Ski Trip 2018

The first time I ever tried to snowboard was when I was 18 and at my parents house for Christmas break in college. My family had recently relocated to Michigan and my brother had really taken to the sport, so he wanted to show me up me to try it.  A couple of my friends from high school who had snowboarded before were in town we we loaded up and headed down to the majestic Mt. Holly (aka a former garbage dump turned into a ski hill) near my parents house where I attempted to snowboard! The key word here is attempted...in reality I spent a couple of hours attempting to stand up on a snowboard without falling before giving up and retiring to the lodge for the day while my brother and friends spent the day on the slope. At that point I decided that snowboarding was not my forte and that I'd stick to summer skiing.

Fast forward about 7 years when my BIL and (now) SIL asked us if we wanted to take a trip to Sugar Mountain, NC to ski/snowboard. Eric had never been and I only had my one completely unsuccessful experience under my belt so naturally we said "heck yes we want to go!" Clearly the mid-20s versions of us were lots of fun and had no trouble throwing caution to the wind, so we loaded up and headed to the mountains for a weekend on the slopes!

Sunset on the slopes!

Now you may be asking why we opted for snowboarding as opposed to the much easier snow skiing (or so I've been told)...well it's because the people we were with who had experience on the snow were snowboarders and could teach us. I've thought over the years that I should try skiing but we only go once a year and I'm not willing to give up half a day to learn something else when I can get myself down the mountain on a snowboard without falling. At this point in my life I would be considered a geriatric Olympian so there is really no need for me to progress to backside 1440s or 900s with a front-side grab.

For 4 years in a row we made a ski trip part of our annual trip rotation with friends.  We did Sugar Mountain twice (2011, 2013), before we took the plunge and spent a week in Steamboat Springs, CO, and then spent my 30th birthday weekend on Ober Mountain in Gatlinburg. But then life got in the way and all of a sudden it had been 3 years since our last ski trip, so when some friends of ours suggested a trip this year we jumped at the chance, to head back to Sugar Mountain for a long President's Day weekend (which tends to be our ski weekend with the extra day off and works out as a nice birthday trip for me!)

We headed out early on Friday morning and got there just before dark....thank goodness because our cabin was at the top of a steep, narrow, curvy road with no guardrails....gulp.  There was actually one switchback that Eric had to back up and re-position his truck every time we went up. But our view from the Owl's Roost was 100% worth it!

 I could stare at mountains like this all day long!

 The cabin on top of the hill....

Since we were exhausted from our travels and first night revelry (as all ski trips go) we slept in on Saturday before heading to the ski shop and the slopes.  Of our crew almost half had never skied or boarded on snow before, so we stuck to the easy hill until they got the hang of it.  However, we were quickly reminded of why we are typically night skiers.....the lift lines were absolutely ridiculous.  I'm talking 30 mins of waiting to go up....I was thrilled when the majority of the crowd left after the night ski session and we were able to hit lots of different runs during the evening session.

Obligatory lift picture

All smiles after the first evening on the slopes!

We made it home late that night and thankfully had the presence of mind to throw dinner the the crock pot before we left, so we refueled and then fell into food and exhaustion-from-skiing comas.  The next day we decided to forego the afternoon ski session and head to Blowing Rock, NC to see the sights and grab something to eat. We made a stop at the Jerky Outpost on our way, and the guys got to sample several varieties.....

 We preferred to take in the views while the guys shopped

So many pretty mountains!

Some of the more unique varieties included python, shark, camel, kangaroo, emu, and ostrich jerky.

We ended up having a delicious lunch at The Speckled Trout Restaurant and Bottle Shop before we headed back to the slopes via the scenic route.  We took a very windy mountain road (thanks Google Maps) and took an alternate route via a literal gravel/dirt road.  It was not as mountainous, but we were very thankful we were in trucks with 4 wheel drive.  I believe it was on the 2nd or 3rd switchback on a steep decline that we were all laughing so hard we were in tears because we realized how ridiculous the situation was.  But we made it out and back to the slopes for night number 2!

Scenes from The Speckled Trout....the taps were old tools, and some of the fare: Drunken Brussels Sprouts (sprouts and pork belly in a whiskey reduction) and the prettiest deviled eggs I'd ever eaten!

