The Maine Event

When I told people I was going to Maine, I got a plethora of responses. They ranged from "That sucks, you're going to freeze your ass off" to "Sweet, get some lobster". While it is cold and Maine is known for its amazingly fresh and actually affordable lobster, there's soooo much more to Portland, Maine. This is a FOOD town. If you're looking for amazing food, look no further.

I first realized how big of a "foodie" town Portland is when I was online searching for restaurants. There are a million to choose from and reviews are extensive. I finally decided to ask around and go to some of my local friend's favorite restaurants. Trust me, these locals know what they're talking about.

 Kon Asian Bistro was seriously amazing. The atmosphere was super swanky and the food was so good!

 AHHH Blackened Tuna with Wasabi Mayo. I am in LOVE and I will go back just for this.

 California Roll... AMAZEBALLS

Miss Portland Diner is so stinkin' cute and it's right beside our property, Bayside Village, so yeaaaah, I've been three times.

Their Clam Chowder is to DIE... I'm a repeat offender.

I also got their Eggs Benny this weekend but of course, I ate it before I could take a picture. Looked like your standard Eggs Benny. Paintchur self a mental picture.

Everyone told me to get a Lobster Roll so I did! I wasn't impressed so I won't mention where I was. I haven't given up though, I'll be back in Maine for two more weeks and I'll give it another shot :)

And here's a picture of a beautiful lighthouse in South Portland. Not only was the setting so calm and beautiful, it was such an amazing drive to get here.

MAINE = AWESOME. I'm heading to Nashville on Friday and then I'll be back to Portland for 2 weeks. Then I'm off to see mah maaan in Florida!

Champaign/Champagne

If you blink, you might miss my trip to Champaign.

While I'm only here for 2 and a half days, I think it's important to clarify something. Champaign is a city in Illinois. Champagne is sparkling wine produced exclusively within the Champagne region of France. I think some of my friends think I'm just hanging around drinking "champaign" all day while I'm here. Okay, by friends, I mean Chris Steger. A direct quote from Steg, "Champaign? Where's that?! OMG, that's like your dream city! J.Roget, Andre and Cook's on the REG!"

Hope I've cleared up the confusion so I can move on to how cool Champaign is! I'll admit, it's quite drab when you first drive in. However, they have the cutest little downtown area. If it weren't so damn cold, I'd grab a latte and stroll around. But instead, I will drive straight to my hotel and change into sweats. Here are some pictures I found online. It's honestly too cold and gross out to run around taking pictures.

I obviously didn't take this shot because there's like 5 feet of snow on the ground right now. This looks nice though, gotta love cute little lights and patio seating.

I took this picture on our way to the housing fair on campus. They have a Pitaya here!

I went to Ko Fusion on Monday for $1 sushi and it was amazing. I don't have a picture.. because I ate it all before I thought of taking a picture. Typical.

Next adventure: Portland, Maine on Thursday. Stay tuned :)

Reading Rainbow

I've been saying for a while now that I feel like I'm getting old. I don't go out like I used to and to be quite frank, I thoroughly enjoy staying in on the weekends. However, I'm about to partake in the ultimate "old lady" activity. Yep, read it here first kids: I'm in a book club.

I am the type of person who makes fun of book clubs. I got the email about the idea of starting a book club and you would have thought it was the best news I'd gotten all week. That's embarrassing. Our first book to read in about 6 weeks is 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'.

Not sure if I can get through this book in 6 weeks. The last book I started reading was in September and I'm still on the second chapter. And everrrrryone said those stupid Twilight books were so easy to zip right through... yeah, it took me a year to finish the first one.

I'm actually excited to read this book and then discuss it over wine and cheese with my girlfriends. Although, if this book club thing is just a gateway drug to needle point and watching Murder She Wrote, I'm out.