roxbow

dog day afternoon

2012-02-28T09:31:00.001-06:00

we took the pups to white rock dog park on sunday afternoon - it was so perfect. i love going to this one because of the beautiful scenery and also since it has separate parks for big dogs and small dogs. bowie LOVES the dog park...every dog is his best friend and he just raaaaan and raaaan around. roxy, however is always less than thrilled. she's just not that into other dogs. she totally just stayed on the bench with us, and when i put her down to socialize, she rested her head on my foot and looked up at me as though i had thrown her in a shark tank. she's such a little pansy ;)

photo from my instagram. follow my photos @stephiejane!

music monday - junk of the heart (happy)

2012-02-27T10:51:00.001-06:00

you can't not feel a little happiness listening to this :)

enjoy
xxoo

really?!?!

2012-02-21T10:33:00.000-06:00

pretty much says it all!!

i just love amy poehler :)

"DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!"

the loot

2012-02-15T11:21:00.001-06:00

since i beamed about how i love to see what the kiddos got at school on valentine's day, i thought i'd show you the loot. here are my beautiful niece's madi & kate with all the goodies...

lots of cards and yummy candy...even a white chocolate-covered fortune cookie! who can frown at that? no one, i tell ya.

why yes i do love valentine's day

2012-02-14T16:08:00.000-06:00

stephen and i haven't really celebrated valentine's day in a while. since he was in school and working in the service industry, there was just never really time for it. don't get me wrong, we've given each other chocolates and shmoopy cards and stuff, but the going all out thing just wasn't in the stars for us. but i never was like "oh god i haaaaaate valentine's day!" because i wasn't able to celebrate it with my love. maybe it's because no matter what, i always knew that he was my valentine on this and every other day. maybe it's because really, i am a sap! i like the cards and balloons and teddy bears and all that...down to the little debbie heart-shaped snack cakes. and i especially like that the kiddos do all the fun stuff like card swapping and little roses and secret admirers and such. i think it's adorable. i can't wait till my sister sends me a picture with my niece's loot from school today!

on the flip side, i can appreciate that if you're single or just in a bad relationship, that you could grow to hate this day. so have a night to yourself! there's nothing wrong with a little self-love, especially if it involves movies and ice cream...and wine...or whiskey, whatever you prefer. but for real, it's just one day that everything is red and pink and hearts all over. if you want, just crawl into a hole and ignore it till tomorrow, trust me, it will be gone. next thing you know, it will be mardi gras and we can drink and feast to our hearts content, and then st. paddy's day, and then memorial day and so on and so forth. and hopefully no one will rain on those parades for you. so here, i'm just gonna say it. please stop raining on my valentine's day parade! i fully plan on celebrating this day with stephen and we will be one of those mega-annoying couples going out to dinner tonight - for the first time in years! i will probably even wear something valentine-related. i'm that cheesy.

if you're in love, embrace it. if you're single and loving it (or not loving it) embrace it. it's all up to you. but, from me to you, happy valentine's day. xxoo

(post inspired after viewing the "worst thing about valentine's day"...along with some other hostile facebook posts)

music monday - hurry hurry

2012-02-06T09:52:00.000-06:00

can't stop listening to jessie baylin's new album "little spark" - here is the first single. it's dreamy :)

"hey, i got something to say to you...man!"

2012-02-02T10:12:00.000-06:00

"i break for birds, i rock a lot of polka dots! i have touched glitter in the last 24 hours! ~~i spend my entire day talking to children~~...and i find it fundamentally strange that you're not a dessert person, that's just weird and it freaks me out! and i'm sorry i don't talk like murphy brown and i hate your pantsuit; i wish it had ribbons on it or something to make it just slightly cuter...and that doesn't mean that i'm not smart and tough and strong!"

amen, jess. new girl is definitely a new fave of mine, and this quote from tuesday's episode really struck me, because i feel that's really me (besides the talking to children all day part...). and i feel like saying those things sometimes... yes i carry an oldschool volkswagen metal lunchbox, and it's fun and awesome! i dance in my chair at work when i'm listening to happy music, i have an affinity for saying "woo hoo!" and yes i have a mustache tattoo (yes it's real), i think its hilarious! stop taking yourself so seriously!

(photo)

live in the present

2012-02-01T10:56:00.002-06:00

this morning i started my day with a much needed sunrise yoga practice at my beloved studio with an awesome instructor. in the beginning of class she talked about not holding on and harboring feelings about things in the past, not worrying about the future, but being here, now. living in the present. i know it sometimes can be cliché, but i've really been struggling with this lately. there is so much uncertainty in my future, and so many things in my past that i can never seem to let go of, that i forget that there is this beautiful day right at this moment. i really need to focus more on the things that are happening right now, instead of fretting over everything else.

it is so easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle of life and lose sight of everything around you at this very moment. i need to work on not stressing over the things i can't change or control, tensing up when trials come my way and instead just letting everything come to me, move through me like my breath.

own it, embrace the chaos that is the present, breathe and let go of all that anxiety and worry. namaste.

(photo of my lovely friend alice, the mountain yogi)

5 days in Boston - full recap!

2012-01-27T10:28:00.002-06:00

Our trip started earlier than any human should be awake,with a drive to DFW at 4 am. With a short layover in Chicago, we were in Bostonin what seemed to be no time. We arrived to our apartment on Temple Street tomeet the owner to “check in” and were already loving the neighborhood andnoticing immediately that I would probably not be getting any wear out of theheels I packed. Our apartment was at the top of a 4-story building with noelevator; the stairs were steep and small and as Stephen said “probably didn’tpass code.” But it was an adventure nonetheless. The place itself was reallycute, small for an apartment but bigger than your typical hotel room, and hadall the amenities you would need for a short-term stay (they even had AppleTVwhich came in handy and lots of Boston books and guides). There was also arooftop patio which was nice just to check out, but I’m guessing would be muchnicer in the spring or fall.

We immediately wanted to walk around Beacon Hill and moreimportantly, find some food! The journey took us over to the original “Cheers”bar (actually named the Bull & Finch Pub) and of course this was one of thethings on our list. The beer wasdelicious and cold and the food was ok – but we didn’t go for the food, we wentfor the experience and so that was worth it. To anyone going, I would recommendeating somewhere else and only going to enjoy a pint at the bar…specificallysitting at “Norm’s” spot at the set bar upstairs, that was pretty cool. Did youknow that the sun sets at 4:15 pm in Boston in the winter?! Well we found thatout the first night, while we journeyed home through Beacon Hill. We stopped ata few shops on Charles Street. Aftertaking a short nap, we ventured back out to the Red Hat, which was literallyjust around the corner from our place. They were having 10 cent wing night sowe took full advantage of that while watching the Celtics play.

Side note: at almost every pub, we had the Sam Adams BostonBrick Red which is only available in Boston/New England. For every pint sold, an additional donationis made to Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream Fund – delicious andsocially conscious! Win/Win.

Wednesday

Wednesday began with a journey to the T (Boston’s subwaysystem, and the oldest in America) at Government Center (and a pit-stop atDunkin’ Donuts, of course). We took the Green Line to Fenway and only got onone wrong train so I would call that a success. We did the Fenway tour and it was amazing. The guys who ran the tour,you could tell were lifelong locals and Red Sox fans and had the mosthilariously awful jokes (“they decided to call them the Red Stockings becausethey needed more runners!” ….see what I mean?). Our guide was Ed and he was so knowledgeable and funny we had a greattime. We learned so much about the team and stadium, and that they recently goton the National Historic Registry, so they will never tear down or drasticallychange the park. That is very awesome. I also got to see the iconic CITGO signthat resides outside of Fenway – it’s quite the sight! I was impressed with howclean and “new” looking it was, seeing as it’s been there since 1965. As aCITGO baby, I had to marvel in all its glory for a few minutes.

After the tour – and a nice little stop in the gift shop –we took the Orange Line to Stony Brook to find the Samuel Adams Brewery. Only a quick detour later (hey, when you’recoming out from underground, it’s easy to get turned around!), we arrived atthe Brewery and signed up for the 3 pm tour. Since it was only 1:30, they letus know that the Party Trolley would take us to Doyle’s for a pint and somefood if we were so inclined, and that if we ordered a Sam Adams there andshowed them our stamp, we would get to keep the pint glass for free (rent thebeer, buy the glass, as our trolley driver said). Doyle’s was the very first account for SamAdams – it was also featured in Mystic River, Celtic Pride and the BostonCommon TV show. The beer of course was delicious, but the food, oh my, the foodwas amazing. Their chowder was the best we had all week, and we had it 4different times/places. And they had a lobster roll special that day that justblew me away. Maybe I just have neverseen that much lobster on a sandwich? Maybe I’ve never seen huge, chunky portionsof lobster for under $50? At any rate, I was blown away. Delicious. Back to thebrewery on the Party Trolley! (the Trolley driver had I (heart) Southiestickers and played “Sweet Caroline”…it was quite the experience) The touritself was incredible and I would highly recommend it to anyone. First of all, it’s free, with a suggested $2donation. Our tour guide Lauren wasenergetic and hilarious. We got to tastethe barley, smell the hops, and later taste a selection of their beers…and keepthe tasting glasses!

