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Thursday, August 25, 2011

The Sunshine State.

Hello everyone :)
I'm back from vacation, and if you couldn't tell from the title I went to Florida! I usually go on vacation with just my immediate family, but this summer was different because my grandparents joined us. Although the pace of this vacation was more mellow, I definitely enjoyed bonding with them. Here's a little recap of what I did on vacation with some photos. Remember to click the pictures if you want to enlarge the photos or see them in better quality. 

We first flew to Orlando and while I was there I visited Universal Studios, specifically for the Harry Potter theme park, and Animal Kingdom in Disney World. It was so cool to see Hogwarts and Hogsmead come to life. They had shops like the Three Broomsticks, Honeydukes, and Zonko's. I even got to drink butter beer, which tasted like a delicious butter scotch malt slush. But, boy was it expensive at $11.50 for the drink as well as the plastic mug it comes in. I did keep the mug as souvenir though :)  Unfortunately I don't think the $85 for the ticket was completely worth it. The rest of the other areas within the park, like Toon Lagoon or Seuss Landing were pretty mediocre. I'm really glad I got to experience the Wizarding World of Harry Potter though. 

My family and I had a blast at Animal Kingdom! Maybe it's because I'm a sucker for anything Disney, but I enjoyed everything about the park. If you haven't been to Animal Kingdom in Disney World, think of it as an amusement park and a zoo in one! The park itself is beautiful and lush, with it's themed areas entitled Africa, Asia, and Dino USA. Not only do they have really fun rides, but there were also great opportunities to see many different types of animals, like apes and rhinos, in an environment that actually looked like their natural habitat rather than in cages or behind glass! They also have really beautifully performed shows like, Festival of the Lion King and the Finding Nemo Musical.   

I didn't want to bring my DSLR to the amusement parks, so unfortunately I don't have any pictures from these days. Sorry everyone, I didn't want my camera to get stolen or broken :(

We then drove to Fort Meyers and later Bradenton to relax at the beach. I loved the beaches in Florida. The sand was so white, fine and soft. It literally felt like flour between your toes! The water was also nice and warm and there was a huge abundance of seashells.  

 



While in that area we visited the Edison and Ford Winter Estates. This is basically a historical museum that preserved the vacation houses and grounds that Edison and Ford would travel to in the winter to escape the cold and continue their research. There were many exotic plants there, like bamboo which was used for Edison's bulb filaments and rubber tree's used for Ford's tires. Edison's house was so tech savy for time with electric lighting and an intercom system. I bet it would be equivalent to Bill Gates' house now! (Did you know upon entering Bill Gates' house guests wear a pin? This pin helps the room automatically adjust the temperature and lighting when the a guest walks in!)


 




Both my grandma and mom really enjoy growing their own plants, so we went to the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. This Botanical Garden is known for it's wide variety of epiphytes, plants which grow on other plants or objects but are not parasitic. Although I myself do not have a green thumb, I still appreciated the beautiful scenary and I loved taking pictures here.

 





Even though I had fun on the trip, like everyone says, there is no place like home. I'm really glad to be back and away from Florida's humidity! I hope you enjoyed all the pictures :)


Superlove and Sunshine, 
Emily 

P.S. I got pretty tan from this trip! I wonder if you guys will be able to tell in photos :)

Monday, August 15, 2011

Two Decades.

Today was a good day.



Every time my birthday rolls around, I enjoy being able to reflect how much I have grown and matured over the years. More importantly than that, I love recognizing all the people who have constantly been with me along the journey. I am so blessed to have my family and friends who spent this special day with me. And lastly thank you to everyone who enjoys reading my blog and for leaving all the lovely comments. It's been a really great creative outlet for me :) 

Superlove & Red Velvet Cheescakes, 
Emily

P.S. Now it's time for vacation. See you all in 15 days. Expect a lot of pictures :)

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Ombre.

Hello! 
I hope everyone is having a great summer. I can't believe it's already almost mid August! Luckily, us quarter kids don't start till late September, so I still have some time to relax and enjoy the summer sun. To all you semester kids, high schoolers, and everyone already working, good luck on this upcoming school year! Take advantage of this fresh start :)

This summer, I took summer school from late June to end of July, so I've only been home for a little less than two weeks. I've been enjoying being able to catch up with old high school friends and just chill at home with family. Yesterday, I was quite bored and decided to do something spontaneous... so I dyed my hair!  

I've been contemplating Ombre hair for awhile, but I thought it would only look good on girls with lighter hair. However, seeing how great it looked on Ashlee Simpson and Rachel Bilson, I finally decided to go through with it. If you're unfamiliar with what ombre hair is, it's basically when the color of your hair has a gradient effect. It is the most dark at your roots gradually getting lighter till it reaches the tips where it is the lightest. 


 Me being gutsy and honestly semi-broke, I decided to do it myself after watching a lot of youtube tutorials. If you're contemplating doing this yourself, I suggest you watch this one!

I decided to get the L'Oreal Frost and Design in Caramel. This is originally intended as a highlighting kit. I did highlight my hair as well to help the ombre effect blend in my hair, but I mainly used the dye for the ends of my hair. It has lightening properties in it, enabling the dye to lift even darker hair colors.  This dye actually works surprisingly fast, so if you use it I suggest that you check your hair often. My hair became light brown in about 20 minutes! Since I have super dark hair, the lighter parts do seem slightly brassy...nothing a toning shampoo can't fix!
 
After lots of hole poking, aluminum foil ripping, and inhaling disgusting fumes, here are the results: 

Click to enlarge and for better quality pictures. 

 



I know this look isn't for everyone, but I think it's a fun change for now!
What do you guys think? 

Superlove & Endless Summers, 
Emily 

P.S. Even my older brother helped me! Yay for nice siblings :)