Amazon Finds: 4th of July

Amazon finds: 4th of july

I am so excited to share all of the cute things I have found on amazon for you guys to get you ready for the 4th of July! Weather you are going to be at the beach or on a lake, or something a little bit more dressy, I have you covered! I found a healthy mix of casual and dressed up and you are going to love them! They are super inexpensive and they all mix and match together very well!

The white hair scarf(8.) is the perfect way to tie in white to the red blue bikini(1.), or add it to your dressier look with the red tiered dress(6.) or the cutest navy romper(7.)!

I have linked everything below the photo!

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What are your plans for the 4th? Dustin will be out of town but I think I might spend the day at the beach or poolside with a drink and a good book. I have also been doing quite a bit of coloring on my iPad lately. I have been using this app called Pigment and I will look up and two hours will have passed.

ABC's Bachelorette Party: Indoor S'mores

And we are back!

I missed a couple weeks on which appetizers I was bringing, but our host was out of town so there was no need. Nonetheless, I already have the next three planned and I can’t wait to share them with you!

What we are making

Dustin and I love making s’mores, we had them at our wedding reception and we make them indoors all of the time! I thought this would be perfect to bring to Bach night because again it is so easy to prep and there is no work while you are there. The other thing that was so easy about this is it transports so easily in the tray, much like the charcuterie board I made a while back. If you missed it you can read about it here!

What you will need

-a serving tray

-a few kinds of marshmallows

-Hershey’s bars, the OG’s

-Other type of chocolate

  • Reeses peanut butter cups

  • York Peppermint patties

  • Ghirardelli salted caramel squares

-Oreos

-Wooden or metal skewers

-Graham crackers

-Chafing Dish Fuel Cans

**make sure you have a lighter on hand to light the chafing dish cans!**

The finished product

Much like the Charcuterie Board, and even the Banana Split Bar, you can totally make the presentation your own and have fun with it! I wanted to make sure that there were tons of marshmallows and fun toppings and I went from there. I also tried to make it look as full as possible. It helped that the tray I used had sides to keep everything in.

Our First time at Universal Studios

The last time we were in Florida for a Disney trip, we knew we wanted to visit Universal. Dustin had never been and I hadn’t been in almost 10 years. We are both HUGE Harry Potter fans so we were very excited about visiting! There were definitely other parts of the park that we were excited for, but Happy Potter was the biggest thing. Going into the day, we knew we wanted to prioritize Harry Potter World over anything else and then if we had time at the end of the day we would do other parts. We had plenty of time to get done what we wanted/needed!

The Tickets

www.tarynintotravel.com | Our First Time at Universal Studios | #universalstudios #harrypotterworld #universalstudiosreview

We purchased the 2 park 1 day ticket and we felt that was plenty of time to do and see everything we went to see. You have to purchase the 2 park ticket if you want to see all of Harry Potter World. We started our morning in Islands of Adventure and went straight to Hogsmede and we were in immediate awe!

We chose not to get their fast pass system and once we were there we didn’t feel like we even needed them. We were there in the beginning of December and never waited more than 40 minutes. Now if you go in the summer, you may want to splurge and get the fast pass or “express pass” as they call it. Honestly it was too much money for us, I think it was like an additional $90 per person!!

www.tarynintotravel.com | Our First Time at Universal Studios | #universalstudios #harrypotterworld #universalstudiosreview

The Food

Breakfast: We stopped to get coffee at Starbucks right at the entrance where all the shopping is. Luckily at this Starbucks there were the egg bites that are gluten free and I was able to eat breakfast!

Lunch: We ate lunch at the Leaky Couldron(thats in London .. haha I couldn’t help myself). We tried the pumpkin juice and butter beer to drink and then for lunch Dustin had the Fish and Chips and I had the gluten free specialty chicken sandwich! Both were very good!

Dinner: We were pretty spent by the time dinner rolled around, we decided to grab a drink and eat dinner at Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville. This was located at the Universal CityWalk. We couldn’t eat at Margaritaville and not get margaritas, I had tried the watermelon marg and Dustin tried the blackberry marg. We split chips and guac for an appetizer and for the main meals, Dustin had Jimmy’s Jammin’ Jumblaya for dinner and I ended up getting the Florida Grouper Sandwich… SO good, it was the perfect amount of spicy and delicious!

