Last month, I decided to try Julep after seeing several people on Instagram and Pinterest post about their awesome monthly Maven boxes and the nail polishes they received. Plus, I knew I'd finally be able to make time to paint my nails every week again, so if I only had to shell out a few dollars for two new colors, a hand scrub, and a cute emery board and nail polish remover pad, then why not?

Well, Julep did not disappoint.

Why, yes, as a matter of fact that is Shooter with his tail in his mouth.

This is Julep's Zora, which I received in the free Classic with a Twist box (if you use "FREEBOX," you only have to pay a few bucks for shipping on your first box). I thought it was going to look more pink than it actually does on my nails, but since I'm not ready to pull off a trendy white manicure, this shade is perfect. The only downside is that it seems a bit goopy; I've yet to figure out if that's a Zora thing, a Julep thing, or an I-don't-know-what-I'm-doing thing.

And, thanks to coupon codes, Adele, Angela, and Fireworks are on their way--all for the cost of about two nail polishes!

our honeymooniversary [part 2]

Did you miss the first part of our honeymooniversary recap? It's all about our stateroom, dinner seating, eating vegan, a day at sea, Costa Maya, and Grand Cayman on the Disney Fantasy's 7-Day Western Caribbean cruise.

Costa Maya
Our second port of call was Costa Maya, which was where Alan and I had booked an excursion to the Chacchoben Mayan ruins. We originally wanted to go on the Tulum excursion (which leaves from Cozumel), which my dad had taken before, but he recommended that we try a different one.

Sadly, I did not take water and was already dehydrated, so halfway through the tour I had heat exhaustion and had to return to the bus. Alan walked me back to the bus and ended up staying with me (I told him to go finish the tour) because by the time he would have caught up with our group, it would have been over. I was disappointed, partly because I really wanted to see the ruins (the largest temple was, of course, the last one on the tour) and I also felt like we wasted money.

On the upside, I finally decided to go to the health center (which was closed the other time I went), which is where I was diagnosed, given some meds, and sent on my merry way.

Cozumel
By the fifth day, I was definitely feeling better (and kicking myself for not having gone to the doctor earlier). Cozumel was hotter than Costa Maya, but I didn't mind it at all and I didn't feel like my organs were bouncing around my body the whole time I walked.

We first tried to go to a beach, but were attacked by mosquitoes about 100 yards from the beach and turned around. I later told Alan that if I'd known the beach was that close, I would have kept walking, but then I rescinded because, let's face it--if there are 9 or 10 foreign mosquitoes trying to suck my blood and I don't have proper vaccinations, I don't care what beach is just around the corner.

Instead, we decided to walk around the town and explore beyond the usual tourist shops. While we were exploring, we found a little hole-in-the-wall place that served ceviche de pulpo. I like ceviche, but have never had Mexican ceviche or ceviche with octopus, so Alan ordered some for us.

I was leery of the open condiments that simply sat on the tables and were shared by everyone, but it was seriously the best ceviche that I've ever had in my life. And, because Alan ordered in Spanish, we were given the hotter salsa which was absolutely delicious/burned off my tongue.

Then, we found a small bakery and bought a concha and coffee. We met two locals--a Canadian ex-pat and an author. We talked with them for quite a while (the author, Vincent, is pictured below); they reminded me of the guys my dad drinks coffee with in the mornings. They told us to eat at Candela's, a seafood restaurant, and also suggested another restaurant on 50th Ave., which apparently has super-fresh fish--you pick the one you want from a cooler. Since we could see the rooftop of Candela's (the other one was a taxi ride away), we decided to eat lunch there.

At Candela's, we ordered agua de Jamaica (a hibiscus drink), a mojito, and two seafood entrees--all for about $30. The food was good, although a little bland, but I assume it was made that way because we were tourists and neither of us spoke in Spanish at the restaurant.

Back on the ship, we reclined in the hot tub on one of the top decks and enjoyed the scenery. The hot tubs are almost flush against the wall of the ship and the outer walls are clear, so you can see what's beyond the ship.

Day at Sea/Senses
For our second day at sea, we purchased two day passes for the Rainforest, an area featuring three saunas (one dry, one wet, and one dry/wet), four different showers with sounds and scents (the Caribbean rainstorm was my favorite), and access to hot tubs and warming chairs. For $16 each, it was totally worth it. The wet sauna was my favorite. It made my skin glow. And, in spite of the fact that everyone on a fully booked cruise was onboard that day, the Rainforest was pretty empty. We shared the sauna with other people only twice.

Castaway Cay
Our anniversary was spent at Disney's private island. We immediately walked to Serenity Bay, the adults-only beach, and went out into the ocean.

