Banff National Park: The Food

I am notoriously awful at blogging about my trips - which I intend to change with this last one!  My roommate from college Katie and I just got back from 5 nights in Banff National Park - and it was an INCREDIBLE week.  Before I get too far behind I want to start sharing some of the details with you asap - because once you see the pictures I know you'll be wanting to book your trip!

I'm going to start with the food - because it will be the shortest.  We didn't start off with the best luck in food - but after a rough couple days we put our foots down, threw on some real clothes and lipstick - and found a few places I wouldn't recommend you miss if you're in the area!

The Maple Leaf Grill and Lounge:
The Maple Leaf was our first real food of the trip!  When we walked in they asked if we had reservations, but were able to quickly seat us without them.  The place was definitely fancier, but our jeans and tanks were not too casual.  The food was delicious!  Katie got the signature salmon dish - and I had a beet salad, and the scallop appetizer as my main course.  We enjoyed a nice glass of red wine after a long day of hiking, and treated ourselves to dessert as well - a cookies and cream cheesecake and a trio of creme brûlée (my biggest weakness!).  The menu is definitely on the more expensive side, but with the exchange rate is still ended up being less than a nice night out in CT!

(neither photo is mine - but basically our table and my dessert - from their website!)

Saltlik Banff:
Saltlik was a restaurant we had read about on a blog we'd found when searching Pinterest for Banff suggestions!  We decided to try it out for our final dinner in the national park.  When we arrived we decided to sit in their lower level, which had a slightly more casual menu - and sat out on the patio.  The weather was beautiful and the forecast had been rain all day - so we wanted to take full advantage!  Katie and I each got tacos from the appetizer menu - duck tacos for me and sushi tuna tacos for her - and we split sides of truffle mac & cheese and lobster mashed potatoes.  Let me tell you - YUM!  I tend to be nervous about buying lobster dishes from areas that are not on the water (the RI snob in me comes out occasionally) - but the reviews had all been positive so we decided it give it a go.  It was amazing!!  We left that meal stuffed and very very satisfied.

(again - not my photo - but the view explains why we sat outside!)

Whitebark Cafe:
The Whitebark Cafe is located at the Banff Aspen Lodge - which was actually the first hotel we stayed at in town.  On Monday, our last day before driving back to Calgary, we decided we were sick of hotel continental breakfast coffee, and were going to venture out for the real stuff.  Whitebark Cafe was the highest rated nearby, so we stopped on our way into town.  We wish we had tried it sooner!  The line to get in was crazy, which we assumed was just because the coffee was good.  As it turns out, the entire town of Banff had a major blackout the night before, and the Whitebark Cafe was one of the only places in town that had reopened the next AM!  (and ALSO delicious - bonus!) We got lots of inquiries as we wandered through the shops that morning about where we had managed to find coffee.  I got a soy misto - thanks boss for the new favorite drink!

(another photo from the site - sorry! I was too busy eating to take pictures anywhere apparently)

How do you decide where to eat when you travel?  Typically - my husband lives and dies by Yelp, and we generally mix that with a little bit of asking around....but Katie and I definitely got lucky with these finds!

xoxo

The Blair Wife Project: Enter the Squad

This is quite possibly the most excited I have been for a post…largely in part because it has very little to do with me.  I have been pretty busy since the last post and as a result I now have six amazing friends who have agreed to be a part of our wedding. I’m beyond thrilled! Each of these ladies mean so much to me and I am eager to share a little bit of how we met and why I wanted them by my side when I say “I do”. 

Alli - Maid of Honor

Alli is my little sister and my oldest friend. She is hardly little now but I am told many time people assume she is eight by the way I gush about her and in a way, it’s very difficult for me think of her otherwise. We were attached at the hip growing up, and by attached I mean I dragged her around by her pudgy little hand almost everywhere we went. Beheading Barbie dolls, climbing out on the roof, ice cream runs with Mom, hunting for shells in Cape Cod. The majority of my happiest memories are with my sister. But she is certainly not eight years old, she is smart, incredibly talented, and fierce. I am proud to be her sister every single day. 

