Friday, March 30, 2012
Surviving the Parking Lot, Part 2: The Kumquat
***I added a note to the video but everyone isn't seeing it....I am aware that you're supposed to eat the skin of the kumquat :) Well, I am as of this morning!! Oops...I'll have to try it again whole!**
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Paris and Rome, here we come!!
Ryan and I decided to join his mom and sisters on a trip to Paris and Rome in May, even though it's quite a bit out of our budget! We decided that the memories we will make with them are priceless and worth the splurge ($900/person to fly to Paris...ouch). This doesn't mean, however, that we will go willy nilly (who says willy nilly??) with our budget.
Planning a vacation on a budget isn't exactly the easiest thing to do when you're planning on visiting two of the most expensive cities possible and they're both pretty far away from sunny Florida. Really, visiting the main cities of any country are going to cost you more than staying in the small villages and towns where prices are cheaper or visiting a country much closer to your own (For example: our flights to Honduras in 2010 were about $250/each, plus the hostels were like $10-20/night). And since it's a big vacation for us, we also don't want to miss out on things just for the sake of saving money...in other words, we don't want to be cheapskates! We want to have a good time. So, how can we do the things we want to do and not deplete our savings completely?? I'll tell you how we're doing it, step by step:
1. Stay with friends or in a hostel OR buy a package deal
We are super lucky to have friends that live in Paris and have (graciously) offered to let us stay with them. Not only will we be able to spend time with friends and hear about Paris from a local's point of view but this is also a huge money saver. The only cost for lodging will be a nice thank you gift to them...which, I assure you, is quite a bit less than 4 nights in even a Parisian hostel.
In Rome, we have found an adorable hostel online, The Beehive, where for about $100/night, we will have a shared kitchen and a clean, well reviewed place to lay our heads not too far from the train station and the hotel where Ryan's mom and sisters are staying.
I'm usually against package deals and tours because I feel that, overall, you can usually save money if you're willing to stay in a hostel or some other form of cheap lodging. In Paris and Rome....hostels are expensive! Instead of $10-30/night, you will pay $100+/night for even the most homely of rooms (The exception being, of course, if you stay on the edge of the city or in a nearby town).
The deal that the in-laws got, $1500/person, includes airfare to Paris and from Paris to Rome PLUS lodging in both cities for 10 nights. Not bad when you consider that the rooms they're staying in go for $300-400/night normally. We will still save money because we're staying with friends for half of the trip, but otherwise, it would have been cheaper to get the package deal when you factor in the flight from Paris to Rome and the 11 nights lodging.
2. How to pay for the trip?
We have decided that, rather than clean out our savings and stocks, we will lower our student loan payments for a few months. We're still paying at least the minimum, but normally we pay 2.5 times the minimum to accelerate paying the debt off. It's not ideal but again, the memories of a family trip are worth the splurge (to us). I do not suggest using a credit card to pay for any trip! An expensive trip can quickly become an un-Godly mountain of debt when you factor in the interest you'll be paying on that trip.
Total spent so far (in USD):
Airfare for 2 from Orlando to Paris: $1800
Airfare for 2 from Paris to Rome (We love you RyanAir): $185
(We will hit up a total of 8 airports...direct flights cost more!)
Estimate for hostel in Rome: $440 (includes 2 Euro/day/person "tourist tax")
____________________________________
$2,425 (Made me a little nauseous to type that)
These are pretty much non-negotiables...our only opportunities to save money will be how we choose to get around the cities (bus vs. taxi), how we choose to eat (restaurants vs. utilizing grocery stores), places we choose to visit, etc.
