Happy to be THERE ~ Telluride Vacay Day 3

We hit the trails early this morning with the jog strollers again and wouldn't you know that when the terrain was stroller friendly the kids have decided they would rather walk than ride...sigh! 

But the kids are getting along great and Tate, Kari and Lee's oldest son, has been so helpful with the little ones.  I think they prefer to all 3 walk together rather than riding separately. 

This morning's views from the mountain between Telluride and Mountain Village were spectacular and were not the slightest bit affected by the light drizzle.

A trail closure extended our hike a bit but that just gave us more time to enjoy the scenery.  We were all starving by the time we got back to Mountain Village but the sun had come out so we got to have a leisurely lunch at Tomboy Tavern.  Tomboy Tavern is one of Mountain Village's most popular restaurants and their giant yellow outdoor umbrella clad patio is still the to be scene place apres ski.  Though during the summer it seemed totally appropriate for 3 tired, hungry kids and 4 thirsty adults! 

After a relaxing afternoon, we headed out to dinner with plans to try the Thai place, Siam Thai.  Given that we had 7 people it was quite a lengthy wait and when I took Maison inside to go potty it was so hot in there I wanted to faint.  We decided to try a restaurant across the street called There.  The good news was that they had a table available.  The bad news was that it was big enough for about 3 people (if you go to their website and click "The Place" and scroll down you can see the small table in the window on the right).  We were so crowded that at one point Kari told Tate that if he didn't stop touching her she was going to have a panic attack!  I was right there with her.  It was very hot in there and very crowded but considering they had delicious food and an available table we were just happy to be THERE!

Rockin Stroller Coaster ~ Telluride Vacay Day 2

Kari and her family come to Telluride every July and they graciously offered for us to come along this year.  We had never been before and are always up for a new adventure so we were super excited to see what all Telluride had to offer.  I personally was looking forward to a day that didn't involve small places or vomit inducing car rides.

We started our first full day in Telluride off with a morning hike.  Kari had suggested that we rent jog strollers for the kids to make the hike easier.  Some of the terrain was rather rocky so it made for a bumpy ride and a strenuous workout for the person pushing a 30 lb toddler in a 20 lb stroller up hill over rocks!  The hike was well worth the view...Telluride is beautiful!

View from Maison's stroller:

Rocky strolling terrain!

Fast friends:

3 Happy Hikers:

After our hike we had lunch at the Parlor cafe at the Sheridan hotel.  The Sheridan hotel, established in 1895, is the oldest hotel in Telluride and was the perfect spot to relax after our hike.  We went back to house to take naps, read, etc.  I really don't remember the last time I sat down to read.  It was wonderful!

For dinner we took our friend Jan's suggestion and ate at Cosmo's.  It was as good if not better than Jan description...completely fab!  We had a great time despite the couple who lucked out and got the table that was right above our party of 7 that included 3 kids, 2 of which were 3 or under.  The children were actually great so other than their mere presence I have no idea why these people were giving us the stare down.  Did we not see a sign that said no children are allowed?  Seriously if they act better than most adults who cares?

The last 24 hours have been like a roller coaster from bad to fab!  We are loving Telluride so far!

Thankful for wine ~ Telluride Vacay Day 1

We. are. here.  It's really arguable who is worse...me or Maison.  I literally hate travel days.  I hate the hassle at the airport of checking in, security lines, maneuvering the airport with a toddler in a stroller, gate checking strollers, numerous toddler bathroom stops, etc.  But the only thing I hate more is having to fly on a small plane.  I have enough common sense to know that flying into Grand Junction that we would not be on a 747 but I wasn't expecting a plane the size of a coffin.  Yes, a coffin.  I walked onto the plane with Maison and literally didn't even make it past the cockpit before I turned back and told Adam I couldn't do it.  To which he replied non-verbally by pushing me with the carry-ons and gave me a look that read "YOU'RE GOING, I didn't haul 50 lbs of crap through the airport for nothing". 

What every claustrophobic person likes to know is that they are in the LAST row of a VERY SMALL plane.  Why I do not have a standing prescription for Valium is beyond me.  I'm pretty sure a shot of vodka and a Valium would have immediately cured my aliment but no such luck, I had to suck it up and set an example for Mais...hhheemmm.  Let's just say the flight was from hell but the other passengers were fortunate that I talked myself out of about 15 panic attacks. 

