Chicago Trip: Part 1

I just finished editing this video of our trip to Chicago that we took 2 weeks ago. A more detailed post will follow shortly but here is a wrap of our trip in the meantime. It's kinda lengthy just to warn you :) Enjoy!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM8W-IgN1J0&w=560&h=315]

My Last Days: Meet Zach Sobiech

I saw this video today floating around facebook. It's worth a watch.

 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NjKgV65fpo&w=560&h=315]

A diff

A trip to the dog park!

A couple of days ago John suggested that we should take Bentley to Fleet Peoples dog park in Orlando. I'm not going to lie, I was a bit nervous. Bentely hasn't been around too many dogs in his 4 years of life, (honestly, he has never been to a dog park) so I wasn't sure what to expect from this new experience.

Once we got there I was overwhelmed and surprised by how many dogs were there just running around and playing. We started off by taking it a little slow. We went on a little trail that eventually led us to the lake where a large majority of the dogs were swimming and playing. Once Bentley was off his leash he started sniffing and playing with the other dogs.

Bentley has never gone swimming before and when we tried to get him to get into the water he wouldn't. So we threw a stick in the lake and told him to fetch. He slowly crept into the water and once he got to the stick he barely dipped his face in the water almost in a "polite" way.  It was so funny and cute!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoSo6gjPAnk&w=420&h=315]

Downtown Orlando Love

Ever since John and I moved to Orlando we never felt like we actually lived in Orlando---> if that makes sense? Our first place was nice but far away from everything, the second place we lived was near shops and restaurants but was almost outside of the Orlando city limits. We are finally in a place where we feel like we are home and we're loving all that it has to offer! The other day I took a nice walk where I was surrounded by lakes and gorgeous old trees! It was perfect. I can't wait to explore more!

Doorknob Renovation

The great thing about living in an old home is the charm and character that it radiates inside and out! John recently dove into a home project and restored our doorknobs and locks to their original state. He worked on it for about 2 days and they look fantastic!

Before:

After:

In case any of you have older homes and appreciate the "original" look for things I would reccomend following the steps below for a helpful way to take off any unwanted paint on doorknobs.

Things you will need:

1) Baking Soda

2) Good Brush for scrubbing

3) Deep Old Pan

4) An iPad or electronic device to entertain yourself :)

After boiling the doorknobs in the pan I would advise burning a candle immediately afterwards, because it will make your house smell like rust. Luckily, the odor doesn't last too long.

Bahamas/Key Biscayne 2013

So this post is really late. I mean really really late! BUT, I feel like if I don't write down my memories I might forget the small details later... so here we go.

In February, John and I along with two other couples (Sean and Tiffany and Molly and Ryan) purchased a 2 night,1 day cruise to the bahamas off of groupon for a very good price. We thought that February would be a great month to go and escape from the cold weather...however we were wrong. It turned out to be one of the coldest weekends during the winter in the Bahamas...as you will see below I'm wearing a coat during our trip!

The day before our cruise we stayed in Key Biscayne. When we checked in we were greeted with champaigne. It was a great way to start off our vacation! The "husbands" had pre-purchsed tickets to a yacht show in Miami for that day so while they were busy dreaming and drooling the "wives" enjoyed a day relaxing by the pool, reading, catching up on life, and last but no least "experiencing the spa."

The next day we checked out and headed to West Palm to board for our cruise to the Bahamas! The first night Tiffany and I were deffinately feeling the seas. We both felt so sick. We could barely make it through dinner. (This happened to me on my Alaskan cruise and Tiffany on her honeymoon). Looks like we wouldn't survive on the million dollar yacht our husbands were informing us we would soon sail in the future :)

When we woke up the next morning we were in the Bahamas! It was beautiful! Our day started off with breakfast and a fun little taxi ride to the touritst area to rent scooters! Since Sean had been to the Bahamams several times before he knew of a secluded beach that was about 45 mins- 1 hour away from the port. The girls were a bit aprehensive about riding the scooters especaially since we were warned by the cruise ship employees not to rent scooters becasue they can be extremly dangerous. Needless to say, the scooters were a GREAT idea and we enjoyed them way more than we thought we would. The beach was amazing too. I have never seen water so clear and turquiose before. There was driftwood everywhere! It was gorgeous!

