Boots, babies, and Broadway...

As a belated birthday present, I took a weekend trip to Kentucky to visit my bff Danielle. It was a fun and very exciting weekend. We enjoyed drinks by the pool, manicures and pedicures, shopping, and even a little road trip to Nashville to visit anther friend, Hailey.
I got to spend time with Ava and her mini horse, Baby Diamond. The mini got a little spooked Friday morning sending Chris on a wild chase. I'm so glad I had my video camera because it was the most hysterical thing I have seen in a while.

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"I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. De Mille"

For my birthday, I asked for a new camera. Well..ta da! I got this awesome new Samsung with dual screens. I am a fan of gadgets and this one has is it all:
- HD video camera
- Dual screens
- smart crop
- beauty photo fix
- audio
Can't wait to take more this weekend!!

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Fresh from the sea

This weekend, me and a couple of friends rented a quaint little cabin on the Homosassa River. It was an awesome little house that you can only get to by boat. We spent the weekend out in the bay diving for scallops and having a ton of fun in the sun, maybe a little too much for me.
We ended up with about 5 gallons of fresh scallops. I even ate a raw one right out of the shell on the boat. I was impressed with myself I must say.

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The big 2-6

Not to be totally cheesy but I have to say, Happy birthday to me! I am 26 today. I really think I should be 25 for another year so I might stick with telling people that who don't know. What difference does it really make, right?
I am determined to have a great year  this year. I started it off waking up with the sun then going for a nice run. I feel good. My dad even made me cupcakes. (He's never made them before and probably never will with all the work that goes into them.)  I was very proud of him. Although I'm at work today, all the birthday wishes make it an okay place to be. Tonight, will be shared with friends at dinner (and lots of wine).

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You look like you could use a vacation...

Have you seen the new Groupon Getaways? Such awesome deals, I can't wait to get one. Check out the fabulous vacations and getaways for super discounted prices. See them here!

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Dear Time...

Why are you not on my side? I think it is true what they say, time really does go by so much quicker as you get older. And older I will be next week. I will be turning the big 2-6. I'm not too happy about it either. 25 I think is the perfect age so I think I might just stay here for another year....
I have obviously been far too behind on my blogs. Lots of fun has passed. I had a picturesque Floridian 4th of July weekend. We went fishing, swimming, grilled, and floated down the Rainbow River all day.

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5 on Friday: Father's Day

Yeah, 5 on Friday is back! My Friday’s just haven’t felt completed lately.
I already celebrated Father’s Day with my day this year. We had such an awesome day starting with 18 holes of golf. Then we had lunch at a little sports bar with some 22 oz beers to cool off. After lunch, we played a game of pool which he was impressively good at. Then hit a bucket of balls and the driving range and topped it all off with a delicious ice cream cone. Not too bad for an old guy.

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Are you there blog? It's me... Nicole!

Man...I finally found a day to dust off the ol' laptop and reunite with the world of blogging. My how I've missed you. So much has happened in the past couple weeks.
For Memorial Day weekend, I went back to Seattle to visit my sisters. We also had a baby shower for my oldest sister, Brooke. She is having twins! A boy and a girl! So blessed. Me and my sister Lauren made lemon and lime cupcakes that we so delish.

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5 on Friday: Dooms Day

According to Harold Camping tomorrow, May 21st, is supposed to be the end of the world. Well, if that’s the case then I highly suggest we all go out with a bang. It may be short notice to some but there’s plenty of time to live out the last hours of your life to the fullest.
5 Things to Do before the World Ends:
1)      Skydive: This adrenaline rush is top on my list. To be able to get the nerve to jump out of a plane 10,000 feet up in the air sounds like the biggest thrill. I think this would be an amazing moment to actually be able to fly.

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Guitless dessert... Opa!

Remember when you were a kid on a hot summer day and nothing was more satisfying than an ice cold Popsicle? Unfortunately, as adults those summer days are a bit different now seeing as though we don't get to spend every day running through the sprinklers and up and down the slip-n-slide. Nor do we have that speedy metabolism to be able to eat all of those delicious popsicles (not most of us at least). But good news people!

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Viva Italia!

It was one year ago today I arrived in the magnificent city of Rome for a 10 day journey throughout Italy. My parents and I took the long and much anticipated flight from New York to Rome to being our Italian expedition. We started in Rome not missing a single museum or monument. There was an overwhelming feeling of contentment right from the start. Wanting to jump right in, we sat street side at a café in the center of Piazza Navone while enjoying cold glasses of Peroni and snacking on some breadsticks. This is the life.

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5 on Friday: Yo mama!

