Are you ready for some football?!

My next October vacation was back to some familiar territory - Kansas City. I actually also went to Des Moines on this one too, yes both.

Mere and I tailgating

Since I've moved out to Colorado, I haven't been able to make it to many K-State football games.....which bums me out. This year, K-State was playing at Iowa State, and as it turns out - that's about halfway between Kansas City and Madison, Wisconsin - where my good friends Meredith and Jake moved to! That game also happened to land on Jake's big 30th birthday.....so you can see where this is going. Yup! Road trip for the Iowa State game!

After looking at some prices on flights, I decided to extend the trip by a couple of days, fly into KC instead so that I could see some other friends, and then drive up to Iowa with some other folks who were going. It was a bit of a whirlwind, especially since I never could unpack - but it was worth the extra days!

I spent my time in Kansas City pretty much just vegging out and relaxing. Since I accepted my new position within ACS (yup! I got a promotion back in August!), things had felt a little crazy!

Becky, her hubby, Andy and I

Friday, after a couple friends got off of work, we started the drive to Des Moines. I was so excited to see lots of friends at the game, but especially to see my friend, Becky who had recently moved to Des Moines. Becky is my oldest friend as we grew up next to each other and have been friends since we were one. We used to be able to see each other a lot, but between her moving to Des Moines, and myself to Colorado - it never works out! And even better, I finally got to see her husband for the second time. Pretty depressing that such a good friend of mine and I hardly even know her hubby! :)

Since I never get to see them, I spent Friday night at their house just catching up. I even managed to talk them into joining us Saturday night after the football game for some drinks! Always good to see such a great friend!

Saturday morning, our tailgating crew met up at the hotel and drove to Ames for the football game. We were a little worried the weather was going to continue to stay so crappy - luckily it finally 'warmed' up so we could enjoy the pre-game!

Birthday boy!

As you should all know from K-State's great season they've had - we won the game! That always makes for post-celebrations that much more exciting! We all went to downtown Des Moines to celebrate the K-State victory, and Jake's 30th! Our mission was to make sure he drank every girly drink on the menu....and he was such a good sport to go along with it!

On Sunday, I was lucky to have my dad driving through for work, so he took me out for brunch - gotta love it when that happens! After that, we needed to recover from the game! We made the trip back to KC and I got up way too early to fly home on Monday morning. All in all, it was just what the doctor ordered for some R and R and R - rest and relaxation and reunions!

The journey continues to North Carolina

In October, I apparently decided that I did not want to be at home. Between work events and a couple of trips out of town - I was never home on the weekend!

My first trip was to North Carolina to visit my friends, Jenny and Paul.

A little over a year ago, I went to visit them when they lived in Salt Lake City. Like me, apparently they don't like to stay still. :) Paul is going to business school at North Carolina and I joked that he could only accept a job in a city I had never visited before. Good news is? My next visit to see them will be Boston!

Back to this visit......This was my first time visiting North Carolina and I couldn't have been more excited! The airlines decided they needed to test me as I almost didn't make it!

For anyone who knows me, I am a huge Duke fan and have been for years! So the fact that Jenny and Paul live in Chapel Hill (very close to Durham and Duke University) was a double bonus! Don't worry about the fact that the 'other' North Carolina University is where they ACTUALLY live and where Paul goes to school.

After a little bit of a rough time travelling to North Carolina, I finally made it.....very late in the night. Saturday morning, we woke up early because we were going to tailgate for the UNC Homecoming football game. We couldn't have asked for better weather (I was actually hot!), but Jenny and I needed to teach these Southern girls how to tailgate! They were all wearing way too cute dresses and cowboy boots, while Jenny and I were ready to drink some beer and play some games!

Pauly D and I

We didn't have tickets for the game, so after the tailgate we headed to a bar to watch UNC and KState play. I'm pretty sure I scared off their friends in the process as I was yelling at the TV and our team - oops!

Even though Chapel Hill and UNC is not my preferred school, I really enjoyed walking around their bar district and seeing the cute little town. And I have to give them credit for their team spirit - even their firetrucks match their school colors! I joked that children who grow up in this town might have some issues because they would never know a fire truck is supposed to be red!

Sunday was a day of relaxation, but Jenny was gracious enough to drive me to Durham so that I could see the Duke campus.....that place is huge! I always wanted to go there but couldn't afford it (or even get close) so it was great to see the campus....but we got lost even driving around! I was really hoping for a prominent 'Duke University' sign, which unfortunately we never found. I was completely satisfied, though, with a stop at the infamous Cameron Indoor Stadium. It would have been sweet to be able to watch a game there!

