Weekending & New Blog Design

Another Monday is upon us but let's decide to be happy and beautiful together. Life is better that way, right? I hope the snow and blizzards up north weren't too detrimental and hopefully cleared up a bit by now. We had the coldest weekend for the year in Central Florida but no snow.

I had a relaxing Friday evening at home with some Thai food for dinner from Sea Thai, which has been voted best Thai restaurant in Orlando year over year. I picked up K from the airport and we just hung out at home with Lola.

On Saturday I went to the hairdresser to get some highlights done and got my hair curled. Luckily the curls lasted up until today even with the cold weather.

On Saturday night the Central Florida girls (Kate, Kerri, Pamela and myself) had a blogger meet up with Ashley from Wandering Weekenders and her husband visiting from Texas. We had dinner at The Cowfish, a sushi and burger restaurant in Universal's City Walk.

After dinner we headed over to Red Coconut for a drink ~ moscow mules were the drink of the night for myself and some of the girls. As you can see we were all bundled up in winter clothes because the low was in the 30's which is deathly cold for our Florida and Texas blood. LOL

It was so fun meeting Ashley and her husband! I hope to visit them in Texas sometime later this year.

Most of Sunday was spent figuring out how to redesign my blog and having a mini panic attack while doing so after almost crashing the whole site. I'm super happy with how it turned out considering I have zero design or HTML skills...well now I have a little of both. It's not 100% complete but that's all my patience could handle in one day. I'll also be re-branding my blog with a different (but similar) name in the next week or two since I bought a new domain. If you run into any errors while visiting my blog, please let me know!

How was your weekend?

Joining the lovely Biana for her Weekending linkup.

Friday Favorites

This was the sunset I caught in my neighborhood last night arriving home from work. Absolutely breathtaking! I also posted a live video on SnapChat if you follow me (emilyalisonb).

This week was the coldest one for the year so far. While I don't mind a break from the heat, I seem to get shocked by everything I touch when it gets cold outside ~ every door handle, the gas pump, my car, and sometimes other people. Back in UCF days, I remember stepping into the campus shuttle and getting shocked by the railing to walk up the stairs and yelling "F*#%" in front of a bus full of people. It wasn't pretty! So I guess that's my pet peeve when it comes to cold weather but on a brighter note, how about some faves for the week?

ONE

K left on Sunday morning for work and returns today so lots of "me time" was had this week...or shall I say "Lola and me time" because she requires all the attention. Either way it was nice to rule the remote and get caught up on my shows.

TWO

These Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps are on my radar to make at home. I've ordered lettuce wraps before at restaurants but it's about time I try my hand at making them for a healthy weeknight dinner.

THREE

I stumbled on the Look Human online shop this week via Pinterest and love all of their cute tops and sweaters with fun sayings/designs such as this Mascara & Mimosas pullover sweater.

FOUR

National Popcorn Day was celebrated at the office on Tuesday. I'm just thankful it wasn't national chocolate or cheesecake day because diet out the window.

FIVE

I loved reading this article about Meditation for Beginners and really want to incorporate some meditating into my routine to clear my mind and relax since work and life can be stressful. Kerri also talks about her Meditation Journey here which is a good read.

Enjoy the weekend!

Linking up with my fellow Florida girl Amanda for her Friday Faves linkup.

Orlando Beyond Disney

I'm aware that most visitors come to Orlando to visit Disney but there's so much more to do in Central Florida for people with all different interests from food to sports, attractions, festivals, and entertainment. The locals know the secret to enjoying Orlando and avoiding the crowded Disney area.

Downtown Orlando
Orlando has a really fun downtown where the locals go to enjoy some amazing Sunday brunch restaurants along with the bar hopping nightlife and the dog-friendly restaurants in Thornton Park.

 

There's also a local farmer's market every Sunday around Lake Eola where you can purchase produce, food, and art from local vendors. Several festivals are hosted around Lake Eola such as Paws in the Park which is an annual pet festival coming up in February.

iFly Orlando
This Indoor Skydiving place gives you the opportunity to experience the skydiving experience in a safe environment. I, personally, am afraid of heights so will never do the real thing but I had no hesitation to try indoor skydiving.

Orlando City Soccer Club
Our Major League Soccer team is a fairly new addition to Orlando's sports teams but the fan base caught on quickly and everyone here can enjoy an inexpensive evening watching some soccer at the family-friendly Citrus Bowl.

Cocoa Beach
This is not technically Orlando but it is the closest beach that most locals frequent during the warmer months. Port Canaveral also has some amazing waterfront seafood restaurants that we like to grab dinner at after spending hours at the beach.

Wekiva Island

Wekiva Island is an amazing facility to visit on the weekend to enjoy some kayaking and canoeing along with lunch and drinks at the onsite restaurant. It's great place to relax along the river and get some Vitamin D plus it's pet-friendly so everyone brings their dog to enjoy the outdoors.

The Orlando Eye

This 400-foot observation wheel located on International Drive was built in 2015 and is one of Orlando's newest attractions that allows you to enjoy breathtaking views of Central Florida. We went on it in December at sunset and enjoyed seeing the sun go down along Orlando's skyline.

Amway Center
The Amway arena is the home of the Orlando Magic basketball team but they also host most of the big concerts such as Taylor Swift who I saw perform a couple years ago.

Winter Park
Park Avenue in Winter Park has a historic strip of boutique shopping and restaurants. It's a great place to walk around and go for lunch or some happy hour with friends. They also host an Art Festival that features work from local artists for sale.

Universal City Walk
You can enjoy family fun here with a variety of restaurants, entertainment and shopping. My two favorites are Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville and Bob Marley's for some live reggae music and Jamaican cuisine. The nightlife is always hopping here so it's a fun place to go to celebrate a birthday or bachelorette party.

Orlando Improv
 Everyone loves a good laugh. Lots of great comedians come to Orlando Improv to perform. It's a nice venue that serves food and drinks while you enjoy a funny comedy show.

Orlando is dubbed "The City Beautiful" and I couldn't agree more. There's so much to do here that makes living here never a dull moment.

Skinnygirl Cocktails

A surprise package showed up at my door from Skinnygirl® Tastemakers which included a water bottle, coasters, a cute wine stopper and a cocktail making book. I purchased the Skinnygirl White Cranberry Cosmo to enjoy over the weekend.

I liked the White Cranberry Cosmo but found it to be quite sweet for my liking even though it's very low on calories. The website describes the Cosmo as having hints of orange essence, subtle lime, berry fruit notes and cranberry. The taste is delicious but I personally don't drink sweet cocktails so it was a little much for me (I'm more of a dirty martini girl). If you like drinks on the sweeter side, then I'm sure you'll enjoy this Cosmo. 

I can't wait to try some of the new Skinnygirl® Vodkas they have out to make martinis such as The Bombshell recipe below.

Have you tried any of the Skinnygirl® alcoholic products?