Tag Archives: travel

Jun13

Casino Adventures

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Casino Adventures

Heyyy everyone and happy weekend! I’ve been having the best outings this week following the travesty that was my birthday and last night was no exception! As a birthday treat to me, my lovely and astoundingly pretty friend Danielle took me to the Horseshoe Casino in downtown Cleveland. It was….quite an experience. Don’t get me wrong, I had the best time hanging out with Danielle and I loved her company, but I don’t think her or myself will be hanging out in a casino again any time soon! The casino in general was just very very overwhelming. It was seriously gigantic – every time we were walking around I felt like we were in an area that we hadn’t been in before, but in all reality we walked past it countless times. It was so hard differentiating all of the different casino corridors because they all looked exactly alike. It felt like every time we walked away from something and eventually came back to it the initial area changed into something completely different, if that makes sense? It was seriously the strangest sensation I’ve experienced in ages. It felt like the casino was shifting and redecorating with every step we took like a giant labyrinth. So on top of being in this enchanted casino it was fairly crowded and the music that was playing was loud so it was total sensory overload. And don’t even get me started on the games! Danielle and I stuck to the “easy” games like the fruit slot machines and whatnot, but unfortunately, we both weren’t very lucky. It was so frustrating, because even if we won something in the game it still didn’t make up for what we initially spent to begin with so we were losing money. Danielle was so sweet because before we got into the casino she had me pull a piece of paper from her beanie and on the paper was the amount of money that she would supply for the games and after we reached that limit we were donezo. It was such a generous thing to do which I was so blown away by and it was also a really great idea to give ourselves a spending limit. Like I said earlier, we weren’t very lucky at the games and our limit was well spent after barely over an hour…But in that hour I can totally see why gambling addiction is a thing. Danielle and I experienced that “just one more try” mentality first hand and it was quite off putting. Like, we knew we were losing money but we were both so convinced that just one more spin on the game would result in some winnings no matter how small. The Horseshoe was the only casino myself or Danielle has ever been in, but I’m assuming they’re all set up very similarly – multiple bars, loud music, and dim lighting. All of these different elements really do make up the perfect concoction of a place where you could lose track of yourself very easily. That “club” like environment seemed to hook everyone in the casino because every time Danielle and I walked around all we saw were blank faces in front of the machines and people absentmindedly placing their bets no matter what the cost. That type of thing is obviously what some people like, but it clearly wasn’t mine or Danielle’s cup of tea. On our way home from Cleveland we talked about how we were glad that we got the casino experience out of our systems to at least say that we did it, but we both agreed that it will be a long time before we step foot in one again. Despite our bad luck at literally every game we attempted, it was still a super fun evening and I’m so glad I got to share in a casino adventure with Danielle!

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^^^ Lol this song seemed very appropriate to include in a post about casinos! I’M SO CLEVER! 😉

So there you have it, my Friday night Casino Adventure! I hope all of you are having an awesome weekend so far, I know I am! Have any of you ever got your gamble on in a casino? What was the most that you lost or won? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

PS: If gambling addiction is something that you or a loved one struggle with, I urge you to seek help – whether that be confiding in a counselor, friend, or even a complete stranger. You can check out this article on responsible gambling and there are multiple different helplines that you can call as well, one of them being the hotline through the National Council on Problem Gambling. Here’s their website: http://www.ncpgambling.org/help-treatment/national-helpline-1-800-522-4700/

Jun6

Toledo Zoo Birthday Fun!

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Toledo Zoo Birthday Fun!

