Adventures in and Around Fort Worth

You may or may not have heard about CrossFit. If you do it, you probably love it. If you've only heard about it, you may be intimidated. I tried it out and am here to give you the scoop. Is it hard? Yes. Is it extremely fun? Yes. Do you ever get bored? No. I love physical fitness but have found running to be monotonous. I've never lifted weights or done pushups or sit ups because I think they are boring as well. I started running in Fort Worth events (Turkey Trot, Friends of the Trinity, Cowtown, etc) to change things up and reach new goals. I even bought a bike to mix it up a bit, but I always find that I'm looking for more.  Like a puppy, I need to get tons of energy out or I'll be running in circles in my living room. I finally found something that engaged and challenged me on a new level when I started a bootcamp two months ago. It focused on core strength and the trainer changed the workout every session. I thought it was really fun but was bummed when it...

Memorial Day is a solemn holiday organized to remember those who died for our freedom, but it's become a day to grill by the pool, spend a day at the lake or take a long weekend vacation. Have we forgotten the cost of a free country? Maybe the original meaning of Memorial Day has faded from our consciousness. While war rages on in the Middle East, we could stop and remember those who made it possible for us to enjoy Memorial Day festivities. Those who died became martyrs for our freedom and are the reason we don't live in fear every day. And I guarantee they don't get a day off of work in Afghanistan. Memorial Day was traditionally May 30 every year, but the government eventually moved it to the last Monday of May so people could have a three-day weekend. Some say this further distracted us. Maybe it's how the holiday is marketed that distracts us. Whatever it is, let's put our flags out and at 3 p.m. on Monday have a moment of silence to remember the dead. ...

It's summer and time to get out of the house! I'm always looking for things to do outside and after a little research I found some hiking trails that I can't wait to check out. I stumbled on the website Trails.com: Your Guide to the Outdoors and looked at what they had on Fort Worth. There are a bunch of hiking trails all around us! You'd think I would know that as a native, but alas we get lazy. Click here for some information on a bike route that takes you through historical Fort Worth. For other  hiking trails and maps click here . Lake Mineral Wells Trail My roommate in college used to spend weekends hiking and camping at Lake Mineral Wells State Park (click name). She grew up in New Mexico and Canada where the outdoors are appreciated a little more. She told me how beautiful it was and that I should check it out. Now that my life is settling down a little bit, I think I will. The Fort Worth Nature Center looks like a promising stop!  I have to thank ...

One restaurant you must try when visiting Charleston is Fleet Landing. It has a great atmosphere on the water, and the food is even better than the view. Check out our awesome orders. Best biscuit I've ever had ... really Fried oysters on a bed of cheese grits smothered in barbecue sauce.  "The best thing on the menu," our waiter said. This is a whole flounder, scored and fried with the skin on. I know, I know, but the skin adds texture that made this treat incredible.  Vanilla Bean Crème Brulée  View from the balcony

Rarely can I justify spending $100 on myself for dinner, but I didn't feel one ounce of guilt at Charleston Grill  on King Street in South Carolina. The food here was an experience, an explosion of flavors, a culinary roller coaster ride.  I knew it was going to be good when the chef brought out a complimentary taste that was already one of my most memorable bites of food. It was a taste of what is to come. Above is a piece of jumbo lump crab meat served with a yellow tomato gazpacho jelly, vanilla sea salt and lemon crème fraiche. I wanted this for my dinner, but it wasn't on the menu. We started with the Foie Gras, which was sitting on sauteed apples smothered in a bourbon-cider sauce. To the side of the of the fatty duck liver was a cake doughnut also smothered in the sauce. The little white blob is a creamy, buttery mascarpone. This dish was divine and not like anything I've had before. We took a little bite of the foie gras with a little bite of dough...

I heard one time that the best way to travel is to do what you love to do at home in the new city you're exploring. So I eat and jog. My adrenaline is up, my mind is sharp, and it's much quicker to get around when I jog. I also feel that I absorb more around me when alone, so this is a great way to discover new territory before the rest of your crew gets moving for the day.  This morning I wanted to explore the tiny peninsula that is Charleston. I also wanted to see water because oceans make me happy. Below is a description of my route to give you an idea.  I jogged down the west shore to the Ashley River and traced the edge of the water back up the east side of the peninsula that faces the Atlantic. I then jogged Broad Street across the peninsula back to where I started. I didn't have a definite course mapped out — I just went for it. Below are some sights I saw along the way. Cool flowers that look like fireworks. Hydrangeas light up almost every home in this moist ...

We arrive to Hominy Grill early to beat the lunch crowd and good thing we did — the wait at noon was 45 minutes. The place was more low key than I imagined given it's mentioned in a national food magazine on a regular basis. It was quaint and fitting for a romantic southern town. The specials were written on a chalk board (side note: soup of the day ... tomato bacon), and the waitresses wore khaki shorts and tee shirts. When the menu came I was already drooling. Things like the fried green tomatoes, grilled eggplant and herbed goat cheese sandwich, and the pecan-crusted porterhouse pork chop with spiced peach sauce had my taste buds running laps in my mouth. I knew what we had to do. Each of us ordered something different and we all got to taste something. Below are the heavenly items we got to sample. Picnic Sampler: pimento cheese, shaved country ham, okra pickles, picked eggs and toast.  That was the best pimento cheese I've ever tasted. I can't stop thinking...