She Likes Purple

My 2014

(2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013. Inspired all these years by Linda) 

1. What did you do in 2014 that you'd never done before? 

Visited Central America, watched Kyle splash in the Atlantic Ocean, read 47 (!!) books in a single year, walked my son into his Kindergarten class, drove solo from Los Angeles to San Diego (boy, did that take longer than expected, California traffic), took a bicycle wine tour in Canada's Niagara wine country, slept in a tree house, drank beer in the oldest "Irish tavern" in New York City, enjoyed a massage on the beach, visited Venice Beach (and saw Muscle Beach), rode in an inter-tube through a cave, saw a MotoGP race in person, had professional family photos taken, watched my sister get a tattoo, toured the New York Times, sat in the same room as Lauren Graham, ate at Tavern on the Green in Central Park, stayed at an AirBnb place by myself, spent Christmas with both my parents (as an adult, since they divorced), celebrated my birthday on Bourbon Street, and probably a dozen other things my old, fuzzy brain can't think of.

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year? 

Like last year, I counted up how much I accomplished this past year, based off my annual to-do list, and finished about 50%. Not quite what I was aiming for (obviously) but I'm still pretty proud of myself. Have to be.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

It was a good year for beautiful babies. Kristie, Natalie, a close friend Jen, Miriel, and many other lovely people. 

4. Did anyone close to you die?

No, so very thankfully.

5. What countries did you visit?

I rarely get to answer this question, but this year I was fortunate enough to travel to both Belize and Canada. I also visited a handful of states, though none for the first time: Oklahoma (2x), Louisiana, California, New York, Florida, Nevada, and all over Texas (Austin 3x, New Braunfels, Tyler, Gruene).

6. What would you like to have in 2015 that you didn't have in 2014? 

Time with my brother.

7. What dates from 2014 will be etched upon your memory, and why? 

The usual suspects: birthdays of those I love most, anniversaries of special days, and also July 3rd, when we hosted a wonderful, family- and fun-filled early July Fourth celebration. (Friends from DC were here, my dad was here, a neighbor came over for the first time. Such a full house and heart.)

8. What was your biggest achievement of this year?

I went to therapy for the first time in a very long time, to sort out some not-so-healthy thought patterns and stress reactors. After years of wanting to take that step, I'm pretty proud of myself for taking it this year.

9. What was your biggest failure?

I'm hard on myself, so the (mental) list is long. Giving those failures a voice is toxic.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Nothing out of the ordinary, thankfully.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

Our family photo shoot with Natalie.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

My sweet mother. She had a hard year, with a lot of ups and downs, and she's doing her best to welcome what will hopefully be a much healthier, happier year.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

About 90% of the people in the comments section of any given online, news-related article.

14. Where did most your money go?

Scattered far and wide! Taxes, debt, travel, but as of late August, NO LONGER DAY CARE, THANK EVERYTHING, DRINKS ON ME. 

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Belize, our MotoGP trip, my work trip to LA & San Diego, Kyle starting Kindergarten, my trip to Canada to visit my sister, Christmas.

16. What song will always remind you of 2014?

If Taylor Swift didn't sing it, I'm probably not going to think of 2014 when I hear it.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?

Happier: Yes.
Thinner: Eh.
Richer: Always, with every passing year, with nothing to do with money.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?

Texted, called, emailed, or sent a note to someone when I thought of them. There's no time like the present to reconnect or stay connected with someone you care about. It's the thought that counts is actually ridiculous, when you think of it, because no. It's the time you spend putting that thought into action that actually counts.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?

Kicked myself around. Kindness is key, to everyone you meet, but never more important than toward yourself.

20. How did you spend Christmas?

My dad came to Texas for Christmas for the first time, and we hosted Christmas Eve dinner with my little family, my parents (whose ability to be warmly together without drama is something I'm deeply grateful for), and Mike's parents. It was perfect. Then, we got up Christmas morning to open gifts before I cooked the morning away. Naps followed, and then we enjoyed another delicious dinner with those same loved ones over at my in-laws' house. One of my favorite Christmases ever.

21. Did you fall in love in 2014?

Yes! With my local library. 

22. What was your favorite TV program?

I've watched a lot of TV in my day, but I didn't really discover a new show this year--except maybe Peaky Blinders, but I'm just one episode in--so I'll just say The Good Wife. Consistently good TV right there. Oh, and I really loved live-texting The Vampire Diaries with Elizabeth. So much fun.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?

