How About a Little Bit of my Charlotte Travels

Hello cupcakes! 

I've had quite the fall break! I flew out to Charlotte Friday to see my boyfriend. For my new readers, he moved to Charlotte in May. It was 8 weeks since we saw each other last. Here are some photos 

from my flights:

This picture was from my takeoff from Fort Wayne, IN. It was an early flight, but the sun peeping through the clouds was absolutely beautiful. 

The clouds during my flight were so cool! It looks like a bunch of cotton candy floating in the sky! Doesn't it make you wish we could all jump on the clouds?

It's pretty funny seeing the difference in the land from Indiana vs. North Carolina & Georgia (I had a layover in Atlanta for 3 hours). The picture above was from takeoff in Fort Wayne. The bottom two pictures were from Atlanta and Charlotte. The land in Indiana reminds me of a quilt with a bunch of different patches. The south has so many more trees and mountains. 

Friday when I arrived, Cory took me to my favorite hiking spot. It's called Crowder's Mountain. It's about 30 minutes from Charlotte. The view at the top is amazing. I love taking panoramic pictures up at the top because they seem closer to the actual view than a regular picture. 

This picture below is my favorite from the day! 

Last time we hiked up it was too foggy. Friday couldn't have been better weather.  We actually saw uptown Charlotte from the top! 

We sat on this rock towards the ledge for a long time just soaking up all the peacefulness and calmness from above. It brings me such happiness sitting next to Cory and relaxing. I made a mug on Shutterfly with a picture from our previous hike up Crowder's Mountain. I told Cory I was going to make him one this time. So, he took a photo of me so I could put this photo on his mug. 

Saturday morning we made brunch! Cory cooked the bacon and I made the potatoes and eggs. Here is Cory's plate: 

Here is mine: 1 egg, 2 pieces of bacon, potato bake (green peppers, red onion, jicama, potatoes, Trader Joe's every day seasoning, and coconut oil- chop up and bake in the oven at 400 degrees until tender. Place oven on broil to crisp up the potatoes at the end). I topped mine with mustard. I also made cold brew coffee for Cory! That was the first time he's had it and he approved. 

Look at that bacon though! Cory bought really thick cut bacon this time and it was heavenly!

I made us some banana slices to snack on while we cooked breakfast. I sliced bananas and topped with Trader Joe's cashew butter. I sprinkled the top with unsweetened coconut. These are the perfect little snack. 

Saturday was a raining day in Charlotte. We went to the IMAX theatre and watched The Wire. It was an interesting movie, but I don't recommend watching it in IMAX. I would much rather watch an action movie there! 

After the movie, we went back to Cory's apartment and made some shrimp! It's so easy to make. I defrosted a bag of frozen shrimp (from Trader Joe's) in the sink with hot water. Once defrosted, I heated a skillet on the stove top. Once it was hot, I added a little coconut oil. I placed the shrimp in the skillet and topped with trader joe's every day seasoning. Cory added some of his beer to the skillet to bump up the flavor. Once the shrimp are no longer translucent, that means they're done! These turned out so good! We also had leftover potato mash from breakfast. 

For breakfast Sunday, I used the left over potato mash and added kale and an egg for a wonderful breakfast bowl! Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. The purple potatoes add so much color to my food pictures! I love it <3

I had to include this picture because I think it is just too cool! When Cory was driving, I looked in his mirror and saw Charlotte. I told Cory to lean back and I snapped this beauty! I wish it showed more of the skyline, but I can't complain. I can't wait to get a picture of the skyline during sunset sometime. I will make it my goal to get an amazing sunset skyline picture when I move here. 

Sunday afternoon Cory and I went on an adventure to Freedom Park. According to Google, Freedom Park is the "Central Park" of Charlotte. The park was everything I thought it would be and more. It takes up 98 acres! There is also a 7 acre lake in the middle of the park. We parked at a nature museum, and this was the bridge over to Freedom Park. 

This is the 7 acre lake with the paths all along the outside of it. There was also a fountain in the middle. 

This is a cute bridge that takes you to a performance stage. I'm guessing they have concerts and performances there. 

This is what this park has to offer:

• 4 baseball fields
• Batting cages
• 12 tennis courts
• 4 soccer fields
• Full-court basketball court
• 2 volleyball courts  
• Concession stand
• Bandshell 
• 2 playgrounds
• NFL Play60 KidZone
• Walking trails/paths
• 5 outdoor shelters with grills
• Connects to Little Sugar Creek Greenway

Cory and I took a Frisbee with us and stopped to toss the Frisbee in this lovely shaded area. The atmosphere at the park was pretty cool. Everyone was there doing their own thing whether that be reading a book, painting, running, walking, riding a bike, or playing with their dog. The weather was perfect as well. We also drove around this park to check out all the cool houses. There are so many huge brick houses in this neighborhood.  

After our park adventures, I talked Cory into taking me to Earthfare. This is a grocery store/cafe type place that I have been dying to try. Taralynn (Simply Taraylnn) keeps mentioning this place on her blog, and of course she never disappoints! This place was amazing. I told Cory he had to get me out of there before I bought everything! We both made salads at their salad bar. This is what mine looked like. I added some homemade guac and pumpkin tortilla chips (from Earthfare) to my salad when I got home. I wish I could eat a salad from that place every day. 

Sadly, today is my last full day in Charlotte. Tomorrow morning Cory has to take me to the airport before he goes to work. Today I am going to go to his apartment gym and get a good full body workout in. Then, I think I am going to study for a midterm I have coming up in a week. 

I hope you all enjoyed your weekend and Happy Monday! Don't forget, "It's a beautiful day, don't let it get away." 

Later Taters! xoxo