You are the Apple of my Pie! -Emporium Pies

by SayHelloBlog, in category Photography

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Today I went to Oak Cliff, I’ve been wanting to check out Emporium Pies for sometime now.  On a recent trip to Austin I discovered a really cute pie place with some friends, but wasn’t hungry while there. Being there put me in the mood for pie, so I decided upon returning to Dallas the first thing on my list was to get pie, but not just any pie.  So here I am. Luckily for me, I got to Emporium before the line was out the door.  Apparently when the weather is nice and its the weekend, Emporium is the hot spot!

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I didn’t have to wait long for my pie though.  There were several to choose from, including a deep dish apple pie which looked heavenly!  I chose Merry Berry, which made me “berry” happy.  I don’t like things too sweet, and this pie had just the right amount of tartness for me.  The crust almost tasted like a flaky sugar cookie! And of course I chose to have it with ice cream, because “local, organic, home made, vanilla” sounded too good to pass up.    Please go try an Emporium pie soon, you will eat every bite and thank me for it.

Further down you will see some photos of the inside, it has a cute farm house style.  Also they serve Cultivar Coffee, the best coffee in Dallas.

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Chocolate!

by SayHelloBlog, in category Uncategorized

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/snapchic/12044616783/

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Recently my friends and I were driving down Oak Lawn and saw Chocolate Secrets. I knew it was there but I always forget about it. So yesterday we decided to make a trip to see if the chocolate was as good as the outside of it was cute. YES!  Not only are the truffles perfect, they also have wine and coffee and jazz! Jazz is in the evenings Wednesday through Saturdays. Needless to say, I will be checking out the jazz and wine very soon!

My favorite truffles so far are the Cabernet and the Lavender, I also like the mint truffles. But there are so many different kinds I will need to go back and try a few different ones.  And if you get some to go they wrap them in a little box and put a bright pink bow on it. Perfect.

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Sofia and I enjoying our truffles:

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Best Thai Food in Dallas

by SayHelloBlog, in category Photography

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/snapchic/12044762174/

Maybe I am not an authority on Thai food, I’ve never been to Thailand. BUT I’ve tried quite a few places in Dallas, and my favorite so far is in my own neighborhood. Lucky me!
The almost unobservable strip of businesses on Fitzhugh wouldn’t grab your eye if it wasn’t for the painted green restaurant that is Thai Noodle and Rice. The strip is right before you get to 75. Inside it feels almost like you are in a little house. The pictures on the wall of the food are not photos, but drawings. I love it, the drawings give the place a bit of charming and cute.

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I went with a couple of friends and we decided not to decide on just one thing. We shared Pineapple Fried Rice, Panang Coconut Curry, and Sweet Basil Stir Fry. Also we tried the Tom Kha Gai soup.

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Ok I really can’t express how amazing and different each dish was. We started out with the soup, it had a clean spicy taste to it with a tiny hint of sweet, mushrooms, chicken, seriously though, to die for!!! I tried the pineapple fried rice next, and its the best fried rice I’ve had!! The flavor was perfect and a little smokey, not greasy. It was beautiful.

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How could it get better?! One word PANANG!! Heaven.

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The Sweet Basil, while great, and I do mean great, it wasn’t my favorite, but still delicious.

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I am ready to go back!! Oh, and normally there are left overs…we ate every last bite.

Monkeys and Potato Chips

by SayHelloBlog, in category Central America, Travel

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Costa Rica is like my home away from home. I have a special place for it in my heart. It was the first country I visited outside the US that I began learning Spanish. It was also my first time surfing, and eating yucca and fried plantains. I also developed a taste for coffee in Costa Rica. My home mom would make it every morning, as well as cut up a papaya (which I still dislike, but occasionally eat anyway, determined to develop a taste for it).
(break for a monkey picture)

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I have visited Costa Rica quite a few times over the previous years. One of my favorite places is Manuel Antonio. The beaches there are probably some of the best in Central America. I love walking through the small rain forest and trying to spot a few different types of monkeys, iguanas, and sloths. I am not happy with how many tourists now visit, it used to be more natural and less of a park. But I am sure the interest is good for the locals.

The last trip there the monkeys had become really friendly. They even stole a bag of potato chips! This little guy snatched it right out of a man’s hands. But he shared with the rest of the monkeys.

