SuperStarNat

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We’re looking for a mind at work!

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Wordless Wednesday: Goals Goals, goals, goals, goals, goals (to the tune of Rihanna's Work) Follow my FitGirl Journey on Instagram - @Fitgirl_Superstarnat

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Wordless Wednesday: Flags and Swords Sneak peep to this week's Adventure post. Last week's WW:Blurry.

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If you’ve been following my blog for the last few weeks then you know I’ve been posting about my birthday trip to London. It was my first time abroad. I can only describe it as wanderlust inducing. I arrived back home with an insatiable thirst to continue travelling the world, seeing and being in new places, far away places.

Today’s post will wrap up my London series. Here you will see a few additional photos of specials moments and sights I saw first hand. Have you been to London? Share your favorite places to visit in the comments below.

I’m a huge Harry Potter fan so when I learned that there is an actual Platform 9¾ at the Kings Cross station I knew I had to go see it for myself. What I found was a train station that is up there in uniqueness. I’m certain my pictures don’t do it justice. I simply loved the look and feel of these geometric lines on the ceiling. Made me want to climb them. What do you think?

I’m Team Gryffindor all the way!!! Love this moment so much! Had to wait in line for quite a bit but it was worth it! When in London – Harry Potter is more than a fictional character and magic is real!

Loving everything about this photo!

 Here are some additional sightseeing photos… just ’cause! Enjoy!

Tower Bridge

 I absolutely loved London!!! It was inviting, fun, eye opening and everything I could have asked for.

Want to relive some of my favorite moments? You can, right here.

What are some of your favorite travel moments? Let me know in the comments below.

Additional London Moments If you've been following my blog for the last few weeks then you know I've been posting about my birthday trip to London.

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Wordless Wednesday: Blurry

Sometimes blurriness leads to clarity.

London ~ March 2016

    Other Wordless Wednesdays here, here, here.

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Birthdays are always an occasion for mixed feelings. I love the attention that comes with a legitimate reason to be the center of all the attention. On the other hand birthdays also remind me of where I am on the socially and culturally constructed timeline. Behind much?!

When I turned 30 I decided to travel as part of my annual birth celebration. I went to Disney!!! It was totally worth it! Being a creature that thrives off tradition, this year I had to take off and this time on a plane. It had to be big. It had to be dream fulfilling. My destination? London and Ireland of course. It helps that a friend of mine was living in London at the time but that’s neither here nor there.

I rang in this year’s birthday in the best way I could imagine. Rocking loads of pearls in the London equivalent of a hipster night club. My heart was truly happy. Granted, I only knew a single person there and the rest of my party was made up of brand new friends who I will probably never see again… but hey I live for adventure and that was a grand one!

HEY!!!! It’s my birthday and I’ll wear pearls if I want to!!

  Tequila shots and pints of beer made for a great party! Loads of laughter and sore feet made for a full heart. It was exactly what I needed.

The next day my hostess had the best day planned. Authentic London tea time followed by the best view in town.

On my actual birth day we slowly rolled out of bed and made believe we weren’t nursing slight hangovers. Honestly I think we were more tired from a late night than actually hungover. Of course our slow motion caused us to run behind schedule but we rushed and made it on time. When we arrived at the Hotel Café Royal I felt that I was stepping into the home of a member of the royal family. Wowzers the grandeur. The décor was exquisite. I’m sure I was gawking at the richness of it all.

We checked our coats and made our way to the Oscar Wilde Bar, yes it’s named after Oscar Wilde who was a frequent patron of the venue back in his day. There was an actual maître d’ who wore white gloves and gave an interesting speech on the history of tea time and the tea room. We were seated next to the piano and enjoyed some beautiful melodies played by the pianist. After we placed our tea order they brought out the sandwich platter. Three tiers of delicate finger sandwiches. YUM! I particularly enjoyed the way the tea was served. We each had our own little tea pot with two cups of tea worth in it. The dessert platter was equally as elegant. I made it a point to try every single dessert on that platter… let’s just say that I liked some better than others. We were both surprisingly satisfied by the amount of food we were served. I felt like a princess which was appropriate given the fact that it was my birthday. It was definitely a wonderful experience, one I wouldn’t mind repeating.