Since we're still about a month away from going, that's as far as we've gotten! I'm still researching the best options for getting around the cities, where and what to eat and how to see the sights without paying too much. Any tips you have would be greatly appreciated! Let me know in the comments :)
Planning a vacation on a budget isn't exactly the easiest thing to do when you're planning on visiting two of the most expensive cities possible and they're both pretty far away from sunny Florida. Really, visiting the main cities of any country are going to cost you more than staying in the small villages and towns where prices are cheaper or visiting a country much closer to your own (For example: our flights to Honduras in 2010 were about $250/each, plus the hostels were like $10-20/night). And since it's a big vacation for us, we also don't want to miss out on things just for the sake of saving money...in other words, we don't want to be cheapskates! We want to have a good time. So, how can we do the things we want to do and not deplete our savings completely?? I'll tell you how we're doing it, step by step:
1. Stay with friends or in a hostel OR buy a package deal
We are super lucky to have friends that live in Paris and have (graciously) offered to let us stay with them. Not only will we be able to spend time with friends and hear about Paris from a local's point of view but this is also a huge money saver. The only cost for lodging will be a nice thank you gift to them...which, I assure you, is quite a bit less than 4 nights in even a Parisian hostel.
In Rome, we have found an adorable hostel online, The Beehive, where for about $100/night, we will have a shared kitchen and a clean, well reviewed place to lay our heads not too far from the train station and the hotel where Ryan's mom and sisters are staying.
I'm usually against package deals and tours because I feel that, overall, you can usually save money if you're willing to stay in a hostel or some other form of cheap lodging. In Paris and Rome....hostels are expensive! Instead of $10-30/night, you will pay $100+/night for even the most homely of rooms (The exception being, of course, if you stay on the edge of the city or in a nearby town).
The deal that the in-laws got, $1500/person, includes airfare to Paris and from Paris to Rome PLUS lodging in both cities for 10 nights. Not bad when you consider that the rooms they're staying in go for $300-400/night normally. We will still save money because we're staying with friends for half of the trip, but otherwise, it would have been cheaper to get the package deal when you factor in the flight from Paris to Rome and the 11 nights lodging.
2. How to pay for the trip?
We have decided that, rather than clean out our savings and stocks, we will lower our student loan payments for a few months. We're still paying at least the minimum, but normally we pay 2.5 times the minimum to accelerate paying the debt off. It's not ideal but again, the memories of a family trip are worth the splurge (to us). I do not suggest using a credit card to pay for any trip! An expensive trip can quickly become an un-Godly mountain of debt when you factor in the interest you'll be paying on that trip.
Total spent so far (in USD):
Airfare for 2 from Orlando to Paris: $1800
Airfare for 2 from Paris to Rome (We love you RyanAir): $185
(We will hit up a total of 8 airports...direct flights cost more!)
Estimate for hostel in Rome: $440 (includes 2 Euro/day/person "tourist tax")
____________________________________
$2,425 (Made me a little nauseous to type that)
These are pretty much non-negotiables...our only opportunities to save money will be how we choose to get around the cities (bus vs. taxi), how we choose to eat (restaurants vs. utilizing grocery stores), places we choose to visit, etc.
Since we're still about a month away from going, that's as far as we've gotten! I'm still researching the best options for getting around the cities, where and what to eat and how to see the sights without paying too much. Any tips you have would be greatly appreciated! Let me know in the comments :)
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Awww....
I didn't realize my sister put this on YouTube! It's her maid of honor speech from our wedding...made me cry then and now
Making a video
Okay, so Ryan and I made a video (will post tonight) about surviving our condo's parking lot (hardcore wilderness) and I realized a few things after watching the video:
1. I am a complete spaz. If every single one of you don't get a seizure from watching me flail around the screen, I will consider it a success.
2. Overripe prickly pears are not delicious.
3. I'd probably die in the first hour of the Hunger Games/a Zombie Apocalyse.
4. We are not professionals. Big shocker, I know. It was like watching the Blair Witch Project...I was the Blair Witch...or the girl with the snot/tears<--- both of which are terrible things to be under any circumstances, especially during amateur videomaking.
1. I am a complete spaz. If every single one of you don't get a seizure from watching me flail around the screen, I will consider it a success.
