Y'all, I am just so behind the times. I've been seeing everyone's posts about how GoogleReader is supposedly peace-in' out and that I'm supposed to switch over to something else? And, it sounds like a lot of bloggers are recommending BlogLovin, so I guess I'm jumping on the bandwagon! I really hope I'm doing this right!
If you use Google Reader to follow my blog, consider switching over to BlogLovin!
Follow Life of Lu on BlogLovin
Hope you had an awesome weekend!
Florida Vacay-- The Happiest Place on Earth
6.26.2013
Howdy, friends! Back for Round 2 of recaps for our Florida vacation. You can catch up with Round 1 here!
We made the second half of the trip on Tuesday and finally arrived in Orlando, our homebase for the rest of the week! My family had rented a condo for the week, and it turned out to be perfect for what we needed and was much more comfortable/cozier than staying in a hotel!
My brother, Bryan, and his girlfriend, Hanna, were flying into Orlando that night, so we had some time to kill until we needed to pick them up. Kyle had made dinner reservations for us at House of Blues in Downtown Disney, which was a perfect way to kill a few hours!
Happy Sigh. Looking at these pictures makes me wish I was back there right now! It was just one of my favorite trips with my family ever and the memories are beyond priceless!
We made the second half of the trip on Tuesday and finally arrived in Orlando, our homebase for the rest of the week! My family had rented a condo for the week, and it turned out to be perfect for what we needed and was much more comfortable/cozier than staying in a hotel!
My brother, Bryan, and his girlfriend, Hanna, were flying into Orlando that night, so we had some time to kill until we needed to pick them up. Kyle had made dinner reservations for us at House of Blues in Downtown Disney, which was a perfect way to kill a few hours!
Downtown Disney Highlights:
Hearing all of the fun music from Disney movies playing
Yummy Dinner @ House of Blues
Buying my Minnie Mouse Ears
Seeing all of the adorable little girls getting their hair done at the Bibbidy-Bobbidy-Boutique
Getting pumped up for Disney World the next day!
Bryan and Hanna arrived a little later that night, and the party officially began Wednesday morning! We spent Wednesday & Friday at the Disney World Parks--Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom! Thursday was an Islands of Adventure Day, which I'll be blogging about in another post!
Disney Day 1-- Hollywood Studios Highlights
Riding amazing rides-- Tower of Terror, Rockin' Roller Coaster, & Toy Story Midway Mania
Playing fun games w/ the fam while waiting in line, thanks to Hanna!
Being with Kyle while he overcame his fear of upside down roller coasters
Beauty & the Beast Show (especially watching the adorable couple doing the sign language...they really got into the acting!)
Indiana Jones & Star Tours
Amazing Fantasmic Light Show (after the 1st one was cancelled due to storms)
Bryan bumping his head in the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground (too big!)
Dad convincing the workers at the Toy Story ride to let us go again, even though it was closing time!
Disney Day 2-- Magic Kingdom Highlights
Getting completely soaked on Splash Mountain-- although Bryan and Hanna got it worse!
Starting the slow clap every time we went on the upslope of a roller coaster
Other favorite rides-- Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain Railroad
Scoring 999,999 (top score!) on the Toy Story ride by malfunction...if only I was really that coordinated!
Riding Mom's favorite, It's a Small World
Taking pictures with Mickey Mouse
Surprising Dad with his Mickey hat and birthday pin
Fun last dinner at Tony's Tavern, home of the Lady & the Tramp famous spaghetti scene
Attempting to reenact aforementioned spaghetti scene with Kyle
Riding Splash Mountain at night, just as the firework show began
Amazing firework show to end the night
Having fun playing dress-up in the gift shops
Ending the day with Dad's famous chocolate milkshakes
Florida Vacay-- Pit Stop in Savannah
6.25.2013
I make no excuses for my lack of blogging these last few weeks. You can't blame me...If you were prancing around the happiest place on Earth you wouldn't blog either! Kyle and I just got back from a two-week vacation in Florida, and it's time for a little recap.
Don't worry, I'm not even going to attempt to cram it all into one post, so we'll start with our overnight stay in Savannah.
Just a little background story for you-- my dad's 60th birthday is coming up in July, and where best to celebrate that milestone birthday than at Disney World-- the one place that can always bring out your inner child! We decided to make a family thing out of it, and there was no looking back.
