Our Honeymoon, Part II

We've been a little busy settling in and catching up with work since we returned. We apologize for the delay in posting this - it's our one month anniversary today!

Day Three
This was by far our favorite day. We had booked a tour with Big Blue Unlimited, an eco-friendly tour company, for a full day. We started off at Nikki Beach and met the other couple on the tour. We were really pleased that the small tour size was true! The other couple was from French Canada and didn't speak a lot of English.

We took our powerboat through the south flats to North Caicos because of the rough weather. The south flats are amazingly shallow and beautiful. We stopped at a shell sanctuary on one of the Cays and searched for shells. It wasn't difficult. Our new friends found a giant sea biscuit - bigger than our hands. Robert found colorful coral and a conch shell. After that we jumped back in our boat and headed out to sea. We found a reef to snorkel at on the barrier reef. The water was extremely rough for snorkeling but we decided to give it a try. I think because it was so cold, most of the wildlife was more in shore but we did see some amazing fish and coral.

After that we took the boat to North Caicos and jumped in a cab with our tour guide Cardi and our cab driver Arthur Robinson. Both are locals so they had a million great stories and tons of knowledge on the islands. First we went to Wade's Green Plantation and did a walking tour. Cardi told us about every tree and plant and their medicinal properties. No need for doctors in these islands. He also told us about how a UCLA professor came in one year and mislabeled every building on the property. Case in point: he said what was a church was really slave quarters. I don't see how this professor would've missed this church...the architecture is obvious and there is no way it could have fit 400 slaves. That's what the hundreds of small huts further out on the property were for. I digress...

After the great tour we drove to Kew, a tiny town where Cardi is from. We stopped and had lunch at a locals house. It was delicious. Robert was given a can of watermelon soda with a very offensive picture on it. You'll have to check out our pictures on Facebook to see that one.

After lunch we were all tired...battling waves + walking + a huge lunch = exhaustion. We stopped at the flamingo ponds and checked out flamingos in their native habitats. Amazingly beautiful. After that it was time for a "long" drive to Middle Caicos to check out the caves and Mujudin Harbor. Everyone fell asleep except for me. I asked so many questions about the islands. We crossed a bridge between the islands that was only 2 years old. It was nearly destroyed in Hurricane Ike and has not been repaired. It was definitely an interesting little ride. Not to worry though, the water around us was so shallow, you could walk from island to island. That's what the used to do before the bridge.

The limestone caves were amazing. They stretch 3 miles across the island and cave divers are just now starting to explore them. The Arawak Indians used them as shelter long ago. Our cab driver was once the caretaker of the caves and actually named some of the cave rooms. I very hesitantly asked what the "Butcher Room" was and if we were going there. We weren't and it's where the bats feast. Yikes. Robert found the caves to be the most boring thing we did all day. I think he was just tired.

After that we drove to Arthur's home town and stopped at his house. He had to pick up some cracked conch and sopadilla fruit. The great thing about these islands is that you can find fruit growing everywhere...bananas, pineapple, etc. He shared the sopadillas with us and they were delicious. They look like a kiwi...you eat the skin...but taste like a carmalized pear. Amazingly sweet.

After that we went to Mudjin Harbor, a very secluded beach that is one of the most beautiful in the world. I totally agree with that statement. You can look at our pictures but they do not capture the true beauty of this beach.

That night we were totally exhausted but we decided to go to dinner at Parallel 23, the restaurant at our hotel. This restaurant is fancy (think $300/couple) and outside. We picked the perfect night because they had live entertainment by an awesome couple who played our first dance song. We also got a table right up front. I think we both agree that hands down this was the best meal and atmosphere the entire trip.

Day Four
Robert's wedding gift from me was photos. Not just any photos...I hired a photographer from TCI who has shot footage for Shark Week and is known all over the world for his work. He picked us up with a videographer, Preston, and we went all over the island having a blast and shooting photos. One hilarious moment was when we had to change clothes and had to find a bush. We were definitely seen by some unsuspecting beach goers. Ooops. We should be getting all of the photos in the next week or so and we're excited to post them for everyone.

