July 2016 | Andie Ibanez
I love seeing what people keep in their bag! I can't be the only one, right? It's interesting to see what people value - or sometimes forget that they have in their bag! Well, my little Milo recently got his own bag and I thought it would be fun to show you what he usually keeps in there.
Treats, toys and poop bags. Pretty much the most important things in his life.

We just got his backpack at Target. Now I'm slightly obsessed with the Target Dollar Spot. I can spend quite a bit of time just going through their cute items. Aaaand I'm pretty sure I'm not alone here! They usually have adorable clothing and accessories for dogs as well. They range from $3-$5 so its quite a steal!

I found his mini backpack a few weeks ago. Now I know its not for pets but it was the perfect size for Milo. The Star Wars one was a no brainer because Milo is huge fan! I mean we're obviously assuming here... ha!
He does look pretty great! I mean that booty though! 
He now holds his own little items. And it doesn't hurt that he is stylish at the same time!
We were just at Target today and they still have them! Lots of different colors and characters too!

What's in your pup's bag?

Xo - Andie

**SCROLL TOWARDS THE BOTTOM TO SEE NEW UPDATES**

I've been trying to avoid even saying this out loud but, our time in North Carolina is pretty limited.

Daniel and I have been thinking of the best ways to say goodbye to our second home. What better way then enjoying the wonderful food found in Durham?!

Durham is known as the foodie capital of the South and always ranked amongst the tastiest towns. If you don't believe me, check it out:
http://nypost.com/2016/06/14/go-to-durham-the-foodie-capital-of-the-south/
http://www.southernliving.com/travel/tastiest-town-durham-north-carolina

So before we head out West, Daniel and I are going to go to the tastiest spots in town!

First stop:
Elmo's Diner!
Elmo's Diner is on 9th street - the location is an experience on its own! This place has won loads of awards! It's a true diner experience. No reservations, very casual and pretty quick service.
We said our goodbye's to Elmo's Diner in the most delicious way.
I ordered the Salmon Cake and Eggs (local favorite) and Daniel ordered the Cheesy Baked Spaghetti (another popular choice).

You can't forget about the Southern style Grits and warm biscuit. I'm still in a food coma...

If you're ever in the area, definitely check it out!
http://elmosdiner.com/


Next Stop:
Randy's Pizza

Randy's Pizza is one of the best Pizza places in Durham. It's true New York style and the "Largest Slice in the Triangle!"
They sell their pizza whole or by the slice. One slice is huge! Daniel and I typically go for their famous Combo #1 which is two slices +1 topping each and a drink for only $6.99. Talk about cheap date night!
Their outdoor patio is really nice and they often have live music. Oh and did I mention their slices are huge???
If you haven't tried Randy's Pizza, definitely stop by and get yourself a slice! Cheap, delicious and authentic? Yes please!
http://randys-pizza.com/


Up next:
Guglhupf

Guglhupf is bakery/cafe/restaurant that is primarily German Cuisine. We've actually never been here before but have been dying to try it! I'm really glad we did.
It's like a hidden gem when you walk in. 
Check this place out!!!
You place your order at the kitchen counter and they bring your food to you. You can sit outside on their cute little patio or in their gorgeous dining room.

I had one of their brunch specials - a plate full of eggs, fresh fruit and a baguette. Yes, I'm a sucker for eggs! 
Our dear friends Hope and Kirk Joined us for lunch and they got the Steak Sandwich. I think next time I will have to get that!

Daniel got this tasty plate.
Anyone who knows him, knows he loves French Dips! Two thumbs up from Daniel!

Guglhupf's upscale menu is more mid priced - we're talking about $7 - $15 a meal - but oh so yummy!! No wonder this place has won loads of awards, it did not disappoint!

Check it out their menu and all their awards!


Let's head over to....
Pizzeria Toro
 We went to Downtown Durham to enjoy arguably the best Pizza Durham has to offer (and probably the most popular too!). We were lucky enough to share this meal with two more amazing friends, Luke & Katie! Great food and great friends? Count us in!
Daniel and I ordered the sweet fennel sausage, roasted pepper, provolone Pizza and we shared an appetizer.
So remember how Randy's Pizza was cheap and tasty New York style Pizza? Well Pizzeria Toro is not the cheapest but definitely doable. We're talking about $15-$19 per pizza and one pizza can feed 1 to 2 people.  But it's so worth it. They have mastered the art of pizza. The flavors are unreal. They have pretty thin crust but it's probably the best crust I've ever had (I love crust!). All their pizza's are made to order in their fancy wood fire oven. Seriously some of the best pizza out there!!

Check them out!
http://pizzeriatoro.com/


Up next....

