Travel – Kristin Eats

We Went to Hawaii!

Last month, we went to Hawaii! Glenn took me to Hawaii, if you really want to be exact. It wasn’t a surprise, but it was a gift. A generous one I might add. {!!!!!!! to say the least !!!!!!!!} We flew to the Big Island – a new island for us – the day before Mother’s Day. This year, Mother’s Day also happened to fall on the 10th of the month, which is always a more sensitive day for both Glenn and I, so it was extra special to get to be on a fancy-pants vacation together on such a tender holiday.

I came down with a horrible, horrible, horrible cold a few days before we left. Needless to say, flying with severe congestion is not exactly ideal.

We made it through the flight, however, and were SO glad to land in Kona!

Since this was our first time to the Big Island, we had a lot of fun exploring and finding our favorite spots. We stayed at the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel and LOVED it. We have heard about this place from our dear friends for years, and were thrilled to finally get to experience it ourselves. We felt like it was laid back and Hawaiian, but still quite nice. We explored several other resorts on the island and decided we would choose Mauna Lani again in a heartbeat, unless the Four Seasons somehow became an option. {ummm… hello. it likely will not. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$}

There were lots of spots to walk or bike on the property, and we had a blast doing both.

Our favorite restaurant was The Beach Tree, which is actually on the Four Seasons property. We went twice, once for lunch and once for dinner, and both were spectacular. Relaxed, delicious, fun, and gorgeous views — exactly the vibe we were looking for. At dinner they have live music, which is always such a treat!

This pictures was not taken at The Beach Tree, this is at The Canoe House, which was the restaurant on our hotel property which was also delicious, but not our favorite. 🙂

Our favorite beach was our beach at the Mauna Lani – the snorkeling was good {Glenn saw two turtles!!} and there is a nice calm bay so ocean wimps like me don’t have to fear for their lives.

The final thing I will share with you was our favorite adventure. This trip was more about the relaxing/vacationing than adventuring, but we both really wanted to see the volcano, since The Big Island is the only Hawaiian island that still has an ACTIVE volcano on it. You guys — it was soooooooooo cool! It is a serious drive from the resort areas to the volcano, but so worth it. We saw LAVA SPEW. Straight up. We smelled what the insides of the earth smell like as we walked through the steam vents. We trekked through rain forest and jumped over big puddles to get to a lava cave. We had dinner {and Glenn had a “lava flow” – how appropriate} overlooking, you guessed it, A LAVA POOL. It was really such a fun day, and the only part we didn’t like was driving 3 hours back to our part of the island at the end of the day. Still, totally worth it and something we would highly recommend to anyone visiting the Big Island that likes a little adventure!

Finally, we flew home on what felt like one of the longest, most boring, most drawn-out, and, quite frankly, worst flights ever. 🙂 It became comical just how bad the service and entire experience on this flight was. I think you can see the attitude in our faces here. Alas, we were not on vacation anymore, but it was still good to get home!

So much fun was had! What a treat! I can’t get over just how special it was to get to go on this vacation last month — over Mother’s Day, pregnant with our second son, with lots of time and space to remember and talk about Branch, and lots of time and space to be silly and rest. SUCH a treasured time. Thank you for making it happen, Glenn! xoxoxo

~Kristin

Livin’ the Life

In the past month we have had lots of fun and adventure as Branch continues to grow grow grow. I think my womb must be offering karate classes, because he has turned into quite the little maniac in there. I have heard that it is sad for some Mom’s who are carrying babies with a fatal diagnosis to feel the baby kicking, but it has been pretty fun for me so far. This is my first pregnancy, so everything surrounding it is new and kind of exciting, even though the grief is still there every day. In just a couple of months I know I may have moments where I miss feeling his little kicks, so I am trying to enjoy them now — even if he is destroying my insides with his long legs.

On to the Murdock Adventures! Our first, and biggest, adventure was a trip to Kaua’i — one of our favorite places, and an island we have had the great privilege of visiting multiple times. We stayed on the North Shore, a part of the island we had only taken day trips to on previous visits. It is the most lush and rainy part of Kaua’i, and therefore absolutely stunning. I am sure tourists who come from other parts of the country are irritated with the daily tropical storms of the North Shore, but we absolutely loved them. Rain, to Southern Californians, is like manna from Heaven. I could post about 200 pictures from this trip, but I will spare you the details and just put up some highlights. {BIG thank-you’s to the Brett & Becca Murdock’s for letting us borrow their timeshare, and to Delta Airlines for offering flights for miles instead of cash. You made this awesome trip possible! Yay!!}

We “hiked” {have you ever taken a woman who is 7 months pregnant on a HIKE?!?!} and walked around Waimea Canyon. It rained on us and we were not prepared, but it was still fun.

