Lovely Linky: Top Five Friday

I am linking up with a blogger friend of mine {who has an awesome blog that you should all check out}. I love reading about her adventures with her husband, military life, and her new puppy and she has this awesome link-up party on Friday's called Top 5 Friday. Essentially, you have a chance to reflect on all the awesome things that happened in the past week and share some with everyone.

Top Five Friday

Before I begin, I just want to say that this week (and the one before) has been super awesome, considering my husband and I finally got to go on our honeymoon. We got to do a bunch of awesome things this week.

1. After we got back from our cruise on Sunday, we went back to the airport to pick up our car. We got to pick whichever car we wanted from a row of spaces. As you can see, Jordan was really excited to see a brand new beetle VW, so we got that one for the 4 days we would be spending on Orlando. {I think the car is kind of ugly, so I'm glad we didn't buy this car forreals}. Anyway, when we got to our condo, we basically got to relax the rest of the afternoon. Definite bonus because the cruise kept us busy from the early(ish) hours of the morning until late(ish) at night!

{Taken at night outside the park.}

 

{Doesn't that look awesome?? 

Not only is this a fantastic roller coaster, but they also have a video camera and you can personalize the music that plays. 

At the end, you can watch clips from your video (or buy it). Needless to say, it's pretty sweet} 

2. We went to Universal Studios & Adventure Island on Monday and Tuesday. The lines on Monday were pretty good, so we did everything we wanted to do in both parks on Monday! So on Tuesday, we just kind of moseyed around the park picking the rides we liked to do again.
*Let me just tell you something about Universal Studios. The go out of their way to individualize every ride. So when you go on the Harry Potter ride, everyone is in HP robes, and act like they are wizards in a castle. It is super fun.

{Butter beer mustache competition--who wore it better?}

3. We got to try Butter beer! And I must say, it was quite good! {Especially the foamy stuff on top}. Jordan, who doesn't like soda {or anything carbonated for that matter} really liked it as well. For those of you who are wondering, butter beer tastes kind of like carbonated hard caramel candies. Kind of. It's really sweet though. It does not taste like butter or beer, contrary to its name {well, I don't know about the beer part, but I don't think so}.

 {Just another random  picture of us on a ride. Goofs}

 {Us being excited}

{And Jordan and I trying to be like the blue men}

 {Front row seats merit ponchos. We didn't actually end up needing them though.}

4. While we were at the park, we passed by a booth giving out Blue Man Group tickets {we got ours for free!}. Well, free in the sense that we had to spend 2 hours listening to something about timeshares that we weren't going to buy {and didn't}. We were given some pretty not so great seats. Middle(ish) of the auditorium, and all the way on the end of the row. Then one of the ushers walked over to us and asked if we would like a better view, and of course we said yes! She led us closer and closer to the front row and finally sat us down right in the front row! We were pretty stoked. The blue man group was pretty weird and awesome at the same time. I had no idea what they did, but now I know! And if you want to get a glimpse, check out this video I'm pretty sure was not supposed to be taken......

{Ghirardelli mint shake, with a whole yummy bar inside}

 {A personalized Princess CD made just for Jordan!}

{That thing in the background is made of legos. Neat, huh?)

5. On our last day in Orlando, we stopped by Downtown Disney. We didn't buy anything, we just walked around, but it was fun to see. Plus, how can you go to Orlando and not do something Disney related?? Our honeymoon was awesome. We got to go on a cruise, spend a couple extra days in Orlando, relax a little, spend a lot of time together, have fun, learn some new skills {you will see what I mean by this in a future post about our honeymoon}.

Hello + Sponsor Swap

Hello all new followers!

First of all, please forgive my lack of posts this week. I was unable to connect to Internet as I was on my honeymoon! {Post to come}. Thanks for your patience!

Second, thank you so much for taking the time to come check my blog out and follow me! I'm so grateful for each of you and look forward to getting to know your blogs a little better {please excuse me if I am not able to in this next week}. 

In other news I would really love to add some more sponsors to my sidebar, so if you have a blog button and would like to swap with me, please comment, e-mail {homesweetholmesblog@gmail.com}, Facebook message me! Let’s have a swap party and be friends. I promise I’m really not that bad once you get to know me :)

p.s. If you do not know how to make a blog button, and would like to sponsor swap with me, I can make a very simple one for you {I will need a picture}. They are pretty easy to make, as long as you are not terribly picky, haha. Or I can show you how to make one {like I said, they're pretty easy to make}.

InPink Giveaway from me!!

I am doing my very own giveaway! Yup! You heard that right, I am giving away a $25 gift card to InPink on And Here’s To You Mrs. Robinson’s blog. And hey, maybe you don’t want this awesome gift card, but this is a group giveaway, so there are a ton of other awesome prizes, so go check it out anyway!

First, let me tell you a little bit about InPink. They were a sponsor at a blogging conference I went to this past March. The woman was so sweet and generous! And their jewelry is beautiful, funky, bold, colorful, sparkly, vintage-inspired, just about anything you can think of. And it’s high quality stuff. I’m not talking about Claire’s here. This jewelry won’t turn your skin green. It will sparkle and shine. It’s simply gorgeous.

 

And let me tell you a couple things about Megan from And Here’s To You Mrs. Robinson {is it weird that every time I read her blog title, I start singing that song in my head?}. She is probably one of the sweetest, most genuine people I have ever met. Okay, I haven’t actually met her, we’ve just e-mailed a bit, but she is so kind and wonderful. And her blog is amazing. I promise you won’t regret following her! Let me tell you some of the things I adore about her:

She is gorgeous. Seriously, I wish I could look like her.

She is super sweet.

She is an amazing mom. Not perfect, and she doesn’t try to convey that she is. That is one of the things I absolutely love about her. On her blog, you get to see when she’s happy and awesome, but also when she’s gone through harder times {even ones that may seem smaller, like when her son is having a fit all day}.

She is so thrifty! I wish I could do better at that! Haha, maybe someday I will make it to her level of thriftiness.

Anywho, go on over and check it out and maybe you will win a prize!

Good luck!

Slight Obsession

And to continue with the blog challenge.... Celebrity crushes!

Maybe I had had a few celebrity crushes before this, but this was my one big celebrity crush. Man, I crushed on this guy hard. So much so, that I actually bought posters of him and hung them up in my room {which I had never done before or since}.

I watched all the Lord of the Rings movies just because he was in them. I obsessed over the Pirate of the Caribbean movies {ok, mostly just the first one}. I rented any other movie he was in, just to see him in it. I even bought the Twin Towers LotR book because he was on the cover, haha. Totally creepy, I know! I don’t know, maybe it’s not that unusual to be slightly over obsessed with someone for a short(ish) period of time. 

 

{what teen girl could say no to a face like that??? I actually think I had this poster....}

Yup, that’s right, I was in love with Mr. Orlando Bloom. Otherwise known as Will Turner, Legolos, Mr. Hunk man, cute long-haired-blond guy, etc.

Now, I am waaaayyy past celebrity crushes. I mean, what girl in her 20’s really has a crush on a celebrity. Especially a married girl??

 

Okay, maybe I have a tiny crush. My husband actually reminded me of him, haha. It may seem weird to you, but I may have a crush on Robert Sean Leonard aka Dr. James Wilson from House. He’s pretty much a total hunk of an old guy {especially in his not-so-old years}. Just saying. It’s fine if you disagree, but look at the chestnut eyes, that full head of hair, and who can look past that manly, yet still adorable baby face? Still not convinced? Well, that’s fine. Sadly, House has come to its end and I will not be seeing Dr. Wilson much more {except on reruns of House where he looks totally awesome anyway}.

 {yum!}

But that’s all fine because my real crush is my love, my hunk-of-a-man husband, who may have less hair than the fine Robert Sean Leonard, but has twice the manliness.

Happy Independence Day + Offically on Facebook!

 Happy Independence Day everyone!!! 

I don't think I have ever realized how important today is in our history and it is certainly a day worth celebrating! I am so grateful for the freedoms I have here in America. I grateful that the conditions were right so that our nation could be set up the way it is.

Also, I’ve just made a couple pretty big steps in my blogging/professional career. I always feel a little weird doing things that make me seem like an adult. I don’t know why. I still don’t really feel like an adult, even though I’m doing other adult things.

But I have created two Facebook pages in the past couple of days. One for my photography and one for my blog. I would LOVE to have you as a follower for both! I just want to say though that everything {including my blog, design, Facebook pages, and photography} is a work in progress. If you have suggestions for improvement, I would LOVE to hear them!

