Travel Tuesday - These Shoes

These shoes!

They can tell some stories!

I have had them for over 10 years. They are my "outdoors" and "traveling" shoes. I love the support in them - especially when there is a lot of walking involved. (Yes, they are heavy and kind of a pain at airport security but...)

They have hiked several local state parks.

They have also:

seen The Strip in Las Vegas

visited all the parks at Disney World

seen the Grand Canyon (and kept my feet warm in the snow there)

hiked Diamond Head in Hawaii

walked the Walk of Fame in Hollywood

visited Presidential homes, libraries and burial sites

toured numerous sports stadiums

walked over Hoover Dam

seen the redwood trees in Muir Woods

walked around Disneyland

stood next to cannons on Civil War battlefield memorials

walked through catci and over rocks & boulders in Joshua Tree NP

discovered a lot of the history and stories of the Civil Rights movement

been caving in Kentucky

hiked in the Smoky Mountains

I don't know how many miles are on them but they are faithful and weathered. I love them and when their time is over, I am going to be sad.

WILW

Hello Wednesday - the halfway point in the week.


I hope your week is going well. It's been almost painfully cold here (and getting colder as the week progresses).  I hope you have found some things you are loving this week!


*Christmas music (it's been playing in my car for 4 weeks now)
*A warm house to come home to
*A break from Facebook - still on Twitter and Instagram for now (cubsfan3410)
*My husband and kids for making me laugh
*Christmas cards
*Starting to hear from photo clients and possible photo clients for next year
*Good books
*Yarn projects
*Starting a new journal project for 2017


What are YOU loving this week?

Weekend recap

I hope you all had a good weekend! It was cold all weekend with a few inches of snow.

Friday morning, I went for my annual cardiologist visit. They have a couple little things they want to watch now, nothing major but a couple things that got some of his attention. Friday night we went out for dinner and did a little shopping. We took our annual drive through Christmas light trip on the way home. It has grown tons in the past couple of years.

Saturday I did laundry and read some of my book. We set up our Christmas tree.

Sunday my sinuses were killing me most of the day. I caught up on Chicago PD and took a nap. Then the Mr. and the kids got their tickets for Rogue One for Thursday night - they are all excited.

How was your weekend?

TGIF!

I hope you have all had a good week. Mine wasn't too bad - just getting back into our routine after being off work.


It's supposed to snow quite a bit in the greater Chicagoland area this weekend...then the COLD (like a high of 5F) is supposed to move in next week. Apparently, Old Man Winter found us...


My plans for the weekend include: staying warm; reading; watching some movies; laundry (don't be jealous); probably wasting time on Pinterest; and getting some photography marketing stuff ready for 2017.


What are your plans for the weekend? I hope it's a great one!

WILW

It's a What I'm Loving Wednesday!!!!


*Had a great vacation with my husband and kids! (posts to come...)
*Even though my husband & kids are crazy and do insane stuff, they make me laugh (A LOT!)
*A warm house to shelter me
*Texts and emails from family & friends
*Deciding what to get my nephews and niece for Christmas
*Our clients at work - they are happy harvest is done and like (and have time) to chat this time of year
*My fellow bloggers - you are all fun and love keeping up with your lives
*Being contacted about photo shoots again
*Good books
*Binge watching The Good Place - hilarious show!


What are YOU loving this week?

Hello!

Hello my friends!

I have been incredibly negletful of my little space in the cyber world. 2016 is quickly slipping away from me. I want to let you know that I am gearing myself up to be more focused on this blog in 2017. I seem to have lost a lot of my appreciation of the little everyday things and am finding my way back to small happinesses.

I hope you are all well and blogging away! I will try to catch up on your blogs.

Please stay tuned and visit, I am getting back to this!

Book Review - Under the Tuscan Sun

5 out of 5 stars

ABOUT　UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN

20th Anniversary Edition with a New Afterword
　
Twenty years ago, Frances Mayes–widely published poet, gourmet cook, and travel writer–introduced readers to a wondrous new world when she bought and restored an abandoned villa called Bramasole in the spectacular Tuscan countryside. Under the Tuscan　 inspired generations to embark on their own journeys–whether that be flying to a foreign country in search of themselves, savoring one of the book’s dozens of delicious seasonal recipes, or simply being transported by Mayes’s signature evocative, sensory language. Now, with a new afterword from the Bard of Tuscany herself, the 20th anniversary edition of Under the Tuscan Sun brings us up-to-date with the book’s most beloved characters.

