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So, I thought I’d give ya’ll a quick Memorial Weekend 2014 Camping Glamping Recap in the form of 10 lessons I learned:

1. Thou shalt not forget to bring the air mattress pump. Omg! We forgot the pump and therefore slept on the floor for three nights. Not awesome.
2. Thou shall bring a ceiling fan when glamping. Dude, if it had not been for the ceiling fan we brought for our tent, I’m not sure we would have made it through the weekend.
3. Thou shall re-apply sunscreen every 80 minutes. The directions on the sunscreen are serious bro! We were awesomely lucky to make it three days in the sun with no sunburn. Alas, I’m out of all of the four bottles of sunscreen I brought with.
4. Thou shalt not step on a root barefoot. I have been having massive amounts of trouble with my right heel lately. I’ve been walking a lot in hopes of losing some weight to ease the pressure and pain on my heel. Then, I stepped on a tree root while barefoot and lost all hope of doing much walking for the weekend. The pain got so bad I had to be pushed around in a wheelchair much of one evening.
5. Thou shalt not go to Wet N’ Wild Memorial Day weekend. Okay, I am a fan of water parks but prefer them when they aren’t as busy. We were camping near Wet N’ Wild so the collective group decided we should spend a day there. Unfortunately this particular weekend drew such a crowd that every single ride had an hour long wait or longer. The wave pool was overflowing and there was NOTHING lazy about the lazy river. Note to self- on Memorial weekend just go to the free campground pool because we barely spent any time that day in the water…
6. Thou shall bring extra towels and wash cloths- Yep- we didn’t have enough towels and wash cloths and had to re-use some towels thereby defeating the purpose of showering imho…
7. Thou shall bring a bigger cooler. Our cooler wasn’t big enough to hold enough drinks between ice stops…
8. Thou shalt not wear water shoes too long- big ugly blisters- that is all!
9. Thou shalt not go to bed until re-applying bug spray- I got some wicked bites while sleeping.
10. Thou shalt not call it glamping unless in an RV or cabin- The weekend made me long for one of the two.

@ChickfilA #AsianSalad #ChickfilA #ProductReview #BloggerReview

I have a new obsession- the Chick-Fil-A Asian Salad. In the span of about 9 days I had three. Add to the fact that I literally had to walk a mile each day that I wanted one- you know this obsession is serious. I probably would get more if they weren’t close to $8!

Basically, at the beginning of 2014 I had three of the calendar cards and for the month of May I could get a salad with the card. My husband only like Caesar salads and I work very close to a Chick-Fil-A so it only made sense to cash in these salads for myself. The first day I went into get one I had not yet learned of the fact that they are no longer serving the spicy chicken salad. I almost cried when it wasn’t on the menu. After mulling it over I opted for the Asian salad figuring, eh- why not? If I don’t like it no big deal because I’ve “made my money back” on the cards already. I chose grilled chicken and was delighted when it came with a honey sesame dressing, wontons and dried bell peppers.

I ate that salad faster than any salad I think I have ever consumed. I don’t know if I was just starving from the fact I had to walk half a mile there and a half a mile back to work before I could eat it OR if it was just that good. So, two days later I felt it was only reasonable to try it again. I made the walk there and back only this time I was given honey sesame dressing, wontons and sliced almonds in place of the dried bell peppers. It was just as good the second time if not better!

I had other lunch plans for a few days but I am not kidding when I tell you that third free salad was burning a whole in my purse. First chance I got I made one more walk and got one more salad again with the almonds instead of the peppers.

I’m in love with the Chick-Fil-A Asian salad! I’m going to have to come up with a way to replicate it on my own at home!

This salad features freshly prepared with hot chicken, two cups of hand-chopped veggies and mandarin oranges and is served with honey sesame dressing. The optional toppings are wontons, dried bell peppers and sliced almonds. I’m sure I can get all these ingredients at my grocery store but I wonder if it will taste the same? hmmmmmmmm….


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#ProductReview #ReviewBlogger #Tequila

At the Tampa Bay Metro “Summer with Style Party” on May 1, 2014 I had the opportunity to sample  Casamigos Tequila. Here is the description from their website: George Clooney, Rande Gerber and Mike Meldman bring you Casamigos, a
small batch, ultra premium tequila made from the finest, hand-selected
100% Blue Weber agaves, grown in the rich red clay soil and cool climate
of the Highlands of Jalisco Mexico.

I sampled the Blanco. This tequila is better than most tequilas I have sampled in the past. I came to this conclusion before learning that George Clooney is one of the folks behind the bottle by the way 😉

It was smooth as a shot and also tasted really good in the mixed drink that was being offered at the party. With most tequilas I need salt and lime to be able to handle a shot, but this tequila didn’t really need the fluff. It was good on its own.

The Blanco Casamigos Tequila is aged for two months. Their “agave piñas are roasted in traditional brick ovens for 72 hours” and their “Master Distiller uses a special yeast blend to ensure refined flavor, unlike the commercial yeasts others use.”

This tequila is gluten-free and has no unnecessary additives. It is fermented slowly over 80 hours compared to the average 48.

Now that I have tried the Tequila I want to buy a bottle of it but sadly…I can’t seem to find a distributor or store that carries it in my area. The only zip code I found that yielded a result was Manhattan, New York. UGH- Come to Florida George!!! People drink Tequila here too!!!

If it’s sold near you, I would definitely recommend the Blanco Casamigos Tequila. It’s smooth, delicious and I want more…

***Update- I just found out you can buy it online HERE!  It’s $44.99 and can be shipped to most states. The states they cannot ship to are: Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas and Massachusetts. Currently they don’t ship internationally.

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One of the vendors at BlogHer 2013 was Eggland’s Best. These folks gave me a coupon to try Eggland’s Best at home for free for the purposes of review. Though the eggs were free, this has not impacted my review. All opinions below are my own.

“You’ll definitely be able to tell the difference because the eggs will taste better,” said the gal at the booth.

I’m not sure if it was how I prepared them, but I honestly could not tell the difference. They didn’t taste any better to me than the eggs I normally buy at the grocery store. The only difference I did notice is that the Eggland’s Best brand was nearly double to cost for a dozen.

Do you like Eggland’s Best? Am I crazy here? Do you REALLY notice a difference?

I know that Eggland’s Best brand is better for me in the sense that they say they never use hormones, steroids, or antibiotics of any kind. They also promise a superior, better quality, fresher egg….and that’s all good, but for the taste- I just didn’t notice a difference.

If I do make the decision to permanently switch from the brand I normally buy, it won’t be because of taste.

Have a product that you want me to review too? Contact me HERE!

I’m PR friendly ?

I know. I know. It’s becoming a little too much of a trend lately, but here is another overdue review. I’m finally getting the many items on my to-do list checked off. Woohoo!!

Okay! I was sent two bottles of Girl Scouts Flavors Coffee Mate (the liquid not the powdered form) for the purposed of review. Although I was sent these items for free, all of these opinions are my own. I’m told the two flavors are still available for purchase at Target stores. Have you seen them anywhere else? Chime in with a comment!

Have a product that you want me to review too? Contact me HERE!

I’m PR friendly ?

 

If you have travel in your future I would like to suggest you use your local travel agent for all of your travel needs. In 2012, seven out of 10 travelers booked their own rooms and flights online, per eMarketer (source). Here are just a few problems with this:

1. You are working with robots instead of live people who can answer questions for you

2. You have no one to call in case something goes wrong!

3. It’s more difficult to change your plans should you desire to

4. A travel agent can make suggestions you may have never thought of

5. In booking online you are left to research everything on your own and may not even have anything but a destination in mind when you begin…

Worried about pricing? Think online sites are cheaper? Not only do many travel agents price match, they are there for you every step of your travel adventure. If you need to make travel plans, book through a travel agent, not one of those online sites that could screw you with the fine print!

I have wanted to start posting cool products and neat things I find on the internet for a while. Another blogger I follow calls her finds like this fabulous finds. I loved the idea so I asked her if it would bother her if I basically copied her idea and posted my finds as fabulous finds too…She said she wouldn’t mind a bit. After a few months, I completely forgot about wanting to post fabulous finds…that is until today when I stumbled upon this product…The Gun Box. I don’t personally own any fire arms yet, but this product is – in my opinion- fabulous!!!

