Posts

Posted on

Rolling Into a New Year at the Lake

We wound down our year 2017 at the Lake of the Ozarks condo. Some of our friends joined us throughout the weekend. We arrived Friday night, and did some shopping on Saturday. We stocked up on coffee for the Keurig and wine for cocktails in the Margaritaville Frozen Concoction Maker. We did a little furniture shopping, where I found these Ashley Furniture Charlowe Nightstands which will go perfectly in the master bedroom.

InkedIMG_1540_LIAnd we made a final stop at my favorite place to shop, Coral Reef Seafood , to stock up on crab legs for NYE dinner. If you are EVER anywhere in the Lake Ozark area, in Mid-Missouri, in the middle of the United States, you must stop here to shop for the best seafood we have access to! You can also read all about them in my earlier post Coral Reef Seafood. I absolutely LOVE this store!

Coral Reef, Lake Ozark, MO
Coral Reef Shrimp, Lake Ozark, MO

I also picked up some shrimp (a MUST) and my friends purchased the Seafood Stuffed Orangy Roughy that is like a party in your mouth! (I hope they never changes this recipe.)

Our BIG mistake was going out to dinner later at a restaurant called Redhead Lakeside Grill. I don’t mean “mistake” in that any of our dinner was less than good. I mean mistake in that it was so cold walking from the parking lot to the restaurant it somewhat diminished my experience there. Once inside, I don’t think I ever got warm, so instead of having a great, leisurely time, I was just ready to go home and get under a nice warm blanket. We’ll have to go back and try again when the weather starts to warm back up. There were lots of items on the menu that I can’t wait to try.

Since the temperature at the lake was a not-so-balmy 0-degrees, we wound up planning to stay in for the New Year’s Eve celebration for a quiet night in the warmth. Hubby wanted to play Cards Against Humanitybut we never got around to it. After eating crab legs (and pizza for those who don’t like crab), we checked out Ryan Seacrest in Times Square on TV and watched the ball drop to start off another year. We did have champagne, which I single-handedly attempted not to let go to waste.

It was a low-key New Year’s Eve, but that’s ok. We wrapped it up the way we wanted to with friends we wanted to be with. Maybe next year will be warmer. Or, maybe next year we’ll be on a beach somewhere much warmer! Either way, there’s a whole new year ahead of us and it will be what we make of it.

Posted on

Christmas in the Lou

St. Louis, Mo. It’s where we headed for the long Christmas weekend. Even though we only live 2 hours away and it’s my hometown, a long weekend in St. Louis is like a mini vacay. If you’ve never been there, it’s a fun and unique place to visit.

There’s the Gateway Arch to experience.

Photo cred to Lisa Oldenburg
The Arch photo by Lisa Oldenburg
img_1578
Mississippi Riverfront and Arch photo by Lisa Oldenburg

This is a 630-foot monument in downtown St Louis, Mo., next to the Mississippi River, that is also recognized as the “Gateway to the West”. You can take a 4 minute tram ride to the observation area where you are able to see up to 30 miles into Missouri and Illinois on a clear day. If it’s a windy day you will feel it swaying. It’s a fun experience either way! While driving into St. Louis, when I catch a glimpse of the Arch, I know I’m home.

We spent time with friends and family on most of this trip. It was heartwarming to see everyone and to catch up on the past year. I always enjoy visiting with my parents on these trips too and it’s good that the home-cooked feeding frenzy only happens once per year. Luckily, we didn’t have time to add in any meals out at my favorite restaurants. I’m sure I wouldn’t have fit into my jeans again for a while if that were the case.

Hubby scored huge bonus points this Christmas too. He always has such a knack for the perfect gift buying, I wish I were so talented. I’ve mentioned we will be planning to spend a lot of time in our new condo at The Lake of the Ozarks this summer. In shopping for furnishings for the condo, I’ve had my eye on these glass vases.

I’ve not been able to find a link online but I’ve found the vases at Pier One. You can see something similar here. Hubby found them too and got them as a gift for me. They’ve now been re-homed at the condo.

Hubby also got me a Margaritaville Bahamas Frozen Concoction Maker. You can check out my original obsession with the Frozen Concoction Maker in my earlier post Smoky Mountain Getaway. This thing is great and puts my blender to shame! So far we’ve used it to make Strawberry Wine Slushies and Pineapple Banana Smoothies. I’d imagine, once winter ends and the weather warms up, we’ll find even more concoctions to try!

Now, the year is winding down during this week after Christmas. I feel very privileged to have a wonderful life with my wonderful husband. I am ready to move on! As we go into 2018, I’m looking forward to more fun traveling to the Lake and other locations. And I can’t wait to use the Maker some more! See you all next year!

Posted on

Travel Music Tuesday–Lindsey Buckingham

Holiday Road–Lindsey Buckingham

I just had to throw in a Christmas travel song!  The movie it goes with has become a holiday staple in our home, whether we’re traveling or not.

And we also love the remake by the Zac Brown Band because, well, we just love the Zac Brown Band!

