Vegmom Moments

A VISIT TO ASHEVILLE

We recently made a trip to Asheville North Carolina.. 

The Grove Park Inn and Grove Arcade were having their Gingerbread Show so we walked up the mountain to see the Grove Park Inn and back down to the other.. Here are a few pics..

Now remember these are GINGERBREAD HOUSES (that aren't all houses)  AMAZING!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Of course my Pictures don't do justice to the masterpieces...And I'm not posting all mine because I found  This link and it has lots of pics and much better then mine...

We also ate lots of good food in Asheville....  Most importantly the Vegetarian/Vegan variety!

Rosetta's Kitchen was Soooooo Good! 

It is an order at the counter kind of place, and then its brought to your table.  Everything from real fries to the best and most funky salad combinations.  They had sandwiches, appetizers, desserts... Organic, Local, and almost every thing is or could be made Vegan.  Including desserts...  They compost, recycle, and do soo much goodness for the environment.  But the food... OH MY the food!!

This dish was the most interesting and varied flavors I think I've ever had on one plate.

Brown rice with "gravy" alng with tofu.. the rest was the odd part.  Avocado, greens, sprouts, and seaweed salad thingy... Mix it all together and you have OH MY YUM!

 

Then we went to the Laughing Seed ... Sooo nice.  The atmosphere was warm and inviting.  A sit down and order type place, with full menu of goodness.  There was way too much to choose.  Our waitress was so very nice and helpful, we could have gone back again and again...

Here was Hubby's meal...  He was in love at first bite.

And this was mine...Oh the dressing.... Sesame Ginger goodness... I wanted to keep it....forever and ever.

Needless to say our Trip to Asheville was full of goodness... 

Breakfast delivered didn't hurt either:

 

Think we will need to find our way back to Asheville some time.... And Hubby Agrees!

FALL HIKE 2009

We headed into the mountains today for our first Fall Hike of the season... The leaves were at their peak, but with the sun and shadows, the pictures were hard to get.  I have a few to share though!!

The drive .. Just love this pictures:

Them Mountains:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hiking Companions took some breaks:

 

Them rocks skipped far!




The Snacks.. For both raw and non-raw enthusiasts...Thank you Mr. Tiffin!!

 

And there ya have it... A beautiful Hike, a beautiful Drive, A beautiful View... Some nice companions, And some very yummy snacks...

What more could a girl ask for??

A DRIVE AND A GREEN SMOOTHIE

We made the long drive back home yesterday, starting while dark, and enjoyed the longest sunrise I'd ever seen:

 

 

And then a couple hours later, ShaZam!  Soo pretty!! 

Thanks to my Mom searching Happy Cow, she found a Whole Foods close to our route back home... I typed the address in to Garmin and Voila!

 

They happened to be having a Kids festival that started just when we arrived... he got to pick  a free Pumpkin (it was huge)

 

And got some other free goodies and was able to do some crafts...

We ate this for lunch.. A tofu Sample.. Veg's favorite was the stir fry'ish stuff at the bottom.  My favorite was the patty at the top.

 

And then we got this for dessert:

There is a story about the Green Smoothie that I shall share.... I expected Whole Foods to have a grand juice bar/smoothie thing... And although I liked the rest of the store and the people were SUPER friendly.  I can say that the smoothie guy wasn't my friend....

Turns out the selection of smoothies all come from a pre-mix juice bottle and they didn't put any fresh fruit in it.  Then, when I asked if he could add spinach, he looked at me like I had 10 heads.  And said "NO, I can't its not part of the juice"  I asked if they had spinach (as it was on the menu) and he said, "YES, but that is for the juicer, not for smoothies" 

I saw their vita-mix, and knew that it could pulverize spinach... so I begged for the spinach as I really needed some green energy for the rest of my drive home... He finally obliged but charged me an extra dollar... 

For Juice/ice and spinach it was like $6 (for a small)  But so worth the flavor.... Anyway, I still think Whole Foods is grand.. but at least the one we stopped at, the drink area was not what I expected.

OK so back on the road, and of course my young lad.... crashed out again....He was the best travel companion I could have asked for... Slept when he got tired, and played happily while awake.  He read books and worked on mad libs... Out of all 6 days he only fussed once (our last night there)

 
And then we see home in site..... HELLO Mountain Tops, We missed you:

But it was COLD in them mountains.... and we still had a long way to go.

 

Time to eat a Michigan Honey Crisp Apple... Still need energy.. and Um, these are GOOooooooD

Thankfully I brought many of those home...  The pups were glad to see us, one of them isn't doing so well though.. My old girl is just looking older. 

Hubby was glad to see the food we brought him (I mean happy to see us)

He did real well while we were away, lots around the house, had some peaceful alone time, and even lost a few more pounds.  He's down a whopping 21 pounds since changing his diet and exercising several days a week.  So proud of him.  He may gain 10 pounds from the food I brought.. but it was all by his request.... 

He even broke down one day and used Mr. Vita-Mix to make a smoothie... Good For him!!!

As for me.. I ate really well on our trip... Lots of Apples :-) Even some smoothies.  Fruit every morning.  My Mom made me breakfast in bed one morning with watermelon, apples, concord grapes and oranges.  She made me GIGANTIC salads almost every night with Romaine, Spinach, carrots, celery, avocado, cucumbers and pea pods..

While out to eat, I got mostly veggies, some cooked some raw, and only a few pieces of bread.   

BUT.. I did allow my self the luxury of Starbucks while taking long drives, and Donuts from each of the cider mills and some cider too. 

Funny that last year, I could have eatin' a half dozen of those donuts in one sitting.  But this year, one or 1/2 of one was plenty...

I didn't get any exercise except maybe my body trying to keep warm for hours upon hours while my kiddo played outside on all of our adventures.   And still lost a pound by today...

So my grand total to date is 12 pounds... The donuts did make my face break out, so I'll have to get back on track now that I'm home.  Other then that I didn't have any food issues!

It was a GREAT TRIP!!!  Really and truly a GREAT trip!  Visiting friends and family, the food, and all the activities...

But it is always good to be home... and so here we are!!