We met some friends on the tour and ventured back with themto Faneuil Hall area, caught a street performance and grabbed a bite in QuincyMarket. After, we went pub hopping to the Purple Shamrock and then toHennessey’s where they had live band karaoke…of course I had to participate (Me& Bobby McGee, in case you were wondering). We parted ways with our newbuds and went back to the Red Hat to enjoy an Angry Orchard cider (also by SamAdams) before calling it a night.

Thursday

Today we decided to journey over to Cambridge to see theHarvard campus, particularly the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts building,which was the only building in the United States designed by Le Corbusier. Wegot to walk around inside and take tons of pictures and Stephen was in aweseeing such a designer that he has admired and studied for so long. Walking around the campus was justamazing. We came across Memorial Hall,which was absolutely breathtaking. Thehall commemorates the patriotism of the graduates and students of Harvard whoserved in the military during the war for the preservation of the Union andupon the tablets inside are inscribed the names of those who died in service.We ventured around the rest of campus and out to Massachusetts Ave. to see thesights and find a bite. After eating lunch at Daedalus in Harvard Square, wewalked around the city some more. Eventually we spotted the MIT Museum where we happened upon a postcardwith a Frank Gehry-designed building on it – we asked where we could find itand turns out it’s an MIT building only 2 blocks away! Needless to say, we wentimmediately and spent a lot of time marveling at his incredible design. Apleasant surprise to say the least!

After heading home to rest our feet, we decided that we’deat at the Upper Crust Pizzeria in Beacon Hill, where I had purchased aLivingSocial deal for some weeks before. Walking to the restaurant was nice andvery pretty along the Boston Common. After arriving and ordering, I began tofeel faint and my heart was racing. Instead of eating there (it was a cute, very small place, where thestaff were not friendly but the food smelled delicious), I asked if we couldtake it to go and head back to the apartment. Nearly 2 hours later I felthorrible…so bad, in fact, that – after seeing the fear in Stephen’s eyes at howbad I can only imagine I looked – I decided that I would need to go to thehospital. Luckily our apartment was justa block or so away from Boston General Hospital. We took a cab there and rushed into theemergency room. (I should mention I have high blood pressure, so that promptedme to take the speeding pulse, swelling hands and feet, and extreme nausea,seriously.) As it turns out, my heart rate and blood pressure were through theroof. I waited in at least 4 rooms andmy nurse, Barbara, was incredibly helpful in calming me down. As we found out (4.5 hours later), an overthe counter decongestant reacted badly with my blood pressure meds and causedmy heart to race and basically I went into a panic, causing everything else tospiral out of control. What fun! And really, what’s a better way to get to knowa city than to have a panic-stricken trip to the local hospital? We got homeabout 2:30 a.m., I heated up our pizza, which ended up being delicious, andwent straight to bed. I believe Stephen stayed up and had a beer or two :)

Friday

Well nothing quite gets you back feeling better like IVfluids, so I felt much improved from the night before and we headed out to seethe John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum near the UMASScampus. It was a very beautiful venueoverlooking the Old Harbor with lots of interesting stories and artifacts toview. The entire design and content ofthe museum was overseen by Jackie and Caroline, which explains why there wereno mentions of his philandering, the Bay of Pigs, or any other indiscretions…asone of the guides noted, they “protected him completely and fiercely.” Stillthere was much history to be seen. I especiallyenjoyed learning about the inception of the Peace Corps, the Kennedy familylife, and all of the incredible gifts that world leaders presented to them.

We walked along part of the Freedom Trail, viewing the siteof the Boston Massacre, over to Faneuil Hall to grab a bite at the BostonChowda Co. (another LivingSocialfind!) The chowder was pretty good, thelobster roll was really good, but the best thing was the lobster bisque, yum!The hall was so incredibly crowded so we ate and left to explore elsewhere. We found the Union Oyster House, Boston’s(therefore the country’s) oldest restaurant. We had a pint of Sam Adams Colonial Ale, which is brewed ONLY for theOyster House, and it was delicious. We then wandered the streets and cameacross what seemed to be a farmer’s market that they have set up in that areaon Fridays and Saturdays…then we saw guys who had fresh clams and oysters. We ordered some oysters, they shucked them,and we ate them right in the streets with their homemade cilantro pico de gallo.It was incredible!! Then we continued our trek over to the North End (afteradmiring the Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge) and headed through the Italianneighborhood streets to find the prized cannelloni, as so many others weretrying to do as well. We decided onModern Pastry over Mike’s, although both had lines out the door. Modern was tiny but had an incredibleselection. We got the plain cannelloniwith ricotta filling and chocolate dipped cannelloni with vanilla cream filling– both were amazing. We headed back through the farmer’s market for moreoysters (yes, they were THAT good) and then went to the Bell in Hand Tavern foranother pint before heading home. TheBell in Hand is the oldest tavern in the U.S., so it was fun to see more ofthis history.

That night, we had reservations at Grotto, a tiny, romantic,Italian restaurant just around the corner. We met the general manager, Matt, at the Red Hat a couple of nightsbefore and he promised an unforgettable experience. Matt did not let us down. Grotto was amazing. We had the most deliciousmussels I’ve ever had in my life, Stephen had the butter poached lobster withlinguini in spicy tomato sauce, I had the pan roasted diver scallops “ravioli,”and we topped it off with the melting chocolate cake, which was nothing shortof mouth-watering. The service was excellent (he even sat us with a server fromAustin!), and their prices are good especially for the quality and size of thedishes. We finished the night off at our“place,” the Red Hat, where we had become quite comfy with the regulars and thebartender Christy. I also had a lively argument with a gentleman about why theSaints and Drew Brees are the best in the NFL, not Tom “Pretty Boy” Brady andwhatever that team is, can’t seem to remember the name (yes i do realize the irony5…. All in good fun... What a night!

Saturday

Well our time had come to an end. We packed our bags, walked to Whole Foods fora spot of breakfast, took pictures of our adorable apartment and street, andheaded for the T to take us to the airport. One final Boston experience: wedecided to hop into Legal Seafood at Boston Logan for a cup of chowder, undersuggestion of many people, just to makesure we weren’t missing out on something special…and we weren’t, Doyle’s wasstill the best.

With some good travel luck, we made it back to Dallas intime to celebrate New Year’s with our friends.

It was a memorable trip to say the least, so much history,so many things to see…so many we DIDN’T see, therefore I believe we will begoing back (probably more than once!). We loved Boston, and although I’ve heardsome people say that it can be a “mean city” I found nothing of the sort. Thepeople we met were nice, and other than the ER visit, we didn’t have a singlebad experience! (And even then, Barbara made that experience not so horridafter all.)

So, cheers to Boston, it was a wicked fun time!

hello? is it me you're looking for?

2012-01-26T09:01:00.000-06:00

sorry i've been away...it's not you, it's me. honestly i've been meaning to write for weeks but every time i get a spare minute, in a blink it's gone again! i could give you all the excuses but would rather not bore you with that and just jump back in, if it's all the same to you!

also, i haven't had a bit of time to be reading any of the lovely blogs i follow, so i hope you're all doing well...and i hope to be catching up with all of you soon.

ok let's recap what's happened since i was last here:

the brutal, 7th circle of hell summer ended in dallas, and fall kind of began
i entered into my last year of my 20's
halloween in dallas including zombies

i had surgery on my hand, that was fun! (also on halloween)

thanksgiving in tulsa
stephen graduated!!!

(pause for applause)

christmas in houston
a fabulous trip to boston (which i will recap fully for you...hey, you deserve at least that!)
happy new year!

and now we're here...

thanks for bearing with me. i hope you'll stick around...as i know i have more to say, and have an idea of how i want to say it.

oh and roxy and bowie say HI!

world war ii memorial

2011-07-20T10:13:00.000-05:00

my friend and i wondered over to the national mall last tuesday in dc so we could see the beautiful monuments & memorials at night. i had never seen the ww ii memorial and it was a touching, beautiful tribute to those heroes and our allies.

i found it particularly poignant and tender to see the sweet note from a child to one of our soldiers currently at war (bottom left). the field of 4,000 stars (bottom right) honors more than 400,000 lives lost during the war - it was absolutely breathtaking, especially with the reflecting pool below.

such a wonderful experience to see this.
i'd like to dedicate this post to my peepaw and grandpa who both fought in the war, and died before this memorial was ever built. i visited for you both, you would have been so honored!

straight trippin'

2011-07-18T11:05:00.000-05:00

last week i was in washington dc for a conference (stephen got to tag along for some fun!) and i am spending some time catching up on things here, there and everywhere. i've got plenty to share so to start, here's miss roxy trying to come with us...i told her how dog-friendly they were in dc the last time we went and she totally wanted to join...

photo taken using diptic and instagram :)

the commissary

2011-07-08T11:32:00.000-05:00

wednesday night mom came in town for a little mom/daughter time, and after a little shopping and a fun pedicure, we decided dinner was in order.

we picked stephen up and headed to the commissary - a new(er) restaurant in dallas' lovely one arts plaza. the food and service were both fabulous. i tried the special which was tempura fried scallops served on sliced avocados and a delicious sauce. mom got the crabcake burger - it was so good and was mostly just crab meat which was a nice surprise (you know when you get that crab cake and it's all filler? not this one!), she also tried the sweet potato tots which were adorable and yummy. stephen had the tandoori burger - lamb with a tzatziki sauce served in a pita, alongside their skinny fries - delectable.

we enjoyed wine and great conversation, but were just too full for dessert...i guess that means we'll just have to go back, right?! i hope to also go back when it's a bit cooler, as they have a really beautiful outside eating area on the plaza.

if you're in dallas or stopping by, i recommend trying this fun, delicious place, and maybe even enjoy a show or concert or head to the museums afterward, since you're in the largest arts district in the nation!

so i just posted about last weekend...

