Going South

You guys, I’m a little addicted to Bauble Bar. These were...

Tue, 21 May 2013 11:12:54 -0500

You guys, I’m a little addicted to Bauble Bar. These were the buried bauble a couple weeks ago and for $10 I couldn’t resist.

thelovewhisperer: Your daily dose of Love Capsules from The...

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:42:31 -0500

thelovewhisperer:

Your daily dose of Love Capsules from The Love Whisperer

As my days an an airline employee dwindle, I am trying to take...

Sun, 19 May 2013 16:22:17 -0500

Infinity pool at the Riu Santa Fe

Incredible views

Gorgeous sunset

Lunch at The Office. The most full I have ever been.

The Arch

Parasailing was so much fun!

As my days an an airline employee dwindle, I am trying to take advantage of my travel benefits while I still have them. Thus, an impromptu trip to Cabo last weekend! I had been to Cancun and Cozumel, but was excited to visit the Pacific side of Mexico and it did not disappoint. It was much more desert like than other parts of Mexico, which made for beautiful weather and a cool backdrop.

#newAmerican spotting. I don’t think seeing these is ever...

Tue, 14 May 2013 15:20:05 -0500

#newAmerican spotting. I don’t think seeing these is ever going to get old.

Dallas Bucket List - an update

Mon, 06 May 2013 22:16:18 -0500

So far I’ve been making pretty slow progress on my to do list, but finally this weekend I crossed off three of the most important items.

We spent Friday night in Fort Worth and started the night with fajitas and margaritas at Joe T’s. I had been there once before, so it wasn’t a bucket list item, but it was equally as fun an experience as last time. Billy Bob’s was the next stop for a concert by The Band Perry, which was tons of fun. I had heard how massive Billy Bob’s is, but I was not at all prepared for the huge dance floors, arcade games, gift shops and live bull riding. Quite the scene. The last stop of the night was Pete’s Piano Bar. It reminded me a lot of Big Bang, my favorite bar in Nashville. Lots of (probably terrible) singing along occurred.

In the morning, we somehow managed to get up in time to stop by the stockyards to see the cattle drive. It was everything I had dreamed of and more. Twelve huge longhorns wandering down a city street. Not something you see every day! All in all, a fantastic Texas weekend and a good dent in my list.

~~-See the Fort Worth Stockyard cattle drive~~

~~-Two step at Billy Bob’s~~

-Watch a movie at the Galaxy Drive-In Theater

-Explore the new Perot Museum

-Shop at the downtown Neiman Marcus

-Go to happy hour at Five Sixty in reunion tower

-Eat lunch at Jimmy’s Food Store

~~-Spend more time in Oak Cliff/Bishop Arts~~

~~-Sing until I have no voice left at Pete’s Piano Bar~~

-Drive across the border into Arkansas

~~-Go to a Dallas Stars game~~

-Have a margarita on the River Walk in San Antonio

Thailand - Day Trip out of Bangkok

Wed, 01 May 2013 19:00:13 -0500

One of the highlights of our trip was an all day tour that we did outside of Bangkok. I booked Tours with Tong after ready shining reviews on TripAdvisor, and they did not disappoint.

Our guide Jay and a driver picked us up at 7AM sharp and we headed out of the city to the Damnoensaduak Floating Market. It was a two hour driver, but we were entertained by the scenery and Jay’s story telling. We decided not to pay to go through the market in a boat and instead spend forty five minutes or so exploring on foot. We purchased fresh mango for 20 baht (70 cents), some souvenirs and sissy found elephant printed pants that she loves so much she may never take them off again. The key is knowing how to barter with the vendors because they will try to charge you three or four times what you should be paying.

The next stop, which was another two hour drive, was the elephant bath and ride at the Wangpo Elephant Camp. We were REALLY looking forward to this and were so impressed how much time we got with our elephant Full Moon and how great Jay was about capturing photos for us. The mahout (elephant trainer) was in the water with us giving commands to Full Moon to have her spray us, dunk us in the water and have a water fight with us. After the bath we then got to go on a short bareback ride…we were rather sore the next day!

The last stop of the day was at the Tiger Temple, just a few minutes down the road from the elephant camp. There are over twenty “tame” tigers there who have been raised by monks since they were young. There were many volunteers to help guide visitors around and ensure that we were safe. They were also great about taking pictures for us. It wasn’t until after we left that we really thought about that fact that we were petting animals that could eat our arm off!

Photo

Wed, 01 May 2013 10:17:00 -0500

gastrogirl: chocolate and peanut butter mousse tarts. YUMMMMM....

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 17:05:18 -0500

gastrogirl:

chocolate and peanut butter mousse tarts.

YUMMMMM. Too bad we’re doing a biggest loser challenge at work and I can’t eat anything besides lettuce for the next four weeks.

My sister suggested this crock pot recipe to me and I made it...

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 11:33:00 -0500

8 hours on low

Frank's

Lettuce wraps

A little ranch

My sister suggested this crock pot recipe to me and I made it overnight last Sunday. It lasted the whole week, and it was so delicious that I never got bored of it. Highly recommend, especially if you like spicy.

Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps

"In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully..."

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 13:12:01 -0500

“In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you.”

