Let the Long Weekend Begin

I couldn't be more excited about this 3-day weekend. Labor day weekend last year was spent with friends at a beach condo lounging on Florida's west coast.  This year I've opted for a go-with-the-flow kind of weekend with hopefully lots of R&R.

 

So what's been going on with me this week? 

Well our bank account got compromised. That's always fun, right? On Sunday, I went online to check our balance to see what damage was done over the weekend and also figure out a budget for the upcoming week. I noticed a charge on our account that didn't look familiar but since K and I share the account, I don't always know what's being spent 100% of the time. K didn't seem to recognize the charge but I went along with my day thinking I was just going crazy and forgetting something. A few hours later, I signed back into my account so I can rack my brain a little more about this charge but instead I saw some more charges being racked up over the past few hours. We hadn't even left the house on Sunday. Something was definitely wrong because both of our cards were safely in our wallets! We called the bank to report the charges and found out someone an hour away was swiping our card away on a little shopping spree...that would be a fake card with our info. The most recent charge was $85 at a sushi restaurant but got declined because they had pretty much drained the account. This person has some f#ing nerve! Anyways, our bank was really helpful and worked with us and we should be getting back the money in a week or so. Thankfully! It's really quite scary how easily these people can just hijack your bank account and access your money.

On to some better things and joining Amanda and Lauren for their Friday Linkups.

Oh technology! Ordering lunch and paying the tab via an iPad at Carmel Cafe. This almost eliminates communicating with a server except for ordering drinks/water and the server running the food to your table. Not sure how I feel about technology replacing jobs but I do like seeing photos of menu items to help with the ordering process.

Outfits that transition from work to happy hour. I actually wore this several weeks ago when I met up with Kate and Pam for happy hour.

I caved and bought the Alex and Ani bracelet of the month. The seahorse bangle was calling my name and I wanted to get the $5 discount before they discontinued the offer. Having an A&A store a few blocks from my office is proving to be trouble.

Favorite funny: 
I am guilty of this and having zero patience on the road.

Happy hour beer is calling my name so 5pm needs to hurry it up! Two of my favorite beers this week are Sea Dog Blueberry and Kona Island Lager.

Enjoy the long weekend!!!

Friday's Flashback

Happy Friday!

I have no big plans for the weekend and I'm pretty damn excited about it. After a busy week at work, sometimes you need the weekend to recoup and relax. I do welcome some fun with friends but I prefer to run on a non-schedule.

I was excited to participate in Helene's Blog Auction yesterday and think it went pretty well. Thank you for those that placed a bid on my large ad space to advertise for 4 months straight on Martinis & Bikinis. I'm excited to find out who will be featured on my blog for the next several months :-)

This was me on Monday. I did some workouts at home over the weekend and never knew I was capable of kicking my own ass. I was sore and in pain all week but Monday and Tuesday were pretty bad. 

 

The ladies met up after work on Tuesday at a new spot in town called The Porch for some happy hour cocktails and appetizers. It was fun catching and planning a girls trips we want to do next year.

Another Ebates check arrived in the mail. I think it's pretty fabulous getting paid to shop. I signed up earlier this year and have already racked up about $115 in cash back.

Some goodies I scored from the Kate Spade sale last week. I had my eye on a few items and finally decided on a crossover purse (perfect for traveling) and the silver huggie earrings, which look so much better in person.

Lastly, this is so me specifically in the wine department.

Have a relaxing and fun weekend everyone!

Joining Amanda and Lauren today for their weekly Friday linkups.

Heavy Hearts & Hectic Days

If you happen to follow me on instagram, you might have seen a photo of Skyh I posted earlier this week because she hasn't been feeling well. Skyh passed away yesterday. She was my fur-child for 6 years and K has had her for 12 years so she was his baby first. You never really hear of men having cats but he loved her to pieces.

Skyh's favorite things in life were to eat and sleep (and sometimes get into mischief) so when we noticed that she wasn't eating a few weeks ago, we got very worried and took her to the vet. All blood work tests came back fine and we were given some medicine and special food. However, nothing seemed to be getting better over the days. She was refusing water and food so becoming very weak. We had a follow up appointment set for today to do further tests and scans but she didn't make it and has gone to kitty heaven. Unfortunately we're entering another hectic weekend with heavy hearts.

Also, in the wake of the loss of Robin Williams earlier this week, I find this quote fitting. 

Joining Amanda for her weekly Friday Favorites linkup.

In better and brighter news...

I ordered my bridesmaid dress for one of the 3 weddings I'm a bridesmaid in next year. It's one of those cool wrap dresses where you can choose your own style. I'm curious to see how it will look.

New towels make me happy especially when they're fresh out the wash & smell like Gain or Tide. Same goes for my bedsheets and comforter.

The highlight of my week was meeting up with two pretty bloggers yesterday for happy hour ~ Pam and Kate. I had a great time and look forward to doing it again!

I think we picked the best happy hour spot in town. You seriously can't go wrong with $5 martinis and $4 wine and small plates.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Celebrating Things To Come

As I mentioned on Friday, I've been needing a "my Netflix and my snacks" kind of weekend but this weekend had different plans for me. Friday night was pretty chill though, thankfully!

After going to dinner and drinks with my team on Thursday, we all arrived to work feeling rough on Friday. Very professional, I know, but sometimes we have to entertain clients and new hires that come into town and if they want to go out drinking then that's what we have do. We sent our new hire with a nice hangover on her flight back to the Netherlands on Friday.

