NYE Weekend in Ft Lauderdale

Happy new year everyone! I hope 2016 is off to a great start for you.

I had a very eventful weekend in Ft Lauderdale ringing in NYE with friends. On Thursday I had the day off of work so we took the 3 hour drive to south Florida to check in to our hotel by Ft Lauderdale beach. While driving there the hotel called to say they overbooked and wanted to give us an upgraded room at their sister hotel only a block away and also gave us a small discount for the inconvenience. Fine by me! It was a cute boutique hotel called Tranquilo which was a short walk to the beach.

After getting settled we went out for dinner at Casablanca Cafe along the beach with a girl friend and enjoyed some escargot, baked brie, beef carpaccio and a strawberry mojito. Everything was amazing and the outdoor patio overlooking the beach was a nice vibe.

After dinner we went out for some adult beverages and then watched the annual ball drop along Ft Lauderdale beach at midnight. It was a fun night out with friends exploring a new town.

On Friday we went to visit one of my best friend's from childhood and spend some quality time with her three kids at their house on the water. We brought Lola along so the kids could play with her.

After a few hours of bestie and kiddie time and whining children, we were starving so we went with K's friend from high school to G&B Oyster Bar for some amazing oysters and stone crab.

On Saturday morning we slept in and then checked out of hotel to make the trek back to Orlando. Before hitting the highway, we stopped at La Granja Peruvian restaurant for an amazing seafood ceviche for lunch.

The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing and doing errands. Overall it was an amazing weekend with good friends, amazing food and a nice change of scenery for a couple days in sunny south Florida.

How did you ring in the new year?

Joining the lovely Biana for her Weekending linkup.

2015 Year Recap: Part 2

It's incredible 2015 has come to an end. Overall it was an amazing year and I kept very busy with traveling and celebrating weddings, birthdays, new babies and everything in between. I posted Part 1 of 2015 last week so here goes the second half of the year.

July:
We traveled to Las Vegas to celebrate a girl friend's 30th birthday and our fifth wedding anniversary. We saw Tiesto in concert and had dinner at the top of the Stratosphere for our anniversary.


 

August:

Celebrated Kate's birthday at Sunday brunch downtown Orlando.

September:

September was a fairly busy month. K and I flew to New Orleans to celebrate his birthday and explore the city. One of my favorite restaurants we ate at for lunch was Pierre Maspero's.

We went to explore Wekiva Island with Kate and her hubs.

Celebrated some friend's at their joint bachelor/bachelorette party.

Also went to Animal Kingdom with K and enjoyed a safari ride and a few other rides.

October:

My parents came in town to visit for a couple weeks and we went to Epcot's Food & Wine Festival.

K and I went back to Disney the following weekend to explore Hollywood Studios and went on several rides.

November:

We flew to Barbados for a girl friend's wedding which I was a bridesmaid in.

 

While we were in Barbados, K and I took an amazing catamaran boat cruise around the island and then toured the island with friends.

Met Kristen at Epcot while I was there with Pamela and Kerri for the Food & Wine Festival.

K and I also visited Magic Kingdom one last time before our Disney annual passes expired.



We attended our first holiday party a friend's house and got to catch up with all the girls.

December:

December is always a busy month with holiday parties and my birthday so lots of fun was had.

We went to Kate's annual holiday party which included a photo booth so everyone had a blast with that plus the white elephant gift exchange had some hilarious gifts.

My work holiday party at Universal Studios was also an amazing night and Kate came as my date since K was traveling for work.

I got to reconnect with some  college buddies over a sushi dinner and ring in my 32nd birthday downtown Orlando at a bar for a quick drink at midnight.

The girls came out on Sunday the 13th to celebrate my birthday at the best brunch spot in Orlando and I got spoiled with their love and gifts.

K finally returned from his work trip and we had another (late) birthday celebration the next weekend at the Orlando Eye.

Christmas was spent with my in-laws and extended family in Sarasota. It was a nice relaxing weekend with lots of good food and quality time with family.

I have to say 2015 was a pretty epic year and I'm looking forward to what 2016 has in store for us.

I hope you all enjoy NYE night and wishing you the very best for 2016!

Weekend Happenings

Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend and is ready for Christmas this week (if you celebrate it). Either way it's a nice time of year to reconnect with family and to celebrate another successful year come and gone.

Friday night was low key around here. Lola and I went to the airport to pick up the hubs after he was gone for a couple weeks and we had a relaxing night at home. We had some wine and watched the movie "Amy" about the life story of Amy Winehouse (thanks to Katie for recommending it). 

On Saturday I did a bunch of last minute Christmas shopping and errands before getting dressed to celebrate my birthday (late) with K and some friends including Kate and her hubs. We started off at Tin Roof for a quick beverage and then we went on the new Orlando Eye Observation Wheel that was built earlier this year to catch a beautiful sunset and views of the city we live in.

 

After the "Eye" we headed to Yard House for some dinner and drinks to cap off the night.

On Sunday morning I finished wrapping all of my Christmas gifts and then we went to Max's 1st birthday party...the cutest and sweetest mannered boy around. 

 

Joining the lovely Biana for her Weekending linkup.