The Perfect Vacation: Our "Baby Moon" at B Ocean Resort in Fort Lauderdale

Thanks to B Ocean Resort for providing the lovely accommodations to facilitate this review, regardless all opinions expressed below are completely my own.

I can't even believe it, but it's true... we have just about a month left until Delainey's due date and during our most recent visit to my Doctor we were told if she decides to make her appearance they won't stop labor... That means we will officially take on the title of "parents" any day now! While my hubby and I are super excited about our little girl entering the world soon, we wanted to celebrate us before she decides to grace the world with her presence. We decided we needed to go on a little getaway and cherish our time together before our little darling steals our attention and after some research I found an awesome place for us to stay somewhat close to home.

Whenever I read about B Ocean Resort in Fort Lauderdale, I knew this would be the perfect place to spend our "baby moon". While it's actually under renovations at the moment, we were lucky and our room was in tip-top condition. Actually, while we were checking in on Wednesday afternoon, we were told our room was one of the attendants favorite in the hotel and once we walked into our home-away-from-home we immediately knew why.

With oversized windows, a stunning view of the pool and ocean, super cool modern furniture and decor, and a cozy, oversized bed, B Ocean was exactly the place we wanted to celebrate our last little bit of time being a party of 2.

Life Hacks + Little Secrets to Ensure You Have The Best Road Trip Ever: Free Checklist Printable, List of Must Have Apps, & More

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #RoadTripHacks #CollectiveBias #Albertsons

We've driven to tropical ports, trekked to campgrounds, cruised our way to luxury hotels, made our way to our extended family's country homes, and even braved our way toward spooky haunted hotels.

We've driven our car through a zoo in the middle of Arkansas and had a buffalo stick his head in our window just to say hello. We've traveled half-way across the country in a car without air conditioning. We've spent countless hours listening to a GPS who's maps haven't been updated since 2010 and then finally learned our lesson and started using our phone's GPS.

We've giggled for countless hours while joking around and singing along to some of our favorite songs. We've spent so much time on the road during our years as a couple, I suppose you could refer to us as a couple of professionals, so today I want to share some of our road trip hacks. Most of these "hacks" are tips, tricks, and little tidbits we've learned from life experience while on the road, so take notes if you are prepping for an upcoming road trip and be sure to print off the list of goodies, download all of the apps, and of course, pack wisely with the tips I've shared!

Let's talk about checklists... If you know me, you know I'm not really the checklist type, most of the time. When it comes to road tripping, I'm a little different though; I like to keep things organized and I really want to be sure we have everything we need while on the road. I've linked to a printable so you can make sure you grab all the necessities before you go, but first I'm going to share more about why you should take these items on your next trip!

We'll start with the Snacks + Sips, I think we all know that road trips are the time in our lives when calories don't count, right? That's why I like to make sure we stock up on all of my favorites from Albertsons before we head out on the road.

It's like Albertsons knew we were ready for an adventure, they have an incredible "Best Road Trip Ever" sale going on right now and of course, they had the best foods on sale! I stocked up on Dove Dark Chocolate Blueberries (seriously, these are heavenly), Snickers Bites, Mountain Dew, Oreos, Fruit Punch Gatorade, Life Savers, and Skittles. Not to mention the fact I grabbed our favorite snack for a great deal, chips + salsa! To top off our little road trip shopping spree, I added a pack of Orbit to the cart and we were on our way.

We make a quick stop at Albertsons before we head out of town, every-single-time we take a road trip and I recommend you do the same. If you can't make it to the store before you leave, I've  noticed that Acme, Tom Thumb, and Safeway have what I need when we need to make a stop along the road as well!

Other than making sure we are stocked up on food and drinks, I always like to make sure we have the other necessities, from a sewing kit to bug spray - you never know what you'll need while driving down the road. You don't want to get the most important things just because you are feeling antsy to get on the road! I added things as simple as chargers and even left you a few lines to add your own items to the list. Don't forget anything and print this little baby off today:

{Click here to download this FREE printable!}

 Now that you've made your list of everything to pack for the road trip, I want to share how you can pack your suitcase without having to stress about running out of room... because remember, I'm a professional at this type of thing. I literally, am the worst over packer in the world. The only benefit to this admission is the fact that you can trust that I know how to make sure everything fits in a bag, no matter how small it is.

Tips to Ensure You Are Packing Correctly

Tip #1 to Ensure You Are Packing Correctly: Always, always, always roll your t-shirts, tank tops, etc. Anything light weight and holds up fairly well against wrinkling should always be rolled.

Tip #2 to Ensure You Are Packing Correctly: The pockets on the front of your luggage are there for a reason, use them! I highly suggest stuffing undergarments or shoes into those little pockets on the front of your luggage. This utilizes all the space in the piece and allows you to make more room in the actual suitcase for valuable pieces of your wardrobe and accessories.

Tip #3 to Ensure You Are Packing Correctly: For jewelry, specifically necklaces, package each piece inside a piece of tissue paper. Preventing your jewelry from tangling is such a time saver!

Tip #4 to Ensure You Are Packing Correctly: Package all of your bathroom items in a separate bag! Even if you place that bag within your suitcase, always put your shampoo, conditioner, bodywash, razor, etc in a bag so if one of these products happens to explode, all of the suds and soap won't end up on your clothes!

The Best Apps for Road Tripping:

Another reason I love road tripping is all the reasons you can stop along the way. From exploring local restaurants and boutiques to wandering around waterfalls, we've stopped and explored all along our trips and loved every single second of it. Most of the places we've stopped along the way have been because we found them on an app! Are you planning a road trip and wanting to find the best places to stop, the cheapest gas, or maybe you even want to treasure hunt (geocache). Check out these apps and be sure to download them all to your phone!

1. Foursquare: When you need to make a stop along your journey, be sure to check out what is around you with Foursquare. You'll be able to find everything from happening night clubs to local kid-friendly diners that serve pizza, seek and you will find with Foursquare!

2. c:geo: This is another great app to help you find some cool spots to stretch and walk around for a bit. I love geocaching along the way on road trips and this app is so easy to use and find awesome caches to seek.

3. TripIt: Plan your entire trip with this app and access your itinerary while on the road.

4. Periscope - While this may eat up your entire data plan, all the entertainment Periscope will bring will make it worth it! I can't wait to Periscope some of our upcoming adventures and share our fun road trips in real time with you!

5. Gas Buddy: Don't worry about spending too much on gas, download this app and save big when you search for the lowest gas while driving along the road!

6. Roadtrippers: This is another awesome way to plan your trip and access your itinerary. Discover the best diners, scenic spots, attraction hotels, and more with the database of over a million awesome places.

7. TripAdvisor: Take advice from fellow travelers and hit the hotspots listed on TripAdvisor!

8. Airbnb: Find the perfect place to stay overnight, in a local environment or a beautiful palace. Rent a room or an entire home with this awesome service.

9. Voyager: Route Planner: This app helps you plan your trip, guiding you on the optimal route along the way.

10. Instagram - Trusty old, Instagram is a fun way to find places to stop. Look for the #hashtag of the town you are driving through (#LittleRock, #STL, #Tempe) and you are sure to find some epic, local spots that you must visit.

With all of that said, I think it's about time for me to start planning our next adventure. Where should the masters of road tripping go next? Give me some ideas of your favorite places to road trip in the comments below! I'd also love to know what your favorite road trip snack list would include! Plus, don't miss your chance to win big, click here to get all the details and to share your Best Road Trip ever!

Store & Share Precious Memories with RealTimes {+$300 Target GC GIVEAWAY}

This is a Fashionista Event and a promotional item was provided to me. Hosts for this event are Still Blonde after all these Years and ModlyChic

So I'll admit it, I'm that person.

I'm the gal that always brings her camera with her everywhere. Family vacations with all my in-laws, random road trips with friends, short little walks to the beach, on the patio with my pups; no matter where I am, I love being able to capture the moment. This means I have hundreds of awesome photos and by hundreds, I mean more like hundreds of thousands.

While I love having the ability to look back on all of these memories, I really don't have the time to sort through each and every one of the photos, organize them by location and date, and share only the photos I like, that's where RealTimes comes into the picture. Now I never have to worry about losing a favorite photo, they are all stored on the cloud and accessible anywhere and easy to share!

RealTimes is an awesome new service (and app) that offers cloud based storage for all of the photos I take, as well as the ability to make all of my photos into personalized photo montages!

Instead of taking the time to choose the best photos and make them into a video yourself, RealTimes chooses the best of the best for you and puts them all together in a pretty amazing video. I know what you're thinking, what if RealTimes grabs that picture your hubby snagged of you while you were stuffing your face with a piece of cake at your little one's party? Luckily, you don't have to include every single photo they choose for you. It's easy to pick and choose the images it uses, change the music playing in the background, as well as customize the videos in a few other fun ways, all just by clicking a few buttons.

