Muddy Waters Cafe

On the way home from Boston, Nick and I stopped for brunch in the historic waterfront district of New London, Connecticut. We found the most adorable place, The Muddy Waters Cafe, and stepped inside to escape the blustery New England wind. Instant love: this cafe was my dream.

The interior was decorated with vintage couches and comfy armchairs, plenty of old movie posters framed on the walls, stacks of board games on the tables, and beautiful books for our perusal. 

We chose to cozy up in front of the fireplace. 

While we waited for our food, I played a little diddy on the baby grand in the corner. Classy. 

Amazing yogurt muffin selection, in addition to a great menu featuring homemade soups, fresh sandwiches, and all-day breakfast items.

Per.fec.tion. This toasted blueberry muffin almost made me cry, it was so delicious. Would've been tears of joy.

I had the salmon and lox. Nick ordered a fantastic roast beef and egg croissant sandwich.

Best birthday brunch! 

Birthday Road Trip

I had an audition in Boston on my birthday this year. At first, I was a little bummed that I wouldn't be able to celebrate at home. Then I thought, Hey, I get to sing and act on my birthday, two things I love! This will be great! 

How to take full advantage of traveling on your birthday? Make it a cool East Coast road trip with your lovely someone! 11 hours each way, and we only fell more in love. 

We spent the hours googling the history of the great cities we were driving through, reading Ender's Game, and conversing in goofy voices. We actually got lost in Yonkers on the way through New York and we stopped in Connecticut to have sandwiches near a snow drift. When we reached Boston, I used a Wendy's bathroom to change my clothes and put some makeup on. Don't worry, it's cool. 

After a great audition, Nick took me downtown for birthday dinner at an Ethiopian restaurant called Addis Red Sea.

My phone died while we were waiting for our table (er...basket? You sit around a cool basket/table that doubles as a big plate for the whole group) so I don't have pictures of the great decor inside. This place was hopping, so there was a fairly long wait. It was worth every minute!

Ethiopian cuisine has plenty of vegan choices, as well as spicy chicken and pork entrees. Our meal had a lot of tumeric and cumin spices, every dish was delectable. The food is served on a platter of thin, slightly spongy pancake-like flatbread called injera. You also use this flatbread to scoop up each bite, as traditionally Ethiopian food isn't served with utensils. This made this meal incredibly fun. Need a date idea? Check!

Before we were seated, we studied the eclectic groups seated near the front door. The food smelled fantastic, but people weren't eating everything they were served. They only took dainty little bites and never even tore into the injera that lay beneath the food. We were starving by the time we were seated (in the more private and less-bustly basement) and served our order. We demolished that meal! We ate the entire platter, including all the injera; we used the last bit to wipe up every last drop of the yummy sauces left behind. We were stuffed, and super happy.

Best thing: turns out there is an Ethiopian restaurant here in Chapel Hill! Can't wait to try it!

Carolina Love

I drive past the most beautiful, run-down little towns and hardly ever catch a photo, but here are a few Carolina shots that have piled up on my camera. Lovely places!

Meeting My Family

My Nicholas flew to Utah to spend a week with my family during the Christmas holiday. We had a BLAST.

So much fun, in fact, that I failed to catch a single moment on my camera. Wuh, wuh...

These photos are from just before the holiday, in the car (of course, somehow the only time I remember to take pictures when we're together is when we're driving somewhere).

Nick flew in on the Sunday after Christmas Day. We went to Nana's house for a delicious dinner and apple pie for dessert. Then we wandered around Temple Square and looked at the lights before driving up the mountain to my dad's house in Kamas. 

We went out to eat at some of my favorite spots that week. Dad also made homemade breakfast and/or dinner several times. It was a food fest, for sure. 

We also played cards, went on a snowshoeing hike, visited the Salt Lake Temple, watched Les Miserables at the theater, and hopped around town meeting my friends and family for good conversations--everyone wanted to see the handsome guy I had been writing home about. 

He was such a gentleman and charmed both Nana and my mother the instant they met him. Nana grabbed his arm and exclaimed--really, she let out a whoop--"Oh! He's soooo handsome! You are so adorable!" I think I had to pry her fingers off of him. My mom just kept gushing during her long stories, interrupting whatever narrative she was telling with things like, "Oh, you two are so cute. I'm just so happy for you." Plenty of embarrassing references to marriage and "Let me know when you get engaged," from everyone I introduced him to. Alas, that is part of the fun of having the guy you're dating come home for Christmas, right? His visit was the best gift; I loved showing him around my hometown and playing with him in the snow. 

Here's to the New Year!

Workin' in Carolina

I drive past neat Carolina scenes on my way to work, different routes every day through the rural parts of NC. Here are a few pictures I managed to snap.