Finally Feeling Like Fall

October 8, 2019October 8, 2019 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 9 Comments

Last week may have started out with 80 degree temps, but we are finally cooling down and it feels more like fall again around here. So, our weekend was full of fun fall activities.

We started off Friday night with dinner out – pizza!

And Saturday included one of my favorite fall activites- apple picking!

FW liked the Jonagold apple.

I love these guys.❤

After apple picking, we had lunch and did some baking. We made cookies to bring to a dinner we had planned that evening.

Saturday night, we went to my friend Emily’s house. She has two kids also and invited us and few other our friends with kids over for dinner. She made tacos and it was a great way for all the kids to run around and play with one another. There were only blurry photos because the kids were always moving!

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Sunday morning, we had plans – we were doing the Happy 5K race in my neighborhood. B and I ran with the kids (and their strollers) for the run.

After naptime, we decided to hit the playground. FW had brought his class stuffed whale home for the weekend (thus the whale in so many of the above pics) and kept mentioning he wanted to take him to the playground. So we did!

And for dinner we kept it simple. B’s parents had been out of town over the weekend, so our usual Sunday family dinner plans were cancelled. We ended up staying in and making which hit the spot. Oh, and of course we had leftover cookies 🙂

Some questions for you:

Did it finally start feeling like fall near you?
Have you gone apple picking yet this season?

Running, Reading and Eating — What We’ve Been Up To Lately

February 24, 2019February 26, 2019 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 3 Comments

If I had to sum up my life lately, it’d be as follows: running, working, eating, (somewhat) sleeping. And then do it all over again.

Yup, that’s pretty much what we’ve been up to lately. But in case you want to see some pictures, here you go:

I recently finished A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. It was so good! I have never read it before but it was our book club book for this week and I really, really liked it.

A coworker and friend took me out for a belated birthday lunch. I LOVE Lebanese food and this cauliflower was amazing.

We’ve been trying to get outside as much as possible. It was chilly on and off this past week, but we did get outside a few times.

Smiles with this girl ❤ She’s fighting a double ear infection but doing alright.

And this guy of course, too.

I also got to go to an amazing blogger tea party. Crystal from Eat*Drink*Cleveland hosted several bloggers last weekend for an AMAZING meal.

She also had this gorgeous tea. Look at that flower!

And she made us cauliflower soup in her Vitamix. I need the recipe; it was SO good!

And of course, there were treats. In addition to tiny tea sandwiches and deviled eggs, there were macarons. Mine was so so good.

What else have we been up to? This weekend we walked to Luna and enjoyed breakfast. FW is loving croissants.

B also made us pizza.

We hung out with Celia and Maura.

And went to the rainforest!

Oh, and of course I’ve been running! The weather has been hit or miss lately- cold and icy in the beginning of the week and then finally it cleared up yesterday and I got outside for a few miles.

And in other running news – my half marathon training starts this week! Today was supposed to be cross-training (or rest) and I actually took it pretty easy. We were supposed to go for a hike with the kids, but it ended up being really windy and rainy so we didn’t get to go. But tomorrow is 3 miles – here’s to hoping that the kids sleep well so I can actually get up and run!

Some questions for you:

Have you read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn?
Are you in a book club?
What does your training look like right now?

I’m linking up with the weekly wrap.

Spring Weekends, One Sentence Per Photo

March 26, 2017March 26, 2017 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 8 Comments

We started off the weekend with some time outside swinging.

Playground time was followed by dinner out at Boaz, a fast and delicious local Lebanese place.

And when it’s 75 degrees, you always finish the meal off with ice cream.

Mitchell’s is the best.

Peanut butter frozen yogurt for me, regular plain (non-frozen) yogurt for FW.

It really was a gorgeous night.

Saturday started off with a long run (for me)- 8 miles.

When it’s 50 degrees at 9:30 a.m. you take advantage of the weather and it was my first outside run in ages!

The rest of the day entailed a trip to the Market (for our weekly groceries), Gallucis (for pizza supplies) and Asiatown (for candy!).

When your baby sleeps in the afternoon, you have time to meal prep!

Preparing for a bridal brunch means baking granola.

Fact: Homemade pepperoni pizza with fresh basil is the best.

Sunday brunch with homemade lox is the BEST.

I love these ladies!!

These cupcakes and cookies were amazing.

Me and the bride-to-be!

