My Traveling Taste Buds, Part I

Hello lovelies! I underwent a delightful little procedure earlier this week that has rendered me useless around the house. Because I am not operating in my full capacity as Domestic Goddess, I shall reminisce about our mini-vacay the Hubs and I took last month.

Our vacation began by visiting family in the Midwest. While there, I asked Hubbie's family where I might partake in some local cuisine. As we were driving along the highway I spotted a Culver's whose claim to fame was frozen custard. Of course, being the sugar-loving lady that I am, I had to try this Midwest delight. And my family was so kind to oblige.

So there we were at the freezer trying to decide which delectable flavor to enjoy. We decided on raspberry cheesecake. While we were at the counter paying we figured we might as well have a little smackerel as well. So we opted for the chicken fingers and cheese curds. One of my friends had recommended that I also try cheese curds. Two birds, one stone. Awesome!

Three words sum up the frozen custard: Oh. My. Goodness. I must get a recipe for this frozen treat! I've never had ice cream so creamy. And intertwined with the frozen raspberry crunches and the bites of cheesecake... Hubs and I ate the whole thing between the two of us. I was certain I gained 10 lbs from eating my half! I will no doubt be posting about my frozen custard adventures when the weather warms up again.

And these tasty nuggets. I've always seen the commercials for the happy cows and their taking residence in Cali, but the cheese curds we ate were amazing. I always hear Midwest folks brag about how their cheese is better. Well sure, anything is better when it's battered and fried! Trader Joe's sells cheese curds on occasion. I'm not sure which cows are the source of Trader Joe's cheese curds, but I feel a cheese curd night comin on. No need for ketchup or anything!!

The rest of our vacation was spent in Lake Las Vegas, a romantic getaway for two (literally--we were almost the only two people there). We had a lovely hotel room with a fantastic view of the lake.

After a day of relaxing we decided to venture out on a guided tour to Hoover Dam, which also stopped by the Ethel M Chocolate Factory. Well how could we possibly pass that up?

We arrived at the dam and I could not resist feeding a friend. Can you spot my little buddy? He was munchin on a cracker. Anyways, back to the "Dam Tour"...

What an amazing feat that these engineers and builders were able to not only envision, but to execute such a tall order given the limited technologies of the time. As an engineer, I am impressed by the quality of the work and the pace at which the dam was completed. Says a lot about the work ethic of the working man's culture back then.

After a two hour tour marveling at the engineering masterpiece that is the dam, we got back on the bus and made our way over to the chocolate factory. Our "sample" wasn't nearly enough to satisfy our chocolate craving, so of course, since we were on vacation and all...

Our favorites were the dark chocolate with caramel and sea salt. Hubby will definitely be getting some homemade chocolate caramels in his next care package!

We had a lovely time meeting family in the Midwest, and a great romantic escape during our week and a half off. But more importantly we thoroughly enjoyed each other's company before he went on deployment. The memories we made will last a lifetime and I'm so grateful that we got a chance to spend time with each other before he had to leave.

The Navy Wife Way of Life

Good readers,
It has been a good while since I've last blogged. I spent the last month and a half or so enjoying my hubbie's company before he deployed. I promise to write about our adventures together soon. But now, I blog as a means to pass the time, and I've been careful about not having too much idle time so as not to dwell on the fact that he's not around. In other words, I've been too busy with things to do outside of the house that I can now blog about.

The evening after my hubs deployed, I went with a few of the wives whose hubbies are also deployed to Coronado's Holiday festival. While it was more geared towards children, we enjoyed sipping some hot cocoa and seeing the beautiful Hotel Del Coronado all lit up. We decided to check out one of the newer restaurants nearby, and from the window watched a firework show as we discussed projects and goods we were going to send in care packages for Christmas and hobbies and projects on our to-do lists to help pass the time. It was a great way to connect with people who understand what it's like to be a Navy spouse.

The Del lit up like a Christmas tree.

Now, more than ever, I have found the need to seek people out. But not just people, Community. Which is why when I saw that South Park was going to have a Winter Walkabout, I had to tell some friends about it. I went to the last Walkabout and I was not disappointed. For several blocks, small mom-and-pop shops stay open late on a Saturday night. Each offers anything from cookies and cocoa to wine and cheese to patrons who peruse their store. There are people playing Bingo on the sidewalk outside the little candle shop that also sells a delicious jalapeno jelly. Street vendors try their best to stay warm as they merrily chat with passersby. And every single store is packed with mingling people. It's an event that is appealing to me with every sense--food, sights (I loved browsing through every store I could walk into), sounds of people enjoying the evening, the scents of the candle shops and restaurants we walked by and the feel of the fabrics that I grazed as I searched for a scarf I'd seen in October, which sadly was not to be found this time around.

One storefront display was a mannequin dressed in lotto tickets!

I also enjoyed taking a peek at the little vintage boutiques which boasted little knick knacks on antique trunks. So much to take in and enjoy.

I finally ended my weekend with a trip up to Irvine to see the hilarious Ms. Anjelah Johnson. I went with a couple of friends who wanted to take a ride on The Spectrum's ferris wheel after the show. With me being afraid of heights I happily (and safely) took pictures from the ground.

Irvine Spectrum Ferris Wheel, as seen through my iPhone

Irvine Spectrum's Ice Skating Rink, also taken with my iPhone

Overall, it was a good first week, all things considered. Now back to my projects.