Hope you had a great week where ever you are!!

RAW FOOD LUNCH AND LOTS OF HUGS

Today was intended to be a "Visit three different Grandma's" Day.  This means driving all over creation during normal circumstances.  But add in some Yummy Raw Food Goodness and a Cider Mill... and our driving continued to be all over creation....

YES, RAW FOOD!!!  We found a restaurant on happycow that I think Melissa suggested we go to a long time ago... (whom just had a baby... Congrats Melissa)..

Called the Red Pepper Deli in Northville Michigan.. (sorry can't find website)... It was a TOTAL Deli, as in small tables for eating in, but mostly a carry out place.  And the food choices, juice, smoothies, desserts, almost all RAW, and Vegan.... OH MY YUM!!!

We Dragged NeeNee with us to this delicious little eatery....  I walked in with my Giddy Self, and told the lady at the counter "They don't make these places where I come from!"  And she said "Then how do you know to eat this way?"  :-)  Blog land!  hee hee

My Raw walnut Taco, was soooo good and filling, even had to bring some home, so I could save room for dessert:

NeeNee got a Raw Pesto Pasta... I had to explain to her that there would be no "PASTA" in the Pesto PASTA... that it was going to be Zucchini noodles.. MAN was it good!!!

NeeNee Liked it too... But don't tell her because she won't admit it.  I have proof though... she ate every last bit...

Veg's lunch was quite Yummy too, while not raw, it was brown rice and raisins, and butternut squash soup along with some dehydrated pumpkin seed crackers (at least I think they were pumpkin seed):

We got some Cashew (dehydrated) Crackers to go for our trip back, along with some Banana Leather... OH MY YUM YUM YUM!!!  I'll have to make these with Mr. Dehydrator at home.

And then I saw Mr. Vita-mix times 3 behind the counter and HAD to order a smoothie.  I was FORCED to do so.  It was calling me, I couldn't control myself....  I went with the Coconut/Pineapple concoction.. 

Well, Veg wanted a nut free dessert.... And they happened to have something that fit the bill.

Raw Coconut Cream Pie:

 

He had bites before I could even snap a photo...  OH, WAS THIS GOOD!!  I will be trying this at home for sure!

So while it was true that we drove all over creation......It was sooo good... Veg and I both got lots of hugs from different loved ones today... not the kind of hugs that bother my germophobe self.. These were nice friendly family hugs that are worth a million bucks.    We also got some good pictures, to keep these memories strong for my Vegman.

I'm so glad that he is at the age where he will remember this trip forever and always... And because of that, I'm throwing in some extra special goodness... He has requested 4 Cider Mills... and 4 we shall do... After today we are at #3...  And so there was raw food goodness... Three Grandma Visits.... AND A cider mill with Play area... A perfect day!

And Yet again for the 4th day this week, my little Luv Bug took a car siesta between stops... I really really really wish he did this at home...  Something about the cold air... Yeah, thats it! :-) 

And did I mention it was Ccccccooooooooollllllddddddddd...... I'm talkin' December weather cold in October kind of Cold!

But were loving it!   Every Single Bit!!!

GREEN SMOOTHIE AND SOME KIDS

Besides lack of sleep, lots of driving, and eating cooked foods along with a tad of JUNK, this has been a wonderful vacation...

My Mom even borrowed a neighbors unused blender so we could make Green Smoothies this morning... She was hesitant, but my Mom drank, and LOVED IT!  In fact, she has agreed to make many more of her own and asked for the recipe..... Go NeeNee...Go NeeNee....

We had another fun day getting the Boys together.  We met at a Cider Mill where it was crowded and cold, but we got there at a good time for the crowds to begin leaving.  Sadly the cold didn't leave though, so it just got colder...  The kids were all real troopers from the freeze factor and could have kept going like the Energizer bunny if us Moms didn't need some hot cider..... I think the freezing rain beating on my face is what done me in...

They played Putt Putt:

We went through a corn maze:

Lots of play structures and touristy activities.... We even got a cute photo shoot with all of them together... could I get all three to smile at the same time??? NOoooooo!  But a few good shots anyway.  And then back to our Friend's truck for a Donut Party... Instead of showing faces, I'll show the donut... Yum Yum...

Nothing in this world like a Michigan Cider Mill donut....N-O-T-H-I-N-G... Except maybe that Veggie dish I ate yesterday?  Hmmm just maybe.... Nah!!

Guess what else we did today??? 

Froze Bananas for some Banana Whip Ice Cream... Can I hear an Oooh Ahhhhhh? 

Now, Can the little Glass Blender stand up to the challenge of mashing frozen bananas?  Tomorrow shall tell the tale.  

And so there ya have it... Another day gone!!   Another great day!

ENDING WITH SLEEP

Today was another amazing one... This was a day spent with a Friend, her Kids and my Mom...

How cute is this trio?

"Mom, what time are we going to be there?" we hear at least 1000 times from a little voice in the back seat..  This made me laugh, because on our road trip to Michigan, I told the Vegman that I knew it was a long drive, and that I didn't want to hear "Are we there yet?"  Or "How much longer" with a whiny voice..

That I will tell him when we get to each state and when we are close.  We made a deal and even shook on it.  Then about an hour in to our drive he said "Mom, what time do you suppose we will reach our destination?"

I gave him a look... and he said "What?  I didn't say any of those things you told me not to say?"

Well I suppose he was right, because I didn't imagine he would ever say the word "Destination"... Ha, but now I know... I will add that to the list on the way back....

Now back to my story... The "Destination" that my friend's little one was so eager to get to, was the Hands on Museum in Ann Arbor. And no wonder he was eager....

It was really really really cool.....  We had a Blast, as did the boys (and a NeeNee)....

Some fun things:

This was a big screen thing and you moved in front while changing the light patterns by pushing buttons... The image on this screen is my little guy (I think)

Here is NeeNee the Angel
 

This is my Mom and Me being silly... but after looking at this picture when we got home, it seems an Alien jumped in to our picture.  Can you find her? 

