Moving Across the City 101

Fun fact about me: I hate moving. It’s probably my least favorite thing in life to do. Don’t get me wrong, I love the idea of moving, having a new place to decorate, and usually, the place I’m moving to is more exciting to me than the place I currently am. However, the actual moving process is something I absolutely cannot stand. It causes me unwanted stress, takes up almost all of my free time, and wears me out more so than I’d like to admit. Not to mention, once you’re all moved into your new place, you then have to unpack everything, resulting in living out of boxes for a month or two.

Why am I telling you this? Because I’ll be moving across the city (I know…it’s not that far) in less than a month! I am excited for many reasons: it will be the first time Michael and I live without roommates (finally!), we will have a separate space for our office (currently our room is our all-in-one living area), we will be moving closer to the places we spend our free time, and we won’t be right on top of all the college students anymore.

I’ve already started getting ideas of how I’m going to decorate the new place, and I haven’t packed a single thing yet!

I am also so excited to finally decorate and share my design style with you! (I just have to get through the moving process first.)

I’m going to try my very best to continue posting as frequently as I have been during this hectic month for me, but please forgive me if I don’t. In the upcoming weeks, while I’m packing my life into boxes, I’ll share with you some moving tips I’ve learned over the years, so if you’re moving soon too, you might be able to benefit from my past mistakes! 🙂

Thanks for stopping by, and if you have any moving tips you’d like to share with me this month, please feel free!

Bows and Arrows,

Lynda

New Year’s Vacation, Day 4 Travel Home

Today, I made my way back home, but I thought I’d make this quick post to let everyone know that my mini vacation is now over.  It was really nice to see my parents, and also to see the mountains during the winter snow.  Here are just a couple of other photos from the remainder of my trip.

Thanks for following along during my trip!

Bows and Arrows,

Lynda

 

New Year’s Vacation, Day 3

Just to keep everyone up to date, today was my third day in Oldtown.  The high here today was 19 degrees Fahrenheit, with a wind chill of 7 degrees.  It’s currently 10 degrees outside and my weather app says it feels like -6!  We ventured out into civilization today, and I snapped just a few pictures while we were on the road.

Logs by my dad’s man cave.

Coming back up the mountain.

Venturing into town.

We were in Maryland, and what you see here is West Virginia.

On our way back from town.

Dinner tonight.  Crab cakes and steamed shrimp.

Thanks for following along and check back tomorrow for more!

Bows and Arrows,

Lynda

New Year’s Vacation, Day 2

Today is my second day in the mountains in Maryland, and we woke up to snow!  Since my parents live in an area where there are more trees and wild animals than people, we spent the whole day at home, instead of attempting to get on the dangerous roads to go anywhere.  Here are a few photos from the day.

My car this morning at 5:30am.

An empty, unplowed road.

My cute little snow baby, Gabi.  She really loves snow!

Check back tomorrow for more adventures.

Bows and Arrows,

Lynda

New Year’s Vacation: Travel Day

It’s the 5th day of the year, and I’ve already been in 4 states!  Today, I spent the majority of my time driving to Maryland to visit my family.  My parents live in Western Maryland, which means my route to get there from Raleigh, goes through both Virginia and West Virginia.  I didn’t capture much from today, but here are a few pictures of some of what I saw on my way.

Entering Virginia.  Unfortunately, I missed the West Virginia sign, and I never saw a Maryland one.  Probably because at that point, I was more concerned about the “falling rock” signs everywhere as well as trying my hardest to not run off the edge of the cliff. :p

I made a quick stop at Short Pump Town Center since it wasn’t out of my way so I could exercise my legs (and speed shop)!

The sun was setting, and I could see the mountains in the distance.

Somewhere in West Virginia.  It’s pitch black when no one else is on the road.

Can you believe this is a road?!  I’m not even kidding.  One wrong turn, and you’re off the edge.  Also, there’s no cell service, so it’s really exciting when you get lost.

 

Look!  It’s a Jack in the box!  My parents dog all cuddled up in his box ready for bed.  It’s going to be a crisp 18 degrees tonight, and I’ll most likely be waking up to snow in the morning.

Check back tomorrow for more adventures, and don’t forget to follow me on instagram @lynda_lou_who

Bows and Arrows,

Lynda

Anna Maria Island, Travel Day, Day 8

In order to finish up this little mini-series about my vacation in Florida, here is what happened on my final day: travel day (it’s kinda boring, so I won’t be offended if you don’t read).

Minion Dave and I attempting to pack

After I finished packing early in the morning, I walked myself over to Relish Café (again) to grab a cup of coffee for the road.  We checked out of the house we were staying in at 10am, and afterwards we stopped in this small little thrift store on the island that is run by the local church.  It was so little!  Unfortunately, nothing caught my eye.

Since our flights out of Tampa weren’t until later in the afternoon, we decided to drive to Ellenton, about 45 minutes from Anna Maria Island, to go to their outlet mall.  When we got there, we only had 1 hour to shop.  Can you say speed shopping?  There were a lot of stores to go into that we don’t have in Raleigh, or near Raleigh, so I was running around like a crazy lady from store to store.  I ended up only buying one thing, from the Kate Spade store for the Ashley Pants, as a thank you for watching my dog child.

