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Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Switched the Flip

Quick life update in the last week since I'm the worst blogger on the interwebs.

Ready..
Set...
GO!

1. One of my dear friends got engaged...and I got to plan & witness the entire thing. 
We were all on the ground with signs while they hovered above in a helicopter.
Once they landed, they came to snap some photos with us!
2. My liver was seriously tested by the amount of work events we had over the weekend.
Starting with Thursday's Christmas in July!
3. On Friday we had our quarterly off-site team building day, also known as Loco. We take a half day and pick something to do as a group. This time, we made our way to Wekiva Island! This was our company meeting prior to leaving
for loco, stolen from my co-workers Instagram. We were getting excited! :)
Winning team for flip cup & volleyball - thank you very much!
Followed by a night out on the town where my phone was stolen.
WAHH, hence the lack of pictures for everything listed above.
Whoever took my phone, I really really hate you :(
4. The CEO of our company had a Pirate Party at his house on Saturday.
Who doesn't love a pirate party with boats, floating in the river, glow sticks, live music, a dj,
flip cup & dancing? I sure can't think of anyone.
Reason #506 why I love my job: the lovely ladies!
5. After 7 extremely long months we found out that we didn't get the house. 
It was a HUGE bummer. I guess it just wasn't the house that was meant for us. 
Let the home searching commence... again!

After all the fun I had this weekend, losing my phone & a house didn't seem all that bad.

Friday, July 19, 2013

Chicken Enchiladas {Recipe}

Last night I made Chicken Enchiladas for dinner. And since I remembered to take pictures
during the process, I figured I'd share this oh-so-easy recipe.

To be honest, the sauce is not my favorite. I'm still looking for the perfect Tijuana Flats enchiladas copy-cat sauce, but
this the Old El Paso Enchiladas sauce is convenient... & when it comes to me, convenience usually wins.

It takes about 45 minutes for this meal - prep & cook time included!

What you'll need:
1. Boneless skinless chicken breasts
2. Flour Tortillas
3. Shredded Cheese
4. Old El Paso Enchiladas Sauce
5. Fiesta Sides - Mexican, Spanish or Taco Rice
We prefer spanish or taco rice, but they were out.
6. Cooking spray
You'll need to shred the chicken to get started. I find that boiling the chicken makes the shredding process simpler so that's what I did. I typically cut the breasts in half when boiling them to ensure that it's cooked throughout. Mix the shredded 
chicken, 1 cup of cheese and 1/2 can of the enchiladas sauce in a bowl.
 Lay out the ingredients on a tortilla wrap and roll it up. Of course you can add any extra goodies like onions,
peppers, etc... here but these tastebuds are far too picky for that. 
Place them in a pan, pour the remaining enchiladas sauce over the top of the tortillas. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 375°.  
When you have 10 minutes left on the enchiladas  throw a cup of cheese over the top to allow it to melt.

While they are cooking, follow the instructions on the rice packet to cook the side - it takes about 10 minutes to cook.
 Bon Appetit! 

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

R.I.P Talia Castellano

Heaven gained a spunky new angel this morning. After a 6-year long battle with cancer, Talia earned her 
wings and is no longer suffering the pain that plagued her for far too long.

Talia was widely known for her makeup skills that she shared with the world through her YouTube channel, 
famously quoting "makeup is my wig." After appearing on The Ellen Show, she was also crowned as a honorary CoverGirl. 
Talk about a huge achievement at such a young girl - one that was no doubt earned.

What really sparked the hearts of millions was her vibrant personality and optimistic outlook on life. 
She was an inspiration to many people and I know without question that she will be deeply missed.
R.I.P sweet angel. We were blessed to have you here, even for such a short time. The world is a more 
beautiful place because you were here. Your legacy will remain and, eventually, there WILL be a cure.

Did you know that childhood cancer takes the lives of 2,500 children every year? That is WAY too high of a number, 
especially since only a small percentage of the The National Cancer Institute budget is set aside for childhood cancer 
research.  Please take a quick minute to sign the petition to increase federal funding for childhood 
cancer research to eliminate the risk of pediatric cancer.

