Part Two: Books Bookity

Hooray! More books! This is the second half (first half here) of some of the favorites I've read in the past few months but hadn't gotten around to talking about. Go pick up a book!

Virals by Kathy Reichs: Kathy Reichs is an anthropologist and author of the Bones book series that then turned into the well-know TV show Bones on Fox. The books are inspired by her own work. Virals is the first book of hers in a YA series that takes place in the same reality as Bones. Tory Brennan is the niece of Temprence Brennan (main character of Bones) and lives on a small island off the coast of South Carolina. The island is the home of several scientist and their families. When Tory and her friends rescue a dog caged in one of the medical facilities they become exposed to an experimental strain that changes them. Not only do they need to figure out what is happening to them but what is going on, on this island. I enjoyed the book- it has the make to become a great series although nothing else has been released yet. We will see..

 The Vacationers by Emma Straub: I'm pretty sure everyone and their mother read this book this past summer but if for some reason you did not, it is worth picking up. A pretty quick read with minor twists here and there its the kind of book that lets you know your family isn't the only crazy one out there. Jim and Franny Post take their daughter Sylvia, son Bobby and his girlfriend, and Franny's best friend and husband on a trip to Mallorca. And while on the outside it looks like a picturesque time on the inside they are all having their own issues.

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell: Last week I talked about another Rainbow Rowell book, Eleanor and Park which was very cute. Attachment, in my opinion, was so much better. And I loved Eleanor and Park. I'm not quite sure how to describe this book other than that it is about two best friends (they work in the same building), the emails they exchange at work, and the hired security who has to monitor those emails. I will say it again that I'm not typically a romance lovey-dovey book reader but this one was adorable, funny, and just overall a fantastic novel.

Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight: A good friend of mine recommended this and I had no idea what it was about when I downloaded it. Kate Baron is a single-mother and high-profile lawyer who gets the phone call that changes her world- her daughter, Amelia, has been caught cheating at school. Kate can't believe her Amelia would ever do such a thing and when she arrives the school the news becomes devastating, Amelia is dead. A supposed suicide Kate knows that this was not her daughters own doing. She spends the book piecing Amelia's previous months back together learning more about her daughter than she ever could imagine and the truth. I think I stayed up way past my bedtime the day I started (and finished) this book because I couldn't put it down. Read it.

Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken: I read the first two books of Alexandra's series The Darkest Minds and then found she had written this gem first. Brightly Woven is a story filled with magic, mystery and like most YA novels that too cute love story. Sydelle's life changes with one drop of rain, a drop that brings a wizard into town. Wayland North grants this gift of rain by choosing Sydelle as his reward. He takes her on an unforgettable journey that teaches her all about her true self. I wish this had a sequel because I loved it- magic has been done so many different ways and I enjoyed how this one presented itself. And you should definitely check out her other series, The Darkest Minds- so good!

If you need some more books to read go ahead and check out all my book reviews by pressing on that lovely button over there on my sidebar that says, you guessed it, Book Reviews (original, I know).

Go be happy! 

Part One: Bookity Books!

First off, this is my 200th post. 200. 200 times in the past year I've pressed publish. 200 times people have read what I have written. At least one person. I'm actually drawing closer to my blogiversary and all I can think is wow. Here is to 200 more!

On to the good stuff- I haven't written a book review post in a quite a while, partially because I was re-reading the Outlander series for several weeks. Which was super fun because it's a great series and I hadn't read the 8th book yet and also really annoying because the author totally left a cliff-hanger on book 8 and book 9 is probably a year away from release. I shake my fist at you Diana Gabaldon!

Besides that I've been slowly working my way through another Blogging for Books book, which has actually be great because it's all about goals and accomplishments and doing out of the box things (like hiking across the US or visiting every country) and is kind of needed for my trip next year. I will attempt to finish it soon and share the insights with you...

So on to a few of my favorites in the past months- part one:

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart: This was a great YA novel that built a lot on intrigue and suspense. Cadence spends her summers on her family's private island with The Liars- but this particular summer is different. Cadence is recovering from an accident and there is something going on that she just can't put her finger on. Now I have to say- the writing isn't necessarily the best, and a few things were predictably, but the story is excellent. Even with the negatives you will want to know what happens. And it's a pretty quick read. Go for it!

