Sewing project update

Here is my first sewing project since the boxers in high school (Blain, thanks for the clarification on that, and why did they have us make boxers??) ... a pillow! I finished it last week, but wanted to get an insert before posting. Side note: totally missing my Pottery Barn discount, but thankfully we still have some wedding gift card money left. So without further ado, here it is!

It is no where near perfect, but "good for my first attempt." (Words out of the hubby's mouth; I guess honesty is the best policy, ha.) I am pretty hard on myself, so I know it's not perfect, but I kind of like that about it. As the Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond, says about recipes (and I think can be used in other contexts like this one), if something doesn't come out right, just say, "Look, it's rustic!" I just love her! I quickly learned a few shoulda-woulda-coulda's, and am hopeful that my second attempt will be much better. I have already sewn a second pillow cover, and it is a perfect 18" square! 

I can't take full credit for this idea, as I found it on Pinterest (which I also just love). For those not familiar, Pinterest is a place online where you can upload craft ideas, recipes, fashion obsessions, dream home must haves, etc. for others to view. You have different folders aka virtual "boards" that you post aka "pin" ideas onto. You must check it out if you aren't already a member aka "addict" (my word not Pinterest, although, agreed upon by many). Wedding planners are even asking brides to use Pinterest, so that the planners can easily access the brides' ideas and inspirations, sans a million emails and print offs. Genius! And, I am getting off topic!

Back to the pillow. I thought, hey I think I can do that! I knew it would be some what tedious, but I currently kind of have lots of extra time on my hands. The "pin" on Pinterest took me to the blog of Wit & Whistle, a shop selling unique greeting cards and other paper goodies. The girl behind Wit & Whistle, Amanda Wright, actually attended NC State, too! Small world. Check out her shop...I will warn you some of the cards may make you blush or say, WHAT?!, but I love her card sets, especially the chervon ones, of course! Amanda mentions the pillow inspiration came from here, where the pillow is selling for $159!!! I couldn't believe my eyes! Amanda ended up buying a plain linen pillow cover for $45 on Etsy (another a love of mine), which I still felt like was a lot for something I was going to write or paint on, and possibly more than likely mess up. She also used a black fabric sharpie for her letters. I wanted something a little more shabby chic, so I went with white paint. Overall, it turned out exactly like I had conceptualized; I just need a little more practice with the paint and stenciling...it is not that easy and especially on fabric. I may try the sharpie next time though. 

The lyrics on the pillow are from Zack and my first dance, "Stand By Me"...I shortened it a bit but made sure it still made sense when read. Zack picked out this song, and I couldn't have agreed more that it was the perfect song for us. And every time we look at this pillow, we will be reminded of the promise we made to each other, and that we can do anything, as long as we stand by each other. 

Watch Out Shaun White..

Well, not really. No professional snowboarding in our future, but Zack and I were proud of each other for our efforts in skiing! We went skiing on Saturday at Loveland Ski Area. It was my first time EVER (yes, true story) and it had been awhile for Zack, so we took a full-day lesson. We got up really early, well the earliest I have been up in a long time, and got on the road towards the high country. We didn't make it far until we ran smack into traffic. There is only one major highway in and out from Denver to the Rockies that hosts a plethora of ski spots. Translation: standstill/very slow moving traffic for almost THREE hours (without traffic, it should only take an hour). Surprisingly, my type-A-hate-to-be-late personality laid low, and tried to keep Zack entertained while we eked by at the pace of a snail. I think deep down, I was not ready to rush to get there; I was extremely nervous. Excited, but definitely nervous. Luckily, we had beautiful views like the one below on our way.

