A Gorgeous Sunday Roadtrip!

It's an absolutely gorgeous day here!

So me, Mom and Mrs. G got in the car and took a mini-roadtrip!

Our first stop was Kennebunkport, Maine.

The water was gorgeous, we stopped by the Bush compound and did lots of shopping!

And we had the best lunch ever! Clam chowder and lobster rolls! YUM!

Next up....Portsmouth, New Hampshire to see USS Albacore!

We were the only people touring the submarine...so we took lots of goofy pictures!

I hope everyone is enjoying this fabulous Sunday!

Pizza, Wine & Comedy!

Hallelujah! I can eat again! And this weekend I made sure to do lots of it...hey, I had to make up for not eating all of last week.

Friday I was convinced I still couldn't eat...so I made two gourmet meals: hot dogs for Danny and a Lean Cuisine for me. But we are classy. We drank an entire bottle of Carlos wine with dinner. After dinner we decided to go out, we ended up at Chilis and had some yummy margaritas. Then we headed to Ducks for a few more drinks...and met up with Jennifer and Dustin. After a few drinks and lots of laughs....I was starving and the only thing I could think about was pizza. On the way home from the bar we picked up a large pizza from Pizza Hut.

I was so excited for the pizza. I crave pizza all the time...but it was even worse when I knew I couldn't eat it. I devoured it....slowly. Danny wanted to put the leftovers in the fridge but it tasted so good I just couldn't stop eating. Needless to say, there were no leftovers!

I was so excited for Saturday night. Earlier in the week I saw that they were having a comedy night at the Duplin Winery. Wine and comedy...two of my favorite things! But I was even more excited when Jennifer and Dustin said they were going to go too.

First up...winery tour. I did it in September while they were working, so I couldn't really hear the tour guide. This time was so much better! Duplin Winery seems small but they are actually 32 in the nation! They don't sell it in Massachusetts though...and that makes me sad! After the tour we did the tasting..we tried ten wines and two slushies..yum yum yum! This is also when I realized the batteries in my camera died...

Then we moved into the bistro for dinner and the show. We had salad with muscadine poppy seed dressing, pork tenderloin with magnolia sauce, mashed potatoes and green beans. And an awesome magnolia pound cake. A couple glasses of wine later and a quick picture...it was time for the show to get started!

Thanks for smiling hubby!

The comedian was great! I'm so glad we weren't sitting up front, he picked on them the entire show! I had a great time and already can't wait for the next Duplin event!

On the way out I wanted a group picture. Out of all the people there we chose the bossiest woman ever. She wouldn't let us stand where we wanted, made us move in a different order...which gave us the most ridiculous picture ever. None of us look like we even like each other! Hilarious! 

How was your weekend?

How I Spent My Weekend..

I'm currently on day three of wisdom tooth recovery. I haven't had actual food since 7PM Thursday night...I think that's the worst part of the whole thing! I woke up Friday morning starving...and my surgery wasn't until ten. Might not sound that bad but I eat the second I wake up!

I was only a little nervous, not for the surgery but being put to sleep. The surgeon is super cute and my Mom convinced me I would probably make that announcement when I was put-under. How embarrassing would that be!?

The last thing I remember was Surgeon-Cutie asking about my tattoos...then being woken up and walking out to Danny's car. And since I'm so addicted to my phone I had to text Mom to tell her how surgery went....I can't even decode the message! Danny said I had a serious case of the giggles. All I remember is my tounge being numb...and thinking that Surgeon-Cutie probably severed a nerve and I'd never be able to taste food again! Danny snapped this super lovely picture of me...I think I look pretty good considering I just had three teeth ripped from my head! An hour after surgery I had to change the gauze...and I cried because I thought I was doing it wrong. I think I was still super-drugged up!

