"Macaroons are the new cupcake."

Is matter-of-factly what I told my mother yesterday right before sprinting into a little shop in the upscale area of Downtown Orlando called Le Macaroon. These cute, puffy little treats that come in an entire rainbow of both natural and unnatural colors, that I have seen all over the blogosphere as of late, but have yet to actually try.

Honestly, I sort of thought they were a real big city thing. And maybe this sounds silly but, I never really have thought of Orlando as a real big city. More of a pseudo city that sprung up based on the need for hotels and restaurants to surround Disney. A lot of stuff, but not a lot of character.

Little by little though, O-town has been surprising me! From fantastic little BBQ restaurants and auction houses to the cupcake shop that USA Today named one of the top 10 cupcake stops in the country!

And now... Macaroons!!!

They weren't exactly what I was expecting... more meringue and less cookie. But after the initial shock and a bite of one called Madagascar Vanilla Bean and Cassis, I was hooked.

So well played, blogosphere. Well played!

30 Before 30: Boston

March. Smack in the middle of my last semester of college and right about when a mental break seemed imminent. My girlfriends and I decided to take an impromptu trip for a St. Patricks day weekend in the most Irish place you can get without actually going over the ocean. Boston Massachusetts.  

Boston has really always had a soft spot in my heart and was the trip in 2010 that implanted the travel bug in my head. 

You remember way back when I took that trip out to Portland Oregon? And I asked you how a Florida girl should dress in cold Portland weather? 

Well… Portland ain't got nothin' on March in Boston kind of cold. 

However, I'm proud to announce that not only was it freezing but I also had a killer flu, hardly any voice (think the Friends episode where Phoebe gets her "sexy voice") and still somehow managed to look cute and stay warm!

It should come as no surprise that my absolute favorite part of the trip was the Boston Museum of Fine Arts! 

Being such a huge and historically relevant city though, Boston had a ton more art to offer than simply the museum. 

The Boston Public Library was simply breathtaking and covered in frescos reminiscent of my summer Florence. That and it had a bunch of random little secret passage ways that we were constantly trying to sneak into (National Treasure: Boston Edition, anyone?)

Being that we were in Boston and it was St. Patricks day, there was also a fair amount of debauchery that took place and included (but was not limited to) Attempting to "race" statues of a tortus and hare, making friends with street musicians that were also from Florida, having them follow us into a CVS and then subsequently getting kicked out of said CVS. Such is life in the Northeast I guess!

That one time a normal concert turned into an unforgettable night.

So it finally happened, eh? People finally know who fun. are! You know, these guys (and girl)

Well the thing is, I've been mildly obsessed with them since they were still this

And by mildly I mean roughly 7 years of fandom, a copy of every CD and EP, about 8 concerts and a small river of tears when their original band, The Format, announced they were breaking up. And then a years worth of anxious waiting when Nate announced his new band fun. was making an album.

So when I say mildly, I actually mean extremely. Nate Ruess has sung the melodies of the best and worst moments of my young adult life in a way I never could have vocalized myself. March 8th, I joined a few of my closest friends for our most recent repeat fun. concert and it was HUGE! 7 other shows and never had I seen a crowd like this. My dreams of finally meeting Nate were fading fast, but like hell was I about to let that happen.

Making friends with an official photographer? Fail.

Trying to sneak backstage? Fail.

Pestering the door man? Fail.

Bar hopping to try and find their after party? Fail.

Asking a backup band member? Now we're talking! She told us not only when, but where the guys from the band would be leaving the venue and about 30 minutes later, I had a signed flyer and of course, this:

Yes I acted like a star struck fool and yes I also danced all over the streets all the way back to my car. May have looked like a crazy person but, hey, I met my musical idol!

Not all people are good friends

All friends maybe good people, but sadly, not all people are good friends. It happens to everyone every now and again, that person you thought was a good friend turns out to be a bad person in sheep's clothing. 

The Gossip

We all have them, and they are especially prevalent for females. The Gossip. The one that overtime you go out for coffee has something new and juicy about so-and-so. Always knows who's hooking up with who and starts every other sentence "Don't repeat this but.." These are the types of people that make themselves seem trustworthy. They know everything about everyone and even though they repeat it all to you, they somehow convince you they wont tell a soul your secrets

If someone constantly is talking about others, don't be surprised when you finally hear all the negative things they've said about you. Great people talk about ideas. Average people talk about things. Small people talk about other people.