We arrived at the Loveland Ski Area just in time to confirm our reservation, get our rentals and meet up with our instructor. We were with two other skiers, one who unfortunately got altitude sickness and didn't come back after our lunch break and the other who left after she got the hang of it and  met up with a friend. I ended up being the only one left (Zack went on to a more challenging run), and so I had a private lesson for a couple of hours! At the end of the ski day, I kind of got the hang of it, and actually made it down without falling more times than I could have imagined. Since Zack quickly found his footing, he went to on to the next run. I was really impressed! He definitely caught the fever, and if it wasn't for closing time, he would have probably not stopped! I was worried that I was holding him back, and he was so sweet in staying with me most of the day, but I am so glad he got to try a more challenging one. I was happy to stay on the small run. Baby steps for me! Oliver, our instructor was so great and very patient with me! With about 30 more minutes left in the day, I was done and ended on a good note: I hadn't fallen in the last 4-5 runs. Oliver met up with Zack, which I thought was really nice. We also got to spend some time with our friends back from NC, Chris and Kaylie, who were in town for Kaylie's work. They just happened to have chosen Loveland for Saturday too, so we were excited to see them! And I know Zack enjoyed skiing a few runs with them. Here are a few photos from our day..

Goggles give you shadow mustaches!

Lift...loved this part!

Kaylie and me

The run we learned on is to the right

Zack's run started near the red dot (center of photo) and mine started near the pink dot, behind the trees (right)

We had a great time, and Zack can't wait to go again. I definitely want to try it again, but need a little time to recoup! Here's one last photo. Even though we were in terrible traffic on our way home too, we still had a beautiful view! 

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Sewing and snowing

As I mentioned in the last post, I am going to try my hand at sewing! My wonderful mama sent me an early, early birthday present (b-day not until July)...a sewing machine!! Thanks, Mom! With she and my sister starting a booth in Summerfield, called Southern Revival, I kind of had the itch to do something myself. Also over the holidays, my dear friend Kelly M. and I got in the crafty mood and cranked out some cute, inexpensive things. So a sewing machine quickly jumped to number #1 on my wish list! I will admit that I haven't really sewn anything in a long time, quite possibly since the obligatory pj bottoms, or maybe they were shorts, that we had to make in the high school home economics class. 


I was nervous/anxious to get the machine set up, but with some the help of the manual, I had it ready to sew in no time! I was also a little nervous to sew, like I said it had been awhile, but it was like riding a bike, once you get started again... 


Although, I still have my training wheels on (this machine can do way more than I know how to do right now), I was excited to start my first project right away! What that project is...you will just have to wait and see! And yesterday couldn't have been a more perfect day to sit inside and sew...it was snowing! It was so pretty coming down, and didn't last long on the ground. My kind of snow! I got a lot accomplished, and I hope to have something to show you soon. 


Oh, and check out Southern Revival on Facebook, if you haven't yet. They already have some beautiful, revived items for purchase! 

Weekend Recap

Let me start off by saying how great my husband is! He let me drag him around on Saturday getting essentials together for my sewing project(s). Yes, you heard me correctly, sewing! More on that in a later post. After a few stops, and a journey to a neighboring town, we got all the things I need to hopefully get the sewing started! We also stopped by the Cherry Creek Shopping Center....what a mall! I did a lot of gasping and oohing and ah-hing. I had been eyeing some bowls on westelm.com for quite some time, and I was super excited to find out that there was a store here! I am still a Pottery Barn girl at heart, but I love some of the modern touches of West Elm. I was sadly disappointed by the size of the bowls (click here to see them) even though the website gives the dimensions and description, I guess I was hoping they could work for cereal, soups and chili. We did get the Traditional Great White from Pottery Barn for our everyday dinnerware (with wedding gift cards that we are so thankful for!), but I wanted some accent pieces that just Zack and I would use or could be used with our everyday. So after some browsing and patience on Zack's part, we found the perfect bowl! I know it may seem silly, but some bowls are just better than others!

