Mental Memorial Weekend

OMG.....This Memorial Weekend has been insane.



I am outright exhausted, but it was incredible. This was Dougs first ever Memorial Weekend and he had the time of his life. As of Friday night we have been non-stop. 

Memorial Weekend is supposed to be in honour of all the people who have served for our country. However, the fact that we get Monday off instantly triggers the party bone in most people. Especially in Miami. The Miami mind is a ridiculous party animal that wishes to frolick through pool parties, boat days, night clubs, and anything that involves music and alcohol..... it strives to live every moment spent out of the office to its fullest. Embraces free spirit and new friends. This weekend challenged that mind and released it to play!!!!

 Erika and Karly love a bit of a photoshoot. We went to Brickell to find a venue for E's birthday and decided to take some cute pics hehe. 

After a long day of work on Friday, we headed to Mary Brickell Village for a night of boozie fun. Doug went ahead of me, I went to Britt and Kaylas for some pre drinks. When we arrived, my dear husband had been half way through a Brother Jimmys Trash Can.... starting the night strong Dougie!!!

Saturday we got invited to a pool party.... at one of Miamis most beautiful ocean view homes!!! And let me tell you, that was one heck of a party. I brought little Erika along with us for some fun in the sun.

check that out!

My Chikki and the view

Doug did his first 'shotgun' (get a key or something sharp and pop a hole in the bottom side of a can, then on 3 you all pop the top and the beer comes flowing into your mouth. once you are finished you throw yours down so they know your done!)

Even Britt made an appearance! 

 Pink Champagne was popped.

Champagne was poured form up high

Of course that WHOLE day in the sun wasn't enough...so we got home around 9 and quickly showered and changed and headed out to meet up with Dougs new BFF Ron.

Back to Brickell we went. This time ending up at Taverna Opa dancing the night away.

Jason, Lawrence, Doug, and Ron

Doug and I got our dance on up on the tables

And dear ol Doug just having way too much fun!

After getting in around 2:30am, I had to be up super early to work a last minute wedding Sunday morning. I am not the kind of person that functions well without sleep so I am not sure how I managed to do work! I was so happy with how the girls turned out. The Bride looked stunning too. The wonders of my career is that I can go about my life doing all the craziness, yet I can make someones special day that much better and memorably beautiful.

Doug picked me up from the Brides place and whisked me away to see my long lost friend Leonor and her husband Frank. Pool and Churrasco... perfection! Our catch up was divine and we stayed till nearly 8 pm just sat by the pool enjoying the sunset. 

Luckily, Doug was finally exhausted so that evening we did nothing!!! Just watched the game and got some dinner with friends. Very chill.

Monday = Boat day! Our first boat day of the year and we had such a gorgeous day. 

Amber, me, Kayla...Amber is an old friend from school that I havnt seen in over 2 years!

I LOVE MIAMI

Im in Miami Bitch....

MIA!!! We made it after a long awaited move. Tomorrow will be 2 weeks since we arrived. It has been a whirlwind of activities and leisure so far. Every one keeps asking us if we are happy, or if we have settled in well, or if we miss England. Well of course we miss certain things of England but then again its only been 2 weeks!!! Do you really miss home while you're on holiday??? I don't! So ask me again after a few months and i'm sure I will give you a different answer. We are currently living at my parents house, so for a long time it will still feel like we are just here for a bit. 

Anywho, its been so fab getting to see my friends and family. The first saturday we had a big Pig roast BBQ. Everyone came, everyone ate, and everyone drank! It was just so great to catch up and have a laugh.


Our Pig: Angela (RIP)

So Miami is one of my favourite places in the World. It has a lot to offer. Yes there are a lot of not so great things too but find one place on earth that is 100% perfect and let me know! 

The social side of life here is beyond active lol. Seriously. At any given time on any given day you can find somewhere to go and people to meet up with. It's slightly overwhelming after living in Reading for 2 and bit years. I think Doug and I will just need to find a balance and learn to say 'no' to people if we want to save money for a house. 

Miami's Beaches:

It is just a place you will have to visit yourself to grasp its greatness. Being born and raised in Miami you would think one would get used to its beauty, but every time you drive down Ocean, or over the bridge onto Key Biscayne, or go to the beach you just find yourself in awe for at least a split second. honestly, every time! It just does not get old. The sky line from the KB bridge is glorious. Here are a few Miami skyline pics. (courtesy of google images):

I LIVE HERE!!!

