I'm alive!

Turns out I get distracted and forget about blogging. Here's a quick life update since April 9:

Travel - Since I last posted I've been to New York, Raleigh, Nashville, Houston, Hill Country (Texas), Lindale (East Texas), Florida (Kennedy Space Center ish), Michigan.

Visitors - Some of my Raleigh favorites have made their way to Texas to visit. First Karlie and Sarah came in May. The following weekend, Lindsay came. Man, I miss Raleigh and LOVE visitors. So everyone needs to visit.

Recent Highlights:
Going to NASA's last shuttle launch. This was for work - it involved little sleep, but was such an awesome experience - I am so glad I have amazing opportunities like this with work.
Launch photo:
















Michigan. I went to visit L in Michigan (my last post was about meeting her in CA). It is beautiful in the summer - we had so much fun exploring and catching-up. We checked out Sleeping Bear Dunes (insane hike back up), Mackinac Island (no cars allowed - took a ferry over and rented bikes), saw some great lakes, and visited lots of wineries.
Lake Michigan:













Races. I signed up for Tour de Fleurs 10k. Am hoping to do a 1/2 marathon this fall. We'll see.

More updates, hopefully soon...

Northern California Adventure

Last week I went to Northern California for a variety of reasons:
1. My cousin's wedding! My cousin Lana got married in Columbia and the timing worked out so I could attend. It was an amazingly fun wedding and beautiful. They got married outside at the Columbia Airport Clubhouse (they met at the airport when Lana was in pilot training). We had a smaller than usual showing of our side of the family (as the wedding was organized quickly and out of Texas), but I loved seeing aunts, uncles and cousins - and their kids! Congrats to Lana and Will - and welcome to the family, Will!

2. One of my closest friends from Raleigh moved to Modesto last summer. Eric was my neighbor and it was easy to grab dinner or a drink or just hang out with him on a regular basis. I really missed him when he moved - but caught up with him in Dallas around Christmas. I'd been hearing about his job, friends and new place in Modesto and it was a great chance to check it out.

3. Somehow, it worked out that this is when one of my favorites, L, was also in Northern California. Background: L quit her job and began traveling across the US in Jan, staying with friends in various cities (she was actually planning to stay with Eric whether or not I was there). I can't express how excited I was to be a part of L's cross-country adventure. L pretty much left Dallas right before I moved here - it was so great to see her.

My adventures...

Wednesday night:
Arrived in Sacramento close to midnight - L picked me up and we went to this hip restaurant/bar, Ink, to grab a drink and food. We stayed at a hotel in Sacramento.

Thursday:
SLEPT IN - and it was AMAZING - both L and I needed it. Then we went for a quick run along the American River Trail (I conveniently picked a hotel on a running trail), through Old Sacramento and even through a tunnel that led to a shopping mall downtown. We used Yelp to find a great local lunch place - Magpie - SO good), then walked to a coffee shop. On our way to Modesto, we stopped at Delicato Tasting Room for some wine (and to make friends). Once we made it to Eric's house, we headed to meet his friends at a local English pub. His friends are awesome - he has a great group that he hangs out with and they were all really welcoming and fun.

Friday:
Went to the store for supplies and made cookies (I make incredible oatmeal chocolate chip cookies) for Eric...and us. L and I were up for some drinking so we headed to downtown Lodi to explore wineries. We made it to Jeremy's, Dancing Fox (picked up some fresh bread and dipping vinaigrette here), Cheese Central, Cellar Door and Grand Amis. Everywhere we went we made friends - we had fun chatting with strangers...who even told us to ditch Eric and stay with them. We made it back to Modesto to have some of our purchased deliciousness and went to a pool hall to meet Eric's friends for a night of competitive games.

Saturday:
Wedding day! Drove up to Columbia in the morning (the wedding was at noon) to see everyone. As I mentioned above - it was a beautiful outdoor wedding. I just love reasons to celebrate with friends and family. After the wedding, which I made L join for 20min (she hated me) and successfully avoiding catching the bouquet, we headed back to Eric's. In preparation for having all of his friends over, we played an intense game of scrabble to sharpen our brains before drinking games. It was another entertaining night with a group of fun people.

