Season of Ghouls

For Halloween this year, James was Harry Potter, Isabelle dressed as Zoey from K-Pop Demon Hunters, and Penelope was Peppa Pig. We made the most of the holiday.

Andrew's company hosts a yearly trunk or treat party in the parking lot. Donuts and hot chocolate were involved. This year I actually got to go with the family since I wasn't teaching piano like last year.

The kids walked in the Halloween parade at school and Penelope and I went to cheer them on. My kids chose popular costumes. James was told he must be the real Harry because he had the best scar!

After school, we kept with tradition and got our free cookies at Crave for being dressed in Halloween costumes. As if we need more sugar. This year, they even let me get a cookie. In the past, it has been limited to children only. They also let us choose flavors other than chocolate chip.

This year my parent's had us over for a party on Halloween. There was silly string, a mummy toilet paper game, a dance party, and we ate jack o lantern pizza. We then went trick or treating at a few of their neighbor's homes. Lots of full sized candy bars were given out.

That evening, we went trick or treating with the Bai's. Jordan and James are friends and Isabelle and Alex. Jordan dressed as Malfoy which was perfect.

The amount of candy the kids got legitimately is making me ill! I have been taking some to schools and use it to bribe students to be nice to their poor sub. It has done the trick.

Just the full sized candy bars

Play with Mom and Dad!

I joined my parent's to watch the play "Suss" in Eccles theater in Salt Lake City. I had never heard of the play before going and didn't know much about it. It was about women's rights and the suffragettes. I really enjoyed it and learned so much! It made me want to read a book about that time so I know more. We all agreed that they could have trimmed the ending. 

Friday, November 14

Kindess Jar

The kids have been working on being nice. Each time they do something kind, I add a cotton ball to our jar. The jar finally got filled! We had a special movie night. We watched "Lilo and Stitch." We got popcorn from the theater as well as donuts. The next jar we are trying to fill is having "An Attitude of Gratitude." The kids have big ideas and want to go to Airborne after filling up the jar.

Ten Pounds in Texas

My brother's family moved back to Austin, Texas over the summer. James, Isabelle, and I flew to visit them for 2 special occasions. Esther got baptized and Simon got the priesthood! My kids were delighted to see their cousins as was I. My parents and Jessica came too! We stayed in an Airbnb together and rented a van.

My kids still talk about the number of waymo cars we saw! There are so many self driving cars there it's bizarre! We teased my mom for pronouncing the cars "wee-moo." I also learned a couple of noteworthy quotes on our trip... "High sizzle no steak" and "Ridden hard and put away wet." These led to some good belly laughs.

Some questions you may have... 

How was the baptism?

I really had to restrain myself from jumping right into food talk. We ate like queens hence the title of the blog. I'll start with the most important thing first!

Esther was baptized on Saturday, October 25. She thought of all the details and knew exactly what she wanted. She was so eager to get baptized. There were decorations which elevated the old church building. Esther had the idea to get a polaroid camera to take pictures on. It was so cute and such a unique way to document her special day. Esther wore a gorgeous flower crown. She picked out a classy baptism dress and shoes. In fact, someone commented that they wished they had worn a wedding dress like the dress Esther had. Esther planned everything and her parent's ensured it turned out just how she wanted.

After the ordinance, Esther changed at record speed! She rejected the idea of blow drying her hair. She didn't want to miss a moment of the meeting. 

Jessica played the violin and I was the pianist at the baptism. Jeff and Lindsey spoke. I got choked up. It was one of the most tender baptisms I've attended. The spirit was so strong and Jeff gave a talk that wasn't the typical baptism talk you hear. Both talks were inspiring and specific to Esther. Esther's grandmas were witnesses and her grandpas prayed. 

We had to take new pics because eyes were closed. This was the result. Bug eyes.

After the baptism, we ate cookies from Tiff's Treats. Lindsey works there and they were superb! The Dubai Chocolate was unforgettable. James had 5 snickerdoodles. Don't worry, he held back to ensure others got to try them too.

