Perfect Weekend

 

Sleeping In

Football

Closet Organization

Turkey Burgers & Home Fries

 

 

Breakfast in Bed

Thrifting

Home Improvement Projects & Decorating

More Football

Hiking with the Hounds

Crock Pot Chicken

Hot Tub

 

Makes me crave this coming weekend to see if it will be this perfect again.

 

 

 

 

 



How Lucky Are We...

 

 

Eaten fresh out of the oven flan in Zihuatenejo, Mexico

Seen the sunset on Mexican beaches

Visited with Queen Elizabeth I in Westminster Abbey

Watched the guards change to Abba's Dancing Queen at Buckingham Palace

Minded the Gap

Got beheaded on Tower Green (not actually)

Walked across Tower Bridge

Got lost on the way to The Globe Theater

Stonehenge...what else is there to say

Felt like a character in a Jane Austen novel in Bathe

Contemplated diving off a cliff in Dover

Ate brownies in Amsterdam

Looked at Red Lights in Amsterdam

Stole of piece of the Eifel Tower

Didn't wait in line at the Louvre

Seen the real life Moulin Rouge

Walked the gardens of Versailles

Escaped the rain to eat the best Crème Brule in Paris 

Went to Costa Rica with only a ticket and a backpack

Seen the Arenal volcano erupt

Relaxed in a hot spring in the jungle

Rode horses above the clouds in Monteverde

White water rafted Costa Rica waters

Zip lined through a Costa Rica jungle

Learned to speak Howler Monkey (sounds quite similar to whale, I also speak whale)

Ate escargot in Quebec

Watched the leaves change in Old Quebec

Rode bikes around English Bay in Vancouver

Smoked a Cuban in Whistler

Woke up in PARADISE (Trinidad and Tobago) 9 times

Skinny dipped in Englishman's Bay

Turned 29 in T&T

Saw Leatherback turtles nest on Turtle Beach

Drove on the wrong side of the road in Tobago

 

I feel very privileged to be able to say in my twenties I was able to visit and experience six different countries.  I want to continue traveling and visit many more, only 189 to go! 

Potato Leek Soup

I think I am starting to crave Fall more than the average person.  It's Texas and still ninety degrees outside and yet here I am making soup for dinner.  Then again Texas doesn't really have Fall; it's the little things like making this soup that help make it feel like Fall.

INGREDIENTS

3 Leeks

1 White Onion

4 tbsp. Butter

2 lbs. Russet Potatoes (5-6 medium sized)

9 cups Vegetable Broth

3 Garlic Cloves

2 Bay Leaves

2 tbsp. Cooking Wine

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream

INSTRUCTIONS

Cut the leeks in half lengthwise and thoroughly wash each half under cold water.  Make sure to pull apart the layers to remove any dirt and grit inside each layer.

Chop the leeks, dice the onion, and mince the garlic.  Melt the butter over medium heat in a large soup pot.  Add the leeks, onion, and garlic and cook, stirring regularly until soft and wilted, approximately 10 minutes.

Cut potatoes into 1 inch cubes, this will make blending easier. Add the potatoes, broth, bay leaves, cooking wine, salt and pepper to the pot and bring to a boil.  Cover and reduce the heat on low to simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.

Remove the bay leaves from the pot, then puree the soup with an immersion blender until smooth.  Add the heavy cream and bring to a simmer.  Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.  Garnish with fresh herbs, chives, cheese, and/or bacon and serve. 

Enjoy!

 

Linked to: LizMarieBlog

All Dressed Up

Who doesn't love to get all dressed up?  Slip on a cute little skirt, put on your high heels, and top it off with a tiara!  However, the fairy wings and the boa are what really make the outfit come to life.  As my niece is approaching the "pretty, pretty princess" stage I made her a special present that every kid her age would adore, a dress up chest.

It took some time and many stores to finally find the perfect chest, not only in size but to coordinate with her bedroom as well.  Since it's near impossible to get all dolled up without a mirror I added one to the lid.  Then with some pink metallic puffy paint a little flair was added to get "all dressed up." 

 

I can't wait to dress up and get glamorous with her now!

 

 

 

'Tis the Season

October can't come fast enough!

 

 

The Amanda Trip

I have come to the decision that your best road trip partner by far is your best friend.  With that said, The Amanda's conquered New Orleans and Destin this year!

Jamming to Neil Diamond's Sweet Caroline and Boston's Amanda, The Amanda's (my best friend, Amanda and I) made our way to Destin, Florida.  With no better pit stop, we stayed one day and one night in NOLA.

 

We had to have a snack at Café Du Monde for their glorious beignets.

 

Score! Found apart of mine and Trevor's Halloween costume...Hipster glasses!

 

And at Pat O'Brien's the night began....

 

 

After the NOLA Ant Pile Incident (no comment) we started the next day out to Destin. Not only was this a road trip with my best friend, it was also a trip to visit my cousin in Pensacola.  I have decided that having a cousin the lives 20 minutes from Destin is the best thing EVER!  

 

 

We spent one day in Pensacola on the beach and on a boat (with our flippy floppies) and the next day we spent in Destin.

 

 

Hey B...it's 3:44pm and OU Still SUCKS!!!!!

 

Onto my next Girl-Cation adventure...

 



 

 

 

 

 

When in Maryland...

FREE PLANE TICKETS...sign me up!  I did just that when a little over a year ago I entered a raffle at a small town fair and low and behold I actually won!  I never win sweepstakes or raffles so I was floored when I got the phone call I actually had won.  A part of me still didn't believe it and thought that there was some type of stipulation until our flights were booked. 

We decided to use the tickets to go back to Maryland to visit Trevor's family.  I had only been to Maryland one time prior to visit and that was when Trevor proposed back in 2005.  This was a very relaxed vacation and we were able to see a lot of family which is always a good time.

 

We flew into Baltimore and our first stop off the plane was to Philips in the inner harbor so Trevor could eat crabs!  My theory on the matter for this non seafood eater is "When in Maryland...eat a chicken salad!" More crabs for Trevor I guess.

 

 

 

We enjoyed walking around the inner harbor and getting in some good people watching since there was an Anime convention in town.  It's not everyday you run into Spiderman and Pokémon is the same place!

 

 

The beautiful rolling hills of Maryland.

 



 

A trip to Maryland is never complete without a trip to The Carriage House Bake Shop for pepperoni rolls.  We ended up going twice and ate all 2 dozen of them that we bought.  I think we have a problem!

 

We spent some time with a couple of Trevor's cousins and went to Tarara Winery in Virginia for a concert on the lawn.   

 

 

We made our way into Arlington and Washington, DC for an afternoon and spent some time in the city.  We didn't do all the tourist sites this time since we had been around to all the monuments in a previous trip to DC.

 

 

 

 

 

My "civil war buff" father was so proud that we made our way up to Gettysburg one day as well.  However, he didn't quite understand how we were able to see everything in only a couple hours. Apparently his prior trip to Gettysburg was a two day affair, which isn't hard to believe considering my father.  As a child I spent countless hours roaming battlefields with my family and my father basically taking over the tour guides job.

 

I had a great trip to Maryland and was able to enjoy some relaxed time with family.

 

Onto my next adventure...