Hate isn't actually productive at all.

24. What was the best book you read?

Post to come with my 10 favorites from 2014, but I'll spoil that post by saying my favorite of the year was probably The Art of Fielding.

From it: "You told me once that a soul isn't something a person is born with but something that must be built, by effort and error, study and love. And you did that with more dedication than most, that work of building a soul -- not for your own benefit but for the benefit of those that knew you."

For a book (not really) about a small college's baseball team, I sure did get punched in the gut in the best possible way.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

1989, friends. 

26. What did you want and get?

Time in hammocks, so many good books read, an international vacation (I got two!), a warm and family-filled Christmas, a new car for Mike. A little more peace at work than in 2013.

27. What did you want and not get?

Same answer as last year: there will always be something.

28. What was your favorite film of 2014?

I didn't see many movies this year, but I did really enjoy Begin Again.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 32 on January 3rd and Mike and I celebrated in New Orleans. It was actually the perfect birthday, and it inspired me to plan another getaway for this upcoming birthday as well. Where will we go in 2016?

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Winning lottery ticket? Yeah, I probably wouldn't pass on one of those. 

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept of 2014?

"Thank you, Stitch Fix."

32. What kept you sane?

Mike, Kyle, laughter, Natalie, adventures, the Serial podcast, reading, my mother, my mother-in-law, animal GIFs, cheese, wine, cheese and wine at the same time, sitting in my work best friend's office, fresh air, deep breaths, Molly snuggling in my lap, naps, therapy, perspective, cooking, and a million other tiny, beautiful things. 

33. What political issue stirred you the most?

Lack of humanity, is that a political issue? Sure felt like one this year, and it gutted me, often.

34. Who did you miss?

My brother. It's been since 2011. Too long.

35. Who was the best new person you met?

Kyle's Kindergarten teacher.  

36. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2014.

Choose to be kind as often as you possibly can. And don't keep the kind thoughts you have to yourself. Speak them out loud, often, and with sincerity. 

Here's to a wonderful 2015, for us all.

Some Great New York Eats

Weeks and weeks ago, I went to New York for a work trip, and it was one of my favorite trips there to date for all the professional networking I accomplished, yes, but also all the delicious food I ate. Seriously, an A+ food trip. (Which all trips should really strive to be, am I right?)

Here are the highlights. 

1. Roberta's

Adrienne, my friend and colleague, had heard good things about this Brooklyn pizza joint, so we took the subway to Bushwick our first night in town. We were told it'd be at least an hour wait, so we had drinks in the outdoor tiki bar. A table opened up no more than a half-hour later, which is my favorite kind of wait. One that's half as long as expected.

We decided to split the bee sting pizza, and I've wanted a slice of this amazing pizza approximately one million times since then.

(And look! The restaurant has a cookbook that I have now added to my Christmas list.) 

2. Frank

I haven't eaten a meal in Italy yet, but I like to think I know a thing or two about delicious food, especially delicious pasta. I have tried my fair share of delightful hole-in-the-wall gems and also pricey places with a ton of awards and this place had the best Italian food I've ever eaten. 

I feel confident saying that because I was with two colleagues and we each ordered a different pasta (the gnocchi, the pappardelle, and the ravioli) and each was absolutely delicious. We also split the burrata and that was also the best burrata I've ever had.

The extra teeny-tiny restaurant and the kind of aloof service couldn't keep this meal from being seriously perfect.

3. Ruby's 

We had burgers here one night, and it was another teeny place with a wait, but wow so worth it. One of the best burgers I've ever had. And, truly, a good burger is one of the reasons I stopped being a vegetarian. I LOVE A GOOD BURGER.

4. McSorley's Old Ale House

This is obviously not a great eat, but it was such a fun bar! You order just light or dark (and you get two small pints for something like $5) and you also get a dose of history as you sip because it's one of the oldest bars in NYC. 

5. The Wayfarer

We wanted breakfast our last morning and basically walked in circles until we found something slightly well-rated on Yelp. This was such a surprising find. The pancakes were incredible, and the Mediterranean scramble I had was really delicious too. 

(I've been to New York a dozen times. Here are a few favorites from previous trips: Sugar Sweet Sunshine, Locanda Verde, and a few more suggestions.)

