Emerald Isle, North Carolina + Bellevue, Washington
We have a new podcast! Or rather, we’ve moved our daily episodes to a new feed. So go subscribe to The Daily Happy - our daily 10 minute catch up session that reflects our #whatsyourhappy affirmation - there is something to be happy about every day, and while we are not here for ignoring the world around us, we are here for bringing the inspiration and the joy!
AND WAIT FOR IT…..
We now have a website for our forthcoming web series, Live from [Blank]! Check it out and follow along! We were featured on NewsNation for our travels on the #10KDrivewayTour across 16 states!
Alison’s gotten into audiobooks, much to Lulu’s elation! We love books so much, we did a whole episode about books. And you can check out our favorite books here! Alison is currently reading/listening to I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara. If you are into true crime, she highly recommends it!
Lulu’s current preferred medium is movies, specifically Kung Fu movies. She loves the fight choreography in martial arts films, especially old ones, where it’s just an incredible art form without special effects. Specifically she recommends Enter the Dragon and Unleashed.
Lulu is wishing for her computer that she left at home while on her work trip, though perhaps it was the universe’s way of making her take a break from the digital world. She’s been reading books instead.
Alison’s wishlist is one from her “save for later” portion of her Amazon cart. She would love this headstand support bench because as coordinated as she is, she can’t even do a headstand against the wall.
Lulu is going for her beach house dreams with this ‘Let me count the waves’ rental. Floor-to-ceiling windows in this oceanfront home make it seem like you are one step away from being a mermaid. You literllay step out of your house to the pool, then pass the pool to be on the beach. There's a large deck around the pool with plenty of sun loungers, two outdoor showers, and a game room with a foosball table. If you want to migrate indoors, there is a screened-in porch, 6 flat screen TVs to enjoy, or you can retreat to one of the five coastal-decorated bedrooms. This place rents by the week only, and is available year-round. The weekly price can be anywhere from ~$2600 to ~$7800 USD, Lulu's booking came in at 4K.
Lulu goes for breakfast at The Trading Post where the southern comfort food could bring on a post-brunch nap back at her pool, but she pushes through to her first activity, hitting the water with Blown Kiteboarding.
Next on Lulu’s seafaring to-do list is fishing off of Bogue Inlet Pier. But she has an idea for a bit, and she’s going to need some partners for this. Lulu flies in Alison and Ash, so that the whole #Team10K can be together in this coastal town. She also hires actor Michael Tourek - who’s been a 10K Saturday guest to join in on the fun!
First she takes everyone to lunch at Snapperz, where the group indulges in some seafood nachos, homemade clam chowder, and lots of fried oysters! They also have some vegetarian salads which she so kindly researched for the veg member of the group. Oh and she orders ALL of the desserts. That's literally our dream here at 10K Dollar Day, to be able to go somewhere and order all the desserts. At Snapperz that means the group is sampling key lime pie, apple dumplings, white chocolate blueberry cobbler cheesecake, chocolate lava cake, and peanut butter pie.
Okay so for this comedy bit she’s brought everyone in for. They head out on the pier, purchasing daily fishing passes with four rods each for $25 per person. Alison and Lulu start out on the pier, and Ash and Michael are going to be below the pier. We are going to play a bit of a trick on the other pier-goers. Alison and Lulu have their rods and start chatting about how they’ve never fished before.
Meanwhile below the pier, Ash is affixing an UGG Sienna rain boot to one of their lines. After they reel the rain boot in, they reel in a watering can, loudly exclaiming how they are “catching” the oddest things. Then they start to struggle with their lines, it seems like they’ve hooked a big one! Fellow fishing friends gather round to help and cheer, and when they finally haul in their catch, it’s a drenched Michael on the end of it wearing a damp yellow nylon bucket hat! Funny, yes? No? Hopefully they’ll get a lot of laughs, either that or be politely or not-so-politely asked to leave the pier.
Dinner is at Kathryn’s Bistro and Martini Bar, where it's likely we will all order a seafood dish for our meal. More important than the meal however are the martinis. There are 39 martinis on the menu... and four of us. We embark on the great martini-off, equipped with a poster board and sharpies, ranking them with a bracket system, going one by one until we have a winner. Both Lulu and Ash are big gin fans, and Alison will drink anything, so we're predicting the "Gin Harmony" might come out on top. However the "Pistachio Martini" with amaretto, blue curacao, bailey's, shaved chocolate and…no pistachio(?) sounds just peculiar enough to put up a fight. Once we land on the winner, Lulu buys a round of it for everyone there plus a round for the kitchen. Most of her 10K this week went to booze and we are not mad about it.
Alison is heading to Bellevue, Washington where she books an Airbnb boasting 5 bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms, and has the flashy descriptive title $8 Million Waterfront Luxury Home. Don't mind if she does. There are multiple dining and living areas, a gourmet kitchen and a professional chef's kitchen, in case you wanted to have your whole stay catered! The rental boasts plenty of outdoor space to love, like 122 ft (~37 m) of private water frontage on Lake Washington with a private dock, though you do have to bring - or rent - your own boat. Depending on the weather, you can also enjoy the heated pool and hot tub. This place comes in at an average nightly price of $1600 with taxes and fees. She got such a big space because she's bringing a few people with her...
Alison has a very specific group getaway in mind. She is flying out Justin Lore, his partner Ricky Cona who we've had as a #10KSaturday guest not once but twice! - and Karla Hartley, who was the guest googler in our episode Soup or Bust!
This lovely travel group (troupe?) is starting their day in Bellevue, Washington at Bellevue Zip Tour. For just $85 USD each, they get to spend their morning exploring hikes, suspension bridges, and seven different zip lines. Talk about a thrill!
After that adrenaline rush they head to Cactus Restaurant in Bellevue Square for brunch. Alison orders mimosas and boozy coffee for everyone, as well as some classic brunch dishes with a bit of a kick thanks to some southwest flavors. Their eggs Benedict has hatch green chiles in the hollandaise sauce, the french toast is made with Mexican bolillo bread, the chicken and waffles come with habañero-infused honey...you get the idea.
Alison has budgeting $600 each for everyone to go suit shopping! Why does everyone need a new suit? Well, this is why the group is here!
When Ricky was on our #10K Saturday series the first time, in October of 2019, his "wishlist" was to get married. Two months later he and Justin were engaged! Obviously with the ongoing pandemic, their wedding date keeps getting pushed. Knowing how much stress and frustration that has brought them, Alison decided to *imaginarily* whisk them away to Washington state for Valentine's Day, and has Karla with them to officiate their *imaginary* WEDDING!
First things first, she needs a location. She found this gorgeous chapel on Airbnb for $2500, and with its beautiful natural lighting, decides the theme is "all we need is love", foregoing any floral or decor expenses.
For the reception they head to Sea Star Restaurant and Raw Bar. They feature a new meal list for their family-meal-to-go, and this week it's red wine braised beef short ribs, caesar salad, parmesan and black pepper gougère, cremini mushrooms and assorted vegetables, and a chocolate pot d' creme to finish. She also gets several bottles of wine, because this is a celebration!!
Alison rents a room at the Hilton Bellevue for her and Karla, that way Ricky and Justin can have the Airbnb all to themselves on their *imaginary* wedding night.
Happy *imaginary* wedding day, you guys!
CHECK OUT THE CHARITIES WE FOUND IN THE CITIES WE VISITED:
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