Category Archives: vacation

“It’s a heart.” and other happy things.

Posted on by Christina Does It All
17

I may be kind of delirious right now. Yesterday I left for work at 8:30 am and didn’t get home from school and then rehearsals until almost 10 (pm.) Yawn.

Things keeping me happy to be awake:

  • I came home after a long day on Tuesday to find wine,my favorite candy bar and mini Kit-Kats in the shape of a heart. Just to clear up any confusion, husband even wrote a note pointing to the Kit-Kats that read, “It’s a heart.”

As excited as I am for Valentine’s Day and the treats that come with it, these little impromptu surprises not attached to any holiday are even more special to me.

  • Speaking of my dude. We were celebrating his birthday at a friend’s house last week when Lauren, a girl I know from high-school, and I started chatting. She made me smile and blush a bunch when she said that Robby and I give her hope for this matrimony stuff and that we were what marriage should be like. Friends who really love each other. She then admitted to ‘stalking’  and loving every single one of my blogs. I was pleasantly surprised. I love being stalked by cool people!  This conversation also enunciated two opinions I already have:

1. My marriage really is the bee’s knees.

2. Girls? We’re all stalkers. Establishing this mutual understanding really makes for lovely conversations.

-Hubby and I are going to San Diego in three weeks! Confession: I found such a great deal on tickets but was so broke at the time that I only bought one ticket to San Diego. I just got finished buying the second one, and I managed to get Robby and I on the same flights and everything. There was a small chance that I was booking it solo to California. Glad to for sure be bringing my dude along now.

  • What I do at work:

For those of you who may be just tuning in, I’m not a killer motorcyclist. I’m a nanny.

  • Friend Deesh flattering me:
  • Friend Katie flattering me whilst making a funny:
  • 3,000 dollars in tax returns. Being a broke college student does have its upsides.
  • Receiving my script and also finding out that I get to work with a professional actor. Our short play (“The Philadelphia”) is meant to consist of two males and one female. However, so many more girls tried out that our professor was going to make do with an all female cast. I think she knew a lot of the humor would be lost without the two males, so she worked it out and found the professional for one male role. I’ll be the only girl in this particular skit, working with two amazing dude actors. I don’t know whether to be more nervous or excited. Let’s go with excited. Yes. Excited is a good summary to explain how life has me feeling lately. And sleepy. And nervous. And busy. But mostly excited.

Vacations,Dandelions,Little Jeans and Liking Life.

Posted on by Christina Does It All
20

“Up in the mountains, Down by the ocean,

Where, it don’t matter

As long as we’re going somewhere together;

I’ve got a quarter,

Heads Carolina, Tails California”

It’s official! Husband and I are going on vacation at the very beginning of March! As we’re on an extremely tight budget, I’ve been scoping out the best deals online for about a week now. By this I mean I’ve been obsessively searching for (practically page refreshing, but not quite) airline tickets on the internet. I didn’t really care where we went, as long as we found ticket prices under 200 dollars a pop. I actually loved the spontaneity and excitement of knowing we were going somewhere together soon, but not yet knowing where. Last night I finally made a decision when I found a deal I just couldn’t pass up. So Guess what, Guess what, Guess what? March 1st, I fulfill an eight year long dream of visiting California. I can’t put into words how giddy I am. But I shall try. Right now. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!! <<< There you go. That’s a tiny part of my giddiness put onto a computer. I feel like a kid on Christmas right now (Or really, just me on Christmas.) San Diego, here we come!