Sunday:
Went to a delicious local diner for breakfast, met a midget cat, then hit the road for the Sacramento airport. My flight back included a medical emergency landing in Vegas, but otherwise was uneventful (at least our plane didn't turn into a convertible).

It was a perfect long weekend - I was so happy the timing worked out for me to see everyone. Thanks to L who was my chauffeur the entire time. Thanks to Eric for being a wonderful host and entertaining us.

Here are the photos - most of them are of L and I at wineries...

Birthday Love

Nothing is better than a birthday filled with wonderful friends - whether it's in-person, phone, text, Facebook, Heytell or ESP.

A few highlights:

• Friends that incorporated hilarious quotes from the Bachelor into my birthday wishes
• An awesome, thoughtful gift that is hanging in my kitchen - spicy! (photo below)
• Beer and homemade cookie cake (my fav) with wonderful, favorite friends at the Gingerman
• A surprise package of plastic eggs (not sure what's in all of them yet - I've discovered a chocolate, the word SNAKE and a photo)
• Singing voicemails
• A drunken phone call at 9am
• Birthday wishes from friend's kids
• Wrong age mentions (I'm not 32 or 40)
• An amazing work dinner at Neighborhood Services
  
• Food references - mentioning chips, snacks and m&ms
• L's gift - I guessed it before I opened it
• Tweets
• Love from NC friends who claim they miss me

I'm very lucky to have such wonderful friends and family in my life! Thank you all!

Birthday: Garden and web challenges

For my birthday I got a few really cool, unique gifts. I love that my family got gifts that were not the usual.

My parents got me something that will take some work in order for me to get something out of it: a mini garden. They got these two box planters with tomatoes, bell peppers, basil and thyme plants! I am so excited - but I have NEVER kept a plant alive. Maybe these guys will be successful because this is the most I've ever been committed to plants. Anyway, I live on the third floor and have a tiny balcony, so we'll see how they do - no animals to eat them (err, do birds eat these?).















www.jessredman.com !!! My brother and his wife bought me this domain. Ok, I know I should be using it now, but I've been so busy I haven't had a chance to explore. Just wait though, I'll be moving the Adventures of Jess over there. I can't wait to learn more about web development (is it even that?) and have my own site!

Katy Trail: my love/hate relationship

I have a love/hate relationship with the Katy Trail. It's by far the best place to run around here. Great path with mile markers every 1/4 mile, with easy access to get on and off the trail. But it is always packed: runners, strollers, dogs, roller bladers, walkers. I love seeing so many people out and about but there are certain things that drive me crazy.

A few pet peeves:

• People with dogs on retractable leashes with their dogs on the other side of the trails - AH! Your dog should be right next to you, no one should have to attempt to step over the leash!
• People who are doused in perfume/cologne - it just makes me gag when I run by and smell your musky or floral overwhelming scent!
• People carrying their pet - seriously. I see this way too much. Generally it's girls who do this. They carry their pets on their hip like a child. I really shouldn't care but I find them really annoying.

Anyway, it's really great that so many people are active so I can overlook my personal issues and keep on running.

Update...

Bikes:

• I love it when bicyclists give a heads-up on passing. There are so many people/noises you can't always hear a high-speed biker approaching. Wish everyone did it.
• Parents teaching their kids to ride bikes - it is way too busy on the Katy Trail for this is be safe.

Did I forget anything else?

Upcoming races in Dallas

As I'm getting into my routine here in Dallas, I needed to sign up for a few races. I found some great ones in March:

• St. Paddy's Day 5k on Greenville Ave - Saint Patrick's Day in Dallas is INSANE. Next Saturday, March 12th, there's a parade down Greenville Ave and drinking all day starting at 8:00am. The street is lined (for like 3-4 mi) with tents of people tailgating, tons of restaurants hosting parties and lots of drunk wanderers. Really it's an all day party. So some friends and I will kick off the day with a 5k at 8:30am (I heard last year everyone stopped a few times during the run to chug green beers), then the parade is at 11:00am, followed by all day and night drinking. Very excited for this non-competitive run!
• Dallas Rock n Roll Half Marathon Relay - I wish I was ready for a half marathon but I'm definitely not. When Taylor asked if I wanted to do the relay half, I knew it would be the perfect chance to get a race in this spring, and have a great runner on my team. Our team name is "All Rock No Rolls" (note to self: start doing crunches) and my registered name is "Chief Redman" (thanks, Tay!). This is the last weekend in March...right after spending a week at a tradeshow - my feet are going to hate me. But this should be another great race!