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell: My first Rainbow Rowell book, and it didn't disappoint. I'm not usually one for romance/lovey-dovey books but somehow Rainbow makes them seem so normal, cutesy- but not over the top and something you can genuinely enjoy. Eleanor and Park are high-school students from completely different worlds- and they bond over music. Very cute, a sweet read and now a favorite writer.

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken: A younger cousin of mine recommended this book to me over the summer, and it is the first in a great YA series- along the lines of The Hunger Games, Divergent, and so on. In a society where children start to die of a mysterious disease, the children who survive develop powers and abilities. Think mind-reading, supernatural, telekinesis powers. Instead of trying to figure out what is actually happening to them the government and the world shut all these children and teens up into camps, similar to concentration camps. Bad conditions, barely living. Ruby is one of these kids, locked up at age 10- she has now escaped as a teen and is struggling to make sense of everything going on around her, while fighting back to the powers that be. Sticking true with current trends, it is a trilogy with a few novellas in between. Worth the read and much better than Divergent!!

I am the Messenger  by Markus Zusak: Markus Zusak stole my heart away with The Book Thief, and while this is another excellent book of his, it is not to the same caliber. Great writing, but lacking a bit with the heart strings. Ed Kennedy is a 19-year old cab driver, going nowhere in his life, desperately in love with his best friend and has the worlds smelliest dog. After aiding to stop a robbery Ed receives a mysterious card with what seems like random names. And with it becomes the messenger- learning to care for and help others around his town.

Doctor Sleep by Stephen King: If you haven't yet read The Shining, then you need to go out and do so now. I know, I know- The Shining is scary! And it is- but not at all to the same level as the movie is, the book (as usual) is much better. After you read it, come back and read Doctor Sleep, the sequel to The Shining. A story just as excellent if not better. For those  you have read or watched- Doctor Sleep is about Danny, 25 odd years later, dealing with his crazy childhood and the powers he has. Danny meets Abra, a little girl who shines even harder than he does and desperately needs his help.

need any emotional shows to watch?

I watched the mid-season finale of The Walking Dead last night, and I cried a lot. A lot during the show, and then a bunch more during the after show The Talking Dead. Jeez- you'd think a show about zombies were produce ecks and screams, not tears.  It happens though- and it's not the first time. Love it though and wouldn't change a thing.

I had a pretty eventful weekend. On Friday night I went to a friends holiday party- more details on it tomorrow. Get ready to learn exciting things.

Saturday I went to brunch with some other NY bloggers! It was super exciting to meet all of them and despite the horrible rainy weather we were having a decent crowd showed up and we all had a wonderful time chatting. But we were all horrible bloggers and didn't take a group picture! I blame the weather.

After brunch I headed out to Hoboken to spend some time with my sister and my nephew. I gave him some new books for the holidays and then we spent the afternoon looking through some photo albums, cooking and laughing. Later we went upstairs to one of her neighbors house, and my nephew spent a good 45 mins running around being chased by their dog and laughing hysterically. I'm pretty sure my stomach was sore on Sunday just from watching them. It was too too cute!!

Sunday I met up with a new friend for brunch- we went to a favorite of mine Cafe Orlin, and then walked back to Union Square to check out the holiday market. I spent the evening catching up on some tv, snuggling with the cats and reading some more Outlander (just started book 8- so good!)

hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! 

why hasn't it snowed yet?!

Hello Friday! It is so so so nice to see you again. Between doctors appointments and coming off that long weekend, it truly has been a rough one.

I'm happy to say little Phoenix (the cat who had surgery...) has been given a clean bill of health! She is down to just one little eye-drop once a day until the bottle runs out, hopefully that will be soon. And her hair is finally growing back on her legs which means she doesn't look as much like a hooligan anymore.

seriously- look at her, brought her to work so it would be easier to trek to appointment, plops right down on the floor.

I spent a good chunk of last weekend searching online for the perfect rug/bar cart and prints for my walls. After ALMOST buying a cart from West Elm, I stopped myself to hopefully find something cheaper in the future. We will see. I did however finally install some picture shelves on my wall and bought some super cute frames from Homegoods (that place gets me every time!) Along with a much need wine rack. The place is coming together. Only taken me 3 years, but alas it is happening.

