Goddess of .. Where In The World Wednesday - Volume 3 !

The lovely Jessica @ Classy in Philly started a feature called :

the Where In The World wednesdays !
{Click here to view all my WITWW posts}

"Basically, each week I will post a new picture of me in some place I've traveled to (or if not me, a photo I took at a place I traveled to).

If a lot of people participate, it will be a fun way to see where some of our favorite bloggers have traveled! It doesn't have to be recent, it doesn't have to be somewhere foreign or tropical. Just anywhere you consider traveling!"

Today's feature : Back in May 2007, Miguel and I took our first (and only) vacation together. I had just finished my bachelor's degree in Law and I had a few days off before my prom. We agreed on a warm / beachy destination.. St. Pete's Beach (just outside Tampa) in Florida. I believe we were there from April 30th to May 4th .. so around 5 days. It was a blast and the weather was perfect, every. single. day. around 85 degrees.

That's me, on the beach at sunset, right in front of our hotel,

the Grand Plaza Beachfront Resort Hotel & Conference Center.

{A couple more pics to show you our dream vacation spot}

1. The Hotel (with a revolving restaurant on top)
2. St. Pete's beach (beautiful and not too crowded in May)
3. View of the beach from our room (on the left side we could see Boca Ciega bay, beautiful as well)

Okay bloggies, enough nostalgia for today, I'm craaaaaaving the beach these days and this is not helping !

Have a great one !



If you participated in today's Where In The World Wednesday, add your name and direct link to your WITWW post to the Mr.Linky below ! ... If you didn't participate, shame on you ;o) !

Jan. 13th 2010 Where In The World Wednesday Participants :

Goddess of .. Turning 25 minus 1 !

I had a terribly busy but happy weekend.
Saturday was my birthday, I turned 24 years young.

I had a wonderful day with my mom @ the museum of fine arts for the Imagine : John Lennon & Yoko Ono exhibition, @ the cupcake store to buy a 12-pack of the multicolored and flavored delights, @ my house with my closest friends (Miguel, Lolita, Mr. Unreliable) drinking champagne, eating cupcakes and opening a bazillion presents !

I had an awesome time with my friends (including the high school gang) for dinner @ an Indian Restaurant .. butter chicken, naan bread, mango lassis, etc.

Sunday was a little more mellow. Woke up, went out to buy flowers for my mom, ate cupcakes for breakfast, went shopping with Mom and Lolita, bought lobsters, made my first real mayonnaise, ate lobster and champagne, watched Nights in Rodanthe with Mom and Miguel, slow danced with Miguel on a jazzy-version of "How deep is your love", went to bed with my head in the clouds ..

*sighs*

To love and be loved ...

Goddess of.. Spa day & happiness !

Dearest bloggies,

As you know, I have been suffering from a bad case of the bitch-complains-a-lot recently. However, this weekend has caused a break-trough I think.. Miguel had offered me a gift certificate for a spa-day when I passed the Bar last year. What a blessing .. I can't believe it took me almost a whole year (minus one week) to go to the spa. It was the best time I've had in a loooong time. I spent 4 hours just relaxing and being pampered. How wonderful !

All I could think, the whole time I was there, was how blessed I am to have such a wonderful boyfriend and an overall wonderful life! Sure, times are rough, but aren't they for everyone?! Plus, I really shouldn't complain, there are worse things than being tight money-wise.

I spent a whole afternoon enjoying a therapeutic mud bath, californian massage, sushi lunch, eating fresh fruit, yogurt, nuts, dried fruits and most importantly, silence ! There were lots of couples at the spa and although it seemed nice for them, I really can't imagine Miguel at the spa, wearing a robe (HA-HA-HA!) and getting his feet rubbed by a stanger. LOL.

Alrighty bloggies, this is Aritza, reporting for the balcony and enjoying life to the fullest with the warmth of the sun reflecting on my pale skin ! Ahhh... that's the life !

My new resolution : Don't worry, be happy Bitch !

