Shit An Entire Two Year Hiatus

At this point do I even know how to blog anymore?

Welcome back to the ones that have been riding with me for all of these years. If you are new, welcome to my baby Wendolyn Mars. I started my brand as somewhere to teach people how to travel to pocket friendly places. From that stemmed some merchandise I felt was close to me and I wanted others to represent it too. From that I even dabbled in broadcasting for my college FAU.

Being a creative can be rewarding and overwhelming at times. When you make something come alive from your head to your audience it is an absolute euphoric feel. But when you get creative blocks in the mist of real life shit going on, it can become a bit discouraging and crippling to your craft. From a young age my favorite way to express myself to others was through writing. I know with so much going on in the audio world, blogging or forms of print seem to be lost. I do know that some of us out here (like myself) still thoroughly enjoy a sweet read. I have been meaning to get back into writing; and not to make it an excuse, but life will really shift shit around. I am ready, put me in coach !! With all of the shit going on in the world I have to be expressive and vulnerable. I want to be able to speak life into others, show my shortcomings and my elevations alike. A lot of times we only show the pretty side of things; we need to show the reality of how difficult life can be. But even in showing the ugly, I show my faith for my God and the things I am able to overcome is not to be fucked with.

What’s to come in the blogging life?

I want to come back into blogging speaking more on my personal life; my experiences, my fucking up, my leveling up, my ideas. I will still be adding places that are fun and sweet on the pockets. Mostly because I love to get people out of the house. But overall I want a place to express myself and give others a place to express themselves publicly or to me, privately. I also want to have an area where businesses can contact me for promotions on my website or my other social networks. I hope to drop something once a week. I am excited to get more into my creative juices. Currently I am working on pre-orders for a new shirt design; it highlights my pride for being a product for immigrants. I have been on a sweet health journey too. Eating less meat, more greens. Fasting once a month and really allowing my mind, body and soul to heal and strengthen me up for my long life. I am enjoying being more in tune with myself, hence the creative flow coming back to life. I love good criticism, please do not hesitate to give me feedback. Tell me where I lack, tell me what you’d like to see ! This post was short, but it was mostly to tell you all that I am back and excited to give you all content on this side ! New and old supporters, you are all appreciated galore xo

Love And Allow to be Loved

I love to end my blogs with this ! This has no specific meaning to it. It can mean anything to anyone and it would NOT be a wrong answer/description for it ! For me it means that when you love something (a craft, a location, a job, a human) when you allow it to love you back, you can only elevate. Only greatness can come from bringing together positive entities and wanting MORE!

H-Town, It's Goin' Down

First time in Texas, of course a road trip was in order. Taking a car sometimes saves you more money, than grabbing a plane ticket; especially if the trip is planned in little time. Hope ya'll enjoy a few fun Houston spots. Contact me if you have any extra questions.

My cousin Bebe's birthday came around, so we decided driving up to Houston would be inexpensive and a blast; boy was she right about this one... Kinda. To start off she has a kick ass, eco friendly car. So it was literally under $100 there, and under $100 back in gas. That is already less than a round trip ticket for ONE of us. So I will be honest, the drive was total sh**! Damn near 15 hours of pitch black curves, swaying truck drivers and back cramps. Now, I may just be acting like a total cry baby about it; others may love this. I will say though, this is the BEST way to go to save money.

We decided to stay with family a couple of nights for peace and modesty. Then the very exquisite Magnolia Hotel for a few long nights, and early mornings. This hotel was decked out; it was a total mom and pops luxury package. The staff was the sweetest, they were all so helpful with everything. I loved how they didn't limit themselves to their property when guiding us. They worked so quickly, professionally and all with a bright smile on their faces. I love to stay on a property where every level of staffing has great energy towards you. Want to give personal shout outs to some of Magnolia's staff; to Chantay H. because she gave me great service as soon as I called, very detailed and hands on. Reginald S. was on the night shift and acknowledged us every time we were around with a smile. I don't have much of a favorite anything, but Iris, was just super kick a**, she referred to me as Ms. Mars, offered things before we even asked, her multitasking skills blew me away. Even Carlos out front with his contagious smile, and helpful services. Thank you all for the great treatment to myself and my guests. We were placed on the 21st floor of the hotel, overlooking beautiful Downtown Houston. The city is so beautiful, the locals are so friendly and catering. We enjoyed all the amnesties at the Magnolia hotel. They had free WiFi and snacks, happy hour, room service, gym, roof top pool and more. We even had a mini photoshoot on the roof, great view. They do have $30/day parking; we just parked at a meter right across and paid $7 for the whole day though (budget life). I got a great workout in while at the Magnolia, their equipment was all new and advanced; they have a fruit, water, and towel section for guests. I want to extend my gratitude to them 20 times more. Ms. Mars will be at the Magnolia hotel next time in Houston hands down!!

