photography
Hiking: Cowels Mountain
Friday, August 18 • adventure, hiking, north face, packing list, photography, quick guide, san diego, san diego blogger
This weekend Daniel and I went to Cowles Mountian for a hike! We wanted to get to the top before the clouds burnt off and the sun came out so we started our hike around 7:30am. While it was really hard to get up early, it was so worth it to watch the clouds slowly disintegrate to show the beautiful mountains. We got some beautiful photos at the top and had the chance to just sit and relax after a long week. Once we got down the mountain, it was only 10:00am so we decided to stop and grab some juice! I was never a "juice person" but since moving to San Diego I have grown to love it. Daniel got a green juice that had mango, kale, agave and some other delicious stuff and I got a pink juice that had a lot of fresh fruit in it! By the time we got home it was only about 11am and we still had the whole day to get house stuff done. Starting our Sunday morning by hiking was definitely perfect!
For hiking, I always wear my hat to keep the sun off my face! I also like to wear a tank top and bring a 1/4 zip pullover in case it is a little chilly. I recommend wearing a light pair of leggings or pants when you go hiking to protect your legs from overgrown nature! Also, the hiking boots I picked up at REI were a lifesaver! They have a lot of grip on the bottom and added ankle support so I wasn't worried about rolling my ankles on rocks (especially when going back down the mountain). I will link some of my favorite hiking attire at the end of the post if you're in the market for new gear!
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| The trail we hiked up! |
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Thanks for reading! Check back for more hiking posts in the future (since this is becoming my new favorite hobby)!
SeaWorld San Diego
Sunday, June 4 • about me, adventure, milso, photography, quick guide, round up
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| Flamingos are my spirit animal |
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| Riding the Manta ride |
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| Taking a ride in the Observatory Tower - also rocking the shark tooth necklace |
Last weekend, we went to explore SeaWorld in San Diego. We had so much fun! Most of our time was spent looking at all of the animal exhibits but we also got to watch the Dolphin Show, Pets Show and ride their two roller coasters. We both loved the Manta roller coaster that makes you feel like you're a manta ray. The observatory tower was also pretty neat because you could see all of San Diego from the top of the tower! To end the day, and celebrate Daniel's birthday, we had dinner with Shamu! The food was absolutely delicious and it was cool to get to experience SeaWorld training hands on. We got to see the trainers do a few exercises with the orcas and interact with the beautiful animals. It was cute how happy the orcas were when their trainer was petting them or feeding them treats. Overall, it was a great day! If you ever get the chance, I would recommend making a day trip.
I also wanted to share some info on the "Waves of Honor" program that allows active duty military members, and up to 3 dependents, free admission to the park once a year (click here for more information). This is the program we used for our special day in the park!
Below are a few photos from our favorite exhibits! Enjoy!
Nashville
Thursday, December 29 • adventure, dogs, photography, quick guide, review, southern belle, travel
Last week we got the chance to visit Nashville for the first time! We were only there for 24 hours so we didn't get to see everything but we had a lot of fun. We stayed at the Lowes Vanderbilt Hotel and it was perfect. I HIGHLY recommend this place to everyone. It was right across the street from Vanderbilt, only a 10 min drive to downtown (and they had a hotel car that would take you downtown), about a 15 min walk to the Parthenon, a 10 min drive to East Hill and about a 15 min drive to the Grand Ole Opry. We were on the club level so we had a view of the city - and a nice concierge lounge with a delicious breakfast!
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Our view of the city!
What I wore in Nashville (it was 50 deg during the day and 30 at night):
For dinner, we went to Martin's BBQ and had their whole hog pulled pork dinner - which was delicious! After dinner, we went to the bars on Broadway and listened to live music.
On our way back to the hotel, we made a pit-stop in East Hill to get a picture with the "I Believe in Nashville" sign. I wanted to stop by Reese Witherspoons' store, Draper James, but it was closed by the time we made it here.
Before heading back to the hotel we stopped at the Sprinkles Cupcake ATM! The cupcakes were hands down the best cupcakes I've ever had in my life. Daniel got the banana bread one and I got the red velvet.
After dinner, bar hopping and the cupcake ATM we headed back to the hotel to crash for the night.
