Friday Favorites + $325 Nordstrom Giveaway

Can you believe Thanksgiving is already next week? My favorite time of year is about to kick off which means many busy weekends ahead until the end of the year. We have our first Holiday party to attend on Saturday night but otherwise it should be a fairly low key weekend.

ONE:
This week we had our annual potluck at work and there was over 20 dishes plus the dessert table was out of control. It was hard deciding what to chose! I made a delish broccoli salad (recipe coming soon) to add to the spread. I posted some potluck dish ideas yesterday if you didn't catch it.

TWO:
I was putting my wish list together for the Holidays and my birthday in December and stumbled upon this 2016 Blog Planner from Amazon. I know they have free printable ones but it would be ideal to have everything recorded in one book and you can always go back and see what you've done in previous weeks.

THREE:
On Wednesday I went out for a happy hour girl date at our favorite sushi spot downtown to celebrate JQs birthday. It was fun catching up and getting our sushi fix.

FOUR:

We received these Wellness Petite Treats from Chewy.com and they are probably my favorite treats to date. Turkey, pomegranate and ginger are a unique blend plus they're healthy and grain free which is important when choosing treats for Lola.

FIVE:

For the next week, I'm teaming up with Pamela from Sequins & Sea Breezes and 20 other fab bloggers to give away a $325 Nordstrom Gift Card right in time for the holidays! The more ways you enter, the more chances to win! The giveaway end on Friday, November 27th at midnight and the winner will be announced on Monday, November 30th. Good luck!

Hosted By:

Sequins & Sea Breezes

The Gorgeous Co-hosts:

Cheshire Kat Blog | B Loved Boston | Champagne & Suitcases | Going The Distance | Love & Bellinis

Green Fashionista | Kids & Cabernet | Pink & Fabulous | From Here To Eternity | Martinis & Bikinis

Pink Persistence | Miss in the Midwest | A Memory of Us | The Sequin Notebook | Birdie to Be

MakeupHER | Christina Lea Loves | The Wandering Weekenders | Medicine & Manicures | Meet @ The Barre

$325 Nordstrom Gift Card Giveaway

Joining my fellow Floridian blogger Amanda from Meet at the Barre for some Friday Faves.

Weekend: Blogger Happy Hour & Sunday Brunch

I'm ready to tackle this week after a fun yet relaxing weekend spent in and around town. On Friday, Pinky was in town so we organized a blogger happy hour with Kerri, Pamela and I at Carmel Cafe & Wine Bar. We had a blast meeting Pinky in person and sipping on some martinis and wine!

Saturday was all about relaxing and getting stuff done around the house plus some blogging and cooking powered by the aroma of pumpkin candles and Lola snuggles.

K and I went out for a sushi lunch date but that was the extent of leaving the house.

On Sunday a friend hosted a brunch at her condo downtown so we started off at her place for a Latino style brunch and Bloody Mary's before heading over to the Fiesta in the Park around Lake Eola to walk around and check out all the local art, entertainment and food vendors.

 Quick reminder that our Kendra Scott + Sephora giveaway ends tomorrow...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Joining the lovely B for her Weekending linkup.

Weekend Festivities

I hope everyone had a great weekend and is ready to tackle this week. My weekend was pretty busy although Friday was fairly uneventful. K and I just went out to a small Mexican restaurant close to home for some dinner and had a quiet night at home after that.

On Saturday we headed to Animal Kingdom to go on some rides and have lunch in "Africa". Our season passes were blacked out for summer so we're now able to make use of them again.

 We started off doing the Kilimanjaro Safari and got to see lots of animals and then had lunch in the Harambe Market. The food was so good!

After lunch we rode the Expedition Everest rollercoaster which left me shaking. I almost didn't go on it but sucked it up and the verdict is that I'm a big chicken. The older I get, the more I become terrified of rollercoasters.

  Last we saw the Festival of the Lion King show which was surprisingly really good and entertaining even though it's probably geared more towards children. K and I both agreed it was much better than the Cirque Du Soleil "O" Show that we saw in Las Vegas and paid a pretty penny to see.

After Disney, we headed to International Drive to meet up with some friends for a joint Bachelor/Bachelorette party. We started with dinner and drinks at Brick House Tavern across from the Orlando Eye and then ended the night at Tin Roof bar with some live music and dancing.

Sunday was all about relaxing and getting caught up with blogging and house cleaning before my parents arrive this week. 

How was your weekend?

Joining the lovely Biana for her Weekending linkup.

That Rose Gold Phone Though

Has Blogger ever deleted one of your scheduled posts? That's what happened to my post for today and it isn't the first time. I logged in to see my post from Thursday had an identical duplicate and my draft for Friday had mysteriously vanished so I'm trying this again and it's going to be short and random.

My plan for today is to hopefully snag the new rose gold iPhone 6s on my lunch break. I hope I'm able to get through in time and that it doesn't sell out before I get there. Wish me luck!

I've mentioned before that my roommate and great friend from college passed away a few years ago from cancer. Her birthday was this week so I celebrated it somberly remembering all the fun times we had and still trying to grasp, 3 years later, that she isn't here on earth. 

Before Lola, I hadn't owned a dog since my childhood days. My first dog Rosie, who was a small fluffy yet feisty Pomeranian, was pretty much murdered by my neighbors' two Rottweiler dogs and it was a heart breaking moment for a child to witness. I didn't feel the need to have another pet since then probably because of the fear of facing a similar situation. Now that we have Lola though, I've learned so much and can see the true love a dog has for their owner and vice versa. (Sorry for two sad stories in one post).

Has anyone shopped the Kate Spade 75% off sale yet? I might have to pick up one of their pretty iPhone cases if I get through with the new phone. 

Happy Friday lovelies!

Joining the lovely Amanda for Friday Favorites.

The Draft Weekend

I got home from work on Friday to a baffling piece of mail. A card addressed to me and the return address was also my home address. So I opened the card and it was signed with my husband's name so I laughed and said "why did you mail me this?" Not realizing that it wasn't even K's handwriting. Anyways let's just say his friends are joksters. And football season is important. Like rules their life important! I got the memo anonymous sender (Ahem... MJ!).

K and I then headed out to Ale House for some dinner and spent the rest of the night relaxing at home which was perfect after a crazy busy week.

Saturday was all about K's live fantasy football draft which the guys do every year. They come from near and far to set up their football teams for the season. It's a big deal for them and the ladies come to help out and hang out.

I'm not a football lover. Probably because I didn't grow up in the US and wasn't raised with it all around so it's not something that's in my blood but I'm married to an extreme football lover and appreciate it for what it is. Plus beer and good food, right? I'll never be a party pooper and have always enjoyed football parties even though I don't sit on the couch watching it myself.

 

 

 It was a fun day catching up with the girls and all the new babies while the guys focused on building their teams.

On Sunday we met up with some friends for lunch at Twin Peaks which is right across from the Orlando Eye on International Drive. It's a cool spot to watch sports and have a couple beers.

After lunch we stopped at World of Beer on the way home to take a friend visiting from San Francisco out for a drink. I tried a flight of wheat beers and waited for the rainstorm to pass.

The rest of Sunday was spent at home doing my usual blogging, laundry, and food prep routine plus entertaining our visitor. We just grilled some steaks and corn on the cob for dinner and hung out.

How was your weekend?

Joining the lovely Biana for her Weekending linkup.