WHEW what a weekend!!! It was quite a busy one!!

Thursday afternoon...ATT is installing UVERSE line in our neighborhood. Don't ask me what that really is because I have no clue. However, they hit the water line and we didn't have water from Thursday at 4:30ish PM until Friday AM about 7.

My Friday (I consider Friday the start to the weekend) started bright and early! I babysit for a friend who lives down the street. I go to her house from 430-630 3 days a week for 2 weeks on and then 2 weeks off.

She has an adorable 2 year old and a little one about 14 weeks old. She is a Camp Gladiator fitness instructor and teaches early morning workouts.

After she came home, I quickly checked to see if the water was working. WOOHOO it was back on so I took a quick shower before work.

This particular Friday I taught my POUND class twice once at 9 and then again at noon. I am truly loving the workout and how amazing I feel from it. It truly is a full body workout.

After work I came home and started preparing for my little Stella and Dot get together. I finished cleaning house and tidying up and then got ready to PARTY.

I had a few friends stop by after work for some wine and cheese and cookies.

Long story...taking the cookies out of the oven I burned myself and OUCH it hurts!!!

Friday is my hubby and I's date night! A friend called and asked if we wanted to grab drinks. We joined him at Bella Fresca Bistro and had drinks and dinner together.

Saturday I worked from 730 until about 11.

I came home and rested a little before my favorite Jr. League event of the year. Jr. League kitchen tour is always the last weekend in October. They have about 6-8 houses on the tour. Some are new construction, some are remodels and some are houses for sale or League member houses.


They have a brunch at Kitchen and Bath Cottage in town and also a happy hour here. You can buy raffle tickets for 10 dollars and this year I WON a Magnolia Homes rug. I am so excited because I just love Chip and Jo Jo!


Saturday after the Kitchen Tour I decided to stop at our local favorite place to eat for a drink and to watch the end of the Baylor vs Texas game.

Sadly my Baylor Bears lost by 1 point. However, I wasn't too upset because my mom went to the University of Texas and I do like the Horns also.



Our friend who joined us for dinner Friday evening, stopped in also for a drink after work and we decided to again do dinner together. This time we went to the real Bella Fresca which is a little more upscale. I had a very yummy chicken breast with risotto and then we went to Superior Steakhouse for a yummy dessert!

Sunday was pretty low key....I grocery shopped, went to Barnes and Noble and watched the Cubs game with my hubby!

Today, I am linking up with Erika, Narci and Andrea for Friday Favorites.

This has been one crazy week!!! Between returning from a trip and car issues I am very glad it is Friday and the start of a fun weekend.

Favorite #1

New York, New York

I loved Wicked and my hubby loved the Empire State Building. This was truly the trip of a lifetime.




Favorite #2

I am excited to crave a pumpkin this weekend with my hubby!!! We haven't craved a pumpkin together since our first year we were married.

Day 4...last day at SEA!!!

I was very excited for this day to start but then looked outside and saw it was very overcast and rain was predicted for the day. Which meant I couldn't lay out. After being at SEA for 2 days I was ready for some sunshine. Believe me we find it when we get to the first island we visit. :-)

I once again enjoyed a yummy breakfast in the room and then went to workout.

We enjoyed lunch and dinner in Luminae and just relaxed. However at dinner I got a little sea sick. :-(

TIP- If sea sick eat an apple with some salt. Our waiter at dinner shared this tip with my husband and I quickly felt much better.

Day 5- LAND HO

Today we visited the island of St. Maarten.

TIP- If first time visitor to this island going to the airport is really cool. You can lay out on the beach and watch airplanes literally almost land on top of you. It is really neat!!

I enjoyed lunch in the suite and then around noon we got out and enjoyed the island. I needed a new pair of sunglasses so that was our purpose for today.

I got a great pair and have really been enjoying wearing them. I am sure they will show up in my pictures soon.

My father in law told us about a great store that sells men's dress shirts. My father loves Robert Graham shirts so we knew we needed to stop by. Needless to say his Christmas gift and my father in laws are taken care of!!!

We came back on board and enjoyed lunch before catching some sun onboard. It was very very hot this day.

This particular day we enjoyed lunch on board at the buffet. I learned now you can get a piece of grilled chicken, salmon, steak or a pork chop. They prepare it fresh they way you ask. I had a piece of salmon that was very yummy.

After dinner we went up to a bar on the top neck and enjoyed the Love and Marriage game show. They do this game type show on every boat I have ever been on. They choose 3 couples...one married the shortest amount of time, one married between 20-30 years and one married over 50. They ask the men (without the women) in the room a variety of questions. Then they bring the women back in the room and compare answers. Then they ask the women (without the men) a series of questions and compare answers when they return to room. It is always funny to see how their answers compare. They ask silly questions such as where was your first date, the best place you ever enjoyed your spouse, and other questions.


Day 6 ST THOMAS

Sadly the last day of the trip before we head home.


In St. Thomas we really like to walk around and just shop. The last time we were here in March my dad got a watch. We always enjoy lunch at the same restaurant and either get a Mahi Mahi or Salmon fish sandwich. They also have very good drinks.

After we filled our bellies we walked around and shopped some more. The hubby spoiled me and got me this necklace. I am looking forward to wearing it to an upcoming formal event at Christmas time.

After getting back on board we started packing our bags to return home sadly. :-(  We enjoyed pre dinner drinks in Michael's and dinner in Luminae. We said goodbye to those crew members we had grown to enjoy this trip and went to bed.

It was an amazing trip and look forward to sailing again soon.

On Sunday (the 16th) we departed on a 6 day Celebrity Summit cruise. It was a repositioning cruise so the first 3 days we were at sea. I am going to share some of the highlights from each day....these were very nice relaxing days.

