Eight Days Off: Chicago, San Antonio, New Orleans, and Back to Chicago

J and I worked nonstop earlier this month so that we could hang out with friends and family during a week we scheduled off. It all started out with grilling with great friends in Chicago, then we went to San Antonio and had many adventures there (as well as grilled with great friends), headed over to New Orleans to visit family (and - a change of pace - boiled crawfish), and brought it all back together by grilling in the Chicago 'burbs.

Gorgeous people grilling some tasty food on a beautiful Chicago day. Life is good.

Japanese Tea Garden, San Antonio
This is a wonderful, free trip. It is a registered historical landmark and has some
neat history behind it.

Koi, Japanese Tea Garden, San Antonio

Decor at a fantastic vegan tex-mex restaurant (Vegeria) in San Antonio

Visiting our new cousin, Kennedy, in Mississippi

Crawfish Boil in Louisiana!

Decor at a restaurant in Covington.
I want to go to all these islands, especially after reading The Spice Necklace.
I really need to write a blog about some of my favorite recent reads.

Back in Chicago summer days = catch with the hubby.

...it also means grilling and white wine.

San Fran.

Who says work can't be a ton of fun? J and I worked a trip together with enough time in the great city of San Fransisco to take the train into town, enjoy the cable cars, the famous Boudin bakery and their sourdough bread, Ghirardelli chocolate, a fun little eatery called Nook, a beer and baseball spot, and lots of gorgeous views. :)

San Francisco, open your Golden Gate
You'll let nobody wait outside your door
San Francisco, here is your wanderin' one
Saying I'll wander no more

The Golden Gate in the fog.

A gator made out of bread. A bread made into a gator! Crazy! Go Gators!

At Boudin Bakery...clam chowder and tomato bisque in sourdough bread bowls. Mmmm...

Jeremy trying some nice, fresh crab meat.

Chocolate!

We had to sample some of the Ghirardelli goodness. Beyond what they already let us sample coming through the door... ;)

Alcatraz.

Cable car, steep street.

Bridge peeking through the city.

The Sir Francis Drake Hotel! Just fun because of our Uncharted obsession.

Lefty O'Doul's. J had to stop here...something to do with baseball. :P

-TJ

April 22, 2012 Quiz results: Ecological Footprint Quiz by Center for Sustainable Economy

Here's year 3 of posting, and year 4 of participating, in my Earth Footprint quiz run by the Center for Sustainable Economy.  It's Earth Day and it's a good reminder to see what little differences one can make in their lifestyle.

My results were what has become average for me (link here for 2009 and here for 2011 results). This year, if everyone lived my lifestyle the world would need 3.22 earths to keep up with consumption. Full disclosure: I did this without using the miles I travel in flight each year on average now that I have become a flight attendant. That way, I could see if something had gone up in any other category or if my average was still the same. (Continue reading to see how that affects my answer.) Here are my results: 

If everyone lived my lifestyle the world would need 3.22 earths.
My footprint in global acres by conumption category total (country average in parenthesis): 124.97  (246.41)
-Carbon: 70.72 (91.43)
-Food: 31.72 (65.74)
-Housing: 8.58 (31.58)
-Goods and Services: 13.95 (57.66)
-Cropland: 15.48 (29.61)
-Pastureland: 34.95 (68.02)
-Marine fisheries: 25.71 (49.33)
-Forestland: 48.83 (99.45)

I went back in and, leaving all my answers the same, added what I figured to be my average annual amount of miles I travel in an airplane every year with my new profession. The answer: The world would need 5.49 earths if everyone lived my lifestyle and, in addition, flew as much as a flight attendant who works about the average amount for their company. That's 2.27 earths more! While the vast majority of people don't fly that much, I still do fly more than most even when not including my work hours due to the fact that I have flight benefits and can go most anywhere on a whim.

Anyone else take the quiz this year?

Bahamas Cruise

J and I spent the weekend in the beautiful blue seas on our way to The Bahamas. It was our first cruise and we had a blast between the eating, doing nothing, eating, shows, dinners, comedy, desserts, exploring, and beauty. Mostly though, we were there to celebrate our friends - some old and lots new, but all wonderful! - and their five years with a fantastic company.

These are just a few of the photos from the trip, but we really wanted to share. 

Also, as a side note: I know the posts have been few and far between this month but we've been working, on a cruise, we are going back to working, and then we are heading to Denver to take care of a few matters out there, and then working again. Not too much else going on which is why there is so much to share in this post! We do hope to augment the "travels" section of this blog in the next six months as much as we've added to the "cooking" section of this blog in the last six months. Stay tuned! :)

Cute little towel animal wearing Jeremy's sunglasses. I could totally be a towel origami expert on a cruise line.

J and I overlooking the back of the boat. This was the day we were coming in to Nassau.

Our ship, the Carnival Sensation.

A beautiful building in Nassau.

Carriage in front of the library, Nassau.

Boys playing on a pier.

Some of our group, enjoying their beers and the view. Junkanoo Beach, Nassau, The Bahamas.

Another on Junkanoo beach.

Grabbing some sun!

An empty Kalik beer bottle and the gorgeous views of the beach. Kalik is a local beer.

Jeremy jumping off stuff, again...

...and into gorgeous water.

Another beautiful scene.

Da Fish Fry. J and I were recommended this place by the ladies at the historical society. Grilled snapper and conch, both served in a wonderful mix of plantains, tomatoes, onions, lime, salt, pepper, and cayenne.

Fort Charlotte. The actual location was closed for the day but one building was accessible.

Another cute towel animal. :D

J and I on formal night.

Half of our wonderful group.

And the other half, equally wonderful. :)

Formal Night was also known as Lobster Night...and fish night...and eggplant parm night...and two dessert night...

This bursting button sums up a cruise.

Midnight over Nassau.

The whole experience was lots of fun. :)