Thursday, May 26, 2016

May Book Review


Happy Tuesday Friends! I hope your week got off to a great start and you have exciting things planned for this week.  

For 2016, I have decided that it is important for me to take the time to read books... I know, I know, I say this every year, but this year I promise will be different! 

The goal is to each month, read a random assortment of books and share a few thoughts about the book (but not too much as I don't want to spoil the fun for anyone).  I love reading and I love sharing books with you guys.

Plus, this is a great opportunity for you all to share some of your awesome reads with me! 

If you want to follow/friend me on Goodreads, click here.

And you can keep track all year long by clicking 2016 Books at the top of my blog.  I will keep a running list of books right there for you.

Okay, time for the books I've read // currently reading in May!


The first book I finished in May is The Elite.  It took me a bit longer to read this book than I would like to admit but it was not because I did not like the book, it was because I was so busy that I had to carve time out of my busy schedule.  It is amazing how crazy this month as been.  The Elite is much more intense than The Selection as it has been narrowed down to six girls and each relationship is developing deeper and stronger with Prince Maxon.  I felt myself drawn to more than one of the girls in the book and really was not sure how I was hoping for The Selection to turn out.



The second book I read this month is The One.  This is the third book in The Selection series and it is so good.  I honestly started it on a Sunday and had it finished by Monday afternoon.  The book touches on Prince Maxon and America as they are both trying to figure out exactly what their relationship means.  I will just say, I was not expecting the book to end the way it did and I cannot wait to read the next book. 




Well that is all for my books for May! 

To check out the other books I have read this year, check out my 2016 Books tab at the top of my page or check out my reading list on Goodreads! If you have a Goodreads account, make sure to add me because I am always on the hunt for a good book recommendation.

Question of the Day: What good books are you currently reading? 



I'd love to hear from you!


Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. Read my full disclosure policy here.

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

What's Up Wednesday #10

Happy Wednesday Friends! Today I am linking up with Mix and Match FamilySheaffer Told Me To and The Larson Lingo for the What's Up Wednesday Post.  What's Up Wednesday occurs on the last Wednesday of every month and it is a fun list of questions getting ready for the upcoming month!





What We're Eating this Week

Ironically just like last month, I had sushi for dinner last night.  I went to Big Wave Sushi with Caroline and her sister, Kate.  I absolutely love Big Wave Sushi and look forward to going there every time I have plans to go.  Right now I won't be going for at least a month and I am a bit sad. 

What I'm Reminiscing About

We are getting ready to move and I have had all of these mixed feelings about leaving our apartment.  We have been here for over three and a half years and it is hard to think that we will not be living here any more.  We have made so many fun memories living here from Fort Sleepovers to Christmas parties and I will be sad to not make more of those types of memories there.  However, I also know that we have some fun and exciting memories to be made in our new house! 





What I'm Loving

I have been addicted to the song "Can't Stop the Feeling" by Justin Timberlake and every time I am feeling a little stressed out of overwhelmed, I listen to the song to cheer myself up.  If you have not listened to it yet, pleeeeassseee check it out.  I promise you will feel better immediately. 




What We've Been Up To

The past few weeks have been filled with parties, family, friends and other fun and exciting events.  I am loving how much time I have been able to dedicate to things I enjoy versus things I just put up with.  Last week was spent going through everything we are going to need at the new house and started making lists.   



What I'm Dreading

Packing.  I hate packing.  That being said, I am happy to be able to have the time to go through all of our stuff and get rid of all of the things that we do not need anymore and can reduce, reuse and recycle.





What I'm Working On

On my trip out of town last weekend to SMASH, I came to the conclusion that I really need to start working on losing weight and dieting properly.  I have joined a few groups on Facebook and have been debating joining a DietBet (any suggestions for one?) so that I can get some motivation to get my butt in gear.  I would really like to lose 25 pounds in 3-4 months.  That's like 6 pounds a month which is pretty reasonable.  Anyone want to join me on this journey?




What I'm Looking Forward To

I am looking forward to being a homeowner! I am sure this was a bit obvious since it's all I've talked about (sorry) but I am super excited to be a homeowner and finally have the ability to decorate a place that is mine forever.  Obviously there will be a ton of stress that will come along with owning a home, but I am looking forward to having that stress!



What I'm Watching/Reading

Right now I am loving The Selection Series and have been working my way through the books!
I have finished reading The Selection and The Elite.  I just finished The One yesterday and I am hoping to get The Heir tonight when I meet up with my mom! If you have not read any of these books I would highly recommend checking them out.To check out my other favorite books, check them out on Goodreads




What I'm Listening To

I am still hooked on the Mumford & Sons radio station on Pandora and have been listening to it a lot lately.  It is so helpful for relaxing when I am having a stressful day.




