Vegas, Eurpope and Beyond: Part Deux

July 14, 2012July 16, 20122 Comments

Bonjour chères!

Where did I leave off again? Oh yes, FRANCE! Hee hee, haw haw.

We boarded a smallish plane in the early morning and after one hour, arrived in Marseilles. I was truly pumped about our 2-day stay in Marseilles as we were able to stay with family and get the true “French” experience. We met Madee and Terry at the airport and after many kisses (one per cheek), we all climbed into a 9 passenger van that they had rented for our stay. Madee and Terry live just outside of Marseilles in the country side and their house and surroundings were so pretty. Their home was built in the 1700’s and still had that old-world feel to it. I felt like I was Meg Ryan in “French Kiss”. Except I didn’t pull my jeans up past my belly button. I thought about it, but didn’t.

Lavender in the Garden!

Headlock

Main Living Area

After we had worked out which room everyone was staying in, we were treated to lunch. But first…apéritifs! Drinks were dispensed before every meal and came highly encouraged. Mostly it was Pastis, which is an anise flavored liqueur. I love me some licorice so Pastis definitely suited me. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Pastis!

I downed two glasses of Pastis which Terry mixed with a little water and served on the rocks (which in France means you get 2 teensy little ice cubes). For lunch we were served a cold salad consisting of peas, tuna, tomatoes, cheese and obviously delicious french bread. We sipped chilled rose and talked about the flowers and herbs Terry grows in his garden. Thyme, rosemary, lavender but also exotic herbs like verbena. Megan and I were literally pinching ourselves. “Is this happening? Are we really in this 17th century home just eating bread?” Oui.

After lunch, in typical French fashion we were served an array of cheeses. I decided to try all three of the cheeses, even the one that smelled like someone’s armpit after a marathon mixed with hot, sour garbage. At the time, the cheese tasted good and I was proud of myself for being so French. However, 30 minutes later we all quickly discovered how much of a brick it sat in our tummies. I couldn’t stop tasting it and I won’t lie, it didn’t taste like Skittles.

After lunch we headed to a neighboring town to do a little walking and sightseeing. Nan, Megan and I were dying to go in the cute little shops, but when you’re with a little French-man who is claiming he will “send you to Chateau d’If” if you go in one more shop, you cease and desist.

We visited a cathedral which contained the very first indoor baptismal pool.

And I made up with Terry.

We couldn’t spent too much time out sightseeing because Terry and Madee had a special French dinner waiting to be prepared back at their house. We started with Pastis, no surprise there. This is when I became known as the lush of the group, as I accepted refills from Terry. He told me that, “I was his new daughter,” and it made me happy although my Dad was giving me the evil-don’t-be-a-crazy-american-girl-eye.

You Lookin at Me Mon Amie?

For dinner, we had duck breast, pearl onions sauteed with curry, and sauteed mushrooms. Also duh, bread. The duck breasts were huge (they were like mutant monster ducks I swear) and were prepared very rare. While Nan and I enjoy a good pink steak, Meg and Gare both prefer their meats well…burnt. Having the duck was an eye opening experience for all of us.

This was the most well done piece of all.

After dinner Madee asked us if we’d like to take a “little walk” around the neighborhood. I jumped at the opportunity, having drunk a good amount of wine and everyone else decided to partake as well. It was an interesting stroll. First of all, it was almost 11 pm at night and what Madee considered to be a little walk, turned into a never-ending hike for people like Nan.We also saw a dead snake in the road. So. Gross.

After our 40 minute walk, we arrived home and Terry had decided it was time to break out his private reserve of self-infused liqueurs. The bottles reminded me of those beakers you see in high-school biology classes, with tarantulas, tape worms and frogs floating lifelessly in formaldehyde. I was told the various bottles contained, a pepper from his garden, a vanilla bean and various herbs. Terry poured me a sizable amount from the pepper bottle and upon one sniff, I knew this stuff was liquid fire. I ended up trying a small sip of the one from the vanilla bean bottle and just as I thought, liquid fire. Don’t know about you, but the LAST thing I want to do before bed is take shots of pepper infused alcohol. While I tried my best to be his “new found daughter” I found myself longing for the good ol’ American tradition of ice cream, hot chocolate or in my case – a bowl of Lucky Charms before bed.

The next day we woke up and had a conservative breakfast of jam and bread and coffee. Then it was off to sight-see! Having only consumed about a half-cup of coffee I was jonesing for some caffeine. The slight hangover from the night before didn’t help either :).

Disheveled

We visited a different cathedral, absolutely beautiful.

View!

Yiddle Megan

One of Marseilles bucket-list items was to go see the Chateau d’If, the prison in the Count of Monte Cristo. But according to our hosts, the ferry was expensive and the tour, lame. I made sure to get tons of pictures of it from the top of the cathedral instead.

The Little Island by the Cruise Ship is Chateau d’If

Then we were driven up to this look-out point which literally, took my breath away.

Mom, Megan, Terry and Madee

We drove to an old hospital/cathedral.

We take it very seriously.

Let Us Out!

Me and My Mom

View of the Mountain

At about 11 o’clock, my tummy was grumbling so I busted out the Clif Bar I had stashed in my purse and decided this was perfect to tide me over until we had lunch. Hours went by, we saw and walked and pointed and gushed. But no food. I kept thinking that they had a little cafe they were planning on bringing us to but I was wrong. At about 6:30 we drove home in silence, the Americans all delirious with hunger but not wanting to be rude and ask that we quickly pull through McDonalds. We were told that our dinner reservation was at about 8 o’clock and Meg, Becca and I sat up in our room scraping together whatever remnants of food we had in our bags to piece together a small meal.

You know that book, “French Women Don’t Get Fat”? The book outlines easy to implement every-day changes Americans can make to lose and weight and achieve that svelte French frame. I now realize the real secret, French women don’t eat all day and that’s why they don’t get fat. Bam! Maybe I should write a book, eh?