Heyy everyone and happy Saturday! And most importantly, happy one day until my 21st birthday!!! I had a beautiful day yesterday with my darling little BFF Lea at the Toledo Zoo for my birthday day trip celebration, so let me tell you all about it! WELL, we left Cuyahoga Falls yesterday around 9:30 and arrived at the zoo a little before twelve after an over two hour drive. We had to stop one time in Sandusky so I could go to the bathroom and we ran into quite a few characters before we even got to the zoo in the McDonald’s facilities…There was a lady with the longest pee Lea and I have ever heard that prevented both of us from going, which was AWFUL because I could barely walk from having to pee so bad. And then we can’t forget the girl who we ran into as we were washing our hands who was dressed up as a cat – face paint, tails, ears, the whole shebang. But hey, to each their own! After we relieved ourselves we made it to the zoo after another hour or so and unfortunately I had to pee AGAIN once we got there! This time it was even more urgent than the first which I didn’t even think was humanly possible! SO after another pee, we purchased our tickets from two evil, unhelpful, rude, rude, rude ladies and entered the Toledo Zoo! We explored the first half of the zoo which had elephants, penguins, primates, alligators, crocodiles, birds, reptiles, bears, tigers, and a gorgeous brand new aquarium. Unfortunately after we finished up at the elephant exhibit at the very end of the first half of the Toledo Zoo it began to rain really hard. But luckily, I packed my emergency beanie (the “E-Beanie”) to protect my red locks from the rain and Lea and I found shelter under the roof of a building. After surviving the downpour in Naked & Afraid: Toledo Zoo Edition, the sun came out and we were ready for some snacks and to get to the next half of the zoo that we still had to explore. We got some super delicious French fries that we finished before we even paid for them (whoops!) and of course some Dippin’ Dots because it’s our zoo tradition! YUM! We didn’t have much time to explore the second half of the zoo because we were unaware that they closed at four on weekdays rather than five – actually we didn’t find this out until about ten minutes before they closed because I consulted the map for some reason or another. As luck would have it though, the second half of the zoo was smaller than the first half so despite the speedy walk through of it we still got to see almost everything – rhinos, wolves, hippos, polar bears, sea lions, eagles, and a bunch of African Savannah animals including our all time favorite, GIRAFFES! They were so glorious!!!! We finished our zoo adventure by watching the majestic giraffes walk around their vast Savannah-esque habitat which was shared with other species of animals like ostriches, gazelles, antelopes, and more. It was a completely perfect day! Here’s a few of the pictures that I took during our Toledo Zoo visit:

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^^^ WTF is that fish? Hahaha! I’m so sad that I can’t upload videos on here because I have the cutest video of my favorite part of exploring the zoo…While watching the sweet gorillas in their exhibit with another family the gorgeous creatures were just kind of hanging out and lounging and eventually the family by us left. As soon as this family made their exit one of the gorillas decided to show off for me and Lea by rolling up and down the hill like a little kid. He went back and forth again and again until he tired himself out and it was seriously the most precious thing ever! He could probably sense that it was a special day for Lea and I and wanted to give us a little pre-birthday performance!

Yesterday was such a blast and I seriously had the best time with my darling Lea! We had so much fun during everything – the car rides, the zoo, the stormy weather (Lea and I are great at making not so good stuff enjoyable – one of the many reasons why I love our friendship!), and of course the Dippin’ Dots! What a fabulous birthday day trip extravaganza! Tonight I’ll be going out to dinner and the bars with my friends so you probably won’t hear from me tomorrow on my birthday due to a very probable hangover. SO that means I’ll be officially twenty-one the next time you talk to me on the usual Monday Update segment! AHHHH! I hope all of you are having a terrific day so far! What is everyone up to this weekend? Any fun plans? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

SARAH’S BIRTHDAY COUNTDOWN: ONE DAY LEFT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

^^^ Lololol this classic one hit wonder was our driving theme song yesterday! #love

May19

Akron Zoo Adventure

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Akron Zoo Adventure

Hello everyone and happy Tuesday! Because I was away this weekend, I didn’t get to write about the beautiful afternoon my best friend Kate and I had last Thursday at the Akron Zoo! The weather in Akron was absolutely perfect for a zoo excursion, so best believe I broke out a sun dress and some fun wedges for the occasion! We had some lovely quality time roaming the park and the aquarium and making friends with the animals which Kate captured on her mom’s fancy camera. All photo credit on this post goes to Kate Powell, and shout out to her because she did an amazing job! Take a look:

