Thursday, June 30, 2011

Girls Day Out 180.365

Today at noon I had an appointment to see my wedding dress for the very first time. It was nerve wracking and exciting all at the same time. :) We went down early to go to a few stores and we were done with more time than we needed to get to the bridal store. We thought a nice little cookie and drink would hold us over well and would be time well spent. The seven of us sat at a table built for about 3 people and enjoyed our chocolate chip (peanut butter for me) cookies! After a little rest and a quick snack, we headed off to the shop to see the dress.

I wish so badly I could post some sort of a picture, but I didn't take any myself that I can show you. And the ones that the girls took of me can definitely not be shown! You'll all see it soon enough.
It was a wonderfully fun day, cookie break, dress and all!

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

I'm Still Alive!

For those of you who regularly read my blog, yes I am still alive.
I miss blogging.
I have been multi-tasking somewhat decently over the past couple weeks (very busy ones), but I have yet to learn how to multi-task and blog at the same time.
It'll come.
I am hoping to catch up real soon, but I thought before I do, I'll give you a quick update.

My sisters are here with me! I love falling asleep with four beautiful faces sharing my room with me. And it makes waking up all the more fun! They came home with me and we will be able to spend a good amount of time together during summer break!

I was up north doing wedding planning, attending a family wedding and visiting family as well. That kept me away from my computer and very busy!

I am home now, but not for long. My next trip is all for relaxation. We're taking a nice family vacation and I am really looking forward to it. My parents, my sisters, Mono and I. It will be wonderful. I'll definitely have pictures to blog then!

The wedding plans are coming along real well. My sisters have already been a really big help. I am enjoying having them here now for some of the work and planning. It was sad not sharing this time with them. Now we can enjoy it.

Wedding fun will be in full swing at noon tomorrow! I am seeing my dress for the first time ever! I cannot wait to see if my paper drawing actually made it to the vision I had in real life! Fingers crossed and many prayers heading up towards Heaven! It will be nice to share tomorrow with the girls. I am so happy to have them all here with me for this appointment tomorrow. I will surely let you know how it goes, but no pictures! ;)

So, those are my updates for you for now. I promise to catch up and get back in the swing of things real soon. To those of you wondering where I was (and asking about the lack of posts), thank you. I've missed spending time here with you.


Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Her Choice of Cupcakes! 178.365

Today was a long and very full day, (including picking up Mom's beautiful dress for the wedding!) but we made sure we were not too tired to make a batch of cupcakes from scratch!

Last night Irm picked out her choice of recipes and we ended up with Tiramisu cupcakes with Mascarpone frosting. While we were out today, I picked up the necessary ingredients and this evening we got bakin'! They were quite tasty! I will tweak them a little next time, but I will be using this recipe again!
 We all iced a few. Irm did most of them, and Meemsy did her part as well. She was so focused on getting that swirl right! And she certainly did her part in eating them! :)
Believe it or not, I have no pictures of the end result. I think we ate them too fast! ;)

Monday, June 27, 2011

Calm...or Not 175.365

From the looks of these pictures, you'd think things were nice and calm right about now.
It's far from that though. I don't even know what state I am in.
For the past few weeks, we have been on the go or have had a house full of people and now I am in the car headed to another state. 
Not so calm.
I love the scenery along some of these roads we take. Absolutely beautiful.
Though the schedule surrounding me is quite full and busy, I always try to make sure to take in little moments like this to enjoy!

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

A Friendly Place! 172.365

Today I met with the florist for our upcoming wedding. I had only spoken with him over the phone so this first meeting was exciting. Our second meeting will be even better when he has a sample of what our flowers will look like! That doesn't happen until my next trip in July.


The girlies came along for the meeting with Mom and I and since they were so good... and it was lunch time... we headed over to Friendly's on the way home. I grew up going there for special treats and the last time I had gone was the day this cutie was born... nearly eight years ago. Today was her first time!
Mom and Irma... I love this picture of them.

 Meemsy was quite entertained all through lunch with this color-changing straw. In fact, we all did!
 My signature lunch at Friendly's. Girl Cheese, fries and a pickle. Not sure I've ever ordered something different. It'd be plain old wrong. When I was little, I always thought grilled cheese was called girl cheese... And it stuck. Twenty something years later, I still order my girl cheese. :)
 You know how most children see shapes in the clouds? Well my creative little sister sees shapes in her chicken fingers... Alligator fingers here.
 