Wishes

We had a July Fourth (on the third) get-together, to watch our town's fireworks from our backyard (since we can see them from our backyard, thank everything) and, alright, so we could also enjoy this delicious sparkling grapefruit sangria.

After the fireworks, we pulled out some paper lanterns*, like we did last year, and had everyone write down their personal wishes for the rest of the year. We wrote down things like travel and happiness and babies (not me, promise) and health and more gratitude and also lots of winning lottery tickets. 

Then we lit them and let them go. 

It was a wonderful moment--well, once we got over the fear of burning our town down--to see more than a dozen lanterns, covered in wishes, floating away. Now, if anyone at our party actually does win the lottery, I sure hope their memory serves them well, and they toss a few bucks our way. 

And we'll do it again in 2015.

*We bought a multi-colored pack, and you can buy a similar set on Amazon here. 

ATX Festival: Take Two

Last year, I went to the ATX Television Festival--a festival created, you guessed it, to celebrate all things TV--and when I told people that's where I was headed for the weekend, I heard this a lot: A TV festival? I take it these people don't watch fan videos of their favorite TV couples on YouTube in their spare time and that's cool, takes all kinds, but perhaps these people shouldn't get a hold of my internet search history. 

It was an amazing weekend, so much fun that I snatched up my ticket for this year while I was still there last year. (Helped that I was practically a stone's throw from Chris Lowell while purchasing. Sure, I'll come back and gaze at the likes of you for a few days.)

This year, I took my mom with me because apparently being passionate about fictional characters is an inherited trait. We booked our tickets ages ago but we waited to book our hotel because we didn't realize that the DAMN X-GAMES were going to be the same weekend. In the same city. As soon as we realized this, our choice of lodging became a stupidly epxensive (but awesomely located) hotel or a slightly less stupidly expensive (but still awesomely located) AirBnB condo. We opted for the latter. 

We arrived in Austin around 5:30pm on a Thursday afternoon a few weeks ago, and had to pull our suitcases blocks to our place because so many of the roads were closed because of those X-Games. In Texas. In June. It was hot. 

When we finally pulled our suitcases to the front door of the condo we rented, the owner was waiting for us. A 32-year-old and her 65-year-old mother, sweating profusely. He said, "You're not here for the X-Games, are you?"

I don't know what about ME says "not in town for the X-Games" but it apparently says it very loudly. 

After we relaxed at our condo for a bit, we walked to dinner at Bess, a place I'd been dying to try for ages (despite the music on the restaurant's website, WHY DOES THIS STILL HAPPEN?) because I heard the food was good and also because befriending Sandra Bullock, who owns the place, through witty dinner banter is on my life list. 

Sandy was unfortunately not there, but we did split a bottle of wine, the burger, and then the beignets. All were amazing, just outstanding from start to finish. It was one of those delightful meals where the food and company and service were all effortless and enjoyable. And it was in walking distance from where we stayed. 

Let's back up a bit, though, because when I say the X-Games were in town, I don't think you quite understand just how close we were to the actual X-Games. 

So, good news, bad news. Good news! That ramp was only there Thursday, clearing up the traffic and road closures for most of our time in town. Bad news! The ramp was gone by Friday morning because they spent all Thursday night taking it apart with hammers and other tools that are not found on a white noise machine. 

We woke up Friday morning exhausted. 

Thankfully Austin has coffee. And Diet Coke. And more coffee.

We stayed just a few blocks from the festival's central hotel (the Intercontinental), where registration and a handful of the panels were held. In fact, everything is a quick, easy walk from the next place (all the panels, screenings, and other events were held either at that hotel, the State Theater, or the Alamo Drafthouse). It's one of the things I love most about the festival. Both years have felt small and cozy, almost exclusive, and that's half because I still don't think people realize just how awesome this festival is and half because the organizers are simply amazing and have figured out how to maintain that feeling.

Our first panel was Orange is the New Black.

We got to screen the season two premiere before the panel. I haven't watched the rest of the season yet but only because I've become a bit obsessed with MTV's Catfish. I can't stop watching when there's a new episode on my DVR, no matter the episode's premise, though I do want to shake each and every person on the show and ask, "HAVE YOU HEARD OF GOOGLE."

