This week has been a whirlwind, I started a new role at work, celebrated the Fourth of July with my family and got to see some friends too. It was the best weekend.
Last month, I got away with my family for a few days. One of my favorite family traditions and spots to visit is Hershey, PA. My family and I have been going to the sweetest place on Earth for over 20 years. We hit the park, go to some local sports and then relax. It’s always a fun place to get away too. It was so great to get some family time and get away and I wanted to share some snapshots of our time away.
I have to warn you, looking back, I didn’t take many pictures and most of them are of food…ooopppsss….
Our dinner at State College during our first night while heading to Hershey. I had a fantastic Lobster Mac and Cheese..yum!
Our first full day, we started the morning off playing mini golf in Harrisburg. This was our view…it was beautiful.
Once we arrived in Hershey, we got some snacks and treats…the chocolate gelato was to die for.
We checked in our hotel and got settled in and then went to the park at night.
After the park, we went to dinner and I got a delicious pasta and bolognese sauce.
We all split desserts, from carrot cake, to chocolate mousse, and a salted brownie. It was all divine.
The next day we hit the ground running for a day at the park. We spent the morning going on lots of rides, big and small.
We stopped for lunch and some ice cream! Yum!
We checked out some new stores and attractions too.
After more rides, we went back to the hotel for a walk before dinner.
I ate a garden salad with chicken for dinner. It was so fresh after a hot day outside.
Once again, we all split this for dessert. It was a heavenly chocolate milkshake with lots of toppings.
The next day we were up early for our final day at the park. Here’s a look at one of the rides.
We rode rides all day and then stopped for ice cream after. Look at all the options. There were so many things to try.
I got a strawberry ice cream with lots of candies.
After stopping for a treat, we got pizza and did some shopping and then it was time for another walk and dinner.
We then had dinner, I ate a light salad, which tasted great after all the sugar haha!
We finished the night off with one more walk.
We started our final day with breakfast and then some time by the pool before packing up to head home.
After a long drive back, I unpacked and started to use my new chocolate scented candle. YUM!
That’s a bit of a recap of my few days away. Lots of family time, time outside, good meals and sweets. Looking back, I wish I took more photos, but at the same time, I’m so glad I was able to enjoy myself and be in the moment and have fun. Next week, I’ll have a post all about some of my outfits I wore on vacation, a few casual outfits, a few dresses, but lots of fun looks. Be sure to keep an eye out for it next week.
Until then, have a great rest of your week and weekend!
Happy Tuesday. I found this fun quiz/ survey from Mix and Match Mama’s Blog. I love learning things about other people, especially fun or unique facts and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to do one for myself. I borrowed some from Shay’s blog and made up a few on my own. Let’s get to my three favorite things!
MOVIES (This one is soooo hard-but current favorites)
A Star is Born
Such a good movie
Life Itself
Again, another life changing movie
Love Actually
One of my favorite movies of all time especially around Christmas time.
BOOKS
Year of Yes
Another life changing book
Grace not Perfection
Grace Not Perfection- an inspiring book for all
Pride and Prejudice
A romance that never gets old
TV SHOWS (OF ALL TIME)
Bones
One of my favorite shows of all time
Grey’s Anatomy
Old photo but I can’t get enough of this show
This is Us
Another fantastic show
RESTAURANTS (FAST FOOD-ISH)
Chipotle
Panera
Chick-Fil -A
PLACES I’VE VISITED
Rome, Italy
Hershey, PA
Getting away for a bit at my favorite place-Hershey, PA
New York City, NY
One of my last visits from NYC, can’t wait to go back soon
PLACES I WANT TO VISIT
Paris, France
London, England
Dublin, Ireland
FAVORITE HOLIDAYS
Christmas
Christmas morning spent well, the tree all lit, a warm cup of hot chocolate and time spent with family
Thanksgiving
Forever thankful for family on Thanksgiving
Fourth of July
Rocking my Red, White, and Blue for the 4th
THREE THINGS I ALWAYS HAVE IN MY PURSE
A closer look at what’s in my purse
Earbuds
Phone Charger
Wallet
FAVORITE DESSERTS
My favorite fall dessert made by my mom
Warm, homemade chocolate chip cookies
Chocolate cake
Apple Crisp
FAVORITE WAYS TO MAKE TIME FOR MYSELF
Read
I always like to read after a long day
Do my Nails
Nothing makes me feel better than a fresh coat of polish
Watch a movie/latest tv show I’m binge watching
Such a good mini series that I just finished watching
Well there you have it, some of my three favorite things. If you guys liked it, let me know and I will do it again, this was so much fun and it really made me think about my favorite things. Pick a few things and add your responses to the comments below! Have a great start to your week!
Well at the beginning of the summer I shared my summer bucket list and today I’m sharing everything I got accomplished! Let’s see how we did…
Summer List
– Complete Internship-YES
I had a great summer internship experience, you can read all about it here
Practicing my reporting
– Go some place new-YES
I went to Taylor Swift’s concert so that counts as something new, right!?
…Are you Ready for It?
– Take a trip-YES
My family and a took a getaway to one of our favorite places, it was so nice to get away and unwind.
Getting away for a bit
– Sleep in-YES
I was able to snag a few days to sleep in and take it easy during the weekend and a few week days when I was off of work.
– See high school friends-YES
It was so good to see many friends from high school, we picked up where we left off-love them!
Fourth of July spent with my favorites
– See one (or more) college friends-YES
I’m really proud that I pulled this off, I saw FOUR friends from high school. All my friends live at least 2 hours or more away so I was so happy I was able to see them
Much needed retail therapy
– Read SIX book (one more than last summer)-YES
I really outdid myself with reading this summer. I’ll be posting a book review soon so you can see how many I read.
– Watch SUITS-NO
I got through most of it this summer but still have a few more episodes to go. I really enjoyed this series. You can check it out on USA or Amazon Prime.
– Watch Evil Genius-YES
I binged watched this while I was traveling and it was so good. I would recommend it for sure, plus who doesn’t like to watch a documentary about something that happened 5 minutes from their house…true story
– Watch Comedians in Cars getting Coffee-YES
I watched one episode (episodes are only 20 minutes) every morning while getting ready for work. It was something super light and easy to watch.
my latest obsession
– See Mamma Mia 2-YES
I loved this movie, I have been listening to the soundtrack nonstop. It was definitely a favorite movie for me.
such a good movie
– See Oceans 8-YES
Loved this movie, it was so well done and the cast couldn’t have been better, girl power all the way.
Another movie I loved
– See family and spend time with them-YES
I was so happy I was able to see both sides of my family, from grandparents, cousin’s and aunts and uncles. Family over everything!
– Try something new-YES
Doing my internship counts right?!
– Go to the beach-YES
I went a few times to cover stories for my internship, but I also went to watch the sunset.
Watching the sunset
– Take more walks-YES
I did better at the beginning of summer, but I can’t wait to be back in the gym once school starts back
– Eat at a food truck-YES
One of my best friends and I grabbed lunch one day downtown. It was delicious and a fun way to catch up.
Grabbing lunch with my girl downtown
– Watch the sunset and sunrise-YES
My family and I went to the beach to watch the sunset and I had a few early mornings where I watched the sun rise.
Watching the sunset
– See a concert-YES
I saw both the Piano Guys and Taylor Swift. Both incredible shows. I absolutely loved them
.
We had great seats to see her perform on one of the smaller stages
– Spend more time outside-YES
Whether it was swimming, tanning, reading or working, I spent a lot of time outside.
Soaking up the sun
– Go swimming more often-YES
I wanted to go in more but I got in the pool more than last summer so that counts.
– Do more free things (Zoo, parks, festivals)-YES
I did but I could have done better, hey I had a busy summer, I did make it to the zoo, beach, and relaxed so that counts
– Trip to Pittsburgh-YES
I went a few times for some sightseeing, zoo, a concert. I did very well in this department
City lights at Night
– Breakfast at iHop-YES
It was more of a brunch but I got my fill of iHOP.
– Don’t rush as much and be in the moment-YES/.NO
I wished I slowed down more but sadly I was often on the go. Always more things to work on
– Smile more-YES
This was the summer of me! I had such a good summer and smiled a lot.
MY MOOD THIS WHOLE SUMMER
– Be spontaneous-YES
I was spontaneous but there is always room for improvement.
I truly had a wonderful summer. I lived a lot, learned a lot and really took care of myself and had some fun. Summer 2018 you were so good to me! Fall Semester, let’s get to work!
I can’t believe we are almost halfway through summer! The months are flying by!! I love finding questionnaires from other bloggers and I love to answer them myself. Today I will be answering questions about summer vacations! I don’t know about you, but through the year I am always finding myself dreaming of vacationing but during the summer it can be hard to find the time to plan it. I’m hoping by answering these questions, I will be able to focus more on planning a summer trip before summer is over! Now, onto the questions thanks to The Blended Blog!!
Great questions
-Will you go on a summer vacation this year?
Yes, hoping to get away for a few days at the end of July or early August. It can be hard to plan a trip when you are coordinating six different schedules!
– Do nothing or a pack it all in vacation?
Pack it all in. Yes, we like to relax but if we are going somewhere new or a place where there is lots of attractions we love to pack it in. Plus, you can relax when you are home, when you are away it’s always good to make it worth your while.
-What month do you like to vacation?
Any summer month, we typically go in July though. August can get busy with back to school stuff and June is just the start of summer. July typically works best for us.
In D.C. for a trip
-Cruise: Yes or No?
No! I prefer land and just being away at sea for several days makes me anxious. I do like boating but not for more than a few hours. Haha!
-Favorite vacation tradition?
Getting up early to leave for a trip. Whether it be by car or plane, I love the excitement about getting up in the middle of the night to leave.
-Most memorable vacation?
There are so many to choose from!! I loved going to Disney for the first time, New York City is always fun especially around Christmas time. Our favorite family vacation spot is Hershey, PA so we try to make a trip out of every year.
We headed to Florida one year for spring break
-Hotel, Condo, or House?
Hotels typically work best for our family. It’s nice to use all the amenities the hotels have to offer. We have stayed in condos before, but hotels are our preference.
-Favorite thing to eat on vacation?
Anything that is special or unique to the area. I will always spoil myself with sweet treats on vacation too!
I love heading to New York City especially during Christmas time
-Warm or Cold Destinations?
Depends on the place. I do like warmer climates, but I would rather choose the place rather than the weather.
Well, there are my answers. Now, it’s your turn! Pick a few questions and answer them in the comments below! Hopefully we can all get around to planning our vacations soon enough!
