January 10th, 2018 My brothers, Ryan and I all traveled to Miami to visit the famous Museum of Ice cream! Okay so let’s first start with what I did not like about this place! We first encountered a rude employee who told us to go walk 4 blocks away to a Starbucks until our time came which was in 30 minutes and she did not even let Ryan use the bathroom even though we had tickets to this event and the bathrooms were right behind her. The lighting sucked in all the rooms. It was not worth the $45 for the experience. DO NOT GET ME WRONG I HAD A BLAST but if I am going to be honest I wiSh there were more rooms, more ice cream and a more upbeat friendly environment throughout the whole museum.
In some rooms they served Ice cream!!! WHO DOESN’T LOVE ICE CREAM!!! In this room they had Chocolate ice cream with Pink whip cream and a PINK cherry!!! I kinda question if a pink cherry is good or not for you but YOLO! Deff my favorite Free ice cream in the whole place!
In another room, they had a room filled with Ice cream windmills! In this room the employee was very entertaining and dancing the “Ice cream” Dance!!!
We of course had to take a pic on the Banana swing! This room also had a cherry swing which kinda reminded me of Miley Cyrus!
“I CAME IN LIKE A WRECKING BALL!!!!”
In other rooms we got Melted Ice cream which LITERALLY brought back childhood memories of the ice cream machines you would get at like Toys R Us to make at home ice cream! YUM! Frozen Chocolate bananas, and Key Lime Pie ice cream were also served for free!
We can not forget the famous sprinkle pool! I did not know the city was actually fined for getting the plastic sprinkles into the city water and potentially harming animals until I got home from the event or else I would of not had gone in as the Sprinkles really do follow you home! You get like 3 minutes in the sprinkle pool to take as many photos as you possible can and are timed by an employee who is literally counted out loud and not to mention was sweeping behind the pool too so like you could not get the perfect picture during the anxious count down! Thankfully, I was able to capture this photo as soon as we jumped in!!!
Over all I am just always happy to spend time with my family!
If you are looking to go to this Museum, I say if you have the money deff go and have fun! However, we were a little disappointed with the cast members, lighting and the limited amount of ice cream for the money we paid!
Last month my family and I went on a Royal Caribbean Cruise and the first stop was Nassau, Bahamas! So since we visited the Bahamas through a cruise that meant we only had less than a day to explore the island. My family and I decided to take a Taxi to the world Famous Atlantis Resort!
Atlantis Resort
As soon as you got off the boat, as per usual when you go on a cruise, all the excursion companies and all the taxis drivers get all in your face!
Where all the businesses and taxis driver hung out.
There is also usually loads of shops where residents of the island make homemade souvenirs and sell food/water. Before we got in our taxis we bought loads of $1 water from one of the shops outside, as that was probably the cheapest water we would find on the island.
Shops outside the boat on the port of Nassau, Bahamas
So after we bought water, we loaded up a taxis bus and drove to Atlantis resort! Also, since we were on an island they do not drive on the same side of the road like we do in the States, which made things SUPER SCARY. So we arrived to Atlantis and we had to pay for a day pass which allows you to just walk around the aquarium, beach and Resorts of Atlantis. The pass cost around $42. We received our wrist bands and we entered the resort, where the first thing you saw was a huge ROLEX store… I guess when you go to the Bahamas you go for some ICE ha ha ha (am I funny I think not lol.) My family and I decided to make our first stop in the Casino! In the United States you have to be 21 to Gamble but since the Bahamas is not part of the USA you are legal at 18! So we all played, I lost all my money (Don’t worry, I won back my money on the cruise ship.) Jovani and Ryan won money on the Wheel of Fortune machine, LUCKY!!!
Jovani after he won on this Machine.
After we played all our money. We decided to walk around the water park area. Which was not included in our day pass but no one stopped us haha. So we walked around and honestly… I was so disappointed when I saw the slide that you see in EVERY ATLANTIS COMMERCIAL!!! It’s literally such a small drop and they make it seem like you are falling from space on TV!!! I WAS LIKE…ARE WE IN THE RIGHT PLACE…? After being disappointed, we decided to go to the Atlantis Aquarium!
