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Guess Who’s Going to See Brad Paisley

January 16, 2022 by Mellie Dee Leave a Comment

Commit for Life Hoodie, Chocolate Bomb, KFC Beyond Chicken, Snowflake Nails, Rizzo

Started the week by having a chocolate milk bomb (s’mores style — super sweet), snowflake nails, and donating blood! Got a free hoodie, some snacks, and a coupon for Chick-fil-a. Thanks for letting me know about the drive, Mallory!

I bought a water bottle bag for Rizzo to use during the colder days/nights and he loves it a lot. He’s always laying on it. That’s him being asleep. The bag keeps warm for a day when I wrap it up in fleece. So nice for the colder mornings in my office.

We tried KFC’s beyond meat nuggets and they were surprisingly not bad. Their chicken tenders are also very good. I have been meaning to try out their fries since they’ve taken away the potato wedges and we were surprised at how good they were. I’m still sad there are no more potato wedges but this will do. As for their chicken sandwich, Popeyes is still the winner. KFC has definitely gotten better than what I remember years ago though.

Mallory's with Beth | McAllister's | Onesies for Connor | Rodeo Ticket - Brad Paisley

Thursday, rodeo tickets went on sale. It was a struggle but we did it. I’ve been wanting to see Brad Paisley since forever. I hope he plays all the songs I love!

After work I picked up McAllister’s for dinner with Mallory & Beth. I’m not even sure what we talked about but it was nice to see Beth again after a month of her being gone!

The rest of the weekend was dedicated to getting some onesies made for Connor. Eeek, cannot wait to see him wear it!

Holland & Arcade Puzzle

Finished two puzzles this week. Holland and the arcade. Mostly bought the arcade puzzle because Frankenstein and I go to a lot of arcades. hehe

Frankenstein | Latin Bites | Houston, Texas

Speaking of Frankenstein, we had a little dinner date at Latin Bites Saturday night. We ordered a couple of drinks (one was free because they messed it up), paella, causa, market ceviche, and beef and spinach empanadas. The clear winner: paella. Not many places make good paella so I wouldn’t mind coming back.

We talked about the possibility of going to Hong Kong in the far, far future due to everything going on. Then we went crazy and looked at how much business class tickets cost. I’m afraid I’ll be spoiled that one time and wanting to do it always for trips on the other side of the world. Sigh. Would be nice though.

Filed Under: Eateries & Drinkeries Tagged With: Fast Food, Houston, Sandwiches and Burgers, Spanish, Texas

2021 | Week 87 of Quarantine | Texas Renaissance Festival & Cirque du Soleil Alegria

November 14, 2021 by Mellie Dee Leave a Comment

2021 | Week 87 of Quarantine | Cottage Mountain Puzzle | Maria's Going Away Lunch at Hungry's

Started off the week by finishing up a cottage mountain puzzle. I’m running out but luckily Target had a buy two get one free sale!

On Thursday, we had a going away lunch at Hungry’s for Maria. It was the first time seeing them since we started working from home, other than Christopher. It was nice to talk face to face again though.

2021 | Week 87 of Quarantine | Work Holiday & Farewell Party | The Tasting Room | Houston, Texas

Friday was our work’s Holiday and Farewell party for everyone since starting December first, our asset is sold off to a different company. I got a job offer from them but did not accept as it was in Midland. Hoping I find something within the company but if not, I know I’ll be okay, wherever I land.

We enjoyed finger foods and many drinks before we called it a day. I tried leaving and was stuck in conversations.

2021 | Week 87 of Quarantine | Amy | Barcelona Restaurant and Lounge | Houston, Texas

Luckily Amy was amazing and was okay with skipping day plans we made so that I could attend my work party. She also showed up at the hotel earlier than expected and I ended up being way later than expected. We had a glassblowing class scheduled but due to furnace problems, they cancelled a day early. If not, I would have been late!

We caught up a bit, and decided to have dinner at Barcelona Restaurant and Lounge. We’ve been spoiled by Toro in San Antonio, so this wasn’t super up to par, but wasn’t horrible. We then went back to the hotel and hung out until we passed out.

2021 | Week 87 of Quarantine | Amy | Texas Renaissance Festival | Todd Mission, Texas | Mellie Dee

Saturday morning, we went off to the Texas Renaissance Festival. It was her first time and it was definitely a lot to take in for a newcomer. I haven’t been in years and it has grew a lot since then. We walked around the whole time and watching some men fight and joust. All fun and exciting to see how into it everyone was. Since we had to reschedule our glassblowing event to another day, she had fun watching the lady demonstrate glassblowing and is now more excited than ever for when our class comes around in the future. She was like a kid in a candy shop. Precious.