Since then I've been stuck on the couch. I've discovered I love Cookout peanut butter milkshakes. I've had no pain at all, I'm only taking the medicine to help with the swelling in my mouth. Yesterday we put Miley in the kennel and Danny was out all day...so I had all day to relax and sleep. This morning the swelling doesn't seem that bad...but I'd give anything to be able to eat real food! Soup, pudding and ice cream just isn't cutting it anymore!

I expected the pain to be a lot worse and to have chipmunk cheeks. Surgeon-Cutie did a great job...I can't wait for our follow up date on Thursday!

Fun Filled Weekend!

This was such a great weekend! Friday night I had all the girls over for a Fondue Night. I made a cheese fondue and we had homemade sourdough bread, veggies and apples to dip in it. Then for the chocolate we had marshmallows, pound cake, gorilla bread, strawberries and raspberries. Then, of course, I just had to make some other finger foods...so I put together a cheese tray, chips and dip, and pigs in a blanket with chimichuri sauce. And everything was mmm mmm good! Girls night out might have been an excuse to use all my Food Network serve-ware! But can you believe I didn't take any pictures of the food!? I was having too much fun chit-chatting and enjoying some wine with the girls.

But in true-Nicole-fashion....I did get a photo of all the girls!

I spent Saturday in the kitchen making a homemade ragu...and then transforming that into 18 stuffed peppers (halves.) Holy crap, that's a of stuffed peppers...but we only had 5 leftover! The in-laws came over for dinner, we had the stuffed peppers, salad and homemade Amish bread that Jacque brought over. Miley was super lazy and cuddled with everyone on the couch. She is so exhausted when we bring her home from daycare....and she got groomed too!

I need to step up with my picture-taking. Apparently I'm the only person who gets a new camera and stops taking pictures. Just wait until Disney...I'll need to bring an extra memory card for all the pictures I plan to be traking!

K-equila, Broken Glass and Fondue

This weekend we headed to Raleigh for our Christmas celebration with Danny's side of the family. We popped open a few bottles of wine to have with dinner, which was awesome chicken marsala. After dinner we opened our Christmas presents...we got an awesome wine rack and Miley got a ton of treats. Then, the guys started having too much fun. The tequila, shot glasses....and hot sauce made an appearance. I was suckered into one shot and oh.my.god. it was disgusting. The guys were fans, they had many shots. By the end of the night Danny was wanting k-equila shots...but no one was drunk enough to eat the worm!

Miley was up crying all night. Between a whiny dog and a drunk-bed-hog husband...I didn't get any sleep. Saturday morning was lazy and it was decided we were going to go out to lunch. Only problem? We didn't bring Miley's cage. We figured the spot with no breakable stuff was the bathroom. We put everything away so she wouldn't get into it. We gave her toys, a bone and water. I knew she would probably eat a towel or something but figured she would be okay.

Lunch didn't last that long...hour tops. We come home, open the bathroom door, and the first thing I see is toilet paper everywhere. Then I see towels, an uneaten bone, and blood. Miley knocked a mirror onto the floor and cut her tongue on it! Luckily none of the pieces of the mirror were missing so I know she didn't swallow it. Thank God.

We loaded up the car, made the two hour trek home....and I did absolutely nothing for the rest of the night. Except watch Strange Addictions on TLC. Hilarious. And Extreme Couponers? Seriously, I want to be those people! Over a $600 bill and only paying $2? YES PLEASE!

Today me and hubby did some grocery shopping. Sadly, I'm only a moderate couponer and saved $20. Hell, I'll take it! Then we rearranged the kitchen. And made yummy fondue for dinner! I'm having girls night at our place next weekend so I had to taste test the recipes. All I have to say is the girls are not going to be disappointed!

So, if you are in North Carolina and have no plans Friday night let me know! The more the merrier!

And How Was Your Weekend?

Ours was good! Except it's getting really, really cold in North Carolina. Everyone back in Massachusetts always thinks that North Carolina is sunny and warm all the time. And it's not. Not even close! Yesterday it was 38 degrees but felt like 28 degrees...and it was only 6 degrees colder in Massachusetts!