Everyone was obviously, psyched for dinner. The three of us were secretly hoping it wasn’t some restaurant that only served bleeding duck. We ended up at an amazing restaurant that had everything our American hearts desired, pizza, burgers, pasta etc. We also noticed as we came in that the portions were humungous. Another point for the Americans!

We also got to meet one of Terry and Madee’s daughters, Claire and her brand-new hubbie Benoit. Neither of them spoke a lick of English but we got by. I ordered pizza and a Coke Light and was literally in heaven.

American

Ate the Whole ‘Za

Megan’s Gnocchi

The next day we had to leave Marseilles in the early morning to catch our train to PARIS! My Dad ended up booking us four, first class seats on a speed train that goes from Marseilles to Paris in about 3 hours. Boarding the train, I truly felt like Hermione Granger. It was just wonderful inside and our seats sat two and two across from one another, with a table in between. The seats were plush and the leg-room was plentiful. The train was quiet and as we settled in, I was literally squealing with delight. It was just so cool.

Blurry but I Had to Show You!

Train Station

We arrived in Paris in what seemed like minutes and immediately made our way to the T.I station (tourist information) to purchase all-museum passes again. Megan had smartly purchased the Rick Steves Paris book so we knew to do this right away. That Rick Steves knows his stuff.

We immediately jumped into a cab and gave him the directions to the apartment we had rented. The drive was quick, only about 10 minutes. We had printed off the instructions the owner gave us as well as a bunch of pictures of the place. When we arrived, we were instructed to punch in a 4 digit code to gain access to the foyer. We entered the number and the door opened easily. The next step was to look inside her mailbox (that would be open, not locked) for the key to the apartment. We opened up the mailbox and reached inside to find…nothing, save for a pile of junk mail. Megan started to panic a little as she had done the large portion of communicating with the owner. We determined we must call her in order to figure out where the key was. We shuffled through the pages we had printed with all the information for the apartment, like amenities, garbage etc. But no phone number.

Panic set in further when we realized our phones weren’t working and neither is the internet. My new iPhone (purchased right after the trip to Vegas) had been turned off the whole trip so far and I decided it was time to whip out the big guns. I powered up my phone and dialed Bryan back in Jackson. No county code, just plain ol’ 1 + area code. He answered on the second ring.

After Bryan had successfully logged into my Mom’s email account, he quickly found the owner’s number and read it off. We hung up and immediately dialed the owner. The number was a New Hampshire area code. “Great!” I thought. She doesn’t even live in Paris.

Ring, ring. No answer.

I left a message clearly stating our situation and asked her to please call back ASAP. Meanwhile, we were sitting in the apartment vestibule with all our luggage, completely trapped. Gary was silent, obviously frustrated with the situation. Megan was on the verge of tears. Nan was trying to stay positive. I was praying that this chick would return my call and that this was all just some mix-up with the key.

After about an hour of waiting, I decided to call again. This time a younger girl answered. When I asked for the owner Sylvie, she informed me that she was out. I politely informed her that this was an emergency and asked if Sylvie had a cell. The girl understood and gave me her cell.

I called the cell phone and a woman answered in a thick french accent. I tell Sylive what happened and she insisted the key must be there. She was on the highway and said she would call me back. Fine. Minutes later I received a text from her, telling me that the key is in an unmarked envelope that would look like mail. We hurry back to the apartment and look through the stack of junk mail to find…nothing. I let her know that there was no such envelope and she then told us to open everything. We ripped through each piece of mail, discovering bills and coupon booklets but no key.

After 15 more minutes of back and forth texting, Sylive called again to explain yet again how strange this is. I understood that this was a strange circumstance but I also understood that I wanted to get my bags upstairs so we could actually start to see Paris!

At this point, about 2 hours had passed. She called back again to inform us that her friend was going to come let us in to the apartment but she wouldn’t be there for an hour. Ok. We were still in the cold, marble floored vestibule and then it has started to rain.

My Dad decided he’d hold down the fort and Megan, my mom and I go get groceries for the apartment, since it had a kitchen. We strolled around, purchasing milk, coffee, yogurt, cereal and of course, a baguette. After the hour passed, we made our way back to the apartment to find Sylvie’s friend had arrived.

Wheeeeee! We’re in!

We shlepped all 4 suitcases, backpacks, camera bags and groceries to the 4th floor and waited while Sylive’s friend struggled with the key. After another moment of panic thinking she had brought the wrong key, the door clicked open.

We barreled inside only to discover…there were already people staying in the apartment!! Suitcases, clothes and laptop computers littered the floor of the quaint apartment. My Dad collapsed on the couch in shear exhaustion, anger and frustration. Megan ran back down the stairs with tears in her eyes. Nan just stood there trying to decide what to do. I immediately began getting our stuff back down the 4 flights, because obviously this apartment was booked for the night.

The friend immediately called Sylvie and spoke in rapid French. After a few minutes of confusion, the friend informed us that Sylvie would call the apartment phone to sort out the mess. Another 20 minutes passed and the call came through on my cell phone (because it wasn’t costing me $15 a minute, oh wait, yes it was) and I immediately handed the phone to my Dad. He could deal with this, but not me.

A twenty minute conversation transpired, all the while Meg had lost it and I was hoisting 50 lb. bags down tiny steps with a baguette tucked under my arm. All in a days work. As my Dad made his way back down the stair case, he let us know that the apartment had been double booked. Apparently Sylvie’s son had mistakenly thought the apartment was available for the 5-day stint we had reserved it for and had rented it to friends of his. Awesome.

As we drug our suitcases around the beautiful streets of the Marais district, I had also lost hope. My dreams of the quaint, cozy Parisian apartment had been crushed under a stupid scheduling conflict. We tried our luck at a couple of two and three star hotels, but seeing as how it was past 7 pm (even though we had arrived at 3) many were booked.

