The One Top You Will Wear All Summer

Off The Shoulder Top: LOFT / Jeans: LOFT / Wallet: Valentino
Sunglasses: Ray Ban Aviator / Watch: Movado Bold

Finally, I've found my favorite off the shoulder top for the summer. Yes ladies you heard it first right here. This off the shoulder top by LOFT is not only stylish but is also super comfortable! This off the shoulder top has the prettiest paisley motif and little bow ties on the shoulder areas.  The top also has an elastic to keep the top in place unlike other off the shoulder tops. My top is currently 50% in LOFT stores with code: SPARKLER for fourth of July weekend!

Over the weekend the hubby and I were in Glendale, Arizona visiting my in-laws. The weather there was very hot (averaged about 110 degrees everyday) and sunny but I did love it since it's not humid like the east coast! I also loved going outside and seeing the palm trees every day because I associate palm trees with being on vacation. Make sure to follow me on instagram @MYGOLDENBEAUTY to follow long with my travel adventures and to view outfits from my trip!

Top Ten Disney Tips and Tricks

From my previous post regarding my Disney World Vacation for Adults (view the post here) I wanted to share with you all some tricks and tips that I learned. Lets get started...

FastPass – All Disney tickets include what is known as a FastPass. Essentially FastPass is a reservation for 3 rides per day. You can schedule FastPass via the Disney Experience website or app that can be downloaded to your phone. You book any ride that is available during an allotted timeframe which is an hour window.  It cuts down on the wait time and there is no charge! If you are staying at a Disney resort you can make your reservations 60 days in advance and if you are staying off the resort you can make your reservations 30 days in advance. The FastPass is automatically linked to your card or magic band. This is SUCH a time saver and you will end up saving hours and hours of wait time.

Magic Band Versus Magic Card – This is something I did debate before our Disney trip but I ended up not buying the Magic Bands especially since we were staying off the resort. If we were staying at a Disney resort I would have gotten the Magic Bands.  The Magic Bands are essentially your ticket for rides, room key, park ticket, payment method, photo pass, etc.

Be Prepared for the Heat - We went during a hot time during mid May when it was more than 90 degrees every day. I wanted to make sure my parents were comfortable so we brought hats, personal fans that had squirted water (I bought a 3 pack from Amazon here: Misting Fan) and also the Frogg Toggs Cooling Neck Towel which worked like magic and stays cool for hours at a time. Additionally, you can bring in empty waterbottles and re-fill them inside the parks. We also found if you ask any cafe or stand you can get a cup of water for free so don’t be scared to ask!

Disney Experience App – I used this app religiously on my phone during our time at Disney. You link your park tickets to the app and you can see all your groups FastPass reservations, dining reservations, photo pass, etc. You can also use the app to make modifications to your FastPass.  There is also a map in the app for each park which shows the wait times for the rides if you do not have a FastPass. For the PhotoPass, Disney has professional photographers throughout the park to take your picture.  They will either give you card with the information on it or scan your Magic Band or Magic Card.  The photo will automatically link to your Disney Experience account! We were able to get a few amazing professional family photos this way.

Backup Phone Charger – Towards the end of each day my phone battery would essentially be drained between checking the Disney app and taking photos. I would definitely bring a backup battery or USB charger as you don’t want to be without a working phone!

Occasion Pins – At Magic Kingdom or at the TCC (Ticket and Transportation Center) if you are celebrating an occasion let them know and they will get you a pin. I was able to snag a “Birthday” pin for my brother’s birthday and four “We’re Celebrating” pins for us to wear along with him for his birthday. It was a nice touch and made our group feel extra special.

Purchase Items Beforehand – There were a number of items I bought beforehand and had them shipped to the resort that we stayed at. My favorite purchase were my Sparkly Minnie Ears from Amazon - view the post here. If you buy them at the parks they are around $30 and there is not much variety.  I also bought sunscreen and a few other items and had them all shipped to the hotel that way it cut down the space in my carry on bag and I saved money. I also had my mom pick up Ponchos from the dollar store for the water rides which came in handy at Splash Mountain.

Snacks – Buying food at the parks can get costly so bring your own snacks. I packed granola bars in my bag each day and my parents also brought with them a few snacks they liked.