 

The Rides

www.tarynintotravel.com | Our First Time at Universal Studios | #universalstudios #harrypotterworld #universalstudiosreview

We really liked all of the rides in Harry Potter World, we liked Flight of the Hippogriff, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Escape from Gringotts, Hogwarts express(sort of a ride, more of an experience). We really spent most of our day wandering through different parts of Harry Potter world and just soaking that all in!

Outside of that we enjoyed The Revenge of the Mummy, Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, Fast & Furious: Supercharged and Despicable Me Minion Mayhem! All of the wait times were less than 30 minutes and we were there on a Saturday but in December.

We rode Race Through New York with Jimmy Fallon and we both got off of it feeling very sick and it pretty much ended our day.. If I am being honest, most of the rides, pretty much 95% of the rides we went on we felt like we were stuck in a box and shaken up. It was a lot of simulation rides. Don’t get me wrong, those can be fun! But ride after ride of it can make you really sick, at least it made us sick.

Other than that, we loved visiting Universal Studios and Harry Potter World and now that there is a new ride in Harry Potter World we would love to go back! Have you been? What was your favorite part?

Review of Disney's All Star Music Resort

 
www.tarynintotravel.com | Review of Disney's All Star Music Resort | #disneyresorts #disneyproperty #disneyhotelreview.png
 

It’s one of our goals to be able to stay at every single one of the Disney resorts in our lifetime and so far we have only done two but I already have a favorite! Here is a breakdown of our honest thoughts of Disney’s All Star Music Resort.

Service

Definitely great, I honestly haven’t had a negative experience with any Disney customer service before though. I know some people have, but luckily not for us yet! We stayed for 8 nights and we opted out of their cleaning services, because it was just the two of us and we received an $80 Disney gift card. It’s $10 for each night that you opt out. Plus they will bring us anything we need(toilet paper, fresh towels, etc.) whenever we call and ask for it.

We also asked to move closer to the main building after the first night and they told us absolutely and made it so simple for us to move. Now I’m not saying this is the norm, just our experience and an example of Disney’s customer service going above and beyond for its’ customers. One of our favorite perks is the Disney’s Magical Express that will come get you from the airport free of charge and take you to your resort as well as take you from your resort back to the airport.

Room

So the room was pretty standard, the first room we were in was pretty far. We were in the farthest building on the back side with two full beds and it took like 5-8 minute walk to the main building. In the second room which was much closer we had a King size bed and it was about a 3 minute walk to get to the main building. We were much happier once we were moved to the king bed with a shorter walk.

The room came with shampoo, conditioner and body wash and we never had issues with warm water. Wi-fi was free in each room and there is also a TV, mini-fridge, iron and a safe. One thing we wish there was is a microwave but there hasn’t been one at either of the Disney resorts we have stayed at so far.

We enjoyed our room for what it was and how often we were actually in the room. If you’ve been to Disney/do Disney the way we do(non-stop going, going, going) then all that will matter is to have a place to rest your head, and feet at night, with the quickest transport to and from the parks.

Food

So the Intermission Food Court has many options and we were pretty satisfied with the amount of times we actually ate there(about 5 total for all meals). The Intermission Food Court is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and late night snacks. They have the Specialty Shop, The Grill Shop, The Pizza Shop and the Ice Cream Shop. The GF options were pretty standard for Disney, GF chicken nuggets, cheeseburger on a GF bun, GF French fries and some other options at the Specialty Shop like chicken breast with mashed potatoes, Mahi Mahi, and Flank Steak. The Pizza shop was also great, and Dustin’s favorite! TIP: If you are going to get a pizza from the food court, don’t order just a slice. Get a whole pizza, you get more bang for your buck and you will have leftovers for later!

They also have the Singing Spirits Pool Bar, where you can grab a drink and sit next to the pool! They have over 20 options to choose from ranging from $7-$13.

They have the store at the front of the resort where you can purchase merchandise that you can get in the parks, food, snacks, beverages and things like medicine. This was so helpful! For example, I forgot q-tips and I was able to get them there.

Lastly, you can order pizza to your room from 5:00pm-1:00am, this has come in handy a couple of times.

Activities

They have two pools, the Calypso Pool and the Piano pool. The Calypso pool is right off the main building and closest to the bar. Most of the time there is a cast member playing games, doing trivia or some other sort of interactive entertainment. The Piano pool is much more relaxed and there are less people there as well.

