Jalapeno Cheddar Burgers

Recently I was shopping at the local Harris Teeter and was in need of a quick dinner option. I was eyeing the meat case and saw a Jalapeno Cheddar Burger and knew that was it! When I got home I added a little S&P and grilled it up until it was a nice medium. Let me tell you, that was a damn good burger! I was shocked. I figured it would be just okay since it was pre-made, but man was it good. I knew I had to re-create it for myself!

Lovin' III

Hey friends! How is your short week treating you? I am definitely glad it is almost over!

I am leaving tomorrow for the lake so I wanted to share some things I am lovin' with you this week. Let me know what your lovin' in the comments section!

Virgo: Everything Happens For a Reason

"Virgo's major life lesson is to learn to trust in and have faith in the unknown. They have to understand that things in life happen for a reason that is not always known to them, they do not have to always know everything. They need to learn to calm down and not over-analyze a situation or event." Source.

I love this quote! I absolutely need to follow this. ;-)

So, I was reading Tina's blog earlier today about her and her husband's (and dog's) zodiac signs. It got me thinking about how I have never really researched specific details and personality info on my sign, the Virgo. I love to read my horoscope when I pick up a Coffee News to read in our local shops so I was really interested to see the whole Virgo story, if you will. I looked at quite a few different sites and each one I read was more and more like me. It is pretty crazy how spot on it is.

I made a list of some of the items I found interesting and relatable. After all, that is the Virgo-esque thing to do ;-).

Words

• Virgo strength words: Analytical, Observant, Helpful, Reliable, Precise. (1.)
• Key Charistics: Loving, susceptible, sympathetic, sensual, faithful, instinctive, charitable, over-reactive and moody. (2.) If you know me you are probably nodding with agreement over the last one. ;-) I may or may not be called a "drama queen" often...
• Virgo weakness words: Skeptical, Fussy, Inflexible, Cold, Interfering (1.) I think the "cold" is pretty spot on as explained later with friendships.

Friendship

• Virgo might try to analyze and control a friend's life but only with the idea that they will improve their life, not purely for the sake of controlling. Be patient with your Virgo friend and understand that their recommendations are only to make your life better.(1.)
•  Some people might find them cold or emotionally detached because they live in their minds, not in their emotions and feelings. (1.) I absolutely agree with this one. I am not one to speak about my emotions and feelings.

Personality

• Before a Virgo plunges into anything, from a problem to a vacation idea, they need to analyze all the facts and know all the details before they plunge in and make a decision. (1) Totally me. I have to have everything planned and analyzed and ready to go or I will panic!
• What they believe is what will be, if they have a negative outlook on life, things will present themselves to be negative and they will be very moody and isolated/detached. If they are positive, the same events that occur will be held in a positive light and they will be a pleasant, well adjusted person. (1.) So true. Stay positive!!!
• Virgo exists in the mind, everything is inside. To the world, Virgo presents a calm and collected exterior but on the inside, nervous uncontrolled intensity in the mind, trying to figure things out, how to improve everything, analyzing and thinking. Virgo can tire itself out without even moving! (1.) This is so funny because I am constantly jokingly saying "I am exhausted" after long conversations or serious thinking and other people's conversations.
• You belong to a group of people known for their perfectionism and highly analytical minds. There's a bit of a joke about how precise and demanding Virgos are but when you think about it, what's wrong with being tidy, organised and clean? In a way, you are misunderstood and your attention to detail, your desire for excellence and hygiene is not as bad as some might think. (2.) Preach it!! I like to be clean and organized...so what? ;-)
• Others who aren't quite as precise in the way they carry out their own work find it hard dealing with you. In your own mind there’s no point in doing anything half-heartedly. You'd rather not do it at all. You are very clear on this. (2) So true. I cannot begin something if I know I will do it half-assed. I have to be 100% into it to complete something.
• Keeping a diary and making lists are a favorite pastime of yours. (2.) Lol! I am obsessed with lists ;-), clearly.

My work note pad ;-)

Sources:
Please find that each bullet has a number beside of it to correlate with the below linked sources.
(1.)
(2.)

I really found this interesting how much of a Virgo I really am. Did any other Virgo's find these points to be pretty spot on?

What is your sign?
Do you find that your sign represents you?

The Ninja Challenge

Happy Almost Friday Everyone!

What have you got planned for the weekend ahead? I hope its a long weekend, I could sure use it!!

Image Via Google.com

On Saturday I am signed up for my 2nd ever 5k. Nate and I signed up to race with a few friends from his work and this Saturday is the big day! We signed up for The Ninja Challenge race which looks like a lot of fun and quite a butt kicking at the same time. It is a 5k race with obstacles mixed in the race like monkey bars, rope walls, etc. It looks pretty bad ass and I am super nervous-excited for the big day. As I have said before I am not a fan of running so I probably won't be doing many more of these but I am looking forward to this one since it is an obstacle course too. Fingers crossed I make it out alive because the pictures on the website seriously look insane. Okay, I am starting to get really nervous now...maybe I should have looked at those before signing up??

