Monday, August 18, 2014

Disney Vacation Recap!

Happy Back-to-school Monday!
This has to be one of the most hectic Monday of all Mondays! 
Fortunately, I don't start until next Monday and I could not be more nervous excited!
I know I am getting this recap up a bit later than I would have liked to. This is partly because I've been so incredibly busy finishing up my room renovations, working, and enjoying the too few days left of my summer and partly because I knew that reliving the memories of this trip was going to make me go into major Disney Withdrawals. (Yes, they are very real)

Though going to Disney World never needs a real reason, CM and I made the trip in honor of our anniversary. We have been together since high school and are totally wanting to start traveling together! This was our first official road trip together, if you exclude our few day trips to Miami, so we were so excited! 


Our trip was originally consisting of 2 days at Disney and 2 days with his family at their beach condo about an hour from Disney property. Due to multiple changes we ended up doing one day at Downtown Disney and one day, our actual anniversary day, at Disney, more specifically Epcot.  The last day was spent relaxing on the beach. 

I never get tired of seeing this sight!

The iconic Downtown Disney is always a must-stop for me whenever I visit. I especially wanted to go this trip as I've read of all the new additions and soon-to-be additions to the area. I love the direction it is going in!
 I had 3 missions that day: 
1. Have my first Disney Starbucks Drink
2. Disney Quest
3. Find the Disney Alex and Ani bangle collection

And I am happy to report that I was successful in all 3 missions!

Disney Starbucks is so much more magical than regular Starbucks. 

 A DD store that was new to me was the Spice and Tea Exchange located near the corner of Mickey's Pantry. A fun little stop with a wide variety of spices and teas (well, duh) and salts and sugars and other fun Disney culinary tools.  


You best believe we smelled pretty much all of them! 


I had to contain my excitement when I came across this specific tea though. Hazelnut Cookie Tea?! Yes please! 


We ate lunch at a restaurant I've always wanted to dine at, the T-Rex. CM loves dinosaurs so choosing this restaurant was fairly easy. I loved the atmosphere and experience. We ate in the Ice Cavern that went from blue to red whenever there was a "meteor shower". So cool and so yummy!

Since CM and I were both not feeling too great from the start we pretty much took it easy the rest of the day, which included a trip to Disney Quest which was both of our's first time going there. 

After a good night's sleep we felt much better and ready to take on Epcot! 
Epcot is my second favorite park, behind Magic Kingdom of course, mainly because of the countries. They are my favorite and that is where we spent the entire day. 


It's funny how the pictures you snap the quickest end up being some of your favorites!

We ate "brunch" I guess you can call it in France at Les Halles Bakery. I was really craving a chocolate croissant which we split along with the Jambon Buerre sandwhich and the cappucino glacĂ©. It hit the spot! 
We then spent the rest of the day exploring each country which was so much fun! If you can, I highly recommend you take a day to spend in just the countries. It'll allow you to take your time in each country exploring all that there is to see...and eat and drink xD. 

After a long day we decided to have dinner in China at the Nine Dragons restaurant. Something we said we would do for this anniversary for a long time now. 

I ordered the Honey Sesame chicken with an iced chai tea and it was the best way to end the long day!

And last but not least: souvenirs! 



Since we did not want to do traditional anniversary "gifts" this time around we treated Disney as our gift for each other and bought each other souvenirs along the way. Since neither of us had a pair of Mickey/Minnie ears that was first on the list. (I know I am totally ashamed to admit this) I love these sparkly Minnie ears and I will probably be wearing these a little more than I should! A Disney tradition I have is to buy a trading pin that symbolizes the overall trip. I started this when I was a kid and have now continued this with CM. We bought each other this Epcot World Showcase countries pin that spins! Another little unique purchase we made for each other was for a pair of chopsticks from Japan. This past year we have been all about sushi (shoutout to CM for getting me on this bandwagon!) so to symbolize this we bought real (and really beautiful) chopsticks! We cannot wait to use them! And finally we bought matching little Minnie/ Mickey picture frames to hold a picture from our little trip so we can remember it all year round! 
Oh! And I can't forget these adorable little Minnie bow sticky tabs so I can have Disney magic as my study inspiration!