Other giddy moments lately:

  •  Finding and blowing/wishing on dandelions with the littles ones I nanny. Being around kids so much really helps keep in tact the magic of life.
  • Date night with my boy.
  • A fellow classmate/new friend did the sweetest thing for me yesterday. She knew I hadn’t bought my book yet and that we have an upcoming test. I planned on just studying notes and googling terms. Last night after class, she walked up to me and handed me her book. I was confused. “Won’t you need this to study?” She responded with a shrug, said she already studied and I could give it back to her on Tuesday. I gave her a hug and left the classroom feeling heart-warmed and relieved. No googling terms for me this weekend!
  • My friend Becca and I share a class together, and have taken to writing one another notes this week. Above you can see the page we filled up with random doodles and words. I love sharing a class with this chick. Not only does she make the time fly faster, but she has taken to bringing me random treats to class. Candy, Girl-Scout cookies and once even a whole meal. I have sweet friends.
  • The above picture is me trying on a pair of size 5′s. That were too big for me. I did a happy dance in the dressing room. I haven’t been in the size 3 arena since I was a teenager. I’m doing another little happy dance right now, just thinking about it.
  • I really like life right now. Life seems to really like me right now too. Hopefully that doesn’t change anytime soon.
  • What have you been liking about life lately?

“Oh to be young and….” Little Rock Trip 2011.

Posted on by Christina Does It All
22

Driving to Arkansas, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew I had found an inexpensive vacation and I was going with my hubby, so I was a happy girl. I definitely had no idea how smitten I would be with Little Rock and surrounding areas. Of course, I must admit I am like this almost everywhere I go. This world is fascinating and magical, which in turn makes me constantly wide-eyed and amazed. That being said, it was hard to condense my love for Arkansas into just one blog. But I tried. Here’s cliff-notes of my favorite moments/things/etc/ :

  • I have to mention my wonderful husband first. Robby’s from a small town and maybe this is how he’s maintained his childlike wonder that I can never get enough of. We’d be driving and he’d point out something random, like a lake, and say “Baby,how cool the water looks!” Or we’d be cruising through some small Texas town named after something European and he’d happily pronounce, “Look babe, We’re in Italy!”  He’s always cheerful. Never grumpy or complaining. Always pointing out little things I’d so easily miss without his attentive eye and boyish spirit by my side. We spent hours upon hours driving, and spent the majority of the time teasing the other, sharing stories and cracking up laughing. Once we arrived in Arkansas, we’d wake up super early, both excited to explore our new surroundings and enjoy each other’s company. We’d stroll through downtown Little Rock pointing and giggly and hand in hand. He makes the absolute perfect traveling companion and his attitude always reminds me to see the beauty in every little part of life.
  • Baker’s House Bed and Breakfast. The perfect reviews did not fail me. Husband and I have never stayed at a B&B and weren’t exactly sure what to expect. I can’t say enough good about Baker’s House. The breakfast was delightful (I don’t like pancakes but the banana pancakes were heavenly) , the staff was friendly and accommodating, the bathroom and room were old-timey and made for a king (or queen) and the entire house was spacious, comforting and had a sense of regality about it. I think hubby and I both felt like kids residing in these gorgeous accommodations, or ‘sneaking’ to the guest’s pantry for an after hours snack. I kind of felt like a seven year old playing pretend in a castle. Except I’m 22, it wasn’t pretend and I basically was in a castle.

  • The Old Mill. Something I loved about Arkansas is how breathtaking so many of it’s historical and scenic places are. Cool factoid? Part of the movie Gone with the Wind was taped here! Upon walking through the gate, my breath really was taken away. Definitely among the most beautiful of places I’ve ever seen. Lookit:
  • Big Dam Bridge. It it most definitely a big damn bridge. To be super specific, it’s the longest bridge in the United States that was built for pedestrian traffic.

  • The Trolley. Our Bed and Breakfast gave us free tickets to ride for a day, and this was such a neat experience. The driver also acted as a tour guide, and we got to know Little Rock much better, while also enjoying all of the beautiful scenery and old monuments.  Did you know there is a North/South Little Rock, separated only by a bridge? Hubby informed me they even have two different mayors. We stayed in North Little Rock, which has a small town vibe. South Little Rock is kind of like downtown Austin, but much tinier and older. Exploring the whole of this city made me realize that Arkansas is much like a hidden gem. It’s not the most touristy of states but Little Rock is hands down one of my favorite cities now. It’s quaint and friendly and beautiful in it’s simplicity. Yet another reason I want to explore the whole entire world. Who knows what I’d be missing if I didn’t visit all of the nooks and crannies of this universe.
  • River Market District. In South Little Rock,an area full of cool/cute shops and adventures. My favorite was probably the H.U. Lee International Gate and Garden. Named after the Eternal Grand Master (husband just loved that bit and now wants to be called the Eternal Grand Master), this project shows friendship between the U.S. and South Korea (I did my research! Be proud!) The gate (pictured below) weighs 80 tons and the garden area is absolutely stunning. Lee’s reason for building all of this in Arkansas, of all places? The scenery and beauty of the state reminded him of South Korea. How neat is that?