New favorites

We stayed in Saturday night, cooking dinner and having a movie night...the Ides of March. The movie was ok, but doesn't make it into our favorite list. Dinner was ok too. We enjoy cooking and trying out new recipes, and every once in awhile we come across one that makes the "not again" list, and Saturday's dinner made the list. Not even worth mentioning! Oh well! At least the company was perfect :)

Sunday, we both were itching to get out since we spent a good part of the weekend in, so we ventured out to the Cherry Creek area again, although the weather wasn't as pleasant as it was on Saturday. We are quickly learning that the weather here can change with the blink of an eye...kinda of reminds us of good ol' NC weather! Yesterday was sunny, but also very windy, making being outside for long periods of time some what unbearable. At the recommendation of Shea and a few Denver locals, we decided to try out the Cherry Cricket. My, was this an interesting place! From the outside, we weren't even sure if the place was open, but once we got in, we were surprised at how hoppin' this place was! We got the last table available before a long line formed out of thin air. The burgers are definitely the thing to get. You have many cheese choices, avocado (yum!), grilled bermuda onions, jalapenos, and even an egg or peanut butter (love both but not together or on a burger...to each his own!). Plus, they ask you how you want it cooked. I don't care what the place looks like inside, any establishment that asks you this, knows how a thing or two about a good burger (maybe a bit of a dramatic statement; I do sort of care what the place looks like, ha). The only downside to this place is that you have to pay extra for the add-ons...$1 for cheese but only $0.25 for an egg? Supply and demand, I guess. Oh, the onions are free though, and a must! Even though the add-ons make it one pricey burger, it was totally worth it. After lunch and some errands, we headed over to watch a little football at the house of a NC buddy of mine. I have not seen Kristin in a long time, but it was good to catch up and hang out.

It was a great weekend, but as always it flew by too fast!

First Visitor

Shea, Zack's sister, was in town for work, and we couldn't have been happier to see a familiar face! Tuesday night we met her downtown for dinner. We had yummy appetizers at Rock Bottom Brewery, and dinner at Cheesecake Factory. It has been forever since either of us have eaten there, but I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was, especially the mac and cheese!! And, of course, we had to have a piece of cheesecake...original with strawberries. It had been our second time downtown, but our first time downtown at night. The 16th Street Mall area was a lot more happening than when we were there last Saturday. There was even a broom ball game being played on a small ice skating rink!

Last night, we brought Shea to our neck of the woods,  Washington Park, or "Wash Park", as the locals call it. We have this really cute shop and restaurant area in our neighbourhood. It's literally walking distance from our house. See website for more information if you are interested: http://www.southgaylordstreet.com/index.html. It use to be a cable car turnaround in the 20's through the 50's so there is lots of charm and history, much like the rest of Wash Park. We decided on Washington Park Grille, which reminded us of a restaurant/bar in Five Points back in Raleigh called The Pointe. There was more of a dinner scene here than I remember The Pointe having, at least for a Wednesday night, but the ambiance felt similar. I definitely think Zack and I will be back there again! It was so good to see Shea and spend time with her while she was here!

SNOW!

It started to snow here around 3 pm and hasn't stopped yet. It is our first snowing since we got here, although we did arrive to the powder already on the ground. We obviously have seen snow before, but something about the first snow each year that is so exciting! Although, I am sure by the end of winter, we will have had our fair share and then some. Off to curl up on the couch and enjoy a red-box movie with the hubs and pup! 

Oh, and we will have our first visit tomorrow! Shea will be here through Thursday for work. We are so excited to see a familiar face!!!

Long Weekend...

And no complaint there! Our first weekend in Denver included an extra day, which was a nice treat! Saturday we ventured to downtown. It was a perfect day for being outside, temperature in the high 50's and sunny. We decided to try out the light rail, which runs from the outer areas into downtown. There are two stops that are close to us. One offers a nice walk through streets lined with cute houses and a look into Washington Park (we learned the locals call it and the area around it "Wash Park"), a huge and busy park near our house. The other is a bit shorter and offers free parking, but the walk is down a busy street. We took the scenic walk on the way there and the quicker walk on the way back. Not sure if there is one that is better, but maybe we will change our minds as our time here continues. While downtown, we went to the REI. We had heard it was one of the flagship stores and offered rentals, so we had to check it out. It was huge! And while it does offer rentals, they are just for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. We agreed we want to try snowshoeing, but for skiing, we think we would prefer alpine. There was several nice associates we talked with who gave us information on some inexpensive rental companies and "local" ski spots. Zack really wanted to try to go skiing Sunday, but unfortunately there had not been as much snow as there typically is this time of year. Go figure. Our next stop was Lower Downtown aka LoDo. This is where the 16th Street Mall that houses lots of restaurants and bars, and also Wynkoop Brewery, a local brewing company started by the current governor, but before he was governor. We decided to take their tour, but before we did we tried a few of their beers and nachos. They are not your typical nachos, but were still really good!

