Vacation Plans & Highlights

Happy Wednesday!!

It’s been a busy week at work and I feel like I’ve been running all over town! So I started reading If I Stay by Gayle Forman last night, I have to say I am very VERY excited for this book!! If you remember it’s one of the books I wanted to read before it hit the big screen.  I fell way behind because of Serena, the movie trailer is already out for this one! Hopefully I can get a lot of reading done this weekend. We have a lot of fun things planned so far though; reading might get pushed down my priority list :)

We have some friends coming in town and we are going to dinner with them on Friday night, we’re taking them to one of our favorite local restaurants! Saturday my friend Gamecox is having a “Stock the Bar” party thrown for her and we are so excited to attend! I won’t post what we’re gifting them until after just in case she’s perusing my posts! But I can say that she is going to love it and I can’t wait for her to open it!

So back in April I got blond/honey highlights, they looked great and I loved them!! 

But as time went on my roots started to inevitably show, so last week I used a store bought dye and decided to take care of the problem myself! I used this color from Garnier and it turned out great!! I just wanted to lighten the entire thing and enhance the highlights; that’s exactly what happened!

Here is the end product! Yay!

So I am so happy to announce that we have booked our annual vacation!! Drum roll please…….we’re going to CABO!! I am SO excited, if you can’t tell! Neither of us have been to Mexico and Cabo just seemed like the #1 choice for us! We’re staying in the heart of Medano Beach and I can’t wait to explore and relax on the sand! We’ve decided not to go the all-inclusive route this time, after doing a ton of research we agreed that limiting ourselves to eating on the resort 24/7 was a hindrance in Cabo. The location of our resort is only a short walk from the downtown area that is littered with restaurants and bars, we are thrilled to get the chance to really explore!  Here are a few pictures from Google, as usual it didn't disappoint! 

Boating & Wine

Happy Monday! We had a great, fun filled and busy weekend! I hope ya’ll did the same!

Friday night we went to date night and ended up discovering our new favorite hang out, a cute indoor/outdoor place called Arkos Mojo Grill and Martini bar! We ended up sitting on the rooftop deck and enjoyed delicious margaritas and an acoustic guitar player. I ordered the shrimp & chorizo salad and Mr Tan Lines ordered the chicken tacos. Both of our meals were outstanding! We even got to talk to the owner/manager who told us about the fun events they have planned for the summer. We can’t wait to go back and hang out there again! Here is a picture of our view of the guitar player from the rooftop:

The weather was perfect on Saturday and we decided to take the boat out! We chose to take the Bryant instead of a tri-toon and leave Miss Lily at home; it was much too hot for her! The Bryant is a beautiful boat and was actually a lot faster than I expected. We ended up hanging out on the boat for about 3 hours then decided to head in. Temperatures were hovering somewhere around 98 degrees and we felt we had gotten plenty of sun! Here are some pictures from our fun time on the boat!

Saturday night we decided to grill out and just relax at home. Mr Tan Lines did some yard work while I cleaned the house and took a well deserved nap! :) I marinated the steaks for us and got the corn on the cob ready, we relaxed and watched an episode of Breaking Bad! We are SO late in the BB game, we never watched it before and are now catching up on Netflix; we are currently in the middle of season 4! We had gone to World Market earlier in the day and I picked up two very delicious bottles of wine. We opened the first one on Saturday night; below is a picture of the bottle with one of my wine glasses that I also purchased at World Market! The wine was delicious, it was on the sweeter side but I didn’t mind. I ended up popping the bottle in the fridge for 30 minutes and letting it cool down a bit, the cooler temperature definitely improved the flavor.

Sunday was a day full of relaxation. As I mentioned last week we finally got cable so we were excited to turn on Sports Center and catch up on the World Cup excitement! We ran a few errands and decided to stop at Coldstone before we headed home! My friend Gamecox and her fiancé had given us a gift certificate for my birthday and we were so excited to use it! Mr Tan Lines got the Oreo Lovers in a waffle cone and I got french vanilla, gummy bears and rainbow sprinkles, my absolute favorite! 

We then headed home and did a little more cleaning. I marinated some chicken drumsticks with Sweet Baby Rays Barbecue sauce and chili sauce and put them into zip lock baggies. We had planned to grill them later that evening. After all of my chores were done Miss Lily and I snuggled on the couch while watching Fast Five. I had watched it once before but forgot just what a great movie it is! Here is a picture of Miss Lily perfectly at ease on the couch with me :)

For dinner Sunday night we cracked open the second bottle that I purchased from World Market. This time I didn’t chill it in the fridge but equally enjoyed it! We actually drank it while watching the USA v. Portugal soccer match, if you happened to see it then you know how I’m feeling! What an exciting game, I couldn’t believe the ending; I was just getting ready to do my victory dance and then BAM. GOAL. It was crazy, but exciting none the less and at least we have not yet been eliminated!

