A Trip to Pennsylvania and New Jersey

My trip to Pennsylvania and New Jersey was pretty uneventful until the flights home, but it was still fun.

I left bright and early on Tuesday morning to head to Philadelphia. I made it to my hotel just after 5:30 pm. I unpacked a bit, changed into my gym clothes and headed down to the gym. When I got into the gym, there were several guys working out and a woman.

 View from my hotel room

Another view

I hoped onto the treadmill and started noticing the guys were wearing this The Damn Tour t-shirts. I wanted to try to figure out who was in this room because it has to be someone famous. But before I could finish googling The Damn Tour, the lady next to me came up to the guy on the other side of me and asked if they could facetime her daughter and so they did.

Turns out it was Kendrick Lamar and his crew in there. Kendrick facetimed her daughter as a birthday surprise and the 15 year old girl was soooo excited. Once they got off the phone, I introduced myself, said hello and chatted for a few seconds. Then the camera man that was down there with them asked if it was ok to have me in the camera shots and I agreed to it. So who knows, I may be on a Kendrick Lamar documentary.

I told my husband about this and he said I should have fan girled it out a bit and got a photo.

After my workout, I showered, changed and headed to Luke's Lobster for dinner. I had a lobster roll (duh), chips and coleslaw. Sooo good.

After dinner I walked around Walnut and Chestnut (shopping areas) for a bit before heading back to my hotel. I wanted a glass of wine, so I headed back to my hotel. Problem was there was a huge magazine party there. Good news was they had a little area at the bar for hotel guest. I got my glass of wine and then headed upstairs to bed.

Wednesday I worked in Trenton and Princeton. Princeton was beautiful and everything was located near the campus. I took a brief walk around campus. Wow. So much history and so beautiful.

After finishing work, I headed back to Philadelphia. That evening I had Italian food at the Gran Caffe followed by their famous gelato. It did not disappoint. I walked back to my hotel and crashed early.

Thursday I headed towards Atlantic City for work. I worked there and all around the Jersey Shore area. I had ice cream at my favorite spot in Stone Harbor, Springers. Springers chip. Amazing. It is coffee ice cream with chocolate chunks in it. It was my favorite when I visited for a wedding while pregnant with the girls and it is still a favorite.

I did more work and then headed back to Philadelphia. I didn't get back until after 6 pm because tons of traffic. There was another two tour buses outside and I was dying to know who was staying there. The valet had no idea and neither did others. Boo.

I went to the gym and then headed out to Zavino for some pizza. The food was good per usual. I then walked around some shops before heading back to my hotel.

Friday was my day to leave. I had lunch at this amazing falafel place and then headed to the airport.

My flight from Philadelphia to Denver ended up getting diverted into Scottsbluff, Nebraska. What we thought would be a 20 minute diversion, turned into almost 3 hours. So that was at least 7 hours of no food at that point. I was wishing I had gotten the tapas snack box on the plane. Ugh.

I got this drink for free after making friends with the flight attendant. He was awesome. Our captain was also pretty awesome. He kept giving us updates in person and was really funny. He made light of the situation and made us feel better. At one point, we had to move our plane for another plane. So he hoped in the "drivers seat" and moved the plane. How often do you see this happen? Never.

We made it into Denver around 10 pm. This was after sitting on the tarmac for awhile waiting for a gate. I called to get a different flight at a later time, but had no luck. I was stuck in Denver, so I started calling hotels to get a room and everything was sold out. I had to drive out to Boulder for a hotel. I got to my hotel at 12:45 am and after 15 or 16 hours, I finally had a Stouffers single serving of lasagna. Lasagna never tasted so good.

At 5 am, I got a call from the airline saying they booked me on the non-stop at 11:15 instead of the 6 pm flight. That made me happy, but I had only slept about 3 hours at that point. I wasn't able to get much sleep after that. I made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare and then my flight was delayed an hour. Ugh. But I made it back to Reno and all was well. That is until the baggage came. I didn't see my bag and got worried, but it ended up being the second to the last off the flight. I got home just after 2:15 pm. But at least I was home!

