Vampire Diaries Party

Ok I'll say it, I like Vampire Diaries... a lot. In the end it comes down to the fact that I am a hopeless romantic and have an unhealthy appetite for soap opera inspired shows (Revenge, Vampire Diaries, Nashville, etc, etc). When I found out the season finale would be the week of my birthday, I decided to throw a finale party with a few of my friends from church who are also avid fans. I had a blast planning the party and trolling Pinterest for ideas. The party was a total success and the finale episode was a crazy ride! I can't believe we have to wait until October for more episodes! Guess we will just have to re-watch this season in our free time :)

 The table with the decorations

In the episode the characters graduated so I got a few graduation glasses and necklaces (Dollar Store)

 I made the fans out of card stock and printed the labels from Google images

 Everyone had a bottle of hot tamales to take home, telling us which team they are on. You can find these printable labels here.

 The cupcake toppers are from the same site. I used gel icing to make bite marks and red velvet cupcake batter.  

You can find the vervain print here. I thought it was a really fun touch :) 

 I found the bottle wraps for the drinks here as well as the "thirsty" print. I think that was one of my favorite touches! 

Of course Marisabel is Team Stefan and Melanie is Team Damon (the right team)

We had a blast together! I am so grateful for these girls as friends and I am so glad we could have a fun night together! Until October.... 

A Walk Through Little Havanna

I have been wanting to learn more about editing pictures so I found this cool app called Camera+. It's only 99 cents but it allows you to take pictures in the app with a better exposure and zoom and then edit the pictures in the app as well. It's nothing too fancy but I decided to give it a try. I read a little bit about how to take the best pictures and they said the key is good light. So Friday afternoon I took a stroll through the neighborhood by us called Little Havana. I love the architecture of the buildings and I love how there is a really interesting blend of cultures in the neighborhood. Below are some the pictures I took, all edited with Camera+. It was great exercise and a fun way to spend my afternoon off! Who wants to come visit now? 

Master Bedroom Update

As part of my "30 before 30" list, I decided I wanted to finally have a decorated master bedroom. For some reason that always seems to be the room we neglect. I have been very indecisive with bedding and I think we have been through 5 or 6 different comforter and sheet combinations in the 4 years of our marriage. A few months ago I found some beautiful deep purple sheets that I fell in love with at Costco. I impulsed purchased them and luckily Derek was on board. We already had the yellow and grey bedding and I think the purple was the perfect icing on the cake. I rummaged through some old frames my mom had at her house and I found inspiration for the print collage on Pinterest (duh). With a little spray paint and a good printer we were ready to go. Derek helped me hang the pictures and actually make the bed and viola! I don't know how long this will last but I love it and it really feels nice to have everything put together. The last thing we have to work on this summer is the book shelf next to my side of the bed, but once again I have a few Pinterest ideas that I think will be perfect!

The headboard and dresser are from Rooms to Go 

My favorite is the picture of the two of us from Nathaly Blalock Photography 

You can see the book shelf we need to decorate here. Any ideas? 

Mother's Day

About 2 weeks before Mother's Day my mom called me on my way home from work. She told me that she was talking with her friends at work and they asked her what she wanted to do for Mother's Day... and she said she wanted to come to Miami and take a little vaca. So her friends told her to do it! She called me and asked me if Derek and I would like to host them for the weekend. Of course we said yes, and so we got to spend Mother's Day this year with my Mom and Dad here in Miami. It was exactly what I needed; lots of food, sun and relaxation. Mom and Dad came Friday after work and we went to dinner at La Moon, a Columbian restaurant by our house. It was a feast and the perfect way to start the weekend. 

Saturday we went to the farmer's market by our house for the first time. We got a ton of fresh fruit and some homemade ceviche. Mom showed me how to pick mangos and pineapple while we were there.

 Mom's instructional finger even got in a shot :)

After we went over to Key Biscayne and got papusas at Patagonia. One of my friends introduced me to that restaurant last summer and somehow I had never taken Derek. He loved it and so did my parents. Next we went to Miami Beach and rented bikes. We rode around the beach and took in all the crazy people and art deco architecture. It was perfect weather for a day on the beach and I am so glad we had the chance to enjoy the beautiful city we live in. 

 This picture made me laugh. Dad finally found soccer at dinner and was a very happy camper :)

 On Mother's Day we attended church at our ward. The young women were so happy to see Mom again and I think Dad and Mom both enjoyed meeting the great friends we have made at church. I thought it was funny that everyone at church kept telling me I look like my Dad. I hope I have inherited his great genes and look as young as he does! After church we took some pictures in our lobby since we forgot to at church.

 Love my parents!

 My Mommy is the best!

My cute hubby :)

Rihanna Concert

No matter how much drama surrounds her, Rihanna is an amazing artist. I think we have all found ourselves singing to her songs at some point or another. For me its usually in ridiculous traffic and someone sees me going crazy in my car. I had the chance to go to see her with Jacki, Olivia and Angelica, three friends who go to medical school with Derek. I am so lucky to have made some great friends myself from the girls that go to medical school with Derek. I can't tell you how grateful I am for them and how lucky I feel to have found girls I really enjoy hanging out with! At the concert we had a blast... we danced, sang and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves! Thanks Jacki for inviting me and making this awesome night possible! Below are pics and of course a few videos so you can see just how fabulous she was!

April Staycation

This year Derek spent his Spring Break in Nicaragua with UM med school students. He had the chance to work in clinics around the capital and learn more about practicing medicine. He had some amazing experiences and, because he is a guy, he didn't take any pictures, so I can't add any here. I am rounding up pictures from other people, but I am glad he had the opportunity to go and serve. He also made some great friends that I hope we keep for years to come. We are so lucky to have the opportunity to be in medical school and I am glad he has the chance to do things like this.

When Derek came back, I planned a weekend "stay-cation" surprise. I made him a little vacation pamphlet to let him know the agenda for the weekend. On Friday night we went to dinner at Novacento, a great Argentinean restaurant. We had papusas and all kinds of yummy food (see below for proof).

On Saturday we went to the Miami Zoo. I have been wanting to go because I heard the animals were amazing, and it lived up to all that I have heard! It was such a fun day! My favorite parts were the Asian elephants and watching the lions be fed.

Saturday night we had dinner with a family from our ward. We made tacos and got to know each other better. It is amazing the lives they have had and I really enjoyed being with them. It was a little hard because they only speak Spanish, but I tried my best to keep up and Derek translated the rest. Slowly but surly I will learn this language! 

Sunday Derek and I laid out by the pool and listened to conference talks. I love conference weekend, and even though we didn't listen to the whole conference that weekend, it is always amazing to hear the words of our living prophets. 

It really was a perfect weekend together. I couldn't be more grateful to be Derek's wife and I try to treasure these fun weekends together!