Once we arrived at the airport, we ate at the Chili’s for lunch before boarding and flying to Charlotte and then back to Raleigh.  Let’s just say it’s sad that I left 73 degree weather to arrive in Raleigh and be welcomed with icy roads and 30 degree weather.  Not cool Raleigh, not cool.

Bows and Arrows,

Lynda

Universal Studios Orlando, Day 7

Alright guys.  So this happened on Friday, March 14^th, and I’m only just now posting it because I fail at doing all the things I schedule for myself to do, but anyways.  I thought I should finish out my little vacation blog just for those of you that were actually enjoying it!

Friday, we ventured into Orlando, and spent the day at Universal Orlando Studios and Islands of Adventure.  Can you say Harry Potter World?!?! Yes, I was so excited!  And for the entire day, I think I may have transformed into a 5 year old, but a really tall one, because I got on as many rides as time would let me.  We got to the park around 11:30am and stayed until 7pm.  We started in Universal Studios and moved over to Islands of Adventure around 2:30pm.

City Walk

City Walk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Universal Studios, we started with Shrek 4-D, because the wait was only 10 minutes long.  We then rode Revenge of the Mummy, which I think may have been my favorite ride!  After that we rode Men in Black Alien Attack, which I sucked at killing the aliens.  I think I was the only one in my car to not get a score in the triple digits.  We then ventured into Springfield and rode The Simpsons Ride, which was also really good.

Krusty Burger in Springfield for Lunch

Welcome to Springfield!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When we got off of that ride it was around 1:30pm, so we decided to eat lunch at the Krusty Burger.  I ordered a Krusty Burger, which came with curly fries.  It was very good, but also very messy.  After lunch, we decided to head over to Islands of Adventure.

Lard Lad Donuts in Springfield

Duff Beer in Springfield

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But really though, I just couldn’t contain my excitement any longer, and just NEEDED to be in Hogsmeade immediately!

So we get to Islands of Adventure and I bee-line straight towards The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  We wander around a bit in Hogsmeade before getting in line for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, which is inside of Hogwarts.  I really like how they made the wait in line just as exciting as the ride, seeing Dumbledore’s office, the current points for all the houses, the talking paintings, the Herbology greenhouse, etc..

Entrance to Dumbledore’s Office

House Points

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After we got off of that ride, we went over to Flight of the Hippogriff, where you can see Buckbeak. (Ahh, I am such a kid!!!)

Buckbeak the Hippogriff

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moving Paintings, yes they did move!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We wandered around more and drank a frozen Butterbeer (so delicious) before finally going into the other parts of the park.  We stopped in Seuss Landing and rode The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride, which pretty much gives you an overview of the entire Seuss area of the park.  It’s definitely a ride for kids, but like I said, I was like a 5 year old in this park.  We then went back to Hogsmeade (I just couldn’t get enough) and rode the Dragon Challenge.  While you’re in this line, you feel like you are actually going to the Triwizard Tournament.  You see the Goblet of Fire, Ron’s crashed car that hit the Whomping Willow, the tournament flags, etc..  When you get to the end of the line, you have a choice between the Hungarian Horntail or the Chinese Fireball, which are two different roller coasters.  We chose the Chinese Fireball.  After this ride was over, we decided to shop around in the shops before finally saying our goodbyes to the wizarding world.

Hogwarts

Hogwarts Express

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We then walked around the rest of Islands of Adventure, but didn’t have much time to stand in the long lines for any other rides, unfortunately.

Me being really excited about Despicable Me

I will say that I was sad that I didn’t get to ride the new Despicable Me Minion Mayhem ride.  The shortest the wait ever was while we were there all day was 50 minutes.  And we just didn’t have enough time in our day to stand in line for an hour when there was so much else to see and do!  Overall, I had a great day at Universal Studios and I can’t wait until I can go back, especially since Diagon Alley will be opening up this summer along with the Hogwarts Express!!!

Check back for my final vacation post.  It will be up soon!

Lynda

Anna Maria Island, Day 6

Not much happened on Thursday.  The high in Anna Maria was only 62 degrees Fahrenheit! That sounds great when you come from 40 degree weather, but after 5 days in 75 degree weather, 60 is kinda chilly!  When we woke up we walked the entire length of Pine Avenue, snapping a few pictures of the Gulf of Mexico and Tampa Bay by the pier.  We walked to Relish Café again today to grab a cup of coffee, and then I spent the late morning and early afternoon hanging out around the house we rented. 

At around 3pm, we decided to walk along Pine Avenue again, this time stopping at the Anna Maria Island Historic Museum and Jail.  At first, it seems that the jail is a joke, but it actually was used as a jail with bars at one point.  They only ever housed 2 people in it, and they were almost eaten alive by mosquitoes, which is why it wasn’t really used much beyond that.  The only people ever really arrested during this time were arrested for public drunkenness from the dance houses.  It was a tiny little museum, but it was definitely interesting!