We stumbled upon Hotel Turenne, not far from where the apartment was and luckily they had 2 rooms available. Each room was a bit expensive at 215 euro per night, per room but we didn’t care. We wanted a roof over our heads, wifi and alcohol. That was it.

We checked into our respective rooms and luckily I had stowed a nearly full bottle of Stoli in my suitcase from Spain. We drank warm vodka + lemonades (even Nan) and nibbled stale baguette. We had bought my Dad a gyro from a Greek restaurant hours previous and by this time it was a cold hunk of meat with limp fries on the side. Delish!

Sylvie called back later that evening to inform us that she was paying for our night at the hotel and giving us a full refund of our deposit. She offered sincere apologies telling us “she couldn’t image what hell the day had been for us” and offered 2 free nights at her apartment should any of us return to Paris.

After all was said and done, she was very apologetic, generous and had made right in our books. We were sad to have lost half a day in Paris, but glad to have found a place to stay on such short notice.

The next day was the beginning of our Paris adventure!!

I’ll save that for next time but I thought I’d let you in on the big news.

Bryan and I are moving to Seattle!! We are planning on September but it could be earlier or later.

Why leave beautiful Jackson Hole you ask?

As much as we love it here (especially Bryan), it is simply no longer the right place for many reasons:

Bryan is going for a job in investments and Jackson doesn’t exactly have millions of openings in that field. Too bad he wasn’t a wrangler!
I will be looking for a new job in marketing, social media and many other sectors as well.
We want to be closer to family.
The winters are too long, cold and long for my taste. Plus I’m not nor will I ever be a die-hard skier.
Housing is mucho dinero here.
The town is a too small for my tastes.
If homegirl Holly makes her way back to the NW, I’ll have all my besties nearby again!
Bryan’s pals are there as well and we miss them too!
We want to be closer to family…did I mention that already?

We are beyond excited to take this step. I’m a little scared about things like finding a job, a place to live and adjusting to big-city life but hey, it’s just another adventure right?

Vegas, Europe and Beyond: Part Une

July 12, 2012July 12, 20125 Comments

I’m back and bettatheneva!

I’ve been back in Jackson for a couple of weeks now and while I’ve caught up on things like Kim and Kanye, I have severely neglected this little blog of mine. The horror!

Lately my thoughts have been devoted to a new change that’s taking place in a couple months but more on that later ;). Let’s get to the good stuff, no?

The adventure began in Salt Lake City, where Bryan took his CFA exam…gulp. I happily tagged along and spent my time studying the racks of stores which do not exist in Jackson, Wyoming. New trends instantly jumped out at me. You see, living in The Hole may mean awesome hiking, fishing, skiing etc. but it also means a drab wardrobe consisting solely of Patagonia and Chacos. While I try to keep up on my fashion blogs outlined here, a girl can get pretty confused with all the neon and chevron prints.

I instantly picked up on trends such as:

Skirts and dresses that are shorter in the front and longer in the back.
Shorts! They are everywhere. I thought these were only for high-school girls who shopped at American Eagle.
Colored jeans and shorts. Obv.
Polka dots. LOVE!
Peter pan collars. I find these to be feminine and chic.

After doing a small amount of damage at Nordstrom Rack and Forever 21, Bryan was done with his exam and it was time for Vegas. Sick.

Our previous visit to Vegas we stayed at the Mirage and this time, we opted to stay in the slightly less expensive Luxor Hotel. The location isn’t bad as you’re neighbors with New York, New York, Mandalay Bay, Excalibur and MGM Grand. However, the hotel itself was a little, shall I say, in need of repair. Upon arriving we could definitely see why this hotel was leaps and bounds less than The Bellagio. Hello shaky, slow elevator from Saw. Nice to meet ya.

Nonetheless, we were happy. Our flight/hotel package also included two tickets to see Cirque de Soliel’s Ka at the MGM Grand so that made this trip a heck of a deal.

Bryan immediately made me aware of the fact that I kept dozing off during sections of the show. I didn’t believe him until I woke up, violently snapped my head forward and looked around nervously to see if anyone noticed.

We frequented our usual haunts, such as the pool, the Forum Shops and the video blackjack bar inside the Venetian. Class.

CFA Celebration Dinner

Gnocchi

We also had the best breakfast of our lives at Max Brenner in the Forum Shops. Our meal came with a “diamond dusted buttermilk sugar biscuit”. Ummm hello! I died. Subsequently, I purchased the Hug Mug, their signature mug which we sipped our mochas from. How could I not with a name like that?!

You hug it!

The only drama we encountered on the trip was when we were playing video blackjack (yet again) at the MGM Grand. After I had gambled away my $5 bank roll, I turned my head and chatted with Bryan in the seat next to me for a few minutes. I had stupidly left my iPhone on the bar and while my head was turned, it was swiped. Some horrible robber now has my white iPhone 4 in mint condish. We looked everywhere, asked everyone at the bar and reported it to hotel security and turned up nothing. It was gone. After some tears and a new found hatred towards casinos, Bryan lovingly bought me a martini and some candy. That’s better :).

This was taken just before the robbery. So sayd.

Other than the iPhone snafu, the trip to Vegas was awesome as always.

Upon returning to Jackson, I was tasked with the lovely journey of driving (in my ’97 Corolla with no cruise control) to Kennewick, WA. A grand total of 11 wonderful hours. Armed with The Davinci Code on CD, 3 Redbulls, a box of Gushers and Pirate’s Booty, I was off! The drive went surprisingly quick due to nice weather, copious amounts of energy drink pulsing through my veins and of course the Priory of Zion.

I returned home in under 11 hours and was treated to a warm welcome from my favorite Danielson family member, Chloe McDoogal.