For kiddos, they have a playground and then they have a one mile jogging trail around the property as well! Another fun thing that they have is the arcade, Dustin and I (even as adults) can spend a morning in the arcade easily, there are plenty of games to enjoy.

The last thing that they do, and probably one of my favorites is that they play movies at night. Its called “Movies Under the Stars”, its so fun because it’s a different Disney movie every night and you get to unwind while being outside enjoying a movie. You can grab a snack from the food court and grab a spot next to the pool!

Busses/Travel times

We found that it varies from park to park obviously due to location but really nothing more the 10-20 minutes and it all makes it worth while when you don’t have to park your car, take the tram to the entrance and blah blah blah depending on which park you are visiting. We always say that we will always stay in a Disney Resort just for the bus system. It honestly makes your life so much easier. We also have really never had a problem with a bus not being there to pick us up. If you have the My Disney Experience App you know when the bus is coming to your destination and you can plan accordingly.

Overall Atmosphere

The overall atmosphere for us was great. It was a little more crowded in comparison to the All Star Movie Resort but its bigger and there are more rooms for people to stay in so it all makes sense. In our opinion we enjoyed the All Star Movie resort more for its decorations and that sort of thing. Like I mentioned before, it’s so convenient and we are all about it!

Spring Earrings From Amazon

www.tarynintotravel.com |Spring Earrings Spring Finds Amazon Earrings Spring is Here Accessories.JPG

Spring Earrings From Amazon

Working from home makes it pretty irrelevant to wear statement jewelry but when I worked in an office my go-to outfit was pretty much some variation of all black and then statement earrings with fun shoes! I rounded up some of the cutest spring earrings from Amazon and I can’t wait to hear what you think! The ones that I am wearing in the picture is number 6! I love them because there is no need for a back! Plus they go with pretty much any color under the sun!

www.tarynintotravel.com |Spring Earrings Spring Finds Amazon Earrings Spring is Here Accessories.png

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I loveeee shopping on Amazon and really think they have stepped up their game with things like fashion and accessories! I also love spending time browsing. There are always a ton of things in my cart at all times just from me browsing.. they are things that I have found that are next on my “to purchase” list. Thank goodness for the “save for later” button lol! It is a lot of fun for me to share my Amazon finds!!

ABC's Bachelorette Party: Banana Split Bar

ABC's Bachelorette Party: Banana Split Bar

 
www.tarynintotravel.com | Banana Split Bar | #bananasplitbar #bananasplitparty #partyideas
 

If you are new around here, each Monday I get together with a group of my friends to watch the Bachelor/Bachelorette and 99.9% of the time I volunteer to bring a snack because its so fun! If you have been watching the Bachelorette so far this season then you know Cam is quite the character. After last weeks episode I did a bit of research on ABC Cam (Always Be Cam is his ridiculous nickname for himself). I found out that he is from Austin, Texas. I started looking into popular foods from Austin and I found tons of people saying banana splits were huge there {lucky us}!! SO, for this week we had a Banana Split Bar! This was another fun and tasty shoot (haha this is probably why I always offer to bring the food). I also liked this particular week because there wasn’t a whole lot of prep work- I like easy!

Allllll I’m saying is…..

“A B C got sent home, he is on his way back to keep Austin weird… I am so glad Hannah told him to Split!”

I was on Twitter this morning and kept reading “anyone but Cam”. I hadn’t heard that one before but thought it was funny!

When I was at the store getting toppings for the banana splits there were sooo many options but I couldn’t get them all so here is what I got!

www.tarynintotravel.com | Banana Split Bar | #bananasplitbar #bananasplitparty #partyideas

-bananas

-sweet and salty peanuts

-caramel sauce

-chocolate sauce

-maraschino cherries

-rainbow sprinkles

-chocolate covered banana chips

-waffle bowls

-whipped cream

Some other things that I thought about getting were chocolate chips, pralines(yum), chocolate covered pomegranates, raspberry sauce, peanut butter sauce and oh my gosh, the list could go on! I really liked having this for a group of people because I didn’t have to worry about someone not liking the taste of what I made or having an allergy. They were able to make it their own and I didn’t have to do a whole lot but bring it to the party! It’s a win, win!

www.tarynintotravel.com | Banana Split Bar | #bananasplitbar #bananasplitparty #partyideas

I was SO SO happy with how it turned out and everyone loved the sweet treat! The more that I look at these pictures of the banana split bar, I can see myself using this for pool parties and get togethers just because it was so easy!

Are you enjoying this mini series?! I hope so because they are so fun for me to put together! If you missed last weeks charcuterie board you can find that post here!

www.tarynintotravel.com | Banana Split Bar | #bananasplitbar #bananasplitparty #partyideas

10 Unique Rainy Day Activities in Boston

10 UNIQUE RAINY DAY ACTIVITIES IN BOSTON

Nothing is worse than having plans and having them get canceled due to rain. Totally been there, and it sucks! I compiled alllll the things to do in Boston that you can add to your arsenal of rainy day activities!

 
www.tarynintotravel.com | 10 Unique Rainy Day Activities in Boston | Rainy Day In Boston | What to do in Boston | Rainy Boston
 

HERE ARE MY RAINY DAY ACTIVITIES

  1. Kings Dining & Entertainment - This is a fun place to be able to bowl and grab dinner! If you are wanting to extend your night after dinner, watch a movie at Showplace Icon Theater which is just upstairs from the bowling alley.

  2. Axe throwing - I have talked about our day at Urban Axes before, it was such a fun experience and the perfect activity for a rainy day if you are feeling adventurous. You can read more about our experience here!

  3. Boda Borg - This is such a unique experience, its a combination of psychical challenges and mental challenges and its absolutely fun! I linked to a the page that has a video that goes further into detail!

  4. New England Aquarium - Fun fact, this was the first thing that Dustin and I did when we moved to Boston, we love going to zoos and aquariums so much! We bought an annual pass and never looked back. Wander through the New England Aquarium and then have lunch or dinner at Legal Seafood (its one of our favorite restaurants)!

  5. Butterfly Garden - This is located in the Museum of Science and I can’t wait to visit. Its a fun addition to spending the day at the science museum!

  6. Laugh Boston - This is more of a “rainy evening” activity but I just had to put it on the list! We have seen Dirty Disney at Laugh Boston and I have honestly never laughed so hard in my life. They have a show 1-2 times a month - don’t miss it!

  7. Drive-In Movie - This is a bit of a drive out of the city, but worth making the list! Load up the car and head to Mendon Twin Drive-In to see a double feature! The website says rain or shine, how fun and such a throwback!!

  8. Boston Center for Adult Education - Take a class at BCAE, they have classes Monday through Saturday and they all look like so much fun! They have cooking classes, art classes, wine tastings, photography classes, anything you can think of, they have it!

  9. Brooklyn Boulders - Take an intro to rock climbing class at Brooklyn Boulders! They teach intro courses for us newbies which is such a fun and unique way to spend a rainy day! They have everything you will need for the class as well.

  10. Harpoon Brewery & Beer Hall - What better way than to spend an afternoon hanging out inside with friends at the local brewery while the rain comes down outside!

What is your favorite thing to do on a rainy day? Would you rather curl up with a good book or brave the weather and head out to explore?! Let me know in the comments below or you can email me at tarynintotravel@gmail.com and I will respond to you there!


WHAT TO READ NEXT!


Target Finds: Spring Bags

Here we go you guys!

This is the post that I was talking about in my stories the other day. Where Target inspired me(shocker) hahah I was Marco-Polo-ing my mom, its the best app ever especially for me living so far from my family! But I was saying over and over again “this bag is so cute”, “oh my gosh, this bag!!” There were SO many good ones! So I have rounded up allll the cutest Target bags that I could find and put them in one convenient place for you to shop them!

www.tarynintotravel.com | Target Finds: Spring Bags | #targetfinds #pursesfromtarget

Here are all the links for each of the bags above!

  1. Top Zip Weekender Bag

  2. Soft Pouch Orange

  3. Slopped Bucket Bag

  4. Large Canvas Weekender Bag

  5. Circle Straw Tote

  6. Canvas Weekender Bag

  7. Straw Shopper Tote

  8. Triple Compartment Tote

I had a lot of fun putting this together for you all and I hope you like it! Let me know which one is your favorite! Mine is the first one!

ABC's Bachelorette Party: Charcuterie Board

Before Colton’s season I had never really watched the Bachelor/Bachelorette, maybe an episode here or a string of episodes there.. but since moving to Boston I have started to watch it with a group of friends I have made here! I like it, but I think I enjoy it because I do themes for each episode! I love a good theme haha I love doing these and I want to share them with you!