  • The Peabody Ducks. You’ve maybe heard of these ducks of the Peabody Hotel? They walk down a red carpet at 11am every morning to their fountain and then again at 5pm to return to their palace in the hotel? As soon as I read about this, I knew I had to see it. These duckies stole my heart. They even stop on their red carpet to pose for pictures! Maybe for Christmas I’ll ask for a trained duck.

  • The peeps. I met some awesome folks in Little Rock. To be fair, I seem to meet awesome people everywhere I go, but this was no exception. It was neat eating breakfast with strangers, getting to know them over pancakes and coffee.  We met people from Spain, Australia and the UK as well as local Arkansans.  On our last night out, hubby and I went to our first ever dueling piano’s bar. There weren’t many out on a weekday night, and we ended up winning a ’name that tune’ contest and giggling with the small crowd and the pianists. Have I mentioned lately how much I love people? At one point, we even ran into one couple lodging at Baker’s House at a nearby bar, and started chit-chatting and chuckling with them and their friends. On the way out, we heard one of the ladies sigh, “Oh to be young and…” That’s the only part we caught but the message was captured and we both laughed. Husband and I are giddy, youthful, obvious lovebirds.
  • Larry’s Pizza Buffet. The coolest and most delicious buffet I’ve ever been to. When I walked in, I was sad to see almost no pizza out on the ‘buffet’ table. I sat down just a bit disappointed, considering the reviews for this place were phenomenal. I quickly cheered up as I realized that every couple minutes or so, an employee walks up, pizza in hand, asking customers if they’d like to try this or that particular slice. I ended up with a honey mustard pizza, some kind of fettuccine-chicken tasting pizza, AND my new absolute favorite in the entire world, chocolate chip peanut butter pizza. YUM. If you’re ever in Arkansas, you must go to Larry’s.
  • The Union Bistro. Husband gets amazing coupons through his work and for this particular restaurant we spent 4.50 to get a 25 dollar gift certificate. Robby got a steak. Wanna know what I got? A pork-ham-bacon-cheese-egg-hamburger. It was divine but I only managed a few bites before I felt I may explode. These are the rare moments where I wish I could go back to my pre-dieting days. My body can’t handle junk food like it used to. Not even delicious entrees like pork-ham-cheese-egg-hamburgers. Boo.
  • Hot Springs. On the way out, we stopped by this town for lunch and to find,well, a hot spring. Goodness, what an absolutely gorgeous town. I want to retire someplace just like this. Someplace with superb food (From the 1217 Cafe: pork chops stuffed with dirty rice, and green beans with mushroom and feta cheese. YUM!), old-fashioned buildings, lovely mountains AND places to take hot, natural, steaming baths. I feel that when I’m old, bath-houses will be a must for me.
  • There’s more I’m not mentioning much; Museums, state houses, wonderful coffee shops, fire-stations turned into libraries, scenic drives, more yummy food….I could go on all day. Did you have any idea Arkansas was so lovely/adorable/magnificent/quaint/spectacular? I didn’t either! I honestly feel as if I’ve found a hidden treasure. And, as life and exploring this world seems to be full of these, I can’t wait to find billions more.
  • Ps: I can’t end this blog without mentioning my friend Katie. I usually might, but I’m really trying to become more appreciative of all the things others do for me. She came to my house twice a day for three days to feed and water my doggies while I was gone.  I didn’t have much money to give, but she quickly accepted when I asked her, knowing she’d be getting next to nothing in return.  She even stayed over once for hours, playing with my pups and doing her homework.  Sweet moments  from awesome people like this are a common occurrence in my life, but I don’t give enough recognition where recognition is due. Well, let me just say it. My friends are truly the bees knees. 