The museum had gears, and lights, and waste exhibits.  It had learning and more galore.. Even a real Ambulance... Some sound stuff, a Green Screen and Mock Television Studio.  A bubble thing that you can pull up over you... It is HANDS ON!!!  To the fullest extent.

Here was one of the Light Rooms.
 

Had a bounce house, and a rock climbing wall:

 

We left the museum after a couple hours of chasing tots and watching them have soo much fun at their "Special Place"... It was just great!

Off to Putt Putt... because they needed another special place according to one little cutie.

But this was no ordinary Putt Putt... It was a glow in the dark Putt Putt... and not a normal Glow in the Dark Putt Putt... This place was Cool!

And then it was time to part ways... We all said our goodbyes... But our day wasn't over....We hit a Mexi-Dinner place that I can only get when visiting my Mom (yes two cooked meals in one day) 

Then stopped by this playground for the Vegman... It was seriously the biggest playground I've seen in my entire life....  This picture is only HALF! 

The boy had a blast....

 

And as goes the theme of the week... The day ended with a sleeping boy in the back seat.  Now, if I could only get him to do this when we are home?  I guess home just isn't as exciting though?

 
 
As the Travel Days Continue.... Can't believe we are already mid week... I know it will be sad for us to go, but what a great time we've had....

 
 
 
 
 

SEVA DELICIOUS

Delicious as my Mom would say... I found this place on line, and then BEGGED my friend if we could go... Please oh Please, I said many times over.

My very cool friend got directions and this is where we went for lunch today:

Notice the word in purple... The Vegetarian word.... OH MY YUM... Not only could I have ordered EVERYTHING on the food menu (except the eggs or cheese dishes), but they also had Juice Bar, and Vegan Deserts, and Vegan Appetizers, and Vegan replacements and non "milk" shakes... and oh... it was soooo good! 

Pretty sure my Carnivore lunch Companions thought I'd totally flipped my lid when I said for the 100th time how good my food was... Hey guess what?  IT WAS Gooooooooood!

Veg and I shared a Tofu Appetizer (which my carnivore lunch companions even tried....)

My main course was this brown rice, veggie dish, with some amazing sauce and seasoning.  All things Raw went totally out the window... I had to eat this food...Cooked or NOT it was going in my belly.

 
 

The Vegman ate the tofu, some veggies, some raisin bread w/vegan butter and scrambled eggs (yes I said eggs... his new favorite... but hey, it could be worse) finished his meal off with a Soy Milk Shake/smoothie with Strawberries and Bananas.  Oh, he even ate some of NeeNee's sesame crackers... The boy was an eating fool. 

But I was hoping he'd pick the Orange Vegan Cake so I could dabble just a tad.  But he slurped up his "milk" shake in about 10 minutes... and that was all his tummy could handle.

Besides, by then, the littlest lunch companions in our group had about all they could take of sitting still, I took way too long to eat this delicious food, and they were good sports.

Oh and don't say anything, but I think my Carnivore Lunch companions liked the tofu... Shhhhh!  Don't tell.

Yum!!  Thank you Seva... And Friend for getting us there!

MICHIGAN TRAVELS

A day in the life of a Michigan Veggie Traveler...

The Trees:

When there are interstate signs that say north south east and west at the same time:

 

I'm glad to have one of these:

So we can visit some family members and go here:

 Which brings us Donuts, Cider and THESE:

Spicer's also has lots of fun:

And then some shopping, and some golfing..  Yes Golfing...Veg wanted to GOLF in the 40 degrees... why not?  After all, we are on vacation, right? 

This is what happens to grass when I go to a driving range.... The Grass wasn't happy with me....  Can someone please tell the grass that this was my first time... And the broken tees also? 

BUT, I did hit the ball a couple times.  Believe it or not..

 

Veg had much better luck on the real course then I did on the driving range:

And then a walk around Grandma's Garden.. I found this pretty leaf all by its lonesome... Just waiting for a picture.  Hi little pretty Leaf....

 

 
 A great day that left my traveling companion.... Well... how can I say...... TIRED! (again)

And so it was back to NeeNee's House... Which is where we find this little gal...

And this waiting our arrival:

 
 
 
 Oh my yum!!!  Thank you NeeNee...... Even if I only have pictures of a salad.. hee hee

A GREAT DRIVE

Veg and I set off on a journey... and it was quite a good one... We hit some Fog..

But thankfully it was after day light broke or I would have been in a pickle

We saw lots of these:

 
 
And the colors changing were quite a site:

The sky looked like this the whole way:

And at some point we saw this sign... Tell me?  While going 70+ on the interstate with a bridge coming up... If you saw this sign and had a large truck, WHAT YA GONNA DO ABOUT IT?

I had to say good bye to Mr. Vita-Mix... sigh sigh sob sob
 
 

But ate good on the road, so I can't complain:  This was my front seat stash.. Veg had his own back seat stash to munch.

And I don't think my Back Seat travel partner minded the lack of Mr. Vita-Mix either.
 

It was a good travel day!  
 
 
  
 
 

TRAVEL DAY FOOD

While preparing for a trip, food is required...

Some of this:

And some of this:

Some of this kind of stuff:

A lot of this:

Oooh oh oh... and This:

 
 But when your going here to see my Mom:
 
 

You arrive to something like this:

And realize it will be a Goooood Food week?  Could I have expected anything less?  Noooooo!!

Good Food week, Indeed!
 
 

PLANNING A SLUMBER PARTY

For Adults?

OH Yes..
Attendee One..My Mom, the amazing lady that loved all my friends and me no matter how messed up we were.

Attendee Two..Me Enough Said!

Attendee Three...The girl that I met working in a mall. Many Many...OMG...almost 20 years ago...There is history...as in a novel...

Attendee 4...A girl I met when I was like 8 years old. Through the years we lost touch. Turns out she ended up going to the same School as Attendee 3 many years later. We find each other through Attendee 3 as teenagers...Years pass, we loose touch...Then she finds me again.. And seems we have both changed a joyful tad.

So why not reunite as adults and have a slumber Party at my Moms? It just seems like the normal thing to do. Right?

OH Poor Grandpa C, he'll need to head for the hills for certain!

