Happy post-Thanksgiving y’all!
I hope you had a relaxing break and lots of yummy food! Maybe you found some good deals at Black Friday too! This post may not be of interest to everyone, but I wanted to share some personal things. I love sharing tips and tidbits about ERAU, but I also want y’all to get to know me! That way the girl with the “really good advice *wink*” isn’t too much of a stranger!
Here is what I did for my break!
Saturday, November 17th through Monday, November 19th – Chris landed early in the morning at MCO. We went out to breakfast at a popular restaurant called Keke’s (note: it was very good) and then shopped at Mall at Millenia. Later we came back to the dorms and ordered Buffalo Wild Wings on GrubHub. It was delivered to the dorm and we watched a Christmas movie while eating our wings! Monday was pretty normal with classes continuing, but I really enjoyed having Chris to run to after class! We went shopping at the Outlets in town and spent way too much money! We told ourselves we were being good and proactively Christmas shopping but in reality, we both left with clothes only for ourselves and a bag of candy. Oops!
Tuesday, November 20th – Chris and I headed to Orlando after class and stayed at the Embassy Suites by the airport since our flight left super early the next morning. We parked the car at Wally Park ($5 parking with a free shuttle) and then went to the hotel. We stayed in watching TV and eating the free pizza we scored from Blaze Pizza in Daytona for their opening. All you had was follow them on social media and show them at check out! I posted it for all my friends to see and enjoy for themselves! Update: it was super duper good pizza! I love making my own and if you’re familiar with Mod Pizza (our hometown favorite), it’s very similar but maybe even better (just a tiny bit pricier)!
Wednesday, November 21st – Wednesday we left the hotel at 4 am to head to the airport. It was busier than usual but nothing too crazy. Chris and I have TSA Pre so we zoomed in and out pretty fast. We got Starbucks and McDonalds since we had over-budgeted on time. What can I say – better safe than sorry?! We were lucky to have an open seat in our row, so we napped on the plane and watched Ocean’s 8, which I highly recommend (girl power am I right?!) My mom and brother picked us up from the airport. We went to Castle Rock and got my favorite green chili breakfast burrito (a Colorado specialty) and my driver’s license renewed (it’s finally up-right but boy is adulting fun!) We had lunch at my favorite Mexican restaurant, Chris ran into an old friend, and then spent the afternoon watching my 13 year-old brother shop (who knew teen boys could shop so much/be so picky?) We ended up at my favorite dinner place, a Mongolian grill. The time change kinda kicked my butt this day, but I was super excited to shop at our fancy, new grocery store in town that night!
Finally arrived home!
Thanksgiving! – Chris and I made almost all the food and did all the cleaning. Can you believe that? What may be harder to believe is how delicious it was! Thanks Pinterest! The hit? Chris’ knock-off Honey Baked ham. Since we didn’t have time to run and get one, we decided to find a copy-cat recipe and try it ourselves. It was very rewarding when we bit into it to find out it was DELICIOUS! My personal favorite side dish was the green bean casserole I made without any cream of mushroom/chicken soup. The recipe I used was more natural and fresh-ingredient based. I forgot how much I love cooking until I go home to a kitchen (and free time)!
Corn caserole
Our version of a Honey Baked ham
I set the table!
Green bean casserole
Black Friday – We went Black Friday shopping with my best friend in the whole wide world, Olivia and her boyfriend! We went to the local outlets and had a blast people watching. Honestly, that was more exciting than any deals we could find. We also ran into old high school friends, but we may or may not have tried to be as incognito as possible. Next, we went to the restaurant Chris and I met at, where we both worked, and ate with his family. They had just gotten back from Thanksgiving in Las Vegas! Later on in the day we went to the base exchange (BX) in Colorado at Peterson to shop! We got Starbucks and found some goodies. Then we went to see Robin Hood, which I really wasn’t interested in but it turned out being able to keep me on the edge of my seat! I would highly recommend seeing it if you can! To end the day, we went home and made tacos! Of course we stopped at one of my favorite restaurants first to get some salsa!
Super irrelevant but cute picture of my cat Quincy!
Saturday, November 24 and Sunday, November 25th – Chris and I had lunch with his parents in Colorado and did some last minute Christmas shopping. We came back to my house and decorated our tree! We were in a hurry to leave because we wanted dinner before our flight, so the tree is not 100% complete. Let’s be real… my mom would’ve fixed it to her liking anyways, haha! Luckily, our flight home was super empty so we had a whole row to ourselves again. We watched Ant Man and the Wasp and Adrift on my laptop, so the flight seemed to fly by. We slept in late Sunday since we didn’t get back until 2 am (our flight had landed at midnight but driving takes an hour and getting our bags and the car from airport parking took a bit of time too). Once we woke up, we went to De Leon Springs and got pancakes at the Old Spanish Sugar Mill. It’s make-your-own pancakes/eggs, so it was a lot of fun. It is also inexpensive and super filling, so I recommend it if you have time! Be warned you do have to pay to get into the state park, but it only cost us $6. There are boat rides, nature trails, and kayaking available for guests. There are also many spots to picnic and swim! After, we went to Andy’s Frozen Custard again and then on to Disney Springs. We had dinner at the Chicken Guy, which is the cheapest place we could find, and had THE BEST chicken tenders we both have ever had. And I might add, we both eat tons of tenders around the United States, so check them out if you’re ever in the area! Disney Springs was filled with carolers and musicians showcasing holiday classics. It really got Chris and I in the Christmas spirit – especially their huge tree and light-up, giant ornaments! Sadly, all good things must come to an end. We parted ways and I am just counting the days until winter break. Has anyone ever said they’re excited for finals? No? Well mark this as the first time in history because I am excited to have them come and go so I can get back home!
DIY Pancakes!
DeLeon Springs
Disney Springs!
Our flight home!
We were super sad to leave the snow!
P.S. It snowed in Colorado and I was very, very, very excited about it!
