Quick Trip to Washington DC

I have had a lot people ask me about trips. Let me start by saying, I never go to any place once. Unless the first trip gets everything done or it really doesn't seem like it is worth another trip. The reason I do this is I learn about the places I want to visit on the first trip. I have researched areas online only to find the best places not mentioned in these articles. I always look for free things to do while I am there as well. Let's start on how I planned my latest  trip.

I messaged my husband Monday. Message said "Let's go here Wednesday. Included was a link to the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC.  My husband is always ready to go. This means the answer was "Ok. What time do you want to leave?"

I decided to look up more about the area. Looks like there is lots to do. I have heard it can take several days to visit Washington, DC. This trip was not for everything so I planned to keep it very very simple.

I quickly found out all the Smithsonian Museums are free. That is a plus of course. That is always good for traveling on a budget. So my plan was to go to one museum see how long it takes you to go through that one and see what else I would like to go back for.

What I did not plan for is the traffic. I am not sure why I did not think about traffic. It was not awful but I will say if you are going to plan a trip during the the summer, when most people travel be prepared for traffic. It was bumper to bumper getting into Washington, DC and back out. We went in April when most people are just starting to plan vacations for the following months. I can only imagine how worse this could be during July.

We found a place that lets you park all day so we took advantage of that. It did cost but remember once we park the places we visit will be free.

We went to the museum and it was amazing. I got to see the Hope Diamond and two mummies. What a big difference between those too. :) There was so many things to see and learn about. It was three stories and had so many hidden rooms. I had to back track to make sure I did not miss anything. This is a must see.

We left there and walked to the National Mall. It was a absolute beautiful day. Let me add this is not a store. Do not be disappointed. :)  It is walkways and a park.These huge walkways lead you to so many things. A few example are The Capital, White House, Lincoln Memorial, Several Smithsonian Museums and the list goes on.  The sun was shining, Wind blowing and birds singing. The cherry blossom trees where in bloom. It was a wonderful day to stop and relax. This is what we did. This would have been an amazing place to have a picnic.

After this, we went to the National Museum for Native Americans. This museum was smaller but had a lot of information. The one thing that stood out was the sculptures. There was so much to see but we also stopped to eat. We found Indian Tacos. My husband (who is Native American ) said they made them a little different then what they did in his family. However, they were delicious. It was a little expensive but well worth it. They had other dishes based on the culture. One thing I want to note is we bought one taco and shared it. It was a big portion and even though some of us could eat a house. haha It was enough to get some food in your belly and make you feel less hungry. You do not want to be so full you rather nap then enjoy your trip.

We then walked towards the Capital Building and took pictures. We took our time and did not feel rushed all day. I have found that when I try to do everything in one day, I am so rushed I can not enjoy anything. This is another reason I like to plan more then one trip.

• Basically the trip ended up costing for parking, food and gas. I want to also add that I take snacks with us. I grab what I have at the house or I buy things we would eat at the house. Some of the things I take are the protein snacks. The ones with cheese, meat and nuts or cheese, cranberries and nuts. I like sesame sticks, potato sticks, veggie straws, and chips. I make sure to take a candy bar or two. Just for the chocolate of course. Do not forget water and drinks. On hot days make sure you put these in a cooler with ice and use double zip lock bags or containers that seal good. If it is a long trip or beach trip I will take stuff to make sandwiches. There is always a park or picnic table for you to stop and enjoy the weather. 

Take a ways...

•  Always to a mini trip if close enough. 
•  Always search for things to do online before going ask friends and search for free or                                      discounted stuff. 
•  Always think of what the area will be like when you chose to go. 
• Will the traffic be bad?
• How busy will rides or museums be? 
•  Never over plan a trip. Pick one or two things you really want to do. Then if you                                            have the time or money while you there enjoy other things. 
•  Find free things to do while you are there. Sometimes these are the most interesting places. 
•  If you buy food. Share it. This is one of the best ways to save. 
•  Take snacks or food in the car for long drives or lunch. 
•  Have fun. If you can not remember half the trip because you did so much it was not a                               good trip. You want to be able to tell others about what you saw or learned. 

If you have question please ask. This trip was quick but fun and I do plan on going back. 

Creamy Enchiladas

Tonight I tried a new recipe. It was simple to make and tasted amazing, so I thought I would share.

Creamy Enchiladas 

1 lb uncooked chicken breast 

1 package cream cheese (8 oz) cut into cubes

1 can chopped green chiles (4.5 oz)

1 package flour tortillas for soft tacos and fajitas (8.2 oz) (6 inch)

2 1/4 cups green chile enchilada sauce (28 oz can)

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese. 

1. Heat over to 400 degree F. Spray cooking spray in 13 x 9 inch glass baking dish. 

2. Bake chicken until no longer pink in the middle. (Approx. 30 mins to an hour depending on thickness of breast. I used then breast and it took 30 mins. 

3. Shred chicken 

4. Add chicken, cream cheese and green chiles to skillet over medium heat. Cook until cream cheese is melted and blended well. 

5. Fill tortillas and place seam side down in backing dish. Pour enchilada sauce over top and sprinkle cheese to cover. 

6. Bake 15 mins - 20 mins or until cheese is melted. 

Makes about 10 enchiladas. 

I doubled this recipe and kept extra to eat without the sauce. This was very good. Hope someone tries and comments below if they like it.

Rainy Day Fun

Today was a very rainy and dreary day. So what do I do? I find something to make me smile of course.

