Trip Fever

We are in the midst of purchasing a home and all of the fun stuff that goes along with that so this spring, instead of taking a trip, we are having a stay-cation.  And while I do love a nice, relaxing week at home, I also LOVE to travel.  And it doesn't help that my best friend and her family are currently at DisneyWorld. 

We are thinking of going somewhere in the fall, so we need to narrow down a location soon.  I'm up for anything - cruise, beach, mountains, etc. 

I was going through albums on Facebook and I was filled with good memories of our recent travels...

Panama City Beach

Definitely one our favorite places.  We always stay at the same place, the Osprey Motel.  It's an older, family-owned hotel and each room has a kitchen and balcony.  What I love most about the Osprey, well besides their unbelievable prices, is that this isn't a high-rise like so many places in PCB now.  It has 5 floors with easy access to parking both underneath the building and in a lot directly across the street.  No waiting 15 minutes for an elevator or traffic leaving a parking deck.  And there is ample space on the beachfront.  I always feel at home here and that is a big deal to me. 



The Osprey Motel (view from the beach)



View from our balcony

In PCB, one of our favorite places to visit is Pier Park.  Located just a short walk from the Opsrey, Pier Park is a huge shopping and entertainment area.  We enjoy browsing the stores, hitting the movie theater (a beach tradition for us), and having a snack.  In our past visits, we have eaten at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville, Hofbrau Beer Garden, and Red Brick Pizza.  We have also made stops at Tootsies for drinks and Kilwin's for delicious fudge and ice cream sundaes.

Deliciousness from Kilwins

Stop #2 - Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

I have loved going up to the Smoky Mountains since I was young.  My parents took my brother and I just about every summer.  My parents visited Gatlinburg on their honeymoon as did Hubs and I. 

It is one of those classic places with lots of shops, amazing food, and beautiful scenery.  And it is home to one of my most favorite places ever - Dollywood!

 

This area is also home to about 5,459 breakfast places.  Hubs loves it.



I seriously love Dollywood.



 

We have mainly stayed at hotels because we tend to go and do a lot.  We don't usually kick back and relax when we are in the mountains.  I don't know why.  On our last trip in April 2012, we visited my The Old Mill - my new favorite restaurant.  Their food is amazing.  And the restaurant has a water wheel outside.  I love it.  My parents LOVE their corn chowder and last time I was there, I took back $50 worth of corn chowder mix for them.



 

Next up, we get a little interational...Cruise #1

We went on our first cruise in August 2011 with my parents and some friends.  Carnival still had a port in Mobile at the time so we took the quick trip to Mobile and boarded the ship around lunchtime on a Monday.  Our cruise was a 5 day to Cozumel and Calica, Mexico.  It was a great experience for us.  No sea sickness for me (which is huge because I get nauseated quickly on various transportation devices) and everyday was perfect weather (well it was HOT).

 

Cruises are most famous for their food - all you could eat, anytime of the day.  We indulged.  A lot.  We had buffets at breakfast and lunch and formal dining for dinner.  Plus, ice cream anytime I wanted. 

 

Chicken and Fetticini in the formal dining room

Carnival's famous Chocolate Melting Cake.  Amazing.

 

Cruise #2

 

Hubs and I took cruise #2 with my cousin K in October 2012.  We left out of New Orleans for a 4 day trip to Cozumel and back.  We visited a different port in Cozumel so that was really nice. 

 

We actually took the same ship as our first cruise.  But for us, we just enjoyed the relaxation and weren't so concerned about a different ship, or even a different location.  Plus, it helped us get around faster since we were Elation veterans.

  

Docked at Cozumel

 

Deliciously fresh guacamole and salsa.

While my first cruise proved perfect in terms of ship movement, this trip made up for it.  It was very windy and we felt it quite a bit more.  The night we left Cozumel, they posted some nice bags to use in case you got sick.  Thankfully I had plenty of dramimine but I could see where those bags might come in handy. 

Barf bags.

So overall, the sea sickness was a bit rough this time.  And land sickness was actually really bad.  I spent all evening at home in my recliner.  But that wasn't Carnival's fault. 

Despite all of the bad press Carnival received last year, I am still up for another trip. I know that certain circumstances can't be helped.  But one thing I have to praise Carnival for is their staff.  Everyone we have never came in contact with was friendly and always willing to help.  They really see to it that your vacation is as perfect as possible.  Really and truly, the only thing you have to do for yourself is shower.  They do everything else. 

I highly recommend that everyone take a cruise at least once.  If you aren't sure, take a 3 day.  That will really tell you if a longer cruise is in the cards for you.  I don't know if a 7-day is my thing but 4 and 5 were just perfect. 

And lastly, Gulf Shores, Alabama

We visited Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, Alabama, with some of our best friends and their little girl last July.  We stayed with Ash's dad, who lives in Orange Beach.  They graciously opened their home to us and while it was cramped quarters, we had a blast.  Besides one minor hiccup with our car, it was a great vacation.

