Wild Flower Hunting: Texas Bluebonnet

Bluebonnet is the state flower of Texas. They can be found in the wild around April (when they are in full bloom) and the common colors are blue with tiny white dot in the middle. They do smell great too. Do you know that it is illegal to pick or destroy them? (although some people do not pay attention and unfortunately trample them while trying to take pictures...very sad).   This weekend our family was on the search for Bluebonnet sighting in two little towns om tje north part of Houston. The two little town are Brenham and Navasota which are approximately 1.30 - 2 hour drive from where we live. In the past 8 years that I lived here, never once had a desire to venture out to witness the beauty of nature and or really appreciated what mother nature can create. Until now that I am getting older, I seek simple joys in life and learn to appreciate small little things more and more each day. (Money can't buy all the happiness in the world but it does help us to buy gas to get there..ha.).   We left home Friday afternoon and planned to spend a night somewhere so that we could wake up early for photos. Our original plan was to find a Bed and Breakfast but we were late in the game and it seemed every place we called was booked up so we chose to stay at La Quinta in Brenham. There was a lovely and large bluebonnet field in the back of the hotel but that was just a teaser. The next morning we headed over to another small town (Navasota) which is about 20 minute way. There was an even larger field (probably 20 - 30 acres) of bluebonnet on HWY 6. OMG, our jaws dropped at the beauty of this field. It was like a  dream. Photos just don't do the justice. It was quite a sight and scene, and totally worth the drive. Big thanks to information and updates from Texas Bluebonnet Sighting on Facebook.   Tips: Watch your step and don't tremple on them so others can enjoy them too.     {The orange flowers are native to the west of America, they are called Indian Paintbrush}

Buffet at The Wicked Spoon (The Cosmopolitan, Las Vegas)

So Vegas is also very famous for buffet, right? It would have been silly if we didn’t give it a try. My husband and I were actually very excited about this and made sure I did my research as far as where to eat. I have this love & hate relationship with buffet but learnt a few important things through the years. People tend to stuff themselves silly so that it is worth for what they pay for. That kind of mentality is actually harmful to health.   Buffet = large quantity = all you can eat until you rip your pants.   That’s exactly how I looked at buffet in the past. So during this trip, I tried to change that kind of mentality and looked at buffet in a different way: buffet = variety. Focus on variety NOT quantity, and stop when full. It is quite hard but it has to be done. I mean EVERYTHING looks freakin’ delicious and tempting!! My husband, on another hand, wanted to get his money worth. He stuffed himself and ended up being miserable.     My tips on eating buffet is: 1) don’t fill up on heavy carb items like potato/rice/bread/noodle 2) get a bit of everything (2 – 3 tablespoons) 3) drink water 4) instead of piling too much food on the plate, get small portion and make several trips back so you burn some calories   According to my research on Yelp, we decided to pick top rated buffet to try: The Wicked Spoon at The Cosmopolitan (for dinner) and The Buffet at the Wynn Hotel (for brunch).  The Wicked Spoon on Friday night was $40 per person before tax. My verdict: 7 out of 10. Selection was not that great. There were only three kind of Sushi at the station and not many Asian food. Good variety at Salad Bar station.   These are photos from The Wicked Spoon.    

Spring Fling~*

I really..really wish i could enjoy Spring to the fullest but seasonal allergies are in full force at the sane time flowers are in full bloom. Pollen..pollen and oh more pollen floating in the air everywhere!! My nose is icthy and must be as red as a Rudolf the raindear's nose or monkey's butt. You get the picture. Funnily, seasonal allergies never bothered me at all before i had a baby. It isto amazing howplace your body has gone through so many changes during pregnancy and post pregnancy.   What could be a better way to pay a tribute and celebrate to beautiful season of Spring than a floral dress? Floral dresses come in diffent patterns, designs, materials sizes and colors. I like just a small touch of flowers that doesn't look too overwhelming. This dress was previosly worn last year at a wedding but I want to make sure I get enough wear out of it so I packed and brought it with me to the Vegas.   !

Back to Nature: Zion National Park

During our stay in Las Vegas, we decided to escape the Las Vegas lights and plan a day trip to explore nature. Zion National Park was recommended by a father-in-law. The park is located in Utah which is approximately three hour drive from Las Vegas each way. I am not a big fan of road trip because so often I fall asleep instead of staying awake to enjoy the wonder and magnificient scenery that mother nature creates along the way. My husband, on the other hand, loves road trip and the idea of driving through the countryside always excites him.   After dozzing off from Las Vegas to Arizona and fianlly Utah, we made it to the park. I managed to stay awake during the last hour of road trip to enjoy at the sight and scene of the sceney in front of me. The weather in Utah was about 20 degree lower than in Vegas so it was a bit chilly. We walked along the trails and soaked up every breath of fresh air, beautiful view and each other companion. We can't wait to go back.  

Food Truck Festival 2013 (Haute Wheels Houston)

Based on Wikipedia, Houston is the fourth most populous city in the United States of America , and the most populous city in the state of Texas. Houston is a diverse city with a large and growing international community which means diverse cultures and of course cuisine. For about 9 years that I have lived here, this city never fails to deliver some of the most exciting food choices from holes in the wall to fine dining restaurants.   This weekend, we got our first glimpse at Haute Wheels Houston. It was our very first experience with the food trucks. In the recent years, there has been a rise in food trucks and you can spot them in almost every major city in the US (and on TV shows of course). This festival, however, is totally cool. You don't get to try food from just one truck but 34 food truck vendors! Eat out until your belly explode!! Warning: this is not a suitable place for health enthusiatics.   How I found out about this? One day I was just searching for things to in Spring and just googled it. This festival came in just in time and I just knew my husband would LOVE to go. So we went. From what we read, this was the 4th year and we were lucky we bought tickets online because it was sold out at the gate. We got there a little after noon and there was already a line (but not too bad). It was a cloudy day with chance of rain. We stayed for 2 hours and left before it started raining. Wish we could stay longer to taste more food and be a pig.   There were so many Asian fusion food trucks and more, but honestly after trying out 2 trucks our bellies were getting filled up so we hit the dessert trucks for some sugary items. The admission fee was $16 per person (kids under 12 are free I think). We thought that admission fee was kinda silly and rip off, it only covered some drink items yet you still had to pay for food. They said it was for a good cause because one whole dollar from each ticket sold would be donated to the Houston Community College, I mean "one whole dollar". Any it was a fun experience overall and everyhting we tried was pretty darn good!