Disney Diaries

I think this is our 3rd year of taking my sister's boys to Disney at the beginning of summer vacation. It's me, my mom, sister and the kiddos. Although, last year we brought the husbands and that was awesome too. Going in summer can be brutal, but we feel like we have a good thing going! 

Day 1 - Animal Kingdom

Our first day brought us to Animal Kingdom - the home of the boy's favorite rides. They both adore riding Expedition Everest, and so we made that our first ride of the day. We also made sure to ride both Avatar attractions and the Safari. It was such a humid hot day, and we had gotten up so early so we called it at about 2:30. We checked into the Carribean Beach resort and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening at the pool! 

What I Wore: Athletic Dress (with detached bottoms for easy bathroom breaks! Genius!) | Brooks Sneakers | Mickey Socks | Belt Bag | Belt Bag Charms | Body Glitter

Day 2 - EPCOT

Now for the grown ups favorite park! We loved staying at Caribbean Beach because of the Skyliner. Such a great way to get around! We spent the morning at the front of the park and did every single ride. We did purchase Lightning Lane, and I think it's worth every penny even though it's annoying to spend so much. After riding Guardians of the Galaxy (everyone's favorite!) we got caught in the rain. My sister was smart and brought ponchos - but they ended up being terrible! It was like being wrapped in Saran Wrap. My mom went into the nearest gift shop and bought us 'real' Disney ponchos and they were the bomb. 

We didn't mind wandering the rain after a margarita in Mexico anyway. And a frozen orange delightful thing in Paris...

One of my favorite Aunt things to do is to take the kids off by myself for a little while so their mom can have a break. We did this last year and it was one of my favorite memories ever - just me, Blake and the the kiddos. So, this time I took them on 2 more rides and through a gift shop while my mom and their mom got to put their feet up in England. It's just great quality time and they are on their best behavior because it feels special. 

We ended our day in Japan for dinner, which was amazing, and then we jumped on the Skyliner for 'home'. Not before stopping at a gift shop and me spending an absurd amount of money on Crocs of all things! My socks were so wet from the rain and I was just dying to get into some comfy shoes. I've never owned Crocs before - and here we are. 

What I Wore: Mickey Tee | Fabletics Shorts | Belt Bag | Adidas | Sunglasses

Watch Band | Crocs | Body Glitter

Day 3 - Hollywood Studios

I actually only took a handful of pictures this day because we were BUSY! We started the day around 9:30 and left the park probably 12 hours later. Most of our Lightning Lanes were for the later afternoon so it was a slower start with a few shows and one wait-in-line situation. I think after it was all said and done we did every single ride and almost every attraction in the park by the end of the day. The boy's other aunt came and brought them a friend so that made it nice. 

I actually made my shirt with a comfort colors cropped tee and a Grogu patch I found on Amazon. And I wore my new Crocs! Very comfy, and I was able to wear them all day in the park without much thought. My shins were really sore the next day, but so were my sister's so I can't blame it on the shoes. 

What I Wore: T-Shirt | Amazon Shorts (Highly recommend these! GREAT pockets) 

Crocs | Loungefly Backpack | Ears | Body Glitter

Shop This Post: 

You may like my other Disney posts! Or my Disney Favorites Shopping Page!

-Kristen

This post contains affiliate and referral links! | Blog Disclosure

Disney Diaries

Sunday, June 8, 2025

Friday Five | 5-30-25

1. High of the Week

Having Monday free of all obligation was SO nice! Blake, my parents, and I did a quick 'hike' on a Greenway near our house first thing in the morning. It was warm, but not too hot yet. I think we walked for a total of an hour. Then, we changed and headed to our neighborhood pool. I kept thinking that I should be doing something! It was a true day off. 

2. Low of the Week

I was at a clients house, and got all set to leave - and my car wouldn't start. UGH. Such a pain. It's really probably time to upgrade my CRV, but I love it so much I don't want to. Car shopping sounds terrible. Anyway, fortunately this wasn't a big deal - just needed a new battery, not an alternator like I thought. Of course my battery was 3 months past warranty, so this wasn't a cheap experience.  