When we made it to the Ale House in Grand Junction for lunch I could have not been happier.  I could not have poured wine down my throat any faster.  I'm pretty sure I drank an entire glass before we even ordered our meal.  I am so thankful Kari suggested we stop for lunch before driving to Telluride and so thankful that they had decent wine!

I was doing just fine when we stopped in Montrose for groceries but was ready to jump out of my skin when we hit the mountain roads on the way to Telluride.  I really admire Adam's patience.  I don't know how he does it considering Maison didn't nap the entire day and was non-stop asking for the iPad and I was non-stop complaining of car sickness.  How is he not an alcoholic?  And I have to hand it to Kari, she does know me well.  After I recovered from my car sickness she offered me a glass of wine...what a good friend!

Historically Driving Home ~ SA Vacay Day 3

If you have not been to Guenther House on your trips to SA, you are sorely missing out.  Guenther House is the home of the founding family of Pioneer Flour.  It was built in 1860 and after a 2 year restoration, the restaurant opened in 1988.  I have been several times for brunch and it never disappoints.  I'll admit the wait sucks, especially with 2 toddlers, but really what good restaurant do you not have to wait for?  The best thing to have during a lengthy wait?  Drinks?  Ok, so maybe the 2nd best thing?  That would be a super cute gift shop that sells the best baking supplies (need a tortilla flattener?) and super cute items (princess tea party book anyone?) that you just have to have!  The store is super small and I could easily kill an hour there...all I have to say is, "what wait?"

After 2 hours in the car and 2 showings for Toy Story 2, we stopped in Salado for lunch.  We stumbled along a great little spot, Adelea's on Main.  Adelea's opened in 2008 by 2 sisters who launched their culinary careers based on recipes their mother had passed on to them from their late grandmother.   They still feature some of these recipes in the restaurant.  Adelea's and their bar, Hemingway's (named after their dog) is located in a home that was built in 1925.    I can't think of a more fitting location!

The rest of the trip was completely non-eventful...unless you count seeing Toy Story 2 for the 3rd time today as eventful...sigh.

Remembering the Alamo ~ SA Vacay Day 1

I remember my parents taking me to see the Alamo several times when I was a child.  I remember passing through the front door and being shocked that that was pretty much it.  A standing facade with cannons laying around.  Other than the barracks there really wasn't much to see.  Shari, Bubba, and I would run around and climb on the cannons and try to pick up cannon balls, whether it was allowed or not.  I have fond memories of trips to San Antonio, so when I found out that Sea World has a Sesame Street Brunch I was convinced that we had to take Maison.

We took the day off so that we could drive down and see the Alamo before heading to dinner.  Imagine my surprise when we walked in the front door of the Alamo that it wasn't just a shell of a building....it has now been 'renovated' so it is enclosed and has air conditioning....yes air conditioning!  And the barracks I fondly remember running through are now a museum.  Museum about a war with 2 two year olds (Jon, Lisa, and their son Jayden were with us) = BOR-ING!  Bored two year olds = WHIN-ING!  Needless to say we didn't last long...

Maison and Jayden in front of the Alamo:

Since the Alamo didn't last long we went shopping at El Mercado (the Market).  The kids convinced us that they HAD to have maracas which I'm sure will be the gift that keeps on giving...

Maison and Jayden hanging at El Mercado:

Unfortunately these are the ONLY pictures I have of the Alamo, El Mercado, and our yummy dinner at La Margarita (one of the best Mexican restaurants in SA!) because when I started to take Maison's picture at the Alamo I realized the camera wouldn't turn on.  Turns out it requires a battery to work and said battery was plugged into the charger in Plano.  I only feel like documenting so much with an iPhone....but at least I got one shot of Maison's first trip to the Alamo!

The way it's supposed to be ~ Savannah Vacay Day 5

6:00am wake up
7:00am on road to Atlanta
11:30am in security line at ATL
12:55pm plane departing for DFW
2:05pm arrive at DFW
3:00pm HOME!

And that is how a travel day is supposed to go!