Friday night me and Danny had a looooong overdue date night. We went to Ruby Tuesday (yes, I went twice in one week...it's just so good!) We each got a glass of wine, and I was so excited for my dinner. Lobster carbonara...it was so so so yummy! We really got into chatting that even when the meal was done, we ordered another glass of wine and stuck around for a little longer. With his new schedule we hardly ever get to eat together...so this was much needed.

Then we went to the pet store to do some early Christmas shopping for Miley. She is officially the proud owner of a muzzle and anxiety drops (it's like lavender, all natural stuff.) She got a few toys too. And I just had to hold the little basset hound that was there...he was only eight weeks old and crying so loud, it broke my heart! If Miley was more well behaved we definitely would have ended up with another dog that night!

 We met up with Jennifer and Dustin for some drinks. We had such a great time just hanging out with the two of them. Even though we've all hung out a bunch of times, we're always on opposite ends of the table or in different conversations so it was nice to just hangout with them for once! We had a bunch of beers and the next thing I knew I was home, eating the rest of my pasta...and passing out. Apparently I've turned into a lightweight!

Needless to say I wasn't feeling to good Saturday morning! Me and Danny were lazy for a few hours and watched a movie...and I took the first nap of the day. We went to a Christmas party on base and went to the winery for some Christmas presents. When we came back we decided to watch another movie...and I took another nap. I never nap...in fact I was known as the Nap Nazi in college. I felt so sick when I woke up, which sucked because I was supposed to be going out for Mrs. P's birthday. Instead, Danny tucked me into bed super early and I passed out.

I woke up feeling much Sunday morning. We did some cleaning, grocery shopping, and lounging around. I think we have decided that when our lease is up in March we're going to stay here. So, some rearranging, painting and getting a screen door is in order!

Sunday night me and Miley watched cheesy Lifetime movies and were super lazy. Much needed!

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

Why is it that Monday through Friday d-r-a-g but the weekend flies by. I swear the twenty-four hour rule doesn't apply to weekends...the universe knows that people are having fun so time is magically shortened. So, to the universe...please stop, I really like weekends!

You can add this weekend to the list of "great weekends." Friday night was supposed to be girls night, but it ended up being a group thing. And it was awesome. Ten of us went to the hibachi and had some good laughs and a lot of fun. Our chef of the night who calls himself Bob was awesome...and I've never seen so much rice in my life. Ten people sure can eat a lot of rice. I swear I had a large order all to myself.

The fun didn't end when we left the restaurant. My new friend Stephanie came over, so I chilled a bottle of wine...or three. Danny and Justin got some beer...and then the Gambizzles came! We stayed up all night drinking wine and chit-chatting. Three bottles of wine, thirty-six beers later, and a failed attempt to make the guys walk Justin home...it was finally time for bed.

Saturday morning the Gambizzle's had to be up early for a photoshoot. I couldn't believe it...but Miley actually let us sleep past 10:00. HOLY CRAP! And thank goodness for that...I wasn't feeling very human-like when I finally did get up. I think I took a long shower at 11 and then refused to get dress until 1. My head was pounding. It was definitely one of those "never-drinking-again" type of days.

Except we planned to go to the winery for dinner. It was probably a good thing it was closed for the night. Instead we went to Front Street Brewery...not for the beer, but for the amazing nachos! The four of us really showed our "old age" when we decided not to go bowling...but watch Toy Story 3 instead. So, that's how we spent our Saturday night. And I must say....I kinda loved it!

I didn't know Bojangles was a North Carolina place. We spent a good portion of our weekend talking about the "best kept secret" and how they should "share the goodness." The four of us had breakfast there this morning..and we were so under dressed. That's right...under dressed at a fast food place!! It's apparently the happening place to be after church.

While the guys played Black Ops (Danny can't wait for Christmas, he just had to rent the game....) me and Marie went on base. I think it's insane that things don't open until 11AM in the south. So, we paid Katie a little visit! It was nice to have a little girl time and just hangout. And I must say...I'm getting so excited for Katie's wedding. I can't believe it's a little over six weeks away!

