Christmas Travel with a Bang!

Did y'all (my southern charm coming out there for ya!) do any traveling for the holidays? We spent time with my husbands family in Arkansas. Now, there isn't a whole lot to do there so we decided to take advantage of our second amendment rights and shoot some stuff. You can see the video below or if you have trouble viewing it here you can check it out on youtube. It was pretty awesome and I have to say, I seem to be a pretty good shot!

We also went to Hot Springs, Arkansas to have a look around and we stopped at Garvan Woodlands Gardens for their Christmas light display. In the gardens is the Anthony Chapel and it is gorgeous! We saw it at night so the pictures aren't the best.

Anthony Chapel

Garvan Gardens Christmas lights

Hot Springs National Park

25 Questions: Holiday Edition

Hope you all have a wonderful Holiday Season!

Everywhere I go I buy an Christmas ornament!

Eggnog or hot chocolate?

I'm not big on either but I prefer hot chocolate

Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?

Growing up Santa would wrap the presents in a different wrapping paper then the other presents

Colored lights on tree/house or white?

I like white on the tree but we put some colored lights outside this year and I LOVED it!

Do you hang mistletoe?

Nope

When do you hang your decorations up?

This year, since Thanksgiving and Christmas were so close, we decorated it Thanksgiving day

What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?

I'm a fan of carbs: dinner rolls, mashed potatoes, au gratin potatoes

Favorite holiday memory as a child?

I don’t think I have one…or can't remember one anyway…

What is on your Christmas wish list?

This year my 2 big items were a new camera and the Surface 2

Do you open any gifts on Christmas Eve?

In my family we would open one on Christmas Eve. In my husbands they would open all on Christmas Eve and then open the ones from Santa on Christmas Day.

How do you decorate your Christmas tree?

Star first then ornaments

Snow, Love it or dread it?

I have only been in "real" snow twice. I like it enough I suppose but I don’t think I want to shovel it and remove it from my car…

Real tree or fake tree?

I grew up with a real tree but we now have a fake tree in our home. And since pine needles are bad for dogs it will probably stay that way…since my dogs pretty much run the house!

Do you remember your favorite gift?

I have one each year…nothing from my childhood really stands out. I'm sure my Barbie dream house was real score!

What’s the most important thing about Christmas for you?

Just the time of the year to either be with friends and/or family

What is your favorite holiday dessert?

I love me some chocolate pie

What is your favorite tradition?

There is no one thing I like over the other. And as times moves forward we'll have to make new traditions. 

What tops your tree?

A star!

Do you prefer giving or receiving?

I love both! I love to open mine and I love watching people open the presents I give them

What is your favorite Christmas song?

Classic Christmas hymn is Silent Night. New age Christmas song would be either All I want for Christmas by Mariah Carry or Baby It's Cold Outside

Candy canes, yuck or yum?

Not a fan

Favorite Christmas movie?

I really liked Miracle on 34th Street growing up

What do you leave for Santa?

Cookies and milk

Do you have a Christmas morning tradition?

Stockings first and then presents

Do you prefer to shop on-line or at the mall?

Now I like to shop online because I can get extra rewards points and opening the package is like opening a present and I love that!

Christmas letter or Christmas card?

We send cards and I'm sure once our family starts to get bigger and more exciting things start to happen we'll send a letter.

Airline Food...yum or yuck!

Airline food isn't known for its quality, but it tides you over if you're flying during meal time. And these days you'll be lucky to get that free bag of peanuts. If you ever wondered how healthy some of this food is, we'll you're about to find out. Yahoo! put together this list with the airlines ranked from 1 to 5, 5 being the healthiest. 

The survey includes health ratings, average calories per airline, cost, comments, food offerings, calories and exercise equivalents. The average number of calories per food item for all airlines is 360, a drop from last year's 388.