After the 5k we are going to hang out at my brothers house for a few hours and play with his kittens! How cute are these little fur balls?

The first picture is of the baby, Marley. He is about 9 weeks old and Chris and Erika adopted him from one of their friends who fostered a pregnant cat. He is part Minx (he has a tail!) and part Tabby.  The far right is Misty. Misty was adopted from the animal shelter and she is a few months old. They think she is a Russian Blue, but nobody is really sure. Apparently Russian Blue cat's are prized cats and are very rare to find in a shelter, so it's hard to tell what she is. The middle is the first night they were together getting to meet each other.  They are the best of friends now and Chris and Erika said they don't stop playing with each other all night when they get home. They are the cutest!!! I love my little fur niece and nephew :-).

Sunday is a day full of softball. We have our first weekend of our tournament starting this weekend! If we win we will play again next weekend, but if we lose both of our games the season is over. Boo! Wish us luck, we sure need it!

Tell me about your weekend plans! 
What kind of pets do you have?
Cat or dog lover?

The Greystone Inn at Lake Toxaway II

After day 1 at The Greystone Inn we woke up feeling refreshed and ready to conquer the day! We had plans to go on a nice kayaking adventure around the lake first thing in the morning, but first we headed down for breakfast to get some fuel before kayaking. For breakfast I tried the omelet which had ham, bacon, tomatoes, cheese, mushrooms, peppers and onions. I also had the side fruit and toast with my breakfast. I am a breakfast freak so I really loved the breakfast and appreciated that it was a big breakfast to keep us full all morning.

After breakfast we headed down to the boat dock to get out on the water. We set up our kayaks and each started in an individual kayak, but quickly realized we should share the two person one for an easier time.

We adventured for the better half of 3 hours and rode all around the lake and admired the beautiful houses that looked out over the water and their boat docks that were just as beautiful and intricate as the homes. It really was quite a site to see.

View of the Inn

Huge house on the water

Part of the Greystone Inn property

Side view of the Inn

After kayaking we wanted to grab some lunch in the dining room, but quickly realized they are closed on Mondays for lunch. A couple overheard us talking with the front desk about it and suggested we go to a little market cafe place in the next town over. I seriously cannot remember the name of this place to save my life. Or the name of the town...ahh! I'll keep you posted if I figure it out :-).

They described it as a delicious hole in the wall style place with delicious burgers and sandwiches all attached to a market with fresh breads, delicious cheeses, meats, and fun wines. Oh and a coffee shop, too! We both agreed that is exactly where we wanted to go!! We arrived in an adorable little town with numerous shops and beautiful homes all leading to this little market. After window shopping for a little bit we headed into the market and roamed around. Everything looked so delicious. We debated on some fresh  bread and cheese for later, but decided against since it was already late in the afternoon.

For lunch, I ordered a bacon cheeseburger which was outstanding. We also left with vanilla lattes for the road which were exactly what we needed.

Once we returned we roamed around the premises, enjoyed the breathtaking views and even got a crochet lesson from a gentleman that was on the course playing. It seems like an extremely long game, but I would love to check it out. We didn't have enough time to start a game then because dinner was soon to come. I swear it seems like all we did was eat!

For the second nights dinner I was honestly pretty disappointed to find out it was the exact same menu from the previous night. The soups changed and the deserts changed, but otherwise it was the same selection. I stuck with my same meal as I had on the first day.

After dinner we hung out in the bar area and on the front porch chatting with the locals and enjoying the evening mountain views. It really was a beautiful and breathtaking place to visit.

We packed up the next morning and hit the road. I had lots of packing and laundry to do for Las Vegas!

Have you ever been to an inclusive style resort?
What is your favorite type of restaurant?

Las Vegas Recap

I am going to jump around a little bit with my vacation recaps...I mean it is all a big blur anyways, so why not?

Disclaimer: Please remember this was Las Vegas. All events included lots of drinks before, during and after. This recap will not have exclusive details ;-). What happens there, stays there after all!

Early Thursday morning I left for Las Vegas to meet my cousin, Danya and her friends for a nice girls trip. After flight delays and airplane troubles we all met at Vegas around 2:00 on Thursday afternoon.

Upon arriving we all headed down to the pool for some relaxation and then headed to our first show. Our first show happened to be the Thunder from Down Under male entertainment show. It was a blast and I highly recommend doing this with your girls if you go. Leave the boys at home. ;-).