We spent the afternoon checking out the shopping scene, which was lame. This island is so untouristy that there aren't any tourist shops around. Our hotel had two shops...one moderately priced with polos and kids wear. The other had the cutest men and women's beach wear. Until I looked at a price tag. $500 for a cover up. No thanks. Needless to say, we didn't come back with many souvenirs.

That night we went to restaurant (the name escapes me) that looked really casual. The food, however, was not. We were given complimentary champagne and had yet another amazing meal. I ordered chicken pad thai...the french version...and it was probably the best pad thai I've ever had. I also ordered the creme brulee. My favorite dessert. Not just any creme brulee though - chocolate creme brulee. Heavenly.

Day Five
Our final day in TCI. The weather finally turned around and we had some sun. We went straight for the beach and took over a pod. We ordered lunch from our waiter and it was served in bento boxes. Robert almost had a heart attack when he got the bill but it was so worth it. What beach lunch comes with an entree, salad, fruit and dessert?! The sun felt so good and I'm glad we got to enjoy it...who knew we'd have rain almost every day when we returned?

We ordered room service that night so we could pack and watch movies. We had a 7 a.m. flight so it was going to be an early morning.

Day Six
This was the day from hell. We woke up at 4 a.m....were the first at the airport. Yes, we beat the employees. Watched random people walk into the secure area when no one was watching. Disturbing. Got called to a back room with two-way glass and had my things searched. Was sent back through the luggage handling area unescorted and unscreened. Again, disturbing.

Took a near empty flight to Miami and spent the rest of the morning trying to haggle for an earlier, direct flight back to DFW. Our agent finally found us something at 5 p.m. Hallelujah! Spent the rest of the day sitting in the stench of the Miami airport wishing we were home. Finally, at 8 p.m., we arrived back at DFW, only to find that our bags had been sent to a whole other terminal and were in storage. Nice.

The honeymoon was over but it was so great to be back and to see our puppies and families.

Youth is like a diamond in the sun...

My week in paradise was nice but now it is back to the daily grind and the final countdown to the wedding.

My third trip to the British Virgin Islands was a blast, as always. We took out a catamaran again and did some good old sailing around the islands, visiting familiar and unfamiliar beaches. We saw a ton of wildlife this time of year…everything from starfish to Hawksbill turtles, mongoose (mongeese?), dolphins, stingrays and more.



Mom is getting to know more and more local people and it’s always fun hanging out with new friends. De Loose Mongoose prepared a Thanksgiving dinner for us complete with turkey shipped in. Not too bad for a “cold” holiday. I love going back and I hope I’ll have more chances to return in the future.

It was difficult coming back to a fresh cold front and rain. Even more difficult is the huge list of things to get done before the end of December for work, the wedding and the holidays.

I have to say, I am looking forward to our honeymoon where we’ll be able to relax, have a few adventures and decompress after all of this madness. I'm also looking forward to what next year will bring...we have a few things in store already!

Gone Sailin'

Gone sailing in the British Virgin Islands until December! :)

Around the lake tonight...

We decided to take a camping trip to Possum Kingdom Lake State Park (PK) this weekend with Courtney, Kevin and Elisha. (Their dog, Lincoln, joined us too. Molly and Jack lounged at the pet resort for the weekend.)

The trip started on Friday night after work. We loaded up the 4runner and the FJ and headed for a quick dinner stop and then off to PK. Lucky for us, Kevin had driven out earlier in the day and staked out the best camp site for us. When I say best, I'm not kidding. The site was huge and it overlooked the lake. It even included a big outcropping of rocks you could climb down to the lake.

We arrived well into the night and had fun putting all three tents together and getting a fire started. The stars were amazing that night - I think I saw as many stars there as I see in the British Virgin Islands when out on the boat. Just so you know how far out we were....the nearest grocery store was 40 miles away. That night was freezing. But we froze in comfort on our air mattress :)

The next day we woke up and made a yummy breakfast...egg taquitos, pancakes, fruit, etc....we definitely ate well on this trip thanks to our giant deer cooler and the favorable temperatures.

I took a towel down to the lake and laid it on one of the big flat rocks and read my book for a while. So relaxing. I felt like I was the only one in the world. We went on a trail hike and eventually found a very awesome overlook that had a great view of everything. We found a skeleton of something on this hike...definitely a small animal. And we picked up some sticks for our s'mores.

