She Likes Purple

Sponsored Post: Radisson Two-Night Stay Giveaway (Updated with Winner)

I love to travel--you likely know this about me--and I also really love encouraging travel. Whether it be traveling far or just heading down the road for a quick escape close to home. Actually, those kinds of escapes can be some of my favorites. They don't break the bank, they allow you a little downtime, and you can justify sleeping until noon because you're away.

When Mike and I traveled to DC last year, I laid in our hotel bed one night at 7:30pm, reading a book and drinking a glass of wine and exhaled, saying, "This is my favorite thing to do." Mike tried to point out that I could easily read and drink a glass of wine in bed at home, and I shushed him immediately. It's never the same at home as it is in a hotel. At home there is a laundry pile and a sink full of dishes and floors to sweep and, also, Molly is pretty terrible at bringing me room service meals. Hotel relaxing just trumps home relaxing for me. 

Anyway, nearly two years ago, I hosted a Radisson giveaway, and it remains one of my favorite giveaways to date. I was pretty thrilled when I was recently contacted again about hosting another giveaway for Radisson, for a two-night stay at any Radisson property in North America. In exchange for hosting this giveaway, I'm also getting a two-night stay in any North American Radisson, which is why I'm now plotting how the family can escape to Mexico City or Vancouver or right to this pool.

Radisson is trying to spread the word of their very cool contest offering a lucky winner free Radisson hotel stays for life (you can learn more and enter that contest here). Free stays for life! I'd basically just move right into a hotel each and every weekend if I won.

To enter my two-night stay giveaway, just comment below (perhaps say in your comment what Radisson location you'd like to stay at and you can see that full list here), and I'll randomly pick and announce a winner by August 15th. 

Good luck and happy travels! 

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Updated: The randomly selected winner is bessie.viola, #65. Emailing you shortly! Hope you get to enjoy Chicago.

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.)

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.) 

The Best Day(s) of His Life

I don't know if there's anything I've loved as much as Kyle loves motorcycle racing. Specifically MotoGP. (Okay, I do know, but they're all fictional characters from CW shows, and it's better I stop talking about it in public now that I'm 32.)

Anyway, I can't quite remember when his love first began. When he first started watching races, talking about the riders, reciting stats and numbers and exact reasons why so-and-so crashed. "He didn't lean enough to the right, Mommy. The corner got him." 

He began popping out of bed on Sunday mornings, asking if there was a new race on. If there wasn't (sometimes a few weeks pass between races), he'd just ask to watch another race over again. There are certain races I've seen a dozen times. Maybe more.

Mike races, and I first thought Kyle picked up this love because he wanted to be more like his Dad. Who could blame him? But as Mike reminds me, this kid knows way more than he does at this point. 

His love grew so strong that he got a Cycle World magazine subscription for Christmas and when a new issue arrives, he takes it to bed with him and "reads" it cover to cover. 

We watched the first race of the season a few weeks ago at my in-laws house and a few days later, as we drove home from school, he said completely out of the blue: "I'm just really proud of Scott Redding for coming in seventh place in his first MotoGP race."

Uh, me too, kid. Really proud of Scott Redding.

MotoGP is an international motorcycle racing circuit. It's a seriously big deal, though most people have no idea what I'm talking about when I talk about it. (But, one of the racers is on the Forbes list of the top-100 most-paid athletes in the world. Big deal!) They only race twice in the United States this season, and once is the new Circuit of the Americas track in Austin. One of two tracks in the entire country and it's in driving distance! Meant to be, I'd say. This is my son's DisneyWorld and Christmas and about 100 other awesome things all rolled into one. 

So, yeah, I bought three tickets like they were shoes, like they were bottles of champagne. I bought them with pure glee. Being a mother has changed me in really strange, beautiful ways.

The race was this past weekend.

It was one of the best weekends I can remember, and I like to think it was one of the best weekends Kyle can remember either. 

Funny story about his red Marc Marquez (Kyle's favorite rider and the winner in Austin!) t-shirt. We bought it for him Sunday morning, in a vendor tent at the track. We handed it to him to hold as we paid, and before we knew it, he began taking his other shirt off to change right there in the middle of everything. My shy kid is sometimes the absolute opposite of shy, kind of like how his shy mother sometimes loves to sing karaoke. 

I mentioned to someone recently just how much he loves motorcycles and racing and MotoGP, and they kind of sucked in air and said, "But doesn't that make you nervous?"

Well, sure, if he wants to ride one day, that'll probably give me a fresh set of things to worry about on top of the million things I already do. It's safe compared to riding a bike in traffic but a lot less safe than, say, writing or reading or some dozen other things I think would make for fine hobbies. Why not read a few blogs, Kyle! 

But I want him to be happy and full more than I want him to ease my worry. I want him to love something one day as much as he loves MotoGP now. If it keeps on being the same thing, I'll be thrilled. 

I really will.

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! 


 

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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!

What To Do in New Orleans: Eat Fancy & Then Eat Not-So Fancy

Mike and I celebrated my birthday in New Orleans two weekends ago, and it was one of my best birthdays to date. We usually stay put, throwing a party or going out to dinner. It was so much nicer to say an official goodbye to the holidays and a hello to a new age in a fun city with room service and naps, let me tell you. (Recommend it to everyone!) And it was Mike's first time in the French Quarter, so it was a blast to be somewhere we'd never been together. 