I am going to start doing this every week where I share an appetizer that I am bringing to share with everyone. Going forward, I might add in a game or something as well…maybe an outfit?! We will see!

This week is just a simple charcuterie board and seriously, it was a hit!

The board that I used I got from our wedding registry a couple of years ago but I found tons of cute and similar ones from Target.

THE BOARDS

THE FOOD

I got everything on this board from either Target or Trader Joes! But really you can get it all from the same store, I also added a couple of things that I had on hand already! That is sort of the great things about charcuterie boards, you don’t have to follow rules and anything goes. You can use small things you may already have to spice up and bring some color to your board!

www.tarynintotravel.com | Small Charcuterie Board | #smallcrowd #entertainingforasmallcrowd #smallcheeseboard

What I used:

-Triple Cream Brie Wheel

-Cherries

-Honey

- Shelled Pistachios

-Prosciutto Wrapped Mozzarella

-Sharp Cheddar

-Dubliner Aged Cheese

-Chocolate Covered Almonds

-Van’s Gluten Free “the perfect 10” (any type of crackers will work!)

THATS IT!

It was so easy and I created a video to show the process, let me know what you think!

The Perfect Memorial Day Party

Here we go guys! ALLLLL the things you need to have the perfect Memorial Day weekend! I found literally everything you need from what to wear to what you are going to float your happy butt on in the pool!

www.tarynintotravel.com | The Perfect Memorial Day Party  | Memorial Day Party | Lemon Decor | Lemons | Memorial Day | Celebrations | Themed | Get Together

THE DECOR

The inspiration for this set up seriously all started with the cutest cooler there ever was from Dabney Lee. I saw it in Target, had to have it! I had a serious debate on getting the 18-can backpack cooler or the shoulder style. I opted for the backpack because I will use it to go to the beach and the pool all summer! While it is a cooler, it is still super easy to pack a towel, a few drinks and a snack all in one bag and not have to worry about the drinks getting hot.

You guys KNOW I can’t pass up a good theme, the lemons set the plan in motion and I couldn’t be stopped after that! We are having a citrus Memorial Day party and I am HERE. FOR. IT! When I am planning something I like to “shop” from my apartment for a bit before I go buy a ton of stuff. Finding things that I already have usually makes the store a bit less stressful as well.

The plant, glassware, tray and blanket (aka, the shawl of 1000 uses! See inside joke here). All that was left to buy were the lemons, tea, lemonade, and of course Strongbow! Super easy. See the recipe for the boozy Arnold Palmer below!

BOOM, DONE

TO DRINK

www.tarynintotravel.com | The Perfect Memorial Day Party  | Memorial Day Party | Lemon Decor | Lemons | Memorial Day | Celebrations | Themed | Get Together

TO WEAR

Target is my go to when it comes to swimming suits! I love that you can mix and match tops and bottoms and they usually fit true to size. Memorial Day Weekend is the first pool weekend for us so it gives me alllll the excuses to get a couple of new suits! I am all about rewearing suits that fit correctly. So usually I find tops and bottoms to go with the ones that I already have. I picked some of the ones that I already own as well as the ones in my cart for next weekend! I also added a few of my choices from Amazon as well!

THE EXTRAS

There were so many cute citrus options when it came to pool floats and other accessories to add to your party for the perfect day! They become decorations without really even having to try. I think they are the perfect addition and I especially love the straws!

www.tarynintotravel.com | The Perfect Memorial Day Party  | Memorial Day Party | Lemon Decor | Lemons | Memorial Day | Celebrations | Themed | Get Together
www.tarynintotravel.com | The Perfect Memorial Day Party  | Memorial Day Party | Lemon Decor | Lemons | Memorial Day | Celebrations | Themed | Get Together
www.tarynintotravel.com | The Perfect Memorial Day Party  | Memorial Day Party | Lemon Decor | Lemons | Memorial Day | Celebrations | Themed | Get Together
www.tarynintotravel.com | The Perfect Memorial Day Party  | Memorial Day Party | Lemon Decor | Lemons | Memorial Day | Celebrations | Themed | Get Together
www.tarynintotravel.com | The Perfect Memorial Day Party  | Memorial Day Party | Lemon Decor | Lemons | Memorial Day | Celebrations | Themed | Get Together