We've Never Been To Canada!

Yesterday I shared with you where my cousin & I ate on our way to & from Canada.  Today I bring you a summary of what went down on the way there & back.

We had originally planned on leaving around 8 or 9 am but due to car problems on her part, we didn't leave until around noon.  Because of our later start, & because we've done a lot of the stuff along the north shore before, other than coffee & lunch we only stopped at Tettegouche State Park in Silver Bay, MN & at an overlook of Lake Superior when we were getting close to the Canadian border.

We had WANTED to see some waterfalls while we were at Tettegouche, it was the whole reason we stopped there.  However at a certain point in our hike the trail started to seem like it was getting smaller & the mosquitoes were getting really bad so we just turned around unsure if we were even on the right path anymore.

I got hella awkward at the Canadian border.  It should be known that if I'm ever interrogated for real I would most likely crack like an egg.  The guy asked about a million questions such as "why we were going" & my variations because "we've never been to Canada" only seemed to create more variations of "but why are you going to Canada?"  Finally, we were allowed in however despite my being awkward as hell & Canada probably not wanting me lol.

When we got into Thunder Bay we didn't get to do much other than check into our Airbnb, eat supper, get some allergy meds at the magical wide aisled Walmart, & fail at our attempt to find Lake Superior.

The next morning after getting some coffee from Tim Hortons, which I just saw yesterday at Mall of America... womp womp, we started to head to Kakabeka Falls.  But first we had to make a pit stop for my tire.  As we were driving along my "low tire pressure" light came on.  I'd honestly probably normally ignore it for a bit.  However, the spare tire I currently doesn't fit, I didn't really have cell phone service, & I'm pretty sure my AAA membership doesn't cover Canada.  As luck would have it the light came on right by a tire shop.  Good ol Sam & Harv found the staple in my tire & got me all squared away.

We finally made it to the falls & wandered around them for a bit seeing all there was to see.  We never did see a moose or a mountie, & certainly not a mountie on a moose like we were hoping.  We did see this fake moose at the falls though & called it as good as it was going to get.

After the falls we stopped at a cheese farm because nothing says we've turned into our mothers like going out of our way to stop at something like a cheese farm...  I got some orange lavender gouda cheese.  Truth be told I still haven't eaten it...

Getting back in the US was a whole lot easier with just 4 simple questions:

1. Can you take your sunglasses off please
2. Where did you stay last night

3. Where are you headed now

4. Can you pop your trunk

Once back in Minnesota we stopped at Judge C R Magney State Park in Grand Marais so that we could see Devil's Kettle.  Honestly?  It was kind of a disappointment.  There was no great angle to see the magical mystery that is the kettle, that has also pretty much been solved.  It was also pretty much a complete vertical mile.  Only a slight exaggeration.  Most of it was very vertical.

Once back in Duluth we stopped for lunch & to take some very touristy photos in canal park that we've both taken 100 times before.  Then it was back home so I could see Mr. Nash & she could make it to her oldest son's baseball game.

North Shore & Canadian Eating

I grew up 4.5 hours from the Canadian border.  Growing up this seemed not super far, but far enough.  That's probably big reason that despite talking about it all the time, I never actually made the drive up there.  Now having lived in Texas for 6.5 years I realize that driving that far isn't that big of a deal.  So, a few days after my brother & I got back from our road trip that took us to both Nashville & Chicago, my cousin Becky & I hit the road again to head to Thunder Bay, Ontario.

First up, the most important part of any trip, THE FOOD!

On the way up to Canada we stopped at Northwoods Family Grille in Silver Bay, MN.  I got the Turkey Club which comes on Wild Rice Cranberry Bread...because Minnesota.  

