Thursday, November 29, 2012

Dubai, UAE Part I

Hello everyone!

When my husband told me he was going to be traveling to Turkey on business, I begged him for three days to let me tag along. He had to let me go; Istanbul was in our Life magazine as one of the "100 Must See Destinations". Needless to say, he relented and said I could go. Since this was technically a business trip for him, I would be left alone for a good portion of the trip - The solution to that problem was easy; bring my mother. She has been itching to use her passport since I encouraged her to get it last year. She was packed three whole weeks before we were scheduled to leave.

I have so much to share from our trip to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Istanbul from last month, so I've decided to divide it into four parts. So without further ado, here is Part I - Dubai, UAE.

As you will come to find out, my husband is a bit of a hotel snob.  Don't get me wrong, I love a nice hotel too - but the lengths that man will go to in order to find the perfect hotel always amazes me.  He scored once again by finding The Shangri La Hotel in Dubai. 










The beautiful ceiling drapery at the Marrakech Restaurant inside the Shangri La Hotel...



There was construction going on behind this huge sign of yet another skyscraper Dubai-style - go big or go home.




If only public transportation was this nice in Atlanta...


Our first stop was one of the neighborhood Mosques near our hotel.  The detail in these Mosques are breathtaking. The attention to detail in the columns and ceilings is nothing like I've ever seen.





The Heritage Village provides a glimpse into Dubai's traditional culture and lifestyle, including the Emirate's maritime history, pearl diving traditions, and architecture.  Displays include a tented Bedouin village, ancient armory, wooden chests and cooking utensils.  We arrived a little too early; most of the exhibits had not been set up yet, so we bought a few souvenirs from the gift shop and moved on to the next destination.






This was the view we had of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. We were unable to schedule a tour due to our time constraints. The price was about 3 times higher without a reservation.

 We were able to go by the Atlantis Hotel to take pictures, which by the way is so beautiful; but didn't have time to go inside. Oh how I wanted to see the inside of this hotel and aquarium that's located inside and. Did you know that you can even get a room that looks into the aquarium? Go here to see how beautiful this resort is.


Our time in Dubai was not quite long enough. My husband's business meetings ran longer than we expected, which drastically shortened the time we had left for site seeing. And when we discovered Abu Dhabi was only about a 90 minute drive, we decided to spend our last day there.  We will definitely go back to Dubai to do some of the things we didn't get a chance to do this go around - like actually go inside the Burj Khalifa and the Atlantis Hotel.

:: Outfit ::
top: Calvin Klein
bottom: Old Navy Rockstar
shoes: ASOS
bag: Betsy Johnson
accessories: Vince Camuto bracelet, Michael Kors watch and rings
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Tuesday, November 27, 2012

I'm On DailyBuzz Style's Top 9


Remember my 50 Shades of Grey post? 



Well, as I was catching up on my emails over the weekend, I came across an email from DailyBuzz Style informing me I was featured on November 22nd's Top 9 - Meet Our Newest DBS Members!.  Go on over and check out the other new DBS members that were featured - hereThank you DailyBuzz Style for the love, it is an honor!



Thank you all so much for your support!
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Monday, November 26, 2012

Holiday Gift Guide

Christmas is right around the corner, and if you are anything like me, you haven't even started shopping yet. Here are just a few things I wouldn't mind being in my Christmas stocking, and a few things I think the people on my shopping list would like as well.

For Her




I always find it hard to shop for the men in my life. I believe I have picked some a few acceptable 'MEN GIFTS'; however,  I'm not really sure about the tool set.  I think it might be the equivelant of getting a vacuum cleaner or a washing machine and dryer for Christmas...not a good gift at all. What do you think?

For Him

7 - Coach Transatlantic Carryon

What gifts have you bought so far? Do you have anymore ideas? Let me know!


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Outfit: Autumn in Wine Country

Happy Monday everyone! 

Here is more of our wonderful weekend at Chateau Elan. The vineyards put on a brilliant show of color and these pictures don't do it any justice. From bright yellows to vibrant reds to warm oranges, the leaves transformed beautifully, displaying their rich and vibrant hues.














Getting ready for my wine tasting...




I ended up purchasing two bottles, a bottle of Merlot (which is my favorite) and a bottle of Muscadine wine. They are both very delicious! You can order a bottle here if you are interested.

Thank you so much for reading!

:: Outfit ::
Top: The Limited (similar here)
bottom: Express skirt, Spanx tights
shoes: Nine West wedge boots
accessories: Juicy Couture earrings (I took the cherries off),
The Limited necklace (similar here), Vince Camuto bracelet,
Target belt, Michael Kors watch, Betsy Johnson sunnies

Thank you so much for reading!

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Sunday, November 25, 2012

Thanksgiving at Chateau Elan

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Everything I heard about Chateau Elan was true. We had the most wonderful time there. The food was great, the staff was extremely friendly, and the amenities were excellent. 






Is your mouth starting to water yet... know mine is. I think we may try to go back for Christmas.







Sitting outside in the cold by the fireplace was the best. I could have sat out there all night, but the hubby was getting a little sleepy after eating such a hearty meal.



After dinner, we came back to these chocolate covered strawberries on our bed. Now, I don't think that I have ever mentioned that I am not a huge fan of chocolate...I know, I get that all the time. What woman doesn't like chocolate? Me! Don't get me wrong, it's not ALL chocolate. I love brownies, the fudge kind...not the cake-like brownies. I also loathe chocolate ice cream and most candy bars. I can eat Sniker, Butterfinger & Twix bars; but I cannot stomach Hershey Bars/Kisses, Heath Bars, or candy bar that has too much chocolate in it. Oh, and chocolate cake...I can't eat that either. 




 Thank you so much for reading!


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Thursday, November 22, 2012

Thanksgiving Day Sales

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I hope everyone has gotten off to a good start this morning. As you can see, I am lurking online for some amazing deals, because I REFUSE to get out into the 'Black Friday' madness. I participated one year to get my mother a $300 laptop at Wal-Mart, and I vowed never to do it again.  Although I was successful at getting not one, but two of the 20 laptops that location had, I felt like I cheated death running through the doors and down the aisles to the electronics department. There were masses of people running, pushing, and shoving - total chaos. I did feel a little guilty. I mean I didn't camp outside in the cold for hours like some of the other people. I was just a little faster and a little more agile. I was able to  locate the associate that was holding the tickets for the laptop quickly and stick my arm (TWICE) through the crowd of people huddled around the sales associate to grab my tickets - all pure luck. The next day I had a massive crook in my neck that lasted over a week. I don't know if it was from straining to get my arm through the crowd or if I just slept wrong. But I do know if I wasn't out on Black Friday, my neck would have been fine.

Take 40% to 65% off on select new markdowns! No code necessary, prices as marked.
Take an extra 20% off on select sale items! No code necessary, eligible items will be marked and the discount will be automatically applied at check out.
And get free shipping on all orders, no minimum purchase required.** Use code: NMFALL


**all of these would be an additional 20% off**


Take 50% off EVERYTING until noon Friday.** No code needed.



Take an extra 40% off site wide. No code necessary, prices already reflect all discounts. Also take 15% off + get free shipping on all orders of $100+ ** Use code: GIVEANDGET
Leave a comment if you know of any more good sales going on online. 

As always, thank you so much for reading!





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