The next day we left for Seattle around noon (more driving) and arrived in Seattle with plenty of time to board our 6pm plane to Amsterdam. The flight was long but luckily was timed pretty well compared to where our bodies were adjusted to. My mom, sister and I all managed to get a good amount of sleep and were feeling good when we deplaned in Amsterdam. We shopped around the airport, took pictures of tulips and clogs (obv) and then boarded our plane to Barcelona.

Tulips!

The flight to Barcelona was quick and we were all very anxious to get there. My Dad greeted us at the airport and we all took a taxi to Barceloneta (the street we stayed on) to meet up with my aunt, uncle and cousin who were staying in the same apartments as us.

Our apartment was one the right

The apartment was pretty tiny but very nice and even had a kitchenette. We were all starving so we decided to find a little tapas bar to sit and share some food. We immediately located one and I felt bad as our table of 7 took up almost the entire place. Since my cousin Becca is studying abroad in Spain, she was able to help us order from the large variety of tapas on the menu.

Chicken Wings in Spain? Who knew!?

Blanco Vino…or something like that.

The next day we woke up and instantly hit the Picasso Museum. We had purchased the all-museum pass at the airport, which gains you access to about 7 different locations. The Picasso museum was no.1 on my list and I was so excited to see the exhibit.

Just me and the Pabs, Chillin

Picasso never ceases to amaze me. This particular museum held a wide array of Picasso’s work, ranging from the very traditional paintings he did early in life, to the grotesquely abstract later in life. We also witnessed all he did in between, like pieces from The Blue Period, sculpture, cartoon drawings as well as some rather graphic pencil drawings of women from going on holiday with a friend in Spain.

After that we walked the streets and took pictures of the crazy “living art” performers.

Benny Franklin

Scary Goblin Sultan Guy

Then we reached the Barcelona Cathedral, which was absolutely breathtaking. This particular cathedral had a beautiful courtyard area with amazing flowers, statues and fountains.

This was actually taken from another day, but you get it.

After that we took a taxi to the top of Montjuic, a mountain in Barcelona that houses hundreds of graves and has a fortress at the top. I desperately wanted to walk up to the top of the mountain but when you’re with people in their 60’s, you just oblige.

Megan and Becca Outside the Fortress

Gardens!

The next day started off with a bang, as we had coffees and headed to the Mercat de la Boquería. It is basically a huge market where you can literally buy anything. Megan bought some exotic spices like saffron while I stuck to fresh fruit and of course…candy!

Mmmmm

1 Euro for a cup…steal!

Is There Anything More Beautiful?

Dyyyyying

Yep. Ham Hocks.

We continued to walk along the streets of Barcelona, stopping to take pictures, go in shops and stare at ridiculously good-looking people. Seriously, the men and women in Barcelona are all supermodels. I’ve never felt more like a white, gigantic girl with bunions and grow-out. Sigh…

My Mom, sister and I decided to visit Barcelona’s Museum of Modern Art. Before I continue I’d like to point out that I consider myself to be a lover of all kinds of art. Basically, I can appreciate any kind of art, be it music, painting, sculpture, poetry – anything, if it’s done with passion. I quickly discovered that while the pieces of art in the museum of modern art were done with passion, I certainly could not appreciate it.

Maybe it was the piece where a projector displayed images of overweight women trying to use a bidet, unsuccessfully from behind. Or maybe a large piece of stark white canvas, completely blank that was appropriately named “Elephant Wall”. While there were a few exhibits I found amusing, like the work of Gordon Matta-Clark who, according to Wikipedia “is famous for his ‘building cuts,’ a series of works in abandoned buildings in which he variously removed sections of floors, ceilings, and walls” mostly it was just ODD.

Our next venture was to visit our first of the Gaudi sites, Casa Milà or La Pedrera. This was one of the apartment buildings that Gaudi designed and was finished in 1912. The tour included the underground catacombs, an apartment and of course the famous rooftop, which is known for it’s iconic ventilation towers.

Building Exterior

Rooftop

Ventilation Towers

Our last day in Barcelona we visited Gaudi’s most famous architectural masterpiece, which oddly enough still isn’t finished. Construction on Sagrada Família began in 1883 and was still being worked on the day we visited. This structure is simply to big for words. Actually it’s too ornate, over-the-top and strikingly beautiful for words. My suggestion is that you fly to Barcelona someday and set your sights on this cathedral.

The rest of the day was spent shopping. Barcelona has seriously amazing shopping. H&M and Zara were sprinkled over every corner and interesting boutiquey shops lined all the little side streets. Megan and I were most impressed by the large amount of shoe stores and how cheap the shoes were. I scored these little pups no problem.

The next day we packed up nice and early in order to catch a plane to Marseilles, France! However, now that carpal tunnel is setting in I must leave you. Check back for my re-cap of France and the big news!

Material-Ish Girl

May 5, 2012May 9, 20135 Comments

Hey yo.

What? It was crazy hair day and I aim to please.

As the title suggests, I can be somewhat of a material girl. Despite my humble paychecks and sporadic trips to Kmart, I relish for luxury. I think my passion for nice things began as a young child when I refused to wear pleated jeans and instead wore fashion-forward stirrup pants like errday. Growing up, I gladly partook in all the hot trends. Over-sized Stussy shirts, Vans, Overalls, Body-Suits (puh-lease tell me you wore these too) and of course a wide array of scrunchies.

In high school I was a victim to butterfly flips, sparkly Abercrombie shirts, bucket hats from the Gap, platform flip-flops and, dare I say it? L.E.I jeans. The horror! And the sad part? I always craved more. My Adidas jacket (in hunter green) was never enough because what I really wanted was a Hypercolor sweatshirt. My Sketchers lived in the shadow of the coveted Doc Marten. Basically I wanted everything Mandy Moore had in the “Candy” music video, including her VW Bug, boyfriend AND bad-ass Walkman.

Oh, and please watch the music video if you have the time by clicking here.

