Travel | London Weekend 2014: Getting There

When given the opportunity to visit your best friend in London, you take it.
Whether it's for one month, or one day, you take it.

I've only been to Europe once, and that was to visit my family in the Azores islands off the coast of Portugal. So technically, I've never been to Europe. Ive been begging my parents to take me since I was about eleven. I just loved history and culture, and I was longing to experience it first-hand. More recently, the music scene and fashion culture in London called to me and I felt a strong connection to the city even though I've only seen it through pictures and movie screens.

This semester, my best friend since diapers is studying at the University of Richmond in London. We were texting via Viber (an app) when she said ,"you should come visit". I knew she was only saying it, figuring that I wouldn't or couldn't ever actually come visit. I stared at my phone and thought, maybe this is something I could do. I frantically began searching travel sites to find the cheapest flight, and glanced at the openings on my planner. I was blessed with no Tuesday or Wednesday classes this semester, and I realized that Columbus Day falls on a Monday, leaving a 5 day chunk of time wide open. I managed to find a flight for a fairly reasonable sum (mind you, this trip would potentially be two weeks away).

Can I manage this? Is this actually happening? Am I casually booking a weekend trip to London right now? These were all of the questions running through my head.

Two Fridays later, there I was, standing at my front door suitcase in hand waiting to be picked up for the airport.

I'm no stranger to flying, this wasn't my first rodeo. I grabbed myself a cheeky little PSL from Starbucks (typical), and patiently waited at my gate. The international section of Logan was a whole new world for me, it was so exciting to hear a multitude of different languages being spoken around me. "Flight VS011 to London, Heathrow now boarding"; this was it, it all seemed so real now. As I stepped onto the plane, I wasn't sure exactly what to expect, but it wasn't this. This was the largest plane I've ever been on, there was even a bar onboard; A BAR ONBOARD. Each seat had a personal TV which showed TV series'(Game of Thrones included), FREE movies, albums, and you could even play games. Like, is this heaven?
I was even served meals onboard, which I thought was the best thing ever as I've never gotten a meal (or in this case, three) on a plane before.

I arrived at Heathrow around 9:00 in the morning, I slept 90% of the plane ride, but I was still exhausted. I quickly sped through customs to find my best friend there to pick me up;
in that moment; I couldn't have been happier.

Spicy Thai Peanut Noodles | Recipe

(Disclaimer: all photos taken on my iPhone, sorry about the quality)

As a college student, I never really get the chance to eat a real meal so when I have the time, I try to make something really delicious, cheap and easy. Today I had some free time and was craving something spicy but wasn't quite sure what to make. I kind of made this recipe up on the spot, and it surprisingly ended up DELICIOUS. 

This meal is cheap, quick, and easy; If you like spice, you'll love this!

Ingredients:

• Thai rice noodles (or any kind of noodles you have on hand)
• Veggies (I used frozen; carrots, broccoli, water chestnuts, sugar-snap peas, celery, red peppers)
• Garlic cloves
• Onion
• Soy sauce
• Coconut oil
• Crushed red pepper
• Sriracha
• Salt
• Ground black pepper
• Ginger
• Brown sugar

First, I diced up about 1/2 cup of onion and 4 large cloves of garlic.

At the same time, I set up a pot of water on the stove to boil (for the noodles).

Then, in a large skillet or wok (whichever you prefer), melt 1 tablespoon of coconut oil.

Add in the onion and garlic and stir occasionally until onions become translucent.

Grate in about 1 thumb of ginger root.

Add in the semi-thawed vegetables. 

I like to keep them slightly frozen so that it adds some water to the pan.

Season with a pinch of salt and a pinch of black pepper.

Add a large handful of rice noodles to the boiling water at this point; they'll be done around the same time the sauce is finished.

When the vegetables begin to cook down, add in about 1 1/2 T of soy sauce and stir.

Add in about 1 T of peanut butter and about 1/4 cup of water and let the sauce thicken. 

(Around this time, I like to add in about 1 tsp of brown sugar, and a little more peanut butter if I feel like the sauce isn't thick enough)

Next, drizzle Sriracha over the vegetables. 

Add about 1 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes.

(I like mine very spicy, so feel free to use less)

The rice noodles should be done at this point, so pull them straight from the boiling water and into the sauce.

(I've found that by not straining the noodles, they won't become gummy or sticky!)

Toss the noodles around in the sauce, and add a garnish if you'd like (I add a few basil leaves), 

and you're done!

If you choose to make this, or make it your own, let me know in the comments!

Enjoy!

