November 17, 2016

Disney Cruise- Pirate Night

Yo ho Yo ho - A Pirate's Life For Me! 

Pirate night on the Disney Dream was so much fun! I was nervous at first that only the kids would be dressed up, but boy was I wrong!

What to wear on pirate night

There are a few levels of intensity that I witnessed on Pirate night. There are the families that had head to toe full accessories and were super committed. Then there were the people like my mom and I, dressed up but not too intense. Then there were people that either didn't get the memo or just didn't care and wore their normal attire and perhaps added the bandana (Disney leaves a pirate bandana in your stateroom for every guest!)

If you have kids I say go for the 100% themed costumed attire. The kids will love this and you'll get some really cute photos. If you aren't comfortable dressing all the way up, I recommend dressing how my mom and I did. I'd say about 60-70% of people had some sort of pre-planned costume.


 I took a black and gray flowy dress and added leggings underneath it to keep warm in the evening. Then I added a simple white button down (It's actually a pool cover up that i tied into a shirt) with a large red belt over top. My mom wore a white peasant style top with black pants. Of course we wore hoop earrings and the bandanas provided from the cruise.



pirate night disney cruise outfit

 The "crew" was even dressed up for the occasion.



pirate night disney cruise outfit with crew
 Late in the evening there was a deck party with a buffet as well as fireworks at sea. I must admit the fireworks at sea are pretty amazing! Also, there is a pirate show with Jack Sparrow.

The buffet wasn't great for mom (she's a vegetarian), but I of course enjoyed the ever so famous turkey leg!


disney cruise pirate night buffetdisney cruise pirate night buffet

They also had crepes at the buffet that were pretty good, the line was just very long to get them! 
disney cruise pirate night crepes



Arrrr! I'm a pirate!

disney cruise pirate night bandana outfit






October 10, 2016

Disney Dream Cruise- Vacation Tips

About 6 months later I am finally getting around to posting my Disney Dream Cruise review. My mom and I went on this cruise back in March out of Port Canaveral. The Disney Dream is beautiful! If you enjoying cruising and you love Disney; I promise you won't be disappointed.

Pre Cruise Tips

Before going on your cruise there are some things I recommend doing. My mom and I did the 3 night itinerary that went to The Bahamas and Disney's private island Castaway Cay. 

Tip 1: Make a packing list and stick to it

Mom and I packed so many extra outfit options that we didn't even touch. The things that are most important are swim wear, dinner attire, day clothes, and a light jacket. Of course I packed about 6 different dinner outfits for this trip (even though only 3 would have be appropriate) 

Tip 2: Make Door Decor for Your Stateroom

On Disney cruises door decorating is a huge trend! I was nervous to decorate the door for fear that we'd be the only ones doing it and would look silly. It seemed that about 30-40% of the rooms had door decor (some even had Fish Extenders, a pocket like hanger used on the door to exchange trinkets with other cruisers) I printed our door designs (each Mickey was the size of an 8x11 piece of paper) laminated the sheets, cut the shapes, then applied magnet strips to the back. The decorations stayed on the door with zero issue. My Mickey was inspired by Marie from The Aristocats (one of my favorite animated characters), and my mom's was inspired by Eeyore. The smaller Mickeys and anchors are filled with tropical Lilly Pulitzer patterns. These are also very helpful when you can't remember which room is yours!


Tip 3: BYOB- Bring Wine On Board

Most people don't realize that each passenger (21+) is allowed to bring 2 bottles (750ml) of wine or champagne on board with them. This is a great way to help the cost of alcohol on board since Disney doesn't yet offer drinking packages. However, this wine cannot be consumed in public areas (you can have it at dinner with a corkage fee). 


Tip 4: Research!

Researching before your trip is so important. If you are reading this you on are the right track! There is so much to do onboard the Disney Dream that you could easily miss some of the headlining activities if you didn't plan ahead. Pirate night requires planning ahead (unless you want to drop $60 for an onboard costume) as do certain excursions and dining reservations. 


Tip 5: Arrive The Night Before

If you are coming from far away I highly recommend getting a hotel in the Port Canaveral area the night before your cruise begins. This way you can get to the port early and hop right on board stress free. The Disney Dream began boarding around 11am when my mom and I went in March. 


Stay tuned for the full cruise review! 



