Hey everyone! HAPPY FIRST DAY OF FALL! One of the best seasons of the year, in my humble opinion. I am in super fall mode right now, and I can’t wait to do fall activities like apple and pumpkin picking, haunted houses, watch football, Halloween, and simply enjoying pumpkin spice things. So how did I celebrate the first day of fall? Outside obviously!
Ryan and I toured yet another lighthouse (this is something we do often because it’s tons of fun and always beautiful)! This time we went to the Sandy Hook lighthouse which is in New Jersey. The day was absolutely gorgeous, typical fall weather and I was extremely excited that it was cold enough to wear a light jacket! We had a beautiful day and ended the day with spending quality time with family and celebrating life.
I hope you enjoyed this short post, and I promise you there are more fall related posts coming your way! Remember to subscribe for email notifications for when I post new content! Also, please comment down below what you did to celebrate the first day of this fall season.
-Stay Chic,
Stephanie Russell
Hey everyone! As you may know I am about two weeks back from Disney and I honestly wish I could go back. I truly miss it regardless of how home sick I get when I am away. Disney is such a magical place and it makes me feel like a child again. Since I am seriously missing Disney right now I figured I would write an overview of my trip!
Magic Kingdom:
These are my favorite pictures from the three days we spent in Magic Kingdom. It is my second favorite park! The ride I would consider to be my favorite from Magic Kingdom is The Wheel Of Progress. A show that I really enjoyed was the firework show that is in the last to photos.
Hollywood Studios:
These are my favorite photos from Hollywood Studios which so happens to be my favorite park in Disney World. I love so many rides from this park but I think my favorite has to be Tower Of Terror and my favorite show is definitely the Frozen Sing-Along.
Epcot:
These were the pictures I liked the most from Epcot. I had so much fun here doing the Food And Wine Festival. I also love the ride Soaring in Epcot. My favorite drink from Epcot’s festival is the frozen passion fruit martini. I also loved Epcot’s nations firework show!
Animal Kingdom:
The last park is Animal Kingdom, it may not be my favorite park but my ultimate favorite ride is in this park and that was Flight Of Passage in Pandora. I am obsessed with the new Avatar themed park and Disney did an amazing job with it. The ride honestly is so freeing to go on and I can honestly say it’s my favorite ride I’ve EVER been on. I also really enjoy going on the safari ride to see all of the animals.
I hope you enjoyed this blog post overview of my trip to Disney. I can’t wait to be back there as soon a possible! Please remember to subscribe for email notifications for when I post new content. Comment down below what your favorite Disney character is!
-Stay Chic,
Stephanie Russell
Hey everyone! As you may or may not know, I recently just turned 21 and in my post What I Got For My 21st Birthday, I explained that I was blessed enough to get the gift of a Disney trip for my 21st! This of course involved the Disney’s Epcot Food And Wine Festival (since I am now old enough to drink the alcohol being served). I am planning on doing posts on my trip to Disney World and a few other things but I decided today I’d dive into the foodie part of lifestyle blogging and discuss my experience at this food and wine festival in Disney’s Epcot.
(Before we jump into this post I want to explain that I did finish all of the countries!)
First stop Hawai’i! Here we got a Kalua Pork Slider with Sweet and Sour DOLE Pineapple Chutney and Spicy Mayonnaise which I didn’t use the picture for since I had bitten into it before taking the picture! But we also had this orange drink which was the Mai Tai with Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum and DOLE Pineapple Juice. The slider was absolutely amazing and the drink was a tad strong for me but it was good!
Second stop was Australia where I tried the Lamington- Yellow Cake Dipped in Chocolate and Shredded Coconut which was amazing (again I took a bite before I snapped a picture which I didn’t think would do the food justice)! I also had tried the Coopers Brewery Original Pale Ale, this was not my forte since I’m not a big beer drinker.
The next stop was Canada, I didn’t try any drinks here since it was mostly beer. I did get to try the Canadian Cheddar Cheese and Bacon Soup served with a Pretzel Roll which was SO GOOD! I also had the Le Cellier Wild Mushroom Beef Filet Mignon with Truffle-Butter Sauce which was okay but the meat was a little fatty which isn’t something I like when it comes to meats.
