Summer Salad

I wanted to share with you our favorite summer dinner. It is so quick and easy to throw together on a week night, that we have been eating this once a week. We use a pack of the Dole mixed field greens, candied walnuts, dried cranberries, a diced pair, and fresh goat cheese crumbled on top. Then I cook a few chicken breasts that I season with lemon pepper until they are cooked through and browned. I just slice the chicken and place it on top of the salad so it slightly melts the goat cheese, then finish off with balsamic dressing. Enjoy!!

Salad before the adding the chicken.

Add the chicken to melt the goat cheese.

Our favorite dressing.

South Carolina

Our first trip to South Carolina was a success! We arrived last Thursday, and stayed just outside of Charleston, on the Isle of Palms at the Wild Dunes Resort. The resort itself was pretty big, and it was surrounded by amazing beach houses. As soon as we checked into our room we put our suits on and headed down to the beach. We met some other couples Ryan works with and had a few drinks and lunch by the water. We then showered up and got ready to meet everyone at the cocktail hour. It was so nice to meet the people Ryan works with and their spouses...everyone was so much fun. Ryan and I snuck away for a late night dinner at the Boat House. We had the best seafood, mahi & grouper, and I even tried collardgreens for the first time....so southern haha.

Wild Dunes

Boat House

Friday morning we were up early to get a workout and breakfast in before we headed to the spa. We spent the rest of the morning getting a relaxing massage. It was lunch, pool, beach, and cocktails for our Friday afternoon. Then the entire group ventured to down town Charleston for dinner. Ryan's region went to 39 Ru de Jean. Everything we ordered was amazing. I love going to dinner with big groups because you get to try so many different dinners. We loaded up on sushi for appetizers and then I ordered the braised short ribs and Ryan had an amazing pasta with scallops. We also tried duck and rabbit which were firsts for me. After dinner we jumped on the bus and all headed to Henry's House. We had a huge VIP room for our group : ) and at the end of the night, we had some great pizza from Pizzeria di Giovanni for the ride back to Wild Dunes.

Us at Henry's House

Late Night Snack

Saturday we didn't make it up as early, but we did walk to the Market for breakfast sandwiches and tea/coffee. We also soaked up the sun and enjoyed our last day at the beach. Ryan & Megs even went out on the boogie boards. Saturday evening we all met a little earlier so we could catch a boat for a sunset cruise. The boat was huge and the scenery was beautiful. Once we were back at the habor we all had dinner and then some of us got on a bus and headed to down town Charleston again to go out for the night. We went to a fun bar called Mad River and danced the night away.

Boogie Boards

Our Last Day on the Beach

Megs & I

We saw Dolphins

Part of Our Group Boarding the Boat

Party Boat : )

Ryan and I both really liked the Charleston area. We didn't have much oppurtuniy to explore down town during our short stay, but the Isle of Palms and Wild Dunes was a great area. I think it would be the perfect summer vacation spot to return to once we have a family of our own. Renting a home in the area would be awesome for a big group or family. It was so nice to have a short relaxing vacation away : )

A Much Needed Weekend Off!

After working everyday for an entire month, this weekend I had two days off in a row, Saturday & Sunday! This was much needed to recharge for this crazy week of Championships. Friday night Ryan and I went to Sullivan's for dinner. The service and atmosphere could not have been better, but the food could have been. The food was pretty good, but didn't compare to Ruth's Chris or St. Elmo's. I did have the best martini though, it was made with clementine vodka : )
Saturday I went to the gym really early so I could get things done all day. I cleaned the house and attempted to get caught up on laundry. Ryan and I also ran some errands and went to Costco. Saturday evening my parents came to Indy and we, along with Taylor & Kyle, went to dinner at Peterson's.

We were celebrating my birthday because we wouldn't be able to this weekend or next week. The atmosphere was just okay, and the food was good, but because so many people hyped it up and we were expecting everything to be amazing, it wasn't as good as I thought it was going to be. I'm glad we got to try it, we have been wanting to forever now, but I probably don't need to go back, especially for the price, I prefer Ruth's Chris. After dinner we all went to Bella Vita and some cocktails and listened to the band playing. They were so fun and played great music. It made for a perfect Saturday night.

Sunday Ryan and I went to church, got lunch, and ran some errands before our team party. We had our volleyball team over for dinner before our tournament last night. It was so much fun, and so was the tournament because WE WON! Champs : ) We start up a new league already this Sunday, but decided we needed to move up from the Recreational League for some better competition.