To continue the Mexican theme from earlier, I made tacos for dinner Saturday night. We love Mexican food, and probably make it more than I want admit. I was feeling a little homesick so making what I consider comfort food helped cheer me up a bit. By Sunday, I needed some time to relax and was still feeling a bit homesick. We had been going non-stop since we left North Carolina, and I needed some R&R. Zack, not being able to sit idle long, convinced me to go run some errands with him. It helped take my mind off home a little bit. When we got back, I put together some chili on the stove, and we vegged out in front of the TV for the rest of the evening. I am glad we did, because, even though he might not admit it, we both needed it! Feeling re-energized today, we headed to Golden to where Zack's job will be. For those not completely in the know about his job, here is an explanation, as I understand it in simple terms. He will be working with some of the smartest engineers at a place called the Risk Management Center. Here he will learn more about the structural aspects of dams and levies. The Wilmington District works more with the maintenance of these structures, and to better understand them, Zack wanted to learn about their functionality. He is really excited, and I am so proud of him for wanting to take on this opportunity. We easily found his building, and while it took longer to get there than we originally thought, he will luckily be going against traffic that is heading into Denver. After seeing his building, we decided to go into the town of Golden.

Some of the buildings in their quaint downtown have been around since the 1880's when Golden was the state capital. There is a creek that runs through the town (as we learned from the Coors tour, more about that in a minute, water is very important to beer and the reason Coors was started in Golden) and where I saw this interesting sign...

Cattle, Hogs, and Sheep...Oh my!

Golden is where Adolf Coors (actually Kors on his birth certificate; wonder if he is related to Michael Kors?!) started Coors Bottling Company. Now Miller Coors, the company is one of the largest beer makers. The tour is now self-guided using hand-held audio guides, so if you ever go, heads up and bring a pair of headsets or earbuds (you can listen to the tour without them, but you have to hold the device up to your ear the whole time...slightly annoying). At the end of the tour, you are rewarded with three generous size samples of their current brews. We tried Blue Moon Winter Ale, Batch 19 (pre-prohibition style beer), Winterfest and Colorado Native. All were surprisingly tasty considering the main beer that the company is known for...And we are definitely not complaining, since the tour and samples were free!

After tour it was about lunch time. Yes, there will be another food mentioning...I've decided I will not apologize for them anymore! And many of you have said you like hearing about the food, so thanks and you're welcome! Our phones have come quite in handy for directions and must-try restaurants, among many other things. We have had many tasty meals thanks to Urbanspoon and Tripadvisor. We decided to try out Woody's Wood Fired Pizza, and we are so glad we did. We went for the buffett, which I am typically not a fan of, but it was the way to go here. They had tons of salad toppings, several different lettuces and many dressings to choose from. And the pizza...too many delicious creations to just settle on one. We are not even sure of the names of the ones we tried, or if they even had names, but we didn't have a single bad slice. The crust was indescribably good. The best explanation we can come up with is that it tasted a lot like a fresh doughy pretzel. Even better than Mellow Mushroom's crust (blasphemy, I know!). You could taste it with every bite. We even noticed a few people putting honey on the crust. Seriously! Oh, and I must not leave out the bloody mary I got! It was hands-down one of the best I have ever had (other than Ashley Stanley's or Village Draft House--yes, they are so good there). We will be going there again!