While my tastes have changes a tad since those days, my drive to shop for, look at and basically pine over things has not. Last Saturday one of my favorite places to shop here in Jackson Hole, was having a grand sale. From 10 am-12 pm the Jackson Bootlegger offered customers 30% off everything in the store, including sale items. I arrived at 10 am on the nose and the place was packed with people. My goal going in was to find a cute pair of comfy shoes for Europe and also a crossbody purse. After trying on a few pairs of the new Toms and inquiring about a few others, I decided shoes just weren’t in the cards. Although the Toms were cute, they wouldn’t be too versatile and I already own a pair in turquoise that I thrifted.

I really wanted these babies, but alas, they only had them in 7’s.

It was then that I remembered they sell Hobo products so I made a beeline for the case of wallets. I fished out these two and sent the picture to my sister. When she alerted me that the flowered one looked “cheap” I wisely went with the black.

I also walked out with this crossbody purse which has really cute lining and loads of little pockets inside.

After nearly 2 hours of fighting the crowd for sizing, waiting in a 30 minute line and sending my sister a million pictures I had two items I was really jazzed about. And for less than the cost of the wallet at normal price. SCORE!

While I am happy with my new purchases, I often find myself spending ~~hours~~ a teensy amount of time online pining over well, more things. This girl, this girl and this girl all have it going on. I’ll be on Rue LaLa trying to convince myself that I need to spend $99 for an amazing maxi dress that is marked down from $349. That $239 for a cute pair of Marni trousers on Gilt is a steal. Or that I cannot live without a $250 Chanluu bracelet.

Is this true? Absolutely not.

So I hike up my red skinnies from TJ Maxx. I throw on the Gap jean jacket I’ve had since 9th grade. I hold my head up high.

But not that high, because sock buns are heavy ;-).

A Summery Spring

April 26, 2012Leave a comment

Hey pop tarts!

Even though today is Wednesday, I couldn’t resist writing a post about this past weekend and the cray-cray weather we had up in hurr. True, I’ve lived here a measly two years but from what I can gather, a typical spring day in Jackson Hole usually consists of drab, muddy, semi-cold weather. Sure, we’ll get the occasional 65 degree day where everyone busts out in stark whiteness while ski goggle tans begin to fade, but that is a rarity. Such days are cherished.

Well folks, this past weekend broke the mold. Saturday and Sunday were both in the 70’s! My Hawaiian Tropic tanning oil basically stood at attention.

I woke up Saturday morning and it was gorgeous. Most Saturdays are spent laying in bed with a book for half an hour or so in hopes that Bryan will whip up his delicious pancakes, but not this morning. I sprang out of bed, made myself a bowl of oats and sat on our patio in the DIRECT sun while reading. While Bryan studied (he’s up to about 6-8 hours a day WITH a full-time job) I went to the gym and tried to burn off the ENTIRE humungous plate of pad thai I had hoovered down the night before.

After that it was time for a much needed study break for Bryan. One of our favorite mini-hikes in town is High School Butte. Getting the name because of it’s close proximity to Jackson Hole High School, HS Butte is a quick and easy way to sneak in a small work out while still getting outside. I sound like I’m promoting a new workout. I am not.

I decided to don my new Teva hiking shoes in hopes of breaking them in before Bryan ~~drags~~ takes me on some longer hikes this summer.

At least they have a little pink on them.

Top of High School Butte

On our way down we decided to take a walk on the levy to stretch our legs, skip some rocks, you know – shake things up a bit. After all, it’s neature!

Cowering in Bryan's Shadow

That night we Q’d up some salmon, which was outta this world and then hit the sack.

Sunday we trekked up HS Butte once more, only this day was a little more on the windy side.

Comb Over!

First Wildflowers of Spring!

Then we set out on the inner park road (in Grand Teton National Park) on bike with our pals Josh and Katie. Since I don’t own a bicycle (yet) I borrowed one from Katie. The bike seat needed a small adjustment to accommodate all 6 feet of me and we didn’t have the right tools to make said adjustment. I felt like the giant kid who was trying to ride her little sister’s trike and her knees hit the handle bars. Ha! It wasn’t that bad at all, in fact the bike was a very smooth ride.

We brought along some drinks and made our way to Jenny Lake, which was so incredibly pretty. So pretty in fact, that I forgot to snap a picture. After we got back home, Bryan made burgers and fries while the 4 of us watched The Office on Netflix. Oh Dwight, how I adore you.

Yesterday (Tuesday) was also a beautiful day and we decided to go up the Butte yet again. Only this time, we followed our mini-hike immediately with beers enjoyed al fresco at Cutty’s.

Bud Light + Lime Wedge = Makeshift BLL

Omg, I am sooo Jackson-y.

All Good Things…

April 11, 20122 Comments

…must come to an end.

Namely the 2011-21012 ski season at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. While this momentous occasion can be unpleasant for the 30 or so die-hards who put in 100 days or more this season, we summer lovers couldn’t be happier. And yes, the folks who skied over 100 days this past season do indeed get their name printed in the weekly paper. It’s quite the honor. But perhaps I should back up, because last weekend meant the end for other endeavors besides the mountain.

My bestie Holly’s true love, Matt put in his last shift at Snake River Brewery, or “the pub” for us locals.

Saturday started with an intellectual bang, as Bryan and I studiously claimed a table at the coffeeshop so he could study while I read. After 2 hours of financial equations and hermaphroditic affairs we decided to call it quits in favor of getting a bit of exercise. While Bryan continued to exert his brain, I opted for a 5 mile run on the treadmill. It hurt but as always, I felt amazing afterwards. TWSS. Yep, I went there.

That night we headed to the brew pub to celebrate Matt’s final shift with shotskis and beer shots.

Homeboy is Giving us the Blue Steel

Matt Pouring One of Many Beers

The Brews

For He's a Jolly Good Fellow!

