Bad, Terrible, Awful Blogger

I know, I know, it's been a while since my last post. Rather than make excuses for why I haven't posted recently (there are none,) I'll just compose a quick list of things that have happened these past couple of weeks of March and what's coming up in the life of little old me. With some pictures to accompany of course.

Party in the streets :)

* The first weekend of March, all of Binghamton came out to celebrate St. Patrick's Day early in the form of Parade Day. There was floats, beads, kegs, eggs, chocolate chip cookies, seeing old friends, and a lot of good Irish atmosphere going around.

* My friend confirmed that her wedding day is June 24 and we were all super excited discussing it. Her colors are orange and yellow with her bridesmaids (myself included!!) wearing orange. I inundated her with wedding blogs because you know, that's what I do.
* I got a new laptop - an HP Pavillion since my trusty old Gateway crapped out on me and finally just died. So much for trusty.
* I'm helping choreograph a small tango routine with a former teammate on top of choreographing my own Samba and Foxtrot routines for an event we are hosting on campus - Dancing with the Greeks, a Dancing with the Stars inspired competition. I want. to win.

Mac and Cheese cups - not healthy at all I know, but honestly, I'm eating clean. Pinky promise :)

*I've been making a bunch of different recipes usually predominately the same ingredients but am sure to include a whole lot of veggies and fruits.
* I didn't make a sacrifice for Lent this season; rather I am going to church every Sunday. I missed it the second week of Lent and woke up at 6:30am to make it to the 7am mass the following Monday. I guess you can say that I'm sacrificing sleep in a way.

My green, green, green outfit on Parade Day with some brown thrown in

* I'm heading out to Boston this weekend to compete at MIT's annual Ballroom Dance competition and am super excited and sad as this is my last one!
* Spring break is in two weeks so I'm looking forward to going home for a bit, especially because I have a date at the spa with my mom and sister and am going to meet up with my summer internship supervisor. 

I'll hopefully be posting more frequently as my days as a college student are winding down and I want to remember everything! So here it goes! Also, you can see my Parade Day escapades from two years ago here. 

Happy Valentines Day!

Wishing everyone a beautiful and special day today! No matter who your Valentine is, always remember:
"to love oneself is the beginning of a life-long romance" - Oscar Wilde

 Photo Courtesy of: Lancome

Christmas in the Ozarks: Silver Dollar City

Instead of starting off 2012 with a New Years Resolution post, I have an even better surprise for you! Katie is a friend of mine that I made when studying in Italy and I am super excited that she is guest posting for me! When you finish reading, go check out her site where you can read about her adventures as a college student and see where she has traveled while abroad. Enjoy!

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Hi! I’m Katie. I’ve been a blogger for almost a year now! I started blogging at La Vita e Bella to document my amazing study abroad experience. That’s where I met Stephanie, when we had a food class together in Florence!  It’s also where I became obsessed with blogging. I started a new blog about my life this past August at Life Of Katie I hope you’ll check it out!

I live in a town just outside of Springfield, Missouri. That’s in Southwest Missouri, in the area known as The Ozarks. I live about an hour‘s drive from Branson. I’m sure you’ve heard of Branson. Everyone knows Branson: The shows, the gospel music, the shopping outlets, the old folks . . . It is what it is. If you’re living in the Ozarks, you’ve got to embrace it.

My grandparents live in Jefferson City, but they make the three hour drive to Branson several times a year. It’s become a bit of a tradition for them to come to Branson just after Christmas and spend several days between Christmas and New Years. They stay in a timeshare, and my aunts, uncles, and cousins come down and spend some time there as well. The main Branson attraction, at least for us: Silver Dollar City.

Silver Dollar City is an old-fashioned 1880’s-themed park that opened back in 1960. There are numerous things to do at SDC. There are roller coasters: Wildfire, Thunderation (I cried the first time I was finally tall enough to ride it with my mom—it was terrifying. Haha.), and Powder Keg (0 to 60 in 3 seconds). There’s a creepy ride called Fire in the Hole, SDC’s first roller coaster. It still freaks me out. There are water rides: The American Plunge and The Lost River (the best ride on a hot summer day). The Giant Swing might be my favorite—it’s huge! The Flooded Mine is a ride where you shoot laser guns at targets and try to get the most points. Geyser Gulch, a huge water play area, is a great place to be during the heat of the summer. You can take a ride on the Fresco Silver Dollar Line Steam Train, where you ride through the park and are held up by train robbers. (“THIS—is a stick up!” is said by one of the robbers holding up a stick. Classic.) You can tour Marvel Cave, a cave discovered in 1869. 