2. Overripe prickly pears are not delicious.
3. I'd probably die in the first hour of the Hunger Games/a Zombie Apocalyse.
4. We are not professionals. Big shocker, I know. It was like watching the Blair Witch Project...I was the Blair Witch...or the girl with the snot/tears<--- both of which are terrible things to be under any circumstances, especially during amateur videomaking.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Hiking at the Jacksonville Arboretum and Gardens
This past weekend, we made the short drive to the Jacksonville Arboretum and Gardens, which is a beautiful area set up to study various plants and trees and also happens to have several trails. Now that I've been made aware that hiking is really just "walking around in the woods"...I have wanted to do it more and more. Not only do I feel healthy, walking around is exercise after all, but I feel just so in tune with nature. hahahahah okay I couldn't type that with a straight face BUT it was really nice to be out there with the trees, birds and little streams that we found. There are many trails to explore and one trail leads you to this very peaceful area by a stream where I could have sat all day.
Being a total nerd and shameless Hunger Games fan, I found myself asking Ryan what we could eat in the Arboretum...if we were to be put into it to fight to the death. Then I started panicking because I realized there was no way I could climb any of the trees but then I relaxed...I'm 27, I have been inelible for the HG for almost 10 years! Whew. Also, I'm 27...I have no business reading books meant for tweens. Also, the Hunger Games isn't a real thing..........yet.
The point of this embarrassing tale is that it got me to thinking about survival in the wild. True, most of us will probably never have to use these skills but it couldn't hurt to know a few basic things, right? Ryan and I are going to explore the edible plants in the area and report back to you pronto! I think the first one will be the Prickly Pears that grow on a cactus in our condo's parking lot. Sounds lovely, doesn't it?
Monday, March 26, 2012
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Austin Karaoke
Ryan belting out a very touching "Can you feel the love tonight" from The Lion King
Do you love belting out Jon Secada and Mr. Big but can't express yourself through karaoke because you have to compete with much drunker, much more determined bar patrons? Not to mention the destruction that a smoky bar can have on your precious vocal chords. How would you like your own private karaoke room where you can bring booze and food from home? Disco light provided, thank goodness. Austin Karaoke is the place for you! And me and anyone else with a love for songs sung terribly. Bootleg background vocals and music and Korean videos just add to the exotic experience that is karaoke. They even have a food menu from the Korean restaurant next door if you have not brought enough snacks to fuel your singing. It's $5/person/hour, but can you really put a price on the privacy to sing your heart out to songs you have no business knowing by heart? (Blondie- Heart of Glass...MmmBop....Barbie Girl)
Austin Karaoke does not seem to have a working website, but they are located in a sketchy strip mall at 5161 Beach Blvd in Jacksonville. I believe they take reservations, but you can ask them yourself by calling: (904) 399-1757. Happy singing!
Monday, March 19, 2012
Gluten Free Eats in Jacksonville
After completing the Clean Program Cleanse this year, Ryan decided to give up gluten and cheese for Lent to see how he felt. I initially agreed to take this challenge with him, but I only made it a day...I'm weak!! We are not Catholic but he thought it'd be a good opportunity to test out a gluten and cheese free diet since he felt a lot healthier when he wasn't eating either on the Clean Program. Instead of feeling sleepy and sluggish after lunch and towards the end of the day, he now stays up later and gets up earlier...he was already hard to keep up with but now it's impossible. There are also less tummyaches and "digestive issues"...which people don't want to talk about but is worth mentioning for those suffering the same ills. For those who don't know what gluten is (there are many! You're not the only one!), here is a pretty thorough explanation.
I can't believe how long he has kept this up already and he shows no signs of stopping. This is the same guy who brewed his own, gluten-ful beer and would eat cheese covered cheese on top of some more cheese (if it was on the menu)...and he has been going to some very tempting restaurants and ordering things like: salad with no cheese at Moon River Pizza!! HOW DOES HE DO IT? They have the best pizza ever, but not a gluten-free, cheese-free pizza...so salad it was! Ryan is my hero.
Anyway, after eating gluten-free at a few restaurants, I thought I'd share with you some of our experiences, in no particular order. Another good resource is a blog we found, Gluten Free Jacksonville.