And now...it's Sunday. I hate that the "daily-grind" starts on Sunday for us now. I also hate that I took one picture this weekend. I have zero proof that the Gambizzle's were even here! So, you know what that means? We are just going to have to do it again!

Edit: Just an FYI - Bojangles was founded in Jacksonville.

I'm a World Traveler!

Okay, not really...but this weekend I did hangout with people from all over the United States. In one weekend there was Massachusetts, Texas, Georgia, Ohio, Arkansas, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina, and more places that we never discussed. Back in the day, before I married into the Marine Corps family, I never thought I would spend a weekend with people from all over the country. Call me a nerd, but I think that's pretty cool!

Friday night I gave my house to the guys for a poker night (Miley supervised!) and I headed out for a girls night. First, never under estimate how much pizza a bunch of girls can eat. Second, Apples to Apples is a great way to really get to know someone. Let me just tell you, my friends all have a sick sense of humor...and I love it! And I also I had my one-and-only s'more of the year. It was heavenly!

Saturday morning I did some early morning baking and headed to Katie's bridal shower brunch. If you know me, you know I love brunch, so I was thrilled when her sister said that's what we were going to do! We had delicious chocolate chip pumpkin muffins, yummy cookies, and my special strata. And we drank a lot of coffee. I was so excited to give her my gift, I had a panty bouquet made for her...and a lingerie cupcake. Seriously, the cutest things EVER! I can't wait for her sister to post the pictures..my camera apparently didn't like to take early morning pictures!

After the shower me and Danny made a brief appearance at Oktoberfest. It was a bust. (Rachel, I should have listened to you.....) But that's only because Danny left his ID at home. Um, Oktoberfest with no ID? Not gonna happen! I took a picture to prove we were there, ran home to get his ID...and ended up having a sushi date night. When we got home there was a little concert going on in our neighborhood, we went up for a little bit but Miley didn't really like the crowd (can't blame her...there were some creeps!)

We had a family day today, went for a walk, cleaned the house, did the Sunday-haircut-routine, and watched a movie.Now I'm sipping on a pumpkin spiced latte and ready to enjoy the evening with my little family! Hope everyone had a great weekend!

It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere

1:00 is really early to start drinking.

And if you are at a beer festival, you will be drunk before 5:00

back to the hotel by 7:30

and sleeping by 10.

Yesterday was the Lighthouse Beer Festival in Wilmington.

Me, Danny, Carmen and Mike headed down for a full day of drinking.

We got a hotel, parked the car, and drank many samples of beer.

A sample might seem like nothing,

but when there are 70 breweries...

believe me, you will get drunk.

You will take a lot of pictures

you might will make out with a friend

and if given the chance, someone will buy a Pabst Blue Ribbon hat

After drinking for four straight hours

you will celebrate with empty glasses

and take the mandatory group photo.

Then, you will call a cab (and give way too big of a tip)

You will eat nachos and walk around downtown for the night.

And by night, of course I mean before 7:30. 

But since you have been drinking since 1, you have no concept of time.

By now, the girls are done drinking

but the guys want Patron.

The next day you will find out the guys don't remember this....

or any of these pictures

Now, you will find the guys being kicked out, not allowed in, and trash talking hippies.

This means its time to call a cab, go home, and sleep.

Fast forward to 6AM the following morning someone will wonder why their eye hurts.

Answer: You walked into a wall.

You will have to tell them about the paramedics and cops that might have paid you a visit during the night.

And you might even have to remind them they can't wear their pants home because they peed them.

I'm not saying this happened to us

but just know...

there's a reason you're supposed to wait until 5:00PM to drink!

Mom & Dad in North Carolina!

This weekend went by way too fast! My Mom and Dad came down for the long weekend, my Dad's first time down here since he dropped me off in Carrboro when I moved last June. We had such a fun weekend, I've never laughed so hard!