Anyway, sorry to get sidetracked, from there we basically camped out at the Alamo for the Bates Motel, Revenge, and Justified panels. My ticket to the festival was $99 and I think I would have paid that to watch that many awesome TV shows on a big, movie theater screen with beer and queso, but I also got to listen to writers, producers, and actors talk about their shows. Basically, the festival became worth it two hours into it, no exaggeration.

After the Friday panels, my mom and I drove to the San Jose Hotel (a favorite!), to watch an outdoor screening of Friday Night Lights.

It was such a cool experience, watching my absolute favorite show on a big screen with dozens of other fans (and some of the cast, including Tyra and Grandma Saracen!), but we got there at 6pm in order to get a parking spot and a place to put our folding chairs and the screening didn't start until 9:30pm. We were so tired, and though, again, it was really cool once the show started, I'll likely skip the screening next year if they have it. 

My mom and I slept in the next morning, thank everything, and then had breakfast at the Intercontinental before one of my favorite panels of the weekend: An Assistant's Tale. Such an impressive group of ladies, talking about their start as writers and casting directors and producers. I could have listened to them talk for hours.

From there, we nabbed a front-row spot at the Everwood reunion panel, and it was another of my favorites. The cast oozed appreciation and love for the show, and they showed clips and cast messages and behind-the-scenes video.

Chris Pratt FaceTimed in the middle of the panel. I mean, TICKET PRICE WORTH IT, SERIOUSLY.

After that, we headed to the Parenthood panel. We had heard rumors all weekend about so-and-so showing up here or Tim Riggins showing up there, so when there was a Lauren Graham and Peter Krause rumor swirling around, I kind of ignored it. BURNED ME TWICE ALREADY, TV FESTIVAL RUMOR SPREADERS. 

But then:

I'm going to put an unpopular opinion out there: I love Sarah Braverman more than Lorelai Gilmore. She's my favorite part of Parenthood. She's a far more realistic, relatable character (for me), and it was a treat to be in the same room as her. 

After that, I don't think I could have handled much more excitement (and I wasn't feeling great that evening), so we turned in early.

Sunday, our main goal was the Roswell reunion panel, and that was so much fun. 

Honestly, the weekend just flew by, it was relaxing and so much fun. I got to spend some quality time with my mom, while watching a lot of TV in Austin. All such wonderful things.

One last thing I love about this festival is the people who attend it. I felt like I became friends with strangers, in such a short amount of time, by just standing in lines and talking TV with them. No one shoved to the front or was rude or was anything other than cool, TV-loving people. I bought my ticket for next year while still there because it's now a place I just want to be every year. 

(And, hey! Tickets are already on sale for next year. You should be there too.) 

Family Photo Shoot: Check!

I've had "take family photos" on my to-do list every year for all the years since we've been a family of three and I've always talked myself out of it. I don't love the way I look, we don't have the money, can't figure out a good time, and on and annoyingly on. 

I'm very good at a few things, including travel planning, becoming invested in fictional characters, and also making excuses.

Anyway, we planned a trip to Austin in early April, to take Kyle to a MotoGP race. I decided I'd send Natalie--one of my favorite people on the entire planet, and also an insanely talented photographer--an email to see if she might be free sometime that weekend to squeeze in a family photo shoot. I figured, hell, if she couldn't, she couldn't. If she could, no excuses.

She could.

We had just driven three-plus hours to Austin, and I was sweaty and gross, and I basically threw on some makeup and hoped for the best. And, you know, I was one million times happier with the pictures than I even hoped I'd be. Natalie is an absolute natural--no, really, she's found her real calling and what an incredible vibe to be around--and she had Kyle posing and smiling and acting like his charming self in minutes. She put us all at ease.

I make it a rule not to give unsolicited advice with just a few select exceptions. Those exceptions are: 1) No matter what kind of wedding you have, take a honeymoon; 2) For the first two months of having a new baby, don't talk to your partner in the middle of the night unless the house is on fire (no good conversations happen the first two months of having a new baby between the hours of 12-7am); and 3) HAVE A FAMILY PHOTO SHOOT.

Amending that advice to include: if you're in Austin, hire Natalie to shoot it.

I'm so glad we did this. Thank you, Natalie.

Our Time in Belize

We spent nine glorious days and eight nights in Belize earlier this month (and if you follow me on Instagram, you're likely grateful I'm home now and have stopped posting pictures of margaritas). It was quite possibly the best trip Mike and I have taken together. Even better than a trip we once took to Lake Charles, Louisiana, where we slept on top of our jackets because there was not one but two questionable stains in the room.