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  • Featured Image photo: LLAMA LLAMA LLAMA LLAMA LLAMA!!!!!
  • Picture 1: Cute little birdy in the aviary! Honestly all of the birds in the Akron Zoo’s aviary set up were birds that I could see in my backyard, but that’s okay because they were still fun to look at! The aviary is laid out like a tree house that looks over the entire zoo, complete with a rickety wooden bridge. Love it!
  • Picture 2: The grizzly bear in this pic was gnawing at a fallen tree like nobody’s business. Hey, a bears gotta eat. The bear eating the log looked very similar to me when I’m eating Taco Bell, therefore the grizzly bear is one of my many spirit animals. (Lil Red Fun Fact: My number one spirit animal is a peacock!)
  • Picture 3: Ahhhh that goat was the cutest – and I must say my nails look fantastic in that picture! There’s an adorable barnyard section at the Akron Zoo complete with goats and sheep that you can feed and pet, and I especially bonded with the little sweetie in this picture! :’)
  • Picture 4: Spotted! A wild Sarah!
  • Picture 5: This tiger pic is mine and Kate’s favorite. Kate captioned this photo “Lunch a la toddler” because there was a little kid standing by us when Kate snapped this shot, and the tiger is definitely looking at something pretty longingly! And let’s talk about those eyes! So gorgeous!
  • Picture 6: I’m also very fond of this photo of the majestic looking lion. He had his tongue hanging out for most of our time looking at him, and it looked so ridiculously goofy and I loved every minute of it!
  • Picture 7: Lololol, Kate captioned this pic “The Introvert” and that pretty much sums up this big guy. Every time I see a tortoise I always have a fantasy of climbing up on top of its shell and riding around on it cowgirl style…A girl can dream, right?

Besides all of the gorgeous animals that you can see, the Akron Zoo also has lots of fun stuff to offer like their carousel and  a clear plastic slide that takes you through the watery otter exhibit. One thing that Kate and I particularly enjoyed was the touch tank in the aquarium. We got to feel up some stingrays, a crab that I forget the name of, and a chocolate chip starfish. The stingrays did not feel like what I was expecting them to feel like at all – they were really silky and velvety as opposed to the greasy and slimy that I was expecting. Despite all of the amazing exhibits and activities, The Akron Zoo is relatively small and Kate and I got through the entire zoo in under two hours. If you’re ever in the Akron area and are looking for a fun way to spend your afternoon, I can’t recommend the zoo enough!

So there you have it, my Akron Zoo Adventure. Is there a zoo near you in your neck of the woods? What is it like? What’s the best zoo that you’ve ever been to? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May18

Sorry, Sis ;)

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Sorry, Sis ;)

During my weekend trip to Wisconsin, I may or may not have played a stupidly funny prank on my beloved sister, Kristen. And for that, I am publicly apologizing. Kristen drove the first two or so hours home from Wisconsin on Sunday, and during that time I was manning her phone to reply to the texts that she received. She’s been talking to a new guy recently, and it was my responsibility to type everything out to him that she dictated to me….Bad idea on her part. When he asked what Kristen was up to, my sister told me to text him “driving home! yay!” and unfortunately I heard “driving home! gay!” When I heard “gay” I thought to myself “hmm, that’s an odd way to describe driving home” so I asked her to repeat it three times and every single time, I heard “gay” so into the text it went. To spruce the message up even more I also added “and I really have to go to the bathroom :((((” to the message and hit Send. I straight up told Kristen that I added her bathroom issue to the text (which was more like my bathroom issue, because I really had to go!), and she didn’t believe me! Smh. When we stopped for food and she looked through her phone, she saw the text I sent that she thought I was kidding about, and got a bit upset at Lil Red. Once we got back on the road again, my mom took over driving so Kristen got back into the backseat with me. She was still pissed at me, even though I told her what I texted him, so after snacking on hella Flamin Hot Cheeto’s, I decided to write her a story on my iPod to make her laugh and to pass the time. I emailed myself the story, and I am now going to share it with you guys:

