Wastin away in Indian Wells

We have been quite the jet-setters this summer, some for fun - but many for work.  Well, one of the work and play trips we got to take this summer was for FEA {The Fraternity Executives Association} and the location this year was a Indian Wells, California.  What a beautiful place - yes, it's HOT.  118 to be exact. But the landscape was something out of a movie - open desert, beautiful rocky mountains, sprawling golf courses and plush resorts speckle the desert oasis and make the heat worth it {well, almost}.  We were there for a week - leaving on a 6am flight put us in California just in time to snag some In & Out burger for lunch!

Now, I'm not usually the cheeseburger master - but this my friends, is one heck of a burger!

The first night we arrived we had the pleasure of staying in a casita at the LaQuinta Resort and Spa - and man, did we luck out!  Check out some pictures from this beautiful place...

Our room! {well, half of it anyway}

Our private balcony!

The lush gardens.

Our pool!

We even got towel animals.

This was one of the 36 tennis courts... and check out the mountains!

....and we had one relazing day at this pool before moving on to the Hyatt Grand Champions Resort.

This place was awesome too!!

A very different feel at the Grand Champion... much newer, and lush - more open and just as wonderful!

And, I'm pretty sure I ate these tocos for lunch every day I could!

We worked alot, ate alot more. drank. swam. worked. played golf. went for some runs. networked. worked some more... and enjoyed a small little vaca very out of the norm for us.  Heck, our golf team even tied for second! {yes, we played in 118 degrees... it's dry heat - yea, like that matters! ha}

The trip was a blast... but on day 7, we were ready for Virginia weather... and all of us were happy to head home!

Cheese!

Well, Hello!  I just want to say I am SO sorry for ditching my blogging for the last two months... or month an a half anyway.  I have been from conference to conference and trip to trip... and little time to come up for air in between!  I finally finished my last big one of the summer - which I was working - so I am happy to be back to free time and blogging!
I wanted to take a moment tonight and talk about one of my most favorite topics {yes, this means food} and more specifically cheese!! I will admit - my love for cheese was not just something that came to me one day - it's really kinda scary how it's so much a part of me.  I realized this just last week when my folks were up for a visit. My parents don't just eat a lot of cheese - they could probably live off of it. They really should have bought stock in the stuff, they buy that much!  To this day, we actually have what has been dubbed the "cheese drawer" in the fridge and only cheese is aloud in {and yes - it's always full}.

So, during their visit to southwest Virginia last week we did the classic vineyard and brewery tour - but the highlight of the trip was a stop at the Amish Cheese Shop in Stuarts Draft, VA.  This place is amazing!!

They have every flavor you could wish for - Swiss, cheddar, pepper jack, brie, Colby, American.... and many non-traditional ones filled with jalapenos or rosemary or basil. The list goes on and on.... and the best part, they cut it and package it right in front of you! You can even ask for samples!

We had the best time on this trip... and came away with plenty to stock our "cheese drawer" at home.  And the best part - we only paid $11.  So, if you're ever driving through Southwest Virginia - take some time to stop at the Cheese Shop - it's worth your time and will give your taste buds a nice treat!