No ‘yo mama’ jokes here just 5 great gift ideas of what to get your mom or any mom this Mother’s Day. I got my mom a Yankee candle set along with an herb planter. The lavender scented candles are her favorite and she always loves planting her own herbs and flowers.
1)      For the reader: You can’t go wrong with a Kindle for the mom that loves to read. Or a Nook if she prefers one in color. She can take this with her anywhere and any place.  

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Cinco De Mayo

Feliz de Mayo!
In celebration of today, I made some delicious treats: Margarita Cupcakes! Mmmm....sooo gooood...
With the help of Jose, these turned out muy bueno.

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Que the Cuervo!

Buenos Dias, amigos!
Yes, I'm early but it's never too early to prep and get started. I’m not Mexican but I certainly enjoy partaking in their Independence Day and festivities. If I didn’t have to be at work, I would be celebrating all day. I would dust off the ol’ giant sombrero and be dancing around with my little Mexican rat (aka Lola my Chihuahua) to a mariachi band. There’d be no waiting for happy hour because it would last all day.

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5 on Friday: Royalty

I was torn today for what this “5 on Friday” should be, but after watching the Royal Wedding, I feel it’s only appropriate to honor it. Today will be the top 5 things I loved about the wedding.
1)      Kate. How beautiful and classy did she look? Although I’ve heard around the water cooler from some that they weren’t impressed with her gown, I on the other hand, thought it was gorgeous. Very sophisticated. She has strict guidelines to follow so for the occasion, I was impressed. And, I must say, I love that she’s a brunette.

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Lady's Yearly Exam=A good laugh

Do you know what today is? It's Thursday and that means tomorrow is FRIDAY! YEAH! I needed a good laugh today to get me through the rest of the week. Thought I'd share it too...

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Perfect Mother's Day gift! Get this deal!!

Do you love The Body Shop as much as I do? Here's an awesome deal. I absolutely love their body butter. They have the best smells and make your skin super soft. AND Mom's will love anything from here for Mother's Day. Get this deal!
The deal is $20 for $40 at The Body Shop, but there's a neat twist to this Groupon as well. If you redeem the Groupon by May 30, the Groupon is worth $45 instead of $40! AND, it's also good on sale items.

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Here comes Peter Cottontail...

Happy Easter!
When I was younger, Easter was my favorite holiday. My mom got us the best baskets filled with candy, toys, and all kinds of goodies. We would put on our Sunday dresses and looked our best. Our Easter Sunday started with Church.  The next best part was brunch. We traditionally went to The Red Lion hotel for a huge buffet brunch. I always loaded up my plate with Belgium waffles topped with strawberries and whipped cream. Yum!

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5 on Friday: Earth Day

Happy Earth Day and happy Friday.
Today is a day to appreciate our beautiful Earth and be more aware of how to keep it clean. There are a million things to write about for Earth Day. Let’s start with 5 things “Purchase Green”…
1)      Buy Recycled. Items made from paper and plastic are often made from recycled materials. You can also buy automotive parts, motor oil, and tires made from recycled products. Also look out for household furnishings and gardening tools made from recycled materials.

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Get Groupon, get savings!!!

If you haven't yet caught the Groupon bug, now's the time. I would really, really appreciate too if you went HERE to get it. Thanks!!!!

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Tag! You're it!

Brought to you by: Moves n Munchies
THE RULES:
1. Post this award with the picture and name whoever tagged you in it
2. Do the STUFF
3. Award to 7 others and tell them you did so!
THE STUFF:
1. Name 3 things that are lying right next to you 

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Naked Mexican Fiesta! Ole!

I wish I could say that’s how I finished off my weekend but instead it’s what I made for dinner. I was really craving some Mexican but 1) didn’t want to spend money going out and 2) didn’t want all the grease and fat that comes with it. So I took matters into my own hands and made my delicious Naked Mexican Fiesta.
Ingredients:

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5 on Friday: Things to do

Unfortunately my Friday this week is not going to involve much fun and excitement, just lots of chores and things to get done.
1) Unpack. I still have to unpack all of my clothes from our trip to Kentucky. Packing and unpacking are both not fun to me.
2) Laundry. After I unpack, I have to wash all those clothes. But before that, I still have to put all my clean clothes away. I'm not sure why, but I will spend all day deep cleaning my house and do loads and loads of laundry but putting clean clothes away seems to be such a mission for me. They may sit in a basket for a few days but at least they're clean, right?

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Weekend recap

After a long week of fun and excitement, I am back to reality now in Florida. I had such a fun time hanging out Chris and Danielle and playing with Ava. Keeneland was a blast too. I unfortunately wasn't so lucky at the races, but Jason was $200! Woohoo! Here's some pics from all the excitement...

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