MY THOUGHTS:

I really enjoy this book. This is the third time I have read it and still thoroughly enjoy it. I love that I feel like I am in Tuscany with Ms. Mayes - she is so descriptive. I love the townspeople; the property; their adventures.

PLEASE read this book - it is wonderful!!!!

I received this book from Blogging for Books　for this review."

Book Blitz & Review-Mixing It Up

BOOK BLURB

Born with a silver spoon in her mouth, Manhattan upper-cruster Cecily Sinclair now uses that pricey utensil to dish up fancy French fare on her cooking show, Serving Romance. When there’s an executive shake-up at the network, she’s not worried. Not much anyway. Her show’s a hitafter all. Why would the new CEO want to mess with success?

The driving force behind several buzzed-about networks, Devlin Hayes is considered to be a wunderkind in the television industry. Although his plans to rebrand CuisineTV and make Serving Romance more Millennial-friendly don’t thrill Cecily, her charming, blue-eyed boss is a hard man to say “no” to and she really wants to keep her job—even if that means sharing screen time with a loathsome blast from her past.   

Mercurial Italian chef Dante Marchetti a.k.a. “Il Duce” was once Cecily’s boss, and she has the PTSD to prove it. Now the owner of one of the hottest restaurants in town, Dante’s egomania knows no bounds and his constant attempts to provoke and upstage Cecily make her want to conk him on the head with a sauté pan. She thinks they’re toxic together, but viewers love their chemistry and clamor for more. 

As Cecily battles to maintain the integrity of her show, she finds herself scheming and manipulating right along with Dante and Devlin. Is she fighting a lost cause? Does she really belong on TV, or would her culinary talent be better served elsewhere? And could one of the men who makes Cecily’s blood boil ignite a passion in her for something other than food?

MY THOUGHTS

I thought this was a delicious, fun read. Cecily is a determined lady who stands up for what she believes is right. Enter Devlin and Dante to stir things up personally and professionally. I loved the twists in the storyline. Hurry and get your copy!

5 stars from me

RELEASE WEEK GIVEAWAY

Purchase a copy of Mixing It Up between October 19th, 2016 and October 25th, 2016 and you could win this fantastic prize pack inspired by the book’s heroine and her love of French food!

This prize pack includes: 

Garnier-Thiebaut Oh, La La, Chéri French-themed 4-piece Kitchen Linens Set 

(Apron, kitchen towel, pot holder, and oven mitt.)

Kate Spade Deco Dot Recipe Box with 8 tabbed dividers and 40 recipe cards 

The French Women Don’t Get Fat Cookbook by Mireille Guiliano

To enter this giveaway, simply e-mail the author at traciebanister@gmail.com with your proof of purchase. Entries will be accepted until midnight on October 26th, 2016 when a winner will be selected via random drawing. This is an international giveaway, so anyone who buys Mixing It Up within the allotted time frame is eligible to win. Good luck!

AUTHOR BIO

An avid reader and writer, Tracie Banister has been scribbling stories since she was a child, most of them featuring feisty heroines with complicated love lives like her favorite fictional protagonist Scarlett O'Hara. Her work was first seen on the stage of her elementary school, where her 4th grade class performed an original holiday play she penned. (Like all good divas-in-the-making, she also starred in and tried to direct the production.)

Tracie’s dreams of authorial success were put on the backburner when she reached adulthood and discovered that she needed a "real" job in order to pay her bills. Her career as personal assistant to a local entrepreneur lasted for 12 years. When it ended, she decided to follow her bliss and dedicate herself to writing full-time. Mixing It Up is her fourth Chick Lit release, and in it Tracie finally got to live out her fantasy of being a Cordon Bleu-trained chef. 

CONNECT WITH TRACIE

Author Newsletter – The Banister Buzz http://eepurl.com/by0VAv

Blog http://traciebanister.blogspot.com/

Twitter https://twitter.com/traciebanister

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/tracie.banister

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/traciebanister/

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5448518.Tracie_Banister

TGIF!

It has been a long week (for a short week)! I am looking forward to a Saturday of not much planned (other than Halloween costume searching for Little Miss). I work on Sunday afternoon... (nuff said)

**Friday Randomness**

The leaves are falling from the trees pretty fast...


I am on the "hunt" for a pair of tall boots - still can't find any that I like (so many buckles...) or that fit right or in my price range


I have a book I need to finish this weekend for an upcoming blog post (stay tuned...)