2011-07-01T09:19:00.000-05:00

and it's already friday again! woo hoo! yay for a quick week :) we've been busy busy this week, had some dear friends in town last night and plan on having a nice, long weekend...we will be visiting friends again for the 4th and getting in some more, much needed lake time!

what are you kiddos up to this weekend?? pool times? lake times? inside staying cool times? :)

either way, i hope you all have a fabulously awesome long weekend!!

CHEERS!

(photo from our sushi/sake adventure with friends last night)

a few weekend photos

2011-06-28T09:31:00.000-05:00

this weekend we headed out to the lake with my family. fun in the sun, doggies on boats (bowie is a hilarious swimmer!), fishing with the girls, good food and great company. here are a few of the highlights:

grilling on the boat

magnificent sunset

s'mores!

all in all a lovely weekend :)

thank you all for the sweet notes about our anniversary...it has truly been an adventure so far, i can't wait for more!

xoxo

year 6

2011-06-25T09:00:00.000-05:00

"if the sun refused to shine, i would still be loving you.
when mountains crumble to the sea, there would still be you and me."

happy anniversary to my love

(photo by the amazing abi)

have a silly weekend

2011-06-24T10:17:00.000-05:00

what are you all up to this weekend?? tomorrow is our anniversary (yay!) and we are going to the lake with my family...should be a riot since lots of fam are in town from far away!! the forecast calls for laughing till we cry, eating till we're sick, and drinking till we tell secrets we shouldn't!

hope you all have a sillyfun weekend :)

xoxo

(photo from the photobooth at the legendary may wedding)

furryface

2011-06-23T10:17:00.000-05:00

roxy & bowie getting their cuddle on :)

have a furtastic day!

xoxo

wonderful

2011-06-22T09:28:00.000-05:00

<p>&amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;gt;the &amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;gt;</p>the universe seems to be against me already this morning, what's the deal? anyway, i played this on my way to work and it was an instant pick-me-up :) hope you all enjoy!

"i'm going where the living is easy and the people are kind, a new state of mind..."

midnight in paris

2011-06-20T09:44:00.001-05:00

stephen and i went and saw this last night. i am in love. i seriously fell in love with this movie, it's characters, the city of paris (again) and the charming, magical story. stephen even loved it as well!! he got to put a lot of his art history knowledge to use :)

it's a star-studded cast with many surprises along the way and owen wilson is adorable and enchanting. the romance (not only with people but with art, music and the city) is palpable and the script is enthralling and witty.

now i'm no movie critic (obviously), but i would highly suggest seeing this if you have the time, you will love it, i promise. i can't wait until this comes out on dvd so that i can watch it over and over again!

best bonnaroo moments

2011-06-16T13:28:00.000-05:00

well friends, we made it back...safe and sound, all in one piece! bonnaroo was tons of fun. we met some great new friends and got to hang out with some long-time besties. while i could go on and on about all the great moments, i will narrow it down to 10, not in any order, but just 10 amazing moments :)

1. best show of the weekend - arcade fire, hands down (watch this video for the magic)
2. best artist outfit surprise - jim james of my morning jacket in furry white boots...
3. best late night show + best crowd - scissor sisters
4. most surprising guest on stage - kareem abdul jabbar with bootsy collins....i mean, really?!
5. funniest moment in a crowd - the guy who was enjoying his first funnel cake and asked me no less than 3 times "have you ever had a funnel cake?! do you want to try some???"
6. weirdest moment - string cheese incident, late night on saturday, there was a guy with a jet pack, a guy suspended from huge balloons and a gigantic t-rex...and a visit from the sexy sax man
7. song i never thought i'd see live - string cheese incident, sirens (i love that song.)
8. craziest moment at camp - sunday, bashing our neighbor's van with a crow bar...they asked us to!
9. magical musical moment from camp - waking up from a nap to hear buffalo springfield belting out "keep on rocking in the free world"
10. 3 words: food truck oasis.

in short, everything was amazing. something about being miles away from any kind of reality, bonding with thousands of strangers over beautiful music...it's just wonderful.

and that's a wrap :)

gone roo'ing

2011-06-08T08:45:00.004-05:00

well it's finally here, my vacation!! we are heading out today for bonnaroo music festival. while it kind of sneaked up on us (hello, where did may go?!), we spent the past few days getting everything together for our 4+ day camping and music excursion.

i can't wait to sit in the grass, meet new friends, listen to great music, and eat some delicious food (they are having a food truck oasis this year!!). just relaxing, miles away from reality....

so i hope you all have a fabulous rest of your week and weekend...i was so caught off guard that i didn't get to prepare anything fun for you....sorry! but i will be sure to recount everything (well mostly everything ;)) when we return.

see you after the farm!

(photo of the bonnaroo ferris wheel from here)

shock me like an electric eel

2011-06-07T09:32:00.000-05:00

last weekend when the fam was in town, we ventured over to city arts and while it was really neat, it was just too hot, so we escaped into the children's aquarium to get a little a/c. what a fun place!! it's a very small but entertaining and interactive aquarium. we even got to feed the sting rays!!

stephen with the electric eel

the whole fam gathered around the tank, feeding the sting rays - and stephen being too scared to do it! ha!

attempting another time :)

uncle stephen and miss paige and some creepy octopus arms!

and here is a nice little family picture with all the siblings plus paige

of course, at our favorite little taco place

good times with the family :)

meddlesome moth

2011-06-06T09:51:00.000-05:00

last weekend (memorial day wknd), stephen's fam came in town to celebrate the twins' 21st birthday. one of the brothers, nick, came in on friday to have a little extra fun time and i took him out on the town. his favorite restaurant here is the meddlesome moth (and who can blame him? that place is phenomenal!!). here are some of my fave shots from our delicious dinner.

yay for ordering tasty beers at dinner! 21!

eating their delicious "moth balls" small balls of ricotta with amazing texture, baked in a brown butter sauce and garnished with fried sage leaves.........heaven.

the pork belly - it's shredded, covered in a blackstrap glace and served over yummy corn pancakes.

the corn. oh the corn. mexicali creamed corn...enough said.

top it all off with the "moth sundae" using creamy mint ice cream from local creamery wild about harry's, bananas with a crispy sugar glace and topped with ghirardelli chocolate chips and peanuts...it was a sweet surrender and we were stuffed to the gills afterward.

all in all a lovely birthday dinner :) if you ever get the chance to visit the moth, do so and you will not regret it!

seahorses forever

2011-06-03T10:01:00.000-05:00

dear friends i've been in a whirlwind of activity over the past week and am starting to catch my breath a little. there is so much i need to catch you up on, and hopefully will get to do that over the weekend and before i go on vacation next week :) in the mean time, this little gem is from our weekend fun at the city arts fest at fair park, taken in front of the children's aquarium. if you've ever seen this video, you know why it's so hilarious (if you want to watch it now, the language is nsfw so use headphones! but i promise you'll get a chuckle out of it.).

also, i have been slacking on coming by your blogs too, i am missing my little blog friends and all your fun posts so i hope to be stopping by soon!

love love love

...