I am so excited to watch The Bachlorette tonight! Andi has really grown on me and I can’t wait to see what kind of drama the boys will stir up tonight! Andi is just the cutest, tune into ABC tonight so we can chat about it tomorrow! Have a great day and talk to you later!

Serena by Ron Rash - Book Review and A New Recipe!

Yayyy happy Friday!! I am so excited that it’s finally Friday! I hope everyone has a fun filled weekend planned!! We’re going to date night tonight which I’m super excited about, we’re hoping to take the boat out tomorrow morning, just depends on the weather and we plan to grill out Saturday night. Sunday we’ll just lounge around and relax, maybe go for a hike later in the evening.

So if you remember a few months back I mentioned some books I was going to read before they hit the big screen. One of them was Serena by Ron Rash. Well, I haven’t forgotten about it, it has just taken me this long to get through it. It was SO. SLOW. The synopsis was actually really exciting but it was way more of a huge snooze fest. I’ll give you a recap of the book and my review below; there are some spoilers so stop reading if you plan to read the book! Here I am cozied up in bed last night, finishing it up! By the way, I don’t think I’ve ever shared this but the picture hanging up on our wall is one we purchased in the Dominican Republic in May 2012!

So this book is weird as hell, it’s about newlyweds Serena and George Pemberton moving to North Carolina to run a lumber farm. Upon their arrival they are greeted by a homeless looking girl and her father, the homeless girl is knocked up and says George is the baby daddy, George doesn’t deny this. The girl states that George should be helping her out because she’s dead broke and he is really rich. He refuses to offer her anything, the homeless girls’ dad gets pissed and tries to attack George, George kills the dad...I know right!? The next hundred pages are about nothing; running a lumber farm is hard, people die. There are snakes and it gets really cold. Serena and George have a steamy sex life; Serena purchases a bald eagle and wears it on her shoulder like a parrot. Serena proves she is smarter and stronger then all of the other men in the book. George murders one of his head foremen because he was too close to the cookie jar.  They pretty much murder anyone who looks at them wrong. Then Serena gets pregnant, but she has a miscarriage that vanishes the chance of her ever having kids. Serena does not like this, she sends her henchmen to murder her husbands’ bastard child, but her attempts are thwarted, she then suspects that her husband is protecting the child and his mother. Serena doesn’t like this even more, she lures her husband into the forest and leaves him to die. YIKES. Serena then takes over the lumber farm and becomes super rich and wealthy. The end.

This actually ended up being really depressing, so many people died and really for no reason at all but $$$. I was really excited for this book but was really let down in the end. As with The Fault In Our Stars I feel like the movie will be much better than the book. Although I don’t plan on seeing TFIOS until it hits RedBox. Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper will not disappoint and will hopefully get some nominations out of it! Here is one of the few images they've released from the movie!

Anyway, next topic!! I am so excited for our lunch today; I made these delicious sandwiches last night that I think you’re going to love! Try them out some time! Here’s what you’ll need for two people:

2 whole wheat pita pockets

1/3 cup mayonnaise (I use the olive oil kind)

1/3 cup light sour cream

1/4 cup tomatoes

4 lettuce leaves

1 avocado, pitted and sliced

1/2 tsp chipotle pepper

2 chicken breasts

1 lemon (need 2 tbsp fresh squeezed juice)

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tbsp oregano

1/2 tsp basil

Salt & pepper (few sprinkles)

The sauce: combine the sour cream, mayo, chipotle pepper and oregano into a small dish and mix well.

The chicken: season with salt & pepper, cumin, basil and lemon juice. Cook in a sauté pan with the olive oil. Remove from heat and let cool. Chop into small pieces.

The assembly: lay your pita pockets flat and spread a generous layer of the mayo/sour cream sauce on it. Place lettuce leaves and avocados on each pocket. Place 1/3 cup of the chopped chicken onto each pocket, top with tomatoes.  Fold and enjoy! Doesn't this look so yummy!

MySpace Quiz!

Happy Thursday! In honor of #tbt I took a very old MySpace quiz today and posted my answers below! Remember when these were the “it” thing and you filled one out every day? Maybe it was just me, but I enjoyed filling this one out! Feel free to answer the questions yourselves and post your answers in the comments!