Zack starts work tomorrow, and for me, it comes with mixed emotions. We have been together 24/7, for the most part, for the past 11 days. We have enjoyed our time together and adventure to Denver...oh who I am kidding, we both need some individual time! Haha! I am not quite sure what I will do tomorrow, but I can promise you I will enjoy my ME time! 

We made it!

Zack, Banks and I arrived to Denver around 6:00 pm yesterday, right in the middle of evening traffic! That was a huge change from the past day and a half of wide open spaces. We found our house, and agreed that it was even better in person and the website did not do it justice! I was slightly worried about the  bathroom and closet space since neither were shown on the website. But, just like the rest of the house, they are both perfect! The bathroom has been completely remodeled like the rest of the house, even with two shower heads, one coming straight down from the ceiling! The closet is a walk-in and has tons of shelving and hanging space. The rental company, a corporate housing one, had thought of everything...some of the extra touches included: essentials to get us through the first day/night, a snow shovel (and they had already shoveled both walkways), door mats at both entrances (a necessity for snow-covered boots), and they even left us a welcome basket with snacks, waters and spaghetti noodles and sauce (I guess in case you had not had time to go to the store yet). We unloaded the U-Haul trailer and truck so we could go ahead and return it, and also went to pick up some dinner. Today, we finished unpacking, ran to Super Target (oh, yes, you know I am in heaven) for groceries and other essentials and also to Bed, Bath and Beyond for some storage and organizational items (Zack knew I wouldn't feel relaxed until we got that under control! He is so good to me!). We are cooking in tonight...baked BBQ chicken, baked potatoes and salad. We do not eat out a lot, so doing so for five days in a row has taken its toll on us. We are planning to do some exploring around town tomorrow and learn a bit more about our area. So far, we are enjoying the convenience to everything, can't believe how nice everyone is, and feeling comfortable in our home away from home! We sure do miss NC, our family and friends, but trying to remember what an amazing opportunity this is for Zack's career and us as newlyweds!

Day 5: Denver bound!

We woke up to the sun shining again! But don't mistake the sun out for warm weather. The truck's thermostat reads 30 degrees for the outside temperature but the local weatherman in Amarillo said it feels like 18. Brrr!! But to look on the bright side, the sun is out!! I had to share what our current scenery looks like, which is also probably what last night's looked like as well. Cue bleakness and the occasional oil rig...and plateaus!

The rest of Day 4: Driving to Amarillo

Hello Amarillo! Are you there? We had driven during the daylight so far during our travels, with maybe an hour or less in the dark, but we were almost to our destinations by nightfall. The drive to Amarillo on Wednesday was mostly in the dark. It was extremely windy (have I mentioned how lucky I am that I haven't had to drive at all?! Thanks, hubby!) and total darkness. The only light was from our headlights and a few other cars and eighteen-wheelers. And then there were the small towns who all appeared to be sleeping or avoiding the extreme weather; neither which I can blame them for. We watched the digital thermostat reading on the truck's rear-view mirror drop from the 50's when we were in Dallas to a chilly 26 degrees Fahrenheit along our way to Amarillo. I wanted to see the scenery we were passing by although from the lack of light and life, I got the feeling it was pretty bleak. We did get to see a cool sunset, a real coyote sans the roadrunner and some interesting restaurant names and bars in those small towns such as "My-T-Burgers" and "The Heifer Saloon" (picture a cow). Our drive provided the perfect backdrop for "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" that we listened to on audible.com app on Zack's phone. I had tried to listen to books on discs before, but I could not drive and listen to them at the same time. Yes, I can drive and listen to music, and chew gum too, but not the book thing for some reason. Well, lucky for us, Zack can (again, good thing I wasn't driving)! My dad had suggested the book to Zack, and I needed no convincing...history plus vampires, yes please! We got to our hotel in Amarillo as the book was getting to a really good part, of course! Already, I suggest it as a must-read or a must-listen. I am ready to get to Denver TODAY!! But I also can't wait to get back into our book!
**for those really paying attention ;) yes we changed our plans to go to Amarillo rather than Santa Fe. It was going to be an almost 11-hour drive to Santa Fe...we must have been a little ambitious when choosing our stops. Amarillo was a much shorter and direct route to Denver.