Once we dropped off our scooters we took a taxi back to the port however in the middle of our ride back our driver recieved a call for a pick up in the opposite direction of where he was taking us. Immediatly after he hung up, he ws littlerally talking to the other taxi drivers car to car, window to window WHILE we were driving trying to get one of them to take us. After several failed attempts he dropped us off with a different taxi driver and then he took us back to the port. We honestly could not help but laugh. We had a great time!

 

Sweet Vegetable Juice

This morning I had a little more time before work so I decided to put my new juicer to work. I thoguht I'd experiement with vegetables this time. Even though I do try to encorportate vegetables throughout my day, I know I still do not consume enough. Carrots, celery, and apples were on the list this morning! I even threw in a small lime to enhance the flavor. The juice was pretty sweet and I liked it that way, it deff. was not bland at all. I even had enough left over to keep in a recyled juice bottle to save for later. Can't wait to make it again!

Sweet Vegetable Juice

3 Large carrots

3 Granny Smith Apples

3 Stalks of Celery

1 small lime (peeled)

Juices and a cone dog!

My poor little baby Bentley has been having some allergies and has been licking his leg raw so we had to put the cone on him. I couldn't help but laugh because he looks so cute and helpless when he wears his cone. Just had to share! I think he looks like an astronaut dog! hah



In other news...Look what arrived yesterday!! My Juicer!!





John and I were so funny last night. We were definitely acting like a brother and a sister and arguing about who would put the first fruit in our juicer, so after going back and forth and laughing hysterically we decided we would cut the fruit up and place it in the juicer at the same time to be fair. It was a lot of fun and I am so proud of my hubs for making healthy choices! The juice was great! Here is the recipe we used!

2 Pears

1 cup of strawberries

1 granny smith apple

1 lime (optional)

Highway Don't Care

I first heard this song last week on the radio and immediately recognized Tim McGraw and Taylor Swifts voice! I've been listening to this song ever since. What makes this song even better is the message. I watched the music video for the first time today and I love how the video makes a bold statement. It covers the issue of texting while driving. I am a HUGE advocate of no texting while driving so when I saw this it made me love the song even more. (I also love that Keith Urban is on the guitar too!) I highly encourage you to watch this video and think twice before you text and drive. It really is a very dangerous thing to do, and it's true: The Highway don't care.

http://youtu.be/KmxaY_OVvWA

Highway Don't Care- Tim McGraw, Taylor Swift, and Keith Urban

Bet your window's rolled down and your hair's pulled back
And I bet you got no idea you're going way too fast
You're trying not to think about what went wrong
Trying not to stop 'til you get where you goin'
You're trying to stay awake so I bet you turn on the radio
And the song goes

I can't live without you, I can't live without you, baby
I can't live without you, I can't live without you, baby, baby

The highway won't hold you tonight
The highway don't know you're alive
The highway don't care if you're all alone
But I do, I do.
The highway won't dry your tears
The highway don't need you here
The highway don't care if you're coming home
But I do, I do.

I bet you got a dead cell phone in your shotgun seat
Yeah, I bet you're bending God's ear talking 'bout me.
You're trying not to let the first tear fall out
Trying not to think about turning around
You're trying not to get lost in the sound but that song is always on
So you sing along

I can't live without you, I can't live without you, baby
I can't live without I can't live without you baby, oh baby

The highway won't hold you tonight
The highway don't know you're alive
The highway don't care if you're all alone
But I do, I do.
The highway won't dry your tears
The highway don't need you here
The highway don't care if you're coming home
But I do, I do.

I can't live without you, I can't live without you, baby
I can't live without I can't live without you, baby, oh baby

The highway don't care
The highway don't care
The highway don't care
But I do, I do.

I can't live without you, I can't live without you, baby
I can't live without I can't live without you, baby, oh baby
(The highway don't care
The highway don't care
The highway don't care
But I do, I do)

I can't live without you, I can't live without you, baby

Favorite things as of lately..

 

Plain rice cakes with pb and milk chocolate chips.

 



 

Dunkin Donuts Vanilla Chai Latte.

 



 

Oatmeal with Strawberries, raspberries, almonds, coconut, and pb!



 

PB and banana smoothies!