The Beauty of Savannah ~ Savannah Vacay Day 4

Savannah is beautiful...arguably one of the most beautiful cities in the U.S.   But it is not just the huge live oaks covered in spanish moss or the unbelievable architecture that make Savannah beautiful; it's the people, the culture, and the quaint southern charm.  Not many places can you experience fine dining, tour historical homes, and walk along the riverfront all while drinking your favorite libation.  Savannah has no open contain law so you can take your drink with you or order one to go from a local pub or the finest restaurant in town...Savannans are all about making sure you have a good time.  And that is exactly what we did on our last day in this wonderful place.

Savannah prides itself on maintaining it's history through restoring old homes and buildings and maintaining the original ambiance of the riverfront so it is no surprise that locals despise the "eye sore" Hyatt and the Westin Resort that took over the island that faces the most popular stretch of Riverfront Rd.  Since we try to 'do it all' in our vacay locales we decided to go to the highly praised Jazz Brunch at Aqua Star in the Westin.  Even though the locals would poo-poo on said Jazz brunch we thought it was awesome.  We had a table overlooking the river and Maison had endless choices of food to try...what more could a 2 1/2 year old want for dining entertainment.

Waiting for the ferry to take us to the Westin for the Jazz brunch:

Riverfront at the Westin after brunch:

After Maison and Adam took a big fat nap, we headed to an early dinner at The Olde Pink House or Pink House as it's referred to in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.  Pink House is a Savannah institution, fine dining in the only 18th century mansion in the city, and of course was featured on Food Network's Best Thing I Ever Ate Savannah.  I personally think it was the best meal we had in Savannah.  The crispy lobster was A-MAZ-ING but the highlight was actually the cheese board which featured locally produced raw honey.  The honey paired with the cheese were some of the best bites of the trip!

After dinner we had plenty of time to take in some more picturesque Savannah sites:

Mercer House, home of Jim Williams, main character in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

Mercer House from another angle:

Beautiful House caddy corner from Mercer House:

Forsyth Park is in several scenes in Midnight of the Garden of Good and Evil but probably the most memorable one is the opening shot that shows Minerva sitting on the first bench to the left...

Forsyth Fountain also in several scenes in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil:

Maison 'hammin it up' in front of Forsyth Fountain:

Maison dancing for her audience at Forsyth Fountain:

More proof of Savannah's quirkiness.  If you want to build or change something it must have a COA or Certificate of Appropriateness....wow, I wish I was in charge of issuing these in Plano!

Tomorrow we head home bright and early...bye, bye Savannah, we had a wonderful time!

Boats & Belford's ~ Savannah Vacay Day 3

The weather this morning was absolutely gorgeous so Mommy and Daddy agreed to take me on the Riverboat ride I've been asking to do since we got here.

I need a map to make sure we are going the right way....

If I could just figure out how to open this... 

 Why do these things always have to be so tricky???

Ok, it seems like we are on the correct path...

 

Wow, all that map work really got me thirsty.

Now that I'm inside with the AC I can work up a sweat by dancing...

That dancing sure was tiring...

Think I'll lay down and take a little cat nap:

I wake up!

After a very long real nap we went to dinner at Belford's Savannah which is located in the City Market in the historic downtown district.  It's building is the original Belford's Wholesale Food Company and now houses the current Seafood & Steakhouse.  This was the only dinner locale we had planned to eat at that had not been featured on Best Thing I Ever Ate, Savannah but it did not disappoint.  The lobster ravioli was A-MAZ-ING!

A Taste of Savannah ~ Savannah Vacay Day 2

After a miserable travel day yesterday, we were pleasantly surprised to see the sun shining this morning as we headed out for breakfast.  The forecast for the entire weekend is rain and thunderstorms so we plan to take advantage of as much sunshine as we possibly can.

Maison and Adam checking out the river front:

BEFORE we could eat breakfast we had to rush over to Paula Deen's Lady and Son's restaurant to wait in line for dinner reservations.  Paula does not take normal reservations via calling or online.  You actually stand in line outside the restaurant to try to get in that day for lunch or dinner.  You can get in line as early as you want and at 9:30 they start taking 'reservations' for that day.  I envisioned waiting for hours to be told we got a dinner slot at  9pm that we wouldn't be able to take because of Maison.  But actually we waited in line about 20 mins and got reservations for 7pm tonight.  