A short story of a very naughty thing:

Once upon a time there were two sisters, named Kristen and Sarah, respectively. During their journey home from a weekend adventure in America’s cheese land, the younger of the girls, Sarah did a very naughty thing. While the elder, Kristen drove the whip through the Chicago traffic, she received a text message from a potential love interest. For the fear of our personal safety, I manned her phone so I could text the messages to the young man as dictated by Kristen. When mister man asked what Kristen was up to, the reply I texted was not necessarily the same as what was said to me. Instead of texting “driving home, yay!” I accidentally typed “driving home. Gay. And I have to go to the bathroom :(((” in my defense, when she said “yay” it sounded a lot like “gay” and I for one, really had to go potty. I told Kristen what I had texted and she thought I was kidding. But guess what…I wasn’t. When Kristen saw what I texted she was most upset, and I feared for my life. After her round of driving, Kristen returned to the back seat of the car with me, and I tried my best to win her friendship back and humbly apologize for my wrong doings. We bonded over flaming hot Cheeto residue and she delivered one swift punch to my arm. And now I think we are friends again. The end.

^^^ Needless to say, Kristen was dying of laughter as she read my short story and we are now most definitely friends again! Sorry for being an asshole, sis! (Even though it was still kinda funny) I love you! 😉

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^^^ SHE’S SO CUTE!!!!

Hahahahaha. Kristen and I both found the situation insanely funny after she punched me, so I thought it would be fun to share this goofy story with all of you! What was the silliest thing you did to pass the time during a long trip? Do you have a story of a text message gone wrong that trumps mine? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

PS: Who’s excited and slightly depressed about the series finale of The Following tonight?! I know I am!

May17

Honey, I’m Home!

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Honey, I’m Home!

Hello, hello everyone! I have returned safe and sound to Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio after my weekend getaway to Madison, Wisconsin – and let me just say…it’s SO good to be back! My brother, Peter graduated this weekend from the University of Wisconsin with a PhD in Chemical Engineering (so proud!), so my family packed up the car and made the nine hour trip up to Madison for the ceremony. I’m going to post a few pictures tonight to give you a little sneak peak for the usual Monday Update tomorrow, where I’ll discuss the trip in detail! I mainly just wanted to let all of my lovelies know that I’ve made it home in one piece and that I will talk to all of you very soon!

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^^^ Mwahaha, there’s the graduate himself – swagged out to the max! Love you, Peter! 😉 And there’s my sleeping beauty sister, Kristen getting her snooze on! 😉

There’s going to be a bunch of fun stories, pictures, and my graduation fashion choices to discuss tomorrow, so get ready for it and keep it posted with yours truly! How was everyone’s weekend? Did any of you have a weekend getaway trip? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Goodnight! -Sarah

May14

Road Trip!

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Road Trip!

Hiiiii everyone and happy Thursday! I just wanted to let you guys know that I’ll be out of office starting early tomorrow morning until Sunday night. My brother is graduating tomorrow with a PhD in chemical engineering, so we’re packing up the family car and heading to Wisconsin for the ceremony and for some sweet, sweet hanging! Hopefully the motel we’re staying in has WiFi, because I’ll have my iPod on me so I’ll try to check in with some short little posts once we return for bed. If not, you can expect to hear from me either late on Sunday or on Monday for the usual Monday Update segment! I’m seriously so excited to see my brother!!! I’m not too excited about the nine hour drive to Wisconsin, but it will be so worth it! I haven’t seen my big bro since the beginning of January, so it’s sure to be a beautiful reunion. :))))

^^^ This basically sums up how I’m feeling right now!

