30 is Not the New 20

It’s hard to believe that five years have passed since I documented the milestone of turning 25 and subsequently went through my, “quarter-life crisis”. For me, 25 was a time of vast uncertainty- no serious boyfriend and no set career path (although I did have a mountain of student loan and credit card debt to keep me warm at night). Now at 30, I’ve successfully managed to carve out a nice life for myself (void of pawning gold jewelry to make rent and using a change jar as a retirement fund). While my life is a lot more relaxed and comfortable than it was in those days, every decade seems to have its own set of challenges.

Buying a Home

Something about turning 30 makes you realize you’d rather put the better portion of your annual income into equity in a home rather than forking it over in rent to a stranger. When my boyfriend and I realized just how much money we were paying our landlord over the course of a year, it just made sense to start looking for a home. But as fun as it is scouring over realtor.com, we got a serious gut check when our lender gave us our actual pre-approval numbers. Everyone these days wants the “Joanna Gaines Special” complete with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, an open floor plan and that damned farmhouse sink that’s suddenly so popular. But unfortunately, we don’t live in Waco, Texas and it costs a hell of a lot more in our town to buy the American Dream. We definitely can’t afford to buy in the zip codes with the best school zoning, and even if there were any “fixer uppers” left in that area, the taxes are so damn high we’d have to tear down the existing home and use our coveted lot to build a cardboard box mansion just to get by. So instead, we’re looking in what HGTV calls a “renaissance” neighborhood, meaning that it’s up and coming (you hope). If the market continues to do well, a house in that neighborhood could potentially double its value over the next ten years. If not, you end up living next to a trap house and have to hire the local crack dealer to mow your lawn. No big deal.

Signs of Aging

I don’t think I was mentally (and definitely not physically) prepared for the changes that start happening to your body once you hit 30. Everything seems to be just fine, and then one day your back is sore and you realize it’s from your pillow. In my twenties, I could use a pillow purchased at HomeGoods on clearance while sleeping in a contorted pretzel shape and be just fine the next day. Now, I suddenly need a chiropractor and a Posturepedic to get a comfortable night of sleep. Oh, and let’s not forget about skin care. The newly formed wrinkles/general sagginess under my eyes have all but ruled out selfies from ever happening again. It now takes a combination of highly expensive eye creams and a filter with no less than 75% added brightness to give me a glimpse of my former youth.

The Paradox of Children

I was never one of those girls with a five year plan for my life, but I always assumed I would have children (or “child”, singular). Now at 30, the old biological clock is ticking, and I’m pretty sure it’s actually speeding up. My boyfriend and I are not yet engaged or married, so children are still conceivably (see what I did there?) a few years down the road. I have to admit that while my mind is not made up, my perspective on children has changed. It’s not that I don’t want children, it’s just that I think I would also be OK not having children. The jury is still out on whether or not I’ll end up with a little rug rat or not, but I’m pretty sure the cat wants me to have a baby for the sole purpose that I leave him the F* alone.  

Even with everything said, I really can’t complain too much about 30. I mean, I’m not using my credit card to buy toothpaste and I don’t pay rent to someone in my own family. I also have a great job, a wonderful boyfriend, and my credit score is finally in a positive category instead of the, “abandon all hope and become a stripper” range. If the last five years have taught me anything, it’s this: Every time of your life will have its fair share of ups and downs. Find the humor, find your strength, and for God’s sake don’t pawn off all your gold jewelry- it will probably be worth more down the road anyway.

Your Bikini Drawer Will Thank You

Victoria's Secret is having their Semi-Annual Sale, so it's a great time to stock up on mix-and-match bikinis! I found these pieces in the PINK store for super cheap, and their versatile so I can pair them with tops and bottoms I already own.

Neon Scalloped Bandeau Top: $17.99  Neon Scallop Edged Bottoms: $11.99  Tie Dyed Flounce Top: $25.99

Paired with VS Fabulous top from 2015 Spring Collection

Top paired with black hipster bikini bottom from Target's 2015 Spring collection

Paired together for a mix-matched look

 Get to stores fast or shop online!

5 Reasons You Should Have Your Bachelorette Party in Key West, Florida.

Bikinis, margaritas, and dancing in the tropical moonlight? Yes, Please!

#1 It's a Tropical Paradise

Warm weather, palm trees, turquoise oceans and amazing sunset views await you in Key West. Who's going to turn down that bachelorette invite??

#2 It's Surprisingly Affordable

Key West is very VRBO friendly. You and your girls can rent out an impressive home for 3-4 days (and most include your own private pool) for around $250-$300 a person. Compare that cost to one night in your average destination hotel and you're saving your guests around $600 each. Cha-ching! 