On Friday, we woke up and enjoyed the pool pretty much all day until it closed around 6. The pool is typically the place to be during the day if your looking for a fun time. The drinks there will make you broke very quickly so I really recommend stopping by a liquor store for the option to make your own in the hotel room! After that we practically bar and club hopped for the rest of the night. We were celebrating one of the girl's birthdays that we were with so we all got dressed up and even sported some plastic tiaras! Keepin' it classy ;-). We all ended up at Senor Frogs dancing and drinking until the early hours of the morning when me and a few of the girls decided to taxi it back to the room and get some sleep.

Saturday morning we were all in desperate need of some breakfast. So, we got ready and headed out in search of some food. We attempted a few places, but the lines were too insane to even get a table. We finally found a really good sounding french cafe with healthy and tasty options. Plus there was no wait to be seated. Bonus!!! I ordered the scrambled eggs with a side of bacon and toast. Their bread slices were incredible. I think it was a sourdough loaf but the slices were huge and so fresh. Just what we needed to continue our adventure!

After we fueled up, we all agreed on going to the wax museum. We were on our way there and were practically ran over by the discount ticket sales solicitors. One of the girls said it was legit so we checked it out. $13 bucks later we had half-price tickets and were off to see the waxy celebrities! Check out some of the better celebrity replicas.

A few of us were pretty worn out after this drink fest of a weekend so far and decided to keep it pretty low key and go to another show on Saturday night. We started out at CPK for a drink and dinner and then headed to the discount ticket sale place again where we all agreed on Boyz II Men. Boyz II Men was never really a music selection I chose growing up. I think they were for people a little older than me when they were popular so I really didn't know what to expect. Let me tell you it was an awesome show!!! What I really liked about this concert opposed to other concerts I have seen is that this was more personal. They told us stories about their songs and about the other group members (no longer with them). They also were very thankful of the crowd. I have never really thought about that before, but when they were really appreciative of us being there and choosing to come see them over the other shows it really is a major change of pace. Once your appreciated as a fan (after all without you they wouldn't be who they are) it makes you realize that the concerts you've spent hundreds of dollars on almost make you feel like they are doing you a favor of being there... You know? Okay, sorry, small tangent! ;-)

After the show we went back to the hotel and tried our hand (or wallet) at some gambling. I am not really a big fan of gambling, so I just stuck the $20 I had in a slot machine and rode it as far as it would go and called it quits when I was done. Fortunatly, I didn't lose it all! We did do quite a bit of watching on the roulette tables and saw one man pour a few hundred bucks down the drain in a matter of minutes. To each their own?

I really enjoyed my first trip to Vegas, although I think next time I'll keep it a day shorter. After so much sun, booze and fun you just really wear yourself out quickly. Oh, and the time change didn't help. ;-)

Have you ever been to Las Vegas?
What was your favorite show?

The Greystone Inn at Lake Toxaway I

Hi, friends! Happy hump day!

How is your week so far? Ready for the weekend like I am!? Don't forget Sunday is Mother's Day! (You're welcome). It's pretty tough getting back into a normal routine after vacation, thats for sure!

Anyways, lets get to it! I have a lot to recap today. 

Last week I was invited on a two night, three day getaway to Lake Toxaway. The Greystone Inn is an all inclusive "style" resort located on a beautiful lake near Asheville, NC. I say "style" because for the most part it was all inclusive, but drinks and lunch were not provided. No problem! More time for us to adventure into town! 

We left bright and early on Sunday morning and planned to drive into downtown Asheville to grab some lunch and adventure through the town since we couldn't check in until late afternoon. Once we hit the road we drove for a dreary and wet 5 hours to finally arrive in downtown Asheville. 

Road Trip Scenery 

We started out in the Mast General Store looking around and roaming through all of the cute little trinkets and local goods. After some more window shopping through downtown we stopped into Salsa's, a recommended little joint for some lunch. I ordered the Asheville burrito and a pineapple margarita. It was really delicious  I could barely even eat half of the portion it was so big! The plate was filled with steak, shrimp and fries pouring out of the cheesy, saucy burrito. Not to mention the salsa slaw on the side mixed in. It was really, really good! I would absolutely go back to this place if we are in Asheville again. Once we finished lunch we hit the road and continued our trek to the Inn. 

About an hour later we arrived to the Inn pretty worn out and full. Road trips really do take a lot out of you! As we were driving into the Inn we were greeted by some beautiful scenery. 

Once we made it into Greystone Inn we were greeted by someone and taken on a tour of the house. It was a beautiful older home with a game room, bar room, library room, and numerous bedrooms all ranging from a standard to a presidential suite sitting atop a fabulous lake. Of course, I forgot to snap pictures of the inside! After a quick tour we headed into our room called the Edison. 

