Australia Day 1: We made it!!!

TravelingLoveBug

Hi Love Bugs,

What a whirlwind the last 35 hours has been. I am happy to announce that I am safely back on land, but I must admit the 16 hour flight from Dallas to Brisbane was no where near as horrible as I thought it would be. International economy beats the crap out of US economy. While on the flight, I watched a bunch of premiere movies: The Book Thief, Twelve Years a Slave, and Delivery Man. I was impressed that the airline was able to broadcast such new movies. The food however, was subpar at best–needless to say, I starved. After exiting the terminal, I was so excited to get to Cairns, and let me tell you, this quaint little beach town does not disappoint! Here are some pictures of our day:

gingbeer

 

You must try the Bundaberg Ginger Beer while in Australia. Seriously heaven in your mouth!! As a forewarning, you must like ginger….a lot.

 

Our balcony view from the beautiful Hilton Cairns Hotel.
Our balcony view from the beautiful Hilton Cairns Hotel.

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Why not? Why not give back while you travel?

TravelingLoveBug

 The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.-Gandhi

There is no better feeling on this earth than having the opportunity to help someone out. No matter how big or small–it is always appreciated, and it always generates the same amazing feeling. I wanted to share an AMAZING website I found while browsing the web: Pack for a Purpose. Check out their amazing website here ! Read more →

Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve, Fort Myers, FL

TravelingLoveBug

“In all things of nature, there is something of the marvelous!”-Aristotle

DSC_0822The Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve is such an incredible hidden gem in SWFL. It is 3,400 acres of wetland that measures 11 miles long and 1/3 miles wide. It is home to many animals, reptiles, insects, and soon-to-be endangered species. I visited this wonderful Fort Myers treasure with a friend from work, and during our journey we put together a wonderful gift for her husband. Below you will find a bunch of photos from our day. During our trek, I used my Nikon D3200 and Joby Gorillapod SLRZoom. Read more →

March Birchbox

TravelingLoveBug

“Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.” -Confucius

I got my March Birchbox last week, and wanted to publish this post after sampling all of the products. When I first opened the box, I was a bit disappointed but told myself to give it a chance and make a judgement call after sampling all of the products. I can honestly say I am still disappointed; however, I stand by decision in continuing to receive the Birchbox subscription every month because I have gotten some great products! I have seen other bloggers get great boxes this month, and I have hope for April. photo 1-11 Read more →

Sunshine, flowers, and friends–what more could you ask for?

TravelingLoveBug

“Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine!” -Anthony D’Angelo

Lucky for us we had a lot of both! Today was truly beautiful. If you live in SWFL, pack yourself a picnic, grab your hunny, some good friends, and your camera and head to Lakes Regional Park off Gladiolus! We were blessed with beautiful weather, and the ability to go bike riding today with some friends. If you don’t have a bike, do not fret! You can rent bikes, kayaks, paddle boats, you name it–I am sure they have it. We also stumbled upon a beautiful vegetable garden and fragrance garden.

Me and Seansy
Me and Seansy
Andrea and Rob
Andrea and Rob

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DSLR Camera Class: Tips & Tricks

TravelingLoveBug

“Someone will throw you an awesome picture one day–the question is, will you be ready for it?”photo-2

I took a Beyond Beginners Class for Digital DSLR Cameras on Thursday at Creative Photo in Fort Myers. The instructor, D3, was credible and easy to understand. You could tell he truly had a passion for photography, which I can totally appreciate. I enjoyed it so much. I learned a ton, and wanted to share some of the tips and tricks I learned to help out my Love Bugs! So without further ado, here ya go:  Read more →

Opa! Fort Myers 39th Annual Greek Festival

TravelingLoveBug

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Hello Love Bugs!

Happy Oscar Sunday! I had the pleasure of attending the 39th annual Greek Festival today with my boyfriend, who just so happens to be Greek! His aunt volunteers at the festival every year and we went to visit her, walk around, and enjoy some lunch. What a lovely day it turned out to be.  Everything was perfect–the weather, the food…oh the food, and of course the Greek music! If you haven’t tried Greek food, run to your nearest Greek restaurant and order a gyro(pronounced “E-RO”) ASAP! You wont be sorry.