It was a quick trip. We got into town late Thursday night and left after breakfast on Sunday, but we crammed a lot of fun into those few days. 

We ate incredible food, too, and our two favorites happened to be one high-end joint and one low-end one, both so delicious that I have to recommendt them to you for your next Nola trip.

1. Fancy: John Besh's August

I don't mind splurging on meals every now and then. If a meal is outstanding, I'm okay dropping a few bucks on it. My least favorite thing, though, is when we splurge on a meal and it's just so-so or even totally underwhelming. August was recommended, but it's pricey (even for lunch, which is my usual cut-some-dollars-from-the-bill trick), so I was a little weary. And it was a birthday lunch! I wanted it to be fantastic.

Oh, but it was.

No pictures of food! Because I was too busy eating it all.

Mike and I split the gnocchi with blue crab and black truffle, and this may go down as one of the best dishes I've ever had. All other gnocchi is ruined! (Not really, I'll still eat you, gnocchi.) It was just amazing. 

Mike got trout and I got the filet, and they were both equally delicious. Everything was just all-around outstanding. We were stuffed and couldn't eat another bite or we would have tried a dessert. Mike did have his eye on the banana pudding, so another time. Maybe just for dessert and cocktails, another don't-spend-all-your-money trick.

After lunch we took naps. Also recommended.

2. Not-So Fancy: Johnny's Po Boys

We had an hour to kill between our swamp tour and our cocktail tour on Saturday, and we wanted somewhere to eat that would be fast, delicious, and a short walk from where both tours met. We used Yelp! and picked Johnny's.

(That's Mike in line! I made him wait in all the lines. Birthday perk.)

It took a while to get our food, so we had to have a couple beers. (Practically forced to!) I got the blackened chicken po boy, and it really was the best sandwich/po boy I've ever had. It was just so flavorful, the bread warm and buttery, and while it was huge, and I couldn't imagine finishing it when it arrived, I nearly did. 

It's a good thing that place isn't anywhere near me, or I'd be in some serious trouble. 

It might be our first stop when we return, though.

What to do in Charleston: Eat at Husk, Whatever You Do

One day, when I rate cities based on the food I enjoyed while visiting, Charleston is going to fall near the tippy-top of my list. My goodness, the chefs in that city know how to make 1) biscuits 2) Bloody Marys 3) bacon and DID I MENTION BISCUITS?

But the best meal of my entire trip was my last meal. Husk. Caitlin and I made a reservation on a whim, and it was the perfect way to cap the perfect weekend. It was also one of the best meals I've probably ever had.

(Side note: I say that a lot when I have brunch or lunch at pricey restaurants. Same experience at a discount! Mark my words.)

The menu changes often, so I'm told, but try that biscuit breakfast sandwich if you know what's good for you. Also try the coffee. And the Bloody Mary. Maybe everything else on the menu too. 

It was a casual dining room with a delicious menu and impeccable service. I can't recommend this place enough.

One of the best weekends of my year

I can't imagine finishing the year without writing about a trip I took in September, a trip to Kansas City to celebrate my sweet mom's 65th birthday. (Feel free to gush over how good she looks in the comments. I totally agree with you.)

We'd been planning this trip for years, no exaggeration, which is actually the way I prefer to plan most trips. (I randomly call Natalie to talk about our 2018 Friendiversary. I'm thinking Nashville or San Diego.) My mom was raised in Kansas City, and I'd never been. A milestone birthday felt like the perfect excuse to pack a bag, get in the car, and celebrate my favorite lady.

There was one glorious, perfect catch to all the fun we had planned for so long. My sister was coming too, but my mom had absolutely no idea. See, we planned and plotted and lied and schemed and then LIED SOME MORE because my mom's one true wish was having the three of us together and we couldn't give her that gift without making her sweat a little for it. We told my mom that my sister had a very pressing work deadline, and it was around her own birthday and her husband had big plans to celebrate and she just couldn't possibly make it, no matter how happy it would have made my mom to have us all together. LIES ALL LIES. She bought a plane ticket and met us in Kansas City, and the surprise was a highlight of my entire life.

(It was so very difficult to drive eight hours to KC with my mom, without ruining this huge surprise. I deserve a trophy.)

We stayed at the lovely and delightful Southmoreland on the Plaza in Kansas City (side note: I'd recommend this place to anyone, anytime, it was so absolutely perfect and charming and also in walking distance from the town's plaza) and they happen to have a fun happy hour every afternoon around 4:30pm or so. I convinced my mom to sit outside on the deck around that time on the day we arrived, knowing Rachel was on her way from the airport (my texts to Rachel were all a lot like this: "WHERE ARE YOU, ARE YOU CLOSE, HOW CLOSE?" "I'm two miles closer than when you texted two minutes ago." I was excited, what can I say!). Anyway, I told my mom the staff was going to bring our wine after it chilled, and then I plotted with the staff to have Rachel deliver the wine herself, as soon as she arrived.

I didn't want my mom to see Rachel walk out, so I tried to distract her with very interesting conversation. Unfortunately, I couldn't think of any interesting conversation TOPICS, very bad timing on my brain's part, so I brought up the one topic I knew my mom would be willing to engage in: PRINCESS DIANA. Seriously, the only person my mom loves more than Adam Levine is Princess Diana. "So, how old were Diana's boys when she died?" This is a very strange quesiton for anyone to ask ANYONE on a girl's weekend, but my mom didn't bat an eye. She answered, quickly, as Rachel walked out with our wine.