Tried to grab my Caribbean roots in a meal while out in Houston. Cool Runnings, mi soon come back man. I grabbed a very classic plate; rice and peas, oxtails, cabbage and sweet plantains large plate ran about $14. All the food tasted fresh, the meat was nice and tender too. Grabbed a beef and chicken patty for the road that Marie made sure was fresh. Marie put Bebe onto their rum punch for happy hour. Two of those bad boys and you will have to dutty wine once or twice. They are always offering lunch specials under $10. These plates are big enough to eat some, and take some too. They have the cool food truck in the front that stops in different places, they offer catering for affordable prices. Met some gentlemen at the barber college next door, I am all for people bettering themselves.

The laid back, drink specials, dance all night vibe place is The Flat for sure. The Flat has themed nights whenever they're open. I love the variety in music that they offer. Any place that plays the Goonies on the wall while Madonna is playing on the table is A1 in my book. As soon as you walk up to the door the security greets you extra friendly with a kick ass studded vest. You make your way inside and already see people dancing like an OG club. I am a total dancer, so I received the perfect energy when I saw everyone in groups feeling the beat. They always have drink specials, in which case budgets are attainable for a good night out at this place. I went on a Monday night which is Maniac Monday's where Dj Fredstar kills his sets with 80's music. Dj took me in a total time machine dancing daze, must hear if you're into the type of music to get it. Maybe you're more into smooth jams, like jazz. In which case head out for Tuesdays Jazz Jam this includes live music too. Wednesday's are made for my island lovers for reggae night, Thursday's are for on calls, these days are announced as they get closer. Friday's are for for house music lovers, edm, and electronic. Drink specials are too long to list, not too many bars can say the same.

This post is dedicated out to my cousin Sharlene, her fiancé Freddy and my perfect God kids Arri and JJ!! Houston trip was made for them and Bebe's birthday, I am just blessed enough to have family that know work must be done in between the fun. Thank you to all my supporters; I appreciate the ongoing support in everything. Soon Mars Madness will have pre orders so that you all are able to have a piece of me, wherever you go. Next stop is San Diego and Los Angeles. Be on the lookout for more posts near you. Remember to always Love and allow to be loved.

Magnolia Hotel

1100 Texas Ave Houston, Tx 77002

713-221-0011

Cool Runnings

8270 W Bellfort Blvd Houston, Tx 77071

713-777-1566

Monday-Thursday 8am-10pm Friday 8am-12am Saturday 8am-230am Sunday 11am-10pm

The Flat

1701 Commonwealth St Houston, Tx 77006

713-360-7228

Daily 4pm-2am

Daily Happy Hour 4pm-7pm

Ember Vibes

I recently went to a sweet place with a great ambiance. Ember is a little indoor, as much as outdoor venue in Downtown Orlando. They have many drink specials and tasty food with a great staff to cater to you. Happy hour may never be the same for you all!

I will begin with my personal experience at Ember. Even on a rainy Friday they had a packed house. That did not stop the staff from being on their toes throughout the night. Even from the host at the front, she greets you with a smile and points you to the right place. The whole place is perfectly spaced, nice big tables too. Lots of areas to hang out with friends, and to make new ones too. There is a DJ there for the night, the music selection had me dancing a bit more after each drink. Our bartender was Jeremy, he was very attentive and friendly. He was very patient with us and our questions too, all with a genuine smile on his face. I could tell that their whole staff are probably similar in that sense, but he ultimately was the face of Ember that day. Friday's are 3 for 1 (no typo). There is no entry fee and the drinks are all premium liquor, bottled beer, and select wine; call the Uber there and back. Use Uber code "UberMarsUe" for a free first ride. Use a new email, same card for a free ride.