I’m not crying. It’s just dusty in here.

Sabrina – Matron of Honor

The sister-to-be! It is rather interesting to be in a position to gain an older sister. “Big Sister” has been exclusively and unchallengeable my title ever since Alli came into the picture and I never really imagined anything different. I always pined for a brother but I guess in my head he was always either younger than me or my long lost twin. So Sabrina has become the big sister I never knew I wanted. I absolutely love her. She’s fun, bubbly, and quite possibly one of the most thoughtful people I’ve ever known.

Allison –Bridesmaid

One the two bridesmaids (other than family) who pre-date Cody.  We met after Allison beat me out for the lead part in a community theatre production of Beauty and The Beast. And I don’t just mean she narrowly won the part – she was born to be Belle. Her and her sweet, sweet alto range had everyone, myself included, goggly-eyed and goose-bumped when she took the stage.  That summer we bonded over our exhaustion with camp jobs, our surprising whiffle ball talent, and double rehearsals (we were also in Godspell together that summer) and have stayed friends ever since.  I was THRILLED to be a part of her wedding and I’m excited she will now be in mine.

Katie –Bridesmaid

“Hi Friend!” Katie and I have only known each other for about three years but it feels like we have been friends for much longer. I suspect it has something to do with the fact our friendship was forged while on a 20-mile training run/ therapy session. We became solemates, if you will (runner’s humor). You just don’t let go of someone after you’ve shared that level of physical misery and mental dedication. We met and survived (barely) graduate school together and still manage to squeeze Sunday morning runs to this day.

Amanda-Bridesmaid

Mae-Mae. The other pre-Cody bridesmaid. Amanda was my first friend when I transferred high schools in junior year. Our friendship has withstood the test of time and long distance. Sleepovers in her basement-room, ridiculous photo shoots, free period walks to Aunt Sue’s house, conning the grumpy librarian into believing we needed to sit next to each other because our attempts at writing our own novel was for “AP English”. I love that we have always committed to stay in contact and that despite how many years have passed since high school we still wear friendship rings.  Fun fact- I was wearing it the night I got engaged!

Rachel-Bridesmaid

Last but not least, my dance partner. Nothing brings two people together faster than realizing they are next in line for the barrage of “when are you going to” interrogation by family. As I mentioned previously, Rachel and I have been planning this wedding since she and Ant got married.  I feel like we share similar brains from sense of our style (and priorities…hello first look) to the expectation of acceptable time for a vendor to reply to an email…I can’t thank her enough for responding to every “I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IM DOING” or “I’M FREAKING OUT” text I’ve sent over the last five months.

What else have we been up to? We’ve already booked our photographer and DJ (did I mention I hate sitting idle?) and have a meeting with potential videographer.  We're waiting to hear back on our catering options from Mill 1 and I have my first appointment to try on dresses in late August.  Lots to do, lots to figure out but at least I have my squad to keep me from completely freaking out.

Alright - did you see that second to last sentence?  WEDDING DRESSES!  Is is August yet???  I literally can not wait to get together with all the ladies and see this stunning bride to be in some beautiful white gowns!  

xoxo

The Blair Wife Project: 9.30.17

Houston, we have a venue!

After an unexpected detour, Cody and I have signed a contact with Mill 1 at Open Square.  To keep it short, we ended up adding two last minute tours after we were pleasantly surprised with how much we legit liked estate/mansion venues.  We checked out Wadsworth Mansion in Middletown (it ended up being between Mill 1 and this place) and the Mansion at Harkness Park (or at least we tried…the coordinator may or may not have blown us off for a tour. Not cool.). I may eventually do a review of those venues down the line but for now I’m set to move on.  

The staff at Mill 1 made the contract signing process super relaxed. We toured the spaces again briefly. They were actually setting up for a wedding reception while we were there, lucky us! It was great to see the space set up. There was no question in our mind about getting married at the Mill 1 after that for us. 