It really warmed up on Saturday (into the 80's) and the weather was perfect. That evening Robert spent a few hours trying to make fire the primitive way. Kevin made a roaring fire the modern way. That fire was so warm and the weather was so perfect that we all began stripping off our layers that night. Absolutely perfect. It only really started to get cold well into Sunday morning.

This trip was so much fun and it was a much needed break from everything that has been going on lately. Now we just need to figure out where our next camping trip will be!

And....GO!

Whoops! I said we'd be back in August and it has flown by. Let's recap the past month or so...

In late July, I went back to the U.S. and British Virgin Islands with my friends Ashleigh and Stacey and my mom. We had a fabulous week visiting beaches and making new friends. Ashleigh definitely made the most new friends.

we travel as "the cupcakes."

Our trip to Anegada gave us fabulous sun...

All of us had great tans by the end of the trip!

And I get to go back to the BVI for Thanksgiving. Another girls trip! I'm loving the vacation this year.


The day after we got back, we went to Candice's baby shower. She's having a little girl later this month. Candice is so cute!

Later that week we went with a big group to Babe's in Burleson. If you know Babe's, you know it's an awesome place to eat. But to make it even better, Stacey and Russ were revealing the sex of their baby! It was so creative...they had the sonogram technician seal the result in an envelope. They gave it to the waitresses and said if it's a boy to put the biscuits down first and if it's a girl, the salad.

Drum roll please...it's a boy! I know everyone is excited to meet baby Jason around Christmas Eve! Now we're busy planning Stacey's baby shower.

Robert finished his summer finals around the time we got back from our trip. He just started his last semester. It's so exciting that he'll be done with his masters right before Christmas!

For Labor Day, we had planned a camping trip to Lake Ouachita in Arkansas with Kevin and Elisha. The last week provided a little drama and we didn't get to go. Jack got a hold of a safety pin from one of my dry cleaning tags and swallowed it - open - unbeknownst to us. He threw up for three days straight and and wouldn't eat so I took him to the vet. I thought he maybe had a stomach bug and I'd be laying out hundreds of dollars without ever finding out what was wrong. I was wrong! After an x-ray, Jack was rushed into emergency surgery to remove the safety pin, which had traveled down to his intestines.

It was terrifying. All I could think was, "what if he doesn't make it through the surgery?" He made it through like a trooper! The pin had preforated in three places but only tiny spots. The doctor was able to remove the pin and give him stitches. We couldn't go camping because someone needed to be with him the first few days all the time. He has to wear a c collar for at least 7 days and is taking 5 different types of medicine. He's doing really well and even though we were bummed about the camping trip, we're just glad we still have Jack! And our $2,000 safety pin.

I've taken advantage of all of this downtime this weekend to catch up on a few things. I've been organizing stuff in our house. We're down to the details on wedding planning now so it's been nice to get a few things squared away. Today we were trying to decide honeymoon things. Quite possibly an entire year of celebrating!

And I think that brings everything back up to speed...for now.

See ya!

Be back in August :)

hellogoodbye

Hello blog. It's been a while. I've been a really bad blog friend.

When life "happens" sometimes the blog gets pushed to the back burner. I'm back. Just today.

Here's a quick update: Lemonblueberrysprinklesaregood. Annualreviewwasspectacular. Holidayweekendwastiring.

Wedding planning is coming along slowly. Last week I booked our photographer and hair and makeup. We're still bridesmaid dress searching. I have a lot of other vendors lined up and ready to go once the bridesmaid dress color is finalized.

In other awesome news...Ashleigh, Stacey and I are going to the British Virgin Islands in 19 days. I am SO excited.

I think that's it for today. I'll try to visit again soon.

Eat dessert first.

I have been totally remiss on my posting lately. With good reason. Robert has had a short break from classes in between semesters and tonight he starts his summer session in the B-School. Getting those electives out of the way for graduation in December - yay!

To recap - we took a very quick trip to OKC over Memorial Day weekend on behalf of my 14-year-old sister. When we went to AZ for spring training, she missed the beginning of a concert tour in Dallas so it was only appropriate that we caught the end in OK. We stayed at the Renaissance on the edge of Bricktown which made walking to the concert venue easy. We were upgraded into a two bedroom, two bath suite which was very sweet. Not to mention the room service we indulged in.