Cameron Indoor Stadium

The last stop of my weekend was to a great BBQ joint in Raleigh called The Pit. At this point in the year, I had been able to experience all of the great BBQ (Nashville, Austin and KC to come after this trip) and this place was no disappointment. It was my first time having Carolina BBQ and it was one of my faves! Jenny and Paul taught me that Carolina's sauce is famous for being vinegar-based. Luckily, this particular restaurant had another option....although the meat was one of my faves, the vinegar sauce was not! I still highly recommend this stop if you're ever in downtown Raleigh...makes me want to go back for more!

Austin, Live Music Capitol of the World!

In September, my travels took me for yet another work trip - combined with a little fun travel of my own!

I had been to Texas a lot as a child, but hadn't experienced Austin as an adult. I heard it was a great town, especially for young adults, so once again, I tacked on an extra day of my own!

I got into Austin on a Monday and went down to 6th Street. I was told this was the place for some good live music, nightlife and people-watching! It was a very nice little area, but I might have been spoiled by my recent trip to Nashville.....their live music was definitely better! It could have been because it was a Monday night, but I wasn't impressed with the nightlife! There were some fun little bars and unique places to shop, but I was more entertained by our hotel and hitting the hot tub by 10pm than staying out on 6th Street! Or maybe that's just me getting older! :/

LBJ Library and Museum

I only had one full day in Austin, and with the terrible heat and humidity, I was very selective with my options of what to see.....those with air conditioning! On select occasions, I enjoy historical sites. Austin happens to be home to the Presidential Library of Lyndon B Johnson, so I thought this would be a good source of American history....plus I had never been to a Presidential Library.





Presidential Limousine



When we arrived at the Museum, the woman said they were under construction but we were welcome to see what was still open. Luckily the entrance was free because there wasn't much to see! In the main lobby, they have LBJ's presidential limousine, so naturally you have to pose like a Secret Service agent in front of it! They also had a replica of the Oval Office according to how LBJ kept it. Besides that, they had a few trinkets of gifts that LBJ and Lady Bird had received over the years and that was it! I know they told us they were remodeling, but they could have given more of a heads up - ha! It wasn't exactly a great tour since there wasn't much to see - but it was nice to say I had finally been to one....maybe next time I'll have more luck!

Since we still had some time to kill, we wanted to see some more of Austin. I googled some attractions that were nearby and found Mount Bonnell, a Texas Historic Landmark. After a hike of about 100 stairs straight up, we got to the vista that had a beautiful view of the city itself and Lake Austin. It would have been nice to sit up there and have a picnic, but this Colorado girl can't handle the humidity anymore.....we had to go!

'Lake' Austin

Back in July, I had the opportunity to have some delicious Tennessee BBQ, so while I was in Texas - I had to do the same! After doing a Facebook poll, and texting friends (who had no connection to eachother), the overwhelming response came in - we had to eat at The County Line (on the Lake). Now the expectations were high.....but they didn't disappoint! I walked away in pain because I was so full - that food was delicious! Sure, you're probably saying 'well don't eat so much if you were so full'....but if you have BBQ that good you have to have every last drop.

If you are ever in the Austin area, I highly recommend it - plus there's a great little view of the lake to go along with it! Although, this lake looks like a river in every way I was taught....so if you can explain why they're calling it a lake - I'd appreciate that also. :)

My Nashville Debut!

I have come to the realization that I am terrible at blogging. Based on my last post date, I'm sure you've noticed as well.

Someone suggested maybe I should 'specialize'. And since I find myself traveling a lot, I'm going to attempt at making this a travel blog instead!

Relay For Life Summit

That takes us to July. ACS was having a National conference that I got to attend in..........Nashville! Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love country music, so many people were surprised that I had never been to Music City. I was so pumped to go!

After our conference, of course I decided to pay and stay an extra day and see the town a bit, and it didn't take much to convince one of my co-workers, Amanda, to stay with me also! There are so many options of things to see in Nashville, we chose to stay close to home and play in the downtown area.

First up Saturday, we tried some Tennessee BBQ.....yum!! I love some good BBQ so had to grab the chance to try Tennessee's! After dinner, Saturday night was spent hanging out on Main Street listening to live music everywhere we went. It's not that I care to listen to live music all of the time, but since Denver doesn't have a huge live music scene, it's something that I don't even realize I'm missing out on!

We learned that the music scene in Nashville is pay for what you like. None of the bands playing are getting paid by the bars - they make their money solely on tips. So if you like what you hear, give them some cash. I'm not normally one who tips musicians - not sure why - but you couldn't not tip these people, they were amazing! I normally don't carry cash with me, but was sure glad I did! Amanda and I even spent some of the night googling the artists so we could say we saw them play when they were just getting started!

