On Board for Fun!

So, I promised a short entry about our cruise adventures, and it has been a few weeks already.  I've finally recovered from the post-vacation semi-depression (what do you mean no chocolate buffets, slot machines or cute, animal-shaped towels at home?!) enough to relive some of my favorite travel memories. Here are a few pictures: 



The Bon Voyage Party on our deck. We weren't even out of port yet.
Cruisers waste no time hitting the pool!

The decor theme on the ship was Classical Artists.
There were so many gorgeous murals and art pieces. It felt so formal and decadent.
I loved this err..chandelier.. inspired by my favorite paintings- Van Gogh's Sunflowers.

The port in Montego Bay.
I'm determined to return to Jamaica for much more than 8 hours!
The island is like a dream, and there is so much to see and do.

 

Dolphin Cove in Ocho Rios. We got to swim and kiss the dolphins!
Unfortunately, they wouldn't allow us to take pictures of them.



This house on Grand Cayman Island has maintained its original
integrity through hundreds of years' worth of Caribbean hurricanes!
I was impressed.



I refused to leave the islands without visiting Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville.
I know. How shamelessly tourist-y of me.





In Cozumel, we visited a Mayan ruins site.

This arch represented the 7 levels of entrance into the Heavens.



Each night, the steward left us a little towel animal. So cute and fun!





I think the most important part of any vacation is good company.
I'm glad I got to share this experience with D.
If I got shipwrecked in Jamaica, I'd want it to be with him.
And a pina colada. I'd never complain.

Unfortunately, we lost one of our cameras in the second port. So you're missing out on our waterfall trek at Dunn's River Falls, playing with the stingrays, and hugging the sea turtles. But, trust me, it was awesome.

I'm so glad we chose Carnival.  It is like no other hospitality company I have ever encountered. Our crew was amazing. Service was phenomenal. The food was to die for! It was an amazing experience. If you've never cruised, I suggest you make plans!

Designer is a Girl's Best Friend! [Rent the Runway]

I think most girls fawn over designer dresses at one point or another. There's just something about the shimmer! The feel! The $700 price tag?!  I hate thumbing through the pages of Lucky or Vogue and falling in love with fabulous frocks, only to snap back to the reality that I'm just not quite Lucky enough to be En Vogue.

Unfortunately, as a young professional, my eyes are often bigger than my pocketbook. Isn't life just so unfair?

As I once pleaded with explained to my mother during a pre-prom-night discussion, something about the right dress just changes everything!

 What girl doesn't die for the perfect birthday party dress?



Betsey Johnson's "Evening Gumdrop"
For some reason, I always want to look like a cupcake on my b-day.



 Don't you sometimes just need a dress that makes you feel unstoppable for a girls' night out on the town, like this one by Nicole Miller, aptly named "Make Him Regret It"?

One of my girlfriends just introduced me to a way you can avoid dreaded impulse-debt a'la The Girl in the Green Scarf, and refrain from the shameful act of "keeping the price tags on."

Rent the Runway was created by two fashion-forward Harvard business students with the same affinity for the finer things in style, and the same modest budget as myself. On the website, you can essentially rent designer dresses and accessories for as low as $50 for four days.  It's like having access to your more fashionable, more affluent older sister's closet, without the guilt trips! 

Not only does RTR send you a postage-paid return envelope for your dress, they also send you a back-up size for free, just in case the fit looked different online. Every dress is dry-cleaned between each customer, and is released from the lineup as soon as it shows signs of wear. If you're clumsy cautious like me, you can also purchase a $5 insurance against any rips, tears, or stains.

It is probably more practical to hop over to TJ-Maxx before you hit the club, but I think RTR would be ideal for weddings, work engagements, charity functions, or other special occassions when you want to step up from clearance rack chic.

Sparkle all the way!

The Christmas lights are up at the mall!  The Toys R' Us commercials are in full rotation!  I turned OFF the air-conditioner before bed last night (in Texas!).

The holidays are coming!  I'm planning a holiday cocktail party and I just love getting together with friends and family during the most wonderful time of year! Fashion-wise, I've always felt like Christmas-time inspires me to wrap myself up like a present. Nothing says holiday fun like lots of sparkle and bows. Who doesn't love bows?

Cocktail Dresses by Elie Tahari
Evening Shoes by Nine West

No Problems, Mon!

I haven't posted in a while because I spent last week sailing the high seas with my sweetheart in the comforts of the Carnival Conquest fun ship . It was a fabulous vacation and the most fun, interesting week I've ever spent.

My favorite port by far was Jamaica. The island is more beautiful than anything I've seen on television. It's tropical and marshy, beachy and mountainous all at once.  The best part of Jamaica was the people, though.  Our guides and strangers we encountered along the way were so friendly and the culture is just so laid-back and free-spirited.

 I'm also fascinated by language and by the ways different people use the same language.Our tour guide taught us three common phrases in the Jamaican dialect, English Patois, which combines phrases and words from English, African, and Irish decent.

"Yeah, Mon" is used as any affirmative answer. It's a very wide-used word, and not only in slang. My boyfriend answered an elderly man by addressing him "Yes, sir"  and the man told him that if he really respected him, he'd say "Yeah, Mon" and save the Sirs for America!

"No Problem" is used a lot in making deals and also in answering yes. In Jamaica, there are no problems, only situations!

"Irie" goes behind feeling good or doing alright. It means you are at total peace and feeling good vibes from your day, surroundings, etc.  So when someone asks how you are, you answer "irie."

Just some fun tidbits from my trip! I will post some pictures and more about our adventures later!