Midnight Leap-Frog

Normally I love hotel beds and always get a great sleep in a dark, cool, comfy hotel room.

Last night this was not the case.

My mom, sister and I were up almost all night due to some hotel guests that apparently thought playing leap-frog in the room above ours after midnight was a great idea.

Then, around 5 a.m. , guests in the room beside ours decided to blare their television and watch an action-packed Sean Connery movie. Sounds like a lovely thing to do at 5 a.m., no? 😉

Needless to say, I didn’t sleep too well and we were all wide awake around 5:45 a.m. The hotel’s free breakfast was not available until 7 a.m., so we stayed in bed laughing about the crazies who were apparently staying at our hotel.

Once it was time for breakfast, we headed downstairs to a spread of eggs, sausage, biscuits and gravy, Belgian waffles, cereal, oatmeal, fruit, yogurt and bagels.

I fixed myself a bowl of oatmeal, topped with whipped cream, cantaloupe, an orange slice, Raisin Bran cereal, and honey.

Bowl o' Oats

On the side I ate about 1/3 of a Belgian waffle with extra whipped cream.

Waffle + Whipped Cream

Belgian Waffle

After breakfast, we came back to our room and my mom and sister climbed back in bed for an extra hour of sleep.

I am the worst napper and can never get back to sleep after I’m awake for the day.

Instead, I browsed some blogs and found a neat workout on Jessica‘s blog for an At Home Cardio Blast that I figured I could jot down and take to the hotel’s fitness center to try.

Fitness Center

Work it Out! (And Look Like a Total Ham)

Jessica's At Home Cardio Blast

Though she didn’t say this on her blog, she must have been joking about the 25 push ups. 😉 Puh-lease. You know I did every one of those the “girly” way.

I completed two rounds of the At Home Cardio Blast before heading back up to our room to check on my mom and sister.

This is what I found:

Sleeping Beauties

Since they were both fast asleep, I didn’t want to bother them and make noise in the room, so I grabbed my iPod and headed outside for an easy 20 minute jog around the hotel.

When I came back, I hit up the breakfast buffet again for another half of a Belgian waffle (1/4 went directly into my belly and is not pictured).

Waffle Round Two

Thankfully, now the sleeping beauties have begun to stir!

I’m off to hop in the shower before heading out to my sister’s sorority’s mother/daughter brunch. More food! 😀

Cookie Stacks

Well, we made it. We’re safetly in St. Pete and are about to embark on a wedding-filled weekend!

Smilin' in St. Pete

But first, let’s back up to last night, which was full of deliciousness!

When we first arrived home, we hung out a bit waiting for my dad to get off work. My sister and I even had enough time to run out to T.J. Maxx where she succumbed to the trend and bought her first  running skirt (so cute!) and I found a nice pair of light blue Nike running shorts for $13. Score!

Once we arrived back home, it was dinn-ah time.

The Spread

For dinner we enjoyed lasagna, scallops with almonds and grapes, baked fish and veggies in a light butter sauce.

My Plate

I went back for seconds of everything but the scallops (but only because they were gone!).

As always, my favorite part of the meal was dessert.

My mom made one of my all-time favorite desserts and everyone overindulged as if we’d never have dessert again!

Chocolate Wafer Cookie Stacks

She made a ton of cookie stacks using Famous Chocolate Wafer Cookies and homemade whipped cream.

I had four stacks. Yes, I am a champ!

The First of Four

This dessert is always such a hit!

Whipped Cream and Chocolate Wafer Cookie Stacks

Ingredients:

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

20 chocolate wafers

Directions:

In medium bowl, whip cream, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer until stiff. Place a daub of whipped cream on each cookie, and stack in groups of 4 or 5. Chill in refrigerator 15 minutes.  Cover and chill 3 hours before serving.

Guest List

As you know, our wedding guest list will be finalized this weekend. Eek!

I loved all of your comments and advice regarding wedding guest lists. You guys are awesome!!! Thank you to the amazing Donna, who emailed me with this fabulous diagram to help with guest list decisions.

Who To Invite!?

How cool is that!?

Today’s Plans

After breakfast, my dad, sister and I are taking a spinning class together before the weekend madness sets in!

We have two wedding-related appointments, including:

• Appointment at the Vinoy to meet with the catering manager
• Appointment at 400 Beach Seafood & Tap House (possible location of our rehearsal dinner) to discuss pricing

Annnnd, I’m off!

Dress Hunt Continues

The hunt for my wedding dress continued today.

After a quick 50 minute run with Sadie (she’s the best running partner), I wolfed down a bowl of Flax-Z-Snax vanilla almond hot cereal with pumpkin, cinnamon and whipped cream.

Whipped Cream Makes Anything Better!

If you’re a germ-a-phobe, you should probably avoid the whipped cream can at my house. We’ve been known to spray the sweet and creamy deliciousness straight into our mouths.

After my quickie meal, my sister snapped a pic of my outfit. It’s nothin’ special, but I had to send it to Ali to accompany the questions I answered for my interview on her awesome blog which will be debuting soon. 🙂 I always love looking at her outfits because she has the cutest clothes. 

Pic for FoodFitnessFashion.com

Following the picture-taking shenanigans,  my mom, sister and I headed off to The Dressing Room in St. Pete to try on some more wedding gowns.

I didn’t find the one there, but I did see a dress that was so gorgeous. It was completely lace, but with a little flava-flav. I have another appointment to try on dresses (mostly Maggie Sottero gowns – yay!) on Saturday. This will be my fourth attempt at finding the perfect dress. Goodness!

If you’re married, how many times did you try on gowns before you found the one?

This finding a wedding dress business is tough! I don’t think I’m the type of person that will just have that “ah ha!” moment. I like to sit on big decisions… let ’em marinate a bit before truly committing. I hope I find a gorgeous dress eventually!

Now we’re off to church before dinner.

The rest of the night will consist of baking Christmas cookies and heading out on the boat to look at Christmas lights! We’ll also be opening our annual Christmas pajamas. I can’t wait!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone! 😀