Well guys the travel bug has struck again. We are currently in the 2nd city of our 3 city tour- Washington D.C. Let me just say its far more interesting then I remember. The last time I visited this city was during a field trip in the 8th grade. I remember thinking it was quite boring back then but I am truly loving it as an adult…so far. Today has been filled with its ups and downs but I have managed not to kill my husband so that must count for something, right? We decided to try to immerse ourselves into the city life so we decided to take the Metro from the airport instead of a cab to our rental property. Probably not the smartest idea with luggage but we rolled with it anyway.

Once we left the Metro station, we tried to use trusty ole Google Maps to guide us for the mile walk we had to the condo. For the record, Google Maps sucks big time! We walked in a circle in Downtown Washington D.C. for at least a half an hour. And because we didn’t want to seem as though we were being defeated by Siri, we decided to keep turning around and crossing streets over and over instead of stopping to ask someone for directions. We were trying so hard not to look like scatterbrained tourists but I’m sure the fact that we passed the same people at a local bistro about 3 times was a dead giveaway. At one point we ended up in front of the White House. I turned to my hubby and said I’m sure we are not staying here tonight lol. Although I’m sure with all the rooms they have in that house, they wouldn’t have even noticed. After about 45 minutes we finally arrived at our condo. Yippee! I haven’t been so happy to reach a building in a long time! *Note to self: Next time take a freaking taxi! Save the city experience for after the check in!

After getting settled in, we decided we needed to eat to replace the 900 calories we burned trying to find the place so we headed out to find food. The aroma from a local barbecue joint met my nostrils on the street corner and I was sold before we even crossed the street. We met the aroma at a spot called Hill Country Barbecue and I am glad we did. First of all, the restaurant was themed after Texas Hill Country barbecue and I currently live in the Texas Hill Country so it was like I found a little piece of home in the city. Luckily that aroma that lured me in did not disappoint. They made one of the best barbecue brisket sandwiches that I’ve had so far. If you ever visit DC, be sure to give them a try! You won’t be sorry.

After lunch, we headed over to the International Spy Museum. It was pretty interesting! We participated in an interactive spy mission that tested our abilities to think quickly and be extremely observant. Afterward, we went to the School for Spies where we were given aliases and cover stories that we had to remember while there. We visited various exhibits about real life spies. One thing I found surprising was the fact that Julia Child, Josephine Baker, Edgar Allan Poe, and Daniel Defoe were all spies! That made me wonder who some of the modern day spies could be. And of course there was an exhibit about the most infamous fictional spy of all- Bond… James Bond! The exhibits were awesome. We walked that huge museum for hours!

Our feet were aching by the time we finally left. Luckily for us, there was a beautiful art sculpture garden near the museum. We sat on a concrete bench for a mere 15 minutes before a security guard starting yelling that we all needed to leave. Apparently things shut down in D.C. at 5 pm sharp! And they mean that doggone thing! So we left and headed to the National Mall to chill in front of the Capitol Building for a while before heading back to the condo for the evening. My hubby was exhausted so I am allowing him to get all the rest he wants to while we are here in DC. We will be heading to NYC on Friday afternoon and there will be NO rest for the weary once we get there!

Well as you can probably tell from this novela I just penned, I am just a little bored. I guess I will wake him up shortly so that we can determine what we are going to do for dinner.

P.S. I am going to try to blog my exploits during my vacation rather than after the fact. That way I feel like I am taking you guys along with me! Unfortunately, I am blogging from my travel sidekick- my iPad so I won’t be able to show you my awesome photos until we return home. *Note to Apple* include an SD card slot on the next iPad! I’m sure that will be on the iPad 356 coming out later this year.

Hopefully your brain did not explode from all the words that are coming out of this post. Leave me a comment down below and let me if you plan to follow along for my vacation adventures.

Until next post,
Brittany

Summer Ready Abs

May 8, 2013

Life, Uncategorized

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Summer time is quickly approaching! We all know what that means. It’s time to shed that winter “insulation” and tone up to look chic those cute bathing suits, summer dresses, and distressed denim shorts. Luckily Tone It Up has a solution to help us burn the fat so that we will be ready for the beautiful tropical beaches in the coming months. Here is one of their awesome workout routines that works those abs, muffin tops and love handles. I can attest it burns good

I’ve really gotten into the exercises. Now…. if I could only get my diet under control, I would be in business! If you guys have any great healthy recipes, please feel free to share.

P.S. School is out for summer which means that I am “on vacation” for 4 whole months. I’m sure I will have to find a job or find something to do before then because I will probably go crazy from boredom. Until then I will have LOTS of time to devote to CA! I’m sure you all will keep me motivated

Until next post,

A Name Change…maybe?

April 30, 2013

Uncategorized

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I have been toying with the idea of changing my blog’s name for a few months now. I like Creativity Arise but I feel that it’s name is quite misleading at times. My blog is a compilation of lifestyle, inspiration, travel, and other miscellaneous postings with occasional creative aspects. I would love to change its name before the 1 year mark but then I have reservations about it. I have been battling with this dilemma and I finally want it to come to an end.

The naming process in my mind has been the equivalent to naming a child. Although my blog is only in its infancy and has not fully come to know its name, purpose, etc, I still feel weird about changing the name everyone else has come to know her as. (Yes I just gender assigned my blog!) But on the other hand, a name is significant in social media. People can sometimes determine if they want to read a blog based on its name and classification in the blogosphere. I don’t know guys. I’m at a loss. I would love to hear your thoughts about the name.

Have you ever had this dilemma or have you always been in love with your blog’s name? Have you changed your blog’s name in the past? What was the outcome? Share!

Until next post,

The countdown to travel begins!

