Miami Weekend Getaway

On Friday I got out of work a little early to beat rush hour traffic and head to Miami. Of course we still got stuck in traffic but made it there in 4 hours. K had to work a convention on Saturday and Sunday so I decided to tag along to relax and enjoy some down time. As much as I love my own bed, there's something about comfy hotel beds, where you can lower the AC, close the blackout curtains, and have a good night's sleep.

We stayed in Coral Gables which is just a few miles west of Miami and we could see the Miami skyline from our hotel balcony.







We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Coral Gables which is a beautiful hotel with lovely staff and a comfortable bed. Just the way I like it! By the time we checked in it was already 8 pm so we were starving. Thankfully on the four hour drive I had lots of time to read reviews of restaurants in the area. I chose POC American Fusion Buffet & Sushi which did not disappoint! For $25 we got all-you-can-eat sushi, raw bar (crab legs, oysters, etc), carving station, different ceviches, and a variety of salads, soups, and desserts. It was one hell of a feast and just what our starving bodies needed plus I'd say my sushi fix will be satisfied for a few weeks.

On Saturday morning, I had breakfast in bed while catching up on some blogging and clearing through my inboxes. I got dressed and headed out to Miracle Mile to explore the strip, do some shopping, and get a pedicure at Evolution Salon.

After hours of walking around and exploring I went back to the hotel to relax before getting dressed for dinner. We decided to go to Tarpon Bend Raw Bar & Grill which had amazing seafood and live music.

On Sunday morning, I checked out of the hotel and went to Cherry Blow Dry Bar in Coral Gables to get my hair washed and styled. I figured it was a good weekend for some pampering while K was working.

After K got out of work, we hit the road to head back home. Luckily there was no traffic and we made in back in good timing. It was a lovely little weekend getaway.

Joining the lovely Biana for her Weekending link up.

Weekend Whereabouts

Hope everyone enjoyed the weekend. I'll start by saying my whereabouts were pretty minimal the past few days. It was a rainy weekend so it was perfect for catching up on some R&R since I have a few busy weekends of travel ahead.

I did venture out on Friday afternoon for some puppy playtime and a quick dinner.

After dinner we watched the movie Steve Jobs at home and had a quiet Friday night which was much needed!

 On Saturday I stayed local to get some errands done and rest up at home. I shopped around for some essentials for our Easter dinner party, did a ton of laundry, took some naps and spent lots of couch time with Lola watching TV.



Some inevitable online retail therapy happened on Saturday night since I had all the free time to browse. Maybe this is why I try to keep myself busy on weekends?

On Sunday, I went to Kohl's to pick up a dutch oven I had ordered to make the Guinness Beef Stew I posted about last week for my Friday Faves. It came out amazing by the way and I have to thank the lovely Andrea for helping me out with a few secret tips!

 Of course I ended up venturing over to the clothing department in Kohl's but not too much damage was done. I purchased these cute coral-colored shorts and navy crochet shorts for the Spring/Summer time weather and used a 30% off coupon.

 I'm so excited this is a short work week (we get Good Friday off) and I'm looking forward to our quick road trip adventure this coming weekend.


Joining the lovely Biana for her weekending linkup

Weekend Whereabouts

Well this weekend just seemed to zip by as they all tend to do. By the time Friday night came around I was pretty exhausted so we went for a quick bite at The Social House, which just recently opened. There was live music but it was extremely loud (like we could hardly even talk) and the salad I ordered was just okay. I'll give them another try but it wasn't the best date night idea.

When we got home we relaxed and watched The Night Before from RedBox. I didn't care for the movie so I zoned out half way through. I guess that means I don't recommend it, at least it didn't peak my interest.

On Saturday morning it was time to go pick up my new car at the Mazda dealership which of course is a long process and takes a couple hours but I'm in love with my new ride and all the new features cars have these days.

