 |
| This is sad |
A 7.5 mile run followed by 5 hours of Four Weddings and Say Yes to the Dress.
Wow.
Saturday, January 19, 2013
I Am Officially Old
A 7.5 mile run followed by 5 hours of Four Weddings and Say Yes to the Dress.
Wow.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
What am I thinking?
Just registered to run a 15K race on February 9th. That's 9.32 miles, which is definitely longer than I have ever run before in my entire life. I hope I don't hurt myself.
As of today, I typically run 4 to 5 miles a day, 4 to 5 times a week. So, some weeks I am running up to 25 miles a week while other weeks it's closer to 16 or 17 miles. I think the longest I have ever run in one session was about 6.5 miles. So, this is going to be super hard. I just have to remember to pace myself and know that it's okay to take breaks or even walk on occasion if I need to do so.
My reward will be going to The Old Monk that afternoon following the race for celebratory beers with my husband and next door neighbor, who are also running in the race. The Old Monk is one of my favorite Dallas institutions. If you live in Dallas and have any interest, the race is the Hot Chocolate Run in Dallas on February 9th. There's also a 5K portion of the race if 15K is too much.
This whole thing is so weird b/c 2 years ago I wouldn't have considered even running a 5K much less a 15K. Hell, I couldn't have even run a half mile without dying two years ago. How times have changed. However, I am on a big health kick right now (I even turned down beer and pizza last night - shocking) so this sounded like a good idea. In hindsight, it will probably be a very, very bad idea.
Wish me luck.
 |
| Okay - Let's not start patting ourselves on the back just yet |
As of today, I typically run 4 to 5 miles a day, 4 to 5 times a week. So, some weeks I am running up to 25 miles a week while other weeks it's closer to 16 or 17 miles. I think the longest I have ever run in one session was about 6.5 miles. So, this is going to be super hard. I just have to remember to pace myself and know that it's okay to take breaks or even walk on occasion if I need to do so.
My reward will be going to The Old Monk that afternoon following the race for celebratory beers with my husband and next door neighbor, who are also running in the race. The Old Monk is one of my favorite Dallas institutions. If you live in Dallas and have any interest, the race is the Hot Chocolate Run in Dallas on February 9th. There's also a 5K portion of the race if 15K is too much.
 |
| Ahhh....The Old Monk...Sweet relief after the race |
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| How I think I look when I run |
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| How I will actually look |
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
My Views on Marriage v. Dating
I read a post this morning from Katie at My Keep Calm and Carry On regarding marriage and the difference between dating and being married. She raised some interesting questions as to whether marriage actually changes anything, especially if you are a couple that has dated a long time and lived together prior to getting married. That got me thinking about my marriage, what it means and did we change after we got married? I think the answer is definitely "Yes, marriage changes your relationship."
Link to Katie's blog: http://www.mykeepcalmandcarryon.com/2013/01/on-marriage.html#comment-form
For background, my husband and I have been married over 10 years. Hard to believe, but true. Last May we celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary and I considered it to be quite a milestone and am very proud of the fact that we have such a strong marriage that has lasted this long. We met in college and dated for almost 6 years before we got married as I had law school and wanted to get settled in a job before we had a wedding. We lived together for a little over 2 years as well. We've been through the stages of going to all of our friend's weddings, then the birth of their children, then their divorces and am now starting to attend people's second weddings. My husband and I do not have any children but it's on our list - we obviously like to take our time with things (6 years dating...10+ years before babies...makes sense to us).
So, how did marriage change our relationship? I like to do things in list form so here you go:
1. You look for a way in and not out. What I mean by this is that when you're dating it's easy to simply end things and move on when the guy ticks you off or acts like a jerk. When you are married and you take your vows seriously, you do the exact opposite. You look for ways to end the fight and put humpty-dumpty back together again. There have been plenty of times when I dated someone for 2+ years and then finally some small act of assholeishness (yes, a new word), sent me over the edge and I ended it right then and there, usually much to the surprise of the guy. My husband and I take marriage very seriously, which is probably why we waited so long to get married. We got married in the church, had communion at our wedding as our first act as a married couple (not Catholic, though) and we strongly believe that marriage is a vow. Unfortunately, I think a lot of people look at marriage as an extension of dating or they get too wrapped up in the idea of a big wedding and a party, which is why some people don't look at divorce as a huge deal. If you believe in your vows, you will go to the far edges of rationalization to make it work and you always look for that way back into the good graces of your spouse rather than writing him/her off. That being said, there have been plenty of times I have mumbled "screw him" under my breath but then take a big sigh and start trying to patch things up.