Packing 101

As I mentioned yesterday, we're moving out of our apartment next week. Unfortunately, after 7 months, we're still waiting on a closing date for the house. Court between the bank and seller falls on the same date that our lease ends so, if all goes well, we could be in the house very soon!

Our lease ended two months back so during that time we've been paying a month-to-month price, which was $300 over our original rent. They let us know that if we signed a 3rd month, they would need to raise it again. In my opinion, it's not worth the paying such a large percentage more for the same apartment. Alas, we made the decision to each move to our parents house until we figure out the house situation. Knowing that we're about to be responsible for a mortgage, I think this was the best option to save as much money as possible before making that huge step.. even if it's just for a few weeks.

Anywho, the basis of this post was to list some packing tips that I've found useful in the past, as well as some tricks that I found while browsing Pinterest. 

1. Free Boxes - The prices of boxes are rather expensive considering that you're not going to use them after the move so don't pay for them. You can go to your local liquor store and they always have a ton - some are even sectioned off which are great for gasses, vases, and glass home decor!
2. Wrapping - Don't waste money on bubble wrap! Simply use your extra bedsheets and towels to wrap your frames, dishes or any breakable items. Use shrink wrap to wrap your cutlery so you don't waste time packing and unpacking it.
3. Clothes - Taking your clothes off the hanger to move can be a huge pain, especially when you're just going to put them back up. Suggestion, use a garbage bag 
4. Label, label, label - Not being able to find items after a move is extremely frustrating. That's why labeling the boxes with the contents is so helpful! I also tend to go marker happy and label every side of the box just in case they are all in a pile and I can only see one side. If you're moving a large house or have kids, using colored labels can definitely be beneficial :)

5. Use what you have - For all the clothes that fill my dresser, I'm packing my suitcases as if I'm going on vacation. Luckily, I'm only moving a mile away so I can do this process slowly over the next week but using the things you have for packing can be extremely helpful. You can also use your pots & pans as food organizers, or your crock pot as a spice organizer. It keeps everything together and allows you to use your space wisely.
Now let's hope I get through this move without losing my mind.
Moving = my least favorite hobby!

Monday, July 15, 2013

Blessed Weekend

Something I love doing is showing my appreciation for the things I enjoy. There is no different when it comes to fast food. As most of you know, Friday was Chick-fil-a appreciation day so I dressed up like a cow, loaded up Landyn and off we went. Let's be honest, I wasn't going into this establishment dressed like a cow without someone else with me. You can hardly see our spots in the photo, but we both got free meals so we were happy campers.

After hanging with the lil one for a few hours, Justin took me to the driving range for the first time. He's been promising to take me golfing since the day we started dating over 4-years ago so this is a step in the right direction. It did prove to be far more difficult than I imagined so I'm glad we started there. We hit up our favorite late night go-to, Ale House, for some food before settling in with the movie Snitch. We're both lovers of The Rock so it was an easy pick. If you are too, you'll enjoy this movie :)
 On Saturday, we woke up early to get some moving errands done before getting some sun for a few hours. Later that night we hit up the Orlando Predators game and ventured downtown for a TON of dancing. If you're ever in Orlando, please hit up Eye Spy before ending your night. It's always a blast.
We went to Justin's parents for breakfast on Sunday and got to hang out with his sweet Nephew for a bit. Asher must have hated my dress because he demanded I change by spitting up all over me. He's lucky he's such a cutie ; )

Justin had his chef hat on this weekend and whipped up a delicious Chicken Primavera for dinner last night. I'm already looking forward to leftovers for lunch! We rented another movie, 'Crazy Kind of Love,' that landed me in the 'never allowed to pick another movie' doghouse.  Luckily, we were saved with our favorite guilty pleasure, Big Brother.
We also may or may not have downloaded the app True or False and had about 50 battles during the course of the weekend. If you love trivia and friendly competition, this app is for you :)
With all of the fun we had, we still managed to box up about 40% of our apartment. We're moving in just over a week and since Justin works the next 7 days, it's crunch time. I'll be enlisting the help of Pinterest for moving tips & tricks to make this process as seamless as possible!

