Wild Africa Trek: Disney's Animal Kingdom

Hey everyone!

So today I got to spend the day with my mom doing one of the coolest things we've ever done, and that's saying a lot because we have done some pretty cool stuff. On her bucket list is to do a real African safari, but I couldn't quite squeeze that in the yearly budget, so instead for Christmas I got her and I tickets to go to Disney's Wild Africa Trek at the Animal Kingdom. We had a BLAST! It was one of the coolest experiences I have ever had at Disney and definitely a one of a kind experience. We got to learn a lot about the animals and got up close and personal with many different kinds of animals as well. One cool thing about this tour, they let you take your camera AND they take a ton of pictures of you and the others FOR FREE. Yes FREE. You have the rigths to the pictures and everything. Also part of your ticket is a donation to animal conservation funds that Disney is supporting right now. It was a 3 hour tour (yes many Gilligan's Island jokes were made). Such a cool experience. Watch the video I uploaded to get a peek at what we did!

http://youtu.be/mEZgnSkR0r4

If you are thinking about a cool anniversary/birthday/Christmas gift for someone you know who loves animals: do this tour! It is super cool and a once in a lifetime experience. You do have to have Disney admission, and it is pricey, but if you catch the right time of year/ take a later tour it is cheaper than "peak season". Has anyone done this tour before? Or something similar? How did you enjoy it?

Thanks for keeping up!
Olivia

#BookWorm: Just One Day + Just One Year

Hello readers!

So a little while ago I finished the two book series Just One Day and Just One Year by Gayle Forman, the author of If I Stay and Where She Went. I have to say, I love this author. Her writing style is easy to read and she keeps things pretty interesting. Just One Day is about a girl who is studying abroad in Europe and takes a one day adventure with a guy she just met, Willem. This is something she would usually never do. Of course she falls for him, but after a series of misfortunes they get separated and cannot seem to recconnect. Just One Year is from Willem's perspective (similar to the If I Stay series right?) and I love that this author switches perspectives. What I didn't like about book #2 is that it kind of repeats and rehashes some information. Now here is a disclaimer, these books are totally unrealistic and some things that happen are kind of like "come on really?" however I enjoyed them and would give them an 8/10.

I am currently working on Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn and so far I am really enjoying it! Have you read any good books lately? I am getting low on my list as the Maze Runner series is up next and after that I will need to make a binge book purchase from Amazon :).

Thanks for reading with me,
- Olivia :)

Providence, RI & Boston, MA

Hello everyone!

So earlier this week I got back from the frozen Northeast, and I had the greatest time with my best friend! I went to Providence, because my best friend is a genius and moved there to study at Brown University! I had never been anywhere east of NYC so this was a totally different world. The first night I got there I had to take a bus from the airport to the train station then a train to Providence. I figured it out pretty easily, but I am thankful for signs and my experiences in big cities that survive on train, bus, and subway systems. Once I survived in Providence we went to a restaurant called Harry's Bar & Burgers and oh my word it was amazing. They serve sliders and baskets of fries. Talk about a great first meal in RI! Next we went to a bar with some of Kari's friends from Brown, its on campus called the GCB, literally on campus under a building, and it was a really fun way to kick off my trip.

The next day we headed out to Boston early in the morning and got off the train to a winter wonderland at Harvard Square. It was gorgeous. Harvard's campus looks twenty times better with a fresh patch of snow in my opinion. We walked around the campus and nearby areas when we found Mike's Pastry and had an early lunch dessert. I got a red velvet cupcake and Kari got a chocolate eclair. They were so delicious! We headed over to some shops and found a Curious George Store, the only in the world! Makes sense that I bought my one and only souvenier from Boston at that store.

After that we took the subway to Boston Common, the oldest park in the US. We stopped by the State Building and then walked to the Paul Revere House, which was so cool. We ate a late lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe which was just what we needed after walking a couple of miles in the ice and snow. By that time we were exhausted, so we decided to head back to South Station and back into Providence.
Sunday we went to this adorable breakfast place called Kitchen in the downtown Providence area. Then I spent the afternoon getting a tour of Brown and walking to the mall and Providence's State Building. It was nice to just spend time talking and seeing the sights of RI! We did so much in such a short time and due to the crazy blizzard that hit and cancelled my Tuesday flight, forcing me to leave way earlier than expected on Monday morning!

So have you every visited Rhode Island or Boston? Where are some of you favorite spots? Let me know for the next time I go back! It is crazy, because my next planned trip is our honeymoon! Ah! Crazy times ahead.

Thanks for keeping up,
- Olivia