Everything is Bigger in Texas

yea, a photo by Petunia21 on Flickr.

Check out this simple Honey Crisp apple... Its like it was not checked for steroids...

I went to Central Marked (the south one) the other day, but today went to a "regular" H.E.B store down the street from where I'm staying...

Why do I get so excited visiting supermarkets? I love to see how each region displays food, promotes products and showcases CHEESE WHEELS!

Dream BIG

While I'm here in Austin, my 'hostess with the mostest' DOES have to keep working while I'm playing.  It all isn't running around and site-seeing... a new thing for me.

Generally when I'm on "Vacation" its non-stop moving from dawn til... I drop.  (Sounds relaxing huh?)

The weather here has been really really pleasant.  Cool (60s) and breezy with the right amount of sun.  During this downtime of work, I am trying to figure out what else my life is supposed to be about... deep stuff.

So this "downtime" is actually really relaxing.  I took a nap my first day here... can you believe that Mom? A Nap? While on vacation!

I was just outdoor playing fetch with Molly with the sun shining and thought to myself... I do NOT want to sit at a desk for the rest of my life... Therefore I'd say that I did my day's amount of career self discovery. I'll just add that to my career vision board!

Miss Molly

And I've had this mini poster sitting on my desktop for a while, waiting to be blogged.

Holy BBQ Batman

Dinner #1 included... some authentic Texas Barbecue!

We went to a spot called The Salt Lick in Round Rock.  

As soon as you walked through the doors, you're hit with the pit on the right hand side of the restaurant.  Not to mention the intoxifying essence of slow cooked meat and a slathering of sauce... YUM.

 

After a new minutes of studying the menu, and I studied it like an exam, I opted for the Pork Ribs Plate (it was a head to had race between that and the pulled pork plate)  The 3 huge ribs were accompanied by potato salad, cole slaw & beans along with some bread, pickles and onions.

I mean, come on. Check out my end piece with all that fat!

This little piggy went to the market, and did NOT die in vain.  I could have knocked off a few more ribs.

DONE

 

Austin Terrier

My first meal in Texas...Austin Terrier

I mean, come on. It was the most perfect lunch spot around.  Especially cause its right down the road from where I'm staying.

The inside is all Boston - I mean, Austin Terrier themed.

Along with these amazing TRIO OF FRIES which was made up of:  

Sweet Potato, Truffle & Parmesan, and Paprika & Mustard

I indulged in the Scottie... Sadly, I did not take a picture of it.

SCOTTIE  - Bacon, organic greens, and marinated tomatoes with avocado in a lettuce wrap (to make it gluten free)

Crispy crispy bacon strips, fresh lettuce and creamy avocado, it was Delish!

Escape from LA

If you are a terrible flyer, but want to get used to the experience, may I suggest a trip from LA to Las Vegas.  But the time you reach cruising altitude, look out the window to see the desert, you are already strapping yourself in, closing your trays, and bracing for landing.... Its pretty amazing.

And if you're from LA and have never NEEDED to see the inside of the Las Vegas airport, here is a glimpse...

After getting a quick snack from a food vendor, I lined up like a kid in school in number order to board the plane (Gotta love Southwest) where they told us that the plane holds 175 passengers, and there was only 77 people on the flight....

Needless to say, I (along with about 76 others) had their very own isle!

I got a little nap in, but not before snapping a terrible photo of Lake Mead...






And a part of the Grand Canyon (the tail of the Southern Rim)



This was the best flight I've taken in a long time. Roomy and relaxing.

Pre-flight snack

perfect snack, a photo by Petunia21 on Flickr.

I seriously never thought that I would ever get excited over a piece of fruit and some ground up almonds... but here I am... excited for the 'treat'. I'm sitting at my gate ready to board my flight to Vegas and boy did this hit the spot, and it certainly kept me away from the dangerous gift shops filled with crap chocolate and chips!

Killer at Large: Why Obesity is America's Greatest Threat

Yup! This is what I watched last night at 10:30 PM in my bed with my ear buds in my ear while B slept like a baby on the other side of me.

I always get anxious before a trip. Fun trips are NO exception. I could not sleep. So I surfed my Netflix queue.

This documentary is pretty much about obesity (especially childhood) in America and how there are many layers as to WHY kids and adults are obese.  A lot of finger pointing as to who is to blame. It was interesting and when it comes to food, propaganda and advertising dancing around pharmaceuticals, I am a huge conspiracy theorist!

This is available for streaming on Netflix and you can download it on demand from Amazon and probably a bunch of other places.