Family stayed at the church following the baptism for a dinner. We had Franklin's. That is the best BBQ around. People line up for hours. Jeff ordered the food ahead of time. We had brisket, ribs, and turkey. Good thing I was wearing a dress and didn't have to zip up pants. There were also veggie burgers since Esther prefers no meat.

We got Esther a kpop demon hunters Zoey tshirt to match with Izzy and nail stickers. The next day, Sunday, October 26 we attended their ward and saw Simon be ordained to the office of a deacon. He said he was happy to be the center of attention and to get the priesthood. We got him super Mario bros socks to wear as he passes the sacrament.

What did you eat?

I don't weigh myself often, so who knows how much weight I gained but if you're looking to put on a few pounds, Austin is calling!

Torchy's Tacos: I had a taco called "The Republican-" smoked beef brisket, barbeque sauce, crispy onions, grilled corn relish, cilantro with chipotle sauce on a flour tortilla. I learned you can have your taco "queso style" with cheese all over. I don't know that but it couldn't have been better. We ordered queso which was next level.

This was one of my favorite meals there!

All Day Pizza: They sell pizza by the slice and I of course got pepperoni. It was outstanding. Some of the best I've had. The pepperoni had the perfect amount of kick. I got a hot honey dipping sauce to go with it. They have pickle pizza and we tried that. Pickle lovers gave it a thumbs up. The Caesar salad was the best I've ever had. The dressing had miso and the croutons were grated.

Zed's Ice Cream: I had the pumpkin pie special and it was divine. Believe me because I'm having a hard time putting into words the outer crust/shell. They have delicious dairy free ice cream too.

All of that food was day 1! Jeff set the bar high! He knows what he's talking about. I told him I want him to come on every vacation with me and tell me where to eat and what to do.

Other restaurants

Bird, Bird, Biscuit: This was walking distance from where we stayed. The chicken was phenomenal! The sauce had a bit of a kick and made my nose run. Very filling! I loved the sweet honey sauce and could have had more of that.

Taco Joint: Right by campus. We had breakfast tacos--bacon, egg, and cheese. The homemade tortillas made them next level. They weren't too big either which was nice because trying to find room for all the food was a struggle.

Asados: I had a giant steak burrito. The meat was very flavorful. Jeff said this wasn't the best food he's had from there.

Cookies and Milk: I died and went to heaven. There was an ice cream flavor called milk and cookies and it tastes just like the milk at the bottom of your cup after you've dipped cookies in it. There were even cookie chunks. I ate every bite and also had a gooey, fresh cookie. This place was a homerun and left me one happy woman.

The Salty Donut: We went for breakfast. The brown butter donut was noteworthy. Also, our rental van could not back out of the parking lot due to a minor slope. After 2 attempts, my dad had to do a large turn and take the hill on facing forward. It started steaming and still makes me giggle thinking about it.

Cava's: Jessica has had Cava's in LA and loves it so we went. It's a healthy salad place and so flavorful! I would go back!

P Terry's: Fast food, but leagues above McDonald's. I loved the fries. The veggie burgers at the baptsim were from here too. Though I steered clear of those.

Taco Deli: Breakfast tacos that have potatoes in them! They're surprisingly good! We ate these in the airport on our way out of town.

What did you do?

We went swimming at the pool in Jeff and Lindsey's neighborhood. We scoped out multiple parks. We went on several walks and saw many ducks. One walk was downtown following the river. We played games-- Skull King and Just One. We toured the University of Texas campus and saw Jeff's office. We went souvenir shopping. James and Papa threw the football so much that Papa's arm was sore the next day. James' record was 37 catches/throws in a row. 

Why didn't Andrew and Penelope come along?

Andrew had taken the week before off of work for our S. Carolina trip. He didn't think it would be great to take off more work and had a lot to catch up on. Since Penelope is now 2, she is no longer free. Paying babysitters was cheaper than purchasing a ticket for her. Also, traveling without a 2 year old who naps and is demanding was nice.

Who watched Penelope? 