K and I were supposed to go to a winery on Friday night that had live music and food trucks but I could barely keep my eyes open when I got home from work. We settled for a quiet dinner at Bonefish Grill and headed home after that. I've said this before but I'm obsessed with the bang bang shrimp at Bonefish. It's a must have when we go there! 

On Saturday we headed to K's hometown 2 hours away for a friend's co-ed baby shower. Baby Harper will be here next month and she got some wonderful gifts from their family and friends. 

After the shower we went out with some friends to catch up at the guys' favorite watering hole and then spent the night at my in-laws house.

On Sunday we headed back into town for one of my best friend's gender reveal party to find out whether their baby is a boy or a girl. Hence, the name of this post as we celebrated two babies coming soon.

The hosts asked everyone to wear either pink or blue depending what you thought the baby is going to be. I thought it was going to be a girl so I showed up in pink and K went in blue. They had a cute monkey pinata which the grandma-to-be was given the stick to hit and reveal the surprise. After many attempts out came a flood of blue candy. It was a really cute way to reveal the gender. 

As you can see based on the two teams below, the majority had a feeling it was going to be a boy. I was on the losing team but so excited for the soon-to-be parents and I'm looking forward to planning her baby shower.

How was your weekend?

Joining Biana for Weekending.

Weekend Drinks & Goodbyes

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

On Friday after work, K and I had a lil "happy hour" on our back patio with some Berry Weiss beer and then headed out for dinner at Carrabbas. After dinner we went to Ale House for a couple drinks and then called it a night since we were both exhausted from the week. We had all intentions of renting a move from Redbox but that didn't happen.

On Saturday I went to the hairdresser to get my hair done and then met up with some friends downtown for a girl friend's going away party.

 

We hopped around downtown for a couple drinks and then said our goodbyes to Becky who's moving to St Thomas for work. (I'm hoping to sneak off and visit her as soon as I can)

Sunday was a nice lazy day at home spent blogging, doing laundry, baking and prepping food for the week.

Joining Molly for Funday Monday and Biana for Weekending.

Weekend Fun, Friends & Music Fest

Monday comes to quickly 'round here but it's always fun recapping the weekend ;-)

After work on Friday I went to happy hour with a girl friend. We attempted to play bar trivia but neither of us were especially good at useless knowledge so we just wrote down the most bizarre answers to amuse the judges. It was a good time!

On Saturday I went to C's bridal shower. Since her wedding is in Punta Cana, the shower was a tropical theme. Everthing was beautiful! K is also a groomsman in the wedding and it happens to fall on our wedding anniversary so we're counting down the days to visiting the DR next month with a bunch of friends.

After the bridal shower, I met up with K & some friends and headed to a Reggae music festival downtown. From growing up in the islands, I'm a lover of reggae and nothing makes me happier than listening to some good music.

On Sunday, I cooked up some brunch and we had a relaxing day at home. Since both of our Mom's live far away we called them to chat but couldn't celebrate Mother's Day with them. I promised my mom to cook her some eggs benedict when she comes to visit in September.

It was a nice, lazy Sunday at home. You know you're getting old when you love nothing more than catching up on some TV, laundry, cleaning & blogging to end the weekend.

How was your weekend?

Joining Bella & Lisa for Weekend Recap along with Molly & Carly for Funday Monday.

Weekend Recap: Beach Weather is Here

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

I finally made it to the hairdresser to my hair done before I head to New Orleans for a bachelorette on Thursday. Got some highlights and side bangs. The salon I go to also has the cutest boutique that sells pretty statement necklaces and jewerly so it's such a temptation not to buy everything.

Still have swollen cheeks over a month after the wisdom tooth surgery. Ugh!

On Saturday night, K and I went to Buffalo Wild Wings to watch the basketball games and have some dinner & cold ones.

On Sunday morning we headed out to the beach. Nothing makes me happier in life than relaxing on the beach so I'm excited the weather is finally warm enough in Florida to start working on that tan!

It was a gorgeous day and the perfect end to the weekend!

Joining Molly & Carly for Funday Monday.

Weekend Happy Hour & Shopping Finds

Another relaxing and fun weekend spent in and around town. It seems like we're always traveling or celebrating a birthday/wedding/shower so I was happy not running on a schedule and just going with the flow this weekend.

Friday:

After work on Friday K and I headed out for happy hour & dinner at a local sports bar. We also got some free chicken tenders for being on their mailing list.

 

On the way home, we decided to rent a Redbox movie. Somehow, I got K to agree to watch the Anna Nicole movie. I've always been intrigued with her life and how it eerily matched and ended like Marilyn Monroe's life.

Saturday:

K and I ventured out to the outlet malls (which was a negotiation in itself to get him to come with me). He made out with a new pair for shoes for work and I found a pretty Kate Spade wallet. Both being about 50% off retail price.

We stopped at the Ale house on the way home for a late lunch and a pitcher of beer. Marriage takes negotiation: "you come to the mall with me, I'll stop and have some beer at the bar with you after"

Fair game.

 I also kinda splurged on a new purse at the outlets. My excuse being that my current purse got chewed up by our friend's puppy and no longer has a zip. Once again, much cheaper at the outlet compared to the stores in the mall.

Sunday:

We cooked brunch at home before heading out to meet up with some friends downtown.

The weather was perfect on Sunday so it was a great day to be outside. We walked around the lake downtown, stopped at a few bars for drinks, played ping pong and may or may not have had fireball shots.

Joining Bella and Lisa for Weekend Recap.

 

Cheers to a new week!