Nobody Likes You When You're 23... Yeah Right!

These past few days have been more than I could have ever imagined/hoped for! I have felt so special and loved coming into my 23rd year! 

The weekend started off with dinner with Philip to kick off the festivities! We enjoyed some delicious dinner at Bahama Breeze after work to put us in relaxation mode! 

After getting stuffed, we headed home to where many surprises awaited! Phil let me open my gifts on Friday, because... he surprised me with a weekend getaway to Orlando! 

Saturday morning, we loaded up our car and hit the road! 

We got there a little early before Check In at our hotel, so decided to head on down to City Walk and sight see! We ended up having lunch in the Hard Rock Cafe and that was seriously one of the coolest restaurants I have ever been to. 

I ordered the traditional burger and fries and it was delicious!!! 

Philip got the Mac N Cheese burger, and believe me when I say, that thing was SO good! 

This restaurant was so cool and worth the time if you are ever in the area! After your meal you walk around the restaurant which is more like a museum and get to see so many incredible historical items from all kinds of musicians! 

Once we were done there we enjoyed walking around and acting like total tourists! 

Once our legs were calling it quits, we headed on over to our hotel which I could not believe it, was less than a mile away from Universal! The hotel was amazing and we really enjoyed our stay at the Home Wood Suites! 

The hotel was perfect and seriously huge! I couldn't believe we had this place all to ourselves! We spent a little time at the hotel and then got ready to hit the town in our fancy clothes! 

We took a pit stop on our way back to Universal and had some drinks at Fat Tuesdays! 

Philip went with the orange/mango and an extra shot, and I got the fruit punch! 

After we finished off our drinks we headed over to see...

THE BLUE MAN GROUP!

I have been wanting to go to one of their shows for years, and to put the icing on the cake, he got us front row, poncho zone!!!

The show was incredible, and hilarious. It was such a fun way to really get people out of there shell and by the end was one huge dance party! It was seriously so much fun! If you ever have the chance to go to one of their shows, I highly recommend it! 

After we finished up there we headed on over to Waste Away in Margaritaville! 

Where we enjoyed dinner and of course... margaritas! Philip even had the live band get together and the whole restaurant sang Happy Birthday... while I hid under his arm haha. 

The next morning, we hit the road and were homeward bound to what I thought, relax, and chill at home. Go into my usual Sunday ritual of cleaning, laundry, prepping for the week. What I came home to was all of my friends and family gathered at Phillippee Park with a whole set up for my birthday! We were fishin, playing cornhole, and just having an amazing time! It was such a special feeling to be surrounded by so many caring and loving people, I literally felt on top of the world! 

And, who would have thought it, just when I thought the fun and surprises was over, I went into work to find my desk had been converted into something out of a Harry Potter movie!!!

My coworkers even queued Harry Potter Music as I was walking in! It was amazing from the Platform 9 3/4 decor to the floating candles above my chair! 

Of course, Philip was still up to more surprises and had flowers delivered to my desk while I was away at lunch! Sneaky man that one! 

My coworkers surprised me with a magical cake! 

To finish the day off, these past few days have been absolutely amazing and I feel so loved and surrounded by amazing people. I am so blessed to welcome in my 23rd year surrounded by amazing friends and family! 

I want to thank all of my friends and family and of course my fiance for making this such an amazing unforgettable birthday!

XO. 

Happy Easter, Part Two!

If it wasn't evident before hand, I am pretty sure it is now. I have met my match! There is no doubt about it! 

I ended up getting surprised with... 

The Ultimate Woman's Basket!

haha

Fully equipped with:

- A bottle of wine

- Bath Salts

- Body Wash 

- My favorite candle in a jumbo size (Bali Sunrise from Target)

- 3 Face Masks

- My favorite sweets - Chocolate Covered Raspberries! 

- Exfoliating Shower Gloves

- A TJMaxx Gift Card! 

I guess great minds think alike?! 