Day 3 and 4: Dallas

The drive from Little Rock to Dallas was pretty uneventful, and of course it was still raining. We stopped in Texarkana for lunch. That is correct; no typo there. Half of the city is in Arkansas and half is in Texas. We found a McAllister's and it is just like the one back home plus some big-hair females. We knew then we were definitely in Texas, and more specifically the Texas side of Texarkana. We got to Dallas with time to spare before my cousin Jacquelin and her husband Jonathan got off work, so we went downtown for a bit. I had been to DFW twice before to visit family but can't recall going downtown Dallas. Zack had been to Dallas last year on a work trip and had done some exploring on his off time. We agreed to go to the old Texas School Book Depository. There is a museum located in the building where Oswald had shot JFK but we didn't have enough time for it, Banks was in the truck, and truth be told, I wasn't so sure I wanted to go up there. We did walk down Elm Street to where you can see the two faded white X's where JFK was when he was shot. So much controversy surrounds this tragedy, and yet all I could focus on was that I was staring at the place where someone was murdered. I instantly felt the need to leave. Not to mention the homeless guys trying to explain some history to us, aka looking for a tip, aka making me feel even more uncomfortable, had me making a beeline for the truck. Enough of downtown Dallas for me. Jacquelin later explain downtown was not really a place for walking around. I believe her.
Warning: food talk below, I can't help it.
We had already picked our evening agenda: Joe T's in Fort Worth. Yes it was a good 45-minute drive and we wouldn't be able to sit in and enjoy their outdoor oasis, but it was a must! I had been there during both of my previous visits to DFW and Jacquelin and Jonathan had their US reception there (they had a beautiful destination wedding), so we just had to convince Zack of it's gloriousness! Okay, maybe I have built it up to a level or two more than necessary but it is still one of my favorite places. It's the overall experience that gets you hooked. I was too excited, busy eating, drinking margaritas and talking (shocking!?) to take any pictures, so I apologize. You just have to take my word for it and go if you are ever in that area. A few things to know: cash only (ATM available), there is no menu but it's not needed because the only choices are fajitas or enchiladas, and you have to get a margarita on the rocks and cheese nachos (not the pile of stale corn chips with fake cheese goo but individual fried? 6" tortillas with melted cheese and diced jalapeños on top aka yumminess). See on-point review here: http://www.dallasrestaurantreviews.net/JoeTGarcias.html
Verdict: Zack approved!!! (That is difficult to do!)
The next morning, we slept in and it was glorious! The trip so far and well Joe T's margaritas had taken their toll! And the sun was finally out! Jacquelin and I spend the morning with continued catching up and chatting. Jonathan, I know you didn't like having to go to work while the rest of us were at the house, but I know you didn't miss our endless chatter! Poor Zack though, although I think he was pretty good at tuning us out...something I've decided all men are born with the ability to do. Did I just create an excuse for the opposite sex?
For lunch, Jacquelin took us to Jake's where we indulged big time! Everything is bigger in Texas, right? Delicious double-patty burgers, cheesy fries and fried green beans. Oh yes. On the way back to the house, the conversation was all about gyms and working out. And not intentionally. Were our subconscious minds trying to tell us something? Guilt? Nahhhh!
We had a short but great visit with the Leech family! Oh, and I almost forgot our four-legged babies...Banks and Emma! Emma was a little uncertain and kept Banks at a distance at first, but by this afternoon, they were playing like old friends! Thanks Emma for sharing your yard, ball, bowls and personal space with Banks! And thank you, Jacquelin and Jonathan, for opening up your beautiful home to us!!! Oh and hopefully next time we come, we won't get questioned by the cops about carpet cleaning in your neighborhood! Haha, for everyone else, you just had to be there!

Day 2: Memphis and Little Rock

This is what I got out of the shower to Monday morning...

