Meeting the Parents. AKA: My Trip to Maine

As you may already know, I went on a vacation over the Holidays. I apologize for missing several of the daily photo updates for December towards the end. I discovered that it became increasingly difficult to write on the blog without a computer and/or internet connection! That being said, I have a few interesting things to write about this upcoming month, so bear with me!

So where did I go on my vacation, you ask? I went to Maine! Jeff wanted to take me back to where he grew up so that I could see where he lived and meet his family. I had never been that far up north before, so I was excited to see a new part of the country. It was approximately a 15 hour drive, but it took us two days to get there and two days to get back. We decided early on that we were going to take our time so that we did not exhaust ourselves or feel rushed (it was supposed to be a vacation after all!). 

We made it!

I didn't do a whole lot of sightseeing because we were visiting family members most of the time (who were all really nice by the way). However, I did get to eat scallops, taste blueberry beer, and ate my very first whoopie pie! I also did some shopping at L.L. Bean and made a snowman while it was 50 degrees & raining back in KY! On our way back, I got to go to the beach, which is the only place I said I absolutely wanted to go. I've been to the beach several times before, but this was the first time going to the beach when there was snow covering the sand! It was also my first time hunting for shells at midnight!  

Our very first snowman together! Haha

Isn't he cute?

As you can imagine, I had many hours to be bored in the car. We sang karaoke and took silly photos. I colored in my new adult coloring book that I got for Christmas and did whatever I could think of to pass the time. 

We spent so much time together over the trip, we are now starting to resemble one another! LOL

I believe this trip brought us closer together, and I am very glad that I went. I'm also very thankful that I was able to be off work for a week with my "new" job! 

I know I'm a little late in asking this, but how was everyone else's holiday? What was your New Years' Resolution (and are you still sticking to it)? 

Until next time, 

Miss Ellaneous  

Our Friendcation and Whole30

Just got back from friendcation with Hubs, Carp, and Syd. It was a blast and just what I needed travelwise. When it's just Lucas and I traveling, I tend to be anxious and stressed. You're thinking, 'What the heck? It's vacation for crying out loud.' Well, I typically have itineraries made up with backup plans. Type A much? This vacation I tried super hard to convince everyone to do it again and they kept putting it off. Honestly, I was a bit annoyed that they didn't want to have a plan for vacation. How could we possibly see anything without a plan? What if we could purchase tickets in advance and get a discount? Going without a plan and seeing how chill everyone but me was about it and having an even better time than usual is the best thing that could have happened to me. No, we didn't see every single thing we wanted to but we had a relaxing time seeing the things that we did. For the first time in what feels like forever, I felt restored when I got home. 

My favorite thing? Folly Beach. Everyone smiles when they're at the beach. The breeze was wonderful considering it was 90 and humid the majority of the days. I jumped waves, ate salt cookies (aka got a mouthful of ocean water), laid out, hunted for shells, and walked the pier. Folly is a small community. There aren't highrise hotels or corporate department stores. Most every shop is Mom and Pop style which you know I love.

What I wished I could've done but didn't? Thrift shop. We passed several great thrift stores that I would have loved to look through. Many Charlestonians have big money making my chances of finding a few gems a lot better. Next time, for sure.

I'll try to put some photos somewhere in the internet world soon.

Post-friendcation:
Lucas and I determined before we left that we were going to do Whole30 when we got back. Both of us ate junk and lots of it during June and during friendcation. We were both getting bogged down by our bad food choices. I had heard a few people talk about Whole30 and liked the idea. I'm not into fad diets. However, a detox is right up my alley. I've only done one. It was about a month before getting married and it went really well. It was only 7 days. I lost a few pounds but I didn't feel much better afterwards because it was restrictive to the extreme. Only very specific items can be eaten each day. This detox encourages eating meat, seafood, fruits, veggies, nuts, and oils. It discourages dairy products, any added sweeteners, MSGs, carrageenan, and any form of grain including corn. We're on day two and so far, so good. I've eaten a lot more protein than I normally which (I never get enough). I normally quite a bit of carb-loaded foods so I've increased my fruit and veggie intake a lot too. I'm excited to see how I feel at the end of the 30 days. If nothing else, it will definitely make me more aware of how frequently I consume nutritionless calories and how infrequently I eat an adequate amount of fruit and veggies.

Oh yea. Did I mention that you can't have gum or mints because of the added sweeteners? Out of all the no-nos, this one made me weep the most. I'm always reaching for one or the other. On the bright side, you can have coffee and tea with no dairy or sweetener, which will be a lifesaver for me. Have you ever done a detox? Did you like it?

Hope all is well.

Red River Gorge for Anniversary No. 1

Well, I didn't get to it last week so here's an overview of our trip to the Gorge in celebration of our one year anniversary.

The hubs had to work until 3pm so we didn't get on the road until around 4:30pm. Instead of eating at Hall's on the River as originally planned, we chose Gaunce's Deli & Cafe, a local restaurant in Winchester, Ky. I had a 1/2 turkey wrap and Mediterranean salad. The hubs had the inside-out hot brown with cornbread salad (pictured below). Both were scrumptious! In addition to lunch and dinner food, Gaunce's also serves breakfast, smoothies, espresso drinks, ice cream, and desserts. After our lunch, Hubs had a bithrday cake milkshake. I chose to try the chess bar. Again, both were delicious! If you're ever in Winchester, I recommend you give this restaurant a try!

The other really exciting restaurant we tried on our trip was Miguel's Pizza, a local restaurant frequently flocked by avid rock climbers and adventure enthusiasts. The most popular cuisine is pizza although traditional breakfast food and a few other items are also served. They have LOTS of toppings to chose from including sweet potato, chorizo, avocado, and black beans. In addition to food, Miguel's sells climbing gears and opens up its backyard to those looking to camp for only $1! Hubs and I decided that we'll be staying there on our next visit.

The two areas we spent the most time exploring were Natural Bridge State Resort Park and Red River Gorge Geological Area which is part of Daniel Boone National Forest.

The trails that we chose to hike in the state park were the Laurel Ridge Trail, Natural Bridge Trail, and Rock Garden Trail that took us back to the state park resort. I used this blog to determine which trail Hubs and I should hike.

We took the Red River Gorge Scenic Byway where there are lots of lookouts, trails, and the most gorgeous Kentucky scenery I've had the pleasure of observing. This drive was definitely the highlight of the trip. There were several moments that were truly breathtaking. I couldn't believe I hadn't heard of a place that was close to home sooner. I've done quite a bit of traveling and this place is near the top of my Most Beautiful Places on Earth list. Please do yourself a favor if you haven't already and go! Here are a few photos from our visit:

Overall, it was a great little anniversary getaway! The lack of cellphone service was a plus. If you'd to know more, just ask!

Until next time,