We treated ourselves to shave ice with mac-nut ice cream on the bottom. A must.

We lounged in the hammock.

We went to the beach………Glenn carried everything.

We went to a local hot spot and had Loco Moco for breakfast. Looks horriffic, I know, but it was seriously soooooooo good.

We celebrated our last night on the island with a fancy dinner out at my favorite restaurant on Kaua’i – The Beach House. Here we are on the lawn in front of the restaurant, right before sunset. A stranger, who had evidently never used a camera before, took several pictures of us. Blurry but it works!

And finally, we flew home separately {we booked our tickets with miles, remember?} which gave Glenn a few hours alone on the island. He was a stud and hiked down a waterfall.

I was planning on updating you on ALL the interesting things this past month brought, but this post is getting kind of long already, so I will wait until next time to do that.

Hope you are having a lovely day!

~Kristin

Whoopsie Daisy

I forgot to blog for a month and a half. Oops! Sometimes life and doing and working and being and learning and growing just take up all of my time, and I’ve decided that is ok.

I walked/ran a half marathon through Washington DC.

My littlest sister Katherine drove me to the Baltimore train station in the pouring rain. We hadn’t anticipated the downpour, or the fact that the Baltimore train station is super far away from where my parents live, so I missed my train. Not to worry, Amtrak was glad to take an extra $150 to get me where I needed to go. Thanks, Amtrak.

I rode a {last minute} train from Baltimore to Connecticut to spend the better half of a week with some precious lives: Julie, Gracie, Piper, and Brian {not pictured}. We ate hot dogs, pizza, and apple pie. We also sang karaoke – a first for me, but definitely NOT a first for Julie, who we used to call Julie Mraz in college because she basically turned into Jason Mraz every time he came on the radio. She really loves to sing.

Glenn took a day off and we went to Disneyland. I love him. I love Disneyland. I love Southern California in general.

I ate a chocolate croissant for breakfast. It was worth it. It usually is.

Have a great Wednesday!

~Kristin

Ruined for Life : The Story of Flying First Class

As a handful of you have pointed out, I have been absent for a couple of weeks. My reason? It’s simple. I recently experienced a new level of life – a level involving elitism even I was unaware existed. Quite frankly, I am not sure I will ever recover.

Here’s how it happened.

A couple of weeks ago we were having dinner with friends and, literally out of the blue, we were offered the opportunity to fly to Japan THE FOLLOWING WEEK. We said yes. !!!!!!

We were also informed that we would most likely be upgraded to first class.

Ahem.
Hello?
Is this thing on?
FIRST CLASS.

You’ve got to be kidding me people! I’ve never even sat in a first class seat on a domestic flight, let alone dreamt of what it would be like to fly first internationally. Flat beds? Wine pairings? All the Disney and Justin Bieber movies you can watch? Sign. Me. Up.

Nervous and giddy, we hitched a ride to LaLa Land and eagerly awaited our names to be called for that 1:10am flight to Haneda.

Here we are with the Dougies, who graciously let us hop in their car all the way to LA. Glenn “slept” on the airport seats while I made myself a little fortress on the ground.

The only problem? It never happened. We were traveling on special stand-by tickets, so we were fully aware of the opportunity for adventure this would bring, but hadn’t really thought through what sleeping at LAX was going to look like. It’s about as glamorous as you can imagine –vaccuming from 2am-4am included. Not to worry, we were promptly re-routed through Detroit where we waited patiently for 7 hours, hoping and praying we would be headed to Japan soon.

“Murdock, party of 2.”

They called our name!

“Glenn, you go up! I’m too nervous!”

He willingly obliged.

My heart was aflutter. My stomach in knots. “Will we make it? Will we make it? Will we make it?” …I thought.

Glenn returned with two boarding passes – a good sign indeed. When he showed me the seats, I could have lept with glee!

Detroit, despite being a somewhat terrifying city, is actually an awesome airport with a cool train and fun fountains.

Ok I’ll stop rhyming now. Sorry.

“Keep it together!” I said to myself. But I was too excited! 3C and 3G! The front of the plane! Eeeeeeeeppp!!