Wildhorse Saloon

We went to so many places that I can't even remember half of the names, but we got to make a stop at the famous Tootsie's, the Wildhorse Saloon, and at one stop I even got the drumsticks from the band! Along the 'Main Street Tour', we had to make a stop at a Karaoke Bar - Wanna B's - for our Nashville debut!! We rocked the Dixie Chicks 'Some Days You Gotta Dance' and any day now we'll be hearing someone call about that recording contract!



Ryman Auditorium



Sunday morning, we took two quick tours of the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Ryman Auditorium. To stand in the place where some of country music greats have been is pretty awesome - had we planned our trip better we could have even seen some of them! Some of the great pieces we saw were: Minnie Pearl's famous hat, Elvis' gold Cadillac, the Rotunda of HOF inductees, and of course some pieces from my husband and his 'real' wife:

My hubby!

After the Hall of Fame, we made our way to the Ryman Auditorium. This auditorium is so small yet is stunning! It sits in the middle of town and the building is the perfect size that you could walk right by it without even realizing that it's a piece of history!

Nashville was such a great city with so many different things to do. It gave me such a great feeling of 'home' with the midwest vibe, but a big city feel. It'd be nice to go back again sometime - but if I never do - at least I got to see some of the greats!

Country Music Hall of Fame

I want sea turtles...Part 2!

Part Two of Paradise continues....

Petroglyphs

Friday morning we got moving fairly early, at least early compared to what we HAD been doing, and stopped at Little Lameshur Bay to make a 4.2 mile (roundtrip) hike to see the petroglyphs and waterfall. This was another spot where we could have started the hike from another trail head and it would have been shorter, but we both like to hike so figured why not. It was a great hike, but even being from Colorado, was not prepared for the elevation and the steep incline. The petroglyphs were really cool and in certain spots you could also see them reflected in the water. Don’t get too excited about the waterfall, as I probably was, it’s a tiny thing, but still beautiful. We laid on the rocks listening to the water for awhile before heading back – so peaceful. If you don’t mind the hike – you have to see it!

Waterfall

Saturday we went to Reef Bay and went for another short hike to the Reef Bay Sugar Mill Ruins. These are a great one to add to your list, also, because there's still more of the mill left compared to Annaberg. Plus, there are hundreds of hermit crabs hiding out here, and for whatever reason, I became obsessed with them on my trip! :) Before leaving Reef Bay, Shane caught glimpse of something swimming in the water. He called me over just as I saw......the head of a sea turtle! Unfortunately by the time I would have gotten in the water and swam to him, he would have been gone...but at least I saw him!

Shopping!

Sunday was my last full day in the islands, and I wasn't ready to head back. By this point, we were back in St Thomas, anchored in the main harbor so we were close to downtown Charlotte Amalie. We went to shore so I could get some shopping in and we wanted to see some historical spots in town. Warning if you are visiting: everything closes at 1pm, on Sundays! I was able to get some good shopping in from the local tents, but it took us awhile to find an open restaurant for lunch! Regardless, we were able to find some good places in town and it was a nice and relaxing way to end my trip.

I've never been on a real cruise myself, I never really had the desire to go on one. But after the week on the sailboat, and learning about what a charter trip is like, it seems like a much better deal anyway! Within limitations, you get to choose where you're going each day, it's not already mapped out for you, and depending on how you book it, it's cheaper too! That being said, here's a plug for Captain Shane....if you're interested in spending time in the Caribbean and experiencing it from a charter, check out his website http://www.svguidinglight.com/ and set up a trip!

If you’re thinking of spending time in the USVI, definitely do some research on where you’d like to go, but be open to the unknowns! One thing I learned was that just because you read or heard about a particular place a lot, doesn’t mean it’s going to be all that great. My top three favorites of the trip were snorkeling at Waterlemon Cay, the Annaberg Sugar Mills Ruins and the petroglyphs. Out of those three, I had only read ahead of time about the Ruins. I’m glad I did some research on what was down here before I came, but some of my favorite spots were the ones no one has mentioned!

I’m not a person who takes long vacations, usually it’s just an extended weekend, so this trip was overdue in my book. To have the opportunity for a week and a half in paradise, relaxing on the sailboat was so nice. Everyone loves a good vacation where they can escape their day-to-day, but sailing
around was such a different experience. For me, although I may be biased, my guide made all the difference in the world. Shane did such a great job with teaching me about sailing and the terms I don’t know; answering all my stupid questions (there were plenty) or things I wouldn’t think about (I would NOT have known that you shouldn’t leave the shower running the entire time); educating me on the history of all the places we went; to even cooking delicious meals for me every night! That part I’m kind of ashamed of….I’m pretty sure he’s a better cook than me, I think I’ve asked for every recipe so far that he has made.