Anyways- enough about me. Today I have a fine lady here today who was awesome enough to decide to chill on my side bar for the month. She is pretty sweet- besides the fact that she makes adorable hand-painted wine glasses and jewelry (seriously- check out her shop, the holidays are coming...), she has the cutest little boy and she just celebrated a birthday! So let me introduce you...

If you could travel to any place in the world, right now, where would you go?

Washington, DC. Besides visiting being on my 30 by 30 list, my bestie lives 20 minutes out of the city. I haven't seen her since March, and really miss her face. Plus I really want to go see the museums! 

What are your 3 favorite posts?

Dear Lil Man 

http://ahundredtinywishes.blogspot.com/2014/09/dear-lil-man.html

My goal is to write a letter of encouragement to my son on each of his birthdays... he turned four in September and this is the first of many letters. 

Things I've learned about parenting

http://ahundredtinywishes.blogspot.com/2014/09/things-ive-learned-about-parenting.html

Being a first time parent is all about learning what works and what doesn't. 

25 beauty tips & tricks

http://ahundredtinywishes.blogspot.com/2014/07/25-beauty-tips-and-tricks.html

Because makeup sometimes doesn't make sense....

Do you have any hidden talents?

Other than painting wine glasses, which I sell in my Etsy Shop, I have a knack for writing (duh... every blogger says they do...). I would love to write a novel- I actually wrote four chapters of an erotica a couple of years ago- but just don't have the time. I also played the clarinet in middle school & high school, and can pick up miscellaneous things with my toes.

blog / bloglovin' / facebook / twitter / etsy

Happy Friday!

iPhone 5 vs. Samsung Galaxy

Today I have a great post for you from the lovely Ash over at The Grits Blog. She's hanging out on my sidebar this month and she wanted to share with you the biggest differences between the iPhone 5 and the Samsung Galaxy. If you haven't checked out her space yet, you need to ASAP. She has some great tutorials, some tasty recipes and is an excellent designer (for example- she did my newest layout!) Go say hello!

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Hey! I am Ash from The Grits Blog. Today, Rebekah is letting me take over her awesome space. I thought it might be fun to talk about the ten biggest differences I noticed when I made my switch from an iPhone to a Galaxy (a choice that I am still glad I made). If I am missing anything get at me on twitter! I would love to hear from you!

Not sure if you know this - BUT I made the big switch from an iPhone to a Samsung Galaxy S5 a few weeks ago. I am sure that some of you are like - TRAITOR but I had to make the switch. My iPhone was dying at 50% and there was no way I was going back to one after that crappy experience I had with my iPhone5. Do I plan on going to back to an iPhone ever? Yeah, probably - I miss the picture editing apps and the iTunes.

That being said, I really do love my Galaxy. There are a lot more things that I can do on my Galaxy that I couldn't do on my iPhone...like for one video editing, scheduled night mode. So today, I am here to layout out the ten biggest differences that I noticed right away between my iPhone and Galaxy s5.

(1) Night mode

I used night mode all the time with my iPhone so when I switched to a Galaxy that was one of the first things that I searched for. The problem was, I couldn't find it - that's when my good friend google came into play.

Night mode on the galaxy is called blocking mode. Blocking mode is actually found under settings, then personalization.

What makes blocking mode so unique is that I can set it to only run during certain times, only allow certain people (contacts) to break through blocking mode, and that I have the option to block incoming calls, turn off notifications, and turn off alarm and timer. I like having these options - options that weren't available on my iPhone (and if they were I didn't know about it).

(2) No FaceTime

This is a feature that I really miss and am learning to get over. Helllloooo more snapchatting and gliding. Have you heard of the Glide app? It's video text messaging - it's pretty awesome, check it out if you haven't already. My Uncle Mark thinks it's lame but whatevs, I like it.

(3) Fast menu from top instead of bottom

All I have to do is swipe down from the top and I instantly have access to wi-fi, location, volume options, screen rotation, bluetooth, and settings. I also have an ear phone jack at the top - I like that a lot more too.

If I remember correctly, there was a fast menu at the bottom on the iPhone. Just wanted to point out that there was a fast menu on the Galaxy too.

(4) Water Resistant

Do I even need to write anything here? I mean water resistant says it all.