(I can now say with much confidence that I can con my mom into anything because I was acting so ridiculous and so sketchy and going in and out and taking phone calls and texting and blaming it all on "oh, gosh, I have to take this work call INSIDE, AWAY FROM YOU" and TALKING ABOUT PRINCESS DIANA'S DEATH and she had absolutely no idea anything was up. She didn't suspect a thing. My sweet mom.)

Oh, it was so wonderful.

We've had our times, the three of us. Crying, screaming, clawing, angry times. We've hated and hurt, and I often wondered if there would be anything on the other side of all that dark stuff. Would we ever sit around a table, just us three, sharing drinks and smiles and laughs and love? This trip was our answer. We would. 

It was perfect. 

(Okay, the Aggies lost to Alabama while we were there -- I teared up at the dinner table and my mother and sister lost like half the respect they had for me -- so we'll call the weekend as near to perfect as you can possibly get when your football team loses a huge game.)

I think we need to do this again, just the three of us. Maybe for my 35th birthday, which is in three short years.

I better start planning.

A belated Blathering recap

I've written about the Blathering before (a blogging/social media meet-up that happens once a year in a different city), which is why I was in Charleston earlier this month. This was my fourth Blathering, and every year has been more good than bad for me. That's enough to keep me organizing, keep me coming back. Often a lot more good than bad. I mean, why else do it? It can't be perfect, it can't be stress- or drama-free, but it has to be mostly enjoyable right? I agree. 

This year, though?

This year was practically perfect. 95% good to the 5% bad, and the bad really only consisted of giant palmetto bugs (THOSE ARE ROACHES, NO MATTER HOW CUTE A NAME YOU GIVE THEM, SOUTH CAROLINA) and the weekend having to end. Oh, and the one time I dropped a tray of food in the hotel parking lot. Oops! 

I don't know if it was the desperate need for a girl's weekend away, the charming city of Charleston, the smaller group this year, all of us being at the same hotel, the more casual events, all those biscuits I ate. (Damn, SC, you know how to make a biscuit.) A combination, I'd guess. It was just a really lovely weekend.

I've had a stressful year. So stressful that I got a little weepy on Saturday night while lying in bed with my roommates. Caitlin gave me a hug, while I sat there and sniffled, and I think I unloaded on two trusted friends like that because Charleston was the exact opposite of all those stressful feelings. It was the exhale to so many tightly-wound days, the warm hug to feeling misunderstood so often. It was laughter and relaxation, two things I don't think you can ever have too much of and two things I'm having to really seek out these days. Every time I laughed, I wanted to keep laughing. I stayed up until 2am (MULTIPLE NIGHTS, OMG, I'm still so tired almost a month later) because I couldn't get enough laughter. I couldn't get enough of these ladies. I was ready to get home, always am, but I could have had a week with this group and still felt warm and happy and content. 

We're heading to Seattle next (no dates chosen yet) and I hope you can make it. 

Las Vegas, 2013 Edition

I have a theory. Okay, it's less of a theory than just a two-sentence opinion. I think you either love Vegas or you hate Vegas. You either can't wait to plan your next trip to the Strip or you would be fine never again seeing that much neon. 

Mike and I live firmly in the first camp.

It's not that I don't get why some might hate it. It's A Lot and it's dirty and it can be expensive (meals, more than anything else) and if you don't gamble, you have to walk through miles of casino to get to things you might actually enjoy (like expensive meals!) and, wow, is everything so spread out, your feet will hurt like hell on DAY ONE. No matter what you actually do that day.

Not to mention it's like 113 degrees half the year. 

Or all the people in ill-fitting clothes. I swear, 75% of people wearing ill-fitting clothes in this world are wearing them in Vegas.

But, it's just a place we love. We do like to gamble, we love so many of the meals we've had there, we love all the lights and attractions and people watching (best people watching, like ever) and every show we've seen has been incredible and, oh, bottomless mimosa buffets are my jam. We like it! It's our kind of place.

We took my in-laws early last month for a quick, three-night, four-day visit, and I haven't shared anything about that trip here yet.  

It was a low-key trip (see: traveling with my in-laws), and there was not a single night we were in bed later than 11pm or a single morning we were up later than 8am (one morning was 6:30am!), but we still had so much fun.

Lame adult fun but fun nonetheless.

We got in at 8:45am on Saturday morning, so we had our rental car (more on that later) and were at our hotel, checking our bags, by 10am. We went straight to The Buffet at Wynn, what we heard was the best buffet in Vegas. It was an hour wait, so I was hoping the buffet would offer back rubs or free drinks or SOMETHING but, no. Still! It was delicious! Better than the Bellagio, where we usually hit up the buffet at least once, but the Bellagio (if memory serves) is a little cheaper.

After that, we walked around a few more hotels before going back to our hotel (the Monte Carlo, which is where we'll stay from here until forever because it's affordable, nice, and centrally located) for naps. You may ask what we had done so far that day to warrant a nap, and I will say NAPS ARE ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA. 

After naps, we got fancied up (see: took showers) for Zarkana at Aria.

We've seen three Cirque du Soleil shows (O, Zumanity, and this one), and Zarkana might actually be my favorite. Just incredible.

We had Fat Burger for dinner after the show. Life was good.

