st kitts part 1 - nevis

sean and i went on vacation
to a place we've been several times
st kitts
but this trip we decided to try a redo on the vacation that wasn't
and made a stop in nevis for a few nights first

we stayed at the hermitage
where we were greeted with the best rum punch you'll ever have
and a quick reality into how unplugged we would be
the room was great but lack of todays amenities
like ac and wifi
so you sleep with all the doors and windows open

but it did have a hammock

and a view of the volcano
which was covered by a cloud the entire time

and cool windows

and new games for us to learn and play while drinking more run punches

we went for a little hike
to enjoy the surroundings

i also took advantage of spending some time with my new camera

which apparently looked suspicious
as i got questioned by this nice gentleman
oops!

we highly recommend the hermitage if you ever find yourself in nevis
the people were incredibly friendly
and it was a great way to unwind...quickly

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some other random photos from nevis
can you find the creatures?

and just because we couldn't stop laughing
that this island is named booby island
for reals!

lobster cruising

this is going to be a record summer for us
in terms of number of visitors

and one of our favorite things to do
with our guests
is go out for a lobster cruise
with robertson sea tours

we love it cuz it's a small boat
so no strangers

and they're pet friendly

and of all the times we've gone
we've never had the same trip twice

this time we saw lots of seals

and stopped off on a private island
for a lobster dinner

if you're ever in the area - definitely check them out
or if you're visiting us
we'll likely take you

hiking the appalachian trail

one of the things i'd been wanting to do for years was hike up to the screw auger falls

and i finally got the chance during my birthday month
i was intrigued by the stream you get to cross to get there

i suggest wearing shoes when you cross though

there are so many waterfalls in maine
come to find out to get to the falls you get to hike part of the appalachian trail

hiking the whole trail is something people actually do though
it's over 2000 miles - starting in georgia and ending in maine
that's just crazy!

it's also crazy how slippery rocks can get after millions of year of water running over them
it's also crazy how scared one can get when they think they're about to go over a waterfall
when all they wanted was a picture of them at the top of the fall

in a place where it was over a mile to hike into
don't worry though, sean was there to get a photo to prove he didn't push me...

i really thought i was going over
every time i tried to move i slipped further
i finally found some moss that i crawled on my knees grabbing rocks that hadn't been polished smooth
my heart was beating so fast the rest of the day
it was a beautiful site to have a little picnic

but i don't suggest exploring too much

nervous nelly

if you visit deer isle

you must stop by and see nervous nelly

and definitely taste her jams and jellies

it's a great place

husband and wife operation

the husband spends his days making "art"

while the wife makes jams

they've created a little city that is pretty cool

here's a little peek with my lovely model

my new obsession

have you ever wanted to try to paint
but convinced you have no artistic ability?
you need painting with a twist
i don't know how they do it but they make everyone an artist!

i've already been twice
once for a private party in texas

oops - crooked picture

once while i was in tampa for work

which was fun getting back home on the plane
apparently it counts as a carry-on if it's not in another bag
whatever...

they're currently in 15 states
so go look it up and get to one in an area near you
STAT!
believe me you'll be amazed at how great your painting will look
no matter what your skill set is

there are so many more i want to do
i'll share them with you as i do more

i'd love to see yours too if you go - email it to me...

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two more things...

1. this is NOT a paid advertisement - just wanted to share a new awesome thing i found
2. to answer a reader question - duke is a yorkie-poo (yorkshire terrier and poodle mix)

what i'm reading now

i'm actually reading two books at once right now
one for fun
and one for knowledge
book names are links again

11/22/63 - this is the newest stephen king book (who happens to live in maine) and actually, sad to say, the first one i've read (although right this second "bag of bones" is recording on the dvr).  i hate time travel movies so was guessing i wouldn't like this book but sean read it and couldn't put it down so i thought i'd give it a shot.  it's about a guy that goes back in time and tries to save kennedy from being shot.  king leaves no questions unanswered - like how do you get money.  i'm hooked and about 40% through the book.  with no work travel the rest of the year (doing the no-work-travel-dance!) that means no airplane rides so i probably won't finish it until next year (can you believe that's only a couple of weeks away?!?!).