Ember's week of great food and drink specials start early. Sunday sets it off with Sunday Funday brunch. For $29.95 you get bottomless mimosas, red and white sangria along with an all you can eat brunch. This is from 10am-3pm be on time. You want to be able to eat and drink, then head over to Lake Eola for a nice stroll if wanted. For others it may just be the last hooray before the Monday blues take over.

Don't be too sad, Ember has Wednesday's covered too. Let's make our way to the Wine Down Wednesday greatness. From 5pm-9pm for only $10 you get bottomless mimosas, sangria, select beer and wine. This also includes endless appetizers. For $10 you must text "WINE" to 25827 and must be there before 7pm. Other than that, ladies are $15 and men are $20. You spend more than that on two drinks anywhere else, NO food included. Make this your new and light hump day entertainment.

Can't wait to continue coming out and enjoying the ember vibes. I want to thank the professional staff of Ember for showing myself and my friends a great time. Below are a couple of pictures of when we went there Friday. Thank you to all my supporters for your ongoing love. Hope to see pictures of you all at Ember @ me or tag me in them please. ALL feedback is welcomed, and appreciated. Remember to always love and allow to be loved. Xo

Ember

42 W. Central Blvd. Orlando, fl 32801

407-849-5200

Monday-Friday 11:30am-2am

Saturday 4pm-2am

Sunday 10am-2am

Central Florida Wine Lovers

If you are new to my blog, my name is Wendolyn and I like to get you out of your house. Not only do I enjoy to get others out and about, but I like to do it so that you spend little to no money doing so. I had the pleasure of visiting Lakeridge Winery this week. For those who do not know, I am a student taking 5 courses, work a full time job, and manage to publish a blog entry once a week. Needless to say, it can get hectic on my side. Only time I was able to fit this awesome tour in was at 10:30 am. Yes, I was buzzed before noon (judge free zone). Hope you enjoy my entry, and visit them soon.. 

The hill tops of Clermont instantly put you at ease. All the space around, the beautiful views are just very calming. Getting away from traffic and cars, and horns once in a while is needed and appreciated. You begin the tour with a video telling you the history, and some processes that go into making the wines. You are then shown around by an awesome tour guide, mine was Stuart. Stuart showed us around, we began where the wine is stored in big stainless steel barrels. Some hold as little as 2,500 gallons of wine, others hold as much as 25,000 gallons of wine. Next you are shown outside where you get a better view of the fields and vines that are patiently waiting to grow come spring. When it is time to get the grapes off, they use a huge blue truck to shake the grapes off, it grabs about 60 tons of grapes per day. This location has 80 acres, but they have another with 120 acres, all to fulfill our wine needs. Next you are shown where the wine is packaged, and sent out to their customers. They produce about 1.5 million wine bottles per year. They can be distributed to 25 states, and you can even get them at stores near you, or get them packaged and mailed right to your front door. After you are shown around out to try their marvelous selections of wine, and bubbly. You try a total of 8 different selections, depending what season you may have one or two added. Stuart explains to you everything he pours, what it is best with and describes the wine itself. There are 5 steps to wine tasting, won't go into detail, I rather him tell you specifically. But they are see, swirl, smell, sip, and savor. This tour is completely FREE, you are not forced to purchase anything afterwards either. I did however grab a bottle of their Southern White for only $10. All of their wines are award winning, they have a nice display of all their wines, and what awards they earned. This place is awesome because they have monthly festivals too. From arts and crafts, to seafood, chocolate, jazz, grape stomping. They have it all, this also a family friendly place. Kids are even allowed on the tour, where they are given grape juice when they get to the wine tasting portion. 

