Wanderlust Wednesday: St. Augustine, Florida

I recapped our Easter weekend trip to St. Augustine a few weeks ago and talked about all the amazing restaurants we tried and some fun things we did but I didn't share too much details about the city itself and what makes this northern Florida city so enchanting.

St. Augustine has some fascinating history dating back to 1565 and claims to be the oldest city in the United States. Today it's a slow paced city with lots of gorgeous Spanish colonial architecture and historical sites to explore. The Castillo de San Marcos stone fortress from the 17th century being one of the more popular sites which overlooks the inlet. St. Augustine is also known for having some cute Bed & Breakfast Inns, quaint antique shopping, bakeries & coffee shops, and lots of history to be learned. I'll let the photos I snapped do the rest of the talking.

As you can tell it was an overcast day but that meant cooler temps to walk around outside and it made a nice setting to take photos of this beautiful historic town. Hope you enjoyed exploring St. Augustine through my camera lens!

Link-up Rules:

1. Follow Kerri, Kate and myself on Bloglovin

2. Link up your favorite travel recaps or travel related posts

3. Grab our Wanderlust Wednesdays button and link back to our blogs

4. Be sure to visit other blogs and build your travel bucket list!

Weekend Whereabouts

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! It was fairly relaxing for me but I had a fun girls day yesterday with my bestie visiting which was soooo good for the soul!

K and I didn't do much on Friday night. Lola was sick on Wednesday and Thursday night so I wanted to stick around to take care of her.  We had some Vietnamese food for dinner and caught up on some shows. Steph gave me a recipe for upset stomachs so I wanted to get that prepared for Lola for dinner and her next few meals. It worked wonders and she hasn't gotten sick since. Thank you Steph!

On Saturday K and I spent most of the day looking at new construction houses in the Orlando area. We've been wanting to customize a home since our current house lacks some features we think are important. We saw some amazing floor plans but I'm not sold on the location so the search continues.



After about 5 hours of house viewing we settled for some dinner at Lee and Rick's Oyster Bar which is seriously the biggest hole-in-the-wall restaurant but no one has better oysters around here.

 

Sunday morning came quickly (thankfully!) because it was time to meet up with my bestie of 25 years who's in town visiting to do a course for the next few months. We had SO much fun catching up over pedis at the day spa, lunch at Wich Wich, and TONS of shopping.

My whole backseat was filled with shopping bags but mainly for her. I can't wait to wear the cutest beach coverup from Target (pictured below) next weekend.

I also can't wait to see my bestie next weekend for more girl time at the beach!

How was your weekend?

Joining the lovely Biana for her Weekending linkup.

Friday Faves

This week was a crazy busy one but thankfully Friday has finally made her appearance. I can't wait to exhale all the stress and hopefully get a good night's sleep. Moving on to some faves for the week.

The Beauty Department

This box of goodies from Amanda's giveaway arrived earlier this week and I was so excited to see the Pixi Rose Oil staring at me. I've read so many amazing reviews about rose oil from other bloggers so I've been dying to try it out. I've applied it to my face every night this week after showering and my face feels incredibly soft.

Fave Fashion Finds

I talked about my love for mid-rise jeans yesterday in my Spring Fashion post. They are seriously the perfect fit for my body type. After figuring that out, I purchased a couple more styles including these Distressed Black Mid Rise Jean Leggings which are so comfortable and have a nice stretch to fit different body types.

Healthy Eating Ideas

I've been eating all the salads recently. I shared some delish Spring Salad Recipes earlier this week which are perfect for an easy weeknight dinner. I just found this Skinny BBQ Chicken Flatbread recipe which I have to try asap.

Good To Know
I think this article about 10 Ways to Lose Weight is mainly common sense but the question is, do we actually do them? I know I don't so it's a great guide to get a reality check and get back on track.

