Showing posts with label Birthday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Birthday. Show all posts

Around the World in 5 Hours 

Tuesday, June 5, 2012 -
After a great cruise, hubs and I made our way back to Orlando for our final days of vacation. Leaving Port Canaveral that morning, we had pretty much all of Friday to spend at Hollywood Studios. It was crazy busy because it was also Star Wars weekend. Some great costumes, that is for sure. We didn't last long - rode a few rides here and there, but we ended up leaving early to get some rest at our hotel, the Marriott World Center.



We ended back at the Boardwalk for some dinner that night only to head back to Hollywood to ride a few more rides before heading home. If you haven't seen the show Fantasmic! in the Studios, I insist you see it soon. Great show!


On Saturday, we took our time getting ready by laying out at the pool and relaxing. We grabbed some lunch at the Polynesian resort and then headed over to Epcot to drink our way around the world with one of my great friends, Stacy, and her friend, Matt.


We had a great time beginning in the United Kingdom, only to end in France for the fireworks.


It was a great vacation, ending with a quick lunch at The Wilderness Lodge before saying goodbye on Sunday. Couldn't have done it without Stacy. I always look forward to seeing her at least once a year. This girl can give a hub, let me tell you. She's so friendly, so giving, so caring. A great, true friend that I met back in 2009. Glad to have her in my life.

Now, we have been back in Indy for a bit. Am I missing The Mouse? Absolutely. After all, this is a place that is magical. Hubs and I got engaged there, and we've returned with friends and by ourselves many times always enjoying every minute. Lots of great memories, and I'm happy to say we had another fantastic vacation once again!

'Our' rock where we become an engaged couple in 2006

Muah - love you hubs. Thanks for a great 30th birthday vacation!

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Happiness at Sea 

Friday, June 1, 2012 -
After our first couple days in the Disney parks, hubs and I made our way towards the ocean. Towards a ship that I was extremely jealous of during our last cruise for hubs 30th birthday.

I may or may not have tried to get on this boat rather than the one we were really on. Okay, I thought about it though I didn't act on it. I really wanted to, trust me on this.

Beyond the fact that I adore The Mouse, there are man other reasons why I advocate for this cruise line. Disney Cruise Line (DCL) knows what they are doing. People scoffed and said "you are going on a Disney cruise? There are going to be so many kids..."

Well, everyone. I am happy to report that though there were children, there were no more children on this boat than there was on the other. If anything, I'd say I saw less children on the boat because Disney gets it.

They have a variety of different areas just for children of all ages. A nursery, a tween area, an area for teenagers. And you guessed it, that also means there is a variety of areas that are adult only. Plus, a lot of family friendly areas too - like the movie theater (called the Buena Vista Theater) where we saw "The Avengers" and "John Carter", or the Walt Disney Theater where we saw two Broadway style shows (The Villians was absolutely fantastic) and a comedy show.



We stopped in Nassau and Disney's private island, Castaway Cay, where we spent time on an adult only beach - Serenity Bay. Talk about a quiet place - it was beautiful.


That evening, we also got to experience fireworks at sea. There is only one cruise line that does fireworks at sea and I was happy to on board. They call it 'Pirates IN the Caribbean' - cute. One of my favorite moments was sitting under the stars on deck, watching Pirates while literally being in the Caribbean with a drink in hand. Love it.



Five days and our nights were perfect. We were never bored, we ate well, and we saw great entertainment. We had such a great time, we even booked another cruise! Alaska 2013 here we come - who's in?

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Happiest Place on Earth 

Monday, May 28, 2012 -
I know, I know. After the last time, I promised I would be around more. I guess life got away from me once again. With a trip to Vegas for work, followed by long days of playing catch up at work before leaving again for vacation, time got away from me.

When time gets away from you, sometimes one just needs to get away themselves. And this vacation that hubs and I had planned to continue the 30th celebration couldn't have come at a better time. We had scheduled a great vacation of a few casual days on Disney property, followed by our first ever Disney cruise aboard the Magic ship, then a few more days at the parks before heading back home.

Not that I need to tell you that I adore Disney. But I was really looking forward to this for a variety of reasons. Those first few days really were just what I needed. We spent our first day flying to Orlando (hubs worked in the am) and picking up our rental before checking into the hotel. We really wanted a casual night to kick off our vacation. Plus, a movie that I had been wanting to see, Dark Shadows, just opened in the theaters. We made our way to Downtown Disney and had a casual movie date night, while taking in the sights and sounds of the vacation destination.

The next day, we spent sometime in Magic Kingdom, with a quick jaunt to Fort Wilderness for lunch at Trail's End (you can read more about that over at City Nom Noms).


A relaxing afternoon followed by dinner in Epcot was just the day I needed to kick start our vacation. We were lucky to see the Flower & Garden Festival once again this year. It amazes me to what they can do with all the flowers, not to mention the great photo spots that become available.


The next day, we got up and started to casually make our way to Port Canaveral to board our cruise. More to come on that. Here's a hint - it was amazing!

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We've Got a Gator 

Monday, April 9, 2012 -

As promised, day 5 brought gifts! Yes, I did buy these for myself, but when they got delivered I couldn't have been more surprised. You see, Vinylmation is usually a surprise. And though I knew I was going to receive the Hawaii and Japan Vinylmation, but the Ice Gator was a surprise (I was hoping for the bride from Haunted Mansion). That is what makes Vinylmation hunting so intense...you really never know what you may get. Sometimes, the anxiety is pretty intense...let's leave it at that.

Day 6 - more bubbles! I like this sparking wine thing that I've got going on. It works for me. Plus, I was able to share with friends after over a campfire and s'mores.

Pizza from Toppers for day 7. Normally, I wouldn't chalk that up to be a fun part of birthday month, but staying in and being lazy without any plans in the world is unique. Quiet and precious. I couldn't help to love the Downton Abbey marathon and the cheesy breadsticks. If you read my other blog, you'll receive more information soon.

And of course, day 8 was a holiday. Friends, lots of food, and furry costume made it complete. I'm looking forward to a new week!

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The Beginning of Birthday Month 

Sunday, April 1, 2012 -
I'm a birthday brat. I have claimed the whole month as my celebration. I believe this is because both my brothers have their birthdays in April too. And growing up, it always seemed like it was really a month of birthdays.

So why stop? I've continued this tradition and hubs embraces it. He's good like that. And this year is a bit different. I'm turning 30.

And for those asking, I'm okay with it. I always look forward to birthdays, so why wouldn't I be excited for a milestone birthday?

So, how did I spend day 1? Well, we have to first acknowledge that it is my brother's birthday. Happy Birthday David! Lots of love as you celebrate in Virginia with dad!

Here is my day. A recap with photos.


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Brew Bracket - A Craft Beer Tourney 

Thursday, April 21, 2011 -
Hubs and I joined up with our friend Steven and a few others to participate in the IPA tourney of craft brews - Brew Bracket.  I wasn't entirely sure how the event was going to work, but was excited for this portion of the birthDAY celebration.  We happily made our way to the Indiana State Fairgrounds and arrived a few minutes early.  A few minutes early that day in the beer community was a lot early, so we sat around and waited for the festivities to begin.

As we looked around I saw there were four different areas: North, South, East and West.  Later on when we learned how the tourney would work, we were informed how the first round was split into two, narrowing the 16 entries down to 8.  The third round down to four, and so on until it was two against two in the finals.  Two plastic cups - one silver and one orange - were the vehicles to taste the beer blindly.  Then, you cast your vote in a paint bucket and hoped for the best.

It was intense.  Each round was 30 minutes so you had to make sure you left yourself enough time to try all the beers, especially in the first round.  It was also intense because it was a blind tasting.  Though you would normally cheer on your favorites, you really couldn't tell if you cheering them on or not.  I have to be honest: some beers I wouldn't have tried because I had bad experiences with others from that particular brewery.  Unless they were 'free' samples, I wouldn't spend my money on them.  But I would easily try a brew from a brewery that I've loved in the past.  It was intense, a little nerve racking.  I truly wanted everyone to do well, and I found myself crossing my fingers sometimes as I dropped a ticket into the bucket. 

There were some not so good beers and then there were some great beers.  Oh, and there was raffle.  I did not win one of the coveted growlers.  ::enter sad birthday face::

Here is a video of the bracket announcements:

And for those who didn't want to watch it - the finalists were Rock Bottom College Park (Liz) and Rock Bottom Downtown (Jerry).  I have a confession - I knew Liz's brew was in the mix.  I guessed it and I was right.  But I was surprised by Jerry's IPA - I had never tried it before and it was delish as well.  But for both RB's to be in the mix?  No one was expecting such a close family battle at the end (well, I like to think no one was...)

I'm sure you were wondering who the winner was...I know I was...


The winner was announced, and Rock Bottom Downtown brewer, Jerry Sutherlin's IPA brew was liked a little bit more by the taste buds of the room as he brought home the coveted tap handle. 

A BIG congratulations to all of the brewers who participated, and of course to Jerry for a great win.  Thank you to the coordinators of the event - we really had a great time.  Heard some rumors of an Oktoberfest tourney in the works.  Now, that sounds like another perfect way to spend my birthday...

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Birthday Celebrations 

Wednesday, April 20, 2011 -
Birthday flowers from SIL, BIL & godson!