2011-05-27T09:39:00.000-05:00

i love this. it's from one of my favorite places on earth, my amazing yoga studio. after having a super fun practice yesterday, i remembered to take a pic of this little reminder on the door when you come in. no matter what kind of day i'm having, i always leave there feeling strong, joyful and replenished.

what replenishes you? where is your little slice of heaven??

epic girls night

2011-05-26T11:27:00.000-05:00

one of my dearest friends is moving away very soon, so our little group of girls decided to have one last hurrah on saturday...it was a girls' night of epic proportions. we had all of ginger's favorite dallas-local foods, made girly drinks like bellinis and frozen hurricanes, watched the shining and princess bride, made brownie fudge sundaes and even broke out the limbo stick at some point...it was definitely the girls night to end all girls nights, complete with sleepover and followed by hangover :)

gingy, we will miss you so, but our memories could last us a lifetime...and denver is just a phone call away!

so, what would be your best girls night??

twenty-one

2011-05-24T10:41:00.000-05:00

stephen's little brothers, twins doug & nick, are the big 2-1 today! they are coming in town this weekend to celebrate, along with the entire norsworthy clan, so it should be quite the event with everyone here! happy birthday to my little brothers-in-law :) love you guys

(along with being awesome little bro's and generally fun guys, they are amazing runners and this pic above was from their run for st. patrick's day last year, how cute!)

joplin

2011-05-23T09:49:00.000-05:00

my heart goes out to all of the people in joplin. this slideshow was sobering to say the least...having lived so close to here for many years, it's shocking to hear the news and see the pictures. if you are able, here are some ways to help those affected by the storms.

stay strong.

(photos from yahoo news, via ap)

royal hippie wedding of the century

2011-05-17T10:11:00.000-05:00

well it was more beautiful, fun and amazing than anyone could have imagined. i mean, we knew it would be fun...but there is something to be said about the bride and groom dancing the night away and playing on inflatable slides till the wee hours of the morning! live bands, taco trucks, l.e.d. hula hoops and flower girls in tutus, what more could you ever want?!

these are just a few shots from abi i snagged from her facebook page (be sure to "like" her and you can see more!). she is such a wonderful photographer and friend, such a joy to be around :)

my heart is overflowing with love and joy for fuzz and melissa, what a gorgeous, loving, & fun couple!! we love you so much!! xoxoxo

(melissa's beautiful gown is lian carlo for stanley korshak and the bridesmaids dresses are from modcloth)

fuzzlahomaroo

2011-05-12T09:35:00.000-05:00

sweet friends, we are leaving town today to travel to tulsa for our dear friends' melissa and kevin's wedding. stephen and i are both part of the wedding party so we are super excited to be part of what i'm sure will be an epic wedding day. melissa and kevin are the type of couple that when you're around them, their love is palpable but not in the "oh my goodness you're making me nauseated" kind of way. it's inspiring.

we have been friends with kevin for many years, and he was even our wedding photographer nearly 6 years ago :) to see his love for melissa grow over these past few years has been quite heartwarming. and to get to know and become great friends with melissa, has been a true blessing in my life.

we wish them strength and happiness in their new endeavor as an incredible married couple!

i can't wait to tell you about all the fun festivities...let me just say that i know a jupiter jump will be involved...

hope you all have a wonderful weekend!! xoxo

(photos by the lovely abi)

missing bowie

2011-05-10T12:36:00.000-05:00

as you know, bowie is staying with friends while roxy is on the mend. we have really been missing our special, scruffy boy. but good news! we'll be traveling on thursday and are taking both of our doggies with us!! i can't wait to have them both on this little adventure.

no worries though, bowie seems to be having a grand time at his foster home :)

feel the burn

2011-05-09T09:39:00.000-05:00

gone too soon, yet again...the weekend was quite fun. saturday was my little brother's birthday (he's 20...20!! gosh i'm getting old...) it's hard to be apart from family during big birthdays and holidays, but somehow we get through, right?! i celebrated his birthday by laying out at the pool too long and getting a vicious sunburn.

sunday stephen gave me some beautiful flowers from roxy & bowie and stuffed me with delicious breakfast tacos. after making our calls to mom, we went out to rangers ballpark to see them play the yankees...they lost but it was still a lot of fun! when i got home, i discovered that even though i put on 60+ spf sunscreen on all my exposed parts (day late, dollar short, i know) i had a bonus sunburn that occurred through my tshirt on my back. wow!! didn't see that one coming...

so the moral to this story is, put sunscreen, all over, no matter what.

how was your weekend??

frozen friday

2011-05-06T10:04:00.000-05:00

truth be told, i might have had one too many frozen margaritas in celebration of cinco de mayo yesterday! oh well, all in good fun :) it was really nice though to hang out at home and drink delicious margs with stephen! hope you have a fabulous friday and great weekend!

how do you take your 'ritas?!

the original hipsters

2011-05-04T11:06:00.000-05:00

hello lovely friends!! first of all, i want to thank you so much for your kind words & patients...it has been rough but may is already looking up so how about some positivity?! roxy got her sutures out this morning and other things seem to be aligning well in our lives...

ok, so have you seen this tumbler "dads are the original hipsters"? it is HILARIOUS, so true and awesome. if you need a little something to help you smile, head on over and sift through the pages. be sure to read the commentary, as that is the most important part.

hope you all are having a lovely week thus far! oh and it's may 4th....so may the fourth be with you :)

be nice & better things

2011-04-28T14:45:00.000-05:00

friends, sorry i haven't been checking in much!! it's just been such a crappy time...for lack of a better word. the entire month of april has been a mess. i'm so ready to start a new month and for new, better things to come along. so, with trying not to be a debbie downer, i'm bidding you adieu until may...mom always said "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all!"

here is my hopeful, inspirational song for better things to come: "baby don't be unhappy, baby don't be sad...better things are coming, i swear there's truth in that!"

(photo)

recovery & coming home

2011-04-25T11:11:00.000-05:00

well friends here is a little update on roxy. thursday when we went to see the neurologist, they ran tests and decided that surgery would be the best option and we had to act swiftly, as she was losing much function of her hind legs. thursday afternoon roxy went into surgery to have the calcified disc removed and cut away from the spine. while it was nerve-wracking and scary, i believe she was in the most capable and compassionate hands.

the doctors, technicians, and staff called us with updates around the clock. on friday afternoon i got to see her for the first time post-surgery. she was groggy from pain meds and it was quite shocking to see the incision with all of the staples in her back. saturday morning we went back to visit and she was much more alert and mobile. the doctor says that she is recovering exceptionally well and is very pleased with her progress thus far. this morning they called and said i can come take her home this afternoon!! i cannot wait to have her home for full recovery and many, many (extra gentle) snuggles.

since keeping roxy quiet and calm is key in her recovery, we will be letting bowie go stay with a friend for a little bit. while it's hard to not have him at home with us, he will have much fun romping around in a back yard with some new doggy friends.

thank you all for the kind words, prayers and love. i will continue to keep you updated on her progress!!

xoxo

love for roxy

2011-04-18T10:17:00.000-05:00

well friends i hoped that our story would change and i could come to you with a wonderful survival story like we did with bowie, but that is just not the case today.

a few weeks ago, we took roxy to the vet when she was in a lot of pain. after multiple visits we found out that she has a calcified disk in her back. she was ordered to 2 weeks confinement and mandatory bed rest. today her condition seemed to be worsening so we took her back in and are now looking to see a neurological specialist, as the disk seems to be putting pressure on her spinal cord and she is starting to lose function of one of her hind legs. this can be an early sign of paralysis and she has moved from a "medical case" to a possible "surgical case." even though disk problems are somewhat common in some dachshunds and small wire-haired terriers, since she is only 5 years old, this is a cause for more worry.

if she stays the same, we see the specialist on thursday to find out what our next steps are. in the mean time, any love, prayers, kind thoughts or words are much appreciated. she is our baby and it just kills us to see her in such pain.

roxy got a surprise last week from her friend johanne, our close friends' cat whom she loves and has play dates with, it was a first class letter with get well wishes and lots of love. that's her reading it above :) oh the things we do for our little furry children...

thanks for listening! i will keep you all posted on her progress :)

much love xoxo

record store day

2011-04-15T08:56:00.000-05:00

tomorrow is one of my favorite "holidays" - record store day! this is the day to go out and support music at your local record store. many independent record stores all around the world will be celebrating with parties, live music and special RSD releases from multiple amazing artists. to find out what's happening near you, visit the record store day website.

if you're in the dallas area, i am volunteering at good records' 11th anniversary + record store day celebration (come say hi!). the store will be open starting at 8 am and there is a full lineup of bands and dj's from 11 am to midnight along with giveaways and an awesome jukebox raffle.

"i think it’s high time the mentors, big brothers, big sisters, parents, guardians, and neighborhood ne’er do wells, start taking younger people that look up to them to a real record store and show them what animportant part of life music really is."
- jack white

hey, if jack white says so, who are we to argue?! so get out to your local record store and support music!! trust me, it will be awesome.

hey! government! leave our teachers alone!!

