Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall!

4 Sep

Not so fast Fall – it’s still 103 degrees outside!  Visions of pumpkin and butternut squash and apples can wait just a bit longer.   Skinny jeans and boots and cute jackets will be just fine in their section of the closest for now.  Kevin and I have survived our first triple digit summer in Texas, and I can’t say it was all that bad.  But like I said – it’s still 103 degrees outside!

So as my farewell to Summer 2012, I thought I’d share some pics and memories from our trip to Myrtle Beach this August.

Kevin and I decided on an old standby for our trip this year, and picked a dirt cheap plane ticket to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.   Myrtle Beach is best known as a family friendly beach town with lots to keep everyone entertained, but many of us also regard it fondly as the scene of much debauchery during college Beach Week  vacations.

We opted for the slightly tamer version, with our ultimate goals being relaxation, a good tan, and quality time with each other.   As I stated in previous posts, I have been so busy with work that I just needed to decompress a bit.  We stayed at the Hilton resort on Kingston Plantation, which is between North and South Myrtle and in a quieter section of the beach.   Despite having to work a little each day, we still really enjoyed the time together and I can see us going back to Myrtle one day when our family has expanded.

In addition to laying by the pool and walking on the beach, we called on a few standbys and tried out a few new things as well:

Al Fresco Dining on the ICW with The Shark

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Situated on the Intercoastal Waterway, Greg Norman’s Australian Grille once again provided a romantic, adults only evening with live music, delicious food and beautiful views.

The Best Waffle EVER at Hot Stacks. 

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I’m still drooling thinking about this…  Cinnamon Raisin waffle with pecans and drizzled icing.

Because I ate this, I also did this:

A Familiar Site in the Kingston Plantation Sport and Health Club

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Being able to workout on vacation is always a priority.   When I saw the Les Mills BODYPUMP equipment in the huge empty group fitness room, I thanked the heavens that I could get a real workout in — one that I enjoyed and didn’t involve a piece of cardio equipment in a dank hotel gym.   I added BODYFLOW to this workout and felt great stepping out on the beach in my little bitty bikini.

Broadway at the Beach

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Broadway at the Beach is THE destination for all things tourist in Myrtle.   And we happily obliged on a few evenings, including dinner at Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville (don’t judge us.   When in Rome…), a visit to Wonderworks, movie night screening of The Dark Night Rises (Loved it.  Fantastic movie.  We saw The Dark Night at the same theater when it came out during our last trip to Myrtle.) and a little shopping too.   Plus, a perfect photo op with a big black bear!

Fore!

Not pictured but also worth mentioning — I kicked my hubby’s tail at mini-golf, scoring 3 under par on an 18-hole course.   Did you know Myrtle is the mini-golf capital of the world???   Yeah.   And I owned it.  :)

Till next summer!   Where did y’all spend your summer vacation?

I’m Back!!!!

30 Aug

Greetings!  So after over 1 month of silence, I’m finally turning my attention back to sharing adventures in food, fitness and life and general across Dallas and everywhere my travels have taken me, here on Danielle Does Dallas.   Why the long hiatus?   Let’s just say I’ve never worked so hard in my entire life than I have recently, in terms of quantity of hours, sheer brain power, and a high stakes.  Add to that lots of travel and Danielle is a VERY tired girl.

Over the next week I hope to post several times recapping all my adventures over the past month, including:

- Vacation in Myrtle Beach (yes, I actually did take a short vacation!)

- Travel to Houston and across the DC/VA/MD area

- Turning in the biggest proposal I’ve worked on EVER

- The start of football season!  Yay!

- New dining discoveries across DFW

Stay tuned, for all this and more.  Thanks for hanging around.  :)

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What I’m Loving Right Now (Part 2)

25 Jul

Phew, finally catching a breath amid all this work.   Of course I should be working, but we must all take a little breather every once in awhile to recharge the batteries.   And here are a few things that really keep me going right now:

Mi Cocina Mambo Taxi

Mambo Taxi

Ice Cold Beer in a Mason Jar

Mason Jar

Better yet… Ice Cold Beer in a Schooner.