We had a very successful evening this time around despite the ice that had formed on the higher slopes....I did one of the icy runs and did not go back up that high the rest of the night.  As expected we were even more exhausted after our second night on the mountain, and despite wanting to enjoy our last night of vacation we raised the white flag of surrender and went to bed.

The trip home was pretty uneventful, but man did the Smokey Mountains show out!  They gave us quite the fond farewell, and I hope we get to see them again next year!

One Last Summer Hoorah!

At the beginning of the summer some of our good friends who lived 2 houses down from us relocated to South Alabama.  Lucky for us they are not too far from our family who live down that way, so we knew it was not a forever good-bye, but more of a we'll see you next time we get down that way.  With the summer being as busy has it has been this year the only time either of us had a chance to make it down that way was when I went to PCB my mom and dad a few weeks ago, so had not seen them all summer!

The closest we came to a group picture....the guys never did cooperate like we wanted them to!

Lucky for us the boys had been scheming the past few weeks and this past weekend we were able to sneak away for a few days before the official start of football. We left Friday after lunch and headed down I-65 ready for some R & R.

We spent the weekend relaxing and enjoying each others company.  Another couple came too, and Eric's brother and his wife drove over one evening for dinner, so we got to see them while we were there.

I am pretty sure all of the kiddos enjoyed the trip as much as we did!

Saturday while the guys golfed, the girls headed down to a little town called Fairhope.  I'd been there before but it had been several years.  We walked around the downtown area that was lined with shops and restaurants.  After we found several things we could not live without we settled in for some wine and sushi (great combo if you ask me!) at a restaurant call Master Joe's.  I had a Titanic Roll with shrimp tempura and cucumber, stopped with crab, shrimp, avocado, spicy mayo, eel sauce, and tempura flakes.  It was fantastic and I wish I had one right now!  As with all good sushi meals we all got something different and passed the rolls around so we could try a bite of everything.

My Titanic Roll (soooo good!) and Kenzie kisses!

Sunday the guys went with Eric's brother to try their luck snapper fishing.  We decided we weren't in a rush to do much of anything so we piddled around the house before packing up the kiddos to head toward the beach.

The plan was to go to Orange Beach where the guys were so we could meet up with them when they got back, but we never actually made it to the beach.  After making a pit stop at the outlet mall (because it was there of course!) we were headed to the beach until Eric called and said they were coming in from fishing.  Instead of going to the beach we detoured to the marina to see what they caught....a few red snapper, not too shabby.

I would have loved to have continued on to the beach, but Eric and I had to hit the road to get back home, so we jumped in the truck, went back to their house to pick up our stuff (and Beau), and headed north.

The only pic I got of us all weekend....he just loves pictures so much!

Why did we have to get home Sunday night? Well because football season officially started at midnight, and the team was having a midnight practice.... Yes midnight practice. I think he got maybe an hour of sleep from the time we got home until the time he had to leave for practice, and then got home about 2:30 a.m.  Although the public was invited, I told him just to let me know how it went because I had to be up at 5:15 a.m. the next day. He said it went well and that they had a nice little crowd, so I guess it was a success!

Sunshine selfie...we need to get the two littles some sunglasses!

Now we are officially in football mode for the next 4 months.  We're really kicking things off with our 5th Annual Football Coaches Cookout at our house on Saturday. For the 5th year in a row Eric is going to attempt to beat our head coach's ribs. He has come extremely close every year, but has come up short.  He's been scheming how to win this year, so we will see. As for the ladies, we've done potato salad and mac and cheese contests before, but last year we did dessert which turned out really great!  Since the only classic BBQ side dishes that were really left were slaw and beans and none of of want to deal with the aftermath of eating large amounts of either we deiced to do desserts again.Who doesn't want a table full of desserts to sample?!?

What started out as beginning of the season cookout has now become a tradition that we all look forward to every year, and I can't wait for this year's edition!

Beachin' It

A couple of weekends ago I snuck away to the beach for a few days.  Well I didn't actually sneak, it was planned, but still...  Eric had fishing trips to run that weekend so he opted to stay home.  As much as I hated to leave him, I needed some beach time desperately, so I joined Mom and Dad in Panama City Beach for an extended weekend.....and it was just what the doctor ordered.