3. Freshening Up The House

I don't know what got into me on Tuesday, but I came home and started moving things around. Do you ever get the itch to redecorate or rearrange furniture? There aren't too many configurations we can do with the furniture in our house, but I managed to fix some things. For example, although we have a home office, I find myself working downstairs the majority of the time. So I've set up a desk in my bedroom and was able to move a few things around in there to give us a lot more space. That sparked searching for new bedding. Ours has gotten strangely rough feeling. Then because I moved a piece of furniture upstairs, I switched things up in the guest room again. And then, the gallery wall on the stairs came down. (I've been wanting to do that for a while. Love all the pictures, but I felt like it was just too much visually.) And then! I finally ordered new curtains for the living room. This has been bothering me since we moved in. The ones I had were too short. This is my favorite upgrade so far! These curtains are SO affordable and SO nice. 

Two more things I'm on the look out for are a new ottoman for the living room, and a new bed frame for our bedroom. I'd seriously buy the same one again, I love it - but something happened (maybe in our move a few years ago?) with the support on the bottom and it's not fixable. 

4. Mission Impossible

Blake and I went to see the new Mission Impossible movie on Sunday. We absolutely love going to the movies. Especially on a rainy Sunday! This movie was just outrageous 😂. If I were to review it, I'd sum it up by saying Tom Cruise had to show off all his tricks one more time. The drama! Some of it was very exciting, but I found it weird that they used so many flashbacks? It was like they didn't expect you to know what was going on the whole time. But, that actually made it really really long. Overall it was fun to go to the movies but I don't think I'll ever watch it again. 

5. Color Palette 

Above, you'll see a picture of an outfit I wore this week, that I got several compliments on because of the colors. I think because I have more of a tan right now, and the yellow just pops. Anyway, that sparked my interest in the color season thing you've probably seen on the internet. Basically, everyone has a color palette that looks best on them based off their skin, hair, etc. 

I don't want to pay for a consultation right now, so I asked ChatGPT to help! It suggested that I am a Soft Autumn which I think I agree with. So now, I'm doing research on that color palette to see what I can wear more of. I also want to play with the makeup colors it suggests work best with my features. This is kind of fun! 

Shop This Post:

-Kristen

This post contains affiliate and referral links! | Blog Disclosure

Friday Five | 5-30-25

Friday, May 30, 2025

What I Wore

Reef Sandals

I wear these Reef platform sandals ALL the time! Love them so much in brown, I also bought the off-white. These are the most comfortable shoes - I could wear them all day, every day. 

Old Navy Dress

This is such a great dress for spring and summer. Worn with those favorite sandals above! I've worn this to a causal family dinner, and then also to a fancier dinner out. Pairs great with a denim jacket!

Draper James Dress

I purchased this dress when we visited Charleston earlier this year. We were walking and shopping, and were so excited to see a Draper James store. Turned out it was their grand opening weekend. We had such a great experience shopping there, with lots of attention from the sales associates. I tried this on, and when it fit like a glove, I ignored the price tag. I paired it with some cute little espadrilles from Amazon. 

Amazon Dress

I gravitate toward light, flowy dresses in the summer - so I grabbed this one to freshen up the rotation. Very very comfy, but not exactly breathable. I should have known seeing that it's a poly blend. Again, paired with the Reef sandals. 

J Crew Dress

This may be my favorite purchase all year - I love it! From the fit to the floral pattern...it's just so great. I actually went back and bought Blake the matching tie! Paired with my gold Tieks here.

Amazon Top and J Crew Shorts

And for something a little more casual - you'll find me in this all summer! This Amazon top is so affordable and I love how you can dress it up or down. Paired with my beloved Adidas and favorite necklace set. 

J Crew Vest and Shorts

The cutest set ever! I'd say that the vest is true to size, but the shorts run big. I actually went back and bought some linen pants to coordinate with the vest as well so I can wear it more often.

Shop This Post:

 

-Kristen

This post contains affiliate and referral links! | Blog Disclosure

What I Wore

Monday, May 26, 2025

Friday Five | 5-23-35

1. Oura Ring

I've been wearing my Oura ring for about 2 weeks now, and I am obsessed! It's fascinating to see all of the data it's able to collect. I'd like to wear it for a few more weeks before doing a full in-depth review - but in short, I am so glad I got it. 

