The "I really love my job" weekend...

I've been working a lot lately. I'm in the midst of a crazy 2nd quarter schedule and honestly I forget where I am from one week to the next. On these trips I haven't had as much time as I would like to explore the areas I've visited. Last weekend was entirely different!

I'm currently in the middle of a trip to our home office in Boston. Since I had to stay through the weekend, I was able to escape for a few days and see some of the best New England has to offer.

On Friday night we went to Foxwoods Casino in CT. I'm not a big gambler. I enjoy about 2 or 3 hours of Craps and then I'm done. So I put in my time at the tables and then went exploring. This resort is insane! It's like a mini city! I loved everything about it! I was even able to grab a last minute ticket to see Brad Garrett...and let me tell you he was hilarious! From the food (I highly recommend Prime Steakhouse) to the shopping, it certainly was impressive.

I wasn't sure that the weekend could get any better but Saturday proved me wrong! Mystic Pizza is one of my all time favorite 80's movies. Since the town of Mystic was less than 8 miles from Foxwood's, I couldn't pass up the chance to see it for my self!



The town was so cute! Talk about a quintessential New England fishing village. I grabbed a slice at the famous Mystic Pizza restaurant and then went shopping where I found an amazing local jewelry designer that made awesome bracelets! And yes I bought one...did you really even have to ask?



All in all? An amazing weekend! It reminded me of how fortunate I am to have this job. It gives me the opportunity to see and experience places I normally wouldn't. I'm a lucky gal.

Ch Ch Ch Changes...

Here at the Walton house many things are going on. From the backyard to a second guest room, things are getting changed up all over the place.

This time of year always means a little sprucing up in our household. The biggest change this year is coming in the form of a fence. We've debated putting one up since the day we moved in here. At first, we didn't think we needed one and we actually liked the idea of getting to know our neighbors. Fast forward 5 years and it's a different story folks. Both of our neighbors have put up unsightly trampolines and have added tiny, yippy, dogs to their families. Don't get me wrong, I love dogs. I do not, however, love them peeing on our outdoor furniture. Which leads to another change...new patio furniture. This was ordered two weeks ago and has yet to show up. I'm hoping it does before we leave for D.C. on Wednesday.

The other big change this year is the second guest room. Our house has 4 "bedrooms" and we've always used at least one of those as a guest room. One room has been changed 3 times in 5 years. It has gone from a guest room, to A.J.'s man cave, and now back to a guest room. We've moved the old guest room furniture into said room and our now just waiting on new furniture for the back room.

So while there are a lot of changes going on, right now we're just playing the waiting game. We're waiting for our fence to up, waiting for the landscaper to give us an estimate, waiting for the patio furniture, and waiting for the new bedroom set. These last few days have been a lesson in patience. Something tells me the next few days will be as well!

As soon as some of these projects are complete, I'll be sure to upload some pictures!

Girls Weekend

This trip to Daytona was just what the Dr. ordered!! It's been quite a while since I was able to escape everything, hang out with one of my favorite people, and just enjoy the view.

This was the first time I'd been back to Daytong in 2 years. That's a record for me. As soon as I crossed over the Dunlawton bridge I felt like I was home. And now for the life of me I can't remember why I stayed away so long. I already have an itch to go back. Daytona for me, truly is a second home. I have so many friends and family members there. So many of my favorite times have taken place in that town. It was so nice to finally share it with one of my girlfriends.

We started off the trip with a stop in Savannah for one of the best bloody marys I've ever had. (I highly recommend you go buy a bottle of Zing Zang mix immediately) After finishing lunch, we continued the drive down 95. From the minute we got to the house it was perfect. From the Ocean Deck, to a party at Razor & Libby's, & the time spent with friends and family, I couldn't have asked for a more perfect weekend.

Everyone needs a girls weekend. I love my husband to death, but every now and then it's good to get away and have some girl time. My girls include friends far and near, my mom, sisters, aunts, cousins, and grandmothers. Any time spent with any of them is precious! It makes me realize how lucky I am to have people in my life that I can truly count on, bring out the best in me, and know how to bring on the good times! Here's to many more great girls weekends to come!!