If you know me, you know that I am a birthday brat.  Plain and simple - I can't help it.  I love celebrating my birthday (I mean, most people do right?)  The countdown to the birthday month begins St. Paddy's Day - exactly one month before the day of birth.  Then, April 1 comes and the birthday celebrations begin.

You may ask, "Angie, why do you feel the need to celebrate all month long?"

Let me explain.  David and Chris, my brothers, both celebrate their birthday's in April (1st and 16th respectively) so legit, it always seemed like a month of birthdays.  Plus, I had (and still have) many friends who celebrate their birth in April.  Prime example - 9 out of about 30 people have an April birthday at my work.  Nine.

I guess I never stopped celebrating the whole month - and my hope is that I will continue to do so for a very long time.  I'm uber fortunate to have a husband who indulges this celebration and allows me to be the birthday brat I am for the month.  And of course, my besties are also very good about it.  I like to think of it as being endearing.  Just sayin'.

So here we are in birthday week.  My actual birthday was Sunday and it began with a delicious breakfast of eggs benedict - my favorite.  I love the creamy hollandaise and how the egg yolk pours perfectly over the crisp hash browns and English muffins.  My favorite kind of eggs benedict is crab benedict.  I order it ever single time I see it on the menu.  But something is a little bit more loving when your wonderful hubs makes it for you.  No questions of "what would you like?" because he already knows.  I gobbled up my breakfast and then we were lazy before heading to Brew Bracket (which I'll be posting a recap very soon) for the afternoon. 

Next up, birthday sushi from Naked Tchopstix - for a review, head over to my other blog, City Nom Noms.  And to wrap it up, drinks with some great friends.

It was a good birthday, low key but still busy.  A good way to end the weekend (which really, wasn't the end since I took Monday off.  I'm a firm believer everyone should have their birthday off.  And if it falls on the weekend - take off the Monday) and begin the 2nd birthday week. 

Yes, I said 2nd.  Since birthDAY was on a weekend, I decided to grant myself two weeks. 

Birthday. Brat.  I know this.

Little celebrations here and there aren't bad. Things like me being able to pick out the movie on Tuesday night or decide where to go out to lunch on Monday.  They are all little things - and nothing is wrong with entertaining life daily.

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A Very Merry Social Weekend 

Sunday, December 12, 2010 -
Just coming home from my travels, hubs and I dove into a weekend of celebrations. We had not only the pending holidays to celebrate, but also my bestie's birthday!  It was a whirlwind of a weekend, but we definitely had a great time with friends while also celebrating our time together.

Day 10: Tini's & Turtlenecks was a theme carried through by our friend (who Tim loving refers to as 'Cougar') who was hosting her holiday party.  It was a great evening filled with new friends, a fantastic food spread and delicious drinks.  We were all cheery on Friday evening - how could you not be when surrounded by friends?  I adore LE, she is one of those fantastic people you meet in life and appreciate more and more each day.  And her brother D and other roommate T were fantastic hosts as well!



Saturday was Day 11: Beer with a Twist, hubs first physical gift.  Hubs loves his beer (as I speak, he is upstairs brewing) and pretzels.  I found a place out of Brooklyn, NY called Liddabits that makes beer and pretzel caramels, so why not give them a try?  I ended up purchasing a gift package named 'The Cult Classic' which consisted of the beer & pretzel caramels, sea salt caramels, honeycomb, and two candy bars (the Snacker and King.)  The caramels are all we've tried so far, and they really are fantastic.  Sweet, one piece is all you need.  The beer flavors are subtle, but compliment the salty crunch of pretzels.  Look them up if you are in Brooklyn, but know that Indy has some pretty fantastic sweets as well (hello Indy's Best Chocolate WeeMac truffles...and have you seen their holiday flavors?  I can't wait to give them a try!!!)

That evening we also celebrated my dear friend MM's 28th birthday with dinner at Scotty's Brewhouse and an evening of comedy at Morty's.  Dinner was stellar, comedians were lack luster, but the friends were everything expected - fantastic.  Hope she enjoys her birthday - love you M!

Today, Day 12: Holiday Brunch included hubs and I making some Sunday brunch together.  We had settled on crab benedict (such a lover of crab for breakfast) and I prepped the crab, english muffins and poached the eggs while hubs whipped up a homemade hollandaise sauce.  Over some delightful coffee, we enjoyed breakfast while the snow came down.  Next up, football and an evening out at Fogo De Chao for Tim's work holiday party.


And of course, happy birthday wishes to MR, the future Mrs. PD, who is celebrating her birthday in Boston.  Can't wait to see her get married in February - virtual hugs from Indy my dearest, I adore you!

On a sad note, one of our hedgehogs isn't doing so well.  I think we may become a one hedgehog household very soon.  Good vibes to Erbert today...

How was your weekend?

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