25 Days of BlogMas | Day 13

Saturday: December 14, 2014

Happy weekend,

Sleeping in was the best feeling ever this morning. 

I layed in bed until 11:30 am. 

When I finally felt like getting out of bed, I went down stair to my kitchen and found these two still asleep....

 

I contemplated starting some of the papers that I had to submit by tomorrow night, but in reality I knew that I wouldn't do them until Sunday (probanbly last minute).

Instead, I started looking through my photo album of Alaska. 

I still have to print out all the pictures I took, but all the schedules, maps, and souvenier I kept are indie nicely organized pockets in the album. That's when I found the professional pictures me and Brendan took.

One of the things we love doing best on cruise ships is taking advantage of the professional photographers. You don't have to buy any of the pictures, but photographers are stationed all over the ship throughout each day. 

We were able to get a couple of the pictures free and discounted because of Brendan and his parent's frequent cruiser perks. So I scanned in the 8X12s (yes they only come in that size) and uploaded them to facebook...

This is my personal favorite.

Originally we had seen the giant moon and thought it was the tackiest thing in the world... so we had to take a picture!

What was even better when it was our turn was the fact that the photographer made us jump.

Brendan looks like he is floating and in the actual 8X12 i have lipstick on my front tooth.
ITS AMAZING!
Not only is the backdrop and the pose tacky but it's totally outdated. It made our night.

After spending an hour doing that, I lounged around the house for the rest of the afternoon. At 5 oclock Brendan picked me up to go to the mall. I was able to buy him a Christmas gift that he picked out and he was able to buy his mom a little something too.

Next up for us was Mocking Jay! We had purchased tickets the night before because the theater we were going to sells out quickly.

If you live in our area, then you already know that over buy the brand new train stop Assemply Row is the new AMC movie theater. We've heard nothing but amazing things about it. Every single seat is fluffy and leather and there's a giant arm rest in between every single seat. Even if a stranger sits next to you, the arm rest is big enough where it doesn't matter.

But the thing that everyone is talking about is the side seating. Imagin balcony seating on each side of the theater. Usually the side rowsn have 3-4 seats, but these only have two. you get your own private little section and the seats recline fully. ITS AWESOME!

They cost the same price as the other seats, but they're way better!

And so we watched Mocking Jay.

I had been in the mood a few weeks ago to watch the first two movies and so I asked Brendan if he was interested. I would never be 'that girlfriend' and force him to watch something just because I wanted to. But he was all into it and ended up loving them.

 

He was actually pestering me this week because he wanted to see Mocking Jay so bad.

 

I thought it was awesome! I've never read the books, so I have nothing to compare it to. I don't know if they changed or left out detail. But I thought it was full af amazing scenes. I don't understand why everyone was so disappointed.

 

It wasn't like Deathly Hallows Part 1 which was the most boring thing to watch (and I LOVE Harry Potter) Sometimes Part 1 of movies are a little lame, lack-luster and boring because there is so much background that needs to be set for Part 2 to make sense.

 

I don't know. What do you think? Have you seen Part 1 of Mocking Jay? 

What did you think?

 

After the movie, Brendan and I went back to his place and ordered Dominoes Pizza. We ate and passed out and then, just like every other night, he drove me home.

 

Exactly what I needed!

 

Until next time,

XOXO Ines

 

 

Sunday Rewind: My Week in Review

Happy Sunday everyone!

Raise your hand if you aren't quite ready to head back to work yet…

Can you believe that in just about a week in a half, we will all be sitting down to a turkey dinner? December is right around the corner and there's nothing more I'm looking forward to than Christmas and finishing my last undergraduate semester! 

Woop woop!

Let's take a look into my week in review:

Row One

Last Sunday, I woke up to the smell of pancakes bubbling and bacon sizzling. When I finally got the energy to get out of bed, I was greeted by my boyfriend and an amazing cup of coffe. Can you see why I'm never letting this one go? He never arises to amaze me. 

On Monday, Brendan came over for a little bit. We caught up on AHS and watched the new season. That's when the other man in my life, Willie my cat, decided to join in on the night. 

The next morning I woke up feeling great and decided to dress a little more casual and laid back for work. Although it snowed lightly, boo, my zip up and vest were all I needed. 

Row Two

Later Tuesday night Brendan came over again. Of course we were created by a different feline this time. Reba made herself right at home in his comfy shoulder. Sadly Brendan hopped on a flight the next day to Florida and is currently on a caribbean cruise. #jealous!

The week continued and not too much happened. This past Friday I went to West End Johnnies, in Boston with a girlfriend. I guess you could say that we are spoiled because we get to dance up on a stage, protected by a wall of guys. I can be such a home body sometimes, antisocial and lazy, so I'm glad that I put myself forward and actually went out.

Row Three

This week, abc family played reruns of Molly Ringwald movies. If you don't know who Molly Ringwald is, I give you permission to go google her now and then come back. The Breakfast Club is my absolute favorite movie. I binge watched it happily in my pjs on the couch. If you've never seen it, I highly recommend it!

This past week I also got the privilege to create my first guest blog post for HumbleBeauty. Tab, who runs the blog, was an absolute pleasure to work with. I've been an admirer from afar for the past few months so when she said she would love to feature me, I was overcome with so much happiness and excitement!

Want to checkout my guest post? Click here.

Finally this past week I was able to yet again stop being anti social and go out with my hometown friends. We went to dave and busters and I had a few drinks and laughs. I'm always happy to go out with absolutely anyone. I love all my friends and I love going out. But I've noticed after my year of being 21 and binging out on going to bars, I've become totally exhausted and prefer staying at home.

I forget sometimes that I still love going out to bars. I think it has something to do with students teaching all day, going to work all afternoon and then going to class… should be interesting to see how I feel come January when I won't have to students teach or attend classes anymore...

Until next time,

xoxo Ines

What to pack for an alaskan cruise:

Recently, I had the pleasure of going on a Royal Caribbean cruise to Alaska. 

It was amazing!

The few weeks before the trip, I found myself googling what to pack but came up empty handed. 

I wasn't sure what to do.

Brendan was helpful, but that's because he had been to Alaska once before.

What if you don't have the same luck that I had? 

What if you don't know anyone who's visited Alaska before? 

Hopefully that's where this blog will help you!

I did find some other blog posts, but their list included items of clothing I didn't own or didn't plan on packing regardless of their suggestions.

Some of those things included thermal clothing, hiking books, a backpack and emergency supplies.

I did go out of my way to purchase a pair of sneakers specifically for the trip, but besides that, everything else I packed I had available in my closet.

It was important for me to be prepared.

I wanted to be able to take off layers if the sun was out on shore. 

I also wanted to be able to bundle up for the colder days out at sea.

I wanted to be comfortable, but still uphold my cute, girly sense of style.

So, when I did my packing I tried to take into consideration everything. 

And, since I tend to over pack, I did end up bringing a lot of things I did not need.

Keep reading to find out what I packed and what I did not need or use.

This is what I packed:

3 pairs of jeans
windbreaker/rain jacket
3 pairs of black yoga pants.
1 pair of thick thermal leggings
1 long sleeve thermal shirt.
2 pairs of shorts
3 long leave shirts.
2 pairs fuzzy socks
1 pair knee high socks
7 pairs ankle socks
pajamas
underwear/bras
sneakers
flip flops
black flats
2 pairs of heels
3 formal dresses
5 semiformal dresses
5 t-shirts
Under Armor pull over sweatshirt
earmuffs
3 bathing suits
toiletries
makeup
gloves
scarf
baseballhat
hair curler
3 tank tops
4 nice, dressy tops
thin zip-up sweater
small cross body pocket book.
large travel tote bag
phone charger
batteries
camera

Unfortunately most of the clothes I packed I didn't even wear.

I didn't wear any of the jeans, dressy tops, fuzzy socks or the scarf. 

My problem is that on the Caribbean Cruise I went on, we spend a lot of time exploring the ship. 

We had time to get ready and look good.

We had the time to change as many times as we wanted to throughout the day.

Alaska is different. 

You spend all morning and afternoon doing a 6 hour excursion. 

You come back to the ship exhausted and ready for a late lunch. 

You nap for two hours and then it's time to get ready for dinner.

The ship is not big enough to explore. 

It's too cold to lay out on the deck.

It's just different.

I wore a t-shirt and black yoga pants almost every day.

On top of that, depending on the temp, I either wore my thin zip up or pull over sweater.

Then I always wore my neon pink wind breaker on top and topped my head with my ear muffs :-)

Anything extra I needed that day (more layers, gloves…) I put in a huge tote bag that I brought along with me on land excersions.

Now taking all that into consideration, lets look at the list again.

This time I will cross off what I wouldn't repack, and add in a 

different color things I 'forgot'.

Keep reading to find out how I would pack differently.

Second time around:

3 pairs of jeans
windbreaker/rain jacket
3 pairs of black yoga pants (+2 more)
1 pair of thick thermal leggings
1 long sleeve thermal shirt.
2 pairs of shorts
3 long leave shirts. (+1)
2 pairs fuzzy socks
1 pair knee high socks
7 pairs ankle socks (+2)
pajamas
underwear/bras
sneakers
flip flops
black flats
2 pairs of heels (+1)
3 formal dresses (+1)
5 semiformal dresses
5 t-shirts
Under Armor pull over sweatshirt
earmuffs
3 bathing suits
toiletries
makeup
gloves
scarf
baseball hat
hair curler
3 tank tops
4 nice, dressy tops
thin zip-up sweater
small cross body pocket book.
large travel tote bag
phone charger
batteries (bring extra!)
camera

Something that I found super helpful when packing was to 

have a carry on suitcase and a 

checked piece of luggage. 

This give me more room for souvenirs and reassured me that 

my checked luggage would always be 

below the 50 lb airline limit.

If this blog post helped, make sure to share it, follow and give it a +1! Thanks!

