The Big Apple!

For my birthday this year, we made a trip to NYC with some friends of ours! We left on Thursday, the 13th and returned on Sunday, the 16th. It was a little chilly, but a lot of fun.

Thursday

We picked up our friends on the way to the airport, and because of the typical downtown congestion, we were high tailing it by the time we got there. Luckily, we got there just in time to board our flight. And thanks to Thomas and his plethora of free vouchers, we all enjoyed a cocktail and snack box. We also had a really nice flight attendant on the flight. At one point, I got up to use the restroom and when I came back, she and Thomas were chatting. Come to find out, he had mentioned my birthday was the next day so she provided us with a good amount of wine to take with us off the plane. A nice way to start the trip off right?

Once we got into the city, we dropped our luggage, freshened up, and headed out for a really late dinner at a nearby burger bar. After burgers, we decided to check out a local cupcake shop (Crumbs) that stays open until 12am or 1am (depending on the night). Luckily we just made it and all picked out a cupcake to take back to our room before they closed up for the night. 

Friday

We woke this morning and decided we were going to do an open top bus tour of the city. It was a hop on/hop off tour and we were able to use it all 3 days we were in the city. On this particular day, we decided to explore the lower side of Manhatten (China Town, Little Italy, Wall Street, etc.). We got on and off a few times for lunch, a little shopping at Bloomingdales, and some first hand sight seeing in China Town and Little Italy. 

Towards the end of the day, our intention was to get off the bus at Rockefellar Center to see the tree. But at that point we were frozen solid. Therefore, the only picture we ended up taking was from the top of the bus. But it didn't turn out too bad!

SLIGHTLY more crowded than they depict in movies, right??

The only downside to an otherwise fun day was our dinner experience that night. We managed to pick a french restaurant for dinner where the wait was too long, the food was over priced, and not even that tasty. We definitely learned our lesson :) Nothing a little Karaoke couldn't fix though. Thomas was able to entertain us for a couple hours and raise our spirits back up!

Saturday

On this day, we headed towards upper Manhattan. We managed to fit in The American Museum of Natural History, Central Park, Shake Shack (mmmmmm), and also an early dinner and Improv Comedy Show! This was one of our best shots of the trip (and the only group picture, I think).

Sunday

Luckily, this was our only day of rain. We woke up, packed our things and left them with the concierge, and then we headed to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was a great thing to do on a rainy day. What was NOT great was trying to catch a cab after the fact- and then to actually find one that would travel back towards Time Square. Eventually, we got one and headed back towards our hotel. We met up with a friend from college and his girlfriend at a restaurant called Beer Authority. It was nice catching up with good friends!

After lunch, we took the subway to JFK for our flight back home. Since the weather was bad, we had quite a few delay's getting out, but eventually we made it home. And lucky for Thomas and myself, we were upgraded. So that made the flight that much easier. 

Overall, a great trip, but we're definitely happy to be back home in the suburbs where there are A LOT less people :)

Thanksgiving 2012!

We are finally back home and settled after a week long trip to North Carolina for Thanksgiving. We had a good time but we're definitely glad to be back home and settled. It's only fun to live out of a suitcase for so long :)

We started off our week in Hillsborough (Tuesday-Thursday). We got in late on Tuesday night and visited for a few before turning in for the night. I was spent after a long day at work and a long day on the road! I had taken the kids of Legoland that day in Atlanta (which was a lot of fun) but I was done for by the time we got through the traffic filled trip.
On Wednesday, Thomas and his Mom got out to run a few errands and the rest of us stayed behind for the annual cooking of the brunswick stew. Tommy cooks it outside over a fire in an iron witches kettle (for lack of a better description hehe). He even stirs it with a wittled wooden stick! It's delicious and I will savor the few freezer bags that we've got for as long as possible :)
On Thursday, Meredith and I woke up and took a long run down to their church and then over to the neighbors house (Betty Ray) where the boys were waiting to drive us back. All in all- about a 3 mile run. The rest of the day was spent prepping for Thanksgiving Day lunch. Needless to say, it was delicious.
Not long after lunch, Thomas and I packed up and headed to Salisbury. We stayed in Salisbury from Thursday night-Sunday morning. Our weekend there consisted of another Thanksgiving meal, lots of playtime with Clara Jane, and plenty of relaxation. Every time we are around Clara, we're amazed by her milestones! This visit might of been the most fun. She's very chatty now and even calls us "Uncle Thomas and Auntie Cate". She also has a slight obsession with Wendy, but at this point Wendy has learned to play along with her instead of being frightened so they had a great time together!
The only downside of our time in Salisbury was that my Mom and I attended a funeral for a dear family friend, Jo Goforth. After my grandmother died when I was younger, Jo and my grandfather reconnected and remained companions for many years. She was as much a part of the family as my grandmother and I have very fond memories of my time with her. I will miss her dearly!

