Photo shoot for one

For some time now I've been trying to figure out where there was a big enough blank wall in my house to take some head shots in front of. I finally found it and got the lighting right. So as I sat there in a face full of makeup, my hair done and a nice top I had yoga pants and slippers on the bottom. lol.

Ryan was busy so I had to come up with a camera stand since I don't have a tall tripod. This is what I invited. It starts with a box, a large piece of wood, trash can and a small tripod that came with the camera. This all took place in the office I had the window wide open for the world to see me looking ridiculous but I actually got 4-6 good photos.

Thank goodness for self timers :)

Summer concert series at Universal

I have missed all the concerts at the Universal Summer Concert Series so far but I will not miss Kip Moore! If you listen to country then you know his songs, "hey pretty girl" and "somethin bout a truck." It works out perfect for me because I work the same day so I can go straight into the park after work. So if you're going to be at the park that day and want to watch the show with me let me know...because I'll be there by myself. lol

Weekend in photos

Over the weekend I worked at Amway; Friday night was New Kids on the Block, 98 Degrees and Boys II Men concert and Saturday there was a Preditors game. Sunday I worked at Blue Man. I can't wait to go to my parents this weekend and relax, working 10 days straight is rough. I was able to do something's outside before work the past couple of days to get some sun which was nice.

Friday was the first official day of summer, we took Barney to the river to swim...he hated it

Red, Hot, Boom is next week on the 3rd

Walked around Cranes Roost Park in Uptown Altamonte, prettiest place to walk a mile

Free concert, I think I'll be checking this one out after I get home from work. Jonas Brothers ahhhhhhh

And of course worked at Blue Man on Sunday

4th of July mantel

I have not done a mantel post in a long time. The spring decor was very little (just a couple fake flowers) so for the summer months and the 4th of July I knew I needed to spruce it up a bit. I already had the 2 white soup cans from the winter mantel and Ryan's art work. So the rest of the decor came from the dollar store and The Christmas Tree Shop.

Total cost: $3

Facebook

My blog has it's own Facebook page!! I've been waiting for the right time to launch it but as I've gained more viewers I knew I could really turn this into something especially if I started connecting with other bloggers and got my readers more involved with my posts.

I review things all the time on here which are all of my opinion that I choose to do on my own for no money. But I would like to start getting YOU the reader involved in what I review. So if you think I should try a new make up product, hair product, a new restaurant or even want to know my thoughts on a movie let me know. As you all know by my posts I'm on Pinterest al the time getting ideas so if you see something that looks interesting on there but aren't sure if it actually works I'll try it.

As of right now I only have 1 follower on here but I know I could raise that number because my page views for each post are pretty high for someone who just posts on facebook and twitter each time I post something new (and has all of their settings set to private.) So for this blog to really grow I am going to start opening up to other bloggers and products and really try to see what this little blog of mine can do.

Fun fact: I make money off of this blog...not very much (at the moment) but every time someone clicks on the ads I get money and the more page views I have in a day the more money I get. It's not a lot so far, but it is going to be interesting to see where I'm at a year from now.


**so with all that being said, comment on my blog, facebook page or reach out to me via email and let me know what I should review :)

Springfield

I checked out the new Simpsons area at Universal last week to see what the hype was all about. I don't watch the TV show but I've heard of some of the references that were used and it looks really cool. I only got pictures of the outside because inside was very crowded and you wouldn't have been able to see what anything was.

The places in the theme park look identical to what is on the show, it looks like you are walking through a cartoon! This is only half of what is being added to Springfield. The other half will feature more attractions and food and drink areas which should open by the end of summer.

