Have you seen?

Have you seen my post this week on Southern Exhilaration?  Caitlin's blog is full of travel and all things southern, so I was super excited to share about one of my favorite places in Montgomery:

The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts 

and it's beautiful surroundings at the Blount Cultural Park. 

Be sure to check it out!

Balboa Park, San Diego

You could probably spend a weeks exploring San Diego's Balboa Park and still not see everything.  The park is home to many museums, gardens, and the San Diego Zoo.  And it is absolutely gorgeous.  We spent one afternoon walking around a few of the beautiful gardens, museums and theaters.

 The Casa del Prado Theater is a historic reconstruction used by the San Diego Junior Theater.

Old Town San Diego, California

Old Town San Diego-the birthplace of California.  Super accessible to public transportation and filled with history and beautiful architecture.  I loved walking around the park and through a few of the museums as well as the shops on the surrounding streets.

San Diego Beaches

On a recent trip to San Diego, California, I took the opportunity to explore a few of the local beaches.  Pacific Beach had a great boardwalk filled with shops, bars, restaurants and bike rentals.  There were so many people forming a quite diverse crowd.  We walked south down the beach from there and it seemed to get more family friendly as we got closer to Mission Beach.  Mission Beach, as I understand it, is known for being pretty touristy.  But with Belmont Park, a small amusement park overlooking the beach, of course its going to attract people. After exploring a few shops, we rode the roller coaster, which was a lot of fun!

Each of the beaches we visited were lovely, and came with some of the largest seagulls I have ever seen.  However, my absolute favorite beach, was north of San Diego in the village of La Jolla.  La Jolla is home to adorable shops and restaurants, and best of all a bunch of seals.  We spotted so many birds (gulls, cormorants, and pelicans), beautiful views and seals.  I really could have spent a full day on trail and beaches around La Jolla.  It is definitely a must see for your San Diego travels.

Mentone, Alabama

I think my first time going to Mentone, Alabama was during undergrad for a weekend retreat.  Between working at Riverview Camp for Girls for a following summer and returning for semesterly retreats, I have grown to love Mentone.  It is this tiny, adorable town sitting on top of Lookout Mountain.

 When Seth told me one of his friends was getting married up there, I eagerly agreed to be his wedding date (not that I would have done it any other way, but still…Mentone).  Friday night we stayed at Cragsmere Manor.  It was spacious and then some.  The best part were the views.

While Seth was busy with pre-wedding festivities, I got to meet up with a long lost friend at Riverview.

 

The wedding and reception were held at Camp Desoto and were absolutely beautiful.  We didn’t have time to visit Desoto falls or the wildflower café (I highly recomend both), or any of the little art galleries, but the weekend was still absolutely wonderful. Mentone is a great place to unplug and get away; you should go!

Foliage photo disclaimer: I know the leaves are just starting to change, but it felt like fall and I just couldn't help myself. Does anyone else get way too excited about fall?

Santa Rosa Beach

For the second year in a row, we made the short drive down to Santa Rosa Beach, Florida to celebrate Brittany's birthday.  Located just a few minutes east of Destin, Santa Rosa is an adorable little beach town on 30A.  I think this is probably one of the prettiest spots on the gulf.  The water was so clear and felt amazing for late September.

The trip was very relaxing and much needed.  Living so far away from some of my favorite people just makes me appreciate the time I get to spend with them.  We rented bicycles (checking that off the list) and ate great food but spent the most time reading, relaxing and catching up.

How Not To Pack

     

1. Don't make a plan. Generally, I pack everything because I'm unsure of what the weekend will have in store, because I just don't know what exactly I'll be doing, because there is always a chance the weather will change course from what the pros have predicted, or because I may just be having a fat day come Saturday.  This game play often ends in me packing a weeks worth of clothes for a weekend with the accompanied 6 pairs of shoes and jewelry options.  Learn from my mistakes people, this is not the best way to do it.  Make a plan, check the weather, verify your itinerary.  At the very least, pack multifunctional clothing.  Knowing or at least having any idea of what's in the works is a great start, from there, you know you don't need a ball gown, and can start to take a more realistic approach to packing your bags. 

2. Pack a variety of colors. I'm not saying you should pack all black, but sticking to a mostly neutrals, which can be easily interchanged (ie. all of those "pack a year in a carry-on" Pinterest posts), will minimize the need for extra shoes and accessories. 

3. Just throw it in there. Even though I always pull out the luggage a day or so before, I rarely actually pack any earlier than I absolutely have to. "Oh I'll just stop by the house after work to grab my bags and the dog" means I have packed less than 5 things the night before and will throw about 25 more items in my suitcase in a 10 minute period.  If I do pack the night before, I either start packing about 10:00pm (aka bed time) or I'm getting on a plane and have to fit a weeks worth in a carry-on (side note, I have managed to pack over a weeks worth or business and fun clothes on a carry-on; proper rolling and folding was the only way I managed to do so).  Believe it or not, this is not the most efficient form of packing.  Taking time to roll your shirts and undergarments, stuff your socks inside your boots, and actually refill your tiny shampoo bottles saves so much space!

Brunch in Denver

I think it's safe to say brunch was my favorite part about Denver. On Saturday morning, Ray and I had brunch at Trattoria Stella, a charming little place on East Colfax (note the stained glass panels in the windows). I had eggs Benedict over fried green tomatoes, topped with steamed asparagus and greens and potatoes and all other types of goodness.  The meal was also accompanied by mimosas. Everything was so fresh and delicious. 

