and both shall row... my love and i

two years

2011-10-17T09:27:00.001-05:00

today is the anniversary of the most amazing day...

filled with family, friends, and more love than i could even have hoped for...

two years ago today i walked down the aisle and made these promises to the man i love:

To love youunconditionally

To respect youunfailingly

To encourage youlimitlessly

To laugh with youuncontrollably

To cry with you openly

To smile at youfrequently

And to live with youpassionately.

I also promise to somedaybe the kind of mother to our children that our mothers were to us. To be your partner in creating a family fullof love and joy.

I promise to always seekadventures with you, great and small,

And to forever see thebeauty that we create in our lives together.

{all photos taken by the extraordinarily talented, lisa woods}

so far, it has been an amazing marriage to an amazing man. i am the luckiest girl in the world...

happy anniversary, my love!!

adventures in horticulture...

2011-09-20T16:34:00.000-05:00

{alternate title: amelia - 3, drought -2}

{alternate alternate title: green thumb, black thumb}

so. i've been planting and tending and re-landscaping and potting and fertilizing and watering (oh my.)

and after this summer of more than 85 days of triple digit temps (oh yes), i thought i'd give a mini-update on my successes and failures.

we have:

{a beautiful pomegranate tree, heavy with fruit... yet to be tasted, so i'm giving this a win based on appearance and lack of death...}
{BUT do you spy the EVIL stink bug on the bottom pomegranate? he is one of what must be thousands of creepy stink bugs who think my pomegranates make a better hang out spot than the food court full of tweens at the mall - side note, i didn't live in a big enough city to ever get dropped off at the mall with friends. oh no... until i could drive, my parents were there too. i feel like i may have missed out on this 11-14 year old experience. oh well.}

{beautiful thriving agave. my best friend in the drought this summer. bravo, sweet agave, bravo.}

{rosemary! a surprise success story. usually i keep rosemary plants around just long enough to get attached to them, and then, inexplicably, they die on me. i don't do anything different, they just die. but this ol' gal... growing and growing and smelling delicious. she's about 2 feet high, in case you can't tell in the picture!}

{womp womp. poor, sweet little fig "tree". you never should have been growing in the shady entryway where not only do you have access to the sun you crave, but where i eternally forget to water you. RIP fig "tree."}

{this little jade transplant was happy as a clam for many months. until the summer drought and zillion degree temps did her in. but at least the yellow pot is still cheery and welcoming so people might forgive the decimated plant right next to the front door. note to self: probably time to dump her in the trash and replant something else.}

and this next photo isn't of any plants from my garden... but a combined adventure to the farmers market and central market produced such a lovely centerpiece arrangement i had to show it off somewhere...

{farmers market delights and hydrangea procured at central market. perched upon a runner my aunt wove on her loom, and next to antique green glass salt and pepper shakers inherited from my grandmother.}

{here they are again with some perspective... and a sneak peek to the uh, long-awaited "after" photos reveal/home tour...coming soon!}

growing anything at your house? did you also enjoy a summer of triple digit heat? any other pre-teen missed-events still haunting you to this day?

amelia marie photography: maternity sneak peek

2011-09-19T12:05:00.000-05:00

i've been working on editing a maternity shoot i did on friday, and i put up a little sneak peek over on my photography blog...

check it out!

the one where i post pictures of all the food i've made...

2011-09-18T22:14:00.001-05:00

so. i've been trying out/making up some new recipes along with making more of an effort to eat local and organic (we love the barton creek and sunset valley farmers markets!)...plus, we've been trying to pinch our pennies and make eating at home more fun...

which sadly (make that devastatingly) means i've been eating less chips + queso at my favorite mexican food restaurants, and more kale and quinoa on our poolside patio.

although, spoiler alert, it hasn't been that bad! i've definitely discovered some new favorites... (and had even more of an excuse to bust out the instagram on the ol' iphone to snap some artistic shots of my delicious creations)

i'll write up a few of the recipes on another post soon, but for now...

...look how pretty!!!

{grass fed beef... have to give credit to jason for this one though... i don't cook red meat!}

{the most amazing organic banana-quinoa muffins}

{organic strawberries, homemade ice cream, and nutella - add more strawberries and less of the other 2 for a healthier version}

{organic smoothie: beet juice, orange juice, spinach, tomatoes, banana, pineapple}

{organic smoothie again: same as above but with tons of strawberries this time}

{gluten-free sharp cheddar/kale/chard quiches}

{organic fajita fixins...heavenly in a whole wheat tortilla smothered with avocado and a sprinkle of cheese}

have you tried any new recipes recently? created any? (ps, that's my favorite way to cook!)

california. creepy mannequin. grandparents. BANGS. love.

2011-09-17T20:45:00.000-05:00

well... its been a while, my friends. (since mother's day, if you're one to keep score - which i totally am. despite all my mother's best efforts to play "cooperative" games with us kids...oh no, we demanded to keep score in everything we did...especially when she attempted to create a musical chairs game that "didn't leave anyone out"...but i digress)

i've got a 2-year-delayed wedding recap, some amazing summer trips, the great house renovation "after" shots reveal and home tour, more exciting amelia marie photography photo session updates, and so much to catch up on...

since that is OVERWHELMINGLY stressful, i plan to ignore it all and, instead, ease back into blogging (on a saturday night, no less. ps, i'm getting old and kind of lame, and i'm surprisingly ok by this - i mean i used to not even think about what i was going to do for the night until 10pm, and often didn't make it out until midnight on a saturday. now? i'm cozily tucked in with my husband, our sweet pup, and football while everyone else in austin is at ACL or partying downtown) with a little instagram recap of a trip to california i took last weekend with my mother.

my mom and i flew to california to visit my grandparents - spend time with them, help with a few projects, and enjoy the breezy southern california afternoons...

despite being certain that my plane would plummet from the sky while en route across the country at many thousand feet in the air (um, i should probably dedicate a post to my LONG list of anxieties at some point soon), we traveled safely and had a lovely, heart and soul-filling time.

as evidenced below...

