Weekend Recap: Thanksgiving

It's no fun being sick during the holidays. One of the reasons posts have been sporadic. However, my skin appreciated the absence of makeup while I was sick. Since the hubs had to work Thanksgiving day (shout out to all the men and women who worked the holiday and to their families who also sacrificed), the family postponed Thanksgiving until Friday. It was a relaxing day with tons of yummy foods. In addition to the traditional Thanksgiving dishes, my sister-in-law made Cranberry-Cream Cheese Crescent Bites that were delicious. I also tried a new dessert recipe, Apple Pie Cake. So good (if you like apple pie)! This dessert is the best of both worlds; apple pie and cake! Best served warm with ice cream (this Texas girl says Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla DUH).

It is finally starting to feel like fall around here. Currently simmering away as I write this post is a recipe I found on Pinterest. I printed the recipe in 2014, but never made it. Creamy Chicken and Rice Recipe (one-pot meal). Before publishing this post I will come back and update you on how it turned out. I love a good stew, soup, or chowder when the weather cools down. Not much of a chili person, but every now and then I enjoy some. I am hoping this recipe is warm and "good for the soul."

It is hard to believe the semester is almost over. Two weeks and the students will be gone for the winter break. Always makes me sad to live in a college town when the students are away.

Until next post...xoxo Becca

Creamy Chicken and Rice Recipe update: Delicious! Why did I wait so long to try it? If you decide to give it a try, use 6 cups of chicken broth. The recipe makes a lot, be prepared to feed an army or eat a lot of leftovers ;)

Gifting Woes

As Black Friday and Cyber Monday approach I wanted to share my thoughts on gifting and all the stuff we accumulate. Take it from someone who went from a 2,000 sq ft house full of stuff to a less than 800 sq ft apartment which contains less than a quarter of what said house did. If I haven't learned anything else from this experience, I now know the importance stuff lacks. If I can't eat it, wear it (let's be honest I still love clothes), or travel to it, then I don't have a desire for it.

The holidays make people crazy with trying to find the "perfect" gift for everyone. Each of whom probably has everything they could possibly need. We spend endless amounts of time and money trying to please each other with stuff. This year I am thankful to say the family is going on a Christmas trip together rather than buying gifts. I can't tell you how stress free I feel knowing I don't have to hunt down the perfect gift(s) and not blow my budget.

This is the advice I offer you as we move into the holiday season. Spend time with the ones you love rather than aiming to please them with material goods. Take a trip, or if that's not in the budget, volunteer together. Maybe as a family you adopt a family in need and spend the money providing for others. If you must buy gifts, why not gift experiences like cooking classes, a painting party (you know...the ones that are BYOB lol), or if there are kids involved a trip to the zoo, the aquarium, or the movies. We all know movies are expensive! If a city near you offers a museum pass or membership that could be a good option for families.

If you choose to participate in the craziness that is Black Friday, may the odds be ever in your favor. Until next post...xoxo Becca

One more pieces of advise, spend wisely and within your means...

Breckenridge Vacation Guide

Breckenridge is by far one of the best places we have traveled to and today I am sharing where to stay, where to eat, and what to do. Whether you are traveling at the beginning of the season or towards the end, this town has a lot of history and everyone you meet is friendly.

Although I have only visited Breck in the winter, I have heard the area is beautiful during the summer as well. This vacation guide will focus on winter though since that's how I have experienced Breckenridge.

How to Get There
From Houston it is a quick flight into Denver. We rent a car in Denver and make the 2 hour drive through the mountains to Breckenridge. There are shuttle services available, but we like to have the rental for easy travel in and around Breck. The local Free Ride shuttle connects the resorts with the main street area and the perimeter of town if you'd rather shuttle in and then use the public transportation.

Where to Stay
Best accommodation experience has been at DoubleTree by Hilton Breckenridge. With so many people using airbnb these days you may have luck finding a great spot in or near town that fits your needs and budget. The DoubleTree had friendly staff and was dog friendly too! Upon arrival, valet staff greeted us, unloaded our luggage, and delivered it upstairs to the lobby. Valet parking only, fees are included in the cost of the hotel. Check-in was a breeze, the front desk staff was friendly and answered our initial questions.

The lobby features fireplaces (where we spent a lot of time relaxing), a restaurant (9600 Kitchen), a gift store, and a market with grab and go snacks, and an oxygen bar. Don't forget cookies ;) As I mentioned, this hotel is dog friendly. It was fun to see all the cute dogs come and go through the lobby.