Even though I had already booked us on the Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil tour this afternoon.  We decided to take Maison on a carriage ride while it wasn't raining.

Maison making sure Guinness and Murphy were ok to drive our carriage:

 The carriage tour went through the historic district and we saw the highlights of Savannah architecture:

As well as a few interesting establishments....

Oldest known business in the U.S.:

Laurie's Restaurant ~ I'm pretty sure if I was Debi I would not eat here:

I'm positive if I were to get a tattoo, especially one that included words, I would not get it here:

We spent our afternoon with Angela, owner of Savannah Heritage Tours,  on the Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil tour.  There were several big events in Savannah this weekend (golf tournament, NOGS garden show, Susan B Komen race, etc.) so tours, restaurants, etc. were super busy.  I tried to make a reservation for this tour and it was sold out until May 5th so I called Angela and talked her into doing a tour just for us today.  If you have read the book and/or seen the movie this is a 'must do' while in Savannah.  

We toured Mercer House including the room where Jim Williams allegedly killed Billy (Danny in real life).  The house is beautiful and literally filled with priceless antiques.  So much so that when they filmed the movie no one would insure Jim's belongings so they all had to be packed up and replaced with replicas.  After filming Jim donated all the replicas to the homeless.  

Angela took us all over Savannah and showed us not only where the filming took place but where all the key players lived in real life.  We also got her opinion on what really happened that night.  According to her and the other tour guides she consults with, Jim did NOT kill Billy/Danny over $20 he wanted to buy marijuana but actually killed him because Billy/Danny had given him HIV.  Upon hearing this news he fired 3 shots all of which hit Billy/Danny.  Rumor has it that Billy/Danny was actually unarmed and thus Jim did not act in self defense.  The fact that Jim died from "a type of pneumonia", which is what is listed on most death certificates for HIV, rather than a heart attack as the movie portrays gives credence to her version of the story.

In the 3 1/2 hours we were with Angela I did not get a single picture because I was too busy listening to everything she was telling us.  And no, we did not get to see the "Bird Girl" statue as she has been moved to the Telfair Square Museum because people try to steal her.  

We finished our day with dinner at Lady and Sons restaurant.  

After the big hoopla to get reservations I expected much better food.  The Peach BBQ Grouper, which was a Paula's pick, completely sucked.  I didn't even eat it.  I opted for Maison's chicken fingers and mac and cheese.  I will say the mac and cheese was almost as good as my mother's and the hoecake and biscuit we started the meal with were divine.  In my opinion, everything else sucked.

Maison enjoying her hoecake which was featured on the Best Thing I Ever Ate, Savannah:

Bye, Y'all!

AA Sucks ~ Savannah Vacay Day 1

I know you would be shocked if I told you that the Maslows were late leaving for the airport this afternoon.  Yes, I know even though my mother says, "I'd be late for my own funeral." I'm typically not late for flights.  We got to the airport with an hour before departure and we weren't checking bags so I thought we had plenty of time even though we left later than I had planned.

When we got to the airport the parking for our section of gates was full.  Full?  on a non-holiday Thursday afternoon?  Ok, weird.  I've seen the FULL signs only once in all my years of frequent travel and NEVER have I seen them on a non-holiday mid-week day.  Ok, not a great start.

Adam drove down to another section and we easily found parking but had the fun task of caring 3 bags, a toddler caring a backpack, a laptop bag full of enough electronic devices to start a bomb, a purse, a stroller....and about a 40lb convertible car seat.  Yes, that is exactly what you want to carry a far distance due to no convenient parking.

Once we got in there was no line to check in so I walked up to the kiosk and quickly printed Adam and my boarding passes.  Ummm, where is Maison's boarding pass?  Adam and I were on a separate record because we were using transferred tickets and Maison was a new purchase and apparently AA couldn't figure out how to find Maison's ticket.  Seriously?  Why does crap like this happen when you are running late and are carrying a million things?  After a good 10 min they finally found Maison's ticket.

