New York City

This blog post is very content and picture heavy! I thought about breaking it up, but I feel like sometimes trip posts can feel like they are dragging on when you do that, and since we weren't going to different areas like in Thailand, I decided to do all of our New York trip in one gigantic post! Don't say I didn't warn you :)

Trevor and I spent the last week in New York City! It was a crazy trip from start to finish, and we are thoroughly exhausted. The trip started off a little nuts actually. After a full day of work I went to a conference down in Provo for BonConf (I went last year if you remember) and I had to leave early from that so we could make it to the airport in time. Trevor of course didn't pack until the last minute so we were a little rushed, but still made it with some time to spare *phew.* We took a red eye flight to New York with full expectations that we would sleep the whole way. HA! I normally don't have too much of an issue sleeping on planes, but being pregnant was a game changer. I could not get comfortable enough to actually get some rest the entire flight. We arrived in New York exhausted. We were staying at the Double Tree near Times Square and they didn't have check in until 4:00 p.m. We had been hoping they would let us in early so that we could get some sleep, and they told us to try back around 2:00 p.m. Thankfully they held our bags for us and we headed out to get some much needed breakfast.

Nashville Tennessee - National Funeral Directors Association

Bag: C/O Nena & Co.

You may have noticed a lack of blogging on my part, and for that I apologize. My new job has taken up a lot of my time and energy. By the time I get home at night I don't have as much time to give to it as I have in the past. Speaking of my job, I don't know if I ever formally mentioned what I have been doing since moving to Salt Lake. If you read my blog you know that while living in Provo I worked at Aveda, which they just opened up a brand new location by the way that is amazing! But I was not about to commute from Salt Lake to Provo everyday, so I found a new job and made the change from working in Marketing for the beauty industry to Marketing for the funeral industry! Yes, you read that right. In fact, this past week I attended the National Funeral Directors Association in Nashville, Tennessee. I saw that several of you on instagram were confused, or curious about what my new job was, so I thought I would share some of the details.

I work for a Financial Corporation called Security National in their Life department. I am a part of the Marketing team here, and have had a lot of fun the last few months learning all about the funeral industry and the insurance side of all of that. I recently started a side project for the company and started a funeral industry blog. Funeral Guy's Bow Tie is a source for funeral industry news; publishing insightful information, industry trends, and staring conversations that can educate not only funeral professionals but all those who have dealt with death in their personal lives. It has been a lot of fun and if you want to learn about some pretty funny and cool related things to death, you should check it out. Like this infographic about death ;)

So as I mentioned, I just spent the beginning of the week in Nashville, Tennessee. No, no Taylor Swift sightings, much to my dismay. But even without a celeb sighting, I had a blast. Of course getting there and going through the Dallas airport and hearing all about Ebola every five seconds was unsettling. I have yet to show any signs, but I will keep you posted.

Bear Lake Weekend

I had a TON of questions about this sweater when I posted this pic on Instagram. You can find it  HERE.

 

Trevor and his friends decided spur of the moment to get together at Bear Lake for the weekend. Since moving to Utah I have heard a lot about Bear Lake, but had never been, so I was pretty excited to finally see why this place was so great. For those of your who don't know, Bear Lake is in both Utah and Idaho, right on the border. We got in late Friday night, so when I looked out the window of our condo Saturday morning and saw the gorgeous blue, blue, blue lake, I knew I already loved it there. The town reminded me so much of Waterton, Canada, which I have blogged about a lot in my Canada trips. I just felt at home in a sense. Unfortunately for us the weather wasn't that great. It was rainy on and off the whole weekend, but when the sun came out we soaked up as much of it as we could. Even with the rain it was a great weekend. I couldn't get over how beautiful it was!

 

CHIANG MAI เชียงใหม่ ELEPHANTS ช้างไทย

We were in a very secluded area, with random houses and small villages spread out. At one point we made a turn as we climbed higher and higher into the mountains and I couldn't believe my eyes. I did a few double takes. There was a large valley with green as far as the eye could see, and elephants scattered throughout. If I didn't know better I would think I was starring at a picture, a painting, something not real. It was incredible. We proceeded to see scenes like this along the way, and once I spotted the first elephant crossing sign I got so giddy I could hardly contain myself.

