ben & jerry's ice cream factory

a month or so ago i went to vermont to watch my good friend graduate from med school. it was a nice weekend -- the weather was awesome, i got to hang out with some of my favorite people, and we had the opportunity to see some pretty cool places.

csv spent four years in burlington, vermont, but in all that time she never went to the ben & jerry's ice cream factory. crazy, huh? so in her last 48 hours, we went. and not only did i get to try a fun new flavor, cinnamon yum, but i also learned some valuable ice cream making tips. 

 

tip #1: make your ice cream flavor but let it sit overnight before putting it in the ice cream maker and freezing it. it will help the flavors meld and become even more awesome.

tip #2: freeze your ice cream fast. by this i don't mean put it in the freezer very soon after making it (although you should be doing that), i mean get a freezer that gets/is very cold. so that when the ice cream is put into the freezer it becomes solid and super frozen super fast. this will prevent ice crystals from forming and will help with both the flavor and consistency of the ice cream.

now all i have to do is convince rcg to let me buy a mega awesome freezer!

unfortunately we went on a weekend, and even though they still hold tours you don't actually get to see them making the ice cream. (super bummer.) but it's still worth the trip, especially for the huge ben & jerry's fans out there, because each tour ends with a homemade flavor that isn't on the normal menu. and they have an extensive shop that sells most, if not all, of the flavors that b&j offer. delicious. 

what's your favorite ben & jerry's flavor?

(mine is mint chocolate cookie!)

52 lists -- week 20 -- list your summer goals

my biggest goal this summer is to plan the bodanzalez boda. which is no small task. we're still trying to figure out the wheres & hows of it all, but we have lots of ideas. it's just making those ideas into reality that we need to work on.

ps. for those who didn't already know, the wedding will be in tucson, april/may/june 2014. check back on my blog for updates on planning and for the unveiling of our wedding website.

another big goal of mine this summer is to finally relaunch my blog. when i first started talking about it earlier this year, i only had baby ideas of what i wanted to do and how to do it. but as the year has progressed, i've done a lot of research, learned new things, and come to some conclusions. so now it's just a matter of finding the time to sit down and make changes.



what are your summer goals?

springtime in the desert

omg, guys. it’s spring! almost summer, really. but it’s not yet 90+ degrees, so i think it’s safe to call it springtime still. and holy macaroni, it’s beautiful. all of the cacti and trees are blooming and my allergies have gone mad. 

a couple of weeks ago a friend of mine from college, the super awesome one who will be starting at the mayo clinic in june, came to phoenix to search for an apartment in scottsdale. we spent most of the weekend doing that, looking at apartments and making pro & con lists, but we took a little break to go hiking at gateway pass near mcdowell mountain ranch. it was a gorgeous day, with blue skies, so after a little sunscreen application we set off on our walk. and we were amazed at the beautiful scenery. 

  

the more i travel around arizona, the more i realize just how stunning the desert can be. most of arizona is flat and covered with cactus, but every once in a while there will be an outcropping of hills, that while brown and ruddy looking, are just awesome in their beauty. and unfortunately, just like on our salt river tubing trip last summer, i don’t think my camera, or any camera, can ever quite show how pretty it really is. but take my word for it, it is. and to see these already magnificent hills covered in yellow flowers, red ocotillo buds, and purple cactus blossoms was awesome.

 

  

what does spring look like where you live?

as the sun sets...

arizona has amazing sunsets. (check out some that i've witnessed here) but there are few things more beautiful than watching the sun set over a beach or from the deck of a boat. 

all of these pictures were taken during our trip to the mayan riviera -- i hope you enjoy!

  

where is your favorite place to watch the sunset?

ice cream & sunshine is on facebook!

i took the plunge. 

i started an 

ice cream & sunshine

facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/icecreamandsunshine

(like me!)

so nervous.

i actually started it in august. 

(i was bored.)

but i was too nervous

to publish it.

so i waited. 

and then i got bored at work

and decided to publish it. 

perfection be damned. 

i'm still not 100 percent sure

why one needs a blog,

a facebook page,

an instagram,

pinterest,

tumblr,

etc.

but now i've got all of those.

basically, i own social media.

now i just have to wait for the 

followers and adoring fans

and i will be set.

because i'm pretty sure

those people who blog for living

have it made.

and i want to be one of them.

bad.

ps.

http://instagram.com/vmboda

http://pinterest.com/vmboda/

http://vmboda.tumblr.com/

kiss of the rose

rcg's tattoo is done. 

 

isn't it pretty?

wiener wednesday

it's baseball season, y'all. 

the nationals are doing AWESOME -- 

regular season record: 43-30*

nl east standing: 1*

win percentage: 0.589*

*as of this post

that's right. 

number 1. 

awesome. 

too bad they are on the east coast. 

but we do live in a small(ish) town

which means

minor league baseball.

the tucson padres.

we went to see a game last night.

it was wiener wednesday.

this may be my new favorite day of the week.

$1 hot dogs.

all night.

we bought a lot of hot dogs.

and then we watched some baseball.

it was a good night.

phase one is complete.

everyone has tattoos. 

well, it seems like that at least. 

obviously i do.

(you can check out my other one here)

but rcg does not. 

or rather, 

he didn't.

so last saturday

we headed down to the local tattoo place

and he got one. 

ps. there are A LOT of tattoo places in tucson.

i'm pretty sure i can name 5-7 that i can walk to.

and it's pretty cool.

harrison is hard at work.

check out his portfolio here.

but it's not done yet. 

give it a month; 

it is going to look even cooler.

at the drive in.

it has been my longtime desire to go 

to a drive in movie theater

i mean, 

who doesn't want to sit in their car

with their sweetheart

and watch a movie?

losers,

that's who.

i finally got the chance to do it.

in mexico. 

(weird. but also, awesome.)

we really wanted to rent a car

 

but we didn't.

lame.

instead, we sat in the back of a friend's van.

less cool.

but they did have old timey

concession stands

which was very nifty.

they also had old movie trailers

and the dancing popcorn and soda commercial.

we even had our own personal speaker.

the whole things was pretty bad ass.

and to top it all off,

we saw sin city.

an incredibly bad ass movie.

rockstar.