in my time, i have done quite a bit of traveling here in the united states. (a trip abroad is in the works.) i have an adventurous attitude and enjoy getting lost and discovering new sights. as i create new stories in new places, check in to see how i am loving them.
the birds are singing! the sun is shining! the world awaits our presence! the day looked promising from our corner room on the tenth floor, so kari and i hopped to it for a chicago saturday. we started with refreshing showers, wrapping ourselves in the plush drake robes afterwards.
if you’re still thinking of what to get me for my birthday next month, one of these robes might be a good idea…just sayin’!
girls’ weekend! that’s right, kari and i were taking an early weekend as of last friday around, say, one p.m. to make a visit back to the windy cindy. mark and kathleen’s son, and our good friend, gregory moved here to chicago earlier this year, and we decided he needed some company. here we come!
our orders were to sleep in on sunday, as we had nowhere to be and really not a thing to do. i stirred this morning around nine thirty to wafts of freshly cooked bacon that had wound up the stairs and into my room. i freshened up and bounced downstairs to greet mark and kathleen good morning. the day wasn’t too hot yet, so we munched on our breakfasts on the patio. the breeze gladly met us out there, providing for a very pleasant meal.
soon enough mark was up and at ’em, getting his weekend chores knocked out left and right. kathleen and i proceeded to stay put in our porch recliners for the next couple of hours, talking about everything under the sun. we needed refills on coffee and tea, so we simply moved our conversation to the comfy leather sofas in the family room. if you ever need company on a lazy sunday afternoon, you now know two well-suited ladies.
i got my things repacked for the upcoming week, and we then hopped in the highlander to make one last stop together for dinner. kathleen’s eye had been caught by mattito’s near the mall a couple times, so tex-mex it was! there are several mattito’s locations around the frisco and dallas areas, so you’ll be sure to find one near you.
mattito’s is bright and energetic, and i was glad to be having dinner in a relaxed atmosphere. the wait staff was quite friendly and attentive throughout our meal, quickly taking our drink orders and dropping off chips and salsa at the table.
mark took a swift look over the menu, deciding very soon what he wanted: the chicken fried steak. yes, you heard me correctly. chicken fried steak at a tex-mex spot. it even says on the menu that it sounds crazy! the dish arrived, and i was curious to see if he even liked it. not too many minutes later the plate was nearly clean, not a morsel of chicken fried steak to be seen. to the surprise of us all, he said it was quite delicious and that he would order it again.
unfortunately, though, kathleen did not enjoy her dinner nearly as much as mark. nothing on the menu was really catching her eye, so she ordered a couple of beef enchiladas a la carte with rice. i don’t know if the waiter misheard her, but the enchiladas were smothered in tomatillo sauce when she had wanted them topped with a traditional red. bummer, right? she picked about halfway through the first enchilada and realized she just didn’t have an appetite for tex-mex that night. since the chips and salsa had filled her pretty well, she wasn’t too distraught about not wanting to finish her meal. i guess that just happens sometimes.
i, like mark, really did care for my dinner. i was craving tamales, and they just so happened to have them on the menu. yay! i ordered the two chicken and two beef tamales, and it was the perfect amount of food. i didn’t get to finish all the rice, but that’s only because i didn’t want the good stuff to go to waste. the tamales were served with tortilla shells full of tomatillo sauce and chili con carne sauce. both were tasty complements to the tamales, which had the most wonderful masa surrounding the fillings. i’m not sure if mark and kathleen will find themselves back here again, but i would certainly say it is worth a try.
after dinner we made the short drive to downtown to get me checked in and settled for the coming week. good weekends sometimes seem to go by too quickly, and this one was no exception. it was just so wonderful to explore and spend time with mark and kathleen, and my fingers are crossed that it won’t be too long before i’m back out here for another adventure.
after hugs and kisses goodbye, i kindly checked in with hope at the receptionist desk, took the elevator to the seventh floor, and promptly unpacked my bag, which contained ten pairs of shoes for the week…
this coming week holds for me some work in the big d (dallas, texas!) the original plan was to fly out sunday night, but i am lucky enough to know folks around here to come out early for a little vacation. mark and kathleen are like a second set of parents to me, and the minute i told them i’d be in their neck of the woods, they gladly accepted me as a houseguest for the weekend. how fabulous!
so, i know you all have been dying to find out how i spent my last day in dc, yes? i thought so! sunday we lounged about lazily (no surprise there) before we strolled back down to the eastern market area for more eats. we were meeting up with my college friend ann for brunch and to, of course, sit outside.
we found ourselves dining at matchbox, and it was a wonderful choice. when you’re tucked in among dozens of other restaurants on 8th street, you’ve got to make sure you are doing something unique and impressive to first get people in the door and then, secondly, to keep them coming back. matchbox has quite a varietal menu, ranging from their well-known pizzas and crusts to their simple and classic bistro dishes. the staff was quite friendly and attentive, and i expect it’s a great spot to come after a long day at work.
between bites of cinnamon rolls (evan stole the middle roll, i was so jealous!) and shrimp and grits, we did all the catching up that three wonderful women can do. again, it is such a treat to get to spend time soaking up the sun and having sparkling conversation with people so near and dear to your heart. it was the perfect last meal before my trek home, and i only hope it isn’t too long before i find myself back up there.