#3 There's tons to do besides drink

Snorkel a coral reef, sip champagne on a sunset sail, or shop til you drop- there are plenty of things to keep your group busy during the daylight hours. 

#4 Duval Street

Photo Credit: www.goodmorningkeywest.com

Country bars, pool party bars, karaoke bars, even nude bars. It's five o'clock somewhere, and that somewhere is Key West. 

#5 Everyone is a Tourist

What happens in Key West, stays in Key West. Or at least you'll never know otherwise. Most everyone you meet is on vacation and ready to cut loose themselves. 

Convinced yet? Check out this how-to guide for more great reasons to book your bachelorette in Key West, Florida! 

Calling All Bachelorettes!

For the past 5 years I have been fortunate to have a very good friend (Jen Shedler) live in one of my favorite places on Earth, Key West, Florida. When you have a friend who lives in paradise, you visit as often as you can (hell, I almost moved there during my "quarter-life crisis"). Since I didn't end up running away to the islands for good, I visited ten times in a four year period instead. With a local tour guide to show me the best the island has to offer, I became no stranger to Key West, and consequently became "travel agent" for our group of friends. In the past few years I have had a blast finding and booking rental houses for our group trips and creating detailed itineraries for a wedding, bachelorette party, and first time travelers.

After creating my last itinerary for a friend's bachelorette party, I decided to put my knowledge out there for the public. I partnered with graphic design artist (and friend) Mike Shamon to make the internet's first (as far as I can tell) bachelorette "how to" guide for Key West, Fl, written by a true blue enthusiast with no advertising ties or commissions being paid out.

Together, Mike and I created a beautifully designed ten page guide that details the best times to visit, recommends awesome rental houses that I have actually stayed in, and provides a timeline to give you ideas on how to make the most of your time on the island. Buyers also receive a customized itinerary with their bride's name for free, which in itself is worth the $20 product cost. If you, or a friend, need to plan a destination bachelorette party in Key West, but don't have the time to do the research, let my guide help you out! 

You can find this product on Etsy here. Wish me luck! 

Coastal Decor

Since I am not traveling this spring break, I decided to spruce up the living room a bit with some coastal decor. Trey and I leased our current condo in November, so I've been steadily working on decorating each room little by little, especially since I'm on a teacher's budget! Our condo is around 1100 square feet and has 2 bedrooms and 2 baths. I'm not crazy about the paint colors our landlord chose, but since we are only renting for the year, I decided not to paint. The living room, kitchen, and dining room walls are painted a light green with white crown molding, so I decided to go with blues and naturals for the accent colors.

NEW ITEMS: Rug: Marshall's $49.99; Blue Throw Pillows: Marshall's $29.99 each, Natural Fiber Indoor/Outdoor Poufs: Target $40 each

Crates: JoAnne Fabrics and Michael's, $15.99-$29.99. Silver Vase & Palm Leaves: Michael's; Octopus Pallet Art: Target $29.99

Got this idea from Pinterest: Arrange your books by color!

Still a work in progress, but at least it's looking a little more "Floridian". 

Happy Friday!

New South Tampa Sushi Spot

Fall is always the busiest time for teachers, thus my summer blogging hobby has taken a back seat to lesson planning, conference nights, and grading papers. The new school year is off to a great start, though, and I've expanded my resume to include 8th grade Language Arts, Alternative Education, and sponsor of our school's Ladies' Quest club. I've also picked up a new hobby of "couponing", which is fantastically rewarding and only slightly embarrassing (I may or may not have created an excel spreadsheet to calculate savings...). I did want to take a moment, however, to share with you my latest dining experience at the newest restaurant to hit the South Tampa sushi scene- Sushi Ninja!

Apparently, Sushi Ninja has been around in the Brandon area for quite some time, but is brand new to us in South Tampa. I first heard of Sushi Ninja through the Facebook page Never Have I Ever. They wrote a blog bit about their experience at the grand opening, and it seemed pretty legit, so I checked them out on Yelp. I've found Yelp reviews to be pretty accurate and a solid indicator of what to expect at a restaurant, including suggestions for everything from cocktails to entrees. Whilst scanning through the reviews I noticed that they have a cucumber/jalapeno cocktail and I was immediately sold- hands down my favorite flavor combination in a mixed beverage. So, Trey and I jumped in the car and headed north of Gandy (which we rarely do anymore...S.O.G!).

