Archive for the year 2011
Labor Day Weekend
Posted on September 7, 2011 by Ching under Travel.
Brian and I had a fun-filled Labor Day weekend. We got to see Sheryll, Clayton and the kiddos, and we also go to spend time with Cousin Tracy and her soon-to-be husband Jeff and also meet some of their friends who will be traveling to Jamaica with us next year.
We got to eat a couple of new places that we’ve never been to before — Snappy Salads and Texas de Brazil. We got to feast on Cousin Tracy’s amazing culinary creations.
I got to eat Clayton’s delicious sinigang, which he didn’t even want to feed me at first. I was like, “What the heck, man? It’s like showing a child a roomful of sweets and telling them that they can’t have any.” He finally caved and let me have some.
I love, love, love sinigang!
Other than Max wigging out a couple of times and getting us lost (she kept making us look for these highways and roads that have since been renamed and there are no signs that reflect what she thinks the names should be), we had a great trip overall. It sounds like Max just needs an update. LOL.
We also got to check out the Outlet Shoppes at Oklahoma City on the way home. It had some really good stores, but it was severely lacking in food options. Ugh. We got a bunch of stuff from the Under Armour factory outlet, though (because, you know, our lives revolve around working out these days). Brian got a compression shirt that makes him look really buff. He also got a couple of pairs of new jeans.
Oh, and guess what. The METH sign is still up!
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No Trip is Complete Without a Wine Tasting
Posted on September 5, 2011 by Ching under Travel.
Cousin Tracy, Jeff, Brian and I went to LightCatcher Winery after our scrumptious brunch on Sunday. The Fort Worth winery was really neat, except for the fees. On jazz Sundays there is a $10 per person admission fee and then it also costs to taste the wines.
I think Brian and I have gotten spoiled by Smoky Hill Winery and Under the Cork because their wine tastings are always free, no matter how many different wines you sample. LOL. The tasting fee at LightCatcher is $2 or $3 for each wine selection (depending on the wine) or you can pay $5 to taste three wines. If you want to taste everything, the cost adds up very quickly.
The place was very nice and the jazz music was great. It was the perfect day to be outdoors and enjoy music. But again, I think Brian and I have been very spoiled in that we have many places here in town that offer live jazz with no cover charge. Traveling to other parts of the country and seeing what they have to offer really makes me appreciate living in Wichita. Those who complain that there is nothing to do here in town absolutely have no idea. I will never ever take Wichita for granted, ever again.
Anyway, back to LightCatcher… Here are some tips to help you make the most of your visit. If you have good live jazz where you live or aren’t really keen on the jazz music or are traveling with children under the age of 16, skip jazz Sundays (which are on the first and third Sunday of the month). You’ll be able to save yourself the $10 per person admission fee this way. I recommend going on Saturday or Sunday afternoon. They do winery tours at 3 pm on both days, except on jazz Sundays (yet another reason not to go on that day). Tours typically take 30 minutes and they highly suggest making reservations. Private and group tours are also available, but are subject to availability. You’ll need to call and make these arrangements.
Another thing to remember is that the winery is not child-friendly. The web site states no children under 16 on jazz Sundays and no children under 12 at dinner. Children are okay during lunch. I’m not sure how that works exactly. Maybe children are more boisterous or cranky at night. LOL.
Be sure to bring extra money for tchotchkes because they have a neat gift shop with a wide selection of unique, fun items. I really liked the mason jar wineglasses, which look like these, but they were $16 each and I really didn’t want to pay that much for them. As a consolation I got a bottle of Happy Cat, which I am glad that I got because it’s not available for purchase on their web site, and a couple of their logo souvenir wineglasses for only $5 each. Although, at Saltwater Farm Vineyard they give you the souvenir wineglasses for free with your $8 tasting fee. Oh, and they don’t have Paul at LightCatcher. =P
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Swimming at Jeff and Cousin Tracy’s Place
Posted on September 4, 2011 by Ching under Family, Travel.
Brian and I had a lot of fun swimming at Jeff and Cousin Tracy’s place yesterday. They have a beautiful home with an amazing backyard. Their saltwater swimming pool has one end that is shallow and then the other end is deep. At the shallow end it’s got a hot tub with a waterfall, which was my favorite feature. Here are some photos…
P.S. Cousin Tracy fed us yummy ribs, sausage, potato casserole and a bunch of other stuff last night. I have totally blown my diet this weekend.
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Lunch with the Orbases
Posted on September 4, 2011 by Ching under Travel.
It was great to see the Orbases again. The last time we saw them was around this same time last year. Visiting the Orbases in Texas is starting to become a Labor Day weekend tradition. LOL.
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My New Tiny Shorts
Posted on September 3, 2011 by Ching under Shopping.
I almost bought these shorts on Amazon last month. I’m so glad I didn’t because I got them for free at Kohl’s last night. I remembered that I had $20 in Kohl’s cash from the shopping that Brian did a couple of weeks ago. They were to expire on September 5 though, so we needed to hurry up and use them. Brian and I decided to stop by there on Friday after my personal training appointment with John.
I really didn’t want to buy anything. I just wanted to use the $20, so that it didn’t go to waste. As luck would have it, I found these Soffe mesh tiny shorts for only $9.99 so I decided to get two of them — one red and one white (I wanted some black ones too, but they were completely sold out of all the black ones except for sizes L and XL).
I usually don’t shop at Kohl’s, but the store is growing on me. I ♥ ♥ ♥ getting free stuff! We thought we’d have to pay $1.27 in taxes but, as Brian started to pull out his wallet, the cashier (who was super nice, btw) said we didn’t have to pay anything because they apply the coupon to the pre-tax total. SCORE!
I normally wear size S so I was a little worried because Brian talked me into getting the XS ones. They were completely out of S sizes in all of the colors. My only options were to get M or XS. Brian said the M size would be too big for me. I hesitated, but took his advice in the end. We both figured that even if the XS doesn’t fit now, I’ll probably shrink into it in a matter of weeks. I immediately tried them on when I got home and guess what… They fit perfect! I’m so glad I listened to Brian! 🙂
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