I Have a Dream

Surround yourself with people that have goals in life. Hang out with people who want to go out for coffee and talk political candidates instead of people that want to go out drinking and hooking up with strangers. Meet people at book clubs, not bars. Sure, go to bars, embrace your own sexuality and get a little tipsy sometimes. But everything in moderation my friends. Avoid people who aren't in school, have a B.S. job that they don't put their all into and don't have hobbies that they are truly passionate about. They maybe fun to go out with but in the long run, they will probably just bring you down and try to belittle your goals. 

Speaking of belittling goals…

One extra difficult life lesson to learn is that real friends bring you up, never down. If someone feels the need to make fun of your hopes, belittles your accomplishments or points out your every flaw, then the sad fact is that they aren't really a friend to you or themselves. For some people, the best way to make themselves feel better about screw ups is to bring everyone around them down to their level. Remind yourself that a good friend is no different than a relationship, it should make you a better you. Anyone who badmouths and degrades you simply out of jealousy, isn't your friend. There are enough negative or doubtful voices in our own heads, you don’t need friends that add any noise!

Drama doesn't follow people, people follow drama

I'm sure at one point or another you have met someone that seems convinced that drama is somehow stalking them. Their roommates are always awful, the guy they are seeing is always a jerk, their friends are always stabbing them in the back and their professors are out to get them. Funny thing about that is, 9 times out of 10, all of those problems can be explained away by compulsively bad decision making and an unconscious gravitation towards drama. Sometimes, people have issues. And sometimes they all come at once. But your roommates have ALL been awful? Maybe it's you that's the awful one. The guy you are seeing is ALWAYS a jerk? Maybe you should know better than to latch onto a guy that's been with 10 girls in the past month. Maybe your friends are just stabbing you in the back to return the favor? Perhaps you need to start studying more. Drama doesn't follow people, people follow drama. Whether they realize this or not, is entirely up to them.

So since life lessons, are ment to be taught, what tips and tricks of out with the old do you have to share?

Life in Generation YouTube

Yup, I'm hopelessly addicted to YouTube. It taught me how to make Eggs Benedict.

Taught me the hard way just why one of the cardinal rules of femininity is "thou shalt not cut thy own bangs"

No picture to illustrate this life lesson.

Just trust me when I say it's awful.

But most importantly! YouTube (and my awesome boyfriend) taught me how to change my own oil! I can proudly say I'm a little more I-N-D-E-P-E-N-T today, than I was yesterday! ...and I feel like Aretha would be proud.

Just please ignore the bangs.

Holy Freaking Graduation Announcements.

I've been so so so caught up in just staying on top of all my school work this semester that I wont lie, I was seriously taken aback when I recieved a package of sample Grad accouncements from a local print company! For a split second I think I actually managed to forget that this is my last semester at the University of Central Florida.

The announcements were so pretty and I instantly got caught up in staring at my own name printed on them haha. Oh the little things in life, right? So I got on their website and started checking out the price on these little beauties...

$120 for 25.

Seriously?

I nearly had a heart attack seeing such a big number next to such a small number. So the next logical conclusion? Etsy! Not only were there more different types of announcements than I could possibly have imagined, but they are all personalized and seemed much more "Annika" than the samples the mail man delivered.

Busy Nothings

Dena Design

Spilling Beans

Tyler Bright Designs

Much cuter, and much more reasonable prices! What do you guys think? I'm leaning to the Tyler Bright one, personally. But who knows!

The Girlfriend Club

My favorite memory from Winter break had to be the reunion of the surviving members of the Girlfriend Club! What in the world is the Girlfriend Club, you ask? Well, 2+ years ago, I moved to Orlando and as luck would have it, almost immediately hit it off with and started dating Nick. Through him, I met his awesome friends but for a good while, I was the only female who consistently hung out in their little boys club. Until one magical day (more like over the course of a month, but who's counting) they boys started settling down and bringing other ladies into my life! We started to joke that if they were the boys club, then we should be the Girlfriend Club!

Nick & Annika

Dan and Candice

Kristy & Brian

Colin & Marla

Kristy and I are not only the only surviving members (by break-ups, not by actual lose of life) but we have now become life long friends! She moved to Mississippi for grad school, but recently flew down to Tampa to see her family (and me!!) for the holidays! We got the chance to visit, laugh and thoroughly freak out our boyfriends by changing the name of the Girlfriend Club, to the Future Wifey Club. 