Once finally in Canada & settled in it was around 8 pm... except it was 9 pm because we had crossed from Central Time to Eastern Time.  This meant that we had to scramble to find something that was a)open & b)didn't have reviews that make us think we might get sick.  That is how we ended up at Caribou Restaurant & Wine Bar in Thunder Bay, Ontario.  Was it delicious?  You're damn right it was!  Was it more expensive than we would have chosen if we had had more options?  Heck yes it was!  It wasn't outrageously priced considering what it was, but we probably would have picked something more low key if that had been an option.  We split a warm goat cheese salad, a 16 oz ribeye, & some asparagus.  Holy shit it was so good!  All of it!  I also got the "Rebel" for a drink which was blueberry vodka, mint, lemon, white cranberry, 7 up, & soda water.

The next morning we stopped at Tim Hortons for coffee & donuts because Canada.  (Upon writing this post I learned there are actually 13 locations in Minnesota now...)

For lunch that day we stopped in Duluth, MN & ate at Canal Park Brewing, also amazing!  We shared some Duck Poutine, which you can see better here, I got a Northcoaster Burger & a salad.  It was all so good but so filling.  I definitely didn't eat all of it.  I also got a Loon Juice Cider from Four Daughters Vineyard & Winery out of Spring Valley, MN.

Tomorrow you can expect a recap of what we actually did on the first day of our trip!

She Was In Chicago

Hey everyone!  I meant to have this posted yesterday but when I got back from Canada Tuesday evening I was just too tired to finish writing this up.  Expect a Canada recap soon as well.

Last Wednesday baby bro & I left Nashville to head to Chicago.  We made a stop in Louisville to check out the Bulleit Distillery.  We didn't do the tour but we did look around & each buy a bottle.

The main thing I wanted to do in Chicago was hit up Portillos so I could get a Chicago Dog.  After getting some food & checking into our hotel, we decided to go for a walk down by Lake Michigan.

Nash was originally all about the walk.  He was loving getting to be outside, meet other people, and of course greet other dogs.  As we got closer to Navy Pier however he had had enough.  He got super overwhelmed & just refused to move.  I had to carry a shaking Nash all the way back to the car, trying not to cry myself.  I did get a couple of cool shots though & once we were in the car & he could lay down he started to calm down & by the time we were back at the hotel he was all better. 

I Woke Up In Nashville

Last Monday, June 11, baby brother & I packed up my car & hit the road for Nashville.  If I were a better blogger I would give you a more detailed description of what all went down.  However, it's 8:05 am on Monday as I am starting to type this up & I still need to get dressed for real & pack up to head to Canada today with my cousin Becky.  Once she leaves her house I have an hour until she arrives & that could be at any moment...

So now that you've gotten my excuses as to why this post will be mostly pictures, let's get on with it shall we...

Early in the morning the 3 of us headed east towards Nashville.  Much of the trip Nash acted as a little traitor & decided to stick close to baby bro.  Rude!

We didn't do a whole lot while we were there, as our main purpose of being there was satisfied on night one (more on this later.)  We did however find a couple of murals, walked around Centennial Park, & also went to Harlinsdale Farm in Franklin to walk around & take some really pretty pictures.  The farm used to be a 200 acre horse farm.  #LifeGoals

We of course hit up Broadway.  Mostly for pictures though, we only stopped into one bar since we had to be up early the next day.  We got some really awesome skyline photos & got to hear some good live music too when we popped into a bar for a beer before it started storming.  Awhile back I bought a pack of Sneaky Cards on Amazon.  I mostly forgot about them, & pretty much forgot about them on the trip too, but we did manage to leave 2 behind.  I left one with a tip for the musicians & then another in an Uber.  Basically each card has a different task & when you complete it, you leave a a card behind & they're supposed to do the same.  Basically a pay it forward game.

Hattie B's... the entire reason we went to Nashville.  I had been craving it since I was last there nearly 2 years ago so when my brother asked me about hot chicken while in Dallas, I knew we were going to hit up Nashville on the way home to get the real deal.  We also got sushi because I hadn't had it in 5 years & felt like I needed to give it another shot.  Nope.  Still nope.  But at least I tried, & fell in love with pork dumplings.  Our last Nashville meal was at The Row.  SO SO GOOD!  I would definitely go back.  The food was amazing, the drinks were good, the vibe was really chill, & there is ALWAYS live music.