He looks pretty comfortable doesn't he? By he, I mean Banks, although Zack looks comfy too. Banks did not get to sleep in our bed back home. For one, he could not, well would not, go up the stairs. In his defense, they were pretty steep and narrow. Secondly, he is typically a restless sleeper. We know this from the times we have visited my parents and let him stay in our room. We will confess, his sedative was probably still in full force and "allowed" him and us a very happy sleep-filled night. As I am writing this, he is again on the bed, and in my spot...lovely. Lucky for him, he is cute. 

We left early Monday morning from Nashville for Little Rock, AK. On our way, we stopped in Memphis to see my dad! We got to tour his factory...the one he has been the lead on retrofitting since September 2009. It was so neat to see something built from scratch and it all in motion! It was also great to meet all the people who work with him, and who you could tell, really admire him and spoke so highly of him and the hard work he has done. Daddy, if you are reading this, we are so proud of you, not only for what you have accomplished for your company but all that you have provided our family with through taking on this opportunity. 

Us in our lovely nets...

After we left the factory, we headed to a lunch place that Zack had been to during a work trip in Memphis. I promised I would not go on about food so I will just say that we both had yummy meals! And, I will be researching an avocado ranch dressing recipe! Also the cafe had our favorite coffee..illy! 

Cafe Eclectic...highly recommend...great food, great service, nice people!

Banks has been really good, so far, on our trip. He doesn't typically mind being in the car, but we were worried since we would be in the car so much. This time of year doesn't really warrant sitting outside at cute cafes under umbrellas such as the ones above, so Banks has spent his fair share inside the cab of the truck. We asked the waitress if she knew of a dog park, to which she said she would go ask. The hostess came back instead, and with a patron of the cafe, who gave us directions to a close-by dog park. I found it so endearing, that in a large city, you still can find very hospitable people who are willing to take the time to help out a total stranger. 

The dog park was perfect! There were a few dogs, a ton of tennis balls scattered about and open range of running space for the wild thing that is Banks. Doesn't he look like he is having a ball!? (No pun intended). And, somehow, he managed to get two tennis balls in his mouth at once. Yes, like I said before, there were TONS around, but I guess he got a bit excited. Wouldn't you?

We then ventured to downtown Memphis to check out the Mississippi River. On our way, we got behind a trolley on Main Street. These trolleys are still operated on tracks, something I have never seen (or that I can remember.)

My dad had showed us a picture of the bridge that crosses over the Mississippi River, joining Tennessee and Arkansas, and explained that bridge trusses are in an 'M' shape for Memphis. It was neat to see in person. Zack pointed out how fast moving the water was...you could see the movement all the way from where I was standing in the picture on the left below. We enjoyed Downtown and Midtown Memphis and what they had to offer. There was lots of charm and the city appeared to be in the midst of some restoration. A place I wouldn't mind visiting again!

The highway to Little Rock was filled with eighteen-wheeler after eighteen-wheeler (cue Alabama's Roll On). Once again, luckily I was not the driver. Zack kept himself entertained with Pandora and the fields and fields FULL of birds. As he explained to me, this is the time of year that birds migrate south to escape harsh winters in the north. We saw mallards, Canadian geese and what we think were Snow geese. The snow geese were further away but created a white-spotted cluster hovering over an open field. Anyone who knows me well, knows I despise birds, but I will admit, this was pretty cool to see. 

 I wasn't able to get a good picture, but it looked something like this one.

We made it to Little Rock in time to grab some take out from ZaZa's Fine Salad + Oven Wood Pizza, check into the hotel and watch some of the BCS championship. Dinner consisted of Buffalo Chicken Pizza and a Greek Salad to split. I curbed a sweet-tooth craving with a cup of Dulce De Leche gelato (caramel-y sweet cream). The pizza was good, the salad was good minus the dressing (not good), and the gelato was lick-the-bowl-clean good...and I did; don't judge.

It's off to bed! I hope this posted post made since sense. It's late. I am tired. Note to self: do not try to write two (what I thought would be short, but turned out to be long) posts in once day.

