Summertime in CLT

This is the first summer I will spend in the Queen City since 3 years ago when I moved back to Boone for grad school.  So much has changed in Charlotte recently.  It's growing right in front of my eyes.  There are so many new cool places or events to check out; I feel like I can't keep up.   I am fortunate enough to have my summers off [minus a few trainings here and there + babysitting and swim lessons I do for a side job] with more time on my hands I can't wait to explore my city.  I compiled a list of all the things I hope to get to do this summer in Charlotte, I'm sure I will constantly be adding to it as I find out about more as well!

Country concerts: To me summer and country music go hand in hand.  We already have tickets to Brantley Gilbert and Luke Combs this July.  Bring on the tailgates with friends, good times, and good music.

River Jam + Outdoor Yoga at the USNWC: Every Thursday evening a different band puts on a free concert at the Whitewater Center.  Bring a chair, your blanket, and your friends!

Ice Cream dates: There are some local ice cream shops that I just haven't had a chance to go to yet.  What's more perfect than supporting local, ice cream, and a hot afternoon?

Rooftop cocktails: Same as above.  There are some fun rooftop bars around the city with amazing skyline views.  I will definitely go at some point this summer for that insta worth cocktail skyline photo ;)

Pool Days: Enough said. Get some La Croix, a fun floatie, and your bestie to relax by a pool and get some rays.

Rock Climbing: Sometimes on a rainy day I don't want to have netflix marathons and clean I want to still feel like I can have an adventure.  So going to this indoor rock climbing center is definitely on my list.

Brunch: My favorite meal of all time.

Cheer on the home team: I haven't been to a Knights baseball game in years.  Now Charlotte has a fancy stadium in uptown, plus summer and baseball games go hand in hand.

Check out some farmers markets: Charlotte is definitely growing in the local green movement and I am so proud.  I have heard about a bunch of little farmers markets all over the city that I plan on spending some Saturday mornings exploring.

Hike Crowders: The closest thing to the mountains we have here is Crowders Mountain about 45 minutes outside the city.  It's a fun little day hike and perfect for those times I am craving mountains and hiking but can't make the whole trip to Boone!

Lake lovin: Charlotte is situated so nicely in between 2 lakes - one of them now has a public beach.  What I am really hoping for is some very nice friends to invite us for a few boating outings **wink, wink** 

Explore Parks + Greenways: Walking the dog is one of my favorite mindful self- care activities.  There are so many fun parks and greenways to walk around Charlotte.  There is even a plan to connect all of them around the city eventually.  How cool is that?!

Coffee Shop Adventures: I have a feeling this will be a fun little project of mine.  Blogging from new coffee shops.  I just love the atmosphere in coffee shops and this summer I will be on the hunt for my favorite!

Beach Trip: Charlotte is situated literally a days drive from adventure.  2+ hours to the mountains and 3+ hours to the beach. We are going to the OBX one month from now.  I talked here about what I am already planning on packing for this trip that I am bouncing with anticipation for.

Is there something you know about in Charlotte I should check out? If so please share and tell me what your summer plans are too! 

Weekends are for Festivals and Charlotte Adventures

A few weekends ago the weather was the strangest in Charlotte.  On Saturday it was almost 90 and there was not a cloud in the sky.  Then Sunday came and it was rainy and cold!  The extreme shift didn't stop us from having fun adventures both days, though.

I love planning fun things to do on the weekend.  It gives me motivation and something to look forward to for a long week.  I made myself a promise that I would get out more and try new things even when I am tired from work and maybe even get a little crazy and do stuff on the weekdays.  That weekend there was so many fun events going on in Charlotte it was really hard to pick and choose what to do.

My bestie got us tickets for the Moo and Brew Fest.   This was the third annual festival but the first time we got to attend.  They had restaurants food trucks there competing for the best burger in Charlotte, samplings of local beers, and bands playing for a fun outdoor concert.  It was such a gorgeous day.   We had so much fun being out in the sun and running into friends and catching up with lots of people.  Mike and I are huge fans of any beer festival!

On Sunday, with my family, we attended a crawfish boil.  We have family friends who have been hosting this for years.  They are originally from New Orleans and fly the crawfish in fresh from Louisiana.  This is one of my favorite events all year long.  The running joke of all the family friends is that my sisters and I plan our social calendars around this event.  This was the first year I took Mike - he met all the Charlotte family friends and got to experience an authentic crawfish boil.  Such a fun time and the crawfish are so delicious.  I can't eat anything for days after because I am so full of cajun seasoning and crawfish.

This weekend was one for the books.  So many things to do, people to connect with, and fun times to be had.

What is your favorite way to celebrate the weekend?

Peru Trip 2015 | Cuisine & Christmas Celebrations

The first three posts of the Peru Trip 2015 Series are here:

Tacna: Part One
Tacna: Part Two 
Arica, Chile 

The next segment of our trip was full of exploration and celebration.  The tradition for the JVC's living in the house has been to celebrate the roommates who are leaving with a big party and then to welcome the new friends to Tacna with another.  All of the host families are involved and welcomed as well.  We had a lovely mass for the two roommates whose time in Peru was ending.  Then around Christmas there was another celebration - their kind of last hoorah with the community but then us the families who were visiting got a special taste of Tacna.

The weather was so lovely so my dad and I spent some time together wandering around the city.  I wanted some last minute shots because I knew we were leaving to head on more adventures around the country soon.

My sister arranged for us to go to a fun restaurant with some of her friends.  She had the restaurant cook us all sorts of traditional Peruvian cuisine.  I wish I remembered all of the names right now - but it's been a year.  The one I do know for sure we ate was cuy [guinea pig] !! It traditionally is served as a whole animal but in order to get us to actually eat it Emily had them prepare it fried so we couldn't tell what it was.  I thought it was very good, very chewy but I just couldn't get over the fact that I was eating a cute little guinea pig! And I peaked in the kitchen and saw them before cooked.  I know we are so distant from our food source in this day and age - things like that make me eat more veggies.  I like looking at a garden but not animals.

Christmas was very fun for us.  We got to go to a lovely mass, had dinner at Emily's host family's house, then celebrated at midnight with fireworks and the whole city.  It was so wonderful being welcomed in by so many people who love my sister and are there for her while she is so far away from home.  Language barrier aside I felt the love among all the people we interacted with.  They had nothing but positive affirmations to say about my sister and our family.

The day after Christmas we were on a plane heading to the Andes mountains!

Stay tuned for the next part of the trip: we head to Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley.