Food and Travel – Kristi My Dao

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Reflecting on 25 Blog Banner Header Image

Reflecting on 25

I’ve made it another year around the sun. It isn’t a crazy thought, but I’ve had such a great year. The crazy thought is that it will continue to get better, year after year. Since my word for 2023 is relax (I’m still working on it), instead of setting goals and intentions for this coming year, this blog post is going to highlight five things that happened that made 25 so good.

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The Tiny Collection of Things I Bought at Tempe Marketplace

Most people would just call this a “Tempe Marketplace Haul,” but I don’t think I bought enough to call it a haul. Plus, it didn’t take me a lot of effort or force to get it, and it wasn’t stolen or possessed illegally (I’m referencing Google definitions of the word haul). So while the title might be long, I think it is more accurate.

While everyone is out shopping for Black Friday Deals today, I am soaking in time with my family, but I’m definitely going to talk about shopping. During my time in Phoenix, someone I met recommended that I visit Tempe Marketplace while I was in town because it was a quickly developing shopping center. And I decided to go, after I forgot to pack a moisturizer and saw that there was an Ulta in the place. After spending a couple of hours at Tempe Market, just what did I buy?

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The Weekend of Feeling Like a Woman

At the beginning of the semester, I kind of considered delaying starting graduate school. Why? The Ladygang announced their tour, and I immediately wanted to go and be a groupie, because I absolutely love them. Their podcast is the good part about my weeks, and no show is ever the same because the crowd is never the same. So I considered it for a minute, but I already enrolled in my classes and I couldn’t forget how hard I worked to be in graduate school.

But this past weekend, I got to live out my groupie dreams. I picked up tickets to their last few shows in Phoenix and Denver (because Los Angeles was sold out). So that’s what I did this weekend, and while I missed Asanti, he’s the best for reminding me how important it is to treat myself in the midst of all my hard work.

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The Weekend That Weakened Me

I feel like no one ever plans to get sick, but getting sick this past weekend put a damper on my spirit. Why? Because I was in a city that has always been on my bucketlist. It’s the country music capital, Nashville, Tennessee, baby. While I didn’t really go out to any honky-tonks, I was very happy to be able to take in the energy of the city in my short time there.

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A Worthwhile Wedding Weekend

I love having my own space, because there was a time when I didn’t get a lot of time for myself. However, since moving in with my boyfriend, I really miss him when he travels for long periods of time for work. Luckily, the second he came back, I had him all to myself for a whole weekend. A fun one too, since we had plans to attend a wedding with his family.

Keep reading if you want to travel with us down to Dania Beach (because I know reliving it in my mind will be what gets me through this week of working a lot).

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My Trip Advisor Guide to Disney World

My Trip Advisor Guide to Disney World

Oh my gosh, it’s Disney Plus Day, but I have to say that I miss going to Disney World. You can make fun of me all you like for being a Disney adult, but Disney played a big role in my college career. Which still feels very fresh, because now I’m in the thick of it again with graduate school.

That’s also the same reason I haven’t gone back, because I don’t know if I can afford it right now. So for Disney Plus Day, I am going to share my personal favorites when it comes to the parks, from my favorite places to grab a bite to my favorite rides, and some of my magic tips. If you get the chance to go, maybe my suggestions will add a little magic to your trip.

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Tampa Time in June 2022

So this weekend wrap-up is coming a little later than I expected, because I needed Monday to recover. Why? Instead of having a whole weekend in Tampa like I originally intended, I ended up traveling back and forth all in one day. Other than that, the weekend was pretty uneventful, but if you want to know all about it, you should keep reading. You might just read about how I react when I meet someone I consider famous.

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Spring Has Sprung Favorites

Before moving to Florida where summer feels like a year-round season, spring was my favorite season as a child. I distinctly remember being in second grade, and the teacher was trying to teach us about the basics when it came to polls and how those numbers worked for math class. She went around and asked us what our favorite seasons were, and got very annoyed when I raised my hand to tell her that she missed me because I was the only one that stood up to vote for spring. While it no longer holds the same place in my heart, I thought that talking about some of my favorite things that spring has to offer will give me something to look forward to this season.

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My Hometown Date to Maryland

Call me a love sick dork, but my boyfriend literally went out of town yesterday and I am this puppy waiting by the phone waiting for every update. There was no way that I would have been able to go though, because this trip had been planned for his graduation before we even knew each other. It has just been rescheduled to now due to the pandemic. That being said, before the pandemic hit, I was lucky enough to have had the opportunity to have him bring me back to his hometown. In honor of Maryland Day, I am going to share those memories today.

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Visiting the Oldest City in America

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I am off to St. Augustine for the day with family as you read this, so I thought I would reflect on my first trip to St. Augustine to celebrate the occasion. While the standard Florida kid went to St. Augustine in fourth grade, I passed on it because money was tight. But it worked out for the better, because I got to take my boyfriend on a surprise date around the city, so keep reading for the highlights of our little getaway.

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