(5) Swipe Messaging

Sacrificing face-time was well worth it when I figured out I could swipe text. This means that I don't actually have to type anymore, I literally just glide my finger across the letters I am wanting to type and voila text is written.

Love.

This.

To be honest, I am amazed at what it translates. For example, I will be trying to swipe dog food but will start my swipe on a s and just kind of run my thumb all over the keyboard and it magically knows exactly what I am wanting.

Magic.

Harry Potter style magic.

(6) Led light indicator for new activity or messages

I love, love, love, love this little feature. Every time I had my iPhone on silent I never knew, without clicking the round button, if I had text or not. Now, I can tell by just my looking at the front of the phone. There is a different color light for different kind of alerts - text, email, etc.

(7) Free Ringtones

I like to have songs for my ringtones. When I had my iPhone I was limited to whatever came on the phone unless I wanted to pay for a custom ringtone. Wellllll with my Galaxy I don't have to deal with that anymore. I downloaded this free music app called Ocean Music Pro, download whatever song I want, and set it as my free ringtone (I will be posting a tutorial on how to do this).

In case you are wondering, my current tone is sitting on the dock of the bay by Otis Redding.

(8) SD Card

This is my all time most favorite feature of my Galaxy.

I can add storage space to my phone.

FINALLY.

When I had my iPhone I was ALWAYS running out space - whether it be due to pictures, apps, music - what have you. Now, that's no longer a problem. I just install a little micro SD card and wabam! MORE STORAGE!! Yes, you guys it's as simple as that. 

Another cool feature that I like is that I can move storage from my phone storage to my SD card storage. I can do this with pictures, apps, whatever. Cool right?

(9) Photo Apps

I see all of these posts by bloggers about these amazing apps but when I go to download them, I find out that I can't use them on a Galaxy. #DEPRESSED

(10) No podcast on Samsung Galaxy

I love to listen to Podcasts but I can't figure out how to do that on a Galaxy. My favorite were Fresh Air (an NPR interview type podcast, it's awesome0 and Dave Ramsey.

Have you switched your phone lately? 

If so, what's been your favorite feature?

Do you know of any podcasting apps that are available for the Galaxy?

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And on a different note I'm participating in a pretty awesome giveaway that you all should enter!

 With the holiday's coming up faster than fast, 

this giveaway is really perfect!

145 extra dollars to buy something totally rad for your hubs, or kids, or yourself! 

Yes. Definitely spend it on yourself. 

What I am trying to say is that you HAVE to get entered to win this money.

Because when is free money a bad idea?

The answer...if it's drug money. Bad idea.

This however is clean.

Extra clean free money for you... for following these beautiful ladies:

Mary | Lindsay | Renee | Chelsea | Chelsea

Amy

Karli | Trish | Megan | Karissa | Rebekah

Seems like a win all the way around. 

Get on it. Show them some love.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Bigs & Littles Blogging Network

Um you guys, I just had one of the best experiences of my life. Back in the day, i.e September, I came across a post talking about sign-ups for the Bigs and Littles Blogging Network. I was intrigued... a program that would connect bloggers to help each other learn and grow? I was totally down.

And let me tell you- I am so so happy I signed up. I initially signed up with the intention to be a Little and find a Big since I'm a newer blogger but surprisingly enough was matched to be a Big to a Little.

And what a wonderful Little she was. I was paired up with Kaelyn from My Fair Daily. Kaelyn is a beauty blogger, which honestly scared me at first because, not that I don't love makeup but it's not something I blog about. But we exchanged a few emails and I realized I could help her and she could really help me.

Kaelyn wanted help with growing her blog, and time-management skills (not really my forte, but I tried!) and as well with help staying engaged with other bloggers and her readers. I was able to advise her to sign-up with passionfruitads, start participating in link-ups or to reach out to other bloggers about doing a guest or collaborated post. Kaelyn encouraged me to make more use of pinterest, to set short-term and long-term goals, and to be myself.

We continued our journey with google hangouts and good old texting. I am beyond thrilled to have made a new friend and so happy I decided to sign up for the program.

The ladies who run the program- Chelsee, Deb, Kristyn, Tiffany & Christine run the program three times a year, in January, May and September and I adamantly encourage all of you to participate in the next go.  I had fun, learned lots of new things and found a great galpal in Kaelyn. (like we even have a hangout scheduled for tonight, because we are awesome like that!)