And that recaps my Philadelphia/New Jersey trip!

Birthday Wish List

So next week is my birthday. It kind of creeped up on me. I mean I knew it was coming up, but yesterday I realized it was soon as I need to renew my driver's license. Well get the Real ID which is mandatory in my state by a year or so from now. So lucky me that I get to spend Wednesday morning at the DMV.

Anyways, as with any birthday you see in the blogging world, it comes with a gift guide. Seriously, there isn't that much that I want right now. Basically, just give me a gift card so I can go out and buy things. Shopping alone without my girls is a gift and then buying fun stuff is another gift. But that wouldn't be fun, so here are a few things I would love to see in my hands on my birthday.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

ONE. I have been wanting an iWatch for quite sometime now. It is no secret that I don't like my Garmin Vivoactive anymore. I have thought about a Fitbit or another brand, but when it comes down to it, I want the iWatch.

TWO. When I went to the eye doctor with Rory to pick out his new glasses, I tried on some sunglasses like I normally do and fell in love with these green Ray Bans. Love them and a total change up from my Tory Burches.

THREE. I love Lululemon workout and leisure wear. Seriously the clothes are so comfy and nothing beats their workout clothes. I want to buy it all, so that is why a gift card would be the best.

FOUR. A few years back Rory got me blush pink Tieks and I love them. Now I want the classic black ones since I wear black flats almost daily at work.

FIVE. I love a good pair of booties and I don't have any short heeled booties in black. 

SIX. I bought these jeans a couple months ago and I love them. They are so soft, comfy and hold their shape really well. And I don't feel like they are too low rise when I am chasing toddlers around.

SEVEN. I already have a daily purse, but I need a crossbody for traveling, football games or going out so I don't have to lug my big bag around. I want something simple and we all know how much I love Kate Spade.

EIGHT. I have been searching for a good pair of wireless headphones. I have read way too many reviews and I am still not sure these are perfect, but how close to perfect can I get? I love Bose and hope these would be amazing.

* This post may contain affiliate links.

Weekending

I feel like it has been forever since I wrote anything here and that is because all of my posts last week were written early since I was in New Jersey and Pennsylvania last week. Let me just say, wow, New Jersey has a TON of tolls. I plan on doing a little recap of my week later this week, but for now, I am going to talk about my little weekend. I am saying little weekend because storms in Denver caused me to have a 3 hour diversion into Scottsbluff, Nebraska and a missed connection in Denver. I didn't get home until after 2 pm on Saturday. Exhausted.

Once I got home, I just couldn't wait to take a shower and get into clean clothes. This was after greeting my family. The girls helped me unpack and once I was clean and settled in, we played and caught up. Then we had an early dinner since I was starving and ate little over the last 24 hours.

We went to dinner and then tried to take the girls around the mall to burn off some energy and calories from dinner. The girls had mega tantrums and it was embarrassing. I haven't seen a tantrum like this ever. It was epic. Screams, kicking and lots of tears all because we wanted to go into a store that the girls didn't want to go in. Once the tantrums ensued, we grabbed the girls and headed out. They screamed the entire time. Awful. Once we were in the car, we tried to tell them why we left, why it isn't ok to have a tantrum like that and to chill out. Avery did, but Sutton wasn't having it. They were so upset. Ugh. We drove home, got them ready for bed and just chilled out. Not the way I wanted to end my long day.

Sunday morning we thought about going to the lake, but after not having all the supplies needed, we decided to go to breakfast and then head to Graeagle for the first part of the day. The girls love it there as do I.

We went to the pond first and walked around it. It is about half mile to three quarters of a mile. We threw rocks into the pond and tried to spot the frogs we kept hearing.

 Avery didn't want her picture taken all day.

After the pond, we headed over to the ice cream shop. Rory and I each got a scoop (which was massive) and we shared with the girls in the park across the way. The girls loved the ice cream minus the almonds in it. We played in the park for a bit before heading to the Brewing Lair, a local brewery that we love.