Hope you and your family are having a Happy Easter! and a great weekend! 

XO.

Happy Easter!

Happy (early) Easter! 

First things first, I love and understand what this Holiday is actually about. I am of Christian faith and believe that we are celebrating Easter to celebrate the fact that Jesus rose from the dead after he died for our sins and gave us all the gift of eternal life. 

On the flip side, I do also love the other traditions that come along with Easter. As a kid, my parents did everything in their power to make Easter so much fun! There was nothing like waking up Easter morning to find that the Easter Bunny left a basket full of treasures. After scouring through my basket, I would take that said empty basket and go outside and hunt for my eggs that I colored the night before! I cannot wait to one day do the same for my children. 

In the meantime though, since it is just Philip and I... I still LOVE to get into the holiday spirit and have fun with it. I decided this year I was going to make Phil the ultimate Man Basket! Filled with all things manly, rugged, and fill in the blank with any other masculine adjective you can think of! 

I thought I would share it with you all, in case any of my lady friends are planning on doing something special for their man friends! 

The key ingredients to the perfect man basket!!!

What we have here is:

- A six pack of his favorite beer! 

- Slim Jims & Beef Jerky 

- A magazine that would fit his liking (I went with Car and Driver) 

-Air Fresheners for the car, you can never go wrong with "New Car" smell.

- Some Mens Body Wash and Facial Shave Lotion

- A new shirt to wear (I went with a pastel blue polo to stick with the Easter theme)

- A car cup pack of gum! 

- A set of beer tumblers (I only put one in the basket because I couldn't fit all 4, and I filled it with mini peanut butter cups!)

I also scattered some Easter Eggs around filled with sweet little notes! 

Just another quick tip - rather than picking up a basket that he will never use again I got a plastic organizer crate from Target that he is more likely to reuse!

There you have it! I will have this sitting on the counter tomorrow morning when he wakes up! 

Let me know if you have any other ideas or suggestions or something you have in mind for your significant other for Easter! Adults can have fun too!

XO.

Happy National Puppy Day!

Dogs are so very near and dear to my heart! I look at my dogs sometimes, and yes this might sound very strange, but look to them for guidance on how to live my life. 

They have unconditional love.

They are always happy to see and meet new people. 

They enjoy every single day! 

They don't ask for much nor do they need much, they are content just being. 

They don't hold grudges and forgive fairly easily. 

They are loyal to the ones that treat them proper. 

We could all learn a thing or two from our four legged friends!  

Love you Balto & Ollie! Happy National Puppy Day! 

XO. 

DIY Gift Idea: Customized Mugs!

Hello out there!

With Valentines Day right around the corner, I thought I would share a really fun, and super easy DIY gift idea that you could customize to really fit just about anyone. 

From coffee drinkers, to tea lovers, I think it is safe to say, anyone really would adore this gift. 

So lets jump in,

Philip and I made these (pictured above) for his Grandparents this past Christmas! It was a fun project that allowed us to get creative, and personalize something for two people that we adore! 

You're going to need:

• White Glass Mugs (we purchased ours at Target)
• A pack of Sharpie Markers in the colors of your choice
• Acetone (nail polish remover)
• An oven

That's really all you need!

Like I said, we bought our mugs at Target, where you can also find Sharpies, and Acetone.. just not an oven, but let's hope you already have that part taken care of. 

First things first, wipe down your mug with the acetone. I found it easier to just use the acetone pads that are presoaked and come in a pack. Make sure to wipe down any part that you plan on writing on, and let that air dry. 

Next, go ahead and make your design, and don't worry, if you mess up, it comes right off with a swipe of the acetone pad! 

Once you are content with your design, pop that bad boy into the oven at 350 degrees. Do not preheat your oven! Throw the mugs in while it is still cool so that the temperature adjustment is not too harsh and doesn't crack the mugs. Let them bake for about 30 minutes and also let them sit in the oven until it is completely cool, we left ours in overnight. 

