Is your dog a Thunderdog?

Miss T has horrible travel anxiety, not in the airport or on the airplane, just in the car, can we say spoiled? She has flown round trip just about once a month since she was 10 weeks old and has traveled in the car to the beach, mountains, and even the long trip back home, but since she was about a year old decided she is going to shake and pant the entire car ride no matter if its 30 minutes or 8 hours. I've talked to the vet and since she is so small they are concerned about giving her a sedative, so we started with children's benadryl, that didn't do a thing. Next, we tried about a speck of a sedative pill from the vet that they crushed in to tiny pieces for me to give her about 30 minutes before we get in the car and will last 6-8 hours. The sedative does nothing more then make her eyes and head look droopy, but she still shakes and pants. Basically, we've just learned to live with her manic car behavior, yet I continuously worry that she is dehydrating herself on long car rides with all the panting, until now!

One weekend back in January, I was reading People Style Watch and came across a product called a Thundershirt; a therapeutic vest for dogs. I was immediately interested and went to the Thundershirt's website to learn more. After watching several of the videos and reading more, I knew I had to give the Thundershirt a try. Thundershirts are great for fear of thunder/fireworks, travel anxiety, crate training, problem barking, separation anxiety, hyperactivity, leash pulling, and more! It's the Thundershirt's gentle, constant pressure that has a dramatic calming effect for most dogs if they are anxious, fearful or over-excited.




The Thundershirt has without a doubt helped Miss T's travel anxiety and now we all enjoy our car rides with her a lot more!

Since I've Been Gone...

I've been doing TONS of this...

by this...

but mostly this...

We've been here, Charleston & Isle of Palms, SC
and here, Savannah, GA

And here back to Savannah to celebrate the soon to be, Mrs. Stansell!

And I've been to DC!

And we've been to Asheville, NC to celebrate newly married, Mr. & Mrs. Stansell!

And I've been to Las Vegas!

Then here, Fripp Island, SC

to celebrate the future Mrs. Wiley!

And this past weekend I've been home!

But don't worry I'm not getting too comfortable because... we're leaving again real soon!

I promise starting today I am back with regular posting!

WANT.

I'm in love with this car! Funny thing is, with a few changes my Mini could look just like this! Wouldn't this be the perfect beach cruiser? The wicker seats and fringe roof just top it off!

I hope your week is off to a great start!

Gasp!

Enough said, agreed?

Edict: An announcement of a law.

Lucky Magazine is celebrating their 10th anniversary in December and in their December issue they had an article entitled "After a decade at Lucky, these are the 100 edicts the editors, live by." I didn't include all 1o0 edicts in this post, rather just the ones that I thought were most interesting. I hope you enjoy reading and learn something new!

Hair

Beachy waves are always sexy.

Your hair will be shinier if you final rinse is with cold water.

blow-dry side to side rather than (or in addition to) upside down for volume.

The biggest mistake people make in the shower is not getting their hair wet enough--without a ton of water, shampoo neither gets in or out of hair well, leaving it duller than dull.

Braids are sexy, cute, and the only acceptable form of pigtail.

Makeup & Beauty

Beauty products make the best presents: they seem incredibly personal, but there not.

An ultra-pale pedicure makes your feet look tanner. Same with silver.

A bit of face oil patted on over makeup really revives your whole look.

The most powerful anti aging weapon currently available besides injections and plastic surgery--retinol.

Any two shades of lipstick, mixed, are almost always super flattering.

Your favorite highly pigmented lipstick also makes a great sheer cheek stain: Blot on with your fingers, blot again with a tissue.

Self-tanner makes you look instantly thinner and well-rested.

Melted candle wax makes a very fine cuticle cream.

Sunscreen doubters should consider the amazing linelessness of their body parts that never see the sun.

No beauty product can do for you what eight hours of sleep can. AMEN!

Pale nail polish lasts much longer.

If you use face powder, apply it sparingly to your T-zone only.

If you're out of scrub (face or body), remember that ancient implement, the washcloth.

Always apply powder with a brush. Even compact powder.

Underwear

Thong underwear is not a necessity under most clothing.

If your bra is riding up, it's too big (in number, not letter) so swap your 34B for 32B.

Don't by underwear that needs to be hand washed-inevitably you'll end up putting it in the washing machine and it'll get trashed.

Hanky Panky underwear is the only brand that also works when you're pregnant.

Your bra straps can show; your underwear straps never should.

New Clothes

Shop for boots in August before they all sell out.

Always have at least one black tie dress in your closet in case of last-minute celebrating.

Go to Zara on Tuesday when the new shipment comes in.

Don't shop for clothes when you're tan, thin, or in the Bahamas because everything looks good when you're tan, thin, and in the Bahamas.