2011-04-14T10:27:00.001-05:00

yesterday, along with many katy isd teachers, my sister was laid off because of "budget cuts." she is a 9th grade biology teacher at morton ranch high school and was pulled out of class yesterday and told that at the end of the year she would no longer have a job. my sister is not only a wonderful, dedicated teacher, but she is also a single mother of two amazing little girls (as you know and have seen here :)), so i am pretty much taking this as a personal attack.

katy isd is a huge district in texas, where the superintendent alton frailey makes a stunning salary of $288,400!! at the beginning of this year he was given a $10k raise - teachers can't afford to feed their own children but somehow that made the budget cuts...wow. parents, students, teachers and even concerned community members are stunned and shocked at the cuts and disgusted by the ability of the "higher ups" to do nothing - treating themselves to spa days and country club visits, driving in their luxury vehicles, completely ignoring the fact that the school district is falling apart, and doing absolutely nothing to combat it. who cares as long as they get paid, right? WRONG.

today, at 9 am, students at morton ranch organized a protest outside of the school. many have signs and even some of my sister's students wore "keep osteen" t-shirts (that is amazing). what is more sobering, many of these students do not have stable parental figures in their lives and these teachers are all they've got. now they are taken away and the students will all but slide into oblivion that is increased class sizes, overworked and underpaid teachers, and the greed that keeps the machine going at the top.

i could not be more proud of these students taking a stand for something that really matters to them! using their voice will hopefully reach someone in charge and make a change. if these kids are telling us that this isn't right, we need to listen - OPEN YOUR EYES AND EARS GOVERNMENT!!! this is the least of your problems...cause as you know, when the baby bear cub cries, the mama bear isn't far behind. we are coming for you. this isn't right and we won't back down.

ok dear readers, thanks for staying tuned during my soapbox moment today!!! hope you liked my little pink floyd nod as my title ;)

photos

scenes from the weekend

2011-04-12T09:35:00.000-05:00

when's the last time you saw a real hotel key? (at the basin park hotel)
bachelorette shenanigans commence
what's a bachelorette without her pimp cup and fingerstache?
stairwell on the haunted hotel tour at the crescent hotel
creepy hallway & mirror on the tour
neat owl/gargoyle on the fireplace in the crescent lobby

the bachelorette weekend was a great success! tons of fun in eureka springs, such a beautiful area with more to do than you would ever expect from such a remote small town ... either that or we were really giving the locals something to talk about... probably a little of both ;)

hope your weekends were lovely!

xoxo

overgrown

2011-04-08T09:00:00.002-05:00

crawling vines add a little whimsy to the no parking sign
wisteria are overtaking everything in our neighborhood...it's so pretty :)

i am heading to eureka springs, arkansas today for a little bachelorette shenanigans...full report upon my return!

hope you all have a lovely weekend xoxo

winning!

2011-04-07T09:00:00.004-05:00

no, this post isn't about charlie sheen...

recently i entered a contest with mama's a rolling stone and won a $100 gift certificate to one of my favorite online stores, nasty gal. i was beyond stoked, but took my time in spending so i could get just the right things :) and finally, here are my choices:

super cute high waisted blue shorts

way awesome knuckle ring (i don't have anything like this so i was definitely reaching out of my little style box for this one!)

and this way fun yellow bag...if that doesn't scream i'm ready for sunshine, i don't know what does!!

so, many, many thanks to the ladies at mama's a rolling stone and nasty gal...i love love loooooove my winnings :)

tacos! tacos! tacos!

2011-04-06T09:00:00.002-05:00

stephen and i recently had a nice little date night and our favorite taco joint in dallas, the rusty taco.

if you are in the area and ever get a chance, try this place out, you will not be disappointed! might i suggest the baja shrimp taco - best thing on the menu.

afterwards, we wanted dessert but weren't sure where to go...we drove by and saw a sign for pokey o's cookies & ice cream and well, how could we resist that?!

yum, yum, yum. ice cream cookie sandwich?! yes, please!

a walk in the flowers

2011-04-05T09:14:00.000-05:00

had a lovely walk with the doggies this weekend. beautiful weather and the flowers are just amazing right now!

azaleas always remind me of my childhood, so they hold a special place to me.

hibiscus are everywhere in our neighborhood...fast becoming a favorite of mine :)

and i just am in love with the dark purple tulips, so beautiful and mysterious!

the hawaiian lovers' wedding

2011-03-31T09:22:00.000-05:00

i don't usually post about weddings, but my dear friend lauren's beautiful wedding is featured over on strictly wedding s! the festivities in gorgeous peacock theme were captured magnificently by photographer thisbe grace, and if you enjoy things oozing with beauty, love and grace, i highly suggest you check it out. simply stunning.

enjoy!

xoxo

on knowing ourselves

2011-03-29T10:53:00.000-05:00

“Ninety percent of theworld's woe comes from people not knowing themselves, their abilities,their frailties, and even their real virtues. Most of us go almost allthe way through life as complete strangers to ourselves.” -sydney j. harris

a lot on the ol' brain today. just something to think about :)

(photo)

film on friday

2011-03-25T09:24:00.001-05:00

recently i finally got some film developed of the doggies.

here are just a few of those shots:

happy friday everyone!! hope you have a fabulous weekend...don't forget tomorrow night at 8:30 is earth hour...i mean, you love the earth right?! ;)

xoxo

earth hour - this saturday!

2011-03-24T10:42:00.000-05:00

from the earth hour webpage:

On March 26, 2011, turn off your lights at 8:30 pm for Earth Hour, aworldwide collective display of commitment to protect the one thingthat unites us all - the planet. Look who is celebrating Earth Hour

Everyyear Earth Hour asks individuals, businesses and communities worldwideto show their commitment to the environment.This Earth Hour, we hopeyou will turn off your lights. But when the lights go back on, we wantyou to go beyond the hour and think about what you can change in yourdaily life that will benefit the planet. Let’s work together to createa better future. Our actions can add up.

i have taken the pledge to turn off my lights for one hour this saturday night, won't you? hey, if the empire state building can do it, i think we all can :) so, get your candles ready and let's take this tiny step to show mother earth how much we love her. if you want to go beyond the hour, make your pledge or find inspiration on how by visiting beyondthehour.org.

thanks to the lovely alice for posting so i could participate!!

funny face

2011-03-22T12:31:00.000-05:00

snapped this gem while bowie was passed out on the couch/stephen's leg. how silly is he with his mouth open?! stayed that way for quite a while too...our special little bowie, he keeps us laughing.

spring rejuvenation

2011-03-21T10:19:00.000-05:00

good morning lovelies!! how was your weekend? hopefully fun and relaxing :) i got to spend time with a dear friend, take our little ones to the dog park (bowie is a RIOT at the dog park, pure entertainment...), and listen to some fun music on a beautiful patio while eating delicious food and catching up with old friends. all in all, i'd say it was a success!

it's officially spring, a time of renewal and rebirth...so what do you say we shed some winter skin? maybe it's feelings you've been harboring, something in your life you're ready to leave behind, maybe it's just changing our winter coats out for sun dresses and sandals, or maybe it's a completely new leaf you're turning. today, i'm going to let go of things i can't control and leave it up to the universe. i feel relieved and rejuvenated already!

happy spring everyone :)

xoxo

(photo of beautiful tulips at home, taken with the instagram app...i'm obsessed!)

silence for japan

2011-03-17T15:43:00.000-05:00

there is no way to express the sadness i feel for japan...any words i can come up with just don't seem to do the trick...there is also no way to fully understand what they are going through, but i will try to do my best. there are many ways to and show your support for japan, firstly going to www.forjapanwithlove.com

in addition to monetary support, i will also be participating in the bloggers day of silence tomorrow, march 18th. hey, every little thing helps, right?? please consider taking the time to participate, and if you have the means, make a donation through for japan with love, the red cross or save the children. (i'm sure there are many more, if you have any suggestions please comment and leave a link)

and to make sure our donations get to the people who need it, sign the petition to stop the delay of donations going to japan.

thanks to meagan for posting so i could participate!!

thanks so much my lovely friends!

have a safe, wonderful weekend

xoxo

girls weekend in san antonio

2011-03-17T09:36:00.000-05:00

from the top:

beautiful fountains at the shops at la cantera
italian cream cake for my mom & aunt's birthdays
fun "art stop" near the blue star brewery
the blue star brewery
me in front of the guenther house sign where we ate the most delicious breakfast
biscuits and gravy, how could you go wrong?? (you can even buy their biscuit mix! and i also highly recommend the sweet cream pancake mix)
left to right: my sister, me, mom, cousin kristina, aunt karen, and cousin emily

such a lovely weekend with the ladies!!

tip o' the hat

2011-03-15T09:30:00.000-05:00

saturday was my mom's birthday (another happy birthday to my amazing, beautiful, strong, hilarious mom) and we had a girls' weekend in san antonio to celebrate! i have more pictures and adventures to share soon, but for now, here is one of my favorite pics of the weekend. we were shopping and came across the most amazing hat collection... i mean, how could we resist?!

hope you all had a fabulous weekend!

(ps. i really, really would love to have a place where i could wear a hat like that!)

don't forget

2011-03-09T10:32:00.000-06:00

so put a smile on that face, mkay?

:)
xoxo

(photo)

happy mardi gras!