I hope you all enjoyed my brief overview of this amazing winery and will soon visit. If you get Stuart as your tour guide, tell him Wendolyn, the blogger sent you and he will have you cracking up the whole tour. I want to mention to you all, life is short. It is meant to be lived, to see new things, try new foods and make new memories. Do not let the thought of doing something alone, or not having enough funds stop you from having a good time. I do this blog for people like myself, people who love to go out, but unfortunately have to be on budgets. I will be rich one day, but until then, I will continue to explore and meet people down the road. Remember to always Love and allow to be loved. Xo

Lakeridge Winery & Vineyards

19239 US 27 N. Clermont, Fl 34715

352-394-8627

www.LakeridgeWinery.com

Tours:

Monday-Saturday 10am-5pm

Sunday 11am-5pm

Tours run about every 30 minutes

Denver Adventure

Denver, Colorado is my first out of State blog entry. It is very exciting to be somewhere new all while meeting some cool new people on the way and trying new things. I will take you to a few eateries, and tell you about free to inexpensive places to dive into while in Denver for a few days. Or if you live in the area and just need somewhere affordable and enjoyable to crash.

To begin I got my ticket a couple of months beforehand. I figured why pass off a really inexpensive ticket to a new place that you can find fun adventures to get into? ($218) First day I got there I went straight to my room to get rid of all my luggage, I went with an Airbnb again. So convenient and inexpensive. Stood with a dope young married couple (Jessie and Maggie). They provided breakfast at their home too, this was on point because of how much of a budget Betty I am. It was private and comfortable. I got around with Uber, buses, and my two cute feet. Weather was manageable considering the huge jacket I had. Now this was originally a blogging trip, but it luckily got combined with one of my best friends Laura's birthday celebration. What better way to celebrate your birthday than with a trip out of your State and all on a svelte budget. My flight arrived a few hours before Laura's. Naturally my hungry a** wants to get to the house to drop my things off and find food. First stop for me was an Ethiopian restaurant called Queen of Sheba. They had such a warm, welcoming feel to it. It's almost like you're going over a cousins house or something. Zodi was my waitress and cook, that's how close it is. This was my first time trying Ethiopian food. I went with the steak tips, with the known Injera bread which is like a fermented sour dough, a mix of cabbage, carrots and potatoes, with a side of a spices infused lentils. I will be totally honest, I did NOT like the Injera alone with not one thing. I enjoyed it when I got a little bit of everything on the plate. I was so happy all the tastes grew on me. After that I met up with Laura and we headed to Comedy Works. The main comedian was Heather McDonald, she is mainly known for her hilarious and risque writing skills as a comedian, and being on Chelsea Lately killing it. We bought these tickets a few weeks in advance and got them for like $20. Laura had some creamy and cheesy mac. I grabbed some fresh spring rolls with a chilli pineapple dipping sauce. It was a great snack to enjoy. Took an Uber to the downtown area afterwards. We bar hopped a little bit and met a few Colorado locals. You can walk around and find some drink specials or ladies night in just about every bar.

Next day we woke up early and headed to an AM eatery by the name of Snooze. The service and food were divine. Now the wait wasn't your usual 5 minutes wait. But at least they kept you entertained while you waited, free unlimited coffee and tea. Also some games out front, Laura and myself participated in a few rounds of Cornhole in which she actually totally beat me in. She had that birthday luck probably. The company holds industry night which really consists of all the people that work in hotels, or eateries get 50% off of drinks on Monday and Tuesday. We get seated outside in a great space. Now I never drink, but I figured I would try a drink while we waited for our brunch to arrive. We grabbed their signature mimosa named Mmm Mmm Mimosa with reason. Such a nice sweet and balanced bubbly to start the day, their main ingredient in it is Pama Pomegranate. Our waiter was this spunky, smart theater performer named Heather. She along with Andrew, the manager were a great help with information and hospitality. Heather wanted us to try the cinnamon roll pancake and I think this will be my go to pancake whenever I am in town. It was so delicious we did not even take a picture from the start, rather we took it more than half way demolished. Inside were white chocolate chips, salted caramel, candied pecans on top with a vanilla sauce.  I got the Bella! Bella! Benny plate, this consisted of "thin slices of prosciutto, Taleggio cheese, and perfectly poached eggs on toasted ciabatta, topped with cream cheese hollandaise, balsamic glaze and arugula" (menu). Eggs Benedict are never a bad idea for brunch. Laura made a 50/50 choice. You pick two different kinds of egg Benedict. Both with hash browns, she chose the crispy, I picked on the softer side. 

