ALERT! I found another swanky place to eat in Harrisonburg!

Helllloooo, this is very important! I found another super cute restaurant in downtown Harrisonburg! It truly is a miracle! It's right near my other favorite restaurant, Clementine's!

They have a great happy hour with $4 wines, so you know I was there. I got the Tuna Tartare and it was delicious! Their happy hour is from 4 - 7 and there are some great deals.

Check out Beyond!

Where to Shop in Harrisonburg...

If you read my last post, you saw how awful my shopping experience was at the local mall. However, I went back downtown and passed the cutest little boutique! Again, I don't recommend coming to Harrisonburg for fun, but if you're here you should DEFINITELY check out The Yellow Button! Right now they're promoting their purses and they are super cute...

This is the Lucky Brand patchwork bag. Suuuper cute.

This is the Lucky clutch. Loves it.

Here is the Hobo Trinity Bag. Apparently T-Swift has been seen carrying this bad boy. This bag is bigger than her.

Definitely check out the store and their blog! All pictures are from their blog. :)

Harrisonburg, Virginia

Sorry for the lackluster name of this blog entry but that's really all I can think of. I've driven all around this town and I've searched high and low for something to actually do during my time here. I tried to go shopping and it was the saddest thing I've ever seen. The best shops were Spencer's and Claire's. So... I decided to wind down and grab brunch and I found the best place in Harrisonburg! It's called Clementine Cafe and it's on the square in Downtown Harrisonburg.

Clementine's motto is Food + Music + Art and it makes sense... There's unique art all over the walls and they have live bands every weekend. The music ranges from DJ's to Jazz Bands and on certain nights they even have trivia! If I lived in Harrisonburg, first of all, I might die, but really if I lived here, I would be a regular at Clementine's. Their brunch was amazing and they had great drink specials. There are couches so you can lounge and there's also a balcony area with tons of seating... so you can get a birds eye view of the band! P.S. This mimosa was amazing and it was $5. Suck on that.

This is what I ordered and it was AMAZING! It was shrimp and poached eggs with grits. Probably the worst thing for me but I didn't care. I'm actually surprised that I was able to snap a picture before I ate everything in sight. Ahh so tasty. It is literally the only thing I recommend doing in "The Burg". Just go there and eat and drink and listen to music and play trivia. There's nothing else to do so get ready spend a lot of time there.

CHICAAAAGO!

Almost a year ago, 4 of my girlfriends and I braved the Windy City in the dead of winter. When we told people we were going to Chicago for New Years, almost everyone called us morons. Well, the jokes was on THEM because we had a great time.

Well, thanks to Livingsocial.com, there's a GREAT opportunity to head to Chicago again! Escape to Chicago for the weekend! Grab your man or your girlfriends for an AMAZING weekend in Chicago! Here are the deets:

• Stay at the Hard Rock Hotel on Michigan Avenue
• Two drink tickets at Base Bar
• VIP Shopping at Bloomingdales and Macy's (hellooo ladies)

Definitely read the fine print but if you're looking to visit Chicago, this is definitely a fun way to go!

You only have 4 days left to buy it so do it!!

Home Cookin'!

I've never been a good cook. Although, anyone who knows me well, knows that I really do try. But some way, some how, I will always manage to screw up a recipe. How does it happen EVERY time?? I mean, it's instructions. If I follow it from beginning to end, SURELY I'll make something delicious. Not really the case for me. And for some reason, all I want to do is cook!

Thanksgiving is coming up and let me show you what I'm going to (attempt to) make. Look at these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins! I am going to attempt to make these and bring them to Thanksgiving this year. The boyfriend will be there so I have to make him think I know what I'm doing in a kitchen. Looks fairly easy:

• 4 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 (16 ounce) can pumpkin
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil (yes, 1 1/4 cups)
• 3 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips (Regular or mini, I like mini best) In large mixing bowl beat eggs, sugar, pumpkin, vanilla and oil until smooth.