(Miami Dreams by BES Films)

We have already been to the beach 3 times and our last visit was a totes cray beach fiesta. hehe. We were actually on the sand till nearly 8 pm. It was one of the best beach days I have had in a long time. 

Overall, its been a pretty frikkin awesome 2 weeks. I caught up on my long lost foods I've missed and set up my station at work. Doug began work today full time and he was so excited. Great times await us. I am thrilled to keep you all up to date with our adventures.

Some Royal Palm Grill brekki:

OMG we found a British section at Public!!! Dougy wont go missing too much now =)

Enjoy!

      

Limestone at Lulworth Cove

Our long awaited big move has finally crept up. I decided a few months ago that I wanted to head down to the English Coast for one last time for a little break. What better way to spend some time with the mother in law and get to enjoy the sunshine that is so rare here. We did a 2 day road trip down to Cornwall first for a night and then over to Lulworth Cove for the next.

Lucky for us, Ed and Dasha (a couple that have become such good friends of ours recently) bought and refurbished a gorgeous little 10 bedroom hotel. We planned this out so we could see their hard work and get to have a little time with them as well. So this is my unbiased opinion about their hotel, I honestly fell inlove with it. Not only just because they are our friends!!!

So here it goes: Limestone a la Stephanie.....

You pull up into the parking lot to find every room has its own parking space. Then you trek on up the hill to get to the actual hotel (no worries it is not steep, and is definitely wheelchair friendly). The view from the front is unreal. It feels like two worlds have merged together to create a modern ancient one. Thatched roofs and rolling hills with cows and crops line the horizon. There are chairs and small tables lined up so guests can enjoy the lush scenery ::good weather permitting:: 

The view...so beautiful.

I just instantly fell in love with this place. The true beauty, however, lies inside! Dasha, the brains behind the decorating, went above and beyond to make this place as unique as possible. With rooms of all different themes, with antique rare pieces hanging on the walls, to a really Bible that she stumbled upon! You can easily spend a good while walking around getting lost in the random finds all around.

We got the pleasure of choosing our room. Of course Doug being Doug chose the Suite. The Seaside Suite.

It was so spacious, bright, and light. It made you feel so relaxed and happy. We just absolutely loved it. If you are lucky enough to have a sunny day, the light shines so brightly through the bay window. Its almost heaven like (how i imagine Heaven would feel like hehe)

This one is the Stable room. Just so lovely. I didn't get pics of the other rooms but you get the idea!

Next up is the Bar area.....this was by far the cutest idea we have seen. An Honesty Bar!!! 

A gorgeous Leather book sits on the top of the bar where the guests help themselves to a fully stocked bar and "honestly" write down what they have had. The staff then add it to your bill at the end of your stay. This hotel seems like the kind of place that would attract honest people who wouldn't abuse of this privilege. It was such a great little thing and we absolutely loved helping ourselves.

Rum and Coke for Mrs. Viney.

After our 'self poured' welcome drinks we decided to take a stroll down to the cove for some lunch and ice creams. (It is only around a 5-10 min walk!)

Mum enjoying her Mr. Whippy

The gorgeous Lulworth Cove

We spotted a Speed Boat ride and Doug, Mick and I decided to go for it!! Mum stayed back and enjoyed the sun and ice cream.

It was a blast to say the least. The ride was 15 minutes long, which was plenty of time because that breeze was way too chilly for my liking!

We went back to the hotel after spending a few hours down by the cove. We took a nap...because we could =)and in the later evening Edward and Dasha joined us for dinner in the Hotel restaurant.

Their chef is amazing! He is a perfectionist in the kitchen, and for a small little restaurant you get some fantastic dishes.

Local Scallops:

Goats cheese tart: If there is goats cheese on a menu I will 99% of the  time go with it!!

Lamb:

Sirloin:

Dash and I with Barbados.

Cheers!

This is that old Bible I mentioned earlier. So cool!!!

After our great dinner we got to bed early and woke up to a full breakfast. You can have the cold stuff, or you can order from the kitchen.

So overall, we left Limestone feeling all bubbly and happy and well rested. The room prices are around 140-160 for the suites, 140 for the superior, and 100 for the standard room. 

Enjoy!