 

POSTS ON THAILAND
Bangkok

Tigers in Chiang Mai

Karen Long Neck Tribe Chiang Mai

Elephants in Chiang Mai 

Koh Samui
Thailand Extras

Chiang Mai - Karen Long Neck Hilltribe

After the day we had before I didn't think it would be possible to top it. No way. It was just too good. But I also knew that by the end of the day I would be riding an elephant. AN ELEPHANT! It has always been a dream of mine to ride one, so the excitement of that had my adrenaline pumping pretty early that morning. Since being in Thailand, Trevor and I had planned everything we had done on our own, but for the elephants we had booked the day through Blue Elephant and had picked a package for the day that included a bunch of different things. 

Our tour guide picked us up early that morning. Our first stop for the day was at a market outside of town. You could instantly tell that it was different then some of the other markets we had seen in the big cities. You could tell it was where the locals went. Mr. Nong, our tour guide, walked us through the aisles. Aisles of color, variety, and just plain beauty. That may read like a dramatic way to describe a local fresh market, but it isn't. Everything about this place was beautiful. The exotic foods, the people and their interactions with each other. The whole atmosphere was just, beautiful. We picked out fruits and treats for the day as well as some bananas for the elephants. I loved watching Mr. Nong talk to his friends, and he would take the time to tell us about the food and who he was talking to. Speaking of our tour guide, Mr. Nong was a smart good looking young man, around the same age as Trevor and I. It was fun to spend time with someone our age from Thailand, and really learn about his life. He was funny and never ceased to amaze me with all the information he knew about Thailand. As a history major I was soaking up everything and loving every second of it. He proceeded to tell us facts and teach us phrases in Thai through out the whole day. He really was amazing!

POSTS ON THAILAND
Bangkok

Tigers in Chiang Mai

Karen Long Neck Tribe Chiang Mai

Elephants in Chiang Mai 

Koh Samui
Thailand Extras

Chiang Mai, Thailand - Tigers! เชียงใหม่

Sorry it has taken me so long to write about the next part of our trip to Thailand! Life has been pretty hectic since we got back, and I had NO time! If you missed the first post, check out Bangkok HERE.

Chiang Mai. Oh beautiful Chiang Mai. We got into Chiang Mai very late and grabbed a taxi to our hotel. It was almost midnight and the town was fairly quiet, not nearly as much hustle and bustle as Bangkok. Trevor and I looked at each other, subconsciously agreeing how much better we already liked it here.  So far everyone was so kind, and so helpful. After a cold shower and a good nights rest, we woke up on the hunt to find a highly reviewed breakfast spot I had found online. We of course quickly got lost going up and down random side streets of this old town. We were hesitant to ask for help after our experiences in Bangkok, but figured we had no other choice at that point. We spotted a young man opening up a store and asked him for directions, without a word he just pointed at this man on the street. This sweet man walked us all the way to the restaurant! We chatted along the way, talking about his life and how he was born and raised in Chiang Mai. He waved and greeted those around us as we talked and you could tell all of them were his long time friends and neighbors. Of course the place wasn't that far away at all, and we quickly realized we had been walking in circles earlier. To our defense the streets are tiny little alley ways zig zagging like a little maze all around the city. Even if you knew Thai you could easily get confused. It was so refreshing to meet someone who just wanted to genuinely help us, expecting nothing in return. We quickly learned that everyone in Chiang Mai was like this. A very genuine and kind city.

Breakfast World, the restaurant, sure lived up to it's name! The place was gorgeous. It had all outside seating, and was covered in green plants, and beautiful flowers. It was a mini paradise hidden amongst the local streets of this old city, a true gem. And the food was just as good. We didn't realize how big the portions were and I am pretty sure we looked like we were fitting into the American stereotype nicely, because when our food came out we were shocked with how much there was. SO MUCH FOOD! The guy who took our ordered had given us a kind of weird look when we placed the order and I was realizing why after we could barely fit all of our food on our table, HA! We walked back to our hotel very satisfied and almost too full. I highly recommend it if you are going to be in Chiang Mai.