Shuttle Service - If you're staying at a Disney resort there is a free shuttle called the Magical Express which takes you to and from the Orlando Airport to your Disney hotel. As we were staying off the resort we did rent a car though VroomVroomVroom.com which was awesome and pretty cheap.

Have a Strategy – Last but not least, do have a strategy for the parks ahead of time. I came up with a game plan for our family as to which parks we would be doing on which days and had picked out our FastPass reservations ahead of time. I also bought our tickets ahead of time as well as the lines to get into the park can be really long. Additionally, you will also end up wasting an hour of transportation time just getting between the parks so make sure to factor that in.

Beach Day

Coverup: South Moon Under / Swimsuit: Kenneth Cole / Sunglasses: Ray Ban

For Memorial Day Weekend my husband and I headed to the Jersey shore in Avalon, New Jersey. This was the first time I've been to this beach and it did not disappoint. We stayed at the Icona Golden Inn which was absolutely beautiful!

We ventured down to the beach Friday before the crowds hit the beach and it was so beautiful! The beach was so nice and clean and the sand was soft. I wore my new favorite kimono beach cover up that has these cute multi-colored tassels. It is so effortless and flowy. I will have to say that it's my favorite cover up this season! I got mines from a local boutique called South Moon Under which I linked below along with a few of my other favorites!

Disney World Vacation for Adults

As you may know from my Instagram @MyGoldenBeauty I was in Orlando, Florida the last few days with my family where we went to Disney and Universal (if you aren't following me already go on over and do so!).  This trip was with my parents, brother and husband, our experience this time around was much different than from the last time my parents took us when I was in 6th grade. I was interested to see how Disney would be as an adult and it did not disappoint. In fact, I wish we had more time there!

WHERE TO STAY IN ORLANDO

We did not stay at a Disney Resort because we wanted a suite with multiple bedrooms and a kitchen since our family wanted to stay together. I have Marriott gold status so we stayed at the Marriott Sabal Palms resort as we had a large two bedroom, two bathroom suite complete with a living room, dining area, kitchen and balcony.  You also have access to the facilities at the Marriott Orlando World Center (basically it’s three resorts on the property).  There are restaurants, a Sports Bar, multiple pools, and daily resort activities. We did not get to enjoy much of the amenities since we went to the parks each day from morning until evening. The drive from the resort to Disney was only about 10-15 minutes.

ANIMAL KINGDOM

• Once we arrived at the park we took a right over to DinoLand to ride Dinosaur.
• Grabbed ice cream from the stand at the entrance/exit of DinoLand.
• Walked over to Discovery Island to watch It’s Tough to be a Bug which is a 3D show based on the movie "Bug's Life."
• Walked over to Africa to watch the Festival of the Lion King which I would say is a “must see” and it approximately 30 minutes. It’s also a good way to get out of the heat as it’s in a giant air conditioned theater.
• Grabbed an ice coffee from Starbucks.
• Walked over to Kilimanjaro Safari which is an approximately 20 minute Safari ride. I would recommend doing this in the morning or in the afternoon.
• Walk over to Asia to ride Kali River Rapids. Plan on getting really wet and pack a poncho so you are not walking around in wet clothes! There are lockers nearby if you want to store your items away.  Also make sure to ride roller coaster Expedition Everest while in Asia. 
• Grabbed a Mickey Mouse shaped pretzel near Kali River Rapids.
• Walked back to Discovery Island to see the Tree of Life.

FastPass – Dinosaur, Kali River Rapids, Expedition Everest

Pictured above my brother and husband on the Splash Mountain ride.

MAGIC KINGDOM

• Park at the TTC (Transportation and Ticket Center) which is essentially a hub between Magic Kingdom and Epcot via monorail.
• Picked up “Birthday Pin” and “We’re Celebrating” pins for my brother’s birthday at the TTC.
• Caught monorail to Magic Kingdom.
• Walked through MainStreet USA and caught the morning parade.
• Took photos at Cinderella’s Castle (a “must” do!).
• Walked through Adventureland to Frontierland to get to Splash Mountain (pack a poncho) and Big Thunder Mountain.
• Walked back through Frontierland to Liberty Square behind Cinderella's Caste to Fantasyland to the indoor slower paced rides such as It’s a Small World, Little Mermaid, etc. I would not waste a FastPass on these rides as they are for young children and the wait times were anywhere from 60-80 minutes.
• Walked to Tomorrowland to Space Mountain and also went on the PeopleMover which was a nice little break.
• Got ice cream cones from Tomorrowland.
• Walked back through Main Street to catch the monorail to TTC to head to Epcot.