The aquarium at Atlantis
The aquarium had all the fish you would normally see at an aquarium. I would say the displays around the aquarium were super cool to see though! After the aquarium we just walked to the resorts private beach and walked across a rope bridge that dangles above HAMMER HEAD SHARKS!!! So then we finished up everything we could do with our Day pass, so we went back to the port but before we got back on the boat we went to a bar since again we were all LEGAL!!! We went to a bar called Twisted Lime and we all had our first family drink together!!! We drank BAHAMA MAMAS!!! WHICH HAS OVER 4!!!REPEAT 4!!! DIFFERENT LIQUORS IN IT!!! WHICH ALSO MEANS WE WERE ALL TIPSY L O L (besides Julian my little brother who was in my opinion being a hard ass.)
BAHAMA MAMA!!!
So then as you could imagine any semi drunk or “tipsy” person, we were all laughing, singing and SMILING WAY TO MUCH ON OUR WAY BACK TO THE BOAT. We then got on the boat, ate lunch and crashed for a few hours. Bahamas was short but a short good time!
I went on a last minute 2 and a half week trip to Houston, Texas and here is everything I did and suggest you to do as well!
WHAT TO DO AND EAT IN HOUSTON, TEXAS
We flew to Houston, using the airline Southwest and arrive to the city early morning. We booked an AirBNB to stay in for the first 2 nights of our 2 week stay. We stayed by Rice University and after the two days we moved to the Galleria area and stayed at the Derek Hotel for the rest of our stay. While we were in Houston we were able to attend a family friend’s Dulce and Wedding. Houston is the perfect place who can literally shop till they drop as there is lots of shops to go to.
WHERE TO EAT:
SWEET PARIS WAS HONESTLY THE BEST CAFE I HAVE EVER BEEN TO IN MY LIFE. It was so good we made sure to go twice before we left to come back to Florida. They had the BEST Nutella Hot Chocolate! I also ordered The Waffle with Nutella, Chocolate and Strawberries. Ryan ordered the Crepe with Nutella, Strawberry and Bananas. I would suggest going to Sweet Paris on a week day or early morning as there is limited seating and long lines. When you walk into the Cafe you can grab a menu and choose from any of their crepes and waffles or make your own. You will not regret going to this sweet place!
Le Peep was walking distance from the hotel Derek and it is a cute little mom and pop looking brunch place. We ordered the LumberJack Breakfast and it came with 2 eggs, 2 sausages or bacon, LOTS of potatoes, and 2 pancakes. We got 2 blueberry pancakes for a few cents more. My boyfriend and I spilt the meal and it filled us up! We loved this place, it really makes you feel like you are at home away from home. We also had the nicest and quickest waiter as well! I almost forgot to mention our bill only came out to $14.75!!! IT IS SO CHEAP AND DELICIOUS!
SPRINKLES CUPCAKE sprinkles offers an indoor shop with a selection of cupcakes, cakes and other desserts. However, the COOLEST part about Sprinkles Cupcakes is the outside vending machine on the back side of the store. You can order up to 4 cupcakes and it comes out with each cupcake individually packages and ready to go! It is so convenient for the on the go Houston, travelers who just need some sugar.
My mom and I also stopped into a nice Italian restaurant that was literally in front of our Hotel. Grotto Ristorante was a super romantic date night restaurant. My mom and I sat night to an open fire and a lit Christmas Tree. We ordered the Raviolis and a Triple chocolate for dessert!
Other food suggestions:
EMPIRE CAFE- Cafe of Drinks, Sandwiches and Desserts
PF CHANGS- Chinese Food
SMASH BURGER- Burgers and Fries.
FIT FUEL – Energy Food, Smoothie Bowls and Protein meals.
WHAT TO DO IN HOUSTON, TEXAS
Visit the WaterWall by the Galleria Mall! This wall is perfect if you want to take a cute Instagram picture, pop a question or want to see something new. I will say it is a little cold being by the water but is totally worth a visit.
Visit Discovery Green Park, this park is FILLED with Instagram background walls, Ice Skating Rink and a foot court.