                  Following tea time we made our way through the city towards the London Bridge. A few blocks away from the bridge there is a popular skyscraper known for its 360 view of the city. That was our destination, The Shard! This building is home offices but also super posh restaurants and bars all of which have strict dress codes — no exceptions! After riding the elevator up the 32nd floor we walked through the lobby towards the stairs where I first saw the view of London through a glass wall that spanned multiple floors. The whole time we were walking up the flight of stairs to the 33rd floor my eyes were glued to the view. Definitely grateful for railings because I might have walked right off those stairs. On the 33rd floor we were met by a welcoming and gracious hostess who welcomed us to Hutong. Of course there were no tables by the windows but we made the best of it. We ordered drinks and chatted. It was the perfect way to end the day.

Life constantly reminds me that we make our own happiness. We make moments special. Our attitude, perspective and intentional decision to enjoy life actually makes life worth living. That chilly Sunday, all the way in London I was reminded once more.

Look Ma, I survived another year as a single independent woman in a man’s world!

Kudos to you if you read all of the words in this post… I can really ramble on and on.

This is just one of several London posts. Check the others out here, here and here.

Thanks for hanging out. Don’t forget to hit that follow button so you can get notified of new posts.

My London Birthday Birthdays are always an occasion for mixed feelings. I love the attention that comes with a legitimate reason to be the center of all the attention.

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SOMETHING NEW: a short story

SOMETHING NEW: a short story

The first streams of light began to shine through the gray clouds in the distance. The scent of the ocean air tickled my nose. My body felt warm enough under our makeshift blanket. I was grateful I remembered my fuzzy socks to keep my toes warm. We leaned into each other. The exhilaration of something new sending chills up and down my back. I could feel his warm breath against my neck and smiled.

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Here goes! The third and final installment of this London Sights mini series. Check out Part I here and Part II here.

Picking up right where we left off, our…

9th Stop: Gabriel’s Wharf

This was a great outdoor area with boutiques and eateries. You could find a huge variety of items here from salt scrubs and hand soups to winter hats and fasteners. It was super inviting and family friendly. I was able to snap a photo of some wall art I spotted next to one of the stores.

10th Stop: Oxo Tower Wharf

As we continued our walk we came to the Oxo Tower which is an 8 story building with a large tower on top. Directly behind the building is The Bargehouse Art Gallery and I thought the building’s bricks were a perfect backdrop for a photoshoot.

let’s city frolic

11th Stop: Blackfriars Bridge

Don’t judge me. I am not a photographer even though sometimes I make believe that I am. We were crossing on the walkway beneath the bridge and I thought it was so industrial looking. It reminded me of engineering geniuses so I took a photo.

Here… look for yourself.

12th Stop: Tate Modern – Museum

From the court yard outside Tate.

I love museums. I love them so much I could probably live in one. To be surrounded by works of art. By moving, thought provoking pieces from someone’s heart or imagination. It’s a romantic thought isn’t it… to live in a museum. Tate Modern was full of large scale installations and that made me, “Hmmm”. I’m glad we ventured in from the cold and looked at art. Art always makes me feel warm inside even if my fingers are frozen popsicles.

As we left the museum we walked across the Millennium Bridge. As we got closer to the other side of the bank we had perfect view of the St. Paul’s Cathedral.

13th Stop: St. Paul’s Cathedral

One word. WOW! I had never in my life seen a church as royal as St. Paul’s Cathedral. I didn’t take any pictures from the inside. I assure you there was a lot of gold in that sanctuary. It was simply beautiful. I did take a few from the outside. Everything about this structure drew me in.

Soon we had to reluctantly move on leaving the most majestic cathedral I’ve ever seen behind us. We walked along Ludgate Hill which turned into Fleet Street and continued onto Strand. All the while we marveled at the difference in architecture and history between South Florida and London. We saw a number of smaller churches all of which were historically magnificent. We also saw a number of statues and memorials. Here is a picture from that portion of the walk.

St. Clement Danes in the background.

14th Stop: The Royal Courts of Justice

I am adding this as a stop because well just look at the details in this building. Seriously, I could have spent my entire trip looking at buildings and enjoying the craftsman ship and detail that I don’t get to see on a regular basis. I mean can we bring some of this style back?!

