July 2014 - Birthday Week

I have obviously been failing to keep up with my blog posts recently, at least partially because I often don't feel like I have anything new or exciting to say. So I'm going to change the aim or purpose of my blog a little. Instead of primarily focusing on letting you all know what we have been up to, I am going to write about what has made me happy in the past week. This will have the dual purpose of keeping you all up to date, and remind me of all the good things happening in my life to make me smile when I'm feeling super homesick. So let us begin...

Monday 14th July - I spent the evening making the sponges for my birthday cake. I made this one from BBC Good Food.

Tuesday 15th July - My 27th birthday! Unfortunately I spent most of the day in the lab, but I was able to leave a little early to come home to all these lovely cards and pressies!

I am so spoilt! Thank you everyone, especially husband-face! We also went out for dinner, and I assembled and iced my cake.

Wednesday 16th July - The Rileys arrived! My Uncle Steve, Aunty Ann and my cousins Jo and Em came to stay! We had a nice lunch before I went back to work while they explored the Inner Harbor, then Nick made a burger bar for tea, and we looked at all the wedding photos!

Thursday 17th July - Worked for most of the day, but managed to escape early to meet my family in the Inner Harbor, then we went out for crabs in Fells Point at Riptide By The Bay, which I think was an experience for everyone! The food there was great, especially the appetisers, and awesome service too!

Friday 18th July - The Rileys left to continue on their journey to DC and the west coast :( That did not make me happy. But this was my awesome view for the evening when we went out to Barcocina in Fells Point for (what turned out to be birthday) drinks and food with our friends from the Hopkins Postdoc Association:

They even brought me cupcakes, which I failed to get a photo of before we dived in! After some awesome chips & salsa, and incredible tacos.

Saturday 19th July - A lovely relaxed day spent with my awesome husband, during which I got a lot of satisfaction from getting a lot of jobs done! And then took a hot walk up Federal Hill, to further remind myself what is good about Baltimore.

We rounded out the day with a game that N got for my birthday, Forbidden Desert, which is a sequel of Forbidden Island, a game we got a couple of years ago that we love! This new version is just as good, and different enough to be fun :)

Sunday 20th July - Another relaxing day chilling with N, including a trip to the Farmer's Market, resulting in a major haul of nectarines & apricots! And got lots more done too, feels good!

Note to self - must take more photos if I'm going to start blogging again!

Please leave a comment and tell me something that made you happy this week!

Gem x

The Back of Tamzy's Head series

Today I'm going to share my latest (and only) art project with you. I have entitled it "The Back of Tamzy's Head series."

While my sister and I were in New York I slowly started to realise that a lot of the photos I was taking pictured the back of her head. And that in fact they were some of my favourite photos from the trip. So then I started doing it on purpose and came up with a series of photos that I really like, and that I would like to share with you today. Let me know what you think, maybe I'll do another art project! XD And see if you can spot the odd one out!

Road Trip - final day in New Orleans

Day 9 - Friday 24th May - New Orleans

Slept really well, but woke up too early, stupid body still on Eastern time!

Diner for breakfast, poor service, massive pancake not cooked through, won't be going back!

Went out into hot muggy weather. Found post office but no international stamps. Tried to walk to garden district but too far. Got streetcar instead.

Wandered around some pretty houses and found a cemetery, very interesting above ground graves/tombs. Lizards roaming the streets! Got too hot so stopped at Starbucks for OJ and iced chai before heading to the Magazine Street shops - shop full of reused items including beautifully bound notebooks made of scrap card, for $54! Estate sale/antique store, record store and needlework store.

Headed back to Canal Street and changed trams to go to City Park. Too hot, nowhere to eat and too far to real bit of park so saw the Pavilion of Two Sisters and the museum sculpture garden then headed back to streetcar.

Very late lunch of shrimp po boy at a cafe on the corner of Jackson Square, followed by beignets and sweet tea. 

Wandered to Louis Armstrong Park again, but no music today so sat a bit then walked back. Sat in Jackson Square for a while but couldn't stand terrible pipe music. Never found the perpetrator though! Sat by the Market Cafe for a bit instead.
Got pre-dinner drinks and then dinner of jambalaya. Went to Preservation Hall and saw some amazing jazz!

And so ends my road trip journal! The following day we went back to the Beignet Cafe for an amazing breakfast of waffles, then I had to say my goodbyes to my sister (who was off on the next leg of her trip, from New Orleans to San Francisco!) and head to the airport. It was nice to be home though, although I can't believe how fast the time has gone since I got back now!

Road Trip - Tallahassee to New Orleans

Day 8 - Thursday 23rd May - Tallahassee to New Orleans

Slept well at the motel, real bed! OK breakfast, learned the lady's whole family, including her sixteen year old son who eats everything and her daredevil daughter in the navy!

Florida

Got on the road to New Orleans, I-10 for over five hours!

Stopped at a rest stop, then in Alabama for gas, and in Mississippi for lunch! 

Mississippi

Made it to New Orleans around two, they didn't even check the car so we just ran away before they noticed the scratch! Although I think it's more likely that it was just covered by the insurance so they didn't actually care!

So hot here! Chilled out (literally) at hotel for a bit before venturing out into the French Quarter. So many amazing houses!

Saw crazy Bourbon Street, to be avoided for rest of trip, Royal Street with antique and art shops. Bought some praline, and Taffy for Tamz. Got an iced chai at a lovely cafe. Saw a wedding at Jackson Square. checked out the waterfront, serenaded by the old guy!

Saw the French market then wandered up to Louis Armstrong park where there was a little festival thing going on, lots of music and people watching. 

Went back to the market for a drink at the Market Cafe, also with music. Then an amazing dinner of alligator sausage and chicken gumbo! 

Took pecan pie to go, enjoyed with tea and silly telly back at hotel. Now excited for sleeping in the super comfy bed!