 The Adventures of the Color-Changing Blue to Purple Straw!
Starts out as a plain blue straw...
Then you take a sip...
And it becomes purple!


 The comforts of home... Sweet Tea. Not as good, but it'll hold me over.
 Then came the fun part! 
Ice cream topped with yumminess!
 Ines was the one of the left, Mom in the middle, Irm's on the right (My kinda girl! Look at that chocolate!)

Neijra has the left, Meemsy in the middle and mine was on the right.

One happy and sweet girl!
 This is for you Ines and Neijra!
Surprise Knife!

We certainly enjoyed our ice cream!

I love these girls... even more than my chocolate ice cream with peanut butter sauce, hot fudge, Reese's Pieces candies, and whipped cream sundae... yes, that much!

Saturday, June 18, 2011

I Can't Really Call It Procrastination 168.365

 I can't really call what I did today procrastination... more like quality time spent with lots to do after.
I'm leaving for a trip tomorrow and I still had to do a wash, pack, clean, make beds from when friends were visiting, pay bills, do banking, write out a few cards..... the list goes on.

I woke up this morning around 8:30 and by 9:45 I was out of the house and out with Mono to go get his hair cut. Straight from there we went to Five Guys for lunch, Target to return/re-purchase items and then to Old Navy and Barnes and Noble. From there it was back home briefly and then off to Church for a little time to pray. By the time we finally got back to my house it was around 4:00. 

That's when it all began.

I took out my luggage, packed my bag (I was amazingly able to pack quite light - for the amount of days I will be gone for!! Love that feeling!), cleaned, did all the bed making and then decided to spend more time with Mono.

I won't be seeing him for a while and I wanted to soak up some quality time with my guy. He's the best and I will miss seeing this handsome face when I'm gone. I'm pretty lucky... We don't live together, but I do get to see him for a little while each day and I am very thankful for that.

So being that I am heading out and there will be no Mono and Mare time, we just hung out, watched some tv over a peanut butter covered brownie and ice cold glasses of milk and shared some good laughs. I'm always so thankful for time with him.

And now, it's time to finish up all that I put off earlier... And no, it's not procrastination when time is already being spent in a much better and more enjoyable way! ;)

Friday, June 17, 2011

Viva La Juicy 167.365

Okay, so this past week I spent some money.
Maybe I shouldn't have, but I think it is okay.
I'm not the type of person that wears a ton of makeup on a daily basis so I don't really own much.
While my friends were here, they had some great products that I tried and fell in love with.
So yesterday, my Mom's friend and I went shopping before she left (today).
Mom was out so she and I were home and decided to go out for the day.
I bought a few new products... That's okay, right?
Just basic things... None of which I had and I will certainly use them often!
One of the new items was this fragrance. It's just a small travel size bottle. 
I never can pack my perfume when I travel because of the size restrictions so I thought one of these would be perfect!
Now I just need a case to hold it all in. 
Target has a few and I bought one I liked, but it was not the right size for some of what I bought.
Maybe I can run there tomorrow!
Do you have any favorite products that you cannot live without?
(Oh, I can live without these by the way)

Thursday, June 16, 2011

An Office Treat 166.365

Mono works in a small office of only 4 people. 
I love to bake things to send in with him in the morning.
I'd do it more often, but I don't want them to get sick of it... or sick from what I make! haha j/k
It's great to have a little group of people to send my goodies to! 
Today I sent brownie cupcakes with cream cheese peanut butter frosting with a chocolate ganache and chopped Reese's Peanut Butter Cups sprinkled on top.
I kept one aside for myself too...and really enjoyed it.
There is no combination I love more than chocolate and peanut butter!
Maybe I should branch out more often to more than cupcakes for them.
Maybe when we live closer. :)
Thanks guys for being my little sweet treat eaters!

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Life Is Not

Life is not about checking Facebook everyday. Life if not about being on top of all my blogging friends' latest posts. Life is not about posting on my blog every single day or about being sure to blog about my daily pictures.

These past few days we've had a house full of company, 17 people type of company. It was crazy and hectic and a lot of fun. We spent time catching up with old family friends, some of whom we had not seen in years. Every second of these past few days was filled with something; reminiscing, laughing, chatting about recent events in our lives, experimenting with hairstyles for my wedding, cooking and then cleaning the messes up, praying and spending time in church, watching movies we loved when we were younger… lots of things, but none that involved the daily checks online.