My last day of teaching was Friday, June 7th. We spent the weekend packing and getting ready for the trip and hit the road Sunday night for Wilmington so that we could link up with my parents for the looooooongggg drive South on Monday!
How does one pack for two weeks of vacation? Better question-- How does Laura pack for two weeks of vacation? Not lightly, my friends!
Stay tuned for Florida Vacay Recap on our adventures in the Happiest Place on Earth!
Don't worry, I'm not even going to attempt to cram it all into one post, so we'll start with our overnight stay in Savannah.
Just a little background story for you-- my dad's 60th birthday is coming up in July, and where best to celebrate that milestone birthday than at Disney World-- the one place that can always bring out your inner child! We decided to make a family thing out of it, and there was no looking back.
My last day of teaching was Friday, June 7th. We spent the weekend packing and getting ready for the trip and hit the road Sunday night for Wilmington so that we could link up with my parents for the looooooongggg drive South on Monday!
How does one pack for two weeks of vacation? Better question-- How does Laura pack for two weeks of vacation? Not lightly, my friends!
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| The back of Kyle's car before we left for Wilmington! I set the record with 5 bags! |
On Monday morning, we crammed everyone's luggage in, squeezed into our seats and started our journey for Savannah, Georgia (so glad we broke the trip into 2 days!).
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| Waiting patiently for Dad to finish loading up! |
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| Ready to roll! |
The ride down was not bad at all! We were all so excited and had lots to catch up on. Not to mention, I was equipped with my stack of books, my Sudokus, and my People Magazine Celebrity Puzzlers. Kyle had his Ipod. Dad had his radio. And mom had her head bob, which always happens when she falls asleep!
We arrived safely and soundly a little before 5pm, which was perfect timing for an stroll before dinner!
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| Warm pralines...heavenly! |
I had been to Savannah before, but it's just one of those places that never gets old!
Savannah highlights included:
Devouring the pralines my brother's girlfriend, Hanna, sent with us for our car ride
Finding out that said pralines actually came from River Street Sweet Shop in Savannah (hence, pralines could be replenished for next day's car ride!)
Walking around Savannah, especially the river front
Running through the rain to get back to our hotel
Dad making fun of Mom and me for having our "lightening rods," aka umbrellas, up as we ran
Watching the Brain Game on TV with my family before bed...lots of laughs, mostly directed at Mom and me, per usual!
Me totally botching up the pronunciation of Publix while on the phone with the nice sales girl at the Loft!
Stay tuned for Florida Vacay Recap on our adventures in the Happiest Place on Earth!
Had my fix of StitchFix
6.06.2013
Let me just start this post by saying that I am a marketer's dream. I spend way too much money "falling" for the traps-- cute packaging, pretty colors, famous spokesperson, you name it.
I like things that are fun. Birchbox--that's fun! You get your little package in the mail with your little beauty samples, half of which you'll never use (or is that just me?) and your day is instantly more exciting. I loved my 12-month subscription Kyle got me for Christmas last year :)
Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the second I heard about Stitch Fix from a few fellow bloggers and two of my high school besties I signed myself right on up. Clothes hand selected for you by your "personal stylist" that get mailed to you after you fill out your online style profile--done and done!
Sounds amazing, right?
It was amazing...
I was so excited to receive my package in the mail promptly on the day it was scheduled to arrive. The packaging was cute, and it was honestly like Christmas day as I ripped into the package to see what my Shopping Santa had picked out for me!
I like things that are fun. Birchbox--that's fun! You get your little package in the mail with your little beauty samples, half of which you'll never use (or is that just me?) and your day is instantly more exciting. I loved my 12-month subscription Kyle got me for Christmas last year :)
Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the second I heard about Stitch Fix from a few fellow bloggers and two of my high school besties I signed myself right on up. Clothes hand selected for you by your "personal stylist" that get mailed to you after you fill out your online style profile--done and done!
Sounds amazing, right?
It was amazing...
I was so excited to receive my package in the mail promptly on the day it was scheduled to arrive. The packaging was cute, and it was honestly like Christmas day as I ripped into the package to see what my Shopping Santa had picked out for me!
