Vacation Highlights

I'm back and hoping to catch up on all the blogging over the weekend!

Thankfully Friday arrived really quickly this week after returning home from Jamaica on Wednesday night. It's never fun jumping right back into reality but a two-day work week makes it so much more bearable to deal with the post-vacation blues.

We flew to Montego Bay last week Friday for my cousin's wedding and had an amazing time catching up with 20+ family members that came in from three different countries. It was really good for the soul and, being at an all-inclusive resort in paradise, made it that much sweeter!

 

I plan to post a full travel recap next week when I've had time to organize my photos...and my brain, let's be honest...but I wanted to share some highlights from the trip.

Family Time
K and I are the only ones that live in the US so spending time with my parents, sister, and the extended family was much needed. Especially being able to catch up with my cousins and meet their babies (and not-so-much-babies anymore) for the first time.

 

Pre-Wedding Fun
On night one, the bride-to-be willingly agreed to participate in the Miss Iberostar "pageant" which was really a very unorthodox competition involving collecting as many shirts and pants from the audience. Guess who won?



On night two, we secretly organized some extra entertainment from the staff that came to the beat of the Magic Mike soundtrack. She was a good sport and it was no rated-R show but it was so fun and pretty hilarious to cap off the night before her wedding.



The Wedding

This is a given because it was the purpose of our trip but we got to witness my cousin and her love say their vows in a beautiful setting.

Post-Wedding Fun
We only had time to leave the resort and do one excursion on this trip so we picked a catamaran cruise (more to come on this) but snorkeling was one fun part of the excursion.

On our last night we had a bonfire cocktail party on the beach for one last get-together before saying our goodbyes the next day.

Bonus Highlights
Other than all the quality time with my family which is priceless, a huge highlight of our trip was winning two free gifts. I chose a 50-minute massage at the and K picked two tickets to the VIP departure lounge in the Montego Bay airport. So much unexpected pampering but we loved it!

The MoBay VIP departure area offers complimentary food, drinks, and a really comfortable lounge with reliable WiFi access so it was a really nice end to our trip.

So happy to be home to be with my Lola but lots of detoxing and cleaning eating is much needed for the next few weeks.

I hope you enjoy the weekend just as much as I will enjoy sleeping in my own bed!

An Anniversary trip to Ocho Rios

I hope everyone had a great weekend. I'm still in Jamaica relaxing for a few days with the family after celebrating my cousin's wedding yesterday. K and I visited Jamaica back in 2012 for another destination wedding in Negril and now we're in Montego Bay so I've been looking forward to seeing a different part of the island.

My good friend and fellow blogger, Kate from Green Fashionista so generously offered to share the highlights from her wedding anniversary trip to Jamaica. They happened to visit around the same time we were there in 2012 but they stayed in Ocho Rios which is a part of the Jamaica I've yet to visit.

 

Kate and her hubby spent 4 nights at the Sunset Jamaica Grande in Ocho Rios, which they chose because it's a beachfront all-inclusive resort with some beautiful pools and waterslides.
 

The swim-up bar is always a favorite when it comes to all-inclusive resorts and Kate said they immediately got in the pool when they arrived and could just feel the stress melt away.



Their days were spent lounging in the cabanas by the pool, sipping on cocktails, and enjoying the pool and waterslides.

Sounds like the perfect vacation to me and that's exactly what we've been doing.



They enjoyed some Bob Marley cocktails poolside which look delish.

I just love the view from their hotel room and it gives you a nice glimpse of Ocho Rios' coast.

Thank you Kate for sharing the highlights of your anniversary trip to Jamaica!

If you're interested in exploring more about Jamaica, you can read Kate's full Ocho Rios trip recap and my trip to the 7-mile long beach in Negril.

Hope this week treats you well!

                                                                                 

Jamaica Bound

Happy Friday!

I hope you have some fun plans lined up for the weekend. I've been looking forward to this day for a few months now because we're en route to Jamaica for my cousin's wedding and will be spending the next few days with my family in Montego Bay. The last time we went to Jamaica, we spent the entire trip in Negril so I'm excited to explore a different part of the island.