                    

Sunday morning we mozied over to Snooze, because you should have brunch everyday when you are on vacation. There was a bit of a wait but we were able to give a cell number and go for a downtown stroll.  The restaurant is located on the corner of Park and Larimer and is only a couple blocks from Coors Field.  It was worth the wait!  I had a snooze in the city and the green eggs and hamwich (and also a mmm mmm mimosa).  The sandwich was basically a spinach omelette topped with some delicious cheese on chibatta bread.

If you are in the denver area, you should definitely check out one or both of these great restaurants. 

Denver bound...

I'm currently wheels up heading to Denver for a much needed vacation. A couple friends of mine have a conference in the city and Ray and I decided to tag along. I will completely admit that I am a tourist.  I love exploring a new city and all of the adventures and food that go along with it.  I was hoping to share some great packing ideas with you, but I think I'm a better example of how not to pack. Either way, my 10 outfits and I are on our way and I can't wait to share what we get into with you! 

Marshall’s Diner and Downtown Frankfort, Kentucky

Downtown Frankfort is such a cute town.  It is full of old buildings in cute colors. There are train tracks running through the very center of town, and unbelievable close to a few buildings. The only thing strange I noticed was the lack of people out and about.  I’m sure that was mostly due to the extreme cold last week, but it seemed like the kind of town where you would pass the friendliest people on the street.
We ate at Marshall’s Diner for lunch one day. It was such a cute place; very cozy with a home town feeling.  However, the food was less exciting.  I didn’t order anything special (just a chicken wrap with fries), but the chicken was slightly overcooked and nothing really had any flavor. Other people’s meals were drenched in gravy and no one really seemed too impressed by the end of the meal. I believe the diner recently reopened, possibly under new management? Hopefully things will improve for the adorable diner.

The Dragon Pub, Frankfort, Kentucky

I spent the last week at a control of particulate emissions training course in Frankfort, Kentucky. I know, it sounds like a blast, right?  We were in class for 8 hours a day and really did nothing outside of that time, but eat.  We ate out for 3 meals a day for almost 5 days, and we were able to find a few little gems.

The first night, we found the Dragon Pub on urbanspoon.  It seemed like it was a little more of a bar than a restaurant.  We were the only people in the restaurant (which generally makes me nervous) but I think the entire town had migrated to Louisville for a basketball game.
We had a lot of fried food!  We started with Brew Sticks, Crispy Artichoke Hearts and Dragon Scales and I then had the Pub Burger.  Everything was fried and delicious but the real favorite of the night was the Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale.  I only had a taste, but it was awesome.  It is the love child of bourbon and beer, both of which I love, and I may have bought a 4-pack as a souvenir.

Brew Sticks - Our unique version of a cheese stick. Our own homemade Beer Cheese wrapped in a thin won ton wrapper and fried until crispy. Delicious!
Crispy Artichoke Hearts -  lightly dusted and fried. Topped with grated parmesan. With a lemon garlic aioli
Dragon Scales – Our famous homemade chips drizzled with spicy Dragon wing sauce and sprinkled with bacon, cheddar, blue cheese crumbles and creamy blue cheese dressing
Pub Burger – Our 6 oz. beef patty, topped with homemade Newcastle Beer cheese and a freshly battered onion ring on a grilled pretzel bun. Delicious!

Guatemala City

I’m back online! I don’t think I turned my computer on for a few months after leaving the world of unemployment. I have since, been working, moving into and unpacking an apartment, and of course adjusting to a steady work schedule. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed catching up on all of the blogs I follow and I am very happy to be back to blogging myself. And what better way to get back into it, than with a Throwback Thursday post.

Last summer I had the opportunity to go to Guatemala City with my parent’s church. We left less than two days after I finished taking comps and I was completely exhausted. The pictures I’ve posted are from a Bible school we put together at a local church. No matter how little sleep I got that week, I am so thankful I had the opportunity to go. I absolutely loved the people we met. The kids were so sweet and loving and the adults, so amazed that people would come to another country just to play with kids.

Our first full day, we went to the local dump to visit the people that lived there. Basically, these were people living in the dump, surrounded by all of the garbage and flies, who made their living by digging through the trash to find recyclable materials. I expected to maybe see a few families living there, but the community actually included rows and rows of makeshift houses. It was heartbreaking to see the conditions but so wonderful to see the spirit of these people. With every corner we would turn there would be more children running, smiling, and holding their hands outstretched towards us. They were so loving and happy. Their joy wasn’t dependent on their circumstances.

We went to church with the locals on Sunday and each helped in the children’s Sunday school classes. I think I helped with the 4 year olds. The kids’ Spanish was of course better than mine, but much more on my level than the Spanish of the teenagers and adults. The week in Guatemala definitely proved how little Spanish I knew.

The week of VBS was wonderful. We painted faces, made crafts, played basketball, sang songs, told stories, played with a giant parachute, hit a piñata, colored, and of course played soccer. The children and adults we had a chance to meet and talk to were each amazing. One boy (above in the green shirt) left one morning only to come back with a simple Spanish-English translation brochure so he could talk to us in English. We then took turns holding up coloring pages and teaching one another new words. Another little girl, Doris (above, coloring) had such a fun attitude and personality. It was so wonderful to get to know each and every one of those kids.

Tallahassee Lassie

My most recent adventure was a trip to Tallahassee, Florida where my handsome boyfriend lives. Butkus (the other handsome guy in my life) made the 6 hour drive with me to spend a nice five day weekend in Florida. Seth is an intern at a ecological research station just outside of Tallahassee. He has been there a couple of months but this was my first time to visit.

Saturday we drove down to the beach. Butkus was not sure what to think. He spent most of the time sitting on my lap, legs, butt, stomach…. It was a beautiful day at the beach, but a bit windy. After an hour or so, we packed up and found a local seafood restaurant in Carrabelle, Florida.