I'm realizing I won't be signing up for a half this spring so I'm keeping an eye out for a 1/2 this fall to register for. Open to recommendations!

Dallas dining & drinking - 2/28/11

Another week exploring food places around Dallas. Some recent places I tried:

The Blue Fish - A Japanese/Sushi restaurant over on Greenville Ave - across from the Granada Theater (where I was headed for IgniteDallas). I went with some co-workers/friends for a quick drink and sushi. I have to say they have a great happy hour menu - they had several rolls and other appetizers that were around $4. The crab potstickers, salmon roll, california roll and shrimp tempura roll were all pretty good - nothing special, but a great deal.

Quarter Bar/Breadwinners - On McKinney Ave at Hall
Part 1: Quarter Bar and Breadwinners are next door to each other and owned by the same people. Quarter Bar has great drink specials ($2 wells and $2 domestics on Thursdays) and Breadwinners has great food. So my friends and I went to Quarter Bar and ordered off the menu of Breadwinners. I had the Grilled Mahi Sandwich - it was pretty good. I could have just ordered the Mahi - the bun didn't really do anything for me. The side caesar salad was also pretty good.

Part 2: I was meeting some friends for brunch and we were set to meet at Breadwinners at 11:30am on Sunday (I normally don't go to the same place twice in a week, but I'd heard they have amazing brunch). There was a huge crowd waiting outside and we were told there would be a 15 min wait - based on the number of people I assumed it would be closer to 45min, but they were getting people seated. We waited about 20min. It was the best brunch menu I've ever seen. There were at least a dozen things I wanted. I'm not even exaggerating. I'm going to have to go back a few times - and will absolutely be taking visitors here. I decided on the Stuffed Biscuit, one of their weekly specials and WOW - it was fabulous. It was a biscuit that was set on top of "brunch potatoes" the biscuit was overflowing with scrambled eggs filled with bacon, sausage, cheese, veggies and topped with gravy. I only ate half and ate the rest for lunch today - still delicious.
Here's a photo:












Jake's Burger's - A burger spot on McKinney at Boll - My parents came over to help me hang curtains and a few other things and we were looking for a low-key spot on a Saturday evening where we wouldn't have to wait. It was the perfect place - nice enough weather to sit on the patio and people watch on McKinney Ave (my parents were entertained). I got the Flaming Rooster - I know, not a burger but it sounded so good- Grilled chicken, hot mustard, Monterey jack cheese, and fresh pico de gallo. And it was sooooo good. The hot mustard and pico were perfect - both my parents tasted it and agreed it was stellar. My dad had the Jalapeno Bottle Cap Burger and I had a bite - equally delicious. My mom had the caesar salad and said the chicken on it was fabulous but I wasn't interested in trying as I was focusing on scarfing down my chicken sandwich. We split an order of their waffle cut sweet potato fries and Jumpin Jake's fries. The sweet potato fries were topped with brown sugar and cinnamon, which were delicious. But my favorite were Jumpin Jake's fries - they were just seasoned perfectly. Although I have to say, I still think Ketchup (mentioned last week) has the best fries.
My Flaming Rooster:











And fries:

IgniteDallas

One of the local events I loved in NC was IgniteRaleigh - luckily I moved to Dallas in time for IgniteDallas. I really don't know anyone in Dallas in the social media industry, so I was unsure what to expect but knew it should be a great community event. My friend Tracy and my co-worker Jes came along.

Tracy was perfect to attend the event with - she had a lot of followers and contacts so we connected with some people there that she's known through various networks.

