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April 27, 2015

Dunn’s River Falls

Good Morning!  Did you miss me?  I know, my consistency has been about once a week this month ha, but it’s been nice to take a small break.  I’ve been working on one of my 2015 goals though and that’s getting braces.  It hasn’t been the funnest experience of my life at this point and I don’t imagine it getting any better since all I’ve had to deal with so far are spacers. The brackets aren’t even on yet and I haven’t had my teeth pulled, so that week will probably be the most miserable week, but I do believe it will all be worth it in the end!  Wish me luck.

BREAKFAST

It’s been difficult to eat a lot with my spacers in, but I’m getting a little more brave as time goes on and I decided to do my old favorite – cinnamon raisin ezekial bread with peanut butter and banana.  It just now occurred to me that I forgot the honey & cinnamon on top.  I only did one slice this morning instead of two because I knew I wouldn’t make it through two whole slices with my spacers in.  I also have some Pineapple Kona tea steeping in the kitchen right now.   I’ll probably make myself a smoothie before leaving the house as well.

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JAMAICA

Wow… that’s been forever ago!  I still miss it.  I would not object to being on the beach right now with a book in hand and the sun shining down.  It’s finally time to share about Dunn’s River Falls though.  I had been waiting on the flash drive from my cousin with the pictures.  She had the full blown water proof camera, so we brought that with us on the excursion and the pictures turned out great!

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We met up at the excursion desk that morning around 9:30am.  We decided not to do the booze cruise and to take the bus instead.  We both agreed that we didn’t feel like we missed out on anything when we did this and it saved money so I could get a massage later in the week.  We met a super sweet couple that had just gotten married, so we stuck with them throughout the trip.  It’s a little chaotic when you arrive, but we finally made our way to the falls and we had a tour guide to start us off.  I was a tad surprised when they wanted us to hold hands during the entire climb up because I felt that if one fell, we would all fall.  Turns out, that’s definitely the best way to go – so we formed a line holding hands all the way to the top.

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The guys who led the way would stop at certain points along the route for photo opportunities.  They would take our picture with their fancy camera in case we decided to purchase a cd of pictures and they would also use your camera to take pictures.  It was very convenient.  I felt that the excursion was the right amount of time too.  I never thought it should be time to go and that we were dragging on, but I also didn’t get too disappointed when it ended.  Don’t get me wrong, I could have done that again the very next day because we had so much fun!

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We decided to bring as little as possible with us.  My cousin brought a small shoulder bag and that’s where we kept her camera, a little money, and our clothes during the trip up the falls.  It worked out great.  I decided to leave my shirt on because I was a little nervous about my top coming off, but Karla did just fine wearing her swimsuit and never had any issues.  We definitely encourage you to wear your hair up.  It didn’t get in our way and I’m sure it made the trip much easier.  It’s pretty shaded, so although I would recommend wearing some sunscreen, you don’t really need to worry about reapplying or wearing a whole lot.  The water can be a little chilly, so be prepared.

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One thing that we were not sure about were shoes.  We debated whether or not we should purchase water shoes or if we could wear some tennis shoes or sandals that we brought with us.  We were 110% thankful once we arrived that we decided to purchase specific water shoes from the gift shop at the resort.  Do not wait until you arrive to the falls and do not purchase them along the route.  They have a place where the driver will stop on the way there for you to “rent” shoes.  They’re NOT worth it, in my opinion.  We were so glad we chose to purchase the water shoes at the resort.  I thought about wearing some active sandals that can get wet, similar to choco’s, but I’m so glad I didn’t.  I would not have felt that my toes were safe.  There are a lot of rocks, obviously, and a lot of places I could have cut a toe or pulled a toenail.

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This was by far one of my favorite days from the entire trip.  I’m so glad we chose to do this and I have some really great memories with my cousin!

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Can I go back now?

Filed Under: Family, Favorite Things, Fitness, Jamaica, Travel, Uncategorized 1 Comment

April 9, 2015

Happy 26th Birthday to Me!

Well y’all, it’s been another year of life.  Today is my 26th birthday and I’m celebrating the crap out of it!  I’m currently in Orlando for a work conference, but guess what?  That conference ends today at 3:00pm. Then it’s off to Disney for celebration galore with Nick, his brother, sister-in-law, and nephew.  We have dinner plans, Festival of the Lion King plans, and Fast & the Furious 7 plans.  Plus, have you heard that there’s a new vegan bakery in Downtown Disney?  I’ll have one of everything, please!

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I can’t help but think about how blessed I am.  I have 26 years of life behind me – each year has had it’s share of good & bad, of course, but when I look at the big picture, I am just so incredibly thankful for this life.  Thankful for the people I get to celebrate life with – family, friends, nick, co-workers, and other’s that I volunteer with or encounter throughout my day.

I know it’s completely blogger cliche, but I figured another great way to celebrate (besides everything else I have planned) is to share 26 things I’m thankful for.

1. Being able to celebrate my birthday at the happiest place on earth – with some of the best people I know!

2. Forgiveness.

3. A good Starbucks coffee.

4. The relationship I have with my sisters.

5. Dogs that love you even when you accidentally step on their tail or don’t let them run out the front door to chase the squirrel they have their eye on.

6. Making blog friends that become real friends.  It’s such an odd thing when you think about it, but thank goodness it exists!

7. Vegetarian/Vegan options at a restaurant.

8. Being able to live with my parents to save money, pay off debt, and accomplish things I otherwise wouldn’t be able to.

9. Cute planners!

10. Legs that can run/walk/jump/bike.

11. Girls on the Run.  This program is teaching me so much and the girls I am blessed to spend 2.5 hours a week with have truly carved out a place in my heart!