October 9, 2016

Checking in: October


I am re-designing my page! Since I am beginning my blogging journey all over again I decided a new page layout and theme (and of course official domain name) was in order. The checking in theme is going to be re-vamped as well, but in the mean time, please enjoy my October check in!


Making: Buffalo Chicken dip for football season and Pumpkin Cheesecake Dip with ginger snaps (also for tailgating) 
Eating: Beef, and tons of it (finally gave in on the vegetarian thing) 
Shopping: Online, Amazon Prime is a dangerous thing/ Also on the quest for winter boots 
Drinking: Still on that seltzer water kick- also been craving a root beer float badly 

Celebrating: Halloween month! So many costume ideas
Following: Lots of fitness and yoga accounts #inspiration 
Watching: Parks and Recreation (Still prefer The Office, but I'm giving it a go)
Listening: Chainsmokers- Closer (it just doesn't get old)
Discovering: My new iphone 7, I am like a kid in a candy store on that thing (upgraded from a 5)
Buying: Leotards
Traveling: Heading home to Atlanta for Thanksgiving! 
Planning: My trip to Chicago
Hashtagging: #MNSSHP - love looking at the costumes
Learning: How to properly use the gym equipment (twas a struggle) 
Hoping: Ohio State football doesn't lose their winning streak 
Considering: Creating an Etsy account to sell things (but what things is the issue?) 
Goals: I have accomplished the gym attendance goal. My new goal is to attend at least 4 nights per week, consistently, 


August 5, 2016

Checking In: August 2016


Making: Protein Shakes for breakfast
Eating: Rice cakes with peanut butter and lots of veggies
Shopping: Ross
Drinking: White Claw- Hard Seltzer Water
Reading: 50 Shades of Grey
Following: The Olympics!! 
Watching: All of Game of Thrones 
Listening: Meghan Trainor- Me Too 
Discovering: The YMCA (gym, not the song)
Buying: Dresses for work because its too hot for pants
Traveling: Trying to plan a trip to Miami 
Learning: More and more on photoshop 
Goals: Going to the gym a few times a week consistently! 

April 29, 2016

Checking In: April 2016



Making: Inside out cabbage rolls Recipe Here
Eating: Toast with coconut oil as "butter"
Shopping: New York and Co....Business Casual 
Hosting: Nothing, uh, I need to have a summer party
Drinking: Sparkling Flavored Water (Grapefruit is amazing)
Reading: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (again!) 
Celebrating: SO many birthdays in April! Mine, Kate's, Ashleigh's...
Following: Refinery 29
Watching: Game of Thrones is BACK!!!
Listening: WSB in the morning (Herman Cain)
Discovering: Podcasts...any recommendations?
Buying: Work clothes and a tire (got a nail in mine) 
Working: 9-5, its great! Having weekends off is the best  
Traveling: Nothing huge lined up at the moment...Maybe I'll head up to Gainesville and see the 'rents soon
Liking: PaperMate pens for work
Hashtagging: #24 , yes I'm another year older....

Learning: Not having a car is the worst feeling ever. I need to start saving for a new car
Hoping: To have some beach plans in the near future!
Thanking: Everyone who drove me to work the week that my car was out of commission and in the shop!
Goals: More home cooked meals and less eating out! 

April 15, 2016

The 3 Day Military Diet- Day 3

UH the dreaded day 3..I began this day with 0 pounds lost! (Since day 2)I had an event at work today so I knew I was going to be outside on my feet for most of the day. The thought of serving FOOD at an event sounded awful. Surprisingly it went smoothly though and I was too busy to think of my own eating.

Breakfast- I avoided eating until about 1030am again this day. I had my saltine crackers with small pieces of cheese on each. I decided to save the apple for later, but ironically I never ate the apple on this day.

Lunch- My lunch came around 2pm, and I ate the egg smooshed with mustard on the toast. I also took 1 can of tuna from dinner and added it to my lunch. I ate the tuna with a fork and of course added hot sauce and mustard.

Between lunch and dinner I had a whole bunch of car drama. I found out my car was going to need serious repairs! I was out dealing with that until about 8pm. By the time I got home I was so ready to cheat and just say forget it! However, I had come so far I knew I could finish without breaking the rules.

Dinner- So 1 can of tuna sounded awful. I opted for a hot dog for dinner this evening. I figured that was a fair substitution. I also added some sauerkraut to my hot dog on the side. This is so low calorie, and after my day I figured  I deserved it. I made the typical ice cream and banana dessert dish, and then I was finished!!! I was so excited to eat real food.


