Orlando Blogger Tasting Tour

I attended one of the best blogger events to date last week hosted by OrderUp in celebration of their one year anniversary since entering the Orlando market. OrderUp is a food delivery app for your phone that currently serves more than 40 major cities nationwide.

OrderUp treated myself and about 20 other bloggers to a food tour through College Park, which is a quaint area right outside of downtown Orlando known for it’s cute shops, salons, and restaurants. We enjoyed tastings at 3 locally owned restaurants, none of which I had tried before and it was nothing short of amazing.

We met up at Jade Sushi & New Asian Bistro which is modern and very beautiful inside... perfect for a date night or girls sushi happy hour.



The chefs were hard at work and served up some amazing dishes:

Appetizer:
The WOW Bao

Main Course:
Hawaiian Poke
King Peter Roll
Yellowtail Roll
Tempura Sushi Ball

I was a little nervous about attending this event because I didn’t know anyone attending but it turned out to be tons of fun meeting other local bloggers and sharing food tastings from some hidden gems in Orlando.

Our second stop was at Peppy’s Bistro where we shared some Mediterranean and American fusion family-style dishes. The chef greeted us and gave us a brief history of the restaurant and some info about the dishes we were tasting.

Main Course:
Seccete Alla Vodka
Baked Ziti
Carnitas

Cocktail:
Ziggy Stardust

Our last stop was at Hubbly Bubbly for some casual Mediterranean eats and they just kept bringing different food samples to try. I was already quite full at this point but managed to taste everything they served because the food was so amazing and fresh.

We met the owner and his father-in-law, Georgie, who is the chef and makes all of their dishes from scratch with fresh ingredients. He spoke about how they came up with the the concept for Hubbly Bubbly and explained that most of their dishes are gluten free and vegan friendly. It was very clear that he puts his heart and soul into making the dishes that they serve and make the most authentic recipes in the area.



Appetizer:
Bubbly Salad Blend
Hubbly Hummus

Main Course:
Falafel Pita Sandwich
Mazel Tots
Fried Cauliflower

Dessert:
Baklava Fingers

Drinks:
Big Storm Amber Ale
Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice

It was quite the feast and I’m so excited OrderUp offers delivery to more and more local restaurants, and some of the best spots in Orlando, all via their mobile app.

To browse OrderUp’s entire menu of on-demand delivery options, download the iOS or Android app or visit them at: http://orderup.com.

Here’s a $7 OFF coupon for first time orders: EATIT

Family Reunion Friday

Happy Friday!

I've been counting down the days for today to arrive because I'm heading to Canada for a family reunion picnic that we do every 5 years. I've kept the tradition going all these years and it's incredible to see our family tree evolve. We have to wear name tags because there's usually more than a hundred descendants from countries all around the world.

I'm mostly looking forward to spending time with my sister and my (immediate) cousins who all live in Ontario. This trip isn't about site-seeing or touristy adventures, it's more about quality time with family.

A photo recap of our last family reunion in 2011.

We got lucky this year because the eldest of our cousin pack just got married in Montego Bay, Jamaica last month so we were just all together catching up, meeting the new babies in the family, and, spending some one-on -one time chatting and catching up, which rarely ever happens.

 I hope you enjoy the weekend!

10 Girlfriend Getaways

We all know adult life gets busy but one thing that makes me ecstatic is spending time with my closest girls. The whole process of planning a trip is exciting and then all that anticipation leading up to it. I just love it.

The bestie and I recently took a long weekend trip to Cocoa Beach where we just relaxed and spent time catching up. While we were lounging on the beach, we started chatting about doing a couples trip to Europe where we would explore a few countries and then take a cruise through the Greek Islands. This is a dream trip for the both of us and something we hope to make happen when finances and the time is right.

Until then, long weekend getaways and smaller trips are still in the cards so I was researching some destinations that would be fun to visit with your best friend or even a group of girls - whether it may be to relax & unwind, explore the food scene, or take in some good old nature.

San Juan, PR

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Savannah, GA

   
Nassau, Bahamas 

Sonoma Wine Country, CA

 
Treasure Island, FL

Bonus Road Trip to Tampa: 
Tampa is only a short drive away from Treasure Island so if you happen to visit in late January hop over to check out their annual Gasparilla Pirate Festival. This is one of my favorite street festivals in Florida and Tampa goes above and beyond to put on a fun show.

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Charleston, SC

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New Orleans, LA

New York City

Orlando/Disney

San Francisco, CA

I'd love to hear your recommendations for fun/relaxing girl friend getaways!