I love hearing (via email/text/whatever) from family and friends


I am frustrated that I have no photo shoots or anything scheduled for the rest of the year. I have been editing some photos to sell as prints


I am sad one of my work friends is leaving where we work


The Cubs start the NLDS with the Dodgers tomorrow night


There have been a lot of fun blog posts this week. Keep them coming!




Have a great weekend all!

Thursday Thirteen - Blogs!

Happy Thursday! Here are some link ups to some wonderful blogs. Please go check them out and leave them a comment! I am linking up today over at Thursday 13 and Stuff & Things




Adventures of a Semper Fi Family


Murphy's Law


Val's Outside Voice


Anchors Aweigh


Marathons & Dog Tags


Insert Classy Here


Life According to Steph


This Italian Family


Cordially, Kaycee


Style in a Small Town


Life with the Tucker-Wolek Clan


Simply Hannah Sneed


Looking to the Stars

WILW - The Playoffs

Linking up with Rachel and friends for another week. Please join us!!!!


Yes, MLB playoffs! I know there are die hard "other team" fans that stop by and visit here. (AND GOOD!!!) My Cubbies beat the Giants last night. I am over the moon excited!

 (I am not a fan of this picture, but here I am...)

Bring on the Dodgers or Nationals...

Dear SF Giants,

You played hard and you made the Cubs work. I admire and commend that.

I know losses are hard, especially in the post season. Hold your heads high though, gentlemen - you played well and you beat a lot of teams to get there.

Cheers to a great 2016 season!

Dear Blue Jays & Indians,

A sweep from both of you?! SERIOUSLY!!!! That is crazy! May your AL Championship series be a good one (I can't wait to watch)

Dear Rangers & Red Sox,

I know it was tough to play against them. As I wrote to the Giants - hold your heads high! You both had great seasons!!!

Now on to Saturday night!

#FlytheW

What I'm Loving Wednesday

It's that time again! Happy Wednesday! I hope you'll join in and tell us what you're loving this week. Link up at Rachel's blog and say hi!

*MLB post season starts this week. Go Cubs!!!!

*Hearing from friends

*A photo challenge for the rest of this month (join in!)

Here is my "morning" photo

*When a celebrity photographer (as in she photographs celebrities) likes and comments on your instagram photo


I hope you are having a great week!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Happy Wednesday friends! I'm linking up today with Rachel and friends for another What I'm Loving Wednesday!

*I have the coming weekend off


*Another few days of regular season baseball, then it's time for the playoffs!!!


*This beautiful Marlins game moment after the sad loss of their teammate, Jose Fernandez

*Author friends


*Reading and catching up with fellow bloggers


*Fall weather is back


*2017 photography projects to work toward and on   My photo blog has had some posts the past month that I am pretty proud of.


*This is Us (AMAZING show! I think it will be a cry at each episode kind of show)


What are YOU loving this week?

Travel Tuesday - Death Valley National Park

May, 2015

We took a family/business trip to Las Vegas. We took a day and drove to Death Valley National Park. We did not realize just how big that park is! We spent the day in the south maybe 1/3 of the park. There is SO much more for us to see there. Maybe another time.

The scenery is mountain/desert but beautiful nonetheless. It was HOT-they are totally NOT kidding when they say make sure your gas tank is full and you bring plenty of water! It was early May and by 11 a.m. it was 103F.

At Zabinske Point:

We drove the Artist's Palette loop - the photos do no justice to the colors in this area.

We stopped at an overlook on the loop to take a few pictures.

Badwater Basin - low and hot!

A couple more views on our way out of the park toward Las Vegas.

Until next time...

Hello!

Happy Monday!

I can't believe it's the last week of September already! Time is flying this year!!!


Nothing real exciting going on here.
*Watching the remainder of the MLB regular season and (impatiently) waiting for post-season.
*My photo sessions seem to have dried up for the rest of the year (unless I get a last minute call - which I will happily take!).
*I've been editing some landscape and nature photos to try to sell this winter.
*I have been doing some reading - hope to get my act together and write some book reviews soon.
*I put together some scrapbook page kits to sit down and work on one of these days.
*I've been spending some quality time on Pinterest


If you are looking for me on social media, I am on Instagram and Twitter as @cubsfan3410.


I would love it if you would link a blog post to Rachel's What I'm Loving Wednesday post. She is a wonderful blogger and lots of fun!

