Another Wonderful Weekend

This weekend was filled with fun times. Friday, I went to Tin Roof with friends and we had a blast! I stayed out later than I should have but it was well worth it. I had to get up early on Saturday for work but then got to spend the rest of the day with friends and family. Some of Zach's family decided to come down for the game Saturday, and we spent the whole day/night together.

Since there were so many of us together, we decided to attend a nice dinner. Mr. and Mrs. M took us to Sal's which was wonderful...both the company and the food. It was great getting to spend time with one another and catch up. My sister and brother-in-law decided to join us too which made the night even better.

After our stomachs were full, we thought it would be best to take it easy that night. Like I've mentioned before, Zach and his family love to play games...especially cards. Mr. and Mrs. M taught us a new card game called "Golf". I'm not much of a card player but I am now obsessed with this game! It is so much fun, and I was the winner of the game! It was great just to relax and spend time together. Dudley had a great time too and loved getting to see his grandparents.

My mom and sisters came to Lexington Sunday, and I got to spend the afternoon with them. I haven't had the chance to spend much quality time with them lately and it was great for us to spend time together. This weekend couldn't have been any better. So thankful for friends and family that made it awesome<3.

Hope you had a great weekend too!

Love Always,
Alaka

For Dog Lover's

For those of you who are obsessed with animals, especially dogs, I know how you feel. I LOVE my little Dudley and am always looking for cute dog related items for him (and me)! Lately, I have ran into some cute things that I thought some of you might be interested in.

I just finished the book The Art of Racing in the Rain. The book tells a story about a family, and the life of humans in general all through the eyes of a dog. It's a wonderful book and it's a quick one to finish. I am the worst about starting a book and not finding the time to finish it. It will really make you think about how your dog feels and wonder how he/she looks and thinks about life with you.

I also found these slippers that I thought were adorable. They pretty much have any animal you want, but I thought the dogs were precious and the pigs were pretty cute too.

You can find them at www.buyhappyfeet.com
(Couldn't get this link to work for some reason...)

Snuggies have become so popular they even started making them for dogs! Now you and your pooch can both match while you watch TV together. They're so funny but it really is cute! You can pretty much get these at any pet store.

Lastly, if I had a girl dog I would get one of these collars for her. My friend has one and it looks so cute on her puppy! You can even buy different flowers for the collar and change them.

You may purchase them here http://www.muttropolis.com/products2.cfm/id/8823/name/Crochet-Flower-Dog-Collar

But I love Dudley so much! Even if I can't buy him all the cute girl clothes he's still awesome :)

Love Always,
Alaka

Valentine's Day

As we all know Valentine's Day is celebrated every February 14th. It is a day to do something sweet for the one(s) you love. I personally am not a huge Valentine's Day fan. Even though I have someone to spend it with...I want him to always show that he loves me and not just do something special because it's the one day a year he's supposed to. We always just do something small and sweet for each other. Usually, I'm always in a crunch on what to do for him though because I feel like this day is so much easier for the guys than the girls. This year I am more prepared than usual and have found some great ideas I wanted to share with you!

My boyfriend loves to play board games! One of his favorites is Monopoly. I found this customized "Lovopoly" where you can have photos and places you've shared together put on the board.

You can find it at this website http://www.lovopoly.com/best-anniversary-wedding-birthday-valentine-gift.php

I've already purchased this book to give to Zach this Valentine's Day. It's called "What I Love About You". It's filled with questions and fill in the blanks to help you translate what you feel in your heart but can't always find the words to say. It's really sweet and something I think he'll really appreciate since I took the time to do everything in the book. It also helps me remember the good times we've shared together. I know...I'm a huge dork and so cheesy! But when I saw it at Barnes and Noble I couldn't resist!

I also got him this pull over sweater for Valentine's day and had it monogrammed for him. I know it's not Valentineish but I know he'll love it and wear it all the time. I got this from http://www.landsend.com/pp/WinterRibKintHalfzipPullover~213500_59.html?bcc=y&action=order_more&sku_0=::PRH&CM_MERCH=IDX_00001__0000000017&origin=index and they are on sale right now! It didn't take long to receive either. I was really impressed with how fast it came.

You can also make or buy a "coupon book" for your special someone. I always like to make mine and personalize it with Z's favorite things. For example: one back massage for 30 minutes, one sports event or dinner and a movie date. Anything cute and personal that you know your valentine would like. Trust me...they'll definitely use it so don't make a coupon for something you won't really want to do-haha!

Out of everything someone could buy me, I would most like to receive a card or letter. Homemade or store bought...doesn't matter...I love them all! Especially when they are delivered in the mail and not just handed to you. Receiving a card telling me how much a person loves me is the best feeling. I am sure your loved one would appreciate it too!

I hope this helps those of you who are struggling out there! I would love to hear any of your ideas on Valentine's Day surprises.

Love Always,
Alaka

Super cute!

I have been eyeing this super cute bracelet and earrings for quite sometime now. I think they're just too cute and can dress up a casual outfit. I think they would also be cute for game days because each come in a variety of colors!

These can be found at http://www.splashofpink.com/

Love Always,
Alaka

My new shoes :)

I have been in desperate need of some cute shoes! But I could never find a good deal for what I really wanted...until now!

Kate Spade (KS) has an awesome online sale going on right now. Shoes, clothes, purses and much more...everything is more affordable at this time. Last night, I fell in love with these adorable shoes! KS had them in red but I found them in black and cream on Zappo's in my size. I think the red are so cute and could really jazz up an outfit but I had to go with the black. I knew I would be able to wear them more.

