Exploring our new coast...part uno

Being new to the New England area, 

Hubs and I vowed to explore as much of 

the Northeast as possible. 

This past weekend we journeyed to 

Cape Cod with a crew of friends 

and then down to New Haven to see Sam and Ashley. 

What a great a restorative trip it was. 

Without further adieu...

Our pretty sweet view of the Cape. 

The weather was kinda cruddy, 

but it was perfect for beach combing.

One of my favorite surprises about Cape Cod 

was swimming with the bioluminescent jellyfish

(otherwise known as moon jellies).  

I couldn't get a good picture of it, 

but they don't sting and 

they light up under water like fireflies. 

Night swimming just got so much better. 

Boone's Farm, docks and trashy mags. 

Life is complete. 

When vacationing with a slew of artists, 

statues can be found around every corner.  

Our sweet digs for the weekend. 

It smelled just like camp, 

which was perfect. 

We also took advantage of the fresh local seafood

(and reasonable prices!)

and had a Lobster Lunch. 

And yes, we wore hats for Lobster Lunch. 

Why? 

Because it was a lobster party! 

....which, in the East is properly pronounced as

LAUBSTA :-) 

However it's pronounced though, 

Max was not impressed. 

hahahaha

And we also ate a good deal of dawgs while there. 

What weekend cabin getaway is complete 

without a pyramid of hot dogs? 

:-) More to come tomorrow from our stop in New Haven! 

A snowy Spring Break

With all of my teacher friends 

posting photos of sunshine and sand, 

it seems like a perfect time to (finally)

put up some pictures from our trip back home. 

Get ready. 

There's a billion pictures coming your way :-) 

J-bird on the way to the kennel. 

He knew something was up...

and he wasn't a happy camper. 

hahaha

Because of a super delayed flight, 

Anthony and I found ourselves stranded 

in Chicago the first night. 

I admit, I pouted for about 10 min. 

Then realized, of all cities for us to be stuck, 

Chicago was the best one. 

Our good friends Isaac and Catherine 

met us out for drinks. 

Anthony and Cat are both Leap Year Babies. 

The past couple of years, we've celebrated together. 

And it just happened were stranded on their birthdays. 

(well, the 28th, so close enough) 

We were all pretty stoked to spend the evening together. 

The next morning we headed out of Chicago and to Evansville. 

But not without grabbing a bag of Garrett's popcorn. 

How we found my grandpa... 

On an 8 foot ladder, 

installing a heating unit. 

Love it. 

No trip home is complete without a trip to Donut Bank! 

While there, we ran into my grandma Carole's High School buddies. 

I was jealous of the 5 boxes of donuts they bought. 

My dad was a bit possessive of the popcorn bag. 

In his defense, 

we did technically bring it home for him. 

Usually when we're home, 

we spend an afternoon with 

my Aunt Dori drinking champagne.

It's a pretty great tradition. 

Added this time? 

Her 38 Special. 

Love it. 

My niece Peyton in her IU gear. 

She knows the cheers too. 

Miss her and her baby sis so much!

The fireplace in my grandparents 

house is so great. 

Home is one of my favorite places to run. 

Before long, it was time to head back north. 

Anth and I hopped on the Amtrak...

and decided since we were on vacation, 

9am was not too early for drinks. 

Our hotel was connected to Ditkas. 

Score. 

First things first? 

Drinks at Cleos with my pal Val. 

Maybe one too many drinks. Oops. 

Being in Philly for the winter meant not much snow

(at all really). 

The day we got to Chicago? 

Dumped 10 inches in 10 hours. 

Figures. 

I didn't really mind though :-) 

Good thing someone thought to warm up the Acala's Horse. 

Our fav Sushi spot has a roll called

Sorry I am Drunk. 

hahahaha. 

My other fav running spot besides home 

is the Chicago Lakefront. 

Even though it was snowy 

and I was the only one there, 

I had to do it. 

So nice. 

 We also had a great Thai/Hoosiers night 

with our friends Mike and Lora. 

I swore to myself I wouldn't relive the previous night

(remember the Fireball Whiskey shot pic?)

but....

when a friend hands you an AMF,

as a Hoosier, you don't turn it down. 

And for the record, it was delicious. 

Also delicious? 

Spaghetti at Four Moon at 2am. 

hahahaha

Best brunch of the trip. 

Oh, and I wouldn't be doing the blog justice

if I didn't sneak in a trip to a great Chicago hot dog joint. 

So good. 

We also jammed in a trip up to Northwestern 

to see one of Anthony's professor's shows. 

Probably my fav Contemporary show I've seen. 

And finally, I met 5 of my favorite ladies for drinks at Cleos. 

I have yet to find somewhere in Philly to get a french fry salad. 

hahaha. 

 All in all, it was such a great (and super fast!) trip. 

Chicago, I miss you already. 

Happy trails to you....

A little late, 

but making me happy last week....

1. Hiking

"Wow, Kim and Anthony must be sleeping 

in late today, they're so quiet!" 

Mom and Dad B thought to themselves....

Actually I had convinced husband 

to wake up super early and hike. 

Being that we were surrounded by mountains for 9 days, 

I spent every possible moment outside. 

 

Luckily for me, I've got a husband 

who likes being outside as much as I do. 

Hurray for sun therapy!

2. Real Green Chilies...and on a hot dog.  

My Aunt Dori lived in Albuquerque for 30 years

and we talk about true green chilies all the time.

We've mailed her dried ones, 

she's tried to grow them
in the Southern Indiana's moderate temps,

(once even spraining her wrist to save the seedlings!), 

but never are they as good as the real thing. 

Oh! And there was bacon too. 

Maybe the best hot dog ever.

I thought of her with every bite! 

3. And family. 

Spending a week of vacation with Momma and Poppa B

was truly awesome and so restorative. 

We stayed up late playing cards,
made big life decisions, drank beer at lunch, 

and explored gardens, lakes, zoos and mountains. 

The only crappy part*? 

Leaving.
Hahaha. 

I'll post more vacation pictures soon!

*Husband and I didn't plan this pose. 
The fact that neither of us 
has our eyes open or is smiling, 
absolutely cracks me up.

This one takes the cake.

Portillos hotdogs are legendary.

Much like In-N-Out Burger or Pinkberry in Cali,

when people come to Chicago,

they eat at Portillos.

Any time I talk to Chicagians about hot dogs,

they say with surprise and disappoinment,

"You write a hotdog blog and have never been to Portillos?

Alright, I get it, I get it.

It's time.

And now I see what all the fuss was about.

Portillos is AWESOME.

Great food, inexpensive, and fast as lightning.

This place was PACKED when we came in

(it's two floors!)

and we still got our food in 5 minutes.

They also win extra points for crinkle fries.

They are my absolute favorite,

and I get super, ridiculously excited any time I get them

(especially with nacho cheese-yum!).

As you've probably noticed,

places often win me over because of fries, not hotdogs.

Hot-French-Fry-On-A-Cold-Night?

Oh, and if you go, get the chocolate cake.

If you're not a chocolate person

(like myself),

get the cake.

If you're on a diet,

get the cake and split it.

If you're stuffed full,

get the cake to go.

You too will be the happiest person on Earth

for those 5 minutes while you eat it.

And yes, there is a giant hotdog on my shirt.

You can buy it here!