There’s an old schoolhouse, a church, a swinging bridge. You can watch glassblowers and blacksmiths and woodcarvers, basket weavers, taffy-pullers, candle makers, and potters at work. (Did I mention that all the employees dress like they’re from the 1880s?) You can walk through Grandfather’s Mansion—a fun house. There’s a carnival area in the park with rides like the Pirate Ship and the Teacup Ride. 

There are all kinds of shows to see: The Saloon Show, The Homestead Pickers, and various shows in the Opera House, The Dockside Theater, The Gazebo, The Amphitheater, and so on.

Food options include pork rinds, funnel cakes, veggies and potatoes and meat cooked in giant skillets, fried foods, refreshing root beer, ice cream with strawberries in the summer, hot chocolate and hot wassail in the winter. Kettle corn, roasted drumsticks, nut brittles from the candy store. As you walk around the park, you are greeted with smells of all kinds of delicious food wafting through the air.

Throughout the operating season (March through December, I think) are different festivals: World Fest, Kids’ Fest, Bluegrass and BBQ, An Old Time Christmas. Though I love coming to SDC in the summertime, I think my favorite time of year there is Christmastime. The park is decorated with around 4 million lights and a five story Christmas tree. There is a parade at night, right after the must-see lighting of the enormous tree.

Some of my favorite childhood memories take place at Silver Dollar City. I remember Mom packing up lunches in a cooler and snacks in our fanny packs. (Yes, I had a bright pink fanny pack that I actually wore.) I remember loading up the van and bringing an extra change of clothes for the ride home, because my first outfit would always be soaked by the water rides. My family would drive down to Branson, park the car, take the tram to the entrance, and spend literally all day walking up and down the hills of Silver Dollar City. 

Mom would usually buy a big bag of kettle corn or a funnel cake to share. We would ride as many rides as possible (and as many times as possible), only stopping to watch a show or if we needed to rest our feet. We had contests on the water rides to see who would get the wettest. I always loved the doll shop (I’m not sure if they have it anymore) and the bookstore, and watching the ladies in the candy shop make peanut brittle. They also used to have (and I’m not sure if they do anymore) a little petting zoo with goats and sheep (I think) and baby bunnies. When it got dark and we were too tired to continue, we’d head back through the park, wait in line for a tram heading towards our parking lot, and I would be fast asleep by the time we drove out of Branson. 

This year, I’m 20. I drove down to Branson myself. I didn’t bring any snacks. I didn’t wear a fanny pack. I met my grandparents, aunt and uncle, and four of my cousins at the entrance of the park. We got there around noon, when the park opened. The rides opened at 1, and my cousins and I spent about three hours walking around and riding rides. 

Some shops in the city

The Christmas tree before the lighting

The Old-Fashioned Church

Wildfire Roller Coaster

My cousins and I being silly

 

Chance pointing the way to the Giant Swing

The Giant Swing!

Chance, Me, Whitni, and Hance

We made sure to get all the good ones in: Wildfire, Powder Keg (twice), Thunderation, Fire in the Hole, The Giant Swing, and four of the carnival rides. We were “rided out,” by later in the afternoon, and I made sure to get some hot chocolate. (SDC’s hot chocolate is the best, and I have to get it when I come at Christmastime.)

Hot Chocolate: A tradition

We met up with my aunt and uncle later on, after Grandma and Grandpa had left. We went through Grandfather’s Mansion, watched a show at The Opera House, and then we waited for the Christmas Tree to light up before heading home.

The Christmas Tree at Night

Christmas Lights Everywhere

Christmas Lights Everywhere

Christmas Lights Everywhere

Silver Dollar City is just as old-fashioned, just as fun, and just as magical as it always has been. If you ever find yourself down in the Ozarks, make sure to spend a day at this theme park. I’m positive you will leave with memories that will last a lifetime.

Big Lighted Wreath at the Silver Dollar City Entrance

Thanks for reading about Christmas at Silver Dollar City! You can read Stephanie's post about Christmas in another (slightly bigger) city here! 

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Thanks so much for guest posting on my blog Katie! Don't forget to check out her awesome blog, Life Of Katie, and leave her some love!

Happy New Year 2012!

Wishing everyone a  

HAPPY HAPPY NEW YEAR!! 