The next morning we got up and entered a poker tournament at our hotel (a one-table poker tournament, so basically a home game) and after that we . . . uh . . . I kind of don't remember. It's been over a month! This is why you write blog recaps of your trips immediately upon returning home, kids. 

Oh! I remember now. We went to downtown Las Vegas, to visit the Golden Nugget, one of our favorite plates to play craps and poker. And the people watching just gets better down there.

Side note: Probably a good time to talk about why we sometimes rent a car in Vegas. Yes, cabs are a plenty and you can walk, but cabs add up (the Strip traffic is bananas and it can take 15 minutes to go a couple blocks), and we like to go from one end of the Strip to the other and that's something like five entire miles. Doable but in the summer, it's also horrible. And! We like to get off the Strip. We go downtown at least once a trip and, as you'll see, we also get out of town to visit some surrounding sites. Our car was affordable (something like $120 for the four days we were there, and we split that in half with Mike's parents). 

That night we splurged on a delicious dinner at Stack (the Country Potato Gratin was a life changer). Our waiter's name was Kyle and, as I often do in this situation, I excitedly announced, "What a great name! That's my son's name." "Huh." The waiter was not my spirit animal, let's just say.

The next day we headed out of town to visit the Valley of Fire. Mike and I went way back in 2004, and we had good memories, so we thought his parents would enjoy it too. 

It was still beautiful. But, guys, so hot. Like the surface of the sun. We ended up hiking about a mile and it felt like a marathon.

After that, we drove a couple hours to the Hoover Dam. We were told we might see Big Horn Sheep on the drive, so I basically made everyone do nothing but look for Big Horn Sheep on the drive because that's just not an animal you see every day. We didn't see any but, truth be told, I don't think my road trip companions were as committed as I was. I heard a lot of unnnecessary chatting.

The Hoover Dam was great, incredible of course, but I do have to admit that my favorite part of the visit was making Mike stand in Arizona while I stood in Nevada. (Same novelty I enjoyed at the Four Corners.) 

We got back to the Strip and headed out for an exhausted, late dinner. We went to the Burger Bar, a place we'd been way back in 2009, and it was better than I remembered. 

That night Mike played craps while I read in bed. I know, you're totally embarassed by my antics. 

We had a lot of our last day to hang out, since our flight wasn't until the evening. We got up insanely early to be one of the first at Mon Ami Gabi, one of my Vegas favorites, and it didn't disappoint. I couldn't bring myself to order a mimosa or Bloody Mary at 7:30am, apparently that's just TOO early for me, but next time! I'm coming for you, breakfast drinks.

We played in another poker tournament that morning, and then I spent two straight hours winning money at nickel poker (and then another 10 minutes losing those winnings; DAMN YOU GAMBLING), before we grabbed a very late lunch and then headed to the airport.

Oh, Vegas. I can't quit you. I'm already thinking about my next trip to see you. (We think December 2014!)

Things to To in Texas: Visit Revolver Brewery

My ladies and I had a girls weekend this past weekend many weeks ago because I can't get my act together to post regularly these days, but we headed closed to home, just an hour away. We stayed in Granbury, TX, which is a 10-minute drive from Revolver Brewery.

We headed to the brewery Saturday afternoon (after pedicures!) and while mid-July in Texas is never ideal for outdoor activities, it was SUCH a fun brewery that I'd recommend it to anyone, any time of year. 

It had so much to do, to pass an afternoon: take a tour, listen to live music (they have a schedule of who's playing on their website), play in water tables and on playgrounds (if you're a kid or if you've REALLY enjoyed the beer), eat some local food. You could also taste beer, which I assume is why some of you would go.

The Blood & Honey, a wheat beer, is what the brewery is known for, and it was so much better than I remembered when I tried it at a local restaurant, but I preferred the High Brass, a blonde ale. 

So, if you're in or passing through Granbury anytime soon, swing by this brewery. I'm already planning my return trip.

Washington, DC: Part Three (Finally!)

We went to DC over two months ago, and I'm sure you've been DYING for this third and final recap of our trip. Constantly refreshing your browser, calling in sick to work. Wouldn't doubt any of it. 

When we last left off (and here's the first part, just in case), we had just stayed the night in Virginia and were heading back toward the city with a few quick stops along Skyline Drive (where we saw snow!) and where Mike also belted out both Spice Girls and Taylor Swift on our road trip but never tell him I told you. He'd deny both.

We were heading toward Caitlin, have I told you this yet? That we planned a night at her house because 1) I adore her and 2) She mentioned I could sit on her couch and drink champagne. Really, she shouldn't have mentioned either if she didn't want me to plan MY ENTIRE TRIP AROUND DOING JUST THAT because couches and champagne are two of my favorite things. Throw in Tim Riggins, and I really may have moved in with her.

This is what our guest room looked like upon arrival so forget all about Tim Riggins (Kidding! Never forget Rigs!) because this may be the nicest guest room I've ever stayed in.

I should also say this is the third trip I've told Mike we're hanging out with people he's never met before (the second trip I forced him to do this over night in the person's house) and it's (THANKFULLY) the third trip that has ended with new friendships and people he absolutely loves. (First trip, second trip.) He loved Caitlin and Zach, absolutely loved them, and asks about them so adorably often, I hate that geography is the way geography so annoyingly is.  