So I went to one of my favorite bakeries. Gwendy’s Goodies in Ayden, NC. If you are ever in the area you must stop.  Not only is her coffee something you will crave but she has so many goodies you will not know what to choose. She also has different events that she puts together at her location. I believe the next one is Murder Mystery Party. That sounds like a lot of fun to me. So I had coffee but I also had Brown Sugar Coffee Cake. I would eat this everyday if her place was closer to me. Of course today was the store’s birthday. Gwendy was offering free cupcakes to her customers to help celebrate. Why, yes, I did get one of those too. How can you turn down a free cupcake? I had the funniest looking cupcake. I picked that one of course. The main thing is, it made me smile. This was my   I did take it home and eat it later for those wondering. It was delish. Happy birthday and I hope she has many more.

Play Time for Wynter

My granddaughter is teething and if you have ever had kids or even been around them while teething you know that they can be a little fussy. Wynter is on her third set of teeth and I will say she has had a hard time with them. Last night was one of those nights that she wasn't sure what she wanted to do and nothing made her happy. My daughter decided to try this trick. She used what we had at the last minute. I would suggest you find what works best for you but we had some plastic container we used for her to sit in. Brittany mixed baby oatmeal and crushed graham crackers. It looks just like sand. As soon as she sat down Wynter was amazed. She played for a long time. The best part was it was fine for her to put it in her mouth. Surprising she just mainly wanted to run it through her fingers. It was different for her and amazed her. What a great way to entertain a baby. I would definitely suggest this even for some play time. Oh and be prepared they will need a bath right after. :)

Strong? Maybe

Life! The strongest word I can think of. It can make you have all the emotions at once. It can hurt yet be amazing. All in the same 30 mins or less.

So today's topic.. Depression

Depression is a scary word. It can affect people without you even noticing. Even the strongest person you know has had some sort of depression. I think it depends on how we as a person can handle it. I have been in that dark world. Let's talk..

For those that know me, you are more then likely holding their mouth open right now. Words I have heard said to me "You are the strongest person I know.", "I wish I had the strength you had.", "You are who I look up to because you always smile through the toughest times". They are correct. I am that person. I am also the person that cried herself to sleep for many nights with no one knowing. I am also the person that sat on her couch wondering if I should continue to live. Yep that is me. 

Most people will wonder how can you be both. Well, I always pulled myself out of the moment. I also can be a very good actor. I say that with a smile but it is true. Now that you know I am normal, if that is even a real word. The next question I get asked is "How do you do that?"  

Well this is how my brain works. I would never kill myself.  Why? My life is so unusual that if I tried something strange would happen. So lets say, I took an overdose. I would wake up with me saying the word "underwear" every 2 minutes. Could you imagine? Someone walks up and ask. "How are you? Are you ok?" I am underwear. I will be ok. The doctor said I may have to rest for a while." Them. What?  Me "Yes I have to go. My underwear needs to be feed. They have barked all night.

Seriously, this is how my brain works. Scary huh? So I ask myself do I want to live like that? No.. Ok, then I get my butt up and go on with my day. This would seriously be something that would happen. Nothing normal would happen. While a lot of people would laugh, I just can not see myself going around saying underwear every two minutes. So I get my butt up stop crying and go do something to get my mind off the sadness. 

I am well aware that this is not how most people think. I am also well aware that everyone would not have this happen but I would. You will see as this blogs continues. 

Basically it does not take long for me to shake my head and stand back up. The other difference in me is, I am not letting any one or any thing control me. I had to learn this a long time ago. Now I use it a lot. The strong part of me is right there in those words. This is how I look at it. If someone is hurting my feelings, they are controlling my feelings. If something makes me sad. It is controlling me. So then I have to find a way to stop it. It may be to smile. It may be to find another way to look at it. It may be to walk away. I try to make sure I am in control of my happiness. I am not going to sit here and say that it is not hard. Remember I cried for several NIGHTS. My strong comes from wanting to be happy. I have to be able to control that. 

I have been told it is all about me. In this case, yes it is. If I do not stop those things controlling my happiness then they can destroy me. So yes it is about me. Here is where I am proud to say that.

This may not work for everyone. so I want to add a little more.  If you are in that place. Talk to someone. Someone you trust. If you trust no one. Come to me. I will make a deal with you. You will never be judged by me nor will you ever hear another word unless we are working together to help each other. Another thing I always say is. I learn from every experience. 

Where to Start

I have wanted to write or do blog videos for a while. I have actually been asked to write about finding cheap trips and couponing. Today I start that journey. I will be learning so bare with me. Some days are quiet but most days are full of stories to tell. In my blogs I want to share how I can laugh at the strangest events. I say "most" because there is some events in life you have to just sit down an cry about. I have found that I am a strong person but even I have my weak moments. Today, I want to start by telling you a little about myself. I am sure as we go along you will learn more.
I am a mother of two amazing kids. (Not perfect but amazing) I have one son, Brandon, age 21 (in a few days) From my daughter Brittany, age 24. My daughter and her husband, Chris, have given me a beautiful granddaughter. Wynter, age 7 months. I also am married to a wonderful husband, Andrew. The next thing is I am a straight forward type of person and although life is hard to hear at times even for me, I am honest and open. I also love to laugh. Most things I say will be in humor but I try to give my opinion as well. My heart is full of love for my family and friends and they mean the world to me. I try to help them through as many moments as I can.  I have tried to do a few things each day. 1. Make someone smile. 2. Help someone. If my blogs help you then I have completed one of these task. There is so much to me that understanding me would take as many years as I am old. However, we can look into my life and start the journey.