Here’s something I made during my last days of being in Florida. I’m so dramatic – making it sound like I’ll never go back!
- Teriyaki mushrooms with scallions over egg noodles + some sprinkled sesame seeds.
- You bet your bottom dollar I used my chopsticks!
Oh wow! I realized how little pictures I took of what I’ve made. I guess I didn’t think they were worthy of documentation? So ladies and gentlemen this means not everything I eat is pretty hehe. Not to say the other things tasted bad though! Remember, don’t judge a book by it’s cover. I can say that again when it comes to Indian food. Some dishes -cough- saag paneer -cough- don’t look so yummy, but once I take a bite I can’t help but make “mmm” noises while I’m eating.
My last couple of days in Florida were spent going out an about. Just being a busy girl! My mom got Friday off… err I mean she was sick! We went to the beach for awhile and then came home and got ready to go shopping in Aventura. They have lots of cool stores like Zara, BCBG, and even Lululemon. I definitely wore my new necklace! Who can wait?
- Guess where I am?!
- Williams Sonoma!
Seriously, why didn’t anyone think to take me here on my birthday? One thing I never do on birthdays or holidays is say what I want. I know people aren’t mind readers, but usually I don’t really want anything in particular. If I want something, it’s usually something I fall in love with right on the spot and I just get it myself. Prime example, the necklace hehe. Can you guys tell I really like it? But the real reason behind my, let’s call it “mysteriousness”, is because I like to see what people come up with. It gets people to think about what someone really likes, and it makes the gift so much more personal.
- PAUL bakery has a full bakery there, but there’re also these little areas scattered inside the mall as well.
But don’t worry, they’ve also got Annie’s Pretzels!
Later on we met up with my mom’s friend, Sandra, for dinner. My mom changed her outfit. I’ve got my very own diva!
- Sandra’s adorable stuffed animal, Simba!
He tilts his head like that if you pull out a camera.
- Posing in an alleyway!
I seriously think it might be a Hispanic thing, but I think they both look so young! I’m pretty sure I’m going to age like that because people think I’m way younger already. Right now I don’t really appreciate it, but I think later on I won’t be complaining about it.
- We hit up Lincoln Rd.
- The perfect people watching place.
Lincoln Road Mall is the place to watch and be seen. Everyone is so fashionable, content, and beautiful. Plus, you never know who you’re going to run into. When I took one of my roommates here we bumped into one of the Kardashians since they’re filming a show in Miami I believe? Then one restaurant over, there was this familiar woman sitting casually with her friends. At first I couldn’t but my finger on who she was, but I knew she was a very talented actress. Then it hit me! It was Glen Close!
Anyway, we were walking and searching for a place to sit down and eat. The great thing about Lincoln Rd is that every place has an outdoor eating area. Nights in Florida are perfect. It can be humid, but the temperature is just right and you get a refreshing tropical breeze every once in awhile.
- I think this picture turned out really cool! Two hotties standing still while the world just goes by.
- I adore this picture of my mom. How could you not fall in love with her?
This place enticed us with free cocktails. Then we found out that they don’t make substitutions. Isn’t that crazy? I understand if they don’t have the food item at all, but if they do… I just don’t get why not. So we left and started our search again. We took about two steps and found where we wanted to eat. Is it bad that I didn’t remember what it was called? I just looked at the menu and liked what I saw.
- Awkward hand?
Oh did I also mention that our waiter looked like a supermodel? He winked at me a couple times, and I’m sure my heart skipped a beat each time.
I chose an endive salad with pears, walnuts, roquefort and a sweet mustard dressing. I wish I knew how small the salad would be. It was not filling at all, but it was delicious! I’ve never had endives before. And you know me, I’m always up for trying something new.
After our dinner we just walked around and took lots of pictures!
- Sandra workin’ it!
- Two crazy peas in a pod. We’re containing ourselves.
Oh boy, here’s the series of pictures of me trying to explain how the camera works.
- Uhhhhh
- “You press that button.”
- Got it!
We spent hours talking and some dirty laundry was aired out. Plus they gave me some hilarious insight on relationships. These are definitely two women I can look up to.
I made sure that I wouldn’t miss the yoga class with my favorite instructor. I seriously think this is the best way to start my Saturday… weekend, really! On Saturdays the instructor makes the class more challenging. Afterwards, I usually just go down to the sauna and wind down. Yes, even after savasana. By the time we got home it was lunch time and we whipped up something quick so we could get ready to go to Ikea. I can’t believe the US had gone so long without opening one!
- Always a line.
Don’t worry I’ll include some more pictures of food later on in this entry hehe.
Afterwards we headed home and it started pouring. I’m talking lots of raindrops the size of really dangerous golf balls! Most people turned on their hazard lights when we got on the highway. You could barely see whichever car was in front of you. We made it home safely and I had too many things to do to cook dinner. So I left my mother in charge. I felt bad though because it was going to be our last meal together. I just had to do some packing, waxing, and getting ready for the club.
- Eskimo kisses with my little nugget, Matilda
- Sometimes when I walk her I have to carry her like this because she refuses to go any further.
