"We don't wancha goin' out for hockey!"

If you don't know this quote, it is from one of my favorite movies, Fargo. Hockey is such an interesting thing to me. I know there are hockey fans all over and even California has a hockey team, but nobody loves this sport like a Northerner. Texas and the southern states have their football, California their surfing, Maryland their sailing (yes, my high school had a sailing team) and Michigan/Wisconsin/Minnesota/etc. has hockey and that sport with the brooms kind of like shuffle board.

As you probably know, Evan, my fiance, is from Michigan, which is pretty North by most standards. I figured it was only a matter of time before I was dragged to a Capitals game. Not that Evan is a big sports fan, but his cousin who lives in Salisbury, Maryland is a season ticket holder and had two tickets that he wasn't using. So we found ourselves headed to DC to support the Washington Capitals.

We had a really nice dinner at Asian Spices, since the Verizon Center where the Caps play is right in the middle of China Town. Then we headed up, up, up to almost the top row, where the real fans sit. Evan got a beer and I got peanuts to keep me occupied. There were drunken rowdy college kids behind us, hockey Moms to one side and the women next to me was literally knitting a sweater. Unfortunately, the Caps lost to the Islanders, but we had a nice time. GO CAPS!

Fells Point, Baltimore

This weekend, Evan and I went to lunch in the Fells Point area of Baltimore. We have done the Inner Harbor a few times and were looking for a new destination. We walked around for a bit, popped in a few shops including TAG Galleries and Su Casa Furniture Store. It was a bit chilly out for a full day of wandering, so we decided on Kooper’s Tavern for lunch. I have only ever been to Fells Point in the evening (after a few drinks), so I was pretty clueless as to where to go for a meal. This place seemed pretty popular and we got a really nice window seat right away. Evan ordered a turkey sandwich with coleslaw on pumpernickel bread and I tried the Kobe Beef burger with brie and “onion straws”. My burger sounded amazing in the menu description, but there were just too many onions and they weren’t fried onions like I was imagining. I am not a big onion eater, so it was my fault for ordering something that was a bit of a gamble. If I had caught it in time, I could have pulled the excessive onions off, but the brie was completely melted by the time I realized the onion problem and without the cheese, this burger would have been blah. I know that is a lot of information about my burger, but I have been watching a lot of Top Chef lately, so I can't really help it...Even though my burger wasn’t the best, we still had a really nice day. I can not wait for spring weather when walking by the water can be an all day event, not just a few minutes to the end of the dock and back. Sunny days, please come back.

Weekend in Hot Springs

This past weekend, Evan and I drove down to Hot Springs, AR. We went with two other couples, our neighbors, the newly weds, and my friend from work and her fiancé. The drive took about 3 ½ hours, so we left early Saturday morning and got to Hot Springs about lunch time. Our first stop was the race track. It was the last racing weekend of the season, so the track was buzzing with spectators. It was a gorgeous day, warm in the sun cool in the shade. I didn’t make any bets, but Evan was up a couple dollars at one point. We chose our favorites amongst the group. Our decisions were based totally on the names of the horses, with names like, Whatitsallabout, Mojito Man, and Daughtry being some of the favorites. We stayed at the races until about 4 o’clock and then headed to the hotel.

Before dinner we stopped at the Hot Springs winery for a wine tasting. We sampled several of the Arkansas wines, but the group was unanimous in the decision that Arkansas wine is gross. All of the wines, white and red, were so incredibly sweet. At least three of them tasted exactly like Welch’s grape juice. They are made from the same grape as Welch’s, which explains the similarity, but who wants juicy wine? My friend, Cheri, literally almost gagged on the port wine. After this we needed something to cleanse our pallets. Barbeque! Evan had a place recommended to him from a coworker and he did some research online to find the best Barbeque establishment in Hot Springs. McClard’s has been in business since 1928 and is a family owned and operated restaurant. It was featured on the food networks, “The Best Of” show. This was the obvious pick. Evan and our, neighbor Aaron, got Ribs covered with fries. I had a chopped pork sandwich. It was a delicious way to end the day. After dinner, we stopped in some local bars for a couple drinks and then headed back to the hotel.

Day two started with breakfast at The Pancake Shop. We had a 45 minute wait, but that flew by while we spent time in the Pancake Shop store sampling and collecting gourmet spreads, dipping sauces, salad dressings and other goodies. The actual restaurant is in no way gourmet. It’s your basic pancakes, bacon and sausage. We had a great meal, but then needed to walk it off.

Picture from website

We spent the morning walking around downtown and looking at the hot springs. Bath House Row is a National Historic Landmark with 8 Bath Houses lined up on one street downtown. We toured the Fordyce Bath Houses that has been preserved as a museum. It was fascinating to me to see the equipment and design of one of America’s original exclusive spas. The Bath Houses were more than a spa; they had gyms, bowling alleys, music rooms. They were designed for all day entertainment. Here is a little history from the website:

The Fordyce opened March 1, 1915. Designed by Little Rock architects Mann and Stern and constructed under the supervision of owner Sam Fordyce's son John, the building eventually cost over $212,000 to build, equip, and furnish. Totaling approximately 28,000 square feet, the Fordyce is the largest bathhouse on the Row. It has three main floors, two courtyards, and a basement under most of the building. The Fordyce became the first bathhouse on the Row to go out of business when it suspended operations on June 30, 1962, but it was extensively restored by 1989 and is now enjoying a renaissance as a historically furnished museum. It also functions as the park’s visitor center.