We then went to Ireland (where my ancestors are from) and I tried the Warm Irish Cheddar Cheese and Stout Dip with Irish Brown Bread which was really good and even though I’m not a big beer person, the dip was very tasty and rich. I also had the Warm Chocolate Pudding with Irish Cream Liqueur Custard, I thought this would be a hot cup of chocolate pudding (gelatin pudding), but it was actually a cake to my surprise! It tasted very good too, the texture was a little strange but the taste was nothing to complain about. For the drink above I tried the Guinness Baileys Shake, I really liked this but I am not used to drinking alcohol so I felt I would much rather have a virgin of this drink because the taste of alcohol was pretty pronounced in this drink.
We then stopped at France where I had my favorite drink of all! I had the La Passion Martini Slush: Vodka, Grey Goose Le Citron, Cranberry and Passion Fruit Juice. It was the best drink I think I’ve ever had in general, it was so refreshing, especially being in the heat of Florida all day. I also tried the Carbonade de Boeuf, Purée de Pommes de Terre: Beer-braised Beef with Bacon, Onion and Mashed Potatoes which was pretty good but again the beef was fatty which turned me off from finishing the plate. But I also had the Crème Brûlée à la Confiture de Framboises: Crème Brûlée with House-made Raspberry Jam. I’ve actually been to France and the Crème Brûlée there is definitely in a league of its own but I did like the jam that was in the one at Disney. It brought in another layer of flavor that was unexpected but both tastes blended well together.
Ryan and I stopped at Morocco to grab the Kefta Pocket: Seasoned Ground Beef in a Pita Pocket and let me tell you… this was such a delicious food! It almost tasted like a taco but it was bursting with tons of different flavors! 10/10 we both highly recommend trying this!
At Japan I grabbed a Teriyaki Chicken Bun: Steamed bun filled with Chicken, Vegetables and a Sweet Teriyaki Sauce. This was pretty rich in flavor and even Ryan (who is a very picky eater loved this). I have only had teriyaki from hibachi restaurants but this teriyaki chicken beats anything I’ve ever had.
Ryan and I really enjoyed this amazing drink from Italy. The Frozen Margarita with Limoncello and Tequila was so refreshing and it tasted like lemonade. The dangerous thing about this drink is that you can’t taste the alcohol so be careful when drinking these. Otherwise this was my second favorite drink that I had!
We made a pit stop in Spain because I really wanted to try out the Spanish-style Paella with Chorizo and Roasted Chicken. I am actually 5% Spanish originating from Spain and I’ve been curious about the culture and food here. I have to say this dish was one of my favorites, it had a slight kick to it (which is totally up my alley) and it had many layers of flavor and I even made a note to try and make this for myself at home!
Germany! Yet another place where my ancestors are from and a country I’ve actually visited. I was able to try out the Apple Strudel with Vanilla Sauce. I felt that it didn’t taste like much without the vanilla sauce and it was less like an apple pie, which is what I was expecting, but was more of a strong natural apple flavor. I enjoyed it nonetheless but I can’t say it was my favorite.
In China Ryan and I both got something! The whole time we were sharing food and drinks so we would be able to pace ourselves better, not be overly stuffed and to save money. But in China I didn’t want any alcohol so I went with a Tapioca Bubble Tea with Assam Black Tea and Milk and he tried the Kung Fu Punch: Vodka and Triple Sec. The bubble tea was good (I learned that I do not like the jelly “bubbles” at the bottom) and Ryan said that his drink was his favorite out of everything.
In Africa everything seemed to have ingredients I have never heard of before so Ryan and I were skeptical of trying something from here. Especially since we weren’t sure if we were allergic to some of the spices since we’ve never been introduced to them before. We decided to take a leap of faith and tried the Berbere-style Beef Tenderloin Tips with Onions, Jalapeños, Tomato and Pap. This was another favorite food of mine! It was really spicy but it was really tasty, good thing Ryan suggested we get a water because we both definitely needed it after having this!
We made a short stop in India before running to our FastPass+ for the Disney Frozen ride. I decided we should take a break from alcohol and grab a non-alcoholic Mango Lassi. I wasn’t a huge fan of it because it wasn’t a sugary drink, it just tasted like blended mangos to me. But Ryan absolutely loves mangos so he really enjoyed this one.
I was excited for Mexico but I accidentally ordered the wrong drink and I ended up hating the one that I got. I had the Mariachi Loco: Margarita with Libelula Tequila Joven, Mango Purée and Chamoy which was way to strong for me and it was really spicy for some reason and it was literally burning my esophagus lol! So Ryan and I decided to toss it after a few big sips.
