Fat Boozeday!

In honor of Fat Tuesday, I had to share this picture...

Ak's little cousin's (3 years old) first experience on bourbon street.
His face says it all!

Oysters and More...

Ak and I had the best time in NOLA with the fam!

We enjoyed a beautiful day in Jackson Square

The Fam

It was the first time AK has been with both his bro and sis since our wedding.
It was nice seeing them catching up!

Saturday night while the runners were getting rest before the big day, AK and I celebrated
V-day at ACME and had drinks afterwards at the carousel bar. So fun!!

Race Day!!
Ak's 2nd cousin thought he was the coolest ever!

The Runners!

The Cheerleaders
(please excuse my arm, I have a double jointed arm so it looks CRAZY!)


and of course it wouldn't be a trip to NOLA without a hurricane!

The 1/2

Well, well, well…

Remember when I posted about the ½ marathon in New Orleans?? Let’s just say it didn’t go as planned. I got up to a mile, (yes a mile, I know) and thought I’m going to die right here on this street. There is no way I can do 13!! So AK and I are going to New Orleans as cheerleaders! There are about 20 of us going and I think there are 6 of us that aren’t running. So we will have our own little cheerleading squad.

I’m so excited to go back to one of my favorite cities. We have dinner planned at Dickie Brennan’s. Ak and I are also going to ACME for some chargrilled oysters and we have to go to Port of Call for their yummy cheeseburger and fabulous drinks!

I’m looking forward to 60 degree temps, it's going to feel like swimsuit weather!!

Crazy Busy!

It has been a crazy past couple weeks, but a lot of fun! AK and I had a fabulous time in Miami and Key West!

Yummy Mojito at the Clevelander!

I had to get my picture in front of The Kardisians Store - Dash.

On Duval Street, first night in Key West!

Sunset Cruise

Our picture of the southern most point! - It rained all day!!!

And lastly, our favorite bartender at Sloppy Joes....Sylvia from Norway

5 o'clock somewhere...

I am so excited I can hardly stand it!! AK and I leave on Monday for Key West!!!

A Nation of Fun!!

We had the BEST time in D.C. I absolutely loved everything about this town! The food was amazing, the people were all extremely nice, and the town has so much to offer!

We ate and walked, and ate, walked some more, went to a museum, walked, ate, etc.
A perfect mix!

We visited many areas of the city, capitol hill, downtown, Chinatown, and Georgetown. We went to the Holocaust Museum - very interesting, but somewhat disturbing, Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, WWII Memorial - we found AK's grandpas information, very neat!, White House, the National Museum of American History - also very interesting!

Barrack row - all the top generals in the U.S. live here

Now to the restaurants...

WOW! DC has soo many to choose from, but we had the best list from a local!!

Mac and cheese from Ted's Bulletin - HANDS down best I've ever had!

The second night we ate at the Old Ebbitt Grill, also very tasty!!

Finally, we ate at 1789 in Georgetown, dessert was fantastic!!

We went and had after dinner drinks at a cool place in Georgetown, called Billy Martin's. It is supposedly were JFK asked Jackie to marry him. A very chill place with fantastic bartenders!

If you have not been to D.C. since your 8th grade trip, I highly recommend you go back! The town is thriving and there is something for everyone!!

D.C.

SO PUMPED!! AK and I are off to D.C. for a mini vacation on Thursday.

I am so excited to visit our Nation’s capital!
(I sound like such a dork)

We have a lot planned, and thanks to Lauren we have some great places to eat! I’ll post pictures next week when we get back! Off to pack and finish the laundry!!

Hope everyone has a great week!

N'awlins - Part 2

The conference went really well in NOLA. Here is a quick recap....

The conference was held at the Hotel Monteleone, the location was awesome and the rooms were nice!

We kicked off the conference with a reception, on the 52nd floor of the offices of Jones Walker. The view was amazing!


In my free time, I had to stop and get char grilled oysters from Acme!! Yum!

I also walked through Jackson Square and did some people watching!

The conference dinner/reception was held at Latrobe's on Royal and featured Deacon John and the Ivories! They were amazing! The band is in the second episode of the the new mini series on HBO called Treme, which is a show that takes place in NOLA.

Overall, everyone had a great time! I think I only gained a couple pounds from all of the oysters, po boys, shrimp and grits, boudin balls, and the list goes on...

N'awlins

I haven't been doing so good with my blog since I have been in Nashville. I have been a bit crazy and tomorrow I am leaving for New Orleans for a conference I have been planning for what seems like forever! But it's here tomorrow and I think I'm ready!! I am heading back to Columbus on Saturday and ready to get back to AK!

I'll catch up with all the fun Nashville festivities (my fav new restaurant, shopping, and a good friend's shower) once I get back and are calm again....for a moment. Have a great week!

Fun Weekend!

Our Chalet

AK and I had a blast in Gatlinburg! Our chalet was so nice, there was so much room and the view was absolutely beautiful! It was great to catch up with friends.

the view from the back porch

I wear my sunglasses...inside!

Headin’ to the Mountains…

AK and I are leaving tomorrow morning for a weekend with friends in Gatlinburg! We are staying in a chalet with 24 other people! We are so excited to get away from the snow for a few days! Hope y’all have a great weekend!

Cajun Culture

Andy and I had such a fun weekend! We went to a Mardi Gras Ball in Lake Charles, LA. Andy's aunt and uncle were on court this year, so the family all went down to celebrate! I just love the cajun culture. Did you know that they get out of school for A WEEK for Mardi Gras?!

Louisiana is like a different world...Great food, good music, very happy people and always a place to party!

Andy's Aunt and Uncle all dressed up!

We left Sunday night singing oh when the Saints Go Marching in...oh when the saints go marching in....

A Columbus Visit

Andy’s cousin and his wife Kelly from Baton Rouge are coming for a visit next weekend! They are our first visitors! We are so excited to spend some time together and to show them around town!

Here are a few things we have planned for the weekend…

Since they are huge LSU fans, we thought we should show them The Ohio State University stadium, so they can compare a SEC stadium vs. a Big Ten stadium.

Of course we have several places we would like to take them to eat – Thurman’s for lunch (although if we go there we may not have room for dinner!) Thurman's is located in German village, which is filled with antique shops, Queen Anne style homes, and brick-laden sidewalks and of course more great restaurants! Andy and I have never been to this restaurant, but we would like to go for dessert! It’s called Schmidt’s and “specializes in original German and American dinners, sandwiches, mouth watering desserts, cocktails, and many German and micro brews by the bottle and on tap." Doesn't this cream puff look delicious!!

My mouth is watering just thinking about it!!

Saturday night we will be hanging out in the Arena District and Short North - which is filled with several bars and a great local brewery - The Elevator.

We may even have some time to go to Easton Town Center and do some shopping or I’m thinking a pedicure for Kelly and I and let the boys hang out! I know it will be a fun weekend!

So needless to say, come hungry if you come visit us in Columbus!

Chimney Tops

The day after Christmas, Andy and I headed to the Smokey Mountains for some hiking with his family. We stayed in a cabin in Townsend, away from the hustle and bustle of Gatlinburg. We hiked the chimney tops - absolutely beautiful! Lots of snow and ice, but definitely worth the view! If you have never been to the National Park, you must make a trip! It is absoultley beautiful in the fall and there are thousands of chalets that you can rent from.

(Andy on top, enjoying the view)