And we finished up the day with dinner with B’s family. Sadly, no pictures😐
Some questions for you:

Did you get to spend some time outside this weekend?
Do you like lox?

I’m linking up with Katie and the weekly wraps.

What We’ve Been Up To

December 9, 2016December 9, 2016 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / Leave a comment

Welp, it’s been more than a week since I last wrote – yikes! The main reason – craziness at work, business of the season AND the stomach flu. Yes, the stomach flu. (this is a BIG DEAL. The last time I had any stomach issues – including pregnancy – was January 2010!! B even remembered)

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B and I both got sick last weekend and I was definitely on the mend all this week. I luckily didn’t have to miss any work and powered through the week, but man, I’m tired! So here are a few things we’ve been up to the past few weeks or so:

A little bit of running. I’ve been getting my mileage up to 20+ a week (minus this week when I was still recovering and took 3 days off) and it feels good! And last week I got in my longest post-baby run 6.5 miles!

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A lot of momming. (Side note – my computer wants to correct that to Miming Lolz) Seriously. Being a mom is no joke especially when you’re sick. And your husband is sick. And your baby – who thank goodness didn’t get the said flu but got a cold instead – is starting to roll all around! So it was really cool when I got this package in the mail from Sway and Walgreens – a Well Beginnings Diaper Kit! You know you’re a mom when you are excited for surprises like these. (And yes, so far these diapers live up to the hype)

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Baking. Yes, I went to my annual holiday cookie baking event and it was great. If I get my act together I’ll share the recipe for the spice cookies I made. B really likes them. 20161203_151701

Celebrating the season! We’ve already had several holiday events and I know they’re going to keep on coming. And that’s okay – I love this time of year! Check out the gorgeous lights in my hood. img_20161128_181108

And yes, any chance I get to dress FW in a holiday-ish outfit, we’re doing it. He doesn’t seem to mind. 20161201_072329 img_20161203_110614

And of course, we had our annual Love Actually night – complete with wine and cheese. Because it’s our annual tradition that I love!

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And that’s about it – what about you?

Some questions:

Do you like Love Actually? I still find it crazy when I find someone who doesn’t!! (ahem coworker who shall remain unnamed)
Do you have any holiday traditions?
When was the last time you were sick?

Weekend with the Grandparents

August 8, 2016August 7, 2016 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 9 Comments

My parents were in town this weekend! This was the longest they’ve spent in Cleveland – they came into town Wednesday night and left early Sunday morning, so I had 3 full days with them and FW. It was great!

So, what do we do when the grandparents are in town?

We celebrate!

How?

First, with tacos and patio drinks at Barrio. FW was on his best behavior. IMG_20160803_204630

And plenty of delocius takeout. Sushi one night (with Anson and Celia!) And Taza the next. LOVE me some Lebanese.

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And during the day, walks to Farmers Markets with live music. Public Square has a brand new market now that goes Thursdays through fall. You should check it out! 20160804_103742

We also went for a few long walks. Down to the Flats … 20160804_110737

Down to the lake (with a stop for FW to eat) … 20160804_142525

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And to the river. 20160806_114252

We of course had some playtime.

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Pedicures with mom. And wine.

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I also took advantage of them being in town by spending some alone time – I did some meal prep (yay for roasting veggies for lunches!) AND went for FOUR runs. That’s right – that’s more running than I’ve been able to do in forever. And since I was officially cleared to run earlier in the week, I was so happy to be out there. It is hard for me to run during the week days now because of FW, so I made sure to get in as much mileage as I wanted. I got in 3.8 miles Thursday, 4.3 miles Friday, 5 miles Saturday and even 4 miles Sunday morning. I’m definitely out of shape and slower than I was this time last year, but I don’t care – it’s just great to be back!

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And even though B was out of town for the weekend, Thursday night we took advantage of having my parents in town and spent the night to ourself! It was our first night out since FW was born – and even though I constantly thought of FW and missed him, it was great. We had amazing food and drinks at Alley Cat down by the water.

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Dessert was Cathy’s cookies. An amazing ice cream sandwich that was HUGE and so worth it. IMG_20160804_213206

Followed by a pretty walk home. I really am loving the new Public Square – even the fountains light up at night! If you follow me on Snapchat or Instagram (@koskim on both) you probably saw the light/water show. Who wants to be our next babysitter?

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My parents left Sunday morning and FW and I had the day to ourselves before B came home that night. We’ll be seeing them in less than a month, though, when we introduce FW to his New York (my side of the) family!

