Savannah Marketing Conference

Earlier this month, I headed to Savannah for the first time. I went as a representative for the advertising agency I work for at the Caterpillar North American Marketing Conference. 

The hotel we stayed at was beautiful and located right on the water. It also has a luxurious spa and I was thrilled when my company treated me to an hour long massage. 

On top of the spa, there were lots of other amenities that made the stay enjoyable. There were warm chocolate chip cookies in the lobby and a Bloody Mary bar in the afternoons. In the evenings, the patio area would have fire pits lit and made for a great place to relax with a couple of drinks after a long day of client meetings. 

I took advantage of the running maps they provided on two occasions during my trip. It was beautiful to run along the river front and watch the large cargo boats coming into harbor.

In order to get to the Savannah River Walk/Town, you had to take a water taxi from the hotel.

Our first night, we headed to the River Front to find some food. We lucked out when we went to a little hole in the wall bar and were amazed at the high quality of the menu. (sorry for the dark picture) Jumbo crab legs dipped in butter? Yes, please!

After filling our bellies, we went to the Dueling Piano Bar - Savannah Smiles to check out the location and musicians. We would be hosting a party here in a couple of days and wanted to make sure everything was set for our big night.

Required, over processed party picture.

Following our fun night out, it was time to get to work. We worked at our booth in the vendor expo all day for the next two days and enjoyed getting to visit with clients that we usually only get to talk to over the phone. 

On the first day, they unveiled the new Caterpillar Nascar vehicle. I had to take a picture for Ethan.

On Monday night, we were treated to a dinner by the event organizers. The evening started with a ferry boat cruise with passed appetizers and drinks. The drinks were great but the appetizers were cold and only two options were available that I ever saw.

We existed the boat the historic Fort Jackson, which was built in 1776. Can you see the white tent in the background? That is where they had an oyster bar set up. Inside the fort, they had banquet tables set up and we enjoyed a dinner buffet of traditional Southern foods.

They had re-enactment soldiers for entertainment that played fiddles, banjos and also fired the cannons. I'm sure Jim would have loved to see the cannons in action. I was amazed at how long it took them to prep the cannons before firing and how much black smoke was produced.

These would be my co-workers/bosses posing with some of the soldiers. Needless to say, we were having a great time!

I found a few hours during the last day to sneak away to explore the Savannah River Walk district. This would be Paula Dean's restaurant, The Lady and Sons. (I was disappointed that I had just eaten and didn't know that I was going to be able to head over, otherwise I would have skipped the provided meal for something that I'm sure was much better in town.)

Walking the streets was very difficult. You definitely need flat shoes in Savannah. The cobblestone is very rough and several people reported tripping and really scraping themselves up during the evening outings.

The stair cases between the different street levels are also very steep and rickety. (You can kind of see one in the shadows of this picture.)

For our last night, we hosted the evening's activities with an open bar, buffet dinner and entertainment from the Dueling Piano bar that we had gone to earlier. The food was amazing (we had it catered in, not provided by the bar) and far surpassed our expectations. 

Here I am with a couple of my coworkers on the water taxi on the way over to our party. Following this, pictures are not being posted to protect the innocent. ;)

After a very late night, we headed to the airport in the a.m. and I was very ready to be back home. I arrived just in time to tuck my birthday boy, who turned 5 that day, into bed.

Blake Shelton Concert

Jim and I waiting for the Blake Shelton concert to begin.

A couple of weeks ago, I entered a contest on Facebook and won two tickets to the Blake Shelton concert at the Kansas State Fair. The package also included a Visa gift card and some restaurant gift certificates. Unfortunately, we don't have any of the restaurant chains anywhere even remotely close to where we live, so I'll have to remember to use them if I ever make it out to the big city. No matter, though, it's always fun to win free stuff!

We headed down to Hutchison to spend some time walking around the fair grounds before taking in the concert. We checked out the exhibit halls to see all the vendors giving demos and then bought the mandatory fried fair food for dinner - yummy!

Pretty soon, it was time to head to the grand stands.

Here's our view of the stage from our vantage point. Our seats were a little further back than I had envisioned. I can't remember who this opening act was, but he had really good musicians in his band.

This was my view of the jumbo screen - a large pole. This was kind of annoying.

After the opening act, which was an hour, there was a 30 minute break while they set up the stage for Blake Shelton. I was rather disappointed in the time delay. You get pumped up by the opening act and then just sit around waiting for the headliner to start their performance.

Finally it was time for Blake Shelton to take the stage.

We wouldn't have gone to this concert if I hadn't won the tickets, but we had a really good time. Blake Shelton was very funny and his stories and songs were relatable - lots of songs on beer drinking, hard work, hunting and the occasional love song mixed in.

We still had to drive back that night and I had to play the piano for church the next morning, so we actually had to leave the concert early. Such a bummer! Another reason why I was annoyed by how long the opening act was and the long intermission time. I didn't estimate that the concert would last so long. Since the drive back was long, we needed to leave early in order to get home by 2:30 a.m.