{sunny california}

{this is the place where a 30-something police officer guy who was reading the paper at the diner counter stopped me - while i was with my grandparents and mother, helping my grandfather use his walker - to look me up and down and tell me "thank you." "what?" "thank you for making this earth a better place." i kid you not. and my grandparents proceeded to repeat this story to anyone who would listen for the next 3 days. mortifying. if not a tad flattering.}

{my grandfather ordered the "ice cream and waffles" special. do you see the FIVE giant scoops of ice cream??}

{ok, this is not a joke. this was an actual mannequin in the window of a thrift store in downtown san pedro. do you see the size of those knockers?? is she making you want to buy those ripped jeans?? For What?? WHAT IS SHE SELLING??}

{with my charming, lovely, fun, gorgeous grandmother. and my lovely kelly moore bag!}

{delicious farmer's market avocados}

{gorgeous farmer's market sunflowers}

{oh yes. OH YES. this is what i looked like at age 8. preserved for eternity on my grandparents' photo gallery. and in case you're wondering about those bangs, let me explain... my mother wouldn't let me cut my hair to have bangs. i wanted to follow her rules, so i slowly, steadily TORE MY HAIR to create bangs that technically, TECHNICALLY didn't break the rules... note how they only cover 2/3s of my forehead. that is because i hadn't made it across my hairline with tearing my hair off. omg. OMG. sorry mom, you were TOTALLY right about the bangs. OMG. also, ugliest sweater ever. i think i loved it. i think i wore it every other day. wow.}

{pacific coast on a walk with my mama}

{gorgeous sidewalks make walks more delightful}

{such a gorgeous fence}

{sweetest grandparents in the state of california}

family is such an important part of my life. i just wish my california grandparents lived closer so i could spend more time with them as they are getting older and need more help. but, since they don't, i will choose to soak up every second i have with them, and fill up on love (and ice cream waffles, apparently...)

how about you...any upcoming family trips? spied any creepy/slutty mannequins recently? any horrific bangs (or ugly sweater) stories to share?

happy weekend!

mother's day 2011

2011-05-08T09:26:00.000-05:00

happy mother's day to all the mother's out there!

{best mama ever}

{at a festival with 2 year old me, while pregnant with my brother}

{beautiful mama on my wedding day}

i wrote this for my own mama today...

*******

Mothers Day 2011

Mother. I am who I am today because you…

Protected,

Nurtured,

Encouraged,

Laughed,

Cried,

Held me so tight,

Let me go,

Loved.

Mother. I hope to someday be a mother like you…

Passionate,

Creative,

Fearless,

Calm,

Kind,

Confident,

Determined,

Inspiring,

Willing.

Loving.

Mother. I will always remember you…

Telling stories,

Making art,

Singing songs,

Working hard,

Playing more,

Kissing Dad,

Giving in,

Staying firm,

Writing notes,

Giving hugs,

Loving us,

Loving me.

I love you, Mama. Thank you for being my mother.

photography update

2011-05-03T11:51:00.000-05:00

well i didn't take the after photos of the house as promised... which is because i didn't ~~even begin to start~~ finish cleaning the house (as promised to my husband over 10 days ago..oops! sorry, love!)

instead, i will distract you with some photo sessions i've done recently, and re-promise to get those 'after' photos taken ASAP!

here are a few sweet pictures from a mama and daddy-to-be session...

{see more here}

and indy, a brilliant AND beautiful senior, is headed to an east coast ivy league in the fall...

{see more here}

hope that worked to distract you from the home before/after delay... happy tuesday!

house photo update...

2011-04-20T09:22:00.000-05:00

so i obviously haven't posted the before/after shots like i promised...

and here's why:

i realized that the after shots i have are from christmas. and while they look nice, i'd rather the "after" reflect what our house looks like regularly, not with random christmas decor and and christmas tree...

so. i will be taking photos tonight to start the posts! (i had to clean up last night to prepare for said photos...)

coming soon! (this time i promise!)

landscape extravaganza... {unofficial} before & after

2011-04-18T08:00:00.001-05:00

before i get to the great house reveal, i have to share a little project that took us nearly all weekend! {side note, to all my friends in real life - if i told you i might see you this weekend and i didn't - this is why!}

we have a little plant bed by our entry way - and it was full of horrible, vine/bush/weed-like plants. and, more importantly, full of bugs and other "critters." also, most importantly, it was so.ugly.

{BEFORE}
{see? see the ugly, overgrown bed right there to the right of the garage doors?}

so we decided to tear it all out. this process involved all of the following {and then some}: shovels, axes, pitch forks, and crow bars...

we grabbed some drought-friendly decorative plants, and weed ground cloth, and decomposed granite {for soil mixing to improve drainage} and {bags and bags and bags} of river rocks at our local nursery, and 2 1/2 days later...

{AFTER}
{the finished product! izzie approves...}

izzie was so exhausted after all the trips to the nursery and home depot {and flirting with all the other pups and people at those places}, and after barking at the squirrels in the yard while we worked, she had to take a little nap behind our new bonus side project...

in continuing with the landscaping theme this weekend, i also ripped up a 3 X 4 foot area of {somewhat already dead} grass by hand and dug out a flower bed in our backyard to try my hand at growing some dahlias from bulbs {we'll see, not overly optimistic about those little guys}.

hope you had a good weekend... house remodel reveal begins tomorrow!

in the middle

2011-04-15T13:52:00.000-05:00

before i get to the dramatic before/after reveals of our house, i wanted to post a few of the "in the middle" photos...

the dusty, dirty, sweaty, overwhelming, paint-covered, mosquito infested, texas-summer-heat-with-no-AC, measure-twice-cut-once, wouldn't-trade-those-days-for-a-brand-new-house middle photos. because they deserve a post all their own. because the before became the after because of the middle. and because we were (are!) so grateful to have so much help from family (and friends too!)