I have this thing about trying the french toast at every hotel I stay in (I'm talking nice hotels). The version here was french toast bread pudding. I was intrigued but disappointed. Def not what I wanted for breakfast. Maybe someday I'll be able to give the sooner state another try at french toast but it won't be any time soon.

Back to the real story - Caitlin had a blast at the concert and so did Robert and I. It wasn't too crowded and the venue had air conditioning...sweet, sweet air conditioning. Caitlin caught a guitar pick too!

Sunday night of that weekend was Sprinkles night. We had the "Ashleigh" version of the key lime cupcakes - they rank up there on my top flavor list. She also made some really delish food that I need to recreate!

Monday was spent by the pool getting some sun and mentally preparing myself for Tuesday - the dreaded root canal. I was in pain the entire weekend and I was convinced that I would suffer so bad on Tuesday that I'd have to stay home from work. My preconceived notions were so far from true. I felt zero pain throughout the procedure and afterwards. I didn't need any pain killers - nothing. The next few days I just took Motrin but nothing...I repeat nothing...compares to the pain BEFORE the procedure. So there you have it, myth busted. Root canals are awesome.

Last weekend I had to work the go green home fair. I picked up some green home swag and spent the rest of the weekend napping. I haven't done that in a while so it was much needed.

This week has been great so far. I was selected to go to a women's leadership conference for my industry in a week or two in Scottsdale. My second trip there within a few months. AZ must be calling my name. Or maybe it's the Sprinkles next to my hotel...

Oh, and now that it's official, I can announce that Stacey and Russ are expecting a little one roughly two weeks before my big day! Congratulations! I cannot wait to meet baby Mensik - I have my fingers crossed for a Christmas delivery.

Very lazy weekend...

How about a picture-less update?

I had a fabulous week even though we're still crazy busy at work. I found out that I will be going to the U.S. and British Virgin Islands again in July. I have been dreaming about going back since I went in 2007. I've been all over the Caribbean but the BVIs are the most beautiful, unspoiled islands I've ever seen. Paradise. I'm also stoked that I'll get my super tan back.

I also finally mailed *most* of the save the dates. I have been agonizing over the guest list because our space is so limited. It was a pain to find a post office that would hand-cancel them and luckily Ashleigh has a few connections in her fair city :)

Friday night Robert and I went to look at wedding rings. I found the perfect one almost instantly (I'm pretty simple). Robert wasn't so lucky. He tried on everything from what I call the "superbowl ring" to the plainest of rings. I think he wants a really simple ring too but he's not sure what size yet. Then I convinced him to watch Twilight. I'm going through withdrawal and he's a good sport. I was filling in all of the holes for him with scenes from the book as we watched it. I think I was just really annoying.

Saturday I slept in. The first time in forever! I was so happy to have nothing on my calendar this weekend. I spent most of the day doing spring cleaning. Believe it or not, cleaning is relaxing for me. I feel stressed if the house is messy. Robert taught a sailing class at Cabela's with his dad. Then we had dinner on the patio at Rio Mambo, went shopping and picked up some ice cream from Marble Slab. A really sweet treat...

Sunday is pancake day so I made nutella pancakes....mmmm. I also made blueberry mango smoothies. Then we did the usual and went to visit my dad and grandma, got my car detailed, ate a late lunch/early dinner at Mi Cocina, made a PetsMart and grocery store stop and did yard work. Our grass is growing like crazy this year. I think the most we had to mow it last year was once every two weeks. Right now we're mowing and edging every week. I guess that's a good thing.

We also cleaned all of the grass out of the flower beds. I call them creepers...the grass that grows underground to colonize new areas. It's very time-intensive to clean out but it looks so much better. I also noticed a big sold sign on the house a lot over - so happy to get neighbors on that side. Now someone just needs to build right next to us and behind us.

Jack has a new bone and is heaven. He also ate Molly's bone so now she's mad. Survival of the "biggest" [dog] in our house.

This week should be awesome - Robert is on break in between spring and summer semesters. He's taking a few biz school classes this summer as electives so it'll be a nice change of pace from PA. We both have some fun things in the works for next weekend. Can't wait!

There's no crying in baseball...