Hubs and EK on the beach for the 4th of July

While we were in town, we got our fill of seafood for sure.  First our first real evening, we picked up steamed shrimp from Billy's Seafood.  Their motto is "If it swims we got it."  The shrimp was amazing!  We took it back to the condo and had corn on the cob, potatoes, and hush puppies.  Delicious.

For lunch one day, we hit up the Shrimp Basket on all-you-can-eat popcorn shrimp day.  It was so good!  And their tarter sauce is amazing.

One place Hubs really wanted to try was Lambert's Cafe.  They have delicious southern foods and several all-you-can-eat pass-arounds like fried okra, fried potatoes, and hot rolls (thrown to you).  The only thing I don't care for is the humor they use.  For example, one waitress (not ours) acted like she tripped and her trick cup looked like coke was about to be all over me.  And some of them are sarcastic.  Some people think that is hilarious but I'm not a fan.  Just give me good food and leave me alone.  I'm not high-maintenance.  The food really was delicious though and I took back a plate of leftovers for a midnight snack.

And that last place we tried was the Original Oyster House.  It is a landmark.  The wait was 45-1 hour.  However, they overlooked up so at 1 hour and 45 minutes, Jim went to check and sure enough, we were skipped.  Anyway, I had the salad bar (which was yummy!) and shrimp.  I wasn't so impressed with my dinner.  And everyone sort of had an issue.  Either it was wrong or in some cases the fish was way overcooked.  So I won't say I wouldn't go back but I wasn't so impressed since it has such a reputation. 

So now I'm craving a trip even more! 


 

 



Invading the Alabama Gulf Coast

For the week of July 4th, Hubs and I were invited down to the Alabama gulf coast with our best friends.  Ash's dad lives near Orange Beach, Alabama, so we crashed his pad for some beach fun. Jim, Ash, and their Princess headed down on Saturday and Bob and I met up with them on Tuesday evening. We had a great time despite a not so great weather forcast.

Here's a recap...

1. Shrimp Basket - AMAZING! We arrived on All You Can Eat popcorn shrimp day!

2. We visited the Dollar General in Orange Beach every single day. We bought everything from poptarts to contact solution and ice to a nerf football.

3. Fresh shrimp from Billy's Seafood in Bon Secour. Their motto is "if it swims, we got it." They have fresh seafood including 5 sizes of shrimp for unbeatable prices! We had ours steamed in cajun seasoning and devoured it later with potatoes, corn, and hush puppies. I took 5 more pounds home to my dad!

4. Our car broke down behind Souvenir City on the evening of the 4th. HUGE thanks to Hub City Towing and Wayne, the driver, for helping us out! We got it fixed enough to get us home. Although it was a huge ordeal at first, the entire adventure only cost us a $20 part once we got home! Oh and thank God for roadside assistance!

4b. While my car is broken down in a parking lot 250 miles from home, do not approach me if you are drunk. The anger that spews forth cannot be matched. Just keep walking buddy.

4c. EK may or may not have peed in the bushes while we hung out in the parking lot.

4d. Seeing what great friends you have while you are crying in the parking lot is a great feeling.

5. We were very let down by the fireworks....or lack of. It was crazy windy so they were afraid of blow back into the crowd and the condos so fireworks stopped after about 60 seconds.

6. Bob finally got to try Lambert's Cafe. He was in food heaven. We all left full and happy! Even the Princess enjoyed some "mashed taters."

7. Staying up ridiculously late and eating ice cream ridiculously late is not usually in a runner's agenda but it was this week and we all four enjoyed it immensly!

8. We didn't run at all! I know really - shame on us. But it was a nice break.

9. Jim and Ash probably brought back 20lbs of sand in their car. It was our beach vehicle.

10. After having ice cream everyday and eating not great bad ANYTHING we wanted, I didn't gain a single pound!

Hubs and I waiting to eat at The Original Oyster House

Jim, Ash, their girl....and some Hubs in the background

Uncle Bob and the Princess

Breaking down on the 4th

The Weekend that Was

What an interesting weekend! 

Saturday, we (Hubs, KC, and my brother Andrew) headed to Huntsville to visit the U.S. Space and Rocket Center.  KC, Andrew, and I had not been since elementary school and Hubs had never been.  Hubs is really into space and astronomy and we thought this would be fun.  We chose this weekend because the new Orion spacecraft was making a stop on its way from White Sands to Kennedy Space Center in Florida.  The Orion will mark a new area in space travel.  Here is a local article about its visit.  We got to see the Orion up close and sign it.

While we had an enjoyable day, I have to say that the Center was way cooler when I was a pre-teen.  But it was fun.  The Saturn V rocket is housed indoors and that was really cool to see it up close.  We'll definitely take any future children to explore.

Saturday night, Hubs and I made homemade chinese food and borrowed The Help to watch.  I just finished the book and was really interested in seeing the movie.  While I was cooking, I looked down to notice little purple footprints in the kitchen.  To my horror, under my (carpeted) dining room table, our "puppy" had chewed up a purple ink pen.  My cream carpet was LSU purple!  Hubs immediately began cleaning it up with a new carpet stain remover called Folex.  Let me just say...go to Lowe's and buy Folex (less than $5 a bottle).  It is a miracle chemical.  My carpet is now 99% clean.  Still a faint pink hue on one spot that Hubs is still working on. 