Have fun on your trip!

Until next time,

Ines xoxo

What to pack for a caribbean cruise:

Last May 2013, I had the pleasure of going on my first cruise. 

We went to the Caribbean and it was amazing. 

I ended up over packing, but I'd rather be safe than sorry!

My advice however, is pack what you can in a carry on, like shoes and bulky/heavy items and then pack the toiletries and remaining clothes in your checked luggage. This allows you to avoid the 50 lb mark on the way there if you take a plane, and it also allows you more space/weight for souvenirs when you return home. 

I ended up packing more things to put over my bikini than I needed. Really all you need is either one pair of shorts and tank top/cover up just for the pool, and one for when you go to the beaches while docked in the port-of-calls. 

Because I was on a huge ship, and because we would go to the beach early and come back in the afternoon, I had a lot of time to explore the boat. this is when I would wear a cuter outfit. I didn't always want to be in a wet bathing suit and you don't want to spend time in your small state room. I brought interchangeable pieces that I would walk around deck with. 

I ended up bringing two sweaters and a wind breaker. I could have done without the sweaters. Even the one day it rained at sea, it was SO HOT!

So here's a rough list of what I would pack for my next Caribbean Cruise:

3 bikinis

1 Cover Up

3 Jean Shorts

1 Yoga Shorts

1 Yoga Pants

1 Windbreaker

2 Crop Tops

3 Knit Tank Tops

Flip Flips

Lots of hair elastics

Big tote bag for the beach

Toiletries

2 heels for dinner

3 formal dresses

5 semi formal (you want a backup of two)

underwear and those types of things

My own blow dryer! 

My own sunscreen. Two bottles. SPF 30+

2 Books for the beach

*extra batteries

*camera

*extra memory card

*phone charger - picture backup (CANT USE *PHONE! turn off at sea, so roaming is not activated.)

No Sneakers

No Towel - they have tons on the boat

No Jeans

No Sweater

No socks

No leggings

No hats

Enjoy your cruise and don't forget to comment if you have suggestions!

Until next time, 

Ines xoxo

My First Time: Royal Caribbean Cruise! #tbt

Back in May of 2013, I had the privileged of going on my first cruise ever! 
It was amazing!! 

It was also my first time visiting the Caribbean. 

And, believe it or not, it was the first time I had ever taken a vacation with a boyfriend!

Coming from a conservative family, whose parents are older than most and are also immigrants, you could say I was extremely sheltered as a child. 

Now, I'm thankful because I know I have a better head on my shoulders than most people do. But, back when I was a teen, I couldn't see this.

I guess you could say my anxiety level was through the roof before I told them.

But, once I got enough courage to, their response shocked me. 

They told me to enjoy myself.

Wow.

Trust me, I did.

We spent a week aboard the Oasis of the Seas, the biggest cruise liner to date at the time.

We visited the Bahamas, St. Maaten and St. Thomas and enjoyed 7 days of full on sunshine.

When we were docked at the ports, we spend our mornings laying on the hot sand and swimming in the crystal clear ocean water.

On days where we were at sea, mornings were spent on the deck, laying under the caribbean sun.

During the afternoons, we would eat lunch on the ship.

Eating is one of the best parts of a cruise ship. It's all inclusive when you buy your 'ticket' so you can eat at any of the dining areas, anytime they are open, 

as much as you want without paying additional money on your trip.

That's my kind of living.

After lunch, we would either head back up to the deck or explore the ship. 

With 18 levels, an outdoor garden, a boardwalk, plaza and much more, there was always something to discover on the Oasis. 

We never spent any time in our stateroom.

We would only return to change our clothes or get ready for dinner.

This took me about 2 hours.

But without fail, each time we returned to get ready for dinner, the wonderful cleaning staff would leave us a towel animal. 

We loved our elephants!

To get ready for dinner each night,  showered, did my hair, and put on a full face of makeup.

I was also dressed formally pretty much every night.

But, that's just the way I am.

I could have worn sun dresses or jumpers for their semi-casual nights, but I enjoy being over the top.

You're on a cruise!

When else will you get the chance to dress up completely from head to toe 7 nights in a row?!

I took advantage of the oppertunity.

Formal nights were my favorite and me and Brendan could not pass up the opportunity to take a selfie to remember our vacation.

 

Right before dinner, Brendan and myself would also always meet up with his parents for a drink. 

Although drinks are not free on cruise ships, there were more than 30 bars for us to chose from over the course of our trip.

At dinner, you enjoy the finest of dinning and a full course meals. You can order as many of whatever it is you want from the menu.

If you don't like it, just send it back. It's okay.

After dinner, you were free to either roam around the ship, enjoy a show in the theaters, or one of the parties hosted by the cruise director.

The best part about a cruise, especially to somewhere like the caribbean in a huge ship is that there's always so much to do.

You'll never be bored.

You can relax when you want. 

You can eat anything anytime.

You can explore the ports.

You can enjoy time with your family.

It was one of the best vacations!

Until next time, 

Ines xoxo