1. Mix dry ingredients together and mix into pumpkin mixture. Fold in chocolate chips.
2. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups 3/4 full.
3. Bake at 400 F for 16-20 minutes.

BOOYA... easy as pie. Yeah, I can't really relate to that phrase because I will certainly screw up a pie. But I really have faith that I can make these muffins. I will blog about my cooking/baking experience and I hope my muffins look like that picture. Mmm.

The next thing I'll try for our actual Thanksgiving meal is Paula Dean's Hashbrown Casserole. Amber Dale made this a few months ago and it was amazing. I gained like 5 pounds just from looking at it so beware.

Umm don't you just want to eat that right up?? Let's hope mine turns out half as good as Paula or Amber's.

Anyone have any recipes that are easy for someone as slow as me? Send em to me! It's time for me to learn!

San Antone :)

While in San Antonio, I haven’t been able to explore all that much. First of all, I’m sharing a car with a coworker. Second and most important of all, we’re opening a new property in San Antonio so we’re working really hard and by the time I want to explore, I’m exhausted. However, I’ve done two rather fun things here in SA! One of them is for my body and then other is for my sanity.

Bikram Yoga (or Hot Yoga) in San Antonio is the craze. I’ve been to both locations and they just opened one closer to where I’m staying so my coworker and I are checking it out tonight! So far, I recommend going to the Alamo Heights but I’ll let you know once I go to the new location. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a big fan of Hot Yoga. It’s pretty intense but once you get the hang of it, it’s so much fun. Don’t be afraid to try it out, even if you go by yourself. NOBODY is watching you or cares how well you do your poses. It’s actually a pretty vain form of exercise… you are encouraged to just stare at yourself in the mirror and work on your own strength.

The other place I’ve checked out here is Kona Grill. Kona is the place to be for young professionals. They have happy hour, which you’ve probably heard of, and then they have REVERSE happy hour! Regular happy hour takes place in the bar and on the patio and it’s from 3 – 7. And reverse happy hour is from 9 – 11. I’ve been there twice now and their sushi is AMAZING! There are Kona’s all over Texas so let’s just hope they expand and bring their deliciousness to Nashville!

The boyfriend is going to be here before I know it and we're going to explore this great city! We've got a few things to do and that includes the Riverwalk, Six Flags, SHOPPING (he doesn't know that), and plenty more. Our relaxing week together will likely turn into anything but that. Stay tuned!

The PERFECT Charleston Getaway!

While in Columbia for two weeks, I had a weekend off where I could do whatever I wanted. Sometimes, a certain property will need help with events that happen on the weekends… festivals, football games, etc. However, this weekend I was told I could do WHATEVER I wanted! Sooo… I drove for almost two hours to a city I called home in the summer of ’08! CHARLESTON!

I went down to see a few of my friends that live in Charleston and we did absolutely everything I wanted to do in Charleston. When I first arrived, my sweet friend Lynlea was waiting for me with a bottle of red wine that was only THREE dollars. It’s called Lucky Duck and it’s such a cute bottle… I’ve tasted better wine but you can’t beat $3 for a bottle. We drank a glass and then we poured the rest into small grape juice bottles so that we could take our $3 wine to the movies (a coke costs like $5 so this is a brilliant plan).

We saw Life As We Know It and this is a movie that I would normally make fun of but secretly love. However, in my drunken stupor, I was crying, LOL’ing, clapping, and loving life during this movie. Lynlea and Danielle both thought the movie was OKAY and I adored it?? No offense but Danielle LOVES Disney movies. Yeah, I must have just been drunk and emotional because at the time, I thought this was the cutest movie ever. Soooo that’s my movie review: See it when you’re drunk.

We went back to Lynlea and Tori’s house and STEGER came over! Right away we started playing my new favorite game that I learned from Cougar Town. It’s called “Describe two movies as if they were one to create one movie title” – that’s the official title. For example, an orange cat who goes to a baseball field to reconnect with his dead father…. GARFIELD OF DREAMS. Get it? Yeah, it took Steg a while to get it too.

