New Orleans

Last month I headed down to NOLA for the first time ever. The annual American Academy of Optometry meeting was held there this year, and I had a great time meeting up with some of my classmates and attending many hours of continued education - most of which were enjoyable and beneficial to my ever-increasing ocular wisdom! And we got to play with new diagnostic equipment (that's my retina below).

Thankfully this meeting coincided with fall break, so Erika and I decided to make an extended trip out of it. The girls and I enjoyed a few nights in the part of town we could access by foot near the convention center. Then, on Saturday afternoon Jesse and Brian drove down to meet Erika and me. We had a cute home rented for the weekend through AirBnB. As soon as we settled in, we were ready to explore.

We had lunch at Mother's where we all scarfed down po'boys. But first, you must wait in line outside until you're called, about 10 customers at a time. Then you're allowed in and instructed to stand single file along the counter until your turn to order. And they weren't kidding. The kitchen crew is running about delivering plates of food to customers and to the front counter, so it's best to stay out of their way. But we quickly forgot the brash attitude as we ate our po'boys, which are topped with "debris," This is a scoop of the tiny, tender fibers of meat left in the bottom of the pan. Delicious.

You can't go to NOLA without walking around Jackson Square. The adjacent streets are lined with artists, musicians, and street performers. And if you're lucky (as were we) you might even walk right into a wedding (or three)! This is the heart of the French Quarter, and rightfully so with a backdrop as beautiful as the St. Louis Cathedral.

Just across the street is the famous Cafe du Monde. It's on every list of "must-do/must-eat." I've heard about these beignets for years, and couldn't wait to taste them! We took the impatient route and chose the "to-go" line, where we (somewhat) quickly had our beignets and coffee in hand. If you're not familiar, they are also known for their chikory root coffee. Y'all, the beignets were incredible. They are served in orders of 3. They're so simple - fried dough fritters covered in powdered sugar, but they know just how to do them at Cafe du Monde.

We strolled the streets and admired the French-inspired architecture.

Then we had to experience Bourbon Street at least a little. As you can imagine, it's not my preferred scene, but it was quite the place to people watch! Where else might you see an 80 year old lady in a red tutu have a crowd dancing with her in the street?  You have to walk around a while to absorb it all, except the smell - try not to absorb that (although inevitable). Also worth noting was the number of babies and strollers on Bourbon Street, as evidenced by the photo.....

For brunch the next morning we took some local recommendations and ate at the Ruby Slipper. Our wait time was an hour and a half (!!), so we grumbled and walked with growling bellies all the way to the Super Dome and back. It was chilling to think that people made that same trek to "safety" during Katrina.

The Ruby Slipper's specialty is their take on eggs benedict, which they call "bennies." I had the Smoked Salmon and Eggs Blackstone bennies. Everything on the table was delicious and worth the wait!

We spent the afternoon at the WWII Museum. I will be the first to tell you that history is not my forte, so I enjoy going through museums like this and learning along the way. The museum is stretched out over three buildings and is rather new and impressive. Their display of various aircraft is really neat.

On our way out of New Orleans we stopped for a swamp tour near Lake Pontchartrain. This was my favorite part of the trip. It was a perfectly beautiful day outside, and the boat ride was relaxing. The swamp is not like anything I've experienced before. Our guide would bribe alligators toward our boat with marshmallows, even getting them to jump up out of the water!

I'm really glad we went to New Orleans, and I'm happy to have experienced it with friends!

Seattle / Food

By now we all know we love finding good food, and vacation is no exception. In fact, it's a priority on vacation to eat some of the best meals in town. Sometimes this takes determination and patience to wait in long lines, but my taste buds are rarely let down. Seattle is home to a sprawling selection of good food and drinks, so I thought I'd follow up my last post with our foodie experience. I got over being embarrassed of photographing my meals long ago. Jesse doesn't mind so much either, except he is usually ready to dig in while I find just the right angle where the food looks as good as it does in person (or at least, I attempt).