2021 | Week 87 of Quarantine | Amy | Whistle Stop Tea Room | Tomball, Texas

We had a quick lunch at Whistle Stop Tea Room. Everything was delicious. My favourite was the pasta salad and their broccoli and cheese soup. Amy liked their tortilla soup. I would love to come back.

2021 | Week 87 of Quarantine | Amy | Galaxy Nail and Spa | Tomball, Texas | Jade Siam Thai Massage Therapy | Magnolia, Texas

We went back to the hotel so that Amy could change into sweats for our pedicure at Galaxy Nail Spa. Afterward, we drove close to our massage place, Jade Siam Thai Massage Therapy. We walked around TJ Maxx where we came out with goodies before heading to get our muscles worked on. It was her first time getting stretched during a massage and my first time getting stepped on in the US (I’ve had a legit Thai massage in Thailand). We came out refreshed.

2021 | Week 87 of Quarantine | Amy | Mikado | Magnolia, Texas

We feasted on habachi and sushi at Mikado. It hit the spot. She mentioned loving to eat with me because I order so much. I, on the other hand, need to learn to order less. But surprisingly, we didn’t have a lot left over.

It was back to the hotel to relax and sleep.

2021 | Week 87 of Quarantine | Amy | Sleek Creperie & Cafe | Cypress, Texas

This morning, we woke up, drove our separate cars to Sleek Creperie & Cafe. We both got our own savory crepe and lattes, and shared a sweet one together. Thank goodness because that sweet crepe was bigger than our faces! They also sell chocolates and gelato. I want to come back and try those out as well.

We said our goodbyes and headed home.

It’s not rare that people drive to my world but what’s rare is that they make time for me when they end up by me. To this day, Amy is one of the easiest people to travel with. We literally had no plans other than glassblowing, which got rescheduled, and the Texas Renaissance Festival. We ended up filling our time up with things by just talking. Ever since I introduced her to reflexology on our California trip, it’s become a thing for us to incorporate massages into our trips – like Liliana and I with massages and facials. These chill trips with Amy makes me feel so refreshed after. Sigh, cannot wait for our next one!

2021 | Week 87 of Quarantine | Cirque du Soleil Alegria | Beth & Mallory

I went home and took an amazing nap before heading to Mallory’s. We picked up Beth and headed to Sam Houston Race Park to see my (and Mallory’s) first Cirque du Soleil Alegria. I wasn’t sure what to expect but it was way better than that. Mallory drank coffee hoping to stay away prior, but I don’t think anyone needs assistance in staying awake. They keep you pulled in with fire, flips, air swings, and more. The live musical performance was so beautiful with the addition to the performance made me tear up on many occasions. I am now wanting to attend ALL of them because it was just that fun! Thank you, Beth, for getting us early tickets for such wonderfulness!

2021 | Week 87 of Quarantine | Frankenstein | Jinya | Katy, Texas

I had a late dinner date with Frankenstein at Jinya. He was nice enough to drive all the way to me since I had such a busy night. We sat outside for his big bowl of ramen and my kids meal that came with SO much variety of food. We paid and continued talking to the point where it started to get cold. We fought the chill until it was way past their closing time and a waiter had to go around all the tables and practically kick us out.

This whole entire weekend has been filled with memorable moments and getting to end it seeing him was icing on the cake! This coming week will be crazy and tiring. Bring it on. I’m (kinda) ready for you.

Filed Under: Eateries & Drinkeries, Travel Tagged With: American, Coffee and Tea, Dessert, Houston, Japanese, Katy, Magnolia, Sandwiches and Burgers, Sightseeing, Spanish, Sushi, Texas, Todd Mission, Tomball, Wine Bars

2021 | Week 75 of Quarantine

August 22, 2021 by Mellie Dee Leave a Comment

2021 | Week 75 of Quarantine | Disney Princess, Mickey and Minnie in Paris, Snow White Puzzle, Rizzo, Nails

This week has been puzzle heavy. That happens when your mind runs nonstop and work has been stressful.

I did redo my nails and loving them! Walked Rizzo and got suffocated by him as well. Love him so much.

2021 | Week 75 of Quarantine | Annual Doctor Checkup, Mellie Dee

Friday morning, I sent to my annual checkup. This one is better than the one I went to in the past. All passed but need to work to be better! I got my tetanus shot as well.

2021 | Week 75 of Quarantine | Mikoto Sushi | Houston, Texas

Since my results were good, I went to Mikoto for thier all you can eat lunch. Little fish eggs are me favourite.

