Happy Monday friends! I know what you're thinking... "who the heck is this random person popping up out of nowhere?" Trust me, I had almost forgotten how to use this thing it's been so long. But I got the chance to check out the 30th anniversary celebration at one of my favorite Disney parks so I just had to share it with you! Most people immediately think of Magic Kingdom or Epcot when they think of Disney but Hollywood Studios has always been one of my favorites ever since I was a little kid. It was my favorite park during Christmas time because of the Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights (which is sadly no longer a "thing"), Tower of Terror is still one of my favorite rides and the Brown Derby Lounge will forever be one of my favorite spots to relax, get a bite to eat and of course a delicious margarita. 

 May 1st happened to be the 30th Anniversary of Disney's Hollywood Studios and of course in true Disney fashion, they put on a great celebration! From amazing shows to delicious snacks, I knew I had to check it out so after work I headed over there to see what the buzz was all about. Of course we headed straight for the desserts because where else other than Disney is it perfectly acceptable to have dessert before dinner? I knew I wanted to try the Minnie Mouse Celebration Cake and my friend wanted to try the Mickey Mouse Celebration Cake so off to Backlot Express we went. 

 If you follow me on Instagram you already know this fun little fact but if you don't, did you know that the only set of Audrey Hepburn's handprints in the world can be found at Disney's Hollywood Studios? After doing her handprints at Hollywood Studios, Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood asked her to do a set for their theater but she politely declined making Disney the only place you can put your hands in her prints!

 There are a ton of exciting things happening at Hollywood Studios right now so if you haven't been in awhile, you should definitely check it out! Toy Story Land is one of my favorite areas to walk around and be a kid again. Nothing brings out my competitive side like Toy Story Mania and who doesn't love seeing the monkeys from a Barrel of Monkeys strung about? With Star Wars Galaxy's Edge opening later this year, Hollywood Studios is about to become the most popular Disney park for awhile so I'll be enjoying it as much as I can before I take a little break to let the Star Wars fandom die down a little... just a little because let's be real, I'm dying to check it out myself! 

Happy Thursday! I am definitely happy we're starting the downward slope toward the weekend. The time officially changes this weekend and as happy as I am that it will be lighter later I'm not sure if I'm ready for losing an hour. Especially when that means it's back to being pitch black when I leave my house to go to work. But that does mean warmer weather and longer days so I guess I'll take it! Speaking of warmer weather, I enjoyed some amazing temperatures at Disney this weekend so I took full advantage, spending as much time outside as possible.

When I saw this Lovers + Friends tank top on major sale I knew I had to scoop it up. I'm already a huge fan of all things striped (if you haven't noticed) and the back of it is so perfect for the spring and summer days. For some reason I usually go for things in black and white so it was nice to have something in navy and white to switch up my wardrobe a bit and I love that the navy gives it a slightly nautical feel. We headed over to Italy/France (in Epcot) to take these pictures and I loved that it wasn't overly crowded and you get the glimpses of "Lance" (in case you don't follow me on Snapchat, that's what I call Spaceship Earth, also known as the giant ball in the center of Epcot!) in the background. I paired the top with my comfy AE jeggings and my Converse since I knew I'd be walking ALL day and I topped off my look with a fun fringe necklace and of course my Magic Band ;)

{Love this pic of Ker and I!}

*Linking up with The Mix*

top / jeans / shoes / necklace / watch {old, similar here} / sunglasses  / bralette / ears

Happy Tuesday friends! Just as a warning, this post is going to be pretty long and heavy on the pictures but since this was my first time to the Epcot Flower & Garden Festival I wanted to recap it in detail, especially if anyone has plans on attending in the future and like me, didn't know what to expect! If you've never heard of the Epcot Flower & Garden Festival don't worry, you aren't alone. It's not quite as popular as the Food & Wine Festival in the fall but definitely something to experience if you're visiting Disney in the spring.

Every year from early March through the end of May Epcot turns into a garden full of gorgeous blooms, topiaraies and fresh foods. Similar to Food & Wine, they open 13 different "Outdoor Kitchens" throughout the World Showcase which are not open on a regular day at Epcot. These kitchens are home to special food and beverage options made specifically for the Flower & Garden Festival. Each year you're given a "passport" when you enter the festival which will tell you what foods and drinks are at these kitchens and if you get something from one you can get your passport stamped.The prices on the food usually range from about $3.75 to $6.00 a plate which is usually a smaller sample size so you can try multiple things throughout the park and $5.00 to $11.00 for an adult beverage.  I highly recommend checking out the passport in advance and figuring out what is on your "must-try" list before making your way around the world because it's easy to get full (or tipsy) quickly if you're just stopping at every booth along the way.

You can check out the full 2016 passport here.

In addition to the food and flowers there is also a concert series going on if you happen to be visiting during  a weekend. You can view the entire concert lineup before the Flower & Garden Festival kicks off so you can plan a visit around a certain band or performer you might want to check out. All of the rides are still open during this time as well as the regular country pavilions so going to Flower & Garden won't mess up your previous plans but it might make the park a little more busy than usual. It's not as crazy as International Food & Wine Festival but be prepared for longer lines than a normal day.


We started out going straight to Mexico as we always do and worked our way around the park two times before calling it a day. I failed to take as many pictures of the food as I would have liked but I will say the Currywurst with Paprika Chips and the Beef Brisket Burnt Ends Hash with White Cheddar Fondue and Picked Jalapenos were by far my favorite dishes so far. The Warm Chocolate Cake with Bourbon Salted Caramel Sauce and the Lemon Scone with Creme Fraiche and Mixed Berries were my favorite desserts. And the Key Lime Sparkling Wine and the Snakebite featuring Cigar City Tampa-Style Lager mixed with McKenzie's Black Cherry Hard Cider were my favorite drinks. I was super excited to see so many drinks on the menu featuring Elderflower Liquer since I love St. Germain but I wasn't impressed with any of the drinks featuring it that I tried. Most were WAY too sweet and difficult to drink.

{Left: Currywurst with Paprika Chips and Hugo-Charles de Fere Organic Brut with Elderflower and Mint found at Bauernmarkt / Top Right: La Vie en Rose Frozen Slush found at Fleur de Lys / Bottom Right: Paulener Original Munich Lager found in Germany}


As soon as our blackout dates are over we will definitely be back checking out what we missed and if I find anything else worth sharing I'll be sure to let you know! Thanks for sticking with me through this much longer than usual post, hope you enjoyed it!

*Linking up with Kerri, Kate and Emily for Wanderlust Wednesday*

Happy Friday sweet friends! I am so ready for the weekend! It was such a hectic week at work so now I'm ready for some downtime.Tonight we have a little blogger get together and tomorrow Kerri and I are taking advantage of our Disney passes before they black out for Spring Break (can ya'll believe it's already Spring Break?!) so it won't be a completely relaxing weekend but I'm excited nonetheless. Jumping into my Friday Favorites with Amanda to start out the weekend!

1 // Kristina posted these earrings earlier in the week and I have been obsessed ever since. They are the perfect mix of glam and every day and even though I'm not usually a fan of wearing dangly earrings, these are short enough to not drive me crazy.
2 // These flats are so cute! I can't decide whether I like them in black or nude more but I'm loving the wrap around ankle and fun tassels. And they're part of the Shopbop sale!
3 // I've got pool and beach time on the brain and this cover up definitely is on my must have list. The crochet detail is so pretty and I love that it isn't too sheer so you don't feel awkward throwing it on to go grab a bite to eat or a drink.
4 // With spring right around the corner I'm transitioning from my dark fall and winter colors into spring pastels. This Essie Saltwater Happy color is part of the 2015 summer collection but I am loving it for this spring.

5 // I've actually had several people who have Disney trips planned ask me where Kerri and I got our Minnie ears from and the answer is simple; Disney of course! These are the exact ears Ker and I have which we got together on our first trip to Epcot for Food and Wine Festival. You can get ears at any park and some have a different selection than others (i.e. Animal Kingdom has some fun animal print ears other parks don't have) so just stop in and check out what they have. We got ours in Mouse Gear!

Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend! Kerri and I will be rocking our ears tomorrow at the Flower & Garden Festival at Epcot so follow along with us on Snapchat {pamelanicole84} to get a sneak peek!

Happy Monday babes! Why does it always seem like the weekends go by way too quickly? I swear, two days during the week feel like seven but two days during the weekend feel like 3 hours. Who do we talk to about fixing this? My schedule this week isn't too busy (fingers and toes crossed that it stays that way) so hopefully it should be a good week! I had some ups and downs last week so a nice uneventful week would be great! Linking up with my blogger love, Biana, for our weekend recap!

Friday night I grabbed a few beers with a co-worker. After a long, semi-stressful week it was just nice to unwind and chat with her about some things that had been bugging me. Being the "new" girl still it's hard gauging when someone is taking advantage of me and when something is actually my responsibility. I'm learning and I still LOVE my job but I think this past month in general was just stressful for me so I'm ready for my life to get back on schedule.

Saturday morning I was up bright and early (ok, who am I kidding. I'm always up bright and early) to get ready to head to Epcot with the boys and Kerri for Food and Wine Fesitval. I haven't been to Disney in at least 5 years and I haven't been to Epcot since I was 4 or 5 years old so this was definitely almost a brand new experience for me. Actually it pretty much was since I've never been to Food and Wine Festival! Luckily, Kerri is a seasoned pro so she lead me through everything and made sure I went to the best spots. I'll recap more about Food and Wine Festival tomorrow so I don't completely overload this post! The weather was gorgeous and it was so nice just getting to walk around outside all day and hang out with my favorite people!

Sunday was spent recovering from Saturday. We did a TON of walking, which I'm not complaining about. Did you know Epcot is 300 acres which is more than twice the size of Magic Kingdom and only 35 acres smaller than Busch Gardens Tampa? The more you know... (where's my little star with the rainbow trail when you need it?) so we were pretty beat from all the walking. Luckily sitting around on a Sunday watching football is my ideal Sunday so I was a happy camper and the Bengals won so major bonus! I also made some amazing loaded baked potato soup since it was cooler out. I wish these temps would stay but I'm not holding my breath.



Hope everyone has a great week!