April 26, 2013

Travel

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I woke up this morning excited about our 3 city vacation that is quickly approaching! I can’t believe in a mere 2 weeks we will be embarking on a east coast adventure. First it will be off to Charlotte, NC & SC to visit family. Next we will be jetting to Washington D.C. to take in the sights and a little dining and maybe a cruise on the Potomac depending on the weather. Lastly its off to NYC (probably the most exciting part for me) for the weekend! In all there will be 9 glorious days of tourism and I cannot wait! I know its not an elaborate transatlantic vacation or backpacking tour of Europe but it will definitely be quite fun nonetheless! I’m even happier that the Senate passed a bill to end these furloughs so we don’t have to deal with the crazy flight delays. I hear this week was horrible for travelers. Now if the House will follow suit that would be great!

On another note, I was thinking about vlogging this trip for a change. I always take like a million pics but I think I really want to take you guys with us this time. I will have to sell the hubster on the idea. He doesn’t really like filming or taking pictures in public for some reason. We are total opposites in that area. So what do you guys think? Would you rather see pictures or video of our vacation for a Travel Thursday post? Let me know in the comments below!

Also if you have any suggestions about where we should eat, shop, or sights we should see, etc in any of these cities, please feel free to share!

Do you have any upcoming travel plans that you are stoked about?

Until next post,

You are talented!

April 22, 2013

Inspiration

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I found this quote by Eleanor Roosevelt very intriguing. We have all had our moments when we feel less popular, less talented, or dare to say it less blessed than someone else in our lives. Sometimes we even let that feeling of inferiority cloud our thinking. That can lead to you losing your mojo. You know that inner spark that makes us each unique. I just wanted to encourage you to stop doubting your potential! God gave us all unique gifts. Just because you may not be able to do something someone else can, it doesn't mean that you are inferior to them. It only means that you have been blessed with a different skill set. There is nothing wrong with that! I would like to challenge you to give yourself a verbal praise whenever you feel inferior. So for instance " I might say "I may not be great at singing but I'm one heck of a dancer!" Or " I may not be the best public speaker in front of a large crowd but I am pretty awesome at giving presentations in a small group setting!" You will be surprised at how positive thinking and speaking can lift your spirits! Have a wonderful Monday all :) Until next post,

Spring Weekends as told by my iPhone

April 21, 2013

Life

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The past few weekends have been a blur. It’s a good thing that I am obsessed with snapping photos with my iPhone or I may have forgotten about a lot of the good and not so good things that I have experienced in the last few weeks.

Here is a break down of the photos you see.

1 & 2. Getting my exercise in.

3. Lunch at Olive Garden

4. I finally made it to the beach in my hometown area I love the beach.

5. The view from my grandmother’s hospital room on the day she passed away.

6. Hanging out with my nieces.

7. Got to see one of my childhood friends who I hadn’t seen in MANY years! He surprised me and came to my grandmother’s funeral .

8. Lots of flying to and from Texas.

9. My poor swollen face from a root canal. People lie. Root canals are painful especially if you are hard to get numb. I hope to never have to get another one-EVER!

10. Dinner on the lake with some of my husband’s coworkers in honor of a coworker who passed away unexpectedly.

11. Dinner date with my love at an old school fish camp. The food was so good! The decor…not so much.

12. My Easter swag

13. Easter brunch at MiMi’s Cafe. These roasted chicken crepes were so delicious!

14. I participated in the Relay for Life with my husband and his coworkers in honor of 5 members of my family who passed away from cancer. Only made it to 12:30 am though LOL.

15. My hubby and I went to a hot air balloon festival. Unfortunately it was too windy for the pilots to actually fly the balloons so they just used the propane flames to light up the runway instead.

16. Hubby and I had lunch outdoors at a local restaurant on the lake yesterday.

17. I have been enjoying nature for sure. Isn’t this tree beautiful?

18. Guess what? I took some flying lessons! Can you believe it? I’m sure you guys would never believe that as much as I complain about my fear of flying here on CA LOL. It was really cool to pose with this private plane at the balloon festival.

Whew! That’s a whole lot of fun in a few short weekends. I think today will be a lazy day to recoup from all of these experiences. I think I will prepare an old fashioned southern dinner for my hubby and I to enjoy this evening and catch Django Unchained finally since I just purchased the DVD.

What have you been up to this Spring? I would love to hear about it!

Until next post,

It’s a sad day in the USA!

April 15, 2013

Life

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As I was leaving work this afternoon, I glanced over at the TV in the waiting room in the emergency room. And then it happened…. CNN aired an instant replay of the bombings at the Boston Marathon. The footage stopped me in my tracks. Honestly, I think I was in shock for a few minutes. I immediately had flashbacks of that tragic day back in 2001 when I heard the news of airplanes flying into the World Trade Centers in NYC. My heart sank and it still feels very heavy at this moment. As I drove home, I kept thinking why are people so evil? Why do cowards feel the need to make everyone else as miserable as they are? So many innocent victims….such a senseless act!

What broke my heart even more was to see the pictures of marathon runners who literally had their legs blown off while crossing the finish line! What should have been a celebratory moment immediately turned into a moment filled with panic, fear, pain, shear terror!! You can check out one of the photos here -if you have a strong stomach. It was supposed to be a joyous holiday in Boston. But now because of some random perpetrator it will be overshadowed by traumatic injuries and death. God help this nation! It’s truly a sad day in the USA.

Thank God for the first responders and good samaritans who stepped in to help those injured. They definitely helped restore my faith that there is still some good left in humanity. My prayers go out to all the victims, survivors, and families affected by this atrocity. My prayers also goes out to the citizens of Boston. Your peaceful city was turned upside down today and life as you know it most likely has changed.