For once I planned nothing for this trip and will be going where the wind takes us around whatever wedding festivities we have to attend. I'm hoping to go on an excursion or two but I'm waiting to explore the options while we're there. I'm most excited about lounging on the beach and hopefully returning home with a nice tan.

Enjoy the weekend!

Travel-Size Essentials

                                
We travel quite often so I have a toiletry bag that's always packed with travel size products for when we decide to take off for a weekend trip or even a longer vacation. While I'm known to over pack in the clothing and shoes department, I have my toiletry selection under control. Other than the basic necessities like toothpaste, shampoo & conditioner, deodorant and a razor, these are some of the other essentials I take with me on vacation (in travel-size).

Neutrogena Wet Skin Sunblock  /  Morning Burst Facial Scrub  /  Vicks ZzzQuil Nighttime Sleep-Aid

Gentle Eye Makeup Remover   /  Yes To Cucumber Face Towelettes  /  Victoria's Secret Lotion

OFF!® Insect Repellent  /  Nivea Skin Creme   /  TanTowel Express Self-Tan Kit 

 A few other travel-size things that I also pack are dry shampoo, body spray/perfume, hand sanitizer, a good quality chapstick, and aloe vera (for tropical destinations).

When it comes to getting adequate sleep on vacation, I usually also bring along some melatonin for those restless nights. Until recently when I tried ZzzQuil Nighttime Sleep-Aid (sample from Influenster). I went out and bought a full pack because it helps you fall asleep within 20 minutes and doesn't leave you feeling groggy the next morning.

I've talked about being a non-morning-person before, probably because I'm the exact opposite and prefer to stay up late but that isn't practical when you have a 8-5 pm gig and need to be up at the crack of dawn. So I really like how ZzzQuil helps you sleep soundly for about 7-8 hours. The best part is the ingredients are non-habit forming because it's solely made for sleep and not for pain or sickness. While I wouldn't take this every night, I definitely need it from time to time when the night owl in me decides to come out to play.

I received a sample packet of ZzzQuil Sleep-Aid complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.  The review above is my true and honest opinion. #ZzzQuil, #SleepLovers, #ad, #gotitfree @Influenster

Weekend Whereabouts

This weekend was the perfect break to recharge those batteries. Of course it's never long enough but I had no big plans so I took advantage of sleeping in and being productive around the house. On Friday night K decided to play chef and cooked up a nice dinner at home so it was a relaxing night.



Saturday morning was spent cleaning and organizing the house before heading out to Target, Home Goods, and a few more stops to get some last minute shopping done for our trip this week. I love all the pride clothing that Target is now carrying.

 I didn't go too crazy shopping but I did get a gorgeous pair of rose gold sling-back sandals along with a matching crystal headband and a Stila Lip Gloss in Rose Quartz for my cousin's beach wedding on Saturday.

We all know shopping builds up an appetite so K and I went to Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen for some lunch and shared this delicious cocktail called a painkiller. I don't usually drink rum but all of the other ingredients hid the rum taste and it was so good!

I also bought these super comfortable dupe Michael Kors Espadrille wedges from Target that I've been eyeing for months now. They were 30% off so it was finally time to pull the trigger.

Before heading home for the evening, we stopped off at Publix to stock up on some groceries and I stumbled on this new blueberry beer from Abita. I always rave about Abita's Strawberry beer and this one was equally as good. Strawberry and blueberry happen to be my favorite flavors when it comes to pretty much anything. 

Sunday was another relaxing day. K left for a work trip around 6 am so Lola and I slept in a bit. Well more so her than me!

Then it was time for some breakfast, coffee and, blogging. I also got laundry and cleaning done, food prepped for the week, and put together this Jamaican Curry Chicken recipe in the crockpot to let dinner cook itself.

If you've been following my blog, you might already know that I recently bought a new house and posted that our previous house was sold pretty quickly. Well I spoke too soon and things ended up falling through with those buyers so life has been a little crazy trying to get it sold asap. Nobody wants two mortgages! Well not me at least!