The speakers and presentations were all awesome! My two favorites:

• What I got rid of today - Dave Weaver (@planboy) spoke on a challenge he's working on - to get rid of something each day for a year. He talked about getting rid of everything from music, DVDs, clothing, his CAR!, and more. We all have so much junk, it's a really cool journey to get rid of things - whether it is junk, or whether it's letting go of something so you can move on.
• 24 Years, 24 People, 24 Lessons - Mouyyad Abdulhadi (@MouyyadA) talked about how we can learn from the people that are closest to us, rather than celebrities. He went through his circles of family, friends, co-workers and classmates and highlighted what he learned from each. Made me reflect on what I learn from the people I surround myself with.

Looking forward to more IgniteDallas events! I think both Tracy and Jes enjoyed and hopefully will be back for more events too.

A few comments...

• I really wish it was cheaper - it was $16-something - IgniteRaleigh and IgniteDurham are both free events. I know it depends on sponsorships and venues, but I feel like there would be a better turnout if it wasn't expensive
• Crowd participation - I recall a lot of crowd interaction at IgniteRaleigh - yelling "Fire it up!" - there wasn't anything like that. I guess it has a lot to do with the hosts and overall vibe?
  

Regardless, it was all around a great event - thanks to all who organized and the awesome speakers!

Restaurants reviews - dining around uptown

A few restaurants I've tried in Uptown:

• Urban Taco - Mexican food restaurant on McKinney Ave. I went there for lunch with two of my coworkers and it was perfect, but very busy on a Friday at lunchtime. It was one of the days when it was just beginning to get warm so we sat on the patio which was had a great set-up. We tried a trio of salsa for an appetizer - first of all, their chips have this delicious seasoning on them! All three of the salsas were tasty, I really enjoyed the black bean & roasted corn pico and the avocado lime creama. For tacos I loved the al pastor and barbacoa - I will definitely be getting both again! Glad to have a great taco place nearby.
• Red Mango - I love frozen yogurt and this place is right around the corner from me - on McKinney Ave. When my parents came to my place the first time, we walked around the neighborhood so they could get a feel for where I live. Naturally I insisted on a break to try this frozen yogurt spot. I had original with chocolate chips (I also tasted the Madagascar vanilla). It was pretty good, but I'm picky when it comes to frozen yogurt - I didn't like the texture of it - I felt like it needed to be smoother/softer. It was definitely still ok, and there were no complaints from my mom who had the chocolate with strawberries or my dad who had a smoothie. With all the frozen yogurt places nearby, I'll keep searching for a spot where I'll be a regular.
• Ketchup - on Hall Street, between McKinney Ave and Cole Ave. Seriously awesome burger spot - and their fries are amazing - and they have a variety of specialty ketchup (per their name). I went there on a Saturday evening with some friends visiting from Houston, and their baby. They have outdoor and indoor seating, with a variety of options. I had the Blue Burger which was perfect and my friends both had the Ketchup Burger and said it was great. Now the fries...wow - they were unbelievably good! We got a trio with the Sweet Potato, Garlic & Chive and Spicy Buffalo - I keep thinking about how great the Spicy Buffalo fries were! All of their specialty ketchup was great and unique - we tried the house, green tomato and chipotle - all were tasty depending on what you paired it with. I will absolutely be back soon.
• Vino 100 - A wine bar at the corner of McKinney Ave and Allen that sells wine by the bottle - with a great patio. My friend Tracy introduced me to this place on a Sunday night (25% off bottles). You walk around a room full of wine bottles and once you make your selection just tell the staff and they'll bring it to your table. I was impressed that they had so many reasonable priced bottles of wine - a lot to choose from below $25. We sat outside on their patio and it's a great spot to people watch.

More to come as I try new places. Recommendations on where to try?

Getting Settled

As I was moving in to my new places on Thursday, I realized, exactly two weeks ago I had just wrapped up at my old job and was packing-up my place in Raleigh. It's crazy how quickly things change.

I'm getting unpacked and moved into my awesome new place. Here's why it's great:

• About 8min walk door to desk (home to work)...yea I said walk (after driving 1-1.5 hours in traffic to work from my parents house, this is amazing)
• Surrounded by bars and restaurants within walking distance
• Friends everywhere - one of my best friends lives 2 floors and 2 doors down, other friends live really close
• Near the Katy Trail, where I plan to run a lot

The big downside is the size - it's tiny! But I'm trying to be creative. Here's a picture from when I had everything delivered:










Still need to get a sofa and coffee table...then I'll officially be settled and ready for parties and visitors.