May this New Year bring you new goals, a new beginning, and all the joy, happiness, blessings, and luck in the world! Celebrate in style, whether that means staying in wearing your pajamas and drinking sparkling cider or partying until the wee hours of the morning in your sparkly mini dress and holding flutes of champagne. Despite some people's argument that New Years is just another day, I like to believe that it is an official time to renew and refresh; I'll be looking forward to a clean slate with the hopes that this year will bring everyone countless amounts of love and happiness. I know that I am very thankful to have my family and friends in my life and everyone for sharing in my adventures on this blog - I'm so grateful! Thank you!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone has a lovely, wonderful Christmas filled with lots of laughter and love!

Mission Christmas Gifts: Almost Accomplished

I was hoping to have an outfit post for today, but instead stuck to jeans and comfy tee-shirts this whole weekend. Hopefully, I'll find inspiration early next week as some fun plans are lined up. I'm super excited to go see the tree in Rockefeller Center, but am going to have to wait until Christmas Eve, right before we go to church for the Christmas Vigil and then to my aunts house to celebrate with my baby cousin (he's 2 years old, but I'll always refer to him as "baby cousin.") In the meantime, I got most of my Christmas shopping done (yay!) but still have to buy gifts for my dad and brother. Why does shopping for men have to be so hard? *Le sigh.

Some Favorite Christmas Movies

 

Certain things make people feel nostalgic. A particular smell, for instance, can bring anyone back to a time or place, sometimes it can even bring up a certain feeling. Movies for me are nostalgic, especially around Christmas times. When I watch the above films, most of them bring me back to a certain place of being younger and watching them with my brother and sister. With the exception of the newest releases (like The Holiday and Love Actually,) the other movies all stir childhood feelings. Elf has become a tradition in my family to watch it after our big Thanksgiving dinner. It has become the official kickoff for the Christmas season. Lifetime and ABC Family have less of a sentimental value but are always fun to watch the original movies. Nest year, I'm going to try watching more old classics along with the above movies and see if they can become incorporated into our families Christmas viewing traditions. 

1. The Santa Clause
2. Elf
3. The Holiday
4. Love Actually
5. Home Alone
6. Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas
7. ABC Family Original Movies (The cheesier, the better)
8. Lifetime Channel Original Movies (The sappier, the better)

Home for The Holidays

My papers are handed in, finals are finished, my commuting to campus is kaput, and I'm listening to Christmas carols as I write this. My mom came up to Binghamton to pick me up from school earlier this week and along with stocking up my apartment with bulky non-perishable items for next semester, we went shopping at the local mall and attempted to start our Christmas shopping to less than stellar results. Mom crossed some gifts off her list, but I left without a clue of what to get anyone. She stayed the night and the next day we made the journey home after I made a simple breakfast of hard boiled eggs, toast and tea (I'm still trying to hone my culinary skills and refused to let her help me out) We hit Woodbury Commons outlet which has been our four year tradition of ending my Fall semesters and immersing into the Christmas season. Though the air is chilly, there are carols playing throughout the area and we always enjoy our time wandering through the high end outlets.

I came home greeted with simple yet beautiful white lights decorating the exterior of our house and warm colorful figurines inside our house. My favorite is of course our tree peaking out of the front window with it's twinkling lights and the smell of freshly baked cookies that Nicole made earlier in the evening. Casey greeting me at the door excitingly is always the bow on the gift! Eleven days until Christmas morning!

Santa Clause Is Coming To Town

Michael Buble - Santa Clause Is Coming to Town

Your Guide To Black Friday

1. Stay home

2. Wait for Cyber Monday

Gobble Gobble,

This year, as of every year, I am so thankful for my wonderful family and friends, my health and happiness, and especially for the incredible year I have had, both the good times and the bad. I will always be grateful for all the blessings I and my family have been fortunate enough to receive. May next year be just as wonderful as this one was. What are you thankful for?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Felt Leaves

While I was home on school break, I occupied myself by doing some of my favorite fall things, like eating pumpkin pie and going to my favorite grocery market (Stew Leonards for anyone in the NYC/Westchester area.) During the times when I wasn't doing much at home, I created an arts and crafts project that was inspired from Elsie over on A Beautiful Mess. I bought some felt squares, cut a bunch of leaf shapes out of the felt, and sewed them together with brown thread. I hung it up in our living room for the remainder of my days home and have since put it around the perimeter of my closet at my brand new spanking apartment. Stay tuned for pictures to follow of my new digs!