What I'm Wearing

With the weather being all over the place lately, I have been wearing a lot of ankle pants and blazers.  Michigan is always super unpredictable when it comes to weather so I never have any idea what I should be wearing when I leave the house in the morning.  Thankfully this week has turned out to be beautiful and warm.  



What I'm Doing this Weekend

With the house closing next week (hopefully!!) we are going to pretty much be packing for most of the weekend with the exception of Monday where we will be celebrating birthdays for my mom and my cousin.  It will be nice to have a break from all of the chaos of packing and a little time to relax before the closing.  



Bonus: What are you looking forward to this summer?

I am looking forward to having a neighborhood where I can go for long walks and go for bike rides with friends.  It will be awesome to just enjoy the beautiful weather as much as possible!


Previous What's Up Wednesday Posts:
I'd love to hear from you!


 This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy here.

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Show and Tell Tuesdays: My Favorite Vacation

Before I get started today, I wanted to wish my mom a very happy birthday! I cannot wait to see you tomorrow and celebrate with the family next week!



Happy Tuesday Friends! I hope all is well and you are having a great day so far! Today I am teaming up with Andrea for another fun round of Show and Tell Tuesdays.  



My Favorite Vacation

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I am super excited about this post because I love to travel! Honestly, I thought about the last 10 years and it was hard to choose between some of the amazing trips I have been on.  Between Italy/France, Jamaica and Uruguay/Argentina it was hard to choose.  However, at the end of the day, Uruguay is the trip with some of the more funny memories.




Our Uruguay trip kind of came about by chance.  Sarah's parents were moving down to Montevideo for six weeks and Sarah had planned to go down.  So of course Christina and I both volunteered to go down and thankfully Sarah's parents were okay with us visiting!

The first few days of our trip were spent in Montevideo.  During our stay there, we went to Tango Dancing, visited a 100 year old bar and tried some awesome beer, and went on a winery tour. 


Baar Fun Fun was such an awesome night.  We enjoyed some delicious bar food, had a few different drinks and got to check out some local dancers and singers.  I took some awesome videos while I was there and wish I could share them with you all.  Maybe if I get some time, I will upload them into YouTube.  


The next day, we all made our way for a tour of a local winery.  I had never been on a winery tour, so I was very excited.  While we were there enjoyed a delicious wine tasting and they gave us foods to pair with each wine.  What a lovely afternoon!




The next day, we hopped onto the Buquebus and made our way from  Mondevideo to Buenos Aires.  It kind of felt like we were going ona  mini river cruise and we got to enjoy champagne and snacks while were were travelling across the river.  After arriving in Buenos Aires, we made our way to the hotel before heading out for a fun afternoon/evening.  

To start our afternoon, we went to the Cementerio de la Recoleta so we could see the burial site of Eva Peron.  Honestly, I was not sure what to expect once we got in there, but I was in awe of the beautiful crypts and the beautiful trees throughout the gardens.  After the cemetery we made our way to another part of the city to check out the biggest book store in Buenos Aires.  This store was amazing! It was a opera house that was converted into a book store and there were books everywhere! I could have shopped there for hours.

After the book store, we made our way to La Bomba de Tiempo at the Konex Complex.  This place was filled with a ton of people and it was fun to just listen to the music and drink some beer.  We also met some girls from Germany and England while we were there.





The next morning, we made our way to the airport to head out to Iguazu Falls.  If you are ever in the Southern part of South America, I would highly recommend taking time to go to Iguazu Falls.  We spent a total of two days there and it didn't feel like enough time! While we were there, we jam packed as much as we could into the brief stay and made sure to see every area of the falls we could possibly see.

And honestly, the pictures do not do it justice.

After Iguazu, we made our way back to Buenos Aires and spent some time shopping and relaxing before making our way back to Montevideo. 





Once we got back to Montevideo, us girls took some time to wash some clothes and pack up for the next leg of our journey.  The plan was to go to Punta del Este for a few days then make our way up the coast to Cabo Polonio.

Once we made it to Punta del Este, we checked into our hostel for the night then found a local bar to grab a bite to eat.  While we were there, we talked to our waitress and mentioned that we wanted to go surfing.  Well apparently her boyfriend knew someone that teaching surfing and she connected us with Santiago.  Thankfully, Santiago made plans with us to go surfing and it was so much fun! I hope to go again sometime soon.




For the next part of the trip, we visit El Mano.  This sculpture is pretty awesome and it was amazing to be able to sit on the thumb and take some awesome pictures.  While we were there, there was this girl just climbing over every finger.  It was wild to watch! But I bet her pictures were absolutely amazing.

