The Outer Banks: Part Three

Here are the last of the digital pictures I took on the trip last week. They are pretty random, but I hope you enjoy these little glimpses!

The Outer Banks: Part Two

On the second day of our trip we visited the Elizabethan gardens and the Lost Colony, which had been a story that fascinated me since I was a kid. I left no less interested. The gardens were so full of interesting little details that I thought I'd share them.

The Outer Banks: Part 1

So finally, after working full time for five years and finishing grad school, I took a real vacation. Nothing fancy or big probably to most people, but for me to take three whole days off of work and travel somewhere with a beach... Woah, it was massive to me!


Don't let any pictures fool you, it was rainy on 2 of the 4 days we were there. It didn't stop us from doing a lot of the things we had planned, but, you know, it did make it a less beach-y trip than most people would probably like. Luckily, I like to  party SPF 110 style so it didn't mess up plans to tan or anything. Shwew! Forehead wipe!As you can see, the Corona's were extra good, the lighthouses were lovely and plentiful, and the pastel houses were so visually pleasing to my eyes.

We ate at a lot of local favorites including, Sam & Omie's, Awful Arthur's, and Duck Donuts. My friend Karen also recommended JK's, which had some AMAZING ribs, but I forget to take their picture because I was so busy eating them! Thanks Karen! It was fun to pretend we were locals and go to Sam & Omie's every morning. Omie-letts, I miss you already!

Next up, more beach pics and a trip to the Elizabethan Gardens!

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

Image via me on Instagram

We made it back from the Outer Banks on Tuesday and I'm now back at work. It was a lovely vacation which I'll share some of with you next week. Isn't the ocean beautiful?

Instaxy Delight

(Images from top right: 1. Nugget with his wind up toy, 2. A. in her Easter Dress (Love her punk rock sock addition to the outfit!), 3. Nugget and my sister with his little red wagon, 4. Flowers, 5. A weird plant in my apartment, 6.Instax by Car)

Just a few quick Instax pics from the past few weeks. Excited to take some more during my trip this weekend!

See Quindome Cook: Veggie Parmesan

Blogger Confession: I almost didn't post this recipe because the final product was hard to make pretty, but then I realized it was still delicious and a recipe I really liked, so I just got over it. A bloggers diet surely can't consist of all cupcakes all the time, so sometimes you gotta see the real stuff, pretty or not. Anyway, back to the recipe:  Normally I make my own marinara using this recipe, but since Giada recommended using the jarred stuff I did. I added carrots and took out the fennel and thought this so so good, I fully intend to make it again soon. Can I get a "What What" for more veggies* in our diets? Okay, I'll do it. WHAT WHAT!

* Albeit, covered in cheese and tomato sauce.

Ask a Grown Man

My older sister always got Sassy magazine and one of my favorite columns was "Dear Boy" in which they would ask male celebrities to answer girls' questions about boys. Mind you, these were always slightly offbeat celebrities, like Thurston Moore, from Sonic Youth, or Greg Dulli, from the Afghan Whigs, but they were celebrities nonetheless. As a pre-teen, I was sure they really, really knew what was up and why boys acted like... well... boys. Therefore when I saw this series of hilarious videos done by Rookie magazine called "Ask a Grown Man", I had to chuckle. It's not everyday that Don Draper tells you to read Everybody Poops.

Cook Out Hamburgers

Yum! 

First off, let me be clear: My hamburger lovin' heart belongs to Five Guys.This is just a fact. However, this doesn't stop me from trying the competition. I've had In-N-Out (pretty dang delicious) and Shake Shack (Just made me want Five Guys and didn't seem up to the hype), but nothing was a good as my local Five Guys. During our trip to Richmond, Daniel told us we had to get Cook Out burgers and a Cheerwine float to go with them and far be it from me to argue with a hamburger joint recommendation. A largely Southern chain, I'd fully recommend them if you are down around the way. Five seconds after this picture was taken, those fries were gone! I love trying small, region specific restaurants and dishes and these were delicious!

A Personal Note: Shopping with a New Attitude

Last night, a little over a week away from my vacation, I decided to pull the trigger and go buy some new clothes. I wasn’t going to buy a lot of things because:

 a.) I’m not made of money after saving for said vacation

            b.) I don’t really love summer.

In fact, summer is my least favorite season. I get overheated easily and generally don’t love the oppressive DC heat. It occurred to me last night though that at some point I stopped shopping for the girl I thought I should be and have finally decided to shop for who I am. Let's talk...

The Time I Saw: Lucero

 

From Top: Images 1, 2, 3 4 at the 9:30 Club, Images 5 and 6 from The Hat Factory

Two weeks ago, deep into cleaning and preparing for guests, R. and I took a break for a two day music bender with our friend Daniel and saw Lucero two nights in a row. The first night we saw them here in our hometown of D.C. at the 9:30 club (my very favorite venue in the whole-wide world), then traveled the two or so hours to see them in Richmond at the Hat Factory. Lucero was one of those bands that R. had been telling me to listen to for years, but I had ignored. I'm so glad I finally came around because, let me tell you, those guys put on a hell of a show!

See Quindome Bake: Blueberry Muffins

Good Monday, good people! I hope you had a lovely weekend. After being so busy for these past six weeks, it was wonderful to relax. I spent Friday night out with friends to see The Five Year Engagement, which was seriously funny, but then the rest of the weekend was spent at home relaxing. Nothing better to relax with than some delicious baked goods, like blueberry muffins. With my strange allergy to cinnamon, most muffin recipes are outside my reach because of the cinnamon in the streusel topping, but these are just perfect.

Word to the wise: If you make this recipe a.) Look out! They are dangerously delicious! b.) They are very moist, which is good, but can making storing them difficult. I put them in the fridge once they've cooled and this seems to help keep the mold away, but you should plan to eat/freeze them within three days.