Day Dreaming

I have a cold from hell and all I can think about is being somewhere far away. Like Italy.  I went there once. Did you know that?

I wonder if I could convince CB to run away with me?

She's only 17....I mean 28

You guys, I have the most charming husband in the world! Seriously he knows how to make me swoon. For my 28th birthday he planned this epic trip to Vegas. He made plans to whisk me away from work and reveal to me where we were going on our way to the airport. Someone at church heard about it and not knowing that I had no clue what was going on, spilled the beans to me. So the trip to Vegas was revealed, but that was pretty much it. Once we arrived in Vegas, he rented a sports car (surprise number 2) and drove us to the Wynn (surprise number 3). The Wynn is the fanciest, most beautiful hotel that I have ever stayed at. I felt so spoiled!

The next day when I asked him what our plans were, he told me that we were spending the whole day at the resort's spa (surprise number 4). He scheduled messages for both of us and we had full access to the spa for as long as we wanted. I was a little nervous about the whole spa experience since the reviews said that clothing was optional (it was a woman's only spa). Gulp. On a side note, my therapist a week earlier had mentioned that I should go to a woman's spa to challenge myself one step further with my body image issues. "You know you have made it Layla if you can walk around naked at a spa!" Little did she know that CB had already made those plans for me to meet that challenge. You guys, I did it! I walked around in a towel and soaked in pools with other ladies naked! NAKED! The best part is that I didn't feel at all uncomfortable. It was so liberating! The spa was so beautiful. I could not get over what an amazing experience it was. The couples message that we had was out of this world.

That night we celebrated my birthday dinner at Marche Bacchaus. It was so good and the views were killer. CB topped the night off by given me this little beauty.  I was so floored by it all. I kept telling him that he shouldn't have! I was so overwhelmed with the amount of effort that he went to make my birthday so special. And I only turned 28! He later revealed to me that he wanted to do this for me because I am known to make a big deal out of people's birthdays and mine should be made just as big of a deal. Apparently I have taught him that birthdays should be a huge epic event.

In all reality this trip was for both of us. We needed a break badly. We also just finished working our butts off to pay a huge amount of our mortgage off and it was time to celebrate! It felt so good to finally have our "insane who the hell does this" plan accomplished in less than 3 years.

The rest of the trip we spent at the pool sipping virgin pina coladas and driving around Red Rock Canyon. Red Rock Canyon is beautiful! I wish that we had more time to spend there. Vegas has seriously exceeded my expectations. I loved every minute of our trip!

Oregon Coast

I looove the above picture of us. Soaking wet, sporting our winter goods, and taking pictures ghetto style at one of the most beautiful locations I have ever been to. I'm in love with it all.

I love that CB made sure that we made this trip happen. I was ready to cancel it due to snow but he would not have it. He got new tires on the car, rearranged things with our booked hotels and as soon as the roads were clear we made our way to the coast.

We stayed a night in Astoria, OR at Hotel Elliott, which is seriously one of the coolest hotels i have yet to stay at. It was built in 1924 and while it has been renovated, it still has the old time charm. Astoria is a super cute town and I would love to spend more time there this upcoming summer.

The next day we drove up and down the Oregon coast and I made good use of my rain boots at the beach. Cannon Beach is a must if you ever go. I loved exploring the tide pools around the haystack rock and listing to the Pacific ocean roar.

CB thanks for making this trip happen, It was amazing.

Empire State of Mind

I saw this amazing video the other day and it made me think about my NYC trip. I loved every minute of being there, and the video just reminded me about how special of a place NYC is.  I'm making plans to one day live there.

One of my favorite moments was visiting the Empire State Building. The art deco building is breath taking and the views are over whelming. I do feel that the views from the Rock are better but if you have an option to do both, you should.

Enjoy this little video, maybe it will inspire you to visit NYC.

A Year in New York from Andrew Clancy on Vimeo.

National Museum of American History

 

Our time in D.C. was really short so we had to pick one museum that we wanted to visit the most. After Kelly and Travis briefed us on all of the Smithsonian that we could go to, I voted for the National Museum of American History.