We often return from a trip, blissed out by that perfect vacation mixture of rest and adventure, plotting where we'll go next. We came back from Belize, though, plotting when we get back there next. It's a place we're already desperate to return to (with Kyle next time), it was just that incredibly beautiful and special. 

We spent our first six nights on Ambergris Caye, the larger of the two islands we stayed on, both not far off the coast of Belize. Those nights we stayed at Portofino Resort, six miles north of San Pedro, the main town on Ambergris Caye. I debated between staying closer to town or further out--and read about a zillion reviews on TripAdvisor to help me decide--but a LivingSocial deal showed up in my inbox one day for Portofino (a place I'd already looked at and pinned as an option), and it felt meant to be. It was a great discount, and after a little more research, we snatched it up.

And, thankfully, I can't imagine ever returning to Amergris Caye and not staying at Portofino.

I probably emailed the resort dozens of times before we arrived, with various random questions about our stay, and each time I got a polite and gracious email back within hours (often faster). This kind of service was just more of the same while we were there. For example, the cabana we checked into upon arrival turned out to be really close to the resort's bar and restaurant. This wasn't too big an issue in the evenings--both closed around nine each night (which sounds early but was never a big deal, and if you want drinks in your room after 9pm, just pick up beer or wine in town)--but was an issue in the morning, when the restaurant began serving breakfast far earlier than I prefer to get up on vacation. 

I was nervous about bringing this up with the front desk, but they not only quickly and graciously moved us to a room farther away, it was a bigger room too, and at no extra cost.

We fell into a lovely routine while at Portofino. We'd wake up about 8:30 or so, and we'd throw on clothes and head to the restaurant where continental breakfast is complimentary (toast, fruit, coffee, juice) and you can add eggs or bacon for a few extra dollars. (There's also a full breakfast menu, if you're feeling hungry or spendy.)

We'd sip coffee and feel the sun on our shoulders while we ate breakfast. I eat a lot of granola bars in the car while I drive an hour to work each morning, so these mornings--sitting with my husband, drinking coffee by the ocean--were soul-restoring. We'd then lay around for the next couple hours, reading or napping. One morning we got massages on the beach and one day we took a fishing and snorkeling excursion with a lovely couple we met at the resort, but most of the time, we looked a lot like this.

 

I've asked Mike if he can look into putting palm trees in our backyard, hanging a hammock between them, and then figuring out a way to move the ocean a few feet from all that. He's seeing what he can do.

The resort offers free use of bicycles, and we'd take those out a couple times to eat lunch or have drinks at nearby resorts or restaurants. One was X'tan Ha, a place a couple miles north of Portofino. We ate burgers at their bar, and we were forced to stare at this. Repulsive.

See that table in the bottom lefthand corner of the picture? That's a table IN THE WATER, and I'm a little sad it was occupied when we arrived because I would have loved to say "Oh, no big deal or anything but we ate lunch in the ocean--no, not on a boat!--actually sitting in the ocean. You don't do that on your vacations?" 

I also feel this is the perfect time to tell the story of how I fell into the ocean while riding our bikes to X'tan Ha. See, there's a path that runs alongside the beach and it ran from our hotel to this one, and while I don't ride bikes on a daily basis or anything, I feel rather confident in my general bike-riding abilities. Like, say, if I had to get out of a hairy situation and only had a bike to do so, I'd basically say with a lot of confidence, "Hand me that bike!"

But this particular bike I got from the hotel would not stay on the path. It hated the path. It veered and pulled and at one point, I just fell right off the thing into the ocean. Mike was like, "What just happened?" And I was like, "THIS BIKE IS OBVIOUSLY BROKEN." (This sums up my marriage in two sentences. Mike asks a calm, somewhat confused question and I respond in all caps.) 

Later on, I talked to THREE people who fell off their bike (none of them directly into the ocean, unfortunately, so I had no one to commiserate that particular point with) and we confidently concluded that there's one lemon of a bike at Portofino. Obviously don't let this deter you from staying there. Mike swears his bike was fine and I saw many people riding their own bikes without veering anywhere, so your chances are great to get a bike that won't just toss you into the ocean. Also, if you do get the lemon, we can eventually start a Facebook Group and that feels kind of worth it, don't you think? 