It really takes a village. We flew out early on Thursday, October 23. My niece Malia watched Penny for 4.5 hours and put Penelope down for a nap. After her quiet time (she pooped which ruined her nap), my friend Alison took her for the remainder of the afternoon.

On Friday, October 24, one of my young women, Lydia babysat Penelope for 4.5 hours. Penelope napped and then another young woman, Jordan played with Penny until Andrew was off of work.

Penelope got the one-on-one Daddy time she craves all weekend. Monday morning, my friend Meagan took Penny for a couple hours.

I am so grateful for friends! And Andrew! He is the best!

Our sleeping accommodations. I got to have a sleepover 4 nights in a row with these hooligans. I learned someone snores...

Figuring out how to turn/crank James' expander. I tried and failed even after a tutorial from Andrew. Jeff saw this pic in our shared google photo album and immediately texted concerned: "Is everything ok with James' teeth?" Made us chuckle so hard.

We got souvenirs and I have used my new Texas sweatshirt already. Who knew it was such a conversation starter!? The pharmacist wanted to talk football with me and quickly lost me... James' basketball coach saw the sweatshirt Andrew was wearing and commented on the teams bad year, and the orthodontist asked me if we're big University of Texas fans. I'm pretty clueless when it comes to football.

Already scheming about when we can all go back to Texas as a whole family. Jeff and Lindsey went all out for us! Still thinking about that roast and brown butter chocolate chip cookies Jeff made us. The company, food, and weather (in October) can't be beat!

No Kids Allowed! South Carolina Part 2: Savannah, Georgia and Charleston

I have a deadline! I want to finish journaling about S. Carolina before we go to Texas so I don't fall behind. I feel blessed to have 2 back to back trips. This post is about Savannah, Georgia and Charleston. 

Savannah, Georgia

Since Andrew and I were in the area we figured we should take advantage of our proximity and made a day trip to Savannah, Georgia on Monday, October 13. Savannah is an hour drive from Hilton Head. We had lunch at a seafood restaurant called "Driftaway Cafe." Andrew had cod and grits and his plate was clean at the end which is always a good sign. I had delicious tacos. Not fishy! Avoid the southern potato salad. The cat that roamed the restaurant and sat on tables was a turnoff. Someone at the table next to us brought their dog. During our trip we saw several dogs being pampered and pushed around in strollers. Our waitress had a thick southern accent and was exceptionally friendly. People were so warm the entirety of our trip. Nobody could believe we came all the way from Utah.

After lunch, we took our time checking out downtown Savannah. Water backs right up to shops/restaurants and it was pretty. We did some window shopping. At a cookie store, they were giving out free samples and the "peach cookies" spoke to Andrew. He bought some to savor later. Andrew also made a friend due to his stylish shirt. Savannah was a cool city! 

Charleston, South Carolina

We checked out of our Airbnb in Hilton Head the morning of Friday, October 17 and drove to Charleston. We went directly to the restaurant "Boxcar Betty's" and got there when it opened at 11am. 

We tried "Boxcar Betty's" earlier in our trip and fell in love with it. We made going again a priority. Fresh off our red-eye flight and after a long rental car debacle, we were starving. We stopped at "Welton's Tiny Bakeshop Bakery" in Charleston which has 4.9 stars and a couple hundred reviews. The hot honey ham croissant was exceptional. The apple danish was pretty good. The cinnamon roll was lacking... In fact not to toot my own horn, but I think I make a better cinnamon roll.

The second time we went to "Boxcar Betty's", we knew what to order and both had the "Chicken Not So Waffle" sandwich with fries. Boxcar Betty's is a fast food fried chicken place. The waffle sandwich has bacon jam, maple syrup, pimiento cheese, chicken, and tomato. I miss it already!

After filling our guts, we headed to USS Yorktown and saw a ginormous aircraft carrier. While there, we learned that the crew of the Yorktown was made up of approx. 380 officers and 3,088 enlisted men. It was massive! 