enjoy!

the first night as homeowners: tearing out the 'deal breaker' wall

you will note that i look hideous in all these pictures due to aforementioned sweat, dust, dirt, etc... luckily my husband and family love me anyway...

we ripped out all the door frames

my dad putting in new insulation

jason's parents priming the 'pink' room

yup, that's a pile of ceiling popcorn on our disgusting carpet. spoiler alert: both carpet and pile would later be removed...

demo for phase 1 of kitchen remodel (phase 2 will come when we have another several thousand dollars just lying around...

so nice that we had our condo to retreat to at night... sleeping here would have been no fun...

where are all the walls???

jack hammer progress (before hitting a tension cable and nearly cutting off the poor guy's leg! he's fine...)

love our vaulted ceilings, but they did NOT make for easy painting...hi mom!

teamwork!

the whole gang! jason, me, and both of our parents

getting excited for the before and afters? i think this glimpse into the middle will help you appreciate them even more - i know all the work did to make the transformation happen has made us appreciate the finished product so much more...

happy weekend!

seriously???

2011-04-15T08:51:00.001-05:00

{i'm a few days behind this story, but as i posted on my facebook wall... this is too ridiculous not to discuss...}

are you guys aware of the "controversy" of the boy with pink toenails??

the conservative media is calling in the psychotherapists and crying "liberal propaganda!" over this ad from j.crew involving pink toenails on, gasp!, a little boy...

seriously cute little boy. clearly having a good time with mom. great, j crew will sell some nail polish as well as adorable striped shirts. what's the problem?

well the (i've typed and deleted: idiotic, unintelligent, and simple-minded ass, but none seem to quite convey my feelings toward him, so i'll just move along) "psychiatrist" over at fox news, dr. keith ablow, had this to say:

"yeah, well, it may be fun and games now, Jenna, but at least put some money aside for psychotherapy for the kid - and maybe a little for others who'll be affected by your "innocent" pleasure."

{seriously???? what an unintelligent, idiotic, simple-minded ASS}

and...

"if you have no problem with the j.crew ad, how about one in which a little boy models a sundress? what could possibly be wrong with that?"

{yes, exactly, what would be the problem with that? or a girl playing with trucks, or wearing a knight costume? WHO CARES. kids love and need to be creative and explore. let's encourage that.}

ugh.

my brother and all my friends' brothers used to ask us to paint their toenails on family camping trips and river trips and they all are strong, confident, capable (and as it turns out, straight - although that's really neither here nor there) men.

end rant. {for now} {back to regularly scheduled/recently promised/significantly delayed/ house before/after photos soon}

happy friday! go paint your little boys' toes pink...or don't...as long as they are happy!

this time last year...

2011-04-14T12:14:00.000-05:00

... we were headed to napa to celebrate our 6 month anniversary... and we had just put in an offer on a house we loved and hoped would be our first home...

{6 month anniversary trip!}

{our new home! courtesy of seller's agent photos}

it's amazing how it seems like a million years ago and just last week all at once...

i ~~definitely never~~ don't think i finished recapping that trip (and ~~definitely won't now~~ probably won't ever) but i DO plan to (finally) reveal the before/after photos of our home... (since this is most progress i ever showed you and we're waaay past this!) (definitely feeling motivated by maggie's new home tour!)

stay tuned!

a little wedding porn...

2011-04-08T09:00:00.000-05:00

i don't think i ever showed you guys any of the professional photos from trice + bret or janet + ben... i was in trice's wedding and a guest at janet's, so i thought i remembered all the details and all the moments... but looking back through these pictures brings back all the beauty and emotion of each of their days...

you have to go see how amazing everything looked for trice and bret's wedding at the allan house, captured by the talented lisa woods...

and then head over to check out janet and ben's wedding at austin country club - photography by carli kiene of inked fingers fotography...

happy friday!

confessions

2011-04-07T18:29:00.002-05:00

{this is not a confession of any kind, so this paragraph has nothing to do with the rest of the post, but make sure you pop over to check out the sneak peek of my most recent maternity session...}

confession:

this morning i had 2 (it might have been ~~three and a half~~ four and a half) homemade chocolate chip cookies and a cup of coffee for breakfast. i was planning on having yogurt with organic raspberries and fresh squeezed OJ from central market... but those damn cookies were taunting me on the counter. and i was tired, so i made coffee. (with this delicious hazelnut organic syrup my mom got me. heavenly.)

second confession: i was determined to make up for this decidedly unhealthy breakfast by skipping the snacking at work (damn never-ending goldfish!!*) however. there was a birthday celebration and a most delicious, decadent cake from the local bakery was served with fresh strawberries. so i had a piece of that for lunch.

perhaps a salad for dinner is in order???

*i work with children so there are huge containers of tasty snacks (goldfish, ritz air crisps, teddy grahams, nilla wafers, pretzels, etc) that are constantly being refilled. makes sticking to a healthy eating plan challenging. i frequently go through ~~at least five~~ several handfuls of goldfish each day...

puppy emergency (or: why you should never plan to cook with onions)

2011-04-07T11:34:00.000-05:00

why you should never cook with onions:

background: i don't really love onions, so i rarely use them. i have gotten them probably 2 times since we've lived in our house for burgers and fajitas we've had on sunday-funday cookout/pool party evenings...

i've been meaning to make this yummy risotto, which calls for an onion. i keep trying to make the risotto, then forgetting i don't have any onions. finally, yesterday at central market i remembered to toss a few in my cart - i was triumphant! risotto was on the menu for dinner this weekend!

after unpacking my groceries, i placed my onions on the buffet in our eat-in breakfast area in the kitchen. they were positioned artfully next to the bowl of bananas, avocados, and limes. (i liked the arrangement, it made me feel healthy and a bit like a chef who might, at a moment's notice, whip something delicious up with some combination of those ingredients). this is important: i neglected to notice, however, how much the 2 onions resembled izzie's favorite, faded tennis ball.

