On the Road Again

BBQ in Bama- all Pork
Zydeco Band in Louisianna

Cajun food at it's best: Randols

Our ecletic room at the b&b

B&B in Lafayette

Mama R and I have successfully made it to Augusta. We had quite a ball making the trek and got to see some really gorgeous parts of the country. The fist night we trekked to Lafayette, LA and stayed at a little bed and breakfast. The b&b was an experience and we really enjoyed heading to Randolls for dinner for the award winning crawfish etoufee and zydeco band. The second day our goal was to make it to Montgomery Alabama. We started our second leg of the trip and from some great advice of a friend stopped at Chimes on LSU's campus for a bite to eat. The crawfish sandwich was to die for and the LSU campus is gorgeous. From there we pass through Mississippi and the infamous Beau Rivage Casino. I think mom was upset we didn't stop, but with baby T and a deadline to get to Augusta we will have to save that for next time. That night we arrived in Montgomery, Alabama. We ended up getting in a bit late so we stopped in for some good ole bbq-yes we have moved out of Texas because all the bbq was pork. The third day we then headed to Augusta. After a long drive we finally made it here and were so excited to see Mark!

Georgia on my Mind

Today mom and I leave for Georgia. I am sad to leave all my family and friends, but excited to start a new chapter in my life. After several tears and hard goodbyes I finally took a lesson from Elle and got in the car and started driving. Stay updated for Rhoda and my roadtrip adventure.

Something in the Water

I'm not sure what my friends and I drank, but I am so excited that baby T will get to grow up with my bestfriends kiddos. How neat that the girls I grew up will be having babies that Baby T can have playdates with. Shout out to Brenham ladies and my college friends who drank the water: Lindsay T- Jan; Em- Dec (girl); Jenny- Jan; Heidi- Jan; Angie-Dec; Virgina- Dec (girl); Shelby (boy)

Ladybug Turns 1

It seems like just yesterday Elle was born! It's hard to believe that little Ladybug is already 1. Here are a few pics down memory lane. What a great year! Uncle Doc and I love you Elle.

Yesterday I drove to Austin to celebrate ladybug's 1st Birthday. Kris and Leisha out did themselves and put together a fun fiesta for Elle and all her friends to celebrate her big day. Mark had found the perfect birthday present for her (baby pink scrubs with "Dr. Elle" monogrammed on them.) She was such a trooper staying up past her bed time and she loved her cake. We can't wait to celebrate many more with you ladybug!

So Long F&J

Today is my last day at Fulbright. I was so blessed to get this job after the capitol and loved that it cut down on my commute time from 2/1/2 hours to Austin to 15 minutes from Apartment del Trevino in Houston. However, the best thing about F&J were my coworkers. (Jeff if TX is ever playing LSU we have a standing bet. Jess please send me all your bus stories. Melissa I will be lost in pop culture with out you. Hsin-Nan you make me want to become even more organized. Danvers, Georgia, and Victoria if Britt is ever back in concert count me in. Bianca I'll see you on facebook. Whit I will miss our morning tea sessions and Mike you are the glue that held us all together!)

Everything in Moderation

So one of my favorite things to do with Mark is cook. We'll find a great recipe, pour ourselves a glass of wine and we will start working on our masterpiece. We love cooking together because we can unwind and catch each other up on our days. Most of the time the result is a tasty dinner and another good glass of vino. Now that Baby T has come along I've had to wing myself off of all my favorites (Ciao pinot, merlot and cab.)
Since Mark moved and I had to be out of the apartment I have been lucky to stay with some close amigos here in Houston. I've had so much fun at hotel del Piazza, Gumberts and Stephens. However, by the end of the week I'm always excited about heading to B-town for home cooked meals. Since my parents have been so gracious to cook for me when I come into town, I decided that I'd treat them to dinner the other night and make homemade pizza (with handmade crust, sauce an all.) Since my doctor said a little red wine in moderation was okay I thought I'd have a little glass while cooking. Funny how my moderation and my mothers are not quite the same (My wine is the communion glass on the left and hers is the one on the right.) No complaints though, the sip (or should I say shot)was just as good as I remembered and I know the big girl glass will still be waiting for me in 5 months.