After beers were consumed, pizza was needed. We hit up Pinky G’s which is our all-time favorite late night food spot.

‘Twas delectable. Can you see the glistening grease? I gobbled the entire piece and then we accidentally ordered a stromboli. It made great leftovers the next day, almost as good as leftover Thai.

The next day we awoke and headed out to Jackson Hole Mountain Resort around 9:30 am. After picking up Jeremy, stopping for coffee and parking (for free!) in the ranch lot, I decided to warm up with a walk along the bike path. Confession:

I didn’t really need to “warm up”. In reality, I didn’t want to ski Cody, or Mount Buck or anything else treacherous with Jeremy + Bryan and sitting alone in the cafe with a hot chocolate sounded LAME.

Instead, I happily walked along the bike path to hits from B.O.B, Nicki Minaj and of course, the Biebs. Check out my view.

After a little over 3 miles I toyed with the idea of just callin’ er a day when I remembered that it was closing day at the Village. Ughhh. I told myself, “Two AV laps, finito.” Let me preface this by saying that the weather was super balmy on Sunday. We reached the mid 60’s by 1:30 and the snow was Gnarles Barkley. Bry and I exited the AV chairlift and I saw patches of grass and rocks all over the place. It was almost like the beginning of the Sound of Music, only without Julie.

Look how pretty:

About half way down this run I sortof had a mini-melt down. In my defense, I completely overheated, which caused irritability and involuntary temporary derangement. ITD. It claims the sanity of lots of skiers, I’m sure. So I proceeded to throw down my gloves hockey-style, lean over my poles and claim that this was the worst my legs had ever felt. Bryan suggested we finish the run and go have lunch. I think it was the mention of Diet Coke that really got me through it.

We headed to Nick Wilsons and annihilated a chicken sandwich + fries, gulped delicious DC, then joined the festivities outside.

Costumes were in full swing this year and true to form, anything goes.

Sparkly Blue Onesie? Why yes!

Jesus? Is that you?

It was a fun ski season indeed. A little less snow than last year but hey, weather is unpredictable. Much like what I’ll get from Redbox tomorrow night, or Kris Humphries. So until next ski season, I leave you with this.

SICK.

Lovin’ Every Minute of It

March 30, 2012April 4, 20121 Comment

Well kids, March is officially over. With the closing of this dreary month, I pause to consider all that will be left behind.

For starters, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort will be closing this weekend. Au revior smelly snowboarders. À bientôt long tram lines. With the mountain closing, it means the beginning of what we call off season. From April 8th until approximately June 20th, Jackson Hole Wyoming becomes a ghost town. Businesses close while locals travel the world, leaving Jackson a veritable Hole. Sure, the restaurants do offer great local specials and the weather will show promises of sun but the town loses a little of it’s bustle. So while the snow slowly melts and the tourists quickly fade away I ponder, “What shall I do?!”.

I make plans. I party it up. I make the best of it.

Firstly, Bryan’s parents Mary and Greg came for a visit! When Bry’s parents are here, it’s like we’re on vaca. We always do amazingly fun stuff, eat super delicious food and get a chance to catch up. Jackson had very uncharacteristic weather while they were here and we ended up skiing Sun Valley style (in the sun) but that’s always my favorite. We also got to experience…drumroll…the waffles at Corbet’s Cabin!

J'taime

The three of us ordered one of each variety; strawberry jam, nutella and brown sugar butter. Yes, brown sugar butter.

We had such a blast and I felt sad when they had to go, c’est la vie!

The next weekend was Mountain Fest!

This blessed event takes place towards the close of every ski season and the resort throws one heck of a party. This year, we were treated to the musical stylings of G-Love and Special Sauce. Per tradition, Bryan, Holly, Matt and myself got a hotel room for the night in order to enjoy the night to it’s fullest without the worry of figuring out a DD. We started tailgating around 3:30 with the shotski at the ready.

Boys Bein Boys

Shotski on top of a Van

Oh Haaayy

Excitement

Ski Gloves = Makeshift Coozy

We danced with life. It was très étonnant.

Other happenings? We got Netflix again (we are suckers) and have caught up a little more on The Office. Is it just me or is the show not the same without Michael? Still loved the season, especially when Pam makes up a position for herself. Brilliance.

Groupon Goods (which is available to all) is my new bestie because of course, they don’t offer deals in Jackson hole.

I am reading Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides and am simply loving it.

I can’t stop eating Life cereal.

Oh, and in case you’ve missed all the random Français I’ve been slipping in… I’m going to Europe! I plan on compiling a complete post titled, “AAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh I’m going to Paris!!!” But I thought I’d spare all 20 of you from that for now. Until I know more, know this: I’m going with Nan and Megan (my mom and older sis) to Barcelona and Paris for 2 weeks in June. We will be going to Barcelona and Paris, spending time with my cousin, aunt and uncle while we’re in Barcelona. Paris has been a place I’ve wanted to visit my whole life.

Moi à Paris? C’est Magnifique!

Carnival Cruise Mexico Re-Cap

March 21, 2012March 21, 20126 Comments

Have you heard this song?

I see us on a beach down in Mexico

You can put your feet up

Be my senorita

We ain’t gotta rush

Just take it slow

It’s named after Bryan and I.

Now for the meat…the CRUISE!

Our cruise disembarked out of San Diego on Friday, March 2nd. Since our flight was out of Salt Lake City at 8 am, that meant a 1 am wake-up time for Bryan and I. Crazy? Perhaps. After we made it to SLC and parked our car at a nearby Fairfield Inn, we hopped on the shuttle and easily made our flight to San Diego. Arriving in San Diego was great. We decided to take a bus to the marina because the airport is right next door to the airport. I was on cloud nine because the weather was sunny and there wasn’t a flake of snow in sight. I was actually giggling with excitement.

