to work. I don't even know where to begin with planning this trip but I'm excited to figure out the details over the next few months.

image via

Have a wonderful weekend and I'd love to hear your advice or recommendations for country hopping in Europe that can be accomplished in a week or so.

Valentine's Gift Ideas for Him

Last week I shared a Valentine's Gift Guide for Her so today let's talk about some unique and thoughtful gifts for the guys in your life whether it's for your husband, boyfriend, or father.

Not to sound stereotypical but some men (especially my husband) are infamous for misplacing things like their wallets and keys so this bluetooth-powered rosewood tag and companion app seems like a great solution to that problem.


For the tech guys, these USB drive silver cufflinks are definitely a unique and handy gift.

For the men that like to cook, this Himalayan pink salt plank is a great addition to the kitchen (and for the women to enjoy too).

This water bottle holds your iPhone 5, 6 or 7 and other essentials and is perfect for the gym or traveling.

For the businessman, this revolutionary tie marries the Founding Fathers with style which honors America's history.

For the golf lovers, these stainless steel BBQ tools have handles that look just like golf grips definitely handy for grilling season.

This wooden watch is a fashionable blend of modern technology and the great outdoors.

For the bourbon or beer lovers, this handcrafted mug brings joy by the barrel.

For the handy guy, this streamlined pen keeps five necessary tools together in one place.

All of these items are sold by UncommonGoods which operates out of the historic Brooklyn Army Terminal. Their mission is to support and provide a platform for artists and designers; giving great respect for the integrity of the creative individual and offering products that impact the world in a positive way.

Monday Morning Coffee Talk

The weekend started off with a little happy hour at a spot close to home and then dinner at Outback on Friday night.

I had the bacon bourbon salmon which was pretty tasty.

Saturday morning was a lazy one at home before venturing out to stock up on groceries and figured we'd check out the brand new Walmart Supercenter in our area. Adulting 101 at it's finest! Seriously though it was a huge controversy when they started building this Walmart because "it would attract the wrong crowd to our new community" among other things.

Turns out this is probably the fanciest Walmart in the country with portable scanners you can use and the pay via an app on your phone so you don't have to wait in line. There is also a drive-up window to pick up groceries and an organic restaurant called Grown opening this month. I was quite impressed.

For dinner on Saturday night, K made Buffalo Chicken Sliders inspired by one of those Tasty videos you see floating around Facebook. They were amazing!

Here's the video



On Sunday I met up with some friends for lunch. We chose a Trinidadian restaurant I've been wanting to take them to for over a year now. It was a fun little catch up lunch date indulging in some of my favorite West Indian food. No pictures were taken.

In the afternoon our neighbors hosted a Super Bowl party so we made our "famous" Bite Me Dip and went over there to watch the game.





I didn't stay for the whole game because "Sunday school night" but we had some fun hanging out for a bit to cap off the weekend!

Joining the lovely Biana for some Monday morning coffee talk.

Islamorada: Final Favorites

Last week I shared the details of the beautiful resort we stayed at in Islamorada called The Postcard Inn and then did another post about the Rain Barrel Artisan's Village which was full of color and creativity. Today I have some final tidbits to share mainly some "must try" restaurants/sports bars and things to do.

I mentioned that we spent most of our time relaxing at the resort but we did venture out a few times. On Saturday, after exploring the Rain Barrel Market, we stopped in at Hog Heaven Oceanfront Sports Bar to grab a drink and watch some sports. I loved being outside on the waterfront while K enjoyed all the various games on the TVs around the bar.

 

 

When we booked our trip to Islamorada almost everyone recommended Lorelei's Cabana Bar & Restaurant for brunch so we made our way there on Sunday. It's a casual place with great food and mimosa specials for brunch and the waterfront patio seating is always my favorite kind of setting especially in the Keys.

We spotted this "Limo Boat" in the marina at Lorelei's which I thought was interesting. After doing some research, I found out this Nautilimo does cruise tours along the shoreline of the Florida Keys which would be cool but quite amusing at the same time.

K and I tasted, for the first time, and fell in love with frozen key lime daiquiris. What we didn't know was that the most popular place that makes them was at the World Famous Tiki Bar located on our resort, just a few steps from our hotel room. We had friends texting us saying "you have to try the Key Lime Daiquiris - they are amazing!" and we thought "Oh how convenient!" 

And amazing they were.

On Monday it was time to make the road trip back home so we had to fuel up before the 5-hour drive. We didn't have a place in mind but drove past The Island Grill and made a U-turn because it looked like the perfect spot for one last meal. This restaurant's claim to fame is "Home of the original tuna nachos" so we ordered the nachos along with some conch fritters to share  I've never tried anything more delicious. The restaurant was empty because it was 11am on a Monday but waterfront seating (once again) with good food was the perfect way to end the trip.

We did have one last stop on our bucket list and it was to visit The Original Key Lime Factory. Neither of us were in the mood for dessert so we bought a whole pie (frozen) to bring home to enjoy later in the week. K ate most of it but it definitely was an amazing treat!

So this wraps up everything about our Islamorada trip with all the extra favorites we indulged in and of course I'm dreaming of returning one day to explore more of the Florida Keys!