You open the card neatly sitting on top of your goodies so that you can learn the ropes and know what to do. Try on the clothes. Decide what you like. What you don't want to keep, you ship back within 3 business days. Easy Peasy.
You get all excited as you pull out your items, trying them each on, one by one! You snap photos of the items you love, maybe you don't if one of the items is a clingy striped dress ;)
You fall in love with more than 1 of the items in your box, even though you promised yourself you'd only keep one, two tops.
Then, you look at the receipt.
And, it wasn't amazing.
And, you realize that maybe you, personally, aren't as comfortable with some of the prices, especially if you're someone who's used to buying things when the store is having a sale and you can use a coupon on top.
You question yourself as you remember selecting the option of "cheap as possible" for your items and are concerned that $38 for a bracelet is what they consider "cheap as possible." Am I really that cheap that I don't think $38 for a bracelet is by any means cheap?
Then you might feel torn because you have this $20 that you payed as the styling fee that could go towards an item that you keep, or you lose if you don't keep any of the items.
But the item that you want is $70 and maybe you've never really payed $70 for one item unless it was a REALLY special occasion because you're a teacher (no need to explain!)
So, you're left debating whether or not you should lose the $20 or fork over the $70
And, maybe you're husband is giving you a lecture about how you never should have signed up in the first place.
Which ultimately leads you to sulk as you pack up all of the items and dream about winning the lottery!
So, just to recap...
Stitch Fix Pros
1. Very fun-- I loved filling out my style profile, getting the box, etc
2. The stylists really know their stuff-- I loved all of my items and 4/5 fit me very well
3. Super easy to return items you don't keep
4. If you keep all 5 items, you get 25% off and you can put your $20 styling fee towards your purchase
5. Very easy to schedule your shipments
Stitch Fix Con
1. You have to be comfortable not knowing the prices of the items you receive, knowing that you lose the $20 styling fee if you don't keep any of the items
Needless to say, I'd still recommend Stitch Fix because there are lots of pros...I just think it's wise to know what you're getting yourself into!
Hurry Up, Slow Down
6.05.2013
Hey friends! I know that I totally deserve the "neglectful blogger" slap on the wrist for my poor attendance & participation in the blogosphere these past few weeks months days (cough, cough), but fear not because I literally have 1.5 days of school left.
I'm excited about having a Summer break-- time for me, time with Kyle, time with family and friends.
But....there's a big BUT...
...ending a school year is always bittersweet for me. There's just something untouchable about the relationships you form with each class and the classroom family that you create. There's an ease and comfort level that you get to after those 180 days together that can never be recreated 100% with the classes that follow. Each year is different. But it never gets easier to say good-bye. I think I'll know that I'm done teaching when it does get easy. Each class pushes you and challenges you in different ways. But the good times--oh, the good times-- that is what you think about as the last days approach. You don't remember the stress or the tears. You look at those 21 faces and feel so proud to the point of tears. You want time to hurry up because you know that Summer freedom is at your fingertips, yet you want things to slow down, so that you can savor those last few moments with those kiddos whose lives have become so intertwined with yours.
It is such a gift to be apart of a kid's life. Such a gift.
So, as Friday approaches, I take to heart what a wise, precious bear by the name of Winnie the Pooh once said...
I'm excited about having a Summer break-- time for me, time with Kyle, time with family and friends.
But....there's a big BUT...
...ending a school year is always bittersweet for me. There's just something untouchable about the relationships you form with each class and the classroom family that you create. There's an ease and comfort level that you get to after those 180 days together that can never be recreated 100% with the classes that follow. Each year is different. But it never gets easier to say good-bye. I think I'll know that I'm done teaching when it does get easy. Each class pushes you and challenges you in different ways. But the good times--oh, the good times-- that is what you think about as the last days approach. You don't remember the stress or the tears. You look at those 21 faces and feel so proud to the point of tears. You want time to hurry up because you know that Summer freedom is at your fingertips, yet you want things to slow down, so that you can savor those last few moments with those kiddos whose lives have become so intertwined with yours.
It is such a gift to be apart of a kid's life. Such a gift.
So, as Friday approaches, I take to heart what a wise, precious bear by the name of Winnie the Pooh once said...
I'm ready, I'm not ready.
Hurry up, slow it down.