Zach made us such a delicious dinner, and we drank champagne and then played Cards Against Humanity and we cry-laughed and just enjoyed vacation. I love that feeling. Good food, good drinks, good company, and no reason in the world to get up early the next morning. Other than the THREE delicious drinks Caitlin had waiting for us:

 

Really, it was like we hung out with them every weekend, it genuinely felt that way. After breakfast, we headed back to the mall with them since we had missed a lot of the monuments earlier in the week and also because they're awesome hosts. 

Hey, could like all ONE HUNDRED of you get out of our vacation photos, please? (The mall was SO crowded.)

I don't have a photo of the Vietnam Memorial, but what an incredibly special experience it was to walk through that particular monument. You stepped onto the path for it and everyone (as you can see from these pictures, there were a lot of people) instantly got silent. It was as if we all knew what we were in the prescence of. So many names. So much loss. It was incredibly powerful.

This was the World War II Memorial, and this is where Caitlin and I decided to sing the state song and where Zach and Mike stopped loving us as much as they had up to that point.

We also got a peek at the cherry blossoms (a few trees had bloomed but most had not).

We ended the afternoon having pizza and beers at Red Rocks (delicious!) before saying goodbye to Caitlin and Zach. It makes me sad just typing that because you make friends on the internet and you never really know when you'll see them again. (I'm lucky that I know I'll get to see Caitlin this October in Charleston but when will the four of us get to share pizza and beer again? I hate that some of the best people you'll ever meet live so damn far away.) 

From Caitlin and Zach's, we drove to Mike's uncle's house (who lives in the same town! Perfect, right?). We had dinner and ghost tour plans, which is the first time I've ever typed that particular sentence.

Mike's uncle is his dad's brother (the dad of Mike's cousin who got married in Colorado when we took that epic family road trip back in 2011) and it was wonderful to see him again. We don't get to see him often, and it was so nice to be with family for part of the trip. It felt, I don't know, like vacationing with a little piece of home. 

We had dinner at Eamonn's and it was seriously delicious. SO GOOD. It's a small joint, so we had to cram into a table with strangers, but good food is worth that, you know? Whatever it takes, just feed me delicious, can't-have-elsewhere food. Then, we did a haunted tour of Alexandria, which was also rich with history (and I always love that). 

Like, hey! That's George Washington's city house. 

The next day, Mike's uncle, aunt, and cousin treated us to a day trip to Annapolis and when they surprised us with this, my first thought was NEW STATE! I'LL GET TO VISIT A NEW STATE! And I should probably strive to be less lame one day. That day is not today.

We walked around the adorable town square, shopped a little, and eventually ended up at Cantler's for a delicious blue crab feast for dinner.

Post-crab feast!

Mike grew up in a big, booming family, and I did not. It's not even that my small family made me want a big family because we've made the intentional choice to only have one child, but for whatever reason I love being around family: mine, his, yours, whatever. I just didn't have it as often growing up, tons of relatives in one place, so there's something really special about sitting on a couch in a room filled with people related to you (by blood, marriage, or circumstance) and just talking, catching up, connecting. It's one of my favorite activities in all the world, late-night talking with people who you have a history with, and I loved that our vacation (our incredible vacation) included that. Thank you to Mike's family for having us.

The next day, we had quite a few hours to kill before going to the airport, so we headed back to the mall to try and get into the National Archives, one of the places I really wanted to visit. If I was rating "must-do" activities in DC, seeing the Constitution was near the tippy-top. 

It took us about an hour to get in, and there were absolutely no photographs allowed inside, but it was such a highlight of the trip. I cried as we circled the room to get to the Constitution. Of course I did. The Constitution, people! Honestly, I kept looking at Mike like he was dead inside for not crying.

There was a guard who was being asked the most ridiculous questions by tourists ("HOW MANY PEOPLE TRY TO STEAL IT?") and we made eye contact, as I wiped a tear away, and he smiled at me. It was as if he truly got what I was feeling, as if all those hours of standing by this beautiful document, fielding ridiculous questions from people who were actually asking about Nicolas Cage movies, and he still appreciated what he was guarding. It was a really nice moment.

From the National Archives, we wanted food, and there was one place we hadn't gotten to on our trip yet that I really wanted to try: Founding Farmers. We got in with a short wait, and had a delicious last lunch in DC.

We're going to gloss right over the part where I unfortunately made Mike's uncle take us to the wrong airport and instead focus on the part where we STILL somehow managed to get on an earlier, non-stop flight (after backtracking to the right airport) and made it home before bedtime where Kyle hugged us each for five straight minutes.

DC was perfect, it really was, and it was probably one of my favorite trips to date. Get there quickly, if you haven't already been.

Quick link to a guest post elsewhere

I never told you about or linked to a guest post I did for Janssen at Everyday Reading last month. She has a Whirlwind Weekend travel series (that I love), and I wrote one about Fort Worth, my closest big city. 

I know, Fort Worth isn't Boston or Chicago or San Francisco, but I really do love it. So, if you're looking for an off-the-beaten path weekend away or you have to be in Fort Worth and you're at a total loss as to what to do, I hope some of my suggestions help. 

Thanks for having me, Janssen!

What to Do in New York City: Try a Sugar Sweet Sunshine cupcake

When I was in New York a few weeks ago, I made a point to get a cupcake. I make a point to get a cupcake even when I'm not in New York, but my goal was to bring some of my coworkers to my favorite cupcake place in the city--Butter Lane--but it was (heartbreakingly) closed for a private party. I collected myself and we Yelped the closest, high-rated one near us. 