We then headed to the lovely Denver Art Museum. They provided a great mixture of art, sculptures, paintings, and videos and audio headsets for most. Two huge buildings with a wide selection of galleries and an exhibit that changes all the time. I had my school ID which gave me a discount, leaving me paying $10. Locals, kids, and local students get an even lower price. Real quick I have to bring up Laura going on top of a huge cow outside the museum. I doubt they really want people to climb this sculpture, then again they don't have a sign that says NOT to. So for the sake of getting a good picture for my blog, I see Laura going up the tail, so I told her to just climb higher. That she did, she went all the way up to enormous head. Now the getting back down, let's just say her bottom and Denver ice got very acquainted on this trip. Thankfully the Denver locals are super nice and this lady helped her up. I was busy being a horrible friend laughing harder than ever before.

We went to a Colorado whiskey distillery named Stranahan's. Not only do you get to see how whiskey is made, fermented, stored for 5+ years but you also get to taste it and have fun learning in between all thanks to our well informed tour guide Keith. The tour is totally FREE, all you have to do is a reserve a slot online and be there on time. Following the nice warm whiskey filled sensation, we headed for some Colorado styled pizza. I picked Beau Jo's pizza. This place was awesome, it was so filled with flavor and layers of mouth watering meats and vegetables. Laura got a Margarita, she enjoyed it and it was only $6. I got an Arnold Palmer, $2.80 for two cups. Came in the cutest mason jars. We got a two pound pizza of Mountain Pie made half chicken breast with a garlic and olive oil sauce, and the other half was supreme with bacon bits too. The crust was a honey wheat, when you got to the bottom of it, you poured pure honey on it and indulged in the sweet softness. We were at this point almost falling asleep from this long filled day. Regardless I said we needed the infamous Voodoo Doughnuts. We payed for 3 under $5, but the lovely employee hooked us up with an extra one. We figured we would get the crazy looking ones. I got one that was topped with Fruit Loops cereal, Laura had one with Cocoa Puffs and we shared a cookies and cream one with a Boston cream like filling, I am not a filling lover, but this one was very worthy of my taste buds. 

I will be making one more Denver blog next Sunday. I want to show people that we are able to travel, and head out of the house on a budget and still have fun. Contact the companies below for any questions. Also feel free to contact me if you want more details on the places I visited. Do not limit yourself, try new things, meet new people, spend time doing something that will give you awesome memories. Let us always remember to love and allow to be loved. Xoxo

Queen of Sheba

7225 E Colfax Ave. Denver, CO. 80220

(303) 399-9442

Comedy Works

(2 locations) 5345 Landmark Pl. Denver, CO 80111

(720) 274-6800

Snooze

700 N Colorado Blvd. Denver, CO 80206

(303) 736-6200

Denver Art Museum

100 W 14th Ave Pkwy. Denver, CO 80204

(720) 865-5000

Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey

200 S Kalamath St. Denver, CO 80223

(303) 296-7440

Beau Jo's

(Various locations) 2710 S. Colorado Blvd. Denver, CO 80222

(303) 758-1519

Voodoo Doughnuts

1520 E. Colfax Ave. Denver, CO. 80218

(303) 597-3666

 

Barber Park Farmers Market

Farmers Markets are the go to for bargains, handmade or from scratch products and a great environment of amicable people along the way. Every first of the month Barber Park holds their own farmers market open to the public, they do not open for December, but they will resume this the first Sunday of January.

Like most farmers markets, they have just about everything available for sale you can think of. A lot of the eateries have samples to reel you in just a little more. They have from fatty foods, to veterinarian foods, to sweets galore. They have a lot of jewelry stands, a place where you can adopt animals, handmade candles, and honey too. All while listening to live music as you shop and mingle around.

