Beauty Heals And Gives Us Wings
Back in 2013, I took my first trip to Texas. I visited my former in-laws nearby Houston, and then we went to Crowley, LA for the Rice Festival. I wish I had taken more photos, but I never knew that I’d be adding these photos to a blog post one day. I also didn’t know that I would be divorced and traveling to Texas would no longer be a normal occurrence. However, the time was fun, and I look back fondly on this trip. I’m happy to share the photos that I have. Enjoy!
Laissez les bons temps rouler! (Let the good times roll!)
I went to New Orleans in 2011, a few weeks after I got married. So, this trip was almost like a honeymoon, though we had an official honeymoon trip several months later.
I fell in love with the Big Easy, and I hope to return within the next year or so. However, I’ll be sure to visit during the cooler months: the summertime is unbearable hot! In any case, here are some of the pictures I snapped during my trip. Enjoy!
I loved seeing the street names in the sidewalk
A souvenir shop on Canal
Fun in the French Quarter
I wish I had a chance to go into Harrah’s, but we were having way too much fun taking in all of the sights
As I look through my photos, I realize this post really needs a Part 2. So look out for some additional New Orleans pictures soon.
Have you ever been to New Orleans? I’d love to hear all about it. Have a great Thursday!
While quarantined, I haven’t been enjoying takeout as much as I used to. However, I still enjoy trying new foods, especially snacks. So when I saw this food that combines two of my favorite snacks – spring rolls and Thai mango and sticky rice – I couldn’t resist. I had to try it!
Mama Wu Mango & Sticky Rice Spring Rolls were easy to prepare. The rolls had a crispy exterior after baking, and I was excited at how the texture of the baked spring roll was similar to a fried roll. I was concerned that the roll would be a tad bit soggy, but it was crispy, crunchy and delicious.
A perfectly crisp spring roll
Now, when it comes to the filling . . . Let me qualify this by saying I’ve had many different mango and sticky rice desserts. I’ve eaten at over a dozen different Thai restaurants in different cities and I usually have my mango and sticky rice at each one. So, I feel really comfortable saying that I know what the dessert should taste like. This interior was not as tasty as I’d hoped. It was especially chewy, and the mango flavoring wasn’t as prominent as I’d like. So the filling wasn’t as delightful as the exterior, unfortunately.
The interior wasn’t as tasty as I hoped
Here’s the rub: I was looking forward to the filling more than the outside, yet the outside was the best part of the snack. But, I don’t think that this product is a complete fail: in fact, I can think of a few ways that it can be improved. First, the company should tinker with the rice recipe to see how to prevent the rice from getting too “tough” when baking. Also, a little more mango would be wonderful. Finally, this needs COCONUT SAUCE! These rolls practically begged to be dipped into a creamy, sweetened coconut sauce to amp up the flavor and to add a contrast to the crisp exterior.
Would I try this again? Sure, especially if I had my own coconut sauce (or if the company started including sauce with the rolls). I’d be sure to have some additional mango to accompany these rolls, too.
Have any of you tried these before? Or, do you have another Thai dessert that you prefer? Let me know all about it in the comments below!
Nearly five years ago, I took my first trip to California. I went to San Diego for a tax workshop. I was just reminiscing about how much I loved Cali and how beautiful San Diego was, when I decided, why not share a few #throwbackthursdaytravel pics from my first California trip?
I stayed for a week at the Town & Country which was lovely and picturesque. It was a delightful hotel and I’d certainly be willing to stay there again.
Touching down in San Diego
Posting outside of my room
A statue on the hotel grounds
The most perfect roses I’ve ever seen
The bed in my cozy little room
I got a gorgeous tan in under an hour. I was thrilled!
A view from the room
I returned to San Diego in 2019, though I didn’t say in SD proper. Instead, I went to a neighboring city to have a girl’s getaway with one of my friends. It was a fantastic break from my regular routine. I’ll post it about that trip in a future #throwbackthursdaytravel post.
Have you been to San Diego? How did you enjoy it? Let me know all about it in the comments below. Take care!
Since we’re all stuck in the house for the indefinite future, I figured this would be a great time to explore some of the curiosities I’ve had for a while. One of those curiosities involves those neat little fizzy bath bombs. I knew that these were frighteningly simple to make, but I’ve never had the ingredients to make my own. Until now.
First, I looked up some basic recipes to see which ingredients and tools I need. I’m using this recipe from Our Oily House as a guide, because it has great reviews and looked simple enough. I went ahead and invested in a few supplies so that I can start making my own bath bombs at home. I went to Amazon and picked up a mold:
I ordered some epsom salt as well, but then I found a more affordable salt at a local store, so I’ll be returning that to Amazon this week. I already had baking soda, essential oils, cornstarch, and coconut oil, so once the rest of my order is received, I’ll be ready to experiment.
I can’t wait to share my fizzy goodies with you all! I’m so excited to try this!
(post features affiliate links)
I know for a fact that most of us that have permanent cases of wanderlust are seriously missing our ability to travel freely. While we are all (hopefully!) doing our part to flatten the curve, it doesn’t mean that we’re not looking forward to planning our next trip once things are a little more amenable to travel. Until we can look forward, we can always look back, hence
Throwback Travel Thursdays!