Sugar Sweet Sunshine did not disappoint, and I wish I had one right this moment, I have to say. It's easily one of the best I've had to date, even making it onto this best of NYC list.

 

I got the Bob, a yellow cake with chocolate almond buttercream frosting. 

*Oh, my total number of New York cupcakes is now seven. I take my cupcakes seriously.

Texas is growing on me

We now have In-N-Out Burger, Trader Joe's, and these views an hour-long plane ride away.

(It's not the Carribean or anything, I know, but it's not half-bad either.)

Okay, so we likely always had these views an hour-long plane ride away, but I had never hopped on a plane with my kid to see them before this past weekend.

Hard to tell if Kyle enjoyed things, though.

We traveled down to Port Aransas for our niece's first birthday. Even though the celebration fell on Father's Day, Mike already had a motorcycle race planned (with his dad) out of town, so I decided spending the holiday with the rest of his family was the next best thing to celebrating with him.

Kyle's four, but it was actually our first flight just the two of us, and I couldn't have asked for a better, more smoother flight experience on the way down (we'll ignore the flight experience on the way back, when American Airlines told us we couldn't get on an earlier flight unless we paid $75/each). On the way down, though, the lovely AA worker waived our baggage fees and let us jump the security line. Oh, airline companies, why do you have to keep us on our toes! Anyway, Kyle was a champ for all the traveling. I don't know how a four year old can channel such patience, but he was a total inspiration to me on the trip. 

It was a quick weekend away (we were gone from Friday morning to Sunday evening), but it was just what we needed. It felt like a real vacation with sandy feet and sun-kissed skin and reading on the porch of our beach house and early bedtimes (and very early mornings, which was less vacation-y than I would have preferred KYLE) even though we were gone less than three days.

I hope Kyle remembers this mini-vacation, holding hands while we walked to the beach each morning and building sandcastles and splashing in the ocean. I hope he remembers slathering sunscreen on his tiny legs and cannon-balling in the community pool, but I'll remember for us both, if he doesn't.

The only thing better than the trip itself was the company, which is the best truth of all the best trips, isn't it? Doesn't matter where we go, not really, just who we go with.

Washington, DC: Part Two

After spending a couple days in Dupont Circle, exploring the city, oohing and ahhing at every building along the mall, figuring out the Metro, and drinking wine in our hotel bed at 8pm, it was time to head out of town.

Mike likes exploring cities, but I knew he'd love the drive through Virginia (26th state for me!), to Shenandoah National Park where we spent the night in a hilltop B&B in Luray. I surprised him with this night away, and it was such a wonderful way to break up our trip.

Before we headed out of town, though, we stopped for lunch at Ben's Chili Bowl. 

What a place! You have to go here when/if you visit DC, for the history, the pictures lining the walls, the wait staff, the food. I had a veggie hot dog (just okay, but that's to be expected) but the veggie chili was good and Mike said the non-veggie hot dog and chili was some of the best he's ever had. 

Oh, and we also stopped at the Air & Space Museum at Dulles on our way out of town. It was here I missed Kyle so terribly because I knew he would have loved the hell out of that place. It was very cool and any person who has ever loved an airplane should stop here. (It's free!) 

Then we officially hit the road. 

Some of my favorite memories with Mike are memories in a car, on a long stretch of road between a great place we're leaving and a great place we're heading to. We talk, sometimes we don't, we sing to the radio (listening to Mike jam to Taylor Swift AND the Spice Girls was a highlight of this particular trip), we swap favorite Kyle stories, we stop for stupid pictures along the way. Oh, Mike, thanks for always taking the wheel when we hit the road. For letting me put my feet on the dash and read magazines and take pictures out the passenger window while forgetting to tell you where to turn next, so we always have to turn around once during a trip. You gently roll your eyes at me, and I fall in love with you all over again. You are a wonderful travel partner, and I really don't thank you enough for that. 

Once in Luray, we stayed at Once Upon a Mountain, a three-bedroom hilltop B&B and it was such a charming place. I picked this place through Google, Yelp!, and Trip Advisor alone. It didn't disappoint (except for one teeny thing I'll mention below).

I picked the best-rated room (the Queen's Suite), and it turned out the innkeeper was out of town during our visit and the other rooms were vacant, so we basically had the entire place to ourselves. That was a treat. 

The non-treat and one downside of the place was that stinkbugs are apparently very popular in Virginia, and especially in the more naturey parts of Virginia, and extra especially inside our B&B. This didn't bother Mike at all. He scooped them up as he found them and tossed them outside. THIS BOTHERED ME QUITE A LOT. At one point, I thought I saw one flying toward my head and when I told Mike this (LOUDLY), he said, "Oh no, they don't fly. Must have been a moth." Then he went to get a drink refill, and I Googled the hell out of "stink bugs fly" and when he got back 15 seconds later I said (AGAIN, LOUDLY) "They do TOO fly! Google says they can totally fly!"

"Yeah, I know they can, I just didn't think you'd Google it that quickly."

He both lies about bugs and underestimates my Google skills. 

We still had a great night, and I'd stay there again (stink bugs and all) but perhaps armed with some very strong bug spray of some kind next time around.

The next day, before heading out of town to stay with Caitlin (!!!!) for the night, we stopped at the Luray Caverns (very cool, although very similar to some caverns we've been to a few times before near San Antonio) and drove about 30 miles of Skyline Drive. 

