The Power of Media In Choosing Travel Destinations

Photo credit: Ed Yourdon via Visualhunt / CC BY-NC-SA

Shortly after Justin and I got married, our lives became filled to the brim with activity. Justin's parents had plans to visit his elderly uncle in Boston and an aunt I had never met in New Jersey. Considering that quality time with family is something I highly value, I jumped on board despite the knowledge that we would be spending all of our money attending a wedding in Europe less than a year later. (As it turns out, spending time with friends is also something I strongly value. Go figure!)

When it came time to start planning, I began my research as I always do: online. Lots of google searching. Maybe even some pinterest searching as well. My goal: find the hidden gems that a big city like New York City had to offer and combine them with other touristy must-dos. Central Park? Check! see the MOMA? check! visit Times Square? check! I needed to find cheap things to do to fill time and keep us moving from activity to activity, but I really wanted and hoped to find charming activities as well. This was my chance to prove to the in-laws that I knew something about trip planning and could be trusted to do a good job at it; I could stay within budget and plan an exciting vacation.

One thing led to another and despite plans beginning as early as July of 2012, it took almost the whole year for the plans to really shape up into what they became. Justin's parents went back and forth confusing me: were we staying with his aunt in New Jersey? … or were we on our own? Were we sleeping at his uncle's house in Boston? … or not? How much time would we be spending in the actual city and how much in homes?

To make matters worse, just as we began planning, Hurricane Sandy hit New York City pretty hard that October. Would New York City recover in time for our summer vacation? How badly would attractions be harmed?

As terrible as Hurricane Sandy was, I found that I learned a lot about New York City through the clean up effort. In fact, one image from New York mesmerized me…

Photo credit: DeShaun Craddock via Visual Hunt / CC BY-NC

Jane's Carousel all lit up at night and immersed in the high water caused by the hurricane.

From that moment forward, I knew whether or not we went in July 2013 … or at some other time, visiting this carousel and the DUMBO park area was definitely going to be included in my NYC bucket list.

How could it not?

I won't go into all of the intricacies that involved NYC trip planning or what it took to find DUMBO park and Jane's Carousel, but I did want to just put it out there that the media was very inspirational in my decision to find Jane's Carousel and DUMBO Park. As it turns out, you can find inspiration for travel almost anywhere and it doesn't necessarily need to come from a book of 36 Hours of must-see things in X city. You don't need to consult Condé Nast Travel or Rick Steves for all of your travel planning; sometimes you can just surf pinterest or pay attention to the news. Maybe a great idea for a place to explore could be found in your facebook feed…

I've discovered that sometimes some of the best locations come from the most unlikely places!

Have you ever discovered a bucket-list destination in an unlikely place? Where do you go when you are searching for things to do – either in your own city or one you are planning to visit in the future?

How to Live the Lime Life

I'm currently on vacation in Europe, so today I'm sharing an old post. I absolutely love limes and … kind of love this post because it is all about them. :) I'm hoping one day to buy a whole box of limes and just make numerous delicious things! If you are with me in the lime love, check out the recipes I share in this re-post and be sure to share with me some of your favorites. :) Have you made any of these treats before?

The end of summer is quickly approaching, but I think there may still be a few days left to get my lime fix in. Nothing, to me, screams summer more than limes so when Btipsy offered to send me a Professional Jumbo Lemon Squeezer to test out, I knew a night of lime-euphoria was in the making.

First, I planned the drinks…

Lime Rickey, Cherry Limeade, Brazilian Limeade

And while I would be quite content myself to fill up on this decadence, I decided that a bit of guacamole would make for a lime-tastic appetizer. Something like this or this…


Grilled guacamole?!? Yum!! #heaven


Perhaps for dinner we could have chili lime chicken either with rice and black beans or served in tacos… I'd probably go light on the chili pepper and jalapenos though, since I'm not really a fan of spice.

Finally! Dessert! Now, how to choose which to make?

Atlantic Beach Pie, Lime & Coconut Ice Cream, No Bake Key Lime Pie in a Jar

Maybe all 3?!

In the end we just fixed Brazilian limeade with our Btipsy Professional Jumbo Lemon Squeezer. Oh well. Maybe we'll get around to some of the other recipes next time.


A few notes on the Btipsy Professional Jumbo Lemon Squeezer:

• It's super easy to use. Cut your lemon or lime in half, place the fruit doward into the squeezer, and squeeze. Instant juice! (And mess if you aren't holding over a cup!)
• It takes minimal effort. Remember way back when you would use your hands? This method is soooo much easier!
• The squeezer collects the seeds and prevents them from going into your food. No more fishing them out! Yay!
• It is dishwasher safe and has a hook from which you can hang it with.