VISIT SKY HIGH SPORTS this trampoline park will make anyone a tired happy person. It has a foam pit, dodge ball court and trampoline walls.
If you will be in Houston during the winter season, I would highly suggest going to theHouston Zoo to see their christmas lights. It takes about an hour to 2 hours to walk around the whole zoo and walk and see all the Christmas lights and decorations. No animals are outside besides Giraffes, sadly, but the lights make up for it! I would also suggest purchasing your ticket online as the wait in line was about an hour wait. Also, on the first Tuesday afternoon of every month the zoo admission is FREE.
VISIT THE HOUSTON DOWNTOWN AQUARIUM, the aquarium also has rides, tigers and stingray feeding and petting station. It is perfect for a cute date downtown or fun for the family.
Visit the 3 story Galleria Mall, you may need a few hours and get a little lost but this mall is perfect for the person who loves to shop.
ABOUT OUR HOTEL:
We stayed in the hotel calledHotel Derek. This hotel is super close to restaurants, Galleria mall, Target and a little shopping center that has an IPIC, HORSE CARRIAGE RIDES THAT ARE FREE, AND GELATO! The hotel also has elevators that require a key to enter all floors for safety. They have a super cute outdoor pool and bar. A fully equipped gym with color water bottles. Starbucks and a restaurant downstairs and friendly customer service. The room were also a good size for a family of 4-5 as next to all windows is a twin size couch. The hotel will be linked and can be food by clicking the bold Hotel Derek above.
Photo courtesy of Hipmunk.
Thank you for reading and I hope this helps you with your trip to Houston, Texas.
I faced my fears to inspire others! Read my blog to find out how my experience with SKYDIVING went!!!!
DANGER!!!
If you asked me a year ago if I would go skydiving I probably would’ve said Heck no! But Let’s go back in time. When I was around 14 years old, my Dad brought up the idea of going skydiving for my 16th birthday and his 40th birthday. At the time I was like YES, YOLO! LET’S GO! Then I thought to myself “shit, what if I die?” Then I began to think stuff like “What if the plane falls from the sky, what if I die from natural causes on a plane, what if the plane crashes”, and way more other stuff. I then took a flight to NYC and that flight was my first time EVER! Having an anxiety attack on an airplane… it was so weird… Like I knew it was anxiety because I have had attacks before, but I lost feeling in my body, I could not breath, I went numb in my lips and hands/feet and I could not concentrate or think. I was panicking. I thought I was going to DIE!!! I remember my dad telling me to breath in a bag. After that flight I told myself I WOULD NEVER EVER EVER GET ON ANOTHER AIRPLANE EVER AGAIN!!! My parents knew this was serious that I became fearful of something I used to do.. Like this was not my first flight why did I panic??? So I went to a therapist! In Therapy, I learned how to stay calm, control my breathing and to distract myself. My lady would put calming music on and read out step by step the experience of getting on an airplane and being on airplane… for example, “You are entering the airplane, the door has closed, seatbelt sign on, takeoff.” This helped me a lot to realize that the only way to really get over my “fear” is to do it. So June 2016, I took my first flight in years… Ryan and I went to Maine with his family!!! I did it!!! After that I went to California, then Europe and so many other places!!! LIKE WHAT HOW! Anyways back to skydiving… the day that we finally decided to go skydiving was September 12th, 2017.
FAMILY PHOTO BEFORE THE JUMP!
I was scared but SUPER EXCITED! Super excited because I knew how far I have come and no matter what I will always know that I did it! So the day of, we drove about 2 hours to Clewiston, Florida. It was my brothers, dad and I who were jumping. We arrived to Spaceland Skydive and I was like crap but at the same time I feel like I was completely numb from feeling any type of emotion. So when we got there, we had to sign contracts stating you would not sue for the 100 reasons they listed for you to sign off. You then had to watch a video that said something could go wrong and they were not liable. You then went outside and met the person who will be attached to you and will be jumping out of the plane with you.
BEFORE WE GOT ON THE AIRPLANE!!!