(There was still snow on the ground!)

Virginia, you weren't too shabby at all. Other than your stink bugs but we have cockroaches, so I'm not talking too badly about you behind your back or anything.  

Next up: A few days/nights in Alexandria, a day trip to Annapolis, more monuments, and a lot of champagne with one of my favorite bloggers.

What To Do in New Orleans: Eat at Commander's Palace

In April, a cowoker got married in Lafayette, Louisiana so another coworker and I made a weekend of it by spending a couple days in New Orleans beforehand. I had been to New Orleans before (here, here, and here), but she had not. Oh, we had such a wonderful time. We mixed the local traditions (drinking a lot) with our particular personalities (enjoying naps and relaxing in bed with a book). Example: We shared a bottle of champagne for breakfast one day (WITH ORANGE JUICE, OF COURSE) but were reading in bed by 10pm. 

Anyway, one thing I love about Adrienne (the lady I traveled with) is that really all we both care about when traveling (or just plain living) is where we're going to eat our next best meal. We had both wanted to try Commander's Palace and thought lunch might be the best way to do it.

We were both right.

The meal wasn't just incredible, the entire dining experience was. We expected this meal would be a splurge, but for a cocktail, a split appetizer, an full entree, and a split dessert, we each paid $50. That's not exactly affordable to do too often, but it was more than worth it for the meal we had.

I had:

A French 75 (probably the BEST French 75 I've ever had)
Spicy Shrimp Remoulade
Crawfish Grilled Cheese 
Strawberry Shortcake

Everything was delicious (the soup that accompanied the grilled cheese wasn't life-changing, I feel I should admit), but I do want to spotlight two particular things. The French 75 really was the most delicious cocktail I've ever had. It's how cocktails are supposed to taste, I'd say. Also, the strawberry shortcake was so good, it actually became one of my new favorite desserts right on the spot.

Honestly, if you're going to New Orleans without an agenda and with any meals free to fill, you need to head to Commander's Palace. You won't regret it.

(Adrienne and me in the French Quarter!)

Washington, DC: Part One

Our DC trip snuck up on us (as you might remember, we quickly went from a June Alaskan trip to an April DC one), and as we rode the shuttle from the parking lot to the terminal at DFW, I snapped a picture of us that kind of hiliariously summed up our preparedness for the trip.

We look so confused! And tired! Are we...going on vacation or are we going into a stressful work meeting? No one can be sure.

Anyway, the flight itself was thankfully uneventful. We got into DC, grabbed a Super Shuttle, and finally arrived at our hotel. (Quick travel math: Dulles arrival + Super Shuttle ride + Dupont Circle hotel = A MILLION TOTAL TRAVELING HOURS.) We booked our hotel room at the Topaz Hotel through Kristin, a blog friend who does travel advising, and when I mentioned to a few people that it was a Kimpton property, they told me you could request a goldfish be delivered to your room. 

A goldfish! 

I was quite excited by this because I think what our travels have really been missing is pets. I did have a brief panicked moment right before I got to the counter to request the goldfish because what if my friends had steered me wrong? What if they DIDN'T offer free goldfish and I requested one and things got awkward?

Thankfully, there was no issue and Spike (what I named him) was delivered to our room without incident.

(From top to bottom, left to right: Mike and me at Good Stuff Eatery, us in front of the beautiful Capitol building; Spike, our fish!; the Library of Congress)

After we welcomed Spike to our room, we headed out for another Spike. Spike's Good Stuff Eatery! The burgers and fries were just so-so, sadly, but the milkshakes. Guys, THE MILKSHAKES ARE GAME CHANGERS. 

Mike and I split a mini-toasted marshmallow shake and then went back two more times on our trip to enjoy our own, non-mini-sized ones.  

(MINI IS TOO SMALL)

After dinner, we walked around the mall, catching our breath at every turn. To see this place come alive in front of us, a place we see in movies and in pictures and in textbooks was just incredible, I nearly cried a dozen times. Maybe it was the history major in me, or the eternal sap, or both, but what a breathtaking part of our country. I felt really lucky to be there.

We stopped in the Air & Space Museum before it closed that day and then we headed back to our hotel room. 

We made it back that night to enjoy the complimentary happy hour in our hotel lobby (ANOTHER reason to only stay at Kimpton properties from now until forever), and I requested one glass of wine to enjoy in the lobby and one to enjoy in our hotel room. Yes, I requested two glasses in one hour's time, and I was a little hesitant to do this. Was that...overstepping the complimentary happy hour boundaries? When I went up to ask for the second glass, I said, "I'd like to take this glass to our room. Is that...can I...IS THAT ALLOWED? SHOULD I PAY FOR THE SECOND GLASS." The happy hour bartender got a glimpse into why I rarely drank in high school. I am very much a rule follower and I have a deep fear of authority. I didn't want to break any rules! HAPPY HOUR RULES! LIKE THERE IS SUCH A THING!

Anyway, I think I took a long bath and then crawled into bed at 7:30pm that night, where we watched a movie, ordered room service dessert, and remembered why vacations are so lovely. 

(When I told Mike that a book, a bed, and a glass of wine is basically my favorite scenario, he said, "You know, you could read and drink wine in bed at home ANY TIME YOU WANT." I hate when he makes so much sense. STOP MAKING SENSE, MIKE.)