I am absolutely head over heels over my new Disney Alex and Ani bangles. I have been dying to start a collection and I am so happy I did. These are so cute and create a beautiful, yet not annoying, jingle. Needless to say I have been stalking the website in search of my next addition. 


Disney couples are the happiest couples.
And that's all she wrote! It was an amazing little weekend getaway that was the perfect way to end a long summer of hard work and to start off a new year of long distance. 


Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Liebster Award! + I'm back!

Happy Tuesday!
Confession: it took me way to long to figure out what day it was today!
I guess that's what vacation does to ya!
I just got back from my (a little hectic) 2 week Disney/Cruise vacay  and I still refuse to believe that I am sitting at my desk at work right now.
I would give anything right now to be either in the happiest place on earth or the beautiful Bahamian beaches but alas I have to face the reality that vacation does not last forever and that I start Nursing school in T minus 2 weeks and that my to-do list of things I need to get done before then is longer than my right arm. [Insert mini panic attack here].

I'll have more about that and recap posts very soon, but in the meantime...

I am so very happy to announce that the lovely Shae from Confessions of a Post-Grad Coffee Addict has nominated me for the Liebster Award! Thanks so much Shae!

Source


What is the Liebster Blog Award?
Its an award given to bloggers by bloggers to those who usually have less than 200 followers.
The word Liebster has German origins and means dearest, sweetest, kindest, nicest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant.

Rules :
1. If you are tagged/nominated, you have to post 11 facts about yourself.
2. Answer the 11 questions the tagger has given you and make 11 questions for the
    people you are going to tag.
3. Tag 5-11 more bloggers.
4. Tell the people you tagged that you did (through comment, personal message, etc.)
5. No tagging back.

Here we go!  

11 Facts:

  1. I have a HUGE sweet tooth. Mainly for chocolate.
  1. I have a sister who is 10 years older than me.
  1. I went to Catholic school all my life.
  2. My first job was working in a candy store .
  3. Although I am obsessed with pugs, I also have a beautiful 13 year old Papillion named Lilly.
  4. I was a Girl Scout for 6 years.
  5. My favorite TV channel is The Food Network.
  1.  My favorite color is blue and I buy way too many blue things.
  1. I am Italian and Honduran.
  2. I must always drink out of a straw. 
  3. I am currently listening to old Disney songs while writing this :) 

Shae's Questions: 

1. What's your  favorite ice cream flavor?
 Good ol' cookie dough for the win!

2. What is your favorite vacation destination?
You probably guessed it, Disney! Or anywhere with a relaxing beach and beautiful view.

3. If you could do anything (career wise), what would you do?
I would love to explore many of the different fields of nursing. The variety of areas the nursing career has is one of the main aspects that attracted me to pursing it.. My dream is to also include blogging in there as well ;)

4. Biggest fear?
Lizards. I cannot even describe my thoughts on those creepy, crawly things.

5. What song best describes your life at the moment?
Rather Be by Clean Bandit ft. Jess Glynne. I just love the vibe of this song right now! And it's very accurate as well ;)

6. Coffee or tea?
Oh that's so hard! I love both, but I'd have to go with coffee because a day without coffee is abnormal for me.

7. What's one thing you could not live without?
Aside from the obvious, and most important, family, friends, pets, etc. I could not live without my bed!

8. Favorite holiday?
Christmas. It is a holiday the lasts a whole month long (that happens to include my birthday!) and it is always such a happy time of the year.

9. What exotic animal would you want as a pet?
A whale, hands down. I have this weird obsession with whales and would be the first person in line to adopt one the day they somehow become acceptable to own as household pets.

10. Why you started blogging and meaning of your blog name?
I started blogging after spending a lot of time reading other peoples' blogs and just being fascinated by the blogging world itself. I wanted to start my own blog as a creative outlet (since my major is mainly science) and also as a way to document my life through college and, hopefully, beyond.

The meaning of The Brown Eyed Sunshine?
The sun, more specifically sunshine, is one of the things I am so grateful for everyday. There is just something so positive and uplifting when you look outside or out a window and see the sun shining down, lighting up the day. Florida is also the Sunshine State (though it fails to represent its name 50% of the time) so I figured it was a great place to start. And you probably guessed it, I have brown eyes. Brown Eyed... sunshine. It rhymed enough in my opinion  (I was never very good at poetry) and the rest is history!

