Kitty Deschanel | Food, Wine, and Travel Adventures in an Airstream Basecamp

In addition to blogging about holiday gift ideas ( find here ),  I'm jumping on the end-of-year collage bandwagon. 2019 was a struggle. Although there were many good times, like traveling to  Australia  and San Antonio, adopting Olive , attending wine festivals , and even buying a '73 Corvette (which needs lots of work - ask me in 2020 if I'd still consider this a positive), the last few months have hit me hard with the sudden death of Pica *, my grandma passing away, and my best friend overdosing herself into a coma. In the midst of all this, my longtime coworker quit without notice. And it seems like everyone is having a baby, which shouldn't bother me but it does.  Ugh, change. *Pica and I were just sitting on the couch together. She got up, went to the next room, and died. I still can't believe it. I'm trying to stay optimistic about 2020. Hey, it's the roaring twenties! We have a trip to Washington, DC booked and plans to build a lake hous...

I have had my eye on the cutest pair of shoes . They have dogs on them! They're even marked down in a year-end sale. However, they are not in stock at any stores near me, so I'll have to trust that I'm ordering the correct size online. I also need to know they're high quality, authentic, and comfortable. (I'm old - my years of wearing painful shoes just to look pretty are long over!)  As fate would have it, I was recently contacted with a guest blog post about this exact topic - buying shoes online . If that's not a sign that I should buy these shoes, I don't know what is. Unless...it's a sign that I should not buy the shoes? I never much believed in that stuff anyway. How to Buy Shoes (And Be Happy With Your Purchase!) Knowing the Shoe Fits A footwear shopping experience varies from one individual to another. Some shoppers take the time to check out a pair of shoes thoroughly before checking out, while others pick theirs based on appearance, shoe size,...

Christmas Movie Trivia   We all get into the Christmas spirit (even my boss, who is Jewish), but no one takes it quite as far as my coworker. She encourages our patients to wear her musical hat, but with one rule - they must also dance. Even the most sullen teenagers join in! As profitable as running this blog is (ha ha), I have a "real job" working for the best Albuquerque pediatric dentist . Next month will mark 15 years with her - I was practically a baby when I started! I've been working on some fun holiday Facebook posts for our patients to enjoy, including trivia questions about their favorite Christmas movies.  I originally published everything at once and was disappointed when no one reacted or commented.  Then Facebook suggested again and again that these were such great posts that I should  pay to turn them into ads. Well no wonder none of our patients responded. Facebook hadn't allowed anyone to see my holiday posts! If that doesn't get your...

The secret is out. During last year's Wine & Wagyu Weekend, every vehicle (trucks, trucks, and more trucks) at the Angel Fire Resort had a Texas license plate. Texans love to escape the heat in our little mountain getaway of Angel Fire, NM. And who can blame them?  This year, however, we saw license plates from Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, California, Arizona, Kansas, and even Florida. Florida! When planning your own vacation to the Angel Fire Resort for 2020, be sure to book your Wine & Wagyu tickets in advance. Both of the 2019 dinners sold out! Despite this, it never felt crowded or rushed.  My husband and I are picky. When attending this event the previous two years, we have always been aware of little aspects of the food and wine festival that could be improved upon, such as the menu or the music volume or the timing of events. Well, not this time. Angel Fire and the Wine & Wagyu Weekend have really hit their stride.  Here's a taste of the fun you...

In keeping with the theme of the last 5 months, which deserves a depressing blog post of its own, I expected this Thanksgiving would be a disaster. A depressed person does not make a great party host. Still, we borrowed tables and chairs and made plans for a large family gathering. Menus were printed. I bought these plates on clearance at Macy's last year. Aren't they delightful? The little pumpkins are from Cost Plus World Market. This year, the menu doubled as a place card. (Side note: I put extras aside for next year...and just now realized they say 2019. Whoops!) Keeping an eye on the news, it seemed many people across the country were having their holiday plans affected by storms. We were no exception. Half of our overnight guests arrived. SN's parents were able to make it through the wintry weather but his brother and our sister-in-law had to cancel. The drive from Nebraska was too treacherous.  As far as an excessively wiggly Olive was co...