Every season buy a white cotton Miu Miu top. You'll never regret the splurge.

Looking for a dress when you actually need one will rarely lead to a successful find.

Buy clothes that you'll wear on a Tuesday afternoon, not a Saturday night--few people lead Saturday-night lives.

Don't wear new shoes to a wedding or your first day of work.

Black Tights

Black opaque tights make everyone's legs look good.

Black tights can look great through open-toe shoes (as long as the tights aren't sheer). Nude tights can never look great. Full stop.

The only brands to eve buy blacker-than-opaque tights from: Tabio, Commando, and Wolford.

Packing

Roll. Never Fold.

Check out the weather report--it gets cold in Cuba and hot in Alaska.

Put a change of clothes and a few toiletries in your hand luggage--so your toothbrush (along with the rest of your luggage) doesn't go to Albany when you go to Austria.

Never get on an airplane without a cashmere blanket or huge scarf.

Bring an extra bag: the kind that rolls up really small--in case you really go shopping on your trip.

Pack socks and good snacks in your carry on.

Pouch everything: all your electronics go in one, toiletries go in another, and so on.

Closets

Avoid being featured on Hoarders by living the "one in, one out" mantra: if you buy something new, take something else out and sell it on eBay or donate it.

Color code.

Try on your entire wardrobe every six months with an honest friend or mirror nearby.

Pack two bags: one for Goodwill and one for the maybes. Give aways the first, and revisit the second in six months. It eases you into the breakup.

Salespeople & Shopping

Most useless advice from a salesperson "you can wear it with jeans."

Things that look crappy on a hanger could look gorgeous once you put them on.

If something is expensive, leave it behind for 24 hours. If you're still obsessed with it the next day, buy it.

Biggest turnoff from a salesperson "This is our bestselling ______!"

If you're feeling lost, trail the chicest woman in the store and check out what she checks out.

In-store lighting is not to be trusted. Stand by a window.

Color

Black will always be the new black. Anyone who says otherwise is selling something.

Mixing navy and black or pink and red can look very chic.

You can put almost any prints together as long as they have something in common (color, shape, style).

The one remaining style rule to never break: no more than three colors to one outfit.

Crazy colors can be basics: We've had to resole our coral patent ballet flats a zillion times while barely wearing out black ones.

Tailoring & Fit

It's good to have a pair of jeans hemmed for flats and another pair hemmed for heels.

Fitted jackets and coats always make you feel skinny, even with you're pregnant.

If you have curves and want to wear voluminous clothes, get to know your belts. It's the only way you won't look like a dump truck.

Your waist isn't where you think it is. It's about three inches higher. The most flattering spot for a waisted dress to hit is just under the rib cage.

The stitching at the top of the jeans will never stretch, so size up if it leaves a red mark.

Find a good tailor and be very nice to him. He could be your greatest asset.

Cigarette pants with flats will always make you look feminine.

An off the shoulder top should still skim your shoulder.

Shoes & Bags & Little Leather Things

If shoes are only marginally comfortable when you try them on in the store you can be sure they'll be excruciating on the street.

Always have two pairs of boots in your closet that aren't scuffed up tall black ones and flat brown ones.

If you invest in a Chanel bag, you will carry it for the rest of your life.

By age 30, every woman should own three pairs of comfortable flats, three pairs of walkable heels, and two pairs of total sexpot stilettos.

Know how to use your local shoe repair--they can also clean your bags, punch holes in your belts, and dye stuff.

The best and most comfortable flats are usually the cheapest.

In life you will need four bags- a big slouchy weekend one, two-good-looking but practical work ones, and a sleek evening one. Minimum.

Resole your favorite shoes as often as it takes. You will miss them when they die.

Styling

A long-sleeved gown can be completely sexy. The same is not true of a long skirt and long-sleeve top, which can look completely polygamist.

A leather jacket looks great with a party dress.

Pairing a boyish piece with a girly one will make you look like you know how to dress.

When all else fails, a skinny cardigan can pull any look together.

ATX

Goodness, can you believe it is almost the end of the September? I sure can't! Let me catch you up on what I've been up too...

I spent Labor Day weekend in Austin , TX visiting my good friend from college, Ellie!

Remember this post when I mentioned I was planning on visiting her sometime soon? Well, shortly after that visit, I booked my plane ticket! I thought what better weekend then a 3 day weekend which I turned in to a 4 day weekend by taking Friday off of work to go visit Ellie and see Austin . I was lucky enough to find a reasonably priced airline ticket to fly to Austin out of Columbia . For those of you who aren’t very familiar with Columbia , it is the Capital of SC however, we have struggled attracting airlines to Columbia . Which means it’s usually very costly and takes lots of stops to get to your final destination. Well thankfully that was not the case when flying to Austin because the drive to Charlotte is very boring.