My guy was super cool and nice, which gave me a sign of relief because I was super scared I would get a cocky jerk who would spark my anxiety. So i’m putting on my suit and I am thinking shit am I really doing this? And I was also thinking, WOW I look good in this suit, WE LOOKED LIKE POWER RANGERS!!!
MY BEFORE I JUMP PHOTO!
I was the green ranger, Jovani was the red ranger and Julian was black!!! Haha I am a dork… I know. Anyways, so the Jumpers also have cameras that video taped us the whole time and so they were getting our reactions for before we got on the airplane and at the time, like I said, I WAS SO EXCITED!!! I was all like yayaya let’s go!!!! YOLO!!! Then the plane got here…
GETTING ON THE AIRPLANE!!!
you can hear the propellers running super LOUD! It’s like errrrrrrrrrrr….. And you hear the Jumpers yell, ALRIGHT READY LET’S GO!!! So they also said because Julian paid to have a camera person jump he had to jump first, which I was like man I wanted to be first because It was less time for me to get nervous lol Instead I went second. So we loaded up the plane…
I AM NOT CRYING FACE!
I remember getting in, the Jumper strap us up in the plane and clips you to the plane because they fly with the door open. Everyone including myself is wearing an altitude watch which measures how high you are in the sky, we were jumping 14,000 feet so the watch had to go around 2 times. So we are on this plane and it starts to FREAKING MOVE… of course I am like yayayayay and I am laughing and having fun.
SCARED BUT EXCITED FACE
The plane even had a “No farting sign” lol Then I look over and see Julian, he looked like he was going to poop his pants. He did not want to go first. At this time, The plane keep getting higher and higher and at one point, one of the jumpers opened the door that we jump out of and scared the hell out of Julian and I!!! Julian even grabbed the wall with fear, but we still had like 5,000 more feet to go… this is when I realize “OMG I AM JUMPING OUT OF THIS PLANE” I stopped breathing for a second caught my breath and showed no fear because it can kiss my ass.
I AM READY!
Then it was time, Julian jumped first… it looked like a cartoon, you jump and become a little ant in the sky. After Julian, was me… My jumper picked me up, walked me to the door and IT WAS MY TIME TO SHINE. We stood sideways and we shook our hips side to side and said 1, 2… JUMP…!!! And I WAS IN THE SKY!!! I COULD HEAR MY DAD AND JOVANI SCREAMING… I WAS FLYING…
WHAT A BEAUTIFUL WORLD
It felt so cold and it literally felt like you were floating… I was so like omg I can not stop smiling, but how do I breath with all this air blowing in my face.
I AM FREEEEEEEE, FREE FALLING….. YAY
I WAS SO OVER THE MOON HAPPY THOUGH, LIKE, I FLIPPING DID IT, I WAS SKYDIVING!!! I then felt so sick to my stomach, we pulled the parachute to open and we floated our way down… the world NEVER LOOKED MORE BEAUTIFUL!!! I still felt super sick and thought I was going to puke mid air, which is normal because of adrenaline… so my jumper took it smooth and we did some spins in the air and we were on the ground in minutes. I landed 3rd out of the 4 of us because I was so light haha but we landed and
WHEN I FINALLY LANDED!!!
I WAS NEVER MORE HAPPY!!! LIKE I WENT FROM BEING SCARED OF FLYING TO FLYING IN A SMALL AIRPLANE AND JUST JUMPING!!! OUT. OF. IT!!! LIKE WHAT??? I reunited with my family and could just hear Ryan and my mom screaming of joy that we made it and how proud they were. Like I was never more proud of myself… ever. You can LITERALLY DO ANYTHING YOU SET YOUR MIND TOO!!!! When I realized that I started living… so live your life and do new things! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed!
Before we got in our taxis we bought loads of $1 water from one of the shops outside, as that was probably the cheapest water we would find on the island.
I still felt super sick and thought I was going to puke mid air, which is normal because of adrenaline… so my jumper took it smooth and we did some spins in the air and we were on the ground in minutes. I landed 3rd out of the 4 of us because I was so light haha but we landed and
Andrea M Jara 