Whirlwind Weekend

 

What a whirlwind of the past couple of weeks that I have had! Let’s recap a little bit so I can get up to speed on everything. This is the last week I ever want to fall behind in blogging, so after this week, I vow to be a faithful blogger everyone can grow to know and love!

The rest of Thanksgiving break went by rather quickly. Let me highlight a couple of points:

1. Being a loyal and loving boyfriend Dan is, he went with me to see Breaking Dawn with me at  The Strand in downtown Delaware and I must say the movie was awesome!! The Strand is an old theater that shows new movies for only 4 bucks a ticket! The inside isn’t as nice as how the outside portrays itself, but it was cool to be in such an old theater that definitely has a lot of old history. In fact, it was the same theater my mom used to go to during her high school days so it’s cool to know the theater is still around.  Now back to the movie....

Breaking Dawn was incredible! It was so much better than all of the other ones and while there was a scene that was not in the book, it made the ending so much better! I was sweating the scene out, but it could have not been better. I definitely recommend seeing it. (And know you Twi-hards have probably already seen it a couple of times...). It’s sad to know that the series is over and all the Twilight hype will stop. The first movie came out while I was a freshman in college so it’s weird to know that the final movie happened the same year I graduated. Where has time gone?!

2. Dan and I left on Sunday to come back to Orlando and ended up getting delayed over 6 hours in the airport thanks to Southwest Luckily the staff was super nice and understanding. We each got a voucher for $100 to redeem for future flights so that at least helped ease the pain of being delayed for so long.

I got a new phone! You will now this girl on her Samsung Galaxy S3---

I will cherish the time I had with my Blackberry, but it was seriously time to move up in the world. The poor thing was old and dying on me all the time. Now enough about the blackberry let’s get back to my new phone! The thing is awesome. It has so many cool features and apps that my old phone didn’t have and it is pretty much the coolest thing ever. Did I mention I’m in love with the case I got from  Etsy.

These next couple of weeks are going to be crazy insane and can’t believe Christmas will be here soon!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

This Thanksgiving trip as been full of a lot of this:

And I've enjoyed every minute of it! From last weekend all the way through to the second weekend of January Dan and I will be on the go with many different activities so the fact that we are getting to just relax, spend time with family, and just hang out, it has actually been really nice. 

This morning we actually woke up to snow on the ground! Living in Florida, I rarely ever get to see snow, and even though it was barely coming down, I was more than excited to get to see it.

(Pardon my appearance, I had just woken up!)

The back porch covered in snow!

It's our last night in Ohio before heading back to the real world in Florida, so we're just hanging out with family and laying low. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving from Delaware, Ohio! 

For the holiday break, Dan and I flew up to Ohio on Wednesday to spend the rest of the holiday week here with my mom's side of the family. Mom flew in on Tuesday so I was happy to meet up with her. Because Dan's entire family (besides his sister) lives in England, Dan makes most of his holiday travels with me and I am always excited to have him around on the holidays. :)

Wednesday night, Alli (my cousin) and her fiance took us out on the Delaware town. Their high school has a tradition where all the old kids get together downtown just to see everyone while they're home. I think that's a pretty cool idea. We made it to Backstretch Bar and enjoyed some people watching!

Cousin and me at Backstretch!

Today has been a day of resting up for the big meal. Boy was it delicious! I am so thankful to be part of a large extended family and have great people to spend the holidays with. I am extremely lucky to be able to travel and have Dan doing these things with me. I have a lot to be thankful for this year!

Pre-Thanksgiving Meal

Helping Mom in the kitchen

Desserts... Yum!

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving! Eat, love, and laugh a lot! <3

Getting My Zumba On

 

Photo Credit: Here

I hope everyone is off to a great week so far! I’m happy that it’s Wednesday and that I’ve made it through the second half of the week at my new job. So far I really like the job I’m doing and the people that I work with. Still, the biggest adjustment is working every day and not getting home until the early evening.

