Travel Tales: Rodanthe, NC

We spent last week in Rodanthe, NC, with C's family for our annual beach trip. It was a really relaxing week, and we had such a nice time. Given all the shark-related incidents lately, I didn't want a whole lot to do with the beach itself (but then, I never really do) but I was perfectly happy to spend my time in the pool and in the air conditioning!

In the past, it's seemed like there have been many more "activities" with the family throughout the week, but this year, with three little ones and two more on the way, there was much more downtime and relaxation. Totally fine by me! A week of decompression was just what the doctor ordered, and we took full advantage of the plan to have no plans.

Mostly, that meant reading (finished this and this), napping, late lunches, puzzles, and floating in the pool. That is my kind of vacation! We stayed at the same house that we stayed at two years ago, and it was kind of funny to be back and see everything the same. We had breakfast two different mornings at one of our favorite local joints, Atlantic Coast Cafe, and of course the whole family went to Top Dog for our annual lunch. Traditions that involve food are my favorite.

As if vacation wasn't enough fun, we celebrated my mother-in-law's birthday while we were there, and I took advantage of the opportunity to make dessert... yellow cake with whipped cream and berries was so refreshing and delicious.

One morning, we went fishing at the Rodanthe Pier. This mostly involved C fishing and me watching, but I did manage to accidentally catch a fish. How is that possible? Well, I was posing with the fishing pole so C could take my picture like I was really doing something... and next thing I know, there was a fish tugging on the line!! NOT how I planned it... oops! C also "caught" a stingray, which was the craziest thing - more like, it was HUGE and it caught him, because it was way stronger than he was! I caught a glimpse of it flying through the water and it was massive. It took his line almost all the way out and then snapped it, and got away with his hooks and anchor and everything else on the line. I've never seen anything like it! That was enough adventure for one day, by far.

Another day, C and I went for a drive and ended up all the way down at Hatteras, so we had lunch at The Billfish, which we discovered last year, and went shopping for some souvenirs. It is always nice to spend a little one-on-one time with just the two of us when we are spending the week in a house with 15 people. We needed some time away! A lunch date was a great way to spend the afternoon.

C and I spent a lot of time with our niece, "practicing" - in fact, C, changed his very first diaper, ever. Makin' moves! We really could not stop looking at each other and thinking / saying, "this time next year, we will have a 7-month-old baby!!" It doesn't seem possible. Crazy to think this was our last summer vacation as the two of us, and that next year we will be a party of three! It will be here before we know it, and vacations will never be the same, will they? At least next year I will be able to enjoy an adult beverage while beaching - this year was a little DRY (puns... ha).

Overall, we had an amazing time, and we capped off our trip with a stop to Morris Farms for farm-fresh tomatoes and peaches, which I've been enjoying for breakfast, lunch, and dinner this year. Really good produce is just that - really good. Such a delicious souvenir to bring home and keep the vacation-vibe going. I loved our trip and the beach is one of my happy places, but I have to admit, sleeping in my own bed on Saturday night sure felt good. There is no place like home!

#NashvilleNYE

Hi! Happy First Monday of 2015.... there is a reason to celebrate every dang day, isn't there?? This Monday was particularly hard to wake up to, due to the whirlwind of activity over the past few weeks. If you read my Christmas Coffee Talk Catch-Up post, you know that the holidays were very busy for us. Well, the fun didn't stop when Christmas was over... because to celebrate NYE and the new year, we headed to Nashville to "party our faces off!" (gotta quote my sister on that one... pretty sure she is right!)

C and I flew to Nashville on Wednesday afternoon (originally scheduled for a flight at noon on the dot, but delayed til almost 2, of course!) and met my sister and brother-in-law, along with four of their friends, for a long weekend in Music City. We. Had. A. Blast.

This might seem like a semi-crazy plan, but C & I had money plane tickets burning a hole in our pockets, and it actually seemed like the perfect opportunity to cash them in. We booked a trip to Nashville in May to celebrate C's birthday, but when my grandmother passed away right after my grandfather, we ended up having to cancel so I could fly to California and be with my mom and our family. Southwest didn't refund our money, but gave us vouchers to use by March. When my sister suggested the Nash-Vegas NYE trip, I looked up prices.... and it turned out to only be $20 more out of pocket to fly down for a long weekend to celebrate the end of 2014! Done and done. The money was already spent, so why the heck not.

We went to the huge block party-type celebration on Broadway in Nashville for NYE, which was... an experience. It was a free concert, headlined by Lady Antebellum, attended by 130,000+ people, in freezing cold temperatures. While we had a good time, I'm not sure it is something I ever want to repeat! (Nor do I want to repeat the hangover that followed the next day... #cantdrinklikethatanymore!)

Thursday and Friday were much more our style - bar-hopping from honky-tonk to honky-tonk, listening to tons of great live bands (and a few not so great) and soaking in the fun and excitement that can only be found in Nashville.

