2017 Year Recap: September - December


Sharing the last part of my 2017 Adventures series.

Here's Part one and Part Two, which were both action packed with travel, celebrations, and fun with family/friends.

September
Our friend from Boston came into town so we played tourist in our city and took him to Universal Studios since he loves Harry Potter. I tried Butter Beer for the first time and it was so good!




  We celebrated both K and Lola's birthday that same weekend. (Lola turned three).


 Hurricane Irma cancelled our cruise to Cuba (which has been rescheduled for 2018). The following weekend I joined K in New York City on his work trip which he decided to extend into the weekend.





We had fun strolling through Central Park, catching a Broadway Show, shopping, and exploring the Brooklyn Bridge area. I always think NYC is so magical!



October

I got into the Fall Spirit decorating for Thanksgiving indoors and Halloween outdoors.


I went to a food festival with friends at a Buddhist Temple which I've always wanted to visit and got to check that off my Bucket List.


My company treated us to a long weekend vacation at Hammock Beach Resort in Palm Coast, FL.



It was a gorgeous resort with lots of amenities and activities to keep you occupied or fully relaxed. I loved lounging by the pool and going down the lazy river.






We went to Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios for the first time which was a cool experience but I'm not a huge fan of getting spooked.


My neighbors threw a Halloween costume party. K and I dressed up as Ariel and King Neptune.


I loved the hostess' "Bridesmaids" costume because she is in fact a bride-to-be and these are her bridesmaids. They looked adorable and played the part so well. It was hilarious!


That same weekend we celebrated Baby Fashionista's 1st birthday party which happened to be mermaid themed.  Little Miss was adorable with her smash cake offering everyone a taste of the frosting that covered her hands.



November

K and I took a road trip with Lola to Bradenton to see family. The weather over there on the west coast was gorgeous!



The girls celebrated JQ's birthday at Lakeridge Winery. It was fun taste testing their wines and buying some to-go from the gift shop.



My parents and sister came into town for Thanksgiving and I had the week off to spend with them. We spent the first weekend relaxing at a beachfront condo on Treasure Island beach.


We spent the following week shopping, going to shows, celebrating our upcoming birthdays in December, and cooking up a big Thanksgiving spread. It was a nice little Staycation to enjoy spending time with family and showing them around Orlando.






December

We kicked off the Holidays celebrating with friends at Kate's annual Holiday party.



My neighbors threw an Ugly Sweater Party and I tried Gluhwein (German mulled red wine) for the first time which was amazing! I went to the store and bought 3 bottles to have for the holidays!




That Sunday K threw a birthday brunch for me which was delicious and we enjoyed the company of our special guests all the way from Houston - Nikki and her husband!


My birthday actually fell on Wednesday so K and I went out for a delicious dinner at a new Turkish restaurant close to home. I got spoiled with sweet birthday gifts from friends near and far.


My company threw a holiday luncheon at which we were surprised with a pile of gifts to do a white elephant gift exchange. I made out with a GoPro Camera and full accessory kit. Just in time for our trip to Trinidad for the holidays!


My coworkers and I spent the previous weeks shopping for gifts to wrap and donate to The Russell Home for Atypical Children.

We got a tour of the facilities and were able to meet all the patients and hear their individual stories. It was a heart-warming/eye-opening/heart-wrenching experience and a home I will continue to volunteer my time and donations to.


We delivered two large containers full of gifts for the 4 patients in the critical care unit and went back the next day to give all members of staff gift cards for all their hard work with a special note each employee at my company. We couldn't have chosen a better "cause" for the holidays! You can read the background of the home below.


"The Russell Home was the first non-profit institution in the country for brain-damaged children. Today you would find quietly hanging in the home a dusty occupational license dated Nov. 13, 1951, when Mrs. Russell opened her home to the first child to “see if it would work out.” Since then, the home has opened its doors to hundreds of youngsters, sometimes after hearing pleas from desperate parents, and in more than one instance, finding them just left on the doorstep."

"The love that is in this home, expressed through the eyes, sounds, and smiles from the children will make you count your blessings for the simple things in life." -- Source



Thank you for making it this far traveling through my 2017 adventures which ended with a very special experience at The Russell Home to cap off the year! Remember how lucky you are!


Wishing you all blessings for the new year ahead!

6 comments

  1. Such a great end of the year! You had so many great trips this year, I can't wait to see what 2018 has in store!

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  2. What a wonderful year it was!! So many fun things. I hope 2018 is a wonderful one too!

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  3. Ahhh, so many great adventures with friends at the end of the year!! You totally rocked that Halloween costume, too!! All that warm sunshine is enviable today!! I wouldn't mind finding myself in any of those FL places this weekend!

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  4. Your Halloween costume remains one of my favorites of the year.

    I'd love to be in FL right now.

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  5. I swear it was so scary this year with all of the hurricanes! I'm glad that all y'all had to do was rearrange one of your trips! And your trip to NYC during the fall looked like absolute perfection!

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  6. Glad y'all had such a great year!

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