VACATION FUN - PATRIOTS POINT

This is one of those "adventures" that my Son will hold with him for ever...

I realized that, the moment he saw this:

 

And this:

 

And This, while on the flight deck:

 

Veg went down in to a Sub and realized he did NOT want to live on one of those when HE is in the Military.

 

Sub's are very Narrow, and very deep, and this one was a very hot underwater can... and while this was our first time on a Sub, it was very familiar to my Hubby, who used to work on them all the time.  He was a great tour guide.

 

He was on this Ship... when the ship was still around and we found its picture in the museum, which was really cool:

We saw lots of old Airplanes on the flight deck of the Carrier

 

And got to walk around on this old Coast Guard Cutter

 

The Memorials and many of the Ship's stories were interesting to all.  But the story of the USS Franklin is what kept Veg's interest for the longest time... which says a lot, being that we walked up and down ladder wells for the better part of 5 hours... Those ships are BIG!!!.

The USS Franklin was hit and lost 1000 people, but the actions of many saved many and saved the Ship..  It was known as the ship that wouldn't die.  And although I'm not a history buff, my Vegman was for some reason deeply involved in this story.. Which got me deeply involved in the story.  He watched the movie and stared at every piece of information and pictures and models... 

He looked a the pieces left from the horrible day and matched where they would have been on the ship's model. 

Yes... This adventure at Patriots Point is one we will not forget.  And one that I feel all American's should take part in.  Freedom is not Free and even for those that do come back and even for those that don't deal with War time... Getting a close look in to what it is like to live on one of those ships, can only make you walk away appreciating all they do.

While I'd seen the ship my Hubby was on.... For some reason these really hit home.  I guess it was because Veg was with us.

A really nice Volunteer gave Veg this Poster that is now hanging in his room... the first thing he pulled out of the car when we arrived home:

 

The Sailor and his proud Son in the poster, reminded me of my Sailor Man and his proud son...

While my Sailor man is no longer in Uniform...You wouldn't have known it, when they walked the Pier at Patriot's Point, and every inch of the navy ships...  the memories for hubby started flowing in... and the memories for Veg were just beginning!

I don't know if my guy will ever Really join the Military like he says now, but I do know, he won't be on a Submarine *smile*

VACATION FUN - WILD DUNES

And so I've posted a bunch this week about our trip... ... I had a Fitness Trainer Session, Veg took Tennis lessons, we spent lots of time on the beach, the food was Great... we were close to the Aquarium and the USS Yorktown.... but what I haven't shown is where we were?

Can you guess????

 

OK I'll tell ya!! 

Isle of Palms, South Carolina...  and we stayed at Wild Dunes ...  They have specials on their main page and when the time was right I grabbed one. 

The service from the moment we booked the room to the moment we arrived was great.  The people, the room, the cleanliness, the care for every detail.  This was by far the Best Hotel/Condo type resort I've ever been to...  And will be hard to match or beat ever again.

Veg wants to move there and live forever.  Maybe some day he will.   For now we can only vacation there, but we will be back!  Thats for certain!

Here was one of our many sand castles (with recycled milk jug bucket and shovel)......

We tore down the castle and filled all our holes quickly because that is a big killer for baby Sea Turtles ya know.... They can't make it to the ocean if you leave your castles and holes....  Now I know... And now we did something about it....

 

This little tree marked our spot..... No matter where we were on the beach we could spot this tree and know where we needed to be.  It was also our meeting place, and our shell hanging place.

"We'll be near the tree, just come find us" 

It worked every time.

 

Hubby found his first whole Sand Dollar... And it was not alive or we would have left it alone like the Starfish.

 

We also found these...  Anyone up for a swim??? 

Shark's Teeth are fun to look for, as long they are outside the Shark's Mouth....

 

So Pretty!

 

And these were the Keepers.... I'll show you what we do with them later.... The rest we threw back as we learned on our Eco-Excursion... "If your not using them, then LEAVE them...."

 

We found one of these....A Starbucks that was in the Tire Shop.... It was too Odd NOT to stop...

And again Hubby says... "Why are you taking a picture of a sign"

 

And by the way... they have some BIIIIGGGG Bridges in South Carolina, in case you were wondering!

 

If you couldn't tell, we had an AMAZING time and can't wait to go back!!! 

VACATION FUN - THE CRITTERS

These guys lived on the resort where we were staying..... This one was a baby but his Mama, wasn't so small... We stayed a nice distance from these guys, and admired from a far...  At least we think we did.. Since they were pretty good at hiding...

 

 

And this little beauty was sitting in a pool of water when the tide went out one morning...  I've never had the chance to see one alive and up close in the "Wild" before.... We watched him for a little bit scurry along...and then off he went with the tide back to the ocean where he belonged....

 

 

These Turtles were EVERYWHERE...... And they had so much personality... they'd swim or walk up to any human... I've never seen a turtle keep his head out of his shell and not have a care in the world...  They were like little puppies, it was sooo funny! 

At one point we lost count at 55 that surrounded us while on a dock near the lagoon near our hotel.

 

And even these little critters were domesticated... stepped right up to me on the Boardwalk, while heading to the beach...And didn't mind at all when I pulled out my camera to take a Picture.   Hopefully he was more timid with the Alligators... Then again, I only did see one Squirrel.... hmmm?

This guy lived at the Aquarium... I think if I saw him on the beach I would have had a heart attack.

  

These Turtles also lived at the Aquarium, where they do Turtle Rehab... Crazy how much can happen to these Sea Turtles... and So glad there are people to help rescue and save them.

  

 

We also saw Raccoons, Many Many Dolphins, a Shark (really) and 100's of crabs, snails, etc. 

Even with out going to the Aquarium, the wild life was plentiful and so nice to see.....

SUNSET CRUISE

I'm sure you can see what this one was about:

 

 

It was also about Dolphins leaping, Island Exploring and Crabs...

I don't have pics of the Dolphins... Those buggers are too quick....

But here are the crabs he pulled up (catch and release of course):

 

And the Island:

 

And this is Bella.... I liked Bella and she liked me!!!  She also liked to eat Horse Flies... So out of everyone on the entire boat, I was the only person, that did NOT get bothered by the flying menaces...

