Five Guys

Is it just me, or does everyone want to go out to eat when you get back from vacation? Not only is the fridge completely void of food, but you haven't had to wash a dish in forever and don't plan to start now. So when Boyfriend and I passed the new Five Guys on the way to grab dog food, vacation-mode called and we had to stop by.

I've never had Five Guys before. From my understanding, it was the east coast/ Midwest answer to In and Out; freshly made burgers and fries. Keep is simple, fresh and fast. To my surprise, it was kind of hilarious inside the restaurant. 

First of all, the supplies (potatoes, peanuts, bread) are openly displayed on the floor. The kitchen is completely open and every order comes in a paper bag. Plus they have a bucket of peanuts that customers can take a scoopful and snack on for the five minutes it takes them to prepare your burger. Hilarious and awesome. 

There's something so liberating about eating roasted peanuts and just haphazardly dropping the empty shells where ever you like. Granted, I don't know if that's how this place works, but that's how Boyfriend did it. Therefore, my lemming-like personality proceeded to duplicate this carefree style of snacking. That is, until the waitress asked if I'd like her to clean my mess up for me. Embarrassed, I blushed and replied with a sheepish, "No, I got it." and swept all my shells of shame into a pile on the table.

Free peanuts

Boyfriend had a Cheeseburger with everything on it and an order of traditional fries. I got a Little Cheeseburger with Cajun fries. BTW: the fries they served us were good, but they gave sooo much. I got a regular (the smallest size they had) and it was about the amount of 2 large McDonalds fries. 

"Little" Cheeseburger with "small" Cajun fries

My first bite of Five Guys

I do have to give it to this place, the burgers are delicious. You can really taste how fresh everything is and the beef flavor really comes out in the burger. However, the bread was sub par, nothing compared to the toasted In and Out bun. One thing Five Guys has on In and Out is they have hot dogs. I'll have to stop by again to give those a try.

-Akemi-chan

Hardy's Reindeer Ranch

Every year after Thanksgiving, Boyfriend's family makes the trek down to Hardy's Reindeer Ranch in Rantoul, IL. It's the annual celebratory, "Ready-Set-Go!" to the marathon that is the holiday season. Christmas has always played second fiddle to Thanksgiving in my heart, probably due to the Thanksgivings with loads of family members and the Christmas vacations spent in Las Vegas. Or maybe it's the pie, probably the pie. But it's easy to feel the holiday cheer when you come to Hardy's.

Besides the reindeer tours and hay rides, neither of which I have participated in, Hardy's has an eclectic gift shop, a cafeteria and (this was a novel concept to me) Christmas trees you can pick out and cut yourself.

Growing up in Hawaii, picking out a Christmas tree meant going to the local church or supermarket parking lot and selecting a pre-cut tree that was shipped over from God knows where. But at Hardy's it's completely normal to walk around  what I assume is a Christmas tree patch, and select the perfect tree for your living room. Chopping it down yourself is acceptable but not necessary. I managed to find the perfect Charlie Brown Christmas tree, but of course it's just sprouting and will be a beautiful specimen in the future.

Merry Christmas Charlie Brown

You can barely see it, but it's right next to me

It's always cold at the reindeer ranch. Flat farm land means high winds and nothing to block the November chill. I opted for a typical early-Winter outfit of leggings, boots, sweater and coat, plus a little hat.

Coat: Guess

Sweater: The Gap

Sequin tunic: Express

Leggings: Style&Co, Macy's

Boots: Bare Traps

Beret: D&Y

Necklace: Banana Republic

Inside the gift shop, there is a wide array of specialty, sometimes kooky, Christmas decor. With a warm furnace in the middle of the wooden shop, you can sit back and warm up with a cup of apple cider while others pick out the perfect ornament. The glitter, sequins, feathers, shine and glass create an almost discoball-like shimmer over the wooden-paneled walls and floor. The eccentric decorations remind you that the holidays are as much about laughter as it is about celebration and togetherness.

Boyfriend's sisters warming up by the heater in their festive garb

Decapitated reindeer salt and pepper shakers :-/

Boyfriend's new apron

Nose to nose

Mermaid ornaments

Riding the reindeer

Goofing on the playground

Bird nest and berries

Tree scouting

A victorious Boyfriend with our new tree

After picking out the perfect tree, we all gather in the cafeteria to enjoy some lunch. On the menu: nachos, hot dogs and pulled pork parfaits. Wait, what? Let me explain. A pulled pork parfait is like a parfait made of soft serve ice cream and various caramels and chocolates, except it's made with savory lunch foods. Layers of BBQ sauce, pulled pork and mashed potatoes in a cup, topped with a cherry tomato. A hungry girl's treat with a twist.