A gazillion more pics after the jump ;)

POSTS ON THAILAND
Bangkok

Tigers in Chiang Mai

Karen Long Neck Tribe Chiang Mai

Elephants in Chiang Mai 

Koh Samui
Thailand Extras

Bangkok, Thailand - กรุงเทพมหานคร

This post is going to be very picture HEAVY! :)

Thailand has been a dream destination on my list of wanderlust for awhile now. The start of May was amazing traveling around Thailand with Trevor, and I can't wait to share everything we loved, and learned about this beautiful country. I hope that my insight can be helpful for those of you who have thought about or are planning on going someday.

We started the long trek of traveling just a few days after Trevor's graduation. After catching a flight to San Fransisco we boarded the thirteen hour flight to Taipei, Taiwan. Apparently you aren't able to choose your own seats on China Air, and we were separated for the longest part of the traveling, which was a pretty big downside when you are on a flight that long. But we arrived in Taipei excited to be done with the hardest part of the journey and ready to be in Thailand in just a few short hours. We landed in Bangkok and the first thing we did was grab a taxi to head to our hotel.

POSTS ON THAILAND
Bangkok

Tigers in Chiang Mai

Karen Long Neck Tribe Chiang Mai

Elephants in Chiang Mai 

Koh Samui
Thailand Extras

Unplugged.

So I had all these grand plans to have blog posts set up and ready to go for when I was gone. But the reality is, the last few weeks leading up to us leaving for Thailand was so hectic and chaotic. So much needed to get done, so much wasn't ready, and so much was going on with graduation and family in town. Then I thought about how I could swing managing it from abroad, that idea lasted for about a second.

The thing is, I blog about my life and interests, and never want it to to be priority over quality time with friends and family. So often I feel we let our jobs, hobbies, whatever it may be take the priority. I wanted one hundred percent focus on me and my husband while away. I loved being totally unplugged from it all while in Thailand with Trevor. It was a much needed break.

After a grueling three years in Law School, working, life in general... we have not had much time for the kind of quality time all couples need. Can I just tell you how AMAZING the quality time we had in Thailand was?! I think my favorite thing about going to Thailand was reconnecting with my husband. It felt like a honeymoon, like we were dating again. I get a little teary eyed thinking about it honestly. I love that man so much and have renewed the goal to make sure we get that quality time more often, and don't let the common stresses of life get in the way. Oh how important it is. It is THE most important thing.

We both are ready to get back into the groove of things and are looking forward to the new changes happening in our lives! I will be back to blogging regularly, and get ready for lots of posts about Thailand :)

tid + bits of life via instaLOVE♥

It has been awhile since I did a tid + bits, and there really are a lot of random and fun little things going on these days. I feel like time is going by in warp speed! The end of law school is almost here, and Trevor has been extremely busy. More details on why soon ;) Since his time is so tight we have been really trying to utilize our time together. None of this sitting on the couch watching t.v. business. We have been trying to plan more active dates.

Last week we went rock climbing, and it was a total blast! Before we knew it we had been at the climbing gym for over three hours. Talk about an all over body work out. I think my arms are still sore. We were even able to fit in a ski weekend with Trevor's family. The night before we left we went to a pizza hot spot here in Provo called The Slab. So... Um... just so you guys know, a slab of pizza at The Slab is really two giant pieces of pizza. I thought I was getting two slices and Trevor thought he was getting three. No wonder it was so expensive! You should have seen the stares we got when our order filled up half of the table next to us! HA! 