And now, for those who are fellow non-first-classers: WE HAVE BEEN MISSING OUT! This is the life, people! I don’t care what they charge for these tickets, it’s worth it. Literally a life changer. I. AM. RUINED.

Let me paint you a picture of what life is like on “the other side.”

First, you board before everybody else. This is convenient not only because you have plenty of time to get situated, but also because you don’t have to deal with standing in line on the jet bridge with the riff-raff/back of the plane {which, yes, is noramlly me, but that’s beside the point}. As you get on the plane, the flight attendant looks at your ticket and then opens the curtain for you to enter the first class cabin. It’s like a dream. Humongous flat-bed seats, fluffy pillows, noise cancelling earphones, a travel pack filled with a toothbrush, mints, chapstick, lotion, comfy socks, an eye mask, earplugs, and anything else you might need. The second you sit down the flight attendant comes by asking if you would like a pre-flight glass of champagne or anything else to drink.

Yes. Yes I would. I’ve lived 30 years of life without a pre-flight glass of champagne, but all of a sudden it is evident I will never, ever, be able to fly without a little bubbly again.

I. AM. RUINED.

“Mrs. Murdock, have you had a chance to review the dinner menu?” — my champagned elation is interrupted as I browse the evening’s selection. “Crab and avocado salad to start. Oh and yes, that vegetable soup does sound delightful. Mixed greens to keep things healthy. And how about the filet with bernaise sauce, rice pilaf, and steamed broccolini?”

To drink? Hmm… well, hadn’t thought about that yet. “Why don’t we start with a glass of chardonnay and then move into the pinot noir when the main course comes.”

Is this real life??

I am grinning from ear to ear, Glenn and I high-five and start our movies – -just as a small bowl of warmed nuts arrives with our first glass of wine.

YOU GUYS. It’s literally like this the ENTIRE flight. Not to mention the fact that you have about 9 square feet {a slight exaggeration, maybe…} of the most comfortable airplane seat you could imagine. This was the first time in my life that I actually wanted the flight to last longer.

A couple of hours before landing we were brought hot towels and breakfast. And then, right before touchdown, the flight attendants came around and thanked each of us personally for flying with them.

It wasn’t so much that we were pampered or given the world’s most exceptional service while flying first — it was that we were treated like we mattered. Like humans. We were thanked for our business. We had space to breathe. We were fed without having to fork over a Visa for cheese and peanut butter crackers. It was awesome! Life will never be the same, and I am forever ruined.

Credits: Thanks for Delta Airlines for treating us so well. To April Ciervo for hooking it up so this flight was even possible. And to Glenn Murdock for being such a trooper and challenging me to always be up for adventure.

Weekend in Atlanta

This past weekend was awesome for several reasons. First off, I flew to Atlanta to watch Glenn walk across the FRL {foundations of restaurant leadership} Graduation Stage. Even though the graduation ceremony isn’t a huge event filled with elaborate pomp and circumstance, it is a time of celebration of what is to come and a symbol of all Glenn has done to get to this point. Go Glenn!

The FRL graduation was on Friday, which also happened to be Kelly’s 26th birthday. We were puuumped to be there to celebrate with Chris, Kelly, and baby-on-the way. One of the only sad parts about being in San Diego for-e-ver is that we are far away from friends like Chris and Kelly. We will, forever, do our best to convince them to move back.

To celebrate Kelly turning 26, we went out for Mexican food at an awesome restaurant called Agave and got “hooked up” with a dessert platter. Personal fave? Chocolate peanut butter mousse pie with a little cayenne kick. Pardon me while I drool.

The rest of the weekend was filled with funtivities {don’t you hate that word??!!} like a “festival” as they are called in the south — street fair for the rest of us, trying delicious King of Pops popsicles {chocolate sea salt!}, drinking Dunkin Donuts iced coffee every chance we had, going to a true Southern cook-out with a group of Chris & Kelly’s friends {Glenn said it reminded him of Duck Dynasty – ha!}, and watching Kelly water her front lawn – barefoot and pregnant of course.

I think my favorite part of the weekend, besides being reunited with my husband after way too much time apart, was making dinner together and just hanging out at home on Sunday night. I loved it so much, in fact, that the meal will get a post of its own.

Until tomorrow, friends!

~Kristin

Catching Up

It’s been too long. Far too long.