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The following photos are from Costa Rica as well, but for some reason I can’t remember the name of the place, and I am too lazy to look at the map. But it was a small town by the ocean, and we stopped there only for a night on our way to….now that name I can’t remember either. Sheesh. Anyway, there was this really disgusting desert, I don’t know what it was called, ha, yet again. But if you ever go to the place that I don’t the name of, and you happen to see something that looks like the photo below…DON”T EAT IT!!! There are pictures of it everywhere, so we thought it must be delicious. It isn’t.
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Whistler, BC

by SayHelloBlog, in category Canada, Travel

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My ventures usually take me somewhere warm, with waves near by or volcanos.  Mostly because I’ve spent the last 10 years learning Spanish.  So in-between working as a Bilingual Elementary teacher, I try to travel to Central America to brush up on Spanish and hit the beach, climb a volcano, or just be near some monkeys (yes, monkeys).  Last summer was a little different.  I wanted cooler.  The summers in Texas have been extremely hot, and I am pretty sure my body temperature decided to go somewhere to escape all heat.

My mother and I headed to Vancouver. (She even stayed in a hostel with me! But that is a whole other post). I had been to Vancouver before and it’s a unique city.  It has a vibrant, but laid back “hipster meets big city” vibe. The boutiques and coffee are worth the visit alone!  Vancouver though isn’t the focus of this blog. While in Vancouver I looked up places nearby where we could go hiking. Whistler you can get to by train or take the scenic car route. We opted for scenic and it didn’t disappoint. Though it was a three hour drive from Vancouver it was worth it.  People there call it the “Sea to Sky” drive.  You travel along the sea and then the blue/green water landscape blends into a ghostly grey and white backdrop of mountains with an abundance of lovely green trees.

Once in Whistler we took a gondola ride up the mountain (that somehow I convinced my mother to ride with me). The ride and the hiking were both equally breathtaking.Image

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And this is my beautiful mother, who doesn’t look a day over 40, seriously, she gets younger every time I see her.  It must be her crazy daughter dragging her off to other countries that keeps her so young. I won’t tell you how old she is. It’s a secret.

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Bowlounge-Design Destrict

by SayHelloBlog, in category Photography

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It seems that lately I have been finding more and more great, no AMAZING places in Dallas. It’s true!  I recently went to a friend’s birthday party at Bowlounge.  It’s hidden off of Riverfront and Turtle Creek in the design district.  The design district is a place I have started going to more and more as I’ve lived longer in Dallas, and it seems it will continue to be on my list of places to go for awhile. Especially with this Bowling Alley. Wasn’t quite sure what to expect, or if there would be people there on a Sunday afternoon when it was gorgeous outside and most people were at the park.  But actually it was quite busy!  What I loved about it was the openness, the outside air coming in from the open doors, and of course the brick walls.

The last time I was in New York I seemed to notice a trend with great places, if they were cool they usually had wood or stained concrete, mismatched vintage furniture, and brick walls.  So Yes, I am a fan of brick walls…and bowling!!!bowlounge06

Inside you will find a full bar and the wonderful Twisted Root restaurant.  If you’ve been to Dallas and haven’t been to Twisted Root then I don’t have much to say to you but GO!!  If you like burgers(great burgers) from elk to buffalo, then you need to get over to Twisted Root!! Hop in your car or on your scooter, moped, horse, rabbit, or bicycle!  Just go!!  I wouldn’t suggest the DART…it won’t get you there fast enough (though I do love the dart, when I am not in a hurry).

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If you just want to hang out and eat you can, but I suggest you bowl as well. Because after all, you just might get a strike!!!  Which is a wonderful feeling, especially after a cold drink (or two).   What I loved is all the seating and large tables by the bowling alleys.  I remember bowling as a kid and never having space to sit down because it was so crowded.  There are plenty of seats for the whole party and a place to eat as well while you bowl.  Below is my beautiful friend Mara.  She had a birthday.  She is loved!  And if you keep scrolling down you will see my friend Ronald and I having a laugh. The camera focused on our hands so our faces are a bit blurry, but as you can see by our smiles, all you need is the Bowlounge, and you can be happy and have friends too!!!

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White Rock Lake

by SayHelloBlog, in category Photography

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Here in Texas we get to enjoy nice weather year round. So here we are in January with a beautiful day. You don’t really have to have an excuse to be outside, but you should have to have an excuse if you want to stay indoors, like a friends birthday party at the bowling alley, and thats the only reason I would not be outside. I can’t think of any others. So before the birthday party I decided to get my outside in…yeah. While it’s not the most beautiful lake, and I am pretty sure it’s man made. The ducks and geese make me smile. And you can see a bit of the dallas skyline if you walk around the lake.