Schooner

Okay.  I know what you’re thinking… What a lush!

But beyond the deliciousness of an ice cold beverage on a sweltering hot summer day in Texas, and the joy of relaxing with an adult beverage after a hard day’s work…

I’ve enjoyed all of these in the company of great people.   I’ve loved having visitors from out of town and playing hostess in our new city.   While we’re still learning so much about where we live, where to go, what to do, it’s great when you can share it with others who are experiencing it for the first time.

Plus, we’ve had so many reasons to celebrate lately!   New jobs, new engagements, new babies, you name it!   Tis the season for good news and monumental milestones in the lives of our friends and family.  Congrats to all of you.  :)

What will the next big thing be in our household???  Time will tell… stay tuned!

One significant accomplishment I’ve made over the past week??   I’m officially a Texan again!

After 3 hours of  enduring this (This should go under What I’m NOT Loving Right Now):

DMV

And this:

DMV Paperwork

I am finally legally a licensed driver in the Great State of Texas!   :)  Mission complete.

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Baby, I’ma Be Your Motivation

15 Jul

Motivation, not just the name of a nasty, yet super hot, song by the lovely Keri Hilson.   I’m feeling super motivated these days.  As in, kicking ass and taking names motivated.   So many people close to me are in Rockstar mode and well, I’m on the same train.

It’s been nearly 2 weeks since my last blog post (guess I haven’t been motivated enough to do EVERYTHING), but that’s because I’ve been absolutely slammed at work.   Like working long days, late nights and weekends slammed.   But the motivation to win is keeping me going.   See I’ve been working on several proposals.  Proposals are interesting because they have a firm deadline that spins lots of people into panic mode, and they require very focused organization and management.   Sometimes I act as Proposal Manager, and often I write, edit, format and help produce proposals.  But mostly my job function is to provide the win strategy, and ensure that we’re selling what the client is buying.

Understanding your client and what their key needs are is crucial to producing a winning proposal, and really that’s the result of all the work I do in sales.  That’s my big girl job.   But most of you know that I take my “fun girl job” just as seriously, and in this concept, they really aren’t all that different.

So for my gym friends, this is Silly Season.   You all know what I’m talking about.  It’s Launch time at the gym, which means we are debuting new moves and music in all our classes, and our heads are spinning in choreography, and we’re going to a ton of extra practices, and wearing silly costumes, and basically losing our minds.   We’re selling a unique brand of “exertainment” to keep our members interested in coming to class.

The Les Mills (www.lesmills.com) education focus this quarter is on exercise motivators, as in why do people keep coming back to your class.    They divide exercise motivators into 3 categories: 1) Maintaining/Achieving Good Health, 2) Improving Quality of Life and 3) Weight Loss and Physical Appearance.

Fact is, 50% of all people quit a new exercise routine within the first 6 months.  And of those 50%, the highest percentage of people who quit are the ones motivated by Weight Loss and Physical Appearance.   It makes sense– you don’t get instant results to your appearance or the number on the scale the second you walk out of a class.   But where people receive instant gratification is in quality of life.   Reduction in stress.  Increased energy.  Social engagement.  Pride in accomplishing the short term goal (Getting there is the hardest part).   I think that hot yoga and Bikram yoga are incredibly popular b/c they sell all 3 on a short term level.  Great health by keeping the body’s key systems in order, renewal/stress reduction, and due to the sheer amount of sweat involved, you often walk out looking and feeling 4 lbs. lighter (hello, water weight!).  Plus the level of improvement from class to class is quite remarkable if you go on a very regular basis.

Too often we sell physical benefits of rock hard abs, sexy legs, big guns, etc.   As a society, we are obsessed with these things, and they’re all key benefits of working out.   But they take work.   Lots of work.  Over an extended period of time.  And they aren’t achieved in the gym alone (ahem… abs are made in the kitchen).   But we want INSTANT results.   Frankly, many people just don’t want to work that hard for that long, knowing that it will eventually happen if they stick with it.   But if we keep people focused on those concepts they can achieve in just 30-55 minutes (fun, energy, levity, relaxation, or simply doing one more push-up, pull-up, lunge or squat jump than they did last week), they will be motivated enough to come back next class, and the next, and the next.