This made me realize even more what life is all about. It's these times with old friends, keeping in touch and embracing the every day moments in our lives that are important. Keeping up with things at home, cleaning and cooking a nice meal or a sweet treat for a friend. Those are the important things that you will remember and enjoy. Not the daily updates on my computer screen. There will be time for that. I will always want to check what friends are up to online or what my blog friends are up to and I will always love to take pictures and post my thoughts along with them here on my blog. But I saw who okay it was to miss friends news online, to take a few days off from blogging myself and that all the new blog posts on my favorite sites were there, waiting for me to catch up in the evening and read them.

Today life is about laundry, cleaning my room and bathroom that 5 girls shared over the past week, more and more laundry, cooking, phone calls and baking some sweet things. Some days are filled with laughter shared with old friends, some days are like today consisting of the daily grind and then, there are some days that I can relax and enjoy catching up on all my blogs… And then there are some days filled with traveling.

Over the next few weeks I will be in a whole bunch of states from New York all the way down to Florida. Some of the trips will be very quick and full of meetings and some will be filled with relaxation and soaking up the rays of the summer sun and salty ocean air.

Each day is a gift and I have to embrace it for exactly what it was given to me for. I hope you have a joyful and productive day today!

Friday, June 10, 2011

The Three Amigos... 160.365







 I got a call this afternoon from my beautiful aunt. I love chatting with her on the phone. We live hundreds of miles from each other, so talking in person does not happen all that often. Phone conversations keep us going. We love to talk, so sometimes the calls last a while and we don't even remember what we started on to get to the topic we reached. Today we talked a lot about life… before she got to her main reason for calling. Just the craziness of life currently (for her younger kids) compared to what life was life for myself and her older son. We grew up together and were really close and are a lot alike. It's always great to catch up with each other. :) So today, after we talked and talked and talked, about everything but the reason she called, we finally arrived at the topic. Actually, what got us started on talking about life was the original topic, just not the full question. 

To make what could be a super long conversation/story short… Her daughter and two friends get together every Friday night (unless it is during their sport season and then it isn't every week) to bake a new treat and then hang out and enjoy the tasty treat they made together. They rotate houses and always bake something new. I loved that idea. It's so nice to hear that there are still young girls doing normal things on Friday nights. Wholesome things. 

I thought to myself, oh gosh, I wish I had her friends. Then I thought, gosh, my best friends all love to bake. The only problem… we all live in different states. If we lived in the same town - heck the same state - I know we'd have Bake Night on Fridays. For sure. Kath loves to bake. She is great at it and is always baking a tasty treat. Katie and I used to bake a lot when we were younger and lived on the same street. I have so many fond memories of those times. Jilly and I haven't seen each other in years and I have never baked or cooked anything with her (at least that I can remember), but from what I hear… she is amazing and I have a lot I could learn from her! Then there is Ellie, a dear friend of our family. I bet she'd have fun baking with me too. And I'd love to have her teach me how to make her famous jelly! Ellies Jellies! Yummmm! 

And then there is Theresa, my sweet cousin that already does have Friday Night Bake Night with her gals. She really does know how to bake some mean cupcakes. My kinda girl! 

So, after being so in love with the idea of my cousin's weekly outing with her friends, my aunt asked me a question. She said, "Mare, you know that cute cupcake apron you make? Do you have any left?" I told her that I didn't, but I'd be happy to make one. Apparently one of the girls that attends Bake Night, is having a birthday and T wanted to give her an apron and they thought right away of this one. She insisted that I didn't go ahead and make one today since we have a lot going on this weekend, but I hung up and got to work. I then called her and said it was in the works. If she didn't want it, I know someone else would. But of course she jumped at it and was tickled. So this is the end result. I attached a few of my favorite recipes to the package for them to try. :) I hope they enjoy them as much as I do. 

Happy Baking sweet girls! I wish I could join you!

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Apparently a Lack of Sleep Leads to Yumminess 159.365

 

 If you read my previous post, you know that I am lacking in sleep right now. I finally fell asleep somewhere around 3am this morning and woke up not long after 6... yes sir/ma'am, that is only about three hours of sleep. Yawn!
I had a full and busy day since the moment I woke up, including baking these lovelies before I headed out for the remainder of the day.
 Along with the brownie/peanut butter and cream cheese mousse torte, I made coconut gelato and chocolate as well. I had never made coconut, but there was a special request and so I gave it a whirl! I am not a coconut lover so I passed on trying it, but from what I heard, it was quite tasty. In fact, it was given the compliment, "best dessert I've had in a long time." I'm glad they liked it that much.
 These were a hit and super easy to make. I fall in love with chocolate and peanut butter every single time we meet again.
 So, I guess a lack of sleep paid off pretty well. Overall, even running on three hours sleep, it was a great day. We have a really busy week ahead of us, but I do hope it is a fun one!