2. Booking Flights

SO happy to finally have booked our flights for Scotland this week! We will be going in October this year. Scotland was on the itinerary when we did our UK trip in 2022, but we decided to eliminate it when we realized how much we were trying to squeeze into a short trip. Now we finally get to go! Blake and I draft some money each week into a savings account just for travel. It's so satisfying to use that money, because it really feels like we are accomplishing what we set out to do. 

3. Conner's Steakhouse

Blake and I went out with my parents and some family friends for sort of a celebratory dinner at the new Conner's Steakhouse that recently opened up here. It's a chain apparently. We were very impressed and it was such a nice night out! They went above and beyond to accommodate my dad's celiac dietary needs. 

4. Curry Chicken Meatballs Recipe

We tried out a new recipe this week - and it was outstanding! The flavors were awesome and it didn't take that long to put together. Important for a weeknight meal! In fact, Blake randomly brought up how good this was two days later. 

5. Proud Auntie!

This week I was able to attend one of the kid's awards ceremonies. (So many events the last week of school!!) Super proud of Carter, my almost 11 year old nephew. We went to his awards ceremony and then took him out for a special lunch. 

Happy Friday!

-Kristen

This post contains affiliate and referral links! | Blog Disclosure

Friday Five | 5-23-35

Friday, May 23, 2025

Workout Diary #3

Monday

Apple Fitness + | 20 Minute Upper Body Strength & 10 Minute Core
Outfit: Walmart Shorts | Old Navy Top | Brooks Sneakers

It's feeling like a Monday! I slept in a little longer than intended, but still got my work out in. Blake was not able to get a work out in before having to head out to the office, so we agreed to walk later this evening. I'm going to need that too, since I'll be on my computer most of the day. 

Walk | 25 Minutes 1.33 Miles

We did end up walking after work, and I am so glad we did! It had rained earlier in the day so not only was it a lot cooler, but everything was green. Walks are a great way for us to catch up with each other and decompress at the same time. 

Tuesday

Apple Fitness + | 30 Minute Lower Body, 5 Minute Core, 5 Minute Cool Down
Outfit: Fabletics Shorts | Target Tank (similar) | Brooks Sneakers

Even though I got a pretty good sleep score last night, I wasn't jumping up out of bed this morning. It still felt rushed! After realizing we had nothing planned for dinner, and a last minute grocery pick up situation - I got my workout in. This was an awesome lower body work out and I felt that it was just the right amount of challenging. 

Walk | 26 Minutes 1.34 Miles

Blake and I walked again after work, taking the same route as yesterday - just in reverse. I love walking together. In my perfect world we'd walk every day. 

Wednesday

Apple Fitness + Ready To Run Series | 30 Minutes, 2 Miles

Outfit: Fabletics Leggings | Brooks Top | Brooks Sneakers | Airpod Hooks

I woke up feeling so sore after my lower body workout yesterday, so I was not sure how this run was going to go. To changes things up, I decided to try one of the Apple Fitness + Ready to Run programs. Each run is 'set' in a different location. I chose Zion National Park since we visited there last fall. The coach guides you a little bit and the program pings pictures to your watch along the way. It's nice that the playlist is already curated and you basically just press play and go. I felt like I pushed myself, but I still had to walk several times. 

My only wish is that I had gotten started earlier! The sun was ON. It's going to be a gorgeous day, but it's hot already. 

Thursday 

Apple Fitness + | 20 Minute Total Body, 10 Minute Upper Body, 10 Minute Core

Outfit: Old Navy Shorts and Tank | Brooks Sneakers 

Oof, I was not feeling it today. Didn't sleep great, but still wanted to get it done. Blake chose the 20 minute total body class, so we did that together and then I added 2 more 10 minute classes. 

Friday

Apple Fitness + | 30 Minute Kickboxing, 10 Minute Total Body

Outfit: Walmart Shorts (similar) | Old Navy Bra Top | Brooks Sneakers 

Unfortunately, I got a little sunburned on my upper back this week - so my original plan of a core work out was not going to work today. I could not be laying on my back for a long period of time! Instead, I went for kickboxing and a short total body weight workout. SHOULD have reversed the order I did it in, because I was spent! Great calorie burn, and a good sweat to kick off the weekend. 

Shop This Post:

-Kristen

This post contains affiliate and referral links! | Blog Disclosure

Workout Diary #3

Monday, May 19, 2025

Friday Five | 5-16-25

1. Revive Haul

It's been a little while since I got an order from Revive. I try to use up what I have in my stash before getting anything new. Long story short, I want to get back to more fragrance free products in the home again. The Immunity Boost (Revive's version of Thieves) laundry detergent and fabric softener really sparked my curiosity! The packaging is low plastic too, so that's nice. 

New to me is the Coconut Vanilla oil blend (5 stars! It smells incredible, just like a vacation or your favorite suntan lotion), and the 5 Star Hotel blend. Excited to try all of it! 

Cinnamon Roll, Grapefruit, Sweet Orange, and Citrus Delight are all time favorites.

2. Trader Joe's Peanut Butter Cups

If you know, you know. These are maybe my favorite thing on the planet. They are 1000 times better than Reeces cups, which are my favorite candy. We purposely do not buy them because we will devour the whole container in record time. Last week we put together a gift for some friends that included a trip to TJ's and of course these ended up in our cart.

3. Surprise Anniversary Dinner

We were invited to surprise our friends with a fun anniversary dinner, and you know I love an anniversary! We had a great time! I wore the cutest little linen set from J. Crew (vest and shorts) and just warning you I'll be wearing it all summer. 

4. Salad Kits

Probably late to the party on this, but I recently started grabbing a few salad kits to keep in the fridge and it's been such an awesome lunch idea! We usually eat the same things for breakfast each day, and dinner is planned out - but, I always struggle with lunch. These have been really tasty and easy to put together. 

5. Happy to be Blogging

I've always been pretty flexible with myself with getting posts up. Sometimes, I can't believe I was posting just about every day a few years ago. I truly only want to post when I feel like I have something good to share. Just happy to feel a little creative and put effort into my space on the internet. 

That being said, I hope you enjoyed my posts this week: Recent Reads and Four Bowls for Dinner

Happy Friday! 

-Kristen

This post contains affiliate and referral links! | Blog Disclosure

Friday Five | 5-16-25

Friday, May 16, 2025

Four Bowls For Dinner This Week

BBQ Chicken & Sweet Potato Bowls 

Recipe Here

This is a new recipe for us, but I am so happy to include it in our regular rotation after making it. It's very simple to put together, and it's absolutely delicious. This bowl is made up of sweet potatoes, air fried chicken, slaw, pickles, avocado and pepitas. Unfortunately, the avocado we had was hard as rock, and our grocery store was out of pepitas. Next time I will make sure to add those things because I think it'd be a nice touch. I also do not care for mayo based slaw, so I switched that up for our dinner. It's just a cabbage slaw mix, white wine vinegar, and a little lemon juice. 

Highly recommend the Kinder's chicken rub and their gold bbq sauce - chef's kiss! 

Copycat Chipotle Bowls

No recipe here, just build your bowl just like you do when you go through the line at Chipotle! We make cilantro lime rice by squeezing lime juice and adding cilantro to our rice. 

Greek Chicken Bowls

I could eat this every night! The base is rice, and we add grilled chicken, tzatziki sauce, chick peas (you could do hummus), a tomato cucumber salad, and some marinated olives. OH, and don't forget the feta! Serve together with some toasted pita, and you've got a very filling meal. We make our tzatziki sauce with non fat greek yogurt which amps up the protein. 

Burger Bowls

Recipe Here

We LOVE this recipe and have been making it almost weekly for a year. It's perfect for when you are craving a burger but don't want a heavy meal. You can make the sauce with greek yogurt instead of mayo to add more protein. We also like to use Primal Kitchen ketchup in the sauce because it cuts down on the sugar. 

Here's the bowl plates we use almost every day!
What are you making this week? 

-Kristen

This post contains affiliate and referral links! | Blog Disclosure

Four Bowls For Dinner This Week

Wednesday, May 14, 2025