2011-03-08T09:00:00.000-06:00

well it's fat tuesday y'all - the feast before the fast - the end of the carnival season - the day where it's ok to wear purple, green and gold and not be judged...you get it ;) so eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we have to give it all up! or some of it...or just a choice thing or two... (for those observing lent)

my friend and co-worker liz made that beauty of a king cake and brought it to the office this morning for all to enjoy, and boy did i enjoy it! king cake for breakfast?! don't mind if i do!

have a super day everyone! and laissez les bon temps rouler!

laissez les bon temps rouler

2011-03-07T09:47:00.000-06:00

from the top:

our party sign (my "artwork" lol)
the king cake! it was good, but i must admit the one i did last year seemed better, maybe it's just me...
my beautiful mom & sister
me & my sweetie
a sign for our friend george who was stuck in libya and just made it home mid-last week
booze towers (sangria, beer, and cramosas - champagne & cranberry, YUM!)
a must-have mask for the saints fans
our delicious boiled crawfish fix from sunday

the party and trip were both a great success and it was so wonderful to spend that time with my family!! i'm so glad stephen got to come with and enjoy some time away from the house, his desk and piles of schoolwork.

how was your weekend??

hooray!

2011-03-04T09:10:00.000-06:00

first, thank you so much for your comments and suggestions on my post yesterday! feel free to chime in anytime, cause i'll be changing it up soon and am still eager to hear your thoughts & suggestions :)

second, on our walk yesterday, we met the cutest little basenji rescue who's name was marcel! how cute!!

third, we are going to katy tomorrow to go to my parents' mardi gras party - i am SO excited!! tonight i'm making the king cake for the party...this is only my second time to make it so wish me luck.

and last but certainly not least, i just noticed i have 51 followers on my little blog here...i just want to say thank you to everyone reading, it means a lot that you enjoy this space and i always love seeing your comments, it truly makes my day :)

so there you have it! happy friday sweets and y'all have a great weekend!!

xoxo

(photo from a recent brunch at mattito's)

ch-ch-ch-changes

2011-03-03T09:28:00.000-06:00

well friends it's been almost 2 months since we adopted sweet bowie and i still have not changed anything on the blog. walks with roxy just rolls off the tongue so i'm afraid to change to "walks with roxy & bowie" and would like to have a new, fun title that includes them both...so, i'm turning to you. what do you think? i am fresh out of creative ideas!! here are some i came up with that i am not committed to in any way:

roxbow - a scruff adventure
the adventures of roxy & bowie
the tails of roxy & bowie (get it? tails? ha!)

see what i mean? the creative well is running dry. so i would love to hear what you think or if you have any ideas! you're my readers so i definitely want it to be fun for you :)

youer than you

2011-03-02T09:28:00.000-06:00

happy birthday to the wise dr. seuss.

what's your favorite dr. seuss quote?

(photo)

toulouse soufflé

2011-03-01T08:46:00.000-06:00

going through my pictures this morning i came across this delicious beauty! when my mom came in town a few weeks ago, we ate at the lovely french restaurant, toulouse, and of course had to try the soufflé! we ordered the grand marnier soufflé first and then realized there is no chocolate with that one (for shame!) so we ordered the chocolate one as well...just for the three of us...they were both divine. in fact, we found that taking a bite of both at the same time was really the best way to enjoy them! if you are ever in the area, i highly suggest toulouse, a true neighborhood favorite.

i have always wanted to try to make a soufflé but alas, i am intimidated by horror stories of just how much they can be messed up.

do you like soufflés? can you make one?? i am dying to know someone who has been successful...

happy birthday george

2011-02-25T09:24:00.000-06:00

today is george harrison's birthday...another brilliant artist gone too soon. george is and will always be my favorite beatle :) i hope he's resting peacefully while we all still live through his message and music.

thank you, george...i got my mind set on you.

(photo 1, 2, 3, 4)

rainy day music

2011-02-24T10:15:00.000-06:00

it's bleak and rainy outside...but i must confess that i do enjoy a rainy day (though i wish i could be at home cuddling on the couch to enjoy it ;)). there are just some songs that are best listened to on rainy days...here are some of mine:

thom yorke - analyse (though the entire eraser album is a good rainy day one)
led zeppelin - when the levee breaks
creedence clearwater revival - who'll stop the rain (or have you ever seen the rain...take your pick!)
beth orton - concrete sky
wilco - either way
ryan adams - oh my god, whatever, etc.
radiohead - videotape
otis redding - sitting on the dock of the bay
the doors - riders on the storm
gov't mule - soulshine

what about you? what kind of music do you listen to on a rainy day?

(photo)

it's a sign.

2011-02-22T09:08:00.000-06:00

just a little tuesday morning funny for you. taken in front of saint ann restaurant & bar.

hope you all had a great weekend! i had off yesterday for president's day so i'm feeling relaxed, refreshed and a little accomplished today after a nice, long weekend!

friday i'm in love

2011-02-18T10:49:00.000-06:00

clever tee from threadless illustrating the cure's epic love song (or epic to me...i love that song). hope you are having a love-filled friday!! have a super fabulous weekend, dears :)xoxo

smush

2011-02-17T10:13:00.000-06:00

just a little napping dog cuteness for your day :) xoxo

truthful tuesday - brighter than the moon

2011-02-15T09:44:00.000-06:00

well it's been quite a while since i've done a truthful tuesday so i'm a bit nervous to confess that...i have been listening to katy perry. her newest album makes me feel like a giddy little teenage girl filled with hope. i like it so much, in fact, that i'm going to buy it today. now, i don't know if you've gotten the gist of what my musical taste is, but this is not it. but every time i hear her song teenage dream i just start dancing and singing along like my 15 year-old self would. what can i say? i'm a sucker for some cheese and positivity. and even if you don't like the girl, you've got to hand it to her for this video, truly uplifting and inspiring. so, enjoy...and judge away, i don't mind ;)

valentine

2011-02-14T09:10:00.000-06:00

happy valentine's day to all the lovers out there :)

cute little vintage valentine card found here.

xoxoxo

a little road trip

2011-02-11T09:56:00.001-06:00

well folks, i'm venturing off to katy this weekend to visit with my family (specifically my beautiful nieces!!) and bowie and roxy are coming along for the ride. roxy, as you know, is a champion road-tripper...however, bowie, it seems, is not much for the car rides. i'm a little nervous having them both but hopefully with a little luck and some good tunes we will prevail and have a successful trip!

what are you up to this weekend?! whatever it is, i hope it's FUN!!

xoxo(photo)

bringing love back

2011-02-10T09:37:00.000-06:00

with the lovey-doviest of holidays approaching, you can't help but see everything in reds, pinks, hearts and flowers...not that i'm complaining, i'm a sucker for all of it! but this especially caught my eye immediately and i had to share.

how sweet is this dress?! totally swoon-worthy...and this could easily be a romantic date dress (say, for valentine's day, perhaps?). bonus? it has pockets! (found here)

favorite super bowl commercial

2011-02-07T12:00:00.001-06:00

there were some good, some bad, and some straight ugly. while i think everyone loved "the force" commercial (so, SO cute!) my favorite was the beetle one!! i thought it was clever, cute and unexpected.what was your favorite?

...and a real snow day

2011-02-07T09:14:00.000-06:00

another storm blew through last thursday night that called for "a dusting up to 1" of snow" and holy moly i wonder what measuring tools they're using!

all in all we got about 5" of pretty, fluffy snow...on top of sheets of ice so it was fun but a bit yikes if you know what i mean! by saturday night the snow had melted substantially and by sunday it was pretty much all gone (from our area, anyway). we watched the big game with some friends and enjoyed the last day of what seemed like an extra long weekend after all those days off!

did you all have a good weekend?? are you freezing still wherever you are?!

oh and ps. what's with all the violence and throwing stuff at people in all the super bowl commercials?! i swear there had to be at least 5 commercials with people throwing stuff at each other!

cabin-fever cooking

2011-02-03T15:00:00.002-06:00

i don't know about you, but all i can think to do (after the cleaning, reading, napping and relaxing is done) when i'm stuck at home is cook. i've been cooking up a storm and really wish i had more people in our house to share this stuff with!!

here are the best of the best from the past few days:

strawberry, chocolate chip, and strawberry chocolate chip pancakes (yes, 3 different kinds)

huge pot of turkey chili to make delicious frito-chili pie

and because that's just not enough...

chocolate cake with homemade buttercream icing.

now someone come help me eat this!!

sweater day

2011-02-03T11:22:00.000-06:00

well it's technically another "snow day" here in dallas, but really it's an "ice day," so in our house that means sweater day :)

we have been off work/school since tuesday when the weather was blowing in and it's passed now but we are left with highs barely reaching 20 today and streets covered in sheets of ice, so we're off again today. and in case you didn't know, the super bowl is in town this week so it's already mayhem and the weather is just adding to all the craziness.

i hope wherever you all are you are warm and safe and cozy :)

oh! and thank you thank you all for your sweet comments about bowie. we are truly blessed and fortunate to have our little miracle dog and his loving big sis!!