Our last and the 15th Stop: Somerset House

We walked in under arched entrance not know what to expect. I vaguely remember thinking it might be a gallery or another museum. What we discovered behind the stonewall entrance completely caught me off guard and by surprise. What seemed like a large building turned out to be an extremely large open aired courtyard.

It made me so happy inside. It was cold out that day and there were still so many people milling around. Later I looked it up and learned that they have fountains in the ground that serve as a water park for children, and well I suppose fun loving adults, in the warmer months. We walked the length of the courtyard to the far building in the middle and found that on the other side of it was the river! There were table out there and people drinking coffee, smoking, talking and laughing with the view of the river behind them. I tell you London did not disappoint with all of these fun findings. I also made a friend that day. On the backside of the building I spotted the most ghostly yet angelic beauty ever. Again don’t judge as I confess that I actually spoke to her. She looked so lonely, forgotten and neglected. My heart hurt a bit to see her in the state she was in but the original beauty never left her. I still ponder on all of the moments she has witnessed perched up there on the side of that building. How many secrets she holds and will never tell.

Have you ever seen anything that reminded you of another time long before your own? A piece of art that spoke to you in the depths of your soul? Is this a corny question because this siren spoke to me, moved me maybe even changed me a little.

I think that’s a benefit of traveling. You get to experience, see, hear, smell, touch and feel that which once was far away and just a dream or thought.

Where have you been? Where do you want to go next? Share with me in the comments below.

London Sights Part III Here goes! The third and final installment of this London Sights mini series. Check out Part I…

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London Sights Part II

London Sights Part II

I couldn’t get enough of London which is probably why my London adventure can’t fit in just one post, hence Part II. Check out Part I here. I honestly don’t know how many posts there will be about my birthday travels. They were epic and I can’t seem to stop dreaming of far away lands.

Last week we paused towards the beginning of our stroll on The Queen’s Walk. Oh the treasures we found along this…

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London. Sweet, polite London. You have stolen a piece of my heart. I dare say there is no way of getting it back. No way at all, ‘cept maybe going back and staying awhile.

The first thing I said when I arrived in Miami and walked off the plane was, “I’m getting back on… take me back, please!”

My London holiday was by far one of the best experiences of my life. I’m excited to finally share those special memories with you!

Over the next few weeks I will be taking you through my London and Ireland adventures. I hope you can all join me on this special journey. I did my research or so I thought. I spent hours upon hours pouring over the map of London on Google Maps in an attempt to prep for my first visit overseas. I starred all of the places I wanted to see/visit, all of the sights I wanted to take in. Lucky for me my dear Colombian friend Maria had been living in London for several months. She had a great grasp of the city, knew the tube really well and knew all the right spots a newbie like me would appreciate. Lucky for both of us our walks around town led us to discover nooks and crannies even she hadn’t encountered before then. In the next few posts I want to take you through the itinerary of our London sightseeing adventure.

March 12th, 2016

1st Stop: Westminster Station (Circle, District, Jubilee)

Once you step out into the sunlight, if you are as fortunate as I was to have 6 days of sunshine in the middle of March, the first thing you’ll see is Big Ben!

2nd Stop: Big Ben

It truly was bright that day. I was greatly regretting having left my sunglasses. There isn’t much that needs to be said about Big Ben. It’s a massive clock tower and tourists flock to see it first hand. A couple more Big Ben photos because why not. :)

3rd Stop: Westminster Bridge

Bridges are a big deal in London. I’m sure you’ve heard the nursery rhyme London Bridge is Falling Down. This is one of the many bridges that crosses over the Thames River. Also a great spot to catch local artists doing their thing. On this trip over the bridge we were serenaded by a bagpiper.

The view from Westmintser Bridge

Please excuse my eye… remember it was was a super bright day.

The view from Westmintser Bridge

4th Stop: The London Eye

Ok so the line was long. The fare was a bit pricey. We didn’t go on it. I suppose that as a tourist it was my duty to ride the large Ferris wheel but I was told by a good source that the view isn’t that great and that I could get a better view from The Shard (will mention in a later post) for free. So here are some pics of The London Eye from the ground.