We also walked down to Jambel Jerk Pit one day, which gets a shout out for being one of the best meals of our trip. It's a resort that closed but the restaurant stayed open, and it was absolutely delicious. (We saw a second location in San Pedro, if that turns out to be easier for you.) (I like how I'm writing this under the assumption that you'll totally be traveling to Belize one day.)

The resort also (wonderfully) has a boat you can jump on to head into town or to other resorts and they'll pick you back up, if they can. If they can't, there's a water taxi that you can call, and most hotels or restaurants will help you make those arrangements. But we only had to take the water taxi once, I think, and Portofino took care of us the rest of the time. One place we absolutely loved (and went two nights in a row, even) was Palapa Bar.

It's a bar/restaurant that juts out over the water, so you are seriously looking at this view from your bar stool.

The food was also amazing. I live in the land of tacos, but the fish tacos at Palapa were the best fish tacos I've ever had. Maybe the best tacos I've ever had. (That's probably the most times I've ever written tacos in one paragraph.)

Oh, one thing I forgot to mention was that we did take a half-day snorkel trip one afternoon to Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley, and it was the best snorkeling I've ever done (though I haven't done a ton of snorkeling, I have to admit). Still, we saw so many fish, it was like being tossed into a scene from Finding Nemo. Which I said to the tour guide, and he looked at me like I was ridiculous. The second part of the trip--the Shark Ray Alley part--is exactly as it sounds, a place where a whole bunch of nurse sharks and a whole bunch of stingrays gather around boats while you snorkel very, very near them. This sounds terrifying, but it was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. (Mike rolls his eyes when I say this because he's the shark expert of the two of us, and he's all they're nurse sharks, let's save that sentence for when we're near a great white or something--to which I say, tell me how that is, I'll be at the hotel pool whenever that particular opportunity presents itself.) Still, swimming with a bunch of sharks! I felt very badass that night.

Another routine we sort of fell into was congregating around the hotel bar each night, which is why we became fast friends with a handful of people. Portofino is a small resort--just 16 rooms, I think--so you can feel like you're in paradise by yourselves for most of the day, but if you hang out by the bar long enough at night, the same lovely people will eventually wander by. So, we would drink and talk and laugh with new friends, and it was such a unique travel experience for us. When one couple left a day earlier than us, in fact, we genuinely missed them that last night. The couple we fished with met us at the dock the day we left, to see us off with hugs and waves. I felt so grateful to be in paradise with Mike, letting months of stressful work projects and the busyness of life just melt away, but I also felt grateful to meet such wonderful people, people I'd never have met otherwise. 

We left Portofino and Ambergris Caye on Saturday morning, heading for Caye Caulker for two nights. We took the water taxi to the smaller island, and it took about 30 minutes to get there. Once we arrived, we grabbed a golf cart taxi, which cost $5USD, and went to SeaDreams Hotel. Caye Caulker is a much smaller and more laid back island, and we probably liked this island even more. We only spent two nights because of our LivingSocial deal through Portofino, but we'll probably split our time evenly between the two next time, and I'd recommend that to anyone planning a trip.

We also loved SeaDreams. It's a much smaller, sleepier place than Portofino, of course, but just so cozy and lovely. There's an upstairs bar and breakfast is complimentary each morning. 

The hotel has its own dock, too, and you can do what we did--buy ice cream cones and watch the sunset from it. 

After we had a drink at the hotel bar the evening we arrived--they give you a buy one drink, get one drink free coupon each day of your stay--we headed to dinner, which was a 10-15 minute walk. We ate at Rose's Grill & Bar, and it was good. 

We went to bed early that night (like 8pm early) because for the first time the entire trip, we had to set our alarms. We had a day trip on the mainland planned for the following day and that meant catching a 7am water taxi to take us to Belize City.

One thing we had read and heard to do was cave tubing in the Belize jungle, and we wanted to pair that with a Mayan ruin tour. There were a lot of tours that paired cave tubing, ruins, and ziplining but HAHAHAHAHAHA, no. I've filled my ziplining quota for nine lifetimes, thank you very much. So we asked our hotel if we could do just the two activities and they arranged everything for us. A wonderful tour guide named Dorian picked us up from the water taxi and drove us first to the ruins where we basically had the park to ourselves. 

