Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Dog-Friendly Fredericksburg, TX

With the long weekend for July 4th, we knew we wanted to head out an explore Texas. Since there were so many places that allowed dogs in the German town of Fredericksberg, we had no problem filling our weekend with dog-friendly activities.

We got in around lunch and headed straight to Altdorf Biergarten. The food was good and the price was right! I had their sangria and it was quite delicious. Afterwards, we checked into our hotel (Best Western - also dog-approved!) and went to Fredericksburg Pie Company. Sad face - they were already sold out!

Being in the heart of wine country, we had to go drink some wine. We were a little afraid of Texas wine, but we found a glass that we enjoyed at Torre di Pietra. Jason said it tasted a little like apple juice, but I thought it was fine (and not too sweet!). We loved hanging out on their patio and exploring the vineyards. The employees were sweet and even brought a bowl of ice water out for Indy.


After the glass, we drove through the weirdest little town ever - Luckenbach! It is basically a dance hall, parking lot and a place to buy beer. We didn't stay much to explore (although they are dog-friendly), but it seemed like a fun place! Afterwards, we headed back to downtown Fredericksberg and put our names on the list for Otto's German Bistro. 

We had some time to kill, so we wandered around Main Street. Dinner was excellent and the patio was dog-friendly! The duck schnitzel was definitely our favorite, but the flammkuchen and sparkling rose were also excellent!




The next morning, we got up early to beat the crowds and hiked up Enchanted Rock. We actually got there right at 8 and no rangers were there yet nor were there was envelopes to pay with. Unintended free visit? We started with the summit trail, but also hit up some other trails afterwards. My fitbit said we walked 5 miles and 87 FLOORS!




After we freshened up, we grabbed some picnic stuff at HEB and drove out to Pedernales Cellars. We got a bottle of pretty decent rose and enjoyed the breeze, view and live music. This was a pretty perfect way to spend the afternoon! 



We made a brief stop at Hill Country Lavender (dog-friendly, but also terrible - don't bother!) and had to grab some peaches at a roadside stand. I made a delicious peach crisp with these and STILL had leftovers! We ate dinner at Alamo Springs Cafe, which is a funky little place that I loved and Jason didn't...I would be a little wary of bringing a dog to this place because there is a sign saying "service dogs only", however when we walked up with Indy, we were asked, "So he's a service dog, right? *wink wink* Not sure if we just got a friendly waiter, or what.



We had a really wonderful weekend in Fredericksberg and Indy loved bring included in our travels. 

Next up for us, we're heading to Houston for a quick weekend trip before we head to Italy in a month! I am bursting with excitement for this as I haven't been back in almost 10 years and I can't wait to bring Jason to my favorite place in the world.

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

4th Year: In Review

This year has been (dare I say?) our best yet. Whenever we get a chance to go to California multiple times, Hawaii and Asia, I'm going to count that as a win. Jason has had a challenging, but great 4th year at Southwest as well! Can't ask for much more...except more vacation days!

August
Malibu, CA
Santa Ynez, CA
Solvang, CA
Albuquerque, NM 
September
Tokyo, Japan

Kyoto, Japan

January
Sedona, AZ
February/March
Maui, Hawaii
April
Toronto, Canada
Niagara Falls, Canada
Napa & Sonoma, CA
Russian River Valley, CA
Austin, TX
May
San Diego, CA
College Station, TX (a billion times)
June
Houston, TX
July
Texas Hill Country

We're hoping to keep up the travel by:
(Re) visiting Tuscany, Rome and the Amalfi Coast
Bringing Indy to the beach
Spending Thanksgiving in Puerto Rico
Going to Disneyland
Celebrating my 30th Birthday in Bali
Drinking wine around and kayaking down the Russian River
Spending a few days on the beach in Tulum, Mexico

Wish us luck and thanks for following along with us!

Monday, May 11, 2015

San Diego, CA

I was super excited that my annual conference was being held in San Diego this year. Jason and I made a trip a little over a year ago and we really loved it! This time, I didn't have a car, so I kept my explorations to the Mission Bay/Beach area. 

San Diego is a place I could totally see Jason and I living. 1. We both love California (although I prefer Northern). 2. The weather is perfect. 3. Indy would love the beach and outside activities we could do! 

Saturday I arrived in the morning, grabbed an acai bowl (Pacific Beach mix) at Rum Jungle and went straight to Mission Beach! I wandered up and down the boardwalk for hours and grabbed a delicious build-your-own ice cream/cookie sandwich at Baked Bear. Once I got tired, I headed back to the Catamaran Hotel and laid at the pool with my kindle. I grabbed a quick and delicious dinner at La Playa Tacos right next to the hotel and hit the (outdoor) gym. It was the perfect kind of day!



Sunday, I had a conference session, but got a chance to explore at night. For dinner, I went to World Famous. It wouldn't have been my first choice (as I went with a coworker), but it was pretty good and the view was hard to beat! I was obsessed with the outdoor gym, so I had to head back for more that night!


Monday, I had a conference again, but I got a chance to hit the beach during breaks. At night, we had a luau on the beach and a Mission Bay Boat ride on the Bahia Belle.  The boat ride ended up being kind of lame, but it was nice to get out on the water.


Tuesday wasn't a ton of fun as I worked out in the morning, had the conference and then had to head home that night. Not getting back until after midnight and having to work the next day? I'm STILL exhausted!!



Overall, it was a fun trip and it's safe to say that I LOVE CALIFORNIA! Southwest, can you move your HDQs there? Please and thanks!

Next up: We have a few more trips around Texas planned - Houston, College Station and Fredericksburg...but no more flying until August when we (hopefully) go to Scotland!