And I think the biggest thing I learned from the whole sha-bang is not to underestimate yourself. I didn't think I knew enough to be a "Big"- that I didn't have enough blogging knowledge to help someone else grow or push their own space, but in reality I did. And so did Kaelyn- she was able to tell me things, introduce me to new pages. At the end of the day the fact that you started your own space is a big deal- and something you should be very proud of.

Happy Friday!

The Best Editing Apps I Use

I don't do as much editing as I should for this site but when I do decide to fix some pics there are a few apps and sites that are my go-tos.

first up- PicMonkey. This is by far the greatest tool I use, and if you don't have an account with them yet, then you need to go sign up, like right now. One, the site is free. You can pay a pretty reasonable fee ($33 for a year) to become a "Royal" member , which gives additional fonts, pictures yadayada-totally worth it. The site allows you to edit, create, touch-up and do just about whatever you want to your pictures. Lose a few pounds, add some pizazz, use it to make your pictures all the same size. PicMonkey = the best!

Besides picmonkey- I like to use...

ABM (A Beautiful Mess)- this one is great for making collages on your phone and adding some color, not much editing though

PicTapGo- this is one of the best for light editing, you can take a dark picture to a beautiful well lit photo with just a click

Repix- this is a new one for me, I haven't used it much but it's kind of a mixture between PicTapGo and Instagram.

and that's just about it...what types of apps do you like to use for editing?

Favorite Photo I've Posted on Instagram

Narrow down a posting to just one? Basically impossible- fact is I don't even post if I don't love it!! So I'm actually going to give you my top 5, and know that even this was a hard task to do..

Sunset in Spain- August 2013 Artwork in Panama- December 2013   Sleepy Sunday with my favorite cuddlebug
5 Year Reunion Group Butterbeer in Hogsmeade- enough said

Blogging for Books: The Martian

Last week I was doing my rounds in the blogosphere when I saw a post from Jessica ,over at Please and Carrots, doing a book review from a site called Blogging for Books.  Naturally I was intrigued. As a blogger you can register with the site, pick a book to be sent to you for FREE- either a physical copy or an e-book. Seriously, what could be better?

Of course I signed up right away, filled out their forms and picked my very first book. The Martian by Andy Weir. I registered to get it as an e-book and had it on my kindle within 20 minutes. Naturally I started reading it as soon as I could.

I finished the novel on Monday night and I was very happy with it- to the point that I had already mentioned it to family and friends before I even finished reading.

The Martian is about an astronaut, Mark Watney, who while traveling with his space crew is abandoned on the surface of Mars during a dust storm. Through his knowledge and expertise, as a botanist and engineer,  Mark must figure out a way to survive until the next mission arrives, almost four years away. 

A good chunk of the book is written in first-person as Mark documents his trials, problems, successes and journey. It has a good mix of input from Earth's perspective, the NASA workers and his fellow crew-mates. 

I really enjoyed all of the scientific aspects of the book- the calculations he made, learning about the different pieces of equipment and what really goes into space travel. I'm not a space expert so I can't say how accurate that all is but it definitely sounded good and kept me reading. As a reader it was nice to have a sci-fi book that was somewhat realistic. No aliens, or way-off-chart issues- everything seemed as if it could be a situation we might see a fellow human in one day (except I hope not because that would suck!)

The book does have a large amount of profanity (I would be cursing too if I was stuck on Mars by myself), so if that bothers you I wouldn't pick it up- but if you like a good adventure story, then this comes highly recommended by myself. 

Enjoy! 

 *Note: I received this book for free in exchange for a review- all thoughts and opinions are of my own*

 

Friday Rewind

I think I may be all caught up with the weeks I was gone for. It was a lot. Well almost caught up.. Once back from my trip and fully into my jet-lag, I then hopped on another plane to Florida to see my family and attend my Mama's memorial service.

The service was on a Saturday night, but I flew in Friday evening to visit with my sister and nephew. We drove over to my Uncle's house on Saturday morning with my brother-in-law to hang out with my dad, my cousin, aunt, uncle and just about everyone else. That evening lots of people came over to celebrate my grandmother's wonderful life.