I loved every minute that I was in there. It just got better and better with each exhibit. We spent a good chunk of our time there. I also love the idea that all Smithsonians are free to enter, I'm pretty sure if I lived in D.C., I would spend a lot of time there.

Seriously, you will not be disappointed at all with the National Museum of American History. They have really cool things like Dorthy's ruby red slippers from the Wizard of Oz and the American flag that inspired the Star Spangle Banner.  The whole entire time I was in complete awe. It was just really cool to see things from the beginning of American history.

I also really loved seeing the First Ladies dresses and Julia Child's kitchen. I'm obsessed with both and I was like a little girl in a doll shop.  Ever since the beginning of my obsession with Julia Child in 2009, I have hoped to see her kitchen at the Smithsonian. When Kelly mentioned that it was there, that sealed the deal for me.

Really, if you are ever in D.C., you should visit. There is something for everyone.

Capitol

 

What an insanely busy week! I really miss blogging and hopefully I can catch up this coming week. I want to still share all the details of my lovely trip.

I have always thought that our US Capitol Building was beautiful and grande. It is massive and I was in love with the details of the building. Travis explained the different wings and some of the history to it. Did you know that the statue on top of the building is actually a lady? Her name is Freedom. I actually thought it was a dude.

We didn't have a chance to go in because we decided to make our way to the National Archives to view the Declaration of Independence,  Bill of Rights, and the Constitution of the United States before the lines got too long. I was completely fascinated by seeing these documents and a couple of times I had to remind myself how old they were. I was impressed with their immaculate penmanship and how well they were perserved. Although, the Declaration of Independence was a little harder to read than the other two.  The rotunda that houses them is beautiful and is surrounded by paintings that depict important events from the history of our country.

Library of Congress

This past week I got a call from my mom asking me when I would blog about our trip because she is dying to read about it.

So here we go...

We spent a couple of days in D.C. before we headed to NYC and stayed with my dear friends Kelly and Travis. Travis just finished an internship with a congressman and became our unofficial tour guide.  Man, he was so full of knowledge, I felt so lucky. My only regret is that I didn't get the chance to take a picture with them.

They picked us up at Union Station and it was go time. Union Station is so stunning that I was in complete awe. It is seriously so beautiful and once again I forgot to take a picture of it. One day I will go back and and just sit and stare at its beauty.

Our first stop on our tour was The Library of Congress. The outside of the building is majestic with it's statues and beautiful details. The inside was even more stunning with the mosaics and murals on the walls.

 I have always wanted to see the main reading room and seeing it in person far excedes any picture. In order to read in the reading room, you have to obtain a library card and have a research purpose. One day, I would love to do just that. I was envious of the stories that Travis shared with us about seeing the special collections and getting special tours of the building.

Have you ever been to the Library of Congress? What did you think?

Identity

I was asked a couple of months back to speak about life in the Middle East and being an Arab. While I agreed to it, I had no idea what to say. You see, there were points in my life when I decided to not identify myself as an Arab and tried my best to distant myself from that part of my identity.

Being an Arab wasn't always easy and sometimes it was painful. After living 12 years in the Middle East my family moved to the South, to a tiny town in Louisiana. I was a peculiar person and people knew that. I spoke Queen's English and was far from the typical blonde haired girl. When people would ask me where I was from and I would tell them I had just moved from Jordan they would get this confused look on their face and say "Oh you are an A-Rab?" And not only was I an "A-rab" but I was also a Mormon. Oh heaven help me.

I remember coming home one day and asking my mom what a Sand N*&#* meant. With a horrified look on her face she wanted to know where I had heard that. When she explained it was a racial slur used for Arabs, I was hurt. I had done nothing to be called that. So began the journey of me slowly pushing my Arab identity away.

Then 9/11 happened and I became more bitter. When I first heard of the attacks, I hoped that an Arab was not involved. When I found out that was the case, I was angry. All of a sudden all Arabs were horrible people.

So I went off to college and changed my major 5 times. I finally settled on Middle Eastern Studies/ Arabic. It just felt right and I was finally once again embracing my Arab Identity. I had Arab friends and went to get togethers. I began to remember the things that I loved so much about Arabs.