THE VERDICT:  I lost 2.6 pounds total...was it worth it, not at all! I wasn't too miserable, but I missed being able to eat what I was craving. This diet taught me alot about portion control and calorie realization. It took so much will power to not cheat throughout the diet. I think its recommendable if you want to learn about portion control, cravings, and calorie content...but I don't plan to reprise this!

April 14, 2016

The 3 Day Military Diet- Day 2

So technically you aren't supposed to weigh yourself daily on this diet, but of course my curiosity got the best of me. I have dropped 1.8 pounds since I began this diet. I feel like almost 2 pounds in 1 day is a pretty decent accomplishment. The goal of this is to be able to button my summer 2015 shorts again!

Breakfast- So for some reason I haven't had breakfast yet today. It is currently 9:30am. I think that ice cream made me so full last night (and almost sick feeling) that my appetite isn't ready for more food. I have had about 1/2 a glass of hot tea. Hot tea isn't in the diet today, but the kind I am drinking has 0 calories so it was mildly acceptable for the diet!

I finally caved and ate breakfast around 10:15. I made the toast with smooshed boiled egg on top. Of course I also added mustard and hot sauce to this dish. I am saving my 1/2 banana for an 11-12pm snack.


I gave in and ate the banana at 11:30pm. I sliced it in tiny pieces to think I was eating more. 



Lunch- For lunch today I was allowed 1 boiled egg, 5 saltine crackers, and 1/2 cup cottage cheese. I devoured the boiled egg covered in mustard right at 1pm. I also ate the cottage cheese with salt at 1pm too. I saved the saltines for a 3pm snack, and they went away super fast as well!

Mustard makes everything amazing

The cottage cheese wasn't bad with added salt!


Dinner- This is when the disaster strikes. I was out shopping and snacked on some of the carrots I had packed ( I brought 1/2 the  dinner portion to work for a snack, and never touched them during my shift). I was headed home and my check engine light started flashing and my car begin riding horribly. I took it to the car shop and my roommate picked me up. At this point it was almost 830pm and all I had was my lunch and the carrot snacks. I was SO close to giving up and asking my roommate to drive me through fast food. By the time I got home I was so flustered with the turn of events that food wasn't even on my mind. I quickly put the broccoli steamer bag in the microwave and put my 2 hot dogs on the stove top to give them a burnt crispy texture. 


Dinner of Champions!



Of course I added mustard and hot sauce to the hot dogs. I also added Mrs. Dash and salt/pepper to my broccoli. I intended to add lemon juice, but it was too chaotic and I Just wanted to eat. Honestly, I was hardly able to finish the broccoli. In the mean time I had my carrots boiling on the stove top. Once they were nice and soft I ate a few, but again my appetite wasn't fully there. About an hour passed and I devoured my ice cream with the banana. Its funny because I had sweet cravings this night (less ice cream to eat) and night 1 I had salty cravings (more ice cream).

Bananas and ice cream!

I wanted so badly to pour myself a glass of wine this evening after my car drama, but I resisted!!!


Just wait till you hear the drama from day 3...Up Next!







April 12, 2016

The 3 Day Military Diet- Day 1

I can't believe I am writing a post about a diet; I never thought this day would come.

Since being in an office job I have noticed it is nearly impossible to forego eating junk food at my desk all day. I now have a full understanding of the "Cubical 20" (much like the Freshman 15). I decided I need to be proactive before I begin gaining that cubical 20.

I came across this fad diet on Pinterest called the "Military Diet." I wondered how eating small amounts of strange foods for 3 days could have any effect on the body. After doing research I found that every single person found success with this diet. The girls at work and I decided we would attempt this challenge starting on Monday. I even convinced my parents and roommate to join in on the "fun" as well.

For those of you who aren't sure what this insane diet I am talking about is, here is the website

The diet consists of 3 meals per day. I did find out you are able to spread out your meals and even move things around within the day. So for instance, day 3 lunch is practically nothing, so I plan to eat some of my dinner earlier.


I am recording my thoughts, tips, and tricks for the diet if anyone wants to attempt this for the future.

Day 1:

Breakfast- 1 piece of toast with peanut butter. I ate this on my drive in to work. I am not much of a peanut butter on bread fan so it was a challenge finishing this, but I knew I would have to finish it to sustain the rest of breakfast.