We had shots of tequila, watched a fantastic slide-show and shared our favorite memories of her. Overall it was beautiful and I am so glad I had the opportunity to go. I spent the rest of evening chatting with my cousins and catching up into the wee hours of the night. Sunday brought a very early wake-up call to eat breakfast at IHOP, my grandmother's favorite restaurant. I then lounged with my family for the rest of the day and flew back to NY. That was about two weeks ago now.

For the last few weeks I've just been getting back into the swing of work, school and all things related to being home. I finally finished unpacking last Sunday, saw a good chunk of friends for a birthday brunch on Saturday and made the dreaded trip to Target for more toilet paper. And surprise! I actually only bought what was on my list for once- actually I didn't even get everything on my list. I'm still not sure how I did it...

I'm jumping back into the link-ups this week so here are my weeks five.. good and bad.

1) Good news- I just started working with Ash from The Grits Blog to start a new design for this place! I'm super excited and can't wait to see what she comes up with- I love all of her work and this blog needs a little makeover!

2) Bad news- my stress fractured leg still isn't doing anything but being a bummer. I tried to run a few times while away (short short runs of 1-2 miles) and literally the next day the throbbing was back. My marathon training at this point is non-existent. Fortunately I did a bit of research on the cancellation policy and found that if I cancel this year I will still have guaranteed entry for the 2015 marathon. So at this point that is my plan- get my leg to start healing and run it next year!

3) I'm beyond excited that Fall TV is back! I've been carefully selecting what new shows I'm going to try out (Forever, Black-Ish, Gotham, Red Band Society). And am so looking forward to all my favorites returning ( The Walking Dead, AHS, Nashville, New Girl). Also is anyone else out there watching the Outlander series on Starz? It has been more than I could have ever dreamed of- I've advocated for the book series before (because it's ah-mazing) but the show is really being well done. The characters are perfect, they are taking it slow and yeah- watch it.

4) Remember that super awesome Harry Potter/Mean Girls shirt I talked about a few months ago? well my sister got it for me for my birthday!! I was way off my sizing though so I had to send it back to get a smaller size but the new shirt is on it's way! I can't wait! Thanks Migs! 

5) My sister's wedding is only 3 weeks away!! I finally dropped off my dress to be altered (better late than never!) and my other sister and I are going over to her place next week to help finish up center pieces, favors and all sorts of wedding related shenanigans. I'm super excited for the long weekend of her wedding, seeing all our family and friends, and to just have a fantastic time!

 

Say Hello to My Little Friend

Hello Little Friend!

Jk.. Well guess what, I'm back! After a ridiculous trip, where I somehow managed to beat myself up (Paris is dangerous!- at least the showers are) I am now thankfully back in the beautiful land of the U.S of A. And although I'm leaving again tomorrow for my grandmother's memorial service in Tampa- it is very nice to have phone reception and at least be in the same timezone as my family.

The trip was a whirlwind of stress, shenanigans, lost luggage and foreign languages. While I now have a glowing tan and am able to say I've traipsed around Paris, there is definitely no place like home.

I'm off to do some more unpacking, repacking and laundry- but am aiming to be back in the swing of the blog world starting next week. Trip updates, a new Stitch Fix, my sister's bridal shower and more to follow.

Have a wonderful weekend y'all!

My Life in Numbers

 I've seen this prompt around a few times and want to give thanks to to Lisa for doing it last week and reminding me it was out there and Becca for pushing the idea out there in the first place. Definitely a fun post to write and works for the slowness of blogland at this time... Summer really is break central here. Happy Tuesday!

1 How many times I've actually watched all the Harry Potter movies (all during opening week/night and never again)
2 Siblings
2 How many different countries I lived in
2 Number of Tattoos I have
4 How many states I've lived in
4 How many years I was a full time college student for
5 years that I've lived in my apartment
6 The age difference, in years, between myself and my oldest sibling
6 months spent bloggin
7 How many surgeries I've had
10 Number of different jobs I've had in my life
10 Number of pets I had in my life
18 How many years I lived in Florida for
21 My lucky number
23 How much I spent on dinner last night
24 Days until my birthday!!
26 My age
28 How many books I've read this summer (so far)
107 how many blog posts I've written
125 My dream/goal weight
240 number of calories in my favorite Starbucks drink- Chai Tea Latte
283 Bloglovin followers
407 My area code (it's still Florida's!)
111,645 How many steps I walked/ran in the past 7 days

Liebster Award!

woo-hoo! I'm so super excited because Kelly,from Into the Labryinth, nominated me for the Liebster award. Thank you so much Kelly! I'm thrilled to be participating in this fantastic award- it's a great way to learn about new blogs and the bloggers behind them.