When was the last time you swam in a pool? Oct-Nov 2013 whilst on our honeymoon in Antigua!!

Do you like to party? I enjoy the occasional friendly get together, yes

If you ex suddenly kissed you right now, what would you do? Barf

Are you a virgin? Nope, he put a ring on it

What are your views on sex? Enjoy!

Is your best friend dating anyone? Yup, tying the knot in October!

Describe the shirt you're wearing? I’m wearing an orange dress!

Could you go out in public without wearing makeup? Most definitely

What is one feature that you don't like? I like everything about myself J

Would people describe you as happy? Duhhh

Do you have a Tumblr? I don’t even know how that works

Do you have a Xanga? Yea, 12 years ago

Sleep with or without clothes on? Always some type of clothes

What's the last book you read? The Fault In Our Stars, hated it

You're offered free tickets to a Justin Bieber concert. What do you do? Sell them for a ridiculous profit on CraigsList 

What about Jersey Shore. What about it? I’ve been there, it’s a fun place

Does it bother you if people swear around you? No, dgaf

Do you prefer Wednesdays or Thursdays? I prefer Saturdays

Converse? No, I’m not a poser

Prefer black or blue pens? Don’t care as long as they’re fine point

Dress up on Halloween? Yesssss

Like to travel? Yesssss

Like someone? Love someone!

Does he know? I hope so haha

Who sleeps with you every night? My husband :) 

Think you're attractive?  Of course!

Want to get married? Been there, done that

To? My #bestfriend

Are you a good student? I was

Are you currently happy? Very!

Have you ever cheated / Been cheated on? No/Yes

Birthplace? Tegucigalpa, Honduras

Christmas or Halloween? Fourth of July!!

Colored or black-and-white photo? Depends on the photo

Do long distance relationships work? No

Do you believe in astrology? Sometimes

Do you believe in love at first sight? No

Do you consider yourself the life of the party? There’s one in every crowd! 

Do you drink? Wineeeee me

Do you make fun of people? Probably but dgaf 

Do you think dreams eventually come true? Most of them

Favorite fictional character? Harry Potter

Go to the movies or rent? Rent, I can’t stand movie theatres

Have you ever moved? Just moved to South Carolina from Northern Virginia!

Have you ever stolen anything? Candy from 7-11 haha

How's the weather right now? HOT the high today is 94 degrees

Last time you cut your hair? April

Last person you talked to on the phone? My husband

Last time you showered? Last night

Loud or soft music? LOUD

McDonalds or Burger King? Smashburger!

Night or day? I’m a night owl!

Number of pillows? I need 3 to sleep with

Piano or guitar? Both!

Future job? Trophy Wife

Current job? Director of Marketing

Current love? My family

Current longing? To take a long vacationn

Current disappointment?  Not going to Jamaica when we had the chance

Current annoyance? Having to get up early

Last thing you ate? Kiwi-Stawberry smoothie

Last thing you bought? Cute clothes!!

Most recent thing you are looking forward to? Date night this Friday!

What are you hearing right now? Cars on the street     

Plans for the weekend? Date night Friday, boating, sleeping in, finally getting cable!

What did you do today? Werk, then kick boxing

Pick a lyric, any lyric or a song? You are the best thing, that’s ever been mine

Pick a movie quote? “Where to miss?? ….to the stars.”

Here is a fun picture I took yesterday of a new shirt I bought, yes I know it’s cheesy but I don’t really care! Ahh hopefully one day I can solely be a trophy wife and not have to work, one day! :) I also put the latest picture of Miss Lily, this one is of her lounging on the couch after a nice long walk :)

So as I mentioned yesterday we are on a health kick, eating right and working out 5-6 times a week. I will be posting some of our daily routines and new healthy recipes on here for ya'll to read and try out if you want! Yesterday I made the most delicious snack; I used whole wheat english muffins, coconut oil and honey! It was super easy to make too, I toasted the muffins, drizzled them with honey then spread some coconut oil on top, nom nom! 

I also had to take a picture of what a scorcher it was yesterday and it's not even summer yet! If this is any indication, it is going to be a very long and hot, hot hot next few months!

Let's Take A Journey Together!

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IG - AundreaLily23

Twitter - AundreaLily23

Pinterest - http://www.pinterest.com/AundreaLily23/

Yay!!

Wok N Roll!