Download the song by clicking on the pic of the one you like below:

Posted on

Dominican Republic–Girls Trip

Once upon a time there were three angels…(Charlie’s Angels reference)

Oops, wrong story. Once upon a time there were three girls who took a trip to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. They stayed at the Grand Palladium Resort, which is one of my favorites.IMG_1554They made the most out of the sun, sand, pool, beach and cocktails. IMG_1557The weather was perfect and they were able to go on some excursions and take in some sights. One morning, there was a jeep trip up into the mountains where they got to see and taste raw cocoa growing on a farm. Who knew chocolate would end up tasting so different from the actual cocoa it’s grown from?

Cocoa pod, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

They also went horseback riding and ziplined through the jungle. On their ride back down the mountain, they encountered this entertaining gentleman. They tipped him for his antics–he did a dance too–and returned to the resort.IMG_1565A couple of days later was scuba diving day.

There was a Dolin Dive Center on resort and Marcos was a great dive master. He took them through a shipwreck where they not only got to see some beautiful sealife, but they also were able to practice their skills. They also had the pleasure of diving with Inez from Uruguay.

The Palladium had a lot of activities to keep them busy. The food was good, the entertainment crew kept them involved in the fun games, and the pool and the beach were gorgeous.There was even a dance clinic happening at the resort with hundreds of dancers from around the world visiting that week so evenings in the disco were filled with incredible talent. At the end of the day, the girls had a relaxing, fun time.

The girls couldn’t wait to start planning their next trip. It sounded like they would be meeting again in Mexico next!

Posted on

Black Friday Shopping Jamaican Style

Where did we not shop? We hit a number of big box stores like Sam’s Club, Walmart, Menard’s, Target, Walmart, Target, Menard’s, Sam’s, you get it. We also hit other stores like Bath & Bodyworks, Perfumania, American Eagle, Old Navy, Aeropostale, Pier 1 and Clark’s.

Paul got some real bargains, especially at Clark’s. He found a pair of boots (that he knew from experience would last him at least a few years) for half price. At Target, he got to stock up on soap, body wash, shampoo, conditioner, and a few other toiletries and Walmart had a good bargain on underwear and tank tops.

Beyond that, he was able to gather up some other items. Christmas gifts for his girls and a few gifts for his co-workers were mostly found at Perfumania, where he was able to find some real deals between clearance items and a half price sale. (Their deals were so good I even picked up a couple of gifts there.) This one smelled really good and would be a great stocking stuffer for a young lady:

After that, I’m not sure the bargains were so hot. Old Navy had everything 50% off, but half off didn’t include clearance items, and by the time we made our purchases there, I felt like I spent about the same amounts as usual. Pier 1 was the same, and if they would have counted the red vases in the 50% off sale, I would have walked out with them both!

Flame Art Glass Pedestal BowlWhat amazed me about shopping with Paul is that for everything he put into the shopping cart, he kept a mental tally of what his total should be. (Minus the tax which varied depending on where we shopped.) Not once, but twice he caught the store clerks incorrectly charging him! How many times have you just paid the total without thinking twice? I know I do it frequently, and now I wonder how often I have overpaid while shopping.

It was no big deal when he called out the clerk at Bath & Body Works. She quickly realized what had happened and corrected the mistake. However, Old Navy was not nearly as accommodating. That clerk insisted her computer was accurate, but when Paul requested she re-ring his items, he was right, she had over-charged him by quite a bit! Makes you wonder how often that happens, Black Friday or not. Be careful in your shopping.

Posted on

Jamaica Comes To Thanksgiving Dinner

Our Jamaican friend has come to visit us for Thanksgiving. He flew into St. Louis via Baltimore/Washington. After delays leaving MoBay and delays in Baltimore, we finally got to pick Paul up at the airport at 2:40 am the weekend before Thanksgiving. No problem man! Just another 2 hour drive home after that, just in time to get to bed at 5 am.

After a quick sleep, we got back on the road to head to the Lake of the Ozarks to show Paul that part of our state. It was actually a pretty mild weekend for November, so we were able to spend time outdoors on the deck. We also took Paul to his first of many visits to Menards (a chain store of home improvement products) and bought new flooring for the condo. After finishing a little bit of work, our friends Francis and Marissa came to visit for a bit and have some wine. We chatted, sipped, and had fun hearing about their new boat they would have down at the lake this summer. When they hit the road to head back home, we went into town and had a tasty dinner at Tucker’s Shuckers. If you’re ever in the historic Bagnell Dam area, check them out. They have all kinds of food, but are known for their incredible oysters.

We returned to Columbia, put in a few days at work, and prepped for Thanksgiving dinner. For those who know me, this is one my favorite holidays of the year and I LOVE turkey dinner. We were having Francis, Marissa, and another friend Marsha over for dinner. We started prepping the menu for traditional roast turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, broccoli casserole, salad, rolls, cranberry sauce and pies (pumpkin and chocolate) for six. Our 2017 turkey roasting Paul was so generous to make Jamaican Rice and Peas to add a Jamaican spin to our dinner. It was so delish, and dinner wasn’t complete until Paul shared the recipe. (He also left us some extra coconut milk powder, so I can make it myself later.) And if Marissa reads this and let’s me know she did, I’ll even share the powder with her!

Shortly after dinner, it was time for some Black Friday shopping with Paul. I’ll have to post later about that as Paul’s still here and in the event any of his friends or family back home that he bought for are reading this, I don’t want to spoil any surprises. This was a Thanksgiving to be grateful for good friends who are like family.