I hope you are all well! I also hope to post more often.

October, here we come!

TGIF!!!!!!!!!!

Overall, it's been a pretty crappy week. I hate when there's a full moon - people just become insane! The ray of sunshine in my week is this:

Here's to enjoying the rest of the season and getting ready for post-season play!!!!

Have a great weekend!

Book Review - The Travelers

Publisher's synoposis:

A pulse-racing international thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of The Expats and The Accident

It’s 3:00am. Do you know where your husband is?

Meet Will Rhodes: travel writer, recently married, barely solvent, his idealism rapidly giving way to disillusionment and the worry that he’s living the wrong life. Then one night, on assignment for the award-winning Travelers magazine in the wine region of Argentina, a beautiful woman makes him an offer he can’t refuse. Soon Will’s bad choices—and dark secrets—take him across Europe, from a chateau in Bordeaux to a midnight raid on a Paris mansion, from a dive bar in Dublin to a mega-yacht in the Mediterranean and an isolated cabin perched on the rugged cliffs of Iceland. As he’s drawn further into a tangled web of international intrigue, it becomes clear that nothing about Will Rhodes was ever ordinary, that the network of deception ensnaring him is part of an immense and deadly conspiracy with terrifying global implications—and that the people closest to him may pose the greatest threat of all.

It’s 3:00am. Your husband has just become a spy.

My thoughts:

Overall, this book was a mediocre read for me. I struggled with some of the details and conversations in the book. A couple of times in reading, I felt that it was repetitive. I like Will's character and his voice in the story. I wouldn't highly recommend this to others.

My rating:

3 of 5 stars

Travel Tuesday - This Bud's for You

I will start my September blog posts with a Travel Tuesday.

These photos are from July of 2009 of our tour of the Budweiser plant in St. Louis. Several buildings on the complex are original from the beginning of the company, so they are old and beautiful!

Relaxing in the Clysdale barn:

One of the nicest barns I have ever been in.

 These guys are SO big and beautiful! I had been to the MLB All Star at Busch Stadium the night before where the Budweiser wagon made a lap around the warning track - the stands were literally shaking as they ran by, they are so heavy and strong. It was amazing!

The aging barrels

If you are in St. Louis and have a couple of hours, it's worth the stop!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Since I've been MIA for almost a month now and Little Miss keeps bugging me to post something new. HI!!!!! I'm here for another What I'm Loving Wednesday with Rachel and friends.


Since last I was here, here are a few things I'm loving:
*A week with my Little Miss doing fun stuff (more on that later)


*Good books


*My husband's silliness


*My kids getting ready for school


*The Olympics


*My Cubbies rocking it!


*Photo shoots and editing


*Fall is coming


What are you loving lately?

My happy place!

Let me first say, I love to travel. I like road trips. I like flying somewhere. I like to travel to the next town away and see what's there.

But one of my favorite places to go - is Disney World! I truly feel like any troubles and worries melt away when I'm there.

I earned a trip through work. So, off my Mr. and I went. We have never gone to Disney without the kids, so we knew it would be a little weird. It was at first but we did enjoy ourselves.

First, for those of you who don't understand what central Florida is like in mid-July...let me try to paint the picture for you. It's HOT!!!! It's HUMID!!!! There is blacktop everywhere! Every day we were there, it was a "feels like" temp of at least 100F by 8 a.m. with humidity in the range of 60-75%. We drank so much water and ate so many frozen fruit bars. We stayed in the shade as much as we could.

We flew in on a Thursday and out on a Monday.

Let me just say, our Thursday didn't start off too well. We had to be on the 3 a.m. shuttle (vs. the 4 a.m. shuttle we had been told before we left) from our hotel to the airport to get out of Chicago. Not happy to have to be up at 2 a.m. BUT - what can you do!? So we got to the airport by 3:30 a.m. and got in line to check in. (Thank you storms the night before that cancelled flights and added to the craziness...) We got checked in; I got in trouble with the TSA official but got to our gate and had a little breakfast. They boarded the plane, then had to wait for a member of a flight crew to get in who had been on a flight that couldn't get into Chicago the night before. 45 extra minutes sitting on a plane is not the most fun-thank goodness I had a book to read.

We finally got to Orlando, waiting for our bus to our hotel. Our bus driver...yeah - THAT was a scary ride. He had a tick that caused him to weave around. We finally arrived at the most magical place...