The next morning we walked about 15 min to Centennial Park and saw the Parthenon. Since it was freezing outside, and it looked cool, we explored inside it. Below are a few photos from inside the beautiful structure.
While we explored the city, we put Jack in puppy daycare. The Dog Spot in West Nashville was a great place to have our pup go to daycare and spend the night. It was reasonably priced and they gave us a tour before we left him. They also had webcams set up in each play area so we could watch our furry baby play around with all the other dogs. If anyone wants to go to Nashville but doesn't want to leave their dog at home, I'd recommend The Dog Spot.
After Nashville we had to get back on the road so we could venture up to Illinois for Christmas! In all, our Nashville experience was a lot of fun and I'd definitely like to go back someday. Thanks for reading my blog!
Fall Fun in Florida
Sunday, October 23 • adventure, attire, fashion, florida, milso, photography, southern belle
This weekend, I went with a group of ladies to the pumpkin patch! I met all of these ladies through a group called SOSA (Spouses of Student Aviators) and am so thankful to have met them. All of us have a significant other who is going through flight school so we can help each other with different things the military throws at us. Sometimes it is hard living in Florida because all of my family and friends live in Washington. So when I'm feeling a little down about missing everyone in Washington, I remember all the new friends I have made here through SOSA; and the memories we already have!
One of those memories includes the pumpkin patch! While it was still 80 degrees here in Florida, we enjoyed our favorite fall festivities. We went on a hayride, got lost in a corn maze and took photos with pumpkins (unfortunately we didn't get pumpkin spice lattes so our fall trip wasn't quite complete - haha). Here are just a few photos from Sweet Season Farms... (Photography by my friend Sara!)
Happy Fall y'all! Who else can't wait for Halloween next weekend?!
Weekend Roundup: Seafood Festival
Sunday, October 2 • adventure, florida, photography, quick guide, review, round up, southern belle, travel
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This past weekend, Daniel and I ventured into Pensacola for Seafood Festival. We had a lot of fun at this festival downtown! Apparently October and November are "festival season" in Pensacola because it actually cools down enough to be outside during the day. If anyone finds themselves in Pensacola during Seafood Fest, I highly recommend it! Here is a little photo round up of the weekend...
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| I had Mahi Mahi tacos with a classic Bud Light |
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| Daniel had 3/4 lbs of shrimp with corn and potatoes. He also tried one of Pensacola's draft beers. |
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| Sitting on the curb enjoying Seafood Fest |
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This weekend we also spent some time decorating our house for Halloween and planting flowers in our front garden. Even though we don't get real Fall in Florida, it has been cooling down lately which is so nice! It makes me happy to finally be planting flowers and decorating our house for the holidays. Happy Fall Y'all :)
Name Change After the Wedding
Social security: Do this first thing because it will take awhile. Bring marriage license, old social security card and birth certificate or passport.
DMV: Be sure to update your license and voter registration. Bring your marriage license and old drivers license.
*Military only* Dependent ID Card: This is huge! Make sure you go into the base ID office and get your ID card as soon as possible. This will get you enrolled in DEERS. Bring your marriage license, birth certificate and drivers license or passport.
Auto Licensing: Update both your registration and title. If a bank owns your title make sure you contact them to get it updated. You will need your original registration, marriage license and drivers license.
IRS: Make sure you update all of your information at work to match your new name. Update the pay system and your tax exemption status to make sure you have no issues when tax season comes. Your company will notify the IRS of the change. Supply them with your new social security card.
Passport: This will need to be done at your local post office or through the mail. You need a photo, birth certificate, marriage license and either a license or current passport.
Loans - student, car, mortgage: I'm not totally sure how to change your car loan or mortgage name but I know for student loans you need to mail in a copy of your marriage license and new social security card.
Bank Accounts: It is much easier to do this in a branch. Just take your marriage license in, show your new ID and get a new debit card.
Other: These are other things you need to change your name on but I'm still in the process so I don't know exactly what is needed. For insurance we ended up changing companies so I just needed my new license number. Bills, subscriptions, airline frequent flier miles, reward cards and social media should just need your license and possibly marriage license.
Well, if you are reading this because you just got married then congratulations!! If you're reading this for fun, I hope you enjoyed it. If anyone has any questions, shoot me an email and I'll try to help you to the best of my ability. Thanks for reading y'all!
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