First place I made a pick up at was a very delightful candle making business by the name of "Juliet Scents." A very lovely couple who helped me find just what I needed. I enjoy light, lavender scents and they pointed me to "calming" the perfect mix to melt in my home. Her products are all natural and dye free, also she makes them all by hand so it gives it an extra sense of warmth and love to them. She makes different salt and sugar scrubs along with oils for sensitive skin. The pampering is endless for your home, and your body. I grabbed 6 wax tarts for $7

Next pickup was a sweet treat. A gentleman named Mark, helped me taste a few dabs of honey from his "Happy Bee Honey" collection to see which would be my favorites. There were so many options, so I decided to leave with two and even that was hard. I chose the "Nutty Amaretto" and "Cinnamon" honey. Both were amazing. I actually cooked with the Cinnamon honey on Thanksgiving and my family loved the flavors I incorporated into the dish. They have so many products that they make with their amazing honey. They have body butters, walnuts and honey,cream and salt soaps, they even have raw wasabi honey. Needless to say, they can add their honey to just about anything. I paid 2 for $5 deal on the products.

I will put these couple of companies I personally enjoyed down at the bottom, that  way you all can enjoy them for yourselves. I hope to get you all out to the farmers market the first Sunday of January to mingle with other people around the city, as well as get some great food and goodies for great prices.

Barber Park

3701 Gatlin Ave Orlando, Fl 32812

407-254-6860

Juliet Scents 

Email: Julietscents@Gmail.com

Facebook.com/JulietscentsLLC

Phone: 407-913-0394

Happy Bee Honey

Trish.HappyBeeHoney@Gmail.com

www.HappyBeeHoney.net

407-733-7514

Tree Trek Adventure

Climb up the ladder, nice and smooth. Enjoy the view when you step to the top. *Click, Click* carabiners are locked in and you are secure. Now step forward onto the ledge... keep it steady, one foot at a time, use those arms to find some balance. Woo that was close, almost went down. I will tell you all about an awesome day filled with a nice green surrounding, loads of fun, laughter and sporty adventure at Tree Trek.

Let us begin from the beginning, I heard about this place from one of my great friends Laura, she did pay full price for the place which was over $100. I found an offer on Groupon for $60 for two people at the time, which is now at $68 for two people. There are a few taxes upon arrival and there is $3 for gloves if you do not have your own. $3 all you can drink water which I highly recommend you grabbing, you do tend to get a little parched when you're high in the air, swinging and pulling to your next stop. 

Upon arrival you sign a consent form because they do not want to be blamed for any cuts or bruises your ass may get of course. (I left with a warrior scar myself, no biggie) I went bright and early because I figured if it isn't the sun it is the bloody rain that tries to stomp on your fun parade in Florida. so I was there by 8:30 Am you must arrive at least 30 minutes prior to your appointment. Next you go meet your instructor and get suited up, I wore a regular black tee and some semi loose long sweat pants with my hair pulled all back. Ladies try to stay away from short shorts and men unless you want your genitals extremely exposed loose sweats or jeans are the go to for this field trip. For all my long hair rockers, pony tail for the day will be the way to survive. No gum chewing (don't know why they say this) and you can take your phone on the obstacle course, they will provide you with a little pouch to link up to your suit.

Following the set up, your instructor will take you to a small practice course where first you practice how to properly use your carabiners prior to climbing up, it is literally impossible for you to fall from anywhere here. It's so safe even a cave man can leave in one piece. Once you get the hang of opening one, sliding the other and so forth you then follow up a small ladder to do a little practice course. Once you do about two straight across and a small zip line, you then hit your first course. There are a total of 7 courses, 2 children courses ages 7-11, 4 adult courses 12+ and the giant Zip line one at the end. 

I am pretty out of shape, not a total lard ass, but I am very far from being a Serena Williams out here. But even with how nonexistent my workout plan is, this course was doable and fun. The further and higher you get though it does tend to get more difficult. I am far from a quitter so even when it seemed to get a little hard, or I had to hold up my weight I kept it pushing and appreciated the support I had with me. At the end of each course there is a zip line to get you to the end of the course. Once you finish all 4 courses you head up some tall stairs and to the long zip line where you basically celebrate your completion of your full obstacle course.  I would suggest to go with funny, supportive and adventurous friends here.

Now this is for my people a little scared of heights, my friend that I went with is absolutely terrified of heights, to where he barely even spoke to me as he was going across each obstacle course. Motivate each other and do not allow any fear to stand in the way. He even said himself he did not know he was capable of doing something that wild and that high in his life. All is possible when you are having fun and have a great support system. 