Because Bella liked to lay at my feet.... And where there was Bella, There were NO FLIES because she would catch and eat them...

I really really liked Bella!

 

And I really really liked our Sunset Cruise!  We learned TONS from our captain..... So much more then we ever imagined about the sea, and the creatures, and the islands.... 

I also liked that the captain would get REALLY annoyed at his passengers if they didn't recycle their plastic bottles.....

And how cool that Every trash can around the resort also had a Recycle Bin beside it....  Even on the beach and in the garage.... EVERY WHERE....

See?

 

I wish it was that easy where we live... many more people would participate, I think!

VACATION FUN - THE FOOD

OOOH the food......  This was the BEST trip for "FOOD" that I have ever been on.....

There were lots of these:

Hummus Wraps:

 

They had those at the beach side grill, and the market under our hotel room.... Yumm....

AND THIS!!!  The biggest and Best Veggie No Cheese Pizza, I've had in my life!! 

 

YUM for Breakfast.... (are you hungry yet??)

And Fajitas???  AH, The Veggie Fajitas!!!

And my very yummy Birthday Cupcake!!  It had Peanut Butter in the Frosting....The thing was HUGE!!!

It was shared by the three of us...

 

The little Market where we got some of these wonderful food creations and many others (not pictured)  was right below our room... If I had a pulley, I could have just ordered and delivered from our Beach bucket... But funny enough, they did deliver? 

I never used this service while there though, because there was something I Enjoyed about walking down to the market each night and seeing what I could find.  Not to mention, it would be quite lazy of me to call for delivery when I could walk down two floors.

Certainly not always Vegan, but I always found good Vegetarian Options that made me and the family happy... While I brought plenty of food for the room... we always liked the market better!!  *smile*

View of the Market from our Balcony (see... it was right below us):

 

And I love that their sign says "Est. 2008"  As if it is SOOO old!  ha ha....  But some day... in 80 years when its still there, my grandkids will look at this blog and say "Hey, my Grandma went there"   Assuming I have grandkids and that blogs are even kept track of in 80 years.  But I can pretend....

OK, Back to the food.... The nice lady at the Market even made me Iced Soy Chai's when ever I wanted one......

I will miss the nice lady, and the market, and the food and the Chai's....

VACATION FUN - THE BEACH

The beach was shelly like we remember the Atlantic Being... Not soft white sands like the Gulf.   But hard, very hard sand... And not at all the kind that whisks off your feet when you walk like the Gulf Sand... NO, This Atlantic stuff was stuck for life.... Just look at Veg's toes...

 

As for me?  I think I will be finding sand particles where the sun don't shine from now until the year 3000.

But it was pretty, and we were the only people for what seemed like miles...

Veg said "Oh Mom, just look at this Sea Side" ha ha... He found his first stash of shells... We only planned to walk since it was evening... But then our little man fell in the ocean, when his foot sunk and a wave came... Hubby caught him, And Veg said, "LETS DO THAT AGAIN"...  He was soaked!  But soooo happy!!

Suddenly a storm blew in and off we went!!!  (OUR ONLY Rain of the trip, by the way)...   And when it got windy... It really got windy...  I thought this tree was going to blow over.  We had to hold Veg, or he would have blown in to the ocean.

Hubby decided NOT to put shoes on while walking back to the hotel when the storm blew in.... HUBBY stepped on glass.... OUCH!!   There was blood... Hubby did not having such a good first day...

Day 2 --- Hubby purchased some beach shoes... FIRST THING....

Oh did I mention, he didn't pack his because he "DIDN'T NEED THEM?".... Note to self.... ALWAYS pack beach/deck/pool type shoes..... Saves you a trip to Target while on vacation.

(Not that I don't need an excuse to go to Target.... But when my choices are Beach or Shopping... I will choose the beach.... No offense to Target!)

VACATION FUN - DRIVING AND ARRIVAL

Our day began at 6am with a Jumping on our bed Veg "lets go on Vacation everyone" he squealed..... (Now?  can we wait just 2 more hours please)  *rub eyes, look at clock*

But he was right, we needed to get started.  And so we did.  Out the door by 7:30.... Veg looked at the sky and said "What a beautiful day for a car ride"  And it was!!

Hubby made it exactly 8 Minutes before grabbing "Garmin" and Muting her..... Hubby also tried to use Garmin to help us find a lunch location... Lets just say that didn't go very well.... Then Hubby would yell at me when I made a turn "But it said go right"...... Yeah, well the resort is on the left... So who do you think is correct Buddy!!!    

Veg made it exactly 30 minutes before asking "When will we be there?"  And this went on from that point and continued for the remaining drive time.

We arrive at our Destination.. YAY!!!!!  WOW it is pretty!!  Nice kind guy asks my name... Looks at his list... Said he would have everything taken care of and asks us to "EXIT" the car....  Hmmm?  Valet, and Luggage...  All free of charge... You are to loose control of your stuff and they will meet you at your room...  Yeah, I've heard that before...Last time I went on a business trip and they took my stuff against my will it was 2hrs before I got it....

Now can you imagine the look on my Man's face when they asked him to Exit the car?  AHHH Priceless..  "NO, they aren't taking our stuff, they aren't taking our car"  I said FINE... You sit here, don't move, I'm going to check in.  Nice guy directed me to the check in.... 

Hubby dug in his heals... We were like the Griswolds on Vacation... he was NOT giving up the car....

A few minutes later my cell rings... "Where are you, they just took the car and all our stuff"  He is not happy!!

We leave the check in and get to our room.... There is ALL our stuff,.. The little nice guy is actually a very fast Elf. 

He shows us around our room, which is very nice....And is on his way... 

Veg Proclaims "WOW THIS IS THE NICEST PLACE EVER... CAN WE STAY FOREVER?, NOW WHERE IS THE BEACH?"

Hubby is equally as thrilled... I was too... (until he fell on a stair and got his knees and elbow really well....add that to the car grumpies, and lets just say we had a rough start)

But the ROOM.... OH MY THE ROOM.....