Well after the carpet ordeal, we realized we didn't see Shelby.  She was hiding.  I found her...covered in purple ink.  Her mouth, white furry chest, and legs were all purple. 

She knew it was bad because she went into the bathtub willingly.  The water ran purple for several seconds and it took some major scrubbing but she is all shiny again. 

Oh the joys of parenting...err is that the right word?  She got quiet....I should have known that meant trouble! 

Thankfully we only have one chewer.  Our ancient weinie only cares about real food and doesn't chew on anything.  And it would exert too much energy to chew.  He's too lazy.

A Weekend in the Smoky Mountains

Hubs, my cousin K, and I spent a long weekend in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, TN in early November.  I love that part of Tennessee and it was the perfect time to visit.  The leaves still held so much of their Autumn oranges and reds yet things were decorated for Christmas.  We spent a full day in Dollywood, Dolly Parton's theme park.  We had dinner and a show at Dixie Stampede.  We had great weather and lots of beautiful scenery.  And we ate...a lot.

Hubs and I at Dollywood

Hubs could have watched the sandcasting and blacksmith guys all day.

K at the Grist Mill

The chapel inside Dollywood.

The steam engine that takes you on a trip through the mountains.

There is tons to see and enjoy for all ages.

Defintely one of my favorite places.

Hubs.

An evening straight from my dreams...

well, sort of....

Two of my oldest friends (16 years now!) and two of my sweet all-grown-up cousins traveled to Nashville in late June for the New Kids on the Block/Backstreet Boys concert (NKOTBSB).  I expressed my love for these two groups in an earlier post.  This concert was awesome.  From beginning to end, the guys rotated singing the best of both groups.  I loved every minute of it.  In fears of overloading blogger and what readers do happen to cross my blog, I am only sharing a small handful of pictures.  

After the show, my cousin had a great idea to hang out by the buses.  Much to my surprise, we were rewarded with glimpes of all four Backstreet Boys.  Nick was already in his bus but thanks to my sweet (and normally quiet) cousin and about 50 other girls chanting his name, he came out to wave. 

I. caught.  it.  on.  camera.  I will be happy forever.  

Top Moment from Nashville

I am planning to write an entire post about my trip to Nashville to see the New Kids on the Block and the Backstreet Boys but I had to share my top moment from my 20 hours in Nashville....

Nick Carter...in the flesh...15 feet away.  Made our night.



Couponing to Carnival?

I follow Kristin at Couponing for Disney and love her approach to her family vacations.  In a nutshell, she adds any "extra" money to their Disney Fund.  This money includes leftover grocery money, spare change, rebates, etc.  Hubs and I are paid in full for our cruise in August but we still have to take spending money (the "fun card") for anything not covered by the cruise (onboard souvenirs, adult-type beverages, coffee from the speciality coffee shop, etc).  We decided to use the "extra" money method to save for our cruise.  As of yesterday, we had 90 days until we set sail.  Already we have over $100 in our envelope.  This money comes from my photography jobs, Hubs' odd jobs, and extra grocery/spending money.  It is exciting to "find" money.  I don't think we have a set goal in mind at this point but it would be nice to save at least $500.  I think we can do it!!  I'll be updating so that I can go back and watch our progress.


90 Days!!!!!



We are booked!

Carnival Elation (courtesy - http://www.carnival.com/)

I cannot express my excitement for this trip.  Hubs and I enjoy traveling but generally we are 5 or so hours from home.  This cruise will be a whole new experience.  We booked 5 rooms last night.  In total, we have 11 people in our group - Mom, Dad, Hubs, Me, Brother, Brother's BFF C, Parents' friends P,M,A,K, & N.  It is going to be a blast!  We will be visiting Cozumel and Calica.  Just to be off the ship in another country is very exciting!  Now we just have to wait for August to get here!

Here are some details about our Fun Ship.

Total Staterooms - 1,021
Decks - 10
Passenger Capacity - 2,052
Total Crew - 920
Officer's Nationality - Italian
Ship Size - Large
Tonnage - 70,367
Ship Length - 855 feet
Registry - Panama

An Ode to Panama City Beach

Hubs and I love vacationing on the white sand beachs of Panama City Beach.  In fact, I called yesterday and booked a room for a long weekend in early May to celebrate Hubs' birthday.  Our love affair with PCB really started with me.  My family vacationed there and I had not been in 10+ years.  For the first years of our marriage, I tried to convince Hubs to travel but he was a real homebody.  But, in 2009, to celebrate 5 years of marriage, Hubs and I spent the week on the emerald coast.  He fell in love.  We returned again in the early summer of 2010 for even longer.  Since we are going on a cruise in the late summer with my family, Hubs and I were heartbroken that we wouldn't see our beach this year.  However, some fancy talk by me and an AMAZING room rate at our beloved Osprey, we are going for 4 days and 3 nights!  PCB - we are coming back to you!





Beachside Dinner

Beautiful Sunsets

Hi Hubs!  On the Balcony.