Fionn MacCool's Irish Restaurant and Pub at The Landing: We have eaten here twice since Ryan gave up gluten and cheese and both times the servers were so helpful and seemed to genuinely care about Ryan's restrictions. They both offered to speak with the chef to give us the rundown on what had gluten and what didn't. Certain seemingly "safe" options were quickly ruled out: the bangers (sausage) are made with grain and the boxty (made of potatoes) also has grain in it. Any meat by itself is safe as well as most of the vegetable side items. Since he could not eat the traditional Irish breakfast on St. Patty's Day, they instead made him a plate of rasher bacon and eggs. So, while they don't have a ton of gluten-free options, they are very understanding and make every effort to accomodate someone steering clear of gluten (and cheese). Plus, they serve Strongbow which, according to Strongbow's website, is gluten free and delicious!
PF Changs at St. John's Town Center: We were surprised to find out that soy sauce usually has gluten in it! Apparently this is because wheat is used to aid in fermenting the soy beans used for soy sauce. Luckily, you can buy gluten-free Tamari (a Japanese soy sauce) at Publix and health food stores which is every bit as delicious as soy sauce. How do you avoid soy sauce at a Chinese restaurant? Go to PF Changs! They have an entire section of their regular menu that has gluten free options and substitutes gluten-free Tamari for soy sauce. We tried the shrimp fried rice and it was absolutely wonderful. Add a few glasses of wine and you have a delicious dinner that doesn't feel like you're sacrificing good food for gluten free food.
TacoLu, Jacksonville Beach: I love TacoLu!! Just pulling up to their building makes you fall in love with this place. The food is so fresh and yummy. The interior is super artsy and has everything from Dia de los Muertos skeletons painted on the walls to Sacred Hearts in frames and religious candles on the tables. The best part for the gluten averse? Corn tortillas, gluten free corn chips (on request, with a separate salsa to avoid contamination from us gluten eaters) and knowledgeable servers who know to tell you to steer clear of certain menu items (Carne Asada taco, marinated in soy sauce) and suggest delicious gluten-free alternatives! While parking can definitely be an issue (everyone else loves to TacoLu too), they do offer complimentary valet parking if you are unable to find a spot. You may also have a wait but I promise, both of these cons are worth the innumerable pros! I often judge Mexican restaurants on their salsa and boy, do they have good salsa! Garlic-y and amazing! Ryan had a grilled mahi taco with mango salsa and some other taco with grape salsa (I think it was a special for that day with some type of white fish). I had the Baja mahi taco which is not gluten free, because the fish is breaded and fried, but I believe they can grill it instead. TacoLu offers a gluten free beer, but Ryan decided to try the sangria and he was not disappointed. If I had more than 2 thumbs, I would give that many thumbs up to TacoLu :)
Taverna, San Marco: We visited Taverna after reading on Gluten Free Jacksonville that they had a gluten free menu and seemed to "get it". I hate to report that we were extremely disappointed by Taverna. Maybe we just happened to make bad choices but after ordering a few appetizers from the gluten free menu, we didn't bother to stick around for dinner. The only highlight of our brief trip were the drinks: Ryan had a glass of wine and I had a basil and Prosecco concoction that was very pretty and very tasty! (Taverna does not have a liquor license, so all of their cocktails are made with wine)
To start, we ordered fried fingerling potatoes served with an aioli sauce that was decent but rather bland. We then had sauteed calamari served with tomato, lemon and capers(waaaay too many bitter flavors...very unbalanced) and garlic and chili prawns (very fishy tasting...how do you mess up shrimp?!).
After these items, we decided to ask for the check. If I thought there was anything they could have done to fix these items, I would have mentioned it to a manager, but it seemed like the food was just not good...harder to fix than simply undercooked or overseasoned. Taverna is very chic looking and we enjoyed the drinks, but I wouldn't eat there again!
So far, the gluten-free, cheese-free journey has been a hard one for Ryan but he says that he feels so good, he's thinking of making this a permanent decision. People don't always understand and it makes life more difficult since so many social activities are tied to food and drinking (beer), but where your health is concerned, sometimes you have to make the hard choices. I'm proud of Ryan for having the willpower to do what it takes to feel better and I'll do everything I can to support him. This means, yes, I'll buy gluten free bread and pasta at the grocery store and I'll stand by him as being that "pain in the butt couple" but, sorry, I'm probably going to eat an entire loaf of bread dipped in olive oil by myself at Italian restaurants.
Do you have any experience eating gluten free in Jacksonville or anywhere else? Please let me know in the comments!
