The Motorcycle Ride

After a long week stuck in an office/kitchen the only thing I want to do on an 80-degree Saturday is go on a motorcycle ride with my guy.  Especially when the mountains in our backyard are as breathtaking as they were today. Simply stunning.

We rode the Alpine Loop. It starts up Sundance Canyon and ends in American Fork. The road is paved the whole way and is twisty and windy and shows off some of the best views of fall colors I've seen yet. 

If you're a Utah local jump in your car, grab some snacks and head up into the mountains because those colors are not to be missed! We had a beautiful afternoon spending time in this pretty place.

 

 

Details from a rainy weekend away

We headed north for a cozy condo weekend with family. Here are some details of our trip:

 Cinnamon french toast, cozy blankets and fresh pine

 Wrought iron fences, rain covered flowers and ice cream

 Hours of card games, beautiful scenery and my lacy sister

Not many pictures of us due to the fact that, well we were greasy and in sweats most of the weekend.
It was bliss. Hope you had a great weekend too!

Vacation

The much needed vacation to Playa del Carmen, Mexico is over—and boy do we have lots of photos to show for it.  Seriously lots. And lots. It started with an early morning trip to the airport and a long day of travel. We finally made it to our resort last Saturday evening and were able to settle in and check out what was to be our amazing home for the next week.

  The resort was right on the beach and had acres and acres of jungle and beach and pool for us to explore. Grass huts were everywhere and an icy piña colada was never more than a wave of the hand away. Many hours were spent laying on lounge chairs reading, listening to music, sleeping...etc. Our  only real concern was when to get back in the water to cool down. Or whether to eat a bag of trail mix or a granola bar. It was a tough lifestyle.

There were 6 restaurants in the resort and we were able to try most of them. One of our favorites was a Cuban-style restaurant called Havana Moon. It was right on the beach and was beautiful. I coveted the big blue shutters, I want them on my house someday. There was dancing every night with live music. It was a blast.

The grounds around the resort were amazing. There were varieties of flowers and plants that I've never seen in my life. We also loved all the animals we were able to see. Iguanas ran everywhere, frogs and lemurs followed us on the paths, and pink flamings and crocodiles were our neighbors.

The city of Playa del Carmen was about a 10 minute cab ride from our resort. We took advantage of that one day and went to the beach and wandered around the town all afternoon. 

 We found an ice cream man and I decided that I HAD to have some coconut ice cream. It was fantastic. A necessity really. Next time you're in Mexico make sure you find some coconut ice cream.

When our ice cream treat was gone in less than 30 seconds we realized we were both starving. Since Adam served his mission in Mexico, he had a list of food items he had to get while we were there. Tacos al pastor was at the top of that list. And we searched every where for said dish. To Adam's dismay we were having a tough time tracking it down. Just as I was about to settle for a "tourist trap" restaurant Adam insisted we keep walking to down the street to a "more residential" area. My rumbling stomach didn't want to agree but I went along with him.  At the next block we found a restaurant. They sold tacos al pastor. We were in luck. The pastor meat is actually pork that is put on a spit and is fire roasted as it spins. The chef cuts meat off the pork and places it on a corn tortilla, usually with chunks of pineapple. All I can say about it is that I totally get the hype. It was so good.

 After lunch we found a popsicle stand where all the popsicles are homemade. I got a strawberry popsicle with chunks of strawberry throughout. It was awesome. Ice cream, popsicles and tacos...a pretty successful day if you ask me.



  We wandered around the city for a while and saw lots of pretty things. I loved watching (and listening) to my husband interact with the people there. His Spanish skills are pretty awesome and I'm not going to lie, listening to him speak in another language is kind of super attractive. 

The next day we were off to Tulum and were pretty excited to be there. The ruins were stunning. And we really enjoyed our tour given by a real live Mayan. 

 

 The city of Tulum is surrounded by 3 walls and the cliffs and the ocean. The clear blue water and white sand seemed even more gorgeous next to the crumbling ruins. We spent lots of time wandering around the site and taking photos.

 After Tulum we went to the largest natural aquarium in the world. It was kind of like a water park but was completely eco-friendly. The main attraction is a river that visitors float down on tubes and/or snorkel that last about an hour. At the end of the river there is a big lagoon that we just floated around looking at all kinds of fish and crabs and sea creatures. Adam said that this was his favorite part of the trip. He even saw a barracuda! 

 We spent another day wandering around the resort taking in the beauty of this area.
(And falling more in love with my new white swim suit :))

 Again the resort was basically just surrounded by a thick, thick jungle inhabited by so many creatures and plants, all of which were fun to look at.