Twitter | YouTube | Instagram

What You Should Be Watching | JennaDelRey

This month I've set out on a new mission to create more videos than I ever have. I kick-started things with my One Direction video, and if you haven't seen it yet, you can watch that here (yes I'm spamming you once again). Also, I've been tweeting a lot more from my JennaDelReyTV twitter, so if you want to check out my silliness I'll post a link here. Mostly I go off on fangirl type stuff and announce some updates.

Over the past week or two I've been moving into my new house at school so I haven't been totally YouTube active, but I'm trying my best. I posted two new videos on my channel; a Red Lip Makeup Tutorial and a small August Favorites, so you should totally check those out!!! (:

If you enjoyed these videos at all PLEASE don't forget to subscribe, like the videos, and leave me a comment telling me what you want to see next or what you'd rather see! 

I really hope you check these out and enjoy them! (:

Twitter / Instagram

Walking Around Gloucester, MA

In my family, Summer Sundays are meant for local adventures. Whether that entails trying out a new restaurant, or walking around a city we've never visited. Recently I took a trip to Gloucester, MA; a quaint, seaside town known for it's fishing and boating industries (The Perfect Storm, anyone?)

We decided to take a little day trip to have lunch and walk around the beach area. We also couldn't resist stopping in at local record stores, book stores, and for some ice cream!

Of course, I forgot to bring a camera, but I did get some snaps of the water area!

YouTube | One Direction & 5SOS Concert Vlog!!!

So if you read my last post, you'd know that two weeks ago I went to the One Direction / 5 Seconds of Summer show in Boston (Foxboro, MA) on both Thursday and Saturday (8/7/14 and 8/9/14).

While I was there, I managed to get A LOT of clips from the show. It kind of, almost, sort of, feels like you could have been there. 

Without further interruption... this is the YouTube video I made with both clips from 5SOS and 1D's sets! Enjoy (:

Don't forget to follow:
Twitter: @jsouzaaa / @JennaDelReyTV
Instagram: @jsouzaaa
Tumblr: midsummer-sun

If you went to either of the two shows I did, what was you're favorite part?
Who do you ship yourself with?
I ship Jiam and Ashtenna. No shame.

ONE DIRECTION!!! (8/7/14-8/9/14)

As soon as One Direction announced the Where We Are Tour dates last year, I knew I had to make an appearance. I guess I never really knew how much I loved them until I saw them live. And let me tell you; the Thursday night concert was so amazing, it turned into an obsession. I've been to a lot of concerts in my day, and boy bands are no exception (I've seen N*SYNC and the Backstreet Boys countless times). But not even the greats could rival the 1D boys. They put on a SHOW, and I can't remember the last time I've had so much fun at a concert. 

The boys were fantastic, they sounded great, the show was incredible, and they (of course) looked delicious. I loved them so much in fact, that my best friend and I decided to buy floor tickets to the Saturday night show as well! I'm 99.9% sure Liam Payne winked at me *swoon*. No shame in my game. I'm a 20 year old who still has a serious boy band obsession. 

Now let's talk about 5SOS... I hadn't heard too much about them, but sometime in the beginning of the year I heard "She Looks So Perfect" and I fell absolutely in love. Sure they're young, and they still have some growing up to do, but I 100% believe they are going to be huge. They co-write music with All Time Low, a band I loved in middle school (which makes them that much better) AND play all of their own instruments AND all have great voices. I mean...really?! That still exists?! Plus they're also absolutely adorable, which helps. 

Hey Ashton Irwin, I'm available ;)

DIY | Flash Tats

Nail color: Essie's Topless & Barefoot (new obsession)

I've been seeing these babies all over the blogosphere lately and only one thought popped into my head; I NEED THEM. Of course, I quickly went online to purchase a package for myself...and then I saw the price tag. Although $22 may seem somewhat reasonable for 4 sheets of these beautiful tattoos, I knew they wouldn't last long in my house. Since the tattoos only last for 1 week, I wanted to come up with an alternative that would allow me to create whatever I want, whenever I want.

I was walking into my room this morning and noticed a couple of sharpies from an old DIY project laying on my desk; one silver, one gold. A lightbulb switched on inside my head as I found my solution.

I've tried to tattoo myself in the past with metallic sharpies and they never seemed to come out very shiny, or how I pictured they would in my head. These sharpies differ in that they are essentially paint pens, of the "heavy duty" variety (I last used them to write on glass). The markers are oil-based paint pens in the colors metallic gold and metallic silver. You can get them at any local craft store, or you can buy the set of two from amazon for only $9 (the best deal IMO).

Now, I'm not advocating the use of sharpies on skin, as I imagine they can't be that good for you. But, I can recommend this alternative if you don't have sensitive skin and you want a temporary flash tat for a fraction of the cost!