Fast, tasty, cheap and southern:

Bojangles

I mean, we had to. Bojangles was founded right here in North Carolina not too far from Durham. Now I know it's not exclusive to Durham but we don't have Bojangles out West and that's a shame. Southern Fried Chicken and tasty "fixins" are the reason why we had to add Bojangles to this list.
My absolute favorite thing at Bojangles are their made from scratch - every two hours - fluffy biscuits! MOUTHWATERING!
I will miss you dearly, Bojangles!
https://www.bojangles.com/


Chill vibe, delicious food:

Saladelia Cafe

We had a follow up with Kirk and Hope to continue planning our upcoming European Grad trip! What better spot than a cafe with delicious food? Fun fact: When we moved into our house, we didn't have solid internet for a few weeks so I would either go to the Durham Library or Saladelia Cafe to get work. This is also the place where our Duke PA friend group became a legit friend group. We came to see one of our friends preform here! Over all this place is great - and I haven't even shown you the food yet!
Most of their plates cost between $6-$13. Daniel got the Gyro and I got the famous Chicken Salad Wrap. These babies did not disappoint! And can we talk about their house chips?? Seriously so good! Probably the best I've had in Durham!
 http://www.saladelia.com/home/


Eclectic and hella good:

Nosh

Meet up #3 with Hope and Kirk was at Nosh! We stayed well past closing time but they didn't kick us out! So kind! Everyone always seems happy at Nosh. Maybe because the food and atmosphere are so great.
Daniel got the Robinson Burger and I had the BENJI BURGER! My little brother is named Benji so I absolutely had to get it.
It even looks like Benji!! Haha! Check out Daniel's juicy burger below! 
Most of the meals here are between $7-$13 so its a great date night. Do yourself a favor and try this place!!
http://noshfood.com/menu/lunch-dinner/


Tonight's date night was made possible by:

Happy China

We have been craving Chinese food for a few days now. You know, the American Chinese food that is totally not authentic. But that stuff is so good! The best Chinese Restaurant in Durham is Happy China Sichuan Cuisine. It's not the cheapest, but its the tastiest. They also have a ton of authentic options too, so it's a legit place. So legit that have of the menu is in Chinese.
Daniel got the General Tso's Chicken (spicy) and I got my absolute favorite, Sesame Chicken.
Plan on spending between $8-$18 for your meal. Most entrees are either $10 or $13. Again, not the cheapest Chinese food in Durham but the tastiest!!
Check it out: http://www.happychinasushi.com/


Stay tuned! More Durham tasty spots to come!

Xo - Andie









Fourth of July is definitely one of my top three favorite Holidays. Its up there with Christmas and Halloween. Even though we've lived in North Carolina for the last three 4th of July's, this was the first year we stayed home. Our first year in NC we actually went up to Pennsylvania to spend time with my Grandma and Grandpa. We ended up going to the Annual Philly 4th of July Jam.
The second year we weren't even in the United States. We spent the holiday in Bolivia celebrating my birth country!
To be honest, part of me wanted to avoid the holiday all together because my best 4th of July memories are the ones spent in Utah. Fourth of July in Provo, UT is like a 3 day celebration. From daily cookouts, camping out on the parade route, the hot air balloon fest, the all night July 3rd party, the carnival, the Grand Parade, Stadium of Fire and this list can go on and on. My family always goes big on the fourth and it's been kinda tough seeing their 4th of July pictures on social media the last few years so Daniel and I were determined to have our own celebration.
Our celebration started off with a pre 4th of July party on our deck with our amazing PA friends!
We originally wanted to do a cookout with hot dogs and hamburgs (America af) but we realized we didn't have a grill... So Daniel made Mexican Quinoa! The funny thing was our friends all ended up bringing Mexican sides as well! We had delicious quesadillas, chips & dip, we even had elote (Mexican corn on the cob) but we had so much food that it never got taken out of the fridge. We kept laughing because we had the most Mexican fourth of July! haha it was wonderful. Donal Trump would have been so offended if he came.

Milo loved all the attention. This picture though.... (brb, heart melting)
After food and fun on the deck, we started the fireworks. This was the first year Daniel and I bought our own fireworks and boy are they expensive! We're also selectively cheap sooooo...
We had way too much fun and took lots of silly pictures.
The next day was just as magical! It started with a pancake breakfast with all our church friends (giant water slide included).
Sweet little Belle really wanted to go down the slide but Marie and Isaiah weren't wearing their swimsuits. After a little bribing, Daniel agreed to go down the slide for $20. I figure we share all our money so I was game! I tried to recruit other babies he could take down the slide (Its all about the ROI). Ultimately my 6'4" was too scary and baby AB didn't want to go down with him. Haha!
It was so good spending time with friends!
Later in the day, we went on a family hike.
The hike eventually took us to a huge swimming hole. We weren't wearing our swimming suits but we HAD to get in. The water felt so good. Milo even got in! I mean, he hated every second of it but he was a great swimmer!
That evening, we found ourselves in Chapel Hill at the UNC football stadium for an amazing firework show. It was seriously one of the best ones I've ever seen! There was music, the whole arena had glow sticks and it was just magical! It was a perfect ending to a wonderful 4th of July!
Even though we're far from family and traditions that we're used to, it was so fun making new memories!
Especially with this being Milo's first 4th of July with us!
I hope all of you had magical weekends as well!

Xo - Andie

















Next PostNewer Posts Previous PostOlder Posts Home