Weekend in Orlando

ORLANDO.

Last weekend Greg and I took a road trip to Orlando to visit my sister Brooke and our grandparents. The six hour drive is short enough to make for an easy weekend trip, but long enough that we don’t get to do it nearly enough. Brooke, my “sista hood of the traveling pants,” is my best friend and we always make the most of our time together. 

We started the weekend off on the right foot by taking a group trip to the gym. Brooke shook her booty off in Zumba, something I’ve tried and failed at before, so I hit the treadmill. As boring as treadmills can be sometimes, being in a new environment automatically makes the time fly by more quickly for me. Even if I am just staring out a window.

The rest of the days were spent lounging by the pool, enjoying my grandma’s delicious meals, and visiting SeaWorld. We decided to be adventurous at the Shamu show and sat in the Soak Zone. Soaked just about sums it up!

Our nights consisted of many-a-margarita from our favorite place, Agave Azul. Brooke has become a regular there, probably their favorite customer I would guess, so we always get the hook-up from the bartenders. 

We also grabbed a glass of wine and some flatbreads from Eola Wine Company in Winter Park one night. It was my first time in Winter Park and I loved it. It’s a cute area with lots of shops and restaurants that I would love to try in the future.

As always, the weekend went by a little too fast, but we had a great mini-vacation. Now I’m looking forward to another long weekend ahead, staying in town this time, with the 4th of July on Friday. Fireworksss!

Thank you Brooke, GG and Paw Paw for the hospitality! xoxo

What was the highlight of your weekend?

25 Ways to Have the Best 25th Birthday

My list of 25 Ways to Have the Best 25th Birthday really should read: 25 Things I Did (or will do) to Celebrate My 25th Birthday.

1. Declare that your birthday is really more like your birthday week. Take a trip to visit your beautiful sister and grandparents in Orlando to celebrate.

2. One day during your trip, bond with your sister through an exercise class, relaxing with a short nap, drinking some margaritas, going to an Orlando Magic game, and grabbing some drinks downtown.

3. Also be sure to use your “free birthday meal” coupons all week. I was looking forward to using my coupon from First Watch since we don’t have them in Charleston. Brooke and I shared two of our favorite dishes: Floridian French Toast (so appropriate) and the Cherry Chicken Quinoa Bowl. Perfection!

4. Continue the delicious food consumption with sushi. Ohmygosh, how I had been craving sushi! This Hot Lava Roll from Bento Cafe in downtown Orlando hit. the. spot.

5. Be blown away by your sister’s gift to you: a behind the scenes tour and interaction with the BELUGA WHALES! What?! I didn’t even know that existed as an activity. Despite the 50 degree water, it was #amazing.

6. Eat Cheesecake Factory cheesecake. My pictures didn’t do it justice so just use your imagination. Pure indulgence at its finest.

7. When your trip comes to an end, don’t say, “Goodbye” to your sister and grandparents. Instead say, “See ya later!” Goodbyes are no fun.

8. Claim your Starbucks birthday reward drink to for a little pick-me-up during the drive (one of my most anticipated gifts every year).

9. Spend quality time with yourself in the car on a long drive home. Contemplate life, listen to an audio book, pray, and sing your heart out to worship songs…and probably some Katy Perry too.

10. Give your husband a big hug and kiss when you arrive home.

11. Greet your dog with some puppy-talk and receive lots of slobbery kisses. Try not to get tackled.

12. Go to Chipotle for a birthday lunch date.

13. Eat said Chipotle, savoring every single bite.

14. Shop for a real winter coat and gloves in preparation for a trip to Colorado next week (not the typical lightweight stuff that is good enough for living in Charleston).

15. Relax on the couch with your husband and avoid unpacking as long as possible.

(This is where I currently am, so no more pictures to share…)


16. Deem control over the remote for once in your life and watch Glee on Netflix.

17. Take a nap, consider unpacking or doing laundry, but quickly talk yourself out of it and go on a family walk instead.

18. Put on a fun, festive birthday outfit and head out for dinner at Coleman Public House, which by the way will be free for me with yet another birthday coupon! (I’m a pro at getting all the deals if you haven’t noticed.)

19. Meet up with friends for a drink or two.

20. The next day, remind your husband that although your birthDAY is technically over, it’s still technically your birthday week (as previously mentioned in #1).

21. Cleanse your bod with lots of water, fruits and vegetables after a few days of splurging. After all, taking care of you and your body is the most important thing.

22. Anxiously await any final birthday surprises…

23. …but don’t be disappointed if/when nothing else comes 😉

24. Thank the good Lord for blessing you with family and friends who make your birthday so special.

25. Thank God some more for giving you the past 25 years on this earth. Pray for another wonderful 25 and many more to come.

A Weekend in Orlando

Hi friends! This weekend I have been in Orlando visiting my sister Brooke and our grandparents GG and Paw Paw. Greg and I drove down Thursday night and it’s been non-stop fun ever since.

I actually had to work from “home” on Friday so spent all morning and afternoon on my computer at the condo. Before getting to work I had a bowl of Chobani Vanilla greek yogurt topped with blueberries, banana nut granola and a drizzle of honey. GG made me sweet vanilla latte to sip on the side.

Lunchtime brought about a delicious salad full of some of my favorite vegetables. On the side I had watermelon chunks and a couple bites of GG’s bbq pulled pork.

Margaritas were ready as soon as I was done with work. We drank GG’s homemade margs while we waited for Brooke to get home from her internship at SeaWorld so we could go out for a real happy hour at their favorite Mexican restaurant nearby.

Margaritas Round #2. This time the drink was accompanied by a simple Mexican dinner of a chicken quesadilla, beans and rice. All very good! The service was great (it helped that GG and Paw know the servers and owners so well!) and it’s obvious why they like it so much. 

Yesterday we spent the morning at SeaWorld’s water park Aquatica then came home for lunch. We all took nice long afternoon naps before heading to our favorite magic/comedy show. GG and Paw have been bringing our family to the show for years and it’s just as funny every time we go. We were served salads and pizza at the show for dinner and enjoyed every bite. 

It was still relatively early when the show wrapped up so we went to walk around Universal Studio’s CityWalk.

One of the first thing’s that caught my eye when we walked in…Cinnabon!! We wandered around for awhile but by the end of the night I returned to get myself a roll.

Heaven. The only place I ever get Cinnabon anymore is in the airport every few years. I was not about to let this opportunity pass by. 

Another margarita for Greg and a giant cinnamon roll for me. Yup, that pretty much sums us up 🙂