Natalie's Favorite Things 2019

2019 was a year full of favorites. New podcasts, shows, books, and tasty foods. Take a scroll to see what I loved in 2019.

Podcasts

Armchair Expert

I know this isn’t new or news, but I have to mention it becasue I love it so much.

Hit Man

This podcast is about a book, Hit Man: A Technical Manual for Independent Contractors, and discusses crimes where this book may have been used to inform the crimes committed.

The Thing About Pam

A Dateline NBC story turned podcast for a deeper dive into a murder case.

Office Ladies

Angela Kinsey and Jenna Fisher take you behind the scenes in this episode by episode rewatch of The Office.

TV Shows

Brooklyn Nine Nine

I know I’m LATE to this party, but daammnnn this show is funny as hell.

Nailed It! Holiday

If you are interested in laughing until you pee your pants (and you’re not cool unless you pee your pants), watch this show.

Veronica Mars

Another show I was late to the party on. I didn’t watch Veronica Mars during it’s first run back in the early 2000’s, but I binged all the original seasons, the movie, and the new season on Hulu in like 2 weeks. It’s funny, it’s a little cheesy, it’s angsty, it’s a classic.

Disney Things

New Dole Whip Flavors

This year we tried FOUR new Dole Whip flavors: Mango (Adventure is Out There cone), Lemon (Lost Princess cone), Raspberry (Hei Hei Cone and swirled cup), and Lime (Peter Pan Float). It was a delicious year in Dole Whip.

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

I know Galaxy’s Edge got some bad press, but we love it. It’s so intricately detailed in every way. You really do feel like you are in a completely different place than the rest of Hollywood Studios. It’s amazing. Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run is cool, but I am really excited to eventually ride Rise of the Resistance.

Books

The Tattooist of Auschwitz

This book follows the love story that kept two people alive in the midst of unimaginable terror.

The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well

If you are looking for a little extra cozy in your life, read this book immediately.

Food/Drinks

Trader Joe’s

Of course I have favorites from Trader Joe’s. The Pumpkin Caramel Kringle and Peppermint Hold the Cone were two of the best things I tried this year from Trader Joe’s.

Travel

Christopher and I traveled to London and Paris to celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary. We had the best Persian food outside of my best friend’s dad’s kitchen, so many cups of delicious coffee, and so many pastries. It was delicious.

Made at Home

I made my own apple pie lara bars for the first time, and it was SO easy and they were SO good. We also started getting Home Chef (meal kit delivery) this year, and I know the pictures above are sad looking, but that steak pasta was my favorite new thing I cooked all year.

Around Orlando

The Pop Parlor became a new home game tradition for Christopher and I, I always got the game day sangria and a boozy popsicle.

We tried Maple Street Biscuit Co for the first time, and have been back pretty much every couple of weeks since we tried it. I love their maple vanilla bean latte iced or hot (or more than likely one of each) and their homemade jam. The chicken biscuits are giant and super tasty, and the gravy is really good, but a little too spicy for me.

If you live near a Metro Diner, and at the rate they are exploding you probably do, always order the stuffed waffles when they are available. To quote Gwen Stefani, this shit is bananas. It’s probably best to share this dish with someone and also share a plate of eggs or something with yano, nutritional value.

Foxtail Coffee has delicious coffee every day of the year, but sometimes they have special drinks at Foxtail’s Farmhouse in Winter Park. The best one ever was this s’mores latte. It was so good that there was no sharing, every mouth for itself.

Gideon’s Bakehouse may be known for cookies, but lordy they know how to make a bangin’ cake. My favorite cake I tried was the Andes Mint Cookies and Cream cake. So chocolatey and so minty. Cakey perfection.

And last, the mac and cheese at Chicken Guy in Disney Springs. The foil trey comes filled with gooey, creamy, cheesy, macaroni goodness and I crave it regularly.

Clothes/Shoes/Lifestyle

Waterproof Kindle Paperwhite

Christopher wanted to get a Kindle and since he is new to recreational book reading, I decided to give him my old one and get myself the new WATERPROOF Kindle. I love reading in the pool and the bath, so this felt like the absolute right move.

The Pearl Crossbody/clutch bag by Lo & Sons

I have been really enjoying smaller purses recently and after seeing about a trillion ads for The Pearl on social media, I broke down and bought one. I am in love! I am even considering ordering another one in a second color.

Rothy’s Loafers

I have been in love with Rothy’s flats and points for years, but this year I finally got brave enough to try the loafer and my feet are so happy I did. I thought maybe these wouldn’t really be my style, and I was especially concerned about the olive camo, but I also wanted to try something fun, and all the worrying was for nothing. These shoes are so comfy, extremely cute, go with more than you’d think, and I get so many compliments on them. Now I just need to decide what color I want my second pair of loafers to be.

Plants

It has been a lot of fun keeping my cutie little plants alive, and for once I am doing a pretty good job. They are so cute and they make me so happy when I see them.

Well that’s all folks, my 2019 favorites. Leave your favorites in the comments, I’d love to know what you’ve been enjoying recently.