Thailand, one of my favorite kinds of foods. Thai food is so amazing and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on something from here. I tried the Marinated Chicken with Peanut Sauce and Stir-fried Vegetables and I 10/10 would recommend this dish. It was absolutely delicious and it was probably my favorite dish from the night.
We stopped at Greece and got some Bougatsa: Warm Phyllo Dough Strudel with Sweet Vanilla Custard, Lemon Honey Syrup and Cinnamon. It was delicious and I wish I could make this at home. It was super sweet and I really enjoyed it (I have a sweet tooth if you couldn’t tell) but even Ryan tried it and he said that it was one of his favorite desserts.
When we stopped at the Islands Of The Caribbean I got a Jerk-spiced Chicken Lollipop with Roasted Sweet Plantain Salad and Mango Chutney Yogurt. I thought this would be a piece of jerk chicken breast on a skewer but it was actually a chicken drumstick. I don’t eat things off of the bone so I was a little freaked out but I toughened up and tried it and the chicken itself wasn’t that bad. I took a few bites but eating off of the bone really got to me and I couldn’t eat anymore. Ryan tried it and immediately threw it away because that taste was apparently not for him.
In New Zealand I had my third ranked favorite drink which was the Frozen Wine Cocktail featuring Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc. I’m telling you all that I am not a big wine drinker but this is the sweetest and most delightful wine I’ve ever had. It wasn’t a super winey taste not was it dry. It was super sweet and Ryan and I were obsessed!
We went to Brazil and I got Ryan and I the Pão de Queijo: Brazilian Cheese Bread. It was really good and the cheese was actually baked into the dough. It was definitely a plainer type of food but I enjoyed it as a snack especially after drinking all day.
The last place we stopped at was Belgium. We had to rush to Belgium and meet my family back at Mexico to see the firework show on the river in Epcot. If you don’t know Epcot, we were across the huge river probably about 2 miles away from my family. We had 10 minutes to run to Belgium to finish up the countries and meet my family back at Mexico. Ryan and I literally grabbed our Belgian Waffle with Warm Chocolate Ganache and Whipped Cream and ran with it all the way back to Mexico. Sadly while we were running the whipped cream flew off of the waffle. But the waffle was okay, it was a tad soggy but it was sitting for a little bit as we were running. So it was definitely a pretty good dessert but I suggest eating it once you get it.
That’s it for all of the countries and I am so happy to have been able to experience this. I am forever thankful to have gotten this as a birthday gift. These memories I’ve made will last me a lifetime and I wouldn’t trade them for the world. I am so happy I got to finish all of the countries it was definitely a great experience and I recommend trying it out if you ever get the chance. I hope you enjoyed this post and remember to subscribe for email notifications for when I post new content. Comment down below what looked the most appetizing to you.
– Stay Chic,
Stephanie Russell
Hey everyone! I am finally on my way home from vacation and it’s bittersweet feeling but I am still glad to go back home. Sometimes I feel, with taking a long vacation you need a vacation from your vacation. I just took some photos while on the plane and in the airport to show my travel trip back home! Please enjoy this post that explains my travels!
Airport 8:45AM- We has a flight at 9:45 and we were running seriously late. We woke up late, still had to clean our room and get ready. We left by 7:00AM but we still had to put gas in the rental car. At this point we leave the gas station by 7:15AM and the airport is still 30-40 minutes away. Once we finally got to the airport we had to return the rental car, which was very far from the airport itself so after we returned it we had to take a shuttle over to the airport which took another 10 minutes. At this point it’s 8:00AM and we still hadn’t gone through security. We waited on a long line and it took us 40 minutes to get through TSA. Thankfully we got to our flight gate only 10 minutes before boarding.
In The Air 10:00AM- We took off at 9:45AM, I kept my eyes closed when we took off because I was trying to go to sleep (since I was currently running on two hours). For some reason I cannot go to sleep on a plane, so I wrote blog posts instead. I was sitting in first class but I wasn’t next to he window. I can’t complain though, it was more roomy than the seats in the back which I sat in on the way to vacation. I made sure to take my picture of the plane window like I do every flight I take!
Landing 11:55AM- We are landing early and I couldn’t be more excited to see Ryan who is waiting for me at the pickup area. As I got off the plane I rushed to the pickup area and saw Ryan. He helped me with my bags and I got to give him a quick hug before being told by the traffic guard we had to move. We jumped in the car and went out to eat at a place we’ve gone on many dates to.
I am super happy to be home and I couldn’t wait to see my puppies and Ryan (who left a little earlier than me)! I hope you enjoyed this homeward bound travel post and remember to subscribe for email notifications for when I post new content!
