We spent Saturday walking around our neighborhood in Notting Hill. When we decided to start our travels, we thought London would be the perfect place to begin. It's English speaking, we are used to larger cities after living in both San Francisco and New York, and knew there was a lot to explore. We chose to live in Notting Hill as it is neighborhoody and centrally located plus, in all the pictures it looked so quaint and beautiful - it definitely does not disappoint!
Read MoreWe spent the afternoon in Fitzrovia which is an eclectic neighborhood about a mile from Trafalgar Square. We started the day eating at a Taiwanese restaurant which was delicious and then meandered through the streets and mews admiring all the old buildings and churches. Fitzrovia is a neighborhood with a mixture of retail shops, commercial buildings and residential homes. There were a lot of side streets and alley ways which we enjoyed exploring.
Read MoreWell, we have arrived to London in one piece! We did have an interesting experience in customs after landing as we wrote on the custom forms we were going to be in the country for 61 days. The customs officer was nice, but very thorough in his questioning and wanted to see proof we were not planning to stay in the country longer. He asked to see our flight information from London to Portugal, which I could not locate on my phone, so instead showed him our rental car reservation and all our Airbnb confirmations in Portugal. This seemed to satisfy him as he stamped our passports and we were free to collect our bags.
Read MoreAfter three years living in Charlotte, we have moved our belongings into storage. It was certainly bittersweet but we are ready for this next adventure.
London - HERE WE COME!
Read MoreA few years ago, I was visiting my grandparents and my grandmother made this Cherry Crunch for dessert with cherries from her own cherry tree. It was so delicious I asked for the recipe right away. I've been making it every summer since with cherries I purchase at the farmer's market.
Read MoreAlex and I signed up for Yoga on the Farm at Wish We Had Acres where you practice yoga in a pasture with goats!! We brought our yoga mats and set them up outside while the goats wandered around and an instructor leads you in a yoga practice! Alex can attest I did very little yoga during the hour and instead was focused on petting any and all goats which came my way! There were probably 100 people who came and it was a perfect evening to be outside. It was such a fun and funny experience and I would definitely do it again.
Read MoreWhile browsing the farmer's market, I came across a basket of key limes. I have always loved key lime pie and figured I'd take a chance at baking my own. Much to my surprise, it was very easy! I used this recipe and am happy to report it turned out delicious! It was just the right amount of sweet and tart.
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On Sunday morning, we decided to take out the canoe around the small pond at the base of the farm. It was so peaceful and we did several laps around the water.
Read MoreOver Easter weekend, Alex and I headed to Tennessee to stay at Blackberry Farm. Alex's former colleague told us about Blackberry Farm several years ago and since then, it has been on our bucket list to visit. We drove down Friday and stopped in Asheville for lunch at Buxton Hall, one of our favorite BBQ places. It's about a 4+ hour drive from Charlotte to the farm, so it was nice to break it up a bit.
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One of the best things about living in Charlotte is the ease at which we can take a last-minute road trip. As the weather forecast this past weekend looked beautiful, we decided to head to Charleston, SC! This is one of my favorite places in the South due to the amazing restaurants, beautiful neighborhoods and great shopping.
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Two weekends ago, Alex and I headed north to visit Divine Llama Vineyard. Before going to the vineyard, we stopped in Winston Salem to grab lunch at The Porch, Kitchen & Cantina. It was delicious! Highlights included pancake sticks with maple syrup dipping sauce and a Korean breakfast taco. Yum!
Read MoreThe last leg of our trip took us to Portland where we spent the weekend eating, walking, sightseeing, and did I mention eating?!?! The food in Portland is nothing short of awesome and we had some really good meals and desserts!
Read MoreAfter our time in Seattle, we took off for our next destination, Cannon Beach. About 15 minutes outside of Cannon Beach, is Seaside and we made a short stop there to grab lunch at Norma's Seafood and Steak for a bowl of clam chowder and to take a stroll on the boardwalk.
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On Monday, we drove to Seattle where we spent the next couple of days. Alex and I love to explore cities on foot and tend to walk almost everywhere when we visit a new place. Let's just say Seattle was no exception. According to the tracker on my phone, we walked over 33,000 steps the first day in Seattle (about 11 miles!).
Read MoreAlex and I just got back from a week-long trip to the Pacific Northwest where we visited both Washington and Oregon. It was my first time to this region and I enjoyed it immensely! It was so beautiful and we lucked out on weather with just a bit of rain the first night we arrived.
Read MoreThis past weekend, Alex and I headed north of Charlotte to visit Lake Norman State Park. It had rained pretty heavily the day before so several of the trails were closed; but we were able to do the Lake Shore Trail which we've done in the past and really enjoyed. It's about a three-mile hike and follows the shore along Lake Norman. The weather was cooler than weekends previously, so it was really nice to get out and explore.
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A few weeks ago, on our way home from Chapel Hill, we stopped by the Pik-n-Pig barbecue restaurant in Carthage, NC. It was a bit off the beaten path and was located on a small air strip! We sat outside to enjoy our food and even got to watch a small plane land while we were eating! Dinner and a show!
Read MoreA couple of weeks ago, Alex and I decided we wanted to go camping as the last time we camped was back in 2003! We made a run to Target where we purchased a tent, a cooler, lighters, and food. We spent last week looking for places in North Carolina where we could go for the weekend. We were hoping to go north around the Asheville area, but all the campsites were reserved and when I called to see about "first come, first serve" availability, the park ranger informed me those campsites typically fill up by Wednesday and Thursday. As we were leaving after Alex got off work Friday, we did not want to risk driving over two hours only to find out there were no campsites available. So, we decided to head to Morrow Mountain State Park. Lucky for us, they had plenty of sites available to reserve.
Read MoreAlex and I decided to take a road trip this past weekend to Durham and Chapel Hill. Neither of us had been to this part of North Carolina before and decided to pack a suitcase and head out!
Read MoreWell, I'm attempting to write my first blog post ever! Yay! I just returned from a trip to the Midwest to visit my grandparents. Some of my most favorite memories are spending a week in the summer at their farm. There is just so much to do, see and experience.
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