10 days in paradise? Totally worth it. Next time I go down there - it's all about finding those darn sea turtles!

I want sea turtles...Part 1!

FYI...since I tend to ramble when typing, I broke the trip into two posts :)

In case you missed it....I recently went down to the US Virigin Islands for 10 days to visit Shane and give life on a sailboat a try! Poor me, I know. But I've never taken such a long vacation for myself, so I was looking forward to it!

Guiding Light

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect with this trip as I had never been to the Caribbean, Virgin Islands OR stayed on a sailboat before. I landed in St Thomas Saturday night, boarded the boat, Guiding Light, and Sunday morning we took off. Our first stop was Buck Island, just south of St Thomas, where we jumped in for my first snorkel stop. Before getting in the water, Shane had asked me if there was anything I was hoping to see in the water. I hadn't really thought about it but decided I really wanted to see stingrays, brain coral (which turns out is one of the easiest things to see) and sea turtles! He had shown me pictures and videos from the week before where he was swimming with them, so I figured it wouldn't be too difficult. So with my list in mind, we set off.

From the bay we were in, we could see a lighthouse up on the hill so we decided to go exploring. Wrong move. We got a nice little hike out of it, and found some very long and fluffy grass that sank when you stepped in it, but after about 30 minutes of trying to find a true path, and after we both stepped on a cactus, we gave up.


Sunset at Christmas Cove



Our next stop was Christmas Cove where we did a bit more snorkeling and stayed there for the night. The reefs were beautiful here, but the sun was starting to set so the colors were a bit dull. At this spot, I saw the first stingrays of the trip, but I kept looking for the turtles!

On Tuesday, we set sail, or tried to, for St John where we have spent most of our time. First stop was Trunk Bay. Trunk Bay is famous for its long and beautiful beach and an underwater snorkel trail. We were both looking forward to what the trail would entail. There are small stones alongside the reef that identify certain types of fish so you can look for them while underwater. The idea is nice but, to me, it didn’t seem like there were a ton of great fish or reefs to admire along the way. The beach at Trunk is a great one, although if you’re looking for a beach with any kind of privacy, this isn’t the place to go. Another lesson I learned here: how to get back into the water with my snorkel gear when you have a surge. I didn’t get through the surf and kept getting pushed back onto the beach. At one point I just gave up because I was laughing so hard…..and I’m almost positive I brought half of the beach back with me in my swimming suit!! When I dumped the beach out of my suit, we headed to Francis Bay where we laid on the beach for a bit and stayed the night.

Beach time!

Wednesday we headed to Waterlemon Bay. Yes, you read that right. Waterlemon, not watermelon. Even though I knew the correct word, I kept calling it watermelon - it just makes more sense! This was by far my favorite spot on St John. From here, we were able to take the dinghy to shore and take a small hike to the Annaberg Sugar Mill ruins. The sugar mill has a great history and tells the story at the site if you don’t have an excellent tour guide like I did. I’m not a huge history buff, but sites like these are nice change from the norm when on a beach trip. Plus, the views are spectacular! From the trail head, if you go the other direction you’ll find some other ruins that give you a great view of the bay. An added bonus with these hikes is that they’re pretty easy – I did them in my flip-flops!

Before we left the next morning, we snorkeled Waterlemon Cay. While on the hike, we had seen signs that said it was a sea turtle nesting area, so guess what I was looking for?? Shane had heard ahead of time that it was a great one to see. (Interestingly enough, we ran into the woman who told him about it later that night so we were able to thank her!) Although I don’t have much to compare it to, the reef was incredible. Around the entire cay there was so much to see. It wasn’t too deep, which I enjoy, but we saw so many different types of fish....but no sea turtles! Between the sugar mill ruins, and the snorkeling at Waterlemon Cay, I could have stayed there for awhile. I told Shane the only thing it was missing was a good shipwreck!

After lunch we moved along and anchored for the night in Coral Bay. Here we went to shore, got some ice cream, and walked around town for a bit. We found a fun bar and grill called ‘Skinny Legs’ that seemed to be the place to be on any given night. Although we didn’t stay for dinner or drinks, it’s one of

View at Coral Bay

very few restaurants I remember seeing on St John. If you’re looking for a different kind of night, I can only imagine it’d be a fun stop! On our way back to the boat, we saw what looked like floating bar and thought it'd be fun to get a drink there. We pulled up to it and climbed on board, only to find out it was some guys charter boat - oops! He refers to himself as Puerto Rican Pete and had some very interesting stories to tell! Luckily he didn't mind that we just made our way onto the boat, expecting to get some drinks!

Stay tuned for the rest of the trip....will I EVER find a sea turtle?!