The Other State

I thought this blog post would be one of the easier ones. I mean, I think trip posts are usually pretty easy to write. You say what you did. Tell funny stories. Done.

But there’s something about this trip that doesn’t seem to be coming out. I don’t know what all to say about the trip.

It was both a vacation and not all at the same time.

I guess it was a vacation for me, but Mr. A still had to work during the days, so I was left to finding things to do on my own and exploring a new city is not nearly as fun when you’re by yourself. I think maybe that’s why it didn’t feel like a vacation to me.

But I did have a good time.

I got there on a Thursday night and was pretty exhausted. I don’t like to fly and the stress just wears me out. We grabbed some dinner at a BBQ place close to his hotel and just kept it simple.

Since he worked during the days, I was going to take him to work and pick him up so that I could have the car during the day. Except I was fairly terrified of the driving there. I love driving in the city, but the drivers there think they are the only ones on the road and have no consideration for anyone else driving. No idea how there aren’t more accidents and that more people aren’t seriously injured. Mr. A basically had to Tokyo Drift down the highway one day so he wasn’t slammed into the guardrail.

Mr. A also didn’t know anyone there, so the whole time he was there, he didn’t do much, so when I showed up, I wanted to do some of the fun touristy things.

We went to the aquarium, which was really neat. They had a cool rain forest island with monkeys and other creatures and there wasn’t a barrier between you and them. The island was situated so that they couldn’t get out, but it was cool to feel like there was nothing stopping them from jumping over. They even had a sloth in a tree that, technically, was close enough you could touch and absolutely nothing stopping you from doing so other than sign that said “Do Not Touch the Sloth”.

They had some really cool fish and the shark tunnel is always fun to walk through. We also love sea turtles, and they had a couple huge ones. They also had penguins that were outside, which is just amusing since I always imagine penguins in the cold, not the 100+ degree weather.

The city is basically a lot of eating and shopping. We found some truly delicious restaurants. Ones that I am craving from home and so very sad that I can’t have it.

Of course, I went to Sprinkles Cupcakes more than I ever should admit to anyone. But ZOMG those things are the best cupcakes that I have ever had. Too bad their cake mixes you can buy have gotten bad reviews. I would give anything for one of their red velvet and a chocolate marshmallow. Nomzzzzzzzz

We also learned that this city has probably one of the highest concentrations of rich people, at least that I’ve ever encountered. Never seen so many Range Rovers and Panameras in one place. Also realized that a lot of the stores in the malls that I couldn’t even step foot in without them requesting to know my checking account balance. One day I can shop there, just not now.

And then we went to visit our friends in another big city in Other State, about 4 hours away.

We had a great time. I hadn’t seen them since January and it was great to spend time with really good friends for a weekend. A and Mr. A lived together for 3 years in college and P and I went to high school together. P and A got together about 6 months after Mr. A and I, so the 4 of us spent A LOT of time together. We talked about the fact that if we had to live with another couple, it would be them since we basically did it through most of undergrad.

P and I talked about their wedding plans for next fall. The boys were boys and talked about boy things. We just had a truly great time.

Too bad the trip had to end on a sour note.

We were heading to our car in the parking garage of their apartment complex. The garage is locked and you have to have a clicker to get in. Guests are supposed to park on the top level, sot hats where we parked. But when we got up there, we saw that someone had broken into our car.

They completely ripped out the window and some of his stuff was sitting on the ground around the car. Mr. A was so pissed off. I was mad and just didn’t know what to do. Mr. A has had one hell of a time since he’s been in Other State, and this was about the 4th thing to go wrong involving his car. Guy had only been there a month.

Thank heavens they didn’t steal anything other than an envelope of receipts he was keeping for tax purposes. And receipts don’t have full credit card numbers so it should be fine and I’m keeping an eye on our accounts.

We think they were either looking for drugs, a laptop, or a stereo system since they left all sorts of expensive things in the car. They left the gps and his expensive radar detector and hiking stuff worth well over $400 and other various things. They definitely went through everything and tore stuff apart.