2. You sweat the small stuff but not the big stuff. I don't know why this is true but it is for us. We used to fight over both small and big things when dating but we stopped doing that around the time we got married. Now, we are far more likely to have an argument over where we store our toilet paper (quit putting it on my makeup shelf, dammit) rather than our finances, major purchases (house/cars) or our sex life. For some reason, it's okay to bicker over the small things, like my insistence that we eat wild caught salmon once a week or his inability to rinse his gross shave stubble out of the bathroom sink. We both know that these fights over little things are not really that important and they don't add up to much so it's okay to talk about them, get annoyed, make sarcastic remarks and then laugh over it later. The big stuff - we don't fight about it at all. Ever. That doesn't mean we always agree 100% all the time but we don't argue, criticize or hold the other in contempt when discussing major life decisions or things that will have a significant impact on our household or finances. That's when you put your game face on and grow up.
3. It's okay to act stupid or gross...a lot. I think when you're dating you tend to hold back things. Of course, we all get more relaxed the longer we date someone or even live with them. Let's face it, girls. Most of us did the thing for the first three months of dating where you basically pretend that you never take a crap or fart. We all tend to let things go a bit as you get comfortable with a person but when you're married, you know that you can discuss your bowel movements, intestinal issues, menstrual cramps, excessive ear wax, etc...without fear of being judged. Also, now that I am married, I can really act the fool and so does my husband. We had fun before when we were dating but now we really don't care what other people think. We do a lot of dancing around and singing stupid songs at our house just because we can. I know some relationship experts think you shouldn't do or talk about gross stuff b/c that takes the "romance" out of the relationship but I disagree. It's not about keeping up appearances when you're married and I'm not talking about "letting yourself go" because you already landed a man. When you really care about yourself and your spouse, you take pride in your appearance and I know that I want my husband to think I look nice and pretty so I exercise, wear makeup and try to look as cute as I can. However, if I am having an upset stomach one night, he can deal with it.
4. Your perspective on everything changes. Before I got married, all of my decisions revolved around me and what I wanted. Even when I was dating, I still really focused on me and my needs and desires rather than his. Now, I can't go to the grocery store now without thinking "Will Steve eat this?" before I buy something. Pretty much everything we do depends on what we believe the other will think or feel about it. We touch base with each other every day to confirm choices for dinner, what errands/tasks to do over the weekend, how to spend our downtime and what to watch on TV. Sounds like it would exhausting always trying to guess what will make your spouse happy but it's actually not. Most of the time we can communicate these things silently and we each know what the other wants. Like when I put my wrinkled blouse next to the ironing board in the evening and say nothing about it. He knows that what I want is for him to iron it as I suck at ironing and he is the master. This morning it was hanging in my bathroom - freshly pressed. It actually lifts the burden knowing that someone is thinking about you and what you want every day.
5. You intrinsically know it's not "just a piece of paper" or "the next step". I hate when people (usually dudes) say that they don't need to get married because it's just a piece of paper and doesn't mean anything. Well, if it doesn't mean anything then it shouldn't bother you to do it, right? Wrong. It's an excuse to not commit. You may have good reasons for not committing but don't act like it's because marriage is a meaningless institution. Some people also get married because they have dated so long that they feel like they have to get married or they just wasted a bunch of time and marriage must be "the next step". My advice is if you're not sure, don't do it. You'll be sorry you did. You have to know, in your heart of hearts, that this is the person you want to spend the rest of your life with -- farts and all. More than anything, making the commitment to marriage forces you be brutally honest with yourself. You have to ask yourself whether you really have it in you to be faithful to this one person year after year - both emotionally and physically. If you can say yes, unequivocally, then be prepared to be held to the highest standard and to honor that commitment. Not always easy but definitely worthwhile. When you make those promises you begin to understand how deep the roots will grow over the years and that you are responsible for another person's happiness, which is a HUGE responsibility. So, calling that marriage license a meaningless piece of paper foisted on you by society is pretty damn demeaning.
I think I have waxed rhapsodic about this topic for today. All in all, getting married was the best decision of my life and I am looking forward to the next 10 years.
Link to Katie's blog: http://www.mykeepcalmandcarryon.com/2013/01/on-marriage.html#comment-form
For background, my husband and I have been married over 10 years. Hard to believe, but true. Last May we celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary and I considered it to be quite a milestone and am very proud of the fact that we have such a strong marriage that has lasted this long. We met in college and dated for almost 6 years before we got married as I had law school and wanted to get settled in a job before we had a wedding. We lived together for a little over 2 years as well. We've been through the stages of going to all of our friend's weddings, then the birth of their children, then their divorces and am now starting to attend people's second weddings. My husband and I do not have any children but it's on our list - we obviously like to take our time with things (6 years dating...10+ years before babies...makes sense to us).
So, how did marriage change our relationship? I like to do things in list form so here you go:
1. You look for a way in and not out. What I mean by this is that when you're dating it's easy to simply end things and move on when the guy ticks you off or acts like a jerk. When you are married and you take your vows seriously, you do the exact opposite. You look for ways to end the fight and put humpty-dumpty back together again. There have been plenty of times when I dated someone for 2+ years and then finally some small act of assholeishness (yes, a new word), sent me over the edge and I ended it right then and there, usually much to the surprise of the guy. My husband and I take marriage very seriously, which is probably why we waited so long to get married. We got married in the church, had communion at our wedding as our first act as a married couple (not Catholic, though) and we strongly believe that marriage is a vow. Unfortunately, I think a lot of people look at marriage as an extension of dating or they get too wrapped up in the idea of a big wedding and a party, which is why some people don't look at divorce as a huge deal. If you believe in your vows, you will go to the far edges of rationalization to make it work and you always look for that way back into the good graces of your spouse rather than writing him/her off. That being said, there have been plenty of times I have mumbled "screw him" under my breath but then take a big sigh and start trying to patch things up.
2. You sweat the small stuff but not the big stuff. I don't know why this is true but it is for us. We used to fight over both small and big things when dating but we stopped doing that around the time we got married. Now, we are far more likely to have an argument over where we store our toilet paper (quit putting it on my makeup shelf, dammit) rather than our finances, major purchases (house/cars) or our sex life. For some reason, it's okay to bicker over the small things, like my insistence that we eat wild caught salmon once a week or his inability to rinse his gross shave stubble out of the bathroom sink. We both know that these fights over little things are not really that important and they don't add up to much so it's okay to talk about them, get annoyed, make sarcastic remarks and then laugh over it later. The big stuff - we don't fight about it at all. Ever. That doesn't mean we always agree 100% all the time but we don't argue, criticize or hold the other in contempt when discussing major life decisions or things that will have a significant impact on our household or finances. That's when you put your game face on and grow up.
3. It's okay to act stupid or gross...a lot. I think when you're dating you tend to hold back things. Of course, we all get more relaxed the longer we date someone or even live with them. Let's face it, girls. Most of us did the thing for the first three months of dating where you basically pretend that you never take a crap or fart. We all tend to let things go a bit as you get comfortable with a person but when you're married, you know that you can discuss your bowel movements, intestinal issues, menstrual cramps, excessive ear wax, etc...without fear of being judged. Also, now that I am married, I can really act the fool and so does my husband. We had fun before when we were dating but now we really don't care what other people think. We do a lot of dancing around and singing stupid songs at our house just because we can. I know some relationship experts think you shouldn't do or talk about gross stuff b/c that takes the "romance" out of the relationship but I disagree. It's not about keeping up appearances when you're married and I'm not talking about "letting yourself go" because you already landed a man. When you really care about yourself and your spouse, you take pride in your appearance and I know that I want my husband to think I look nice and pretty so I exercise, wear makeup and try to look as cute as I can. However, if I am having an upset stomach one night, he can deal with it.
4. Your perspective on everything changes. Before I got married, all of my decisions revolved around me and what I wanted. Even when I was dating, I still really focused on me and my needs and desires rather than his. Now, I can't go to the grocery store now without thinking "Will Steve eat this?" before I buy something. Pretty much everything we do depends on what we believe the other will think or feel about it. We touch base with each other every day to confirm choices for dinner, what errands/tasks to do over the weekend, how to spend our downtime and what to watch on TV. Sounds like it would exhausting always trying to guess what will make your spouse happy but it's actually not. Most of the time we can communicate these things silently and we each know what the other wants. Like when I put my wrinkled blouse next to the ironing board in the evening and say nothing about it. He knows that what I want is for him to iron it as I suck at ironing and he is the master. This morning it was hanging in my bathroom - freshly pressed. It actually lifts the burden knowing that someone is thinking about you and what you want every day.
5. You intrinsically know it's not "just a piece of paper" or "the next step". I hate when people (usually dudes) say that they don't need to get married because it's just a piece of paper and doesn't mean anything. Well, if it doesn't mean anything then it shouldn't bother you to do it, right? Wrong. It's an excuse to not commit. You may have good reasons for not committing but don't act like it's because marriage is a meaningless institution. Some people also get married because they have dated so long that they feel like they have to get married or they just wasted a bunch of time and marriage must be "the next step". My advice is if you're not sure, don't do it. You'll be sorry you did. You have to know, in your heart of hearts, that this is the person you want to spend the rest of your life with -- farts and all. More than anything, making the commitment to marriage forces you be brutally honest with yourself. You have to ask yourself whether you really have it in you to be faithful to this one person year after year - both emotionally and physically. If you can say yes, unequivocally, then be prepared to be held to the highest standard and to honor that commitment. Not always easy but definitely worthwhile. When you make those promises you begin to understand how deep the roots will grow over the years and that you are responsible for another person's happiness, which is a HUGE responsibility. So, calling that marriage license a meaningless piece of paper foisted on you by society is pretty damn demeaning.
I think I have waxed rhapsodic about this topic for today. All in all, getting married was the best decision of my life and I am looking forward to the next 10 years.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
2013 Resolutions
A new year so I guess it's time for a few resolutions. I try not to get too fancy with them so I don't set myself up for failure.
1. Maintain weight. Always a struggle for me because of how much I love food, wine and beer. I prefer to keep myself to b/w 120 and 125 lbs and that's a comfortable weight for me and keeps in a size 4 to a size 6 pants. I pretty much have to starve myself to get thinner than that and it's not worth it. Following the holidays, I am hovering around 127 so I need to get back on the program and start running and working out hardcore again.
2. Eat Vegetarian One Day a Week. I love vegetarian food but will never, ever become a full blown vegetarian or even a pescatarian. I love meat too much. There is something about a well-cooked, aged steak or some slowly braised short ribs that I will never be able to give up. Not to mention barbeque. Going to a BBQ joint and only having veggie sides is worse than decaf coffee. What's the point? That being said, I would like to incorporate at least one 100% vegetarian day into my meal rotation at least once a week.
3. Learn to Make Jewelry. I try to learn at least one new thing a year and become at least mildly decent at it. A few years ago it was learning French. Can't even recall what I wanted to do last year. Whatever it was, I guess I didn't do it. Anyway, I started collecting sea glass during my trips to the beach and now have a rather large jar of it. I have some ideas to turn some pieces into some cute, nautical themed necklaces, bracelets and earrings but I don't know the first thing about making jewelry or what tools I will need. Looks like I will be spending some time at Hobby Lobby with the other weirdo scrapbookers for a few weekends.
4. Grow a Small Vegetable Garden. This has been on my to-do list for awhile. I have plenty of space in our backyard to plot out a small box area for a vegetable garden. Mostly, I would like to grow some tomatoes, peppers and maybe some squash or carrots. I usually wait too late in the season to start this task and by the time it's summer, my excuse is that it's too hot to do it. I also have a brown thumb so it may end up becoming that "boxed area of dead things and weeds" within a few months.
5. Run a 10-K. I have run several 5Ks with no issue. I typically run 4 to 5 miles a day, 5 days a week. So, I think I could do a 10-K without too much issue. It's just a matter of getting off my butt and going to do one sometime.
Go me!
1. Maintain weight. Always a struggle for me because of how much I love food, wine and beer. I prefer to keep myself to b/w 120 and 125 lbs and that's a comfortable weight for me and keeps in a size 4 to a size 6 pants. I pretty much have to starve myself to get thinner than that and it's not worth it. Following the holidays, I am hovering around 127 so I need to get back on the program and start running and working out hardcore again.
2. Eat Vegetarian One Day a Week. I love vegetarian food but will never, ever become a full blown vegetarian or even a pescatarian. I love meat too much. There is something about a well-cooked, aged steak or some slowly braised short ribs that I will never be able to give up. Not to mention barbeque. Going to a BBQ joint and only having veggie sides is worse than decaf coffee. What's the point? That being said, I would like to incorporate at least one 100% vegetarian day into my meal rotation at least once a week.
3. Learn to Make Jewelry. I try to learn at least one new thing a year and become at least mildly decent at it. A few years ago it was learning French. Can't even recall what I wanted to do last year. Whatever it was, I guess I didn't do it. Anyway, I started collecting sea glass during my trips to the beach and now have a rather large jar of it. I have some ideas to turn some pieces into some cute, nautical themed necklaces, bracelets and earrings but I don't know the first thing about making jewelry or what tools I will need. Looks like I will be spending some time at Hobby Lobby with the other weirdo scrapbookers for a few weekends.
4. Grow a Small Vegetable Garden. This has been on my to-do list for awhile. I have plenty of space in our backyard to plot out a small box area for a vegetable garden. Mostly, I would like to grow some tomatoes, peppers and maybe some squash or carrots. I usually wait too late in the season to start this task and by the time it's summer, my excuse is that it's too hot to do it. I also have a brown thumb so it may end up becoming that "boxed area of dead things and weeds" within a few months.
5. Run a 10-K. I have run several 5Ks with no issue. I typically run 4 to 5 miles a day, 5 days a week. So, I think I could do a 10-K without too much issue. It's just a matter of getting off my butt and going to do one sometime.
Go me!
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Trips Planned for 2013!