The next day, we slept in and met Caitlin (!!) for lunch at Sweetgreen, which was absolutely delicious. Texas, go ahead and open a handful of these. We also got a tour of Caitlin's office. She works at National Geographic and Mike suggested I apply. If he thought my commute NOW makes me bitchy!

(Us, at National Geographic! This was just the hallway. We're very bad at choosing photo backgrounds.) 

After lunch, we headed back to the mall and walked around a lot. We had dinner reservations, so I told Mike that the one thing I absolutely had to do before dinner was see the White House. 

Guys.

We saw the freaking White House, and I had to AGAIN stop myself from tearing up. The White House! (I'm like the most cliche tourist there ever was.) President Obama was sadly out of town this day, which explains why he didn't come out and invite us in for dinner. 

Two little boys were standing beside us as we snapped pictures, and one said to the other, "What do you think is INSIDE there?" The other, "Probably a really big tennis court." 

From there we walked to dinner at Zaytinya with Mike's uncle, aunt, and cousin. (Seems like we had JUST eaten lunch, I know, but I swear there were MILES of walking between lunch and dinner. So many miles. We were so tired and hungry by the time dinner rolled around.)

Dinner was fantastic, and I recommend this place to anyone who is looking for a meal in DC. Favorite dishes: hummus, the crispy Brussel sprouts (OMG, these were amazing), and the crab cakes.

When we got back to the hotel, we headed next door for a drink at the Tabard Inn where we saw Janet Napolitano, although we only KNEW it was her after asking the waitress who the Secret Service dudes were with. Still, DC, you are so charming with all your politicians, just having drinks in the same bar as us. In Dallas, I've seen David Archuleta and Jake Pavelka. NOT THE SAME.

(At Tabard Inn, cocktails and flash photography)

The next day we headed out of town, and Mike had no idea where we were going. I TOTALLY surprised him. That's part two, my friends. Check back sometime in August for that recap.

The Best

Mike and I have finally begun putting together a living room we can be proud of. It's only taken four years to start this project and it'll only take (I'm sure) another four, but hell I'm calling any progress a victory at this point. 

In January, we painted the walls a nice steel gray, and we've bought frames for the many pictures we want to hang on them. Over our couch, we've decided to hang travel photos, just scenery shots, and it was such a fun ride through vacation memory lane, choosing which pictures we should display. We chose one from Puerto Rico, Chicago, St. John, Boston and in the middle we hope to find just the right photo from College Station. That might not be your vacation city of choice but all this travel, all this everything, began with that tiny Texas town.

Of course we chose a photo from the family roadtrip we took in the summer of 2011 (here, here). You might remember that trip if you've been reading my blog since then. We traveled through Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and a tiny bit of Arizona for a family wedding. We took Kyle, then two and a half, and Molly, then (and now) a giant but lovable pain in the ass.

As I searched through the hundreds of photos from the trip for just the right one to frame, I remembered how we almost didn't go. My car broke down (to the tune of many dollars) the week before the trip and the day before the trip Kyle got a Mystery Fever. No money and a feverish child. Yeah, that screams fun family vacation.

But, against all rational thought, we took the trip. We packed the car, we booked a couple cheap hotel rooms, we filled a cooler with snacks and filled my laptop with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episodes, and we hoped for the best. 

We ate burgers in Amarillo, drank margaritas in Santa Fe. We hiked in Arches National Park while watching a storm roll through one of the most beautiful places I had ever seen before or have ever seen since. Kyle threw up in the backseat on a particularly curvy Colorado mountain road but then we saw a deer inches from our car a few moments later, and he quickly cheered up. We visited the Four Corners. We graffitied the cars at Cadillac Ranch. We introduced Kyle to family he'd never met and we sat around the hotel pool with them, catching up and slapping mosquitoes against our arms. Mike's parents treated us to a once-in-a-lifetime helicopter ride above Gateway Canyons, where we stayed for the wedding. We off-roaded to visit Shiprock.

We also had this one giant fight, on a New Mexico highway late one night as Kyle slept in the backseat. It was ridiculous, as many giant fights tend to be, and Mike and I stewed quietly after it ended. I went to sleep angry. He slept with his back to me. We apologized in the morning, after coffee, a good night's sleep, and a strong dose of perspective, and we shared a family hug in our cheap hotel room before eating the worst continental breakfast we'd ever had.

There was also this beautiful moment on a straight stretch of road, driving out of Utah as the sun was setting one night. Kyle had just fallen asleep and Mike and I were talking about anything, nothing, I don't even remember. Maybe our trip, maybe stopping for gas, maybe Kyle. I think my favorite thing about my relationship with Mike, or maybe just my relationship with anyone I've loved so long, is the ease of conversation. You realize how rare that is, as you get older, when there is no anxiety or self-consciousness or even awareness of what you're saying. You just talk. It's like breathing, talking to Mike, and I realized on that Utah road that I was just so damn grateful we decided to say yes to a trip we nearly said no to. 

It was one of the most incredible trips, no weeks, of my entire life. It was magical, it was beautiful, it was exhausting, it was fun, even the fight, even the carsickness, even the bad felt good on that trip. 

We almost said no, but then we said yes. We hoped for the best, and that's exactly what we got. 

No other reason to write this than I just wanted to remember all of that today. 

(I plan to share the living room makeover when the room is done, of course. So see you for that in 2017.)