Liebster Award Rules:
1-If you are tagged/nominated, you have to post 11 facts about yourself.
2-Answer the 11 questions the tagger has given you and make 11 questions for the people are are going to tag
3-Tag 5-11 more bloggers
4-Tell the people you tagged that you did (through comment, personal message, etc.)
5-No tagging back.

11 Facts About Moi:
1)I really really hate snakes!
2)I love to sing- especially show tunes and country
3)Winter is my favorite season- bring on the snow!
4)I was a crazy child- I drank perfume, ate diaper cream and tried to stick a pen in the VCR (those old school things before DVD players)
5)Besides most of it being mumbojumbo I actually really like astrology and learning about your sign. I have a huge birthday book at home and it's super creepy to read!
6) I hate running and love it at the same time
7) I've never been to Disneyland
8) I kind of wish I was one of those doomsday preppers- those people are ready
9) My go-to milkshake flavor is vanilla besides my love for chocolate
10) I hope to one day fill an entire passport with stamps from different places!
11) I really dislike wearing high heels- they make my feet hurt!

Here are Kelly's questions for me to answer..
1- What kind of music do you listen to?  (name the top 3 songs on your ipod/iphone) I love pop music, country and musical showtunes. Top 3 songs right now are Love Never Felt so Good by Michael Jackson feat. Justin Timberlake, All of Me by John Legend, and Do My Thang by Miley Cyrus

2- If you could have a free vacation anywhere, where would it be and who would you bring? Ah this is tough! At this point I would prob pick some swanky hotel in the tropics/Caribbean and bring my sisters.

3- Who is your celebrity crush? Huge fan of JC from NSync- might faint if he ever knew my name

4- Have you ever seen the movie The Labyrinth?Of course!

5- What is your favorite TV series? This one is hard too! I love the walking dead (can't wait for October), PLL, and Orange is the New Black.

6- Where is your favorite place to visit? London, England

7-What’s the most unusual thing you’ve eaten? I not sure if there is anything super unusual I've eaten- I love sushi, so I've definitely had raw fish. I'm a big fan of Ethiopian food which is definitely different. I'm not picky so I'm up for trying anything!

8-What is your favorite Movie? These questions! Too hard to answer- I find myself re-watching several films, I love any Disney Pixar, Pitch Perfect, almost all of the natural disaster/end of the world ones like independence day, day after tomorrow.

9- Do you have a special talent or something unique about yourself? Not really- maybe that makes me sound lame but my special talents are reading all day and my fantastic sense of direction.

10- How did you come up with your blog name? My favorite color is blue, my favorite animals are giraffes and I live in the concrete jungle of NYC!

11-What type of drink do you order at a bar? My go to drink these days is Captain Morgan and Ginger Ale. Yum!

I nominate:
1) Jules from If I had 100 Dollars
2) Lindsey from Lindsey Living Vegan
3) Courtney at Southern Class, Carolina Sass
4) Jillian from A baJillian Recipes
5) Emily from The Rant
6) Yalanda from Laugh Anyway
7) Erica from Looking to The Stars

My Questions for them...
1) What are your top 3 favorite books?
2) What has been the best place you have ever traveled too?
3) If you could only wear one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
4) Pizza or French Fries?
5) Favorite animal?
6) What house would you be in if you went to Hogwarts?
7) What is your biggest guilty pleasure?
8) Have you ever done a double/triple feature at the movies (meaning you paid for one film, but then snuck into a different theater to watch another show)?
9) What is your favorite part about blogging so far?
10) If you had three wishes, what would they be?
11) If you blog was a cocktail, what kind would it be?

Have Fun!

Please fill out my awesome survey ! I would love to get a better understanding of what you want as readers! Thanks!!

ya'll are my favorites

Everyday I get on this blog and am absolutely amazed by how many people are actually reading it. Not that it's a crazy amount or anywhere near the best of the best, but the fact is you are out there and you are enjoying (hopefully!) the things I am writing. Thank you, thank you!