 On our last night before dinner we spent some time walking along the beach. I decided I love the ocean. It's so relaxing.

We ate dinner our last night at Frida's—an awesome Mexican restaurant in the resort. We loved their pico de gallo and empanadas. Adam got three different kinds of tacos and I am still dreaming about them.

 We had such a fun trip and are so glad we were able to go and experience this new place together. Now that we're home reality is sinking in and new jobs are on the horizon for both of us. Real life, schedules, and actually paying attention to what day it is. Structure is going to be a welcomed feeling for us—kind of.

Philadelphia/Valley Forge

 We took a quick trip to Valley Forge and Philadelphia last weekend and were overwhelmed by all of the history that oozes out of these amazing places. Valley Forge is where General George Washington and his troops camped through the winter during the revolutionary war. I admitted to Adam when we arrived that I honestly couldn't even tell you the significance of Vally Forge and if you asked me before our tour I probably would have told you some important battle happened there. Lucky for me we had a great tour guide corrected any wrong idea (or no idea, for that matter) I had in my head about Valley Forge. The things that happened at Valley Forge could be described as tragic. So many men were lost not to gunfire but to illness, disease, hypothermia etc. The tour guide told us stories that I almost couldn't believe, the sacrifice that those early Americans made amazes me. I caught myself constantly thinking that if I would have been one of those soldiers I wouldn't have lasted, I would have given up early on and probably headed back to England. But that's why I was born a girl, and born many years after the revolution. It's the same reason I wasn't born to be a pioneer. I am a wimp. Plain and simple. And it makes my respect for those that sacrificed for me that much greater.

 After Valley Forge we headed over to Philly where we visited a museum, saw Benjamin Franklin's grave, posed with the founding farmers, and saw Bruce Springsteen's 1964 corvett.

We took a tour of independence hall where the Constitution and the Declaration are said to have been signed. It was underwhelming but we had to do it. Is it bad that all I was thinking about while inside the building was: "this looks nothing like it did in National Treasure"? I fail.

 

Adam lived in Philadelphia until he was 8 (I think, correct me if I'm wrong dear) and since I've known him he has talked about these cream filled doughnuts that are supposedly wonderful and that you can only get in Philadelphia. So we tracked some down, and I was again underwhelmed. I would have rather had a boston cream pie doughnut . But Adam was happy so that count's for something.  

 After our doughnut break we visited William Penn on top of the Philly city hall, which happened to be across the street from love park. We also learned (from a local) that Philadelphia is the city known for it's street art and murals. I liked that. What a cool thing to be know for, right?

 After a long walk we came across a street vendor selling water ice. Water ice and I go way back, thanks to a dear friend I had growing up in Farmington. She was from Philadelphia and had moved to Utah with her family. Her mom knew how to make water ice and my friend would regularly invite me and some other girls over to have the frozen treat. I remember the first time she asked if I wanted water ice, as a 12 year old I figured it was a funny way a asking if I wanted some ice water. She was something of a foreigner to me, and I thought maybe that's how they say it where she's from, I politely accepted her offer and was glad I did because I was rewarded with a frozen fruity treat. Since then I have never had water ice anywhere other than in my friends basement until my visit to Philly. With my first bite so many memories came rushing back. It was like a comfort food. What an experience. Funny story: when I ordered the water ice the man behind the counter looked confused and asked me to repeat myself so I said "can I get a cherry water ice, please?" he answered back "oh a woouter ice, yeah 3 dallahs", haha the accent killed me. I guess I butchered the pronunciation.

 

Over the course of the whole trip I think the most beautiful thing I saw were these flowers. I don't even know what they are or what they're called but I loved them. They're like little bells with a heart on each petal. Aren't they precious? Anyway that's the trip! Hope you enjoyed the recap.

 

Spring

"It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold:  when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade."  Charles Dickens

Adam and I took a little stroll last weekend and took a couple of photos of the beautiful cherry blossoms. Then we got in a debate about whether or not the actual fruit grows on the trees. I told him that these aren't the type of trees that produce cherries. No fruit actually grows on them.
 What a mistake that was. It was as if I had told a 4 year old that Santa Clause doesn't exist. He was so disappointed. I think he imagined himself along with all the other Capitol hill employees cherry picking on their lunch breaks. In other news I think I mastered the "sock bun". The number of days that I can go without washing my hair has significantly increased. This is a beautiful thing.

Friday

 It rained all. day. long. today.
But around 5:45 this evening, the most beautiful thing happened. The sun peaked out between grey clouds and colored all of Capitol Hill's ivory buildings pink.

