Dublin Roasters in Frederick: 5 Cool Facts
Admittedly, it doesn’t take much to bring me joy — they say “it’s the small things,” and I’d have to agree. Like a breathtaking sunset, an announcement of a new season of your favorite show, or really good coffee. Speaking of really good coffee, I was invited to tour Dublin Roasters in Frederick, Maryland, while on a mini-vacation to the area earlier this fall. The goal of my visit was to understand the process by which they specially roast their uniquely sourced beans, as well as learn more about Serina Roy’s vision as owner and founder — and to have a tasty latte along the way. (Of course, right?) And…
A Wintry Weekend in the Adirondacks
Enjoy a long wintry weekend in the Adirondacks surrounded by breathtaking mountain views, winding rivers and glassy lakes, apple orchards galore, with a myriad of charming Upstate New York towns peppered in-between. Living on the East Coast has its perks. I often say we’re lucky in Maryland to be so close to a number of great weekend road trip destinations: an hour from both Baltimore and Washington D.C., four hours from New York City, two-and-a-half hours from Philadelphia, three hours from Charlottesville—the list goes on and on. Now that our kids are older, my sister and I have pledged make time to get away and explore cute towns up and…
How to Plan an Inexpensive Weekend Road Trip
Learn how to plan an inexpensive weekend road trip with only a few simple steps! A few times a year I try to get away and visit my sister up in Brooklyn, New York. It’s simple because I can hop on Megabus for less than thirty dollars round-trip and then mindlessly ride into Manhattan without the hassle of traffic, tolls and paying attention. I get a lot of reading done! Or napping… Recently, though, my sister and I decided it would be fun to go somewhere together instead. We have limited budgets (and time), so we have to be strategic with all the components that would go into a…
5 Tips for an Overnight Getaway
When you’re planning an overnight getaway, take a little time to pack a smart, versatile wardrobe and develop a wish list of to-dos to ensure no time is wasted. This post is sponsored by Aventura® Aside from the one week-long vacation we take every summer, most of my trips are overnights or long weekends. I’ve found that those shorter trips require a little more strategic planning than the longer ones because there’s no wiggle room to allow for missed opportunities. The good news is, it’s easy to do a little simple planning ahead to produce a fun whirlwind overnight getaway. These five tips have worked well for me! 1. Pack…
Stop These 5 Airport Bad Habits
You need to stop these 5 airport bad habits right now. About once a month I travel for business trips, and I find myself in an airport headed somewhere far from here … to meetings, conferences, or something else job-related. The closest airport is in Baltimore, and when I’m headed to Illinois (a frequent work destination) unfortunately none of the airlines I’m able to use have direct flights. (Read: not Chicago.) This means I spend a significant amount of time in airports, consumed by layovers. It’s not all bad, really. The stress that comes with a quick layover (especially in Atlanta) has encouraged me to always take the longer one,…
Three Reasons to Vacation at Seneca Lake in New York
If you’re a fan of wine, beer, hard cider, gin and stunning scenic backdrops, then a vacation at Seneca Lake in New York is the place for you! Every summer we take a vacation for a week with my side of the family. We find a place somewhere on the East Coast and usually in the Mid-Atlantic or Northeast—in part because we have a soft spot for New England, having spent months in Groton Long Point growing up, and also because geographically it makes sense now that we’re spread out between Maryland and New York. We’ve been to Cape May, Smith Mountain Lake, Lake Greenwood, and this year we tried…
Tips To Stay Hydrated While On The Go This Summer
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #HydrateYourSummer #CollectiveBias Use these four simple tips to stay hydrated while you’re on the go this summer! I’m writing this blog post as the first morning of summer vacation looms a mere eight hours away. Our county in central Maryland had the unfortunate fun luck of not only getting a waiver to end school a week early, but also a mandate from the governor to start school a few weeks later than normal … after Labor Day. Yay. While I’m sure some families enjoy an extra month of no school, I find things…
Edible Communities
Funny things can happen when you talk about blogging with people. Often, you find out (after they’ve browsed your site) they share similar interests … interests that you may never have stumbled upon in conversation, otherwise. This happened to me a few years ago during a chat with a co-worker who happens to be—unbeknownst to me—a serious foodie. Not only do he and his wife love to dine out, they also love to cook (think 4-course Christmas Eve spread, complete with a roast good and all the trimmings), AND they love to read food blogs! It’s interesting to get some perspective from someone who’s not a part of the blogging world about…
