Five Favorites: Spring Things

Now that spring has officially arrived (HUZZAH!) I would like to take a quick minute and share with you five of my favorite spring time things.

Beer!

I love all the spring seasonals. Heck, you know I am a sucker for any type of good beer year-round but there is something about the spring beers that just make me happy.

My favorite spring  beer I can find locally would definitely be Abita Strawberry. We tend to stock up so we don’t really go without it but once it hits the shelves at the stores its like a celebration for us.

Second place is 21^st Amendment Hell or High Watermelon (yes, I love these fruity beers for spring/summer- they are perfect beach beers) but since we cannot get this CA craft beer here in FL we just have to drink it up on our travels. I am super looking forward to our Atlanta trip in April so I can get my fill.

Also super yummy- Bayou Teche Passionne and Covington Brewhouse Strawberry Ale. Sidenote: out of the close to/maybe more 50 breweries I have been to Bayou Teche is my favorite. If you are ever passing through Arnaudville, LA (we did on our drive from Austin to Pensacola) you should definitely check it out!

Baseball

Yes! Baseball season has arrived and although we didn't get to make it to Phillies spring training this year (insert sad face here) I am super excited for some Pensacola Wahoos games (especially the ones we can bring Gordie to) and maybe even some MLB games on our travels this year. I just love, love, love baseball season.

Books

I love warm weather. I especially love the warm weather on days when I can sneak in some quiet time outside on our swing or just lounge on the beach and curl up with a good book. I have four books I am hoping to read over the next few months;  ‘We’ll Always Have Paris’, ‘It Was Me All Along’, ‘What You Can When You Can’ (#wycwyc) out on April 28^th and the next Jen Lancaster book, ‘I Regret Nothing', out on May 5^th! Hmmmm, April 28^th and May 5^th…I think those books would make great graduation presents, wouldn't you agree?

BBQ

It doesn't take more than a handful of days in the 70’s before E and I stop making meals indoors. It becomes salads or BBQ for dinner every night. No more stews, chili, soup. No more roasting or braising. It’s either cold foods (salads, ice cream) or it’s BBQ. That’s just how we roll. You would think I would probably be limited to what I can have for dinner from the BBQ since I am vegan but you would be wrong. I will BBQ pretty much anything. Yep, there is the standard BBQ fare like veggie burgers or veggie dogs but I will grill up just about anything else I can get my hands on. Some of my faves- grilled mushrooms, potatoes, corn on the cob, eggplant, zucchini, peaches, pineapple slices, onions, peppers….I think you see where I am going with this. I love my fruits and vegetables and I love them even more when they are hot off the grill.

Here are some tips and tricks for grilling vegetables : 5 Tips for How to Cook Grilled Vegetables Perfectly

Beach Days

It won’t be long until our weekends are spent at the beach.  Living on the gulf coast we are spoiled by easy access to some of the most beautiful beaches in the country. Spring time means Sundays lounging at the beach with my boys (we do have some dog friendly beaches too), drinking beers, reading books, and taking in as much Vitamin D as possible. I am definitely the happiest and the calmest Dacia when I can devote a day or two to the beach every week.  You would be hard pressed to convince me to ever move north again. I am definitely a beach bum at heart.

What are some of your spring favorites? Are you a beach person or not so much?

Love and hugs,

Dacia

xoxoxoxoxox

Catching Up and Checking In...

It has been a crazy, whirlwind these last two weeks.  We drove from our home in Pensacola all the way to Austin (and then down to San Antonio) to spend time with friends and catch two days of Austin City Limits music festival. It was so much fun. So, so, so much fun! All of the bands we saw totally rocked, the weather was perfect, and I got to spend time with some of my favorite people. Oh, and we got to stop at a new brewery on our way home from Texas- Bayou Teche in Louisiana. It was awesome. Their facility/tap room just opened this past summer so it was really nice to find them, try out some of their incredible beers (ALL of them were great) and meet some of the owners, employees and locals. I randomly ended up trading my old iPhone case for a DVD of documentary made by this local woman I met there. I just love how the most random things happen when we travel.

Unfortunately, as we were headed out from Baton Rouge to Austin we received some heartbreaking news- the puppy we were planning to pick up the weekend of the 18^th (yes, this upcoming weekend) was very ill and the owner contacted me because she was going to have to put him down. Long story short, Charlie (now known as Darwin) has a neurological disorder which is affecting his ability/desire to eat. Thankfully, though Darwin was taken in by the vet and he is still hanging in there, being handfed, and we are all praying that he can recover, although it is unlikely. Right now, that is a decision for the vet to make as they have taken over care and ownership of little Darwin.

That was some really tough news to hear, especially when I thought little Charlie/Darwin was going to be put down. I am still really sad about losing our puppy but knowing he is under the best care and still fighting the good fight helps get me through the day. It was a rough day. I know that there is a dog in our future, now was just clearly not the time.

Wow…that was hard to write. I am still a mess over this whole thing. Especially after losing my Maggie and Ruby earlier this year (who are happy with their current/new family- I still check in on them) and dealing with the guilt that I couldn’t do more to keep them. It certainly hasn’t been easy but I hope in time it will get easier…

Ok, so that was our Texas trip…the good and the bad. I am always thankful that there are so many amazing people in my life to help me through the bad. When I talked about Charlie on FB (because honestly I did not want to recount that story again and again to my friends and family) I received an outpouring of kind words and support and it has made this whole thing somewhat bearable.

Once I was back from Texas I had a really short two days back at home until I took off for NYC. I can’t tell you why I went to New York but if you think about it long and hard, and you know the person I was in NY with, then you can probably figure it out. I have to wait three months to talk about it…that is quite the challenge. But, I am so excited to be able to share all of the details with you when I can and I am feeling so lucky and honored to be able to have had such an opportunity. But for now…mum’s the word.

While I was in NY I got to do some fun tourist things (Empire State Building, Central Park), eat some phenomenal vegan food, and spend time with my bestie and my ‘sister’. Thankfully I was able to extend my time in NY and that allowed for a meet up with my ‘sister’ Kelly (someone that has been a HUGE part of my journey these past few years) and that my best friend Jaime came to NY to spend the day with me. It was so much fun. Definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity and I am so happy I had some of my favorite people there with me to celebrate. And celebrate we did J

 

Training while traveling was…interesting. I was able to fit in every run for week’s five and six except for my long run for week 6. I had every intention to run my long run through Central Park but rainy, cold weather kept me from that. Timing wise, I just couldn’t fit in a long run at the gym before Jaime arrived at Penn so I just chalked that one up to life and enjoyed the day with my friend that I see once, maybe twice a year. Priorities. Friends come first J

I also had a mid-term due while I was traveling in NY. I always seem to be away during mid-terms and finals and find myself writing papers/completing projects from 35,000 feet. It is something I think I am getting better at but it doesn’t make it any less stressful. Not complaining though. I am lucky to be able to work on my third degree, for free. It is definitely a great perk of this job and it allows me to work towards a big life goal of mine. I just wish I my professors would let me submit work on my own timetable ;)

So, that is about it. I think you are all caught up. This week I am back to my normal half marathon training and meeting with my personal trainer. I also have some fun stuff planned for the weekend, including a ghost tour and a 5K with E, but it is all local (mostly) and I am so happy about that. We are home for two more months and I am really excited to be able to get back into my routine and get prepped for the holidays! Can you believe we are just 2 weeks out from Halloween???

Love and hugs,

Dacia

xoxoxoxox