Our coordinator, Denise, is new but is training side-by-side with Maggie whom we met during our tour.  I could tell after the first five minutes of chatting with Denise about her experience and event style (the second we stepped into the office my eye went immediately to a set of antique mirrors she purchased at an auction for the bathrooms) that we would get along just fine. We settled in the back office with Denise and John, the owner of Mill 1 and found out they have a DOG whom I was, of course, head over heals in love with at first sight.  Cute dog, perfect venue, happy fiancé – it’s a surprise I did not spontantiously combust (with joy).

I found it super refreshing the owner John insisted we comb through the contract together so there were no surprises especially due to the fact there are some changes going on with their catering company. They put a clause in our contract that allows us to back out with a full refund if we aren’t happy with whom they’ve chosen as an exclusive caterer (if they do) and promised to let us know what they’ve decided by July. Of all I’ve read and researched, the biggest advice people give is to get everything in writing and Mill 1 was a step ahead of us. I have my fingers crossed it will all work out and that the new company will be more keen to help decorating.

After we agreed on the contract, the conversation turned to selecting a date. A DATE. AH!  Cody and I did not have a special, specific date in mind. Our anniversary is in February and neither of us wanted to get married then. We knew we wanted to stay away from October as it is a popular month for friends and family anniversaries. There are about 600 birthdays in May for my family and Cody traditionally is in a constant state of melting June and July.  So after factoring all that in, we both quickly agreed on a fall wedding and for a long time we were talking about early November. Wait, late September. End of November. Early October? Didn’t we say November? But why not September? How much money can we save if we pick blah blah blah.

We were still debating back and forth up until the car ride up. By that point I was pretty set on what I wanted but for some odd reason, I felt it should be Cody to pick. I severely doubt this feeling will surface much more during the process (sorry babe) so with high hopes and expectations, I turned to him and blurted rather curtly “What do you want? Seriously, just tell me and I’m set.”  To which he replied, much to my relief, “I don’t want to wait until November”.

Flash forward an hour later and we are in the office staring at the huge calendar they have with different names penciled in on assorted Fridays and Saturdays 2016-2017 knowing that one of those boxes was about to be branded Blair wedding.

We decided on Saturday, September 30th, 2017. It already feels like ours. Funny enough, it was the verbal commitment to the date that got me, but rather the casual observation of our wedding coordinator who pointed out our first joint checking account check was our deposit on our venue. Cue the waterworks and ugly crying face. Thank God the owner started talking about the liquor options and I was able to collect myself until Cody and I got outside.  I’m weird, I know.

So the question becomes, what is next? Having a venue and a date opens Pandora’s frilly bridal box. I quickly consulted the two (thanks Mom and Bri) bridal timelines I have and start checking off what we had already done which, side note, was oddly satisfying in the same way plucking my eyebrows is. Some of the suggestions I’m questioning already….for instance; create a wedding website (Whaaaa? Does this count?) or have an engagement party (-heavy breathing- I can’t plan two parties).  

As far as being 12+ months out, the big ones that stand out to me to get accomplished soon are:

Outline the initial guest list – CHECK! 

Research and book priority vendors – I smell a future blog post

Choose your wedding party – bride squad baby

I am actually really looking forward to these next steps. Cody and I actually drafted our guest list the night we got engaged, over pizza and booze no less, so all that needs is a little tweaking and address gathering. I have already reached out to two photographers, two videographers, and a DJ all of whom either come highly recommended by friends or have blogs I’ve stalked for the last six months. And assembling my squad?  I’ve been waiting to be able to start asking my girls since I said yes.

It’s fun to be the one asking. I get to experience a tiny sliver of the nerves and excitement Cody talks about when he was getting ready to ask me.  Totally planning on a fully emotional girl-power gush-fest of a post about the bridal party once they’ve all been asked properly and (eee!) hopefully say yes so I better get going!

Here goes nothing! 

AHHHHH!!!!  I opened my email to get Cate's newest post and may or may not have almost caused Ant to drive off the road when I yelled in surprise/excitement!! I couldn't text Cate quick enough to say YES YES YES (with lots of emojis).  I am honored she asked, and I can NOT wait to be a part of their day!!