We went to the Gaylord Opryland Hotel one afternoon for a drink and to check out the Christmas lights - talk about an incredible hotel. It is absolutely stunning inside and out, and the Christmas decorations just make it that much more extravagant and gorgeous.

We almost made sure that we ate BBQ at Jack's (a Nashville staple) and spent hours at Tootsie's World Famous Orchid Lounge. We had fried pickles at Rippy's (one of Nat's and my favorites!) and danced at Legends Corner. 

On Saturday, C & I met up with one of my sorority sisters who lives in Nashville, and she took us to brunch at Josephine and then for an amazing driving tour of the "not touristy" parts of Nashville. I loved finally having a chance to see places other than Broadway. I totally failed at getting a picture of the two of us, but I was so grateful and happy that she was willing to spend her Saturday chauffeuring us around and showing us the sites. Love ya, Rachael!

It was such a fun (and exhausting) way to spend a few days - we had a great time, and already can't wait to go back! Nashville is one of our absolute favorite cities, and it will always have a little piece of my heart. 

And now I'm ready for lunch... OBX eats!

Hello, hello! Long time, no chat. My post-vacation mind melt finally seems to be clearing - my brain is starting to work again!

We spent last week down at Cape Hatteras with C's family, enjoying the annual family beach trip. We had so much fun, and spent plenty of time relaxing, eating, and soaking up sun (on the days when it wasn't pouring rain!). It is always a treat to be able to take some time away and disconnect from real life. On the other hand, it sure is hard to come back and get the gears turning again! So I'm slowly getting everything going again and returning to real life.

Since we all know that most of my daily life revolves around food (when is lunch?), you can only imagine how much I enjoy indulging while on vacation. C's family is great about cooking meals all week while we are at the beach, but we do take some time to enjoy local restaurants, too. In fact, one of the things that C and I like BEST about vacationing in the OBX area is the endless supply of non-chain restaurants - there is always something new to try, and we've discovered some time-tested favorites, as well. We get such a kick out of trying local joints and hole-in-the-wall places - you'd be amazed at the local treasures that get discovered when we make a wrong turn or randomly decide to walk into a new place for a drink.

In case any of my darling readers ever find themselves in the Hatteras area, I thought I'd share a little bit about three local places we ate at last week and loved. Maybe you'll get a chance to go there, too!

Billfish Bar & Grill

We went to the Billfish on a whim on a rainy afternoon for lunch - we were driving around with C's parents looking for somewhere to eat, and C said "turn here!" without really knowing where we were. As it turned out, it was perfect!

When we walked in around noon, we were one of just a few tables with patrons - but as we ate, we noticed that the place was getting totally packed. By the time we were done with lunch, just about every table was full!

The food was delicious, the waitress was sweet, and the beer was cold. For lunch, I went with that day's special: fish and chips, made with freshly-caught local cod. It was fantastic! A light, flaky beer batter coating a big filet of fish (without being way too much), crispy fries, and a side of homemade coleslaw. I ate every bite! Had we had a chance to get out for lunch again, we wouldn't have hesitated to eat here twice.

Top Dog Cafe

You might remember me mentioning Top Dog before... this was not our first time there. Lunch at Top Dog is one of our family traditions - it's a must! The burgers speak for themselves, of course, but the rest of the menu is pretty amazing, too. Top Dog is super casual and beachy, with plastic tables and chairs and Corona buckets on the table full of condiments and spare napkins. It's really a no-nonsense place, too, which I like - they don't do special orders, they don't do substitutions... just order something and enjoy it. And we do!

This is our 4th picture like this! Creatures of habit.

The trek to this cafe was a bit longer for us this year since we were further down the coast, but no one batted an eye when we said we still had to go. I remembered salivating over the fish tacos when someone else ordered them last year, so that's what I went with this year!

Huge pieces of Mahi are wrapped in soft flour tortillas, then topped with cool, crunchy, diced cabbage and warm, melty cheddar. A side of pico de gallo adds some freshness, and the key lime sauce that comes on the side is killer. My mouth is watering at this very moment. Dang!

Breakwater Restaurant

C & I went to Breakwater for our date night, and it was a very pleasant surprise! We had no idea what to expect, but it was a really nice location for a date. We were seated at a table on their back deck, and enjoyed dinner while watching the sun go down over the sound. It was gorgeous!

The food was great, too. (no food pictures here - it was date night, after all! Phones away :) )We splurged a bit - we had drinks and an appetizer (the Firecracker Shrimp, which we delicious, but I could have used a little less sauce), and then ordered our entrees. C went with the Filet Oscar, and was delighted to find that it came topped with a ton of crab meat and then a béarnaise sauce, rather than a sauce with a little crab in it like he's had before (does that make sense?).

I had the Catch of the Day - Snapper, which I ordered blackened (yum). I really, really wanted to try their homemade Key lime pie for dessert, but couldn't have eaten another bite if you'd paid me. We always cherish our date night while on vacation, and Breakwater was a fantastic location for some alone time. We recommended it to the rest of the family, too!