I've been given a blog award by my dear friend Ellie, over at Me and My House! There are rules that tag along with it, but I am so tired I don't want to write anything dumb so that will be part two in the morning. :) Thank you Ellie! I wonder if I made you want lick the screen tonight. ;)

And now, most important of all... getting to bed! :) Here's to hoping for eight hours of sleep tonight!

This is What Happens When You Can't Sleep

A random blog post pops up when you can't sleep...
I've laid here, tossing and turning and now I can't take it any longer.
I've said my prayers, listened to a new homily, reflected on my day and put some thoughts together for the new day ahead of me.
Not sure what else to do, besides blog... or take some Benadryl. 
That's my last resort though.
I've gone over recent blog posts over on some of my favorite sites.
I've spent time pinning over at Pinterest.
I've checked Facebook and my e-mail for anything new coming in.
I'm too tired to turn lights on and clean or get things done, though it wouldn't be a bad idea.
I'm just too tired though.
Why is that, you're tired, but can't sleep?
Awful... especially when the alarm will be ringing before 7am.
Tomorrow is going to be a busy day too; I'll need my energy.
First up, baking a (hopefully) delicious dessert for tomorrow night's guests.
Ride to the city to see my people and go to Church, run a few errands and go to a meeting.
Back home, help with dinner and then possibly go to the gym.
Ugh, speaking about the gym... I've been working out trying to work out a little bit for a little something that's coming up on October 1st. ;)
I am sooooo not a gym-goer. 
Mono and I are members at the local fitness center to use the pool, track, etc.
I recently started going in the gym section and apparently I messed up my calf.
Being that I can barely touch my calf right now, I'm not sure how much exercising I will be able to go do tomorrow, but I'd at least like to walk so I am not giving up on my schedule.
I talked to one of the trainers there and she said I can at least get out and walk and to talk to her again later this week and she'll see if I hurt something or just aggravated it.
I'm so out of shape... it's quite laughable.
At least I am trying, right.
Oh wait.
I can't say the t word.
Try.
As Yoda teaches, "Do or do not. There is no try."
Yes, thank you Mono for reminding me about that yesterday. ;)
Speaking of my Mono.
Tomorrow he is going out for the day in this sweltering heat to volunteer his time to help the local victims of the recent tornadoes.
Proud of my guy.
Though everyone should be out helping... including myself.
I'm hoping to go with him again.
I think he has three days to go out.
Tomorrow I have a meeting so I can't make it, but hopefully one of the next times out.
It's amazing the amount of work that still needs to be done, even after all the incredible work they are doing.
Gosh, they were even working on Memorial Day (the entire weekend).
As the cleanup continues, scenery is really changing... and I don't like it.
Good luck to Mono and all the other guys and gals heading out from his work tomorrow to help our fellow Alabamians.
We finally have our engagement session booked!
I am beyond excited with a touch of nervousness.
I'm usually behind the camera.
That's where I am comfortable.
How do I know how to act in front of it?
Yikesabee!
Thankfully we have an amazing photographer so I know we'll ultimately be okay. :)
It will be tons of fun though.
We just have to pick out the right location.
I can't wait!
Oh this is fun.
It's nearing 1am... and I am still awake.
Maybe I should put this away and give it another go.
Hopefully you won't have another random blog post to read tonight. ;)
One is enough to handle. Right? 

Good night... hopefully!

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

He's Finally Getting the Hang of It 158.365

Mono and I bought two matching La-Z-Boy chairs for our new house... specifically for his man cave.
For now, their home is at his apartment. 
They are really comfortable, but neither J nor I could get the hang of them.
For me, it was just getting the position right and locking it in place.
For J though, he couldn't figure out how to jump up on the chair.
He always likes to snuggle next to someone and without one of us sitting on the lower couch, he was sitting alone and he did not appreciate it.
Finally tonight, he got the hang of jumping up on these chairs.
Hopefully it'll stick with him because I like him cuddling up with me... and so does Mono.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Italian at Heart 157.365

I love all things Italian. 
The country, the people, the food, the scenery... 
I've never been there, but I have had my fair share of Italian food.
It is by far my favorite.
Spaghetti and meatballs is my favorite meal... it has to be good though.
This week I will be having that meal, cooked my favorite way.
A friend of ours, who is a priest, is visiting our family and will be cooking a few real Italian meals.
He is Italian and a great cook!
Tonight's dinner came from this book and was soooo yummy!

