Post-Game Recap

As you may have noticed if you read my posts regularly, I did not post Monday or Tuesday. Agh! I have been thinking for the past month that I may have to cut back on my posting come school time, but I thought it would be more of a choice than a necessity. Silly me. Well, I'm less than a week out and already feel like I have places to be and things to do, so on and so forth.

I really can't believe there are only 4 days left until classes start. I feel like this has been the longest summer in the world though so it's not that my break is ending too soon, but it has just gone on so long that it is a little unreal all that I have done and that it's coming to an end.

Recap on my summer of traveling:

Celebrated my 21^st birthday in Ohio with my dad.

Revamped my bedroom and livingroom.

Drove down to Texarkana, TX to live with me mum for a few months.

Visited Miami, FL.

Visited Ozark National Forest and the Cossatot.

Went to Dallas for a Rangers v. Tigers game.

Roadtripped through OK, KS, NB, SD, WY, CO, UT, AZ, NM, hitting up Badlands, Mt Rushmore, Devils Tower, Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Rocky Mountain, Zion, and Grand Canyon national parks.

Roadtripped through LA, MS, AL, GA, NC, TN, WV, stopping in Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

He who does not travel does not know the value of men. – Moorish proverb

Miami... Style?

With Miami ranked as the #4 most fashionable city in the US by Huffington Post, it appears that I was right to bring my most fashion forward outfits. However, I didn't really see many people really putting themselves out there with their outfits like TheSartorialist captures in places like New York, Milan, Madrid and so on. But I am wondering how Huffington measured fashionable-ness (yes, I made that up).

Nevertheless, I was not stopped! And today I am before you to share some of my own clever concoctions that I strutted around Miami, and some new shoes I'm really excited about. Tell me which is your favorite!

simple navy blue dress with bright orange heels

everything i'm wearing is from american eagle... i don't really dig the top knot, but what's a girl to do after the beach?

from a forever21 dress i'm in love with

this hairstyle is two braids pulled together in the back and my short layers pulled back like a half-up style.

this is my favorite headband. my adviser calls me wonder woman when i wear it to class.

the bottom of this dress is see-through and absolutely beautiful

i'm a huge fan of 1940s hairstyles. this one is a simple side roll.

As you can see, I'm not exactly a big spender and I like simplicity, but those two things don't have to hold you back from wearing something well!

these shoes were 20 bucks!

the much celebrated "just-wear-a-towel day"

Thoughts on fashion: Fashion fades, only style remains the same. - Coco Chanel

Eating Miami

One of the best parts about traveling is eating new food, and I'm going to let you in on a few restaurants I have eaten at on my travels and here in Miami. Some of these are chain restaurants that constantly deliver great food, while others were exploration. Enjoy and go do some exploring of your own!

Pappadeaux - DFW Airport

Beringer Founders’ Estate, 

 Cabernet Sauvignon, California  - Absolutely excellent

Crawfish Etouffee with white rice - Amazing!

We also had a slice of their sweet potato pecan pie that was super delicious. This restaurant is a go-to favorite of my mother and I. The servers are always well-informed and take great care of you. Their sister restaurants are just as impressive!

Sushi Maki - Coral Gables

This place had THE cutest and most artsy decor!!

Delish iced green tea.

spicy tuna amazingness

dragon roll!! best cooked sushi I've had

on the chopstick package they had different uses your sticks :)

I really enjoyed this place. Our waitress was super friendly and attentive. My mother was less than pleased with her rice noodle dish: Tai Pad Rice Noodles extra spicy. I loved that they had a bubble tea selection on their menu and my sushi was amazing.

Carrabbas

limonfresca - it was too much for me, so I got a wine instead 

PASTA FIORENTINA

LIMONCELLO BREAD PUDDING

I apparently didn't look like I was having enough fun, because halfway through my  decanter, my waiter brought me another one... "on de house". 

Carrabbas is ALWAYS great. They always have great staff and great food. This particular restaurant I really enjoyed. Their tables are always pretty dark though so if you have trouble seeing, make sure you take reading glasses!

Casa Larios

sangria!

Lamb stew with black beans and rice and fried plantains (shown below) 

my camera had a bit too much sangria ...

the remains of a great tres leches dessert 

our beer for the night, a Dominican beer: Presidente

All of my pictures from this restaurant turned out like crap since it was so dark already when we went out. The food was really good, although I was expecting more flavor. I also had a bowl of black beans with my meal. I loved the plantains, beans and rice, and black beans! The lamb was really tender and cooked well. 

John Martin's 

I had to get an Irish beer... and I've been informed I like Ale, so it was an easy choice!

Brie Cheese Toast on Baguette 

NY Strip Steak, Gaelic Style with Mashed Potatoes (if you go to an Irish Pub and don't get SOME kind of potato, you aren't living)

Key Lime Pie - note the heart of sauce

Creme Brulee - my mother's dessert

Every dish we ordered was great: very well presented, well flavored, cooked exactly to order. The only thing I found disappointing was that there seemed to be a lot more French and Italian dishes than Irish. Other than that they music, service and food was all amazing.

Thoughts on food: The only time to eat diet food is while you're waiting for the steak to cook - Julia Child

Which, Of Course, Means A Whale's Vagina

Making things is a passion of mine, but it is really difficult to keep up while traveling. For the next two weeks I will be in Miami, Florida (there will be a lot of pictures) and it makes me sad that this may be the only look-at-the-thing-I-made post for a while.

Before leaving Texarkana I completed a great pair of turquoise and wood earrings for my sister-in-law, Nicole. The plan was originally to make a second pair just like them for myself except gold with the wood, but I am rethinking that after spending about 3 hours on this one pair. I will probably end up making a completely different looking pair for myself though.

I have 2 sets of earrings to share with you today, both of which are derived from Pinterest inspirations. Actually, I really just set out to copy these more expensive earrings.

Set 1:

The inspiration . . . 

Set 2:

The inspiration . . . 

I really love the way both of these turned out. I got a lot of compliments on my feather earrings and Nicole seemed to love her's. Copying others designs is not really what I like to do but I also really liked these earrings and wanted them, so took the less expensive route of making them myself. Is there anything you do yourself that helps you cut fashion costs?

Thoughts on cutting costs: A psychiatrist asks a lot of expensive questions your wife asks for nothing. - Joey Adams