Once we got to the Brewing Lair, we noticed that it was getting crowded and they were having an even there later in the afternoon, Pints for Pups. It was in support of the humane society. So cute. They were setting up a food truck, a band, lawn games and more. We watched things get set up, had some beers, let the girls run around and play with the lawn games and just relaxed. It was very hot there, but so amazing.

After having a beer, we headed to a food truck for some lunch. The girls and I had grilled cheese and fries while Rory had a tuna sandwich. Everything was tasty. We headed home after and the girls fell asleep in the car.

We got home around 2 pm and bathed the girls and then bathed Walter since he was so stinky. Then the girls and I did chores around the house while Rory mowed the lawn. I headed out to the grocery store around 5 pm and grabbed stuff for the week. By the time I got home, it was already 6 pm. The day had flown by.

I prepped dinner, did some laundry, played with the girls and then swept and moped the kitchen and bathroom floors. It is amazing how dirty they get with the girls being at home everyday right now.

We put the girls down close to 8 pm and Rory fired up the grill to cook tri tip while I finished dinner inside. We had dinner, watched some tv shows and then went to bed early.

How was your weekend?

I am linking up with Biana from B Loved Boston.

Grilled Skirt Steak Tacos Recipe

A couple weeks ago, I made skirt steak tacos for Taco Tuesday and I had a lot of questions on them. I thought I would share our super simple recipe. Perfect for a week night.

Normally, I go to a carniceria for carne asada and grill that up, but this time, I picked up skirt steak and went with that.

SKIRT STEAK TACOS
Serves: 3 to 4

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/4 lbs skirt steak
Canola Oil
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Corn Tortillas

Toppings (optional, but encouraged):
1 Medium Sweet Onion (for grilled onions)
2 Avocados (for the guacamole)
Limes (for the guacamole and to finish your taco with)
1 Small Tomato (for the guacamole)
Hot sauce

MAKE IT:

1. Drizzle the canola oil over your skirt steak on both sides and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. You want to make sure you season well as this is where your meat gets its flavor. Let stand for 30 minutes.

2. Pre-heat your grill to 400 degrees or medium high.
3. Cut your onion into quarters and drizzle it with canola oil, salt and pepper.
4. Once your grill is heated, place your skirt steak on the grill for 3 minutes. Flip, then grill on the other side for 3 minutes. This will give you a temperature of medium. Also, place your onions on the grill and grill them until they get some char and they partially soften.
5. Once your meat is cooked, take it off and let it sit for 10 minutes. Then cut along the grain. I recommend cutting thin slices so it is easier to eat in a taco.
6. Assemble your tacos and enjoy.

Rory's new favorite hot sauce

We love to pair our tacos with grilled corn. To make easy grilled corn, I slather my corn with butter and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Sometimes I use red pepper flakes instead of pepper. Wrap in foil and grill for 25 minutes on medium high heat.

Tip: Using a small frying pan, you can heat your tortillas to make them softer, so they won't break when you fill them up. I turn my burner on to low to medium low and place my tortilla in the pan for about 1 minute and then flip over for another minute.

Weekending

Since yesterday was my monthly $10 at Target post, I am bringing my weekend update at you all today. As I mentioned on Friday, it was my nephew's birthday last week, so we headed to the Bay Area this weekend to celebrate the little guy.

But let me back up to Friday. Friday after work, we headed out to run a bunch of errands. First, we stopped off for some lunch and then headed to Target because I still needed to shop for my $10 at Target. Plus we picked up more stuff. Isn't that how it always goes? After Target, we headed to Petco for some dog food, then to Nordstrom Rack to check out their sales. Big mistake. I spent way too much money. I bought some new pjs because I desperately needed some, and two outfits for work which I will be wearing on my trip this week. Finally, we headed to the girls new pre-school/daycare to drop off the rest of the paperwork and get the final run down on stuff we need for their first day. Can you believe they start there in less than a month? Summer is winding down. Ugh.