12. Life Lessons.

13. My job & my boss.  Flexibility, trust, and ownership I’m given.

14. Prius & low gas prices.

15. Healthy eating education.  Not everyone knows what it means to eat a healthy balanced meal, and I’m so thankful that I do.

16. Sunny days, especially after a long stint of rain & clouds.

17. Technology that lets me stay in touch with long distance friends and family.

18. Prayer.

19. Fresh fruits and vegetables.  The beauty they bring to the world and the nourishment they provide my body.

20. A homemade delicious black bean burger – you can’t find that every where.

21. Community Service.  It proves that there are people trying to make a difference in the world and it’s an experience that can humble a person.

22. Education and the vast amount of resources at our disposal. Getting a college degree is not where it ends.  We can constantly learn new things thanks to the internet, libraries, and people who simply want to educate others about their passions/expertise.

23. Things that simply remind you God is there and is deeply in love with you.  We all need that from time to time and it can come in the form of friendships, nature, experiences, and much much more!

24. Words of affirmation.

25. Unexpected gifts or cards in the mail.

26. Of course, having a very best friend in Nick.  I’m so thankful that we love 12 hour car rides together and running around Disney, that we are willing to take spontaneous trips on occasion, and that sometimes a date night revolves around How I Met Your Mother and a Papa Johns Pizza.

Cheers to another year!

Filed Under: Disney, Family, Nick, Starbucks, Travel, Vegan, Vegetarian, Whole Foods 2 Comments

April 6, 2015

Relaxing Easter

Good morning friends and Happy Monday to you!  How was your Easter?  Was it peaceful?  We talked about peace at church this weekend and it was a beautiful thing to think about.  Knowing God and knowing that he can provide the peace we need in the midst of constant storms and battles in our life!  So thankful for that reminder.  I hope everyone had a great weekend with family & friends!

Nick came to town this weekend, but didn’t get in until late Friday night.  I got off a little early for Good Friday and headed out to the new Starbucks in our area.  I wanted to get some blog work done for this week since I’m heading out to Orlando late tonight.  After Starbucks and 2 pretty solid posts scheduled, I went home to go for a run.  After my Friday run, I was excited to realize that I knocked out four runs this week!  I haven’t run four times in one week since December because of my knee.  Each run felt good, and each run felt stronger as the week progressed.  This was also the first week that I actually felt sore from a run since December.  Sore in the good sense – where I actually worked muscles and didn’t kill joints and tendons.  I had a great week in running.

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On Saturday morning, I slept in and then took it easy.  I took sweet Cappie on a walk that he thoroughly enjoyed and I read a portion of the book we’re reading for office book club.

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I had a cup of coffee at home for the first time in a long time!  Lately I’ve been drinking hot tea, but it was nice to go back to an old favorite.  I begrudgingly went to the gym for a workout.  I don’t know what it is about the gym, but I am not very motivated to go.  I enjoy the outdoors.  I went anyways because I knew I needed some strength training.  I plan on cancelling my membership to the gym soon because I am certainly not getting my money’s worth.  The amount that they charge for a single person seems absolutely outrageous to me, but I will admit, the Y has a lot of great things to offer, but for one person, who works 40 hours a week and goes out of town frequently – it’s not worth it!  The family membership is a steal though, in my opinion!

After the gym, I had to get ready for a wedding that night.  An old high school friend of Nick’s was getting married and we were looking forward to seeing some friends that we hadn’t seen in a very long time.  Of course, some of our favorites – Joel & Charlotte – were there!  We decided to detour to Atlanta on Tuesday so we can have breakfast with them on our way to Gainesville.  It doesn’t add much time to the trip and it’ll be nice to try one of their favorite local places.

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The venue was really beautiful.  It was an outside wedding and although there were thunderstorms the night before, the day of the wedding turned out lovely in terms of weather!  The grass was a little moist, so my heels kept digging in, but other than that – perfect!  Once the sun set, they had strings of lights around the back yard.

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Of course, I didn’t snag a picture until later in the night.  I’m so terrible at getting pictures of us right away when we’re fresh and the sun is still out so we get that natural light.  Oh well, I’ll keep trying!  Every time Nick where’s this maroon blazer, he gets a lot of comments.  Our college colors are maroon and white, so people love it!

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You may remember our friends Joel & Charlotte from the trip we took to Atlanta last year and then also the night we stopped by on our way to Charleston to make sushi.  We look forward to another great adventure with them in the morning.  Of course, adventure means devouring a plate full of breakfast and sipping some warm coffee – it’s about to crazy!

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I love this long lasting friendship!

We had a very late night and I was dead beat tired when I finally  made it home.  An early wake up call wasn’t exactly what I envisioned the next morning, but when I finally made it to church, I was glad to be there.  My sisters were in town, so it was nice to spend quality time with them.  Nick headed over right after church and we spent the morning preparing some black bean burgers that I’m excited to share the recipe for later this week!

I’m off to work, but I’ll be back tomorrow!

  • What did you do for Easter?
  • Did you have a relaxing weekend or a more fast-paced weekend with it being a holiday?

Filed Under: Church, Family, Nick 1 Comment

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The views and statements expressed on No Bologna are my own. You are reading No Bologna at your own risk and I am not providing any type of professional advice. Unless otherwise noted, all material on No Bologna may not be used, reprinted, or published without my consent. I do occasionally have affiliated links on my blog - this does not raise the price of the product, I simply get a very small commission from the regular retail price if something is purchased using an affiliated link on my site. I appreciate any support by you in regards to affiliated links.

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