Once I arrived at work I had my glass of  hot tea. I was able to add Stevia to the tea to give it some flavor (Stevia is allowed on this diet!). After my tea I ate my 1/2 grapefruit. I am not used to eating grapefruit raw (without sugar on top, I should have added Stevia). It wasn't horrible, but a bit bitter..

Around 10am I started STARVING. All I could think about was food and cooking and recipes and CHICKEN WINGS! This was also a slower part of my work day so I think that had some effect on my mindset as well.

I have never been so excited to have my lunch break. I pushed lunch back as long as I could stand, and I ate around 1pm.

Lunch- I had 1 cup of hot tea with caffeine. I actually used the same teabag twice and made a cup of iced tea with it as well. Basically just watered the tea down, and it was surprisingly pretty good.
I also had a piece of toast with tuna on top of the toast. I cut the piece of toast in 1/4's so it would seem like I was eating more. I also added Mrs. Dash seasoning and mustard to my tuna (these seasonings are allowed because they are 0 calories). After I ate my lunch I didn't feel full, and I was worried how I would get through the rest of the day.

My lunch with mustard on the tuna

Mom and David's lunch. Mom has cottage cheese since she is a vegetarian

Tuna lunch with hot sauce (Jen from work)


Finally around 2pm I started feeling a bit better and was counting down the minutes till my shift was over and I could go home and eat. Shout out to Morgan for listening to me complain all day!

I regret not bringing the apple to work because that would have been enough to hold me over around 3-4pm.

Dinner- When I got home from work I sliced my apple and ate half of it raw out of the slicer. I cut the pieces very tiny to confuse my brain that I was eating more. I took the other half of the apple and sliced it up as thin as possible, put some cinnamon on it (again, this is allowed), and baked them in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. This made the apples extra sweet, warm, and soft. I had that snack about 15-20 minutes after I ate the raw portion of the apple.

Lovely photography of my baked apples

I tried to hold off on eating my meat and veggies as long as I could. I was getting bored sitting around the house, and I finally caved. I cooked my dinner around 630, and I ate at about 7. I had 3 ounces of chicken seasoned with Mrs. Dash as well as 1 cup of green beans that I boiled with salt water and Mrs. Dash. I also added some mustard to my plate to dip the chicken in. Mustard has been my life saver! I have never eaten a dinner so slowly that my food is cold by the time I am almost finished. This diet really makes you appreciate portion sizes and preventing food waste. I found myself practically licking the plate at the end of my meal.

Chicken and green bean dinner with mustard. Yummy!

I planned to eat my ice cream and banana as a "dessert" and wanted to push this as late as possible. After dinner I felt surprisingly full and wasn't even really craving the ice cream until about 830pm. The ladies at work had the genius idea of baking the banana to make it warm and mushy for an ice cream topping. Trust me, you get super creative with this diet! I baked the banana at 350 degrees sliced in a dish for about 15 minutes. The banana looked  ugly in appearance, but tasted amazing. 1 cup of ice cream is an AMAZING amount of ice cream. My roommate has a food scale so I was able to accurately measure all of my food for this challenge. I could hardly finish the ice cream because it was so much and so rich. The banana helped break it up though! After I ate my "dessert" I didn't become hungry at all before going to bed!
Mom made her ice cream with baked apples and banana


End of day thoughts- According to the website day 1 is about 1400 calories! That sounds like so much considering I was eating teeny tiny amounts of food. Shockingly that is about the amount of daily calories I need to maintain my body weight based on my size and activity level (ha, none).  This really goes to show that calories add up SO fast. I drank about 100 ounces of water today, and that doesn't include the hot tea I consumed.

Tips-  Some helpful tips I learned today were:

  • Add seasonings to everything (you can use any seasoning that are 0 calorie) I added Mrs. Dash, Mustard, Hot Sauce, and even Lemon Juice in my food and water
  • Eat your food as spread out as possible so you have less starving moments
  • Try and stay off of social media such as Instagram and Pinterest. These sites contain nothing but food pictures, and it will torture you!
  • Try to remain as busy as possible throughout the day. When you just sit bored you will think of nothing but food. 
  • Water down your hot tea or coffee so it lasts longer, sounds crazy but it is worth it
  • Get creative with your foods (aka- baked apples and bananas). This diet looks boring on paper, but I have discovered some yummy recipes for the future. 
  • Split the ice cream serving in half. The ice cream is 300 calories. If you eat half of the amount that is 150 calories you can have elsewhere (cottage cheese, yogurt etc)
  • Learn about the substitutions you can do on the diet  here.  If you are a vegetarian or don't like certain menu items there are always alternatives. The important thing to remember is to match the calories, not the portion sizes. 