Image via Greystoneinn.com

Our room was a quaint and beautiful older style room with a large bathroom and a fun, vintage style. We were getting a little cramped in the smaller space, but we knew we wouldn't be in there much to care! After lunch, the rainy drive and our busy weeks we decided to take a quick rest before getting ready for our first dinner at the resort. 

After a few minutes of settling in, we started to hear a dripping sound...little did we know the ceiling was leaking! There was a big puddle of water on the floor and a large wet spot on the ceiling.  Considering it had been raining extremely hard the whole way up there it really didn't surprise me. We went down to inform the lady at the front desk and she prompted us to move into the empty room next door. Little did we know that was a major upgrade! Room number 2... The Rockefeller. 

Image via Greystoneinn.com

This room was equip with a huge Jacuzzi tub, wood burning fireplace, numerous seating areas, and walk in closet. It was absolutely beautiful! After settling into our new room we got ready and headed down to enjoy our dinner for the night. A 6 course meal was provided each evening in the dining room. We were able to select our courses from a few different options and decide on what to order. I started with a spring vegetable torte for an appetizer. This was really fresh and layered with mozzarella cheese which made it especially delicious. It also had a balsamic glaze on the side which was divine. Next, I thoroughly enjoyed a cream of mushroom soup for my soup course. It was outstanding. I almost ordered the other soup (which I can't even remember now) but I was so glad I ordered the mushroom soup. It was very rich and creamy and really hit the spot, especially after a wet and cool day! Next, I had a chipotle caesar salad which was just okay. I was not a fan of the dressing and wished there was just a classic caesar as an option. As Nate and I agreed, there is no need to change caesar dressing it is so good as is! Next, was a mango sorbet for a palate cleanser. Seriously, this was amazing! I wish I could have taken some home with me! My entree for the evening was a fillet with a mushroom sauce with gnocchi. It was really delicious as well. I think I overdid it on the mushrooms, though, because I was not even into the mushrooms on this dish. Too much soup! I was also about to explode of fullness by the actual entree! Finally, we finished the meal with a slice of carrot cake. I have to say it was a pretty good cake, but I'll have to share my carrot cake recipe with you soon :-). It really just doesn't compare!

After that meal we rolled walked back to our room and went to get some much needed rest for our fun lineup for the next day!

Day 2 recaps to come soon!

Dealing With Time Changes

I have returned! After my glorious 10 day vacation I am officially back to reality. Bummer. I was really getting used to vacation mode ;-).

I am going to have some recaps for you soon, but for now I wanted to chat about dealing with time changes while traveling.

So this past weekend when I was in Las Vegas there was a 3 hour time difference from North Carolina. Typically, when I go on vacation I am one to try and stick with my normal time schedule as best as possible. So, for example, when I traveled to Colorado for my cousins wedding (2 hours behind NC time) I would wake up 2 hours earlier and be asleep 2 hours earlier to stick with my normal schedule. That way I am not dragging when I get home needing a "vacation after my vacation".

Well, Vegas was much different. There was no way I would be able to stick with my normal routine and try and hang onto NC time in NV. The first day I woke up at 4:00am (my time) for the airport and didn't get to sleep until around 2:00am their time (or 5:00 my typical time the following day). It was an absolute blast hanging out and having fun with everyone until the wee hours of the morning...but man, time changes kill me!

My body adjusted to their time pretty quickly... and when I woke up that next day I felt like I was already adjusted. This made coming back to my normal time much harder. I think a big part of the trouble of time changes is since I live in NC anywhere I go with a time difference is going to be adding more hours into my day which is awesome! Then, I come home and lose that time which can be a struggle.

Here are some ways to help deal with a time change:

• Keep your normal routine and schedule. This obviously isn't always possible, but when you can, try to go to bed near when your used to going to bed and wake up as you usually would at home. If that means waking up much earlier than the other people you are with try and go for a nice walk, get some coffee or start breakfast. I am sure when everyone else wakes up they would really enjoy breakfast or coffee! ;-).
• Rest when you can. It was imperative that I got rest on the plane to/from Las Vegas. It seriously helped when I returned with my sleep deprivation! Take it where you can get it!
• Relax! Enjoy yourself and enjoy your vacation and time off. No need to kill yourself trying to see every site and do everything. Get advice from locals or friends who have been. Where are the sites to see and places you just can't miss?
• Make a plan. It helps to plan ahead. Know when you are going to be out late or up early. Then you can plan to be asleep earlier or squeeze in that (much needed) afternoon nap.
• Enjoy an extra day off. Sometimes you just know your going to have one hell of a trip and need to plan ahead. If you have the time, take off that extra day when you return. Enjoy that day while the significant other and/or kids are at work/school and catch up on your luggage laundry, sleep, cleaning, etc. Take the time to readjust to your normal time schedule!

How do you adjust to traveling time changes?
Do you have any vacations planned coming up?