Some questions for you:

How often do you have date night?
If you had suddenly one hour to spend to yourself, what’s the first thing you would do? I guess I’d go for a run and take a shower 🙂 Life post-baby has changed me! Next on my list – mani/pedi, bake, blog …

Per usual, I’m linking up with Erin, Katie and the weekly wraps.

It’s Been One Week … (Yes, we had that baby)

June 30, 2016June 30, 2016 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 17 Comments

One week ago, our lives changed completely. We went from being just B and me to being a family of three. FW was born last Thursday afternoon. He and the whole family are healthy and doing well (despite lacking some serious sleep).

I’ll spare you all the super detailed details, and in true fashion of how we shared we were expecting, here are some of the FAQs:

Okay, we want to know – boy or girl?!

It’s a boy!

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When was he born?

FW waited until after the Cavs win and parade celebration and came into the world June 23, 2016. Just like his mom when she was born, he was 2 days late (I was due on Jan 21 and born Jan 23).

About 24 hours before he was born, his mom and dad were at the Cavs parade celebrating the city’s win!

What were the basic details – height, weight, etc.

He’s just a little guy! 6 lb. 12.5 oz and 19.5 inches. OR 19 inches. It depends on who you ask.

This was taken in the hospital when we were about to take him home!

Why haven’t you posted any photos of him or any blog posts yet? Is everyone okay? Was he born with 3 heads?

Ha, he was not born with three heads. He has one head, with hair (I LOVE BABIES WITH HAIR!), and is perfect and cute in every way (yes, I’m biased). I’ve been sharing plenty on Snapchat (follow me at @koskim) and will start to share more on other channels as well. And honestly, every time I go to write a blog post, he is awake and I can’t stand not looking at him so I put the computer down and go chill with him. He is sleeping now (it’s daytime – he loves sleeping during the day), and I thought it was time to officially introduce him to the world. So here you go – gratuitous baby photos await!

He even poses in his sleep

How are you feeling? How is he sleeping?

Judging from what I’ve been told and what I’ve heard from friends, I had a reallllly easy labor. So I’m feeling pretty good for just having a baby. BUT I’m tired. Let’s just say that FW likes sleeping a lot – during the day. At night, well, we’re still teaching him about that.

When was the last time you ran? Are you going to start running again?

I ran/hobbled a mile (before taking a walk) the day before FW was born. IT was a slow and not-so-comfortable mile! And now I need to wait until after 6 weeks to start exercise. It’s rough. Luckily, I’ve felt good enough to take some walks with B and FW, but I can tell that 6 weeks are going to last a while!

on our first walk outside with him

Have you had any visitors?

Yes! My parents came in town the minute they heard I was in labor and were here last weekend. B’s family has been by a few times AND he’s gotten a chance to meet a few coworkers. His social calendar is pretty full these days 🙂

hanging out with the grandparents

meeting the cousins!

Are you still going to live downtown?

Yup, still getting this question – and yes, we’re still in our apartment. We converted the guest room into a nursery and B made this amazing space-saving changing table that is built up to the wall so it doesn’t take up floorspace and FW is loving living downtown. We’ve given him a few tours of our neighborhood and took him out to his first downtown meal this week – we enjoyed some tacos outdoors in the Flats!

showing FW the Flats

FW along the water

Seeing the food trucks at Walnut Wednesday

Are you going to be a mom blogger now?

Umm, sorta, but not really? I know that’s not a real answer – but I’m going to still blog the way I always blog, about things I know. Baking. Cooking. Running. And now that being a mom (it’s so weird to say that) is part of who I am, here we go – mom blogging awaits! I imagine that I’ll have some more mom-focused blog posts or a mom-spin on my posts moving forward, but when I get back to running in a few months there will be posts about that. When I get some more sleep and can bake and cook again, there will be posts about that. And as I adjust to live as a mom, I imagine there will be fewer posts at times as I enjoy every minute of life with baby!

out to lunch with mom and dad

Joining up today with the Thinking Out Loud linkup. Because I’ve had writer’s block and it seems appropriate that this post be a flood of thoughts!