Is American Gladiators the WNBA of the 80s?

So I'm on night float right now and usually I am dealing with two or three pages at a time, but I had a rare 45 minute break in the action so I decided to have my snack (almonds) in the break room where American Gladiators (AG) was on ESPN classic. The question I am dealing with is why did they give the women equal time/rounds as the men?

First, the women are not nearly as fast, skilled or hard hitting as the men and thus, not as entertaining. Second, the contestants are not attractive (possibly a little 80s hot, but Madonna was the hottest chick in the world then so it was a crazy time) and some kind of looked like dudes if their hair was short. The female gladiators were terrifiyingly ripped, tan, small chested, probably pharmacologically enhanced "athletes" in leotards. It makes sense that the current version gives equal time as the women are easy on the eyes and there are probably 100x the number of women's groups who would freak. But this was the mid-80s which were a far cry from the PC world we live in today. I watched the female joust and it was sad. They just haphazardly swing those things around and hardly ever land anything yet somehow still fall off the pedastool.

It's like the original version of the WNBA without the fundamentals.

Colorado

Broadmore Brunch= YUMMY! They had everything you can imagine to eat. Dad, Leisha and Kris loved the seafood, mom loved the sweets, and I loved the cheeses and breakfast food!

Pikes Peak - It actually snowed on our way up to the mountain. The view was amazing, to bad the train broke down for an hour causing minor heart attacks with our fellow train travelers.

Thanks Em for the great dinner recommendations! We loved the Warehouse and Summit.

Golf was amazing with gorgeous views. I think Dad even gave Kris a run for his money on both days of golf!

The East Course where the US LPGA Champions will be played in 2011

Garden of the Gods

Broadmore

For the fourth of July the fam and I headed to Colorado Springs for a little relaxing! Mark was on call so he unfortunately didn't get to go with us but was there in spirit. We had a great time watching the fireworks and staying at the Cheyenne Mountain Lodge Resort and the Broadmore. The weather was perfect and it was great to escape the Texas heat to a cool 75 degree day. Thanks to great food recommendations from my friend Emily, we ate till we were stuffed. One of my favorite things of the trip was the brunch at the Broadmore on Sunday-hello bananas foster and every other sweet imaginable (I tried them all). While we were there we got to play some golf, see Garden of the Gods and managed to get stuck on our cog railway three fourths up Pikes Peak. No worries, after several hours we finally got to the top of the Peak and the vistas were amazing.

I heart hamburgers

Last Wednesday I flew into Denver for family vacation (pics coming.) Denver was our first stop before heading to Colorado Springs. When we got to Denver we stumbled upon the most amazing art festival and ran into some old college friends who were in town for a wedding. After viewing the amazing art we quickly built up quite an appetite. Luckily, Kris and Leisha had seen a recent episode on Man vs. Food on the food network about a hamburger place called Duffy's Cherry Crickets http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KdVFw2JQSU. Being the foodnetwork junkie that I am we just had to try it out! Hands down one of the best burgers I have ever had. Who doesn't want a 1/2 pound burger with over 22 toppings to choose from. With that being said I thought I'd post my top hamburger joints for friends and fam to try. (Disclaimer: If you have a burger joint I need to try let me know.) I already know that Mark will be sad that Chesters in San Antonio didn't make my cut)

1. Chris Madrids- Tostada (San Antonio, TX)

2. Duffy's Cherry Crickets- 1/2 pound, herbed cream cheese, bacon & pepper strips (Denver, CO)

3. In and Out (California)...I tried to not include Chains but this was a must for me

4. Hubcap Burgers- Greek Burger (Houston, TX)

5. Homemade hamburgers (Because you can make it how you want it-chilli, cheese and fried egg)

Honorable Mentions: Healthcamp (Waco, TX); Christian's Tailgate & Goode Co. Hamburgers & Taqueria (Houston, TX); Jakes & Chips (Dallas, TX); Nau's Drug Store, Huts, Dirty Martins (Austin, TX); Chicken Oil (College Station, TX); Hills (Waller, TX), Dairy Bar (Brenham, TX)

Wanting to Try: Kinkaids (Ft. Worth, TX); Angry Dog (Dallas, TX); Lankfords (Houston, TX)