Goddess of.. I-don't-care fridays on a wednesday !

I guess it's just because the easter monday holiday has made my week shorter or 'cuz I'm a lunatic (just like that).. but today I feel like it's I-don't-care friday!

I-don't-care fridays can best be described by the Hoops & Yoyo card that started it all. Miguel first sent me this card about a year ago and I just cracked up! We are big fans of Hoops & Yoyo and they're the only e-cards we send each other.

Basically, I'm feeling as free and liberated as one can feel on a friday knowing the weekend is only a couple hours away. You know the moment I'm talking about ? When you feel like you don't have to do anything because you won't live with the consequences until monday. And then, you'll have accumulated plenty of rest and energy to tackled said task.

Problem is, you can't feel like this on a wednesday because the consequences will come and hit you in the face, on THURSDAY ! I absolutely have to get some more work done, but I can't stop reading blogs ...

Must. Work. Now.

Wish me luck !

Goddess of .. Back from Philadelphia!

I've just returned from Philadelphia last night.

So much to say and so little working hours in a day to blog.

Mom and I left on friday morning and my boyfriend, Miguel drove us to the airport.

The flights (we were connecting @ Washington D.C. (Dulles) airport) were alright and the Crowne Plaza hotel was pretty good! We visited the Philly Art Museum (Cezanne Exhibit), the Rodin museum, Eastern State Penetentiary (Al Capone's first home, lol), the Liberty Bell, Independance Hall, Cathedral of St.Peter & Paul, Christ Church (first church), First U.S. Bank, etc.

It was a lot colder than we expected and we walked and walked. Even before the end of the first day, our feet and hands were killing us. Thank God for wine is all I have to say (or in the words of Ben Franklin : "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy!"). The things I most enjoyed were sipping a glass of Pinot Grigio while listening to Jack Donahue, jazz vocalist, who performed live @ the Art Museum on Friday night.. and also, going into the cheesy souvenir shops & the Hard Rock Cafe gift shop to find souvenirs for Miguel and my best friend, Lolita !

Let me list the souvenirs I got for them :

Miguel's getting :

1) Al Capone mug shot t-shirt (so awesome I got one for myself)
2) Hard rock Cafe "Philadelphia" blue trucker hat (he's really into rock & plays electric guitar)
3) Electric guitar fridge magnet / bottle opener (says "Philly rocks" on it)
4) Amish homestyle garlic BBQ sauce (he loves to cook)
5) Yellow t-shirt that says "Rock Philly" with Rocky silhouette in black

Lolita's getting :

1) Amish homestyle pumpkin butter (she loves pumpkin butter)
2) Al Capone mug shot fridge magnet (too cool!)
3) Hershey Kiss necklace with her birthstone (it was just too cute to resist)
4) Uhmm something else, I can't quite remember .. lol

I feel pretty good about the presents I got and can't wait to give 'em to them !

Back to the same-old same-old work routine now.. actually, I have to get to it, didn't do much today!

Goddess of .. Too Excited To Sleep!

I have to get up at 2:30 am to catch my plane to Philadelphia .. Miguel's picking us (me & mom) up at 3:30am to drives us to the airport.

I'm excited. Must go to bed. NOW!

Goddess of .. My Easter Getaway!

I'm going away this weekend with my mom, it's so exciting! I love to get away even when it's just for 4 days!!

I'll be visiting Philadelphia, PA for the first time and I have been looking forward to this for a long time! I've planned everything and I'm ready to go have a great time :o) Can't wait to see the Liberty Bell and eat a cheese-steak sandwich .. so predictable, right? Uhm yes.. I want to do the usual tourist spots but there'll also be time for unplanned going around and exploring. Can't wait to discover new restaurants and hang-out spots!

I'm usually very nervous about flying but I had a great experience last time when I went to Florida. This time, the flights are even shorter so.. I should have no problem relaxing!

Do you know any places I should definitely stop by in Philly?