Below is our sampling of Seattle, listing what we had (not necessarily what you should order...unless I get demanding):

Skillet Dinner - "the burger" with bacon jam, arugula, bleu cheese; "the basic" burger with lettuce, house sauce, pickle, American cheese; sides of lentil soup and fries
Did you read that - bacon jam! That's what that aweful-looking pile of goop is, but let me tell you, it was awesome! The burgers were amazing - nice and juicy. The sides were great too. As stuffed as I was from eating most of my burger, the lentil soup was so good I wanted to finish it too!

Molly Moon's - I'm not even going to lie, I don't remember what flavors we had. Mine had something to do with apples. They are known for their Honey Lavender ice cream, but I was not a fan - it tasted too much like old lady soap in my opinion. As with any ice cream bar, sample away until you find your favorite! They have traditional and seasonal flavors, and a cute little freezer to buy by the pint!

La Panier - a small french bakery near Pike Place market. These guys have tourism down to a science. The line may be out the door, but only for a moment. Due to other blogs and food reviews, I knew I wanted a croissant, but I had to pick up a couple macarons from their pastries section too. Lemon and Passionfruit, I believe. We had one almond croissant, then on our last day in Seattle went back for a chocolate croissant (and another almond). If you are in Seattle, you must try these. Warning: no croissant will ever be the same.

Serious Pie  - known for their pizza, however they have an extensive biscuit menu for breakfast/brunch at their Westlake location. As a Southern girl, I have to admit I was a bit skeptical of the quality of these West Coast buttermilk biscuits. To test the fates, I ordered the Southern-most listed biscuit - fried chicken and tabasco black pepper gravy. Jesse had the ham, egg, cheddar, and apple mustard biscuit. These biscuit sandwiches were truly something serious. Their texture was a bit thicker (not denser) and the tops had a greater golden crust than the buttermilk biscuits I was raised on. The gravy had a bit of a kick from the tabasco and pepper. Overall - great dish. I only wish we had also been able to try their pizza.

Chandler's Crab House - oyster platter (not pictured!), crab bisque, grilled octopus, famous crab cake. This is one of Chase's favorite places, so he took us here for a fine dining experience one night. We started with the oyster platter to sample a few different types of raw oysters. I didn't realize there were so many types of oysters, but we could definitely taste a difference between them. The octopus was tender and cooked very well, with the tips a bit charred which enhanced the flavor. Then, the crab cake. It is nearly 3 inches tall, packed with fresh, delicious crab meat. The garnishes vary with the season and however the chef prefers to change the menu. We were so glad we ate here and enjoyed this special meal.

Beecher's - cheese curds. This was one of our last stops on our second run through Pike Place. You can stand outside the windows and watch the cheese-making process. Thankfully there is a separate line for their food menu and their cheeses. We walked right in and bought these super fresh and squeaky curds! Apparently they have an awesome mac and cheese, but we didn't have time to try it.

Lowell's - creamy clam chowder; mixed seafood grill.  As I mentioned in my previous post, we waited quite a while to be seated here. Lowell's is in the heart of Pike Place and therefore a very busy place. If you sit on the upper levels of the restaurant, you get a waterfront view with your meal. We were pleased with our lunch choices, but thought we could have gotten seafood just as good at other places. For the wait this restaurant didn't blow us away. I'd say, stop in and enjoy if you can walk right in, otherwise keep moving.

We tried to make the most of our meals for the days we were in the city. While camping, we had many dehydrated meals prepped over our camping burner or in the town of Forks. Yes, from the Twilight series. Those were not worth talking about though. Except for one of the reasons I love camping...

Seattle and Olympic National Park

Jesse and I have made a point to travel as much as possible before we both have "real" jobs and before kids come along one day.  So, this summer we knew we would take a trip, and we quickly decided on Seattle. The previous summer we met the beautiful West Coast while in California. This was also the beginning of our National Park quest, and with Seattle came Olympic National Park. Plus, we have high school friend Chase and college friends Hannah and Adam to visit while there! It was a win, win decision.

