Weekend Cruising

I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend.

If you follow me on Instagram or SnapChat (emilyalisonb) you might have seen that I was on a cruise over the weekend. I didn't go snap crazy but I shared one or two sites and scenes from our 3-night cruise to the Bahamas.

This cruise was initially scheduled for the weekend when Hurricane Matthew hit Florida in October so it was cancelled but luckily we were able to get another date booked.

It was a relaxing, fun, and hilarious company trip since my coworkers are a blast to hang out with and we have some serious comedians in the group.

The only bummer was that our shore excursion to go jet-packing was cancelled the morning of the tour but we made up for it and I have so many highlights to share.

We are arriving at the port this Monday morning around 5:30 am and I have to head straight to work around 7:30. Pray for me!

This trip was so much fun so stay tuned for a full recap coming soon!

How was your weekend?

Joining the lovely Biana.

Housewarming Weekend

The weather was perfect this weekend for some outdoor entertaining at our new home. We hosted a BBQ for about 30 friends and their kids. K was the grill master and we had a huge spread along with an ice cream station for dessert.

I should name this weekend the one when I forgot to take pictures. Luckily a couple friends including Kate happened to snap some and shared them with me.

It was a fun night catching up with everyone! We have SO much leftover food, I could easily host another party for 50 people.

Sunday was cleanup day and the realization that our fridge is bursting at the seams. We even donated some beer to our neighbors since it all couldn't fit in our fridge. 

Joining the lovely Biana for some weekend whereabouts.

Weekend Happenings

Although we didn't manage to get into any Halloween festivities over the weekend, I'm armed with a few pounds of candy and Lola's princess costume for the neighborhood trick-or-treaters tonight.

I enjoyed another relaxing yet productive weekend getting our house decorated and shopping for some final pieces of furniture. On Friday I attended a business awards luncheon which was a great event and it was nice to see some of our business partners take home those pretty crystal trophies.

On my way home from work, my anticipation to get the weekend started was quickly dulled by the highway being shutdown for Obama's motorcade arriving in town. At first I thought it was a high-speed chase but then I saw all the black unmarked SUVs zoom by after the flood of police cars and bikes.

I baked a couple quiches on Saturday morning - one for us for breakfast and one to bring over for Kate that evening.

 

I got some decorating around the house taken care of, picked out some more furniture online, and headed out to do some errands. I was a sucker and bought these cute party crackers from Pier 1 for Christmas dinner since we're hosting this year.

In the evening I went over to Kate's house to meet baby fashionista Serena who I immediately fell in love with. After she was fed, I got some baby snuggles while we caught up with Kate and H about their labor & delivery experience.

Kate had a tough labor so she's needed some downtime but is hoping to get back to blogging once things settle down for her a bit. Serena is such a doll and I already can't wait to see her again!

On Sunday we finished hanging a bunch of wall decor and ventured out to Target and Home Depot to get some random home things like ceiling fans and medicine cabinets. (Fun, fun!) I'm happy to report we're about 90% done with getting our home completed.

After all the back and forth home decisions between K and I, it was time for some lunch and a Ruby Relaxer cocktail to end the weekend on a high note.

Sharing my weekend whereabouts & joining the lovely Biana.

Sunny Fall Weekend

The weather this weekend was exactly what Floridians crave after a blistering hot summer. Cool yet sunny days. The perfect relief from the heat even if a sweater was needed at night.

On Friday we celebrated Pinktober at work for Breast Cancer Awareness month. I also received the shipment of furniture we ordered to finish decorating the house.

K and I met up after work for a quick happy hour and then went to try out a new-to-us Thai restaurant. The food was excellent!

Saturday was the productive day. A million loads of laundry and cleaning were done. We then arranged the new furniture, hung artwork and photos throughout the house, and then went to Home Goods to pick up a few random things. 

After all the running around we settled at Marlows Tavern for an early dinner and spent the rest of the evening relaxing at home.

Lola was loving the weather on Sunday so we took her out of the house to watch some football & have lunch on the patio at a local sports restaurant.

I love relaxing and productive weekends like this one. Our house is still not complete but the end is much closer after this weekend.

Sharing my weekend story and joining the lovely B.

Weekend Bachelorette Bash

 

I went to my first bachelorette for the year over the weekend for my sister-in-law. She's around my age so thankfully she chose a daytime brewery tour which is more my speed than going out clubbing until the early morning.

On Saturday morning we made the drive over to Sarasota to meet up with my SIL, cousins and her friends. Around 2pm we left for an Oktoberfest brewery tour to 5 different craft beer breweries in Sarasota. Despite it being a million degrees outside, it was a really fun tour and we tried some amazing beers.

After the tour, K and I went to grab dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in Siesta Key. We shared some appetizers while listening to live music on the outside patio. After daytime drinking in the hot sun, I was ready to have a quiet night relaxing at my in-laws house for the rest of the night.

On Sunday morning we had some coffee with the in-laws and then hit the road to head back home. It was a fun weekend although I wish we could have stayed longer to go to Siesta Key beach which is gorgeous but hopefully we'll make it there before "winter" in Florida arrives.

Joining the lovely Biana for some Weekend talk.

Weekend Celebrations

Another weekend come and gone way too quickly but it was a great one spent in and around town before more traveling this weekend. K and I also booked a little weekend getaway for my birthday in December so I'm looking forward to that!

On Friday night, we actually made it out of the house for dinner and Outback it was since we have very limited restaurant options close to home. We had some dirty martinis and delicious meals before heading home for a relaxing night.