 

We ate, we drank, we were merry and then I woke up at 6 A.M. to drive back home and work the next morning. Despite my crank attitude for the rest of that long and tired next day, it was well worth it to see one of my favorite people even for just an hour!

Winter in the Sunshine State

So, the other day Nick and I were having a conversation about apples. Riveting. I know. And he said

"Well Fall is apple picking season, right?"

I responded

"Yea... but it's the end of January. That's not Fall."

So if that doesn't tell you what kind of weather we have had in Florida this "Winter", I don't know what else will besides saying the average temperature for this month was about 73. And as jealous of you northern girls and your adorable sweaters as I am... this is the perfect last full winter to spend in Florida. This time next year I plan on struggling to survive in snow, so for now, I'll enjoy my summer in January and all the wonderful things Florida Winter's have to offer!

Do you know who else likes Florida in Winter? Well, besides your Grandparents, Europeans and Canadians (always wondered where they all went didn't you?).

Manatees!

Manatees flock to the Florida fresh water springs from January until March every year and for the first time, Nick and I went to experience them! Along with every other Orlando local, your Grandparents, the Canadians and Europeans.

There had to be at least 50 of them all up and down the river! Babies and mommies and old manatee alike! Since they are an endangered species, the river is roped off and you aren't allowed to touch or fee them but you can watch them float about for as long as you like!

What neat things does your state have during the winter?

Birthdays and milestones!

My little 11/11/11 baby is officially 2 months old!

And has officially learned both 'sit' and 'stay'!! Hooray Penny!!

Back in the swing

Today marked the first day of my last semester as an undergrad! That is, if I can pass French 3. Je ne parle pas bien le français.... And quite frankly I am utterly terrified of this class. It probably didn't help that my fear made me put off taking it until the very last point that I could because now, not only do I have poor French skills, but I also have a good year since taking my last French class.

So, to try and head this nightmare of a semester off at the pass, I did what I do best.

Organize.

Thrilling life I lead, I know. But, to be perfectly honest, there are few simple pleasures I love more than a well thought out to-do list and a color coded Google calendar. It makes me feel so much more in control of my life when my desktop looks like this

Suddenly, I'm less stressed out that Penny still isn't house broken. Or that I have the French skills of a 4 year old. Or even that the one time I had a moment to try and clean, the vacuum cleaner decided to spit out more crap than it picked up. And makes me focus on the nicer things throughout my day. Like the fact that my assigned text book for French is Le Petite Prince (yes, the adorable children's book) or how freaking cute this dog is, evil though she maybe.

I'm still coming to terms with how much of a slacker I was last month but this month, I'm well on my way to getting back in the swing of being a productive student, puppy mommy, girlfriend and of course, blogger!

Hello 2012!

So far, 2012 is off to a great start! After spending a slightly longer night at work than I had expected, I raced to the bar I was meeting Nick at and was exactly 2 minutes late to get my New Years kiss. But we decided to hell with tradition and kissed anyways, just to be sure and start the night off right! One of Nick's best fiends owns a karaoke and sports bar here in Orlando so I got to ring in the year with my favorite people, a mess of free drinks and 4 AM french toast. Which, incase you were wondering, is the best kind of french toast.

What wasn't the best idea however was staying up until 5 AM when I had to get up at 8 and oh, did I mention I lost my car key? But, that part has a happy ending! I woke up early as planned, fully expecting to be calling around town for locksmith quotes and wandered out to Nick's car to check for my key one last time, with minuscule hope of actually succeeding. But, just when all hope was lost I spotted something silver jammed in a corner of the passenger seat and squealed with joy (right as our neighbor walked out of their house and looked at me like I was nuts)! So I bounded up the stairs and excitedly woke Nick up waving my new found prize in his face and ready to drive to Jacksonville!

2012 was off to a fantastic start and being able to pile in the car with Penny and the Boyfriend to go visit my mom made it even better!

After a few hours of terrorizing my mom's poor 14 year old dog, Penny finally passed out right under the Christmas tree. She's the cutest present in the world when she's asleep!

What to get for the boy that "doesn't want anything."