I know I'm not the only one that's a fan of being behind the camera and taking TONS of photos, I'm well aware of the fact that several of my mommy friends are known as paparazzi in their homes. If you are guilty of using your camera a little too often, you need to check out RealTimes. Now, at your fingertips, you have the ability to store 2GB FREE (+ 5 GB more of free storage, if you choose to auto-upload)!

Since I take a lot of pictures, I'm excited about the 7GB of storage that I received for free, but I know I'll eat up that space quickly over the years. If you are on my level and don't think that's enough storage for the long run but you still want a deal, you can always subscribe to the Premium RealTimes subscription plan with the code "COUPONSCOM15"! You'll receive 30 days FREE (normally $4.99/month or $49.99/year). This discount is only available through August 30th though, so act quickly! Still looking for a deal? Check for RealTimes coupons on Coupons.com.

Now that you know where you'll be saving your pictures and turning them into awesome movies, I have even more to share with you today! RealTimes, a bunch of my blogger friends, and I have a little surprise for you! We are celebrating one lucky reader and giving away a $300 Target Gift Card!

If you want to win, simply enter with the giveaway form below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: Still Blonde after all these Years, Modly Chic, and Fashionista Events bloggers are not responsible if prize is not delivered.  We will make every attempt to help you claim your prize.

Wedding Registry Inspiration: Entertainment Lovers, Adventurers, Fitness Buffs, and Party People Register at Best Buy!

The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.

In today's day and age, when registering for your wedding you almost have unlimited options. Whether you want to build a universal registry that has a little bit of everything you've ever dreamed of or a wedding registry full of items to help you and your new spouse entertain new friends, you know you can find almost everything you need on the internet.

Rather than fill a list of random items to celebrate your big day, I highly recommend limiting your list to items that fit you and your spouse and the things you need in your life. Whether you and your honey are the type to binge watch netflix, go for roadtrips every weekend, workout every single day, or have a raging party in your new home, Best Buy has everything you'll need to start building your life together and you can register for it all on their website!

If you are the type that likes to watch Netflix I highly recommend you add these necessities to your list; with everything from state of the art TV's to the most amazing surround systems, Best Buy is bound to everything you'll need!

Some couples are more apt to travel the world once they tie the knot, luckily Best Buy has everything you'll need once you start exploring with your spouse! From a reliable GPS to the perfect camera, you'll be able to add all of it to your registry!

 
If you and your spouse are fitness buffs you'll be head over heels in love with all of the items you can add to your Best Buy wedding registry! With all kinds of fit gear like heart rate monitors, fitness monitors, and more, you can get everything you'll need to stay in shape with your sweetie!

Your reception will be hard to top, but with all the entertainment gear you can register for at Best Buy you may be able to wow your friends with another epic party! If you and your honey love to entertain your friends then you'll want to add these items to your registry to be sure that you have a flawless party every time!

If you are worried that you are asking for too much, don't forget the option of "group gifting"... It allows couples to ask for what they really, really want, without asking their guests to spend more than they are comfortable with—so they can dream big without stressing their guests out!

Now that I've shared some wedding registry inspiration, I'd love to know what you want to add to your Best Buy wedding registry... or if you are already married, what was your favorite gift you received on your big day celebrating with your darling spouse?

Travel Adventures in The Midwest - Making Memories and Sharing a Coke with My Favorites!

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ShareAtSchnucks #CollectiveBias

This last week has been a whirlwind of fun, with three family parties and so many fits of laughter induced by good times I can say that my family is the best. My family is kind of a cluster of people, with in-laws galore, so many step (and half) siblings it's hard to explain who is related to who, and even friends that are so close to us all that they are considered family. It's a pretty special blend of people so when hubs and I have the chance to go home we like to have a good time, every time!

Our trip back to the Midwest this time around included flying into my hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. Our first stop on the trip was a run to Schnucks to grab Coca-Cola to share with all of our family. After all, nothing is better than a cold Coke and some good ol' family time!

After hubs and I grabbed some road trip essentials and enough Coke to share with everyone we made a bee-line for Tulsa, Oklahoma so we could see my in-laws; the sweetest group of people you'll ever meet! I'm in love with my husband's family and knew that we had to squeeze in a visit to Oklahoma to see them.

The short time we were with my mother-in-law was nothing less than amazing. She had all of our family favorites prepared, including a soup that I ask for her to make every single time I see her! She also made sure everyone got a good laugh in while we played board games and with all the kids in the family on that side, we were provided with so much entertainment we didn't know what to do with ourselves!