We kicked off Saturday by waking up and heading to the Farmer’s Market Downtown. It's so pretty in Charleston.. so pretty that I (yet again) got distracted and didn't take any pictures when we were walking around. This beauty to the right is the only picture I took. It's so random but funny because the guy that was working this booth kept pressuring us to rub the mint leaves and then smell our fingers. It felt weird to do that. But, after he yelled at us a couple of times, we caved.

After dinner/drinks at Red's, we went downtown to Lyn's favorite place. It's where she takes alllll of her amazing guests. I don't even think it has a name it's just the Cigar and Wine Shop. The rest of the night is history. I am so thankful to have amazing friends who will take me in while I'm traveling. Loved seeing everyone in Charleston and I can't wait to come back!

Disregard the weird, old dude.

Columbia, SC!

Ok, I’ve officially learned that I know EXACTLY what I need in a hotel. WIRELESS. I at least need to have an Ethernet cord that reaches farther than 2 feet. I am blaming my lack on blogging while in Columbia on not having wireless. But DON’T WORRY, my sweet little followers, I’ll be blogging your face off at the next assignment.

To fill you in on the past two weeks, I’ve been in Columbia, SC. Thank the LORD that Pammie lives here! It’s been so great to catch up and see an old friend! We had a wine night on my first night here and then went out to dinner at this great little place called Gervais & Vine.

It’s in an area called the Vista and it’s pretty swanky. I’ve heard about the two big spots that people frequent in this town and it’s The Vista and 5 Points. Apparently 5 Points is where the college kids hang out and the Vista is where young professionals kick it. Pammie is taking me to 5 Points tonight so I’ll let you know what I think!

While I was in Columbia, I took a mini-roadtrip to visit my friends in the Low Country! Next, I’ll paint you a picture of my amazing weekend in CHARLESTON!

Everything Toledo!

If you ever find yourself in the beautiful city of Toledo, OH, you’ll soon realize that you’ll need some help determining what to do in this town. You could always watch movies and drink wine in your hotel room like yours truly, but trust me that will get old quick. Here are some things you must do if you find yourself in Toledo!

1. Go Downtown.

The Downtown Toledo area is really nice. There are restaurants for whatever type of food you’re feeling… Seafood, Mexican, Asian, American, you name it. Also, if the weather is nice, you can take a stroll around the river and possibly sit outside!

Sunday night I went to The Navy Bistro and it was amazing. I got the Mediterranean Chicken and it was so good. I really should have taken a picture but I ate it all before I even thought to take a picture. Although, I did take a picture of my view from my blackberry:

2. If you’re ready to shop, make the drive to Perrysburg and go to Levis Commons.

I thought I was in Heaven when I drove the 25 minutes to Perrysburg for dinner last week. I drove by Francesca’s, The Loft, and Venetian Nail Spa and I could barely keep my eyes on the road. I thought for one second that I was in Green Hills in Nashville and I wanted to cry I was so happy! It was not Nashville but this little area is super clean and swanky like Green Hills. I definitely recommend driving to Perrysburg if you’re looking to escape Toledo for a bit. http://www.shopleviscommons.com/

3. Head North to Canada!

That’s right – Windsor, Ontario is only 45 minutes from Toledo! I really wanted to go but I didn’t bring my passport… I won’ t make that mistake again. A lot of the kids in college go up there on the weekends because you don’t have to be 21 to booze it up. Apparently it's also kind of romantic; that's also where the kids go for date night. Here's a picture of the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor (I didn't make it there so no, this isn't my picture.. but it's a pretty picture)

Welp, that's all I've got for you, kiddos. Toledo has been great and I've really enjoyed being here! However, I've gotten my next assignment. I'm heading to Columbia, SC on Monday for TWO WEEKS!

Negotiating Travel... The Travel Broad Way.

While traveling, I've learned a few things. Probably one of the easiest and best lessons I've learned is that almost everything is negotiable. It might seem unfair to take advantage of our economy's current state, but it's the smartest way to travel on a budget.

Hotels: To book the perfect hotel in your location, I do tons of research. I can’t even give you a specific site because I look at EVERYTHING.

• Look at ALL reviews of hotels you’re thinking about staying in. Also, don’t forget to leave a review once you’ve stayed somewhere. Not just bad reviews either, we need mediocre AND amazing reviews as well.
• After I’ve read lots of reviews, I’ll go to a site like hotels.com and look up hotels that have passed the “Leigh Test” (basically just means they look pretty, clean and a great location - in that order). What I’ll also do is go to the left side and click on all the amenities I need in a hotel (gym, free breakfast, pool, etc). If only we could pick out men this way.
• Find "the one" and then call the hotel and talk to them on the phone. You can almost always get them to give you a lower rate and possibly an upgrade! The hospitality industry is hurting, people aren't traveling as much as they used to and they'd rather have you staying here for a cheaper rate than staying at their competitor. If they don't bite, make sure you mention their competitor. That always seems to work for me. :)

Rental Cars: Find a rental car company that you love and stay with it. Sign up for their "VIP" program at the beginning and you're like royalty. You get the best cars and hassle free service. Never pay the online price. Call them and talk them down. If they won't budge, fine, call the next rental car company. Your persistence will pay off, promise!

Flights: While I haven't negotiated the actual cost of flights (yet) I have managed to change my seat around! When I've booked online, the only seats that were left were inside seats. Talk to the person at the counter at the airport and see if they can change you to a coveted window seat. It's worked for me every time so give it a shot!

That's all I've got today, party people. Hope this helps you on your adventures. :)

Dancing in the rain...

Ok, well I'm not dancing in the rain, I'm just hanging out inside, but it feels like I'm dancing because I'm making the best of it. It's been rainy for the past two days in Toledo so I haven't been able to explore Holy Toledo. Although, I have to say, I'm really enjoying this lifestyle. I'm enjoying a glass of Rite Aid's finest Cabernet Sauvignon and I'm catching up on my shows.

Also, I got a new book called 'Hector and the Search for Happiness' and I plan on starting it after GLEE! It's about a psychiatrist who is not very satisfied with himself... He decides to take a trip around the world, and everywhere he went he would try to understand what made people happy or unhappy.

I'm going to start reading this tonight and I'll let you know if it's on my list of must reads!

Ohhh Sweet Toledo

Toledo is.... I don't have a word for what Toledo is just yet. I'm leaving TOMORROW to see G$ in the Falls of Wichita. He's graduating from pilot training and I'm meeting the fam, no big deal.

I'll be back in Toledo for another 2 weeks. The job I'm doing is great but the city is kind of run down. I negotiated a sweeeet suite at my hotel for the same price that I'm paying for a regular room so I'll have more space when I get back - does this entice anyone to visit? There's going to be a sleeper sofa, fridge, microwave and an IPOD DOCK :). Also, I'll be here next weekend so I'm going to check out the town... hopefully I'll find a hidden gem in this town. As of now, I've only found at a cute little lunch place called Barry Bagels. Hell, it could be a chain I've never heard of but it was deeeelicious. If you ever find yourself in Toledo, eat there. I'm looking for boutiques next week.... stay tuned. Although, all I've seen so far is a TJ & a Steinmart.


I hope to have a word for Toledo when I return... when I get back, I'm going to explore this city! Unless I'm too tired from working, and then I'm just going to buy a bottle of wine and relax in the hotel's hot tub.

Downtown Denver!

After a long day preparing for the Fall Fest, my coworker and I ventured out toward downtown Denver. We stayed on 14th St. so we were only two blocks from where all the action was, 16th St. The first place we went downtown was Rialto Cafe. Everywhere downtown has outdoor seating, which is all I need. The food doesn't even have to be great as long as I can sit outside and drink on a patio, I'm a happy broad.

Here are some random pictures of Denver! I'm not the best photographer but take a look...

