Hey hey what up on this Wednesday?
I guess someone’s a little (too) excited to be back on the blog today (and to have an app that frames pictures)…
I did stop by for a quick ‘hey!’ on Monday, but today it’s back to your regularly scheduled programming with another WIAW link-up hosted by Jenn!
As I briefly mentioned at the end of my Friday Favorites post (and made pretty obvious in Monday’s Instagram), I did end up going to Cape Cod, MA for a quick trip. A couple friends of mine have cottages there, so since I had work off and schedules aligned, I packed my bags Saturday night and headed up there with a high school friend on Sunday afternoon!
We arrived around 5:45 and went straight to one of my college roommates/ best friends’ beautiful condo. It was cool and drizzling, but I did not care one bit. I hadn’t seen her in over 2 months and I was beyond excited to reunite!
A couple of my high school friends met my roommate when they visited me at school, and since this friend was one that visited, it wasn’t awkward (not that it would’ve been even if they hadn’t met) when we drove into downtown Chatham and had a nice long catch-up sesh over a delicious dinner.
Originally we had planned to go to The Chatham Squire, but there was a 45 minute wait (must mean it’s good!) and my roommate had to be on the road by 8:00 to get back for work on Monday morning. We walked around a bit and quickly decided on The Captain’s Table, and we were soon quite glad we did!
I ordered the salad plate with salmon, which was a tossed salad topped with a salmon filet and drizzled in raspberry vinaigrette (<- my favorite). It was simple but absolutely perfect. Plus a fluffy roll dipped in the dressing (I told you it’s my favorite!) rounded out the meal.
After chatting away for almost 2 hours, we (sadly) dropped my roommate off at her condo so she could head home. Even though it was way too short, I’m sooo happy I got to see her! 🙂
We then headed to my high school friend’s adorable cottage and got settled before leaving again to get ice-cream.
When I’m on vacation (and even when I’m not…), the question isn’t “do you want ice cream tonight?”, it’s “what flavor do you want tonight?”
We went to Emack & Bolio’s and I got the ‘Salted Caramel Chocolate Pretzel’. So sweet. So salty. So. freaking. good.
It was pretty nasty out so we decided to take it back to the cottage and eat it while watching the Kardashians because come on, is there any better way to spend a rainy summer night? Not in my book.
After devouring our frozen treats and commenting on the ridiculousness that is the Kardashians, we Face-Timed one of our friends who is interning in DC. It was awesome to ‘see’ him and he (as always) had as laughing so hard my abs were sore (which is a good thing since I didn’t workout at all Monday or Tuesday). I know I say this a lot, but I am seriously so blessed to have the hilarious/ fun/ caring/ incredible friends that I have!
We went to bed super late (and I didn’t end up falling asleep til 4 am…) so on Monday we slept in until 10:30. We had brought a ton of food from home so we could just eat dinner out (and ice-cream, that’s a given) in order to save money after the NYC trip last week. Breakfast was light and uneventful, and we left the cottage around 11 to head into town!
It wasn’t raining, but it wasn’t awesome weather, either. The skies were gray but luckily the temps were prime, so we decided to park the car in town and walk ~1.5 miles to Lighthouse Beach, window shopping and chatting as we went. When we got there we realized we wanted to stay so we walked back to the car, grabbed some beach towels and headed back.
I couldn’t help but snap some photos of the gorgeous hydrangeas and breathtaking ocean views!
The 4.5 mile walk in flip flops (+ lack of sleep) meant it was nap time as soon as we found a spot to spread our towels.
It was a bit chilly and windy, but the sun peaked out for about an hour or so. The soothing sound of waves crashing and little kids giggling made me so relaxed that I almost fell completely asleep (but not quite). I had my eyes open for a total of about 30 minutes to eat a pb + banana pita, white nectarine, almonds, and a few other snacks that I honestly can’t even remember (that’s how boring they were).
At about 4:30 we decided to make the trek back to the car so we could shower before heading to dinner!
Looking out and seeing this reminded me just how good life is.
After a nice warm shower, we headed out in search of an inexpensive place to eat. As we drove into town, the sign for Sweet Tomatoes caught our eye so we turned right in, ordered at the counter, and snagged a table outside! The sun was out now, and the weather couldn’t have been better for some casual outdoor dining.
Since it was just the two of us (other friends from home couldn’t get off work, which was a huge bummer, but we made the best of it!), we decided to split a salad and a sandwich. Again, another great dinner decision!
We literally did not leave a crumb on our plates.