Monday, June 6, 2011

Do You Ever Feel Like An Idiot?

You're about to real some brutal honesty here...

Have you ever had a time in your life where you feel like a complete idiot?
Where you'd love to go back in time a bit and start over...

Well, today, that happened to me.
I also got a real wake up call showing me exactly where I am lacking in life.
In where I should be and the person I should be.
It's a good thing... just hard to swallow.

I already basically knew this, but it just hit me a lot harder tonight. It all became a lot more clear for me to see.

You know what I am talking about... It's that come out of nowhere; didn't expect it coming; hit you over the head kinda lesson to learn.
Tonight I learned that I have a whole lot of love and virtue to grow in before truly loving. 

My fiance is getting to go on a really awesome trip this summer and in total honesty, I was a bit jealous way jealous, wishing I could hop on the plane and fly away with him. It'd be the perfect summer trip.

It is really hard… Not, not being able to go, but even worse, seeing myself clearly for how much I need to grow and how much more I need to completely love him...and others.
(The part of not being able to go is pretty hard too though, but in time, I can get over that. This seeing myself in the super clear light... that's what harder to get over.)
Love is patient and kind, 
It is never jealous, 
Love is never boastful or conceited, 
It is never rude or selfish, 
It does not take offense, 
Nor is it resentful. 
Love takes no pleasure in others’ sins but delights in the truth; 
It is always ready to excuse, 
to trust, 
to hope and to endure whatever comes.
...

Love does not come to an end. There are three things that last, faith, hope and love and the greatest of these is love.
Corinthians 13: 4-8

I love this bible verse, but I guess I forget to remember that part about being jealous.

This was a hard lesson learned tonight. I am more upset by my feelings and seeing how jealous I was than the fact that I am not going. Wake up calls are good, but like I said, sometimes very hard to swallow.

I am thankful for the lesson learned, but still wish I could go back in time a bit and start over.

They're Here! 156.365

I am sure by now you know how much I love to bake... especially cupcakes.
For a while now, I had been looking for cupcake boxes to place them in before giving away. 
I finally found the right place and price and purchased some to hold 4 cupcakes and some individuals.
Next, I'd like to buy boxes to hold a dozen.
I'm so happy they are here!

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Results of Opening a Million Tabs

Sometimes I get carried away with my tabs while I'm online.
I get a bit tab happy.
Between blogs, Pinterest, e-mails, facebook, websites... Oh, it's nearly an eternity for tabs.
Tonight I discovered a new blog. 


To be honest, I am not sure how I exactly came upon this. Possibly through Pinterest. Actually, that is very probable.

From there I came across this which made me want to own one of those disks. So I made my way here and here. There are some at this site. I think I'd rather just go to Italy and have one custom made. ;) Wouldn't that be nice. 

I also came across this roller for making homemade ravioli! I love homemade ravioli so I got pretty excited when I laid eyes on it. 

I also found Kelly Moore's site. I don't have a nice bag for my camera and I am really hoping to get a new lens or two before our wedding so a real bag would be nice to have at some point. They're expensive though. It's more of a wish list type thing... Bag one and Bag two

I also stumbled on this post on another new blog I found. I would have loved to have seen this being done! Doesn't it look like so much fun?! You can purchase some of the prints, but they are super expensive.

I'm falling more and more in love with mason jars. There is so much that can be done with them! Cannot wait to get my hands on some and get to work!

I'll let you alone now with all the links. There are still many tabs open... DIY home/children projects including a bed I'd like to make for a little girl in the future... There's recipes from anything from Italian dishes and homemade bread to cupcakes (of course!) and homemade baking products. And I found a couple of ideas I'm saving to make for Christmas gifts! Once I talk it over with Mono, I may start gathering materials. :)

You can learn so much from blogs... and now even Pinterest! 

Oh and I have a new follower to my blog! Thanks for reading!