- Buddhist saying

I’ve been lusting after this Bauble Bar ring for a while...

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 10:00:16 -0500

I’ve been lusting after this Bauble Bar ring for a while now. What do you think? Worth $77?

Thailand - Phranakorn Nornlen

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 18:52:54 -0500

We’ve been back from Thailand since Sunday and I continue to reflect on what an incredible trip it was. I don’t go on week long vacations very often, so there is lots to tell! I will have to break it down into a few posts. First…our hotel in Bangkok. I had originally booked an inexpensive hotel that I found on TripAdvisor based solely on the good reviews that I read. I think it would have worked out fine, but a friend of my sister’s suggested that we check out the Phranakorn Nornlen, which she said was her favorite hotel that she had ever stayed at. We decided to go for it, and fortunately our other booking for refundable. We are SO GLAD that we decided to try out this quirky, friendly, beautiful, very special hotel. It was an oasis really…from the chaos that is Bangkok.

Tucked away down a quiet street in Old Bangkok

We felt welcome the moment we walked in…Beth is my sister

The “lobby,” but more like a tropical garden

I wish I could go shoe-less all the time

Our cute room

I could eat this breakfast every day. Pancakes, bruschetta, eggs, broccoli soup, cappuccino and fresh pineapple juice

The Phranakorn Nornlen taught us to live the slow life

My terrible iPhone photo does not do this delicious recipe from...

Sun, 24 Mar 2013 12:28:20 -0500

My terrible iPhone photo does not do this delicious recipe from Food Doodles justice, but I would highly recommend trying it if you’re looking for a new way to cook spaghetti squash. This Skinny Spaghetti Squash Alfredo is very easy and was far more filling than I anticipated even though the squash I used was on the smaller side. I’m pretty sure there’s nothing “skinny” about the alfredo sauce, but it sure was delicious.

Happy first day of Spring!

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 19:21:47 -0500

Happy first day of Spring!

Let's not forget Dallas

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 09:49:29 -0500

While I have been traveling a lot recently, I’ve also done some really fun things in Dallas. It’s always nice to have a good mix of weekends spent away and weekends spent at home. Here are some of the Dallas highlights from recent weeks.

Bowling at Bowl & Barrel - Cool new place, but expensive so best to go bowl with a group.

Klyde Warren Park - Seriously obsessed with this park. I think it is really going to revive downtown. You can borrow games from them so we played a lazy game of Scrabble on the lawn.

King Leer at the Dallas Theater Center - There was a naked old man involved, which was…interesting.

Place at Perry’s - Fantastic Valentine’s Day dinner spot. A little bit trendy, great service and really yummy food.

Adelmo’s - Very authentic Italian restaurant that we went to for the boy’s birthday. Probably the best Italian I’ve had in Dallas. Large portions so you get your money’s worth!

Whole Foods beer class - who knew they did this two Thursdays a month? $5 gets you snacks and plenty of beer. I need to go for wine class next.

elizablr: lifeinthefriendzone: A random ball pit is set up in...

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 18:52:59 -0500

elizablr:

lifeinthefriendzone:

A random ball pit is set up in the middle of a city
And this is what happens as people approach it.

Truly awesome!

Ball pits are the jam, as long as no one has puked or pooped or peed in it…

The Black Keys playing at the Adobe Summit in Salt Lake City....

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 22:53:00 -0600

The Black Keys playing at the Adobe Summit in Salt Lake City. Great show.

Seriously, this Maui whale watch was incredible.

Sat, 02 Mar 2013 14:09:53 -0600

Seriously, this Maui whale watch was incredible.

Dallas To Do List

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 14:30:03 -0600

During my last semester of college in Nashville, my roommates and I created a list of the things we needed to do before we moved away. We had a great time working our way through it, and had checked every item off before we graduated. With my impending move to Philadelphia this summer, I have created a similar list for Dallas/Texas and have already started to cross things off. I have done many fun things here, but there are still lots left to do. So in no particular order (and I reserve the right to add more)…

-See the Fort Worth Stockyard cattle drive

-Two step at Billy Bob’s

-Watch a movie at the Galaxy Drive-In Theater

-Explore the new Perot Museum

-Shop at the downtown Neiman Marcus

-Go to happy hour at Five Sixty in reunion tower

-Eat lunch at Jimmy’s Food Store

-Spend more time in Oak Cliff/Bishop Arts

-Sing until I have no voice left at Pete’s Piano Bar

-Drive across the border into Arkansas

~~-Go to a Dallas Stars game~~

-Have a margarita on the River Walk in San Antonio

Our long weekend in Maui was beyond all expectations. The hotel...

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 22:28:49 -0600

Incredible view from our room

The Hyatt pool

First (of many) lava flows

My man in his blue pants

Kaanapali beach near Black Rock

Whale watch on the Trilogy

It was whale soup out there!

I worked really hard for my crab dinner

Sunset on the beach

Seriously? Too perfect

Our long weekend in Maui was beyond all expectations. The hotel was lovely, we ate so many amazing meals, spent hours relaxing in a hammock on the beach, saw dozens of whales, swam with the turtles…it was absolute paradise and we definitely had a hard time coming back to reality today. Here are just a few of the best pictures we took. More to come I’m sure!