Beach bums!

We got down there on Saturday evening and after spending hours in the car we opted to walk down the beach to grab dinner at Sharkey's for some delicious seafood.  You really can't beat fresh gulf seafood.  I never really ate fish until Eric and I started dating and now I can't get enough of it!  Of course it probably had something to do with the fact that we lived in Memphis and the seafood there wasn't exactly what you would call "fresh."

The next three mornings looked almost identical.  After donuts for breakfast (there was a new place right across the street from us) Dad headed off to golf while Mom and I got in a 4+ mile walk where we window shopped in Pier Park and solved ALL of the worlds problems....we get a lot done on our walks.  After we got back we'd head to the beach and stake out a spot to lay our chairs and sheet, and R-E-L-A-X. Dad would call when he got home and we'd meet him upstairs for lunch.

Sunsets, good company, and a wall of donuts....makings of a great vacation!

Our afternoons varied slightly, one day we beached all day and one day it rained so we checked out the Panama City Beach Winery and sampled some delicious fruit wines before beaching in the later afternoon.  We absolutely LOVED the winery.  The owners were really nice and very helpful!  I think we tried nearly half of the wines on the menu, and there were a bunch.

This is the third year we've been to PCB (Year 1, Year 2), so we're learning our way around, and discovering the best ways to enjoy the city. One thing we discovered last year is that going away from Front Beach Road is a good thing, especially if you want some really delicious local food. With traffic as bad as it is on the beach road, it takes just as much time to go elsewhere.

After dinner sunset at Uncle Ernie's

On Sunday we opted to head back to a restaurant that is becoming a favorite of ours called Uncle Ernie's.  It was recommended by a concierge last year, and did not disappoint!  It's on St. Andrew's Bay in Panama City (next to PCB).  We fell in love with this place last year when we celebrated Mom's birthday there.  They have a-m-a-z-i-n-g fried crab cakes (which was had to get again), and really delicious seafood dishes.  And the view from their outdoor patio is incredible!

Right: Crabcakes and grouper from Uncle Ernie's; Left: Southern goodness from Boondocks

Monday night we went for some southern seafood fare in the form of a little place called Boondocks. It's on West Bay - just north of PCB. We heard about it on a local tv program about hole-in-the-wall local restaurants and had to try it.  You can get just about any kind of seafood one of three ways: grilled, steamed, or fried.  We went all in and got everything fried because we could, so we shared platters of grouper, shrimp, crab claws, deviled crabs, and scallops, and then waddled home. I almost forgot, we did get one thing that was not fried - their Bacon Wrapped Shrimp.  I could have made a meal off of those alone!

The view and some of the local residents at Boondocks

I had to head back after lunch - perks of living 3 hours from the beach - so I did not get to partake in dinner that night at Shipyard Grill on St. Andrew's Bay, but some little birdies told me that it was amazing, too!

Besides the good food and beach I had some fantastic company in my parents! Whether we were on the beach, at dinner, sitting on the balcony in our condo watching the waves roll in, or sitting in the car trying to turn on to Back Beach Road watching all of the vehicles roll by (you have to catch it at the right time or you wait forever), it was so nice to get to spend some time with them.  The only thing that would have made the trip better would have been Eric and Matt there......next trip guys, next trip!

Until next time Gulf!

Cheers to 7 Years!

Today we hit big #7 on the anniversary log!  I still can't believe it's been that long.  I'd spare you the cliche "It seems like it flew by, but then it seems like yesterday" spiel, but it's true!  Some days it really seems like we've been married forever but the details from our wedding are always in the back of my mind...and several are in albums on facebook so I can relive them whenever.

Since our day fell on a Monday this year we celebrated over the weekend, on a boat - where else?! We set off for the Middle Pond so Eric could scout some crappie on Saturday. He said he wasn't leaving until he caught a fish.  Thankfully he caught one at the first hole he fished so we didn't have to stay all night.

We took the young pups with us - it was a little too warm for the old boys.  It was LG's first trip back to a boat ramp since Eric brought her home about 6 months ago. I wasn't taking any chances of her getting loose either.  As long as her feet were on dry land where she could run her little booty was on a leash.  But she did get to play off the leash and swim with Beau for a bit.