Krusty Burger

"Restaurant row" in Springfield

Kwik-E-Mart

The Simpsons ride

Cletus' Chicken Shack

Moe's pub

Wekiva Island

I have been researching Wekiva Island and trying to figure it out what exactly it was for the past couple weeks so when Ryan and I finally had the same day off we explored it. The best way I can explain it is, hanging out on the river and drinking. It is on the Wekiva River and connects to Wekiva Springs State Park. There is a dock where you can relax in their comfy wooden chairs, a restaurant where you can grab a bite to eat and a bar where you can pretend its 5'oclock anywhere.

Along with all of that there is a volleyball court, small rock climbing wall and canoe rentals for $30, oh and dogs are allowed.! The best part it's free to get in, and only a $1 per person on the weekends. Another great plus, it's about 5 minutes down the road from me, so on my days off this summer I will defiantly be hanging out here.

Entrance to the park

Chairs along the river

Outdoor bar

The river

Canoe rentals and launch

Volleyball court and rock climbing wall

Kelly Park

I didn't have jury duty on Monday (whoop!) so I had an unexpected day off. Ryan and I went to Kelly Park 3 years ago so we decided that it was a good day to try it out again. What is cool about this park is the "lazy river" that goes throughout the park then you end up in a pool. There are places to buy tubes along the side of the road as you approach the park or you can go without one. We chose the no tube approach to the river but then found an abandon tube which turned out pretty cool because instead of swimming the whole time I got to relax on the "ride."

I put "ride" in quotes because it's just like the lazy river rides at water parks except you have to watch out for rocks when swimming without a tube. Sitting up in the tub you don't run into anything which can be pretty relaxing. It takes about 15-20 minutes to go down the river depending where you want to get out, there are 2 stopping points. Most people don't realize you can keep going after you get dumped out into the pool.

It was $3 to get into the park and about 25 minutes from our house and a great way to spend a couple of hours.

Where the spring starts

The starting point of the lazy river

Ryan jumping in the spring

Crystal clear water

The water is 72 degrees year round, it was cold

So clear you can see my toes

Floating down the river

Ryan and I in the water

Found a tube: score!

The pool where the lazy river dumps you out

Tammy

While in NC a couple weeks ago I learned that there was a movie being filmed in a tiny little town called Shallotte, where one whole side of my family lives. As soon as I heard that a restaurant was transformed to fit a scene in a movie I knew I had to do some research and see what this movie, Tammy was all about.

From IMDB, "after losing her job and learning that her husband has been unfaithful, a woman hits the road with her profane, hard-drinking grandmother." The cast is pretty well known as well; Melissa McCartney, Susan Sarandon, Dan Aykroyd, Allison Janney, Kathy Bates, and Mark Duplass. If you don't recognize any of those names google them and you will recognize them for sure.

I'm used to seeing movie sets and celebrities, I've even been an extra in a few movies but hearing that this movie was filmed in this small town was pretty cool. I also learned that most of the movie was being filmed in Wilmington, NC which is about an hour away. Tammy sounds funny and with it's cast I have some high standards for it. I can't wait to see it when it comes out next year.

EOS= amazing!

Evolution Of Smooth is the best chap stick on the market. With it's egg shaped container and it's fruity smell I am in love with the red one. I had never used this before last weekend but I was given it as a gift and have given up on my usual obsession with vaseline to keep my lips moist.

So if you're in the market for new chap stick, make the splurge go for it!

Savannah pit stop

On our way home from Madison's wedding my sister Allison and I stopped in Savannah to stretch our legs, shop and eat lunch. (Allison also randomly road a mechanical bull at a festival that was going on.) I love walking around downtown and on the river. It's peaceful and there's so much to look at and there is history everywhere, I always seem to see something new every time I'm there.

I love the old buildings and cobble stone streets. I'm already planning a trip to go back before the end of the year! It's only a 4 hour drive from Orlando.

Savannah College of Art and Design

The square in downtown

Old cotton exchange building

You have to walk down steep stairs to get to the river

On the river

Old buildings that are now restaurants and shops

Steep stairs

Old cobble stone streets from England

Love the old buildings

Favorite bar on the river