 



 

Apples with cinnamon and  fresh lime juice.



 

Champagne!

 

Taylor Swift in Orlando

Anyone who knows me well knows that I LOVE Taylor Swift's music. I think if we knew each other we would be great friends. She seems like the perfect girl friend! About 3 weeks ago I convinced John to accompany me to her concert in Orlando at the Amway Center.



I had a hard time finding tickets because her concert was sold out for both of the nights she was here but luckily I was able to locate 2 tickets last minute on Stub Hub. Ed Shereen opened up for Taylor and all I've got to say is: 1) I didn't know he rapped and 2) He is a great and crazy, fun, and energetic guitar player! He was impressive!



Taylor put on a great show as well! She always has really fun and unique performances on award shows so I knew she would not let her fans down at her concert. She literally put on a show! The props were amazing, her outfits, the dancers, and the confetti at the end. My favorite performance was when she sang "All too well" on the piano. You could really feel the emotion in the song as she played the piano.

http://youtu.be/QKFfKs59U1Q



This was my first Taylor Swift concert and I hope it won't be my last. I would love to see her again!

Swan rides at Lake Eola

A couple of weeks ago my friend Stephanie and decided it was time to spend some time with the  Swans at Lake Eola.

 

Every time I walk around Lake Eola I see people having so much fun in their swan boats gliding along the lake.

For $15 you get to paddle around Lake Eola for 30 mins. in a swan paddleboat. When we asked the man at the dock how we knew when 30 mins was up he said he actually doesn't keep track of how long someone is out there for, so enjoy your ride at your own leisure. However, he does warn all swan riders not to get too close to the fountain in the middle of the lake because you will apparently get soaked! We steered clear!

 

 

Our ride was a lot of fun and I can't wait to go again!

 

New York to California

 

I heard this song today on a music channel on my TV. I've been a fan of Mat Kearney since the first time I heard his song "Girl America" and as of today I really like the song "New York to California"..it's so sweet and it's played on the piano :) I was reading about the meaning of the song and apparently in an interview he said that "New York to California" is a very literal song, one that he just wrote in the moment. The song is very easy to understand...you just listen to the story in the lyrics.

http://youtu.be/VlkZpyoGrfE

 

New York to California- Mat Kearney

Under the TV lights, you fell asleep again
Don't know, I'm writing this song about you
There's a picture of a Hollywood sign, reflecting off your skin I
Don't want to live another day without you
You woke up and said baby I, had one of those dreams again
The rain came down and I lost you, In the wind
You said something about don't leave, before you fell back asleep
Before I could sing my song back to you

But you could find your self lost out in this world
And I found a way to get back to your side
No mountains to high, no stone is too small
I'll build a bridge through the fire, for you I would crawl
From New York to California

I could hear you softly breathing, oh what you do to me
But baby I could climb down into your dreams
I Build a ladder down through the clouds
Where the storms Is raging now I
Don't want to sing another song without you

If you find your self lost out in this world
Then I'll find a way to get back to your side
No mountains to high, no stone is too small
I'll build a bridge through the fire, for you I would crawl
From New York to California

Singing, la la la la la la
Oh, It's not too far, la la la la la la
Oh, to where you are, la la la la la la
Oh, It's not too far,

Cause you, could find your self lost out in this world
And I, Could find a way to get back to your side

If you find your self lost out in this world
Then I'll find a way to get back to your side
No mountains to high, no stone is too small
I'll build a bridge through the fire, for you I would crawl
From New York to California, To California, To California

We bought a house!

Wow. SO much has happened over the past month. The main thing being.... John and I bought a house! We actually closed on April fools day! (no joke here!) We have been really busy with unpacking, cleaning, and simply adjusting to our new neighborhood in Orlando.

 

 

Our friends tease us about moving again soon because they are not fully convinced we are actually settling down in this home. I can't blame them though because we've moved 5 times in the past 4 and half years. I'm pretty sure we are called "professional movers" now... haha.

 

Honestly though, we are here for a while. I was convinced of this after we unpacked our last box and threw out all of our cardboard moving boxes instead of saving them for our next move like we normally do. To say the least, this month has been completely exhausting and exciting. We love our new home and neighborhood and can't wait to explore more of the area.