The room was a great size and immaculately clean. I recommend staying on the 7th floor or lower, otherwise you have to take an elevator to the 7th floor, walk across the hotel to take a second elevator up to a higher floor.

Every night there are free s'mores and happy hour is offered twice a day at the restaurant. The hotel features an indoor pool, three hot tubs outside, saunas, and a fitness center. They also offer a shuttle to four stops along Main Street which is really convenient.

Equipment rentals are available and skiing...well it's right across the street! Use the ski valet and they'll deliver your equipment slope-side.

Where to Eat

Fan of breakfast food? If you have a morning or early afternoon flight into Denver I recommend Snooze AM Eatery. They have several locations, the location we visited was cute, trendy, with exceptionally friendly staff. AND they offer a pancake flight if you just can't decide :)

In Breckenridge, for breakfast Blue Moose is a great option. Every morning the parking lot was full. We go early to avoid waiting for a table. The food is good and fresh. The service was fast. Keep in mind this is a cash only place.

Other favorites of ours are:

Michael's Italian Restaurant - Highly recommend this place. Everyone I talked to recommends the white lasagna, but I'm not a seafood person.

Briar Rose Chophouse - Atmosphere, staff, food, and drinks are all great. I recommend the mac and cheese.

One place we haven't made it to, but heard is awesome is Crepes a la Cart on Main Street. If you try it please let me know what you thought in the comment section.

What to Do

Hitting the slopes is always popular, like I mentioned, DoubleTree has equipment rentals. A whole day (or two) can be spent skiing or snowboarding. If you're not into skiing it is always fun to sit at the bottom of the run and watch people come down. Other activities to check out are:

Snowmobiling & Dog Sledding - Last time I was there, a group of us made reservations at Good Times Adventures on the recommendation from others and we all had a blast on the snowmobile. The guide was funny, knew the history of the area, and got us to the peak first so we could enjoy the area and get great pictures before other groups arrived. While we didn't dog sled, the staff let us take pictures with the dogs waiting to go out.

Shopping - There is always shopping on Main Street!

Tubing - Short drive to Frisco Adventure Park. You can easily spend an afternoon tubing! When we went we were by far the oldest people without children, but it made you feel like a kid again!

Breckenridge Distillery - The distillery opened in 2007 and has expanded their product line and recently opened a cocktail bar and event space on location. Take a tour...it includes a tasting :)

Speakeasy Movie Theatre - Want to get out of the cold for awhile? See a movie at The Speakeasy.

Ice Skating - If a spin around the rink interests you, Stephen C. West Ice Arena has public ice skating.

Gondola - Gondolas aren't just for Venice! The BreckConnect takes you from town to the bases of Peak 7 and 8. It's a great way to see above the trees and it's free (but it does cost to park).

Loveland Pass - Scenic views going up and coming down as you travel to the Continental Divide.

I hope you make the trip and have a fantastic time! Until next post...xoxo Becca

Disclaimer:
This post is not sponsored by DoubleTree by Hilton Breckenridge or any of the companies/organizations, shops or restaurants I featured. These are my own opinions.

London Recap

Welcome back! If you haven't read the Paris Recap, start there first. Sunday we left Paris by train and made the two hour trip to London. Isn't it amazing you can move around Europe so quickly and easily? Not like that in the US! Especially in Texas. Two hours and you're barely out of Houston!

Our train arrived in Paris early afternoon and we met our airbnb host at a local hotel and walked to her apartment. She was a wonderful host and the apartment was in a great location, we could see the London Eye from the window and there are plenty of restaurants downstairs and along the Thames. That first afternoon we were interested in eating (fish 'n chips) and exploring the area we were staying in. Monday morning we had a reservation on the Thames Rocket (sightseeing by speedboat). Can you guess who booked this? The hubs of course lol It was a lot of fun and we enjoyed the tour guide, Little Mike, and skipper Nick. Little Mike was hilarious! Got some great pictures from the boat.

After the Thames tour we made the short walk from the London Eye to Westminster Abbey. Breathtakingly beautiful! No pictures allowed inside so exterior pictures only.

From Westminster Abbey we visited Winston Churchill's War Rooms which was very interesting. Learned a lot about Churchill and his contribution to the UK and the world. Walking through St. James Park we found ourselves at Buckingham Palace. After seeing Palace of Versailles, Buckingham was a little bit of a letdown, but great history all over the city!

