8 Must Do's at Animal Kingdom

Ok, I'll admit it. Animal Kingdom used to be my least favorite park (emphasis on the past tense there). I just felt like there wasn't as much there as some of the other parks. I'm still a Magic Kingdom girl through-and-through but Animal Kingdom has definitely grown on me. Maybe it's the fact that I'm a little older, a little wiser, and a lot more observant. 

Animal Kingdom is one of those parks that has so many hidden gems, underrated attractions, & epic photo spots. I used to be able to fly through the park in just a couple of hours, but now, I could probably spend (close to) a full day there if I wanted to - and still probably not see & do everything it has to offer. So that's why I wanted to jump in here & tell you guys the best way (in my opinion) to tour Animal Kingdom & share with you how I spent my day there.

You Stay Weird, Austin: The Good, The Bad, & The Super Weird

"Uh, but Shell? This mural is in Dallas." Yeah I know - hold your cattle. I'm getting to that.

Ok, buckle up because this one is going to be a long one. But there's lots of pictures, so stay with me here. Got your coffee (or beer, or wine)? Alright, good.

So Barry & I had a chance to take a vacation just the two of us while Lilly stayed with grandma & grandpa & got spoiled all week. Since my parents live in Memphis, we needed something within driving distance, so we settled on Austin, TX. We'd never been and I had heard really cool things about the city. Dallas was only about 6(ish) hours from Memphis, so we headed out to make a stopover there for a night first, before continuing on the extra 2 hours down to Austin.

But my mind was blown. Everything I thought I knew about Texas was wrong.

Carbo-loading for Dummies: Bread Service at Sanaa

Animal Kingdom Lodge is one of my favorite Disney resorts for numerous reasons: unique cuisine, stunning architecture & theming, and rooms with a serious view overlooking the African savanna (well, Disney's version of it anyway). Although I've only stayed at AK Lodge once, there is a hidden gem of a restaurant here (or maybe by now, not-so-hidden) that I just had to write about, and that is Sanaa.

Animal Kingdom Lodge is split into 2 sections: the main, larger building, Jambo House, and its smaller counterpart, Kidani Village, which is where Sanaa is located. It can be a bit tricky to get to because of this reason, but luckily our Uber driver knew where she was going and probably understands directional cues like when the GPS says in a polite British accent "turn northwest in a quarter of a mile" (really? Just say left or right at the McDonalds!). 

I desperately wanted to try the Indian-style bread service that I was hearing so much about (Sanaa, you had me at carbs), but had never gotten around to trying it - mostly because my husband wasn't a fan of Boma (the restaurant over at Jambo House. Clearly he didn't fully appreciate the out-of-body experience that is eating a zebra dome), so convincing him to give Sanaa a try was futile. Luckily, my bestie Britney was more than up for the challenge, and had already given me the rundown of her love affair with naan bread. Plus, she was 110% down for Disneybounding with me. We were doing this.

Resting Brunch Face: Wine Bar George Disney Springs Review

*Disclaimer: This post is a collaboration with Wine Bar George. I was hosted in exchange for a full review. All thoughts & honest opinions are my own, based on my experience. 

Disney Springs is one of those places that I always have to make time for when I'm taking a trip to Walt Disney World. There's so much to do there that I could honestly spend an entire day just shopping, eating (& drinking!), and enjoying the various entertainment throughout Disney Springs. But one of the places I had been wanting to try for a while was Wine Bar George.

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to grab some brunch with my friends Kristen & Megan at Wine Bar George. I was really excited the weeks leading up to this because, well, did you hear me say BRUNCH + DISNEY? Basically if you say those words 3 times fast in a mirror, I will appear with mouse ears and a froscato (fro-what?? Keep reading). I'm so here for this.

Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale Hacks

It’s that time of year again: the After Party Sale is upon us! Which also means there are approximately 8.5 million blog posts about how to shop the sale & this year I’m in that bunch! Y’all have probably read most of these tips, but I’m hoping there’s a few in here that you haven’t heard of before. So let’s jump in!