The last night we were there we went to a place called The Corner Office and it was AMAZING! It's attached to the Curtis Hotel off 14th Street. I got tomato soup and a grilled cheese and it was soooo good! I have picture proof. People keep looking at me funny when I take pictures of my food but I don't care. This dinner was that good.

My next trip is to Toledo, OH and I'll be there for 3 weeks. I'm trying to convince my friends that live in Cincy to come visit me but we'll see. ANGIE AND CHRISTA... I'm going to be so lonely! Please come see me :)

UCD Fall Fest 2010

Here's just a taste of what the Fall Fest was like. I wish I would have taken a video clip of the hippie woman dancing to the band. It was hilarious; I'm pretty sure she was high.

Welcome to Denver!

Denver is fantastic. We've been on campus all week, helping to support/market one of our student housing facilities. It's really easy to talk to people about a property that is so awesome. It's in the heart of downtown and everything is included in your rent - sign me up. The other student housing complexes are about 20 minutes from campus and ours is a 5 minute walk. It's been great talking to the students and connecting with them to determine what they really want.

This is right in front of the student union. Everyone rides their bikes, also, everyone lives with their families and commute to school. Some people commute TWO HOURS one way. Get real. Below is a picture of the Tivoli sign. This where allllll the cool kids hang out between classes (because they can't go home and sleep like I did, because it's two hours away).

Here's a picture of our tent. It's looks kind of lame because there are no people around but trust me, we had the best tent there. We had swag bags, t-shirts, frozen lemonade, fresh popcorn, etc. Our tent was the place to be.

I'll have more pictures of actual downtown Denver because you KNOW I went exploring. The first night I went to this place called Rialto Cafe and it was amazing. Basically all downtown restaurants have patio seating which I love. Reminds me of drinking beer on patios with my friends so I get excited/sad when I see them. Also, tonight we went to a restaurant called The Office. I loved it, obvi. More to come so stay tuned!

New Life

Quick recap... Went on a TOP 3 Vacation with some of the most amazing broads I've ever met. 9 girls, no drama (shockingly)... just the best time of our lives. I can't even begin to explain our four day fiasco. All I know is that I hope we continue this tradition forever. AOT.

In the past 12 days, I've been in Vegas, Austin, Wichita Falls, Dallas (ok, just in the airport) and finally back in Nashville. I've been training for my new job so I haven't done the best job posting. I apologize to my 13 followers, I know you wait patiently for my blogs so I promise, I'll try harder to update you on my travels.

I'm off to Denver in the morning for the University of Colorado Denver's Fall Fest. I'll be there until Friday afternoon so I hope to have some fun pictures and interesting stories of my trip. Stay tuned!

Traveling Gypsy

Thursday. Thursday is the day my new adventure begins. I've got a mix of emotions... excited, nervous, scared, anxious... the list goes on. However, the trip starts with a relaxing 3rd annual girls trip. This yearly trip started at my family's lake house 3 years ago.

We've been to Lake Tuscaloosa, Charleston, South Carolina and on Thursday, we will show LAS VEGAS who's boss. I'm absolutely thrilled that we've followed through and have met up for 3 years in a row. I love traditions and I hope this is one we keep forever. AOT.

My Vegas trip ends at 11:45pm on Monday night and I'm flying to Austin, TX to start training for my new job on Tuesday at 6:00am. I might die. I'm going to the grocery tomorrow to get a few sugar free red bulls to make this entire thing possible. Wish me luck.

Training in Austin is over on Thursday and then I'll fly to the Falls of Wichita to see the boyfriend. I googled pictures of Wichita Falls and it wasn't good. I found one that's decent so feast your eyes upon this... these are the famous falls. Enjoy.

Where will I be after I fly home from the FoW? Who knows. I'll find out where my next adventure is when I'm in Austin for training.

Stay tuned, party people. You never know, I might be visiting a college campus near you. If I do, you might have to entertain me for a few weeks, let me stay with you, etc. Hope that's okay.

Another year older... Wiser? Ehh not so much.