 FastPass - Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain

EPCOT

• We were starving by the time we reached Epcot so we headed to Future World West for a late lunch.
• After we ate we had a FastPass reservation at Soarin’ which was probably my favorite ride of the whole trip. Make sure you do a FastPass for this ride since it is one of the most popular rides at Epcot.
• Walked to the building nearby for The Seas with Nemo & Friends ride.
• Afterwards, we walked over to Future World East to Spaceship Earth which is inside of the Epcot globe which is pretty cool. We did not do a FastPass since the wait was only 15 minutes and moves quickly.  Mission Space and Test Track are also nearby which we did not do but I do highly recommend these rides from what I have heard.
• Walked over to the World Showcase and went straight to Mexico since we had a dinner reservation at La Hacidenda de San Angel at 7:00PM which was really good!
• After dinner we walked the World Showcase. I wish we had more time to go into each country and I would definitely return one day and do an entire day at Epcot.
• At 9:00PM we caught the Illuminations show which is a light and fireworks show. The show can be seen anywhere around the World Showcase so don’t worry about finding a good spot (although we did hear that the best spot was near Italy).  We stopped and found a spot 5 minutes before the show started and we had a great view.
• Caught the monorail back to the TTC. This took about an hour since everyone was leaving Epcot at the same exact time.

FastPass – Soaring’, Test Track, Mission Space

WHAT TO WEAR TO DISNEY WORLD

There was A LOT of walking each day and it was HOT (90+ degree weather). My everyday uniform consisted of a tank top and capris. Sunglasses and a hat were also key items I kept with me at all times to keep protected from the sun. Lastly, a good pair of walking shoes were also necessary – I brought two pairs with me for the parks: Sperry Sneakers (SO COMFORTABLE and highly recommended!!) and Nike Sneakers.

ITEMS IN MY CROSSBODY BAG AT DISNEY WORLD

I wore my roomy Marc Jacobs Crossbody Bag (similar here) every day at the parks. I kept my license (form of ID), credit card, magic card, chapstick, park map, granola bars, portable charger for my phone, poncho (from the dollar store) and floss in my bag. I didn’t worry too much about bringing a water bottle since you can ask for water from the cafes and there are water fountains everywhere.

I hope you all found this post useful and I honestly can’t wait to go back!

Weekend Trip to Los Angeles

Top: LOFT / Skort: Express /Jean Jacket: H&M (similar)
Crossbody Bag: Tory Burch (Similar) / Sunglasses: H&M

The past two weeks have been so crazy busy! I was in Vegas for a girls trip the weekend of July 4th and this past weekend my husband and I went to LA for a good friend’s wedding (yes I flew to Vegas, flew back to Philly, and flew back to LA!). When we were in LA we were on crunch time so I wanted to squeeze in as many sights I could see into half a day.

We had some time Thursday evening when our flight got in and took a drive over to the Santa Monica Pier. We had dinner with our friends at Misfit (the food was very yummy!) and then walked over to the Pier. I was slightly disappointed that by the time we got there everything was pretty much closed but it was nice to walk up and down the pier. I'm sure it would have been so nice during the day.

The next day we had half a day on Friday to see some of the sights before our friends wedding festivities kicked off. One of the sights we really enjoyed while we were out in LA was the Griffith Observatory. The Griffith Observatory doesn’t open until about noon so we made sure to get their early before the crowds. We had so many beautiful views of LA and of course, had a great view of the Hollywood sign!  After that we drove over to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It was super crowded but it was fun to see all the stars and take pictures with our favorite ones! After that our last stop was Beverly Hills because I wanted to see what the hype was around Rodeo Drive. Rodeo Drive definitely did not disappoint and there were so many amazing stores! Also, I would say Beverly Hills was so nice and lush with so many beautiful palm trees. I could have spent a whole day there if I could!

As a sidenote, I wore this super comfortable skort (yes I said skort you're probably thinking "wow I haven't worn one since I was like 10!") but this was sooo comfortable! I wanted to buy them in a few different colors but my local Express in downtown Philadelphia was out of them!