See that beach? We are headed there in a few shorts months! We are going to THAILAND! I have always loved traveling, and will honestly admit how hard it has been to not be able to while we have been in school. I struggle with wanderlust on a weekly basis. One or the both of us have been in school since we met, so the fact that we will be done has had us itching for a big trip. Trevor has worked his butt off in school and deserves an amazing break and vacation. We also have our five year wedding anniversary coming up, so this is kind of just a big celebration trip! We will be going to Bangkok, the island of Koh Samui, and we are pretty sure we will also do Chiang Mai. Any tips or advice on where to eat, stay, go, etc. would be amazing! I am coming to you sea of internet people, let us know what we need to know for Thailand :)

I am still going strong on trying to eat a more balanced diet and work out consistently. I have lost 8 pounds since January, and inches *fist pump*. I currently love finding new and fun healthy recipes to make. I shared this incredible one on my instagram and though some of you may enjoy it as well. I love me my carbs and sweets and this one makes me feel like I am actually eating pancakes made with flour :)

STRAWBERRY AND BANANA PANCAKES

I made these scrumptious puppies with ONLY two eggs and a banana. Seriously.

DIRECTIONS: Blend 2 whole eggs, and 1 banana (ripe) together. I like to add a drop of vanilla flavoring or a dash of cinnamon. Then heat your pan to a LOW medium, with coconut oil or pam spray. These pancakes are delicate, so be careful when you are flipping them. Flip pancake once you see the edges start to harden, and little bubbles pop and form on the surface. This here is one serving, and I had already ate one of the other pancakes! I topped it off with a light spread of organic peanut butter, strawberries, and honey drizzle. Guilt free pancakes!

Stay in the LOOP and follow me on Instagram @alyciagrayce

"If you come to san francisco, summertime will be a love-in there"

7. Have a girl's weekend with my best girlfriends from high school.

10. Explore San Francisco. (I went when I was a little girl but don't really remember it)

I was able to kill two birds with one stone off of my twenty five before twenty five list this past weekend! Me and my best girlfriends from back home have always complained about the fact that when we all come home to visit it is during a holiday or family event where we don't have much time to really hang out. So we have always talked about doing a girl's trip sometime. Well, we finally DID IT. 

We picked San Fransisco because Michelle would be participating in an Opera Company there this summer, and it is a place we all thought would be fun. I was particularly excited because it is a place I have always wanted to go! I went when I was little girl, but hardly remember it. So to me, it was like the first time.

Can I just say San Fransisco stole my heart? Let me explain why. FOOD. I am pretty sure there is no such thing as a bad meal in San Fransisco. We ate our hearts out! I will get into that more later. I also love the vibe of the city, the buildings and amazing architecture, the history. It totally reminded me of Europe. It was very reminiscent of Paris. Just the way the whole city functioned made me think I wasn't in America. I loved all the diversity. 

Our hotel was built in 1929. I love the architecture of it. It still has the same operating elevator! It was fun, and kind of creepy all at the same time, haha.

Saturday morning we got into our hotel and then headed off to catch some breakfast at a place my friend had recommended called Stacks. We got caught up with each other while we each enjoyed our stacks of pancakes. I got the Macadamia Nut, Banana and Coconut pancakes. Oh my heaven. It was too rich for me to even finish! 

We then made our way to Alamo Square, but not without getting distracted first of course. I love all the fun things always going on in San Fransisco! On our way we stopped by a garage sale, and spent time admiring all the beautiful houses. I love me a good bay window.

It was the perfect sunny afternoon and we laid in the grass, people watching and playing with all the dogs. What is up with San Fransisco and all the dogs? Lots of dog lovers there. Speaking of dog lovers, one dog decided I was his new best friend, and wouldn't go back to his owner. I didn't mind, I almost put him in my purse and walked away :) It was super windy, but it felt great since it was actually a pretty warm day, which was a nice treat in San Fran from what I hear.

 

 

 

We obviously looked at the Full House, house. I have always wanted to see that! Childhood dreams accomplished.

We had walked through Japan Town and it had sparked the urge for Japanese food that night. I was so excited because walking through Japan Town looking at all the different restaurant options it brought me back to being an exchange student in Japan. I can't tell you how authentic is was there. Everything looked just like Japan did. Everyone speaking in Japanese and the plastic replicas of the dishes being offered in the windows, everything was the same. 

For the first time since I went to Japan I had some authentic Japanese food! Oh my gosh I inhaled that Beef Udon so fast! And I ate my tempura shrimp slowly to make sure I enjoyed every last bite! We went home stuffed and satisfied. If only I had, had room for more. 