Integrative Nutrition:  Feed Your Hunger for Health and Happiness - one of my friends is a holistic health counselor and this was offered for free on her website last month.  i love the approach to health and happiness this takes.  it's a wealth of information about what food is and what it should be.  i've already started to make some changes and can already see a difference (and i've actually lost a little weight too).  after i finish up the book (although not a prerequisite), which i'm about 40% through, i'll be setting up my counseling sessions.  can't wait to see what the new year will bring with this new way of thinking!  if you're interested in checking out her services head on over to her website, Healthy Weigh to Live, and schedule a free initial consultation (if you don't live in her area, no biggie, she also offers phone or skype!).

on my kindle

another benefit to traveling so much is all the little perks
a while back the hotel brand i usually stay at ran a special
for every so many stays you got an amazon gift card
i "lucked out" and stayed enough to get a gift card with enough on it for a kindle!
and since i got it i've read more than the last 20 years combined
so here's what i've been reading
(the book names are links in case you're interested in any of them - i get nothing by recommending them to you - i just want to pass along a recommendation)

The Hunger Games Trilogy - i think this is technically a children's book but i just couldn't put it down.  i decided to read it based on a recommendation from a friend.  it's about a post-apocalyptic word where children are forced to fight to the death in the "hunger games" by the government.  i can't wait for the first movie to come out in march.

Millennium Trilogy (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) - after seeing everyone in the airport with this book and after the recommendation of a fellow passenger i decided to take this trilogy on (they're really thick books and that usually deters me but thanks to the kindle i have no idea how thick the book is!).  the whole series is about a super old murder and trying to solve it.  if you can get past the names and that you'll never be able to pronounce them you won't be able to put it down.  i've already watched the swedish movie version and can't wait for american version later this month!

One Day - this was also recommended by a friend.  the writing was very clever.  each chapter was the same day but a different year and it followed the lives of two individuals.  i really enjoyed this and yet another book that became a movie.  it's at the top of my netflix list.

The Glass Castle - also recommended by a friend it's a true story of a girl and her unorthodox childhood and upbringing.  it made me realize my upbringing wasn't so bad.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - this is another one with a very unique writing style (and another recommended by a friend).  the entire book is written as letters.  once i got used to the writing style i really enjoyed this book.

Gunn's Golden Rules - yea, i read it - i admit it.  i liked reading the "backstage" stuff from project runway - the rest, eh...

Room:  A Novel - this one i saw an ad for when we were in london for new years.  another one written strange - from a 5 year old.  it's about a woman that was kidnapped and had a baby while in captivation.  it was highly predictable and not the best book i've ever read.

what have you read recently that you would recommend?  i'm always looking for a good book to read.

flip burger

Are you as crazy about Top Chef as I am???  I was totally rooting for Richard Blais this last go 'round.  I could just taste each thing he made and imagined how utterly amazing it must be.  So, when I found myself in Atlanta this week I knew I just HAD to head on over to his restaurant Flip Burger Boutique.

As you probably guessed, they serve burgers - but these aren't your ordinary burgers.  Mine had chorizo and a fried egg.  They even had one made of shrimp.  Mine was good but a little under-seasoned for what I was expecting from Richard.  Actually, I found almost everything under-seasoned.  If you've seen Top Chef then you know he likes to use Liquid Nitrogen when he cooks.  The dessert list was all milkshakes - topped off with a little Liquid N2.

My favorite one was the nutella and burnt marshmallow - unfortunately ours were all melted by the time they made it to our table.  This picture is of the only smart one at the table as he ordered his before dinner - fully frozen!

Sad to say, but I think my favorite piece of the meal was the drink of the day - Spring Fling.  Wish I had stuck with that drink as the others I tried weren't nearly as good.