It had EVERYTHING....even had a Clean Laundry Basket (inside joke):

 

And the GIANT Bed (yes, everything was down, but I didn't complain and let hubby have his fluffy stuff... I however brought my own pillow and slept with the sheets only.... Still woke up every morning with swollen eyes....  But wow was it a big bed):

And it had TWO of these (Veg was in PBS heaven):

 

And the Balcony at night..... LOVED the Balcony at night!!

 

I really really really WANT one of these in my house:

 

But Veg really really really wants one of these in our house so he can go swimming every day:

 

And Hubby just wanted to know WHY I was taking pictures of the TV, and the Bathroom.....  Ah?  he'll never learn about blog-land.... I must take pictures of everything... EVEN the Laundry basket....

Or Maybe I'm just odd??  Yup, thats it!

VACATION FUN - PACKING

In case you were wondering about all the random posts this past week, it is because we were on Vacation, and I prescheduled some to see if that would work before we left.  Others, I snuck in on Hubby's computer that wouldn't give away the fact that we were gone or our destination.... It was TOP SECRET (not)...

So we are back.... and here is how it started.

Packing -

Hubby was told by the likes of me that he would be helping with this trip.  For the first time in 18 years, he was going to do his part to make this a successful vacation....And then... I get the call.   

The call that said he had packed up all my piles.... NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!  I'll never be able to find anything.. This can't be.... I actually said "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO" out loud... and he said:

"Don't fret, I knew you would freak so I labeled every bag and put a list of what was in each"

Ha ha... he knows me oh-so-well.....  All was right with the world.... And he did help in his own Hubby way of course...

Like our slippers in with the sand toys... Yeah, had to move those,  And really, just for the record, Bathing suits don't go with the dried food goods...

Eventually between his "help" and my finishing we were packed.... And for the first time we had a real luggage set..  Who do you suppose got the "big" suitcase  :-)

And then this... Seriously, we are a family of 3.... Why do we need this much stuff???  Because we must be prepared... And Prepared we were!!!  NOTHING was forgotten!   It was GREAT!

For some reason, Hubby wanted to bring his computer.  BUT I did not bring my computer nor my Blackberry...  I was Disconnected for the better part of 6 days!  YAY ME!!!!!

To Be Continued.....

VACATION OVER ---SIGH SIGH--SOB SOB

Well, its official!  I'm back to work as I type!  I put off my weekend work to-dos to the very last minute and now I must To-Do!  After I finish this post of course!

Wow,has this been a great and needed Vacation...  Not only did we have an amazing trip to a place that would normally not be so amazing, but the weather was good, we didn't hit a single traffic jam.  Everyone had good health, we got to do almost EVERYTHING we set out to do, and came back with plenty of time to finish up things here.  I also got lots of sleep, and although tethered to work via Blackberry, I wasn't up till 2am trying to finish up that last thing....  I realized this trip, that I need to do more of these.  *smile* 

Nothing like one good week to put life back in to perspective...  Things like "SLEEP" are a necessity!

Even the dogs were in good hands, thanks to a great friend and her tot who cared for them... Not only did I come home to happy dogs and happy house, but she left me some surprises on the table.... I also learned that asking for help isn't soo bad and that sometimes we all need to do that.  Even my Hubby is doing more then his normal share this weekend.

Before we left, I set my self on a "Get it done" rampage because I new there would be no time when I got Back.  I wanted to walk in to a somewhat clean house, with not a million things waiting for me.  Well I succeeded for the most part.  We still came home with about 6 loads of laundry to do from our trip, everything needed to be put away, and I was 3 months behind on my Checkbook balancing stuff... 

Well, today is Sunday, and EVERYTHING is done!  Not only is everything done and put away and check book balanced!!  But I sat down while Veg was busy with Legos and completed 18 Scrapbook pages!  YES!!  All of 2007 and 1/2 of 2008 are totally caught up!   Granted they are nothing fancy, but soooo cool to have another Volume in our memory book history completed! ... In case you are wondering this is Book #14...  Yes, I'm a picture freak... Some day, Some day, I'll be so glad to look back on these!  hee hee... My MIL always said "you have too much time on your hands"  HA!  If she only new!!! 

But one thing I won't give up, no matter how tight time gets, is my Scrapbooking and Cardmaking.... Or this blog... Funny, my Mom said last week "You'll take a picture of a Pomegranate but there isn't a single picture on that camera of me this week"  ha ha... Sorry NeeNee!!  We made up for it though..  By the end of the week, we had some good pictures of everyone and that pomegranate!! 

Visiting my bestest Michigan friend was an extra special treat also.  She is the reason I know my Hubby which is the reason I have my lil'veg, and she got me my first Scrapbook, was at my wedding, my move, and basically a part of everything that is my life!!  Seeing her more then once and she is a Mom her self, it was nice just nice.... 

Veg is soo excited to get back to school, he's been counting the days.  He's also already figured out how long it will take to get back to Michigan, and he wonders if his NeeNee will save up some more change by then so he can roll it with her.

And so I say.. Goodbye officially to my Vacation....  One that I wasn't looking forward to, but will miss now that is over....

Stay tuned for some Lunch posts (probably not tomorrow), and some more happenings in the life of a Vegmom.

TRIP FUNNIES

We had one casualty on our trip.. Hubby's phone decided it needed to take a swim. Hubby realized quickly that cell phones don't like chlorine (or water) much. Whoops!!

On our drive back the weather turned very cold. And Veg said "Mom, I think you made a wrong turn. Its too cold, are you sure we are in the right state?"

We rented a car to avoid putting miles and wear/tear on our car. Not to mention mine needs repair and I ran out of time to take it before our trip. When I asked Veg if he thought we should rent a car, he said "YES, we need a break from our other car" hee hee.. And man he wasn't kidding.

In the rental my lil'Veg slept for 3+ hours both coming and going. Then slept each day after each activity. Had I known this would happen, I'd have taken a car break a long time ago. *smile*

CAR TOY

Since Hubby and I first got married, we always buy a new travel toy before we take a road trip... Those toys have now turned in to things that Veg can use more then us.  When traveling with a young one, I find it a great idea to have something new and exciting to keep their interest.