The salad was fresh, and the raspberry vinaigrette (see, I did it again!) + goat cheese brought it to the next level. The sandwich was on the most incredible, thick focaccia and the roasted veggies + warm goat cheese melted in our mouths.
I know I can sometimes always sound a bit dramatic when I describe food, but I’m just being honest, and honestly it was that good.
Once we licked our plates clean, we sat and talked for another hour before going back in and grabbing a root beer. Don’t ask why I was suddenly craving this… It was weird but I just went with it.
Naturally, we then ventured over to Harwich to go to Schoolhouse Icecream and Yogurt for our nightly ice-cream fix. After mulling over the menu for about 10 minutes, I chose the ‘Harwich Mudpie’, which I believe was coffee ice-cream, brownie bites, almonds, and a little bit of heaven sprinkled in.
We brought them back home to eat later on after digesting our dinners, and so we had something to enjoy as we watched suffered through the painfully awkward ‘Bachelorette: The Men Tell All’.
By that, I mean we had it on in the background as I blogged/ read blogs/ enjoyed every spoonful/ cringed at the conversations the guys had. I haven’t been watching this season, and honestly after Monday night’s episode, I don’t feel like I’m missing out on much.
While I was happy when the episode was over, I was legitimately sad when I finished my ice-cream. I could’ve eaten another cup despite the fact that this ‘small’ was literally overflowing with chocolatey goodness.
Exhausted and in mild food-comas, we happily went to our rooms around midnight, and I was asleep by 1:00.
Tuesday was a sunny day (yay!), so I woke up at 8:45 ready to beach it. Again, we ate some lame breakfast, and then grabbed Dunkin iced coffees (toasted coconut for me!), and were basking in the glorious sun by 10:20.
We laid out, chatted, people-watched, and relaxed for a solid 5 hours before we decided to call it a day so we could hit the road and be back home before dark.
In case you’re wondering (which I’m sure you aren’t) – Yes, I did apply (and reapply) sunscreen, but yes, I did still get burnt in the places that hadn’t seen the light of day all summer. My stomach, upper thighs, and random patches on my back are the color of a tomato. Ouch.
Anyway, after a quick cleanup, we were saying goodbye to the cottage and to another awesome little getaway by 4:15.
The ride home takes about 3.5 to 4 hours, so we made a pit-stop at Dunkin again, and this time I tried the blueberry coffee. I always thought it sounded pretty gross, but I went for it and was pleasantly surprised!
As we sipped away, we had the age-old Starbucks vs Dunkin debate and concluded that DD’s coffee is the way to go.
This is because 1) it’s cheaper, 2) it comes in way more flavors, and 3) it doesn’t taste like syrup. I don’t know about you, but whenever I’ve gotten a flavored iced coffee from Starbs, all I taste is syrup. Could just be a bad barista, but I still prefer the price and variety of DD’s. Starbucks is good for other things though!
I digress…
I hadn’t eaten lunch (WHAT?! I never forget to eat a meal!), so as we drove I ate another pb banana pita, almonds, and various other treats I had stuffed in my bag.
I got home at 8:00 ready for a real meal, and luckily my wonderful mother had saved me some leftovers. I also had a bowl of cinnamon chex, yogurt and fruit, and a few little granola bars throughout the night because I was suddenly starving. I guess all that sun really drained my energy!
It was an awesome quick escape to the Cape, filled with fun times with friends, fabulous food, and lots of R&R!
Also, while I was there, I thought a lot about this little blog of mine. You may have noticed that my Instagram and Twitter handles are now @fuelingfab… As I said in my short post on Monday night this may be the name of my blog once I become self hosted…or it may not.
As I commented on my Instagram photo ^, I originally titled my blog ‘Fueling a Life’ for these reasons (also explained a bit more here).
As much as I love and am always going to keep the purpose of my blog and the meaning behind the current name, I love the word ‘fabulous‘ because I think it can describe so much – from life in general to fashion to workouts to food, which is what my blog is all about! Although I may discuss some serious topics, my blog is generally meant to be a lighthearted, slightly witty read to brighten peoples’ day, so I like how ‘fabulous’ is a fun word (that I use quite often) and is shortened to ‘fab‘, which is just a little more spunky (if a word can be spunky?). Plus, I do love a good alliteration…
I guess it all boils down to what name has more of a ring to it/ makes sense/ represents my blog/ lets the reader know exactly what my site is all about right from the get-go.
As you can see, it’s a really tough decision for me, so any and all input would be greatly appreciated! And don’t worry, you won’t hurt my feelings either way 🙂
Thanks for sticking around through my long posts and listening to allll my thoughts! I hope you have a great Wednesday and a fabulous rest of the week 😉
xo’s