I’m sorry, internet! There’s just so much going on, I simply can not stay on top of it all. And I want to share every. single. second with you but that is simply unrealistic and unhealthy. Oh, and you might not actually be interested in every moment of my life. SOOOO my friends, just like I did a while back in this post, here is an update from each category. And then some.

Arkansas – I am no longer there. If you didn’t know that, I am sorry. I would have thought the weekly posts about running on the beach would have given it away.If you want to read a little about the move, you can click here. If you want to read a little bit about our dreams coming true, you can click here.

Fashion – I have new running shoes. And new running clothes. Because all I do is run.

Ok that’s a lie, I work, I hang out, I sleep, I eat. But a lot of what I do is run, so all the new clothes I have purchased recently are super cool running clothes. Are you interested in a running/workout fashion post?

I am also *trying* to dress cute whenever I leave the house, especially if it’s for something professional. This is what we call “classing it up”. I will do my best to post pictures. Actually, here’s one of my outfit my first day of work. My favorite part of this outfit is that a stranger stopped me at the mall to tell me how much she loved my top and ask where I got it. Goodwill. Awwww yea!

Work – I have a job! I started working right before we moved down to San Diego from LaLa Land. I am working at the University of San Diego again, different department but same division as before. I LOVE being back on campus. And I LOVE working part time. And I LOVE getting a paycheck. It’s been a while.

Favorite Things – Alright people, here’s the deal. Everyone is doing something favorite-thingsy. And even though like one of the basic definitions of life and human existence is that we are a strange combination of copy-cat and original — I am just not that into doing what every other blogger I read is doing. Or maybe I am. And maybe that’s why I’m blogging at all. Blurg. Bottom line: I need to get over myself. Favorite things post to come in the future.

Friends and Family – My baby sister is on crutches, #3 is moving out here at some point in the near future, the 2nd in command is dominating the hotel industry {and hooking me up with awesome hotels to stay at!}, and my parents are going on dinner dates where my Dad tells my Mom how he believes aliens are everywhere. As for the married-into family? I am living with them. And I like it. Keith-As-I-Live-And-Breathe {which is what I call my father in law} kills the spiders in my room, Janice makes me eggs. It’s awesome.

Los Angeles – I kind of miss it. Don’t crucify me. I am an eternal San Diegan and would never sell out for LA, but LA was fun! I loved driving 40 minutes to the coolest places on the West Coast. I loved meeting up with Matt and Sandy almost every weekend. I loved riding bikes in Santa Monica. I loved having 4 Lululemon shops within 20 miles. I loved that Ryan Seacrest was my local morning show. I seriously loved LA.

Personal – What does this category even mean?? The most personal things happening right now: my husband is gone and I really miss him, I have blisters on my toes and skin that’s been rubbed raw from all of my running, and I’m struggling with setting up healthy boundaries {ie. I say YES too often and NO, well, never}.

Recipes – I have not cooked in months. I can not WAIT to get all my stuff back and cook up a storm! I recently acquired two new cookbooks and I’m reading through them eagerly. This weekend I came up with a recipe for a tangerine margarita. Here’s a teaser photo.

Restaurants – Are my second home.

Running – I completed The Five Experiment! It was great! I ran 100 miles in a month and I enjoyed {almost} every mile. I am keeping up my 5 runs a week, but am not being as nitpicky about the distance. Last week, for example, I ran 3.5 miles one day. I have decided I really like the 5 mile distance, though. It’s long enough to be a good workout no matter what, and short enough that you don’t feel like you can’t make plans at night.

San Diego – Love it. It’s as good, if not better, than I remember. May Grey is in full swing, and is a great reminder of the Ah-mazing climate we have and the fact that this blessed marine layer keeps our temperatures so moderate all year long. Last night I practiced skateboarding at the bay with the fam, and then we ate fresh fish at Point Loma Seafoods. How could I complain when this is just an average Sunday afternoon in San Diego?

Travel – Here’s what is coming up this summer: a trip to the ATL next week to celebrate the completion of Glenn’s Operator training — aaaand to celebrate the fabulous Kelly Reynolds’ birthday. BAAAH! I can hardly wait!

In mid June we are going on a Murdock Extravaganza to Las Vegas. I am pretty sure we are going to try to all fit into one car, and I know for a fact we will be eating at some serious buffets. Then later in June, Glenn and I are going to Scottsdale, AZ for a Family Life conference called Weekend to Remember. We will be staying at the Firesky Resort and I’m puuumped.

