The Big Battle

Last weekend, we went to a local burger battle with friends. I was so excited to go, but I have to say, I think I set myself up for disappointment. Tons of people plus burgers cooked way too fast is actually not great, especially when combined with a hot Florida day. They ran out of beer (and water and pretty much beverages in general) by two hours into the four hour event. Bad planning! We still had fun though, and at least got a few quick snaps while the sun was still up and the event wasn't too crowded.

dress :: loft // belt :: modcloth // heels :: steve madden

tote :: handmade // rings :: kiel mead and kate spade // necklace :: j crew

sunnies :: ray ban // headband :: forever 21

Back In The Action

While I'm sad I had a long hiatus (for me) due to some issues with Adobe, it's also fairly refreshing. Life is pretty hectic these days - I'm not exactly sure why it feels like I have less time here than I used to back in Pennsylvania. I'm honestly chalking it up to getting older, but I feel like I'm a little too young to use that excuse. Especially if I'm still interested in running around a local park on a Friday evening. Jason and I spent some time exploring a park that is down the road and taking photos - mostly because of the awesome carousel. I really do love all that there is to do around here.

dress :: a'gaci // belt :: anthropologie // flats :: j crew // clutch :: kate spade

bangles :: kate spade // rings :: kiel mead & old navy // necklace :: target

Technical Difficulties!

I never like to write these posts. Actually - I have never had technical difficulties this bad during my time with my blog!

Due to some really big hiccups with Adobe that have rendered all my design and photo editing programs useless, my lovely puppy photos, outfit photos, and delicious food posts are all waiting to be edited! The worst. Instead, I thought I would share some of my favorite things to do when my technology isn't being respondent. For instance - back at the beginning of June, my cell phone died. It just turned off in the middle of the day at work and never turned back on. I went without a phone for a week! It was actually kind of great, until I needed GPS.

Anyhow - my favorite non-techy activities!



Long walks with the pups
Seriously - who doesn't love long walks? It's light exercise, wonderful in the evening, and great for long phone conversations with friends.

Target Trips
I can spend a lot of time at Target. I have a lot of memories of going to Target for celebration, to cure sadness, and just because hey, we definitely need to go to Target every weekend.



Reading Old Magazines and Books
I often will grab a magazine or book from my stash to read! It's nice because often I haven't read them in so long, that I kind of forget a lot of things in them. Lately, I've been dying to reread the Harry Potter books for some reason.



Crafts
DIYs are a great way to pass time. Check out some of my old ones here.

Here's hoping that I get my tools back soon! It's so hard when everything goes wrong in the gap of time I reserve for my blog activities!

Welcome to our tropical hideaway

Despite my visits to Disney as a super young child that I really don't remember much of (mostly an awesome Daisy Duck hat), my first big visit to Disney was on my 16th birthday with my sister and brother-in-law. I remember falling in love with the decor and feel of the Polynesian the moment the car from the airport to Disney dropped me off. It is such a lovely and relaxing place. A few years later when I was 19, I went on my first vacation with Jason and his family and stayed at the same hotel. Needless to say, I have a lot of good memories from the Polynesian.

Myself and my sister-in-law Sarah checking into the Polynesian in 2007. I'm dancing from happiness.

The Polynesian is my favorite Disney hotel, and the Kona Cafe is probably my favorite Disney restaurant. It's got the best bang for your buck, delicious food, and a nice atmosphere. Jason and I decided to revisit an old favorite over the weekend for dinner for the first time and it didn't disappoint. The only thing missing from these photos? A banana chocolate creme brulee that looked so delicious I forgot that I photograph my food like a weirdo and just ate it.

dress :: book of deer // heels :: seychelles // bag :: c/o club nintendo

necklace :: anthropologie // ring :: etsy

The Columbia :: Celebration, Florida and Other Locations

I've shown pictures from The Columbia many, many times on this blog before, dating back to nearly 2 years ago now. It's a favorite restaurant of mine in Central Florida - with consistently good food and service. Columbian food wasn't something that was common to come by in southwest Ohio - in fact, I hadn't had it until the family began to live in Florida. We have enjoyed many meals here - it's best for Tapas and sharing in my opinion, but their entrees are delicious as well. The best part though? Tableside Sangria! It's so yummy. Also - the freshly baked, warm bread that comes with your meal is to die for, but really easy to fill up on. The location we visit is in downtown Celebration, but there are a few other locations as well. If you want to know more, my (recently updated) Yelp review is here.

Allez Les Bleus

So, if you like the World Cup, you by now know my team lost :( I've always rooted for the French team - at least since I was in high school and visited France, where I learned more about the World Cup and experienced the amazing comradery among people who had never met, but shared the same common love of their country. At the time, at least where I grew up, no one was really into it. Though, the experience has been very different in South Florida with many more people involved and interested, which makes it more fun. France played Germany on the 4th - so Jason and I started our Independence Day drinking delicious beers at Sea Dog and watching the game. It was a great start to such a fun holiday.

We spent the rest of our day relaxing in Celebration with the pups and watching fireworks. They are such great dogs during fireworks - they aren't drawn towards them, but they are not terribly frightened by them either.

jersey :: from a shop in paris, years ago // skirt :: francesca's // keds :: kate spade x keds

bag :: handmade // bracelet :: market in paris // ring :: gorjana griffin