It’s not that different with proposals… just meeting the deadline and submitting the proposal feels like a WIN.  But the real win, in the form of a contract, may not come for several months (or years, in some cases).

So to keep that motivation alive, let’s focus on short term goals.   You’ve heard it a million times… work one day at a time.  Put one foot in front of the other.   Otherwise, you may end up having a Jessie Spano moment.   Life’s throwing a lot at me at one time, but I’ll get it done.  And I’ll take joy in every accomplishment, no matter how small.   :)

If you’re in the Dallas area, come check out a launch class this week at Gold’s Gym’s all over the area.  Bring a friend for free.  And come find out why we keep you coming back.  Here’s where I’ll be this week:

Monday- 6:00 BODYPUMP Launch, 7:00 BODYJAM Launch at Gold’s Gym Uptown

Wednesday- 6:00 BODYPUMP Launch, 7:00 BODYJAM Launch at Gold’s Gym Arapaho, AND 8:00 BODYFLOW launch at Uptown (I’ll only be there for half of JAM).

Otherwise, I’ll be at work.   Kicking ass and taking names!

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The Tourist

2 Jul

Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes.   In the past 2 weeks, I’ve enjoyed all three.  Both as a tourist in my new hometown (Dallas, TX) and my old hometown (Arlington, VA).

Over the first 100-degree temps this summer, we had a wonderful visit with Kevin’s mom who stayed with us for 5 nights.  Besides enjoying the time together to catch up, it was a great opportunity to explore Dallas.  So often when you live somewhere, you really don’t take the time to see all of the “touristy” things right in your backyard.  Man, this sure was the case in D.C.   Most folks don’t really take advantage of local museums, attractions and tours until someone new comes to visit.  Then it’s fun to show off all the cool things about where you live, and you get to enjoy them in the process!

So off we went, shopping in Knox-Henderson and Highland Park.   We visited the Dallas Museum of Art and Nasher Sculpture Garden.  Both were great activities for a scorching hot summer day and beautiful facilities.   Little did we know we’d get to attend for free, as Kevin’s cousin Grant, who also visited for a short time, is a member of the U.S. Army and is entitled to free admission for active duty personnel and up to 5 guests at 1,800 museums in the U.S.   This program is called the Blue Star Museums Initiative and runs Memorial Day through Labor Day of 2012.   What a great program in support of both our military and the arts.  I will give some credit for that one, Michelle Obama.

We also stopped by Reunion Tower for drinks and spectacular views of downtown Dallas.   This rotating lounge/restaurant holds a special place in my heart, as I frequented it often as a young girl with my dad and guests from out of town.   Back then I drank virgin strawberry daiquiries.  Now…  $15 martinis!   My favorite part about this visit though was watching my husband’s giddy reaction to seeing the Dallas skyline in all its glory.   Barnski adores skylines and skyscrapers.   The joy on his face was priceless.   You can see Kevin’s post about Five Sixty, the Wolfgang Puck restaurant inside Reunion Tower, on his last Watering Hole Wednesday review.

We also went to check out Jersey Boys, the Broadway touring production, at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in the Winspear Opera House.  What a gorgeous, modern arts facility!   I’m often struck by the beauty of historic theaters, but the finishes of this place were not lost of me at all.   I’d definitely recommend seeing a show or concert here.  And while it was my third (3rd!!) time seeing Jersey Boys, I enjoyed every second of it.   So did Kevin and his mom.

After a long weekend full of sightseeing and eating well (including Danielle’s kitchen), I hit the road early Tuesday morning for a work trip back to DC.   During this trip, I spent the majority of my time in the office or at the gym.  Doesn’t sound touristy at all does it?   It wasn’t.   I fell straight back into my old patterns.   I visited my fav restaurants, taught my old classes, caught up with great friends.  It didn’t feel strange or different at all.  That was the good part.