Hope everyone else had a great weekend! This is going to be a crazy work week, but after this Saturday night at about 2:00am, work is going to be back to the normal 8:30am - 5:00pm until next Summer.

Pinterest

Do any of you use Pinterest? I just started exploring with it, and have already been referencing it this week. I haven't been as good at pinning things myself, but it has been a good resource to use. How it works, is if you click on a topic (Home + Furniture) hundreds of images will pop-up with a description someone posted, or "pinned". If you click on the image it will take you to the original website that this person got the image from. Sometimes the original website will give even more information, like a full recipe, or a link to buy an item.

If I need a quick dinner or lunch idea it's great. I can't wait to use it for tailgating ideas, and menu options for having people over during football season and holiday parties. When searching for pictures of home decor and remodels, I have found it to be much more useful than googling images. Pinterest would be great for any bride or wedding planner to get new and creative ideas for special wedding day/shower details. Another great use for Pinterest is for holiday/birthday gift ideas. A lot of people will pin their favorite products and gift ideas. Fashion, Photography, Shopping, Activities, Travel, Holidays...the list goes on and on.

You can follow me at http://pinterest.com/katelyn_marando/

Even if you don't want to pin much I do recommend this resource to all! Let me know if you have any questions, and I will try to help you out, as I learn along the way as well. Happy Pinning : )

San Antonio

A few weekends ago work to me to San Antonio, Texas. I had never been before and was excited to explore in what little free time I had. I arrived Friday night but had a meeting and didn’t get out. I was up early and working Saturday, as this was a big show and very long. 

Alamodome

I got back to the hotel around 11 pm and set up for a pizza and beer party and finally went to bed after 2 am. Sunday morning I was up early again to set up for a meeting, however when it was finished I headed over to River Walk. My first stop was Starbucks for an ice tea, which was much needed because even early, it was already boiling hot. I walked along the river, but since it was Sunday not too much opened until noon. I saw a crowd of people standing in line at a Mexican Restaurant, and it was 10:50 am, so I thought I would do the same in the hopes of getting a table right at 11 am. I got right in, and sat outside next to the river, and ordered a margarita. It was so relaxing and great people watching, the food on the other hand was just average.

Mexican Restaurant

Outdoor dining all along the River Walk

My Lunch : )

Next I decided to walk over to the Alamo. I wasn’t sure what it was all about but there was a huge crowd around it. They were waiting to get in, but the line was so long I decided to take a few pictures and move on. At least I can say I have been there now. 

Me in front of the Alamo

I went through a bunch of little shops,  but mostly around River Walk they are all souvenir shops with a Texas, cowboy flair. I bought Ryan some cigars that were rolled there in San Antonio. Then I headed to the indoor shops at the mall. It was nice to be in the air conditioning, but wow was in crowded! The shopping was pretty awful actually, with the best store being a below average Macy’s. 

Mall

As I was leaving I found a nail salon, and stopped for a much needed manicure. I decided to go back into the heat and walk around when I came to an Irish Bar called Durty Nellys. They had dueling pianos, and everyone inside was having the best time singing along. When I walked in someone bought me a beer right away and I made a few friends and bought Ryan a shirt.

River Walk

Water Taxi

It was about time for me to head back to catch a cab to the airport. San Antonio was pretty fun, but way too hot in July! River Walk would be an absolute blast at night with friends, because there are just rows and rows of bars and clubs. When I got to the airport I found out my flight was being delayed because a crew member was late. Once arriving in Houston I would miss my connection home. I was pretty frustrated, because I really couldn’t wait to be home. My Uncle Jeff, however, lives in Houston, and when I called he came to the airport and picked me up to stay the night with him and Diana. We had a great time catching up Sunday night in their beautiful home. Monday morning Dianna took me to the airport, and I finally made it to Indy later that afternoon. 

Texas : )

Nike In-Season Trainer

My new obsession...the Nike In-Season Trainer shoe! I bought a pair of these while I was in San Antonio and they are awesome. The sock-liner on the inside is made of memory foam, so each time you take a step it feels like you are walking on a cloud. I bought a half-size bigger because my usual size 7 seemed a bit tight. They have not come out with these for men, but you can order them here for women: http://store.nike.com/us/en_us/?cp=usns_CSE_081109_Froogle&l=shop,pdp,ctr-inline/cid-1/pid-402375/pgid-400282&CAWELAID=944232000#l=shop,pdp,ctr-inline/cid-1/pid-400280/pgid-400282 or I have seen them at Finish Line/Foot Locker.