 She enjoys sunbathing like her Momma

They did a little fish spotting for us

I decided that a boat is no place for a hyper-active pup though.  She can't sit still on dry land, and the boat was no different....she was climbing and pacing the whole time, but I think she enjoyed it.

Sunday we celebrated with brunch at Springhouse, where we had some fantastic drinks and food!  This was our first time, but I think we both agreed it won't be our last. It was a really unique place with a ton of character near the lake.  It's kinda out in the middle of nowhere, so unless you're around that area of the lake you wouldn't know it was there.

When we got back from brunch we changed and headed down to the river for a few hours.  The cool water was just what the doctor ordered on a steamy afternoon. We even got to see an engagement on the sandbar!

It was a pretty fantastic way to kick off year 7 and I can't wait to see what it has in store for us!

Life Update: 6 Years, a Stuck Boat, Football, and Rio

Since things have been rather sporadic around here lately, I've decided that a life dump post is most appropriate to catch you up on what's been going on around these parts lately. July ended up bring a crazy busy month for us and all of a sudden it's August and kids are going back to school and I am wondering where is summer going, it just started?!? But the heat can take a hike because I've been over it since it started. So here's what life has looked like around here lately....

+ We celebrated our 6th Anniversary this past weekend with a lazy Sunday afternoon, and capped it off with an amazingly delicious dinner at Firebirds.  If you have one near you, go, and when you're there order the Blue Cheese Filet. You won't regret it, I promise. It was one of the best steaks I've had!

6 Years with this guy has been 6 years well spent!

+ Part of the reason we chose to take it easy on Sunday was because of the shenanigans that occurred on Saturday. We opted to spend the day at the river (as we have most recent weekends since it's been so hot). Unlike most of the previous weekends we actually had a rainstorm! But this was not your typical summer one-and-done shower.  This was a drencher that settled right on top of us and dumped buckets of rain for more than an hour. Unfortunately we were quite a way down the river and it was raining so hard that Eric could not see the currents in the water (the river is extremely shallow so you have to be able to see where the water runs), which meant that we either had to sit tight or slowly make our way up river. We did a little of both...and thanked the good Lord that the boat had a canopy top that kept us at least a little dry. After about an hour we were almost back at the boat ramp and Eric decided he had to "show what his boat could do" by running behind an island (which in his defense he had done a couple of days prior with no trouble). Unfortunately for us the water was about 6 inches lower on Saturday and instead of running through the shallow water, we got stuck...in the mud. The five of us managed to push the boat back around so that it was in the channel of water, but the boat was so heavy that we could not push it the 20 yards it needed to go so that the water was deep enough to float. As much as I know it hurt Eric's ego, he had to call some buddies to come help push us out. Thankfully, they rounded up a crew and after a couple of hours of being beached the boat was free and we were headed home.

 Thank goodness for good friends!  Although I am pretty sure most of them came just to see us stuck!

There's a silver lining to every situation though, right?  Ours were #1) that the rain had stopped just before we got stuck and #2) this amazing triple rainbow! Two in the sky plus a reflection in the water!   It was gorgeous!

+ Saturday night we are hosting the 4th Annual Football Coaches Kick-Off Cook-Off. This is going to be a bit different as Eric has officially crossed over in to "former football coach" status. I know he'd been saying all along, and I know he passed on summer practice, but it was finally real to me a couple of weeks ago when I met the new defensive line coach...aka Eric's replacement. Both of us have made the comment how different it has been having him home in the evenings, but as anyone who knows him would tell you he certainly isn't just sitting around.  He's been busier than ever!  Even though he is not part of the staff in an official capacity, I am glad we could still get together with everyone this weekend.  I'm going to miss all of the time I spend with the wives, too! Luckily, we're good friends with all of them so I know we just won't see anyone anymore, we will just have more time to do other things.


+ Tonight is the Opening Ceremony of the 2016 Olymnpics in Rio de Janeiro Brazil!  As a self-proclaimed Olympics Super Fan I am sooooo excited about it! I forsee A LOT of telelvision watching in my near future and a lot of cheering on Team USA!