Notes on the Week

Posted on by Christina Does It All
14

I road-trip to Little Rock before it’s even bright, and definitely very early tomorrow morning. My excitement is growing and I’m almost all packed. Here’s some catch up on my week, so y’all don’t miss me too much the next few days (But do miss me a little):

-My friends Jenny, Deesh and I had a coffee date this past Sunday. It was Jenny and Deesh’s first time to meet, and they are both less of blabber-mouths than I. When I’m nervous about conversations not flowing, I tend to blab and word-vomit even more, so I was a tad worried. I had nothing to worry about! I still blabbed,because that’s just what I do, but the conversation was pretty equally proportioned, laughter was abundant and we never ran out of things to talk about. Despite everyone getting along so well, we still ended up with a rather awkward picture of the event. Such is life.

-I was nannying this past week when I got something in my eye. I have hard contacts and have to refrain from having mini-panic attacks every time I get something in my eye. It hurts. The kids and I were outside playing and I started twitching wildly and trying to get whatever it was out. I told the four year old boy I watch that I had something in my eye, as to keep him from thinking his nanny was dying. His response? “Oh. Is it a toenail?”  I wonder how many people have actually had toenails in their eyes before. Hm.

- I’ve lost 15 pounds! I’m feeling pretty small again and the compliments from others are especially encouraging. One friend made me happy and giggly by ever-so-sweetly calling me a “skinny bitch” last night. Unfortunately, my boobs are starting to follow suit. One bra has started falling off every time I run. Boo.

- This Thursday my Intro to Counseling class went to The Rock,a center that uses horses as therapy. Equinox therapy is an incredible thing, and it blew my mind how healing and intelligent horses can be. Between field trips and role-playing counseling sessions, this class has opened my mind and heart arguably more than any I’ve ever taken.

-I’m not much of a television person.  I’d rather be out doing something than watching for the most part. Even if I do find interest in a certain commercial, I never take initiative to record anything and don’t like tuning in too late into a season. It’s confusing and I’m too impatient to play catch up.  I do have two shows I watch consistently, the wholesome and heart-warming Jersey Shore and Gossip Girl. I hope you caught my sarcasm in that last sentence. Despite my reluctance to watch tv, I have recently found the joy of Netflix. No commercials. So many seasons. Tuning in at my own pace.  Sadly, I’ve used this tool to become rather enamored with Keeping up with the Kardashians lately. This isn’t something I’m proud to admit, but I’ve watched close to 40 episodes in about a week and a half. Where I find time for this between my hectic schedule, I have no idea. If this isn’t bad enough, I openly cried watching Khloe’s wedding episode. Another reason I don’t watch much television? I kind of have an addictive personality. I swear once this season’s over, I’m done. (Shh–That’s because there’s no more seasons left….)

-Last night was potluck night at my house. Stuffed jalapenos, pineapple-avocado burgers, cheesecake…..Need I say more? I don’t think so. But I shall. Other highlights: Seeing close friends I hadn’t seen in months. My best dude friend surprising me by showing up unexpectedly. Finding the need to both kill and hug him the entire night. Having my “cousin” (actually aunt, but we’re less than two years apart.) “crash” my party. (It was her birthday. She brought me cake. Helped me clean up. Brought cool friends over with tons of wine.)  I’m a lucky girl. My friends roasted me last night for being so flaky in the past, which I definitely deserved. What I haven’t always deserved is for so many to love me so unconditionally, even if I’ve been kind of crappy at following through so many times before. But, deserving or not, I am surrounded by so many wonderful, forgiving, lovely people. I am getting better. Deesh pointed this out in my defense last night, and it makes me happy others are noticing. My goal is to soon be as good to others as they always are to me.