Back to my wonderful trip! I arrived in Austin Friday afternoon, Ellie picked me up at the airport after work and we headed to meet some of her friends for happy hour at Dogwood. The bar had a great a great atmosphere and it was nice to meet her friends. We had dinner reservations down the street at a Mexican restaurant, Z'Tejas. We got to eat outside and enjoy the hustle and bustle of the restaurant while sipping on some strong margaritas and delicious corn bread and of course our main entrée. I was starving, what else is new, so I devoured my entire dinner and it was tasty! After dinner we enjoyed one more very strong cocktail before heading home. You can say it, we’re lame, but really Ellie had just started a new job earlier that week and we were exhausted. By midnight we were sound asleep!

Saturday morning we slept in just for a little bit and then woke up and headed right out to start our day. Our first stop was to an amazing coffee shop not far from Ellie’s house called Caffe Medici. I told Ellie to order me whatever she was having (as I did with many of the places she took me in Austin) and can I tell you this iced coffee was amazing. In all seriousness it was probably the best I’ve ever had.


We passed a farmer’s market on our way to brunch so of course we had to stop. Experiencing the farmer’s market made me miss living in Florence , Italy . Ellie and I studied abroad in Florence for a semester in college and loved every second of it. I would do anything to go back, I know Ellie would too! After touring the market, we were starving, so we headed right for Taverna for $1 Mimosas. Don’t judge, I’m on vacation. I ordered Belgium waffles with fresh fruit, they hit the spot and the raspberries, blueberries, were so fresh and sweet, they just melted in my mouth.

After brunch we went to Whole Foods, did you know that Whole Foods corporate office is in Austin, TX . Let me just tell you this is unlike any Whole Foods I’ve ever been to and of course made me wish even more then I already do that they would open one in Columbia. The whole purpose of stopping by Whole Foods was not to look around even though we did, but to pick up some stuff to take to a friends house who was having a get together to celebrate recently being single and to watch the UT football game of course. Although it was a little overwhelming being in a house full of people you don’t know, I had so much fun talking to friends of Ellie’s and experiencing life in Austin.

We left before the game was over and before the party really got started because we had plans with Ellie’s roommate, Meg to celebrate her birthday. Meg spent her birthday sky diving with her friend Holly; they both survived of course and had an incredible experience which they say they would do again! We went to Perla’s for dinner, absolutely delicious. Ellie and I shared the Ahi Tuna which was unbelievably good. The atmosphere at Perla’s was very distinguished. After dinner we went to a bar down the street and sat at a table outside. We all enjoyed one another’s company while celebrating the last hours of Meg’s birthday.

Sunday morning we woke up earlier and went for a walk around the lake. It was so neat to see everyone out exercising with their dogs. That is one thing I noticed about Austin , it seems to be a very dog friendly city, which I of course thought was neat! After our morning workout, Ellie took me to Torchy’s Tacos an eatery in a trailer park (not a real trailer park, a trailer park full of eateries). Torchy’s is known for their tacos and of course did not disappoint. As I was eating all this amazing Mexican food all I could think about was Thomas and how he would be in heaven. To say Thomas loves Mexican food is an understatement!


After lunch we went to went in and out of the shops along South Congress Street or SoCo as the locals call it. Darling shops with so many neat things, we found Ellie two purses and two pairs of shoes and I didn’t spend a dime!

How crazy are their street lights? I've never seen any thing like them before!

How cool is this cupcake shop?

On our way home I asked Ellie if we could go to Anthropologie, one of my favorite stores, but unfortunately they don’t have a store in Columbia , so whenever I go out of town I always try and find one. Our afternoon of shopping wore us out, so we headed home and relaxed for a little before we got ready for my last night in Austin, tear.

Ellie made reservations at Justine’s a fabulous restaurant on the East side of Austin . The restaurant was so quaint and charming; I fell in love the minute we pulled up. We shared a salad and an entrée of scallops for dinner, so we could order dessert. The chocolate pear tart, or whatever it was called because I just made that up, was absolutely divine. I still wanted more after the last bite, isn’t that always the case? It is for me at least. After dinner met up with some of Ellie’s tennis friends at a fairly new bar called Clive’s, yet again great atmosphere and we were able to enjoy sitting outside. I thought it was time to head home but Ellie had a different idea. She told me we had to stop at some wild and crazy bar (that’s my description) because it was packed in everyone in there seemed wasted, but we grabbed one drink each, made a couple rounds around the place and then left. That was an Austin experience in itself!

Before I left on Monday afternoon Ellie took me to Walton’s, Sandra Bullock’s lunch restaurant. Can we talk about how darling this place is? Inside was like a breath of fresh air. It was a completely different feel then the rest of Austin , so much so it reminded me a lot of fabulous lunch spots in Columbia or Charleston . Lunch was absolutely delicious and Ellie surprised us with two amazing desserts!