Overall, I'd give our dining experience at Sushi Ninja an 8/10. They received points for the following:

-Yelp did not steer me wrong, the Cucumber Jalapeno Margarita was the best cocktail I've had in quite some time (as you can see, no time was wasted slurping down this magical mixture).

Cucumber Jalapeno Margarita

-Trey's a big fan of sunomono salads, and he was very pleased with their version. Lots more meat than Yoko's or Soho Sushi's, and a little tastier as well. The only draw back for me was the fact that it came in a martini glass (I'm admittedly messy and giving me anything in a martini glass is just asking for a disaster). Trey didn't seem to mind, though. His masculinity stayed in tact.

Sunomono Salad

-Very Tasty sushi! We agreed that the Volcano and the Spicy Tuna were more flavorful than what we'd experienced elsewhere. "Joe's Special Roll", however, was ironically not very "special", and was even found to be a little lackluster.

From Left...Volcano Roll, Spicy Tuna Roll, Joe's Special Roll

-The bill was comparable to other Sushi venues. Our order consisted of my glorious cucumber/jalapeno cocktail, a large hot sake, one sunomono salad, one ginger salad, 2 specialty rolls and 1 makimono roll. Our bill came to around $60.


The restaurant lost points for the following:

-I did feel that the specialty rolls were priced a little higher than what we're used to at Soho and Yoko's, anywhere from $13-$17 each. The Sake was cheaper, though, so I guess it worked out for us.

-VERY slow service. It took us over an hour to eat, and we even waited for our bill for over 15 minutes after our server had cleared our plates. I attribute this to the fact that they just opened and are still training staff and working out the kinks. Our server did seem pretty knowledgable and friendly, though.

I can't speak for the Brandon location, but overall, I'd say Sushi Ninja Tampa is a great place to try if you're looking to branch out.

Sushi Ninja Tampa is located on Kennedy Blvd. near the MacDill intersection.

Deserted Island Camping

When planning a getaway, the phrase "primitive camping" does not typically come to mind. Sharing a living space with wildlife, holding my breath while using an especially pungent port-o-potty, and brushing my teeth with a splash of water from a gallon jug do not rank as top priorities on my vacation must-haves. Even so, I packed up my bags in November 2013 and headed to the Dry Tortugas for a one of a kind camping experience.

Garden Key is not what one would call a "typical" campground. Located 70 miles west of Key West, this destination is reachable only by ferry boat or sea plane. The Yankee Freedom ferry hauled us over the deep blue waters of the Gulf, and we even "caught some air", or at least it felt like it, while plunging through the choppy waters of Rebecca's Channel. Although the ride was a little rough at times, the staff was knowledgeable, friendly, and even fed us a hearty breakfast and lunch. A great way to cruise down to the Dry Tortugas while experiencing a genuine taste of adventure on the open seas.

We were advised to bring everything we would need for the trip, as there would be "no services" available on premise. "No services" equates to no food, no fresh water, and no running water. Only the beach, a small charcoal grill, and three of the worst smelling port-o-potties I've ever encountered. So we packed our bags with care, and set out for one of the most remote camping sites available- The Dry Tortugas!

Camping Supplies - A Pink Bag Was a Must!

Our one night stay was nothing short of incredible. The Yankee Freedom and the sea plane charter company host day tours with an option of overnight camping, so once the day tour crowd sailed away, we felt we were truly stranded on a deserted island with only the neighboring campers and our packs to aid us.

Part of our camping crew

Dinner that night consisted of hot dogs and Fireball whiskey, although our neighboring campers chose to fish for their dinner in the crystal turquoise waters of the Gulf. Cellphone service? Fahgettaboutit. You might as well shut it off. So instead, we entertained ourselves with the hermit crabs that surrounded our campsite, setting them up for races and placing bets on who's crab would be the fastest. (No crabs were harmed, although some of the slower crabs did receive quite the verbal heckling...)

Racing Hermits

We also toured the Fort (which has a surprising amount of history behind it) and found hundreds of amazingly intact conch shells lining Bush Key. You aren't allowed to take anything from the islands (National Park rules) so I took pictures of my specimens before returning them to the wild for others to enjoy. 

Shells, Coral, and Sea Fan discovered in the Dry Tortugas

Although we had no delicacies and certainly not even half of the common place luxuries we take for granted, the glow of a Caribbean sunset, bathing in the warm gulf water, and being surrounded by all of nature's undisturbed glory was an incredible adventure I'll cherish for a lifetime. 

Sunset in the Dry Tortugas

To read more about the Dry Tortugas National Park and to plan your getaway, click here. 

View of the moat from Fort Jefferson