Under the Sea

As mentioned in this post, I love Sharks. This weekend, while browsing Netflix in bed, I discovered that you can now steam Shark Week!! After watching enough episodes to make BaDing* want to never go in the ocean again, I decided we should get up and go see some real life sharks. There are a bunch of aquariums around, but my favorite one is too far away. We settled for a smaller aquarium that is closer to us, and here are some of my favorite parts:

[Seals][Sting rays and baby sharks][A grumpy fish that reminds me of BaDing in the morning][Jellies!][And finally, the shark tank][I was completely mesmerized]

Ruben finally got me away from the glass and to sit down at a reasonable distance, but after not nearly enough time, a class of about 50 children came in. It was ways too loud and crowded to stay. Maybe I should book an excursion to swim with the sharks for my next vacation. What do you think Krystle?

Weekly Photo Challenge: Lost in the Details

[The gorgeous ceiling at the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas]

Guest Post: Easy Travel Tips for Your Next Getaway

I’m honored to be guest posting today over at one of my favorite blogs, Pictures and Plane Tickets. I’m sticking with her Travel Tips Thursday theme, so be sure to go stop by and check out my easy travel tips for your next getaway! 

Weekly Photo Challenge: Illumination

[The breathtaking sunset illuminating the ocean // Santa Monica, CA]

Meet Me in Tortola

While I love the winter, I have always been the summer beach bum type. I was bundling up this morning putting on layers upon layers, and I couldn’t help but day-dream about the beach. Sitting in a beach chair, feet in the hot sand, and pina colada in hand. Sounds like heaven to me. Tortola is one of the British Virgin Islands located in the Caribbean and it’s spot-on paradise. One of the best beaches that I have ever been to is a secluded beach in Tortola. The particular beach we went to was in a bay with nothing ahead but the clear blue Caribbean sea. I can’t wait to go on vacation!!!

A New Year

New Years Eve is my least favorite holiday of the year…but luckily it’s followed with New Years Day, which is all about fresh starts and new beginnings. I’m excited to start new and see what 2013 has to bring me. Even though we are only a few days into the year, it has been a wonderful start with great news and a weekend getaway! There are so many things I have to look forward to. Here’s hoping for a great year, filled with success, love, food, and travel. 

Mountain Creek

This past weekend me and a few friends of mine took a day trip over to Mountain Creek, New Jersey. It’s only about an hour and a half away and it’s the perfect place to get away if we can’t go for an entire weekend. There hasn’t been much snow, but we planned around the weather. Since it snowed all day on Saturday, Sunday morning we were off. We arrived right when the mountain opened. It was so windy and cold, and due to the wind, only one lift was opened. We got a few runs in before it got completely out of control and lift lines were over 45 minutes! All in all, it was a great time and I am still sore days later. I can’t wait to continue to get back into it this season.

[My board][The lift “line”][Waiting][Finally on our way up][Freezing at the top]

A Year in Pictures

[Cheers!]

I can’t believe 2012 is coming to an end. This has been an amazing year and I can’t wait to see what 2013 brings. Meanwhile, here are some of my favorite moments of 2012. Have a happy and healthy new year!

Five Tips for your First Trip Abroad

Hi friends, this is Rachel from How Bout Some Cake. Jordan has invited me to take over her blog today and share some tips about international travel.

If you’ve never traveled abroad before, it can be a little intimidating. It usually involves a really long flight, jet lag, a foreign language, currency exchange, and unfamiliar foods. But, in my opinion, it’s all totally worth it for one of the most rewarding experiences you can have. Here are five tips that will help you prepare for and get the most out of your first international trip.

I’m a huge fan of travel books (I wrote a whole post about them here) and I truly believe they are a tourist’s saving grace in an unfamiliar city. They offer everything from restaurant reviews and sample itineraries to history and cultural etiquette tips. Nobody wants to be a sophomoric traveler, and these guide books can really help in teaching you things you didn’t even know to ask. For example, how else would you know that gratuities in Spain should be a fraction of what you’d leave here in the States?!

I recommend making copies of all your important documents and keeping them with you all the time. When I say this, I’m including your passport, license, credit cards, insurance information, and any other documents you can’t live without. Of course, you have to keep your credit cards with you to use them, but everything else is better off back in the hotel safe. Pick-pocketing is rampant in many foreign countries, especially European ones, and you really don’t want some stranger running off with your passport. Similarly, if they do get away with your credit card, you want the card number and company phone number handy so you can call and report it immediately. Trust me, as someone who has been the victim of purse-snatching, these photocopies/scans can be invaluable.

First, find out their foreign transaction policies and second, apprise them of your trip. Your credit card companies may freeze your accounts when they see foreign spending, thinking it’s fraudulent activity. I’ve never had any trouble using my credit/debit cards abroad, but it is good to know how they’ll handle the currency conversion. Also devise a plan for cash- if you’re not comfortable carrying a lot when you travel, you will probably be able to withdraw from ATMs at your destination, but expect hefty fees with each transaction.

This is a good tip no matter where you’re going, but especially when you’re going somewhere vastly different than home. Bags do get lost, and you don’t want to be stranded without medications, a clean pair of undies, and anything else you would need within 24-48 hours of landing. Pharmacies work differently in other countries, so if you regularly take any medication (even something like Tylenol) you should bring it with you.

You never know what you’re going to encounter when traveling abroad. That’s the fun of it: encountering exotic and unfamiliar tastes, sights, and experiences. Don’t expect every experience to be good. You’re not going to like every dish you order, every hotel you stay in, every cultural experience. Conversely, you’ll probably enjoy some experiences more than you thought. View it as an adventure and keep a positive attitude to get the most enjoyment out of your trip. I think that, as Americans, we often think that our way is the best way, but I’d encourage any tourist to reserve judgment and appreciate every place for its own unique qualities.

Hope these tips help you when planning for your next big adventure!

Peachwave

Peachwave is a delicious self-serve frozen yogurt spot. My first time there was this past weekend, and I was like a kid in a candy shop. Once you choose your serving size, you are faced with the difficult task of choosing from a wall of original flavors — but it doesn’t have to be too difficult because you have the freedom to pick as many or as little flavors as you please. You are then greeted by a “toppings bar” that has everything from fresh fruit, bits of cake, cereal, and of course, classic frozen yogurt toppings like sprinkles and chocolate syrup. I love that it’s however you want it. This really is my kind of place – too bad there are no locations anywhere near me! [Who am I kidding, if it was near me I would be there way too often, lets hope they don’t start popping up around here!] I topped mine off with chocolate chip cookie dough, cheesecake bites, mini reese’s peanut butter cups, marshmallows, hot fudge, and whipped cream.
What’s your favorite frozen yogurt spot?