Day 1

We left our hotel in NYC about 12 and headed for the port in Cape Town, New Jersey. I was very thankful for our UBER driver because traffic in New York and Jersey is crazy. It took about an hour and a half because traffic was so packed until we went through the tunnel.

Random fact I learned...In New Jersey you cannot pump you own gas. This reminded me of my sweet grandmother. She never learned to pump her own gas.

We got on board the ship about 2 in the afternoon. We went to the room and set down our carry on items and then went to eat in Luminae the suite dining room for guests.



This dining room is for suite only guests and the menu is simply amazing. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner here on sea days. On non sea days they serve dinner here. You can make a reservation through your butler or yourself. When my parents joined us on board in March they really enjoyed eating in here. They feel in love with the food and our sweet waiter Bojan. Sadly, he wasn't on board this time.

After lunch we went back to the room and thankfully had our bags to begin unpacking. We unpacked and just relaxed until it was time to meet on the helipad for us to leave port.



On some cruise lines you can go to the helipad area at any time. On this particular ship you cannot go to the helipad unless you have a crew member take you.




We joined the other suite guests and left port. This was such a neat experience however, I wish I had thought to bring sunglasses and also it was very, very windy!!!

We explored the boat a little...this is our third time on board this particular ship and then went to dinner in Luminae.

We also enjoyed the show our first evening on board...it was a mixture of a comedy and singer. The shows onboard are really neat. They typically have a comedian or singer, then one or two dance shows and a magic show which is really neat.

Fact some people do not know...you take or go on a cruise ship!!!! It is not a boat. On a ship you have life boats on a boat you do not have life ships.

Day 2

Day at SEA....on these particular days they have tons of activities onboard the ship. You can play BINGO, there are movies on board, shopping in little boutiques (clothing, jewelry, liquor, etc.) and you can always enjoy the pool. Since, we left out of New Jersey this particular day was a bit chilly and windy so we just enjoyed sleeping in and relaxing.

I enjoyed breakfast in Michael's this particular morning. This was new this trip. Michael's is a little place onboard for suite guests. They have either a piano player or singer each evening and you can enjoy lite appetizers before dinner and drinks. All drinks are free in this particular spot.

TIP- If you decide to cruise the beverage packages are worth it. They have different beverage packages. However, if you don't have a package you will pay for soft drinks and any other drinks you enjoy. We get the package because we enjoy soft drinks in particular my husband, drinks before dinner and large bottles of water for when in port.

For lunch we enjoyed Luminae...in this particular restaurant at lunch they have appetizers, an entrée and dessert...plus bread every meal.

Before dinner we had the opportunity to meet the captain in a more intimate personal setting along with several of the higher ranking officers on board. This particular voyage we had a woman captain!!! She took pictures with everyone and we got it as a keepsake.

TIP---They take pictures everywhere on board!!! They are very expensive to purchase!!

We enjoyed dinner in Luminae this evening. We eat there each evening! :-) I will talk about other places to eat on board later.


Day 3

Second day at SEA....

This morning I enjoyed breakfast in our room....an omelet with bacon, orange juice and coffee.

Happy Sunday FUNDAY!!!

1) My husband Greg and I met in college...many people believe I transferred to Baylor because of him. However, I already had the plans to transfer and met him about a month before the second half of my Sophomore year.

2) I am an only child...my cousin and I pretty much grew up as sisters. She is 2 years older but we only were one year difference throughout school.

3) My husband loves flavor and spice. He grew up in Louisiana but doesn't consider himself really Cajun. He loves shrimp and grits, jambalaya, gumbo and crawfish.

4) We love to travel....we have been on a cruise every year together since the year we got engaged.

5) When my husband Greg proposed I told him I wanted roses. I meant I wanted like a trail of rose petals. However, he proposed in Tyler Rose Garden.

6) My family owns coin laundry mats...however, I didn't learn how to do laundry until my Senior year of high school.

7) I love to run...I have run several half marathons.

8) In 8 years of marriage...I have had 3 pretty major surgeries. ACL (tore it snow skiing), Jaw surgery and my wisdom teeth out.

9) My favorites candies are Sour Patch and Trolli gummi worms.

10) I love Star Wars and Star Trek.

For the last 2 days I have simply been on the trip of a lifetime and it is just beginning. Tuesday (the 11th) my hubby and I celebrated 8 years of wedded bliss (lol). Let's be real and honest it hasn't all been bliss but we love each other and support each other. :-)

This past year we were on a cruise in December for New Year's....in March we cruised with my family...in June we went to Alaska for a cruise and now in October we are cruising again. I also turned 30 this year.

We are beginning this cruise by spending a couple of days before hand (we leave today Sunday) in New York. My husband Greg has never been.

The last 2 days we have walked about 50,000 steps. NEW YORK is pretty big.

Saturday we arrived...ate a quick lunch at the Roast Kitchen and started exploring.



The best part of this day (Friday) was the Empire State Building. We went to the 80th, 86th and 102nd floor. I had been previously to the Empire State Building in 2003 when I came on a high school trip but I can say I truly appreciated it more this time. We learned that from the 80th to the 86th floor you can actually take the stairs.

Today, I am linking up with Narci, Andrea and Erika for Friday Favorites!!

OMG!!! The new Stella and Dot line is AAAmazing!!!! First off these amazing bags!! These bags are great for everyday, a Girl's Night Out or evening on the town. The brown Covet bag is a favorite the leather is so buttery soft!! I personally got the black bag in the last picture. I am looking forward to carrying it in New York.




Statement Necklaces!!! These would be great for a upcoming holiday party!!