{Life as we live it}

OBX day 4 - hang gliding...

hang gliding was probably the best adventure during our OBX vacay! it was something new, different & exhilarating FUN! it was a HOT Sunday morning when we trekked up the sand dunes. a whopping 131 degrees to be exact. there was plenty of water for everyone, but we also brought our own. we both managed to finish 6 bottles by the time we headed back down to receive our certificates & honestly, i could have had more.

i wish i had a better photo of the instructor pictured above, b/c he looked & sounded like Matthew Mcconaughey. he could easily pass as his brother for sure. it was surreal. i was going to say something to the guy, but i didn't. i'm sure he's been asked or told many times before, ha!

i had awesome take off & flight, but my landing was sure horrible, LOL! as you can see above, i'm about to crash into the sand, hahaha!

Tim had much better landing...he's got skillz ;)

oh, i can't wait to do this again. even though it was extremely hot, it was well worth the five flights!

when we headed back to the hotel, we quickly showered & rested. we were so burnt out, i couldn't think of doing anything else, LOL. i ended up napping for almost 2 hours...woke up just in time for happy hour ;) hahahaha!

for our last meal, we had dinner at the Black Pelican. their food was YUM! very cool setting, right off the by the water, which was nice!

before we went to see Savages, we stopped back at Trio to pick up a t-shirt for me. they had beer 50% off, too. we couldn't refuse, so we indulged in some cocktails before the movies :)

it was a GOOD day!!!

 

 

OBX day3 - cape hatteras + wine & beer...

in the past 30 days, i've been lucky to cross a few things off my life list & one of them was to visit & climb the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, 248 spiral steps all the way up to the top...that is high.

 

another extremely hot & humid day. but once we made it to the top, the strong winds cooled us off. if you leaned against the lighthouse, you could feel it slightly move...freaky, but so cool at the same time.

breathtaking views all around!

Tim is afraid of heights...the fact that he got that close to the edge to film the view took a lot of guts, that's for sure.

& we didn't stay on the balcony for five minutes, it was more like 20. the ranger there was really nice & answered a lot of our questions.

down below, we visited the two homes where it was nice & cool before heading back to OBX.

during our drive back, lots & lots of cars were lined up on the side of the roads along the islands with vacationers & locals checking out the beach views, kite boarding, basking in the sun & kayaking. it was pretty wild, but not so good for some who's vehicles were stuck in the sand.

after the hour drive and a quick stop for lunch, we headed back to the hotel to relax and i spent some time with my long time girlfriend, Lori & her daughter, Lauren, by our Inn's pool. it was a fun time and VERY relaxing. the water was extremely warm.

during our vacation, i picked out all the restaurants where we'd dine for dinner & one of them was at Trio Wine, Beer & Cheese...MY HAPPY PLACE ;)

this is new to me, tasting wine through a dispensing machine. they give you a card, you select a taste, which was around 1 or 1.5oz, half glass or full glass if you like it a lot. the price varied from low to high end. there were four that i just LOVED & i even bought a bottle, a 2009 Ferrari Carano, Cab Sauv, Alexander Valley. it's rich, smooth, no tannin aftertaste and a perfect summertime wine. a California wine that i am going to have to try & find locally.

food was good, too. they have lots of paninis to try even a cheese bar, that i didn't get to try. maybe next time. it was a great place that i hope to visit again some day soon.

they also have a huge selection of draft beers and other specialty beers. Tim really enjoyed the Banana Bread Beer...i tried it & it was really delish. not heavy at all, crisp and clean, so light! many others that were in the bar area bought it as well.

refreshingly light...

(photo courtesy of PBS.org)

i'm not big on coleslaw nor am i big on mayo. the taste of mayo just doesn't please my taste buds. so, i generally stay clear of it. if there is a recipe that calls for mayo, i use very little of it as much as possible. coleslaw was always a staple growing up...homemade, store bought or KFC style. i would eat a little of it here & there when i was a kid, but for the most part, i would pass it up.

during our family vacation in Hilton Head last week, each family was responsible for one night dinner. i had changed my mind several times as to what i was going to make & knew i had to come up w/ something super simple that didn't cost a fortune. a last minute decision was to make this yummy Brown Sugar & Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin, which would be great paired with coleslaw. after searching the net for an hour, came across this No-Mayo Coleslaw.

just reading the ingredients made my mouth water & after making it. i loved it & from what i could tell, so did the rest of the 17 family members (minus a few young ones). the only thing i did differently was use less olive oil and let it sit in the fridge for about an hour. this coleslaw was perfectly delicious & refreshingly light, which i loved! definitely something i will make more often, especially during these hot summer months!

lastly, be sure to check out this Lily Bee's Summer CHA preview event...LOTS of projects giving you a tease of what is to be revealed later this month!

xo!

sweet succulent goodness...

(photo courtsey of C&C Marriage Factory blog)

i am diggin using my crockpot more lately. it's just the best thing ever. i mean, i can quickly prepare meat in the morning to put in the crockpot and let cook on low for 6 to 8 hours...OMG, so easy & less mess! i'm so hooked! i love it. i know, i act like it's something that's new, when it's not, LOL. i'm just a girl that really enjoys grilling, roasting & sauteing meat in the oven. but i now have a new love for cooking meat in the crockpot.

i've not bought pork tenderloin, say over a year. i was sooo bored w/ that meat that every time i'd make it just wasn't good to me. while roaming around pinterest, i came across the beautiful image above & clicked on the link to find the recipe here. oh my word, the combination of brown sugar & balsamic vinegar had my mouth salivating beyond belief, LOL. i, of course, pinned it & waited & waited for months before i finally took the plunge to buy some tenderloin. i had to buy two as the store only carried 1lb slabs of meat in a package.

the aroma of sage & garlic together left the house smelling so yum & eight hours later, dinner was served! goodness gracious...the family devoured it. Tim & i even had seconds & honestly, we probably could have eaten it all up if we didn't have side dishes...it was that DAMN good! i don't see myself getting bored w/ this yummy sweetness anymore. something we have added to our menu on the regular & probably the best meal we've eaten this week thus far!

happy friday, xo!

girlfriends + pinterest + food & wine...

two years ago, my girlfriends & i have been meeting monthly to crop. we would take turns as hostess. so much has changed over the last year though, we don't scrapbook anymore. finding that we spend more time talking than creating. unless you are Laurie, she is either knitting or making earrings to sell ;) plus, we are too busy laughing, giving one another a hard time, eating yummy food, catching up on each of our personal lives over a few glasses of wine.

since i have so much product & always downsizing my stash, they are always the first to get to pick through all the scrappy goodness before i chuck or donate to local church or the kids schools. Katherine had an array delicious wine that we were pleasantly happy to drink out of her mom's good china :)

lately, i have been enjoying making appetizer dishes. i don't make them all the time, but when i'm in the mood, i will. this latest dish is the Antipasto on Skewers. it was most delicious! i found this on Pinterest & knew i had to try it. it was really good. i made enough for us each to have three skewers. the recipe didn't call for prosciutto, but i added it on some of them anyway. well worth it!!!

i had leftovers & mixed all the ingredients in a big bowl for the family to eat during lunch. i even set out to the market Monday morning after my car appointment to buy more ingredients to nibble on for dinner tomorrow night, ha! this time i will add fresh basil & drizzle a little bit of olive oil & mix it all up in a bowl.

funny thing is,i've never been a fan of salami, NEVER! until now.