The bad… I realized just how much I didn’t like D.C.   I miss friends, co-workers and my classes OF COURSE.  But I do not miss D.C.  My two least favorite things in D.C.:  Traffic.  And Tourists.   (HA!)    Getting around was a nightmare.  First night, I sat in stopped traffic on I-495 at 10:30 at night (that 20 minute trip took an an hour + 20 minutes).   Next night, someone hit my (rental) car in the parking garage and parked so close I couldn’t open my driver side door.  I had to crawl in from the passenger side.  Joy.   Last day, I got caught up in a logistical nightmare and just barely made my flight back to TX.   I couldn’t wait to get out of there!  And yet, I almost didn’t.  OH THE IRONY.

All my moaning aside, I came back to Texas knowing we made the right decision to move here, and I couldn’t be happier.  Well, maybe if I could bring all my friends here with me.  :)

While we’ve been enjoying feeling settled and like we really live here in Dallas, I think we’ll try to be tourists a little more often as we continue to get to know this great town!

Hope everyone’s off to a great start this week.  Any big 4th of July plans???

Till next time.  :)

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Watering Hole Wednesday: Reunion Tower – Five Sixty by Wolfgang Puck

29 Jun

Barnski here with your second edition of Watering Hole Wednesday!  Yes, I realize its Friday, and sorry to leave you hanging with bated breath since my last update.  In addition to be extremely busy in our professional lives, Danielle and I also had the pleasure of hosting my Mom and cousin for a recent visit to Dallas.  I think I sold my cousin on the merits of the Nodding Donkey in my last write-up, since we made a bee line to the Donks for several drinks this past Saturday when he was in town.  After numerous draft beers and Donkey Punches (the name of the house drink in case you missed my last post) we engaged in an epic battle of giant Jenga.  The stakes were high as the loser had to address the entire bar at the top of their lungs and profess their love for Jenga…fortunately I won, sparing myself of the embarrassment.  As you can see from the picture below, we had a pretty impressive stack going.  We even garnered a small crowd that gave me the nickname “soft hands” due to my surgeon like block placing skills.  I won on a potentially controversial block placement that was okayed by the impartial judge of the bouncer, but my cousin gave me a very good run for the money and could have easily prevailed.

Jenga

While hosting my Mom and my cousin, we elected to take them to a staple of the Dallas skyline for a drink – Reunion Tower.  For those of you who are watching the remake of Dallas on TNT right now (JR is such a Gentleman with a capital G btw), you are likely familiar with Reunion Tower as it is heavily featured in the iconic opening sequence of the show.

First a little history courtesy of Wikipedia.  Reunion Tower was completed in 1978 as part of an urban redevelopment project that also renovated the historic Union Station.  When it first opened, the tower included radio station KOAX-FM, now KRLD-FM 105.3 FM, once owned by Westinghouse Broadcasting (“Live twenty-four hours a day from five-hundred feet above the city.”).  The tower closed for major renovations in 2007 and now plays host to a great restaurant and bar called Five Sixty by Wolfgang Puck.

On to the review.  We went to Reunion tower on Saturday afternoon hoping to enjoy an early beverage and take in some of the panoramic sites of the skyline and surrounding areas from the bar/restaurant at the top.  Unfortunately we arrived too early as the bar/restaurant at the top doesn’t open until 5:30.  No problem, we hung out at the bar in the Hyatt hotel (which is attached) until it opened.  5:30 rolls around and we bound up to the gate of the tower only to be told that we couldn’t get in because my cousin and I were wearing shorts (it was a blazing 100 degrees after all), which apparently doesn’t comply with the bar/restaurant’s business casual  dress code.  After some finagling that included informing the host of my definition of business casual, letting him know that he was shooting down an active duty serviceman in the U.S Army (my cousin), and a small bribe, I was able to get us all in.

I promised structure around these reviews, so let my dive into my categories from here.