Airline Food Survey Rankings

Virgin America -- 4.5

Air Canada -- 4.5

Alaska Airlines -- 4

JetBlue Airways -- 3.5

United Airlines -- 3.25

American Airlines -- 3

US Airways -- 3

Delta Air Lines -- 2.75

Frontier Airlines -- 2.75

Southwest Airlines -- 2

Allegiant Air -- 1.5

United's Food for Purchase

The last time I had some food on a flight I bought a turkey sandwich for a little less than $6 and it gave me an upset stomach :( Hopefully the food on our upcoming trip is better!

I also just read an article where a pilot held a flight for two hours until he had a sandwich delivered to him before he took off....that is LAME!

What do you think of airline food? 

2013 Travel Industry Game Changers

You can view the original article with pictures here.

The birth of the world’s largest airline:  The merger of American Airlines and USAirways, which became official on Dec. 9, 2013, hopefully marks the end of a wave of airline consolidation that has left the U.S. with only three major carriers that fly internationally. All the mergers and acquisitions over the past few years (United swallowed up Continental and Delta ate Northwest) have resulted in higher air fares, more hassles, and less customer-friendly policies.

I'll miss you Continental…and your customer service!

The death of loyalty:  With only three major U.S. airlines for international frequent fliers to choose among, and with planes so full, airlines don’t need our loyalty nearly as much as they did back when they started their loyalty programs. And so this year they made changes to those programs, drastically devaluing their miles and making it tougher to earn free flights. Hotels did the same, drastically devaluing their points and making it tougher to earn free nights. The only way to win the loyalty game nowadays is through credit cards that offer big sign-up mileage bonuses and double or triple points when you spend. Holiday shopping through airlines’ online shopping portals offering bonus miles helps too. 

This is exactly how we accumulate so many rewards points. We use our United card for EVERYTHING and I shop online through their website to get 4x and even up to 15x the points! Read my post about it here. 

The ability to stay glued to a screen throughout a flight:  You can now use some personal electronic devices during takeoff and landing. On certain airlines you can even stay connected to the Internet throughout, thanks to gate-to-gate Wi-Fi.

Hotel nickel-and-diming hit an all-time high:  The hotel industry will collect $2.1 billion in fees and surcharges in 2013—up from $2 billion last year. We’re all accustomed to “resort fees” that are basically surcharges for using a hotel’s facilities, but the latest crop of surprise fees includes charges for early check-in, early departure, mini-bar restocking, baggage holding by the bellman, use of the in-room safe, and mandatory valet parking. 

I was so mad when we stayed in Hawaii and had to pay $20 a night to park (not valet) and when we arrived at 10PM they still charged us for that night!

Travelers substituted vacation rentals for hotel rooms:  A good way to avoid getting socked with hotel fees is to avoid hotels, which may be one reason why the vacation rental market really took off this year. The big players like Airbnb and HomeAway are meeting the consumer demand for authentic local flavor and promising to give travelers more of the hotel-like features they want. Airbnb hired veteran hotel exec Chip Conley to be its new Head of Global Hospitality and train Airbnb home owners to be better hosts, and HomeAway created a new site specifically for luxury rental villas, some of which come with concierges. 

We have yet to try Homeaway or Airbnb but we might our next time out in Hawaii.

The peer-to-peer sharing economy saved travelers money and connected them with more locals:  Not only are travelers sharing accommodations through peer-to-peer services like Airbnb, they’re renting cars through car-sharing services like RelayRides and connecting with locals for unique tours via peer-to-peer sites like Vayable (see #10). Using these services is not without its risks, of course, but it’s a trend that’s transforming the travel landscape, causing the big established players to get in the game—which is why Avis paid $500 million for Zipcar this year. 

U.S. airports got first-class lounges that don’t require a first-class ticket:  This year American Express started opening luxe Centurion Lounges that are accessible for a one-time fee regardless of which airline you’re flying. They’re currently at Las Vegas McCarran and Dallas-Fort Worth, with more to open in key hubs, including San Francisco. These world-class lounges serve gourmet cuisine, provide shower suites and family rooms, lend out iPads, and sometimes even have a spa with free massages. They’re accessible to AmEx cardholders for a $50 fee and to AmEx Platinum and Centurion cardholders for free.