Guess Bryan was Excited Too

Boarding a cruise ship is really painless. These peeps have it down to a science. According to the website, each passenger is allowed to carry-on a six pack of soda and a bottle of wine. For any cruise virgins out there, soda pop is NOT free on most cruises. The reason? To cut costs? Or maybe because they are the devil, I’m not sure.

As we checked our bags and made our way to the ticketing counter to pick up our nifty “sail and sign” cards, Bryan panicked because he realized we had foolishly left our two bottles of champagne in my suitcase, which was sure to be searched and thus confiscated. We asked the woman behind the ticketing counter if there was a way to save the champagne we so desperately wanted and she assured us it wouldn’t be a problem. We both found her non-nonchalant attitude to be odd, as the website as well as numerous blogs and forums strictly advise against smuggling on any kind of alcohol in a suitcase. But after safely boarding the cruise and checking into our stateroom, we found our bag to be untouched and our champagne safely inside.

Liquid

Our cruise schedule looked like this:

Leave from San Diego
2 days at sea
Manzanillo
Puerto Vallarta
Cabo San Lucas (2 days)
1 day at sea
Ensanada

After saying “Bon Voyage!” to San Diego and toasting with a glass of champagne, we headed down to our room to get ready. Our room was located on the 6th deck, or the “Empress” deck. It was so nice that Carnival named the whole floor after me!

And this is when I began to feel it.

……sway……sway……

Yes, contrary to popular belief cruise liners DO sway. Even the big ones like the Carnival Spirit. Even now, more than week after being on land I still sometimes feel like I’m still at sea. Especially when I’m on the treadmill, go figure.

We opted for the late dinner at 8:15 and were ushered to our table in the Empire dining room which was a 6 top. We were so happy to discover that our table mates were four of the most awesome people you could ask for. Each night in the dining room was such a pleasure getting to know Justin, Katie, Jeremy and Amy. If you’re reading – hi guys!! The dinners were always tasty and the kitchen was flexible about making little changes.

Each day we received our Cruisers itinerary which was chalked full of the days happenings. These tri-fold letters reminded me of the little newsletter at my grandmother’s old-folks home. But instead of titles like, “Gertrude Wins at Bingo!” or, “Bus to the Grocery Store Leaves at 10!”. It was “Bean Bag Toss Tournament on the Lido Deck!” and “Musicals Trivia at the Fountain Cafe!”.

And just in case you’re wondering, of course I went to musicals trivia. The woman played a small portion of 20 different Broadway songs and we had to guess which musical it was from. I came in second place next to two woman in their 50’s who obviously were both fellow lovers of musical theater. I actually was a little ticked when I found out the winners received a little trophy. I want a trophy goddammit.

The first days at sea were a little cold with the wind chill but by the afternoon it would warm up enough to lay out on the outer decks. Bryan and I took full advantage of the lounge chairs and I read while he studied to our hearts delight. I brought along this number which I thoroughly enjoyed.

And now I kinda want to be Amish. For real.

It’s no secret that cruise passengers are well-fed. However well-fed is an gross understatement. It’s true, room service is free and available 24 hours per day. And yes, aromas of pizza, ice cream and other deep-fried delights are wafting through the air any time of the day. I’d say about 3/4 of our fellow Spiriters gladly partook in these indulgences and often. Let’s just put it this way, if you are ever feeling bad about your body just go on a cruise…enough said.

That being said, which needed to be said by the way – there is also a plethora of other delicious (and nutritious) eats available as well. I frequented the salad bar nearly every day we weren’t out in port and also had fro-yo. The rotation was only chocolate, vanilla and strawberry but coupled with my kiped boxes of cereal from the breakfast bar and it was better than a trip to Pinkberry!

Our 3rd night at sea, Bry and I went to the “fancy” steakhouse at the top of the ship and had an unforgettable meal. But fancy dinners always require a little pre-funking in the room.

Ay! Champagne!

Bryan wisely decided to wear black and yellow because it was a romantic evening and well, it also commemorates our song.

Black and Yellow Black and Yellow

Stunna Shades on the Balcony

Bryan ordered the ahi for his starter, tenderloin for his entree and chocolate sampler for dessert.

I had the crab cake, surf and turf and the apple galette.

This dinner was incredibly delicious and priced reasonably at $30 per person. Our only complaint (and one that Bryan almost could not get over) was the bellowing voice of the lounge singer from the atrium below, whose songs carried like a bird up to the steakhouse diners. I burst out laughing as soon as we thought his set was over and then he started belting out, “Cause I’m freeeeee! Free Fallin!”. Damn you Tom Petty!

The next day was our first stop in Manzanillo.

Since Bryan and I didn’t book a “shore excursion” through Carnival, we were left to our own vices. So I went out looking for what any normal American gal would want.

Happiness

As we strolled the streets of Manzanillo, Bryan decided it was time for lunch. We decided against any place that was laden with tourists, or was blasting that boom-chick boom-chick polka-style music. True to form, B decided on a complete hole in the wall. Too many Anthony Bourdain episodes I guess. As our server spouted off what I assumed to be the lunch options in Spanish, I was curious to know what Bryan would say. After muttering “pollo” and nodding a few times, it was clear that he had ordered food. When the food came, I stuck to drinking my Coke Light as Bryan sampled the various sauces that were sitting in small plastic bowls on the table. He has the Superman of stomachs.

After lunch, we continued perusing.

Pretty sure the guy in the truck is giving us a half thumbs up. WTF.

Since the hour was easily past noon, we decided it was time for some much needed alcohol. You see, 12:00 is that magical time when drinking becomes classy and appropriate as opposed to trashy. You get it.

Once again, we avoided all the bars that were packed with fellow Carnival Spiriters. We were in Mexico dammit, and we wanted to drink our margaritas without feeling like it was a Friday night at Applebees. That was when we stumbled upon Bar Social. It was quiet, clean and had this kind of old-school charm about it. Bar Social kept the drinks simple and easy – 4 kinds of beer and small handful of tequilas and liquors. We immediately settled into two seats at the bar and ordered “dos cervezas por favor”.