This trip we found the Rubik's Cube and decided to taunt Veg with it for a week, by leaving it on the counter.  All the while, he new he couldn't touch it until we got in the car for our trip.  WELLL...... Who new this old classic of a toy would keep my guy's interest for almost 4hrs straight.

This was by far the COOLEST CAR TOY ever!!! 

GAS PRICES

Just in time for a very long road trip, the gas prices dropped by a crazy amount in the Northern States... I'm not complaining! 

That's $2.43 if you can't tell by the pic... Now if we could just get that price where I live... Hmm? 

HOME SWEET HOME

Yes, our trip to Michigan was full of family, friends, fun, cider, donuts, cool breezes and happy memories....  But it is always nice to see this and know that I'm HOME!!

 

THE TRAVEL LOWDOWN

When there is travel for this Vegmom, there is always a blog report about the Pillows, the Hotel, and the Food..

Well my earlier posts say more then enough about the food from my October Family Travel Adventure..  But I must report on the hotel...  Staybridge Suites which I found via Tripadvisor.com ... The hotel was brand new, and everything was spotless.  The pool was small and clean, same with the hot tub.. There was a Basketball 1/2 court..  when we mentioned it was missing the net, they had it up by the next morning.

A nice walking trail that could have taken me Miles Upon Miles, but the boys were worried I'd get hurt and they wouldn't be able to find me, so I didn't chance it.  They had a very nice free breakfast, and many other perks, like free use of the business center, free wireless or hardwire in your room.  Free newspaper, books in a library, a nice fitness center (that Veg went to every morning to build his muscles)

Even towels by the pool, and a kitchen full of everything you could possibly need in the room... Just little things that I would have taken for granted at some point.. But after my few business travels lately, these little perks of home really mean alot when your not at home... *smile*

Now for the Pillows... The ABSOLUTE BEST thing about this hotel experience is that they take Down Allergies in to consideration.  The 100's of pillows that they douse your bed with are all  Allergen Free!

How ever, if you like the feel of down, they had some in plastic bags in the top of the closet.  The best of both worlds, but Allergen Free first!!!  HOW Amazing is that???

Needless to say, I must give the Novi Staybridge Suites a Vegmom Shout out, for being the best and most convenient hotel for the price, that I have ever stayed at!!!

PLANNING A TRIP

We are beginning to plan a trip to Michigan to visit with family...  And we decided we would try to do fun things on the way there, once we arrive and on our way home... Our goal is to make this a trip of enjoyment and not just something we "have to do" because its our once a year duty!  I also hope to get some SLEEP and avoid work for a couple days at least while gone.

So while talking about the things we could do in Michigan, Hubby says out of the blue "I've never been to Niagra Falls, maybe we can go there"... Well Ummm?  That's not in Michigan...

"Sure it is"  He says!!  and he goes on to tell me that you can see Niagra Falls from Michigan... OK FINE!

I've seen Niagra Falls from New York and from Canada... But I'm pretty darn sure it doesn't have enough height to be seen all the way from Michigan.  If anyone, has in fact seen Niagra Falls from Michigan can you please tell me where this spot is that we should drive to?  *smile*

SORRY, NO CREW

I have heard this tooo many times on my business travels of the past... In fact I get this at least once on every journey... But my Mom has never experienced such a thing...

This morning when she arrived at her first airport to find out that her flight had been delayed because there wasn't a crew... she discovered quickly that she would miss her connecting flight.. They rerouted her through a new stop and graciously gave her an additional 3 HR lay over... NICE!

My Mom is like no other though... She took full advantage of her down time... Got herself a little massage, a starbucks beverage, some munchies, a book.... a bus shuttle, 2 gates, later, 2 more crews, a new plane and 6hrs. she arrived at our house....

And said "What has happened to this airline, I've never seen such disorganization, how could they not have planes or pilots or crew when they have booked flights"

Hmmmm.. This is a very good question, and by the way, its not just one airline.....

HOTEL THOUGHTS

I made it back in one piece... but before leaving I took some pics of my room... Things I used, and things I didn't use....

THIS BED - was my favorite hotel bed ever.  Even though I stayed up late working on presentations, I could just fall in to this and feel like I was on a ball of cotton (or lots of balls of cotton).  I didn't even freak out about germies... My theory was, with everything being white, they sort of have to have clean sheets.... "right?"  I can hope anyway?

And this shower.... look closely there are TWO Heads.... Ah Heavenly!!

Now for the things I didn't get to use...... Sadly the treadmill was not used.... By the time I got off my feet each day, my bad foot was too swollen to fit in my walking/running shoes.  And I figured if it was too swollen then I probably shouldn't be stressing it further... The bruising kept moving from one side to the other which is just odd....

But Every Morning I woke up to this sweet machine sending me hearts....  I think it loved me!

This lovely little weight set didn't get used because I couldn't figure out how to get them off the freakin' table...  I was just trying to exercise for petesake, and not build a rocket with all the levers....

The Very Heavy Basketball, sat there as well, since there was no very heavy basketball net in the room (*smile*) and the jump rope didn't get used because of the foot, and frankly, I didn't want to make the hotel come crashing down by "ME" jump roping in the hotel room.... They had three books that I wanted to read and a video I wanted to watch... but just ran out of time.  I can't believe it is already over, but am sooo glad it is!!

This Phone did NOT get used:

Because it was next to this:

This Water did not get used because it was NOT complimentary... Nope there is a nice little sign that says "Help your self"  and in the fine print it mentions you will be charged $4.95 for every open bottle...

No THANK YOU!

And I DEFINITELY didn't take anything out of this fridge.... OH NO!!!  You touch it, you buy it... for like $50 per item... (not really, but almost)

So if your counting, I used the bed and the shower and the toilet and the sink...  That is about all... but man did I LOVE that room... And the Quiet that it showed me.....

But it is sooo good to be home.... Last year when I took this same type of trip, I "needed" to be away... It was soo much fun, and the content was amazing ..  Getting to know people and plenty of time to just go visit with co-workers and discuss strategies...  When I left I felt energized and ready for what was ahead.