And finally, what everyone really cares about... Nash in Nashville!

...Hit It Out Of The Park

Yesterday I recapped the first half of my Memorial Day weekend.  I had mentioned how I was supposed to head to Austin Saturday morning with a friend for the weekend but something had come up & she was no longer able to make it.

Today I'm going to recap the second half.  The part where I took lemons & made them into lemonade.

Sunday

Remember last Monday when I brought up a boy that I went on 3 dates in a row with?  The one that I said was going to need a nickname.  Well first of all, my friend Ben said his nickname needed to be Pickles so Pickles it is.

Well, Pickles had no plans for Sunday & Monday of Memorial Day weekend so Sunday morning the two of us headed to Austin so that we could go to Lonestar Jam so that the tickets & airbnb wouldn't go to waste since it was all already paid for.

When we got there we got ready & headed off to Lonestar Jam.  It was hot. as. hell.  I really wish that they would either post the line up times online or allow for reentry.  However, since neither of those are true, we only saw the Read Southall Band & part of Mike & the Moonpies.  Neither of us really cared about anyone playing until 5:15 at the earliest, which was 2 hours later.  We both agreed that we did not want to sit in a field for the next 8 hours in 100 degree weather with little to no shade.  So instead we went to go explore Austin since Pickles hadn't been there since the 4th grade.

We hit up End of an Ear first to shop for some records.  Pickles found a few, I walked away with one lone John Cougar Mellencamp album.  With our records in hand we walked a couple of blocks to Radio Coffee & Beer for a beer before heading back to the airbnb to get ready for supper & a night out on 6th Street.  We got pizza & bar hopped around.  We were on a mission to find a bloody mary.  I really wanted to take him to Casino El Camino.  But apparently they closed down sometime between when I was there in December & now.  Sad day.  Sad, sad day.  (Upon further research just now... they had a fire last month & it's a temporary shut down.  Phew)  So we tried going to Moonshine but weren't down with the 1.5+ hour wait.  On our way back to 6th Street, slightly defeated, we stumbled across Texas Reds & Whites Tasting Room so we popped in to do a little wine tasting.  Because we got there 30 minutes or less before they closed, we were the only two in there.  The place was super cute & the owner was super nice.  Except for one tiny little moment where she made it slightly awkward with the following interaction:

Owner: How long have y'all known each other?
Me & Pickles: Two weeks
Owner: How did y'all meet?
Me: Online
Pickles: Bumble
Owner: Well I hope that y'all make it another 20 years

JC Martha! (Her name really was Martha...)  Stay in your lane!  Did you not hear the part where we've only known each other for 2 weeks??  Our first date was just 9 days prior... no pressure!

In all honesty it was handled with no awkwardness whatsoever on either of our parts... ok on his part.  He handled it like a complete champ & I awkwardly patted his knee & said "no pressure" before going to the bathroom.  I then felt the need to message all of my friends & their mothers my mother about said encounter...

We bar hopped some more on 6th Street before calling it a night around 11:30 so that we would be well rested for our brunch/bloody mary hunt in the morning since no bloody was ever found.

Monday

In the morning we went to Motzart's Coffee so we could enjoy some coffee by Lake Austin.  We tried going to Star Bar afterwards for their super fancy bloody but they weren't open.  So instead it was back to Moonshine Grill.  The wait was again 1.5-2 hours but we got a bloody while we waited... and the basically stalked the bar area so we could leap into seats the moment they opened rather than wait the 2 hours.  You'll be happy to know that our stalking paid off!

After lunch we began the long journey back to DFW.  We hit some major traffic on the way home & our 3-3.5 hour drive wound up being closer to 4.5 hours.  Eventually though we made it & I dropped him off before then driving another 40ish minutes home.  Nash was less than thrilled to see me.  Okay he was happy but mostly he was like "pictures?  Already?  You just got home.  Can't you just feed me & then get on with your shenanigans?"