I have been trying to pick up some Greek lingo, and I must say my favorite word is “S ‘agapó̱” (I love you). Another thing I would like to add in here is that all of the pictures below were taken on my iPhone 5.

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Beach Yoga at Keewaydin Island & Sun Kissed Skin at the Ritz

TravelingLoveBug

Hi Love Bugs! I had the most wonderful day with my best friend, Ally! We enjoyed a typical SWFL day of sunshine, and I wanted to share it with you all. We couldn’t have asked for better weather, and because of it, we spent 12 hours in the sun!

We started the early morning off at Tin City where we took a catamaran to Keewaydin Island, which was absolutely beautiful, and the most serene island I have been to in a long while.

DSC_0570DSC_0575 DSC_0573We then busted out our mats, and started our practice. It was perfect. Andrea from Bala Vinyasa ran our small class of 10, and she did a great job! It was relaxing, and I enjoyed every second. I cant wait to go back. DSC_0598DSC_0592 DSC_0595DSC_0604Although, I was sad to end our 1/2 day yoga excursion, I was super excited to get back to the catamaran and finish our day at the Ritz. We got incredibly lucky on the way back, and ran into a group of dolphins swimming alongside of us! Seriously, such beautiful and amazing creatures.  Read more →

Homemade Biscuits: Recipe & Deliciousness

TravelingLoveBug

Hi Love Bugs! Happy President’s Day! For those of you who don’t know me, let me just start off this post by stating my EXTREME love/ borderline obsession with biscuits. Especially, homemade biscuits. I have been a huge fan of this delicious treat for as long as I can remember gravitating to any and all biscuits, especially my mother’s biscuits and Cracker Barrel biscuits.

Isn't she cute?
Isn’t my mom the cutest?

I decided to go home for the extended weekend, and being the wonderful mother she is, my mom decided to make me my FAVORITE biscuits. I absolutely love these biscuits, and brag to everyone I know about them. So this morning I figured why not share the recipe with my beloved Love Bugs! To my surprise, my mom has always used Paula Deen’s recipe that you can find right here: Paula Deen’s Homemade Biscuits. 

Ingredients:             

  1. 2 cups all-purpose flour
  2. 1 teaspoons sugar
  3. 1 tablespoon baking powder
  4. 1 teaspoon salt
  5. 8 tablespoons butter, cubed
  6. 3/4 cup milk Read more →

Birchbox: My thoughts on the February box & Why You Should Invest the $10 a month!

TravelingLoveBug

Hi Love Bugs!

I hope you are all doing absolutely fantastic on this wonderful Saturday morning. Today, I wanted to share with you my thoughts on Birchbox. If you haven’t heard of it, I highly recommend you visit their website: http://www.birchbox.com ASAP! This superb little box comes straight to your door mid-month harboring 5 perfect little beauty surprises. I am completely obsessed. Once, I get the “Your Birchbox has shipped email,” I wait with such heightened excitement with one of my co-workers, who also subscribes.

According to their website, Birchbox “helps you find products that you love.” I couldn’t agree more with this statement! Not only do I love sampling the beauty products, but I love getting a surprise every month in the mail. What girl doesn’t love receiving a package in the mail? Especially when it comes with great beauty products handpicked from your personal beauty profile. I also absolutely love how everything is travel-sized. The Pro to this for me personally is I don’t have to run to the travel section of Target to stock up on TSA approved toiletries for my trips!

Another Pro to Birchbox that I will admit I haven’t taken advantage of is reviewing products on their website. Once you review a product online, you are able to get points and purchase the products on the Birchbox website. I am actually going to review the products upon finishing this post since I am reviewing them here for you Love Bugs, today! I will let you know how it goes in my March Birchbox post. You also get points for referring friends, so if you do decide to get a Birchbox from this post, feel free to write my name down!

So without further ado, here are the contents of my February Birchbox:

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