the traveling cupcake: texas

Showing posts with label texas. Show all posts

Friday, March 01, 2013

Houston Rodeo - World's Championship Bar-B-Que

Over the weekend we celebrated our one year anniversary of moving to Houston. One year - can you believe it?? To celebrate (ok not really, it was just good timing) we went to the World's Championship Bar-B-Que at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. BBQ cook-off in Houston? SOLD!

Every year the barbecue cook-off kicks off the Houston Rodeo. For three days over 300 teams cook and compete to take home the honor of winning first place. These teams work their butts off smoking, cooking and BBQing for 72 hours. And the result is delicious. You have to have a ticket to eat at the tents, but general admission gets you a plate of BBQ at the food tent. We had tickets to the Dodge City Cookers tent, a team that usually does pretty well every year. This year they came in eighth place in the brisket competition and twenty-third place over all. Out of 300+ teams?! That's pretty dang good!

Brian and I were super excited to take part in an event that is basically the epitome of Texas culture. We put our western shirts and cowboy boots on and we fit right in. (Next year we are totally getting cowboy hats) If you hold a ticket to one of the tents it buys you as much food and drinks as you can handle. Our tent had a live band which gets the crowd into high gear and kept us entertained all night.

And the food? I bet you want to know how the food was? In a word - amazing. I went for the brisket, sausage, meatballs and ribs. No need to muddy the plate with beans or potato salad. Somehow I missed the BBQ sauce which might have made it out of the world, but none the less the food was delicious. And those meatballs? Best thing I ate all night. Want to know what they were made out of?

ARMADILLO!

WTF?!?!

I kind of gagged when I heard that but they were so stinkin' good that I just had to finish them. Definitely one of the most adventurous things I've ever eaten.

The masters at work

Watching the judging

I almost forgot to take a picture! L-R: armadillo meatball, ribs, brisket and sausage.

The Dodge City Cookers

Do you think he meant him - or the BBQ?

Gotta love blurry, dark iPhone photos...

Our tent had the NICEST ladies port-a-potties EVER! I was a very happy lady

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Houston Arboretum

I have lived in a big city for the past eight and a half years of my life. I don't mind the tall buildings, the concrete jungle or the hustle and bustle of every day life. However, my roots are in the country. I grew up in the middle of corn fields and every once in a while - especially now that I am not so young - I long for the quiet peacefulness of rural countryside. What we managed to find was not quite as peaceful as the countryside but offered us a few peaceful moments together as a family, enjoying nature.

A while back we decided to visit the Houston Arboretum. We liked it so much that we decided to go back with Brians parents over Thanksgiving. It's only a few miles from our house but it feels like you way outside of the city (apart from the traffic noise that you can hear from some of the trails. Eh - you win some and you lose some). There are over five miles of free walking trails covering forests, ponds and wetlands. There is a discover center as well for grown ups and little ones alike to learn more about the habitats and wildlife at the Arboretum.

Last year (2011) Houston went through a major drought. We could see a lot of the trees that had died from the drought and notice how the ones that survived were struggling to stay alive. And even though we went at a time of year that is not particularly pretty (I imagine spring, summer and fall are all more aesthetically pleasing times of the year to visit) we still enjoyed walking along the paths and enjoying a little quiet time.

We have been having some chilly weather lately but as soon as it warms up I fully plan on taking Kaitlin here for walks. It is easy enough to put her in the jogging stroller or Ergo carrier and get lost exploring the trains for an hour or so. And soon she will be able to walk the trails with us!

Houston Arboretum and Nature Center

Grounds and Trails are open 7 days/week from 7am-dusk

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Lake Austin Spa - A Mini Getaway

To say that we have had a stressful and hectic first quarter of 2012 would be an understatement. And the rest of the year looks to be just as crazy, if not more so once the little one gets here and flips our lives upside down (in a good way, of course). We had been dying to getaway, to go on vacation. We didn't want to stare at the piles of boxes and things needing to be unpacked. We didn't want to have to go to Home Depot again. We didn't want to have to deal with buying any more baby-related thing (how much does an infant really need??)

We wanted - no, no, better yet - needed a break.

Enter Lake Austin Spa.

I often find that the best recommendations come from people you know. That's how we found this little gem. One of Brian's coworkers recommended it as a place to go "if you really want to relax and not have to worry about a thing." SOLD. Sign us up!

We spent three nights at this oasis in the Hill Country of Western Texas. I did a little bit of research before getting there but not much - most of my research included perusing the spa menu and making our appointments! The resort has 40 cabins which means that their maximum occupancy is never more than around 80 guests. They were pretty full while we were there but you wouldn't have known it - we were always able to get a lounge chair by the pool, had a choice of tables for dinner and plenty of peace and quiet.