#MilesToMagnolia

Hey y'all!  I'm going to spend the next few days basically overloading you with pictures.  Today I'm going to share mostly sharing photos, and talking a little, about the trip Kayla & I took to Waco last Friday while she was in town for the weekend!  I hope everyone has a happy Tuesday!

Having been to Waco with my parents in March, I told Kayla before she even got to Texas that we'd be getting up at the crack of dawn & getting coffee and breakfast to go.  We stopped at Starbucks where I tried their new Ultra Caramel Frappuccino & then to Einstein Bagels for food because I'm obsessed.

Even though it was supposed to be sunny in Waco all day, Mother Nature does what she wants so we backtracked a little bit to make a pit stop in West Texas to check out The Whistlin Willow.  It was on my list of places to stop while Kayla was in town anyway so 2 birds, 1 stone.

They have super cute stuff y'all & at good prices.  They have an actual website, which I linked above, but where I first saw them was on Instagram.

Kayla wound up buying a tank top & necklace and I picked up a super cute and comfy t-shirt.

The owner is super sweet & seriously, how cute is the decor??

On the same street in West, maybe a block down, there is also a super cute boutique called Dixie Darlin.  I got this awesome piece for my living room there & it was only $35!  The owner's sister painted all of the art that is for sale in there.  She also had really cute clothing there as well.

It was still raining so we hit up Oakley's Texas Bar & Grill for a bloody mary & some chips and queso.  Our bartender was from Minnesota!  Not just Minnesota, but a tiny town right next to the small town that Kayla grew up in!  Small world!

We tried to hit up Magnolia Table for lunch before heading to Magnolia Market but at 12:30 the wait was 3 hours long... and they close at 3.  No thank you.  No restaurant is worth a 3 hour wait, especially not in the rain.

So instead we hit up Bubba's 33.  Once again small world, our bartender there lived in the same DFW town that I live in!  He was just training down at the Waco location 5 days a week before he actually gets transferred and moves out to Amarillo where he's originally from.

I got a really fun All American Margarita...

...and an AMAZING burger!

We finally decided to just suck it up and head to Magnolia Market.  At that point it was just lightly sprinkling and the rain wasn't going to pass for a couple of hours.  The upside to the rain?  There weren't really any lines & you could actually move around in the store unlike the last time I had been there.

After Magnolia Market we hit up Savage Finds nearby.

We also hit up The Findery nearby because we were told it was way cheaper than Magnolia Market.  This is a straight up lie.  First of all, Magnolia Market has surprisingly reasonable pricing.  Second of all, The Findery, while it does in fact have cute stuff, it is way more expensive.

We stopped at Pie Peddlers so that I could get coffee & then we headed back to DFW.  Of course when we got back to DFW it was super nice out.  We sat on my patio drinking & dealing with an eviction notice (it was a false alarm).  We eventually decided to watch Bring It On on Netflix and make a run to Popeye's for some food which was an adventure in itself... I'll just leave it at long lines, messed up orders, wrong amounts paid, & 3 workers who I'm 95% sure were high...

16 Hours On The Road With Nash

Sunday morning Nash & I woke up at 5, I loaded up the car, & by 6 am we were finally on the road.  I live maybe 30 minutes from Buc-ees.  However, because construction forced us to turn around at back track it was 6:45 by the time we were finally there.  I pulled up to a gas pump & turned around to notice that Nash had quietly thrown up his breakfast & had then already eaten most of it...  Great start.  So I got gas, cleaned up what was still there, & then went inside to get coffee & pecan kolaches.  Another 45 minutes later we finally crossed into Oklahoma.  We stopped probably 2 or 3 more times between Buc-ees & Oklahoma because Nash kept barking and/or whining so I thought maybe he had to go potty or get sick again.  Nope just wanted to dick around.