 

PS: I saw cherry blossoms today, it made me want to wear white jeans. Spring is almost here. 

Hooray!

Boston Trip

First of all excuse the OVERLOAD of photos, but I just couldn't stop. We took so many pictures and loved Boston SO much that I feel obligated to share every bit of our experience. Adam had Friday off and with Monday being President's day we figured it was the perfect opportunity to visit Boston, MA. After checking into our hotel, we made our way to Fenway park, home of the Boston Red Sox. Unfortunately it's not baseball season so we weren't able to catch a game but we got a pretty sweet tour of the stadium.

After our tour we headed back to our hotel room at the Omni Parker Houseto catch a quick nap. Our flight left DC at 6:30am, we were both pretty tired. Right as my head hit the pillow, there was a knock on our door. I answered it and found a tray with a Boston Cream Pie and a basket of Parker House rolls on it. Complementary for Adam's birthday. It was cute. We loved the hotel we stayed at. Both Boston Cream Pie and Parker House rolls were invented in the kitchen there, and JFK proposed to Jackie in the dining room. Those were my favorite bits of Parker House Hotel trivia. Oh, and just so you know this was the first of MANY Boston cream pies we ate over the course of the weekend. I'm not sorry.

After our sweet treat and a short nap we were feeling refreshed and were in the mood for some Italian food. We were in luck because we had both received recommendations from different people to try out Giacomo's Ristorante in the North End of Boston. And holy cow do I owe those folks who gave us the recommendation. Not even kidding, best Italian food I've ever eaten. Adam got the butternut squash ravioli (pictured bottom right) and I got the penne in a garlic cream sauce (pictured top left). We also ordered the fried mozzarella and loved it so much that I literally didn't want to stop eating it so that I could take a picture. No time could be wasted when dealing with such amazing food.  If you ever are in the Boston area, you MUST go to Giacomo's. It's not optional. You will thank me. Go. After our glorious dinner we headed over to an improv club in the area and laughed our butts off.

The next morning we rolled out of bed and chowed down on some Boston cream pie doughnuts ( told you, many, many Boston cream treats). I could cry these were so good. Hence the look on my face.

The city of Boston really has it figured out when it comes to the tourism department. They make it so easy for out-of-towners to get around the city, and see all of the wonderful landmarks. They put together a little thing called the Freedom Trail. It's basically a red brick line in the sidewalk that you follow to 15 historic sites. The first 11 can be visited with a tour guide dressed in 18th-century garb and knows everything there is to know about the history of Boston.  The last 4 stops are self-guided. It was such a great way of seeing everything we wanted to see. These pictures are at an old burial ground in the city where Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, and John Hancock are buried  along with several other big names in history.

These pictures are taken along the Freedom Trail, and include the Old North Church where Paul Revere hung the lanterns warning the people of Boston that the British regulars were coming. "1 if by land, 2 if by sea..."

We walked across a bridge in Boston Harbor on our way over to Bunker Hill. 

Bunker Hill was cool. The memorial is slightly reminiscent of the Washington Monument. I suppose creativity runs out eventually. It was a great experience to be there and imagine what it must have been like to have witnessed the battle that happened there. 

These pictures are taken in Faneuil hall, basically an old meeting place for Bostonians.

Our tour guide was so great, we loved him. These were also sites on the Freedom Trail: the Boston Massacre site, and the building where the Declaration of Independence was read for the first time in Boston.  This is also the place where in 1976 for the bicentennial anniversary of the Declaration of Independence being read the Queen of England was invited here to listen to the Declaration being read to her face. She also drank the only remaining tea that was saved from the Boston tea party. The US government then presented the Queen with a check for $33,000 to repay for the tea that was thrown into the harbor. "She was so classy," said our tour guide.

Here are a few more highlights of the trip. There's Adam shaking hands with Benjamin Franklin, a "Smaaht" (see license plate) car with a mustache, and the best corned beef that has ever existed. Thank you Boston for being so freakin cool.

This is in Quincy Market, it's a fun hustle and bustle area in the city. Street performers are always out, including this drummer who impressed us with his incredible skills on a few 5-gallon buckets and some tin pans.

We ventured out to Harvard, to magnify Adam's inferiority complex.

Here Adam is doing what we do best: picking out delicious treats in Quincy Market. Again we order a Boston Cream Pie and to mix things up we also ordered a canoli.

These last photos are at the long wharf in Boston Harbor. Where we took a nice long walk and pondered the mysteries of life. Like why we don't live in Boston.

Whew, that's it! You made it to the end! We had so much fun in Boston and are already looking forward to going back soon. Maybe to stay for good. Who knows.