Pulled pork parfait

Hot dog with Chicago style nuclear green relish

After lunch, we got to meet Huckleberry, the ranch's other four-legged resident. A beautiful golden retriever and playful to boot. When he came up to say hello, we were snapping some pictures and he tried stealing Boyfriend's glove. Sadly, Boyfriend lost this tug of war match and Huckleberry got a souvenir of his own.

As the sun set on another day at the reindeer ranch, we said our goodbyes and drove into the sunset... with our tree sticking out of our back seat window.

-Akemi-chan

Flying back to Champaign

It's been an eventful and wonderful week in Hawaii, but all good things must come to an end. I left Honolulu to fly back to Champaign, Illinois on Black Friday. It's usually an emotional flight leaving Honolulu, but this one was especially hard.

This is my first Thanksgiving home in at least three years and so many things have happened since that time. My niece Kailee was born, my Grandfather passed away, people getting married, a cancelled wedding, friends and family moving back to Hawaii and moving away from Hawaii. Bob Dylan was right, "Oh, the times, they are a changing."

Flying to Honolulu took approximately 11 hours including the layover. On the way back, it took about 16 hours, ugh. One layover in LAX and another in ORD. I'm very thankful there were no delays.

The descent into Los Angeles was amazing. It was incredibly foggy, but the clouds were so low that the skyscrapers were peaking out from the mist. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture, but it looked like downtown LA was emerging from a cloud lit by Christmas lights. Gorgeous. 

Foggy Los Angeles

Next stop Chicago. I miss O'Hare International airport. Since American Eagle flies to Dallas, I hardly get to fly through Chicago when I'm heading west. But on my way home, I get to sped some time in Terminal 3. 

It's like Home Alone all over again

One of my favorite spots to relax in ORD is Argo Tea. I, admittedly, am not the biggest coffee fan. My whole family takes their coffee black and boyfriend can drink a whole pot of coffee in one siting. For me, not so much. I'm a tea girl. Luckily for me, Argo Tea is began serving a new hot tea drink called Ginger Peach Spice Tea. Sooooo good. Hot, spicy, soothing and a little sweet, not to mention the ginger tickles the tongue. A perfect accompaniment to my Egg McMuffin.

Breakfast of champions

Fluffy cloud over Central Illinois

While waiting in the multiple airports, I managed to finish the third book of the Sunny McCoskey Napa Valley Mystery series. Sunny only got me through a few flights and layovers before she solved the mystery. It's a rare occasion that I pick up a book, finish half of it, pick it up again and finish the rest. It's those easy to read mystery novels that makes the time fly, so I had to switch it up.

Book three, complete

A few months ago, my Mother attended a fashion show/ live makeover at a mall in Honolulu. The show was hosted by stylist Clinton Kelly, one of the stars of our favorite show, The Chew and co-host of What Now to Wear. I've been watching The Chew every day for several months and been following WNTW since I was in Middle School. Needless to say, I love Clinton Kelly... and so does Mom.

Luckily for me, my Mom bought his book Oh No She Didn't, and even scored me an autograph. Sweet! I can't believe she got to meet him. Initiate jealous scowl.

The fabulous Mr. Kelly

Hey! That's me!

This book is hilarious with a capital H. Addressing the common fashion faux pas with an aggressive, yet kooky sense of humor, Kelly's chapters are paired with an equally obscene and funny pictures. I almost busted out laughing in the middle of my 30 minute flight from Chicago to Central Illinois.

-Akemi-chan

Hawaii Day 7: Thanksgiving

Sometimes there are no words. Just good times.

Mom's ham

Mom's fruit jello

Merlot at Uncle's house

Uncle's backyard

Hawaiian style: shoes outside

Brother sleeping during football

Thanksgiving lunch

Grandma Kay and her grandkids

Family picture

Thanksgiving dinner

Kailee and her nomz

Grandma Jane and her grandkids

I'm so thankful to have spent this holiday with my family. To health and happiness! Cheers!

-Akemi-chan