With that said, I’ve been having some issues getting to the gym after I get home to work. I feel like I have to literally drag myself to get there. Well, last night I decided to take a Zumba class and LOVED it! I had the best instructor when I went to UCF and Zumba-ed all the time. I even lost 20 pounds and 2 pant sizes from it, so needless to say I’m a big Zumba advocate. There is something about the upbeat music and dancing that not only puts me in a good mood but gives me a great workout. I have been searching high and low for a good Zumba class that really gets me moving and sweating and haven’t had much luck until last night. Needless to say I’ll be going back to that class to get my Zumba on. Now I just wish I could be able to have Zumba class everyday!

I’m thinking about possibly getting the Zumba game for Wii. Does anyone have it?? I’d love to know what they thought about it!

We’re almost to the weekend, everyone! Enjoy the rest of your evening. This girl is ready to relax!

Scott’s Corn Maze Adventure

 

I have been wanting to do this activity forever. Finally my dreams came true when my mom, Dan, and I headed over to Scott’s Corn Maze out in Mount Dora!

The weather was cool but warm with the sun, so we spent a good two hours walking around and actually going through the corn maze! They had multiple corn mazes, but one big one that if you flew over head, made a cool picture.

The place was definitely great for a  family outing. They had a hay ride, face painting, fishing, slides, and many other fun fall activities to do as well as a market to shop in!

Tickets are only $11 for the corn maze and you can buy add-ons for just a little more. It is definitely worth your money and makes for a fun weekend activity!

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party

 

I have made it through my first week of work! I am so proud of my self and so happy that the weekend is here. I really do like my new job, but it is still a big adjustment in getting used to working every day and until the early evening. I’m hoping I’ll adapt soon!

After work on Friday night, I met up with my mom and Dan and we headed down to Magic Kingdom for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. The event was sold out (which means about 25-30,000 people were in the park). It was very cute and met my expectations, but not going to lie… the Halloween party was definitely better!

Main Street was lit up and all decorated. As we walked down the (very crowded) street, it was snowing and it felt so cozy because it was actually a little chilly outside!

How beautiful does the castle look??

The best thing about the parties is how un-crowded it is. We got to ride all of the major attractions and see all of the parades and fireworks without any problem! They also gave out countless cookies and amazing hot chocolate all throughout the park.

In line for Peter Pan.. with our cookies of course!

My mom and me in front of the castle!

Underneath that North Face jacket was this cute sweater that I’m obsessed with! It’s from Kohl’s and part of the Lauren Conrad collection!

 

Some Tips:

- Get there as early at ya can. That way you can ride everything more than once and actually enjoy everything without being in a time crunch to do everything.

- Watch the later parade. Families tend to watch the earlier parade and leave after the fireworks. There is a parade after the 9:30 fireworks that opens up a lot of space allowing for better viewing.

-When everyone goes right off on Main Street, go left and start in Adventure land! No one is over there and you get to ride some of the major rides first!

- Go on a week day. It is a lot less crowded than a weekend and makes for better viewing. Yes you’ll be up late but it’s worth it!

Still Interested in going? Click here to buy tickets. It is definitely worth the $60 bucks and will definitely get you into the holiday spirit.

Big Girl World

 

Good evening everyone!

Yesterday I had every intention of posting on here when I got home last night, but after the day that I had, I didn’t even want to get on a computer. Yesterday was my first day of work in the big girl world! It is my first full time job meaning I work Monday-Friday all day and into the evening. Before that, I just had a part time job and babysat to make some money while trying to find a new job!

Boy has my world changed. I have this issue called trying to be a perfectionist. I want to do the best job possible and want everyone to give me rave reviews. Well, I have to come realize that that is not going to happen, especially day 2 into working, but I still continue to stress myself out about it all day and even when I come home from work. So far, I really like my new job, but I wish I could stay at home and just blog and pin things on Pinterest all day! (Hey, a girl can dream right??)

It’s safe to say that it is going to take some time getting used to all of this, but it is nice to know that I have friends who have been in the same position as me at one point or another and a lot of other people who are being supportive. I’d like to know if anyone else out there has had the same issues as me? Feel free to share! And by the way… Is it the weekend yet??

Me on my first day of work!