Once they are completely cooled, you are done! Ready to wrap and gift! 

*Make sure not to wash these in the dishwasher, it will fade and eventually come off altogether, these are items you want to hand wash!* 

I hope you enjoyed this post, and get creative, and come up with your own cute personalized mugs to gift this Valentines Season. 

XO

- Oh, and also, don't get too caught up in the thought and pressure that seems to lurk in the shadows on Valentines Day. It's just another day of the year. If you don't have a special someone, treat yourself to something nice! Have a girls night out! If you do have someone in your life that you adore, don't think this is the only day to show you care. There are 364 days that are just as important. I am actually babysitting all weekend long and Philip is joining the kids and I on Saturday for a trip to see the new Spongebob Movie! Might not be what you imagine as the most romantic, but that's okay, because we take advantage of any day to have a good time and show we care! I guess my point here was don't get too caught up in the idea of Valentines Day, that you let it ruin the moment! 

Happy Birthday to Philip!

Hi everyone!

The topic of today's conversation is... my lovely man friends birthday! I get really excited about birthdays, especially Philip's and love to fill the day with fun and surprises! I thought I would take you guys along, for Philips 23rd birthday festivities!!! 

Start of the birthday, what better way to wake up on your birthday then to your house fully decorated?! 

Now wait, hold on, I have an explanation. Philip and I are OBSESSED and when I say that word, don't take it lightly, with the TV Show "The Office". Literally, we watch it on Netflix ALL THE TIME! When we finish it, we just restart it. It never gets old. Now, one of our favorite episodes takes place much like this picture, and I thought I'd share a clip to shed some light on where I got my inspiration from ;) 

I made Philip a "birthday box" full of random stuff, because he has been loving getting the monthly boxes and I thought it would be fun to make my own. Inside held numerous random things, including... 

Tickets to go Deep Sea Fishing at Hubbard's Marina!

And with that being said, we were off! 

AND, Phil got to rock his new fishing hat! 

It was such a beautiful morning, the boat departed right at sunrise and we had such an amazing time!! It doesn't hurt that we caught a bunch of fish!! The really cool thing about Hubbard's Marina is that all the fish you catch, you can keep, and bring to them to filet and prepare in the restaurant next door! 

The pelicans were going crazy over the scraps! 

I mean... we caught a ton of fish! 

It made for one delicious lunch. They pair this with fries, coleslaw, and hush puppies and it is such a steal of a price. 

Next, it was time to go home, shower, and get ready for the night. Philip's family and I had planned a little birthday dinner get together! So thankful for everyone that was able to come and help me keep it a surprise!!!

Love you guys! 

And I mean, come on, is this not the coolest cake ever for a fisherman?!

All in all, I hope he had an amazing birthday and that 23 will be one of the best of many years to come!

Now, after this completely packed day, we need some serious SLEEP!

XO 

Merry Christmas to All!

Merry Christmas everyone! 

We rang in the night at a beautiful candlelight service at Church remembering the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It was a beautiful moment to watch over hundreds of peoples candles start to light up all over the room until the entire room was illuminated. Complete strangers coming together to help one another create this beautiful symbol of how quickly one person can help another. If we all took that knowledge with us in our day to day life, we could create a chain reaction of happiness and love. 

Merry Christmas, from my family to yours. 

Food for thought - 2014

I found this pretty cool article on the website thoughtcatalog.com that was all about ways to make 2014 much better than 2013. While this year has been pretty great, there is always room for improvements. I was pretty inspired by this list so I will link it here - http://thoughtcatalog.com/meagan-kelly/2013/12/37-tips-for-a-better-2014/

My favorite one, "Consider the world a dinner party, and your life a prime cut of steak (or tofu for vegetarians) and ‘cut away the fat.’ The bullshit, the negative people – you don’t need it, cut it out of your life. Surround yourself with who and what you want to be."

Christmas Gift Ideas?!