For dinner, we ate at a place called Sign of the Mermaid on Gulf Drive.  It is a tiny little restaurant that is actually inside of an old cottage.  The tables are set up in different rooms in the cottage, and our table, since we had a bigger group, was in this little hallway, which was great because it was secluded from a lot of the other tables in the bigger rooms.  They gave us bread to start, and actually provided a sweet cabbage to top the bread with.  I thought this seemed sort of odd as opposed to dipping oils or cheese, but it was actually quite delicious!  For my meal, I ordered an appetizer size of their Sushi Grade Tuna and a small berry salad (I don’t remember the official name of this salad).  The berry salad was actually really good, with strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, brie that was baked in Phyllo dough, a white balsamic vinaigrette, walnuts, and bacon.  I did not have wine during this dinner, but I did notice that they pour their glasses very generously!  Our table ordered two desserts to split, but I only ate from one of them.  I ate part of their Peanut Butter and Cracker Pie, which was a 2013 Best in Show winner.  Some of the desserts on their menu were featured on the Food Network!  (So sorry, I nommed this before getting a photo!)

So that wraps up my Thursday in Anna Maria Island!  Check back for my Friday adventures in Orlando!

Bows and Arrows,

Lynda

Anna Maria Island, Day 5

Skargorn Tee, Gorjana Scarf, Madewell Denim, Madden Girl Sandals

 

 

Wednesday was quite a relaxing day in Anna Maria Island.  There was a high of 72 degrees Fahrenheit, and it was a mostly cloudy day, until around 4:30pm when the sun finally decided to come out.  Yes, my outfit for the day does consist of long pants, but that is because the majority of the day the sun was not out, and it was pretty breezy, so it was comfortable wearing these!

For breakfast, I walked over to a little place on Pine Avenue called Relish Café.  I had one of their cinnamon crunch muffins, which was pretty big, so I only ate half of it.  It was really good, especially the streusel that was on the top of the muffin!  I also had a cup of their coffee, which is locally roasted in Sarasota, and it was quite tasty!  (So much so, that I’m actually drinking another cup right now!)

In the early afternoon, after I ate some leftovers for lunch from dinner the night before, I ventured over to Pine Avenue again to look in the shops.  I think my favorite shop was Pink & Navy, which is a boutique with books, clothes, lotions, soaps, candles, Toms, and a small baby section.  I bought some shea butter hand-crème from the brand Tokyo-Milk in the scent Tainted Love.  I really liked the smell of it, and I also needed more hand cream because my hands get dry a lot from working as a barista.

Other shops that I enjoyed include the Olive Oil Outpost, The Egret’s Nest, The Flip-Flop Shop and Candy Stop, and The Island Cabana.

For dinner, we went to a sports bar called Slim’s Place.  For our appetizer, we had some chicken wings seasoned with a Thai Chili flavor.  I will say that I am not one to order chicken wings, but I did enjoy these.  I thought that they had more meat on the bone as opposed to other wings I’ve had in the past.  My dinner was a house salad with crab cakes and Sangria.  The table also got a plate of Lobster Mac and Cheese to share, which is what they are known for (it was delish!).  For being such a small bar scene, the food was really good!

Sangria

Thai Chili Chicken Wing from Slim’s Place

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

House Salad and Crab Cakes

Lobster Mac and Cheese from Slim’s Place in Anna Maria Island, FL

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to everyone who has been reading my updates, and I hope you are all having a fabulous week, even if you’re just working!

Bows and Arrows,

Lynda

Busch Gardens Tampa, Day 4

For Day 4, which was Tuesday March 11^th, we ventured off of Anna Maria Island and made our way into Tampa to spend the day at Busch Gardens.  We arrived at Busch Gardens Tampa around 11:15am and made our way into the park.  We purchased tickets to the Serengeti Safari, which is an additional fee where you can get up close and personal with the animals.  And the highlight of my day was getting to feed the giraffe!  If you were wondering, their tongues feel like cat tongues…all scratchy, except much, much longer!  After we went on the safari ride, we proceeded to hit all of the roller coasters in the park.  My favorite ride was the Kumba.  I did like the ShieKra, but it does remind me of the Griffin at Busch Gardens Williamsburg.  The majority of pictures I managed to take at Busch Gardens Tampa were of animals, so here are some for you to see!

Gazelles

Black Rhino blending with the rock

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bird waiting for a handout at lunch

Purr.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

White Rhino

Grevy’s Zebra

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gator!

 

 

Feeding the giraffe

Giraffe!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is my outfit of the day!  And yes, I did plan to wear my safari sketch shirt at Busch Gardens!

 

Once we arrived back on the island, we ordered take out from a cute little Italian restaurant called Vinny & Cheryl’s Italian Kitchen.   I had an order of Penne Vodka Sauce, and it was quite delicious.  I really thought their vodka sauce was made very well, not being too thick like some places I’ve been to before.  I couldn’t finish it all, so I saved the rest for lunch on later days.

Thanks for keeping up with my travels, I’ll be posting more soon!

 One last thing.  How do giraffes pick their nose?

Bows and Arrows,

Lynda