So yes, I will be on a little vaca from lifewithlilred for the weekend, but make sure you check back in with me upon my return for the latest and greatest! Send me some good vibes so I don’t get super annoyed with my family during the car ride! Are any of you taking a road trip soon? Where are you heading off to? What do you do to entertain yourself during a long car ride? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love, and I’ll talk to you all soon! -Sarah

Dec2

Help!!!!!!

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Help!!!!!!

Hello hello!!!! So I’m sure if you follow my blog at http://www.lifewithlilred.com, you’ll be familiar with one of my best friends Kate. She’s my partner in crime…especially when it comes to shopping and wild and crazy ideas! Well we just came up with one of our best ideas yet. After we both graduate college in two years we would like to take a month long trip to Europe as a graduation gift to ourselves. We’ve both been working very hard in school. As you know I’m getting my Associate of Arts degree at Tri-C while Kate is getting her Bachelors of Business degree at the University of Akron. What better way to celebrate a college degree than blowing our savings fund on one final hurrah before we enter the adult working world?! Before I get farther into our plan of tom foolery and travel, I think it would be wise to tell you guys more about my wild friendship roller coaster ride with Kate. We met in high school French class when I was a freshman and she was a senior. We both adored our French teacher and she clearly loved both of us a lot, because she was the reason we became friends. I was going through a lot of shit in my teenage years. As a matter of fact, freshman year was probably one of the worst years of my life. Mrs. Teacher thought it would be good for me to have an older student to look up to, sort of like a mentor, so she privately asked Kate to take me under her wing…and the rest is history. We’ve seriously been inseparable every since our awkward first interactions in that fateful French class. Our friendship has taken us everywhere from shopping trips, a night out at the movies, car rides to nowhere, and assembling a ninety year old vintage Christmas tree. (We actually assembled that tree over Starbucks Peppermint Mochas last evening…we plan on making handmade ornaments to decorate it with while consuming a lot of wine. Once the decorations are made, rest assured that pictures will be posted!) One of my fondest memories of my friendship with Kate was when I got my temporary license and she taught me how to drive. I’m actually pretty confident that Kate would tell you that that’s her favorite friendship memory as well. It was a blustery September day when I got my temps and later that evening Kate took me out to Starbucks to celebrate. (We obviously love caffeine!) After we downed our drinks she drove to the middle of god knows where in Akron to an empty parking lot and parked the car. I asked her what she was doing and she said “you’re going to drive”. I remember being so nervous and excited all at once. I hesitantly switched places with her and got behind the wheel of her car, Winston. She taught me the basics of accelerating, braking, turning, and parking. I drove around and around the parking lot practicing my left and right hand turns until it grew dark. Remember that line of Perks of Being a Wallflower where Charlie stated that he felt infinite? That’s exactly what I felt like that night. Ever since the first conversation Kate and I had about Harry Potter during our French class, she’s been like a big sister to me. Words can’t even describe how much I love her and how thankful I am to have her as my best friend.

So now that you know a little about us and our almost seven year friendship, here’s what I’m asking of you guys: What are some places in Europe that are must sees? We plan on spending a week in Paris, a week in London, and then spend the rest of the two weeks exploring and country hopping. What sights would we regret not going to? What’s the best stores or boutiques to shop at? (Because Kate and I LOVE shopping!) What restaurants do you recommend? And do you know of any cheap hotels or hostels that we could stay in? We’ll also be making a http://www.gofundme.com account within a month or so, so if you’re generous enough to donate to our travels, we’ll send you a handmade goody made with love by Kate and I and seal it with my red lipstick kiss. As soon as our account is made it will be posted to lifewithlilred! We would also be thrilled to meet up for coffee with any of my lovely European readers!

Thanks so much for reading and if you have any recommendations for us PLEASE leave me a comment and let’s chat! Don’t be a stranger! And if you read my reviews on American Horror Story Freak Show, made sure you check in with me tomorrow night for my review on the new episode!! Happy Tuesday! -Sarah

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