Faces + Places

I have a lot going on.

I say that a lot, apparently. At least according to my mom and sister, who snicker whenever I say it. I guess it’s my go-to “I’m busy so leave me alone” excuse.

Seriously, though. It’s been a busy couple of weeks. It’s actually taken me 4 days just to find time write this little post. Ridiculous, I know. Anyway, here are the highlights.

Cabana Grill

A couple of weeks ago, my husband and I attended a media preview breakfast at Cabana Grill. Jacksonville is one of only two locations for Cabana Grill, which is owned by the same group that owns Pollo Tropical and the popular Texas franchise, Taco Cabana. They serve fast-casual Mexican food – everything is made fresh daily, and they aim for authenticity in everything from cuisine to decor.

Cabana Grill recently added a full breakfast menu, and they invited some local bloggers to preview some of the new items. We watched Chef Andy Dismore prepare two of their dishes, and then we got to sample tons of food. My favorite was the Migas Burrito (scrambled eggs, pico de gallo, queso blanco, fresh salsa, jack & cheddar cheese, guacamole, and crispy tortilla strips). My husband’s favorite was the Queso Fundido (scrambled eggs, chorizo, queso blanco, grilled poblano chiles & onions, avo-verde salsa, and pico de gallo).

Mexican food for breakfast isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but we really enjoyed it. Two things I want to tell you: 1) While we were at the media preview, a couple of customers stopped in for breakfast – they’d seen the cars in the parking lot and the signs advertising breakfast. The restaurant wasn’t open for business, and the breakfast menu hadn’t officially launched – but instead of turning them away, Andy sent them home with a bag fulled with breakfast goodies. That was awesome. 2) Kids eat free on Tuesdays – so we’ve found a new Taco Tuesday venue for sure.

Last Day of School

I have to admit, this school year dragged a bit. The kids started attending a new school, and it was challenging for all of us. We definitely had some growing pains. But we survived!

NKOTB

Right after I dropped the kids off for the last day of school, I headed down to Fort Lauderdale to meet up with my sister. We saw NKOTB & TLC at BB&T Center (holy acronym overload). Nelly performed first, but we didn’t make it there in time to see him. We did see TLC though, and they were amazing!!! My sister & I knew all the words to almost every song, and it was so fun to sing along with them.

NKOTB was amazing, of course. I especially loved when they performed their old songs. They did the old dances, too! (Yes, I’m a geek and I recognized them.) Actually, my favorite part of the whole show wasn’t one of their songs at all. It was Good Vibrations from back when Marky Mark had a Funky Bunch. Donnie gave the mic to a girl in the audience, who rapped the whole thing. That totally could’ve been me, if only his arm had reached all the way up to the nosebleed section.

Anyway, it was totally fun. But hey, BB&T Center, what’s up with taking the top off my $6 bottle of water? I mean, obviously I’m going to spill it. Eh. I guess that’s the point.

Best Friend

Coincidentally, my best friend Marti was visiting family at the same time I was staying with my sister, so of course we met for lunch before I headed back home. That’s her on the right with her two beautiful daughters. (She has two beautiful stepdaughters too, but they were at home in Colorado.)

Dance Recital

The next day was my daughter’s dance recital – first the dress rehearsal was that morning, and the show was later that afternoon. Her studio puts on a wonderful recital each year – the little girls are always adorable, and the company has some really amazing dancers who are a joy to watch.

My little one performed a tap number called, “Let’s Go On An Adventure.”

All of the grandparents came, and we had a really fun night, topped off with dinner at Cracker Barrel.

Universal Studios

And to top it all off, we took mini family vacation to Universal Studios – one last trip before the summer blackout dates start.

Next up for us: Vermont! I hope you’re having a great summer so far! More soon.