Although I found the waiter charming when we first arrived he soon became arrogant and annoying.  When we mentioned our shakes all being melted he said "well, that's ice cream for you".

So, as you can tell, I'm a little, ok a lot, disappointed in my experience.  I may give it another shot if I find myself in Atlanta again in hopes that Richard is there.  He had been in that day but during lunch and we went for dinner.  The company totally made up for the disappointment in the restaurant though!

best picture show 2011 day 2

Remember the all day movie marathon from last Saturday?  Well because they select so many movies as part of the best of 2011 at the Oscars they show them all over 2 Saturdays.  Yesterday we headed back to AMC for the other 5 movies.  Here's my take:

• Winter's Bone - This was an interesting story and it's sad that there are probably families out there that really are like this.  There was some messed up stuff in that movie.  I think this is one of those stories that's better as a book (although I have not read the book).
• Black Swan - I wasn't sure I wanted to see this since I was a dancer back in the day and had heard some strange comments about the movie but I ended up really enjoying it.  It's like a train wreck - you can't stop looking.  Don't watch this with your mother!
• Inception - I had already seen this one.  It was much easier to watch the second time around.  It takes a lot of paying attention because it's hard to tell what's real and what's a dream.  I enjoyed it.
• The Social Network - This movie is about the controversial creation of Facebook.  Hard to believe all that went on.  It's worth watching.
• The King's Speech - This is about the Duke of York and his stammer.  The whole movie is about him trying to overcome this speech impediment.  I couldn't wait for this to get over - I was BORED OUT OF MY MIND!!!  For that very reason I'm sure it's going to win.

Since I had already seen Social Network I skipped that one and headed to dinner to help celebrate a 60th and 40th birthday for some of my friends.  It was a great Saturday!!!

If there's an AMC anywhere close to you that's participating in this next year - GO!

Make sure to watch the Oscar's tonight!

best picture show 2011

Remember my day of movies last year?  Well, it's that time of year again - the Oscars are just around the corner so we headed to our local AMC for the first five movies up for best picture.  This year I was actually able to get Sean to join us!

aren't those some sexy glasses?!?!

This is my personal take on the first five movies (in the order we saw them) and whether I liked them or not.  The movie name is a link to the movie website if you want to learn more about the movie.

• Toy Story 3 - Andy is heading off to college and Woody and the gang get donated to a day care.  The movie centers around their shenanigans at the day care and trying to get back to Andy.  Whether you have kids or not you should see this movie.  I just can't get over how clever it was.  I think the Toy Story series just keeps getting better.  Oh, and it was in 3-D!!!
• 127 Hours - This is a true story of a guy that goes cave exploring without telling anyone where he's going and ends up in an accident, getting his arm stuck between the rock and a boulder.  That all happens before the opening credits.  The rest of the movie recounts his thought process and survival. It was interestingly filmed and VERY graphic - glad I saw it - even if it was through my blanket for part of it.
• The Kids Are All Right - This was about a lesbian couple that had children from a sperm donor.  When the children are old enough they want to meet their "father".  I couldn't wait for this one to be over.  B-O-R-I-N-G!!!  Not sure why it's up for best picture.  Because of this movie we almost lost Sean for the rest of the day.
• True Grit - This was the story of a 14 year old girl whose father was shot by an outlaw.  To avenge her father's death she enlists the help of a drunk U.S. Marshall to hunt down the killer.  I loved, loved, loved this movie!!!  Go see it!  I don't like westerns but somehow this was different.
• The Fighter - This was about two boxing brothers and their journey in the boxing world.  A little boring and predictable.  It was alright but not my favorite.

After Sean having been gone for 3 months it was so great to just sit and hold his hand for an entire day!  As usual, it was a great time with my friends, making funny comments about the movie, sharing snacks and having dinner together.

Can't wait for the next 5 - even though I've already seen 2 of them.