Weight Loss – I lost 1 pound during the Five Experiment, and have lost another pound since. Two pounds. Boo ya!

Phew. I’m exhausted.

Happy Monday my friends!

~Kristin

Bobby’s Burger Palace – Washington DC

I’m in DC, fools!

I came out here to hang with my littlest sister {the lovely Katherine} and the parentals for a few days. It’s been fun so far, and I’m excited I have a couple more days of fun ahead.

Last night, for dinner, Mom took Katherine and I to Bobby’s Burger Palace. My Dad was attending a wedding, so it was girls night out. Woop-de-doop!

Bobby’s Burger Palace is Bobby Flay’s entrance into the low-key dining scene. Brilliant, if you ask me. I think he realized that “fast casual” is really where the money’s at, and that the American people are all about visiting restaurants that are Food Network Celebrity Chef endorsed. How else could you explain the horrifying phenomenon that is Guy Fieri?

Side note: I can’t be a real hater: I’ve been to a handful of the Diner’s, Drive-In’s and Dives recommended restaurants, and they have all been really good. Thank you, Guy, for introducing me to Joe’s Farm Grill. Even though you have flames on your shirt and peroxide in your hair, I wish you all the best.

Back to DC. Bobby’s Burger Palace was a great example of fast casual food done right. You walk in, you place your order, you sit down at one of a handful of long, communal tables, they bring your food out to you. I ordered the Napa Valley Burger {does this come as a surprise to anyone? the primary topping is goat cheese!}.

Both Katherine and Mom ordered the LA Burger — loaded with fresh guacamole.

We also split an order of fries. They were superbly crisp and delicious.

All in all, I think I’d give Bobby’s Burger Place a solid 4 stars. The food was good, the service was great, and you can easily get out of there for under $10 a person if you share your side item. Check it out next time you’re on the East Coast!

~Kristin

Rewind:: Five Year Anniversary

I never got a chance to tell you all how Glenn and I celebrated our fifth anniversary. It was a few weeks ago — January 20th — and we were still living in Little Rock. Still thought we would be in Little Rock for a while, actually…. craziness.

We took a quick trip to Memphis and had so! much! fun! Our day started off with lunch at Memphis’ famous fried chicken shack, Gus’ Fried Chicken. This is Glenn’s meal. Oh my word delicious.

We then checked into our hotel and got super ripped off at the hotel bar’s “happy hour” where I had a glass of house wine and some super stale chex mix for $12. After primping for hours {ha!}, we headed to Folks Folly for dinner. Here is my dinner. Sorry it’s so fuzzy… it was REAL dark in there so I had to mess with the photo to make it visible. Yes that is a lobster tail sitting next to a beautiful filet mignon. Dream dinner!

I think I can speak for both Glenn and I when I say we never thought we would celebrate our 5th anniversary in Memphis, but we thoroughly enjoyed it.

Hawaii’s overrated, people. Check out Tennessee for your next romantic getaway!

~Kristin

ps. hawaii is not, in fact, overrated. but tennessee really is cool.

An Update from each Category

Arkansas: Yep, we’re still here! The weather is crazy, the people are chatty, Boulevard Bread is still my favorite, and we have made some fun friends, which we are so grateful for.

Fashion: It is difficult to take stunning fashion photos of yourself. It is especially difficult to take stunning fashion photos of yourself when all you have been wearing lately is running clothes or a mummy-bag winter jacket. I will try to get into something blog-worthy soon.

Favorite Things: My favorite things have all come from the thrift store or the Dillards clearance rack this past month, and sometimes I feel bad blogging about things I have that are awesome but were just lucky finds at Goodwill, because what if YOU want to buy it for yourself and can’t??!! Argh, these are the things that keep me up at night, people!

Friends and Family: I love my friends. I love my family. I love that I have friends and family all over the place. Sometimes its sad, like when you want to see them and can’t, but more often its awesome.

Personal: My sister told me the other day that I had bad breath, and now I’m totally self conscious about constantly having bad breath. I would just pop in a piece of gum, but my Costco box of Orbit Wintermint just ran out. Woof.

Recipes: Fruit Tart, Bran Muffins, and Thomas Keller’s vegetable soup have been my latest kitchen creations. Mmmm.

Restaurants: Tomorrow night I am going to a new one! In Memphis! For steak! I am really excited! I will tell you all about it when I get back!