I can't end this post without saying:

Happy birthday Kate!
2016 is going to be an extra EXCITING year for you and I'm looking forward to celebrating your birthday when I return from my trip this weekend! xo

Weekend Happenings

The dog days of Summer in Florida are a bit unbearable with the 100+ heat index and unpredictable thunderstorms which were both forecasted for the weekend so I made no big plans. It was a relaxing and productive one, which I do appreciate from time to time.

On Friday night, K and I had some Thai food for dinner and watched 'How to be Single' from Redbox. The movie was funnier than I expected especially because Rebel Wilson is such a riot.

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On Saturday K and I went out to get a bunch of errands and shopping done despite it feeling like a sauna outside. We stopped off for some lunch at Graffiti Junktion and the heavens decided to come crashing down with 40 mph winds so we ordered another drink and waited it out while catching up on some Olympics action on TV.

After the rain let up, we went to stock up on groceries for the week and I picked up a new beer to try - Shipyard MelonHead - which is so good and not too sweet.

Sunday was a 'pajamas all day' type of day with lots of relaxing and getting things organized around the house. In the evening, I went to the nail salon to get some pampering. OPI's Congeniality is my Middle Name is such a pretty color with a slight shimmer!

So that's all I have for today! Hope this week treats you well!

Joining the lovely Biana for her Weekending linkup.

Life Lately & Some Faves

The weekend is here, what a relief!

I'm looking forward to a weekend with zero plans so I can relax and catch up on things. It's been really hard finding time to schedule posts and read all the blogs I love out there. I love my job but I seriously have a never-ending list of things to do so I often lose track of time at the office and eventually have to pull myself away from the computer when I look at the clock and realize everyone left an hour ago. Then that 45 minute commute home...

So this week was busy but it was a good one! Except on Tuesday. I woke up with hives on my legs that were itching and spreading by the minute. Instead of going to work, I went straight to Urgent Care and they were able to give me some meds that completely stopped the allergic reaction. I don't think I've ever had an allergic reaction in my life so this was just weird. After racking my brain about what could have caused this, I found the unfortunate culprit.

      For the record, I've never been allergic to any Tide products and it's one of my favorite detergents but for some reason the Tide 3-in-1 PODS are the devil on my skin. So unfortunate!

Ok so time for some positivity in this post because that's what we need to start the weekend right?!

ONE

I've been planning Kate's Baby Shower next month and the details are so exciting but it's a surprise so I can't wait to share after it's all said and done!

TWO

I'm still dreaming of Jamaica and hoping I can get all my photos organized this weekend since it's supposed to be a relaxing one.

THREE

I'm making my way to Canada next week for a family reunion that happens every 5 years. I don't see my extended family often enough but coincidentally we just got to spend time in Jamaica together so we get to reunite twice in one year. I love my cousins!

FOUR

Lola loves her pink Kong Rubber Bone and I love how much it keeps her occupied when I'm trying to get things done or even watch TV. She even poses for pictures with her pink bone! lol

FIVE
This quote......

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

21 Gifts for Fashion Forward Ladies

Shopping has been on the back burner for me the past few months other than for the essentials and random things from Amazon. It's the pretty things I've been avoiding by not clicking on that email from my favorite shop offering BOGO on jeans or some other irresistible sale. Online browsing leads to online purchasing, well it does in my case, so I've done a decent job at avoiding it.  Until recently.

It just so happens the majority of ladies in my life (my sister, mom, favorite cousin, and a ton of girl friends) have birthdays towards the end of the year, and with 2016 technically being half way through, browsing happened over the weekend.

Building a wishlist has to start somewhere so these are some of my favorite finds:

I'm clearly adoring all the soft colors for clothing yet shiny and glittery for accessories. And those coasters are my favorite for the home!
 

 Off the Shoulder Dress / Kate Spade Glitter Stud Earrings / 'Surf' Flat Sandals
 Kendra Scott 'Elisa' Necklace / MAC Mascara / Sleeveless Knit Romper

 BaubleBar 'Bold' Necklace  / MAC Eye-shadow  / UD 'Naked' Palette

Strappy Tank Dress / Floppy Straw Look Hat / Timex Leather Watch

Lumino Gilded Coasters / LP Dry Shampoo / Paisley Off the Shoulder Dress

MAC 'Look in a Box' / Ray-Ban Sunglasses  / Bobbi Brown 'beach' Body Oil

Kate Spade Journal  / Red Carpet Manicure Kit / Crossed Arrow Bookends