I would definitely recommend this product AND having a fantastic lime (or lemon night) to boot! What delicious food and drinks would you make if you had a Btipsy Professional Jumbo Lemon Squeezer?

 * I received a product for free in exchange for sharing my opinion and a review. All opinions are my own.

 ** I'm spending July writing my blog posts in response to all of the wacky (and not so wacky) national and international holidays that occur during this month. Today's image and blog post were chosen in response to National Hammock Day, because nothing screams "hammock" like laying on the beach in a tropical setting with a fruit drink in hand. (Then again, it's not like I go camping that much…)

*** This post was written in advance. I am out of town and working full time most of this month. I appreciate your understanding if I am slow to respond to comments and questions. :)

Todd Wilbur's The Best Of Top Secret Recipes


Every year at Christmas time, Justin and I always receive that one item from that one person that is decidedly not unique and also very cheap. It's not that I need an expensive gift for the holidays … or even really a unique one, but it is nice if some semblance of thought has gone into the gifting…

This year for Christmas, just as I finally figure out what to do with last year's gifts (include them with a wedding gift that I did put thought into! hoozah!), we get another silly Christmas gift. The Best of Top Secret Recipes? Really? It's not that I had heard of the book before, but one look at the cover told me all I needed to know: junk food for the junk food chef.

Don't get me wrong. I'm all about the junk food. Give me cookies any day! And cheese fries! :)

But, Justin, not so much. And he's the one that does all of the cooking.

No, this book would not go over well in our household.

However, I decided to give it a try… What did I see in the Table of Contents? DoubleTree cookies?!? As in the hotel? Count me in! (Yes, that's all it took.)

Next thing you know we are in the kitchen two weeks prior to an actual stay at a DoubleTree Hotel and Justin's baking me cookies. Because, why not? He used pecans instead of the called for nuts, and these cookies were too die for! Delicious, melt in your mouth, and perfectly chocolatey. Only my grandmother's cookies can compete! And I'm not typically one to like nuts in my chocolate chip cookies!

This had to be a fluke! So last week, I had Justin make the Chili's (Restaurant) fajitas.


Another win!

While things like McDonald's milkshakes, Wendy's Frostys, KFC's fried chicken, and Krispy Kreme donuts are not high on our must-make list (nor should they be!), this book definitely managed to win me over. Yes, it is mostly made up of junk food, but the, few and far between non junk food items are definitely tasty and delicious. And when you actually want junk food, this is the book for you! The best part? You can find it on Amazon for as little as 1¢ + shipping! What are you waiting for? ;)

The one thing I would caution you about though is that the author, Todd Wilbur, recommends using name brand products in his recipes. Why? I ask you. Is he getting paid to push these products? Is the cookbook an elaborate ruse to sell products?

Well… whatever. I don't use name brands, and my opinion is that you don't have to either.

The point is: I will never doubt a person's not very well-thought out gift again!

At least until next year! ;)

Have you ever been surprised by the usefulness of what you thought was a ridiculous gift? What about a cookbook you thought had no place in your life?

 Buy Todd Wilbur's The Best of Top Secret Recipes here.

* I'm spending July writing my blog posts in response to all of the wacky (and not so wacky) national and international holidays that occur during this month. Today's post was written in response to national Junk Food Day, because most of the food found in Todd Wilbur's The Best of Top Secret Recipes are … junk food. It doesn't mean they are any less good, I'm just referring to the food, on Junk Food Day, as what it is. :) Will you be making or eating any junk food today in celebration? :)
** This post was written in advance. I am out of town and working full time most of this month. I appreciate your understanding if I am slow to respond to comments and questions. :)

It's Time…

Paris, France May 2014

for a nap!

#NationalNapDay2016

 * I'm spending July writing my blog posts in response to all of the wacky (and not so wacky) national and international holidays that occur during this month. Today's image was selected in response to National Nap Day. Doesn't the idea of editing a post in advance for this holiday just exhaust you? ;) Perhaps it's time for a … Zzz… 
** This post was written in advance. I am out of town and working full time most of this month. I appreciate your understanding if I am slow to respond to comments and questions. :)

(College) Drinking in Savannah

Photo via Visualhunt

For my brother's graduation from college, he decided to take my husband out on the town in Savannah, Georgia trying all of the hot drinking spots. Not really being a big drinker, you can imagine what a fan I was of this. Nevertheless, I went along with it, just to say I had done it. :) What else were we going to do in Savannah, Georgia on a Saturday night?

First up:

Moon River Brewing Company

A small biergarten located near our hotel seemed like the perfect place to spend time with both family and friends in celebration of the new graduate! The majority of the restaurant is located outside under arbors and trellises covered in vine which keeps the sun from being directly over you.