- Today I went to my parent’s house to watch some Sunday NFL football. Unfortunately, my team was defeated rather brutally, but it was nice spending time with my family just the same. I can’t believe how grown up my little siblings are. Joshua turns 6 this month and Kaylee turns 3 in December. I was in the delivery room when both were born, and I still see both of them as babies most of the time. They need to stop all of this getting older nonsense. It makes me feel sentimental AND really old.

Little Rock here I come!

10 things that make even Monday a Happy day.

Posted on by Christina Does It All
15
10 things that make even Monday a Happy day:
  • 1. Awesome friends.
  • 2. Awesome shin-digs.
  • 3. Upcoming vacations.
  • 4. Purchasing my ticket to see Matt Nathanson perform in November. His lyrics make my heart melt and stuff. I swear, he sings the sweetest and sexiest things. You’ve probably heard ‘Come on Get Higher’ ? If not, let me introduce you to some lyrical orgasms:

“Come on get higher
Loosen my lips
Faith and desire
And the swing of your hips
Just pull me down hard, & drown me in love.”

Yummy.

  • 5.  Getting signed up for my first 5k. Yay!
  • 6.  Some of you may recall my complaints last year when my husband found a free hot-tub via craigslist and then had it delivered to our house? A free, broken hot tub. Hubby somehow fixed it and then continued to use it in our garage. He’s taken a “bath” in there a couple of times. You may remember me calling him a redneck? Well. We sold that thing for 400 dollars yesterday. Hubby got it for free and fixed it for about 100. I knew there was a reason I kept this boy around!
  • 7. Friday night, I went to a local bar with a close girl friend. She’s a regular and has acquired an entertaining/wonderful group of friends at Caddy Shack. I had a burger and one glass of wine when I closed my tab and was getting ready to leave. But then drinks kept getting put in front of me, and I had to be polite and drink them. Right?! Points of interest this night:  An older man telling me that he and another (much younger) dude had just played a game of thumb-war for my love; I found it amusing when older man admitted he won because he cheated. I always seem to run into the most comical fellows at local bars. Hot-tubbing. Whataburger. Sleeping on a fold out bed next to my lovely friend Kimber. Lucky for me, I have an awesome husband who trusts me to do my 22 year old thing and come back home safe and sound and faithful. Speaking of which….
  • 8. My hubby. I love him.
  • 9. My classes. Currently, I’m learning sign language and role-playing counseling sessions. Such a fun semester. 
  • 10. Amusing text conversations with a couple of my dude friends. See below: 


Ps: Patrick did indeed come to my house party. Ryan likes to call me Kastina as a nickname. Also, he bought a whole thing of Jack Daniel’s after my request. Good man, eh? If you’re wondering what is so creepy about my part of the conversation, it’s that I already have a sister. She’s two. Almost three. I will not actually let Ryan date her when he’s an old man. 

The beauty of plans going awry.

Posted on by Christina Does It All
25

Before an awesome and much needed weekend, I must admit that I maybe had a couple of mini-meltdowns last week. I don’t do well with stress and in between school payments, vacation-planning and adjusting to a new part-time job, I was convinced that I was going to maybe explode. I didn’t. I tend to freak out and then other cool people in my life calm me down. When I breathe again, I realize… Hey. Everything turned out just fine. Great, even. That’s the beauty of plans going awry. Sometimes the rearrangements work out even better than what was scheduled in the first place.

For example. Husband and I had originally planned on taking a big vacation in October, for our two year wedding anniversary. (WHERE have these two years gone, I want to know?) We talked it over and decided to wait until Robby has paid vacation in January, but to take a little mini-vacation in October as well. The original mini-vacation plan was to go somewhere in Texas, but then I got a bit sneaky and decided to search some out-of-state but close by places too. I found a beautiful and great-priced bed and breakfast in Little Rock, Arkansas; Only an 8 hour drive from Austin. Being the slightly spoiled and very convincing girl that I am, I pretty easily persuaded hubby into seeing that this was the better choice.