i headed to work, and soon after got a frantic call from jason: "just got home for lunch and izzie has eaten half an onion and an avocado!" i immediately google "puppy ate an onion" whilst simultaneously keeping jason on the line and using the 2 phones in my office to reach our vet + the emergency vet. long-story short results: make her throw up then bring her in because onions can be very toxic to dogs.

poor jason has to force hydrogen peroxide down izzie's throat to induce vomiting, and then clean up 3 giant piles of what is basically regurgitated peroxide-guacamole (ew), while i race home to take her to the vet. vet does blood work for toxicity - she's clear - and we are instructed to watch her for signs of anemia, but basically, thankfully, she is fine. phew.

sweet girl napping after her ordeal...

moral of the story: don't buy onions. or at least, don't buy onions if your dog likes to chase/eat tennis balls. or maybe, don't put onions where she can possibly reach them. or maybe, teach her not to jump up on counters (we're working on it).

by the way... our house still smells like onions, as does her breath. delightful.

never did get that iphone post to work + bridals

2011-04-06T20:49:00.000-05:00

so... i never did get my iphone to cooperate so i could post the cutest pictures ever of the last few months...

oh well.

i do have some pictures of gorgeous bride, lauren, if you want to sneak a peek here...

{a little preview...go here for more}

happy wednesday! come on friday!

iphone blogging failure.. and food!

2011-03-31T11:39:00.000-05:00

so i had this sweet little post complete with all these great pictures from my iphone all completed yesterday morning... but my phone would not cooperate, so it's yet to load the post...

here are a few pictures from our family dinner in wimberley on tuesday night to tide you over while i keep working on it!

bacon wrapped dove...{i don't eat meat, but they looked yummy!}

homemade bacon buttermilk biscuits...{i picked out the bacon, not about to miss out on this deliciousness}

lemon butter asparagus

homemade pecan pie {with homegrown pecans!}

it was heavenly...

hopefully a little post of "what my iphone photo apps and camera roll say i've been up to" to come shortly...

it's almost the weekend!!!

photo booth amazingness, part 2

2011-03-29T10:39:00.002-05:00

so kelly posted some of these on her blog (if you don't read it - go now, thank me later!)...

but i felt they deserved their own post here too...

you remember how much fun i had in the photo booth at trice's wedding? well this photo booth edition just may rival that one...

question: what's better than a husband and wife with coordinating mustaches?

answer: framed wife's booty photo (see also, "unflattering photos hall of fame")

photo booth conversation part 1

photo booth phone conversation part 2

we may have spent a little too much time in the photo booth...

the gorgeous bride and groom...

group shot!

kelly and darryl

parker and christine

now you know exactly what to do (and what NOT to do - read: frame you own ass as it makes it look bigger than ever) in a photo booth. you're welcome.

gorgeous.

2011-03-28T22:25:00.000-05:00

so i mentioned that i was going to this wedding on saturday...

it.was.amazing. so gorgeous.

even as a guest, i made a point to snap a few shots throughout the ceremony and reception...

here is a little preview, and you can go here for more!

how gorgeous is this couple, and how lovely was this weeding??

have a fabulous week! more good things to come this week...

stunning wedding

2011-03-26T11:12:00.001-05:00

happy saturday!!

my best friend trice's wedding photos have just been posted!! (fitting, since i'm headed off to another wedding today - what? you don't remember my weekend plans? you can get the break down here...)

lisa woods did an incredible job... you have to check out this gorgeous green and navy wedding... (be sure to notice that i'm exceptionally good at making sure i'm in lots of pictures... what can i say? lisa is so good, any chance i can get i want my life documented by her!)

(in case you didn't see them, trice's bridal pictures are here... isn't she a stunning bride? that bret is a lucky man...)

enjoy your weekend, friends!!

it's the weekend!! (and some pool party precociousness)

2011-03-25T10:53:00.001-05:00

try saying that 5 times fast... 'pool party precociousness' (or don't, instead just go look at these pictures!)**

it's finally friday!! actually, the week went by faster than i thought it would, and here we are, at the start of an action-packed weekend...

today (friday): work around the house, editing some photos for the blog; picking up my brother at the airport (!!!!); dinner/music/laughter with the fam in wimberley

tomorrow (saturday): sleep in; puppy walk; bachelorette party brunch/spa with my lovely friend, lauren, who is getting married next friday(!!!!) (i am going to do her wedding coordination and take some of her photos, yay!!); wedding of our good friends, ben and janet, where i will dance my face off with christine and kelly (who are 2 of the stunning bridesmaids); possible rendezvous with the bachelorette girls if their night is still going strong after the wedding...

the next day (sunday): sleep in; puppy walk (questionable, depending on amounts of dancing and drinking at aforementioned wedding and bachelorette party rendezvous); photog brunch with the talented trish finfer (her blog, her website), and another lovely gal, susan (her website) whom i haven't yet met; baby shower for a sweet work friend; maternity session with sweet work friend (be sure to check the blog for her photos next week!); get ready for the work week...

phew.

can't wait!!!

(congrats if you've made it this far! now be sure to check out the those precocious littles at the pool, and have yourself a fantastic weekend!)

**(here's a little preview)

goals..are they called 'resolutions' in march?

2011-03-24T10:15:00.000-05:00

i didn't make any specific new year's resolutions this year (don't worry, you are on the right page, it is march and i'm just now talking about this...), but i've been thinking about some ongoing to-do lists and goals for a while now...

usually when i write down these "resolution-type" goals, (especially on the interwebs where ~~hopefully~~ maybe a few people are reading them and can help me feel accountable) i am more apt to stick to them and i work harder to achieve them. so, that being said...here are 4 that have been on my mind recently...

* make an even more concerted effort to buy and eat local, in-season foods. we frequent the farmer's market, and at the store i typically only buy organic fruits and veggies...but i'm a sucker for, say, berries - whether or not they are in season and at whatever the cost (which affects both our monthly budget and to the carbon footprint i'm making on the earth to get raspberries from mexico in february).