My long weekend in Austin was unbelievable, I had so much fun with Ellie as I always do! I hope to plan another trip to see her again soon, may be this time we will meet in Seattle, Idaho, San Fran? The possibilities are endless!

If you are reading this Ellie thanks for making my Austin experience so special! xoxo

Home Sweet Home

In all honesty, there really is no place like home! Two weekends ago Miss T and I flew home for my cousin Kelly’s Bridal Shower and of course to spend time with family and friends.

Miss T gets so excited when we get off the plane in Baltimore, she starts frantically scratching the inside of her crate signaling she wants to be freed by my mom who is usually waiting for us at baggage claim. However, this time in order to try and save money, I didn’t check a bag. Not to mention it’s a huge time saver not having to wait for your luggage, at least at BWI.

Miss T and I met my parents outside and the lovely Molly, who we were meeting for the first time! Even though my mom and I talk daily and I ask about Molly all the time, she didn’t seem “real” until I finally got to meet her! She is one sweet girl!

Saturday morning was the Bridal Shower for Kelly; it was a brunch at my Aunt’s house! Everything was perfect and we all had a wonderful time celebrating with the bride-to-be!

Mother of the Bride & Bride to Be!

Friends, Me, & Mom

Just a few of the gifts!

The Bride

Mom & Linds

Aunts, Granny, & Me

After the shower it was off to take Miss T to get groomed. Up until 4 months ago she was just like her mom in the sense that we always got out hair cut at home. Well since I’ve found Shannon in Columbia , Miss T is the only one left getting her hair did at home…

Saturday evening we went to Mr. Bill’s, my favorite place to eat steam crabs. Honestly, this is the best place ever; no other place can even come close to Mr. Bills. Going to Mr. Bill’s is one of the things I look forward to most when coming home. I ate so many steam crabs; I thought I was going to pop!

Yummmm!

Sunday morning we went to church as a family. Afterwards, we stopped by the mall so I could return two things and look for jewelry to match my dress for Kelly’s wedding in October and of course shop! I love me some JCrew, Anthropologie, Ann Taylor and of course Nordstrom (my old stomping ground). We ate lunch at the Nordy Cafe before we hit the ground running. Dad gave us an hour in the mall-so we focused and not about to waste time. We were able to fund a necklace for my dress, make my returns, and purchase this blazer from JCrew; I’m in love and can’t wait for Fall!

On our way home from the mall I asked my Dad if we could stop for a snowball. I don’t get you Southerners not having snowball stands. What is this all about? It is hotter for longer down South then it is in Baltimore ! During the summer back home everyone lives at the snowball stand. Since I obviously haven’t had any luck in finding a snowball stand in the South and no a snowball is not a snow cone, I was craving a raspberry snowball, so a stop at the stand was a must! It was a hot Sunday temperature in the mid 90’s so needless to say it was crowded. Dad ordered a Root Beer snowball and Mom passed, she’s no fun! Just kidding, Mom!

After our afternoon treat we went home to pick up Miss T and Molly to go spend some time visiting with my Mom’s parents. By the time we were finished visiting, it was time to pack for the airport and enjoy one last family dinner before it was time to leave.

Thomas was so sweet and came and picked me and Miss T up from the airport and drove us home safely. I am so lucky to have the most wonderful family and boyfriend, I love them so much!

What a great weekend it was!

Hotel Adventures with Miss T

So, finally here is the follow up to this post from when we were in Atlanta two weekends ago that I told you to stay tuned for....

This summer marks the first of staying in hotels with Miss T. Just to give you a background on Miss T, the world traveler, as some refer to her! She took her first flight with me when she was just 10 weeks old and just four short days after coming home to live with me. The days leading up to her first flight she was whining and crying all through the night and while I was at work during the day. Needless to say, Thomas was happy he hadn't planned to come with us while I mentally prepared myself for what I knew would be the flight from hell with all the passengers wanting to kill me for bringing this high pitched barking dog on board. And don't let her weight of 1 ½ lbs. (at the time, she now weighs a heavy 4 ¾ lbs.) fool you!

Thankfully, she proved me wrong! Miss T was an absolute angel in the airport and during the entire flight. No accidents, no barking, no whining, no nothing, not a peep! All of this was surprising to me because she had to be in a crate and stay underneath the seat in front of me for the duration of the flight. Not to mention, we were sitting in one of the last row of seats with loud roaring of the engines right outside our window. Since then she has flown over two dozen times in her two short years in this world! Oh and how could I forget all the road trips she has been on to NC, SC, GA, TN, MD, and the list goes on...