Warning – there may be typos in this post. My brain is a little tired from the lack of REM sleep … (as if there weren’t typos in the other posts on here)

Valentine’s Weekend in Photos

February 15, 2016February 14, 2016 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 10 Comments

It was a great weekend in CLE! Yes, it was cold. Yes, it snowed. (Yes, it’s February) BUT my parents were in town from NY so I got some good quality family time in, which you can’t beat. Here’s a quick recap of the weekend, in photos. I’m going to attempt just 3 words (or fewer) per photo. Here we go!

Friday night pizza.

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My favorite treats.

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Saturday weather check.

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Family bump photo!

My favorite breakfast.

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Cleveland Bazaar!

Parents +Inlaws Dinner

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Valentine’s Day baking

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My favorite lunch

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Art museum

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Like father

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Beautiful museum atrium

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Love my momma

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8 years old!

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Phew, that was hard! I’m not good at not rambling, I suppose.

Anyway, what a GREAT weekend. It’s so nice to have my parents in town – I miss them a lot these days and am so glad they came EVEN in the cold winter. But hey, at least it was warmer than NY?

Some questions for you:

Did you get any good treats for Valentine’s Day?
Do you do meatless Fridays during Lent?

As usual, I’m linking up with Erin for my weekend snapshot post, Katie for MIMM and the weekly wraps.

Can I have another 3-day weekend?

May 26, 2015May 25, 2015 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / Leave a comment

Happy unofficial start of summer! It was the perfect introduction of summer this weekend – a 3 day weekend filled with family, food and pretty much perfect weather. Prepare for a post filled with lots of photos!

Friday night my parents came into town from New York! They got into town just in time for dinner and we walked around downtown for a little (I got to show them the new Heinen’s!) and then headed to Uptown. We had reservations at L’Albtross and the food was soooo good. I seriously love Zach Bruell restaurants and my parents were impressed with their food. After dinner, we walked around Uptown for a second and got dessert at Coquette Patisserie – it was a French food filled evening, I suppose!

My parents enjoying dessert

All the sweetness!

Saturday, we typically hit up the West Side Market, even when my family comes into town – but this weekend, instead, we decided to try something new – and this meant going for a hike in the ‘burbs. We headed to Squires Castle for a few photos and a nice cool hike in the woods. A little different than our typical more urban walk throughout downtown!

B and I – in nature!

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After our hike, we stopped off in downtown Willoughby for lunch at the Willoughby Brewing Company – it was my first time there and we all enjoyed our meal.

By the time we got downtown again, it was almost time for our late-afternoon plans – Indians game! We didn’t have 4 seats tighter, but instead had 2 sets in the 2nd row behind third base and 2 seats in the upper deck. B and my dad got the good seats, and I got the super high seats with my mom. What a fun afternoon! My mom and I enjoyed watching the game, chatting and of course taking selfies.

our super high bird

Baseball game selfie!

We hadn’t been hungry for food during the game, so we opted for Vietnamese for dinner. I love me some Vietnamese cabbage salads – we also feasted on Bun, Pho, spring rolls and more.

ginormous salad

My parents typically only spend one full day in town when they visit, but since it was a 3-day weekend they were able to also stay for half of the day on Sunday! We started off the day with a visit to the Sunday Market in Hingetown.

Dad and I at Cleveland Tea Revival

After walking around and of course a few purchases, we hit up brunch in Ohio City at Heck’s.

Cheating on Phuel with another yogurt parfait!

And then my parents were off 😦 During the afternoon, B and I ran a few errands, spending waaaay too much time (and $) in Target, before feasting on leftovers and heading to the bar to watch the Cavs game. Thank goodness we brought home a win!

A porter during the game

Time for a win!

I need a cavs shirt

Monday morning started off with a longish run – now that I’m not training for anything right now, it’s somewhat enjoyable not to have any scheduled long runs; however, I do miss them sometimes! I got in 7.5 miles before B and I hit the driving range.

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I don’t actually know what I’m doing when I hit golf balls … but B does!

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Then it was time to prepare our contribution to our Memorial Day BBQ – an appetizer from our Recipe Girl cookbook – and then it was cookout time!

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My plates from the barbecue – definitely enjoyed chicken, ribs, pork tenderloin, potato salad, and of course ice cream, cookies and local beer. Hope you had a fabulous Memorial Day weekend!

my plate!

New – from Platform!

vanilla, strawberry, mint chip AND a delicious cookie

Some questions for you:

Do you golf?
Which flavors of neopolitan ice cream do you like? I love vanilla and strawberry – but hate chocolate!