I've missed spring break. The beach vacations to exotic locales, sleeping in, getting a tan....this year I tried to have a mini spring break. I started my week in Austin for work hosting a high school student who wants to be a lobbyist. I was so totally impressed that this junior in high school wants to be a lobbyist (who dreams of that?!) that I had to take her down for two days. We had too much fun in the capitol and dined at the Austin Club with the who's who in town. I managed to squeeze in a little time with my Aunt, Uncle and cousins and ate at Salt Lick in Driftwood. When Guy Kawasaki tweets "Had BBQ at Salt Lick. Now I can leave Austin in peace," you know it has to be good - and it was. I had a quick turn-around Wednesday night. Packing in two hours and getting a little sleep before my 7 a.m. flight to Phoenix.

For Christmas, I got my sister a dream trip to spring training in Arizona. It's the baseball fan mecca. A place where you fly into Sky Harbor and you're surrounded by your own kind wearing their team's gear. Two Mariner's fans told us the best stadiums to visit in the car rental line. Two fantasy baseball fans from California waxed poetic about their first visit to spring training in '69.

My mom being the awesome mom she is got us upgraded to first. The flight was fabulous until the end. I'll spare the details but there was a lot of praying going on. Phoenix is not an easy airport to fly into apparently. We arrived, got our car (a tempermental Ford Edge), checked into our hotel in Surprise and drove to the stadium for the 1 p.m. game vs. the A's. Surprise Stadium is wonderful and our seats were two rows from home plate. The game was pretty slow but the Rangers won.

That night we drove into Glendale to visit Westgate. It's this amazing shopping and dining village surrounding the football stadium and the hockey/basketball arena. We found Margaritaville, my mom's mecca, and my sister commenced rolling her eyes. My mom and I bought our gear for the JB concert in April.

The next day we drove to Sedona to see the red rock formations and visit the art galleries. Arizona is not my kind of beautiful. I would never be satisfied with the brown landscape and gravel for a front yard. However, by the end of the trip, I found the sage bushes and mountains growing on me a little. Sedona is a different kind of Arizona and it's amazing that our country can be beautiful in so many ways. We really enjoyed the shops at Tlaquepaque and my sister bought some handmade jewelry. We tried really hard to buy into the new age energy of the town and find the "vortexes." I've decided that I want to go back and spend a couple of days there hiking, taking in some spa services and eating at D'Lish.

That night we made it back through the mountains to watch the Royals vs. 

Dodgers. Once again we had fabulous seats and Muhammad Ali (a Royals fan!) was a stone's throw away from us. Spring training is a great place to go celebrity watching. The weather was perfect and the fireworks were beautiful. (Nothing compares to the fireworks at the Ballpark, which are coreographed to music).

On Saturday we got up early and went back to Surprise Stadium. The awesome thing about spring training is that the players are so friendly and accesible. We walked among the entire Royals roster and minor leaguers at their practice fields, the players readily sign autographs and will talk to you during batting practice (just watch out for those fast-moving homeruns). This game was my favorite because we sat by the two fantasy baseball fans and a couple from Fort Worth who have held season tickets since they moved to Fort Worth. Between all seven us, we had baseball trivia flying (what's your favorite baseball movie? Who's the player who was sent to Japan?). Owen Wilson made an appearance at this game - he was researching a role for an upcoming movie and he is a Rangers fan.

After the game we headed over to Scottsdale to explore the fashion district, dining district and arts district. Unfortunately, we didn't make it to Sprinkles before they closed. I did shut down JCrew though!

Sunday was bittersweet - time to come back. We had a late flight out and with the time change I didn't get to my house until 11. So this week is my recovery week. I also have to catch up with my trainer!

What did Robert do while I was gone? Had fun with the guys and worked on a surprise for me. He organized the garage Kelly-style with fancy hooks for my wreaths, shelving and more. All of my gardening stuff is organized and easy to access. He is so awesome.

I also walked out back after work to find my Shantung Maples blooming with yellow flowers. They didn't do that last year and I think they are starting to thrive. I have to be patient because they are slow growers but worth the wait. The ground cover I planted last year has triple the blooms this year. So many good signs in the garden. My seeds have sprouted inside and in a week or two they will be ready to transition into the garden. I'm hoping the survive!