Birthday week is over. This year might have been the best. I kicked-off my actual birthday with a dinner at The Palm. This was a treat from Papa G. It was great to talk with him and drink wine... but to be honest, I don't think we're fancy enough for The Palm. We've agreed that next time we're going for pizza and beer. Although, I am pumped that I finally tried this restaurant... and we did it big. No "I'll take a side salad and a glass of wine". We had calamari, soup, salad, and oh yeah, a 6 pound lobster.

The dinner at The Palm was followed by a wonderful weekend with friends. We woke up, played around at the pool and then had dinner at Sambuca. Dinner was followed by a swanky rooftop soiree. All in all, the weekend was amazing and I'm so thankful for everyone who came out. The four Leos had, yet again, another amazing birthday and we all can't wait for next year!

Ey yi yi!

Okay party people. If you live in Nashville and you haven't been to Rosepepper yet, you're seriously missing out. Look at this margarita:

It looks like a water but don't be fooled. This margarita will knock you on your ass. They only use Agave Tequila and it sure beats the hell out of the Montezuma they use at Puerto Vallarta in Bowling Green, KY.

I know I'm a little behind, but I'm just now checking out all that East Nashville has to offer. I like that area a lot. That part of town is not trying to be something that it's not. It's cool with who it is. Hippie, kind of dirty, doesn't give a shit what you think... I'm into it.

Rosepepper, I will be back. Eastland Cafe, you're next.

La Bella Vita

Birthday week is arguably the best week ever. Especially when you share your birthday week with three of your closest friends. You don't have to work out all week, everyone wants to go out for dinner, and it's perfectly acceptable, if not encouraged, to drink every night. Tonight was especially amazing because I took a trip to Little Italy.

Yes, I went to Maggiano's and it was fantastic. I've never been before and it's unfortunate because it was quite the dining experience. Our server was informative but not overbearing. Not like one of those servers who makes jokes and thinks he's friends with you. Why do they do that? No, our server was great. He suggested I get the Crab & Shrimp Cannelloni and boy he was right. I was so hungry that I forgot to take a picture of my meal until I was completely full. It's not the prettiest picture but yumm-o.

Although, maybe this meal was so amazing because it was free? I'm a firm believer that free food tastes better. My sweet mom took me here for my birthday. This place is fancy; she was very concerned that she was underdressed. When she ordered her Eggplant Parmesan from the "Classics" portion of the menu, they said she could order something else from the "Classics" section for free, to go. That's legit.

I'm glad I gave this restaurant a whirl, even if it is a chain restaurant - Maggiano's... I'm a fan.

Next place on my list of places to go in Nashville, Mama Mia's. You can bring your own wine. I'm there.

Next place to go in the next few years... Italy. Buona notte!

The Final Countdown

Vegas is a mere 26 days away. I'm literally too excited to sleep. 8 girls going to Vegas for Labor Day... absolutely anything can happen. We're getting older so I need to prepare for a 4 day trip with my ladies. I went to Vegas about 2 years ago with Tori, Shannon and Christa and we had a blast. Although, it wasn't your typical Vegas trip that you've heard about or seen in movies. Nobody got married or woke up with a tiger in their room. Or had an Asian, with the smallest penis I've ever seen, jump out of the trunk of our car. It was quite literally the opposite of what you'd imagine a trip to Vegas would be like.

We all drank too much during the day to really see Vegas. We did a lot of touristy things and saw about 25 Michael Jackson impersonators on the street. However, when it came to making it out at night, we had a few setbacks. One night Christa got sick... then one night I got sick... one night Shannon got sick... and then one night, Tori got so fed up with us being weak that she literally left and we found her at "Slots A Fun". Tor will adhere to the strict buddy system this trip. That's a promise.

So here's my promise: this year, I will not be weaksauce. I will hydrate during the day and not drink so many mimosas that I can't make it to dinner. I will remember to eat during the day and not skip meals to save money. I will not drink in the bathtub with Shannon.... ehh I can't promise that. If the bathtub is big enough in our room at the BELLAGIO (we're fancy broads) then yeah, we'll definitely drink in the tub.