Although Miss T is petite, she is so full of energy and is very playful, she is still considered a puppy though, so what can you expect? Besides playing with all her toys, she loves her walks, chew sticks, her sister, Maggie (Thomas' black lab, who I am convinced she thinks is her mom), traveling preferably by plane as she has developed nervousness on long car rides and me, I hope!

My point for sharing such detailed history on Miss T's behavior and personality was so you could understand what her life experiences have been so far and that she travels a fair amount and seems to adapt to a new environment quite well or...... so I thought.

Since I know so many of you read my blog every single day (kidding), you probably remember this post and this post, when I told you about my birthday present from Thomas, tickets to see John Mayer in Charlotte. Most of my friends have moved away from Columbia I had no option but to find a hotel that accepted dogs in Charlotte. I don't trust kennels with a small dog like Miss T or the other dogs at the kennel. As I have heard many women say, no one loves your children like you do, well I guess the same goes for my furkid, Miss T because after one short visit at Thomas' parents she wore out her welcome.

So the researching began and I finally settled on the Charlotte Westin in Uptown because of the nightly rate for that particular weekend and they except pets at no additional charge. Sounds like a good deal to me, especially since I wasn't sure how Miss T was going to react staying in a hotel room.

Well as it turned out Miss T didn't think staying in a hotel with me and Thomas was as neat as I did. She started barking and whining just like when she first came to live with me the minute we shut the door to leave for the concert. Go figure.

You obviously can't leave a high pitched whining, barking dog in a hotel room to disrupt other guests. So now what do we do? I won't bore you with all the details, but thankfully she was able to stay at a friends house while we were at the concert, thank you, Lindsey! The next night, when we had plans to go out for my friend Lindsey's birthday, she let us leave without a problem and we thankfully never received a phone call from the hotel complaining she was making any noise. Who knows what made the difference other then she must have felt more comfortable in the hotel room.

Our second hotel experience with Miss T took place in Atlanta when we went down for the night for Hudson's 1st Birthday Party. We made reservations at the Westin since we had such a great experience at the Westin in Charlotte and knew Miss T could stay for free. Well things certainly didn't start on the right foot. During check-in I told the lady we had a pet and she immediately tells me there is a charge, I won't even go in to how much the charge was because it makes me sick just thinking about it for two reasons: 1. we are only staying for one night and 2. the events that occurred after I paid the outrageous fee. Beware: Not all hotel chains that are owned and/or managed by the same company have the same rules, regulations, and fees.

After check-in we headed to our room to freshen up before we headed to the birthday party. Of course we let Miss T sniff and run all around so she could get use to the room. I am sure you can already guess what happened next when we went to leave! Yes, she started her high pitched whining and barking just like our first night at the Charlotte Westin. Thomas and I stood quietly outside our hotel room door for several minutes and she never stopped. I went back in a gave her the pill we give her to relax her when we drive long distances in the car and that didn't work either.

To make a long story short, we had no choice but to take her with us and leave her in her crate in the blistering hot car and check on her periodically. I of course was irritated, but worried every minute we were in the party about her. Luckily we were able to find a heavily shaded parking spot underneath a huge tree to park the car.

After the party, we took her back to the hotel and tried leaving her again, so we could go across the street to the mall. She definitely wasn't going to let us do that either, so I let Thomas go to the mall while I stayed back at the hotel with Miss T and watched several episodes of Meet the Kardasians.

We had plans to meet up with Matt and Ashley to grab a drink and a bite to eat that night, but it goes without saying that wasn't going to happen either. Thankfully Matt & Ashley were content with the idea of having a hotel party in our room. Thomas and I went to the liquor store and Whole Foods to pick up beer, dinner for us, and snacks for everyone to enjoy. When the night was all said and done it was a lot of fun, but of course I was a upset that I had paid all this money and Miss T wouldn't even stay in the hotel room by herself.

Moral of the story, check with each individual hotel on their pet policy and be sure to try staying in a hotel with your pet for the first time when you are visiting somewhere or someone with other options, for example if it the pet doesn't do well in the hotel, you can take it to a friends house, etc. I guess I am going to have to see if we can work on Miss T's hotel anxiety or move closer to my parents so they can watch her when we go away!

For more information on pet friendly hotels visit this website. I have also know that Kimpton Hotels advertise heavily as a pet friendly hotel. Next time, if there is one in the city we are visiting, I think I am going to try staying there with Miss T, maybe they will be more accommodating and understanding of her antics, of course after checking ahead of time!

Hotlanta, Holla!

This past weekend we traveled to Atlanta for our dear friend's son, Hudson's 1st Birthday Party! I can't believe it has already been a year since he was born! It was a bittersweet day for me when Miss T had her first birthday over a year ago, I can't even imagine what it feels like when its your baby!