On Saturday we went furniture shopping and finally found a dining room table after going through four different furniture stores. We still need a guest bedroom set, couch, and a few other things for the new house so I walked around taking mental notes. Our previous house still hasn't officially sold yet so I'm waiting til then to fully furnish our new house.

That night we had a birthday dinner to attend and our sushi fix was definitely taken care of with several delicious rolls and some tuna sashimi.

Sunday morning was Kate's baby shower which a few of us girls had been planning for months now. We decided on a travel-themed Sunday brunch shower which was super fun coming up with ideas for games, decor, and the menu items.

It was a huge success and I can't wait to share all the details later this week when I have time to compile the pictures. I was super happy with how my Mimosa Bar turned out along with so many other cute & personalized details the "shower planning team" put together.



Cheers to another week and is it really mid-September already?

Joining the lovely Biana.

The Weekend In Between

The summer slump has definitely been sticking around longer than I expected or maybe I've just been running around like a headless chicken trying to keep up with life in general. Things have been busy with work and traveling but I wouldn't want it any other way.

Last weekend I went to Toronto for a family reunion (trip recap) and now we're heading to Nashville for Labor Day weekend so this past weekend was all about relaxing and recharging those batteries. Friday evening was a quiet one with some happy hour beer on our patio and Thai takeout for dinner. I wasn't quite ready for pumpkin beer since we're still in the hot and muggy summer months but that's what K brought home to try.

On Saturday, I got to sleep in a bit and then went off to the hairdresser to do the usual highlights with a trim. From there I went to meet up with K and friends who were doing their live fantasy football draft at Dave & Buster's. We ended the night at Yard House for dinner and drinks.

If you have a Yard House in your area, I highly recommend Ahi Tuna Poke nachos as an appetizer. The photo doesn't do them justice but they were delicious minus the jalapenos which had my mouth on fire.

Sunday morning was all about coffee and relaxing before heading to the grocery store to stock up for the week and get prepped for our dinner guests.

Kate and H came over in the afternoon to hang out and catch up. I missed her birthday brunch last weekend when I was in Canada so I wanted to host a late birthday celebration.

We grilled ribs, chicken, and mixed veggies skewers along with corn on the cob and rosemary red potatoes. It was a nice Sunday spread to cap off the weekend.

Kate gave me the cutest bulldog cookie jar as a housewarming gift which I'm in love with and goes so well with our new kitchen.

Now the countdown is on for Nashville next weekend!

Joining the lovely Biana.

The Good-to-be-Home Weekend

Wow, I can't believe it's August already! This year has been zipping by but I guess time flies when you're having fun although we really need to slow down the clock for getting older!

I had a pretty low key weekend which was perfect after returning home from our family vacation in Jamaica last week. Other than catching up on some sleep, my days were spent unpacking, doing tons of laundry, and getting things organized around the house.

We ventured out on Saturday night to celebrate my good friend's birthday at Tapa Toro for dinner, which is a new Spanish Tapas restaurant right below the Orlando Eye. The food was delicious and the company was even better. We stayed out for a few hours to celebrate the birthday girl and then called it a night. 

On Sunday K and I made spent the morning relaxing at home and giving Lola all the attention. We missed her while on vacation.

We went out to grab some groceries and lunch and can I just say my new favorite guilty pleasure are Brie Bites. I may have to try making a baked version of these at home since I'm a huge fan of brie cheese.

That's all I have for today! I hope this week treats you well...I'm praying the heat in Florida eases up for us soon since it's been unbearably sauna-like hot. The weather was much more comfortable in Jamaica!


Joining the lovely Biana for her Weekending linkup.

Life Lately

Hello friends and happy Monday! I know I've said this before but life has been so busy lately that I can't seem to find much free time for blogging. I've settled into my new job and pretty much settled into our new house yet my days seem to be packed full. Quiet Sundays at home have been my saving grace for getting caught up and organized for the week ahead.

I love my new job and the people that I work with. I have the cutest, bubbly intern that cracks me up and the projects that I'm working on are so much more fulfilling than anything before. Last week Wednesday the CEO of our company got tickets to a private event at the Amway Center for the Orlando Pro Summer League so I got to tag along and network with local business people which was really fun.

Since the shootings at Pulse Nightclub, Orlando has really come together as a community and it makes me happy to see all the signs of support and little reminders as I make my way around town.

On Friday evening I made it home from work feeling more than exhausted but agreed to go out for dinner with K to try a new restaurant close to home.

 

I'm so happy we decided to try Canvas because the food and lakefront atmosphere was amazing plus we caught a beautiful sunset while eating dinner. I can't wait to go back to try their brunch.

It started storming as we were leaving the restaurant so we just headed home to have a quiet night. This is how we were greeted by Lola when we got home and, honestly, I couldn't wait to join her! lol
 

Most of Saturday was spent getting errands done and cleaning up around the house. In the evening we entertained some friends and made Fresh Watermelon Martinis with cucumber infused vodka (a copycat recipe from Bonefish Grill) which were so light and refreshing.

Our guests brought us this amazing basket of goodies for a housewarming gift which was so thoughtful and unexpected.

 

The four of us then headed out for dinner at 310 Nona and spent the evening chatting and catching up over a nice meal.

 Sunday was spent relaxing at home and getting all the things in the land organized which was a great end to the weekend. Lola got her tan on in the backyard while I hid in the shade from the unbearable 100 degree heat we've been experiencing.

The countdown is on for our trip to Jamaica - 11 days to go!

Joining the lovely Biana for her Weekending linkup.