Land's End is also having a huge online sale! I believe it ends today, so I would hurry and take full advantage like I did. I came across these cute metallic ballet flats. I have been searching for some like these but wanted to get them at the right price...and I did today!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful day & has a successful shopping week like me :)

Love Always,
Alaka

She did it!!!

That's right folks...Zenyatta won Horse of the Year. Isn't that incredible??!! Zenyatta was runner-up for Horse of the Year in 2008 & 2009. I am thrilled she finally won this year! She's one of the best fillies we've ever seen before. I finally got the opportunity to watch her run last November at Churchhill Downs in the Breeders Cup Classic. My friend, Paige, got us the tickets...there was no way we were going to miss her last run before retirement. We waited in line for over 2 hours just to get close to her.

Before last November Zenyatta's recorded was 19-0. She was adored by many and everyone in the horse industry was there to see her. However, she lost the Breeder's Cup Classic to Blame. Even though she didn't win the race, she has won everyone's heart. Including mine. <3

She's a remarkable lady and it's amazing what she has done for the Thoroughbred industry. You don't see a horse like her everyday. In 2005, her owners (Jerry and Ann Moss) bought her for $60,000, and she has easily won them their money back and beyond. She won 13 Grade 1 stakes races and 5 of those are from last year alone.

Zenyatta is now in KY at Land's End farm where she is expected to start breeding soon.

Love Always,
Alaka

Vacation Getaway Part 2

While I was in Arizona, I got the opportunity to visit Sedona. It's one of the prettiest places I have ever seen before. The scenery is gorgeous and the mountains with red rocks are breath taking. I would highly recommend this place to anyone. It's definitely something you would want to see sometime in your life. Even though it was colder than Phoenix, I had a great time with Zach and his family.

On our way to Sedona, we stopped at an Amish restaurant. It was delicious!!! It didn't look like much from the outside but the food sure did make up for it. You could tell it was a "hot spot" because it was packed inside with all the locals. I ordered a club sandwich and it was the best I've ever had.

We stayed at a resort called Enchantment. I have never stayed at a resort before and it was amazing! The place was very quiet and relaxing. Enchantment had everything you could possibly need...pools, hot tub, restaurants, spa and many other luxuries. The rooms were beautiful and so clean! They each had a fire place to make your stay even more cozy. And the view from our balcony was stunning as well.

Mrs. M wanted to wanted us to get the full experience while we were there. She let us pick one thing we really wanted to do. Amanda, Zach's brothers girlfriend, and I decided to get a massage. My massage pick was the Docha Body Wrap and it was the best massage I had ever had. The massage felt amazing and after they rubbed a wonderful scent in my skin to make it softer. It was awesome!!! We decided to have a relaxing night after our pampering so we all ordered food in, watched movies and played cards.

The next morning, we got up before sunrise and went up in a hot air balloon. Since I hate to fly I was kind of unsure about this. I knew it was something I wanted to do but didn't know how well I would handle it. We got to see the crew blow up the hot air balloon and get everything ready for us. Once we were in the air the view was incredible and we were able to watch the sunrise while in the balloon. The highest we went was 1,800 ft and it's one of the most fascinating things I've ever had the oppertunity to do. It really wasn't scary at all, so for those of you who hate to fly I definitely think you could do it. :)

After we got off the balloon the balloon crew had a wonderful breakfast ready for us. There was fruit, muffins, and my favorite - mimosa's. The morning couldn't have been any better. I was with great company and experiencing new things.

This was a great vacation and I am so thankful the M family included me. If anyone has the opportunity to go to Arizona, definitely go! It's magnificent and you'll really appreciate the natural beauty Arizona has to offer.

Hope everyone had a great week! Happy Friday!!!

Love Always,
Alaka

Vacation Getaway Part 1

Hello Friends,

I am sorry for my leave of absence. I have been vacationing with Zach and his family in Arizona. I never had an interest to go to Arizona, but we went to visit his grandfather who I adore. My opinion of Arizona quickly changed when I realized how beautiful it is there.

Zach's grandfather (Grandpa M) is one of the most amazing people I have ever met and I love getting to spend time with him. I was so excited to get an invitation to come and visit his new home. Grandpa M has been a widow for almost 2 years now and loves when family and friends come to see him. You could see the joy in his eyes light up when we finally arrived. While we were there he felt the need to entertain us and made us feel right at home. I enjoyed all the meals he made, our conversations, laying around outside, picking grape fruit, me and him dancing together, and being around his loving personality. I wish everyone could have the chance to meet him, but I at least hope everyone has someone like him in their life.

While in Phoenix we had the opportunity to visit Scottsdale. It was awesome!!! The town was awesome and filled with great restaurants and shopping. Oh...how I love to shop! They had a Nordstrom Rack that was filled with my favorite brands: Tory Burch, Trina Turk, Kate Spade and many more. Let's just say it was a successful shopping spree! Mrs. M (Zach's Mom) loves to take me shopping since she has two boys and never got to shop/buy for girls. She always insists that I try stuff on and then she'll buy her favorite piece I tried on. I feel terrible when she does this because she'll never let me buy anything. I'm always thankful and we have a great time. She just really enjoys going shopping with someone that's not a male.

In Phoenix, we enjoyed the wonderful company of Grandpa M, laying out in the sun, shopping, and the hot tub where we'd chat about our day. It was a great time and I was sad to say good bye. I had to hold back the tears when the time came to leave because I didn't want this wonderful time to end. Grandpa M just touches my heart more and more when I'm around him.

I also went to Sedona, AZ and will blog about that journey next :)

Love Always,
Alaka