Happy Wednesday all!! I hope you’re having a great week!!! I’m going to share some recipes today, both of which I happened to make last night! The first recipe I’m going to share is Quinoa Fried Rice, yum! First off I was so excited to get to use my wok!! I’ve only used a handful of other times so I was thrilled to pull it out from the depths of my storage cabinet. Here’s what you’ll need:

1 ½ cups cooked quinoa (I use the tri-colored kind from Trader Joe’s)

1 tsp fresh minced ginger (optional)

4 oz chicken

1/3 cup cooked peas

1/3 cup cooked corn

1/3 cup cooked carrots

2 eggs

Peanut oil

3 tbsp soy sauce (I use the low sodium kind)

Salt & pepper

First I put 1 tbsp of peanut oil into my wok and got it nice and hot, then I added my chicken, that I cut into 1 inch pieces, and seasoned with some salt & pepper. Once the chicken was cooked I added the peas, carrots and corn. I let that cook for 3 minutes, and then I added the two eggs. I stirred that together really well and made sure the eggs were cooked. Finally I added the quinoa, ginger and soy sauce and stirred it all together until it was evenly distributed.  The ginger is optional because it will provide some additional heat, so if you like it a little spicier feel free to add it! I have also seen some recipes with scallions, again this is optional and you can add as much as you like! Wok n roll!!

The second dish I prepared was even easier then the first, baked tilapia with fresh veggies. Here’s what you’ll need:

2-3 pieces of tilapia (obviously!)

Salt & pepper

1 lemon, sliced

Bay leaves

Thyme

Basil

Extra virgin olive oil

I spread 1/2 tbsp of olive oil into a foil lined baking dish and placed my tilapia on top. I seasoned with sprinkles of salt & pepper then placed lemon slices on each piece. I then sprinkled thyme and basil over each piece and topped with some bay leaves.  I let the tilapia marinade for 20 minutes before I placed it into the oven, 350 degrees for 20 minutes. When I pulled them out of the oven I squeezed some fresh lemon juice on top of each piece, yum yum yum!! The fresh veggies were just the left overs from my quinoa fried rice, I put the carrots, peas and corn into a pan with 1/2 tbsp of light butter and sautéed until warm. Serve and enjoy!

We have been on a health kick lately and it has been so much fun coming up with new healthy recipe ideas! Don’t worry—we still do date night at least once a week and forget all about the calories but we’ve both noticed an increase in our energy level just from changing the foods we eat! I hope you’ll give these a try!

I wanted to share the latest addition to my office, my Ponytail Palm who I’ve named Cher! I felt like she had a lot of spunk and the name was very fitting, she sits on my desk and gets sunshine all day long :)

South Carolina Life!

Once again I’ve left you all in the dark!! Happy June and happy almost summer!! June has been a very busy month for us down here! Let’s see where did we even leave off? I celebrated my 28th birthday in a fabulous fashion and it was perfect! There is a really cute tradition in the town we live in, similar to the “Lock of Love Bridge” in Paris, France where people place their locks on the town bridge then throw the keys down into the lake! We decided that it was time to lock in our love and join in on the tradition! We picked a great spot, as you can always see the big red heart when you are driving by! There must be over 500 locks on the fence, it was a really great way to end our Saturday! We also got to witness a beautiful sunset over the lake!

We also decided that being so close to a body of water that it was time to make an investment! We’re now officially living the boat life! It’s been such a great experience and Miss Lily is really loving the water! She was quite hesitant at first but the more we go the more comfortable she gets, one day she’ll be jumping in the water all by herself!

I made some purchases adding to my South Carolina gear, I was in the hunt for a hat sporting the Palmetto logo, it took me a few weeks but I finally found the perfect one!

I also found a seller on Etsy that made this super cute South Carolina necklace for me! The shops name is IvyByDesign and they can make any state that you like!

Next to the marina there is a cute little beach restaurant where we sometimes eat lunch, we stopped by there one afternoon and I had a delicious sangria, I had to take a picture!

It’s been a great last couple of weeks and I am so excited for what is to come! I ordered some new furniture yesterday and plan to order some new curtains today. The house is almost done and I can’t wait for our friends to see it when they visit in July! 

We also attended the Florida Georgia Line and Nelly concert in Augusta, GA this past weekend that was an absolute blast! It was hosted at the Lake Olmstead Baseball Stadium, which holds around 4,200 people so it was a great venue! We had field tickets so we were pretty close to the stage! They put on an awesome show and combined with Nelly it was just one big dance party!! 

Thanks everyone for sticking around, work has been crazy but I really hope to keep everyone in the loop like usual! Have a great week!