* pay more attention to our monthly budget and stick to it (even if that means declining invitations to expensive restaurants with friends every now and again). we've gotten pretty good at relatively inexpensive dinner parties, but when it comes to eating out with friends, after 1-2 drinks and meals for each of us, our budget for the month is usually blown.

* avoid getting complacent on home renovation projects. i like that we are in a good place, the house is at at "big project" stopping point...but there are so.many.little.projects that if we don't stay on top of them, they really add up. i'd like to make an effort to finish one small project each day, or at least several each weekend. it takes about 2 minutes to caulk all the holes in a door frame, i can surely do that before plunking down to watch 'bethenny getting married', right?? right.

* learn more about my camera and practice, practice, practice. also, seek out more experienced photographers to learn from, re: taking photographs and the business of photography. i can't exactly justify taking big risks on the professional front if i'm not doing all i can to prepare myself for being successful at possible new endeavors. i'm committing to learning photoshop and lightroom better AND to learning all the functions of my trusty SLR camera (ha.) (plus, i've told myself when i learn all there is to know about my current camera i can upgrade to a dreamier canon 5D-type model (see below...sigh...) at least i've got my photography blog up and running...

so how about you?? any mid-month/mid-year "resolutions" or goals you've been working on??

a new photo session posted

2011-03-23T22:34:00.000-05:00

just posted a new maternity & family photo session over on my photography blog...

here's a little preview...

check out the rest here...isn't this the sweetest family??

taking risks

2011-03-22T10:47:00.001-05:00

good morning!

**if you don't already follow kate at centsational girl, you're missing out... so go on over, become obsessed, and thank me later :)

as i casually scrolled through my google reader this morning, i came across this post about taking risks. i found it to be rather inspiring and it felt particularly close to home. i've been loving exploring my creative side with home renovations and gardening and photography...and little by little i've been wondering if i could really *someday* move away from my current career as a physical therapist toward these hobbies, specifically my photography, as a career.

for me, there is a lot of work to be done before that happens, and i'm not totally sure i even want it to... but her post was the inspirational jumpstart i needed to at least start thinking about it more seriously...

what are you thoughts?? any risks you've been thinking about taking??

monday monday...

2011-03-21T09:02:00.000-05:00

...i wish it you were FRIDAY. and i could start my weekend all over again...

not ready for the work week. didn't get all the laundry done...didn't get all the notes i needed to write for work done...didn't get groceries...

but i DID...

* hang out with my parents and record some new harmonies for our upcoming family album

* take long walks with my puppy girl

* spend a friday night on the town with our neighbors/friends (the night included drinking champagne from plastic cups and parking in an alleyway by a dumpster...super duper classy, folks...)

* sleep in! (glorious!)

* get some gardening/yard work/pool stuff done

* have dinner and drinks with good friends at la condesa (yum.)

* enjoy brunch and live music and $1 mimosas for about 4 hours with friends to celebrate spring and birthdays

* take izzie for a puppy play date and mama sangria date with other neighbors/friends

* swim and hot tub for the first time this season

it was lovely.

but back to the grind now. which, although i love my job, will be less lovely. more weekend please!!

would you repeat your weekend??

irish blessing

2011-03-17T17:23:00.000-05:00

in honor of saint patrick's day...

an old irish blessing:

may the road rise up to meet you.

may the wind always be at your back.

may the sun shine warm upon your face,

and rains fall soft upon your fields.

And until we meet again,

may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

in other saint patrick's day news...

i plan to abstain from this:

(green beer and general st. patty's day shenanigans)

...and work on this:

(my green thumb...planting some dahlias this evening as it cools off)

...i'll also be having a glass of wine with my handsome husband while he grills our dinner on the patio later tonight. perfect, relaxing, avoiding-the-madness-that-is-downtown-austin-during-SXSW evening...

may the luck o' the irish be with all of you!!

all grown up

2011-03-16T09:04:00.001-05:00

our little puppy, izzie, is getting so big! we think she's stopped growing, and she's actually a perfect size...

she went from this...

{when we first brought her home...so tiny... all 5 lbs of her!!}

to this...
{also known as "puppy's first, but certainly not only photo shoot"}

and this...

to finally, our full-grown, beautiful, big puppy girl...

we love our puppy girl! can't believe she's so grown up!

photo booth amazingness

2011-03-15T09:30:00.001-05:00

oh! here's how i can make it up to you for the most random post ever...

how about a glimpse at the photo booth amazingness* that took place at trice's wedding a few weeks ago...

(are you sure you're ready for this?? cause its pretty awesome...)

{soon we'll be celebrating megan's wedding in costa rica! no photo booth there, but more monkeys, i hope!}

{love this girl!}

{check out my eyes in the top left...this was BEFORE the tequila shots, i swear!}

{gotta make out a little with your husband whilst in a photo booth, no?}

{with my best friends, including the gorgeous bride, trice}

{the title of the bottom left image is "catfish"...our go-to emergency phrase in college in case someone was trying to kill us...or we just needed to get away from that creepy frat boy at a party...)

* i have very strong feelings about photo booths... i love them as a guest, but i think they can majorly detract from a reception if they are set up away from the dance floor/action... because then everyone is in line for the photo booth, NOT dancing inappropriately to, let's say, 'back that ass up' after all the grandma's are safely home... we did not have one because i wanted everyone to dance like crazy at our wedding... but after recommending this one be set up on the edge of the dance floor... it worked out perfectly!!

a few things...

2011-03-15T09:12:00.000-05:00

first, i can hardly contain myself because, according to my UPS tracking link, my kelly moore bag should be arriving today!

{"walnut" from here}

i kind of wanted to order the "mustard" or the "grassy green" colors instead, but then i decided that walnut gave me the most options to carry it all the time, and when i start getting rich (ha) i can get another one in a more exciting color...