Then we headed home to the girls and made them dinner. After dinner, we dropped Rory off at the airport to pick up a rental car for us. We decided to use some of our points on a free car rental so we wouldn't put the miles on either one of our cars. Best choice. For two days, it costs us some points and $6.44. Killer deal.

Once Rory got home, I headed out to dinner with a friend to catch up on his life and all the crazy things that he has been going through. I came home early and after watching a show or two, we went to bed.

Saturday morning we got up bright and early to get ready to go to the Bay Area. We stopped in Truckee at Marty's Cafe for breakfast and then made the 3 1/2 hour drive. The girls did great in the car except the last half hour. Then they were getting tired of being cooped up. We got into town around 12:30 and went up to my sister-in-laws house for a birthday gathering.

We ate pizza, opened and played with some gifts, had cake and then took a walk to the park. It was hot outside (102 degrees), but we stayed for quite awhile. The girls had so much fun. They didn't want to leave, but it was getting late, and still hot, so we headed back. After a quick cool down at my sister-in-laws, we headed to our hotel.

Each of the mini cakes was a different flavor and were all so good. Left to right: lemon cake, mocha cake, salted caramel cake and carrot cake 

Once we got settled into our hotel, we blew up the girls toddler travel beds (we use this one and highly recommend it) and then gave them a little bath since it was soooo hot outside. Then we showered and Rory headed out to get some Panera for dinner. While he was gone, Avery fell asleep, but Sutton was awake for some soup and salad. We were watching Toy Story 3 and then she fell asleep. Once both girls were out, we opened a bottle of wine and relaxed.

Sunday morning we got up, got ready and packed. Then we headed to breakfast with the family. Rory and I had to eat clean as we had our life insurance exams on Monday. Total bummer, but the food was still really good. Then we headed over to see the house my sister-in-law has a pending offer on. It was so cute and we really hope it all works out for them.

Then we headed to the Walnut Creek mall, but got there too early. So we walked to Starbucks where I enjoyed their new Nitro Cold Brew. So good and highly recommend it. Once we were done there, the stores were opening. We stopped in Nordstrom, Hanna Andersen, Kendra Scott and Lush before going to True Food Kitchen for lunch. The girls had pizza, Rory had a salad and I had veggie panang curry.

After lunch, we loaded up and drove home. We made it home by 4 pm where we unpacked, started laundry and took the rental car back. Then my parents came over to drop Walter off and visited for awhile. The rest of the evening was spent getting ready for the week ahead, laundry, having dinner and going to bed early.

How was your weekend?

$10 at Target - San Francisco Giants

Once again $10 at Target crept up on me. Doesn't it always?

I did find the cutest stuff at Target this month. We browsed and wanted to buy almost everything for the girls, but we finally decided on these two shirts for the girls.

So I am not sure if you can tell in the photo, but the hangers say 3T. I got them slightly big so they could wear them for awhile. Well I guess I didn't check the actual shirts because one is a 3T and one is a 4T. Oops. Once I got home and noticed the different shirt sizes, I put them on top of each other and realized that they are so close in size. Crisis adverted. Though if I had to go back to Target that wouldn't have been so bad would it?

These shirts were on clearance for $6.48. Most likely due to the Giants being in last place, but we are still rooting for them to make a come back.

So how did I do this month?

$6.48 Toddler Giants shirt
$6.48 Toddler Giants shirt
$1.12 Tax

Total $14.08 OVER

I was over but it was worth it. What did you buy at Target with your $10? Grab the image below and come back to link up with us.

Stephanie | www.wifemommyme.com
Beth | www.ourprettylittlegirls.com
Becky | www.bybmg.com
Tif | www.brightonabudget.com
Heather | www.myglitteryheart.com 
Ashley | http://www.ashleynewell.me
Emily | www.threeboysandagirlblog.blogspot.com​
Shani | www.sunshineandmunchkins.com
Sarah | www.foxysdomesticside.com
Johannah | http://johannahsirois.blogspot.com
Stephanie | www.thegiftygirl.com
Kristyn | www.everyonessleepingbutmom.com
Danielle | www.sparklesandlattes.blogspot.com
Jess | www.secretsofasahmom.blogspot.com
Christine | www.swordfightsandstarrynights.com

An InLinkz Link-up

Friday Favorites and Happenings

Thank goodness it is Friday. This week has been rough. If it wasn't something at home, it was something at work. So this weekend is very much welcomed. Luckily, the girls were well taken care of all week! Papa daycare was in full force.

