With the warmer weather comes relaxing afternoons on the patio with margaritas and fresh guacamole. Make the guac even more fresh by making your own! This tasty snack is remarkably easy to prepare, and universally loved by all your friends. (and for any stragglers who don't love it, that just means there's more for you!)

As a beginning myself, this was my first time making guacamole. And, with this recipe I must share a confession and fun/vital fact: a "clove" of garlic is not actually the entire garlic head. Go figure! It's actually just one removable segment of the garlic. If you already knew that, well then you're already ahead of me! This little mishap ruined my first batch, as I'm sure you can imagine (there wasn't enough mouthwash in the world to help!!) But never fear - the next batch came out crisp, creamy and perfectly balanced with avocado & spice. 

My sister and I just took our first trip abroad, to Cancun, Mexico. It was a little bit nerve wracking, not only to be out of the country, but to be out of the country alone. In preparation for our vacation, we received a variety of tips from friends, family and our travel agent. After collecting all of this advice, I've also added my own recommendations from our experience. For anyone planning to take an international trip soon, particularly to Mexico, here are some pieces of advice you should consider: