Terrible Case of the DIF

Ugh.  I have a horrible case of the DIF.  It's really bad this time around, too.  What is the DIF, you ask?  Dreaded. Island. Fever.  Every year my husband and I travel to our little piece of paradise.  The Virgin Islands.  We "discovered" the U.S. and British Virgin Islands back in 2005 and have been going every year since.  We've stayed on almost every inhabited island in group - Tortola, Jost Van Dyke, Virgin Gorda, St. Thomas and St. Croix.  This year we are staying 3 nights on St. John at Caneel Bay and then taking the ferry over to our anchor spot - Jost Van Dyke (pronounced "Yost" and rhymes with toast).  The Sandcastle Hotel on White Bay beach is our home away from home.

White Bay Beach - Jost Van Dyke

Jost Van Dyke is a teeny-tiny speck of an island that is part of the BVI.  It has about 300 permanent residents and the only way to get there is by boat.  The main road in Great Harbour is the sandy beach and is lined with 6 or 7 open air bars and restaurants.  Our hotel, the Sandcastle Hotel is 6 small, rustic rooms on the world's best beach - White Bay Beach.  It is also connected to and part of the world's best beach bar (IMO), the Soggy Dollar Bar which is so named b/c there is no dock and boaters swim in to shore and pay with soggy dollars for their rum drinks and beers.  The bar actually has a clothesline where they hang the money each day to let it dry.

I simply can't get enough of this place and the wonderful staff.  It's like visiting friends or family once a year now and each time we come and go, it's with hugs and kisses.  Our days pretty much consist of:

1.  Sleep in and wake with the sun.  Go to kitchen area and turn on the coffee pot for all guests as I am invariably the first person up.
2. Have coffee on the beach while checking email
3.  Light breakfast
4.  Nap/Reading on the beach in a hammock
5.  Daily exercise - walk over very long and very steep hill to Great Harbour and back
6. Swim in White Bay after walk
7. Nap/Reading
8. Lunch
9.  Nap
10. Swim in White Bay
11. Lay out in Sun to dry
12. Afternoon cocktail and watch the boaters leave
13. Shower/Clean up for dinner
14.  Sundowner cocktails
15. Dinner
16. More after dinner drinks and chatting with the staff
17.  Stay up until ?????
18. Bed

It's exhausting, isn't it?  We usually rent a car for a few days and we drive to some other restaurants on the island for dinner.  We usually go for a longer hike one day up to the ridge road that runs along the top of the highest hill on the island (getting up there is an ass-whipping; let me tell you - I earn every rum drink after that).

My Sunset View Every Evening

Now, I will say that this place is not for everyone.  It is not a resort.  There are no TVs or phones in the rooms. There is no spa, tennis courts or pool.  The rooms are clean and comfortable and some have A/C but it is not a Four Seasons with marble bathrooms and 1000 thread count sheets.  They follow the "If it's yello, let it mellow" rule for the toilet.  The showers are run on a cistern system so you can't always count on having a hot shower in the evening.  You need to douse yourself with Deep Woods Off each evening to keep the no-see-ums from eating you alive.  If those are things than can ruin your vacation, then I would suggest staying at a more modern hotel on a bigger island, like St. John or St. Thomas.  We've done that too and it's nice but I really love the "get away from it all" feeling I have on Jost.

We leave in less than one month....which also means I have less than one month to drop these last few lbs that are hanging around my middle.  Ugh.

Saw it, Pinned it, Did it - Yogurt Dip!

SPD.  I made this, which I realize is a horrible picture that looks like goo but it tastes awesome!  It's my go-to snack at work now.  Cinnamon Peanut Butter Yogurt Dip.

Yogurt Dip

Here is the original pin:

http://pinterest.com/pin/161003755400167918/

Basically it is 1/4 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt, a tsp of ground cinnamon (or more for taste), 1 Tbl unsweetened peanut butter and either 1/2 Tbl honey or agave nectar.  I used agave nectar and it's plenty sweet for me.  You can use it as a topping for fruit or as a dip with graham crackers.  Tastes delicious and has very few calories.  It helps when I have those sugar cravings and I keep a batch in the fridge at my office.

Etiquette

I consider myself a VERY laid back person and I am usually not too hung up on formalities.  That being said, I was also raised in the South by a mother that could be described as "high strung" which is a nice way of saying that she will put a boot up your ass if you commit an etiquette sin.  I'm trying to roll with the modern times and I get that people are far less formal thanks to technology but there are a few things that my inner Emily Post just can't abide.

Pinterest - This is a lot like me sometimes

1.  Email Thank You's for Formal Events/Gifts.  An email thank you is fine for a last minute or small kindness, such as a friend picking up the tab for your glass of wine or a "thanks for getting the dog food last night" to the hubby or roommate.  However, I do not think email thank yous are appropriate for formal events and gifts - wedding gifts, shower gifts, birthday gifts.  Send a written thank you.  You don't even need to buy fancy stationary but if someone cared enough to come to a party for you, celebrating some event in your life, then it won't kill you to write out a thank you card, put a stamp on it and drop it in the mail.

2.  Evites for Events, Instead of Real Invitations.  I am fine with Evites for informal, last minute get togethers or for recurring events like monthly girls book club.  However, if it is your engagement party, wedding, shower for wedding or baby or a big to-do event like your parent's 50th wedding anniversary or something along those lines, then buy or make decent, paper invitations.  I am lazy so I tend to just go to Papyrus and order a bunch and have them printed but I know that there are waaaaaay less costly ways to get formal invites out.  Personally, I think invitations set the tone for the event and I think people are far less likely to bail last minute if they RSVP'd to a real invitation, which brings me to my next point....

3.  Last Minute Bailing.  I will admit that even I have been guilty of this.  I am really bad about remembering to put things on my calendar, like book club which tends to move around.  If it's not on my calendar then it's about a 50% chance, or less after I get into my wine cabinet, that I will remember it.  However, if I do remember it or it's on my calendar, then I will do my best to get my butt there.  Sure, there are plenty of valid reasons to pull a last minute bail, including illness, work, last minute issues with kids, house, etc... I don't get too judgmental about the last minute bail on informal dinners, parties, etc...  I really get miffed though if someone has RSVP'd to a formal event (like a wedding) and then just pulls a no-show with no excuse, call or notice.  That's just rude b/c I can guarantee that your food and drink has already been paid for by the host.

4.  PayPal.  Okay.  [Insert prolonged sigh]. This is a new one to me that just came up this week and got me thinking about etiquette. A "friend" of mine ( fine, it's a family member), just got engaged two weeks ago.  Great - congrats to her.  However, on her Facebook page, she has installed a Paypal link and has requested that people make cash donations to their "Wedding Fund."  Am I insane or is this unbelievably tacky?  I get that they are a young couple w/o a lot of money for a fancy wedding.  Guess what?  Neither was I.  We saved, put things on credit cards and cut back on a lot of things we wanted for our wedding and cut our guest list short so we could have a small event that was half-way decent and hopefully enjoyable for everyone.  We never asked for donations and that thought would have never crossed my mind.  My feeling on this is that people give you wedding gifts to help you start your new life together - they do not pay for your wedding.  You should be focused on the marriage part, not the wedding "I get to have a party" part.  This just rubbed me the wrong way but maybe I am being old fashioned.

5.  Paper Plates.  Unless it is a really casual BBQ at the lake, your backyard or you are serving young children, I do not want to see a paper plate at a dinner party.  It's just a thing I have - sorry.  Not even that fancy Chinet crap is acceptable. I have heard every excuse in the book on this one from "I don't want anything to get broken" to "I don't want to wash all those dishes."  I understand that sentiment so the answer is "Don't agree to host."  Last time I checked, there are not any rogue bands of armed people going around forcing you to host random dinner parties.  Real plates and glasses, please.  Unless you're doing a white trash themed party and then break out the Red Solos and the Dixie Plates.

Any other etiquette pet peeves?

Did it! Ran a 15K!

Ran my first 15K this past weekend.  9.3 miles, which is the longest I have ever run.  I realize it's no marathon but given that I couldn't have run even a half mile 2 years ago, I'm pretty proud of my accomplishment.  I also knocked one of my new year's resolutions off the list as I wanted to run at least a 10K this year.

I have to say that the race was much easier than I thought it would be.  By the time I hit the halfway point I was thinking what a piece of cake it was.  Don't get me wrong, I was sore and tired the next day and my ankles and quads were feeling it but overall it wasn't bad at all.  My husband Steve and next door neighbor Gary ran it as well.  I finished it in 1 hour 28 minutes and 7 seconds with an average pace of 9:32 per mile.  My goal was to try and finish with at least a 10 minute mile pace so I exceeded that as well!  Of course, Steve left me in his dust and finished with a pace of 8:36 per mile but who's counting?

Steve and I after the race!

Austin Weekend!

Steve and I had an amazing weekend in Austin. The weather could not have been more perfect - 75 degrees and sunny the entire time. We walked everywhere, had amazing food, sat outside on every patio we could find and enjoyed every moment.

We arrived on Friday afternoon, checked in at The Four Seasons on the lake and had a cocktail in the lobby bar. Then we walked down Congress Avenue for dinner at Perlas,  an amazing seafood place. Chargrilled octopus, wood plank grilled scallops, cheddar grits and a great bottle of white wine were fantastic. Everything was delish. A few more drinks at The Cedar Door bar downtown and we called it a night.

Cocktail at the Four Seasons

Dinner at Perlas - Steve is not sleeping, I have bad timing

The next day started off with a light room service breakfast of coffee and granola.  After that we went to the spa for massages. I also used their eucalyptus steam room.  We cleaned up and headed out for South Congress Avenue and lunch.  We sat on the patio at Doc's on Congress and had some great chips and guacamole...and a margarita.

Chips and Guac at Docs

We walked and shopped for a few hours before heading back to the hotel to freshen up.  We decided to cancel our dinner reservations for Fonda San Miguel and stay downtown instead.  We ended up having tapas at Malaga on 2nd Street, which were great and then had a few beers and watched some live music at Fado's on Fourth Street.

On the patio at Malaga

The next day we slept in, went for a nice run on the lake and then had brunch at our hotel with Steve's mom.  We shopped a little more in the 2nd Street area before catching our 5pm flight back home.  The weather was so amazing that it was really hard to leave!

View of downtown from Congress Ave bridge

View of the Colorado River (Lady Bird Lake)

The Austin Motel on Congress Ave - an Austin landmark!

The weekend went by way too fast!

Austin, Texas in Three Days!

I lived in Austin for almost 8 years while attending undergrad and then law school at UT.  I also met my husband there in undergrad.  While the city has certainly changed a lot, it's still near and dear to my heart.  We joke that Austin used to be "hippie" and now it's "hipster" but we still love it.  We'll be flying down on late Friday afternoon (I love the 30 minute flight on Southwest - SO much easier and less stressful than the 4-5 hour drive from Dallas) and staying a short weekend, coming back late Sunday afternoon.  We'll also be staying at my favorite Austin hotel - the Four Seasons on Lady Bird Lake.  I got a good deal on a room as it's a slow weekend.  Here's a few pics of some places we'll be going, eating and staying this weekend!

Congress Avenue - Austin, TX

Congress Avenue Bridge - No bats this time as they show up in May/June

Pool at the Four Season - right on the lake!

Favorite Austin Restaurants:

The Shady Grove - LOVE this place

Perla's on So. Congress - Best Seafood Ever

Fonda San Miguel - Amazing Mexican Food

Our plans this weekend include:

1.Drinks at the Four Seasons Lobby Bar when we arrive
2. Dinner at Perla's Friday night
3. Saturday morning massages and use of the steam room at the hotel
4. Walking down South Congress for shopping and a food truck lunch (weather permitting) Saturday  afternoon
5.  Dinner at Fonda San Miguel Saturday night
6.  Drinks (and hopefully live music) somewhere on a patio on Fourth Street Saturday night
7.  Morning run on Lady Bird Lake Trail Sunday morning
8.  My favorite Austin brunch on the patio at Trio in the Four Seasons with Steve's mom
9.  Maybe a little more walking and shopping on 2nd Street?
10.  Fly home.  Boo-hoo for me.

It's an action packed weekend!

Weekend Art Project

I actually got crafty this weekend. Very, very rare for me to behave this way.

I decided to refurbish our outside bar stools. These are cheapo $12 numbers from Target. After being in the Texas weather for over a year, they were looking rather disgusting.

Don't sit here

So, I decided to paint the stools and show a little school spirit, too. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a stencil of the UT logo so I made one from a magnetic car decal that I bought and traced onto card stock paper. A few cans of spray paint and a lot of patience yielded this result. Not too shabby!