xoxo

the close call

2011-01-31T09:59:00.000-06:00

well as you probably could tell, i was m.i.a. last week and while i wanted to update you all, i was a little exhausted and overwhelmed with worry, so i waited. i told you about our newest little addition, bowie week before last and almost immediately things took a turn for the worse. you see, when we picked up bowie (actually, when we first visited him in the shelter) we noticed he had a cough. the shelter attendees assured us they would hold onto him if they deemed it something contagious, if he had a fever, or if they thought it was something very serious. since they released him to us on tuesday after his surgery, we thought nothing of it, but noticed the cough was still there.

bowie at his first vet visit

the next day, we took him to our vet for his general wellness exam and i asked about the cough, when they took his temperature it was at 105, and the vet was very worried about that. they took blood and other samples to run tests for canine influenza and distemper, and sent us home with some medicine and instructions for getting bowie healthy. on thursday, we were trying everything we knew how to get the poor little guy to eat but to almost no avail, and by the time i got home from work, things were much, much worse. bowie was resting in his bed and when i went to go see if we wanted to go outside, he attempted to get out of bed and his hind legs all but gave out on him. (meanwhile, the cough is progressing into hacks and wheezing) i was filled with worry. i took bowie to the vet immediately and she called for a chest x-ray. when she showed me the film, it revealed that his lungs were cloudy and filled with gunk; her prognosis was that whatever it is he first contracted, had now progressed into pneumonia. all i could do was cry. for a little guy like bowie, especially given that he'd just come from the shelter and had surgery, this could be deadly. they gave him breathing treatments, injected a saline bag for hydration, and sent me home with more medicine, instructions, and truth be told, fear that he would die.

roxy being a good (tolerant) big sis letting bowie snuggle

for the next few days, i hand-fed bowie boiled chicken and steamed rice with broth, force fed him his medicine, and gave him all the love i could. his recovery was nothing short of amazing. in those first few days, he gained strength, got to eating on his own, and started being a little more playful. by the time monday rolled around, we went back to the vet and his fever had subsided and his lungs were clearing...but we were not out of the woods yet. we continued to monitor his cough (which sounded so yucky, but the vet assured me it was better to have the hacking than the wheezing), kept his activity light, and made sure to routinely give his medicines.

and here we are, two weeks (and many vet bills) later, and bowie is just about at 100%. he goes to the vet for his final (we hope) check on thursday to make sure everything is clear. i can't be more thankful for the kind, patient vets, techs and employees at our vet office, they were most understanding and caring with me throughout that whole ordeal. and they assured us that bowie was one lucky dog - if he would have stayed in the shelter, this could have gone unnoticed and he would have almost certainly died, they might have euthanized him, or he could have been adopted to a family who could not, or would not, have taken care of his illness.

we are so happy that bowie is back to his fun, ornery, playful, healthy self. and we hope to share many, many more stories (better, happier ones!!).

thanks for sticking around and reading, kisses from all of us :) xoxo

you & me

2011-01-20T09:31:00.000-06:00

how darling are these cards from yellow owl workshop?? just the perfect, simple thing i might need for valentine's day :)

oh and in case you want some more mushy love stuff, here's a sweet song by one of my favorite bands.

xoxo

and bowie makes four

2011-01-19T08:57:00.000-06:00

ok everybody, say hi to bowie!

last friday, stephen and i went to the dallas animal services shelter and saw this little scruff-a-muffin and just couldn't resist. in one of the initial photos we took of him, he looked just like david bowie, and so we decided to name him bowie. we've been wanting another dog for some time and he seemed like the perfect candidate; quiet, calm, and scruff for miles.

now, roxy has a little bit (ok a lot) of princess in her so i think it will take some getting used to, but she seems to be warming up fairly quickly. he came home yesterday and they sniff, wag and nap...and both walked wonderfully on their leashes last night.

so...were you surprised?? i hope so :) we're looking forward to many adventures with rox & bowie.

i have a surprise for you!

2011-01-18T09:57:00.000-06:00

but you don't get it till tomorrow...oh the suspense!

happy tuesday :)
xoxo

(photo)

nobody dreamed you'd save the world

2011-01-14T10:49:00.000-06:00

stephen and i just got the robert plant's band of joy album and it is amazing. i've searched high and low for videos and this is one of my favorites on the album...it's a low cover of "silver rider," haunting and beautiful.

enjoy :)

hope you have a fantastic weekend!!

xoxo

mmmmmmmuffins

2011-01-12T09:45:00.000-06:00

i made these little beauties last night - banana nut chocolate chip muffins. pretty much the easiest and tastiest muffins i've ever made from scratch.

1/2c butter, softened
1c sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2c flour
1tsp baking soda
1/4tsp salt
1c mashed bananas (about 1 or 2 bananas)
1/2c each of chopped walnuts and mini chocolate chips (optional)

mix butter, sugar and eggs. fold in flour, baking soda and salt (sifted together). add bananas, nuts and chips.

bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes.

and TA-DA! muffins :)

i eat them with milk at night or with some delicious fruit for breakfast.

hope you have a yummy day!

hunter wellies

2011-01-11T09:45:00.000-06:00

since there was a smidge of snow on the ground yesterday, i seized the opportunity to wear my new hunter welly boots :)

remember when i asked santa so sweetly for them? well he brought them in the most perfect color of aubergine and i love them! yay for snowy/rainy/any days that i can wear my wellies.

lazy sunday

2011-01-10T10:37:00.000-06:00

it snowed here yesterday (well as much snow as you can really get in dallas...) so we decided to stay in and be lazy...i made an executive decision not to get out of my mukluks all day and do nothing but cook, eat, sleep and read.

that is until stephen had the bright idea to go out to ikea...we made out like bandits at their sale and proceeded to come home and redo our entire living room. so much for the lazy day!! the snow was not enough to get the schools closed so i'm at work wishing that it would snow just a little more so i can have a real "snow day" at home :)

how was your weekend??

surprise date night

2011-01-07T09:58:00.000-06:00

last night stephen surprised me by going on a fabulous little date! we started at oak cliff neighborhood gem, nova, which i highly recommend if you live here or are visiting dallas. i mean, where else can you get salmon potato skins?! delicious. i had the shrimp pesto pizza (goat cheese? yes please!) and stephen devoured a most yummy bison burger.

salmon potato skins

shrimp pesto pizza

bison burger

then we ventured over to pinkberry for some dessert - may i recommend the new hazelnut crunch topping? droooooooool.

after rolling out of our chairs, we wandered over to the magnolia theater to see true grit. now, i had high expectations for this movie - i'm a huge jeff bridges fan and love pretty much everything the coen brothers have ever done (yes, even the ladykillers) - but this far exceeded any of those expectations. it was amazing... and even if you don't think you'd love it, go see it, you will (i promise).

it was the perfect little date night...and it still makes me swoon when stephen opens the car door for me :)

brridge

2011-01-06T10:01:00.000-06:00

the pedestrian bridge has got to be one of my favorite things about tulsa. when we lived there, stephen and i were just blocks away on riverside and would often take little walks there along the river and enjoy the scenery. honestly, it's not the prettiest site since the arkansas river is no gem and it's right by the old electricity public service co., but there is something about it's charm that always makes me feel like home. it was incredibly windy when we were there but i managed to snap a few fun shots on my iphone.

that's us in front of the tulsa "skyline." i always love thinking about the quaint skyline there when we come back to dallas, it makes me smile :)

price tower

2011-01-05T09:38:00.000-06:00

since we were in tulsa a whopping 8 days, we decided to take a little adventure to the exciting town of bartlesville, ok. well we didn't just go to visit the b'ville (though it did prove to be a much cuter town than expected), but the purpose of our trip was to stay at the lovely inn at price tower.

price tower is the one and only realized skyscraper designed by famed architect frank lloyd wright. originally commissioned to be built in new york city, the price tower was envisioned to be "the tree that left the crowded forest" and instead was built as corporate headquarters in bartlesville for oil tycoon harold c. price. some years later, the building was converted into a hotel and arts center where they display exhibits from artists, furniture designers and even fashion icons like edith head, among many more.

we actually had visited the arts center early in 2010 and thought of how neat it would be to stay there, and being a student at the school of architecture, stephen was able to get a killer deal on a room. so what the heck, right?? we had such a nice stay and the hotel is even more incredible than i'd imagined. all of the furniture designed for the rooms kept the original vision of mr. wright, using natural materials, basing design on the triangle (lots of 30, 60 and 90 degrees) and incorporating copper into pretty much everything.

after marveling in the room, we ventured up to the top floor and enjoyed a drink and appetizer at the copper bar (and yes, the bar is actually copper) with the nicest bartender and a beautiful view.

and with the suggestion of many, we took to downtown bartlesville to have dinner at the most adorable restaurant, frank & lola's. this spot definitely exceeded my expectations (though i did have high hopes): the food, service, decor and overall ambiance was so great and perfect for our little getaway. they even had a trendy billiard room in the back filled with a great photo exhibit so we could play pool and enjoy the art while we waited for our table.

after our most amazing dinner, we had drinks at two sister's pub & grille and called it a night. it was really a wonderful and much needed escape for the mr. & me. i highly suggest, should you ever be visiting bartlesville (or are really just a huge architecture nerd, like us), that you at least visit the price tower and if you can, stay the night with frank lloyd wright!