From the Westminster Bridge

From beneath it

At the end of the bridge you make a left, walk down some steps and you find yourself on The Queen’s Walk. To the right is that great big beautiful building you see next to the London Eye in the photo above. A bunch of different things call this building home: Objective Productions, The London Marriot Hotel, Shrek Adventures, Merlin Entertainments, SEA LIFE London Aquarium, The London Dungeons, County Hall, plus a number of shops, cafes and eateries.

5th Stop: The Queen’s Walk

This is such a gorgeous waterfront walking path. You get to enjoy the Thames River on the left and the Jubilee Gardens on the right. It was such great weather that the walk and gardens were crowded with people of all ages. I loved seeing families enjoying the good weather along side tourists from literally all over the world. It’s a great place to people watch. I spotted some more street performs.

  Our stroll along The Queen’s Walk was just the beginning of our adventure! There’s still so much to see. Many more moments to store up as treasured memories.

Come back next week for a continuation of my London Sightseeing Itinerary.

What’s your favorite part of London town? Have you been to any of the places I mentioned in today’s post? Share in the comments below.

For additional adventure posts click here, here or here.

London Sights Part I London. Sweet, polite London. You have stolen a piece of my heart. I dare say there is no way of getting it back.

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Have you been thinking of visiting St. Augustine, FL?

It’s an enchanting place. Filled with history, good eats and tons of tours.

Here are a few tids and bits I’ve been meaning to share. I hope it’s helpful.

1. Purchase a 1 or 2 day tour with the Old Town Trolley Tours company and you’ll get a free shuttle into the city from your hotel.

The shuttle is an air conditioned bus! This is awesome considering how hot it can be even in early spring. This was a great way to get into the city without having to drive and look and pay for parking. They picked us up right at the hotel entrance and dropped us off right in the heart of the city where we proceeded to jump on the trolley pictured below. After we road the trolley around town we caught the shuttle back to our hotel to rest and freshen up.

Taking the trolley is a great way to see the city. They tell you about the history and give you great recommendations for additional activities to get into. Plus its a hop-on-hop-off trolley so you can ride the whole loop or get on and off at the attractions you are most interested in. Only thing is make sure you start the day early as the last ride back to the hotel is around 4:30pm

2. Metered parking in the city is free after 9-5 office hours!

Who wants to pay for parking? I know I don’t!

After having taken the trolley shuttle back to the hotel we decided to drive back into the city. It can be tricky to find parking, fortunately we got pretty lucky and found parking at the Castillo parking lot both nights. This lot is in a pretty central location with reasonable walking distance from all the restaurants and other night life venues.

3. Hit up Rita’s Italian Ice!

I promise you’ll want to thank me for it! It’s not your everyday ice cream place. The selection is a bit different but it’s definitely delicious especially on a hot day!!! It’s outside of the city on Anastasia Island but it’s not a far drive.

Photo Cred: @camid23

Here’s the address: 380 A1A Beach Blvd, St Augustine, FL 32080

4. Hit up brunch at Hoptinger!

The girls and I love brunch and for good reason – bottomless drinks! Plus who doesn’t like a lil’ bit of champagne with their meal?! On our first night there we drove by this hip looking spot which intrigued us. Of course we had to look it up and found out that they served brunch. So on our last day in town we stopped for brunch before hitting the road.

Best. Decision. Ever!

It was so delish! The ambiance was perfect: inviting, casual and relaxed. The live music was charming with a great sing-along selection that had us humming, swaying and joining in as a chorus the whole time we were there. My favorite part was the food and drinks of course. My breakfast sandwich croissant had French fries in it! Say what?!?! Everything, and I mean everything is better with fries. There was another dish which was basically loaded breakfast fries with scrambled eyes and bacon! YES, please!!! Regardless of what you order to eat if you are a beer drinker like me, you will need to try the Beermosa!! I had never heard of this before and now that I’ve experienced it, it’s the only way I want my beer. JK… but only a lil’ bit. Beermosa = Blue Moon with Orange Juice!!! If you try it you have to let me know! You’ll love it I promise!

Here are a couple of pics.