We've had to put decorating and fully furnishing our new home on hold until we can get it sold which explains why I haven't posted many house photos. I'm praying that will change soon!

There's always the good, the bad and the ugly in life but the weekend was a good one and I'm counting down to our little vacay,

Have a great week!


Joining the lovely Biana for her Weekend linkup.

Festive Rice Krispies Treats

This is seriously the easiest dessert recipe I've ever tried and it goes a long way for entertaining guests. I made a pink and blue batch for Kate's gender reveal party and then another festive batch for the 4th of July weekend.

The Original Rice Krispies Treats recipe on the back of the cereal box is more or less what I followed but I doubled the ingredients since it was for a large group and added a few more marshmallows. Of course the colorful topping is optional but adds a festive touch for certain occasions.

Serving Size: approx 30 bars

Ingredients:

25 oz large marshmallows

12 cups Rice Krispies cereal
6 tbsp butter

Pearlescent sugar or sprinkles

Cooking spray

Two 15-inch baking sheets

What To Do:

Melt butter in a large nonstick saucepan over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir frequently until completely melted and then remove from the burner.

Add Kellogg's Rice Krispies cereal to the mixture and stir until the ingredients are well mixed together.

Use cooking spray or butter to grease the baking sheets. Also grease the spatula or spoon you will be using to prevent the mixture from sticking as you transfer over to the baking sheet.

Carefully transfer the mixture over to the baking sheets and use greased wax paper to press mixture evenly.

Let it cool for about 10 minutes before adding the topping of your choice.

Side note: I'm not a baker and rarely make anything of the dessert variety so my initial thought process was to use food coloring to do a batch of pink and then a batch of blue treats to go with the gender reveal theme. Thank goodness I couldn't find pink food coloring and I stumbled on those gorgeous pink and blue sugar crystals because everyone's mouths at the party would have been "undelightfully" colorful.

 

Once completely cooled, cut into 2-inch squares and they are ready to be served!

What I love the most about this recipe is that is takes just under 30 minutes to complete because it requires no baking time. And, not to mention, they are a light and delicious treat to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Enjoy!

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.

Faux Fashion

When it comes to faux fashion I automatically think of faux leather or fur vests but there are so many other cute styles out there that are worth taking for a spin in the dressing room. I've always loved faux leather tights but they are not flattering on my body type yet I do love how they look on women in general. The relaxed fit of faux suede has been on my radar along with some other faux pretties under $50:

one / two / three / four / five / six / seven / eight / nine / ten / eleven / twelve

I've only just begun dipping my toes into faux fashion but I hope to add some of these cute and affordable pieces to my closet when the prolonged shopping freeze comes to an end.


Do you have any faux favorites?

The Lazy Long Weekend

I hope everyone (in the US) enjoyed the holiday weekend and the extra day away from work. A quiet weekend was much needed around here so I didn't pack any big plans into the weekend like I tend to do. Lots of lounging, laundry, and food prepping happened at home along with some fun out with friends.

On Friday I got out of work a little early so K and I went for a quick happy hour and dinner at a restaurant close to home.

On Saturday I had a hairdresser appointment to redo my highlights. It was raining for most of the afternoon so I didn't bother to get it styled and looking fabulous so no photos to show for that. I ran through the rain to get some errands done and decided Saturday night was going to be another quiet one at home. 

On Sunday, K and I cooked up some brunch at home and then went to a BBQ pool party at a friend's gorgeous lakefront home. We enjoyed a few hours at the party catching up with friends.

Since spent a good portion of the weekend relaxing at home, Lola was excited to get all the extra attention and snuggle time on the couch watch movies.

On Monday I met up with a friend and her mom to get our nails done. We had fun chitchatting and getting pampered at the salon and then headed over to Panera for some lunch.

After lunch I did some errands and then retired home to cap off the long weekend. K and I grilled some steaks for dinner and caught up on some TV watching. Needless to say I'm feeling refreshed for the week ahead and even better that it's a short one!

Joining the lovely Biana for her Weekending linkup.