What kind of shenanigans did you get into this weekend?
Sami's Shenanigans

Friday, July 12, 2013

Brow Chicka Brow Cow

Over the past few years I've become obsessed with eyebrows.
I've noticed that well defined eyebrows measure about 40% of a girls facial beauty, in my eyes.

Let's take Megan Fox for example. I've never cared for her too much, but homegirl has some fierce eyebrows.
The shape and definition of her eyebrows just make her shine!
I've gone to the same eyebrow place for the past 10 years and they mess them up every single time. Even when I lived in Tallahassee, I would wait until I was home to get my eyebrows done. Don't ask me why - let's just call it Stockholm Syndrome.

A few weeks ago, I finally found a new place that opened up in the complex directly in front of where I live
and the lady did awesome! Convenient and talented? Score! I think with time she might be able to shape my eyebrows
like David Spencer's real life main squeeze. Maybe, just maybe!

I've tried searching through Pinterest and YouTube videos but nothing helps me develop the shape and fullness that I'm after.
Any ladies out there that have a secret brow weapon that they want to share with me? 

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Another year older & wiser

Fourth of July/Birthday weekend has officially come and gone... & nostalgia has set in.
Rather than bore you with all the fun events that took place, I'll do what I always do - a ridiculously lazy update filled with mostly photos explaining the shenanigans that took place.

Once the clock struck 4 on Wednesday, I hightailed out of town straight to Daytona Beach to stay at our friends new absolutely gorgeous condo. We went to dinner on the inter-coastal, listened to live music and drank Corona Light by the pitcher. That just screams vacation in my eyes. We had a little hot tub get together when we got back to the condo and had time to play games before hitting the sheets to rest up for the 4th of July festivities. 
Being the early riser that I am, I was ready for the party at 8 a.m. We dressed in our most festive attire and headed to the pool to soak in the gorgeous Florida sun. After a few hours, we jetted over to New Smyrna (only a 15 minute drive) to continue the weekend celebrations with more friends. If you haven't been to Chase's on New Smyrna beach, you haven't lived. Our day included endless drinks, pool volleyball and friends. Need I say more?
We didn't have much time to get all fancy so with a quick change of clothes and run of the straightener, we headed to watch the fireworks right on the beach. Fireworks filled the shoreline and it was so beautiful to witness. My idea of heaven. Of course we headed out for another night of drinking until we couldn't drink anymore. A Taco Bell & Mc. Donalds stop may or may not have happened on the way home.
We had a pool party on Friday with more pool volleyball. If you're thinking I love volleyball, you would be correct. I love any game really. Add alcohol to games and it's my kind of heaven. We went to a local place for dinner and ended up having drinks with the sunset as a gorgeous backdrop. After finding another location that would fit all of us, we went back to the house to play Battle of the Sexes. Katie even decorated the room I was staying in to make me feel special for my birthday :)
My birthday was Saturday so after a 7 o'clock wake up call we made it to disappearing by 9 to celebrate. Talk about having the entire day to play! We experimented with the jet ski, rested on the tubes, grilled out, drank our faces off, twerked (yup) and just had an absolute blast.
We had 6 girls & 5 girls in the house so I was amazed at how we were able to all shower and get ready within an hour to make it to our dinner reservation. Every single one of the girls washed and blow dried their hair. Hate to brag but that is pretty darn amazing.

After dinner, we met up with my birthday weekend twin, Jen, for more drinks and bar hopping. Jen is Justin's best friend's girlfriend that I met when they got together a little over two years ago. I'm so thankful Mark picked such a great girl that I get along with so well.  I think Jen and I were the only ones that wasn't exhausted going into the night, but after 5 shots of fireball, I was ready to hit the sack. My birthday had come to an end. Wahhh.
We drove home Sunday, washed our cars, unpacked our bags, did the laundry, went grocery shopping, took my Nephew fishing all before 2 so the rest of the night was spent ordering take out and watching a movie.

Now that, my friends, is a perfect mini-vacation :)