Here’s the address: 200 Anastasia Blvd, St Augustine, FL 32080

Have you been to St. Augustine? Any additional tips for travels going there to visit? Any favorite brunch spots in St. Augustine? Leave them in the comments below. I would love to connect over travel talk!

Want to read more on my St. Augustine adventures? Check out this post and this post. Also keep an eye out for some upcoming London/Ireland posts. :)

Getting Around St. Augustine & More Have you been thinking of visiting St. Augustine, FL? It's an enchanting place. Filled with history, good eats and tons of tours.

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Lighthouses

    It’s not a stretch for me to say that I love lighthouses.

Don’t even ask me why because I don’t have a concrete answer. I just know that I love them. Maybe it’s the hope they stand for. Maybe it’s the way they are designed to stand high above the rest of us and shine their light into the dark. Maybe it’s just the allure of times gone by that make them appear so romantic. Or maybe it’s that…

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Recently I spent the weekend with a couple of my favorite gals celebrating 10 years of sisterhood. We chose St. Augustine for our quiet and relaxing weekend. In this post I will share a few of the things I loved.

Things I Loved

I bet you had no idea that St. Augustine could easily be considered a college town. Trust me I didn’t even know there was a college there. Flagler College to be exact. The coolest part is that the school was originally a hotel. It’s quite beautiful. Here’s a picture of the entrance with Mr. Flagler himself located on King St. between Sevilla St. and Cordova St.

The architecture in St. Augustine is one of the reasons why I love this old place. The buildings are truly beautiful. They transport you to a different time period. An era of corsets and hoop dresses in the middle of summer. A time of lemonade on the veranda and hotels without AC. I am definitely glad that I can admire the beauty of the structures without having to endure the St. Augustine summers of the late 18th Century.

The entrance to the Fountain of Youth is another St. Augustine treasure that I love. I mean just check out these pictures of the street where the Fountain of Youth is located. Magnolia Ave has some gorgeous trees. The lighting at dusk was simply perfect.

Magnolia Ave North

Magnolia Ave South

The signage for the main attraction, in today’s lingo, is “LIT”! At least the sign on Marcos Ave is. I also think its pretty cool that the Fountain of Youth is literally located in a residential neighborhood. We were truly standing outside people’s homes trying to take these photos. They didn’t seem to mind.

San Marco Ave and Ballard Ave

Magnolia Ave and Ballard Ave

Who can resist a Carousel? I kow I can’t! Which is why the St. Augustine Carousel makes it onto my list of things I love in St. Augustine. Call me a child, I don’t care! I just love carousels. They are whimsical! Magical really! They make my eyes sparkle and paint a permanent smile between my chubby cheeks. Just look at the sheer joy on my face in these pics.

Now I couldn’t end this post about places I love to see in St. Augustine without mentioning the fort or castillo. It’s official name is Castillo de San Marcos and I loved it! I especially enjoyed exploring and taking photos of it after dark. Here are a few photos of the castillo.

Trust me there are so many more places that I loved and would have liked to share. Sadly I didn’t get pictures of all the enchantment. You will just have to go visit for yourself!

However, there will be a couple more posts to follow. I’ll be sharing some secrets I learned on my trip as well as my lighthouse experience.

Have you been? What’s your favorite part of the oldest city in Florida? Comment below.

  St. Augustine Moments Recently I spent the weekend with a couple of my favorite gals celebrating 10 years of sisterhood.

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FREEDOM: a short story

FREEDOM: a short story

Hello my lovelies!!! It’s been way too long since I’ve posted. I apologize for my absence. Trust me, it’s been an interesting few weeks or actually couple of months.  I needed the break. I was feeling guilty and a bit neglectful of my blog and readers so the other day I just had to pen some lines. The urge to write struck. I hope you enjoy the short, short story I wrote. Please feel free to leave…

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pride and prejudice according to the lizzie bennet diaries

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This is life!!!!

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okay but listen all I really want from life is to marry a rich, hot, shy man (who is so deeply in love with me that he paid his worst enemy a ton of money to marry my annoying little sister) and then go sit by his lake and make out while 'Mrs Darcy' plays in the background

don’t we all? #lifegoals

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A girl can dream!