Perhaps the best thing about the Lake Austin Spa is that everything is included in the room rate - I mean everything. Well - everything except spa appointments. Close enough. They have a full schedule of work out classes, hikes and classes every day and you are free to enjoy as many as you like - or as many as you can pack into your day! Since I'm about to burst I wasn't able to enjoy many of the fitness classes that they had on offer but Brian was able to take a few each day. We went on boat tour of the lake on afternoon and I even went to a cooking demonstration lead by the head chef at the resort. In addition to all of the scheduled activities you also have access to kayaks, water bikes and paddle boards should you want to take to the open water on your own.

If you wanted to take a more relaxing approach to your stay you had plenty of options there too. The resort features two pools - one on the main resort and one at the spa. The spa menu includes anything and everything that you can imagine, from massages to facials to body scrubs and everything in between. There are hammocks set up by the lake, begging you to spend your afternoon in them reading a book. Or perhaps you would rather take a leisurely stroll through the resorts gardens - where fresh herbs, flowers and vegetables are all in full bloom. The garden is also the place where the chefs get most of their vegetables and herbs for the days menu. There is every kind of herb you can imagine in full bloom, vegetable plants, fruit trees and plenty more growing bountifully getting ready to be picked for that days lunch or dinner. It doesn't get much fresher than that.

Which brings me to the food. Their website mentions that the seasonal menu includes fat grams and calories posted next to each item in case you are watching your weight. Any of the dishes can be made to accommodate your dietary needs - whether it be vegan, gluten free, sugar free, nut free - or any other ailment that you might have! As much as they can the pick the herbs and produce from their own gardens, and everything else is sourced as locally as possible. It feels good knowing that what you are eating is fresh, organic and truly good for you.

Now, I do have to mention, since this is a health spa the portions are TINY. An appetiser of fried olives included only five olives. Five. I could - and did - eat five olives in 10 seconds flat. Luckily, our super nice waitress let us know ahead of time about the teeny tiny portions and let us order as much food as we wanted. Six appetisers, two salads, three entrees and three desserts later we were happy and full. And every bite of each one of those plates was amazing. We didn't have one single complaint about the food the entire time we were there. You can have your meals in the main dining room, outside on the patio, in the Spa cafe or even brought straight to your room, should you be too tired from the days activities to venture outside (although the staff full encourages you to wear your bathrobe to the dining room whenever you like). And remember - all of the food is included in your rate, no mater where you chose to enjoy it.

We each had a massage appointment at the spa and boy did we ever need it. I was able to get a Mama-To-Be massage and it was just what the doctor ordered. My therapist was super friendly and knew all the tricks to relieving pregnancy pains. The staff encourages you to hang out in the Blue Room (where you can relax and catch up on your reading - or take a cat nap!) and to use the steam room, sauna and pools before or after your appointment. It only takes a few moments to feel the tension in your shoulders and the furrow in your brow melt away once you are here. I should mention that Lake Austin Spa has recently (and is frequently) named the #1 Destination Spa by Conde Nast Traveler Magazine amongst many other top rated awards. With accolades like this it's a good idea to book early!

I can't wait to go back to the Lake Austin Spa after Baby C has arrived. It is an excellent place for a girlie weekend - in fact while we were there Brian was one of the only men that we saw during our whole stay. Of course that being said it is also a perfectly romantic place for couples to getaway from it all. Next time I am here I am looking forward to taking advantage of more fitness classes, a few deep tissue massages (I'll need them after lugging around a baby all the time, right?) and enjoying a glass of wine by the pool. It doesn't get much better than that.

Lake Austin Spa Resort
1705 South Quinian Park Road
Austin, Texas 78732

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Time for a change...

I have had a lot of exciting news to share over the last twelve months! First, I redesigned my blog. Then I announced we were having a baby. And NOW - I get to make another exciting announcement. It has been three years and three months since Brian and I, newly engaged, packed up our life in NYC and moved to London. It was thrilling, scary and exiting all at the same time. We have had some amazing experiences living abroad and wouldn't trade that time for anything in the world.

But - we have decided that it is time to go back home. It's time for us to move back to the US of A!

In a little less than a month we will packing up our London home and shipping it all back across the pond. But we aren't headed back to NYC. Now that would be too easy. Much to our parents dismay (especially with the little one on the way!) we are heading off on a new adventure...

*read more*

Like what you see?