After we left the concert, I took this picture in the bathroom mirror. Totally ghetto of me but I wanted to get a picture of what I wore to the concert.

Cheese!!

Vacation - Day Five

For our last day of our Colorado vacation, we spent the day exploring the lakes that make up Red Feather Lakes, CO, hiking the wild flower covered meadows and climbing the granite rock formations. We hiked for miles, took a picnic lunch with us and climbed the highest rock peaks that we could find in the area. The views from the top were awe inspiring.

So much to explore.

Getting a boost from Daddy.

Views from the top - Part of Roosevelt National Park

The most beautiful spot that I discovered during our hikes. I could take in this view for hours.

We loved the time we sent out in Red Feathers and hope to have the opportunity to return. It was so nice to enjoy a relaxing vacation. It seems like most of our travels involve non-stop activities and trying to cram in as much as possible while visiting a city. It was such a nice change to have no set agenda and just slow down and enjoy each other as a family and recharge in the great outdoors.

Jim and I really fell in love with Colorado. We've had many long conversations about the possibility of actually moving out there. Anyone know of any good jobs in the area? It might be time for this Dorothy to get out of Kansas and we just need to find the right yellow brick road to follow. ;)

Vacation - Day Two

We started our second day of vacation waking up in Denver and then hitting the road to drive the 1.5 hours to Red Feather Lake, CO. My Uncle Bill owns this cabin, Mason's Mountain Splendor, on Snake Lake and this would be our home for the next couple of days for our mountain adventure.

Mason's Mountain Splendor

We stopped on our way in Fort Collins to pick up groceries and supplies for our stay in the wilderness. Fort Collins has really grown since the last time that I can remember driving through the town. Jim and I were really impressed by the town and we are already talking about needing to spend some time exploring that town next time we are in that neck of the woods.

I also stopped at the Whole Foods store in Fort Collins. I've always wanted to shop at one of those stores but have never had the opportunity living out here in the middle of no where. I had a lot of fun looking at all the specialty food products that I've heard about but have never seen in person. I only spent $20 which is a huge testament to my self control and trying to vacation on a tight budget.

As soon as we arrived in Red Feather Lake, I was taken back to my childhood. My parents use to co-own the cabin until I was about five years old. We would usually spend about six weeks each summer staying at the cabin when I was a little girl. I love that everything has pretty much stayed the same in this little mountain village. It is a beautiful location that almost seems like it has been untouched by time and remains a simple, rustic retreat in the mountains.

One of the many lakes in Red Feather, Snake Lake, located immediately in front of our cabin.

View from the dining room of the cabin.

Perfect location for eating our breakfast in the morning and watching the sun rise. Breathtaking!

Living room fireplace in the cabin.

We quickly unpacked the truck and we were anxious to head out on our first adventure. We explored the hiking trails behind the cabin first and did lots of rock climbing. Ethan really impressed us with his ability to walk for miles and climb up the rock formations. Those are some strong little legs! Sometimes, my heart would race as my little baby scampered up the high rocks but he did an amazing job of being both careful and adventurous.

Little fort that we found. Perfect play spot for a little boy.

Beautiful views for miles and the dogs loved all the hiking.

Those little legs finally grew tired so he hitched a ride on top of Daddy's shoulders.

We had so much fun climbing, hiking and just taking in the scenery our first day at the lake. The cabin sleeps eight people - who's up for joining us next time?

Vacation - Day One

Last week, we headed away from our rural Kansas home for a much needed retreat and vacation. We drove the five hours, through the very flat lands of western KS and eastern CO, until we reached the Colorado mountains and stopped for the night in Denver, CO. It's always a fun game to see who can spot the mountains first as they start coming into focus over the open plains.

We stayed at the Aloft Hotel in Denver and we were very impressed. We were able to get the room for around $70 and the hotel offered many amenities. I thought it was a great deal!

We brought our dogs with us, a Golden Retriever and Beagle, and it was our first time traveling with our pets. The hotel was very pet friendly and we probably saw 20+ other dogs on the property.

Nice flat screen TV on the wall.

Very comfortable beds with nice, thick down comforters to curl up under.

Large bathroom with plenty of storage space and a huge, glass shower.

Outside sitting area.

The hotel also featured an indoor pool, workout room and computer area. I used the gym the next morning, while waiting for Jim and Ethan to wake up. I really enjoyed the workout facilities! Each piece of equipment had its' own TV in the monitor screen and that really helped my morning workout fly by.

After checking into our hotel, we headed out in the afternoon for a little adventure while we were in Denver for the day. I'll cover that outing in my next post.

Weekend Escape

This past weekend, we enjoyed a much needed weekend escape. I had been craving a getaway and a chance to leave Pburg for a couple of days. It seemed like a little escape from reality would do me good...and it did!

 We left on Friday afternoon and headed to Abilene, KS to watch my nephew, Austin, run in the track and field high school regionals. He competed in the two mile run and placed third, which qualifies him for the State track meet this coming weekend in Wichita. I'm so proud of him for qualifying as a freshman and doing so well!