My husband, brother, and my brother's future in-laws decided to play a game of cornhole while consuming their beer. The more they drank, the better their aim got, or so they said. ;)

After a while of good, clean fun, and calm music, it was time to move on to…

Photo credit: found_drama via Visualhunt / CC BY-NC-SA

Wet Willie's

I had never been there, so I was actually kind of excited to go. Frozen fruity drinks with sugar? Heck yeah! :)

At first, I ordered the strawberry lemonade. Justin had seen it listed as one of the drinks with little to no alcohol on the menu, and, besides, it already sounded like something I would like. Luckily, the lady behind the counter let me try a sample. She reassured me that the drink wouldn't have too strong of an alcohol flavor. One sip out of the small trial cup and I was done. "Too sweet!" I complained. As it turns out, it was a very sweet (as in dripping with sugar) drink with a slight alcohol undertone; it just wasn't what I was looking for.

Then, I moved on to the strawberry margarita. That had waaaaaayyyy too much alcohol flavor.

That's when my brother's future mother-in-law offered to let me try her drink – a strawberry piña colada. Yum! It was the perfect blend of minimal alcoholic undertone mixed with just the right amount of sweet to balance the drink. And because we were on River Street in Savannah, I was able to take my drink out to the river and watch the most perfect sunset I've ever seen in Savannah! While the location wasn't pretty enough for pictures, it was definitely a fine enough location for getting away from family for a bit and spending time alone with one's husband. :)

The Warehouse

Located on River Street right smack dab between Wet Willie's and River Street Sweets, the Warehouse is a great place to get in a game of pool, listen to a great band, drink all of the alcohol you could possibly want, and eat a bunch of fried food. And that is exactly what we did. After ice cream from River Street Sweets, of course! :) During the summer, they leave the area is open allowing you to enjoy the cool, summer night breeze (because believe me, by May when my brother graduated, it already basically felt like summer!).

After my husband lost a game of pool to my brother (which was a shock!), we headed back to the hotel. Our night the day before had ended really late, close to midnight, and graduation took place early the next morning with us getting up between 5 and 6, so we were exhausted. (And we're old, comparatively.)

Rather than ending his night there, my brother decided to venture on to…

you'll never guess… ;)

Photo credit: Lodigs via Visualhunt / CC BY-NC-SA
Five Guys!

Because nothing says I'm drunk and need to sober up like Five Guys burgers and fries (and milkshakes).

While I'm sure there are plenty more great drinking spots in Savannah, these were the places my now-graduated brother wanted to visit in celebration of concluding all of his years in school (which now numbered 18!)

Savannah definitely has a lot of history and beauty to it, but when I visit I typically think of it more as a drinking and partying town, especially in comparison to the more laid back Charleston.

Have you ever been to Savannah, GA? If you have, are you like me, and would you classify it as more of a drinking/partying town? Are they any drinking places that you think my brother should have visited for his graduation celebration? If you haven't been to Savannah, would you consider going in the future?



* I'm spending July writing my blog posts in response to all of the wacky (and not so wacky) national and international holidays that occur during this month. Today's post was written in response to National Daiquiri Day! How will you be spending your Tuesday? ;)
** This post was written in advance. I am out of town and working full time most of this month. I appreciate your understanding if I am slow to respond to comments and questions. :)

Seven Decades of "Perfect" American Families on TV

For Perfect Family Day. I decided to take a look at television shows to see how American families, or rather the portrayal of American families, has changed over the years. For example, take this article from CNN from 2010, where they talk about how "we have moved from what's most ideal to what's most entertaining". And it's not only that, but Americans have also come to embrace the idea of separated families – families dealing with divorce, families with two dads or two moms, families with no parents at all… It seems we've come a long way from the shock of Mr. and Mrs. Brady sharing a bed in the 70s and embraced the changing American familial landscape. Check it out as I share a few clips from some of my favorite American family sitcoms from the past seven decades.

50s

• Dennis the Menace

bragging

• Leave It to Beaver

family breakfast

60s

• My Three Sons

implications much?

• The Flintstones

A party gone wrong…

70s

• The Partridge Family

gender & censorship

• The Brady Bunch

movie night & the "perfect" American Thanksgiving story

80s

• The Cosby Show

a new job

• Full House

breakfast

90s

• Home Improvement

school trouble

• Party of Five

dealing with family issues

00s

• Two and a Half Men

more insinuations… but less married ones.

• 7th Heaven

drug straight talk

10s

• Liv and Maddie

famous person coming for a visit

• Girl Meets World

putting the youngest to sleep

Looking through the clips, did you notice any similarities or differences in the way topics are dealt with, or the layout of each of the families? Are there any tv shows or particular clips from tv shows that you think would better illustrate the changes we've seen in tv families from the past seven decades?