Ft. Collins

This trip was like something out of the Twilight Zone. I never thought I would have trouble getting out of Augusta in March due to SNOW! But that was exactly the case. While we didn't have snow in Augusta, they did get about 3 inches in Atlanta. Did I mention that it's March?? Believe it or not, Colorado was sunny and upwards of 50 degrees the entire time I was there! While snow in GA may have people thinking there is no global warming...I've got news for you. This is the result. I just can't wait for the weather to mellow out so I can start being on time again. I did the math (because I'm a geek like that) and my on-time departures for this year are below 25%! That's a lot of late flights!
But I digress...I'm here to fill you in on my trip to Colorado. I love Colorado! There's nothing better to waking up in the morning, looking out my window and seeing that amazing view of the mountains. (OK, maybe an amazing view of the beach would beat it) It's beautiful! While I get to visit Ft. Collins 4 times a year, I never really get to do anything touristy. I'm going to try to fix that. What I do accomplish in all of my travels is to eat well! I base my opinion of a town on the meals I enjoy while I'm there. Ft. Collins never fails to deliver. Normally when I'm in town, I enjoy one of the local breweries. While I did sample a tasting at the Ft. Collins brewery, the top meal of this trip goes to Rodzio grill. It was my first time trying rattle snake and I loved it! Rodizio's a Brazilian style grill that serves all kinds of freshly cooked meats. If you haven't been to one, I highly recommend it. A well known chain that can be found in most large cities is Fogoa de Chao.


While I didn't have that much time on this trip, next time I swear to take a few more days and explore the area. (For the record, I've been saying this for the last 2 years)
Next week I head to Boston for St. Patty's day...look out!!

Beginning Again

So 2009 came and went without one blog post from me. When I began this, I really did have the best of intentions. I've taken some time to regroup, reevaluate if you will. I think I've come up with a way to keep everyone informed to my goings-on and write something that will be of some use.
Since I travel so much for both work and pleasure, I thought this would be a good place to start documenting those travels. I get quite a few requests for restaurant, hotel, and activity recommendations. I've decided to archive my best of the best here. Rest assured if I've visited the town, my favorite picks will be listed here. That being said, there will be no back-logging. I will begin from today and chronicle my trips here after.
Next up: Ft. Collins, CO...stay tuned :)

Baggin' Macy's

So...I consider myself pretty aware when it comes to "green" issues. I recycle everything I can. We no longer use paper plates in our house. I carry the cloth bags to the grocery store. Recently I've taken it a step farther and I take my Inconvient Bag to the mall with me. Up until yesterday, no one has given me any issues when I ask to not put my items in a plastic bag. Then I walked into Macy's. I don't shop there regularly, but A.J. needed Calvin Klein undershirts. So in I walk, I grab a package of shirts and I go to the register to pay. When I ask the nice gentleman behind the counter to not put my shirts in a bag, he tells me that's not an option. It is Macy's policy that anything bought in their store has to go into their bags. They want us to "advertise for them", (his words not mine). I do not consider myself a crusader. However, I felt it necessary to tell this sales man how Macy's is killing the planet by insisting their customers take plastic bags even when they don't want them. If I could've gotten the shirts anywhere else, I would've put them back. But that wasn't an option. So I took their plastic bag, went home and then put it in my recycle pile. In the future, I will not shop Macy's! Maybe if there are enough people out there who complain about it things will change. Until then, the boycott is on!!!

Feeling Fall

I'm pretty sure that Fall is my favorite time of year. Don't get me wrong, I love the warm weather of summer but there's just something about this time of year that makes me happy. I love football season. Always have. I love putting on my Steeler jersey and going to a bar and cheering on my team. I love the cooler weather. I love the apple harvests, the color palate, the smell of my house (You may think I'm crazy but I can tell the season's are changing just by the way my house smells). Trust me I could go on and on. I live for this time of year!
In about a week, my loves will change. I like nothing better than to curl up on my couch with the lights out and watch a marathon of horror movies. Pumpkin carving, apple cider, trick-or-treaters and candy corn are just icing on the cake! This year, we're going to Universal Studios for the FrightFest. I absolutely can't wait! I'd promise to post pictures on here, but let's be honest...I'm not that good with keeping up with this & I don't like to make promises I can't keep.
So to those of you who share my love for this time of year, enjoy it! Jump in a pile of leaves for me. (Georgia isn't that condusive to leaf jumping)
Oh~ I almost forgot...I have one more love to pass along before I wrap this up...Pumpkin Ale. If you haven't tried it yet, go grab yourself a six pack. You'll thank me for it!