(all photos by me except the first one, source)

waking up to a new day

2011-01-04T12:20:00.000-06:00

well happy new year friends!! i hope that your holidays were filled with love, happiness and fun...and hopefully not very much family drama :)

what's the first thing people ask you after the new year...what's your resolution, right? well i'm not gonna ask you that. i've decided there are only so many days in the year to promise to sit at my sewing machine, with my guitar, with my french books & tapes, or losing that last 5 lbs...so in lieu of a "resolution," i am just looking at 2011 as a year to be better to myself: my mind and body. here's the thing: i like to eat, sit on my couch, sleep in and sometimes drink an entire bottle of wine by myself on a friday night with a good movie...so i'm definitely not going to promise to not do those things :) but i also like to practice yoga, take pictures, write, and keep in touch with family and friends, so i figure i'll just give my all in whatever i'm doing!

after reading alice's take on resolutions, i was inspired and comfortable with my decision... and i have a quote that i'm going to use as further inspiration...at least for now!

"far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much because they live in that gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat." - theodore roosevelt

so here's to 2011 *cheers*

(photo of my little roxy on new year's day...she's tuckered out)

tiny tots with their eyes all aglow, will find it hard to sleep tonight

2010-12-24T12:00:00.002-06:00

happy christmas eve to all of you. we will be on our way to tulsa soon, hopefully with quiet roads and clear weather. remember all the anticipation of this night from when we were little?? i still get kind of giddy, not gonna lie...maybe we'll see santa and his sleigh on our drive! sweet dreams of sugarplums to all of you :)

xoxo

(photo)

where the love light gleams

2010-12-23T09:00:00.003-06:00

getting everything in order ready to go to tulsa and visit friends and family. it's always hard to have to split the holidays between mine and stephen's families, and so far it hasn't gotten easier, so hopefully this is something that gets better in time. i'll be missing my family (especially seeing my nieces faces light up when they see what santa brought them!) but luckily have some super in-laws and our t-town friends who are pretty much my family anyway so it's far from being a lonely holiday but you catch my drift :)

i hope you all will be having a lovely christmas surrounded by loved ones.

"i'll be home for christmas, if only in my dreams..."

(photo)

oh and HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my sweet niece kaitlin! she is the wonderful age of 6 today :)

good tidings we bring for you and your kin

2010-12-22T10:42:00.000-06:00

well it's pretty quiet around the office, so roxy is up here being a good little helper to those who have stuck around this week :)

i'm so ready for our little adventure to tulsa...what are you doing for christmas? going anywhere fun to see family or just staying home for a quiet celebration?? one day...one day stephen and i will have a quiet celebration of christmas all to ourselves...one day ;)

(photo)

all the stockings you will find hanging in a row. mine will be the shortest one, you'll be sure to know.

2010-12-21T09:13:00.000-06:00

our little stockings (that's roxy's on the left, of course) and a cute little wreath i threw together with some old garland + ribbon + a coat hanger.

just a bit more christmas spirit for you today :)

(title lyrics from jolly old st. nicholas)

a very dallas weekend

2010-12-20T11:21:00.000-06:00

did everyone have a good weekend? i had quite the fun weekend and feel very 'dallas' today...on friday night we had our girls' night at the mavs game (we beat the suns, woo hoo!) that's us with our reindeer antlers :)

then on saturday some friends came in town from las vegas, we ate at the Y.O. ranch steakhouse, which was so delicious (highly recommend the sea bass, yum!!). on our way out, while passing the neiman marcus downtown, we saw an insane amount of santa clauses. come to find out it was the dallas santacon! here's a photo of the scene we saw, found on their flickr account.

it was hilarious and crazy, i've never seen so many santas!!

after our fun night out at cameo, stephen and i got to go with our friends to the cowboys game! it was our first time to see them play and they beat the redskins so a good time was had by all. however, i felt like a little bit of a traitor cheering for the 'boys since i'm such a huge saints fan...and my saints lost...oh my. here is a view from our awesome seats:

so that was our dallas whirlwind adventure weekend :) kinda made me fall in love with this city all over again...

looking forward to an easy week at work and CHRISTMAS this weekend!! eeeeeep!

where did the week go?

2010-12-17T10:08:00.000-06:00

kinda flew by, didn't it?? my mom came in town yesterday so i took the day off to spend with her. i had to share this photo of the display inside barney's at northpark.

i'm a big daft punk fan so i found it extra entertaining, and especially love the crowdsurfing guy and his cool plaid tie. i love to go in there even though i can't afford anything because they always have the coolest displays!

anyhoo mom and i had a great day shopping and eating and catching up...i truly cherish these moments we get to spend together :)

i hope your week was fabulous and you have a great weekend!!

xoxo

traditions

2010-12-15T09:09:00.001-06:00

being from louisiana, on christmas eve our family typically eats gumbo and reads "cajun night before christmas." i love it, and it's a tradition that i hope to bring into our family for years to come. (now, only if i can get my gumbo to be even close to as good as mom's!) since we'll be with stephen's family this year, i'll miss out on the delicious treats but hopefully i can read the book to anyone who will listen...complete with authentic cajun accent ;)

what kind of holiday traditions do you have? are you making any new ones?

oh and if you haven't read the book, this is the best reading i've found so far :)

wish list

2010-12-13T11:24:00.000-06:00

in aubergine, pretty please :)

something for after the long workdays

and a little indulgence reading.

what's on your wishlist?

friday funnies

2010-12-10T09:52:00.000-06:00

just thought we could all use some funnies this lovely friday...

roxy in antlers
how to gift-wrap your cat
a hilarious hamster commentary
the funnest mittens i've ever seen
a clever & cute print
the perfect funny (and useful!) gift for your gal pals
an adorable, guilty dog
and a christmas ninja

hope you all have a fun-filled weekend!

xoxo

a typical conversation

2010-12-09T10:54:00.001-06:00

stephen dropped me off this morning and we were talking about christmas gifts among other things and it went something like this:

stephen: i want to do something nice...
me: well i'm going to make them each a mini cheesecake so if you want to do something extra that's fine as well.
stephen: i'll make you into a cheesecake.
me: oh yeah?
stephen: (raises his hand like he has a wand) EXPELLIO-CHEESECAKE! wait no...EXPECTO-CHEESECAKE!

and we are nerds. the end.

(photo of my mini cheesecake)

dreamer

2010-12-08T09:31:00.000-06:00

remembering john lennon today, 30 years after his death.

(photo)

and my dedication to the song that is most meaningful to me

"you may say that i'm a dreamer, but i'm not the only one. i hope someday you'll join us...and the world will be as one."

RIP john

"a dream you dream alone is only a dream. a dream you dream together is reality." - john lennon

it hasn't snowed a single flurry, but santa dear we're in a hurry

2010-12-06T10:02:00.001-06:00

just a few pics of the decor...starting with our little tree

1. the tree (which we put on a table to make it seem bigger)

2. the beautiful antique gold ornaments from my great aunt

3. my first ornaments i bought when stephen & i got married were 6 of these beautiful red balls

4. roxy all tuckered out after a hard day of cleaning & decorating. (doggie pj's from target)

blue christmas

2010-12-03T14:07:00.000-06:00

well, not really...but factor in my blue tights, roxy's blue sweater, and the christmas trees (complete with hanging snowflakes!) and you get the title :)

i cannot wait to clean our apartment and decorate the living daylights out of it with chrismas cheer! it's been dismal at home since we got back from colorado since stephen has a million final project things to work on and there's no time to tidy up and make our home a little bit more joyful...so i'm taking time tomorrow for a decorating day! what about you, have you/do you plan to decorate? or is your house all cozy with winter wonderfulness? ahhhh i'm longing to be back in the snow and out of this 60+ degree december in texas...but pretend snowflakes will have to suffice for now!

hope you all have a fabulously awesome weekend

xoxo

in colorado we...

2010-12-02T13:50:00.000-06:00

rode in a two horse open sleigh

made snow angels

skied with the fam

robbed a bank...kidding! we rode in a gondola

hung out with honest abe

and marveled in nature's beauty.

also, not pictured above, we:

drank loads of hot chocolate (with various delicious liqueurs)
watched a shameful amount of football
got lost on what we dubbed "the trail of tears" (while we were skiing, if that tells you anything)
watched my nieces in the cutest of cute ski lessons
missed roxy to pieces (how could we not?!)

so that's that! we had such an amazing time in steamboat...probably my favorite trip to the mountains ever. a lot of family bonding, eating too much, and pushing our physical limits too far :) who could ask for more?!