Seriously, with all of the snow we have been getting in Minnesota, tropical weather and tropical drinks are weighing heavily on my mind. We have gotten over 34 inches in the month of February alone! Sigh…

That said, there is no tropical vacation in my near future, but I can certainly solve for the tropical drinks!! (Yay for entirely too many years as a bartender!)

Anymore, when I drink margaritas, I am looking for something low in sugar, and with natural ingredients. So my plan in creating this recipe was to incorporate natural sweeteners and fresh fruit!

Needless to say, adding freshly squeezed blood orange juice eliminated the need for a super sugary triple sec or Grand Marnier! Instead, I was able to craft a delicious, citrusy margarita with minimal ingredients and a crisp, refreshing taste!

Unfortunately, I’m not enjoying mine poolside with palm trees swaying in the breeze. Instead, I’m looking out at my snow-covered back yard imagining how lush and green my grass will be once it all melts! (Yay for the bright side!)

Cheers to you! I hope you enjoy this margarita, and happy National Margarita Day! Let me know how you like it in the comments!

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It’s not uncommon to hear women avoid the age question, especially after 40. I’ve never really understood that. As cliche as is sounds, I have never really considered age to be anything more than a number.

As my 40th birthday approached, I was frequently asked, “Are you ready for 40?” My answer was always, “Heck, yes! Bring it on!” And I embraced the heck out of my 40th year!

40 was a year full of new experiences and bucket list adventures!

The year kicked off with a Scavenger Hunt bar crawl along the light rail, beginning in the 7 Corners neighborhood of Minneapolis and ending in the Lowertown neighborhood of St. Paul.

As Spring rolled around, we headed to Ft. Myers and Key West for some relaxation and fun in the sun. Being a borderline crazy cat lady, we had to visit the Ernest Hemmingway house to see the polydactal kitties!

May finally got me outside and enjoying the beautiful weather before shipping off in June for 2 weeks in Peru.

Have you ever been to Peru? It’s seriously A-MAZING! My Peruvian adventure began with meeting my sponsor child on the outskirts of Lima. From Lima, I flew to Cusco for a 4-day/3-night back country adventure.

That’s right! I spent 3 nights camped under the stars in the Andes as I hiked to the peak of Rainbow Mountain – 17,000 feet above sea level. It was breathtaking. (Literally and figuratively.)

After climbing Rainbow Mountain, I was fortunate to view the Winter Solstice sunrise from Machu Picchu. It was a deeply moving experience, and I highly recommend it.

One would think Peru would be the icing on the cake, but my adventures did not end there! In August, one of my best friends from childhood and I (we’ve known one another since we were 3) made the last minute decision to head to Seattle to see Pearl Jam! They played for 3 hours. It was fantastic!

September took me to Chicago to see Billy Joel with my cousin. While we were standing at the merch table trying to decide what to get, a man called Front Row Joe blessed us with front row tickets. Never in a million years did I ever expect something so exciting!

October took me back to Chicago to see the New England Patriots at Soldier Field.

The year culminated with a girls trip to New Orleans with Taylor and Danielle – in which we kicked off our No. 3 Primrose Place endeavor.

I also took my first ever trip to Gilette Stadium in Foxboro, MA to see my beloved Patriots play the Minnesota Vikings.

Some may say the year was a bit extravagant, but I began the year with the intention of living my 40th year to the fullest. Can anyone say Mission Accomplished?

The post My 40th Year: A Recap appeared first on No. 3 Primrose Place.

Fortunately, school is on break until after the first of the year. That means I actually have time to curl up and do some recreational reading.

Of course, every cold winter day can be made a bit warmer with some spiked hot cider.

This particular cider is mulled with cinnamon, clove, ginger, and orange, giving it a great, seasonal spice with citrus hints. This delicious, mellow drink is a great winter warmer!

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Given my situation, I was open to living with anyone, although many people questioned my decisions at the time. I proceeded to e-mail this individual – we met in person. I checked out the apartment and asked him if I could move in…tomorrow! Yes, this all happened so fast!

We were officially roommates and I had known this man for 24 hours.

My roommate and I became best friends. It even got to the point where I was hanging out with his cousins more than him!

A few tips when moving in with a complete stranger:

• Spend time exploring your new city together
• Hangout with their friends
• Say YES to all invites

However, all good things come to an end. I quickly realized Madison wasn’t the city for me. I started job searching, and I accepted a job in Minneapolis, MN. I had to start the roommate search…again.

I was up north, and got on a boat to go wake surfing. I knew one person on this boat. The best part of the story is that is where I met my current roommate! We hungout once before moving in together.

We were both new to Minneapolis, so what we did was:

• Attend events in the city to make new friends
• Introduced ourselved to neighbors in our apartment building
• Take random road trips to local attractions out of the city
• Take vacations together

Overall, there is so much you can learn from living with strangers. I would highly recommend it if you get the opportunity, take a chance!

The post Living with a Stranger 101 appeared first on No. 3 Primrose Place.

In June I went on an amazing adventure to Peru – by myself. 

Sure, I’ve traveled alone before, but normally to visit someone who already lived at or near my destination. This trip, however, was on my own.

A number of people in my life have made comments about how brave it was to travel alone, especially to another country. But really, with the right planning, anyone can do it! Here are some tips to help you plan a successful solo adventure!

1. Plan Ahead

When travelling by yourself, it is really important to have a plan. Now, don’t think for a second that I am recommending mapping out every moment of your adventure. There’s no fun in that! What I am recommending, though, is to give yourself a solid foundation. You obviously know when you’re arriving and when you’re leaving. Plan for any must see cities or sights, plan your lodging based on how much walking or driving you think is reasonable. Schedule any organized tours or activities that require advance planning, and take some time to learn about the area! If, like me, you want to go to Peru, it’s important to know that many of the bucketlist sights require that you buy your tickets months in advance (Inca Trail, Machu Picchu).

2. Get Recommendations

Do you know anyone who has been to the place you’re going? When I was planning my trip to Peru, I knew a friend had been very recently with his husband and his mom. They raved about their experience, so you can bet your ass I was all up in his business about where they went, what they did, and which companies they used. It turns out, recommendations (and warnings) are one of the best ways to make decisions for your trip. If someone you know had an amazing experience, chances are you can’t go wrong.

3. Read Reviews

Don’t know anyone who’s been there? No problem! There are plenty of online forums for reviews. Granted, I take a lot of what I read when it comes to restaurant and hotel reviews with a grain of salt. But if you read enough, you’ll absolutely get the feel for the the company your investigating. In fact, the group that was on my trek in Peru chose the same tour company I chose on a recommendation based on the company’s rave online reviews!

4. Buy Insurance

Let me be fully transparent here – in all the years I have been traveling, this trip to Peru is the first time I bought travel insurance. In my defense, I never really took the time to figure out what insurance actually covered. It turns out, depending on your insurance, you can be covered for canceled flights, illness, emergency transport, lost luggage – any number of things! Fortunately I didn’t have to use my insurance on my trip, but there were some people in my tour group who ended up ill, and I can imagine insurance would have come in handy for me if my experience had been the same.

5. Be Open

Finally, the most important tip I have to offer – BE OPEN! Be open to new experiences, new food, new people, new adventures. You’re traveling alone, for goodness sake! You’ve already likely crawled out of your comfort zone to take that step. Don’t stop there! If you’ve done a bit of planning, and you’ve made your big decisions based on recommendations and reviews, rest assured that you’ve put yourself in a position to experience what your destination has to offer!

Do you have an adventure coming up? Are you a seasoned solo traveler? I’d love to hear about your experiences!

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