Now that I've officially made myself hungry AND sad that we are no longer on vacation... hope you enjoyed reading about some of the places we ate last week! My seafood-loving-self was in heaven. I definitely took full advantage of the local offerings - and loved every minute of it.

So tell me...

• Have you been to Hatteras or the Outer Banks? Have you tried any of these restaurants?
• Do you cook on vacation, or go out to eat for every meal?
• Do you stay safe with chain restaurants, or experiment with local joints?

Five for Friday: Travel Edition

I have traveling on the brain! C and I are in the process of applying for passports, and I'm determined to get us out of the country this year for a trip. We've been dreaming / talking about a trip to Europe since we first started dating, and I think this is the year we make that first adventure happen. In honor of that, this Five for Friday features the top 5 destinations I'd jump on a plane to this minute if someone told me it was possible. Where would you go??

1. Germany

I'd love to show C the town where I was born, and the thought of having an authentic schnitzel, in Germany, has my mouth watering. Seriously!

2. London

I have a minor love-affair with all things London - so of course this ranks high on my "places I'd love to jet-set to" list. The history absolutely fascinates me, and I'd never run out of things to see and do!

3. Greece

Enough said, right?? Greece has always been on my list of places to go. I can't get over how breath-takingly gorgeous it is.

4. Ireland

Ever since seeing the movie PS I Love You (watch immediately; so good!!), I've been craving an adventure to the Irish countryside. Everything is always exactly as it's portrayed in the movies, right?? I've got to go!

5. Sri Lanka

A bit random, sure, but just look at that - the beaches in Sri Lanka look incredible. Plus, it has tons of history, so if I wasn't lounging in an oceanside villa, I could explore and get my education in, too. Great combination!

Alright, who's with me? Let's go jump on a plane - destination: anywhere.

All images from Google Image search.

Travel Tales: Jockey's Ridge

Well hey there. I went on vacation, and apparently lost my blogging mo-jo. It's quite sad. However, I'm determined to find it again.... so what you get in the mean time is a lot of pictures. Because a picture's worth a thousand words... so this post is worth about a million. YEAH.

C's family has taken a summer trip to the Outer Banks for many years, and have been sweet enough to let me tag along ever since that very first summer we were dating (cue awwws). Now that I'm officially part of the family, I guess it's my trip, too... Added perk of marriage! Hooray! Anyway. The trip usually happens in August, but this year we weren't able to go then due to various family circumstances (mostly C's sweet cousin, who was our wedding photographer, was due to give birth the very week of the beach trip!) - but my mother-in-law was determined that we would get down to OBX anyway, and so she planned a trip for October! It was a much different experience to see the beach in the fall instead of the dog-days of summer, but we still had a blast. We were able to do lots of different things that C & I normally skip in the summer because it's just too dang hot. For example - we checked out the dunes!

I haven't been to Jockey's Ridge State Park since I was there with my family when I was much younger, so this was a fun experience. The dunes are such an amazing act of nature - and standing at the top of them provides incredible views. We hiked around for a while and climbed to the top, then ran all the way down as fast as we could (yes, we are children). It was super windy that day, and the sand was flying everywhere. I couldn't help but think that the dunes were changing shape that very moment, right as we stood there. This little side trip was so much fun!



A bit wind-blown...



After leaving Jockey's Ridge, we went to the Outer Banks Brewing Station for a semi-date - just beers and appetizers while we watched part of the O's game. OBBS was recommended to me by a co-worker, and it's America's first wind-powered brewery! They had six beers on tap, five made in-house and one "guest beer." My favorite was the Lemon Grass Wheat Ale. It had such a distinct flavor, but was still wheaty enough for my tastes. We ordered crab dip since I was craving it, and also tried the appetizer that the bartender recommended: shredded beef taquitos. They seemed a bit out of place on the menu, but they were delicious! I especially loved the micro greens and the herb oil drizzled on the plate. The rest of the menu looked delicious, too. I think we will definitely have to make a trip there again sometime for lunch or dinner.

And because I just can't help myself...

Nothing better than cartwheeling down the beach.

Travel Tales: OBX!

The past few days have been gloomy, at best, with pouring rain and thunderstorms and cloudy skies... and I'm not complaining, because a cloudy day at the beach is better than the sunniest day in the office, but still... vacation is more fun when the sun comes out!

The sun finally broke through this afternoon, so we took advantage of the beautiful weather and headed to the Currituck Beach Lighthouse. We followed that adventure with a wine-tasting festival at the historic Whalehead Club - I'm almost positive this was heaven on earth. Really, though. Take a look at the pictures, and try to argue.

Bay-side

My sister-in-law and me! Love this picture :)

The wall is thicker than I am tall at this point...

Wine-tasting, at the beach, on a gorgeous October afternoon... perfection.

Top of the lighthouse!