On top, there was a runway for all the fighter jets. I learned Andrew desperately wanted to be a fighter pilot. Glad that ship has sailed. I also discovered that Andrew's grandpa, Grandpa Ditto, was stationed on an air craft carrier during WWII. Andrew was in heaven exploring this place. We stayed 2 hours. They sure make you pay a lot of $ to be there. In addition to paying $56 for entry tickets, we had to pay for parking. If you are claustrophobic, this ship is not for you. We climbed lots of narrow stairways. People were a lot shorter then. The stench of oil was overpowering on the ship. In order to access the carrier, we had to cross an impressive bridge in Charleston! It's tall and according to Google 2.7 miles long. We'd walked 15000+ steps that day, so didn't trudge across the bridge but that would have been interesting and lots of others were doing it. It would have been a 5 mile roundtrip walk.

Charleston was magical. We were immediately greeted by several horse drawn carriages offering tours. The city is old and has lots of history. Our time was limited and the tours weren't cheap, so we instead checked things out on our own on foot. Some of the streets are cobblestone. Andrew pointed out multiple times the gas lit lamps lighting up the city as we strolled the streets. We spent a good chunk of time wandering through the city market. It was like a flea market. We got some souvenirs. We found "Callie's Hot Little Biscuit" which is famous. Obviously, we had to try it! Not all the biscuits were out of this world, but there were some real winners! They were fresh and hot and melted in our mouths. The shortbread biscuit was the best. The regular biscuit was probably the least impressive to us.

We also walked to Rainbow Row and Riverfront Park. Rainbow Row is an area downtown that has colorful historic homes. They're cute! It was hard to get a good picture with parked cars, traffic, and people around. Andrew saw a home for sale near there and suggested we buy it...

We ate dinner at Lewis BBQ in Charleston which had exceptionally high ratings. We both had brisket sandwiches. The buns were memorable. The fries weren't worth getting (and I'm a fry person)! It was expensive and good, but I guess you could say I'm a brisket snob. My brother Jeff and BIL Chris both make brisket and I think their brisket is better. Andrew agrees. Lewis BBQ meat had more of a savory flavor than sweet.

After dinner, we were worn out. We drove to our hotel and spent the evening playing "7 Wonders Duel" which I won twice in a row. After being the loser at mini golf and pickleball, it was time. It was convenient to stay at a hotel about a mile from the airport because we had an early flight Saturday morning. I would love to spend more time in Charleston someday! Visiting a plantation and Sullivans island are on the to-do list.

Souvenirs

We brought the kids home seashells and hats. Andrew and I picked hats for ourselves too. James and Andrew's hats were on clearance! My hat is purple (of course) with the S. Carolina state flag on it. And no, we didn't forget about Penelope. Andrew also got the Georgia cookies and a t-shirt. I picked out 2 t-shirts. We got my parents a Charleston magnet, my dad a t-shirt, and a Nana and Papa rainbow row hand towel. I didn't expect a present from my parents upon our return, but they gave me a necklace memorializing my losses--the twins and the other baby I miscarried before Penelope. The necklace is gold with 3 circles and each has hearts. It made me cry. In fact, while on our trip I was emotional one night and told Andrew I would love a necklace to remember my babies and then boom, I got one. I've worn it everyday since.

Mine is gold and has 3 different charms/circles

Back At Home

Our kids didn't miss us. They were spoiled and did lots of fun things. They decorated Halloween cookies, went to a pumpkin patch, rode their bikes to Arctic Circle for ice cream cones, and more. I'm trying to write my parents a thank-you card and it's hard to adequately express how much it meant to us that Andrew and I were able to run away on this trip. It was sooo good for my soul and helped to have my mind on other things. The alone time with Andrew was remarkable.

Our kids looked so grown up when we returned home. Penelope is even cuter than I remembered and was a great "helper" folding the laundry with me which made me belly laugh! Isabelle had a lot to fill us in on and has been talking continuously. And James basically looks like a teenager (is he even taller after 1 week?) and eats like one.

We got back to Utah and it feels like winter. I've had to pull out my warm socks and wear a jacket around the clock. Take me back to S. Carolina, the beach, and the mid 70s temps!! Thankfully Texas will provide the temporary warmth I'm seeking later this week.