Post-Baby Vacations

My husband and I love to travel and we have quite a long list of places we still want to go.  Some with Connor, some just us two.  We knew when we had a baby that traveling would take a back seat for awhile but we have started to get the itch.  The past few weeks we have started talking about where we want to go for our first trip (without Connor).... but we are waiting until sometime in the Spring or Summer 2014 to go probably. I know we will take some smaller trips before then but this will be our first big trip, just the 2 of us.     We have decided on Banff in Canada and stay on Lake Louise!  My husband actually lived there for a Summer when he was younger.  His family moved there for his dad's work but they only stayed for a few months.  Ever since the day I met my husband he has told me he wanted to take me there one day.   After seeing pictures of it, hearing his stories and seeing it on Sean's season of The Bachelor I knew we had to go and had to go soon!    I mean, does it get any better than this???  

 

Living in Texas and growing up in the south means I don't do cold very well, so we know we want to go during the warmer months (although it is definitely not hot).  There are several national parks, tons of golf courses, canoeing and kayaking, hiking, beautiful resorts and so much more.  The water really is THAT blue and clear my husband said.  Yes, count me in!     For our first little vaca WITH Connor, we have talking about renting a little cabin/house a few hours from here in the Texas Hill Country, right on the Guadalupe River for a weekend.  We are thinking about going on a weekend when A&M isn't playing (of course) sometime in late September or October. I have a couple friends who did this over a weekend with their babies and had a great time.  It will be so nice to get away for a short weekend with our little family :)   

    How soon did you travel with your baby and without your baby? Where did you go?    

Easter Weekend Recap!

Having a 4 day weekend is always nice but the first day back to work is always pretty rough. That is my day today. I feel like I have been ran over by a train. What an awesome weekend we had though...so, it was worth it :)

Hubby and I had Friday off so we slept in, cooked breakfast and took a 4 mile hike thru the George Mitchell Preserve near our house. We had to be at the airport for our flight to Atlanta at 4 so we just hung around the house and packed until it was time to go. We flew into Atlanta that night and my Dad picked us up from the airport and we headed to his town, Lincolnton, which is about 2 hours away.

Saturday we just spent time with my family and ate a ton of good, Southern food :)

Sunday was the big day...the final round of The Masters, and we were there for every single second of it. IT.WAS.AMAZING. First we went to a sunrise service & breakfast at my Dad & Step-Mom's church then headed to Augusta National. This is our 4th year going, thanks to my cousin who has tickets, but this was our first year being there on Sunday for the final round. We got there as soon as the gates opened and stayed thru the end of the green jacket ceremony. By the end of the day our legs and feet were killing us and we were exhausted but we had SO much fun! The rules at Augusta National are crazy strict so you can not bring phones or camera's into the course (you have to walk thru metal detectors at the entrance and they THOUROUGHLY check your bags) so I did not get to take any pictures INSIDE the tournament but I took a bunch over the weekend and am going to "borrow" some from the tournament from a photographer that was there. So, I am going to do a full Masters post tomorrow! :) ( We even made it on TV 3 times! Whohoo! )



Monday morning we woke up, packed our suitcases again and headed back to Atlanta to fly home. But, we stopped at the best place on the way... Blue Willow Inn in Social Circle, GA. It is an old Antebellum mansion in a tiny little town with the BEST southern cooking buffet you can imagine. We had fried chicken, fried green tomatoes, collard greens, mac & cheese, cornbread, pecan pie, peach cobbler and more! I swear we gained 10 lbs each during that meal.



We had such a fun, short weekend with family and seeing Bubba Watson win The Master's...now it is back to work and life! As of now I do not have to be in an airplane again until the end of May when we go to Mexico for our anniversary. Praise the Lord!! I feel like I live in airports these days. Hope you all had a great weekend and Happy Easter!

The past 2 weeks...

I feel like I haven't blogged in forever! So, here is a very random post with some updates!

- Hubby and I saw The Hunger Games on the opening night. We got there about an hour early and got in line. He was thrilled, let me tell you. Ha! We both loved the movie but I loved the book way more. There are just so many details they have to leave out in the movie. But, it was still very good and stayed very true to the book. My husband even liked it and he has never read the book. The only negative thing I have to say is... I had motion sickness thru almost the entire movie. We were in an IMAX and with the style of filming they used- I was SO nauseous! I had to close my eyes at least 20 times during the movie and convince myself several times not to throw up. I definitely want to see it again in a normal movie theater or just buy it when it comes out (duh) and watch it at home!


-Spring time in Texas is one of my favorite times of year! Everything is so green and all the wildflowers are blooming.




- Our pool is so close to being done! Next up they are pouring the concrete and stamping it then finishing the bottom of the pool and finally the fire pit. We hope it will be ready in the next 2 weeks!


- Just an FYI...gas is CRAAAZY expensive in California! It cost over $80 to fill up my little rental car, Impala!


- This Friday we are off to Augusta, Georgia to spend the weekend with my family and go to The Master's final round on Sunday!! WHOHOO!! My husband is a golfer and over the past few years I have started to love golf (not playing, but going to touraments) so this has become one of our favorite yearly traditions! This will be our 4th year going but our first time going on the final day. We are hoping Tiger is finally back to his old self (minus his terrible choices in her personal life) and can pull off a big win this weekend! How cool would it be to be sitting at the 18th hole of The Master's watching Tiger Woods win?!

Back in California!

Just wanted to write up a quick post so you know I am still alive! I was supposed to be in Louisiana for work this week but we had a slight emergency in the state of California so my boss begged me to fly out here instead. I flew out of Dallas on Sunday morning and have spent the week in central California. I can not wait to be home tomorrow. California is awesome and so beautiful but I am feeling extra "home-sick" this week for some reason. As I have said before, when I travel for work I always try to do some sight seeing in the evenings, eat at popular local restaurants and drive aimlessly thru the towns so I can see as much as possible. This week I have had to put in extra long days because of this emergency I am here for but I managed to get out a couple times and drive over to Monterey, Carmel and see Pebble Beach. I am IN LOVE with this part of California! This is my 2nd time here for work and my hubby and I are planning a long weekend trip back here. Here are just a few quick pictures from Pebble Beach I took on my blackberry- (better pictures coming next week when I am back in my office)

So beautiful!!

Hope yall are having a great week!! I will be back with all my missed wedding link up posts and more next week!

Helloooo from Kentucky!!

This week I am in Paducah, Kentucky for work! Paducah is a small town in western KY, somewhere between Possum Trot & Monkey's Eyebrow. Yes, these are real towns.





I flew into Nashville on Monday and made the 2 hour drive to Paducah. I am actually working in the smallest town ever, just outside of Paducah, but my hotel is actually in Paducah. I just found out that I am about 50 miles from where the tornados hit last weekend. Kentucky is beautiful...rolling hills, big lakes, pretty sunsets, fields full of flowers. The people I am working with have told me so many cool things to see and do in Kentucky...I would love to come vacation here with hubby one day :)

My weekend vs. my husband's weekend

Monday came entirely too fast if you ask me...I know I could have used another day or 3 off! My weekend consisted of A LOT of unpacking, organizing and a little decorating. It was our first weekend in our new house and my hubby was in Vegas celebrating his little brother's 21st birthday so I had the weekend to myself and I have to say, I got A LOT done!

I did things like organize my cupcake liners, obsessively organize my pantry, finish the kitchen, the master bedroom/closet/bathroom, unpack at least 30 boxes, vacuum and more. All very exciting.

I forgot to mention that I was without power, all alone in our new house several times on Saturday thanks to the crazy storms moving across Texas AND yesterday when I was leaving to go to the gym, my car would not start. Hmph!

Now...for a look at what my husband was doing all weekend. And for those of you who think it was crazy that I "let" him go out of town to party in Vegas 4 days after moving in...he bought his plane ticket and planned this trip with his Dad and brother months before and I am not the type to tell him he can't go. Plus, it gave me a chance to get a lot of stuff done :) I missed him but I know he had fun and I got a lot done... it is a win win. If you thought I had an exciting weekend (ha) wait till you see what his looked like...

This is the actual flyer/ad that was created by the owner of The Bank nightclub in Vegas for my brother-in-law's 21st birthday celebration. My FIL spends a lot of time in Vegas and has gotten to know him really well so they organized this big party! The party was last night...needless to say, I have not heard from my husband yet today!

The new Kardashian store in Vegas. Hubby knows of my obsession with the Kardashians so he went to this store for me :) I got a candle from their DASH store in Miami and it is one of my favorite candles so I am hoping he got me a new one!

Saturday night they partied with P Diddy, Common and Lenny Kravitz. Their table was right next to their table. This is one of the few pictures he sent to me from that night. The night before they met Jerry Jones and his entourage. Must be nice!!

I am already looking forward to this weekend....we are both home, together, at the same time! Hallelujiah!

Happy Monday, Friends! Hope yall had a great weekend!!

Day 2 Photo Challenge- Words

This is the wine menu from the Rapazzini Winery I went to on Monday in Gilroy, CA, aka the garlic capital! I tried 7 of these wines and they were all awesome. See close to the bottom...Garlic Wine?? Yep, I tried White Garlic Wine and I have to say it was pretty awesome. I even tried Garlic Ice Cream. Very interesting to say the least!

Day 1- February Photo-A-Day Challenge

HAPPY FEBRUARY, EVERYONE AND HELLOOOO FROM CALIFORNIA! I am joining the February Photo-A-Day challenge! I love this idea :)

Day 1- My View Today:

Super exciting, huh? I am sitting in a conference room in Hollister, CA participating in a DOT audit and Transportation meeting this week. So, my view is mostly my laptop and piles of paperwork.

Happy Wednesday!

{Tasty Tuesday: Louisiana Seafood Gumbo}

Hellooooo from Baton Rouge, LA everyone!! :) In honor of my trip here and the massive amounts of gumbo I will be eating this week, here is a yummy recipe for some Louisiana style gumbo!