2021 | Week 75 of Quarantine | Seafood Boil

Later that night June bought us snow crabs and we made a seafood boil. So so good. I’m getting great at making the boil sauce. Just need to make it even less salty.

2021 | Week 75 of Quarantine | Brass Tacks | Houston, Texas | Sissy

Saturday morning I went to Brass Tacks with Sissy. We brought our laptops to work on stuff to get it of the house. It was nice getting to do that again.

Iced Latte and iced Taro Latte was delicious. They serve food too but we opted out. They also have all their plants for sale which is pretty nice. I do suggest showing up early so you don’t have to fight for parking.

2021 | Week 75 of Quarantine | Houston Restaurant Week | Oporto | Houston, Texas | Sissy & BIL

After over the hours we picked up BIL and headed to Oporto for lunch.

We ordered Eve’s Envy, Maracuja Caipirinha, and Blueberry Caipirinha. They messed up one and accidentally gave us a Caipirinha Clàssico. I took a sip of mine but wasn’t a fan so I have mine to BIL. They loved these drinks.

BIL and I decided on Bruxelas, Batatas a Murro, Cataplana Mussels, Seafood Curry, and Bife à Portugesa. My favourite were both types of potatoes and the mussels.

Sissy decided to order off their Houston Restaurant Week Menu: Petiscos Plate, Mushroom Tartine.

My favourite tapas place is still San Antonio’s Toro. If anyone has any suggestions for Houston please let me know!

2021 | Week 75 of Quarantine | Good Eats

This week was filled with other good eats. Most notable is a new Indian place! Amar Indian Cuisine. Best so far near us.

The weekend is already over. I’m not 100% sure what I’ve done but it has definitely been a relaxing one.

Filed Under: Eateries & Drinkeries Tagged With: American, Coffee and Tea, Houston, Indian, Japanese, Katy, Seafood, Spanish, Texas

2021 | Week 62 of Quarantine | A Week in San Antonio

May 23, 2021 by Mellie Dee Leave a Comment

2021 | Week 62 of Quarantine | San Antonio | Daily Coffee by Patricia

My work days begin with a cup of coffee made by Patricia every morning. It’s not a bad way to start the day and makes me wonder if I ever end up with someone, would they do the same. Something to keep in mind, I’m not a big fan of coffee unless it’s a latte and she came through for me. All the mugs were different too. Can you guess which one is my favourite?

2021 | Week 62 of Quarantine | San Antonio | Sari-Sari Filipino Restaurant | HEB Meals

Monday was a pretty chill day. I ordered lunch from Sari-Sari Filipino Restaurant. It’s been on my list of places to try since day one. It’s opened by one of my old collegemates from when we were in FTK. Their lumpia and lechon were amazing and I would order again in a heartbeat even though I feel they are a little overpriced. The rice and Kare-Kare was a little on the miss side. The peanut soupiness was not flavourful enough and was very bland. The peanut butter didn’t come out enough. The rice was also mushy and with the stew it made it a big ole no-no. But I had it for lunch a few other days because no waste over here.

For dinner, we had bought some HEB meals to make and it came out great. We watched Thunder Force before heading off to bed.

2021 | Week 62 of Quarantine | San Antonio | 54th Street Restaurant & Drafthouse with Doug and Patricia

On Tuesday, Moises and Emily got me a poke bowl from Hula Poke for dinner but I saved it for breakfast for a couple of days since Patricia and I had plans to see Doug. We met at 54th Street Restaurant where we had not so great old fashions, tater kegs, dressed roasted Brussel sprouts, and rattlesnake pasta.

2021 | Week 62 of Quarantine | San Antonio | Rock and Rye with Patricia & Doug

We then went to Rock and Rye for real old fashions. Note for Patricia in the future — she likes the Pimms drink because she couldn’t figure out what she liked from here and made the guy keep guessing.

2021 | Week 62 of Quarantine | San Antonio | Toro | Amy, Thuy & Chloe

On Wednesday, we all took a bit of a half day from work. Patricia and I met up with Amy and Thuy. We finally got to meet Chloe and she is the CUTEST. Her back bends made us laugh SO much.

2021 | Week 62 of Quarantine | San Antonio | Toro Tapas with Patricia, Amy, Thuy & Chloe

We ordered the WHOLE menu at Toro — or it felt like we did. Huevos Rotos, Patatas Bravas, Champinoes Lugo, Tacos de Cochinita Pibil, Calamares Fritos, Toro Pallea, Valencia Gin, Red Sangria Pitcher, Torrijas a la mode.

