February Rose & Thorns – A monthly recap of the highs and lows experienced each month.
Rose: Girl’s Night
This has been the month of going out and catching up with friends. Having the weekends off made planning a celebratory girl’s night a breeze. My best friend and I started new jobs this month, so this was an opportunity to celebrate over drinks. We sat at the swanky bar at the Hotel Haya in Ybor. While cocktails in over-embellished glasses floated around the table, we recounted our final days at our previous jobs. We spent hours listing the parts of our old jobs that are no longer our problem and cheering to the people we no longer had to pretend to like. The anticipation of starting a new job is filled with hopes of a better chapter in a career journey. It was a much-needed social recharge. As I walked to my door after the night out, I laughed as I checked the time; it was just after midnight. In our younger days, the night would just be starting. Now, as thirty-somethings with adult ambitions, midnight seems like the perfect time to end our celebration.
Thorn: Another Month, Another Nail in my Tire
If you were here last month, you would recall my journey to replace my flat tire, which inspired me to write a blog post on roadside emergency kits. I vowed to be more prepared in the future. The universe decided to cash this check and test me on my preparedness. As I parked to go into my Pilates class, the tire pressure warning light came on. After a deep and frustrating breath, I inspected my tires. Sure enough, a nail pierced the center of my driver-side front tire. Thankfully I didn’t choose to go to the later class, or this whole debacle would have left me carless come time for work in the morning. I rescheduled my class and cautiously but quickly drove to the mechanics. One plugged tire and an hour and a half later, I was back on the road.
Rose: My Cup Overfloweth With Collaborations
I don’t know how to say this without sounding pretentious; I joined a social media marketing company in the Tampa Bay area that connects me with local companies to produce content. In just the first month, I created content for four different companies. These are not paid opportunities, and my opinions are my own. Still, I love the chance to go to fitness studios and restaurants that I wouldn’t have known about otherwise.
These marketing campaigns are not meant to make my followers buy a product but to bring brand awareness to those in the area. However, all interactions with the content I produce are welcomed. Taking the time to like and comment tells me I’m bringing entertainment and value to the tiny screen you see me through.
Favorites of the Month
Haagen Dazs Ice Cream – I’ve recently made a habit of picking up a pint of ice cream from the grocery store to eat throughout the weekend as a special treat. Last month, I worked my way through Ben & Jerry’s catalog of flavors. The mix-ins are creative, but I wasn’t overly impressed with the ice cream flavors. This month, I bought Haagen Dazs when it went on sale, thinking it would satisfy the need for ice cream, but I didn’t expect to be wowed. I was so wrong. The flavors are so spot on without being overly sweet. I picked flavors with additional mix-ins like Rum Tres Leches, infused with white rum and laced with thick ribbons of dulce de leche and chunks of sweet Tres Leche. Perfection! This will sound over the top, but I already have two more flavors in the freezer ready for the weekend.
ILIA Makeup – I have never been a big makeup person. I mostly stick to CC Creams and tinted sunscreens. This year I’m trying to be more conscious about what I put on my body every day. I have to admit I was influenced by other women talking about the ILIA Super Serum Skin Tint. This lightweight serum leaves your skin looking like skin while using clean ingredients to keep skin hydrated and healthy. Having SPF 40 is a must for me since I’m in the sun most days, which helps safely shield skin from UVA, UVB, UVC, blue light, and infrared rays.
February Blog Post Recap
In case you missed any posts this month:
BEST TRAVEL THEMED GIFTS FOR VALENTINE’S DAY – Valentine’s day may be over, but these travel-themed gifts are great ideas all year long.
FLORIDA FARM SPOTLIGHT: SUNSATIONAL FARMS – I started a series focused on farms around Florida. I want to bring awareness to the hardworking growers and farmers who put food on our tables every day.
All opinions are my own, and I do use affiliate links. As a customer, you do not pay any more or less because of an affiliated link. A small percentage of the sale will go to the person who generated the link. Making purchases through the links above shows love and support for the content I’ve created. Thank you for your support of my blog!
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