I also added an e-mail address just for this blog. I will put it into the contact section of my blog as soon as I can, but for now, please feel free to e-mail me at homesweetholmesblog@gmail.com

I also have a couple new blog buttons you can check out and grab if you like.

Internet Absence + 20 Facts

I have been without Internet the past couple of days and will continue to be without Internet for the next few. I’ll just be on here for a few minutes. So I promise, if you’re trying to get a hold of me, I’m not ignoring you, I’m just not online. Don’t worry though, I’ve got some fun things for you to read.

To continue with the blog challenge, here are 20 facts about me that you may {or may not} know:

{My cat can literally run up our fence and walk on top. Fun fact.}

I don’t have a favorite color. {I think that any color can be beautiful.}

I’ve been to over 16 different countries and over half the U.S. states. {Most of the different countries are ones in Europe}

I am a black belt in Karate and I’ve competed in Nationals twice. {It took 10 years to get that. Definitely not easy.}

I used to play the clarinet when I was in middle school. {I was even 3^rd or 4^th chair, depending on the week.}

My back is extremely ticklish. Extremely. If my husband touches it, I may just go crazy with laughter.

I am much goofier than you might imagine. Seriously. Especially around really cute things {kittens, babies, my husband, etc}

I am a self-motivated amateur photographer. {Check out my Facebook page Elyse Alexandria Photography!}

I hate cockroaches with a fiery passion. Even more than I hate spiders. {Ugh. I hate they way they crunch. It freaks me out. I even hate the word. This is a big deal though because guess how many cockroaches we have seen in our house in the past 4 months. Guess! Like 15!! Okay, not a ton, but kind of still a ton!! Gross!}

My skin tans really easily. But I have to be outside J {The couple of years, I’ve had either full time jobs or full time school, so I wasn’t out in the sun much. This year, I’ve been getting more tan.}

I really enjoy eating healthy because it makes me feel good, but sometimes I just want a big bowl of ice cream or some tasty movie theater popcorn {only movie theater kind though, it’s the best}

I talk in my sleep. Ask my husband. Or my family. Or past roommates.

Papa John’s Pizza is the absolute best take out pizza. {not really a fact about me, but something you all should know.}

I have a tendency to drive a little bit on the fast side. My husband on the other hand, drives like a grandpa. Sooo sloow. I often tell him that the speed limit is actually 5 miles faster than he is currently going.

I like running. Kind of. I’m not very good at it, but I like how I feel after I run. Maybe some day I will get better. Maybe.

I LOVE pineapples and pineapple juice. Love it. If I could only have one juice for the rest of my life, it would be pineapple, hands down. {The best way to prepare pineapple juice btw, is to pour it into the blender and blend it for a couple of seconds. It becomes all frothy and yummy}

I may have a crush on Dr. Wilson from House. Probably the weird celebrity crush anyone has had, but dang, he is a good-looking man. ;)

I could listen to Taylor Swift all day {and have}. I love her voice. I love her songs. I love her passion. She seems like the sweetest person ever. Plus she is so stinkin’ gorgeous!

When I went to college, I KNEW what I was going to be when I grew up. I was going to be a high school music teacher. I was going to major in music education, vocal emphasis, and my life was going to be great. Well, after a semester of being around the people in the music program, I just didn’t fit in with that atmosphere. I completely changed my whole life and majored in English instead, with a minor in editing, and I would never ever go back.

Because of that change, I got the chance to work at three different magazines. I’ve been published in three magazines. Two of those magazines are published internationally. And one is translated into over 40 languages. Pretty neat huh? I was really blessed to get those jobs.

I’m kind of a hoarder, but not a really bad one. I just have a hard time throwing things away. But I can!! I can do it! And I don’t collect junk. Case in point: I have a pair of sandals that I bought several years ago. I really haven’t worn them much because their so high, but I had spent a good amount of money on them, so I didn’t want to throw them out or give them away. I still have them and I’m actually wearing them! Five years after the fact J

I’m not much of a jewelry person. It’s not that I don’t like it {I actually love jewelry and I would definitely wear it!}; it’s just that it takes too much time for me to figure out if it looks good, matches my outfit, etc. I wish I were better at that sort of thing. I don’t know, maybe I just need to organize my jewelry better.

My husband is super awesome. He’s a pilot in the Air Force. He’s really tall. He’s the best snuggler. He’s so sweet. He gave me most of these ideas J

Beautiful Truth