After packing up our stuff and heading on our way, we attempted to drive up to Cabo Polonio, but we never made it.  Apparently the road we were attempting to use ended into some sort of water inlet.  But either way, the drive was so much fun and we went on the road trip of a lifetime.

The drive back to Montevideo was absolutely gorgeous! Every where we looked, there was beautiful sunset and beautiful scenery.  Honestly, the best way to see a country is to just drive around.  You will be surprised at what you can learn.


The last day in Montevideo, we went into the town to shop around before heading back to the airport and heading home.  

Such an amazing trip. I firmly believe I left a piece of myself in Uruguay.
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Well that is all for today's post!

Next up on Show and Tell Tuesdays.....

What's in my bag?



Question of the Day: What would your Talk Show be like?

I'd love to hear from you!

Monday, May 23, 2016

Weekend Highs & Lows #32

Hello everyone!I hope you had a wonderful weekend filled with fun and exciting adventures  If you want more information about the party, please check out this post.



Highs:

This weekend was busy and fun all at the same time! On Friday night, a bunch of our friends came over to hang out and celebrate my birthday.  We had planned to just hang out, eat good food, drink and play games and that is exactly what we did!

For the first half of the evening, we spent time playing Mario Kart! I am so glad that Justin and I invested in a Wii U.  That was the best money we have spent in a long time! I love that we can play games with several people and everyone has a great time.


After Mario Kart, we all ate pizza (because it is imperative to eat pizza on National Pizza Party day!). After pizze, we played a fun round of Cards Agains Humanity.  IF you have never played Cards Against Humanity before and are not easily offended, I would highly suggest it! It is a lot like Apples to Apples, but for Adults.  


Check it out here:

cards against humanity

On Saturday we slept in because a few people did not leave until 2:00 a.m.  Saturday morning/afternoon we spent lounging around the apartment then around 3:00 we headed out to my cousin's first communion.  He was so cute dressed up wit his little bow tie.  I am sad that I did not grab a cute picture of him.  

On Sunday, my cousin and her husband had their baby baptized.  It was so fun seeing all of the little babies in their outfits and making all of the cute noises that babies tend to make.

After the baptism, we all went back to my aunt and uncles house for a mini celebration with tacos and cake.  



After celebrating Clara Mae, we went over to the house to check on any progress they had been making.  Since we supposed to be closing next week (ahhhhhhh) we have been going so often it feels like we already live there.  

Strangely while we were at the house, these women just walked right in.  Apparently they assumed it was an open house, but did not take the hint after Justin telling them four times that this was our house and was not open to the public.  He ended up sending them over to the model home so they could talk to the selling agent, but not without being extremely rude to Justin first. 

Lows:

Really no major lows over here except not getting enough chores or packing done.  It looks like this week will be completely dedicated to packing up the apartment.
  


Previous Weekend Highs & Lows
I'd love to hear from you!



 This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy here.

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Mother's Day 2016

Happy Wednesday Friends! Today you are actually going to be getting two posts! This post is extremely late, but life has been kicking my butt with my schedule lately and I wanted to share our celebration with you all still {even if it is two weeks late}.

So today I am going to share a Mother's Day Recap with you all! Last year we started a new tradition of taking our mommas {and dads too} out for a delicious brunch.  So this year we decided to go ahead and make that same plan again and we took all of our parents out for a Mother's Day Brunch.  


For brunch this year we decided to try The Fountains Golf and Banquet just to try and mix things up.  I loved their brunch menu because we could choose from a wide variety of things like bagels, pasta, eggs, and even steak.  Not to mention they had a delicious table of desserts to choose from.  I made sure to sample a few little things from each area because I couldn't pass up on everything that looked so delicious.   

My Dress: Nine West  ||  Mom's Dress: LuLaRoe

Each mom was given a beautiful bouquet of roses from Kroger.  If you are local to Michigan, I would highly recommend Kroger for flowers.  I am always impressed with how beautiful their flowers are and how high quality they are.  My mom got a pink bouquet and Justin's mom got a white bouquet.  


After lunch, we all went to the house to walk through it one more time.  I swear we are there at minimum one to two times a week! I love going through the house to see the progress that has been made and to revel in how quickly a home can be built.  

By this time everyone had to get back to other events, so my mom and I made our way to the movies to go see Mother's Day.  I was not sure if I would enjoy this movie because I tend to get overwhelmed when there are a ton of story lines, but this movie was great.  I laughed throughout the entire movie and I even cried at a few parts.  What a great way to spend our afternoon Mother's Day: seeing Mother's Day.  


Overall, the day was a fun and relaxing day.  And we honestly could not beat the beautiful weather that we had that day! Our first little glimpse of Spring before Old Man Winter reared his ugly head again last weekend.

Question of the Day: What did you do for Mother's Day?


I'd love to hear from you!