* I'm spending July writing my blog posts in response to all of the wacky (and not so wacky) national and international holidays that occur during this month. Today's blog post was written in response to National Perfect Family Day!
** This post was written in advance. I am out of town and working full time most of this month. I appreciate your understanding if I am slow to respond to comments and questions. :)

Best Places to Get Ice Cream in the South

Photo credit: J. Stephen Conn via Visual Hunt / CC BY-NC

 As a child, I distinctly remember my favorite ice cream being Bluebell. When I was about 8 years old a distribution plant opened up near my home and my fate was sealed. Clearly we would only be buying the most expensive ice cream in the grocery store from that point forward. Unfortunately (or fortunately for their wallets) my parents disagreed. Instead we bought the gigantic tubs of ice cream mass produced by whatever grocery store we were at: Wal Mart, Kroger, or Publix. The truth is my family loves ice cream. I like to blame the Georgia summer heat. When the temperatures reach 90º+ outside, the go-tos tend to be cold treats and water – not just to drink but also to experience.

Then I met Justin – a man who could cook.

At this point, eating became more about the experience than about filling a void. Quickly I learned that there was good food and then there was great food. Once you experience great food, it is really hard to go back to anything less. So my taste in ice cream has altered over time to reflect my growing sensibilities.

Last year around this time, we ventured to Scottsboro, AL and the Unclaimed Baggage Store as a late Father's Day "gift" for my dad. Then, just like the time before, we made a pit stop in Chattanooga, TN on the way home. While my childhood memories suggest that this is a tourist town, as an adult, the more time I spend there, the more I find to do. We explored local thrift shops and took a walk across the two bridges that connect downtown Chattanooga and the north shore, seeing as much of Chattanooga as we had time for.

While we were there, rather than returning to my go-to favorite ice cream shop The Ice Cream Show, we decided to try Clumpies instead, a place that had been rated as one of the best ice cream shops in America by the Huffington Post. Boy was I surprised at the amazing, creamy, melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness of Clumpies! It would seem I had, once again, misjudged this shop with it's sad name! A hole-in-the-wall family-owned ice cream parlor located amongst touristy eats on the North Shore near Coolidge Park in Chattanooga, Clumpies offered a large variety of melt-in-your mouth staples (vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry) as well as just as many seasonal treats. Justin and I tried the strawberry-balsamic, peach, pralines 'n cream, and vanilla, all of which we found pleasantly delicious.


After finishing our dessert there, Justin and I started to consider our past ice cream experiences. For example, which was better The Ice Cream Show or Clumpies? I think what it comes down to is what you are looking for in an ice cream. If you want the handmade deliciousness and the ability to try new and exotic (does peach or pralines count as exotic?) flavors, Clumpies is the way to go. If you are looking for Dairy Queen blizzard-like ice cream where you mix and match toppings to get your perfect flavor made specifically for you. The ice cream they use as the base is Mayfield and you are limited in choices – chocolate or vanilla, frozen yogurt or ice cream. Despite it's plain-ness, even in my description, the ice cream really is good there and definitely fun for a unique experience nothing like what you would typically find at Bruster's or Ben & Jerry's, typical tourist ice cream spots.

Other ice cream worth mentioning that is not necessarily in Chattanooga, but worth trying if you are in the Southeast include:
• High Road ice cream specifically found in the desserts at Sweet Auburn Barbecue in Atlanta. YUM!
• Jeni's which has locations all over the US. – Or buy the book and make your own at home. Sooo good! :)
• Butter and Cream in Decatur, GA is a current favorite! I'm a big fan of the butterscotch brownie! :)
• Paolo's Italian Gelato located in Charleston and Atlanta. – An Italian in search of delicious gelato found he had to open his own store! Try the floral flavors for an interesting twist!
• French Broad Chocolates in Asheville, NC – We didn't love the chocolate too much, but the ice cream was amazing! Go early, because the line can get really long!
• Or if you feel like having a lazy night at home, check out Talenti. We've tried the caramel, raspberry sorbet, and caramel with cookie crunch all of which have been amazing! This brand was once hard to find, but now we are seeing it pop up in stores all over including Sam's Club and Sprouts!

What are your favorite local ice creameries? Are you a fan of the gourmet ice creams that are all the rage right now or do you prefer brand staples like Mayfield, Bluebell, … or the Kroger Partypail? Share! I'd love to hear! :)
***Linking up with Lauren on Location,Marcella from What a Wonderful World, and The Sunny Side of This

 * I'm spending July writing my blog posts in response to all of the wacky (and not so wacky) national and international holidays that occur during this month. Today's post was reshared  in response to National Ice Cream Day (on July 17)! What is your favorite place to get ice cream?
** This post was written in advance. I am out of town and working full time most of this month. I appreciate your understanding if I am slow to respond to comments and questions. :)