Running: OH EM GEE I love my Little Rock running buddy Keri. I don’t really understand how God or His timing work, but I am just grateful that I get to be Keri’s running partner even if its only for a short season. We meet 2-4 times a week in the wee small hours of the morning and run and talk together. I love basically everything about it, except for the time when my jacket was stolen.

San Diego: Two of my closest friends at home are having babies like RIGHT NOW {or very soon! Hi Jess and Sheri!} and its sooo weird for me to think that I won’t be there to meet the little munchkins right away, let alone that I will never live in the same city as them again without them having children. I am, however, VERY excited for the baby boom that has taken over my social circle back home, and can’t wait to hold all the little bambinos.

Travel: We head to Memphis tomorrow to celebrate our anniversary, then next weekend we are grabbing Kimberly and meeting up with the Reynolds in Nashville where I will turn 30! AAAAH! I! AM! SO! EXCITED!

Weight Loss: I lost the 5 pounds that I had gained over the holidays, and am working on more. Yippee! I have also been drinking an EXCESSIVE amount of water. I always thought I drank a lot of water, but wow, now I really drink a lot of water.

The end. Bless you for reading all of this. I love your face. F’real.

~Kristin

Dallas: Glenn’s Birthday

We had such a great time exploring and eating our way through Dallas. Here is what Glenn’s actual birthday looked like.

We started the day at the monstrosity of a mall called NorthPark Center. I know it’s not exactly cool, hipster, or PC of us to have spent most of our day at a massive shopping center, but we couldn’t help ourselves. As true Americans, we love us a good shopping spree, and NorthPark was honestly THE best mall I have ever been to. I think it may even rival SouthCoast Plaza. Since it was Glenn’s birthday, not mine, he chose most of the stores we spent time in. I did manage to squeeze a couple of ginger peach iced teas and a good stroll through the shoe department at Nordstrom out of him, though.

After our morning at the mall we got back to our hotel and spent some serious time on the treadmills, then read by the pool for a couple of hours. Reeeelaxing! Next up it was time to glam for our night on the town, and then head out for dinner. Glenn chose Ethiopian food for his birthday dinner this year, and I could not have been more pleased.

If you haven’t had Ethiopian food before, well, you’re probably thinking that it looks disgusting… sorry! Ethiopian food is honestly one of my favorite foods in the world. It has exceptional flavor and is such a fun experience. You eat with your hands, people!! How could a meal get better?!

Besides being delicious, Ethiopian restaurants are almost always in slightly seedy parts of town. I love this because I feel like it gives us a glimmer into what a city is really like. It was fun to see the different neighborhoods of Dallas and imagine what life would be like for families around the city.

After filling up on tibs, wot, and injera {all classic Ethiopian dishes} it was time to find another favorite of ours: boba tea! Boba, for those who are not aware, are little tapioca balls that are put into various iced tea and coffee drinks. It’s exciting and fun to take a sip of tea and find something chewy in your mouth!

Last summer when the Murdock side of the family had a mini reunion we all decided to email each other anytime we had boba. We have gotten emails from China, Canada, Europe, and all over the US. Here was the picture we sent all the cousins. See the little boba balls in the tea?

One would think that a massive plate full of Ethiopian food followed by tapioca-filled tea would have filled us up. And it did. But that didn’t stop us from heading to LaDuni – a latin cafe with famed desserts. It was much too dark and romantic in there for any of my pictures to turn out, but the desserts were TO DIE FOR. We had a cuatro leches cake {a dry sweet yellow cake topped with meringue-like frosting, sitting in a bath of sweetened condensed milk and caramel} as well as the Venezuelan Triple Chocolate Truffle Cake {which, in no way, can I do justice by describing so you should probably just book a trip to Dallas immediately so you can try it}. Another thing I loved about LaDuni was the coffee menu. It reminded me of a Viennese cafe – with pictures of every type of coffee drink they serve. We both chose the cappuccino. Perfection in a cup.

More than any of these fun things, however, it was just so much fun to spend time with G-Money. I know sometimes life gets crazy, and I also know that sometimes we try to show only the good parts of life and paint a picture of awesomeness that may not be entirely true {see this post!} but I can honestly say that God has given me the ideal mate. I am so grateful for the ways Glenn challenges me, encourages me, supports me, is always gentle and kind to me, and is SO MUCH FUN to spend time with. What a great adventure life is with Mr. Murdock!

Hope you all have a fab-u-los weekend!

~Kristin