Seeing our closest friends and family at her house is always so much fun, but this time being able to giggle over a Coca-Cola made it that much better. With so much to talk about and so little time, I wish we could have stayed longer but I'm thankful for the time we were able to spend at her home.

Next we went to go see my father-in-law and the other side of our wonderful Oklahoma family, they catered delicious Mexican food and we had a blast chatting over the dinner table while sharing a Coke. Spending time at their house is always a joy and they make us feel so comfortable, it's hard to leave every time.

But alas, we had my niece's 2nd birthday to attend so we took the road trip back to St. Louis and made another Schnucks run for balloons and of course, even more Coca-Cola for the party! Her "two-odles" party turned out adorable and I'm so glad we were able to attend.

I'm so blessed with so many incredible family members, from my "sisters" who aren't even actually related to me but are the best sisters a girl could ask for to my in-laws who love me like I'm one of their own... I love my family and I'm pretty lucky that they love me like they do. This trip I came to the realization that sitting around the table with family, having a little bit too much fun, and giggling more than imaginable while sipping a delicious, cold Coke from Schnucks is really what life is all about. I love making memories with these people and hope each and every member of our family knows how much I cherish spending time with them.

Now that I've shared our most recent travel adventures and how I shared a coke with everyone in my family, I'd love to know... Who do you want to Share a Coke with? You can see all the options and names available here, I'm sure they have the perfect label for everyone from your dad to a new grad!

Capturing Travel Memories with Walmart Family Mobile

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and Walmart Family Mobile. All opinions are mine alone. #MobileMemories #CollectiveBias

As you probably already know I live in Florida and I love where I live, most of the time. The only thing I really don’t like about the Sunshine State is the lack of family in the area. I’ve always said if I could just pick up the beach and move it and all the beautiful tropical weather to the Midwest or pack up all my family and convince them to move to Florida that my home would literally be paradise at that point, it would be complete in every sense… but alas, that can’t happen.

While I can’t change the shape of the continent or convince my family to move, I can buy a couple of plane tickets and visit as often as possible. We actually have family sprinkled all over the Midwest, so this week we are heading back to our roots so we can both see our families and we are so excited! With a plane ride with a long layover and a six hour car ride, I’ll have plenty of time to get friendly with my phone on the way home. I may have downloaded a handful of apps and started making all kinds of stuff on our way here, like this time lapse video with our airport adventures and a little bit of the road trip fun.

A video posted by Lauren Paints (@sunkissed_sweetheart) on May 13, 2015 at 12:08pm PDT

Like most kids, my nieces and nephews are growing up faster than I can blink. It is so important to embrace all the time with them and teaching them things as often as I can while I’m around... The funny thing is, I often learn from all of them. They all are so smart and so cute, my family is pretty blessed.

Sharing little “happies” is another one of my many joys of being an Aunt, little happies are what my MamMaw-in-Law refers to when she hands us a little something that will make us smile. She’s the sweetest broad you’ll ever meet and I think she’s on to something with these “happies”, this will definitely be a tradition that I carry on. My most favorite part of being an aunt is documenting our time together though, I’m the oddball in the family and I constantly have my camera and/or my cell phone ready for pictures. I guess since I don’t live nearby I feel the need to capture as many memories as I can and with such kooky little characters in the family, there are a lot of memories to capture.

I’ve been trying to find a phone that will do everything I need it to while traveling. You know I obviously blog, so I need a phone that can handle all of my picture taking and post editing while on the go. I also need a phone capable of helping me navigate in our rental car, a phone that can serve as my e-ticket while boarding the plane, and a phone that can make calls to my dog sitter to make sure my babies are okay back home. My phone has to be capable of doing pretty much anything at any time.

My phone has a heavy-duty job to do all the time, so I’m pleased to say after years with a not-so-satisfactory provider I’ve found one that I love at Walmart! Did you know Walmart Family Mobile offers phone service at the lowest price for unlimited service; at just $29.88 a month (for the first line)! This includes Unlimited Talk, Text & a pretty rockin’ data service plan which includes up to 1G of 4G LTE data!

Walmart Family Mobile’s Samsung Galaxy Avant is the perfect phone for me. I can capture memories in seconds, blog about them, and then share on Instagram while making a phone call… It does everything I need and more. Plus, it’s so easy to use that the kids loving stealing it from me and playing games! It’s a toy, it’s a way to stay connected, it’s a way to capture memories, it does everything.