I came into this whole blogging world to just find a spot to get into the habit of writing, for my hiking trip in a few years. Never in my wildest dreams did I think it would actually gain readers (besides my family), and readers that come on a consistent basis- some of whom I've now met, or emailed with or started a conversation on twitter with.

Today - I want to know more about you, where you're from- what keeps you coming back to this little space on the web. If you could oh so kindly fill out this beautiful form I created (gotta love google docs!) I would be very appreciative.

Thank you! And I hope everyone is having a fantastic week!

Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho, It's Off to Work We Go..

Yep- it's Monday and my week off has officially come to an end. Boo! I am actually excited to see the kids, because yes I did miss them- but I am also missing the relaxing vacation I was participating in down in Florida.

 After a wonderful time at Harry Potter World I drove over to the Tampa area to visit with my Dad's family. His parents, siblings, and all of my cousins are there. I spent some time hanging out with all of them which was super nice because most I hadn't seen in quite some time. Tuesday I mostly sat around at my Uncle's place with my little cousin (who is almost 5!) and my aunt. We played in the pool, enjoyed many Angry Orchard ciders and just relaxed! That's what vacation is for!!

On Wednesday we got up early and took my Uncle's boat out to do some fishing. But in their typical fashion we got out later than we wanted too, became distracted by some abandoned crab traps and didn't get as much fishing in as we could have. I caught lots of bait fish but didn't really have time to catch anything better. Next time, next time.

I headed back to Orlando that afternoon to pick up my friend from work and then I went on my first blate! I was super excited to have the opportunity to meet both Kate from Green Fashionista and Emily from Martinis and Bikinis. They both work in my old neighborhood so we met up at a great little wine bar called, The Wine Room, and chatted for awhile. It was my first time meeting other bloggers face to face and it was super fun! Can't wait to meet some more of you in the future...

delicious cheese plate we had

Thursday was super chill- I went and had breakfast with my dad, shopped around at the mall with my friend and got pedicures. Thursday night I just relaxed and watched a movie.

 As Friday was the fourth (Happy 'Merica Day! ) my friend, her fiance and myself headed to a pool party my brother-in-laws family was hosting. We enjoyed the sun, the food, the drinks and the company (my super adorable nephew included!) Friday night we headed back to their place and watched Disney, Universals and some nearby lake parties fireworks on the balcony. Beautiful as always.

Then on Saturday I did something I have never done before. Before I get into this adventure I want to let you all know that I have family members that work for Disney and I always get tickets from them. We had always planned to go to Disney on Saturday but until Friday evening I was under the assumption that the ticket I possessed was blacked-out from the Magic Kingdom, meaning I could go to the other 3 parks but would be unable to see the new fantasyland and try the new snow white ride. News flash when all of a sudden I am told Friday evening that I am actually able to go to Magic Kingdom. This changed our entire plans.

So we woke up super early (my friend L, her fiance and myself) and decided that we were going to get to Magic Kingdom before it opened and be one of the first people into the park. I have literally in my entire life never done this before. We watched the opening ceremony, and walked through the entire park (with a large crowd behind us) without anyone in front of us. The place was empty! After the mad dash to the new Snow White ride, The Mine Train, we were one of the first 20 people on it for the day. By the time we got off the ride, which was super cute but very short, the wait for the ride was already at 60 minutes!! Crazy- I know. After that we walked on to almost every other ride we wanted to do, Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain Railroad, Splash Mountain, Haunted Mansion and Buzz Lightyear. All favorites of mine.

We wandered over to MGM (or Hollywood Studios these days) played the new Toy Story Mania and then just kind of hung out. We ate lunch (or funch - fun lunch) at the 50's Primetime Cafe, attempted to watch the Indiana Jones show before it got rained out and bought some cute stuffed Olaf's for my munchkins.

After that I went to the airport and flew back to good ole' NYC. Sadie and Phoenix were ridiculously excited to see me- which mostly means they harassed me all night and Sunday.

Phew- it was a great trip, but I'm happy to be home, not so happy to be working... Hope everyone had a great fourth!!
And last chance to enter the $110 PayPal Cash Giveaway I'm participating in- IT ENDS TONIGHT!!

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