My husband and I are avid travelers. We usually try to take at least 5 or 6 trips a year and we manage to swing this by traveling over holidays so that we don't eat up as much paid time off. We also do lots of mini-weekend trips. This does mean that we are usually gone for the major holidays (Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, New Years, etc...) but we have such wonderful memories that we still talk about to this day rather than your usual "Yea, we went to his mom's house and ate some turkey, blah, blah...." Instead, we get to say things like "Hey, remember that Thanksgiving Day two years ago in Barcelona when we went to the Boqueria market and bought Iberian ham, cheeses, olives and a bottle of Rioja and we spent the day having a picnic lunch in the Parc Guell overlooking the Mediterranean? That was so great."
Anyone that knows me also knows that I am the trip planner. I take care of everything from the hotel, transportation, what to do, where to eat, etc.... Sometimes I wish Steve would step up and do some of the work but at the end of the day, I like doing the research and learning about new places so I don't mind. Steve usually has one task and that is arranging for the rental car when we need one. He does that well so I let the rest slide. Besides, men never really think about the small details that matter. He would look at TripAdvisor and probably go with the first place he saw whereas I would look to find another hotel with a smaller price tag but a rooftop terrace and a shorter walk to the major sites or subway. His only comment would be "They all look clean, so who cares?" Well, I care and there is so much more than "just being clean" that goes into a great trip. So, without further ado, here are the trips I have planned and booked for 2013. The only one that I am still up in the air about is New Years Eve next year but I have some ideas....
1. New Years Eve - 2013; St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
Have never been to St. Croix before as it's further out than all the other U.S. Virgin Islands. We have previously visited St. Thomas and St. John but thought we would give undeveloped St. Croix a shot. Leaving after Xmas for 7 days on a beachfront rental house with some friends.
2. April; Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands
This is a repeat trip for us.We have been staying on JVD this same week every year for 8 years now. Our little piece of paradise is The Sandcastle Hotel on White Bay Beach. Just 6 small cottages, nothing fancy, on the best beach I have ever visited. It's our Caribbean home away from home.
3. May Weekend Trip - New Orleans
We love New Orleans and try to visit every year if we can. Living in Dallas, it's easy to leave work on a Friday afternoon, hop on Southwest for a quick 1 hour flight and find ourselves in the French Quarter by 7:00pm. We'll be visiting the Big Easy during our wedding anniversary (11 years) and are planning an extravagant dinner at Commander's Palace. Love it there but I can't stay for more than 3 or 4 days or I would be as big as a house.
4. July - Spain (Madrid, Pamplona & San Sebastien)
We visited Spain in 2011(Madrid and Barcelona) and really fell in love with the country. Especially the food. OMG, the food. Seriously, I loved the food more than my meals in Paris and I have been lucky enough to eat well in Paris. Spanish food is amazingly fresh, simple and absolutely delicious. Nothing fussy, no heavy sauces...just plain good food. Doing a tapas crawl (or hitting the tiles, as they say) is such a great experience. We are going with two sets of friends this July and will be starting off with 3 days in Madrid, which is a fabulous city (sorry for all the superlatives but I adore Madrid)
We then take the train to Pamplona where will be renting a balcony to see The Running of the Bulls (aka, the San Fermin Festival).
We then take a short train ride to the seaside town of San Sebastien, which is one of the foodie capitals of Spain before heading back to Madrid for one last night before flying home. Can't wait for this trip!!
4. Thanksgiving 2013 - St. Lucia
It's back to the Caribbean for us during Thanksgiving 2013. We'll be spending that week at a small boutique hotel (Stonefield Estate) looking at the majestic Pitons on St. Lucia. We have never been to St. Lucia so we plan to do lots of sightseeing and will do the guided hike up to the top of Gros Piton (my husband's idea but I am game).
As for New Year's 2014, I am not sure. We usually go somewhere but New Years Eve falls on a Wednesday next year so we would pretty much have to take the entire week off to go somewhere unless we did a super short trip like Austin or San Antonio. I haven't made up my mind yet. What I keep turning over in my mind is the fact that I have saved up just under 300,000 airline miles and my husband has over 100,000 so I am tempted to cash them in for two roundtrip business class tickets to my favorite city....
Paris? New Year's Eve? Romantic get away for two??? Hmmmm....maybe that's going overboard, though.
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| Picture from Belize Trip - Last New Years Eve |
Anyone that knows me also knows that I am the trip planner. I take care of everything from the hotel, transportation, what to do, where to eat, etc.... Sometimes I wish Steve would step up and do some of the work but at the end of the day, I like doing the research and learning about new places so I don't mind. Steve usually has one task and that is arranging for the rental car when we need one. He does that well so I let the rest slide. Besides, men never really think about the small details that matter. He would look at TripAdvisor and probably go with the first place he saw whereas I would look to find another hotel with a smaller price tag but a rooftop terrace and a shorter walk to the major sites or subway. His only comment would be "They all look clean, so who cares?" Well, I care and there is so much more than "just being clean" that goes into a great trip. So, without further ado, here are the trips I have planned and booked for 2013. The only one that I am still up in the air about is New Years Eve next year but I have some ideas....