This is my new favourite tapas place. Why does it have to be so far away?! I definitely want to come back here next time and try their other stuff.

2021 | Week 62 of Quarantine | San Antonio | Thuy's with Amy, Patricia, Mellie Dee | Ube Crinkle Cookies & Pop Tarts

We went to Thuy’s afterward so that she could put Chloe away. Patricia worked while Amy, Thuy and I sat and had girl talk and caught up a lot. It was nice. Thuy even made us Ube Crinkle Cookies and Ube Pop Tarts. All delicious.

2021 | Week 62 of Quarantine | San Antonio | El Mirasol with Andy, Jakob, Amy, Patricia

Later that day Patricia stopped by James Avery and then we headed off to El Marisol where we met up with Andy, Jakob, and Amy.

There is too much food that I don’t know what everyone ordered … and Andy’s is not even in the picture. But EVERY SINGLE thing was good. I was lucky enough to try them all and it sent me in a whirlwind of wanting to come back next time.

2021 | Week 62 of Quarantine | San Antonio | El Mirasol | Andy, Jakob, Amy, Patricia Texting

I made a joke that I drove 3 hours for them to be on their phone while they spent time with me.

2021 | Week 62 of Quarantine | San Antonio | El Mirasol | Andy, Jakob, Amy, Patricia, Mellie Dee

But overall, lots of new memories were made.

2021 | Week 62 of Quarantine | San Antonio | Bovinos Churrascaria with Patricia

On Thursday, Patricia had made reservations for Bovino’s Brazilian Steakhouse. We did the seafood choice and it was somewhat worth it since I ate some of Patricia’s too. I would be fine with just the meat and salad bar choice since the salad bar had an amazing fish ceviche!

When the server asked if we were here for a special occasion, Patricia told them it was for my birthday and so we were surprised with a show and a free cake. Probably one of my favourite cakes now because it wasn’t sweet at all.

2021 | Week 62 of Quarantine | San Antonio | La Cantera | Patricia & Mellie Dee

Since we overate — mostly me — we walked around the closed La Cantera and took lots of pictures to commemorate our time together.

2021 | Week 62 of Quarantine | Emmy & Mellie Dee Video, Patricia Lasik, McAllisters, Las Palapas

On Friday, we ordered McAllister’s and I had a video chat with Emmy. She said she loves my hair and wants hers to be purple and pink too. haha Dad was not too happy with that conversation.

I then took Patricia to her Lasik surgery appointment. I took care of her and then Andy, Ana, and Amy came over. Amy came first and we were able to have one on one conversation and it was what I’ve been missing. Whenever you hang out with a group, it’s hard to have in depth conversations with each individual so I was happy that we had that time together.

We ordered dinner from Las Palapas and Andy and Ana were nice enough to pick it up for us. We then watched What a Girl Wants. Andy and Ana had never seen it and I loved watching their reactions. Patricia fell asleep on the couch while Amy and I planned our trip. We ended up choosing Charleston and Patricia will be joining us as well. Cannot wait! Planning has begun.

2021 | Week 62 of Quarantine | San Antonio | Ida Claire with Patricia

Saturday morning, Patricia had to go to her next day Lasik check up so we went there and the drug store to pick up some eye drops for her. She was doing so well she ended up driving and even was down to go to Ida Claire for brunch.

This place has been on my list since forever and I was ecstatic! Mimosas in orange juice and grapefruit juice, French Press coffee, Nashville Cauliflower, Gristmill Asiago Grits, Chicken & Waffles, and Ida’s Fried Chicken – Nashville style.

Seriously thankful for our server for letting me know that I could Nashville style the fried chicken because I was between that and the Nashville chicken made a different way. I am so coming back here next time I’m back. I had a lot leftover, packed it to go and ate it for breakfast this morning after making some sunny side eggs.

2021 | Week 62 of Quarantine | Hot Pot | Rocky, Rizzo, Mellie Dee

I spent some time taking naps and waking up then left back to Houston. I was greeted with hot pot for dinner. Lots of veggies as requested.

Rizzo loved having cuddle time and Rocky even came and slept on my bed for a long time.

It’s Sunday. Workout, Charleston trip planning, bachelorette planning, and lots of Rizzo cuddles. I’m so pooped. It was a great week filled with great friends and laughter. So many new memories made.