They flew into Raleigh late Thursday night, so they stayed the night in the city. My parents are early birds so I was expecting them to show up at my front door around 7 Friday morning. Oh no, they decided to sleep in, go out for breakfast, and get stuck in lots of traffic on their way out here. They got stuck in traffic due to "a house in the middle of the road."  Seriously! Mom even sent me a picture.

When they finally got around the house and made it to my house, we headed over to New Bern. We had some lunch at Captain Ratty's, picked up my ball gown (which needs to be altered like crazy...sucks that I'm a midget even with high heels!) and walked around the marina for a little bit. I knew Dad would like seeing all the boats. It was such a beautiful fall day...I love walking around in the cool but sunny weather. We stopped at a make-shift car museum...I decided I will only start driving if I can have a 1966 Ford Mustang Convertible...in blue. How's that sound?

Bright and early Saturday the guys headed out for a day of golf. So what did me and Mom do? Shop, of course! The goal was to get everything for Katie's bridal shower present, but that didn't go as well as I wanted...so now I have two weeks to come up with something perfect! Then we went to Mike's Farm, I was expecting so much more. The country store isn't like the country stores at home, it was mostly candles. But oh.my.goodness...we got lots of fudge! Pumpkin fudge is amazing!

After the farm me and Mom headed to Ruby Tuesday for lunch, just as we were getting ready to leave Danny sent me a text message. I told him we just got done eating lunch and the plan for the night was "to go to Mike's Farm for dinner." Danny and Dad decided not to get lunch, come home and hangout until 3:00 until they were hungry. Me and Mom dropped them off at a bar, did some more shopping, and by the time we picked them up....I knew we wouldn't be going to Mike's Farm. We ended up coming home, hanging out...and decided pretty late that we wanted the Olive Garden. We ate too much, had some wine, Mom and Dad had bellinis, and took some pretty goofy pictures. Mom took pictures of me and Danny "pretending that we liked each other." So of course, I had to take pictures of Mom and Dad..and I think they were making fun of us!

Sunday morning we dropped Miley off at daycare which she loves. Seriously, whenever I bring her there she drags me to the door and runs right to the girl...and doesn't even look back to say "see ya later Mom!" We had some breakfast then headed down to Wilmington for the day!

Our first stop was the Battleship. Since we had so much rain last week everything was so flooded. The parking lot was completely under water. We weren't sure how we were supposed to get to the Battleship, so we decided to just jump the fence. Just as we got over....we saw the shuttle that was bringing people right to the ship. OOPS!

The USS North Carolina is huge. I think this was my third time on it, but every time I find something different. This time, my electronics were going crazy. My camera and phone stopped working at the exact same time..which leads me to believe that it really is haunted. My batteries completly drained, but in the next part of the ship everything was fully charged. CREEPY! We were on the ship for three hours and didn't even see the upper part of it! I could never work on a ship, I'd get so lost.

After the battleship we went to the Front Street Brewery. I think the oatmeal stout is always the mug of the day, good thing its so good! It was that awkward eating time again, 3pm. Lunch, dinner, snack? Either way, we ate too much! The guys went to another bar and me and Mom headed to David's Bridal to pick up my dress for Katie's wedding and...World Market. I seriously love that place. I made my own 6-pack...check out all the good stuff.

Oktoberfest, Raging Bitch, 400 Pound Monkey, Pumpkin Ale, The Poet, and Weeping Willow Witt

Today was their last day. Danny and Dad headed to the golf course again. It was too early for me and Mom to do anything...so we just hungout. Eventually we made our way to Barnes and Noble and Walmart. We made a Halloween package for Kaleb and sent those out. We headed out for a light lunch and picked Miley up. I'm so happy that she loves daycamp because I love that it wears her out!

Mom and Dad just pulled out of the driveway. It will only be five weeks until I see them again! We went all summer without seeing them, and now I feel like we'll be seeing them a lot. I love the holiday season!

Hope everyone is enjoying their Columbus Day weekend! It's not over yet!