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Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts....a kids worst nightmare, but a foodie's tiny morsel of deliciousness....when cooked right.  I grew up hating them, but it turns out that steaming them, cutting them open, and jamming a pat of butter between them like an ice cream sandwich is not the way to do sprouts. Now this isn't to say that I would have eaten then any other way as a child either, but I know I would not repeat that knowing how delicious they can be.

I have tried a couple of roasted and sauteed Brussels sprouts (yes it's capitalized because they're named after the city) and have been pleasantly surprised.  So when Mom and I were visiting my brother a couple of weekends ago in Wisconsin and he took us to brunch at a local joint called Houdini's and I spotted them on the menu I had to give them a try.

They were amazing! And because I can't just eat a good side dish and be done with it, I decided to recreate it.

*based on the Brussels sprouts appetizer from Houdini's Escape Gastropub

What You Need

6 slices thick cut bacon, crumbled

1lb Brussels Sprouts, quartered or halved

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup 100% pure maple syrup

1/2 cup Buffalo Sauce (I used Moore's)

2 Tbsp butter

1 tsp brown sugar

1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

How to Make It

1) Cook bacon in a skillet. I chopped my bacon into thirds and cooked it all at once, so they'd all fit in the skillet. When bacon is crispy, remove from pan, but leave the drippings.

2) Saute Brussels sprouts in bacon dripping over medium high heat, adding just a pinch of salt and pepper. When sprouts are tender and begin to char, they are ready. This takes 10-12 minutes.

3) While the bacon and sprouts are cooking, prepare the sauce: Combine maple syrup, buffalo sauce, butter, and brown sugar in a small saucepan, and heat to a boil, stirring frequently. Once the mixture begins to boil, turn the heat down to medium low and simmer 3-4 minutes. I let mine sit on the stove on very low heat until it was time to mix it all together.

4) Once your sauce, sprouts, and bacon are ready, you can assemble the dish. Place the Brussels sprouts in a serving dish. Pour sauce over the sprouts and mix until they're completely coated. Top with bacon and Gorgonzola cheese and serve immediately.

For anyone who is wary of the spiciness, it's not spicy at all.  The maple syrup and butter balance out what little heat the buffalo sauce provides and you're left with delicious and very complementary flavors!

I'd love to be able to say that I nailed this recipe on my first try but as you can see, that was not the case. I was not thinking about it when I was purchasing my ingredients, and bought a bottle of hot sauce, NOT buffalo sauce. As they tell you in elementary school, some things are alike, but they are most certainly the same. Buffalo sauce and hot sauce are prime examples.  Let's just say that my first attempt was way too spicy for Eric to even try.  Luckily I had the presence of mind to not pour it on the Brussels sprouts immediately, and thank goodness there is a Walmart 2 minutes from our house! It was $12 well spent to get some buffalo sauce and another bottle of maple syrup (because I used the entire 1st bottle trying to de-spicy the hot sauce concoction). Live and learn....

...and laugh at yourself on Snapchat!

Memorial Day Week Vacation Part 1: Panama City Beach

We did something last week that Eric and I have not done since the week we got married almost 6 years ago....we both took an entire week off of work for vacation, and boy did we need it! We had been planning on spending a few days in Panama City Beach, FL for Memorial Day, but Eric realized the week before we left that red snapper season was coming in on June 1 (the day we were supposed to come home from  PCB) so we decided to extend our trip by a few days and head west to Orange Beach, AL and spend some time with his brother's family. It was a fantastic trip and I was not amused when my alarm clock went off Tuesday AM (thank you random Monday state holiday). In fact I slept right through it until Eric had to wake me up because it woke him up. Clearly my brain was still in vacation mode.

Beautiful scenery is usually the way to put me in a relaxed state: mountains, lake, forests, beach....they all make me happy. But there's something about the relaxing sound of the waves constantly rolling onto shore that puts me in total relaxation mode.