-Stay Chic,
Stephanie Russell
Hey y’all! I wanted to share the sad fact that yesterday I had my last pool day in paradise. Today I am traveling home to see my puppies and Ryan, since he left a little earlier than I did because he had to get back to work. I was lucky enough to extend my stay a little bit longer than him and enjoy some quality pool and family time. My last pool day was a success but it’s definitely a bittersweet feeling anytime I leave.
This is a boomerang video I took while lounging by the pool for my last day on vacation. I was able to sunbathe, swim with my family and relax. I even went in the hot tub as well! After the pool I finished packing up since we left for my flight at 6am! I am super excited to soon be home to see everyone I missed dearly. I do have a bittersweet feeling since I am leaving vacation, but I do also want to sleep in my own bed in the comfort of my own home with my hunny and my pups next to me.
I hope you enjoyed this post and remember to subscribe for email notifications for when I post new content!
-Stay Chic,
Stephanie Russell
Since I recently was on a plane, I wanted to share the pictures I took and experience I had with my plane ride. This is definitely a plane and travel aesthetic post, so I hope you enjoy the photos I took and feel a little wanderlust while looking at these pictures!
The plane ride was absolutely gorgeous. I love sitting in the window seat because I have an obsession with taking plane pictures. There’s something about flying in the air above the clouds. The sights out of that plane window were so amazing. I also loved that I got to watch sunrise from the plane (top left and bottom right photos).
What was even more amazing about this plane ride was that I was able to sit next to Ryan. I usually don’t sit with Ryan on the plane because we just buy random tickets since it’s cheaper that way. Sometimes I want to sit first class with my family and Ryan wants to get the cheaper ticket so he randomizes his ticket. We only sat together once on the plane before other than this time. But I had a ton of fun sitting with him on the plane and we watched a Billy Joel concert on his phone together!
I hope you enjoyed this post and remember to subscribe for email notifications for when I post new content!
-Stay Chic,
Stephanie Russell
I’m on day three of my vacation and it’s going by way too fast. As I’ve said in previous posts as well as shown in previous posts, I flew here (to paradise) by plane. Since I was going through an airport I wanted to share an airport fashion post! Sometimes, especially if you aren’t a frequent flyer, it’s hard to figure out what you should wear on the plane and to the airport.
I wore a pair of ripped Levi jeans and cuffed the bottom of them. I put on a mauve pink t-shirt and big gray knit sweater from Target and a pair of mauve pink fashion sneakers from JustFab. I threw on my Prada eyeglasses and my sunhat (mostly so it didn’t get squashed in my carry-on bag).
I picked this outfit because airports and airplanes can get seriously cold. Regardless of the weather outside, I’ve noticed that it’s always cold in an airport and in an airplane. I also picked this outfit because I was able to conserve more space by wearing the bulkier clothing items I wanted to bring. I wanted to bring a big sweater, a pair of jeans and sneakers with me but it would take a lot of room up in my carry-on, so I wore it instead. I usually wear fashion sneakers to the airport also because they are easy to slide on and off. This is convenient when you are being rushed while going through TSA checks. This outfit was perfect for the airport.
I hope you enjoyed this post and remember to subscribe for email notifications for when I post new content and comment down below what you think about this outfit!
-Stay Chic,
Stephanie Russell
In light of my vacation, I wanted to do a post on my travel essentials. These are items that I cannot travel without, no matter where I go and what kind of traveling I do I need to have these items with me! They’ve become a travel staple in my life whether it be for a road trip, a boat trip or a plane ride.
My travel essentials include:
• Pair Of Nice Shoes: When you are as spontaneous as I am, it might be a good idea to bring a pair of nice shoes and maybe even a nice outfit just in case you decide to stop at a fancy restaurant or go out!
• Simple Jewelry: I love bringing some simple jewelry because you can pair it with anything you brought with you and make it look more like a dressed up outfit! Simple jewelry can do wonders for a plain outfit.
• Waterproof Mascara: I am a huge fan of swimming while on vacation/traveling. If they have a pool, ocean or spa where I’m going, I will run to the pool before doing anything else. With that being said, waterproof mascara saves me from constantly having running makeup under my eyes!
• Magazine/ Book/ Kindle: Reading is a necessity when I am traveling or on vacation. It helps me relax and enjoy my time whether I’m by the pool on the plane ride there or at the beach. I also feel as if I don’t have much time to read books I want to read being a full time college student, so I take full advantage of any down time I have (like vacation)!
