when things don't work out how you planned

we went to the beach this weekend. and when i say "we" i mean paris and myself and 19 other people.

one of paris's coworkers planned a beach weekend for their department and obviously i tagged along. i was really looking forward to this trip because we haven't been to the beach in a long time and i was excited to go to a new part of the country that i had never been before.

unfortunately the weekend did not go as well as i was hoping. first off, what should have been about a two hour car ride took us nearly four hours because one of paris's tires blew out and we had to ride on a spare tire. next, another car's battery died .. twice. finally we arrive to the rental and before even going inside i knew that we were in trouble. to make a very long story short, after the first night the house was no longer inhabitable and we had to either find somewhere else to go or pack up and go home. luckily, the maintenance man who tried to fix our house offered us another rental right down the street that was much bigger and much cleaner.

sometimes things don't go right when you are traveling and trusting other people to plan for you. thankfully, in the end, our second night was much better and more comfortable than our first. i think i have learned to be a little more weary when it comes to traveling with other people, especially 19 other people. most of our troubles could have been avoided this weekend if there had just been a little bit more planning and discussion before decisions were made. however, i think everyone needs to go through experiences like this so that they learn what to do next time.

do you have any traveling horror stories??

dear weekend,

dear week: you've been a pretty good one. half days at school. a day date and a date night before the weekend even started. i'm kind of sad to see you end! dear weekend: we are finally headed to the beach again and i'm pretty excited. please be kind with the weather this weekend, i just want to spend some time outside. dear online class: you start next week and i'm pretty nervous. it has been three years since i was a student and i think it is going to be pretty hard to get back into it! it will be a good way to get ready for next year though. dear pumpkin spiced lattes: this is hopefully the last season that I will ever be without you! i miss sunday afternoon drives along the north shore with my roommates and a PSL in my hand. everyone go have one for me. dear chelsea: thank you again for the new blog design!! i'm super in love with it and it would not have been possible without your help. you are the best!

happy weekend.

trying something new

last week paris and i did something a little different. we went to a restaurant that is not on our go-to weekend eating list of places to eat! i was feeling adventurous and forced paris to be adventurous with me. so we thought about it and asked around and decided on a caribbean restaurant called maxi's that we constantly drive by but just have never gone in.

the restaurant itself is pretty big compared to other places around here and everything is painted with the colors of the jamaican flag. there was also some reggae music low in the background and of course soccer playing on every tv. we sat in one of the porch sections outside so it was really dark (hence the bad photo quality!).

i couldn't decide if i wanted to try the caribbean chicken or the shrimp in coconut sauce over pasta. i figured since i was being adventurous enough with trying the new restaurant i would stick with the chicken and maybe next time go for the shrimp. i think i made the right choice! my chicken was amazing. it was bathed in a sort of coconut curry sauce and came with a ton of rice and beans, plantains, and salad. it seriously hit the spot. paris had rice with seafood and could not get over how good it was/how much food they gave us. they also started us off with an appetizer of little plantain bowls filled with guacamole, refried beans, and some kind of meat. that little while bowl next to the appetizers is filled with hot chili that i actually tried. my mouth stayed pretty hot for the rest of the meal but it was worth.

the food was great, the service was extremely helpful, and i think not only will we come back here but we may try another new restaurant in the near future. i'm thinking indian food!

what do you think??

via

it's here! my new blog design by the very talented chelsea.

she offered to redesign my blog a few months ago and this is what we came up with! chelsea was able to incorporate all of my ideas into the new design and was super helpful and patient throughout the whole process. there are still a few little things to add and fix but i couldn't wait to get it up and going!

thanks again, chelsea!

my picks - hazel and olive

i think i've mentioned before how much i adore the online boutique hazel and olive.

when i was home for the summer i bought one of their maxi dresses that i had my eye on forever and fell in love with it. well now i can't stop looking at all of their fall/winter clothes coming in stock. i am constantly texting my friends telling them which items i just have to have! these are my most recent picks. isn't that hat something you just need in your fall wardrobe? well since i won't be home quite in time for fall i might have to pass on it .. this year. but the elbow patch cardigan is a must have and as soon as it comes back in stock (they sold out this week in just a few minutes!), i will be waiting to press the check-out button.

have you been to the hazel and olive site? what are your favorites??