Between summer and fall semesters we took 9 days to peruse Washington, and in like-fashion of our other trips we packed it full! We landed in Seattle on a Saturday around noon, and after a slight mishap with public transportation that gave us an unexpected tour of Tacoma, we arrived at Chase's doorstep ready to see the sites! (There were so many photos I wanted to share I had to make collages out of them. Click to view them larger, if needed!)

First up was Pike Place Market, which is busting with freshly caught seafood and fresh produce, local artists, bouquets of flowers, restaurants, and more. My heart sings for this kind of stuff. Across the cobblestone street is the original Starbucks, of which I took a picture like the good tourist that I am, but didn't care for any of their coffee. Seattle is home to too many local coffee shops to bother with Starbucks, in my opinion. We ate breakfast at Le Panier French Bakery and Cafe where they create the most decadent croissants I've ever encountered! I had to get another before we left Seattle. We were still in Pike Place for lunch, so we ate at Lowell's for seafood with a waterfront view. (Travel tip: move along and avoid the long wait to eat here. I'm sure you can find seafood just as good in the area.)

Jesse and I had the afternoon to explore alone, so we took a walk to see the Space Needle and visited the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum. These are right next to each other, and I highly recommend the glass museum. We didn't have it on our list of "must-see" places, but it was worth the entrance fee to see his amazing works of art! (Travel tip: you can purchase combo tickets at the glass museum to go up in the Space Needle. We had to pass on this due to time, but it saves a good bit if you're doing both!) The weather was perfect while we were in Seattle- even unexpectedly warm. According to locals, Seattle is not the dreary water-logged city you might think!

We took an Underground Tour of the city, which was really ineresting to learn the history of Seattle as you walk through what was the original business district, beneath its new iconic streets and buildings.

The next day we road the ferry over to Bainbridge Island to get to Olympic. This gives one of the best views of the city!

 Olympic is the most versatile NP we have been to. It covers a good bit of land and consists of beaches, a temperate area similar to a rain forest, to the mountain range. It's really amazing to experience so much just within one park! We camped our first night at Kalaloch, between Beach 2 and 3, all of which are covered with driftwood. We made it here just in time to pitch our tents and watch the sunset!

The next day we woke up early to investigate the tide pools. The amount of shore that is exposed at low tide is incredible. The tide can change by 10 feet, revealing barnacle covered rocks surrounded by puddles of sea life! The rest of the day was spent hiking within the Hoh Rainforest. We chose two short trails - the Hall of Moses and Sol Duc Falls trail. Sol Duc Falls is one of the iconic waterfalls of Olympic. With recent drought conditions, the fall wasn't gushing with water, but it was still a beautiful view. We prefer to get a little off the beaten track to enjoy the surrounding nature while forgetting about all of the people. That's when we found one of our favorite spots of the trip, which crosses a bit downstream of the main Sol Duc Falls.

Our second campsite was pretty awesome as well - underneath a huge Sitka spruce tree and next to the Hoh River. We hiked another trail in the rain forest, engulfed in nature's beauty! National Parks are some of the best get-aways because you are fairly off the grid - making do with what food you brought with you and very limited cell service. While you're hiking, the trees really put you in your place as they loom overhead. It's so refreshing to pull out of our everyday lives and strip down to the basics. Even during a busy vacation, hiking in a protected and historic forest helps us slow down and unwind.

We relocated our campsite for the upcoming night (to Mora campground), then hiked yet again! This time 1 1/2 miles down Rialto Beach to Hole in the Wall, an arch that has been carved out of the rock which is only accessible at low tide.

On our last day in Olympic, we woke up early to enjoy the coast one last time. We took a short drive and hike down to Second Beach. This was one of the best mornings of the trip. We had the beach all to ourselves. After rounding a huge rock wall near the water's edge, we came up on a group of sea otters. If you look closely at the bottom right photo, you can see them sitting on the rock!

We stopped at Hurricane Ridge on our way out, and did a short hike near the Visitor's Center there to Sunrise Point. The mountain range is absolutely glorious!