U.S. airports became places to go to for dinner:  This year Denver chef Justin Cucci of Root Down opened an outlet of his popular field-to-fork restaurant at Denver International; Chicago chef Rick Bayless opened a sit-down Tortas Frontera in O’Hare’s international terminal; Houston chef Bryan Caswell brought 3rd Bar Oyster and Eating House to George Bush Intercontinental; and, in Los Angeles, Top Chef winner Michael Voltaggio opened an outlet of Ink.Sack at LAX. Expected soon at LAX: James Beard Award-winning chef Suzanne Goin’s Larder at Tavern.

U.S. cruise ships drew a more global crowd:  Cruise lines have been marketing themselves to an international audience in a big way, and the result is that, on your next cruise out of a foreign port, you’ll find more Europeans, South Americans, Australians, and/or Asians. As an example, 23 nationalities were represented on the Oceania cruise I took through the Panama Canal this year.  When a preponderance of certain nationalities are onboard, the cruise experience gets modified to suit local tastes. You might find, for instance, that dining service is tweaked to suit Brazilians onboard who want to eat late, or that an Asian cruise itinerary skips beautiful beaches because the Chinese onboard dislike harsh sunlight.

Ordinary people became tour guides:  The sharing economy has disrupted the tours-and-activities world too. Over the past couple of years, an array of Web sites has come along to match travelers to locals at their destinations for neighborhood tours and unique experiences. Basically, these sites—such as Vayable, SideTour, Getyourguide, and Canaryhop—want to be the Airbnb of tours, and they can be a great way to meet locals. Through Sidetour in New York City, for instance, you can “visit romantic comedy film sites with entertainment writers” or “dine with an investment banker who became a monk.” If it’s a licensed tour guide you want instead, you can find one through Viator’s guide finder.

Bizarre Museums

I stumbled upon an article about strange museums in the United Sates and I have actually been to one! And then I found one about bizarre museums in Europe! So I combined the two for y'all.

United States

Burlingame Museum of Pez Memorabilia, Burlingame, CA
Gary Doss has spent more than 20 years collecting these candy dispensers and now displays every PEZ ever made—over 900 (Image above). Rare PEZ include the donkey-head model made for President Kennedy, the “Make Face” akin to Mr. Potato Head with interchangeable parts, and a Mary Poppins. The gift shop sells all things PEZ, both new and vintage models, and the same building houses the Banned Toy and Classic Toy Museum. burlingamepezmuseum.com

Devil’s Rope Barbed Wire Museum, McLean, TX
Barbed wire has been used to keep people out since the mid-1880s. But at Devil’s Rope, visitors are welcomed in to learn about one of the most useful inventions for the pioneering American landowner. Housed in a former bra factory just off historic Route 66, the museum’s exhibits include patent information (there are more than 450 on the books), collections from private wire collectors, and warfare wire. barbwiremuseum.com

National Museum of Funeral History, Houston, TX
Funeral director Robert Waltrip realized a lifelong dream in 1992 when he opened this institution dedicated to the care of the deceased. Must-sees include the Vatican-approved pope funeral trappings, the largest collection of Ghanaian fantasy caskets outside of Africa (in crab, cow, and car shapes), funeral memorabilia from celebrities including Michael Jackson, Elvis, and Marilyn Monroe, and 19th-century mourning clothes. It’s also the place to brush up on the history of embalming. nmfh.org

The Hobo Museum, Britt, IA
Housed in the former Chief Theater, the Hobo Museum celebrates the vagabond lifestyle, which happens to have a stringent code of ethics. It’s full of drifter memorabilia from the likes of Frisco Jack, Connecticut Slim, and Hard Rock Kid. Hobo crafts, art, photographs, and documentaries depicting the unorthodox way of life are also on display. It’s brought to you by the Hobo Foundation, which hosts an annual convention in town. hobo.com

Leila’s Hair Museum, Independence, MO
Don’t expect to find Mesopotamian curling irons or Cher’s wigs. What you will see is real hair—and lots of it—fashioned into art. Leila Cohoon, a retired hairdresser, has lovingly collected 600 hair wreaths and more than 2,000 pieces of human hair jewelry dating back to the 18th century. One pair of wreaths features strands from two sisters whose heads were shaved upon entering a convent. Notable personalities including Michael Jackson, Queen Victoria, and four presidents have also made contributions.