 On Saturday night it was time to get dolled up and head to Mango's Tropical Cafe to celebrate J's 37th birthday with dinner, drinks, and entertainment. While the atmosphere was fun with lots of different shows throughout the night, the service was horrendous (took 30 minutes to get a drink), the food was decent but they messed up a few people's orders including mine. The icing on the cake was when we had to pay $15 for valet parking but when it came time to leave, we waited almost 45 minutes for them to bring the car. I probably sound like a complaining shit between the events of Friday and Saturday night but I will always give my honest opinion here on my blog.

It was a fun night with friends but I will never return to Mango's again!

Sunday was all about getting organized - eggs benedict for a late breakfast since I slept in, three loads of laundry, all the blogging possible, dinner cooking in the crockpot, weekly food prep, and early to bed with hopes of not feeling too exhausted today because of the time change.

How was your weekend?

Joining the lovely Biana for her Weekending linkup.

Weekend Whereabouts

Hoping everyone had a great weekend. On Friday K and I went for happy hour at World of Beer and then had an early dinner at Shari for some amazing sushi rolls.

On Saturday morning we went car shopping and I found the exact car I was wishing for ~ Mazda CX-5.

After hours of car dealerships, we headed downtown for some lunch and a couple beverages. When we got there, we realized there was a huge Orlando City Soccer pub crawl going on so everyone was wearing purple to support our city's soccer team.

K and I went to Ferg's Depot for some oysters and a couple beers before heading home to watch movies and relax with Lola.

 On Sunday we were up bright and early so we made some breakfast and watched the news before heading to Vanbarry's with Lola for lunch and to watch the Orlando City Soccer game.

 

It was a relaxing weekend with some fun and not much productivity. LOL

Joining the lovely Biana for her Weekending linkup.

Weekend Whereabouts

Hey hey! Hope this Monday treats you well.

I had a pretty quiet weekend and only ventured out for some errands on Saturday and then brunch on Sunday with K so not many exciting things to share.

K was in Atlanta for a convention from Thursday to late Saturday night so I decided to have a quiet night at home on Friday after a stressful week. I arrived home to some pretty goodies in the mail from Phax Swimwear (sharing more details later this week). Lola also got lots of snuggle time with mom.

I rented The Intern movie on Friday but was too mentally exhausted to watch it until Saturday morning and I really loved the movie and whole story-line. Uplifting to say the least!

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After the movie, I went out to do some errands before heading home to clean and get the house organized. I had all intentions of going downtown to the Food & Wine Festival but decided against it and just stayed home to relax, blog and watch some TV. K returned home late Saturday night just before I was heading to sleep.

Sunday was "date day" with K so we headed downtown to Dexter's for some brunch with Lola in tote. I made sure to get most of the errands, cleaning and food prep done on Saturday so we could just spend time together on Sunday and relax.

After brunch we met up with some friends at 903 Mills Market so Lola and her best friend Louie could play while we caught up with friends.

It was a very relaxing weekend with some sunshine and fun mixed in there.

How was your weekend?

Joining the lovely Biana for her Weekending linkup.

Super Bowl Weekend

This weekend was a cold and rainy one in Central Florida so we kept it very low key. On Friday night we headed out for a quick Italian dinner and spent the rest of the evening watching movies at home.

Lola matches my gingerbread pajama pants.

On Saturday I spent the morning cleaning the house and doing some errands before heading out to Lake Nona for a drink at Graffiti Junction and then dinner at Nona Blue. The Ahi Tuna salad was to die for!

I went to bed early Saturday night suffering with a migraine so naturally I woke up early on Sunday to prep for the Super Bowl. K found this recipe and wanted to try it out.

We ventured out for some lunch at Johnny's Other Side on Sunday and ran into one of my favorite radio hosts that I listen to every morning on the way to work. I was supposed to go to a friend's Super Bowl party but my migraine came back with a vengeance so I decided to keep quiet at home after lunch.

How was your weekend?

FYI: Our travel linkup is happening on Wednesday so feel free to join Kerri, Kate and myself by sharing your favorite travel recaps.