...............

next... while i am having a tough time waking up in the mornings, i am loving how light it is when i get home from work! (see below for my photo of my bedroom when it was time to wake up...TOO DARK.) plenty of time to take a long puppy walk and enjoy a glass of wine on the patio while it is still nice out...

So hard to get up when it looks like this ... Daylight savings is great in the evenings... Mornings? Notsomuch.
ameliamarie's photo
instagr.am
So hard to get up when it looks like this ... Daylight savings is great in the evenings... Mornings? Notsomuch.

...............

now for a mini confession: i made a small homemade gluten-free, mozzarella, garlic, and fresh basil pizza last night with the intention of saving at least half for lunch today. well, my friends... as glasses of wine and the most.awkward.'after the final rose'.ever + 'bethenny ever after' progressed...the pizza disappeared. guess its a good thing i'll have plenty of time for a LONG walk tonight...

most random post ever... but trying to get back to daily postings, so this hodgepodge will have to do for now... maybe i'll finally post some of my blog crushes and new discoveries later to make up for this mess :)

happy tuesday!

spring break...

2011-03-14T09:29:00.001-05:00

...should be for EVERYONE. seriously. SXSW is gearing up here in austin (celebrity sightings, oh my!), people are sleeping in (not confusedly looking from the darkness outside to the clock, and back to the [complete and utter!!] darkness outside like me this morning), and many of my friends and family are adventuring as we speak...

and where am i? i am at work. work i enjoy, sure. but work nonetheless.

i want spring break too!!

what would i be doing if i had spring break this week?

if i was staying at home, enjoying a low-key spring break, i would...
* work on my garden
* swim in my pool
* shop (on second thought, probably better that i don't have a week free to shop)
* attend sxsw events
* take longer walks with my puppy
* start my month of unlimited yoga groupon
* go to central market everyday and try new recipes
* work on some photography projects
* relax!!

if i was going on a dream spring break vacation, i would travel to...
* costa rica
* panama
* australia
* new zealand
* peru
* belize
* brazil
* portugal
* spain
* south of france
* italy
* greek islands
* croatia
* switzerland
* sweden
* germany
* puerto rico
* whew..so many already, and there are so many more places on my "must see" list...

i guess i'll need more than a week... here's hoping i win the lottery* and can travel like its my job!!

*(i guess i would need to play the lottery for that to work out... but i generally don't play the lottery...not because the odds are so low, but because every.single.time i play, i truly feel that i am going to win. i mentally spend and give away all the money, then i don't win, and i'm disappointed for a few days...i've learned its just better not to play...)

confession

2011-03-10T11:51:00.002-06:00

i may or may not have created a "wish list" situation over at baby earth last night. no, no...i'm not pregnant. we're not even trying! (yet.)

but i have the baby fever.

(did you see this post from a mini baby session with the cutest.baby.girl.ever.??)

{a preview.. more on the blog}

back to the confession. while my husband and puppy fell asleep on the couch - holding hands...it was SO cute (see??) - i sneakily and quietly built a "wish list" for our someday future baby. after innocently clicking on an ad that popped up at my new favorite blog - young house love. (do you follow them? if not, you NEED to. seriously good stuff. but don't bother going over there if you don't have the time/money/energy to find a renovation project at home. because you will be itching to start one...or 19...) christine told me about it and now i'm hooked.)

although i was, however, not crazy enough to actually, officially create a "registry"... that's basically what i did. so i still think that makes me a tad crazy. or at least severely premature. or...??

so now. we have a wishlist. full of the most eco-friendly, unbelievably expensive, lovely items on the planet. for our yet-to-even-be-attempted-to-be-conceived-future-child. (its sounding crazier and crazier the more i write it out. i know this.)

any thursday confessions you need to get off your chest? or baby fever you want to share??

suzie & craig {married}

2011-03-09T09:14:00.000-06:00

also... check out a few of suzie and craig's wedding pictures from their last minute nuptial adventure last july to new orleans...

(you can find a few more on my photography blog...enjoy!)

craigslist anxiety

2011-03-09T09:04:00.002-06:00

update: (9:53am) he came, was perfectly nice, of course, and bought our cabinet! so we have $50 more toward the never-ending home renovations...or maybe some new spring shoes?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

a guy is coming by in a little bit before i go to work to see a granite bathroom cabinet we have in our garage... as soon as i hung up the phone with him, this is what happened:

(via text)

me: babe, the guy from craigslist is coming to look at the cabinet this morning. it is IMPERATIVE that you keep your phone in your pocket for the next hour

jason: babe. everything will be fine. let me know if he pays full price

me: seriously. i'm not kidding. as soon as i see him pull up, i'm going to text you that he's here and if you don't here from me in EXACTLY 10 minutes, CALL 911 and come home RIGHT AWAY. plus, i might need to text you if something bad happens

jason: haha. its fine babe

me: I'M NOT KIDDING. you will feel bad if you don't have your phone on you and i try to text you that i'm being kidnapped or he tries to steal izzie

jason: ok, just let me know when he gets there. love u

...and i haven't even watched that 'craigslist killer' movie.

well, thats really just because i don't watch scary movies after:

1) being forced to watch poltergeist 3 with a "friend" in third grade (!!!) (so.traumatized) (i had only ever watched disney movies up to that point) (i slept in my parents room for at least 3 months after that) (she had to come to OUR house to play if ever wanted another play date with her)

and

2) accidentally watching a particularly scary episode 'walker, texas ranger' whilst home sick one day in middle school (it ~~might have been~~ was definitely high school) about a girl getting kidnapped from her own home in the daylight by a man hiding in her kitchen pantry (walker got her back, happy ending, but i was traumatized nonetheless...checked that damn pantry with a butcher knife every.single.day that i came home from school)

does anyone else do this???

weekend and b's first birthday party

2011-03-07T21:13:00.000-06:00

so i'm working up to more "real" "substantial" posts... but for now:

weekend recap:

* friday: off work early...clean floors, clean/wash/spot treat white sectional sofa*, so.much.laundry; then, drinks with friends downtown...

