I love to LOVE my Barefoot Dreams robe! It’s fabulous! Oprah highlighted this on her “Favorite Things Shows” a few years back; and my aunt bought them for all the women in my family. This is one the best gifts I have ever received! One of my favorite things to do, is to wrap up in this unbelievably soft robe and a cup a tea and enjoy a classic chick flick! It doesn’t get much better than that!
I love to love the Indiana State Fair! Most people think this is crazy, they hate the State Fair, but I love it! I have been going to the Indiana State Fair my whole life. It brings back so much nostalgia as soon as I walk through the gates. This is really hard for my husband to understand. Since he didn’t grow up here, the first thing that he gets when he walks in the gate is a whiff of the animals 
. What I love most about the fair is the food. I don’t waste my time with any of the fried candy bars. I head right for the ribbon fries. So good! I also usually get a grilled cheese and milk shake from the dairy barn, but this year I tried something new. Jason and I got pulled pork sandwiches from the pork tent. They were delicious! Sort of weird to walk through the pork barn and then grab a sandwich, but good none the less. My favorite new thing this year was the LAMAS! So fun, I loved seeing them up close and personal. Aren’t they the weirdest animals you have ever seen? If you have never been to the State Fair, go next year, you’ll love it!
Oh how I love to LOVE Ina Garten. She is so fabulous! Her show, Barefoot Contessa, is my favorite on the Food Network. She has a fabulous life. She lives with her husband Jeffrey in the Hamptons. Her show revolves around her life entertaining her friends and family. She really knows how to throw a party. What I love most about her is she pulls off elegance with such ease. Whether she is hosting a Sunday morning brunch or a Friday night dinner for Jeffery, she loves cooking and especially for those she cares about. She also writes cookbooks. I own Barefoot Contessa Parties, Barefoot Contessa Family Style, and Barefoot Contessa At Home, buy them here. My favorite is Barefoot Contessa Parties, but they are all great! I will warn you, her food is not South Beach approved . She doesn’t skimp on the heavy cream if you know what I mean, but once and a while, a decadent meal is pure bliss!
I have to say that thing I love to love most about Ina is her story. She was working in the WHITE HOUSE office of Management and Budget during Jimmy Carter’s administration, and decided she needed a change. She wasn’t doing what she loved. She went out on a huge step of faith and bought a speciality food store in the Hamptons, without any experience to draw from! Talk about brave! She spent 18 years running that store, Barefoot Contessa before she sold it. Once she sold the store, she started writing cookbooks and began new endeavors on the Food Network. That inspires me! Even though she had a fantastic job at the White House of all places, she didn’t settle for doing something less than what she really loved. We all could learn a little from that.
To finish off my travel week, I love to love my L.L. Bean Large Personal Organizer Toiletry Bag. I bought this bag in 2004 before I left for a 2 1/2 week backpacking trip through Europe. I knew that I would need something large enough to hold all that I would need for 2 weeks, but compact enough to fit into a backpack. I also knew that I would want it to hang and display all of it’s contents; because I didn’t want to be unpacking and packing my toiletries at every stop. This bag seemed perfect, and it was. I use this bag every time I travel and it still looks like new. It is very durable and extremely handy. I knew someone who gave this to all the groomsmen in their wedding. What a great gift! This runs around $30.00 and you can buy it here. Happy Travels!
In the spirit of travel week……I love to love my Travelpro Luggage! I have owned alot of luggage in my life. This by far is the very best luggage I have ever owned! Jason’s dad got me hooked on this line. He used to travel all the time, domestic and international trips. His luggage had alot of miles on it, but always looked great. During one of his trips, his luggage got damaged. He mailed it back to the company and it was either fixed or completely replaced free of charge. I was like what kind of luggage company does that? Well, Travelpro does. The warranty is just one of the reasons that I love this luggage. I also love all of the compartments that our suitcases have and how much the design makes sense. You can put clothes on hangers right into our suitcases, they have a whole way for clothing on hangers to fold in without the clothes getting wrinkled. Also, the suitcases are so sturdy. They roll perfectly every time. We never have problems with the adjustable handle, and the zippers never fail. Overall, I would highly recommend this luggage. It is a little expensive, but if you travel alot, I think well worth the investment.
I love to LOVE Cincinnati, OH! Jason went to college in the city, and I went to college about 45 min north at Miami University. I had traveled here several times with my family when I was younger to head to a Red’s game, but it wasn’t until college that I fell in love with this city! The thing I love to love the most here is the food! I salivate thinking about Montgomery Inn ribs, Graeter’s Black Raspberry Chip Ice Cream (which will be it’s own love to love it soon), and LaRosa’s pizza! All things that are uniquely Cincinnati, which I love! The skyline at night is so beautiful, wouldn’t you agree? I love that this town is so familiar to me. This place truly feels like our second home!
Oh, I love to love Chicago, IL! I am ashamed to say that I never visited here until AFTER I was married and I have lived in centreal Indiana all my life, rediculous! Along with all the fabulous sights to take in, we are so lucky to have friends and family that live up there that we can see when we visit. Some of my favoirte things in Chicago are of couse the Magnificent Mile, Navy Pier, and ANY Giordano’s! I also love Schaumburg, with Woodfield Mall, IKEA, the Container Store, and the fabulous Strees of Woodfield. Our last trip up to Chicago was to see our great friends Tony and Lisa and their three kids. We met for Giordano’s and then headed to a Cubs game. So fun!
I love to love Maui! In 2003, I was so lucky to join Jason’s family on a family vacation to the island! Little did I know that I would leave the island engaged! Yes, this is were Jason proposed. Pretty good right?! He’s awesome:)! I won’t go into all the details, just ask Jason, he’ll be glad to tell you the whole story of how it happened 
. I will tell you that I LOVED the hotel we stayed in, the Hyatt. It is one of the most beautiful hotels I have ever seen! Maui is unlike any place I have visited. It is truly paradise. One week is not enough here, you really could use about 15 days to take it all in. My favorite part of the island was how beautiful everything was. The ocean is so blue, the vegetation is so green, the flowers are lovely, and the weather is perfection. By the way, there are no bugs. All the restaurants have their windows open, but no screens…..because, there are no bugs! I love to love that. Maui could not come closer to a more perfect vacation spot for me! I hope I will get to go back one day!
I love to love the country of Haiti! This certainly isn’t a glamorous vacation spot, but it is a beautiful country that holds a very special place in my heart. I had the honor of traveling to Haiti this spring with a team from my church. While we were there, we helped to build a home for a family and provided dental care to over 60 patients. I feel in love with the people and the dream of what could come for this country. Poverty and sadness is everywhere in Haiti, but for those to know God there is a since of joy in spite of their circumstances. I can’t wait to go back SOON and be a small part of the things God is doing in this beautiful country.
I love to love Hilton Head Island, South Carolina! This island is awesome! I have had the pleasure of visiting three times. My family vacationed here a few times on Spring Break when I was younger and a friend of mine from college got married here last spring. The island has so much to offer! It of course has great beaches, but it also had alot of other things to do. One of my favorite parts of the island is that you can ride a bike almost anywhere. Also, there are tennis courts, golf courses, great restaurants and fun shopping. A bonus for us midwesterners is that is is closer that Florida. My favorite area of the island is Sea Pines, it has a great beach club and nice neighborhoods to walk/bike through. Hilton Head is simply fabulous, can’t wait to get back there!
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