After we toured the ruins, we stopped for lunch between the site and where we'd be cave tubing, and lunch was included in the tour price. It was delicious--and I feel like now's a good time time to say that most of our meals in Belize were absolutely incredible, from our most expensive to the food we ate out of street carts. I had heard otherwise while researching, but was so pleasantly surprised at how good practically everything we ate was.

Cave tubing was pretty incredible and while it was a long, bumpy drive to get there and a long, hot walk to where we got into the river, it felt so worth it at the end of it. You get in an intertube and float down a river, which is mostly in a cave. I don't know that I'll ever get to do that again, and the curiosity and newness of those types of things are such an important part of traveling for me. Something about choosing a place, that's basically a blank slate, and filling that time with memories you'd never have anywhere else. Cave tubing will stay with me as so very Belize. We couldn't take a camera but we did manage to get a couple GoPro pictures (just a couple; most of them were awful and blurry and Mike's already making GoPro Upgrade Plans).

We drove back to the water taxi from there, and as I rushed to make our boat, I turned and watched Mike hug Dorian goodbye, and it was such a nice moment. This man took care of us--and showed us a truly incredible country--and we'll likely never see him again. I am so glad to have that memory, of my wonderful, decent husband sharing a moment with this wonderful, decent man we met and said goodbye to all in one day. (I'm getting rather sentimental at this point in the post, aren't I? Probably time we talk about taking shots and singing karaoke.)

We got back to Caye Caulker and had heard Habaneros was a great dinner spot, but when we showed up, the wait was an hour and a half. As we turned to find a back-up, we heard a stranger invite us to join his table (sat six, but there was only three in his party). Our dinner was fantastic--totally recommend!--and after it, we headed to a local Canadian-run bar for karaoke with our new friends. We enjoyed shots like teenagers and sang songs (Mike knows all the words to Salt N Pepa's "Push It," FYI, and he didn't need to look at the screen once), but were still in bed by 10pm. 

We had breakfast at the hotel the next morning before walking around, shopping, and then finally having our final lunch from the King Kebab with this view.

We flew home shortly after lunch, and while we were so eager to get to Kyle, we couldn't help feel just plain sad to leave a place so great. I want to stop everyone on the street and tell them to visit Belize if they can, and I hope we can indeed return one day (maybe for Mike's 40th birthday in a handful of years?). 

A few final things: Absolutely everyone spoke English (though many spoke Spanish as well, and those who did were so gracious and patient when I attempted to try it), so you'll have no issue communicating. Absolutely everywhere took American dollars, too. The beer brewed on the island--Belikin--is one of the very few you can find (because of import laws, we think), so when you order a beer, you'll likely get this beer. It's good, don't worry. We really did feel safe the entire time--even though I'd read a few issues about safety and theft. I guess I'd suggest you just stay smart as you probably always should when traveling to another country.

I would be absolutely delighted--no, honored--to answer any questions you may have about Belize, if you still have any questions after reading my nearly 3000 words about our trip! 


 

***

Finally, I owe so much of my preparedness for the trip to a few places I want to link to here: Oyster, for the dozens and dozens of pictures of our first hotel; San Pedro Scoop, the fantastic Belize blog I read voraciously; TripAdvisor, where I spent hours reading reviews and forum postings; and my Lonely Planet guide book (I have the 2011 edition, but I linked to the recently published 2013 edition).

January Highlights

1. Mike and I went to New Orleans to celebrate my 32nd birthday, and it's going to be a tough birthday to top. It was a wonderful little weekend away. We ate unbelievably good food (August and Johnny's Po Boys, FTW!) We also enjoyed both a swamp tour and a cocktail tour. (I love this cocktail tour so much, I've now been on it three times.) More than all those things, though, we enjoyed naps and sleeping in.

2. Hosted a baby shower for Kristie! 

3. Spent some time with Mike's sister and her family. Kyle was spoiled with so much cousin time, he sulked around for days after they left. 

4. After a very fitness-light 2013, I started to regularly work-out again this month. I got back to yoga, tried a few at-home vidoes, and tested out my very first FlyWheel class. (I was offered a free month of classes to the two local FlyWheel studios, and I hope to write up a full review (+ a giveaway!) soon.) Let's just say during my first Barre class at the studio, I actually thought I might have broken a muscle. I don't think that's physically possible, but it was unfamiliar pain. I felt like an absolute rockstar after the class, but all broken muscly during.  