1. New Years Eve - 2013; St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
Have never been to St. Croix before as it's further out than all the other U.S. Virgin Islands. We have previously visited St. Thomas and St. John but thought we would give undeveloped St. Croix a shot. Leaving after Xmas for 7 days on a beachfront rental house with some friends.
 |
| St. Croix - USVI |
This is a repeat trip for us.We have been staying on JVD this same week every year for 8 years now. Our little piece of paradise is The Sandcastle Hotel on White Bay Beach. Just 6 small cottages, nothing fancy, on the best beach I have ever visited. It's our Caribbean home away from home.
 |
| Can there be a better beach anywhere? |
We love New Orleans and try to visit every year if we can. Living in Dallas, it's easy to leave work on a Friday afternoon, hop on Southwest for a quick 1 hour flight and find ourselves in the French Quarter by 7:00pm. We'll be visiting the Big Easy during our wedding anniversary (11 years) and are planning an extravagant dinner at Commander's Palace. Love it there but I can't stay for more than 3 or 4 days or I would be as big as a house.
 |
| N'awlins |
4. July - Spain (Madrid, Pamplona & San Sebastien)
We visited Spain in 2011(Madrid and Barcelona) and really fell in love with the country. Especially the food. OMG, the food. Seriously, I loved the food more than my meals in Paris and I have been lucky enough to eat well in Paris. Spanish food is amazingly fresh, simple and absolutely delicious. Nothing fussy, no heavy sauces...just plain good food. Doing a tapas crawl (or hitting the tiles, as they say) is such a great experience. We are going with two sets of friends this July and will be starting off with 3 days in Madrid, which is a fabulous city (sorry for all the superlatives but I adore Madrid)
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| Madrid |
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| I will not be doing this but I will be watching from above |
4. Thanksgiving 2013 - St. Lucia
It's back to the Caribbean for us during Thanksgiving 2013. We'll be spending that week at a small boutique hotel (Stonefield Estate) looking at the majestic Pitons on St. Lucia. We have never been to St. Lucia so we plan to do lots of sightseeing and will do the guided hike up to the top of Gros Piton (my husband's idea but I am game).
 |
| St Lucia |
As for New Year's 2014, I am not sure. We usually go somewhere but New Years Eve falls on a Wednesday next year so we would pretty much have to take the entire week off to go somewhere unless we did a super short trip like Austin or San Antonio. I haven't made up my mind yet. What I keep turning over in my mind is the fact that I have saved up just under 300,000 airline miles and my husband has over 100,000 so I am tempted to cash them in for two roundtrip business class tickets to my favorite city....
Paris? New Year's Eve? Romantic get away for two??? Hmmmm....maybe that's going overboard, though.
Saw it, Pinned it, Did it
I am pretty much obsessed with Pinterest right now so I finally got around to actually making something that I have previously pinned. Behold the Jalapeno, Bacon, Pecan Cheeseball. It was actually really easy to make and was a huge hit at the girlie holiday party I attended last week. In fact, it was so good that I plan to make another one to bring to my parent's house on Christmas Day.
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| Original Pin\ http://traceysculinaryadventures.blogspot.com/2012/10/bacon-jalapeno-cheese-ball.html Here is my prep for the cheese ball: |
I would suggest letting the cream cheese sit out at room temperature for at least an hour to soften. Also, I found it was just easier to mix everything using my hands in order to get the cheese ball ingredients mixed together well. I made a few substitutions, including replacing the parsley in the recipe with cilantro and replacing the cayenne pepper with several drops of a chipotle hot sauce for a smokier flavor. Finally, I used good bacon (Nueske's) which I had then cut from the slab at the deli in really thin slices so it made for an extra crumbly bacon.
Finished Product!
Recipe:
Bacon-Jalapeño Cheese Ball
barely adapted from Homesick Texan
6 slices bacon
1/4 cup chopped pecans
8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (I substituted cilantro instead of parlsey)
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
pinch cayenne pepper (I substituted about 7 or 8 drops of a chipotle hot sauce instead)
1 teaspoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 jalapeños (ribs and seeds removed), finely chopped and divided
crackers (for serving)
Cook the bacon in a large skillet set over medium heat until crispy. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Allow to cool slightly, then crumble and divide in half.
While the bacon is cooking, preheat oven to 350 F. Spread the pecans on a baking sheet and toast for 5-7 minutes, or until fragrant.
In a medium bowl, stir together the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, parsley, garlic, cumin, cayenne, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, half of the minced jalapeños, and half of the crumbled bacon until well combined. Season the mixture to taste with salt.
On a large plate, stir the toasted pecans, remaining minced jalapeños and remaining half of the crumbled bacon together until evenly distributed. Shape the cream cheese mixture into a ball (the mixture will be sticky, I found it easiest to shape if I just barely wet my hands first). Roll the ball in the pecan mixture until coated on all sides.
Cover the ball and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Jamaica...Meh.
Returned from 5 days in Jamaica on Sunday evening. I give Jamaica 3 stars out of 5. It was pretty and the locals were some of the friendliest people we have ever met in the Caribbean but I still prefer the Virgin Islands over Jamaica.
The trip started out great. We had an early flight to Miami on Tuesday morning and given that this is one of the busiest travel weeks I didn't expect to get any upgrades as requested. We were actually upgraded to first class on both legs of our flight so that was a nice surprise! After a short delay, we made it to Miami and settled into the Admiral's Club for a beer and Bloody Mary during our 2 hour layover. Always a great way to get a vacation started.
Our flight to Jamaica was on time and we breezed through customs in about 15 minutes flat. We met our driver outside customs and waited at the outdoor airport bar with our first Red Stripes while he went to pull the car around. This is when we were first approached to buy a certain illegal substance. We poiltely declined. He pestered us a little more by asking us if we "like to party" and why we didn't "want to party" so I finally just told him that we were old and had no interest in "partying" and he finally got the hint. It was pretty much like this the whole rest of the trip - everywhere you went, you would be approached to buy something green so you could "party." I'm really not judgmental about other people using it but no thanks. It doesn't interest either of us. As I like to say, I graduated college over 15 years ago so I am over that holding any allure for me.
It was a looooong drive from Montego Bay to Negril along a very bumpy and windy road. I got a little motion sickness at one point but was fine. We ended up sharing the van with another Dallas couple going to the same resort. They were...kind of strange. Not very friendly or talkative at all. Even more annoying, after we arrived at the hotel, they jumped out of the car and ran off without tipping the driver. SO rude!! We saw them later in the week, enjoying said "party" substance on the balcony of their room and acting like weirdos. Nice.
Anyway, Negril was very beautiful and the sunsets there are amazing as you are on the west side of the island. The resort, The Caves, was fine but didn't blow me away. The views from the cliffs were great but I really prefer a beach. I am also terrified of heights and you have to jump off said cliffs to get into the ocean and that was not my cup of tea. My highest jump was about 10 feet and I stubbed my toe on the swim ladder on takeoff so I was pretty much done with cliff jumping after that. Not that it mattered b/c the next two days the water was so rough that no one could swim in the ocean.
After 3 days in Negril, we were off to Montego Bay and the Ritz Carlton Hotel.
The hotel itself was gorgeous. Beautiful common areas, great ocean views and really friendly staff. We were also given a fantastic ocean front suite that was huge! We had two full bathrooms, a huge living room, two balconies, a walk-in closet and a massive bedroom with king bed. The biggest disappointment was the beach and the pool. Yes, the pool looks nice (see above picture) but it was the only pool for a 500 room hotel that was almost at capacity. This is one of those places where annoying, selfish people will get up at 6am and put their towels on chairs by the pool to "save a spot" and then not show up until 10 or 11am. I hate that and think it's rude. I won't do it myself so each morning, by the time we rolled out to the pool around 9 or 10am, every spot was taken or "saved." Steve wanted to just move people's "saving" towels but I told him it wasn't worth having a scene with someone an hour or two later. Some people just have no manners. The beach was super rocky and with rough waves so you really couldn't swim in it. Oh well.
Our first night was wonderful. We relaxed on our balcony, walked down the beach and hung out on some chaise lounges that afternoon. We then each got a nice hot shower (our 1st one in 3 days as The Caves had hot water and water pressure issues in our room) and took a shuttle bus to The White Witch Restaurant located on a huge hill above a golf course. It's also where the Rose Hall Plantation House is located and that is one eerie looking place lit up at night. It's supposedly haunted and they do ghost tours.
The White Witch restaurant was amazing. I had a great crab cake appetizer and Steve had a goat cheese terrine appetizer and we each had steaks for our entrees. We also had a nice bottle of wine - something else we couldn't get at The Caves. It was pricey but worth every penny and it was the best meal we had in Jamaica.
Overall, the Ritz was nice but it was a little too sanitized for us. We almost wanted something that wasn't quite as rustic as The Caves but not as pristine as the Ritz Carlton. It seemed that most of the resorts in Jamaica cater to either families or the all-inclusive crowd that never wants to leave their resort. We ended up hiring a cab driver for half a day and he took us to Scotchies, a very rustic restaurant known for its traditional jerk BBQ. Scotchies was definitely my second favorite meal - the jerk chicken was juicy and had a wonderful smoky flavor. The jerk hot sauce which they gave is in a squeeze bottle would put hair on your chest - it was SO hot and we love spicy being from Texas.
