Aloha

Work has brought me to Hawaii for 10 days.   Time for work and play to mix?  Only time will tell.

The good news about Hawaii is that their meeting rooms are not underground, they have windows, and sunshine 276 days a year.  Here's to opening that conference room door and catching a breeze!!

To start off the trip we had our hotel precon, an orientation meeting with the hotel before the event, in their restaurant outside!  Much better than your typical conference room.

You can follow this newlymed on twitter @newlymeds or instagram @kellunger for some picture updates.

Hike

The Newlymeds hadn't had an adventure in a while (mainly because of hectic work schedules), so we decided to plan an activity last weekend.

We wanted to do something that involved being outdoors, because we have had the most gorgeous weather here in Texas lately.  We did some searching and found a hiking trail.  Who knew there was hiking close to our relatively flat urban community?  We drove to the Cedar Hill Trail, a mere 30 minutes away.  This was much shorter trip that our previous East Texas adventure.  The Preserve is one of the the last natural spots in the area and we enjoyed a slightly challenging hike on a beautiful sunny day.

{Texas Trails}

{Cherry Blossoms}

Long Weekends

Want to know the secret to long weekends? 2 nights out, one night in!  Here is how to throw a small dinner party, while still enjoying that full lazy Sunday.

Newlymed note: This also works for a fun and low key Friday IF you have time to hit the grocery store after work.

First things first.  Pick easy recipes that don't take a lot of prep time. Bonappetite is a fantastic resource.  I recently picked a shrimp and pasta dish.

Next, hit the grocery and take a friend with you.  Not only does it cut your time in half, it's much more fun!

Then, rinse, chop and boil the second you get home.

Last, pour the wine half way through the prep. Your guests will not realize that time is passing and dinner will be ready before you know it!

Wa la! Here's the full recipe for Penne with Shrimp and Morel Mushrooms.