  • Location: Just outside of the more vibrant parts of downtown, Reunion Town is a destination that takes an effort to get to.  As I mentioned it is attached to the Hyatt, but parking is somewhat inconvenient with the choice of expensive valet or a pay parking lot that isn’t really that close.  Once you’re up there though, the views are astonishing.  Danielle and I definitely plan to make this a go-to spot to bring our out of town guests.  As you can tell from the picture I snapped on my phone, the sweeping views of the skyline are quite impressive.  I’m sure they are event better at night, but unfortunately we couldn’t stay to witness sunset.Reunion Tower
  • General Vibe: As you  can probably from my anecdote about the dress code limitation, the bar/restaurant at the top strives to achieve a classier vibe.  Generally, I’d say they hit the mark,  but err on the side of perhaps trying a little too hard.  Once again, I can easily forgive that given that the views easily compensate for that shortcoming.
  • Differentiators: Did I mention the views?  In case that’s not enough, oh yeah, the whole restaurant rotates, so we were able to get a panoramic tour of Dallas without leaving our seat.  It is impressive to see how flat and green certain parts of Dallas are once you rotate away from the venerable skyscrapers that consume downtown.
  • Beer Selection Depth: Pretty shallow here, but then again this is more a restaurant first and bar second.  Of course Shiner is on the menu.
  • The Signature Drink of the House: There really isn’t one per se, however Danielle ordered a Pear martini, which I stole a sip of.  She raved about it, and I was certainly a fan as well.
  • Price Point: This place is definitely on the pricier side.  If memory serves, I think cocktails were around $12 to $15 each, and beers ranged from around $7 to $10.
  • Overall Rating on a Scale of One to Ten: I’m going with an 8 here given the cool factor of the views and overall structure, but am docking points for price, a snooty  dress code policy, and lack of beer depth.

Until next time, cheers! Barnski

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What I’m Loving Right Now

17 Jun

I can be pretty random, and these are 4 VERY random things I’m loving right now.

1. Pool Parties with New Friends

Pool Pic

I can’t think of a better way to spend a scorching Saturday in Uptown than surrounded by new friends in the pool (with some adult beverages of course… must stay hydrated!).   I jumped on the invite to hang poolside (more like IN the pool) with a new friend I met at the gym and we met so many wonderful people!   People here are just so darn friendly.  There wasn’t a person in the pool that I didn’t have a great conversation with… and we already have follow up get-togethers planned!   Now if only I didn’t have the WORST tan lines and weird red splotches to prove it.  ;)

2. Little Mr. Furry

Clooney toys

I’m sorry.   There is nothing cuter than a puppy surrounded by all his toys.   You’ve met Clooney in an earlier post.  He’s spending the summer in Durango with mom and dad, but we are definitely keeping tabs on him through photos!   So freaking adorable I can hardly stand it.

3. Indulging in Secret Single Behavior

SSB Food

Any Sex and The City fan worth his/her salt knows about the SSB.  Secret Single Behavior.   It’s the thing you do when NO ONE is around.  Especially not your man.   For your eyes and enjoyment only.   Mine???   Wearing my Lululemon men’s sweatpants, watching Food Network reruns (Giada and Barefoot Contessa, of course), and eating the kind of food that Kevin would think I was a crazy person for cooking for dinner.  Case in point: Roasted brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, and yes, that’s bacon.   Accompanied by an Avery White Rascal.

While Kevin’s out of town, Danielle does this.

4. Blue Bell Ice Cream

Blue Bell

I’ve always enjoyed ice cream.   We went out to the illustrious Highland Park Village the other night for dinner, drinks, and as chance would have it, dessert.   We sampled some pretty interesting flavors of homemade ice cream at Marquee, including Smoked White Chocolate, Salted Butter and Dulce de Leche.   It was all very tasty, and the drinks were awesome.  But ice cream to me is nostalgic.   It’s the stuff you grew up on, either in a big bowl by itself or next to every birthday cake, homemade apple pie, etc.   And for me, that was Blue Bell.   Still tastes the same, and it’s heaven.   Reason #246 I’m glad I moved back to Texas.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!   We played on Saturday and worked hard all Sunday.   We have our first overnight house-guests this coming week as we welcome Kevin’s mom, so Casa de Barnski has to be in tip-top shape.   Which means all those things we didn’t get to during unpacking, yep, today was the day.  Add on a few hours of office work and I’m spent.  I’m off to grab a spoon and polish off that pint of Blue Bell!!!

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