5. In addition to working out, I started the 21-Day Sugar Detox this month. I am only five days in as of today, but I'm a fan so far. I feel great, I've already lost a little weight, and it's kick-started a healthier year for me. (I just bought the cookbook, by the way, since it's got most of the information I thought I'd need.) 

Unpictured highlights: a happy hour with a friend who gets me, a movie and dinner date with my mom to belatedly celebrate my birthday, and our mini-Cowboy's Stadium field-goal kicker!

My 2014 To-Do List

Each year I write a list of things I want to accomplish in the coming year. (Here are my lists from 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013.) Most years, I don't actually come close to checking everything off the list. It's a lot of things! You might suggest I scale back, choose just a handful of things to tackle. You wouldn't know me very well, then. I like a full list. Keeps me on my toes.

And, it's not really about drawing a line through everything, though it'd be fun to hit 100% one of these years. It's just about trying to. It's about becoming better. 

1. Write a book 
2. Read more books than I did in 2013 
3. Send Christmas thank-you notes from Kyle
4. Leave the country
5. Make 25 new cookbook recipes
6. Finish Couch to 5K
7. Run a 5K (major bonus points if I somehow manage to PR in 2014)
8. Pick out new couches (even if we're not able to buy them in 2014)
9. Buy a living room rug
10. Go snorkeling
11. Take violin lessons
12. Throw a July Fourth party
13. Earn a 50-class yoga bracelet at my studio
14. Watch the Veronica Mars movie with other ladies that love that spunky blonde as much as I do
15. Take my mom to Austin
16. Make a 2013 family yearbook
17. Look into a conversational Spanish class
18. Go horseback riding
19. Paint our front door 
20. Bring brownies or a lasagna (or something delicious) to one of our neighbors
21. Take Kyle to his first day of Kindergarten 
22. Buy a bed frame
23. Get my passport updated; get Kyle a passport
24. Hang our living room shelves
25. Run in Central Park
26. Go to the Perot Museum 
27. Try an outdoor yoga class
28. Try Crossfit 
29. See all the best picture nominees
30. Figure out a shoe storage solution for my closet
31. Finish Elizabeth's best of 2012 books list & read her best of 2013 books list
32. Take a family photo shoot
33. Take Kyle to College Station
34. Visit the Henrietta apple orchard, near our home
35. Replace our kitchen counters (since we already own the new counters) 
36. Write a poem
37. Go to my general doctor 
38. Buy prescription sunglasses 
39. Look into a creative writing class/workshop
40. Look into joining a local marketing organization 
41. Take Kyle to a MotoGP race
42. Finally go to our neighborhood water park 
43. Bring cookies or treats to our local fire station
44. Run our town's Easter fun run
45. Try these restaurants: Komali, Ziyaafat, Tei-An, Pecan Lodge BBQ
46. Finish my nostalgia wall (nearly there!)
47. Send at least three care packages to people I adore
48. Re-read To Kill A Mockingbird & Rats Saw God
49. Throw a champagne-inspired dinner party for my ladies 
50. Make the canvas art I have in mind
51. Deliver meals for Meals on Wheels at least 4 times
52. Finally find a fantastic eye cream/face cleanser/moisturizer
53. Visit a local farm with Kyle
54. Re-do/organize Kyle's room
55. Make another vacation box
56. Make this cocktail
57. Dance with Mike on our seventh anniversary
58. Wear colored jeans
59. Clean out the upstairs office space
60. Frame Kyle's awesome soccer picture for our living room 
61. Sign Kyle up for t-ball
62. Host an outdoor movie night
63. Make Boston cream cupcakes
64. Start Kyle on an allowance
65. Mimic one Pinterest outfit 
66. Take a day trip all by my lonesome 
67. Try acupuncture 
68. Throw Kyle a fifth birthday party
69. Dye Easter eggs
70. Make brisket
71. Make Kyle's baby clothes quilt
72. No snacking after 9:30pm every night I'm at home
73. Make a 2010 photo book too
74. Send off some baby blankets I've been meaning to give to a friend
75. Be happier than 2013

In addition to all those things (phew!), I have a few other less tangible intentions to set: speak with more love when I'm speaking to those I love, work even harder, write write write, then write some more, figure a few key things out, and quit worrying so damn much about what others are going to think unless those others are my husband, my son, or offering to pay my mortgage. (Let's talk if you want to pay my mortgage!) 

Happy new year, my friends!