It’s Been a While

Just a thought before I get started. 😉 

The past couple of weeks have been a little crazy, so here’s just a little bit of what’s been going on…

On Mother’s Day, we met my parents at the Brazwells in Ballantyne area. Our dinners were just ok. The warm chocolate chip cookie with ice cream saved the day though for sure.

The next few days were really busy at work, especially since I was taking Thursday and Friday off to move. Mom and I made sure to take a break from packing on Thursday to go to Luna’s one “last” time. I had been wanting to try their Turtle Cake and figured why wait any longer. The cake is described as caramel and layers of chocolate cake (coconut & cashew based) with a chocolate pecan crust.

 Thank GOODNESS I won’t live 5 minutes from here anymore…

I took a break from moving on Saturday to go teach at Pure Barre Greenville for the first time. I’m super excited that there’s two studios just 10 minutes away from where I’m living. Lauren, the owner, is getting married and June 1st kicks off the 40 classes in 60 days challenge and I can not wait!

I’m a Marketer’s dream. I always give in to things so easily. I saw this gelato at Target and noticed the “Only at Target” stamp and just HAD to get it.

Talenti is my fave.

After throwing this in my cart, I walked around the corner and saw this…another Target exclusive – Suja’s 1 Day Renewal.

C’mon get into the cart.

I’ve gone for a couple of runs in my ‘hood since I’ve made it down here. The landscaping is pretty and the weather has been awesome so I’ve found it super motivating. I know this won’t last long once the humidity kicks in, so figured I should enjoy it while I can.

This past weekend was my first official one in town…and one of the only weekends I would be in town for a bit, so figured I would do some exploring. My parents decided to come down to join in on the fun.

Once they got into town on Saturday, we went to lunch at Midtown Deli (it’s right around the corner from where I live and lots of great options and not too heavy). After lunch we headed to Paris Mountain State Park to check it out. We ended up hiking for about 3.5 miles. Again, the weather was perfect and lots of shade on the trails made it even better. The park is huge and we only saw a small portion of it, so I am definitely looking forward to going back and checking out the rest of it.

“…please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you’re used to.”

Saturday night we went to Sushi Murasaki on Main Street. It’s rare that I end up loving ALL of the rolls that I get, but this time I loved all of them. My Dad and I both agreed that we had a hard time choosing a favorite between the Ocean Breeze, Pink Lady and the Volcano…but we think Volcano stole the show. The bartender was great and even introduced us to some delicious watermelon saki. I’m not usually a big fan of watermelon – I think mainly because I have flashbacks to watermelon vodka in college, but this was SO good. After Sushi we went to a handful of bars downtown. My parents have gone out in Greenville more than I have so I made sure to do my homework and reach out to my friends who know the area well so I could try to show ’em up.

On Sunday, I went to meet them at Falls Park on the Reedy.  I absolutely love it here. The park is in downtown Greenville. The Swamp Rabbit Trail runs through it so it’s not uncommon to see a lot of runners and bikers cruising and running on through.

Absolutely love it.

Still lovin’ it.

Who wants to go tubing?

Who is ready for a photoshoot?

Nature is neat.

After exploring we went to eat at Chicora Alley. My friends Emilee and Meg had both recommended it and it was right across the street from the park so it was perfect.  These two chicas did not lead us astray.  Time to meet the best salsa sampler I’ve ever had:

Pico de Gallo, Melon, Mango/Cucumber, Black Bean & Corn, Grape, Pineapple/Kiwi, Traditional Mexican and Guacamole

All of the salsas are made daily in house. I would go back for this appetizer alone. Since it was Sunday midday they were serving brunch as well. Our server recommended three different things and we opted to each get what she recommended. My Mom got the Roasted Pork Tenderloin Quesadillas, Dad got the Fish Tacos and I went with the Crab Cake Benedict.

Yes, please.

The crab cake was perfect and so was the rest of the dish. The pork on the quesadillas was some of the best pork I’ve ever had. So much flavor and perfect texture. The tacos were light and super tasty.

After stuffing my face, I went home for a bit to recuperate and then went to teach a class. After class I headed to the pool for a bit and then got myself together to go meet my parents for dinner.

We decided to go to Tupelo Honey. I’ve been to the one in Charlotte for brunch, but had never tried their dinner menu. I started off with the “Tupelo-Ritaville Margarita” it’s a perfect combination of tequila, Tupelo honey liqueur, house made fresh sweet and sour and a chili salt rim. Obssessed. I opted for the Shrimp and Grits.

SC stone-ground goat cheese grits, spicy roasted red pepper sauce.

After taking class this morning, I went to meet them for lunch once more before they headed back to Charlotte. Now, I’m off to figure out how I’m going to spend the rest of my day.

Before I go…

To all of you who have lost someone (mentally or physically) my heart and thoughts are with you today. And for all of those who continue to sacrifice your life and time away from your loved ones – a huge thank you to each and every one of you. ❤