We left mid-morning on Saturday and arrived around lunch time. We were able to check in to our hotel early (woohoo!) and quickly refresh before hearing to Hudson's birthday celebration. I guess this would be a good time to mention that Matt and Ashley asked Thomas and I to be Hudson's Godparents when we were together at the beach almost three weekends ago! Thomas and I are absolutely thrilled and completely honored to be Hudson's Godparents!

The birthday party was wonderful, lots of family and many close friends were in attendance which made for a fun time for all! As we all know, every child's birthday party requires a theme so there was no better choice for Hudson then Elmo--his favorite! Everything about the party was perfect, Thomas and I are so happy were were able to take part in the celebration and are so thankful for our friendship with Matt, Ashley and Hudson! Can't wait to celebrate many more birthdays for many more years to come!

The Birthday Boy!

Singing Happy Birthday!

Hudson and Matt!

Our plan after the birthday party was to go to the Georgia Aquarium. I have a slight obsession with aquariums, they are pretty much the only "museum" I enjoy. I have been dying to the visit the Georgia Aquarium after reading so many amazing reviews. I am sad to say Miss T had other plans and we weren't able to make it to the Aquarium, more on that later in the week, so stay tuned...

I think I forgot to mention we stayed at the Westin in Buckhead which happens to be right across the parking lot from Lenox Square Mall, I didn't plan that or anything! No really, in all seriousness I had no idea. All the times I have been to Atlanta I have never stayed in a hotel always with friends.

After the party Matt, Ashley, and Hudson stopped by the Westin and look what Hudson went right for!

So Atlanta, boy are you a huge change from what I experience and am surrounded by on a daily basis living in Columbia, SC! It wasn't until I went to college and experienced a different city that I realized all that Baltimore had to offer. I felt some of that same nostalgia when I was visiting Atlanta this weekend. What I like about a larger city is the abundance of opportunities and resources career wise, the hustle and bustle of city life, premiere shopping, the use of public transportation, and the endless possibilities when it comes to restaurants, bars, and entertainment. On the other side of things I don't miss the traffic and congestion of a large city, I can't think of anything more miserable then sitting in traffic each day.

In case you don't know, I love my little city of Columbia, I am so thankful for all the opportunities it has given me, its continual growth, the ability to shop and support locally owned businesses, and believe it or not its size. Although the City of Columbia is rather small it still has the look, feel and opportunities as other cities, without some of the negatives that come along with a larger city.

What do you enjoy most about where you live? What do you wish you could change? Do you miss anything about a a city/town you previously lived in?

The Windy City

I arrived in Chicago Sunday evening to attend a two day conference. We had a full day of intense meetings yesterday with a reception and dinner scheduled in the evening. Our hotel is spectacular, but after a day of meetings in various rooms within the hotels and eating two of three meals here as well. We decided to skip the reception scheduled for this evening and go out to eat pizza, of course! After all we are in Chicago!

Thomas and I both have a love for Chicago, so much so we have thought about living here, but the winter weather stops us dead in our tracks every time. Thomas' last trip to Chicago he discovered Gino's East, rated one of the best for Chicago's pizza. Every time we talk about Chicago or pizza, he reminisces about Gino's deep dish pizza. As soon as we decided we wanted to get out of the hotel for dinner, I recommended we go to Gino's.

The most delicious and unique deep dish pizza I have ever had! The crust is definitely different, but incredibly tasty. We ordered a large supreme pizza, in case you are wondering, I am traveling with two male coworkers which explains the choice and size in pizza.

Gino's East has several locations in Chicago, so the next time you visit the Windy City, be sure to make it one of your stops! And if you've never been to Chicago, you're missing out, plan a trip today. Once you get here, you will fall in love, as long as you don't visit in the winter!

P.S. I apologize for not posting yesterday, time got away from me!

Queen City Here We Come...

As part of my birthday gift Thomas got us tickets to see Train and John Mayer, two of my favorites, in concert at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre tonight in Charlotte. I CAN'T WAIT!!! I had been talking about getting tickets to this concert months ago when I heard about it on the radio and every time I would forget. Something different, huh? I was so excited when Thomas surprised me with tickets!

It actually works out great that the concert is Friday night because we were already planning on heading to Charlotte Saturday to spend the day with many of our friends and to celebrate my friend Lindsey's birthday Saturday night!

After what I know will be a very fun and exciting weekend, we will be heading home around lunch time on Sunday because I need to unpack and repack within just a couple hours to make it to the airport as I am headed off to the windy city for a conference!

I hope you have a great weekend!