Bigfoot Discovery Museum, Felton, CA
Yeti. Sasquatch. Bigfoot. It doesn’t matter what you call the hairy creature. What does matter to museum founder Mike Riggs, who has collected hominid data for more than 60 years, is that you keep an open mind. His findings include video footage, audiotapes, and a local map with pushpins marking over 150 sightings. Riggs firmly believes Bigfoot is alive, well, and a resident of the Santa Cruz area. And after a stop here, you just might, too. bigfootdiscoveryproject.com

SPAM Museum, Austin, MN (yes, I have actually been there! Went when we were in Minnesota in 2011)
Hamming it up comes naturally to this museum, described on its website as M.O.M.A.: Museum of Meat-Themed Awesomeness. Did you know that more than 100 million pounds of Spam were shipped oversees to our troops in World War II? Or that a girl band called the Hormel Girls toured the country to promote the glorious gelatinous pork? These are just a few of the morsels you’ll learn about while in Austin, a.k.a. Spamtown (Hormel is headquartered here). Johnny’s SPAMarama Restaurant is conveniently across the street. spam.com

Apothecary Museum, Alexandria, VA
With items like dragon’s breath and unicorn root, this 18th-century pharmacy might be mistaken for a Harry Potter movie set. Beyond the remarkable anthology of herbal botanicals, handblown-glass jars, and medical equipment, the archival journals at the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Shop give a glimpse into both the bizarre and commonsensical aspects of colonial-era medicine. The shop shuttered in 1933 after being operated by a Quaker family for generations. alexandriava.gov

Museum of Bad Art, Dedham Square, MA
So bad, it’s good: artistic creations that would never see the light of day anywhere else are proudly displayed here. Yet this museum has its standards in curating “distinguished” dreadful art. Whether it’s by a talent who had an off day or a beginning painter with crude strokes, each piece has to have a special quality to meet the standard of “too bad to be ignored.”

International Banana Museum, Mecca, CA
“The Banana Museum puts a smile on peoples’ faces every time,” says founder Ken Bannister. Since the early ’70s, he’s gone bananas for the tropical fruit, amassing more than 18,000 items of bananabilia, from a banana-shaped putter to a seven-foot-tall banana popular for photo ops. He sold the world’s largest collection of a single fruit to a new owner in 2010—the equally enthusiastic Fred Garbutt—who serves banana smoothies and dresses in banana-themed clothing at the newly installed nonalcoholic bar within the museum.

Europe

Medieval Crime Museum, Germany

The charming medieval city of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, located in the Franconia region of Bavaria in Germany, has become a tourist hot spot. But one of its chief attractions is decidedly not charming: the Medieval Crime Museum (above), which is dedicated to the horror of the Dark Ages. It’s full of creepy exhibits and instruments of torture, including the Schandmaske—a mask of shame made for public humiliation and ridicule. Each mask is designed to fit its victim’s crime (one mask on display even has a muzzle shaped like a pig’s snout). There's also a torture chair for bakers who sold undersized loaves of bread and a spinning Catherine wheel that victims were strapped to during public execution.

Petrified Forest of Lesbos, Lesvos, Greece

Greece's Petrified Forest of Lesbos has been declared a protected monument of nature. The protected zone covers an area of 150,000 acres and includes hundreds of fossilized conifer trunks and fruiting trees. Volcanic materials blanketed the forest more than 20 million years ago, which caused it to become petrified. Now, as the volcanic material erodes away, the beautiful colors and patterns of the stone tree trunks are exposed.