Puppy Snuggles
I woke up on Thursday morning to Lola being "sick" all over our bed. My poor baby girl + mattress and sheets!! The details are too gruesome to share but it was a nightmare to clean up. Thankfully I was able to pinpoint what gave her the upset stomach. Wheat flour is a definite NO for English bulldogs. #lessonlearned  We tossed those treats in the trash and she's been feeling better since then.

Enjoy the weekend everyone!

Spring Casual

When I think of Spring fashion, comfortable florals and colorful outfits come to mind. My closet once used to be very black and white but I've been adding lots of colorful tops and accessories over the past few years. I don't however own many floral pieces probably because I'm very picky with florals as they can't be too "flowery". Does that even make sense? I guess I don't like too much noise in my outfits. This cute yet subtle floral top from Forever 21 has been in my closet for over 7 years and I still love it! It's has a super comfortable elastic waist and is light and airy for Spring and Summer in Florida.

 

We took these photos while exploring the historic district in St. Augustine over Easter weekend. One of my favorite (and must-have) accessories for traveling is a good size cross body purse that can fit more that just a couple credit cards and a lipstick. My pink Kate Spade cross body purse is the perfect travel companion (this particular one is sold out but they do have similar cross body purses in a variety of colors).

I don't consider myself a fashion blogger and I don't have a professional photographer sidekick so these photos come to you as they are - unedited and imperfect. I love fashion and will share some favorite outfits from time to time.

Has anyone tried mid-rise jeans as yet? They are life-changing!! At least they are a life-changer for me and my particular body type. Express has a good variety of styles and after wearing my first pair for a few weeks (the Dark Wash Mid Rise Supersoft Jean Legging that I'm wearing in these photos), I've gone back and purchased two more styles.



Mac's Flat Out Fabulous matte lipstick is still one of my prettiest lip colors and it was the perfect touch for this spring-inspired outfit.

While we were exploring downtown St. Augustine, we had to make a stop at one of my favorite spots,  Sangria's Wine & Piano Bar to cool down and have a refreshing glass of fruity sangria.



I bought these adorable Purple Flash Mirror Aviators in Las Vegas last year from the Michael Kors store with some winnings from the Wheel of Fortune slot machine. Purple is my favorite color so I couldn't resist but they definitely don't go with just any outfit. Luckily I was able to wear them out that weekend with the outfits I packed.



My latest Kendra Scott addition (purchased from Rocksbox) is this adjustable Jamie Bracelet in Platinum Drusy which I love because it sparkles in the light. Rocksbox just sent me the matching necklace and earrings so temptation is running high to purchase those as well. I mean they're meant to be worn together, right?

Shop The Look

Express Mid Rise Jeans * Michael Kors Watch * Kendra Scott Jamie Bracelet * Kendra Scott Elisa Necklace * Kate Spade Cross Body Purse * Michael Kors Chelsea Aviators * MAC Flat Out Fabulous Lipstick


What do you love about Spring fashion?

Sweet & Savory Spring Salads

I've been looking for new ways to get those healthy greens in and Pinterest is always to the rescue for some inspiration and adventure, so to speak. I recently started pinning different salad recipes since the two that I have on rotation are getting a little old.

Let's look at some delicious salads that are perfect for the warmer days ahead. The titles are clickable if you want to venture over to get the recipe.

Arugula Salad with Strawberries, Pistachios & Goat Cheese

 

Turmeric-Garlic Shrimp with Cabbage-Mango Slaw

 

Avocado and Grilled Chicken Chopped Salad

Blueberry Feta Salad

     

Asparagus, Goat Cheese, Lemon and Hazelnuts 

Apple, Almond, Bacon and Brussels Sprouts Salad

 

Greek Salad

 

Chinese Chicken Salad

If you happen to try any of these recipes please let me know your thoughts or feedback.

Enjoy!

PS: I incorrectly announced on Friday that our Wanderlust Wednesday link up was tomorrow. It's not. The link up is actually next week Wednesday (April 13th). Can you say hot mess express over here or what! Sorry if I misguided anyone but I do hope you'll link up your favor wanderlust adventures or dream destinations next week.

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.