A couple years ago for our anniversary I received a very unique and special gift from Phil. If you are stumped this Holiday season on what to get that special someone, friend, mother, grandmother, whomever, this is a great idea! 

 http://www.diamondcandles.com/ 

 

 The basic concept is that you purchase the candle and about half way through there is a ring hidden inside the candle. This ring can range anywhere from $10.00 to $5,000.00. The rings are all different but beautiful in their own way and they fill your house with amazing smells.

 I currently have two, the Vanilla and the Midnight Kiss and can't wait to buy more. They are great ideas for any girl that loves jewelry, taking baths, relaxing etc. We even had it one time at a Christmas auction where everyone brings a gift, it was definitely fought over! 

If you get your order in before next Tuesday  12/10 you are guaranteed to have your order in time for Christmas! 

Blogmas anyone?

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! 

I am pretty familiar with Vlogmas on YouTube where YouTubers vlog everyday until Christmas but I thought why not try BLOGMAS? I am a HUGE fan of Christmas, sadly I couldn't wait until December to start decorating our house. My tree is up, ornaments are on, stockings have been hung and it is beginning to look A LOT like Christmas! 

 

 I am happy to say I am about 75% done with my Christmas shopping with 3 weeks to go :)! Success!

I found a little Christmas Questionnaire on http://www.makeup-pixi3.com/2013/11/the-2013-christmas-tag.html

and thought I would take part! 

1.  Do you prefer a real Christmas tree or synthetic?

This is a tough question for me. I would choose a real tree over a synthetic one ANY DAY. There is just something about going to pick out your Christmas tree with your family, finding the perfect one, struggling to get it in the car and out and the Christmas aroma that fills your house! On the other hand, I have a fake tree in my home. Why? My boyfriend and I decided after our first Christmas in our home together this would be the best route to go because of our dogs. I have two VERY curious pups, and I can just imagine one of them trying to drink the water from under the tree and knocking the entire thing over! 

2.  You're in a coffee shop, it's December, what do you pick?

 Another toughie because I am not a big coffee drinker. I would probably say Hot Cocoa with loads of Marshmallows! :) 

3.  Whats your favorite color scheme for decorating the tree?

I have never really followed the color scheme on the tree idea. Our tree is full of ornaments that are from significant memories in our lives. For example, after getting into a car accident where a deer rammed my car my ornament for that year was a deer. Each year we all receive an ornament that has something to do with something that happened that year. On top of that we pick up one ornament from any place we travel to so that at the end of the year we can relive all of the memories! 

4.  Giving or receiving?

As much as I love opening presents and getting new things, I love to watch others open presents that I picked out for them. I try to put a lot of thought into every single person I buy for's presents so it is a true joy to see their face when they open their presents!  

5.  To mince pie or not to?

Honestly, never had it, so I would not be the best judge here for an answer... 

6.  What's your traditional Sunday lunch?   

Well considering Christmas this year falls on a Wednesday we will go with that. We usually just have the regular, some ham or turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, some sort of pie. My grandma is an amazing cook and baker so anything she decides to make is alright with everyone!  

  

 7.  Christmas day fashion

It is a tradition in our family to open PJ's on Christmas Eve. We have done this every year since I can remember. We then sleep in those PJs and wear them on Christmas Day! So we are extremely fancy in my family ;)  

8.  What's your favorite Christmas song?

Has been and always will be Baby It's Cold Outside. There is just something about thinking about cold weather and being stuck indoors with someone special cuddled up next to a fire. Am I a hopeless romantic or what?

9.  What's your favorite Christmas film?

Elf, of course. What else?!

10.  Open presents before or after lunch?

BEFORE! I can barely make it to 7 am. We usually set our alarm at 6 am and get up and open presents at home, then go to my mom's and open presents there, then go to my dad's and do presents there. This all takes place before lunch! I don't have that kind of patience. 

Happy Holidays Everyone!     

Also, I may or may not have the sweetest boyfriend in the world who makes me Christmas shaped pancakes on Sunday mornings ;)