Friday Five: May Randomness

May 22, 2015May 21, 2015 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 2 Comments

As we get to the unofficial start of summer, I realize I haven’t been so great about my weekend recap posts this month. Jinkies! (yes, cue the Mystery Machine) So here is a random Friday Five to catch you up to speed. Don’t worry – I hope have more weekend update posts AND some new baked goods recipes coming soon (butterscotch chocolate chip cookies and ginger cookies!).

Friday 5: 5 Random Things

1. I signed up for the new Rock Hall Half Marathon! Blame it on the runner’s high – last weekend was the Cleveland Marathon (recap here). I was lucky enough to be an Ambassador and hang out with these lovely people AND run with B. (Yes, I did write about this but I just had to share it again because I’m still feeling the high from the event!)

Some of my fellow ambassadors the night before the race – we clean up good!

Me and Nicole. We’re running buddies.

2. Earlier this month was the St. Martin De Porres Birthday Bash. I went with B and his family and we got all dressed up and celebrated/raised money for St. Martin De Porres High School at the Cleveland Art Museum. Such a great venue – and a great cause!

B and me at the bash

Some of us ladies at the event

3. I’ve been baking up a storm this month. Some things have included ginger chocolate biscotti, butterscotch cookies, butterscotch chocolate chip cookies, triple ginger cookies. Yum! Recipes coming soon (hopefully).

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4. B and I finally got around to making one of the recipes we learned in Vietnam this year – spring rolls! Our contribution to Mother’s Day (theme: small plates) were these shrimp and pork spring rolls with peanut sauce. So delicious!

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5. A client of mine, Donate Life Ohio, recently kicked off a #DonateKindness campaign. They are encouraging people to take 2 minutes of their day to commit to an act of kindness toward someone else. (And of course, it only takes 2 minutes to do the ultimate act of kindness – register as an organ, eye or tissue donor) I participated already and can’t wait to do it again – I shipped some baked goods (see aforementioned treats) to some friends and family as a surprise!

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Some questions for you:

Have you done any random acts of kindness lately? What have you done?
What is a good Memorial Day appetizer or dessert to bring to a party? I need ideas!

#TBT: Throwback Thursday – Travel Edition

September 25, 2014September 25, 2014 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / Leave a comment

As you probably know by now, B and I love to travel. We’ve gone to some great places – international and in the U.S. – together and had a great time trying out new meals, meeting new people and getting in as much of the local scene as we can.

We have two more trips planned this year – what we’re calling an “East Coast Foliage Tour” (which will include stops in Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, Boston and New York) and a trip to Asia (Hong Kong and Vietnam for now). So as I started to get excited about what’s to come, I began to also think about all the great trips we’ve had over the past few years. Here are some old photos from past trips, 2010 through last year:

2010 – New York City to see my brother play at Carnegie Hall

NYC 2010 Carnegie Hall

2010 – Road trip to Pittsburgh – checking out the city for the first time and of course their Hofbrauhaus

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Not sure if this counts as travel … but we go to upstate New York quite often to see my parents. These pictures are from our engagement shots in 2010 🙂 (thus the cheesiness)

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2011 – trip to Chicago! We tasted our way through local beers and deep dish pizza, and did a walking tour, tried the architectural boat tour and got in great views.

Chicago + 391 Chicago + 408 Hemmingway

2012 Cape Cod – we ate lobster, went whale watching, tried tandem biking and even walked on the beach (even with my boot :()

Also in 2012 we went to Ireland and England! More hiking, local food and drinks, and siteseeing.

And we ended the year in Montreal and Toronto. In a snowy winter wonderland! We still managed to walk around, check out some amazing food (crepes, poutine, Chinatown) and had a great time.

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2013 started with a winter surprise vacation in Miami – which meant sunshine, running along the beach, fresh seafood and fruity drinks!

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Also, that year we spent a week checking out another midwestern city – Milwaukee!

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And 2013 ended with a great trip to the West Coast, with stops in San Francisco, Napa, Seattle, the Redwoods, Los Angeles and more.

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This year, you probably remember we started off with some travel to Costa Rica. And I can’t wait to see what the rest of 2014 holds for us for travel!

Some questions for you:

Do you like to travel or do you prefer to stay home?
What’s the coolest place you’ve been – I need more places to add to my travel bucket list!
Ever been to Hong Kong or Vietnam? Recommendations?
Ever been to Portland, Maine? What do you recommend we do?
What’s on your travel bucket list?