Before we left for home, we went to tour the Garvan Woodland Gardens. They were supposed to have a tulip festival or something of that nature going on, but we were a weekend too late. Most of the tulips were dieing, but still very pretty. Walking through the gardens was relaxing, but we were ready to go home after a couple hours.

I’m glad that we made the drive down to Hot Springs, AR. It was a really nice weekend and it’s always great to get away for a while.

Bluebird of Happiness

Last week when Evan’s sister, Jessica, was visiting, they went for a drive and came upon this hidden treasure, Terra Studios, in Durham Arkansas. Terra Studios is home of the world famous Bluebird of Happiness, handmade collectible bluebird figurines. Evan insisted I would love this shop, so we went back this weekend. As we pulled in the parking lot, there were glass bluebirds lining the driveway and the patio of the shop. I knew I was going to love it. The shop featured bluebirds, pinkbirds, vases, pottery and other glass sculpture. I picked up some bluebirds for myself and some for gifts along with two small vases. We stood and watched a video of how the glass birds are made. When we turned around to be checked out, the artist in the video totaled our purchase. All of this glass and pottery was being made at the shop by the same people running the cash register. It is a local family owned and operated business, which makes the whole place ever more of a gem. We ventured past the bluebird shop to find an amazing art filled property. In the center of the park were giant mosaic murals, statues and a house of bluebirds. There was and art garden with mosaics, glass statues, pottery and a walking trail lined with art pieces ranging from abstract mixed media to ceramic frogs. Fortunately for us, it was a beautiful sunny day, so we could stroll and admire. I only wish I would have know this place was here when we had visitors from out of town as this is the kind of Arkansas I would want to share with the Yankees.

Chili Cook-Off

The company that Evan’s works for participated in a Chili Cook-Off yesterday. He was nominated with his co-worker, Stephen, to cook for the title of Best Chili. They competed against other building materials suppliers in Northwest Arkansas. Every group had to have a theme and I think they did a great job picking a unique one. They had Hawaiian Chili and included pork sausage and pineapple in the recipe. The recipe was totally prepared on the fly, but the oos and ahhs were enough to tell me (who doesn’t eat chili) that they really hit the mark. Evan and his partner donned Hawaiian shirts and did a great job of presenting their Chili. If only they had little umbrellas. I guess that was originally the plan, but they got frazzled on the trip to WM and ended up leaving without them. The lack of umbrellas didn’t make a difference because…they WON 2ND PLACE!

Halloween Party

I love Halloween! There are so many fun things going on as the season changes. This past weekend we went to a Halloween Costume party that was hosted by a co-worker of mine and his wife. The invitation should have given a clue as to how extravagant this party was going to be. It was a toe tag with all the party info. They went crazy with decorations at their house. They had scary mannequins positioned on chairs and hanging from the balcony. Fake cockroaches were scattered on the walls in every room downstairs. All the pictures in the picture frames were replaced with scary photos of asylums and haunting characters. The dining room was turned into an autopsy room with the walls covered to look like a dungeon and a corpse lay on the table. There was a real I.V. drip that was filled with Hot Damn! I had never been to an adult costume party and the guests’ costumes were really great. There was Genghis Khan and his Asian princess, OJ and Nicole Simpson, and the hillbilly with his pregnant bride to name a few. We went as Ketchup and Mustard. I was mustard and wore all yellow (shirt, skirt, shoes and earrings) with a hat that looked like the top of a mustard bottle. I felt like I should have done more once I saw how elaborate the other costumes were. None the less, the party was spectacular and I can’t wait for the next round of Scary Bashes!

September Bunco

Last night was September Bunco and it was a blast! I belong to a group of girls who get together to play Bunco once a month. It is 12 girls and 4 boxes of wine, it would be difficult for it not to be fun. A girlfriend of mine, Nicole, hosted the September Bunco and served Spinach Dip, Chicken Kabobs, Pasta Salad, Fruit Salad and an amazing Peanut butter/Banana/Cool Whip dessert. I haven't won a Bunco just yet, but its well worth the $10 ante to eat, drink and gossip. I have volunteered to host the October Bunco and of course am going to do a Halloween themed Bunco Party. This will be a really fun excuse to get crafty this October. I can't wait!!

September

This month is going to be great! There is so much going on and so much to look forward to. Evan is walking for Cycstic Fibrosis September 14 and I'll be there to cheer him on and drink Hot Cocoa. I have September's Bunko game with the girls (Slumber Party included) on September 18th. Evan's parents are coming to visit September 19th! We have great plans for a fun filled visit. It is looking like September weather is going to be nice to us. I am going to a Pampered Chef party on September 25th. I have a trip planned to go back to Maryland to participate in the 2007 Hair Wars, Bubbles Hair show and catch up with everyone in MD. I'll be in MD from September 27th-Oct 1st. My little bro is coming down, so it will be a family reunion! While I'm strutting the runway with a new hair-do Evan will be at a weekend Squirrel Hunt. The largest (and probably only) Squirrel Hunt Event in the country. We started the fall decorations around the house. It looks like its going to be a fun-filled season!

Day at the Spa

I am so excited for my mother to come visit Arkansas. We do not have a huge itinerary planned because its more fun to go with the flow. The one event that is scheduled is a Day at the Spa in Eureka Springs. I have only gotten a professional massage once in my life and I can hardly wait!! We have appointments Tuesday morning at the New Moon Spa located in the Crescent Hotel. We have a sauna, massage, facial and pedicure planned. Then we can go have lunch and see the sites in Eureka. What an exciting day it will be.