Day 1: Asheville and Nashville

We left my parents house in Kernersville, NC for Nashville, TN on Sunday morning. We had previously decided to stop in Asheville for lunch. It seemed like an eternity to get there...not a good feeling considering we had many, many, many...many more miles ahead of us. It has gotten a bit better, in my opinion, but then again, I am not the one driving ;) Also, traveling with a U-haul trailer behind you can pose quite the challenge when you want to stop in downtown areas with little parking for large/extended vehicles. Something my husband has quickly mastered! If you ever find yourself in the same predicament, be patient, find an empty lot and say a prayer that you don't get a ticket or towed...then again, can a U-haul trailer be towed? Something I would rather not find out the answer to. Back to our lunch in Asheville... We chose Tupelo Honey Cafe, which is a super neat place right in downtown. We had a bit of a wait but filled the time with Words with Friends (scrabble-like game on cell phone for those not familiar), discussing the menu and people watching--well I was; I can't help it. On to the food; that is what you are waiting to hear all about, right? I have to say, I typically order the better meal, but Zack for sure picked the winner here. I got the Roast Beef Po' Boy with sweet potato fries, and it was okay. I was quickly reminded that I am not a fan of roast beef; something about it just taste not done to me? I don't eat it ever, so I can't really judge it, but I was not a fan, but then again neither was Zack. He got the Tupelo Burger with melted pimento cheese with home fries. Pimento cheese, enough said, right? It was heavenly! And, my sweet, sweet husband shared half of it with me. It started to rain as we were leaving the cafe and Banks was in the truck, so we got back on the road and on to Nashville.

Aforementioned tastiness that is the Tupelo Burger with pimento cheese

Upon our arrival to Nashville, we were surprised at how eerily desolate the Music City seemed. The highway was empty, downtown was empty and our hotel was empty. We chalked it up to being a Sunday night; maybe the city was recovering from the weekend? We ate a late dinner at Rippy's Smokin' Bar and Grill where we were entertained by a two-man band who played some old country tunes. I got the chili with corn cakes, which albeit was served in a paper bowl and plastic basket, while sitting at a bar, were pretty tasty and something I would order again. Zack got a pork chop sandwich served on Texas Toast with potato salad; both, in his words, were "pretty good." I didn't try the p.salad (not a fan of the yellow kind) but the sandwich was nothing to call home about, but good enough to have a second bite. We were a little let down by Nashville, but agree there was much more to see, and we hope to be able to go back someday. Any must-see suggestions for this future someday trip? 

Sidenote: I promise not to talk only food and what we thought of it. But, driving and eating was pretty much all we had time for on our first day.

Ready to Roll

Denver or Bust!

It's the night before our trek begins, and it still hasn't quite set in that we are really moving to Denver! We've seen lots of friends and family over the past few weeks, eaten our favorite NC meals and enjoyed what will probably be our last 60-70 degree weather for quite some time.

We will be on the road for five days; arriving in Denver on Thursday, January 12th. Zack is really good at planning trips. We've had two great trips to the Big Apple, a jaunt to Charleston during their restaurant week and numerous camping trips. So when it came to planning our route to Denver, he was the man in charge. Tomorrow morning we leave for Nashville. Then it is on to Little Rock, Dallas, Santa Fe and final stop Denver. I am excited to see what each city has in store for us, enjoy good eats and make memories along the way!

Welcome!

Welcome to "Fifteen Cents to Denver!"  Zack has convinced me We have decided to blog about our road trip out to Denver and the six months we will be living there.

The name of our blog was something we put a lot of thought into. We wanted something catchy and original (well who doesn't, I guess). If you know Zack well, you know he comes up with ways to use his name in words such as "muZack"  (music), "exZackLee" (exactly)...you get the idea. So playing off our last name, Zack, myself and Banks are three Nichols (nickels) which equals fifteen cents! I thought it was pretty clever, but maybe that is just the dork somewhere inside of me!

So stay tuned for what we are sure will be quite the adventure!

-Leslie, Zack and Banks