Philly

I traveled to Pennsylvania for a wedding in a small town outside of Philadelphia. Our friend, Reeba, was working in Philly so we  decided to spend the first night of our trip exploring the city before heading to the wedding.

Jeff, Travis and I arrived on Friday afternoon and wandered the city while Reebs finished up working. We found this fabulous little coffee shop, Caffeination, where I had the most delish watermelon juice icey. It was killer (and no sugar added)!

After refueling on caffeine, the next logical step was to have happy hour and appetizers at Mix Brick Pizza across the street. They had great drink specials and some fantastic hummus. We especially enjoyed their patio area and being able to take in the city outdoors.

After a fun afternoon exploring, we joined Reebs and her friends for bowling at Lucky Strike and sushi. Definitely not a bad way to spend an evening.

One of the things that I love about a city is the unique things you find tucked away on some street. On this visit, we came across a wall that had "Before I die I want to ____" written on it and spaces for people to fill in the blank. Obviously, we had to stop to partake in this!

Some people wrote crude things but for the people who wrote something real, it was inspiring to see what others hoped to experience or accomplish in their lives. I just loved this!

The next morning, we had brunch at Devil's Alley Bar and Grill. The food was amazing and I topped off my brunch with pomegranate sangria. Yes, that drink was amazing! For breakfast, I enjoyed my old faithful favorite, two eggs with bacon, potatoes, and toast. I know that you should try something out of the ordinary while on vacation but I always have the same breakfast, can not help it.

We could not leave Philly without climbing the Rocky steps so we made our way there with more caffeine in hand. Bonus that I got to add a Philly Starbucks mug to my collection!

Rocky!

The famous steps

Great view of the city from up there

We certainly made the most of the 24 hours we spent in the city but I have to put this on my list of places to visit again because I need more time to explore and, of course, feed my inner foodie.

Capitol building at night

Thanks again to Reebs for being such a great hostess!

A Night in Espana

I rang in 2012 tucked away in Fernandina Beach, a cozy little town just north of Jacksonville on the Florida/Georgia border. My parents and I were searching for a restaurant to celebrate the end of the year and we were surprised to find a charming Spanish restaurant called Espana.

The food was amazing! Authentic and delightful. Even on a busy New Year's Eve night, the service was fabulous.

Our meal began with Sangria and a plate of Entremes - Serrano Ham, Cured Chorizo, Manchengo Cheese, and Marinated Olives. We then shared Scallops Ole, Mussels Roijana and Gambas al Ajillo. Of course, any celebration requires a stellar dessert so we capped our feast with Crema Catalana (similar to a creme brulee).

Mussels Riojana

Scallops Ole & Gambas al Ajillo

Crema Catalana

If you ever find yourself in this beach town, be sure to check out this fabulous restaurant. You will not be disappointed.

A Trip to Greenville, South Carolina

A few weeks ago, I traveled to Greenville, South Carolina for E and Matt's wedding. The trip doubled as a good opportunity to check out a new town and see my cohort family.

Luckily for me, the wedding fell on my spring break so I took an extra day off to lounge by the pool with Mallory contemplating life and soaking up the sunshine. I even fit in a fabulous yoga class and got to bed early. All of my relaxing must have gotten the best of me because I kicked off my trip to Greenville with a lot of excitement. While driving to the airport, I thought that I should check my flight itinerary. Much to my surprise, I had misread the departure time the night before and only had an hour to get to the airport.  Somehow I arrived at the airport 15 minutes before departure and was able to park my car and make it to check-in just in time for them to walk me through security and to my gate. I owe a big thank you to Allegiant for saving my trip to the wedding! 

Once I recovered from the hurried nature of my departure, the bonding began...

Jeff and Travis picked me up from the airport and we had a good catch up chat on our lives. Mags and Hayden arrived soon thereafter and we were off to drinks and supper. The first night, we enjoyed a meal at the Blue Ridge Brewing Company. The food was delicious and while I did not partake in the beer, my fellow diners seemed to enjoy their brews. I was especially amused by the kegerator in use outside of the restaurant.

Unfortunately for the restaurant, they seemed to be having a plumbing issue which resulted in puddles of gross toilet water in the restrooms. As any good group of student affairs professionals would, this little issue turned into a risk management conversation until we caught ourselves and realized that we were, in fact, not on duty. Clearly, we were trained well in our graduate program.

After supper we wandered into another little bar downtown called The Trappe Door, which had a fine selection of wine and beer. We were most impressed by their stunning decor. Their menus were even bound in this gorgeous red leather.

After strolling through downtown, we caught up with the Bride and Groom at one of their favorite spots for more drinks, games and catching up.

After a successful first night in Greenville, we awoke to the celebration of St. Patrick's Day. We observed the holiday with the traditional green beer and burgers at the Carolina Ale House. The restaurant had a great outdoor patio section which we thoroughly enjoyed.

After our fun afternoon exploring the city, we attended the wedding and reception and then proceeded to have more fun with the newlyweds. We danced, and danced, and danced some more. Just like old times!

Wobble!

No idea!

Love!

Getting It!

J House Stroll

On Sunday morning, we enjoyed a delicious breakfast at Coffee Underground. This little place was quite the find. The coffee shop was quaint with walls that were filled with local art. The furniture was old and worn but added to the charm of the place. We enjoyed a delicious breakfast from their menu which had a great range of options. And, they serve pancakes as an appetizer to brunch - what could go wrong with this place?

Greenville certainly set the stage for a great reunion and I could definitely spend another weekend in this sweet little town. Until the next cohort shindig...