I’ll try to post throwback pictures from previous travel in these posts, just to keep things light and fun, and to remind us: we’ll be able to resume our lives soon. Just hang on, friends!
I’ll be sharing some photos from the cruise I took in 2018. I’ll also add links to my cruises posts here. Enjoy!
Fall Vacation Part 1 – Cruise Overview;Â Cruise 2018: Ports of Call; Cruise 2018: Dining on the Sea
Beautiful Cozumel
My first time in Roatan, Honduras
I miss cruise dining!
While I haven’t personally driven a long distance since late 2018, I still travel via plane, train or as an automobile passenger. A few months ago, my family visited Raleigh, NC, so I tagged along. One of the days while we were there, we got a chance to tour the North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA). I mentioned NCMA before (back when I toured the sculpture garden) but the last time I was there, I didn’t have enough time to tour the inside of the museum. I was delighted that I finally got a chance to see some of the artwork housed at NCMA!
Exterior of the museum
I had a great time checking out the contemporary art, and I finally got to see Amy Sherlad’s award-winning painting, Miss Everything. You all may remember how much I love Amy Sherald’s work: I’m always excited when I can see one of her paintings in person.
I also got to see some pieces from artists I’d never known before. I love how I always learn something new when I go to a museum!
Gerhard Richter’s Station (577-2)Â (1985)
Sean Scully, Wall of Light Peru (2000)
Skunder (Alexander) Boghassian, Night Flight of Dread and Delight (1964)
One of my favorites referenced the three graces, some of my favorite mythological beings. These goddesses rule realms such as charm and elegance (some of my favorite topics!). Three Graces, Les Trois Femmes Noires, by Mickalene Thomas, was a show-stopping piece that was both grand in size and impression it left upon me. It was probably my favorite of this trip.
Three Graces: Les Trois Femmes Noires (2011) Mickalene Thomas
Those are my highlights from my most recent trip to NCMA! I hope you enjoyed it, and I’m looking forward to returning and taking some more pics for you. Take care!
a
Happy Monday friends! If you reside anywhere in the Mid-Atlantic region, you may be digging yourself out of the snow that fell over the weekend. Here in central Virginia, we didn’t get that much snow: we did however get a good amount of slushy rain. We are expecting some more snow and ice in the upcoming days, so stay warm and dry if you can!
With all of this cold, wintry weather, it’s only natural that I might look back on some warmer days. Specifically, I’m thinking about my last vacation to the Caribbean. If you all recall, I went on a Caribbean cruise with Royal Caribbean. I posted about the ship itself, and I also wrote about the exquisite cuisine that I enjoyed on board. The ports of call for this cruise were Nassau, Bahamas; Cozumel, Mexico; Roatan, Honduras; and Costa Maya, Mexico. I’ve been to most of these ports before ( Honduras being the only exception), so I was already familiar with the locations. That being said, I still enjoyed being somewhere warm and sunny for a change.
I don’t have much to say about the locations: because I only spent a few hours at each port of call, it’s hard to distinguish between them. As a result, this post will be mostly pictures. I always get so excited to see the beauty of the Caribbean. The crystal clear water, the striking buildings, the unrelenting sunshine … There’s nothing quite like an
island vacation. Enjoy!
Ship in Nassau
Views from Cozumel
Sights in Roatan
Costa Maya views
More Costa Maya
I love New Year’s Day! It’s my favorite holiday because it’s symbolic of new beginnings and innumerable opportunities. There’s nothing quite as exciting as looking out and seeing a limitless horizon: that’s what every New Year’s Day feels like to me.
I’m filling in the first few weeks of January in my new planner, starting my organization challenge, and catching up with friends today. I hope you take the time to envision all of the fantastic things you want to experience in 2019 and then set your intention to have a year that exceeds your wildest dreams.
Thanks for an incredible 2018, and I can’t wait to journey through 2019 with you all! Take care, and I’ll talk to you all tomorrow!
Happy Black Friday, friends! If you were able to spend time with your family and friends yesterday (on Thanksgiving), consider yourself very fortunate. I was able to visit one of my good friends, and I think it did us both a lot of good to share some time with one another.
Today, however, is Black Friday, the only day of the year where people are expected to act insane while trying to save a little money. I used to work in retail many years ago, and I worked several Black Fridays in a row (5 years straight, to be exact) and I haven’t physically gone out on Black Friday since then. I really lost my taste for shopping on this day, after I saw how wretched some people acted over “stuff”.
Don’t get me wrong: I like “stuff” as much as the next person. But I always found the Black Friday riots to be degrading and, to be frank, truly asinine. I never wanted my face to be caught up in that foolishness when the media covers the brawls and stampedes happening at big box retailers.
Instead, I’ll peruse the sales at home and if I see something that I truly want, I’ll purchase it online. As an introvert, buying from home saves me the hassle of forced human interaction but also reduces some of the visual stimuli that can overwhelm me when I’m in disorganized, overcrowded stores. Today, I saw that some of my favorite retailers – White House Black Market, Black Halo, and Macys – are all running some pretty great sales this Black Friday. Even if you (like me) aren’t keen to interact with the crowds, this is a good time to purchase something that has been on your list for a while.
If you find some awesome deals, let me know in the comments below. Or, if you find that you just can’t hang with the Black Friday crowd, I’d love to hear all about it. Enjoy your day, and happy shopping!
Bronze Butterfly 