After the race, we drove up to Manhattan, KS, my old college town when I attended Kansas State University. We went to the late movie when we reached town and watched Robin Hood. The movie was very good and was able to keep my attention and keep me awake. It was almost 1:00 a.m. by the time we left the theater.

On Saturday morning, we took our time getting around and then headed over to the KSU campus. We walked all over campus and I gave Jim a tour of where I use to take classes and of my old dorm. Everything was closed up for the summer, so we didn't get to explore any of the buildings but we had a good time walking around and taking in the beautiful limestone buildings. I was most disappointed that Call Hall was closed and I couldn't get any of the ice cream that is made fresh on campus from the local dairy cows. I ate a lot of that ice cream my freshman year. (The mint, chocolate chip is the best!)

Here we are in the center of campus.

It was a beautiful day, being the first sunny day after a week of rain. I thoroughly enjoyed walking around and soaking up the spring sunshine.

Once we had walked campus, we headed over to the much-loved Aggieville. Aggieville is a collection of shops, restaurants and bars right off of campus. I have many wonderful memories of late nights with friends at Longhorns in Aggieville.

We did some shopping and finally ate lunch. I was starving since we had skipped breakfast. I was also in desperate need of caffeine from not getting my coffee fix that morning. Luckily, lunch took care of my hunger and headache.

Following lunch, we headed uptown to the mall and to explore the downtown shops. We found a new little gourmet food store uptown that was really cute. I bought a jar of lemon curd and we shared some peanut butter fudge that they make fresh in their store. Unfortunately, I can not recall the name of this cute little store.

We went back to the hotel and took naps before getting ready for a late dinner out on the town.

I found this beautiful teal dress at Modcloth and was excited to finally have an opportunity to wear it out. I wish the picture showed off the detailing around the bust better. The top is pleated with an intricate pattern to make up the bodice.

Beautiful hotel door backdrop from our luxurious Super 8 room.

Dinner was at my favorite restaurant in Manhattan, Harry's Uptown. We started out with drinks at the bar where Jim tried their Side Car drink that was on special and I had a wonderful, and strong, french martini.

The beautiful dining room at Harry's.

For dinner, we decided to share three appetizers for our own little buffet of goodies. They were all amazing! I had planned on taking pictures for you all, but my camera's batteries died...ugh!

Here is a recap of what we ordered: (Descriptions from their menu with my review to follow in italics.)

Jim's drink: Side Car - E&J brandy, Cointreau, lemon juice, simple syrup and an orange sugar rim. I tried Jim's drink and it was very good. Sweet and refreshing, making it a great summer drink.

Appetizer #1: Wild Mushroom Saute - Wild mushrooms sautéed with bacon, foie gras, chives, served over toasted brioche and drizzled with a fresh thyme Chevre sauce. I'm not a huge fan of mushrooms, but these were delicious! Very rich and deep in flavor. I'm glad that we ordered the pizza appetizer, as they were very good put on top of the pizza. I'm not sure I would have been able to handle an entire plate of mushrooms by themselves.

Appetizer #2: Hot Lobster Cilantro Martini - Lightly breaded, quick-fried lobster medallions finished in a rum cilantro sauce. This was so rich and decadent. The lobster meat was perfectly cooked and the presentation in a martini glass was beautiful. The lobster was in a very rich cheese/rum sauce. The rum gave it a very interesting flavor. We were only able to eat a few bites of this one, it was just so rich. The martini glass portion should probably be split by six people. A couple of bites is all you need. I felt guilty leaving so much of this one left after our meal.

Appetizer #3: Smoked Chicken Pizza - Smoked chicken, tossed in a creamy garlic sauce, topped with crisp bacon, fresh herbs, Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. This appetizer was my favorite. The bacon and chicken made for a delicious combination and the perfect vehicle for eating our mushroom appetizer. I think I could recreate this one at home and am looking forward to trying to make it soon.

Following dinner, I enjoyed an Irish Coffee while we sat and talked for awhile and just enjoyed the rare evening out at a nice restaurant with no distractions. After I had finished my cup of coffee, we weren't ready to call it an evening yet, so we decided to go across the street to get some dessert.

I had heard of a new restaurant, della Voce, and really wanted to check it out. I'm glad we did, it was a fun place to try. Nice atmosphere and our server was very nice.

Jim ordered a Strawberry Lime-aid martini for dessert. It was very sweet and an extremely bright pink color. I really enjoyed taking a few sips from this one. Definitely a dessert drink. The drink was made up of: Stoli strasberi, Citronge, limoncello, grenadine and lime juice.

For dessert, I ordered the creme brule al cioccolato. It was a chocolate creme brulee and was ok. The flavor was good but it didn't have that rich custard texture that I love in my creme brulees. Jim ordered the torta ai formaggi classica, which is cheesecake. I wish I had ordered this one. It was so creamy and rich. I was glad that Jim shared a bite with me!

Another self-portrait.

Finally, it was time to call it a night and we headed back to our hotel. We slept in on Sunday morning and then headed home to pick up Ethan from the farm, where he had enjoyed an eventful weekend with his grandparents.