Lighthouse for Rent, Croatia

Croatians have taken the modern-day hostel and transformed it into a unique experience with their rented lighthouses, which stretch along the Adriatic coast from Istria to Dubrovnik. For only $55 to $85 a day, visitors can spend the night in a private lighthouse on an isolated island. But the stay definitely isn't as glamorous as it might seem: Visitors report that the sheets are changed only once a week, and tourists need to bring their own water and supplies if they want to avoid drinking the reservoir water.

Avanos Hair Museum, Turkey

Thirty years ago, one of Chez Galip’s friends left town for good. Before leaving, the woman left him a lock of hair for him to remember her by. So the Turkish potter and artist created the Avanos Hair Museum under his pottery shop in Cappadocia. Since then, most women who visit the museum leave locks of their hair—labeled with their addresses—behind. The museum is filled with more than 16,000 hair samples, which adorn every surface but the floor.

Dracula's Castle, Transylvania

Vampire lovers who find themselves in Transylvania might want to swing by Bran Castle, which is marketed as the home of Prince Vlad of Wallachia, aka Vlad the Impaler, the man who inspired Bram Stoker's Dracula. Located in the village of Bran on the border of Transylvania and Romania, the castle was the second-most expensive property in the world and valued at $140 million, according to a 2007 Forbes article.

Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, Ukraine

At the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, daring tourists who aren't afraid of a little radiation can learn every detail of the Chernobyl nuclear accident and its effect on those who lived and worked around the area. Visitors will see a nuclear reactor, the ghost town of Pripyat, and the “red forest”—where nuclear radiation caused surrounding pine trees to turn a reddish orange. There is also the Chernobyl Museum in Kiev.

Museum of Broken Relationships, Zagreb, Croatia

Olinka Vištica and Dražen Grubišić first conceived the idea of the Museum of Broken Relationships when they combed through their collection of tokens and gifts they had exchanged during their relationship. They decided to exhibit them and asked their friends to contribute their own collections. Over the years, they created a huge collection of items donated by divorced couples. Lingerie, toothbrushes, clothes, wedding dresses, and dental floss are among the items on display in the museum.

Have you been to any crazy/strange museums? 

Under Bite: The Tail of Two Bulldogs

I forgot to do a puppy update in November but I have some good pictures to share with you today!

Taken Thanksgiving Day, Relaxing and enjoying the sun

Mom, are those presents for us? 

WestJet Plays Santa for Some Very Lucky Passengers

Passengers flying with Canadian low-cost carrier WestJet got an early Christmas surprise when they got to ask Santa for gifts as they boarded and then collected the presents at their destination.

I thought this was SUPER awesome! So nice to see a company do something like this for its customers!

And I like the end, "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a safe flight!"

Santas Around the World

When I was checking out Travel Channel's website I saw a slideshow of Santas from around the world. Here are some pictures from the slide show and the link so you can view all of them!

Father Christmas, London

{Source}

 Father Frost and Granddaughter, Snegurochka the Snowmaid, Russia

{Source}

 Mele Kalikimaka from the Hawaiian Santa

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What are some different things Santa does where you're from? Does he surf the waves or have a granddaughter? Let me know in the comments!

Pinspiration: Holiday Edition

I saw this workshop that Home Depot was hosting on how to make a monogram garland wreath. I thought that looks pretty easy, where do I sign up? Well turns out they were just going to show you how to do it and not let you make one in the workshop....LAME! I wanted to make one! So I just called my dad and told him what I wanted to do and he brought all the supplies over during Thanksgiving. We did just as the steps on the infograph show (except I spry painted mine so none of the wood color would show through the garland).

Home Depot

{Original source, Home Depot Do-It-Herself Workshops}

Mine

{'C' Monogram Garland Wreath}

 I think it looks pretty good...although it being a 'C' kind of makes it look like an unfinished wreath don't you think?

Over the Thanksgiving holiday we also put up some lights around the house. I LOVE my glowing, large ornaments! I know wish I would have bought them all!

What have you been doing to decorate for the holiday season? 

10 Best US Cities for Early Retirement

If you are looking for a place to retire or you are just day dreaming about it then today's post is for you! Yahoo! Homes came out with this article about the 10 Best US Cities for Early Retirement. You can click the link to read more about each location. I like to think that we'll end up in Hawaii or abroad :) 

10. Honolulu (You can count me in for this city!)
City population: 345,610
Percentage of population age 45 to 64: 27.2% (U.S.: 26.2%)
Crime rate: 3.96 crimes per 100 residents (U.S. average: 4.01)
Cost of living: 49% above the national average
State's retiree tax picture: Mixed

9. Virginia Beach, Va.
City population: 447,021
Percentage of population age 45 to 64: 24.9%
Crime rate: 3.27 crimes per 100 residents
Cost of living: 6% above the national average
State's retiree tax picture: Mixed

8. Midland, Texas (No thanks, I'll pass)
City population: 119,385
Percentage of population age 45 to 64: 24.1%
Crime rate: 4.03 crimes per 100 residents
Cost of living: 9% below the national average
State's retiree tax picture: Friendly
 

7. Peoria, Ariz.
City population: 159,789
Percentage of population age 45 to 64: 24.1%
Crime rate: 3.16 crimes per 100 residents
Cost of living: 9% below the national average
State's retiree tax picture: One of the most tax-friendly in the U.S.

6. Bellevue, Wash.
City population: 126,439
Percentage of population age 45 to 64: 26.2%
Crime rate: 3.29 crimes per 100 residents
Cost of living: 16% above the national average
State's retiree tax picture: Friendly

5. Sioux Falls, S.D.
City population: 159,908
Percentage of population age 45 to 64: 23.9%
Crime rate: 3.19 crimes per 100 residents
Cost of living: 18% below the national average
State's retiree tax picture: Friendly

4. Sandy Springs, Ga.
City population: 99,419
Percentage of population age 45 to 64: 24.9%
Crime rate: 3.84 crimes per 100 residents
Cost of living: 5% above the national average
State's retiree tax picture: One of the most tax-friendly in the U.S.

3. Alexandria, Va.
City population: 146,294
Percentage of population age 45 to 64: 24.6%
Crime rate: 2.45 crimes per 100 residents
Cost of living: 21% above the national average
State's retiree tax picture: Mixed

2. Cary, N.C.

City population: 145,693
Percentage of population age 45 to 64: 26.5%
Crime rate: 1.60 crimes per 100 residents
Cost of living: 2% above the national average
State's retiree tax picture: Mixed

1. Naperville, Ill.
City population: 143,684
Percentage of population age 45 to 64: 27.8%
Crime rate: 1.66 crimes per 100 residents
Cost of living: 3% above the national average
State's retiree tax picture: Mixed

Do any of these place look good to you? Let me know in the comments!

Travel RoundUp

With only 29 days left in the year I hope you are ready for 2014!

1 - Check out the cute tiny house hotel in Portland! It would be fun to stay here for a few nights!

2 - Venice has banned the amount of large ships allowed to port in its city. Venice usually allows nine ships per day but the new regulations will only allow five.

 

{Source, Photo by David Roark/Disney via Getty Images}

3 - Ever wonder what the world would look like if the ice melted? Goodbye Florida!

{COPYRIGHT © SEPTEMBER 2013 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY}

4 - Check out this cute little Washington town that has turned it's self into a mini Bavaria!

5 - When you cruise the open waters do you feel like you're missing something, a relaxing afternoon in your yard? Well now you don’t have to feel that way since Celebrity Cruise line has brought the backyard to you!

6 - Check out these WILD runways and how planes land on them!

7 - Wouldn’t you love to find this in an airplane restroom!

8 - Will you be heading to Russia for the winter Olympics? Here is a way to ride the subways for free!

9 - Rental cars are always so expensive; here is a new alternate solution.

10 - A list of places you should see before you die.