*saturday: sleep in, walk the pup, yard work, b's first birthday party (check out some sweet pictures of the happy family on my photography blog), dinner date with jason and mandola's, wine and catching up with friends...

* sunday: up early, long walk with izzie, to my parents' house to "lay down some vocals" (haha) for our new family album**, husband vs. wife bocce ball and mimosas in our backyard (i won, 5-3), breakfast tacos and chips/queso for dinner (best.decision.ever), last season's 30 rock until we passed out on the couch at about 930pm (because we are ~~mature~~ lame like that)

did you miss the link above? don't forget to check out b's first birthday pictures...

(ok, fine...here are a few of my favorites if you are too lazy to click the link...)

how was your weekend?

* so much work; so many reasons NOT to have a white sofa... but it looks SO PRETTY...

** yes, my family is like the partridge family and we are recording our second album. we're awesome like that. or very full of ourselves... time will tell, i suppose...

bridal session

2011-02-28T22:53:00.003-06:00

i posted some new pics on my photography blog. actually, they are my first real post - woohoo!

the pictures are from last week when i accompanied my best friend, trice whitefield, on her bridal session with the amazing lisa woods. seriously, how awesome is lisa to let me tag along and get some shots in alongside her..?? SO awesome, that's your answer.

here is a preview of 4 of my favorites...

life.

2011-02-09T22:25:00.001-06:00

{love this}

{already forgot where i found this. sorry!}

photography

2011-02-09T21:58:00.000-06:00

update on house, puppy, love, life, travel, and more to follow...

but for now...

you can pop over {here} to check out my new photography blog! hooray!

oh hello there! (also, buy my stuff!!)

2010-12-19T22:45:00.000-06:00

hello there friends!

are any of you readers still around?

do you live in austin?

do you want some awesome new clothing? for an awesome price?

i've cleaned out my closet and i'm moving tons of great things along...

(anthro tops, joes jeans, seven jeans, banana republic tops, express tops, forever 21 awesomeness, work pants, scarves, matty m stuff, etc, etc...)

check out my craigslist post, or if you are interested, leave a comment!

free stuff is awesome!!

2010-12-05T20:51:00.004-06:00

i created my awesome holiday cards from shutterfly!

much to jason's dismay, i included not one, but 2 photos of our sweet little puppy love...

check out the "widget" to the right! (i just learned that word...)

oops, i thought it was still september! guess i'd better start working on those christmas cards!

2010-12-03T08:49:00.001-06:00

i fee like it was JUST summer... and now its winter...

i don't like it. i mean, some amazing things have been happening (anniversary adventure to new england, precious puppy keeps growing and getting more adorable, BIRTHDAY MONTH, thanksgiving, great times with family/friends/new neighbors, my brother and his girlfriend were in town for about 6 weeks...) but time seems to be flying. i don't like that flying part one bit.

but...here we are in december, and its time to catch up on this whole blog thing, get the rest of the house organized and decorated for the holidays, and get our first christmas cards (ever!) rocking and rolling and out to our loved ones...

jason and i have never done christmas cards together (or separately, really...that was always up to my mom!) and we can't wait to send them this year...and really, this has 100% to do with my new puppy being sooooo cute! well, that and the fact that shutterfly has some amazing options for spreading holiday cheer!

shutterfly makes it so easy to design and send cards. i already have an account and i upload all my pictures anyway to save them to "the cloud." (anyone else always worried you will somehow, someday lose all your pictures and then have no memories?!?! no, just me?? perhaps that is another post for another time...)

then all i have to do is pick a favorite (wait, did i say "ALL i have to do??" commit to a photo? that is the hardest.thing.for.me.to.do*) and play with all the templates available!

i've narrowed our finalists to these sweet cards:

except with, you know, actual pictures of us and stuff. (not that these kids aren't adorable and kiiiinnnndd of giving me a ~~full-blown case~~ twinge of the baby fever.)

i'm also going to make photo books of our wedding (can you say a year behind!?) as gifts for our parents and grandparents, and a book of our home renovations to share with relatives at christmas who haven't seen the progress!

i love to give gifts. but then, the problem is, i love to keep a version those gifts for myself. so i'll probably have several new wedding books for myself soon! and if i want to send myself a thank you note for that, i can use one of these! (or i suppose i should probably use them for the gifts that others are generous enough to give.)

so there you have it. i'm back on track. i'll be catching up soon on the last several (6? 9??? i've lost track...maybe i need a new calendar!) months... or not, but at least i'll be moving forward. we'll see...

*if you feel you can't commit to a photo, you could always go with a traditional card, like these, to avoid hurting any of your photos' feelings or driving yourself crazy with indecision! (wait, i don't do either of those things...)

**while i already LOVED shutterfly and used them for all photo-related creativity, i have to mention that i am getting a promotion for 50 free holiday cards by including them in this blog post... and now its your turn...you can do it to! just go here for more information... and enjoy!!

serious lust going on...

2010-09-27T09:19:00.002-05:00

my knees are weak, my heart's a pounding...

i.must.have.these:

(gorgeous frye over the knee riding boots, available at zappos)

and this:

(stunning crocheted amber necklace from here on etsy)

i want! (need?!) i want! (need?!!!)

Little big girl!!

2010-09-27T09:16:00.001-05:00

My sweet little, big girl...

She loves to pick up sticks while we're walking..

But this one miiiight be a smidge too big:

Funny girl :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

What's been keeping me busy...

2010-09-17T09:39:00.001-05:00

Too busy to blog, that is...

(or, really to busy to do anything else...but more on that later...)

Introducing Isabel Olive (Izzie)...

Here's hoping the photos make up for months of not posting :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Glimpse into the future?

2010-07-13T09:32:00.001-05:00

Perhaps??