Here’s a few reasons why this ended up working out a kabazillion times better than our first plan: 

  • 1. We get to go on TWO vacations in less than three months time.
  • 2. This will be my first one, but I’ve been enamored with bed and breakfast lodgings for quite a while. They just seem so quaint and lovely and cozy and personal.  And uh, let’s not forget the free and delicious and huge breakfasts served in the morning. Our B&B was rated “Inn of the month” on Bedandbreakfast.com and is conveniently placed in downtown Little Rock.  Did I mention it’s gorgeous? Lookit!:
  • 3. I’ve never been to Arkansas; In my attempt to cover all 50 states, I’m giddy to add another new one to my list. At the rate I’ve been going lately, I might be able to reach all 50 before I’m 30! Hmm. That’s a fun goal to ponder on.
  • 4. So much discovering and exploring I get to do! And so soon!
On top of all of this good stuff, I’ve had a swell past few days. My close friend Kimber and I had a little slumber party at her place, and she cooked me blueberry muffins. I rarely ever let anyone know when I’m upset, and friends always warm my heart when I finally do. I end up with things like a comfy bed and freshly baked pastries, y’all. Hubby’s parents also came down this weekend. After a day with the in-laws, we usually end up with a multitude of the essentials we forget to buy ourselves. (Confession: I’ve used coffee filters in place of toilet paper before.)  We also usually end up with a couple of treats too. They were even sweet enough to give us spending money for our Arkansas trip. We tried declining but they insisted it was an “Anniversary present.” Well. Can’t argue with that, now can you?!
Good weekend. Great friends. A vacation in 4 weeks. Another one soon after. An amazing hubby with wonderful parents. Remind me again what I have to be stressed out about? 

Colorado Family Reunion 2011

Posted on by Christina Does It All
9

My trip in choppy sentences/fragments:

Horseback riding up the Rocky Mountains. Getting the most stubborn and hungry horse that enjoys finding it’s own path and eating grass the whole time. Go figure, right? Snowball fights in July. Hiking to the top of a waterfall in a dress and flats, whilst my brother and husband both inform me I’m way to stubborn for my own good. (See? Horsey and I were kindred spirits.) Rock-climbing. My brother keeping a death grip on my wrist in the especially dangerous areas, because he also knows how clumsy I am. Fishing with the younger gang and the hubby. Pouting because everyone caught a fish but me. Cuddling with Kate, my favorite little five year old. Bungee trampolining. Enjoying the wonderfully cool and humid free weather, mostly sunny with one gorgeous thunderstorm thrown into the mix. Playing beer pong with the second cousins. A sweet stranger spotting my cut from hiking and offering me a band-aid. Going to a quaint little coffee shop. Drinking coffee by a babbling brook. Staying up late, drinking too much and giggling way too loudly. Waking up every morning to the fresh air and beautiful mountains. Shopping with my dude in downtown Estes Park. Crying over a silly argument and sleep deprivation, and getting hugs and cuddles in return. Smore-making and laughing around the campfire. Wanting to, at times, kill my brother and husband and dad for being so annoyingly chummy around each other. But also loving how well they all get along. Laughing, drinking, eating, adventure-going and in general just being around my perfectly imperfect family. I’m a lucky girl.

Pictures:


The below picture is a good example of my brother death-gripping my wrist. He and I were both slightly terrified I would fall to my doom here.

Video blog of the trip coming soon! If you’re wondering, yes, I did interview some random strangers. 

Procrastinating on Packing

Posted on by Christina Does It All
13

Yawn. I’m sleepy. I need to go to sleep. I kind of sort of leave for Colorado at 6 am tomorrow morning. Meaning I have to get up around 4:30 am. I’m not even done packing. It’s midnight. I did, however, make a video blog OF my procrastination. Yay?!

Yes. I am quite strange, aren’t I? Well. I really really really have to go to bed now. I’m still like a kid in that I sometimes get too excited to go to sleep. But I will try.

See/Read all of you again on Monday!

Ps: Please hope, for my sake, that my metabolism and liver continue to be as wonderful as they usually are to me on this trip.  My family on vacation together means that the food and the liquor become equivalent to air and water. So here’s to me hoping that I will still be thin and alive in 5 days! Ha. I kid,I kid. Kind of.