Since it is so easy to navigate I think this phone would be perfect for any one, from a young kid receiving his first phone to an aging grandmother learning to text! So who will you treat to a new phone this summer? Which Walmart Family Mobile phone suits you the best? Maybe it’s time to start capturing memories and sharing them on Walmart Family Mobile with the entire family and at these prices, that’s totally an affordable option.


Disclaimer: All prices for phones and plans included in this post are accurate as of the date of posting; however, these prices are subject to change. Please refer to http://cbi.as/8e03 or your local Walmart for current pricing.

Get #CookingwithGuyFieri: Tex-Mex Scramble AND Quesadilla Pizza Recipe

I participated in a Influencer Activation for Guy Fieri Sausage. I received product samples to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation.

I'm pretty much the definition of a foodie, I love good food (like most people) and I'm always willing to try something new. I love watching food related shows and I often crave what I watch afterward, one show that always gets me is Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. He's always discussing some off-the-wall food combination or trying something so drool-worthy I almost decide to road trip across country to eat, daily. I’m a bit of a fan, I suppose you could say.

So when I heard Guy Fieri, one of my foodie idols, came out with a new line of sausages I knew that I needed to try them ASAP. I'm all about a good meat and knowing that he loves all food just as much I do, I knew he wouldn't disappoint me.

I decided to include the Guy Fieri Seasoned Fajita Chicken Sausages and the Mozzarella and Parmesan Pork Sausages in two of my favorite dishes to throw together in a hurry and these meals definitely are a ticket straight to "flavortown"! I love that they're made with fresh ingredients, natural hickory smoked, and available at Walmart!

I made the Guy Fieri Fajita Chicken Sausages in a rice, pepper, and sausage scramble and the dish is the bomb. I like to refer to it as a Tex-Mex Scramble but I'm not really sure what to call it other than delicious! With roasted red and green bell peppers, garlic, sauteed onions, and natural pork casing making the sausage have just the right flavors to season my sauteed onions and peppers, I literally am craving this again and I just made it.

Quick and Easy Tex Mex Scramble Recipe

Ingredients:

White and Jasmine Rice Blend

Guy Fieri Fajita Chicken Sausage

Diced Onions

Diced Peppers

To prepare this recipe, simply make rice as instructed and slice the chicken sausage, place in a large sauce pan, and saute with diced peppers and onions.Once the peppers and onions start to absorb some of the heat, they'll soften making the perfect compliment to this scramble.

Remove from heat once the mixture is prepped to your liking, I tend to like my peppers super soft so I leave my pan on for a bit while I prepare a salad to eat on the side!

Serving this dish up is simple! Place the rice on plate and add the delicious sausage, onion, and pepper scramble over the top of a bed of rice. I also like to add a little bit of spicy mayo to mine, just because I'm a saucy foodie and the kick to the mayo adds a nice twist to the recipe!

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The other dish I made is one of the easiest dishes you can make, ever! Using the Guy Fieri Mozzarella and Parmesan Pork Sausage as a star ingredient I made little stuffed pizza quesadillas - the perfect treat for a busy, chaotic night when you still want something tasty! I love making these little pizzas whenever I get the chance, but with this double cheese and italian sausage added in as the main ingredient, it really takes these quesadilla pizzas to another level!

Quick and Easy Quesadilla Pizzas

Ingredients:

2 Tortillas

Pizza Sauce

Guy Fieri Mozzarella and Parmesan Pork Sausage

Pizza Toppings of all kinds

Cheese

To make this dish, just grab all of your favorite pizza ingredients and a counter top grill or even just a pan!

I like to break up my sausage and saute it in a pan so that it has a tastier texture inside the pizza, but this is totally optional since the Guy Fieri sausages are pre-cooked and delicious as they are!

You'll want to place one tortilla on the grill (making your bottom crust), coat the tortilla with a thin layer of pizza sauce, and add toppings until your heart is content, I loaded the works with peppers, spinach, and this delicious pork sausage on mine! Next you'll add your other tortilla over the top and close your counter top grill and allow it to brown on both sides.

That's it, your pizza is ready to serve! Just slice into fours with a pizza cutter and get ready to see smiles all around the dinner table!

Now that I've shared two of my favorite ways to get #CookingwithGuyFieri, I'd love to know how you plan to use this new, delicious sausage as an ingredient in your recipes?

Connect with Guy Fieri: Twitter | Facebook