Lauren Visits! Day 2 & 3

Rise and shine! We woke up early this morning to take Miss Tilley for a long walk to tire her out before we left for Charleston! We started our walk at Starbucks and then made our way through the Vista before returning home to take showers. Our chauffeur, Thomas, arrived right on time at 9:30am and had to wait for me of course to finish getting ready. Minutes later we were out the door and on our way to Charleston!

Our trip there seemed like it flew by and made it back in record time. Lauren had visited Charleston before, but only for a weekend in college and hadn't been back since. As you might already know, Charleston has always been one of my favorite cities and I always enjoy sharing its charm with others.

We started our day walking through the Charleston Place lobby, my favorite hotel in Charleston, as we were heading to King St. We arrived in Charleston just as the stores were beginning to open. We spent the beginning of our day going in and out of most of the shops on King.

Before we knew it, it was early afternoon and our stomachs were telling us it was time for lunch. One of the best places for lunch in Charleston is at Blossom on East Bay St. I can't say enough good things about this restaurant and how wonderful it is to be able to eat outside in their courtyard.

Since it was Sunday they had a special brunch menu, which I had never experienced before. Lauren and I both ordered salads while Thomas took advantage of the brunch and ordered chicken biscuits. Everything was delicious and we had a very relaxing lunch while we were recharging for the rest of our day.

We left Blossom's and headed down to the water. The Battery and the houses that face it are absolutely beautiful. Note: If anyone who lives in historic Charleston close to the Battery and is need of a housekeeper and/or nanny, please get in touch, as I would love love love to live there! We walked through the Market and of course made a stop at Market Street Sweets for a sample or two of Pralines, before we purchased a bear claw each for ourselves. YUM!

After such a delicious treat, it was time to do some more walking and shopping to burn off our sweet treat. After all, it was about time we let our very patient, non complaining, chauffeur, Thomas enjoy a few Men's stores, so that's just what we did! After we covered most of the shops and several others were closed because it was Sunday or a Holiday weekend, we headed to the Roof Top Bar at the Vendue Inn for drinks.

It was here at the Roof Top Bar that Lauren introduced both Thomas and me to Mojitos and let me tell you it was love at first sight! Don't get me wrong, I have heard of Mojitos before and how much people enjoy them, but I always thought I wouldn't like them because one of the main ingredients is mint. I don't know what it is about me and mint, because as I told you before I was apprehensive for about the first 20 years of my life about trying my Aunt Jul's Mint Brownies, but I absolutely love Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream (the green kind), Junior Mints, Peppermint Patties, etc. so I don't know what made me think I wouldn't like these other delicious treats and drinks that include mint. I am here to tell you I will never question when mint is included again in sweet treats and drinks, however mint ice tea and mint in food dishes is an exception.

Thomas' first Mojitos of course lead to a second and I do not blame him one bit! I am so thankful Lauren made us try Mojitos and Thomas and I can't wait for our trip to the beach this weekend, where we plan to enjoy a Mojitos or two while relaxing on the beach! Lauren loves Mojitos so much it was her and Brian's signature drink at their wedding last year. Wish I knew then how much I would love a Mojitos if I just gave it a chance.

We enjoyed the view of the Battery and the Charleston skyline from the Roof Top Bar. After just a few drinks, and a responsible driver, it was already early evening and we made our way back to our car to get on the road to Columbia.

We made it back safely and needless to say the dogs were very happy to see us! We quickly freshened up and took care of the dogs before heading out to Flying Saucer for a late dinner. I have only eaten dinner at Flying Saucer one if I am remembering correctly, but they have a great menu for a bar. We had another enjoyable dinner, although every other sentence was being followed my a yawn it seemed! It wasn't long after we were heading home to hit the bed.

Without a doubt I was sad that another awesome day with Lauren had come and gone and tomorrow would be our last day...

The next day began pretty much the same way the day before did, with a walk. This time we took a walk on USC's campus and around the State Capitol. Boy, was it humid! After our hour walk, we returned home to watch the Today Show, it is both of our favorite morning show, while we took showers and Lauren packed up. Before lunch we made a trip back to Gourmet Shoppe, so Lauren could pick up a jar of Suzi Sheffield's locally made rosemary sea salt to put on her popcorn! DiPrato's was suppose to be our spot for lunch, however they were closed for Memorial Day, so we migrated to California Dreamin' for one of their delicious salads.

Lauren entertained me and Thomas at lunch telling us stories about all of her crazy travel experiences. Boy, did she jinx us! As we got on the road to head to Charlotte, we hit a long line of backed up traffic, which of course sent me in panic mode since I was responsible for getting Laur to the airport in time for her flight. We were lucky and made it there just in time, but once Laur board the plane, they sat on the run way for a little while before they could take off. Hey, it could have been much worse right?

We had such a fabulous weekend together, I can't wait to do it again! I hope we can make it a annual trip and have Brian and Baxter join us next year.