This year, I will say that I'm EXHAUSTED and I'm very glad to be home.... and that is all I will say! 

TRAVEL ADVENTURE DAY 2

Sorry to disappoint my loyal..  "Can't wait to see her travel mishap" fans... But another day has passed, with nothing more then the following:

Missed Breakfast, too busy getting ready.. The door was locked to the room I was supposed to have my conference in, so I couldn't set up early enough.... My guest speaker didn't show when supposed to, I had double the people wanting to come to our session, then we had room for.... The internet didn't work and was critical to our discussion.    I was up till 3 putting the finishing touches on my presentation.  The room didn't have computer speakers, or wireless, like it was supposed to.  And I spent most of my lunch break directing people to a different conference room because they kept coming to ours by mistake...

Considering all that, the day went pretty well...

Lunch contained nothing but a fruit plate that was Vegetarian (sorry no picture).... 

I made my room key break only ONCE today... Note to self... Blackberry can NOT go in the same pocket as the room key....

As for the Down Pillows.. to those that were worried *smile*...They OF COURSE didn't have them changed when I arrived, but they were swapped out before I got back from dinner yesterday....

Today's, Dinner was Tasty!!  See Pictures Below...I had a little bit off of each of these plates:

Cucumber Salad, Asparagus

Hummus and Pita

Fries and Ketchup

The best part of dinner was getting a huge Thank You from all my participants.  I was chanted for and given a standing ovation.  Scary, really... My intention was to sit in a corner and Observe... But being quiet backfired on me when everyone broke out in cheers...  It was very funny... But I am glad they enjoyed themselves today, makes all the trouble worth while.

NOW - if I EVER offer to do this again, will someone PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE flick my forehead.... I'm sooo glad it is over... just 4 more sessions and then I can go home.

My Foot is NOT happy with me for standing on it all day, so now I am resting.. and will hopefully be asleep before long.  Curious when this thing will heal.... Such a Pain (Literraly)

Oh, and this is what happens to people that sit through one of my conferences for too long...  Be scared.. Be Very Scared!  *smile*

ANOTHER TRAVEL ADVENTURE PART 1

 Well, I intended to spend my 3 hour drive concentrating and thinking about my presentations that I will be giving this week, and instead, all I could think about is what I could post to this silly blog....

Since I won't be posting any lunch updates, I decided to do a photo documentary of what a Vegmom eats on a Business trip.... But first I have to share all the fun details of the day.  Because there were no airplanes involved, the travel was very Uneventful....sorta!

The Treasure hunt --- (for those new to this blog, I always leave treasures behind for the Lil'Veg so he doesn't miss me so badly..).  This time he was so prepared for me that he found two of his treasures before I even left.. The little stinker... I think I'm getting paid back for all the peaking I did as a kid.  Thanks to my friends Idea, I also hid handmade cards and notes all over the house for both my boys this time... Can't wait to hear about those.  :-)

The Escape --- Neither Hubby or Veg wanted me to go this time, and both were quite bummed the last couple days....  Veg and I had a wonderful morning together though, and he was so excited to look for the rest of his treasures that he didn't mind me leaving.  UNTIL he decided to hang from our stairwell then fall and land smack dab on his bottom in to the dog food bowl.. Youch!!!  Oh his bottom was hurting, and the impact caused him to get a migraine.  He was MISERABLE!!  And I felt so horrible leaving him like that.  Thankfully he took a nap, and I've been told he is doing much better tonight.  When I called to give him his clue, he said "hmm, this looks familiar"  *smile*  He found a small globe ($1 at Target) and was sooo excited!

The Car Ride ---  Every time I get a rental car, I decide more and more how much I LOVE my Volvo...  This car today had buttons... lots and lots of buttons, even had a sunroof, and places to plug things that I didn't even new existed... it had space GALORE to store EVERYTHING.  But it was NOT my Volvo.  And I felt every bump, every wind gust blew me to the side and I could hear Everything....

BUT... I got a Garmin... A GPS thing-a-majig.... A little square box that talks to me and tells me where to go... I LOVED this thing... I know it is rather annoying especially when you stop at Starbucks and you didn't warn Garmin first.  Oh she gets very angry....

But she quickly changes her tune and gets you back on track... Every time she said something I caught my self saying "Thank You"....  After the 3rd time I said to myself... "Why are you talking to a box"....   But coming from a person that made a wrong turn in her HOME TOWN..before even getting on the interstate... I am the type of people they make Garmin's for.

This car also had more radio options then I'm used to... AM & FM... those I know what to do with... This thing had XM??  What the heck?  I pushed scan, and I think I made it 3hrs before it stopped scanning and even then I couldn't find the perfect channel.  Too many choices in the world of XM... *smile*

The HOTEL ---- My room is the coolest EVER.... It has one of these in it...

Sadly, it also has one of these in it:

As for the FOOD----  I always bring me snacks, especially a hand made protein filled trail mix that keeps me stocked on every trip...  But this time I forgot my trail mix.  I have other things, but none of my favorites... What is a Veg girl to do???

Find a Starbucks that has Fruit Plates and Tea and green Machine Drinks....  yum!

And then I came across one of these places....Talk about Heaven.. I think this was the biggest health food store I've ever seen.

I could have spent 10hrs there, but was in a hurry and only walked away with the following:

After arriving at the hotel.. I got a call from some work people to meet them for dinner.  SURE!  I say...  And as always the topic of "Vegetarian" stuff came up, but I was so excited to find a Veggie Burger on the menu.. Actually a nice guy at our table told me about it....

I had already eatin' 1/2 before remembering to take this picture... By the way.. Taking a picture of a Veggie Burger, does make for interesting conversation in an eating place.

Sooo, the food was good (for a change)  Travel worked out... Family is OK, and I'm safe in my big comfy bed with a VERY quiet room... I can even hear the humming of this computer...

Now I have to get to work so I can be prepared for tomorrow.... fun fun...

By the way.. if your keeping track of the garden (I mean Mud pit), Hubby called to tell me that we have Buckwheat Sprouts already.... Yippeeee... We can grow something... ha ha.. Wonder how long till I can make pancakes. *smile*