And arrived at our hotel

Smooth sailing right? Nope! We check in, walk to our room and....our Magic Bands (your room key; park ticket; everything) do no open the door. Housekeeping to the rescue! She made sure the batteries in the door were working but because we weren't in her section, she couldn't let us in. No problem-we understand! We called the front desk from the hallway and they tried to remote into it, with no luck. So... we sat in the warm hallway to wait (that's my 'I got up at 2 a.m. and am freaking tired and now we are going to have problems like I was afraid we would' face).

All of a sudden, here came a Disney employee, who worked with the door and our bands with no luck. Then maintenance showed up. Then the housekeeper came back - she had gotten permission to let us in our room and alerted the powers that be we were having a problem.

Almost an hour and a half later, they had us all straightened out and ready to enjoy some Disney.

The Contemporary from the Ferry on the 7 Seas Lagoon

We went to Disney Springs to shop and eat. And shop and eat we did!!!!

Lunch was at the BBQ stand at House of Blues - quite tasty!

These cakes at Amorette's were incredible. We got a dessert that was delicious!

(we MAY have had a few other desserts throughout the afternoon [like a Sprinkles cupcake])

We met up with a co-worker and his wife for dinner at Beaches & Cream. We weren't real impressed...

Friday:

I had a meeting in the morning.

My Mr. and my co-worker's wife headed to Magic Kingdom, where we met up with them after our meeting.

Mr. and I had decided we were going to try to hit all 4 parks that day. So - off we went.

Mission accomplished!

But with a small snag...this girl ended up SICK!!!! Mr. took me to First Aid at Hollywood Studios where I slept for about an hour & a half. We took the bus back to our hotel, where I promptly got sick after I stepped off.

A few photos from Friday-

The safari

We went to Frozen Sing a Long to cool off

Saturday:

We had booked the early morning Keys to the Kingdom tour. We really enjoyed it and our tour guide (Jocelyn) was INCREDIBLY knowledgeable and fun! We learned some fun Disney facts and a little of the inner workings of the World.

Magic Kingdom before it opens to the public

 (Sorry, no cameras allowed on the tour)

We headed to Epcot after our tour for a few rides and dinner

We were pretty disappointed in our meal. My highlight was Belle walking by the window and waving while we were eating. (I said it's my happy place!)

After dinner we decided to "hop" to one more park - Hollywood Studios with the idea of watching the new Star Wars fireworks show. Well while on one of the rides, the skies opened up!!!! It rained, thundered and lightened for over an hour.

Then just before showtime, the skies cleared and we staked out a spot. The show was FANTASTIC!!!! (I'm not a Star Wars fan but I LOVED it!)

We decided Sunday was going to be our "lazy" day.

We woke up about 8:00 and my Mr. said, oh I got us a reservation for lunch today. News to me... Ok, where at, at this last minute? (Insert me smiling and jumping around when he tells me) Be Our Guest. Come on lunchtime!!!!

But our morning was lounging around, coffee and watching the monorail go by.

We set out for Magic Kingdom about 11:00 (which was a nice 5 minute walk from the Contemporary)

I had seen this fountain in passing on Friday but wanted to stop and take pictures. So I did on Sunday - it may be my favorite Disney fountain/statue.

Off to one of our favorite rides!

Then lunch

Funny story about lunch...The cashier who took our order spoke in a French accent. She gave us our total and we were paying when she leans toward us and says (quietly) as American as can be "Do you have the 8 cents?" Mr. & I just looked at each other with that "What the heck?" look. When we got to our table, he said "She does a good accent." We were dying laughing.

After lunch, we took a train ride

We're SO HOT!!!!!

All aboard!

I talked him into the Enchanted Tiki show.

Aaaaand stopping for a Dole Whip!

We rode Pirates 3 times in an hour.

The Castle from Splash Mountain

Good night and good bye Magic Kingdom, until next time!

Mr. decided he wanted to go see the Star Wars fireworks again AND ride Toy Story Mania. Off we went!

We used our Fast Pass to ride Toy Story then since there was no line, we decided to ride standby again.

We staked out a spot a little farther back for the show.

We went to the Polynesian to meet my co-worker and his wife for a drink. I give you - the Lapu Lapu. Delicious!

We went back to the hotel, went to bed.

Monday:

Packed up and headed to the airport. We were home and settled by about 5:30.

(This got a lot longer than I thought it was going to - sorry! Thanks if you stuck around through the whole post)