We miss you, Laur!!!

My Love for Tapas Bars & Sauteed Mushrooms

During our recent trip to Spain, many evenings we would go to a tapas bar for dinner, these always turned out to be my favorite dinners. The thing I love most about tapas bars is you can order several different tapas off the menu since the portions are a very light serving for two. One of my favorite tapas places happened to be in Barcelona, Taverna del Bisbe.

Taverna del Bisbe is where I fell in love with mushrooms all over again. Mushrooms have always been something I've enjoyed but I hardly ever find them on menu's here in America unless they are being served on top a burger or with a steak, but then again maybe I just haven't been playing close attention since they had obviously fallen off my radar. Whatever the case may be, thank you Taverna del Bisbe for the most delicious sauteed mushrooms I've ever had.

Here is my attempt to recreate the sauteed mushrooms I had at Taverna del Bisbe at home. If you look closely at the picture, you may be able to notice that their pieces of bacon mixed in with the sauteed mushrooms I enjoyed very much in Spain. In my attempt to be healthy, while still enjoying the food I love, I admitted bacon from my interpretation. Without further a do here's the recipe...

Sauteed Mushrooms

Ingredients

2 lbs. mixed mushrooms, such as crimini, shiitake, porcini, and portobello

1/2 cup olive oil

1 cup chopped shallots

1/2 stick of unsalted butter

2 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 tbs. chopped garlic (6 cloves)

1 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

Directions

Remove and discard stems. Slice the small mushrooms thickly and cut the large ones in to a large dice.

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the shallots and cook over low heat for 5 minutes, or until the shallots are translucent. Add the butter, mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook over medium heat for 8 minutes until they are tender and start to release their juices, stirring often. Stir in the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Toss in the parsley, sprinkle with salt, and serve warm.

Note: I made these last night as a side with our turkey burgers and they were delicious or better yet you can be like my boyfriend an add them as a topping to your burger!

A Travel Essential

As I was preparing for my recent 10 day multi-city trip to Spain I found a packing must have that will make your travel experience more enjoyable and worry free. If you are anything like me, no matter where I am traveling to I always over pack, wait to the last minute, and everything I packed so nicely in my suitcase is all disheleved by the time I reach my destination. My trip to Spain is a little different in that I had 4 months to plan exactly what I needed to bring. I also made a commitment to myself early on that I would not over pack as I always do. The truth behind all this is my suitcase couldn't weigh more then 44lbs. otherwise some of the European airlines overweight checked baggage fees were $150 or more! I not only had to make sure I didn't over pack, but I also had to pack just the right amount to leave room for purchases I was sure I would make while I was there.

Whenever I would start planning what I would be wearing on our trip, anxiety would start to set in about how I was going to survive this 10 day trip traveling to and from 5 five large cities on airplanes, trains, buses, and metros. How was I going to make it to one city without being a wrinkled mess, let alone 5? That's when I found, Eagle Creek and their Pack-It System. They have everything from Pack-It Folders in three different sizes for items like shirts, pants, sweaters, and jackets to Cubes in several different sizes and shapes that are best fit for t-shirts, jeans, underwear, and socks.

Eagle Creek Pack-It Folder 15

The Eagle Creek Pack-It Folder 15 is small enough to fit in your carry on bag and can hold up to 7 items, shirts, pants, and jackets. Depending on the size and weight of the items you may be able to fit one or two additional items. I used the Pack-It Folder 15 in my shoulder carry on bag and it fit perfectly. I was so worried my luggage wasn't going to make it and there is nothing worse then wearing the same clothes for more then two days especially the ones you wore on a 8 hour flight.

Eagle Creek Pack-It Folder 18

The Pack-It Folder 18 holds 8-12 items and is recommended for shirts, pants, jackets, and bulkier items such as sweaters.

Eagle Creek Pack-It Folder 20

The Pack-It Folder 20 holds 12-15 items and is recommended for the same items as the Pack-It Folder 18.

The neat thing behind the Eagle Creek Pack-It Folders is the folders are designed to allow you to take more clothes in less space, isn't that every girls dream, or just mine? The Folders also minimize wrinkles, one of my main concerns, as I knew an iron would not be readily available and come with a folding instruction board specific for each size Pack-It Folder.

I can honestly say, since we returned from our trip on Wednesday, that Eagle Creek has changed my life as a traveler. As I mentioned earlier, while in Spain we traveled to and from 5 different cities using a variety of transportation methods and to make things even more difficult we did not stay in any city longer then 2 days. Eagle Creek Pack-It Folders not only kept me wrinkle free, they made packing, unpacking, and staying organized while traveling a breeze. No matter where my next travel plans take me, Eagle Creek Packing System will forever be a part of my travel essentials.