Ingredients:

1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
4 stalks celery, chopped
2 med. onions, chopped
1 sm. green pepper, chopped
1 sm. can tomato sauce
1 qt. water
1/2 tsp. dry whole thyme
1/2 tsp. parsley flakes
1 qt. chicken broth
1 lbs. crab meat
Gumbo file
1 clove garlic, minced
2 pkg. smoked sausage
1 1/2 lbs. shrimp
1 pkg. ham chunks
4 crabs
1 bay leaf
Oysters (optional)

Directions:

To mix roux (base), heat oil in bottom of heavy pot, sprinkle flour and stir until a light brown. Stir in celery, onion, green pepper and cook until tender. Saute the smoked sausage and ham with the seasonings. Add tomato sauce. Add chicken broth, water, and seasonings and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes. Add seafood and cook for 1 1/2 hours on low fire. Add file gumbo after everything else is cooked. Serve over hot rice.

Hellooooo, Friday!

We made it to Friday!! Hallelujiah! Now for some randomness & updates! :)

-Our house is hopefully going to be ready next Tuesday!! YIPPY! BUT...we still have to go thru walk thru's and inspections before we can close. So, we are hoping to move in the weekend of February 4th and 5th but it could be a few days later. Not a very good picture, but this was on Wednesday when they were working on the landscaping:


-Today is my last day in the office for 2 weeks. Monday I head to Baton Rouge for 5 days then will be home next weekend. Then, Monday the 30th I head to California for 5 days. This is the first time I have had to travel for work 2 weeks in a row and thankfully it will probably never happen again. But, I am going to try to squeeze in a little fun while I am gone...my brother in law goes to LSU so I will see him a couple nights and hopefully eat some yummy cajun food and in California I will be with several other people and we will be right in the middle of the wine country so we are going to try to go to a couple wineries (even though I can't have alcohol for 25 more days...eeek!).


- Today is day 5 of the 30 day yeast free challenge and my first weigh in for the weight loss competition at work! I am very happy to say that I have stuck with the yeast free diet 100% this week. But, it has not been easy. Wednesday afternoon was ROUGH to say the least. I hit a big wall...I could barely keep my eyes open and every thing was irritating me. I was about ready to give up and just eat a big plate of carbs but I didn't. I was super grumpy and took it out on my hubby on our hour commute home. He was thrilled to be carpooling with me that day I am sure! Now, I have gotten over that hump and feel much, much better. My clothes are fitting a little loser and I just FEEL so much better. Less bloated and full and I have more energy! I don't even crave sweets and breads anymore...but I am having serious cravings for fruit and sushi. I mean SERIOUS cravings for these 2. I have worked out every day this week except for Wednesday too so I am hoping all this hard work is paying off! I have Kim Kardashian body envy so this is what I am aiming for (minus her boobs):


- Hubby and I booked our 1 year anniversary trip this week!! I will reveal the location and all the details later but I am SO SO SO excited! We had planned on going to Greece & Italy and doing a Mediterranean cruise but we decided that was way too expensive to do right after buying a new house so we opted for one of our favorite vacation spots and saved a ton of money. In 4 months this is where we will be:
One of the many pools & swim up bar's at our resort :) Can.not.wait.

Beeeeautiful beach! It looks exactly like this too!


- We found out last night we got tickets to the final round of The Masters this year!! This will be our 4th year going but we usually go on Friday or Saturday. My Dad asked my cousin who has lifetime tickets if he minded if we went on the final day instead and he said yes! I used to not be a golf fan but going to The Masters these past few years has changed that.


Hope you all have a great weekend!!

2011 In Review- January-June

Happy 2012!!! I wanted to take a look back at 2011 over the next couple of posts. It was one of the most fun and best years of my life and I don't want to forget all the memories that were made!

January
Rang in the New Year at Armando's & Roosevelt Lounge. Celebrated our friend Karington's wedding. Went to Phoenix for my first time and fell in love with that city. Ran in the Aramco Houston Half-Marathon and joined the the Run for a Reason program and raised almost $1500 for The Alzheimer's Association.







February
We hosted our 3rd annual Super Bowl party. We had our first Couple's Shower in The Woodlands. My brother got his wings. I ran in the Austin Half-Marathon. Lauren & Bryan Sorgen got married.











March
Saw Lady Antebellum, Martina McBride and Tim McGraw in the Houston Rodeo. Bridal Shower at my friend Robyn's house. Bridal Shower #3 in The Woodlands. Celebrated St. Patty's Day in downtown Houston. Took a weekend couple's trip to a resort on Lake Whitney.










April
Went to The Masters in Augusta, GA. Couples Shower in Georgia. Bridal Portraits done at The Carlton Woods Country Club in The Woodlands. Had my Bachelorette Party at Hugo's, 5th Amendment and Hotel Zaza in Houston.










May
I got married on May 7th. We honeymooned in Maui for 7 days. Over Memorial Day weekend we took a trip to Boston & Maine.










June
Our friends Lauren & Hunter got married outside of Dallas!




To be continued...