Naturally, I was stung by jellyfish twice. (When my family vacationed in Bermuda, I was stung by a jellyfish and nibbled on by a curious fish, which I think kind of started my ocean phobia--when I was younger, I wanted to be a marine biologist.)

Also, I found a whole sand dollar and gave it to Alan as an anniversary gift. He put it in his pocket, where I later crushed it because I was clinging to him for dear life because a shark might have been in the water/sea grass might have touched me/I might have gotten stung again/who knows what lives in the ocean.

So, I found another sand dollar that was almost whole. (It lasted the entire way to Dallas, where it was crushed by a guy who was trying to stuff his bag into the overhead compartment.)

We ate lunch at the adults-only barbeque place near the beach. Barbeque places are not the places to go when you want vegan food. After lunch, we didn't spend much time in the ocean because Alan got a really nasty sunburn (that he still needs to have checked out by the doctor and will hopefully schedule an appointment after he reads this post). So, we headed back to the ship to get ready for our anniversary dinner at Remy.

Remy
To celebrate our anniversary, I wore the dress that I wore to our rehearsal and the nail polish I wore on our wedding day (I would have worn the shoes, but Ophelia ate them). Alan wore his uniform.

The experience at Remy was wonderful and definitely closer to "the Disney difference" that I'm used to (overall, I feel like Disney really sacrificed quality for quantity this time around). The food and service were amazing; I definitely want to eat there the next time we cruise. Alas, I didn't take photos because I thought it would be rude, but the presentation was gorgeous. Remy offers two different menus (or you can pick and choose what you'd like from each); we ordered both so we could try all of the food.

Overall, our honeymooniversary was really well-suited for us--full of "adventures." I think I prefer the smaller ship experiences (Magic and Wonder) to the newer ships, but then again, I'm sure that maximum capacity and me being sick had something to do with our last experience. I'm glad that we were able to explore some new places together and enjoy a week relaxing alone, even though it was bittersweet knowing that this was the last major trip we'll take for a while.

our honeymooniversary [part 1]

We chose the 7-day itinerary that would let us celebrate our first anniversary while on the cruise. While I had cruised the 7-day Western Caribbean (Costa Maya, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, and Castaway Cay) before, the ship had skipped Costa Maya because of hurricane damage. This was Alan's first cruise.

Our Stateroom
Our stateroom had a larger verandah than normal, which was awesome. However, it was located at the aft of the ship, which meant that there was an almost constant dusting of occasional soot, which was disappointing. So, while the larger verandah was nice, I think those particular staterooms in the aft should be charged at a lower rate than what Disney currently asks.

On the upside, our stateroom was serviced by a really attentive and professional crew member. One night upon returning to our stateroom, we found two super luxurious bath robes. Another night, we received a bottle of wine (which tasted cheap, but it's the thought that counts). Another night, we received some chocolate from a guest relations crew member. (Unfortunately, her note said that she hoped we enjoyed our day at St. Maarten, and we'd spent the day at Cozumel.)

Dinner Seating
At dinner, we were seated with two other families. On the three previous Disney cruises I'd taken, we'd never been seated with other people, so I'm not sure if group seating is a Disney Dream/Fantasy thing (because these ships are much larger than the Magic and Wonder), or if it's standard for parties less than four. Either way, I was disappointed, so we asked for private seating.

The head servers graciously accommodated us (surprisingly, one of the head servers was also a main server for my family on a previous Disney cruise, so it was neat to see him work his way up--also, what are the odds of him working on the same ship on the same dinner rotation that we picked for our honeymooniversary?). We ended up eating at whatever table happened to be open that night (i.e. the usual party was dining at Remy), which was perfectly fine with us. We met some pretty cool people that way.

Eating Vegan
Sadly, on the first night of the cruise, I had acute gastroenteritis (except I didn't know that at the time). Long story short, I skipped half of dinner and later ended up ridiculously dehydrated. However, I had no idea that I was dehydrated, so the next three days were spent with me having severe pain for no apparent reason. As a precaution, I ordered vegan food (I assumed that I'd been sick because I overloaded my diet with seafood and non-vegan foods on the first day).

If you intend to sail with Disney Cruise Line and want vegan food, I suggest that you tell the staff before you set sail. Or, pre-order your food when you're on the ship--they'll make whatever you request (apparently). Because if you don't have the guts to ask for something specific and potentially inconvenience them (that'd be this lady), you'll be stuck with the vegetarian choices, minus the non-vegan ingredients.

And when you receive your portobello mushrooms in creamy parsley sauce without the creamy parsley sauce ... it's just disappointing.