I can't believe how long he has kept this up already and he shows no signs of stopping. This is the same guy who brewed his own, gluten-ful beer and would eat cheese covered cheese on top of some more cheese (if it was on the menu)...and he has been going to some very tempting restaurants and ordering things like: salad with no cheese at Moon River Pizza!! HOW DOES HE DO IT? They have the best pizza ever, but not a gluten-free, cheese-free pizza...so salad it was! Ryan is my hero.
Anyway, after eating gluten-free at a few restaurants, I thought I'd share with you some of our experiences, in no particular order. Another good resource is a blog we found, Gluten Free Jacksonville.
Fionn MacCool's Irish Restaurant and Pub at The Landing: We have eaten here twice since Ryan gave up gluten and cheese and both times the servers were so helpful and seemed to genuinely care about Ryan's restrictions. They both offered to speak with the chef to give us the rundown on what had gluten and what didn't. Certain seemingly "safe" options were quickly ruled out: the bangers (sausage) are made with grain and the boxty (made of potatoes) also has grain in it. Any meat by itself is safe as well as most of the vegetable side items. Since he could not eat the traditional Irish breakfast on St. Patty's Day, they instead made him a plate of rasher bacon and eggs. So, while they don't have a ton of gluten-free options, they are very understanding and make every effort to accomodate someone steering clear of gluten (and cheese). Plus, they serve Strongbow which, according to Strongbow's website, is gluten free and delicious!
PF Changs at St. John's Town Center: We were surprised to find out that soy sauce usually has gluten in it! Apparently this is because wheat is used to aid in fermenting the soy beans used for soy sauce. Luckily, you can buy gluten-free Tamari (a Japanese soy sauce) at Publix and health food stores which is every bit as delicious as soy sauce. How do you avoid soy sauce at a Chinese restaurant? Go to PF Changs! They have an entire section of their regular menu that has gluten free options and substitutes gluten-free Tamari for soy sauce. We tried the shrimp fried rice and it was absolutely wonderful. Add a few glasses of wine and you have a delicious dinner that doesn't feel like you're sacrificing good food for gluten free food.
TacoLu, Jacksonville Beach: I love TacoLu!! Just pulling up to their building makes you fall in love with this place. The food is so fresh and yummy. The interior is super artsy and has everything from Dia de los Muertos skeletons painted on the walls to Sacred Hearts in frames and religious candles on the tables. The best part for the gluten averse? Corn tortillas, gluten free corn chips (on request, with a separate salsa to avoid contamination from us gluten eaters) and knowledgeable servers who know to tell you to steer clear of certain menu items (Carne Asada taco, marinated in soy sauce) and suggest delicious gluten-free alternatives! While parking can definitely be an issue (everyone else loves to TacoLu too), they do offer complimentary valet parking if you are unable to find a spot. You may also have a wait but I promise, both of these cons are worth the innumerable pros! I often judge Mexican restaurants on their salsa and boy, do they have good salsa! Garlic-y and amazing! Ryan had a grilled mahi taco with mango salsa and some other taco with grape salsa (I think it was a special for that day with some type of white fish). I had the Baja mahi taco which is not gluten free, because the fish is breaded and fried, but I believe they can grill it instead. TacoLu offers a gluten free beer, but Ryan decided to try the sangria and he was not disappointed. If I had more than 2 thumbs, I would give that many thumbs up to TacoLu :)
Taverna, San Marco: We visited Taverna after reading on Gluten Free Jacksonville that they had a gluten free menu and seemed to "get it". I hate to report that we were extremely disappointed by Taverna. Maybe we just happened to make bad choices but after ordering a few appetizers from the gluten free menu, we didn't bother to stick around for dinner. The only highlight of our brief trip were the drinks: Ryan had a glass of wine and I had a basil and Prosecco concoction that was very pretty and very tasty! (Taverna does not have a liquor license, so all of their cocktails are made with wine)
To start, we ordered fried fingerling potatoes served with an aioli sauce that was decent but rather bland. We then had sauteed calamari served with tomato, lemon and capers(waaaay too many bitter flavors...very unbalanced) and garlic and chili prawns (very fishy tasting...how do you mess up shrimp?!).