I don’t want to start an argument about whether or not fire arms should be in the home, so any comments about that will be deleted. The main idea behind this post is that if you do have firearms in your home, I think this product is an awesome way to store one for emergencies. Just check out the video.

Yesterday, like so many other folks, I saw the blips begin in my facebook feed that Philip Seymour Hoffman had passed away. Within seconds of this news breaking, the opinions began because of his alleged cause of death. He was allegedly found with a needle in his arm and died of a suspected drug overdose. Some posted opinions that he was a great actor taken too soon while others immediately began posting things like:

“He threw his life away…why waste the space about him?”

Anytime a celebrity dies of an alleged overdose, it feels like there is an unfair number of people that act as though the celebrity deserved to die. This drives me crazy. How can you jump to conclusions as if you knew him?

I’m not sure what caused Philip Seymour Hoffman to begin doing drugs, but I do personally know how devastating struggles with addiction can be. To say he threw his life away and we shouldn’t “waste the space” talking about him is an unfair reaction- especially if you weren’t close to him or his family.

I know my family would be twice as devastated if they heard I had lost my life and then had to hear horrible things about me in the same breath.

Therefore, this is just one more reason I’m so glad I’m not a celebrity. To live in the public, where every single aspect  of your daily life is dissected and ripped apart and then to have your death be just as public and speculated upon- that would just be horrible.

God bless the family and friends of Phillip Seymour Hoffman. I pray for your comfort in this time of grief. Rest in peace Mr. Hoffman.

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Okay, here’s The Famous Ashley Grant’s deep thoughts that have bubbled up all month and resulted in this post on this last day of the first month of this new year…

I know I want to be able to help people- truly help people. I want to enjoy my life with my husband. I want to be a traveling writer and photographer. NOTE- I did NOT say a travel writer or a travel photographer. I’ve learned that I don’t want to be a travel writer or travel photographer because I want to actually be able to enjoy the things I see and experience. There IS a difference. Traveling while writing and taking pictures is VERY different from traveling to a place with the sole intention of taking pictures of the place and writing about the place. Sure, I want to do some of that, but my main focus is the writing and taking pictures while traveling…

I also know that I have to make a certain amount of money each month to survive. My struggle as of late has been to combine all my wants into a career that will fulfill each of my wants while also satisfying that bottom line number that I have to meet.

I have felt so lost lately and so frustrated and I’m just not sure what my next step is.

How can I write and take pictures while traveling and make enough money to survive but also help people along the way?

I want to be able to give money to someone in need, buy a cup of coffee for a stranger any time the mood strikes, pay someone’s rent one month that really deserves a break, give a gift card for a mani-pedi to a mom that never takes care of herself, give a massage certificate to a hard worker I know stands on their feet all day…I have a heart filled with the desire to give, but a financial situation causing me to worry more about my own needs than those of others.

I know exactly how much money I need to be making to pay all of my bills on time every month, get myself out of debt and start saving for retirement, but every time I have a moment to myself…my mind wanders to how much I want to give to others. How do I get it all? How do I find a way to give when I keep needing to receive?

I continue to seek my answer…

I just finished a project and while sitting here I had a few things flash through my mind and wanted to share them.

All it takes is a nice gesture to make your day- I chose to get Subway for lunch. I wasn’t in the mood to cook or prepare anything and figured Subway would be a healthy enough option. The guy making my sandwich was nice and told me I looked very pretty today. I’ve never met this man. He just blurted out something sweet and it made me smile. In fact, it made my day! It made me want to compliment someone else and make their day too 🙂

I really enjoy my job- I’ve not had as much work lately as I would like, but the work I do have- I thoroughly enjoy! I love writing and taking pictures so, so, so, sooooo much. I’m so freakin’ grateful for the fact I get to do these things for a living.

I need to do more work- I need to do every single thing that has been assigned to me right away, even if is no where near my deadline. Then, I need to do more work…even things not assigned to me. I need to write more eBooks and blog posts and take more pictures. I’ve said this before, but I realized today just how crucial this is for my happiness! I’m happiest when I’m working on projects. Who knows? I might write an eBook that makes me my first million! 😉

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