As you can see, the bartender brought over a number of different bites for us to nibble on as well. We had chips and salsa, guac, mahi mahi ceviche, a potato salad and some kind of root vegetable (maybe yucca?).

We continued to sample the different beers.

I liked Corona the best, I think it’s the font.

After taking tequila shots and chatting with a few American couples who lived in Manzanillo we were off to the ship. Goodbye Manzanillo!

After a nice long siesta in the comfort of our stateroom, we made it down to dinner, scored some fro-yo, watched TV then went to bed. Easy peasy.

We woke up in Puerto Vallarta!

Once we had gotten off the ship and safely avoided getting another lame picture taken of us, we decided to walk around the city. Btw, do any other cruise vets despise the whole getting your picture taken a thousand times thing? Each time I just made my poses more and more gangsta and never ONCE did I smile. Jokes on you Carnival.

Obviously, we made an obligatory American visit to Starbucks.

The Classic Gary D. Point

The American in us was also tempted to visit the Chili’s next door for a sizzlin’ entree. But we resisted.

Then we shopped.

Duh.

Sadly the only way I figured to get this home was to wear it, which of course I don’t have a problem with. However Bryan assured me I would be traveling alone.

After we walked around for a million miles it was time for a brew. Grabbing cheap drinks is a snap when you’re on a cruise. Vendors and little bars set up literally right off the boat so it’s easy to get yer drink on and then ~~sloppily~~ slowly make your way back to your room.

Now which place should we choose?

SOLD.

Silliness ensued.

Gangsta

Haggard

Bryan isn't amused

I believe we called it an early night.

The next day we arrived in beautiful Cabo San Lucas!

This will be the one AND only bathing suit shot you'll ever see on this blog so consider yourself lucky.

We made our way down to beach and settled into lounge chairs at the Mango Deck. Since it was spring break for the youngins, Bry and I got to experience all the wonder that well, happens to college kids on spring break. Including but not exclusive to:

A booty shaking contest. Naturally, I raised my hand to be a judge but then I figured out you had to pay. Psh! They should be paying me!

The Winner turned out to be a skinny white girl. REPRESENT.

There was also a beer chugging contest, customers versus employees. The prize was free tequila shots. Guess who won?

When in Rome?

Don’t judge ok? I thought they would hand them out in little shot glasses, but when I got up there it was just me and a bottle.

Feelin It

After while we got hungry and decided to head next door to the Office for lunch. We had steak nachos and our favorite Diablo Blanco cerveza. I thought it was just meh compared to our last time in Mexico.

We crashed early again when we got back on the boat. Maybe there’s a theme going on here?

Our second day in Cabo included a trip to lovers beach. The first water taxi vendor quoted us $15 per person. Then we overheard another group tell a different vendor that he had promised them a rate of $3 per person, each way. Bryan and I made our way over to that guy and literally jumped on his boat. Sucka!

Lovers beach was gorgeous per usual.

When we got back to the marina, Bry decided to grab some lunch while I hit the nearby flea market. Overwhelmed (kinda like when you haven’t been to Forever 21 in a while), I ended up leaving with only a little yellow sundress and was able to meet Bryan at the restaurant.

You can't really see it here, but trust me, I'm wearing it

As we got back on the boat, Bryan said that his throat was a little sore and he had a cough. We ended up taking it easy that night but ended up getting some amazing pictures of the famous Cabo arch as we pulled out of port.

The next day was another full day at sea. This ended up working to our advantage, as Bryan was feeling even worse. Even after taking Day Quil, he still felt sick. Also note that the Day Quil he bought at the Cruise gift shop was $18. So. Effing. Expensive.

We had a little movie/nap/reading fest in our room almost all day. I surfaced for dinner and procured his and hers turkey sandwiches and a few cookies. Then it was lights out in hopes of a healthier next day.

Our next and final stop was Ensenada! Bryan felt a little better and the sun was shining so we decided to go for a walk and buy a nice bottle of sipping tequila for back home. Ensenada isn’t much to look at but it was a beautiful day.

Weird statue

After we purchased said bottle of tequila Bry turned to me and said, “What they hey, how about one more margarita?”. I obliged. We found a nice outdoor table at a Carnival-approved restaurant called Mango Mango and ordered a beer for me and a marg for Bryan.

Bryan with our new bottle of tequila

After our $10 tab came (a little steep for Mexico) we ventured else where. We noticed a sign down the street for a 2 for 1 margarita deal, done and done. Again, Bry ordered the marg and I a beer (didn’t want to chance it with the ice). After a few minutes, a couple of fellow Spiriters sat down across the aisle from us and they ordered a bucket of beers. In Ensenada, a bucket included 10 beers. Their eyes widened in shock and then they happily offered us two of their beers. We ended up joining tables and had great conversation about the trip. A few beers deep and we noticed another couple from the cruise. We invited them over and they also ordered a bucket-o-beers. Well, beers turned into shots and conversation turned into shouted slurs. I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

Started Out Innocently Enough

The Double Fist Rears its Ugly Head

Bryan is Keeping it Cool

We Have Chiclets!!

New Friends!

And the Money Shot

We ended up spending the better part of the day at this bar and when the clock read 3:30 we had to scoot. A quick shuttle ride later and Bryan and I were safely back in our stateroom. We ended up ~~passing out~~ taking a nap until almost 9 o’clock. Thank God for the late night pizza buffet.

The next day we were back in sunny San Diego and one looooong travel day later, back in Jackson. The cruise was awesome and I can’t wait to take another someday (maybe Caribbean?).

When I arrived back at work, I was greeted with this.

Justin Bieber Singing Doll

Viva Mexico!