The Yoga Mat... But Not For Yoga 155.365

I bought a yoga mat... but not for yoga.
I recently started to kick myself in the butt and get exercising.
Not a whole lot, but some.
I hate despise exercising.
I like to run, but having a daily routine... sooooo not my thing.
But, I went out, bought a mat and am starting to work on more than just running... especially since I haven't laced up the sneakers in a while.
It's just too dang hot out.

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Going Green...My Way 154.365

 

You thought I was going to talk about some earth friendly mumbo jumbo, didn't ya? ;)
That's why I said my way
Chocolate green stuff. ;)
Today one of my photo prompts was green.
This little m&m was a party goer in this crowd:




Today is Mom and Dad's 34th Anniversary. I wanted to make them something fun and this cake looks pretty fun. I used Kit Kats and m&ms... their favorite candies.



Happy Anniversary to my sweet parents!

Friday, June 3, 2011

Come Away With Me...To My Favorite Place 153.365

When asked where my favorite place to be is, I could have many honest answers.
Home to me, is one of my very favorite places to be. There is truly no place like home.
I kinda have more than one though. Home is in a few places.
Obviously the home I live in with my parents is the main one, but when I visit my sisters, I am very much at home. When I visit Mono's family, I am very much at home. When I visit my best friend and her family, there too, I am very much at home.
But besides home, my favorite place to be, by far, is at the beach. 
No questions asked!
Take me to any nice beach, any time of the year, and I am one happy girl.
But, I do have two favorite beach locations... so far. I'm willing to add to this list. :)
Destin, Florida has become a great vacation spot for our family since moving down south.
We're also a lot closer to Miami, a place we now vacation to as frequently as possible... only once or twice a year. Key Biscayne has become an all time favorite for me. I could seriously live there. It's like the island life. I just love it. Small little village, fresh fish off the docks, swimming, shopping, eating, everything about it is just so enjoyable.
So, for now, since we can't actually be there, come away with me and enjoy a little bit of life on The Key.

My first trip was Memorial Day weekend of 2009. Mono and I flew down and met his family there. What fun we had!

 I love the beach. I am truly in my element. I'm my happiest, calmest, you name it-est when I am there. The sand, the water, the salty fresh air. I just love it!
 Mono's family's place is right next door to the Ritz Carlton and we always take a stroll on over there. What beautiful grounds!
 I'm marrying a Cuban! Can't forget their black beans or their super yummy bread!! :)
 Fresh fruit, coconut juice/water - whatever it is, and freshly made sandwiches. Sooo good!
 I love all the little bakeries with pastries. I forget exactly what this was called, but it is super tiny and delicious... as you can tell from Mono's reaction. ;)
 There are so many beautiful areas down there so we always go for drives on nice days and take pictures.
 Ah, this was the start of the morning. It was our second full day. We went to Church and then to a favorite local spot for a quick breakfast... a pastelito, freshly squeezed OJ and some cafe con leche.
 While we were in the Church parking lot, I sneezed and pulled a muscle really badly in my neck. The week before we left for this trip I had already pulled it, so the sneeze took it out of whack even more. I was in a lot of pain and couldn't move much. Some how we had a neck brace around (that is thanks to having a doctor in the house!) and I took some medicine thinking I'd be a-okay in just a few hours. Well, I had a bad reaction the medicine and I was sick all day long. I was actually fine if I rested my head and drove. If I stood up to walk or just sat down, I felt icky. So it was still a good day! And after the fact, kinda a funny memory! :) At least my neck started to get better!
 I love spending time with Bello and Bella down there. We have such a great time together. :) We relax, have barbecues, go on little adventures, head down to the beach... anything that is enjoyable while being together, we do! Bello and Bella are Mono's grandparents, but I adopted them as mine the first time I met them. I'll never forget meeting either of them. It was actually on two separate occasions, both memorable! I love them dearly and always enjoy our time together.
 Ah, our trek to the lighthouse. We love doing this, though it is a long walk... or at least feels that way. I love lighthouses so it has become tradition to walk there on each visit.
 Oh and I can't forget the great shopping! We always find little places to go while we are in Miami!



 The scenery is gorgeous!!
 The Cuban food is delicious! I love mamey shakes!!!!!
Our annual trip to South Beach!

I have a ton (really) of pictures from our trips! Hope you enjoyed the ones I chose for this blog. This is definitely one of my very favorite places to vacation!



Today I also have to post a picture of clouds and hands...


And something I am really looking forward to...

Our wedding and all the festivities surrounding it! :)