11. Favorite season?
Since Florida only has two seasons, scorching hot and less hot, this question is a little hard to answer lol! I'd love to live in a place that experienced all four seasons independently so I could actually know what a 'Fall' and 'Spring" and 'Winter" too for that matter feel like.


I Nominate: 

Aly @ Love, Alysha







My Questions!

1.  As a child, what did you wish to be when you grew up?
2. What is your favorite app that is currently on your phone?
3. Favorite candy?
4. If you could be anywhere right now, where would you be?
5. What is your most recent accomplishment (big or small)?
6. Favorite quote?
7. What is one beauty product you cannot live without?
8. Hot or iced coffee?
9. What is your favorite Target department?
10. If you win the lotto tomorrow, what is the first thing you would do?
11. What is your favorite thing about blogging?


Well that was fun! I'm always glad to share a little bit more of myself on here.

And please don't forget to go check out Shae and send some bloggy love :)





Friday, August 1, 2014

My 5 Disney Essentials!

Disney Essentials




It's Finally Friday! 
I am officially in the 24 hour countdown until Disney! 
To finish off my week of Disney themed posts I thought I'd share 5 of my Disney essentials!
When spending the day at the happiest place on Earth preparation is key. 
And we all know how stressful planning and packing for any vacation can be so I'm sharing with you my 5 essentials in the hopes of making the process a little bit easier! 

1. Comfortable walking shoes. 
A no brainer but us girls tend to choose cuteness over comfort when deciding shoes. Having a cute outfit sometimes takes priority with how comfortable you will be . I know, I know, I've been there. But a day in Disney is not the time to wear those adorable sandals or new pair of cute sneakers because I guarantee your feet will rebel against you afterwards. My tip is to go with a trustworthy pair of comfortable shoes you know you will not have a problem with and plan your outfit around them. That way you can still wear a cute outfit and not have to worry about your only pair of comfy shoes not matching the new outfit you may have just bought. 

2. Comfortable clothes. 
Pretty much the same concept here. Are you seeing a trend? Your outfit surprisingly plays a huge role in how your day at Disney will go in. My ideal Disney outfit is a good ol' romper. They are light, super flowy and comfortable, and look cute and put together. I'd say it is a win win all around. I've found that jean shorts start to rub me the wrong way towards the end of the day and if you've ever experienced what I'm talking about before you know how much of a day ruiner that can be. #chubrub And dresses are light and breezy... but they can be a little too risky. We are in a family friendly environment remember. In my opinion rompers are the best of both worlds! 

3. Heat proof makeup
Don't ever underestimate the power of Florida's summer heat. It is no joke. To ensure you do not sweat off your entire face before you can even ride It's a Small World, I suggest a matte powder, waterproof mascara, and a long-wearing cream eye shadow.  I use the Maybelline Dream Wonder powder daily because I know it keeps me matte for a long period of time with just a few touch ups in every now and then.  The waterproof formula of Maybelline's The Rocket mascara is my favorite and it never leaves me with the dreaded raccoon eyes. And Maybelline's Color Tattoo cream shadows stay on all day long without creasing. Score! 

4. Sun protection
Though you will not be in direct sun all day, you will still want to have some kind of sunscreen on your face and body, especially if you are going multiple days. I suggest a spray formula so you can avoid the uncomfortable slimey, lotion feeling all day and this one from Hawaiian Topic is so light I tend to forget I even have sunscreen on! I also suggest sunglasses so you don't have to be squinting all day but make sure they are not the best pair you own. I've known one too many expensive sunglasses being lost on Thunder and Splash Mountain so grab a cute $5 pair at F21 and you are good to go!

And last but not least...
5. Disney Ears
A classic that will never go out of style. Showing your #Disneyside is one of my favorite things about being in Disney World. There is never such a thing as too much Disney, am I right? These cute Minnie Ears are form ASOS and are included in my Disney Wishlist post that you can read here

And there you have it! Most of these are probably no brainers, but trust me forget one of them and you will realize just how important they are.

What are some of your Disney essentials?
Have a great weekend!


Linkin' up!