After these items, we decided to ask for the check. If I thought there was anything they could have done to fix these items, I would have mentioned it to a manager, but it seemed like the food was just not good...harder to fix than simply undercooked or overseasoned. Taverna is very chic looking and we enjoyed the drinks, but I wouldn't eat there again!
So far, the gluten-free, cheese-free journey has been a hard one for Ryan but he says that he feels so good, he's thinking of making this a permanent decision. People don't always understand and it makes life more difficult since so many social activities are tied to food and drinking (beer), but where your health is concerned, sometimes you have to make the hard choices. I'm proud of Ryan for having the willpower to do what it takes to feel better and I'll do everything I can to support him. This means, yes, I'll buy gluten free bread and pasta at the grocery store and I'll stand by him as being that "pain in the butt couple" but, sorry, I'm probably going to eat an entire loaf of bread dipped in olive oil by myself at Italian restaurants.
Do you have any experience eating gluten free in Jacksonville or anywhere else? Please let me know in the comments!
Friday, March 16, 2012
St. Patrick's Day on the St. John's River
Our first St. Patty's Day together in 2008...oh I hope I can find these wigs!
Looking for something to do tomorrow for St. Patty's Day? Come join me and Ryan at The Landing for a day of....fun...can't be more original than that, haven't finished my coffee yet. We'll be sailing down there tomorrow at 7 am (thanks a lot high tide*) to grab an Irish breakfast and we'll be there until Sunday morning. Come say hi and grab some of Ryan's homemade Octoberfest beer, we'll be the ones aboard The Perfect Temperature!
For more information about all the festivities, please visit their event website. Hope to see you there!
*If we do not leave our dock at high tide, we do not leave our dock. Before and after high tide, the water is so shallow that our boat sits on the ground/poop silt.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Hiking the Theodore Roosevelt Area to Fort Caroline
“That’s why I want this place saved. So you can come see God.”-William H. Browne, III, 1969
The sunny, not too hot, not too cold weather that accompanies Spring in Florida has been putting me in such a great mood! I love being able to leave the windows open and the smells of fresh cut grass, new leaves and flowers. I was even persuaded to go hiking in the Timucuan Ecological Preserve with Ryan just to be out in the perfect weather. If I had known that hiking was really just a fancy word for "walking in the woods", I think I would have taken to it sooner!
We decided to visit Fort Caroline since we have not been able to make it out there since we moved to Jacksonville (when we tried to sail there in August, we got stuck in the current of the St. John's for a few hours). Ryan quickly looked up Fort Caroline on the National Park Service website which led us to begin our hike in the Theodore Roosevelt Area of the Preserve.
It's probably about 3 miles total from the Theodore Roosevelt Area to Fort Caroline and back but we are both a little out of shape so I have to admit (with some shame) that we were hurting by the end of it! Once we reached the fort, we were disappointed to find that it's tiny! Gorgeous, but tiny. I'm sure in it's heyday it was more intimidating, but in it's current state I'm pretty sure I could conquer it with a kick and a shove...and I use a 5 lb dumbbell to "work out". It was still a nice place for a picnic though and since I wouldn't play frisbee with Ryan, it was also a nice place for him to throw the frisbee around...by himself. The faces of the children scaling the walls and cannons of the fort reflected a sort of "Oh, so those are the people I'm supposed to stay away from" look. 
Informative bit: The Theodore Roosevelt Area was donated to The Nature Conservancy by William H. Browne in 1969 "with the stipulation that it or any future owner would keep the land in its natural state" (NPS website). Now is an excellent time to visit as the bugs are not out yet in full force :) Parking and entrance are free and this park is very well maintained. You can bike on one of the trails and dogs are allowed on a leash. If you take the trails that lead to the Spanish Pond area, you can exit the parking lot there, cross the street and be at the entrance to Fort Caroline in minutes...or you could just drive there if you wanted to skip the hike. There is a very nice welcome center, restrooms and drinking fountains to fill up a water bottle at Fort Caroline. For more information about the Timucuan Ecological Preserve, Fort Caroline and the Theodore Roosevelt Area, please visit their website.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)