For our final leg of the trip, we headed to Yakima, WA to visit friends Hannah and Adam. We have been friends with them since our Auburn days, and they moved cross-country for Hannah's job as a physician's assistant! They live in the cutest cabin-like home on the hillside of Yakima, surrounded by apple orchards. Plus they live within short driving distance to many outdoor activities. I always love seeing what adventures they are taking on next! They took us to Mt. Rainier NP and we pleaded with the clouds/fog all day to part so that we could see the mountain in all its glory. It held out and only decided to show a few glimpses here and there, with the most visible at the very end of our hike. It was still totally worth going, and we had a wonderful visit with the Wilsons!

(I promise Mt Rainier is right behind us!)

(The top middle photo shows the glaciers on Mt Rainier. Middle bottom is a groundhog/marmot.)

(The best we got!)

We loved everything about this trip (well, except for the detour to Tacoma)! Seattle was such an enjoyable city. We could go back again and again and do completely new things both in the city and in Olympic. And, of course, eat a few more of those croissants!

Summarizing Summer

While writing this post I could vividly hear the Dixie Chicks circa 1999... "well the weeks went by and spring turned to summer, and summer faded into fall...."

Yep. That's pretty much what happened. I haven't posted since spring break in April! I'm not even sure where the summer went, but here we are nearing October!?! I think after boards I just took a break from pretty much everything, and it was hard to get motivated to post again. Several of you have been sweet enough to inquire about the blog, which lets me know there are a few of you out there that care to read my ramblings. :)

Let's see... in the past 4 months...

I passed Part 1 of said boards (praise be to Jesus)!

Four of our favorite people moved up the East coast. Brother Mike to New Jersey and the Domeny clan to New Hampshire. They wouldn't leave Addy with us. "You must have your own children," they said. So we hugged and cried, and hugged and cried some more.

And then they left...

Although we miss them daily, they are truly friends forever. I might even endure a cold, snowy winter visit just to see them.

In May, I finished my 3rd year of optometry school. That concluded all of our didactic courses, so we will NEVER sit in our self-assigned seats again! I'm sure the far left seat of the third row of Room 301 is perfectly shaped to my behind at this point. Sadly though, this means my classmates and friends are slowly parting ways as we have been in various externships during the summer and rest of our 4th year. I don't know if I could have made it through without these three ladies below. Heather, Erika, and Gussie helped pull me through the hard times, and laugh through the good. I'm excited to see where we will all end up in the future!

In May we celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary by going to the Alabama Jubilee Hot Air Balloon Festival near Huntsville. And made a trip over to the Unclaimed Baggage store in Scottboro. We ironically visited Unclaimed Baggage passing through on our first anniversary - this is unintentionally becoming a tradition.

We've enjoyed the farmer's market and the beach a couple times this summer.

Explored some Florida caverns with Matt and Heidi.

Helped paint a friend's house. Painting is sooo much more fun with friends. Always make that chore a party!

I spent half of my summer living back at home to "work" at my externship in Elba. It was such a wonderful experience to work beside the two ODs that inspired me and have encouraged me along this educational journey. They have a wonderful practice with an amazing staff, and I got great "real-world" experience while there.

I got to visit with cousin Carissa on her way back to Virginia. What should have been a 30 minutes coffee break quickly turned into a couple hours delay on her trip. But it was worth it!

We took a whirlwind trip to Seattle and Olympic National Park for a week in between my school semesters! Those details I will share soon in another post.

Since then, we've been to Memphis, Tennessee for my cousin Cameron's wedding, which was beautiful, delicious, and quite a blast! We enjoyed several roof top views of the city, and couldn't leave without trying some Memphis BBQ!

And that gets us to this month! I've been at my new externship site for the Fall semester. This is a local practice of ophthalmologist mixed with a few ODs. I'm seeing tons of diseases and ocular issues I've never seen firsthand before! Jesse has taken a break from his Master's program, mostly to plan around our Seattle vacation, but should be back to his studies soon. We've enjoyed our afternoons with heavy doses of Netflix. :)

Stay tuned for Seattle! We ate SO much food, I may have to split up the post! And Olympic was pretty marvelous, too.