October 17th: TGI Foodie Friday!

Kakawa Chocolate and a Fun Filled Birthday Weekend

Well, I don't know about you, but this short week has messed me up.  It actually felt like Friday yesterday and yet, that's what day today is!

So, today the kids are in school for a full day.  I don't have a great deal planned.  I will be hitting the gym this morning, which is much needed!

I will also be getting some things together for the weekend.  Kids have horseback riding tomorrow and then following our arrival back from out East, Tedd and I will be heading into the city for a fun overnight with dinner and then Down-Home Country Brunch with Tricia Yearwood at the NYC Food and Wine Festival on Sunday.

Trisha Yearwood - Host of NYC Food & Wine Festival "Down-Home Country Brunch" (click photo for more information)

Here is the Food and Wine Festival Link in case you are looking for something interesting to do this weekend.  It actually started yesterday and continues through Sunday (October 16-19). As of this writing, there were still tickets available for some of the events. 

So, speaking of food, today, we are featuring Kakawa Chocolate House in Santa Fe, New Mexico in our Foodie Friday segment.  This place was chocolate heaven!!

Delicious Hot Chocolates - Kakawa Chocolate House Santa Fe, New Mexico (click photo)

So, my birthday was nice. I'm not one to actually enjoy celebrating the day itself. I usually take a mellow approach and then after I've settled in with my new age, I enjoy a celebration of fun stuff after the fact.  Of course, this year, I had a wonderful "pre-birthday" trip to New Mexico, which was a great lead-in to the big 5-0.

We experienced some trouble on our web server yesterday and it would not allow us to publish 2 additional photos on my timeline in yesterday's Daily, so I've added them for a complete timeline of me from baby to 50. Click here. to view. 
Here they are, - I wanted to post pictures for Age 42 and 45, so here they are!

Oct. 2006 - Age 42

Christmas in Disney World 2009, Age 45

Nice and sunny today - great way to start off the weekend!!

Enjoy your day, whatever you do!!
-E

TGIF and TGFC (Thank God for Chocolate)!!

Well folks its the beginning of another weekend! 

And by my calculations only 4 weeks until we leave for Iceland!!! 
Yikes! I'm so excited, but I still have lots to plan and book for our trip! Maybe I can do a little of that today :)

With it being October 17th that also means that Halloween is only 2 weeks away! Our costumes arrived while we were still on the road trip. The kids are going to each be Greek Gods/Goddesses, and as for myself and Dave, we are going to be Pirates!!

6 weeks until Thanksgiving - which is the most traveled week of the year!

The period from Wednesday through Sunday around Thanksgiving wins the award for Busiest Travel Time of the Year. Most travelers are getting around by car, and according to BTS, just 5 to 6 percent of Thanksgiving travelers actually fly -- and that small percentage adds up to hundreds of thousands of fliers. - IndependentTraveler.com

10 weeks until Christmas!!! My all time favorite holiday!!!

And 11 weeks until 2015!!! 
A new year full of new travel adventures :)

One of those new travel adventures happens to be a trip to The Azores!!! How totally exciting and super cool!
After some thought yesterday and finding out that going to the Azores is somewhere that Dave B. has wanted to go for a very long time (I'm sure he had already told me, and I forgot).

I decided that I would change my birthday plans from going on a ski trip to either Steamboat Springs, CO or Crested Butte, CO (I haven't been to either), to going to the Azores for my birthday trip!!! 

And when I think about it, I suppose that it is definitely more fitting to celebrate 
my BIG 4-0 going to the Archipelago of the Azores!

*SIDE NOTE - Can you believe it...40 years old! 
I can't, I don't think I've been able to keep up with my age since turning 36 - I've kinda been stuck on that age when people ask how old I am...I seriously first think 36 and then have to think for a second how old I really am?!


Another super duper exciting new development is that after discussing it with Elisa, she and the girls are going to join us on a road trip to the beautiful Pacific Northwest in the spring! Yay!!! 

Which means...another Travelin' Cousins Road Trip to prepare for you!!!

And just to give you the scoop on things here on the home front - there wasn't all that much going on yesterday. It was Throwback Thursday and the server was acting up, so I was never able to add the link for this weeks story about The Castroville Artichoke Festival, Dave and Dominic both got their hair trimmed (much much needed). Dominic had his usual Wednesday night class, and all the rest of the normal stuff...

Today I will be working on more travel stuff, more choir stuff, and taking Cosette to rehearsal later this evening. 

Don't forget to read today's 
Foodie Friday Feature which is a special treat that is all about Chocolate and from our recent New Mexico road trip!!!

I'll catch you back here for all the jazz that's happening tomorrow!

Have a great day!
-T