While I was in NYC, I had the chance to go to Gotham Comedy Club and see the Arab-American Comedy Festival. It was the first time in a long time for me to be surrounded by a large amount of Arabs. I am pretty sure there were a total of 5 white people and my husband was one of them.

I could not stop laughing, it was the best 2 hours I have spent in a long time. We saw Aron Kader (who happens to have a Mormon mother and an Arab father and is adorable), Said Durrah, and Dean Obeidallah, just to name a few. They joked about having large families, our obsession with food, and how the clash of Arab/American culture can be hilarious. It made me home sick for the Middle East and I suddenly wanted to hang out with Arabs nonstop.

When I finally spoke about being an Arab, I was excited and I shared so many fond memories. I told them how Arabs love their families and have huge families, I have 11 aunts and uncles and a whole slew of cousins. If you ever visit, they will have a massive feast prepared for you and it will be the best food that you have ever eaten. They love to have parties just for the heck of it and are constantly dancing and singing. They will also give you the clothes off their backs, even if they are as poor as dirt.

I'm an Arab and I am in love with that fact. Now I just need to find an Arab community to hang out with here in Seattle. Any one have any suggestions? Maybe the dudes at Mr. Gyro can direct me to the right path.

Vancouver Dreamland

One of the most amazing things about living in Seattle is that I live a little less than three hours from Vancouver. Oh my how I LOVE Vancouver. There is so much to do there and it's such a stunning city.

This past weekend we headed up there for a day trip and it was perfect. The weather was stunning, we dinned on amazing food, and spent a good bit of time at Stanley Park and Chinatown. The whole purpose of the trip was to take CB's youngest sister for her first trip to Canada. Next time she is here (D, you will come back next year right?) we will take her to my next favorite city, Portland. The Pacific Northwest is an incredible place to live and visit.

Have you ever been to Vancouver? What is your favorite thing to do?

NYC

Via Pinterest

I am going to NYC for a week in the end of September and I have never been before. I am so beyond thrilled to finally get to experience this incredible city. I've been dreaming of going there ever since I was a little girl. While I was living in the Middle East, when people found out that I was an American, they automatically assumed that my mum was from NYC. They would ask "What is it like? You must know?" and I was disappointed that I really didn't know.

If you have been to this mighty city please let me know what are the must dos. Where to eat, to stay, shop, and see. I want to experience the hidden gems that most guide books won't have.

I can hardly wait.

Portland Weekend

This past weekend we went on an overnight stay to Portland for the sole purpose to eat good food and shop.That is exactly what we did. It was so so nice to get away for the weekend.

The North Shore

On our second day in Oahu, we drove up to the North Shore and I instantly fell in love with the area. It's exactly how I pictured it to be.

We first grabbed lunch at one of the only restaurants in one of the towns that dotted the shore. I had a burger, and well it  was a burger. We also grabbed some shaved ice at Aoki's.

Check out my hideous sunburn

Then we made our way to Waimea beach to play in the ocean and maybe build up some courage to jump of the giant rock. We were only there for about 40 min before it started to pour rain! We decided to call it a day and find some fresh local fruit instead.

On our way to search for a fruit stand, Cute Boy stopped to take some pictures of an old  burned down building.

Hunger struck (or maybe just our eyes) and we stopped at Giovanni's shrimp truck and devoured the garlic shrimp plate.

Oh North Shore, how I loved you!

Pearl Harbor

On the first full day that we were in Oahu, we went to Pearl Harbor. It was one of the most humbling experiences that I have had. I left feeling very patriotic and thinking of ways to better serve my country and others.

USS Arizona Memorial

Parts of the USS Arizona

The only regret of the day was that I didn't wear any sunscreen and left with the most hideous sun burn!

*All photos taken by the Cute Boy.

I'm baaaack!

Diamond Head

I'm home and Oahu was killer. More stories of my holiday to come. I'm just really proud that I climbed Diamond Head in 20 min. I could have done it in less time but OMG those stairs!