By the time we got into the security line our flight was leaving in 40 min.  We stood in line for 10 minutes and did not move a single person.  Finally a TSA person told us there was no line at gate C10...we were at C20 but considering our flight was boarding we decided it was worth the trek to make our flight.  Running 10 gates pushing a toddler in a stroller with one hand while rolling a suitcase with a laptop bag on top of it with the other should be an Olympic sport.  I'm not joking, I literally passed people with a mere carry-on.  

We got to the gate in time for final boarding call and were informed that we could NOT bring on our bags and we would have to check them.  Are you F-ING kidding me?  We just ran half way across this airport carrying this crap to save time from claiming bags in Atlanta and now we will have to anyway?  The AA rep was very rude and said, "You need to check your bags now or you can carry them on the plane and turn around and carry them back when you realize there is no space."  I wanted to say, "That's great customer service.  Maybe you'll be laid off before your shift ends."  I wouldn't have been nearly as annoyed had there really been no space which after boarding I realized there was ample, or had the next 4 people who got on after us ALL had roller board suitcases all of which were allowed to carry them on.  Can you say, A-HOLE?

As if this wasn't one for the record books already, Adam installed Maison's car seat in the center seat so we could both keep her entertained.  After a good 5 minutes, he finally got it in correctly only to be told by the flight attendant that FAA states the car seat must be next to the window.  So I said, "Well I guess you have time to wait while we reinstall it.  Another "on time" departure for AA."

By the time we got to the Avis counter in Atlanta I was ready to check in a hotel and start the drive to Savannah in the morning.  Adam was taking FOR-EV-ER to get the car.  We already had a reservation so what could possibly take so long?  Apparently he got the ONLY Avis rep that tries to up sale the reservation.  He was at the counter for 10 minutes listening to all the 'great' deals we could be getting.  He finally took a SUV just to shut the guy up.  

All was going splendid until we got pulled over by the Macon, GA police when we were not speeding.   Apparently cops don't like it when you don't have taillights which our fabulous upgraded Avis rental did not.  Adam and the policeman (who actually was VERY nice) tried a million setting combinations and finally got them to come on.  

We are here now and this day is literally almost over.  I couldn't be happier that tomorrow is a new day!

Atlanta Vacay Day 8 ~ On the Road Again

Because I never have anything nice to say about road trips, especially those that are upwards of 3 hours, I will just say we left at 5:30am EST (read 4:30am our time) and we got home in 14 1/2 hours.

As Forrest Gump said, "And that's all I have to say about that."

Atlanta Vacay Day 7 ~ High Tea

After our star studded affair yesterday, we couldn't wait to attend another event at the St. Regis. My brother invited us over for high tea before he had to leave to return to Dallas. We did not have any celeb sightings this time, but we had an exquisite time. Maison was so excited to have her own 3-tier service of tea sandwiches and treats. The teas were amazing! My mom and I had the Mad Hatter (of course, my mom did since this is her nickname from my Aunt Gail). My dad had the St. Regis peach which is only served at the St. Regis in Atlanta. It was literally some of the best tea I have ever had.

It was truly a wonderful afternoon. I just wished I had pictures to share but the battery was dead in the good camera and the new small one apparently needs a memory card. Oops! Only I can bring two cameras and neither of them work...bummer.

Atlanta Vacay Day 6 ~ A Star Studded Brunch

My brother hosted a brunch this morning at the St. Regis hotel in Buckhead; a last family event before Shari and Adam flew back to Dallas tonight. We had high hopes that we might see Santa Claus while we were at the hotel because they were having Holiday Tea with Santa. What we didn't expect was to see real celebrities...

Maison was having one of her 'I can't sit in my own chair without throwing a class A fit' moments, so Adam took her to the restaurant lobby to calm her down. Who did he see waiting on a table with his daughter? That would be Vince Vaughn. Maison pretty much accosted his daughter so Adam got to have a short chat with him.

When Vince got seated, a short little lady in a sock hat, scarf, coat, and glasses ran over and gave him a hug. Who could it be? That would be Bette Midler.

Let's just say when Santa finally made it to our table, I wasn't exactly star struck especially since Adam had another conversation with Vince after brunch. He said how cute Maison was and wished them a Merry Christmas.

Mais is still a little reluctant of the man in the red suit:

Maison 'fist bumping' Santa:

Sorry to report my paparazzi skills suck, no pics of Vince or Bette, only of Santa.