Dress/Blazer: Forever 21. Flats: Tory Burch. Watch: Target. Coffee Mug: TJMaxx

U…C…F… Knights!

 

Yesterday afternoon I headed over to UCF to tailgate for the Homecoming game. It was great to see old friends and I am always up for a fun tailgate! It was definitely weird to see the little freshman and all of the other college kids wandering around Memory Mall. I can remember the days well and even though I just graduated in May, a part of me was nostalgic and made me want to be back in college living those carefree days. While I am still a Grad Student at UCF, it is a totally different experience because most of my classes are online and I am working every day of the week as opposed to my two day class schedule like I used to have!

For those of you who are still in college and itching to just graduate and be done with school, I encourage you to take the time and enjoy what you have for the time being, because once you graduate, you can’t go back and relive those nights of doing absolutely ridiculous things (And you know everyone has had a few of those!) Enjoy college while you can, because it can’t last forever.

Silly boys playing with my camera!

Me and my college bestie/roommate!

This ole couple met at UCF!

Memory Mall!

I hope everyone has had a great weekend. I’m enjoying relaxing for the rest of the day preparing for my first day of big girl work tomorrow!

Pancake Muffins

 

Happy Saturday, Everyone!

This morning I was craving a full but sweet breakfast. I decided to make Chocolate Chip Pancake Muffins! It is a simple and easy thing to make, and I came up with the recipe on my own. (Though I know you can probably Google it and find all sorts of ways to make this!)

Look at all that chocolate goodness inside! Mmm!

What Ya Need:

- Bisquick Mix

- Chocolate Chips

Instructions

1. Set your oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Take muffin pan and spray with cooking spray.

3. Follow Bisquick mix as if you were making pancakes.

4. Once finished, add in a handful of chocolate chips and mix into pancake mix.

5. Pour in pancake mix about half way in each muffin spot.

6. Place in oven and cook for about 20 minutes! (Time might differ depending on oven)

7. Stick toothpick in one to make sure batter has cooked all the way through when finished.

*Sidenote: You can make these without chocolate chips and serve with syrup or powdered sugar! Chocolate chips just add a little gooey and sweetness

Makes 12 muffins. Happy Eating!

Happy November!

 

Happy November, everyone! I I really can’t believe that fall is here and that the holidays are right around the corner. Some of the best things about the holidays are the amazing recipes and foods that are cooked. While the recipe I’m about to share with you isn’t quite “fallish,” it’s definitely a winner in our house and if you love Asian food, you’re in for a treat!

Introducing… Sweet and Sour Chicken and Fried Rice!

(Yes, both of these pictures were ones that I took of my homemade meal)

I wish I could call this recipe mine, but I found it HERE. It tastes better than any of the Asian restaurants I’ve had and it is also  lot fresher!  Thank you to “Life as a Loft House” for posting this recipe! Happy Eating!

Early Voting

 

With Election day being right around the corner and me starting my new job on Monday, I did not want to be that person having to go to the voting polls on Tuesday and waiting in lines all day long. In fact, I think I would have ended up not voting all together if I had waited until Tuesday to go and vote.

While I was out and about yesterday, I decided to stop by the local Library which was hosting early voting and decided to take my chances and wait in line. I thought the mid afternoon may be a good time to go and vote and boy was I right!

While I still ended up waiting about 45 minutes, the actual voting process took me about 5 whole minutes. I suppose I was a lucky one considering I had heard people waited for 3 hours the day before.

Some tips on Early Voting::

- Bring a fully charged phone or Tablet/ Ipad like I did. Most places have Wi-Fi and it kept me entertained!

-Bring a water/snack.

- Come in the early in the afternoon right after the lunch time crowd, or in the mid morning around 10 AM.

-Make sure to have your driver’s license and Voter’s Registration Card.

-Bring a jacket because if you’re waiting outside, it could get cold!

-Have patience. It may take a little bit, but remember what you’re doing is a big deal.

-Look up the Amendments and know what you’re voting for so that way you don’t have to read through everything and take up more time than you actually need.

I VOTED EARLY, HAVE YOU?