From the Streets of San Francisco

You can kinda see the Golden Gate Bridge. No?

The Mighty Pacific

Weekend Update

We flew to San Francisco for the weekend. $66 round trip via Virgin America. 

I went shopping for boots in the Haight and the Mission and came back with vintage glass jars instead. I hate that I have huge feet.

Hung out with good friends and spent a huge chunk of time at Golden Gate Park.

And ate here, here, and here. We basically went to San Francisco to eat. I didn't get a single picture of anything that I ate.

We didn't go to the Wharf, Chinatown, or Union Square. We spent our time in places that I regret not spending more time in when we lived there. My excuses for not going to the city before were so lame.

I loved this weekend.

Partyin' it up in the Rose City

For the Cute Boy's birthday, we headed down to Portland for the weekend.

Here is how I would describe Portland- it's like Seattle's younger hipper brother. True story. It's a pretty laid back hip city.

Since neither of us have never actually seen the city we had a list of things that we wanted to see.

The first stop was at the Portland LDS Temple. The grounds were closed for cleaning so we were not allowed to walk around, but from what we saw, it was stunning.

We had dinner at Clyde Common. The food was amazing. Fresh, local and super yummy. We will be going back again when we are back in Portland.

We walked around Powell's Book Store, the world's largest independent book store. It's literally a whole city block. I could have spent hours there.

After dinner and walking around Powell's we went to the movies and watched Salt at the theater near our hotel. It was short and entertaining and the movie theater was super cozy.

retro like sign at the theater 

We ended the night by watching a local Portland band playing in the streets late into the night.

The next morning we woke up early and made our way to the neighborhood of Belmont. We ate breakfast at Pine State Biscuits. I had the Reggie which was entirely insane  and will most likely help with a future heart attack. Dude it was so yummy.

Biscuit, fried chicken, bacon, cheese, and gravy. Gah!

We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around Hawthorne and around the Portland waterfront.

Can't wait to go back again! Unfortunately, we didn't hang out at any rose gardens. Definitely next time.

A birthday celebration in Leavenworth

About two months ago (I know, give me a break and include a Kit Kat bar with it) the Cute Boy surprised me with a trip to Leavenworth for my birthday.

Leavenworth is a Bavarian town tucked into the mountains about two hours east of Seattle.

We stayed a night at the Enzian Inn, one of the most active packed hotels that I have ever stayed at. They had everything from pools to a mini golf course with goats that hung around close by. It was stinkin' awesome. The goats were uber cute. I want one.

While we were there we mostly roamed up and down Front Street checking out the quirky shops (hat shop say what?) and stuffing our faces with bratwurst from Munchen Haus. I'm not even joking folks, I had three bratwurst within two days. They had an amazing variety of mustard and I left with four huge jars. Why I need that much who knows.

There was one shop were you could taste test different dips and sauces. There was one hot sauce with a sign above it that explained that it will burn the leaving heck out of you.

 Do you see the sign that says "think pain, it will happen?"

The Cute Boy saw the sauce  and thought it would be super awesome to try it out. He completely ignored the sign because he saw a 10 year old try it and she seemed to be fine. Now people I would like you to picture this in your mind... He took a pretzel, swirled the sauce all over it , and licked it like it would not be a problem. He looked at me and was all like "dude it's not that bad." I'm not even joking within 20 seconds he started to cry. Huge fat tears. We quickly ran to a gelato shop and with one look at him the lady behind the counter gave him a sample. Grinning at him she said "You tried the hot sauce huh?" Awesome!

For dinner I had my first real deal of German food at Andreas Keller and I must say I really liked it! I am a sucker for apple cider sauerkraut and spaetzle (not together of course).

Other events of the trip were Maifest, seeing a massive German dressed up horse and a flat tire on our way home. The Cute boy was such a rockstar while fixing the tire. We seriously drove 1 1/2 hours on a flat tire and had no idea.

For my birthday, the mister showered me with lovely gifts and dinner at Lola.  Dinner was super yummy and the coconut cream pie was killer. We will definitely be going back sometime soon!

YAY for another awesome birthday! I'm so spoiled.