After a number of years and multiple relationships I have become fairly certain that all boys are difficult to shop for. There's the nerdy boy, who's taste is so expensive, you would probably have to sell a limb to pay for what he really wants. There's the music snob and the collector, the one who wants something so obscure and difficult to find, you'll drive yourself mad scouring the internet for months just to ultimately get him a gift card at the last minute. And finally there's the selfless boy, the one who enjoys phrases like "I don't really want anything", "Just get something nice for yourself!" and, "Give money to a charity!"

As sweet as he is and may sound, my selfless boy may have been the most difficult one to shop for ever. How do you get someone "nothing" and something at the same time?? I searched Etsy. Asked everyone of his friends and family. Snooped on his computer (Sorry Nick <3). And read every "What to get your guy" article I could find on the internet. Though everyone suggested a lot of "somethings" none of them were also "nothings."

Then a Christmas miracle happened! Who out there saw the Glee Christmas special? Rachel may not have liked her African Hog but my guy loved his new Ocelot!

This is Gracie, she lives at The Big Cat Sanctuary in Tampa . They rescued her from some idiot that decided to try and keep her as an exotic pet. The adoption packet I got came with bios of all the Ocelots at the sanctuary so Nick and I could read about them, pick which one we wanted to adopt and it also came with day passes to the park so we could go meet our choice! Money to charity and a day trip to Tampa to visit our chosen cat! Two successful Christmas' down, countless more to go!

Even when it doesn't feel like Christmas.

So how was everyone's Christmas? Food, family, presents and tons of fun? Oh and maybe even snow! Up until yesterday, I honestly wasn't expecting to have any of those things, and by the end of the evening, the only thing missing was the snow. In true Florida fashion, it was a sunny 83 degrees on my Christmas day.


Every year, for as long as I can remember, my Christmas has been the same. In Germany, it's tradition to do the gift exchange on Christmas Eve so after attending the candle light service at church, we would all head back to my Grandmother's for cocoa, snacks, Christmas music and presents. Then, it was off to bed early to wait for Santa to come to my parents house Christmas morning. But when I hit 19 things slowly but surely began to change. I moved down south, my parents got divorced, my dad got remarried and I gained 2 step sisters. The one thing that stayed ever constant was Christmas Eve with my mom and Grandmother, until this year. My cousin in Hamburg had her second child and my Grandmother decided to spend Christmas over seas. Thus, I decided I was enough of a big girl that I would stay in Orlando and work for the holiday, rather than going home.

I'm not as much of a big girl as I thought. I cried Christmas Eve. Then again Christmas morning. And finally, Christmas Day evening. Only the final time was actually a happy cry. While it was my first time away from my own family, it was my first time with Nick's huge family. And you guys, rarely in life does one feel so loved, so unexpectedly.

Nick's mom stalked this blog and got me a gorgeous necklace I've been lusting over from Tara's shop, his Aunt and Cousin's got me the cutest vintage apron and cake decorating bags, I had a blast chatting up his Grandmother about Italy and gushed over how adorable his baby Cousin is. Dinner was amazing and afterwards the members of the 'kids' table escaped to the movie theater for a super fun end to an awesome Christmas!

This weekend, after the New Years Eve festivities die down, I'll get be-lated Christmas and a mini vacation to Jacksonville to see my Mom then in March a super be-lated Christmas with my Grandmother! I think I can live with a Christmas that lasts 2 1/2 months!

(Anti)Social Media Faux Pas...

Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, MySpace, and even Blogger. The world is at our finger tips every second of everyday and the majority of us have gotten used to what once was called our 'private life' being made public. But typically, made public to people that we deem fit? We use abbreviated names on Blogger, make our Facebook's friends only and keep our phone numbers and addresses hidden. So what happens when someone sneaks past? When a stranger with even stranger intent moves past these protective barriers to learn your likes, loves, dislikes, best of times and worst of times?

A few months ago a girl added me on Facebook. We had a mutual friend and she looked mildly familiar so I added her. I then preceded to think nothing of it and move on with my life. She invited me to protests, I went. I saw her on campus, I waved! We were acquaintances and again, I thought nothing of it. Until last night.

Last night I had another volatile conversation with Senior Toxic and he informed me of an ex-girlfriend of his that had moved to Orlando. After a bit of pestering, he revealed her name and I was instantly creeped out.