March 31, 2016

Checking In: March 2016




Making: Super burnt chicken breast. I left the chicken in the oven, and my rommie and I discovered it because of the burning smell.

Wondering: How people who work 9-5 office jobs stay in shape and don't snack their life away
Eating: Danish Kringle from Trader Joe's and Tamales
Shopping: Desk supplies for the new job, EVERYWHERE
Hosting: My birthday outing next Wednesday!
Drinking: Cabernets, obsessed.

Celebrating: My birthday is 7 days from now. I am turning 21, again x 2
Following: Kate Upton on Snapchat, don't judge me
Watching: The Office. No clue why I hadn't gotten into this show earlier. Dwight is my spirit animal. 
Listening: 106.7 in the morning. Finally I am up and driving around to enjoy AM talk radio again
Discovering: Nail polish. I paint my nails every day now, and it makes me feel put together. 
Buying: Anything for work. Dress clothes, office decor, lunchbox etc
Traveling: Just went on a Disney cruise with my mom in early March. We took the Disney Dream to the Bahamas, and it was wonderful! (There will also be a post for this)
Liking: Anything posted by SOML (story of my life) on Buzzfeed 
Hashtagging:#lillypulitzer Spring is here!! 

Learning: Adulting can be fun when you do it right! Happy hours are the best :) 
Hoping: I can get start a better sleep schedule and get used to waking up before sunrise every morning
Considering: Getting a credit card that collects points, any ideas?
Goals: Drinking more water and going to the gym! ( I think the gym goal is going to be a common trend) 

February 20, 2016

Checking In: February 2016

Inspired by a blog I really enjoy (Rove and Wend - she's a Flight Attendant, check it out!) I am going to make monthly check-ins. That way I can keep track for my own personal use, but also it is a fun way to share what I am up to. 







Making: Smores Dip (I am obsessed with everything smores!) Check it out
Wondering: Why it looks like Fall outside in Florida when it is February
Eating: Chocolate Covered Bananas and Gordo's Queso Dip
Shopping: Trader Joes. Just recently discovered the amazing world of Trader Joes (I'm hooked!)
Hosting: I want to have a St Patrick's Day party, but not sure how it will work with my schedule. Fingers Crossed!
Drinking: Any form of red wine I can get my hands on. Really enjoying a good Cabernet or Merlot. Also enjoying sparkling lime and grapefruit water #healthy

Celebrating: Valentine's Day just passed..What did I do? Had a fun day with some friends and of course watched Walking Dead (how romantic)
Following: Rove and Wend (she is a DCP alum who is a Flight Attendant now, #goals) 
Watching: The Walking Dead is back on!!! I am also hooked on the new show American Crime Story featuring the trial with OJ Simpson..Morgan got me hooked on the Bachelor (I'm embarassed). Also just finished Nurse Jackie
Listening: Falling Slowly from "Once"...Omg I am obsessed...
Reading: Ooops this one is awkward. I never read...like ever...but I do enjoy a good Refinery 29 article now and then (online reading counts right?)
Discovering: Netflix....I have not given in and gotten my own account, but my roommate's account does look very tempting and interesting...
Buying: Lots of boots! I have a new found obsession with ankle boots and riding boots and all kinds of boots. Super practical for Florida right??
Working:  I have spent most of my time working at all new locations this month. I have been introduced to the Disney Springs location, and I LOVE it!
Traveling: Just got back from Atlanta to visit my grandparents. Also got to see my mom's best friend's grand babies (TWINS!)..Omg they are adorable
Liking: I am liking lots of animal photos lately. Especially Prissy_pig
Hashtagging: #shareyourears Disney is running a campaign, and every ear photo posted with that hashtag results in a $5 donation to Make A Wish!
Learning: More Photoshop tricks
Hoping: I can get out of the awkward 23/24 year old funk and figure out my life!
Considering: Saving my money to go on a trip to Europe...any takers???
Thanking: My grandparents for allowing me to come visit them this past week and spoiling me rotten the whole time I was there
Goals: I need to be healthier and work out more often. I have started to attempt regular gym trips, but we shall see how long that lasts for...