we exchanged bittersweet goodbyes after paying the bill, and then evan and i somehow ended up back at the market stands to discover more treasures. i swear, there was some invisible, magnetic pull that dragged us back over there! evan was on the hunt for vases and flowers, and i had no trouble helping her spend some hard-earned cash. warning: i am the best and worst person to shop with, all at the same time. if you like something and it would make you happy have, i will encourage you to buy it, and in every color. and if it’s on the expensive side, i’ll easily sway you by reminding you that you make money to spend money. seriously, ask evan and my brother’s fiancée kari. they will testify!
our attention was caught by a vendor with a few tables of items that appeared to be quite a mish-mash of different odds and ends. he politely welcomed us and said to let us know if we have any questions. i personally have a very eclectic style, so many of the things i suggested to evan were met with a polite “no.” that’s alright; different strokes for different folks! her eyes finally found a tall pewter vase. “it would be perfect for the hallway table on your landing!” i exclaimed. see how i did that? you have to be able to picture yourself living with it, exactly where it would go. we knew that one was coming home with us, but we continued to rummage around in case anything else leapt out at us.
and then there they were! these strange, hand-carved vases in mustard yellow and cream. i jumped over to evan in excitement to take a closer look. “evan, they’re just so cool! and unusual!” yes, they were both of those things. evan looked a little hesitant, but then the vendor made her an offer for the three vases that she just could not refuse. “wrap them up!” i said “we’ll take them all!” again, if you do not want to spend money, do not go shopping with me. that is the first and only warning you will receive.
“well, now we need flowers!” we made our way to the south hall market to find the perfect flowers for these perfect vases. the selection at the blue iris flowers stand was just stunning. evan showed the assistant the pewter vase we were filling. she asked for the vase, grabbed some beautiful pinky-orange roses, disappeared behind the counter, and returned with them cut and arranged just perfectly. how fabulous! we also grabbed a bunch of sprightly dandelions for the hand-carved vases.
“okay, we have to get home before i spend more money!” we hustled back to the house, dropped our things, and spent a good thirty minutes arranging and rearranging everything. we leaned the cutting boards against one another, stacked some books, shuffled around the vases, stood back, and ah! it was perfect! i know people say money can’t buy you happiness, but i’d say we were pretty overjoyed.
by then it was nearly two o’clock. well, my flight left at three, just a short hour later. we raced to get my things packed and then thrown in the car. why is it that time flies when you are having so much fun? i guess i’ll just have to be back again soon! and i can guarantee you’ll find me writing about my next trip here before too long.
saturday morning we lounged around in bed, trying to convince ourselves to get our day going. we eventually freshened up and made the lovely walk to the eastern market area. the weather was just GORGEOUS. i could not get over how beautiful it was, and i counted myself quite lucky that we were able to spend the day outside in the sunshine, catching rays and just enjoying everything around us.
i let evan start her day at six a.m. while i rolled over and grabbed a couple more hours of sleep. ah, to sleep in on a weekday! i did eventually peel myself out of bed, freshen up, and set out to find trouble. here i come!
last thursday i began a long weekend visit to see my friend evan up in washington, d.c. as you know, i have been to this city several times, but i just cannot seem to get enough of it!
there are many ways to start a vacation, and one of those is with a beer at the local airport establishment. after that, there are many other ways to continue your trek to d.c.: a delayed flight. blergh. apparently there’s a malfunctioning part on the cockpit door and they need it to work…i’m no airplane expert, but alright. so, i find myself here on the incredibly uncomfortable concrete floor of gate t8 with limited forms of entertainment. my nook has died (that’s what i get for buying an ereader…), and my blue moon buzz is slowly wearing off. i’m about five minutes from slumping down on the carpet and taking a catnap. and by catnap i mean a deep slumber from which i can only be awakened with rude shouting and pushing. maybe i’ll try and wait until i’m on the plane before i shut my eyes…
there’s another young atlanta socialite with whom i’ve been making pleasant small talk, but my low energy level just cannot keep it up right now. there is, though, a sweet family of four on their way to disneyworld that is keeping her entertained. i’ll let them do all the talking.
ah! finally, good news from the cockpit! the part has been replaced, the flight attendants are itching to go, and we’re off. catch you guys in the morning!
when we went to washington, dc last december, i insisted we visit the jefferson memorial before we leave; it’s one of my favorites! this memorial isn’t necessarily out of the way, but it isn’t exactly near a whole lot either; it sits in west potomac park, across the way from the white house, where third president thomas jefferson once lived. there were plenty of folks involved in the creation of this memorial, including designer john russell pope (who also architected the national archives building), philadelphia builder john mcshain, and sculptors rudulph evans and adolph a. weinman. the pantheon-inspired building was completed in 1943, and the 19-foot, 10,000 pound bronze statue was then added in 1947.
eric, kyle, kari, and i made the brisk trek over to see him and snapped this picture. I LOVE IT.
well, my weekend getaway to new york city ends on day 3, but that doesn’t mean it was any less fun! although i had a flight to catch at four that afternoon, we still enjoyed a lovely day in the local neighborhood of chelsea.
The Atypical Journey of your Typical Family of Six
@thelondonfoxx
kelsey v 