Filed Under: Eateries & Drinkeries, Travel Tagged With: American, Bars and Pubs, Breakfast and Brunch, Filipino, Mexican and Tex-Mex, San Antonio, Sandwiches and Burgers, South American, Spanish, Steakhouse, Texas

2020 San Diego Trip | Day 3

February 21, 2020 by Mellie Dee Leave a Comment

2020 San Diego Trip | Day 3 | Breakfast Republic | San Diego, California

No alarms yet again. We were so comfy in our beds we had conversations through the walls before finally waking up to get ready and head to brunch at Breakfast Republic. It was a last minute find and we were not disappointed. The shrimp and grits were to die for and Amy loved her Crawfish and crab cake Benedict more today than yesterday. My favourite was seeing cute hard-boiled eggs chairs. So adorable.

2020 San Diego Trip | Day 3 | Cute House | San Diego, California

We started our walk to Balboa Park and I ran into this beautiful house. California has such unique house designs that I’m super jealous about.

This was also the time where we decided to take an Uber for less than 1.2 miles when we didn’t see a sidewalk. We thought we made a mistake for doing so and the Uber driver even laughed a little. If wasn’t until we saw how many hilly ups and downs, twists and turns we would have had to go through to get to our destination. Amy swore I would have killed her or killed herself if we ended up walking it.

2020 San Diego Trip | Day 3 | Balboa Park 1 | San Diego, California

Balboa Park has a lot of different museums which we walked into none. We looked at sidewalk vendors and took in the breathtaking views.

2020 San Diego Trip | Day 3 | Balboa Park 2 | San Diego, California

This was my favourite building and shot. The mosaic on the building and detail took me away. Not to mention, the weather made it perfect.

2020 San Diego Trip | Day 3 | Mattarello Pasta Class | San Diego, California

We were going to grab juices before heading to our pasta class but when the Uber showed up, we realized we would be late so we went straight to Mattarello’s instead.

2020 San Diego Trip | Day 3 | Mattarello Pasta Class | San Diego, California | Process

The owners weren’t available to teach us due to a family emergency and having to fly back to Italy but our lovely instructor tried her best to fill in those shoes.

2020 San Diego Trip | Day 3 | Mattarello Pasta Class | San Diego, California | Amy Mellie Dee

We had a lot of fun making a lot of different types of pastas. Apparently we were to take our pasta home and cook them to eat. Instead, someone else from San Antonio spoke up if anyone wanted to take theirs since they couldn’t cook it at the hotel. We raised our hands feeling the same and the instructor was nice enough to cook our raviolis and tortellinis and sauce them for us to try. Our other pastas went to other pasta makers to take home. I cannot wait to take my learning’s home. But first, someone buy me a pasta attachment for my KitchenAid. Kthanks.

2020 San Diego Trip | Day 3 | Vitality Tap | San Diego, California

We went and got our juices. I opted for a smoothie and it was super refreshing. We sat outside searching for our next activity.

2020 San Diego Trip | Day 3 | Le Parfait Paris | San Diego, California

We talked about getting pastries the whole trip and decided Le Parfait Paris was perfect. We were aiming to grab some pastries, eat them, and head to Little Italy. Instead we ended up staying there for almost two and a half hours in deep conversation.

2020 San Diego Trip | Day 3 | Gaslamp Mardi Gras | San Diego, California

We decided Little Italy was a wash and to stay in Gaslamp instead. I wanted a little snack and Amy found a good paella place. We walked past some Mardi Gras decorated buildings but it’s definitely nothing like how New Orleans celebrates.

2020 San Diego Trip | Day 3 | Sevilia Restaurant & Tapas Bar | San Diego, California

We made it to Sevilla where we were told paella was sold out. I was super bummed and so we decided on getting our free Yelp check in appetizer sampler that the chef chooses (ceviche, potato concoction, and dates and blue cheese wrapped with bacon) and wine to start.

We heard paella was back in the table next to us and my heart was all smiles. We opted for the traditional one where it came with seafood, chicken and sausage as well as some cheese stuffed croquettes and brussel sprouts.

Amy loved her croquettes and I believe these were the best brussel sprouts all trip. The paella was the best decision ever and we both agree this entire meal was the best one overall.

When we were in our Uber the driver asked us how we like San Diego and the weather differences with Texas. Then he asks, “Are you enjoying all the wind in California?” To which I happily reply, “oh yeah I love it!” He asks a few more questions but I couldn’t hear and told him so. I hear him turn on the radio so I look over at Amy giving me a giant wtf face, unsure why. I realized I heard wrong when she says “oh no, I get drug tested”.

We’re back at the Airbnb watching Always Be My Maybe since Amy’s never seen it. I’m sure we’ll be heading to bed soon so bye bye for now!

Filed Under: Eateries & Drinkeries, Travel Tagged With: American, Bakery, Breakfast and Brunch, California, French, Italian, San Diego, Seafood, Sightseeing, South American, Spanish

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