I stopped giving in to his barks & whines & he was not amused.  I buckle him into the back so that he can't be running around the car while I'm trying to drive.  A)Because he always ends up on my lap and in the way & B)He would try to eat my food if he had complete freedom.  He can get close enough to the front to look pathetic when he lays down on the console.  We got through Oklahoma & Kansas with no more problems.  Nash went back & forth between trying to get up front with me & the food and sleeping in the back.

While we were in Kansas I decided to pull off at a scenic overlook in the Flint Hills.  That is by far my favorite place on the whole drive & yet not once in the nearly 6 years that I've been making the drive have I ever pulled over.  Nash got to explore a little bit & I got to actually enjoy the view & snap a few pictures instead of just seeing it at 85 MPH.

By 3 pm we were in Kansas City.  We checked into our hotel & then I found a dog park for Nash to run around at for a bit since he'd been in the car all day.  He made some local friends & burned off a lot of energy.

I also had one of my biggest stereotypical social media moments yet.  I recently had gotten the chance to work with XOMandySue via Instagram.  Taking pictures of myself however had been a struggle & I don't have some awesome roommate or significant other to be my photographer.  So what did I do?  I took the advice of Jess & Dani & bought myself a tripod.  I put my dress on at the hotel but brought my jeans & sweatshirt with me.  So I found a cute mural, set up my tripod, took some photos of myself in the dress, & then changed in my car in the parking lot so I could take Nash to the dog park.

**Quick clothing pitch:  They do have really cute clothes.  I wound up ordering 4 different pieces from them (I got them at a discount price).  I've already shared one of the other pieces on Instagram & will be photographing & sharing the other 2 on my drive back to Texas next weekend.  If you want to order from them too, you can use promo code BRI35 to save 35% on your order.  I don't get any of that money just so we're being clear.  But I do think that their clothes are super cute & think you should check them out.  I've even worn the above dress, Tesoro Dress, to work with red flats.**

When we got back to the hotel for the night I ordered some pasta & a salad from Dominos, turned on the Cowboys v Eagles game & promptly passed out before half time.

I had planned on waking up at 5, packing up the car, eating breakfast at the hotel at 6, & then quickly getting on the road.  Instead, I woke up at 5, packed up the car, blogged until about 6:30, grabbed a muffin from downstairs, & didn't get on the road until almost 7.  The second day of driving is usually less eventful.  Nash slept almost the entire time & there really isn't a whole lot going on in Missouri and Iowa.  We stopped at a rest stop in Iowa for a little break.

We took some selfies.  We went for a walk.  We took some scenery pictures.  We forgot his water dish sitting in the parking lot by my car...

I'm pretty sure Nash realized before I did that we left his water dish at the rest stop...

Just before noon we made it to Minnesota.  I stopped at Holiday as soon as I came across one.  I don't care that it's a gas station.  They have my favorite coffee ever!  I got my caffeine fix, filled up the tank, let Nash go potty, & we didn't stop again until we made it home.

When we got to my parents' house Nash was in leaf heaven!  He LOVES leaves.  There are nowhere near this many leaves back at our home in Texas though.  He didn't even know what to do with himself.  He also got to meet my parents' chickens & then we settled in for the week.

**Post may contain affiliate links.  A portion of the post is sponsored however all opinions are my own.**

A Week In Colorado: What We Did

Here it finally is, nearly a month later, the VERY short & sweet of what we did while we were in Colorado.  I previously wrote about where we stayed & where we ate.

Day 1

On our first day in Colorado we drove up Mount Evans & looked around.

Day 2

On the second day, when we thought our Rockies game was but wound up being wrong, we explored Denver & hung out at the AirBNB.

Day 3

We caught a Rockies game & I got to check another ballpark off my list!

Day 4

We headed west towards Breckenridge & checked out Red Rocks Amphitheater & a couple of cute small towns.

Day 5

We took a morning hike behind the house we stayed at & then that evening we went into Breckenridge for awhile before stopping at the Continental Divide for some sunset pictures.

Day 6

On our way back to Texas we stopped in Colorado Springs to go hiking at Garden of the Gods.