To end the night off right we headed to the store and picked up candy and treats for a night in, in our pajamas. I also had to grab some aloe, story of my white girl life. In between chewing on peach rings, and chocolate we talked the night away as if no time had ever passed between our middle school sleepovers ten years ago.

Sunday morning we went to a place called Kate's Kitchen that Allie had recommended. To anyone passing by it doesn't look like anything special, nuzzled between an apartment and a place that sells medical marijuana... but let me tell you, this place has THE BEST breakfast I have ever had in my life. The menu is so hard to choose from and as you see plates come out of the kitchen, each time you think you must have ordered wrong because "whatever that is look amazing!"

But it is impossible to order wrong at Kate's Kitchen, it is all amazing. I got the orange spice french toast with strawberries, blueberries, bananas and lemon curd. The tastes all came together beautifully, not just beautifully but perfectly! The orange spice was just the right amount of hint, and the fruit was fresh and the lemon curd just topped it off! I didn't want the experience to end.

 

 

After breakfast we walked around some of the shops, such amazing book stores and vintage thrifting going on in San Fran. After we had explored a bit we headed out to Fisherman's Wharf to see Michelle perform. It was nice to have a lazy Sunday morning and get to hear some great musical performances. It had been a pretty drizzly day so after the performance all we wanted was some warm hot chocolate. We headed on over to the popular Ghirardelli Square. Of course by the time we got there we got distracted, and ended up getting ice cream sundays instead! What can you do, I am in ice cream girl at heart.

We headed home to dry off and ended the night with some make your own pizzas at a pizzeria at the corner of where we were staying. Again, it was amazing! I love me some artichokes on a pizza.

 

being silly :)

Monday morning we couldn't stop thinking about how amazing Kate's Kitchen was, so we obviously went there again. This time Michelle was able to join in on the fun and the four of us each had a new dish that was amazing. I tried their cornmeal pancakes with the same toppings I had, had on my french toast. Let me just tell you, I have decided that all pancakes needs to be cornmeal pancakes! Holy Cow! The texture, the taste, all of it was just great! I will be learning how to whip some of those up that's for sure. Michelle has some pumpkin, chocolate and whip cream french toast and I decided it just might be worth it to fly to San Francisco to eat at Kate's on the daily... just sayin'

When can I move in? Kay, thanks.

After brunch we headed on over to see the infamous Golden Gate Bridge. It was pretty foggy so it was hard to see at first, but we enjoyed walking along the pier and seeing the city skyline. Just as we were leaving the clouds cleared up and I got myself a good glance at the bridge! Loved it.

We all decided we needed something sweet and got some baked goods at a pretty popular bakery in town. I got myself a lemon square and that thing was probably the sweetest food I have ever had! It made you pinch your lips, in a good way!

We parted ways with Michelle who had to practice and we headed back to the hotel to figure out our flights. We had all gotten notice that our flights had been delayed over three hours! Apparently the weather had been so bad several flights had been delayed and even canceled. We couldn't be too upset because that just meant more time together. We ended up getting dinner together one last time before heading out to the airport. Michelle was a sweet heart and drove us all back, and it was nice to have one last moment all of us together.

The delays made me miss my connecting flight, which turned out to be a mini miracle for me because I got stuck in a city that my husband happened to be living in currently!! It was a sweet surprise for us to spend the night together! Even if it was super short, it was much needed. I had been missing that boy terribly and the timing couldn't have been more perfect. So thank you delayed flights and bad weather!!! :) :)

I loved everything about this weekend. San Fransisco is such a special place, and to explore it with people I love was such a treat. I love that no matter how much time passes we maintain the bond we have shared since we were little girls. They have been with me for every awkward transition into adulthood and I couldn't think of better women to have by my side. I can't believe we are all grown up. In reality, our lives are just beginning, and I can't wait to see what the future has in store for us.

 

Check out the girl in the red shoes...

 Want to see your AD here?

*Due to being out of town the last four days, I will not be doing the tid + bits link up this week, but make sure you have them ready for next friday! :)