The President of Columbia was visiting the Queen so the mall was colorful and welcoming.

 
The UK begins their daylight savings time about a week earlier than the US does, so the days were really short. In an attempt to fit it all in we took a taxi to Shakespeare's Globe Theater. Which is in fact a working theater with 2-3 shows per day. It was very interesting and even though it wasn't on our list of places to see I am very glad we went. The tour guide here was great as well! It's important to note this is not the original Globe as it was destroyed by fire in 1613. This replica was made possible by contributions from donors all over the world.

We walked "home" along the Thames and it was beautiful. The weather while we were in London was amazing and the cool, clear night walking along the River Thames will be a memory I cherish forever. Remember, it's the little things in life that give the most joy!

Unfortunately we wasted the next morning on a hop on, hop off bus. Because the Queen was entertaining the President of Columbia and London's every day traffic the bus didn't make it far. That afternoon we walked from Parliament through Hyde Park to Kensington Palace. It was the only day in London where the weather was cold and drizzly.

The King's Staircase

Dress worn by Princess Diana

Kensington Palace Gardens

Our last day in London we went to the Tower of London which has a very long and rich history. Plus it's where they store the Crown Jewels (no pictures allowed inside, but it was spectacular!). Our Yeoman Warder or "beefeater" tour guide, Dave, was fantastic; witty and full of stories about the Tower's history.

Beefeater Dave

After the tour we made our way outside to see the Tower Bridge one last time.

Then off to Kings Cross Station to see Platform 9 3/4. Had to visit for my sister-in-law. She may or may not have gotten a Platform 9 3/4 hoodie ;)

For our last night we moved to The Savoy hotel which was an experience of a lifetime. We we upgraded to a deluxe suite which was fit for a king! It was huge! If you followed me on snapchat then you saw the awesomeness of the suite. Thanks to the hub's parents we also got to experience The Lion King across the street at the theater.

We covered so much ground while there, but I know we didn't even scratch the surface of London. I would love to go back!

I hope you enjoyed the pictures from Paris and London and all our travels this year. It's been a lot of fun, but our trips are coming to an end. We have a family trip for Christmas to Jacksonhole, WY which I am really looking forward to.

Until next post...xoxo Becca

Friday Favorites: Thanksgiving Recipes

How many Thanksgiving events have you been invited to this year? Is one of them an office party? My personal favorite...friendsgiving? The age old question is, what should I bring? I have said it before and I will say it again, I am so thankful for Pinterest! There are some really great recipes out there to be tried. Need something different or special for your calendar full of turkey days? Here are a few I have been considering...

Slow Cooker Creamed Corn

Fall Harvest Salad w/ Pumpkin Maple Vinaigrette

Sweet Potato Casserole w/ Marshmallow and Pecan Streusel

Enjoy the time in the kitchen. Grab a bottle of wine and surround yourself with good friends and the cooking won't seem so large a task. London post coming on Monday! Until next post...xoxo Becca

Paris Recap

We're home! Our trip to Europe was a success, but the hubs and I are happy to be home. It was a long trip with lots of sightseeing and walking. To keep posts to a reasonable length I'm going to make it 2 parts, starting with Paris.

Flights there were good. We arrived on Thursday morning and were able to check into our hotel room early which was a blessing because we were exhausted despite having slept on the flight. Plus we had a view of the tip top of the Eiffel Tower (insert heart eyed emoji). Before arriving, the hubs purchased the Paris Pass which proved to be beneficial for the hop on hop off bus. We spent the majority of Friday touring the city this way and only getting off at the stops we wanted. Sidenote: We purchased the London Pass too so I'll share a post reviewing them both in case anyone is considering either. Saturday we ventured out early to Palace of Versailles which was breathtaking. Because of the size of the estate we spent the majority of the day there. Sunday we headed off to London by train (our first train ride ever!). Enjoy pictures from Paris...

Views from the hop on hop off bus...

Later that night we went back to the Eiffel Tower to see it sparkle.  I had read that the best viewpoint was from Palais de Chaillot, right across the Seine from the tower. It proved to be a great location!

Palace of Versailles

I was obsessed with the fall foliage and symmetrical lines of trees. 

Marie-Antoinette's Estate

London's post will come next Monday. Until next post...xoxo Becca