I'm looking forward to exploring Dallas - hoping to do something new each week. Yesterday Taylor and I went for a run on the Katy Trail (so I know how to get there!).

Dallas: Week 1, so far a success

I've been here a week now. Here's a quick recap:

• Delicious food - I've had Mexican food 3 times (I love having good Mexican food places everywhere), dad's chili as my first meal back, steak and of course, Whataburger.
• Work - Everything is going really well, jumping into projects. I'm working with some really great people. I look forward to the challenges and the travel (SXSW in Austin and a tradeshow in Orlando - both in March).
• Place to live - I've been commuting from my parents house, which is about 28mi from work - but it takes an 1 - 1.25 hours which is really annoying (especially if I work long hours). I found an awesome place to live, walking distance to work and a lot of restaurants and bars. Plus one of my favorites lives here (with her dog, which I plan on kidnapping frequently). The place is about half the size of my townhome in Raleigh, so we'll see how I adjust. Now I just need to get my Pod delivered, hire movers, unpack and buy new furniture.
• Welcome back night out - I have some great friends in Dallas and we got together for dinner and a fun night out. My tolerance is definitely not what it used to be. Photo highlights below.

Austin asked for someone to grab a branch. Mike grabbed this tree:













Some of my favorite ladies - Taylor and Tracy:











Some of my favorite guys - Austin, Mike and Jake:

Today's Fortune: First day

I opened a Dove Chocolate (thanks Sarah for the stash!) and got this perfect fortune:











I guess I don't need to go to the psychic anymore.

Raleigh friends: you've been fantaztic

2.5 years later and I'm gone. As I was leaving HM&P for the last time today, I was chatting with my boss and pointed out to her I've spent half of my career here. Shocking.

Well, friends...it's been great. I'm rarely sappy so pay attention because this won't happen again for a while.

The people I've met in Raleigh have been amazing. It took me a while to find a few wonderful circles of friends that I fit into - and I'm very grateful for all of you. The happy hours, concerts, dinners, bar hopping (tour de Raleigh), slumber parties, shuffleboard games, BeerFests (and Dallas other boozefests), races, runs, hikes, sporting events, parties, ice cream/frozen yogurt/blizzard runs, Bachelor watching....everything has been awesome. I never expected to meet so many people who I truly enjoy so much. And my liver will need a transplant soon.

Thank you all for the good times and please come visit me in Texas!

Dallas - I need some help

Dallas, I'm going to need the following ASAP:

• Social Media events/networking organizations - like Social Media Club Dallas or Ignite Dallas...but free?
• A place to live. I'd like to live in Uptown - maybe within 1 mi of Breadwinner's ish.
  
• Gym - near where I live. Need treadmills.
• Races to sign up for. Short races for now, a longer race (1/2 marathon) in April maybe?
• Recommendations on who to follow for local events.

Thanks for your help!

Next post will be on restaurants and bars in Dallas...probably.

What to drink to stay healthy

Everyone is sick. It's cold/flu season. Below are a few drink recommendations for when you feel like you're getting sick:

• Emergen-C + Vodka - L (aka Lenora) taught me this one. Order (or make) a vodka + water, then add one of the emergen-c packets (some people mix these with water to prevent sickness)
• Screwdriver - A classic. The OJ is packed with vitamin C to ensure you get enough to stay healthy. The vodka kills any germs
• Hot Toddy - Hot tea, whiskey and honey. Use green or black tea packed with anti-oxidants.

Note: I am not a doctor.

Raleigh: I'm going to miss you. Dallas: Round 2.