The girl that had randomly added me, did it to spy on me. Because she was dating my mentally unstable ex-boyfriend. He didn't see much wrong with this but then again, theres that whole mentally unstable thing. I immediately went home and sent her a nice-as-I-could-possibly-say message telling her I knew the situation, and that she needed to stop stalking strangers and blocked her from any and every account I could think of. And just for good measure, did a thorough cleaning of almost every other "acquaintance" on my friends list and blacklisted both his and her phone numbers.

I feel a little better, but still a little weirded out at the same time. I've never been a big fan of burning bridges like that, but I guess in the name of self preservation and privacy it's occasionally warranted.

Have you ever been forced into an awkward situation because of putting your life on the internet?

Puppy update!

We taught Penny a trick!

Affectionately dubbed, gypse fever.

Last summer I spent a month and a half on my first study abroad in Florence, Italy. Hands down, it was the most amazing experience of my entire life and at least twice a week I have glorious dreams of being back there.

That my friends, was the beginning of the end. For my bank account that is. Because since then I have hit Boston, Mass.

Then to a spur of the moment trip across the country to see water falls and falling leaves in Portland, OR

And now... the gypse fever, urge to travel, strikes again... I just booked a flight to NYC in the first week of January. I have 4 days alone of time to fill and this will be the true test of my new found layering skills! Wish me luck blog-o-sphere!

Cure for the common bad day.

Sometimes, no matter how well you plan a day, they manage to go to crap anyways. Mean bosses, people with stank attitudes and unsupportive friends topped off with an early morning trip to the OBGYN is definitely not the making of a stellar day off work. So tonight it's time to wind down and remind myself why the world is still an awesome place!

1. The Glee Christmas special airs tonight! Yup, I'm a Gleek.
2. Curve-a-licious bodacious women who's style sense makes me want to gain a little more junk in my trunk!
3. Inventing my own variation of Spiced Chai Tea Cupcakes.
4. ...with my brand new mixer that I have used everyday since it came in the mail!
5. Starting to redesign my layout (sit tight, I know you'll love it!).
6. And most importantly, helping others with their problems.

Have you ever been to the wonderful website Emotional Bag Check? It's a fantastic website powered by Grooveshark that lets you opt to either 'Check' your bags or 'Carry' someone else's. Select 'Check It' and the site will ask for your (completely anonymous) e-mail address and then ask you to let out what's eating you up inside. After about 10 minutes you will start receiving some of the kindest words you ever thought possible from complete strangers who offer a song to fit the mood and some advice on what's bothering you.

Or, you can choose to 'Carry It' and the emotional bag check will let you send a song and an anonymous response to someone who has a problem. Either way, if you are ever feeling down on the world and want to restore your faith a bit in humanity, this site is the perfect place to waste 10 or 20 minutes. That and you get a pretty neat collection of music out of it!

This is all music I have either sent or received myself.

Puppies, panic attacks and motherhood.

This morning I woke up to Penny crying very loud and very panicked. I bolted out of bed like you do when you wake up an hour late for work or a test and felt a small pang in my chest as though I had had a small heart attack. I scrambled out of bed and ran downstairs so fast that I'm amazed I didn't break my neck (is a sudden increase in coordination part of the Mother-Bear adrenaline rush?).

Somewhere within the 45 second time frame, she had stopped crying and the sudden silence was even more terrifying than the jut wrenching cries. I dropped to my knees and yanked open her crate, half expecting to see a freshly dead puppy and what did I see?

She was perfectly fine. Wagged her little tail and wobbled out of her crate and over to her food bowl.

I sat on the floor dumb-founded for a few seconds, trying to put my heart back in my chest. Then realized what had happened. She had taught herself that when she cried, I came running. Thus, when she wanted to get out of her crate at 5 AM, she needed to cry like a dog shaped banshee. I had inadvertently trained my dog to give me heart attacks.

It was in this moment I realized I am 100% not ready for children. And I have a deep admiration for every single mother out there. Seriously. I don't know how you do it. I think I would have a panic attack every time they scraped their knee and God forbid there were ever any broken bones. I feel the need to call my own mother and apologize for being such a sickly and accident prone child myself.

Lucky for me, I was snapped back out of my thought bubble by her peeing on the carpet right in front of me. So we went for a walk around the neighborhood while it was not only raining, but still dark. Potty training is going well. Thanks for asking.