Hope you all enjoyed my Tree Trek adventure and I hope you all will make it out to this awesome place to experience it hands on. This is a perfect place for families, friends, even a day date to enjoy an out of the box outing. And for those that do not live here something similar to it in your city may be closer than you think. Be on the lookout next Sunday for my next fun and affordable adventure. I just received a new camera Nikon D3300, so I hope to give you all some visual quality along with my writing soon. Love you all for the support and hope to keep you all in here and following me. Remember to always "Love and allow to be loved." xoxo

Contact Information:
(407) 390-9999

Park Address:
7625 Sinclair Rd.
Kissimmee, Florida 34747

http://www.orlandotreetrek.com/

Fun & inexpensive activities in Orlando! Pt. 1

We all enjoy fun days and nights in the city. If you are anything like me though you are a college student, regular Joe or Jill on a budget. How do you incorporate fun outings with little to no change to spare? I am here to guide you around the beautiful city with some fun activities to get into. I took my time and visited a few interesting places in Orlando to have a bit of variety for you all.

First on my list I visited 'Natura Coffee and Tea.' they have different fun events on different days of the week, I went on a Wednesday night which is Jazz night and on a Sunday witch is open mic night, a mixture of comedy, live music, and poetry. This location is right around the University of Central Florida which makes it very accessible for many. Both nights start at about 9pm, I arrived about 30 minutes after to both. My personal favorite had to be the Jazz night though, super laid back, amazing music overall. Staff is very nice and helpful, you do have to kind of wave them down at the bar to get things considering the few people that work there. This is a lounge that serves coffee, teas, beers, wines, finger foods, a few pastries and hookah. Everything ranges from about $3-$8. The hookah has a happy hour 6pm-8pm in which you can enjoy them for $10 (regularly about $13-$15.) They even have different art around the shop that you can buy if you like them enough. This place has a totally funky and unique environment. They have no cover charge which is awesome if you just want to hop on the wifi and study. You are more than welcome to just grab a spot on a couch or a table and enjoy the vibes, their products smell so good though, I'm sure you will want to enjoy a coffee or some spinach dip while you're there (grab the pita chips with any dip.) I had the pleasure of listening to Caleb Joel on the Saxophone that night along with his band, and let me tell you if every single person in there doesn't tap a foot, or nod their head I will personally buy you TWO drinks, the whole atmosphere is just leaking with talent and vibrant music. If you are in the mood for somewhere to hide out alone, enjoy an inexpensive date or overall just love to listen to talent and celebrate creativity this is the place for you. Not to mention if you have a talent that you would love to let others enjoy, give them a call and find a slot to show off your art.

Naturacoffeeandtea.com (407) 482 - 8599 12078 Collegiate Way Orlando Fl, 32765

Next place that I swung by is a little more on the family oriented side. I took this chance since I do not have kids of my own, while my 3 year old goddaughter was in town from Buffalo I took her to the Downtown Orlando public library. We simply did a walk in to Story time for toddlers and school kids. This is all free and every child will enjoy it from beginning to end. They stretch to start off, loosen up those muscles and get a kick of energy started. The librarian reads the children three books, they sing songs and best of all her voice alone make the stories come alive for kids. This is a great way to expand your child's vocabulary, allow them to interact with other children and also to expand their imaginations. The librarian teaches them new words, animals and places that you can later bring up again to refresh their memories and expand their education. She allows them to sing tunes a few times during the session and allows them to shout and express themselves too. Another thing I loved was how she allows them to use props in the stories and songs. She had a light scarf the kids had to throw around and make believe was a waterfall, and use it for certain sounds. I found this awesome because it is a great way for children to learn to follow directions while still having fun. You can choose to sit in the shadows or interact with your child in the mist of it all. They have different activities for different aged children on different days too. This is a great outing for kids in my opinion. Its educational, fun filled, best of all safe and free.

www.Ocls.info find the library near you and find out when their story times are or contact me for help.

