style: caught on camera

This is the special Birthday Girl edition! This weekend we celebrated a friend's birthday, and she was nice enough to allow me to publish her look. Jennifer loves anything ikat or Aztec, so this skirt was perfect for her. It was a hot evening, and we did a lot of walking, so the booties were also an awesome choice.







where to find it
AE Embroidered Mini Skirt
AE Hi-lo Crop Tank
AEO Fringed Suede Bootie

Friday's peek through the week

Chipotle now serves Patron Margaritas. Whaaaat.

Chocolate-covered strawberries are my favorite sweet treat. I have never passed on one. Ever. 

Scoring a neutral cross-body tote that fits what I need for a daytime adventure. 

The longest baseball game I haver ever attended - 5 hours. In the sweltering Texas heat, no less. And I wouldn't have traded it for anything. 

Brainstorming blog ideas.

My mom sends me cards every so often. And if I'm really lucky, it will include a Starbucks gift card. This one came on a day where I was overcome with homesickness. It was perfect timeing. Thanks, mom!

eating my way through Austin

A couple of months ago I took a trip to Austin. Being a fairly new resident of Texas, Austin is thrilling to me. There is so much to do, so many interesting people, and so much food to eat. So I threw my "healthy eating" aside and dove in. I had Austin's best brunch, Austin's best pizza, Austin's best BBQ, and Austin's best doughnut. Top that off with a desert tour. Needless to say, I came back to Dallas fat and happy.

(editor's note: these may not be "officially" the Best of Austin, but they should be.

Kerbey Lane Cafe : Eggs Fransisco - scrambled egg atop an english muffin. Then add bacon, tomato, avocado and queso (that's right - queso). I got a side of fruit and a side of blackbeans. All for $8.95. Hands down, best brunch of my life.

Austin Eats Dessert Tour : hosted by Madame Cocoa - I'm glad I got to do this. I've always wanted to take a dessert tour. However, it was much different than I expected. Madame Cocoa is a chocolate guru, and most of the tour consisted of education rather than tastings.

Home Slice Pizza - The atmosphere was awesome here. The wait was long, but we didn't mind because the people-watching was also great. And that's the case pretty much anywhere you go in Austin. The pizza was good, as well. Probably not the best pizza I've ever had, but it was darn good.

La Barbecue - This was some of the best barbecue I've ever eaten. Granted, it wasn't cheap ($50+). But there was enough to last at least 3 meals. And, the guys were pretty cool. We stopped by Saturday early-evening and they had already sold out. I gave them my super sad face, and he said I could come mark a brisket for the next day. So, I climbed up into his smoker trailer and picked out a brisket. I wrote my name on it. Sure enough, as soon as we got to the front of the line the following day, the guy went back and found the one with my name on it. On top of THAT, they give you free Lone Star beer and live music while you wait in line.

Gourdoughs : Dirty Berry - Their slogan, "Big. Fat. Doughnuts." is not a lie. These things are massive. At about $4 a pop, these donuts are made to order. They have some crazy combinations, but the Dirty Berry is my favorite by far.

So, needless to say, I had to be rolled out of Austin. But it was worth every calorie.

peek into the week

standing on the star on the Dallas Coyboys field

This past weekend I had friends in town. It was such an amazing weekend. Not only did I get to spend time with my oldest friend and her husband, but I also got to have a little staycation of my own. I feel like I saw more Dallas/Fort Worth in that one weekend than I have seen since I moved out here 9 months ago. We took a VIP tour of the Cowboys Stadium, got lost in Fort Work (where we wound up at the opening weekend of the Fort Worth Stock Yards), ate at my favorite restaurants, toured downtown Dallas, and more. James got to play golf, I got to teach my BFF what a kolache is (think pig in a blanket, but a million times better). Needless to say, it was a fun-filled weekend. That meant that this weekend, my only mission was to sleep in and relax. Mission accomplished. Bring on Monday!

BFF attempting to balance on the railroad tracks

Opening weekend and the Stock Yards

the hilarious book I finally started this week    

finally having a Saturday to sleep in. Looks like she might have needed it more than me!

breakfast for lunch on a lazy Saturday

my Saturday night. blissful.

peek into the week

my angel

waking up to snow and rain Tuesday morning

a little snuggle time with a friend's pup

surprise snacks at work

flu shot and blood drawn in the same arm - ouchies

finally broke down and bought a TV - exscuse: I'm having guests in town this weekend

Friday lunch with a sweet friend

instant gratification

  It's the little things...

resolutions

  I don't have a lot this year.   1. Drink more H2O - at least one full glass at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. That is in addition to the ones I drink (or plan to drink) throughout the day.   2. Brainstorm every day - I can't make a promise to myself that I will blog every day, or paint every day, or even create something every day. But I do want to make sure that I intentionally block time everyday for brainstorming.   3. Simplify & enjoy my fitness - Pilates/yoga on Mondays, Wednesday, and Fridays. Run/walk on Tuesdays and Thursdays.   4. Take more pictures of beautiful things - this one is pretty simple.   So, there you have it folks. Here we go!

a new day

New Year's Eve has always been one of my least favorite holidays. I'm not sure why. Although I do love dressing for it. I just feel like there is too much pressure. It forces you to look at the previous year as a whole, and judge it to be successful or not successful. I just don't think that is very fair. A year is a long time! And there are so many reasons why things happened they way they did. If you look at the past year in terms of whether or not is was a successful year, you will more than likely make yourself worried with stress. Either by having an "unsuccessful year", or feeling pressure to make the next year "even better than the last."

We should make promises to ourselves daily, not annually. Live out this beautiful life day-by-day. Take away the pressure of reviewing the year as a whole - "pass" or "fail".

This is why I feel that New Year's Day is so much more uplifting. This year I got to spend it with good friends and good food. And I savored every minute of it. Because it was a day to move forward - in whichever direction I choose.

new year's eve

Any excuse to don some sparkles is a welcomed occasion!

Elf's glitter liquid eyeliner. Just enough, but not too much.

Rose gold + sequins = my new go-to

Happy New Year, y'all!

* mental note for next year: now that I'm living in Texas, I will miss the ball drop in Times Square if I look for it at midnight central time.

friday night

Sometimes it is the little things in life that are the most indulgent. After all of the Christmas shopping, traveling, and festivities, I thought it was time for a little R & R on this chilly Friday night.




Using my teriyaki chicken leftovers from yesterday's lunch to make fried rice with edamame.




Finally relaxing to some Friends reruns by candlelight.




The icing on top: spiked hot coco. Mmmmmm.

name change

Quick note: you may have noticed a change in the title of my blog. Sometimes something just doesn't fit. This is one of those times. Sorry for any confusion!

instant gratification

To add a little nourishment to the office day.