• Sundress: I like to bring at least one sundress because I feel like it’s good to have something to just throw on when you need it. I can’t count how many times a sundress has come in handy, especially for last minute lunch/ dinner plans!
• Headphones: Sadly, I cannot use wired headphones anymore because my iPhone no longer had a headphone jack. But up until recently these have always been a travel essential for me. I definitely need to invest in a pair of Bluetooth headphones so I can finally listen to music on my phone again.
• Sunglasses: I always try and pick a pair of sunglasses that will match almost everything I have outfit wise. Sunglasses are always useful especially when you will be outside walking around! Just make sure the sunglasses have UV protection to keep your eyes safe.
• Cameras: If you know me, you know I am one to document EVERYTHING. I love to make travel video montages and to I also love to display pictures. So bringing a camera or multiple kinds of cameras is a definite necessity.
These are all of my travel essentials. I hope you enjoyed reading this post and remember to subscribe for email notifications for when I post new content. Comment down below what your travel essentials are!
-Stay Chic,
Stephanie Russell
Hey everyone! I really wanted to share some tips and tricks that I’ve learned on how to travel affordably. These can help those looking to take vacations and even road trips for cheaper! So without further ado here are the 10 tips and tricks:
1. Always use a carry-on
Suitcases can be very expensive but carry-on luggage is free! So you can just bring a carry-on to help save some money!
2. Driving is usually cheaper than flying when you have 3+ people
If you are in driving distance, driving usually becomes cheaper than flying when there are 3+ people in the car!
3. Want to travel the world? Use EF Tours
EF Tours is a tour company that makes traveling cheaper. I traveled on a tour with them in Europe and we went to 7 different countries and it only cost $3,500!
4. Use private browsing when looking at plane tickets and prices
The airlines use your phone data to see what dates you are looking up online to fly. They bring up the cost of the flights that you are looking to take so you pay more money. Using a private browser will keep that from happening.
5. Print tickets online before getting to the airport
Some airlines charge you for printing tickets at their kiosk or desk. So beat that fee by printing them at home for free!
6. Use EBATES to book hotels
EBATES is a website/app that allows you to get cash back for shopping, this even works for booking hotels! You can get cash back just for booking your hotel for your trip.
7. Go on a volunteer trip
If you love to volunteer you can go on a trip that allows you to travel for cheap but involves giving back. You have to pay for your travel which is usually cheaper compared to if you were to go on your own, but organizations like Habitat For Humanity, and even some missionary trips pay for room, board and activities!
8. Find out attractions that cost nothing or little to nothing
When you want to go to an attraction you might find that they cost sometimes hundreds to go to. My best advice is to find free or cheap things to do and see. For example, if you go to France you might want to go to their Disney. Disney costs a lot of money but it costs nothing to go to the Eiffel Tower and see it (and doesn’t cost much to walk up the tower)! There are also free walking tours that you can find and take!
9. Cook your food
Going to restaurants can get pricey. If you go to a store and buy quick food and cook it yourself, it will end up being a lot cheaper.
10. Look at prices for travel at least two months before
This is how you can get the best price for a plane ticket. You don’t want to buy a ticket too early or too late because you will end up paying a lot more money for the trip. Plane tickets usually go down in cost– so make sure you are paying attention to the prices.
These are my tips and tricks for affordable traveling! I hope you enjoyed reading this post and remember to subscribe for email notifications for when I post new content! Comment down below your affordable travel tips!
-Stay Chic,
Stephanie Russell
Currently I am packing my carry-on bag to go on vacation. I am so excited to go on vacation I can’t even explain how happy I am that vacation is finally here. I have tons of fun vacation related posts that I will be writing so keep an eye out for them! I wanted to share my carry-on bag with you all and show you the process of me packing my carry-on!
The way I packed my carry-on is by rolling all of the clothes and laying them on the bottom and I put my toiletries and makeup in between my clothing items to help keep everything from breaking. I then add a layer of rolled clothes on top of that and then add my technology and shoes! I put my undergarments and my bathing suits in the front pocket.
This is how I pack my carry-on bag and luckily I am able to fit everything I wanted to bring with me on vacation! I can’t wait to share more vacation related posts with you all! I hope you enjoyed reading this short and sweet post and make sure to comment down below how you pack your carry-on. Remember to subscribe for email notifications for when I post new content!
-Stay Chic,
Stephanie Russell