Let's get onto Friday favorites and happenings.

ONE. We had a poop issue this week. Tuesday evening we get home for work and I start cooking the girls dinner while they went outside with Rory to get the propane tank to go get it refilled. While Rory was gone, I took the girls to our room so I could change into more comfy clothes. Then we came back to the kitchen and I grabbed everything out of the fridge to make guacamole for our steak tacos that night.

As I was doing this, Avery said mommy look. So I looked over and saw a few piles of something looking like dirt on the floor. But quickly realized it was poop. I freaked a bit and told them not to move. So what do the girls do? They start moving around. I avoid the poop, grab a chair and put Avery in it and check her shoes. Nothing. Then I do the same with Sutton and she has poop on one of her shoes. I take that off and tell the girls to stay in the chairs.

I wanted to make sure it was poop so I brought the shoe near my nose, but still 12 inches away and I could smell the awful poop smell. Ugh. I cleaned her shoe off the best I could and wiped up the many poop marks with Clorox wipes.

Then I remembered we went into our room so I could change. Ugh. So there could be poop on the carpet. Ugh. Once Rory got home, I had finished the girls dinner and he fed and cleaned them up while I mopped the kitchen floors and vacuumed the rest of the house.

We checked the backyard for stepped in poop (this was fresh poop for sure), nothing. We checked around our cars for when we got home, nothing. We checked the girls pull-ups, nothing. We checked everywhere. Plus there was no marks from the backyard door into the kitchen nor the garage door to the kitchen. Our conclusion: Walter had some leftover poop on his butt and came into the kitchen and it dropped or he sat down (which he was right there when I was getting the making for guac out) and Sutton stepped in it tracking it around the kitchen.

I really cleaned her sandal later in the evening, but it has all these flower creases and I feel like it is still in there. Ugh. So gross.

TWO. So we have had some ants here and there in my bathroom lately. You know, the tiny tiny ants. I kill them, but told Rory we needed to get the house sprayed soon. Plus we get black widows outside from time to time. Wednesday we came home after a long day of Board meetings, a quick stop to Costco and major traffic. We get inside and see a ton of little ants all over our kitchen. On the counter tops, floor, on the cabinets, etc. We are killing as many as possible and I brought the vacuum out to suck them up too. The girls thought it was fun to help out. Ha. But we spent a good 20 minutes killing them all and sprayed inside (one safe for indoors, pets and kids).

After that I once again cleaned the entire kitchen area up again. Ugh. I can't win this week. Thursday I called to have the pest control guys come out and spray. Thank goodness.

THREE. Next week, I am traveling to the Philadelphia/New Jersey area. Are any of my blogger friends in this area??

FOUR. Yesterday my sweet nephew turned one. I can't believe he has been in our lives for a year now. We facetimed my sister-in-law last night to wish Carson a Happy Birthday. The girls sang Happy Birthday to Carson (they have been practicing for weeks) and kept asking to go see him. Luckily, we get to see the little dude this weekend!

Happy First Birthday Carson.

FIVE. I really need some new black flats to wear to work. I have a pair of Lucky ones and they have held up for a year, but are getting way scuffed and worn out. So I have been shopping on the Nordstrom sale plus on prime day for a new pair. But part of me is thinking, should I just spend more money on Tieks or continue to spend $60 to $100 a time on each pair. How long do Tieks hold up when you wear them almost daily for work? I have a pair of blush ones that I wear about twice or so a month, sometimes more and they are doing great. But that isn't daily.

I am linking up with April, A Little Bit of Everything, Karli, Meet @ the Barre and Cup of Tea.