A whirlwind of a day

Tags

metro traveling, Miami Beach, postaday2013, visiting

Wow, oh wow did we have a day. The baby girl and I did a tremendous amount of exploring today. We took full advantage of the Metrorail, the Metromovers and the Metrobus because I made the conscious decision not to rent a car so that the baby girl can learn how to navigate the city of Miami independently of a vehicle.

There were a few slight hiccups in our travels, we have found out the seedy parts of Miami and now we know to stay clear, we also learned that there are few pedestrian friendly areas and these are in the glitzy parts of Miami. I thought that the metrorail stop called Historic Overton/Lyric Theater would be a good area and it was one of the stops on the map, looked as if we could transfer to a Metromover (a small type of shuttle). I was greatly mistaken, the area was deserted, no cars, no pedestrians, just poor homeless people. I even went to a police car to ask a police officer directions and he steered us to an even worse section. I saw three young males that looked very sketchy so I turned us right around and I decided that we were going to another stop. That proved to be the best move because the next stop got us to the metromover directly and we were able to find the Bayside Marketplace, it was beautiful and a lot of fun to walk around and poke around all the tourist shops. We went to the Hard Rock Cafe and my baby girl was very happy with that, we looked at several yachts and enjoyed the breeze off the water. We commented to each other that despite spending a day and a half in Miami, we were still searching for the open water; the Atlantic Ocean. Don’t worry, we eventually found the water.

We grabbed the Metrobus and it took us over the Venetian Causeway and right to Lincoln Road the main drag with restaurants, night clubs, shops and it eventually leads you to Miami Beach. We passed by the Ritz-Carlton and other gorgeous hotels. The beautiful people were definitely out and about.

We had a good, long day.

Miami is beautiful, isn’t it?

Our cousin is visiting

Tags

dinner, family visits, memory lane, postaday2013, sleepovers, visiting

Our wonderful cousin Nancy is visiting with us for a few days. She is my hubby’s cousin on his father’s side and we love her to pieces. She and I clicked the moment we met, we talked and talked about everything. She is a very talented artist; she does sculptures and three dimensional paintings that are whimsical and poignant. We are lucky enough to have a few pieces of hers that we proudly have displayed on our walls.

My hubby thought that Larb would be something different for dinner. He nailed the menu choice because it definitely was a hit. Larb is a Thai special salad; it’s sautéed ground pork with chopped mint, cilantro, scallions, shallots, ground red pepper, lime juice, fish sauce and ground toasted rice to bind it all. It is served in lettuce leaves with extra mint and cilantro. It is one of my hubby’s favorites and Nancy really enjoyed it as well. What I like about it is that it is light, healthy and full of different flavors with every bite. The sautéed pork melds beautifully with all the herbs and the mildness of the pork allows the herbs to shine with their refreshing brightness. The lime juice and fish sauce lend a citrusy saltiness that keeps you eating even after you are full. The lettuce provides the eating utensil while not taking away from the overall flavors and complex tastes. I find that not only is it delicious, but also so much fun to eat.

Visiting with friends during holiday season

Tags

Christmas, friendship, holidays, pets, postaday2012, visiting

Today my baby girl and I had some time to visit with my best friend Debbie, her hubby and her grand kids at her house. It was great to see her in person rather than over the phone and e-mail. We talk just as much, no holds barred, but in person it’s always infinitely more satisfying. She got her haircut, just as I did, and it looks fantastic on her. She complimented me on my haircut as well. What was funny is that we both decided to get rid of our longish hair because it was making us look old and our new haircuts have made us look a lot younger but we did it without knowing that the other was doing it as well.

Her grand kids have grown so much, they are still little; five, four and a year and four months old, all very cute but still a handful, so my Debbie is exhausted by the end of the week after babysitting all three of them. Even with the oldest in all day kindergarten, she still has the younger two to contend with, and did I mention that she also takes care of three dogs and a cat. Wait, I forgot something, oh yes, she also takes care of her mom and her hubby as well. I am exhausted just typing this part of what she does. When I pulled into her driveway, I told the baby girl that I hadn’t needed the GPS after all, I couldn’t have missed her house at all, it was the most decorated house on the block.

One of the things that I miss about not having her next to me is precisely that; her very special way of decorating her house into a Christmas winter wonderland. Now for the past two Christmases, my corner of the world is much darker. The new next door neighbors don’t put out all the stops like Debbie did, they try but it is very tame. The neighbors on the other side are pretty festive, but Debbie was famous in our town for her decorations.

I also miss just having her there. She was great to cook for; I would often make cauliflower gratin for the kids and I always made sure that I took over a bowl for her because she loved it so much. She never made it because her hubby wasn’t a vegetable man; he is a solid meat and potatoes guy, so I really liked to make her things that I knew she wasn’t going to make for herself. Whenever I made chicken pot pie, she got enough for her and her hubby. The same went for pies, cookies and cakes. I was often knocking on her door and entering with some kind of goodie for her to eat. Good times.

Part of the reason I loved cooking for her was obviously it made her happy but also because she did do so much. She is the hardest working person that I know, so I was happy to help lift a small load even if it was only a meal.

I miss having her next door.