The drive back was less than mediocre, but fortunately we made it back with no major issues! We stopped in Gastonia for a few minutes to visit with some friends of ours (Hank and Jordan Trogdon) who just had a baby girl a few weeks ago. Her name is Mollie Kate and she is just precious. We also stopped at the outlets temporarily so I could have a look around at JCrew and Pottery Barn. I had a few good finds including a new coat for our upcoming trip to NYC in December!

Thomas is gone now for a week long trip to LA/Las Vegas and the dogs and I are here holding down the fort (and hanging Christmas Decorations, of course!). We're excited about Thomas' arrival back home on Sunday. After this week, he wont travel again until after the holiday's.

Hope that everyone else had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I don't know about you, but it's a good thing that the pie is finally gone! I was making excuses to eat it for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner! :)

Happy Hump Day.

P-S: Here are a couple photos from our trip away (sorry, I didnt take very many!)

Thomas, Myself, Meredith, and Ben

The 3 puppies that Meredith and Ben are taking care off. There were originally 5, but as of Thanksgiving 3 were left. They found them in the woods next to their house and have been caring for them for several weeks. As of now, I think there is only 1 left and they are considering keeping him. His name is peanut and he is the runt. They were incredibly cute!

I clearly have a weakness for puppies. It's no wonder we didn't end up bringing one home ourselves! Here's one of Wendy's first pictures.

Ok, and just one more :)

Thomas and Clara

Doing a little light reading :)

New Recipes!

I've been busy lately trying lots of new things! Some good and some not so good. But I guess that's the trend when you try a new recipe :) Not to worry- I'll only share the good ones!

The first recipe that I've tried within the last few months (and have made repeatedly) is Almond Flour Muffins. The ingredients are basic and the add-ins are endless. My "add-ins of choice" are banana and dark chocolate chips. Here's the recipe-

2 cups Almond Flour (store bought or homemade. I usually do 1 cup of each)
2 eggs
1/4 coconut oil (melted in the microwave)
1/4 cup honey
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
desired mix-ins

Pre-heat oven to 350. Mix together all ingredients except your mix-ins, which need to be folded in at the end. Bake for 15 minutes. Yields about 12 muffins and remember to use liners :)

The other recipe that I made over the weekend that was a definite winner was a Savory Butternut Squash Soup (thank you Carrie Carter!). I didn't have all of the ingredients on hand and it still turned out delicious. I intend to make it again very soon!

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 carrots sliced (I used 1/2 bag baby carrots sliced)
3 stalks of celery, diced
2 small or 1 large butternut squash
5 cups vegetable broth
2 tbsp chopped fresh sage
1/2 soy milk (I used Almond Milk)
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a large soup pot, sautee onions, oil, and garlic until onions are slightly carmelized. Then add carrots and celery and sautee for 3-5 minutes. Throw in the butternut squash and coat before adding in the broth and sage. Bring to a boil and then cook on low for 30 minutes, or until the squash and vegetables are soft. Once the veggies were cooked through, I allowed the mixture to cool slightly and then I used my blender to puree it. Ideally, this would be the perfect situation for an immersion mixer, but seeing as I dont have one, the blender was my next best option! After it's puree'd, transfer the mixture back to the soup pot and add in your milk and S&P. Heat back up before serving.

Hopefully you'll enjoy these 2 recipes as much as I have!