Plus, I felt uncomfortable having to constantly explain veganism. However, I give Disney props for trying. Just know that many of the choices on the vegetarian menu don't comply with a vegan diet.

Vegetarian spring rolls of deliciousness

Day at Sea
Because I wasn't feeling well, we/I slept in and then went to see "Brave" in the Buena Vista Theater. Later in the cruise, we also watched "Wreck-It Ralph" there. We also spent some time in the adult area (i.e. one of the pools). As family-oriented as Disney is, I cannot express enough how well Disney pulls off creating adults-only areas. In spite of the fact that we had no children, we never felt like we had to have kids to enjoy ourselves.

We also discovered an interactive adventure in which you become detectives on one of two cases (one is easy, one is difficult). You receive a badge and walk around the ship, scanning your badge on different "paintings" onboard (most of them are located in the elevator areas) and then trying to find clues to solve your mystery. Apparently, the culprit is different almost every time, so you could play the game the entire time you're on the ship and have a different experience each time.

Ooh La La
I don't even remember what day we stopped at Ooh La La, but at some point during the beginning of our cruise, we decided to check out the night life. We settled on the French-inspired champagne bar (although I also really liked the London-inspired dance club), where I learned that I do not like champagne.

However, I loved the atmosphere in the lounge and the fact that there were so many different offerings by way of nightclubs and lounges, depending on what you wanted (atmosphere-wise and beverage-wise).

Grand Cayman
After a day at sea, we stopped at Grand Cayman. We didn't book any excursions (although I'd gone snorkling there before) and decided to walk the town. Grand Cayman is eerily reminiscent of a small English town, and there isn't much along the main road (if you walk left off of the dock; we didn't venture to the right).

We walked all the way to a beach and picked up some sand glass and took photos. The water was beautiful and warm. After we explored the beach for a while, we headed back to the ship to eat lunch onboard and relax at the pool.

Next up: heat exhaustion at Costa Maya, meeting locals in Cozumel, jellyfish stings at Castaway Cay, and the absolutely most amazing dining experience/honeymooniversary celebration at Remy!

one year reflections

You know you're connected to the military community when anything longer than two years seems like a long time to live in the same place.

For several weeks after arriving here, I felt like a guest, like this was Alan's home and I was here temporarily. It took a while for me to acclimate myself to this building, to these four walls, and the fact that this is my home. And sometimes when I'm standing at the threshold and I've just opened the front door, I still catch a whiff of the fresh this-is-my-first-time-walking-in-this-door scent (which reminds me of the this-is-freshman-year scent that the dorm used to have at the beginning and end of every school year). But regardless of the scent that greets me (fortunately, it has yet to be anything unpleasant), I no longer feel like this is just a visit--I feel like I'm home.

When I am in an airport USO around familiar haircuts and young women with baby strollers and no husbands in sight, I know and I am home.

When I am driving around post or reading in my backyard and hear mess call echoing across the way like some martial adhan, I am home.

When someone asks me how long I've been at Ft. Hood and I can no longer say, "Since the end of June," I am home.

When I water the yard and hear the announcement jingle echo from the Jeep dealership, I think of sweltering summer days and trickling rivulets that are impossibly hot and hunting for fossils like Dad and I used to do, and I am home.

When I water the yard, I am home. Because seriously, who waters grass and why are there gaping cracks in my backyard and why can't we have a basement?

When I select my ID card by feel amidst the pile of plastic in my wallet as I'm exiting the highway, I am home.

When I vacuum the carpet for the third time that day because the dogs track dirt inside but I'm happy because this is my house and I want it to be clean, I am home.

When I wait at the window for Alan's truck to pull in the driveway because he texted, "On my way home" a few minutes ago and then race three dogs to the front door because everyone wants his attention, I am home.

vegan pizza + beet bourguignon

We're settling back into post-honeymooniversary life (plus, June 22 marked my first year of being here at Ft. Hood!), so I've begun making vegan food again.

First on our list to try were some vegan pizzas based on Green Kitchen Stories' Vegetarian Mini Pizza della Sicilia. The capers in the tomato sauce intrigued me and we had some little sandwich breads perfect for pizzas. Our toppings included artichoke hearts, olives, zucchini squash, basil, and shiitake mushrooms. We liked them--they're definitely worth making again!

I also made Beet Bourguignon. I did make a few tweaks/substitutions to the recipe, mainly because I couldn't find some of the ingredients at HEB:

• fewer beets (I used three golden beets),
• more vegetable stock,
• shiitake instead of the champignon mushrooms,
• yellow onion instead of the pearl onions,
• French bread instead of lentils,
• and a zucchini squash.

Next time, I think I'll use more mushrooms (and maybe a drier wine), but it's hearty and filling.