A Fall Favorite

Fall is a favorite season of mine for many reasons. The air becoming crisper, the leaves changing colors, snuggling up in a blanket for the first time, and the delectable goodies that can be devoured. The other afternoon I had my first pumpkin spiced latte for the season and can't wait to get my hands on another one. I came home for the week due to classes being canceled for the Jewish holiday and was delighted to find pumpkin pie waiting for me in the refrigerator. Along with spiced tea and pieces of apple crumbs sprinkled on the side, the slice of pumpkin pie was like a slice of heaven. The autumn season has finally taken a turn for the better!

I couldn't resist taking a nibble of the crust

Happy Wednesday!

Poolside On The Fourth

Hello Darlings,

This weekend I had some really fun plans to go up to Cape Cod, Massachusetts to reconnect with all of the new friends that I made in Florence and bask in the sun on a sandy beach, preferably with a cocktail in my hand. Unfortunately, plans got canceled (which has been happening quite a lot these past few weeks..grr!!) but luckily we moved them over to next weekend of the 15.

I still had a pretty relaxing, albeit uneventful weekend, that was filled with party planning, babysitting, shopping, and reading. On Monday, for the Fourth of July, my family and I, minus Michael who is busy studying for his Bar exam in Boston, went to visit my aunt and my cousin and took a gander over to the pool she joined. It was a lot of fun! My cousin as adorable as he is, always cries whenever he sees me so I'm determined to make him like me! I played with him for a bit in the kiddie pool and pushed him on the swings, so he warmed up a bit, but still was not the happiest camper.

I am wearing: Shirt: (DKNY); Shorts: (The Gap); Flip Flops: (Old Navy);  

Bag: (Gifted); Hat: (Nine West); Sunglasses: (Betsey Johnson); Necklace: (Swapped)

After swimming with my mom and sister for a bit, we joined my dad and aunt back at the chairs and laid out in the sun for a bit. When we went back to my aunt's house, I took a quick shower to feel clean again and ate a cheeseburger and some fries. Very American of me, I know. After we got back to our house, we went across the street to my OTHER aunt/uncle and my cousins (they're both older than I am and thankfully don't cry when I am near them) and watched some fireworks from their back porch. Sure, fireworks are illegal in the state of New York, but that sure doesn't stop people in our neighborhood from buying them and setting them off. Pure entertainment for me.

I hope you all had a wonderfully fun holiday! 

Tell me, what were your plans on such a festive day?

Eternally yours,

Stephanie

Happy Fourth of July!

I hope everyone has a wonderful, fun, and exciting day! I can't wait to relax by the pool, see some fireworks, and eat some delicious BBQ food. Summer is in full swing and I am loving it!

Eternally yours,

Stephanie

Photo Source: Apartment34.bogspot.com

Birthday Lady

Hello Loves,

Well, another birthday has come and gone and it's a whole year's wait until the next one. But this year, I feel, is going to be a good one! One of the things I'm most excited about is moving into a new house for my senior year and living with my best friends (two of whom got engaged in March!) I can't wait to decorate and show you the before and after pictures on here. This summer is also shaping up to be a fun one as I have several get togethers planned and have a pretty awesome internship with really nice people. I'm still working on that whole getting-paid-this-summer deal and panic is slowly starting to set in but if nothing comes my way, I'll just work overtime all of next year. Bad thoughts get me nowhere so I try to remain optimistic and think of potential solutions to any problems. It does have a calming effect.

 

I am wearing: Tank and Skirt: (Old Navy); Heels: (Unlabeled)

As soon as I went into the office of my internship, all of my new co-workers were wishing me happy birthday. My supervisor sent out an email to everyone with the day's agenda and wished me a happy birthday on the bottom, so everyone knew that today was the big 2-1. I also got a bunch of birthday text messages from my friends which always makes me smile :) For lunch, all of the interns and a couple of directors went to this restaurant, Perishing Square, right across from Grand Central Terminal and had a fabulous lunch! The best part was at the end when we all picked desserts to share, and the one I picked came out with a candle. Everyone sang Happy Birthday and I couldn't stop blushing!

For dinner that night, my family and I went to Bronxville for a yummy Mexican dinner. I ordered my first alcoholic drink and was expecting to get carded but didn't. So bummed! Haha! I'll admit it was weird to have a drink sitting next to my parents, but now that I'm of age, I can do it at any family gathering and not get the warning death glance from my mother to put it down. This time last year, I was waiting until it was my birthday again, but right now, I'm content with having the year drag by as long as possible.

Wishing you all a lovely day!

Eternally yours,

Stephanie