- Hey there, little lady.
Remember how I said I would take this Florida trip as time to reflect and improve myself? One of the important things I take with me from Florida this time is that there is nothing wrong with being a confident woman! I think because I look younger than my age, and am a child at heart – I somehow got lost on the path towards womanhood. Also, I’ve found that for me being in Richmond and being in art school, I’m surrounded by a lot of young women who aren’t very… feminine. There’s nothing wrong with that. But for me, I don’t quite like downplaying the fact that I’m a lady. And I had been doing that. For awhile I really lost touch with myself. I admit, even showering became a chore because I didn’t care about myself enough. At one point I got so upset with my appearance that I would walk through the alleyways to get to my classes in order to avoid more contact with people. My life was so bland and depressing back then. I knew I had to stop those behaviors, because that just wasn’t me. Anyway, I’m much happier now and I feel like I’m finally growing into the young woman that I am.
I wish I had pictures of me and Pilar dancing our hearts out! We went to this fun club down in Miami. Oh gosh! The place we went to had free entry before midnight. Well we got there right at 12:01 and usually they’re real sticklers about those kinds of things. Well I still asked if we could get in for free. You want to know the guy’s response to me? “Of course you can, you look so sexy.” I was about to start laughing right then and there. I’m such a little kid. It’s funny what women can get away with in this world. Sometimes it gets to me, but this time it meant I didn’t have to shell out some cash because I was a minute late. Can’t leave my girl hanging so I asked if she could get in free too. So we both waltzed on in and I went to the bar to order a cocktail. I payed $11 for a Vodka Redbull. I was like… I’m fine with just one cocktail, damn! It was really strong. Then we headed to the dancefloor to do what we do best. Pilar and I make an awesome dance duo. I also met up with a really cute friend of mine. Why is it that these romantic encounters happen right before I’m about to leave wherever I am? So I’m trying to find you guys a picture of the place I went to.
- I wanted to show you guys a picture of the courtyard, and this is the best I could do. Oh! Just imagine that’s me and Pilar dancing bahaha.
This is subdued compared to a lot things you see there or just Miami in general haha! Well, Pilar saw a familiar face and I met some new people. They were all very nice. Pilar’s friend was actually the father of the baby’s birthday I was celebrating some entries ago. They invited us over to where they were hanging out and they had a nice set up going on, complete with a very tall bottle of Grey Goose. After some more dancing, Pilar and I headed back home. I knew I had to wake up early and I debated just staying awake. Well I got home and took a shower because I didn’t want to sit with that awful stench on the roadtrip. I got about an hour of sleep. I can’t imagine living the partygirl lifestyle all the time. But I do want to go out more. I’m young and that doesn’t last forever.
Sadly, the next day I made a bowl of oats that I had to pack away in a tupperware. It was way too early for me to have breakfast, so I opted to take it on the road with me. FYI, soaking pecans in your oats makes them taste a million times better. The car was packed, and me and my dad were off. My dad was very nice to drive up my car for me. I ended up sleeping most of the way because the night before led much into the following day. That means I was severely lacking sleep. Plus I was kind of feeling dizzy – mild hangover?
- Hazelnut Sweet Crunch
Anyway, another product review! This is a Kay’s Naturals item. I hadn’t tried these Nutty Chips yet, but I figured what the hey! I let my dad try some and he noted that he could imagine these as a cereal. He was so right! Anyway, these are my favorite Kay’s Naturals product as of yet. I still have a crapload more to try. But for real, these were so yummy!
- We stopped by the rather lackluster Subway.
I had them load it with all the veggies they had sans olives. Olives are not my thing. I love the banana peppers at Subway though. I had them put on some jalapeños as well. Jalapeños are usually no big deal, but oh my gosh! My mouth was on fire. Anyway, you see those green things there? I brought some edamame along for the trip, and decided to put some in my sandwich. It was a nice addition and it actually kept me full for about 2 hours! I don’t get why I can still get so hungry on car trips. I just sit and sleep. Oh and I also play DJ with my iPod – I guess it’s hard work.
Note: I won’t be posting on a daily basis until I get things settled in. I’ll still be posting though – and reading of course! I will share some plans that I have coming up in August though. First, I’ll be moving to my new place! At the end of the first week of August, I’m devising a plan to get my friend, Liz, to come down from Brooklyn to visit me. Then when she goes back, I plan to go back up to New York with her! And most likely I’ll get to bring Matilda along as well. Towards the end of August my semester starts up again, and I’ll be one step closer to my degree! Who knows what will be in store for me? It’s funny how much things can change in even a moment.
p.s. You guys really make my day! When I first created my blog I thought no one would actually read it. And at first no one did ahahah! But over time I have made some new friends and you’re such nice, wonderful people. I get a strong sense of community, and before I get all mushy gushy… I wanted to ask you all:
What’s something you’ve gained from your blogging experience thus far?
Another quick question. Tonight I’m going to TRADER JOE’S with my dad and I’m wondering if you guys have any suggestions!