So we got to drive 4 hours on the interstate without a window, which is pretty darn miserable. Luckily Mr. A’s boss was a saint and let us park the car in their garage since our other option was going to be taking turns hanging out in the car all night to make sure no one stole the whole car. I had to move my flight to the next day since we weren’t sure if we would get back in time. No real complaints about an extra day with the husband, but we spent 2 hours at the window place waiting while they replaced it. So happy Mr. A’s insurance covered it all or we would be out about $500. Insurance is awesome.

All in all, it was a good time. I was so very happy to see Mr. A and to get to spend some time with him. We missed each other and I know it was good for him to have someone there to get him out of that hotel room. We went to a ball game. We ate at delicious restaurants. We endured 100+ temperatures every single day.

I also got to meet some blog friends which was truly amazing. All three of them were great and I am so very sad that I don’t live closer so that we can hang out some more. I won’t say who because I don’t know how anonymous they are and I wrote all over Twitter where I was, so I will respect their privacy. (But ladies, you were all AMAZING and I hope one day we can meet up again. SO MUCH FUN!)

So that was Other State. I’m sure I’m missing something, but my brain feels like it’s a bit in a fog and I can’t quite think out this whole thing. I will write better. Probably about things that I have been seeing in educations systems that are ticking me off. Hello, soapbox!

My Personal Trip Advisors

Ever think you want to be more involved? Here’s your chance!!

I need your trip advice. All of it. After you spill to me your juicy insights, I want you to need to research to learn any new tips because you gave them all to me. Intense.

But what is this all for you ask?

Well, this May is a big month for Mr. A and I. It’s not only the end of 1L year for my hardworking husband, but it’s also our first wedding anniversary. And I think both of these deserve some sort of celebration or such.

Also, it’s 5 months away, so a good amount of time for me to lose a good chunk of weight by then if I can stick to my better eating and workout plan. So lot of incentive for me.

Here’s where you come in.

I NEED HELP!! I don’t know where to go!

I have all sorts of ideas on my head.

Chicago. NOLA. San Diego. Back to Mexico. Gulf Shores. Somewhere in South Carolina. Galveston. Las Vegas. Seattle.

See? Too many choices.

I want to go somewhere fun. Lots of things to do, but I’m leaning towards somewhere with a beach or some pretty fantastic pools, like Vegas.

We have been to Chicago before and we loved it. We love the museums and walking around Michigan Ave and just how much was offered. Also, some fantastic restaurants. And while there is a beach, it doesn’t seem super easily accessible since we would have to get back on the El after being wet and sweaty and such, since we would probably take the train up (done it before-wasn’t too bad) and wouldn’t have a car. It would also be a good chunk of money since you have to pay for basically everything there.

I thought of Vegas since I found some absolutely fantastic deals on rooms in nice casinos and the casinos should have some nice pool areas to lounge in. I went with my dad when I was 16 and had a blast, but I would like to go now that I’m 21 and can go to the clubs and actually walk around the casino floors. We aren’t big gamblers, so that’s not the draw for us. We would rather do the other fun things. However, I think other than the rooms, everything is really pricey there, including restaurants and shows and such.

I thought Gulf Shores or somewhere in South Carolina since there are nice beaches, and if we could get a condo on the beach, we could get some groceries and eat in most of the time and only go out some nights to save money. And while I want a beach, I’m not sure these places offer a whole lot else to do which might be a problem. We love the beach, but we like to do other things as well. I’m not on expert on either place, so please, any extra details you know would be wonderful.

Neither of us has been to NOLA. And I think it would be amazing. I think we would both love the cemetery tours and seeing old places. We both love good food and I’ve heard that there are just fantastic restaurants there. I’m no geography buff, and I’m being lazy and not looking it up, but not sure if NOLA has beaches/close to the area?

Galveston came up in my mind since a good friend of ours is moving to Houston, today actually, and I think Galveston is about an hour South, so maybe he and his fiancé could come down for a couple days as well. I know NOTHING about Texas or the area and I’m not sure if Galveston has nice beaches or is a fun place to visit?

