2017 Travel Planning

The only trip we have booked, signed, and sealed is Boston in May but otherwise K and I have just started planning our one big trip of the year and some smaller trips to cities around the US.

2016 was a year filled with lots of travel adventures from Jamaica to Nashville and Canada to the Bahamas plus a few other fun places in between (recaps one / two / three) so I plan to check off a few more of my bucket list travel destinations this year. These are the places on my radar for 2017...

Boston

The trip is booked and accommodations are confirmed but I've yet to start researching things to do or planning any sort of itinerary.

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Ft Lauderdale Beach

This is not a new destination for us but we're thinking of returning to enjoy the beaches for our anniversary this summer.
Most recent trip to Ft Lauderdale.

Europe
This is a vague one because we're still figuring out what countries/cities to visit but the travel dates have been decided on so far.

Houston
One of my close girl friends is moving to Houston this year so I'm hoping to visit her but this is not a definite travel plan so far.
 

Chicago
Another city we've already been to but K wants to return for his birthday and to visit a friend.

Chicago 2014 Trip Recap
 

Austin

Austin is the other option for K's birthday which falls on a long weekend and is my personal preference since it's a new city to the both of us.

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Charleston

I have my heart set on Charleston for my birthday weekend but this could change between now and December, although I highly doubt it will.

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Happy Love Day

Just popping in today to say Happy Valentine's Day, Galentine's day, or Valium-Times Day as some like to call it!

It's a "school night" so we don't have any plans but K and I had a great time together on Saturday at Universal Studios.

On Sunday night, K cooked an amazing Rib-eye dinner for us paired with red wine.... so I think we inadvertently got the Valentine's celebrations out of the way before the crazy work week begins.

I'll be back tomorrow sharing some travel plans I have lined up for 2017!

xo Emily

The Weekend with Amazing Weather

 
Did anyone catch the solar eclipse on Friday night? We were looking out for it but didn't see anything spectacular.

The weekend started with some happy hour and hanging out on our patio since the weather is back to being warm again. K just returned from a work trip so it was a perfect night to catch up and watch some movies at home. If you follow me on Instagram (emilyalisonb) you might have seen that Lola joined us sitting on a patio chair like the human she thinks she is.

On Saturday the weather was absolutely gorgeous so we headed to Universal Studios to make use of our annual passes. We went on some of the simulated rides, checked out Harry Potter's Diagon Alley, and saw the show Fear Factor Live where people eat bugs and all sorts of creepy things. K went on a couple of the huge rollercoasters while I sat back and watched.

  

We ended the night with some dinner at Cowfish Sushi & Burger Bar which sounds like a weird concept for a restaurant but has some really delicious food.

Sunday was all about relaxing and getting stuff done around the house. We also watched Dirty Grandpa this weekend which was quite funny.

Joining the lovely Biana for her Weekend linkup.

Oh The Sunsets

The sunsets this week have been amazing driving home from work with vibrant orange, pink and purple colors tie-dying the sky and then last night those colors turned into pastel tones. Nature's beauty made my, otherwise boring commute, so much better.

Friday's are for sharing some favorite things and happenings around here so let's get right into that.

Colorful Accessories

These pretty infinity scarfs are perfect to brighten up a neutral outfit especially for Valentine's day.

one  / two

If you're looking for some unique and trendy gifts for Valentine's Day, check out the Guide for Her and Gift Guide for Him that I recently shared.

Herbal Remedies
I've been fighting a lingering cough and head cold for over a week now and I found this Herbal Immune Booster with Vitamin C on Amazon to help fight it off.

SkinnyGirl Products

I'm a big fan of SkinnyGirl products and love to see that their product line is expanding. I just purchased some of their salad dressings over the weekend (for only around $2) and I'm loving the Raspberry Vinaigrette so far.
 

Salad Dressings / White Cherry Vodka / Organic Stevia / Workout Plan

Winter Soups

I've always been a fan of Butternut Squash Soup and this recipe has me craving it just in time for the weekend.

Travel Plans

We just got some exciting news that K has a company meeting in Germany this summer. Neither of us have been across the pond to Europe so this is the perfect opportunity to plan a trip to explore before he goes off to work. I don't even know where to begin with planning this trip but I'm excited to figure out the details over the next few months.

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Have a wonderful weekend and I'd love to hear your advice or recommendations for country hopping in Europe that can be accomplished in a week or so.

Valentine's Gift Ideas for Him

Last week I shared a Valentine's Gift Guide for Her so today let's talk about some unique and thoughtful gifts for the guys in your life whether it's for your husband, boyfriend, or father.

Not to sound stereotypical but some men (especially my husband) are infamous for misplacing things like their wallets and keys so this bluetooth-powered rosewood tag and companion app seems like a great solution to that problem.


For the tech guys, these USB drive silver cufflinks are definitely a unique and handy gift.

For the men that like to cook, this Himalayan pink salt plank is a great addition to the kitchen (and for the women to enjoy too).

This water bottle holds your iPhone 5, 6 or 7 and other essentials and is perfect for the gym or traveling.

For the businessman, this revolutionary tie marries the Founding Fathers with style which honors America's history.

For the golf lovers, these stainless steel BBQ tools have handles that look just like golf grips definitely handy for grilling season.

This wooden watch is a fashionable blend of modern technology and the great outdoors.

For the bourbon or beer lovers, this handcrafted mug brings joy by the barrel.

For the handy guy, this streamlined pen keeps five necessary tools together in one place.

All of these items are sold by UncommonGoods which operates out of the historic Brooklyn Army Terminal. Their mission is to support and provide a platform for artists and designers; giving great respect for the integrity of the creative individual and offering products that impact the world in a positive way.

Monday Morning Coffee Talk

The weekend started off with a little happy hour at a spot close to home and then dinner at Outback on Friday night.

I had the bacon bourbon salmon which was pretty tasty.

Saturday morning was a lazy one at home before venturing out to stock up on groceries and figured we'd check out the brand new Walmart Supercenter in our area. Adulting 101 at it's finest! Seriously though it was a huge controversy when they started building this Walmart because "it would attract the wrong crowd to our new community" among other things.

Turns out this is probably the fanciest Walmart in the country with portable scanners you can use and the pay via an app on your phone so you don't have to wait in line. There is also a drive-up window to pick up groceries and an organic restaurant called Grown opening this month. I was quite impressed.

For dinner on Saturday night, K made Buffalo Chicken Sliders inspired by one of those Tasty videos you see floating around Facebook. They were amazing!

Here's the video



On Sunday I met up with some friends for lunch. We chose a Trinidadian restaurant I've been wanting to take them to for over a year now. It was a fun little catch up lunch date indulging in some of my favorite West Indian food. No pictures were taken.

In the afternoon our neighbors hosted a Super Bowl party so we made our "famous" Bite Me Dip and went over there to watch the game.





I didn't stay for the whole game because "Sunday school night" but we had some fun hanging out for a bit to cap off the weekend!

Joining the lovely Biana for some Monday morning coffee talk.