Last location that I stopped in at was a little more slow paced, but very rewarding, artistic and also educating. I visited the Cornell Art museum located at the Rollins college in Winter Park. Conveniently this also was a free event, thanks to Dale Montgomery '60. This isn't too big of an art museum, but it is just right to spend an hour or two of your day either alone, with a date or a couple of friends. The woman at the front desk was so welcoming and helpful with all the questions I had. This museum has a lot of older European art, mixed with a little modern and a new featured artist each semester. The new artist for every semester has their own section in the museum to exhibit their work. There is a booklet that allows you to follow the great art as you go and gives you a good amount of information on many of the pieces. I went alone to this one and loved every tranquil bit of it. I personally enjoyed just going to each piece reading up on the piece itself, the artist and getting a close look at the brush strokes and colors. I find it fascinating how art work stays in tact or how others can remake such an original piece and still make it look marvelous. This is more of a place to head to if you like art, quite small places and learning about old artifacts. You can also call and do scavenger hunts with your kids on specific days and engage in hands on art activities. This can be something that can also be fun for the whole family.

 Closed Mondays Tuesday-Friday 10am-4pm Saturday-Sunday Noon-5pm (407) 646 2526 1000 Holt Ave Winter Park, Fl 32789 Building 303

Now all these places are in Orlando or right around considering I live here. I do hope that this does not limit my audience that are in other cities to get up and out. Search for places in your city that offer these same great options. Most cities offer free art museums on certain days, and all should have free library reading times for kids. Now this was a very brief and simple start to my adventure take off for you all. I will be engaging in a lot of fun things to do on a budget as time passes. Tune in next Sunday for a wild, adventurous and high experience. Remember "Love and allow to be loved." Thank you all for the amazing support, please drop comments, likes, or contact me personally with any questions or feedback. Xoxo

Welcoming Introduction

Hello to all (throws cyber confetti) my name is Wendolyn Marte. My last name literally means Mars in Spanish for anyone wondering. Also when it comes to my quote "Love and allow to be loved" I mean this not only for humans, but for the universe, your job, your goals etc. You must love your surroundings and what it is that you want to achieve and allow it to love you back in order to prevail, when you give you will receive only when done from a good place in your heart. I want to welcome you all into my website also known as my cyber child. I am 23 years old, I have been raised in Orlando, Fl for 16 years. I only have one sibling a 16 year old sister, both of our parents are from Dominican Republic. I am fluent in Spanish and always willing to learn a few different words from other languages. I have been in and out of college since 2010; my initial career choice was to be a Neonatal Nurse. I came to the realization that even though I adore children and enjoy to help others, the medical field just wasn't my calling. So I had to put my thinking cap on and remember what my real passion was. I have always enjoyed writing, being around people, and traveling. I found that the Communications field has a broad selection of career choices to pick from. So I went to my college and switched my whole major around, and I have never felt more excited and confident to achieve something as I am about this career. I am currently taking a couple of classes to get my feet wet again, and allow myself to also have a job to pay for my outings along with my bills. Another reason I chose to switch my major around was because I do not want to be in college for X amount of years, be at a job for 3-5 years and want to call it quits or just be unhappy with it overall. I want a career that is always demanding my attention, allowing me to better myself and to move up with my dreams all while having a genuine smile on my face and meeting new people every chance I get. This blog is to help me, help you and also to allow me to grow as a blogger. I will be posting random things in my personal life once in a while to keep you all updated on things around me and to assist anyone with how to overcome some downfalls we tend to have at times. I will mostly be posting on fun tips with adventure, travel, date ideas, and ways to just have fun and relax while at the same time not murdering your pockets with an ax. I hope that this helps some of you know that it is okay at times to fall on your ass, as long as you find a way to get up and get better that is ALL that matters. We all make mistakes and sometimes we don't use our time too efficiently, brush it off and put your life in full force, that is the only thing that should be of real importance. I hope you all will tune in every week to see what fun things I am doing and that I am able to get you all out of your homes and out to an adventure even if it is just once a month. I want to give you all variety and consistency. All feedback is welcomed and appreciated, feel free to contact me, check in my contacts tab to see the easiest way for you all to reach me. Thank you so much for beginning this journey with me, you all are my beautiful audience and I hope to have a special relationship with you all. XoXo