San Diego would be amazing. My dad took me there for my high school graduation trip and it was just amazing and I think Mr. A would love it too. I learned how to surf while I was there, so I could show off my sweet skills (yeah right!) and we could enjoy the beach. The only thing I’m coming across is that it seems pricey to stay there. Also, it would be a little too far to drive, but doesn’t seem like a place with trains/subway to get around like Chicago, so a rental car might be a necessity, but we aren’t 25, so not even sure if that’s allowed.

Now, I mentioned Mexico. Seems like if I’m trying to save money Mexico would be way off my list? Not so much. We found while researching for our honeymoon last year, that if you are willing to wait to book it until really close to your vacation date, you can get a steal on an all-inclusive resort INCLUDING airfare. Also, we fell in love with Mexico while we were there. We were in the Mayan Riviera and it was paradise. Also, ALL food AND drinks were included. And while we took an excursion one day, there was enough to do that it wouldn’t have been a necessity.

I have also considered a cruise since I’ve seen some really good prices and it might be possible to drive to the port city so we weren’t also paying for airfare. Priceline offers free hotel nights depending on the length of the cruise, so that would help as well. However, while food is included, drinks aren’t and doing things when at port can be expensive, so not sure if that’s the best option.

So, I need some advice. Also take into consideration that we are in the Midwest, so costs would include wither flight or if it would be feasible to drive there and all that jazz. We would be willing to drive to Galveston or NOLA, but San Diego or Seattle would be a little much. What is there to do and will it cost an arm and a leg to have fun? Where have you been and loved? Any places I should consider that I haven’t?

And if you’re new to the blog and haven’t commented, here is the perfect time when I’m not wallowing in self-pity. haha 🙂

Annnnnd…GO!

Vacay

****I’m done. I’m off my self-pitying soap box. I need to buck up.

When we got engaged and were talking about wedding stuff, we didn’t know how much, if any, of a honeymoon we would get to have. My parents were paying for the whole wedding and I knew they wouldn’t be paying for the honeymoon. His mom had a lot of other things going on and she couldn’t have afforded to pay for an entire honeymoon. His dad….well, that’s another story.

So, we were looking around at what could be possibilities. My uncle had a condo in Colorado Springs that he said we could use for free. We were pretty set on that. The problems were that we would have to drive because you have to be 25 (I believe) to rent a car and Colorado Springs is a place where you have to have a car to get around and go see the mountains. That means about a full day and a half of driving, just one direction. Also, we would still have to pay for all of our food and entertainment. It probably wouldn’t have saved us as much as we first thought.

The year before, I has been on a cruise and loved it. It was a short cruise, but a lot of fun and got to go t the bahamas and enjoy the sun and the sand. However, you still had to pay for all drinks and anything extra, which cost a pretty penny and we were only on the ship for 3 days.

While talking to my dad about all of this, he suggested we look at all-inclusive places. That idea had always been something that I thought we could never afford. However, with the two websites CheapCarribbean.com and Travelzoo.com, we found some truly amazing deals.

I mean, this is where we went for, what I consider for a week long, all inclusive vacation, a VERY good price!

The gorgeous beach at sunset

Well, the vacation bug has hit again.

I know we can’t go back to Mexico or to the Bahamas or Caribbean. We don’t need to be spending that money.

But how about a Christmas time, 3 day trip to Chicago? Or find a cabin in the Appalachian mountains and get away for a few days? We’d love to go to New Orleans, but not sure affordability/practicality to get there.

Chicago seems the most probable. We can take Amtrak, or maybe even fly because there is a small airport close to my home that does flights to Chicago in a lesser known airline. The train isn’t bad at all. There’s a food cart and even electrical plugs so that you can use your laptop and such.

We also really loved Chicago when we went. We loved walking up and down Michigan Avenue, shopping and people watching. We love Shedd Aquarium, and now they have dolphins and a beluga whale, which thrills me to no end. I feel this might be the most doable for a 3 or 4 day mini-vacation.

Now, here is where I need your help.

1. Law Students/Wive of Law Student/ People who know law students: Does the student actually get a Christmas break? Is it even feasible to plan a trip over that break or will my poor husband be studying the entire time?

2. What else to do in Chicago that won’t cost a ton of money? Any suggestions on hotels or areas to stay in?

Thank you for adding to my sad addiction. Hopefully we can actually make this little trip work!