Dear Raleigh,

I'm going to miss the following:

• Runs on the greenway trails
• Fall (colors of leaves)
• Having Umstead so close to where I live
• Local breweries - especially my favorite, Big Boss
• Food trucks - will miss Only Burger the most
  
• My townhouse - I love my home, it's the perfect location and perfect size for me
• Highways - surrounded by trees/nature instead of construction and strip shopping centers
• BeerFest - both Durham and Raleigh
• Krispy Kreme Challenge
• Restaurants/Bars - Raleigh Times, The Pit, Lilly's, Issac Hunter's, Bu-ku, Boylan Bridge, Brooklyn Heights, Hibernian, Tasu...just to list a few favorites
• Being 2.5 hours from the beach and from the mountains
• Running into people I know every night I go out
• The great concerts and music scene from Lincoln Theater, Pour House, Berkeley Cafe, NC State Fair
• Reading a book at Fred Fletcher Park when it's nice out

I'm not even going to begin to list the amazing people...

Dallas, bring on the good times.

LOVE
JESS

Nashville Adventure

I took a long weekend and headed to Nashville to explore and visit some great friends - Hunter and Molly (and their almost 2 year old Jackson). Going into the trip I didn't really have too many expectations of seeing all things Nashville, given that my friends have a toddler, but was really just looking forward to catching-up. Hunter and Molly couldn't have been better hosts - we spent a ton of quality time hanging out and playing with Jackson and I got to see a lot of Nashville.

Some highlights:

• Pancake Pantry - Everyone told me I had to go here - a line actually forms around the building (even when it's freezing out). Hunter & I went Friday morning and I got the sweet potato pancakes. They were sooo delicious! I see why people line up around the block!
• Music Row - Totally different than what I was expecting - all of the production companies are holed up in adorable historic houses. Really cool to drive through this unique area.
• Patterson House - This cocktail bar is amazing! They specialize in high end drinks and the atmosphere is really cool. We kicked off our night out here and it was the perfect spot to begin our night.
• Broadway - Whew! This is where all the honky-tonks are. I had a blast going out here. Hunter may have been hesitant to go to this part of town, but we all had a blast. Between Legends, The Stage and Lonnie's we had a blast. I also witnessed Molly and a friend doing some STELLAR karaoke.
• Karaoke Cab - We took a karaoke cab home - it was hilarious. Hopefully the pictures from this will never appear.
• PM - Another delicious restaurant - one of the chefs here was on Top Chef. Apparently they have the best burger in Nashville, but I opted for some great sushi.

My sweet potato pancakes from Pancake Pantry:










We also hit up various neighborhoods, parks, Franklin, Sub Stop, had a play date for Jackson, drank lots champagne and wine, all participated in nap time and more fun. It was a perfect 4 day adventure. I'm already planning my next visit.

I should also note that I have a new respect for parents. Jackson is an adorable kid, but man, kids are "on" non-stop! Hunter and Molly are amazing parents - I don't know how they do it!

True love.

I've pre-ordered 14 boxes of girl scout cookies from moms and a troop leader in my office. That's 10 Samoas, 2 Thin Mints and 2 Tagalongs. Can anyone top that?

And before you judge me, I just ate my last Samoa from last year yesterday. I ration them. I never eat more than one a day. So good.

I can't wait until they arrive!

How many did you order? What's your favorite?

Hellllllllo 2011

Quick recap of week 1:

Brought in 2011 at House of Blues in Dallas listening to the Old 97's with a bunch of great people - amazing! ...followed by a less than amazing walk from downtown to uptown due to lack of taxi...

First meal of 2011 = Burger House! My fav! Photo from 2009:














Back in Raleigh, I've been to Big Boss Brewery twice for beer and to check out some food trucks:

1. Slippin Sliders - so good - I had a west coast and a diablo (on veggie) - both were delicious
2. Klausie's - wow - their crust is this thick garlic crust that is amazzzzzzing

I look forward to trying both again very soon!

Tried out some Harpoon brews for free at a local Friend of Harpoon event - can't beat free (delicious) beer!

Went to the Pour House for a concert - the opener was a band from Asheville, Big Daddy Love - some solid rock/bluegrass type music, great times. Whitey Morgan and the 78's, an outlaw country band (as Karlie described them) put on a great show AND we got to meet them. I love country concerts.
Here's Whitey Morgan and the 78's (compllments of Karlie):











Looking forward to what the rest of 2011 brings because week 1 was a close to perfect start.