I'll take this view all day every day....kthanksbye

We had plans to head south first thing Friday morning, but the brim were bedding at the lake so Eric just HAD to go catch some...this is real life when you live with a true fisherman. It worked out well because I was able to get all of my things together and take the pups on a walk before we hit the road. We left right at 9AM and were sailing down the road until we got about 20 mins from home and Eric realized he'd left his golf clubs at home.  We turned around to go back and get them, so our official departure was not until 9:37AM.  We had an extra passenger on the way down because we were making a stop at his Mom's house to drop off his Dad's dog. She requested we bring Belle to stay with her for the week, which was no trouble because it was right on the way and we got to stop in for a nice lunch with his Mom and her husband. We finally pulled into Panama City Beach around 2PM, but it was perfect because our friends we were staying with the first night couldn't get into their room until 1PM so we ran to the room, threw on swim suits and hit the beach immediately.  We were not wasting ANY beach time!

Top: Beach bums! Bottom: (L) Beach sunsets are my favorite (R) The girlies before dinner. 

We opted for a casual dinner at Shuckems Oyster Pub with a side of karaoke for the kiddos, although they were more excited about the breaks where they played the Whip and the Nay Nay.  Want to entertain a crowd of kids? Play the song and watch all the kids get down....they know ALL THE MOVES. 

The guys headed out for a round of golf the next morning so once all of the kiddos were up we headed down to the beach for another day of sunshine...It didn't quite go as planned with a chill in the air and once it started sprinkling we headed up to the room for some lunch. It cleared up once the guys got back so we packed up and headed back down to the beach, naturally. After a few hours I left and ventured down Beach Front Road (being Memorial Day Weekend it was a very adventurous and long 3 mile drive) to pick up my parents who we were meeting up with for the remainder of our PCB stay. I brought them back to the other hotel for the afternoon since we had a primo front row beach spot already staked out. After a bit we parted ways and headed to our hotel with my folks to get checked in and unpacked before meeting up with everyone for dinner at Sharkey's (conveniently walking distance from our hotel...because ain't nobody got time to drive down Front Beach Road in PCB at mealtime on Memorial Day Weekend).

Dinner at Sharkey's with the entire crew!

The rest of our stay went like this: Eric and Dad got up and headed to the golf course, Mom and I got up and headed out on a walk down to Pier Park and beyond....a good 5 miles before heading to the beach. When the boys got back we'd head up for lunch and then back to the beach for the afternoon. We'd come in when the sun started going down to get cleaned up and head to dinner. I'm pretty sure that's how life is supposed to be done all day every day, right?

 1) Sand Turtle! 2) Heaven's Gate...no seriously that was the name of the drink. A refreshing crisp spritzer! 3) Dad and I at Sharkey's the first night. 4) The best lunch view ever! 5) Mom's birthday was the last full day of our trip so we celebrated with cake, naturally. Unfortunately we did not have a lighter and the store only gave us some matches with nothing to light them on, so my repairman husband lit the match on the broiler, which was brilliant until we walked over to their room with the lit cake and opened the door. Then a giant wind gust blew ever single candle out.....so we had to relight them with the broiler and a paper towel. 6) Won Ton Nachos....unfortunately the drinks and appetizer were the only really great things about the place we ate at that night. 7) Mom and I at her birthday dinner. 8) The Crab Cake Appetizer at Uncle Ernie's....they deep fry the $#!+ out of them, according to our waiter.....so delicious!

I think we came to a consensus that our favorite dinner was the one at Uncle Ernie's Bayfront Grill in Panama City (across the bay from PCB) for Mom's birthday dinner.  The food was delicious, the view was spectacular, and we even had live music! Our dinner choice only reaffirmed my confidence is asking locals for food suggestions....and I'd like to give a big shout out to Joey from the Electronics Department at Target who suggested this place to Mom and I.

This sunset view was absolutely spectacular on the Bay.  And I'd like to point out the Betsy Ann River Boat in the center of the top photo. 

And now for more pictures.....because beach = perfect background for pictures =)

 We got to see an ocean rainbow after a rain shower one night. 

Whoever named the beaches between Panama City and Gulf Shores the Emerald Coast hit the nail on the head because the water and the white sandy beaches are top notch! We are beyond lucky to live so close to such a beautiful place!

We finished up our PCB vacation on Wednesday and said good bye to my folks before heading west for the Orange Beach leg of our vacation.  Since this post is already a mile long I will save those pics for another day, but let's just say there was a lot of food, fish, and fun family time!