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!

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!

 

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. 

 

hidden trails.

Happy New Year!!

Last week John and I found a beautiful trail in Orlando.



After work today, we hit the trail with Bentley for a 3.5 mile walk! It's such a different scenery from what most people think of when they think of Florida.





I for one, am happy to have access to this beauty! Being surrounded by the trees, wide open fields, and the quiet peaceful sounds of nature pulls me away from chaos of the city and helps me find a little comfort because it reminds me of home.













I was so happy I got to test out my new watch!



I can't wait to go again!

Cha Cha Cha Changes!!!

I've pretty much lived in a fairly small town for most of my life so moving to Orlando has been quite a life change for me as far as geographical size and city go. And I am loving every moment of this new experience for me!

Last night John and I decided to go out on the town for a lil' date! We started off by going to dinner at a place called Urban Flats. Have you been there?

John heard that if we went to dinner there we could get our parking validated. We checked out the menu and decided that it looked interesting and we would give it a try! And OH.MY.Goodness. I am SO glad we did!! I'm pretty sure this is my new favorite place to eat! It was so good!

I got the Artichoke, wild mushroom, crushed red pepper, goat cheese flatwich. Soo Good!

John got the Black and Blue Flatbread. John mentioned that it was very good but wasn't filling enough for him, but for me, mine was just right! I didn't feel overly stuffed, just satisfied!

After dinner we had plans to go see the movie "One Day". We then realized that our parking validation ticket was only good for 2 hours and by the time the movie was over we would be over the limit. So we went up to the police officer standing near the parking garage and asked what would happen if we went over, (if our parking would still stay validated) and he said that we would have to pay full price. So....this is what we did.........

We went back into the garage paid the validated price ($2.50) left the garage and drove back in, got another ticket, and got it validated at the movie theatre for another $2.50 so we only had to pay $5 for almost 4 hours of parking! whew! That was a long explanation.

We stepped into the theatre and I told John that I don't think I have ever been in a movie theatre this big before, and definitely not in one with leather chairs!! (---See what I mean?? Small town girl here!)

Ever since I saw the trailer for One Day I had really really high hopes for the movie. It was good. I didn't think it was AMAZING, but it was good. It was a very interesting movie in the way that they pieced together each year of a friendship/relationship over the course of twenty years. If you plan on seeing it, be sure and bring some tissues with you! It's a little bit of a tear jerker!

After the movie ended, we had just enough time to hop into Mochi and grab some fro yo before our parking time was up! I got a mix of peanut butter and pina colada fro yo ( John and I are crazy about anything that tastes close to coconut) topped with brownie bites and these orange round balls with juice in them. (Does anyone know what they are called?) It was great way to end the evening!

What are your favorite things to do in the city?

Did you grow up in a small town?

What is something new you have experienced lately?

Cha Cha Cha Changes!!!

I've pretty much lived in a fairly small town for most of my life so moving to Orlando has been quite a life change for me as far as geographical size and city go. And I am loving every moment of this new experience for me!

Last night John and I decided to go out on the town for a lil' date! We started off by going to dinner at a place called Urban Flats. Have you been there?

John heard that if we went to dinner there we could get our parking validated. We checked out the menu and decided that it looked interesting and we would give it a try! And OH.MY.Goodness. I am SO glad we did!! I'm pretty sure this is my new favorite place to eat! It was so good!

I got the Artichoke, wild mushroom, crushed red pepper, goat cheese flatwich. Soo Good!

John got the Black and Blue Flatbread. John mentioned that it was very good but wasn't filling enough for him, but for me, mine was just right! I didn't feel overly stuffed, just satisfied!

After dinner we had plans to go see the movie "One Day". We then realized that our parking validation ticket was only good for 2 hours and by the time the movie was over we would be over the limit. So we went up to the police officer standing near the parking garage and asked what would happen if we went over, (if our parking would still stay validated) and he said that we would have to pay full price. So....this is what we did.........

We went back into the garage paid the validated price ($2.50) left the garage and drove back in, got another ticket, and got it validated at the movie theatre for another $2.50 so we only had to pay $5 for almost 4 hours of parking! whew! That was a long explanation.

We stepped into the theatre and I told John that I don't think I have ever been in a movie theatre this big before, and definitely not in one with leather chairs!! (---See what I mean?? Small town girl here!)

Ever since I saw the trailer for One Day I had really really high hopes for the movie. It was good. I didn't think it was AMAZING, but it was good. It was a very interesting movie in the way that they pieced together each year of a friendship/relationship over the course of twenty years. If you plan on seeing it, be sure and bring some tissues with you! It's a little bit of a tear jerker!

After the movie ended, we had just enough time to hop into Mochi and grab some fro yo before our parking time was up! I got a mix of peanut butter and pina colada fro yo ( John and I are crazy about anything that tastes close to coconut) topped with brownie bites and these orange round balls with juice in them. (Does anyone know what they are called?) It was great way to end the evening!

What are your favorite things to do in the city?

Did you grow up in a small town?

What is something new you have experienced lately?