From the category archives:

Travels

Christmas Cruise 2011 Recap: Part 2

by agirlandhermutt on January 1, 2012

Hello friends! Sorry for the delay in posting. I was having a hard time getting adjusted to posting regulary since I was just laying around my house. I’m back to business now though. A few days ago I shared a few bits n’ pieces into my family’s Christmas Cruise. Today I’m going to show the last few days of our trip!

*Warning: Heavy Picture Post Ahead!*

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Our next day on the cruise was at sea and another formal night. I spent the majority of my day relaxing by the pool and attended a few fun talks, including one about Ernest Hemmingway and another on how to make towel animals.

That evening we also ate at another of the restaurants on the ship, the Pinnacle Grill. This was THE BEST meal of the whole trip!

The final event for formal night (which I managed to not take one pic of) was a dessert extravaganza. It takes 2 days for the crew to make all the desserts and it took about 20 minutes for those passengers to demolish everything!

The last port we visited was Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas. This island is owned and run by Holland America and as my mom says, “it is a little slice of paradise”. We rented a cabana for the day and we also went horseback riding along the beach. FYI…horses poop a lot. True story.

We wrapped up our cruise a few days later in Ft Lauderdale and make the trek to Orlando to hit up Islands of Adventure on Christmas Day. Destination…Harry Potter World! It was everything I ever imagined it would be AND MORE! We got to the park about 20 minutes before opening and did some serious speed walking to the back of the park to get in line for the Forbidden Journey ride. We got right on and then headed to Three Broomsticks for breakfast. Good decisions all the way around!

This was my first cruise. My final verdict? Yes, Please! I loved that there was something to do all of the time on the cruise, but because our cruise line was geared towards an older crowd it wasn’t crazy on the ship. I loved relaxing on the beach and I don’t need to do any extra excursions. Snorkeling is amazing and the Caribbean has the best water in the world. Oh, and the food on cruises…a-maz-ing. 6 thumbs up from the AGAHM family!

My tip for Harry Potter World…frozen butterbeer is the way to go.

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Happy New Year to all of you! Top 10 moments of 2011 coming tomorrow (for real this time!) and then its back to normal schedule.

{ 4 comments }

Christmas Cruise 2011 Recap: Part 1

by agirlandhermutt on December 29, 2011

Hi friends! I’m officially almost recovered from vacation. Our cruise and trip to Harry Potter World, while incredibly fun, was super exhausting! We were on the go every single minute of the day and I don’t think we slept past 7a on any day during our trip. Phew….

Rather than give you a full recap, I’ll give you a few highlights from each day divided into 2 separate posts. Ready…Set…Go!

*Warning: Photo Heavy Post Ahead!*

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I arrived in Ft Lauderdale to meet up with my parents the day before we left on the cruise. We stayed along Hollywood Beach. Lovely! I had to remind myself that it was December.

The next morning was loading time. We headed down to the port to load as soon as the ship opened. This was my first cruise so the whole process was really entertaining to me.

Once on the ship while everyone was chowing down on the Lido deck, we decided to tour the ship. We were on the Holland America MS Eurodam, which holds about 2,100 passengers and 930 crew members.

The first night was all about getting used to the ship and learning where everything was. I discovered that I love cruise ship food (big surprise!), drinks are a bit expensive, and I love not having to carry cash anywhere.

The next day we were at sea and it was formal night. We toured the culinary area during the day, watched fruit & veggie bouquets be created, and relaxed on our room verandah.

For dinner we dined at the Tamarind, an Asian influenced restaurant. Standouts for the night were wasabi sorbet, giant fortunate cookie, and an amazing soup.

By the end of the day I was exhausted but so excited to wake up to our first port, Grand Turk!

We spent our day at Grand Turk in front of a bar called Jack’s Stack snorkeling and just enjoying the beautiful day.

Our next stop was in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The agenda included a tour of El Morro Fort and getting some yummy food. We checked both of those off! We also walked around Old San Juan and just enjoyed checking out the vibe of the city.

The next morning was another port, St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. Although this wasn’t my favorite port (patches of bad weather and a few bumps in our travel), it was beautiful to look at!

*Don’t worry. I didn’t buy the pet magnet. *

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Check back tomorrow for the last half of our trip, including a stop in the Bahamas and Harry Potter World!

{ 7 comments }

NYC Birthday Celebration!

by agirlandhermutt on November 7, 2011

I’m like a trained marksman. I’m taking down goals on my November Goals list and 31W31 list left and right. Move out of the way…I’m on fire!

This weekend was a combo of fun, new experiences, and a birthday celebration. The best part? It all took place in NYC!

Let the recap start….NOW! *Photo heavy post starts from here on out. You were warned!*

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The Scientist and I boarded the bus at South Station promptly at 11:3o ready to head towards NYC. Photobombed!

I napped. He played on his phone. It was a fairly uneventful journey. Finally we arrived in NYC and headed straight to our first stop…FOOD! Num Pang Sandwich Shop, a Cambodian style place with banh mi type sandwiches.

Roasted Cauliflower w/ Chinese and Thai Eggplant Spread (Soymilk Chili Mayo) & Blood Orange Lemonade

Our first stop after relaxing at the hotel for a minute was down to Brooklyn for a visit to the Brooklyn Brewery. On Friday nights they have a Happy Hour event where for $20 we got 6 tokens (each beer is 1 or 2 tokens) and got to hang out. People bring in their own food and just relax. We managed to snap a few spots at a table where the folks had a Catchphrase type of game and we joined in with them.

We had big plans to hop around Brooklyn for a bit, but after hanging out for a few hours with our new friends we had to book it over to the West Village to meet up with The Scientist’s BFF for dinnah at Sushi Samba. The restaurant was buzzing so we sat at the bar for a bit to have a drink and enjoy some people watching.

Dinner was amazing! This is one of my faves in town and The Scientist loved it too!

The rest of the night resulted in some bar hopping, drinks and a lot of laughs. No photos were taken.

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The next morning we were up bright and early to join the ultimate NYer, Meg, for brunch at Braai.

Thanks to Meg and her amazing recommendation, I marked off 1/2 of #27 on the 31W31 list.

27. Have 2 new ethnic food experiences- Halfway there!

Rock hard breakfast bite; Safari breakfast sandwich w/ Chakalaka; Lamb Sliders

It is always a lovely day when I get to spend some time with Meg. I’ll be seeing you again soon! Seriously. I’m thinking of coming back in February. Save me a spot on your couch.

Then it was time to do what The Scientist and I had gone to NYC to do. I took The Scientist to his very first Broadway show, The Book of Mormon!

The show was absolutely AMAZING. The sets, the music, the signing. ALL FANTASTIC! It was written and directed by the guys behind South Park so it was a little raunchy. The Scientist loved it and that just made me so happy! Possibly the best gift I’ve given to him?!

4. Mark off 1 item from my 31 While 31 list. Doesn’t matter which one!- DONE! See ya #31!

After the show we took a little stroll through New York all the way down to the Meatpacking District. There is so much to see and do in the city. It can be a little overwhelming to just take it all in. <3

For dinner we went out to Spice Market, a Southeast Asian streetfood restaurant. We were there for dinner at old people time (6p) and the place was packed! The ambiance was smooth and cozy. The lighting was perfect for feeling like you were transported to some market in another land.

Our food was delish and so reasonably priced. We started our meal off with a few apps. You can’t have a proper birthday dinner without apps, right?!

Chicken Samosa; Avocado, Radish and Onion Salad

We would have licked our plates clean if we were at home. No lie.

Next up…dinner! All of their dishes are served family style and come out as they are ready.

Red Curry Duck; Red Snapper w/ Shitake Mushrooms & Coconut Sticky Rice

Near the end of the meal The Scientist said a few words that almost brought tears to my eyes. “Lets just go back to the hotel and watch tv. I’m tired.” I was so HAPPY that he wanted to just call it a night. I was exhausted from all the eating and enjoy the city, but I would have rallied until 4am if that is what he wanted to do.

We made a pit stop past Magnolia Bakery for some red velvet cheesecake and headed back to the hotel. We chowed down on some sweets while watching Wizard of Oz in our pjs. Oh ya. This is what it is like to be 31!

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Lucky for us Sunday was Daylight Savings Time so we had an extra hour to just sleep. By the time we were up and running on Sunday we were Starvin’ Marvin! We had big plans to watch some football with The Scientist’s BFF in Brooklyn so on the way down we made a pit stop in Chinatown for some dumplings at Vanessa’s Dumpling House. Who doesn’t love dumplings!?

Fried Pork Dumplings; Boiled Shrimp Dumplings; Sesame Pancake

This tiny little restaurant was packed for a Sunday. I loved getting to watch them make the dumplings right in front of us. For $7 this was a win-win spot!

The rest of the afternoon was dedicated to football and pizza until it was time to leave. The perfect way to end The Scientist’s Birthday Celebration Weekend!

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Visiting NYC is one of the best feelings in the world. I love being in the hustle and bustle of the busy city. I love that on every corner there is something new to see, do or eat. I love that there are so many new people to meet! Thanks for having us NYC. Until next time!