We also spent some time in an area of Mo'Bay called The Hip Strip. It's not much a strip and it's definitely not hip unless you consider junk store after junk store to be hip. Margaritaville is also located there but it was closed for renovation, which was disappointing as we are Jimmy B fans and we actually kind of like his corny island schtick. We paid (yes, paid) to go into the area's best beach called Doctor's Cave Beach. It was a nice beach but by the time you pay admission, get an umbrella and two chairs, you have spent almost $40 before even sitting down. Seemed like a bit of a ripoff if you ask me.
The trip home was uneventful. We didn't get upgraded but we did have a direct flight from Montego Bay to DFW, we left on time and were through customs and on our way home by 7:00pm.
So, overall, I would go back to Jamaica and try a different area, like maybe Port Antonio or Ocho Rios. I'm definitely not clamoring to go back and would rather return to the Virgin Islands or perhaps try some other islands instead. I still have so many places in the Caribbean to visit -- St. Lucia, Anguilla, Antigua, Nevis, Grenada, St. Martin and St. Barts are all on my list.
Over New Years we will be spending a week on St. Croix with some friends. It's our first time to St. Croix and our last Virgin Island to hit. Can't wait.....
The trip started out great. We had an early flight to Miami on Tuesday morning and given that this is one of the busiest travel weeks I didn't expect to get any upgrades as requested. We were actually upgraded to first class on both legs of our flight so that was a nice surprise! After a short delay, we made it to Miami and settled into the Admiral's Club for a beer and Bloody Mary during our 2 hour layover. Always a great way to get a vacation started.
 |
| Admirals Club Beverages |
Our flight to Jamaica was on time and we breezed through customs in about 15 minutes flat. We met our driver outside customs and waited at the outdoor airport bar with our first Red Stripes while he went to pull the car around. This is when we were first approached to buy a certain illegal substance. We poiltely declined. He pestered us a little more by asking us if we "like to party" and why we didn't "want to party" so I finally just told him that we were old and had no interest in "partying" and he finally got the hint. It was pretty much like this the whole rest of the trip - everywhere you went, you would be approached to buy something green so you could "party." I'm really not judgmental about other people using it but no thanks. It doesn't interest either of us. As I like to say, I graduated college over 15 years ago so I am over that holding any allure for me.
It was a looooong drive from Montego Bay to Negril along a very bumpy and windy road. I got a little motion sickness at one point but was fine. We ended up sharing the van with another Dallas couple going to the same resort. They were...kind of strange. Not very friendly or talkative at all. Even more annoying, after we arrived at the hotel, they jumped out of the car and ran off without tipping the driver. SO rude!! We saw them later in the week, enjoying said "party" substance on the balcony of their room and acting like weirdos. Nice.
 |
| Sorry - having issues getting the picture the right direction |
 |
| Not me and no thanks. Too high. This is a photo from the actual resort, though. |
After 3 days in Negril, we were off to Montego Bay and the Ritz Carlton Hotel.
 |
| Ritz Carlton Pool |
Our first night was wonderful. We relaxed on our balcony, walked down the beach and hung out on some chaise lounges that afternoon. We then each got a nice hot shower (our 1st one in 3 days as The Caves had hot water and water pressure issues in our room) and took a shuttle bus to The White Witch Restaurant located on a huge hill above a golf course. It's also where the Rose Hall Plantation House is located and that is one eerie looking place lit up at night. It's supposedly haunted and they do ghost tours.
 |
| Rose Hall Plantation House |
 |
| White Witch Restaurant View |
Overall, the Ritz was nice but it was a little too sanitized for us. We almost wanted something that wasn't quite as rustic as The Caves but not as pristine as the Ritz Carlton. It seemed that most of the resorts in Jamaica cater to either families or the all-inclusive crowd that never wants to leave their resort. We ended up hiring a cab driver for half a day and he took us to Scotchies, a very rustic restaurant known for its traditional jerk BBQ. Scotchies was definitely my second favorite meal - the jerk chicken was juicy and had a wonderful smoky flavor. The jerk hot sauce which they gave is in a squeeze bottle would put hair on your chest - it was SO hot and we love spicy being from Texas.
 |
| Scotchie's Jerk BBQ |
The trip home was uneventful. We didn't get upgraded but we did have a direct flight from Montego Bay to DFW, we left on time and were through customs and on our way home by 7:00pm.
So, overall, I would go back to Jamaica and try a different area, like maybe Port Antonio or Ocho Rios. I'm definitely not clamoring to go back and would rather return to the Virgin Islands or perhaps try some other islands instead. I still have so many places in the Caribbean to visit -- St. Lucia, Anguilla, Antigua, Nevis, Grenada, St. Martin and St. Barts are all on my list.
Over New Years we will be spending a week on St. Croix with some friends. It's our first time to St. Croix and our last Virgin Island to hit. Can't wait.....
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