(Jason, last night, with our adorable niece and nephew...)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

New house progress

2010-07-13T09:24:00.001-05:00

(or, "we now only have piles of crap in boxes in 3 rooms and at least we can use the kitchen for cooking and sit somewhere that is not a cardboard box")

Still have a long way to go, but it's really starting to feel like home!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Packing

2010-06-24T09:00:00.001-05:00

Ahhhh!!!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

New floors!!

2010-06-18T18:09:00.001-05:00

Are in!!!!

Pardon the dust... They weren't totally finished installing them, but I had to sneak a few shots to document the progress...

Dark, handscraped (apparently by PRISONERS!! But that's another story for another day...), 5" plank, engineered acacia wood...

We love love love them...

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

i love...

2010-06-17T23:49:00.000-05:00

...when i get up to go brush my teeth in the morning after jason has left for work and the smell of his cologne lingers...makes me love him even more in that very second then i even remembered that i did...

...when he sleepily pulls me close and mumbles "babe, ima love you forever, ok?" if i get in bed after he's already started drifting off...

...being married for 8 whole months already!!!

times are a changin'

2010-06-17T07:20:00.001-05:00

in a related note to the house progress happening these days...

you would NOT believe how much time i am spending at home depot. so much time, i dream in orange these days...

ahhh...i miss the good ol' days when a $400 swipe of the credit card meant i had found something delightful at anthro...(i mean, hopefully 2 or 3 somethings, but we all know that doesn't always happen for that chunk of change at good ol' anthropologie)

now, i'm usually procuring doors and frames, paint (and more paint!), electrical outlets, and baseboards (oh my!)

how does it go? "growing up is haaaard to do" (you have to sing it!)

House progress...

2010-06-16T10:44:00.002-05:00

I popped by the casa this morning to take a few pics before the wood floors go in...

I'll do a side by side comparison post with the before and after later, but here are a few in-progress to give you an idea where we're headed...

PS.. Please excuse my shameless combining of Spanish monestary and craftsman style bungalow influences... I like both too much to decide... So we've got both :). It's my (er, our) house and I (er, we) can do what I/we want... :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

a funny thing happened in little italy...

2010-06-14T14:51:00.001-05:00

maggiano's little italy, that is...

we went with a cozy group of friends for jason's 29th birthday last friday night...just 7 of us in all...including 2 other gals besides myself - andi and christine. it's family style dining, and the menu is to die for. we ate until we could eat no more, then we ate dessert. lots of it. if you haven't been, look up the closest one to you and make a reservation...

got your reservation? good. now on to the funny thing...

i had decided to wear one of my most favorite pre-wedding-justification purchases from anthro - a sweet little orange-ish, short, flowy dress, and was excited because 1) i hadn't worn it since the wedding, and 2) it still fit!

well, just as i was demurely waiting to give the host our reservation name (er, staring at myself in said favorite dress in the mirror behind the host stand)...in walked christine...in the exact.same.dress.

it felt like that time in 6th grade when 3 of my friends all wore denim shorts, white t-shirts (in inexplicable adult size "larges" - why? why did we want things to be baggy? we were tiny then! and, ps, i shove myself into a small now...) and denim vests. we planned, tried-on, and then showed up at the school cafeteria in our matching awesome outfits. oh, yes, we were smokin at that dance, rocking out to boyz II men.

but i digress. (plus...that time it was on purpose!) in this case, on saturday, with only one other girl to distract from our twinsy look, we had to stand and sit as as far apart as possible all night... that is, until the wine really started (and kept) flowing...at which point we ran to the bathroom to take twin/"who wore it better" self-portrait shots in the mirror...

but i think we can all agree that "who wore it better" with a friend is a lose/lose game to play...so we just congratulated each other on our impecible style...i cursed christine for getting hers on sale...and i'll leave you now with the kate hudson and lisa rinna version...

(kate would be the obvious winner here, folks...)

renovations and resolutions...

2010-06-14T14:26:00.000-05:00

its been weeks of sweaty, sawdusty, paint-fumey work...but our house is coming along!!!

here's what we've (me, jason, our parents, and our contractor) done so far...

* ripped up any existing carpet
* taken out tile in our hallway
* crowbar-ed up all the carpet tacks from the concrete
* jackhammered out an entryway step (uh, yeah, this took the poor guys 2 1/2 days to do this...)
* primed red, black, and pink walls 4 times...
* painted all walls with 2-3 coats of newport blue, sagey green, and brown teepee
* stripped all cabinets, sanded them down to the original wood
* refinished the antique dressers that serve as our vanities/sinks
* replaced all electric outlets and light switches
* torn out a wall and refinished the opening
* took our ceiling from 7 feet to 10 feet in the kitchen
* put in recessed lighting in the kitchen
* replaced 6 doors and door frames in the house
* replaced the front door
* fixed the garage doors
* took out the dog door in the master bathroom and replaced siding and sheetrock
* ripped out all paneling in the house and replaced with sheetrock
* caulked all outside door frames and windows
* mowed, weeded, planted rosemary to ward off mosquitoes
* gotten our pool up and running
* converted our pool to a salt water pool
* so much more that i'm sure i'm forgetting...

in the midst of all these renovations (and those to come...) i've realized that this is definitely more stressful than i anticipated. some of that stress, however, i can limit and control. so here is my resolution - not to get so wrapped up in the small details - i mean i want the house to look the best it can, and i waaaaaant everything to be perfect...but bickering with jason about the direction in which he rolls his roller on the inside of the closet wall...probably not super important. (babe, you did it just fine!)

i'd rather remember the 9 million trips to home depot where we picked out things to go in our new house, the giggles and paint wars, jumping in the pool at the end of a hard day of painting and sanding, and especially the champagne that jason had hidden in the house the first night we opened the door to our home with our key...not the fact that the blue painters tape could have been done better if i did it myself, or something ridiculous like that...

oh! and our new wood floors are going in our wednesday! it will finally look like a home and not a construction zone! caaaaaaaaaaaaaan't wait!

been a while...

2010-06-10T21:40:00.001-05:00

you know its been a while since you posted when your husband, at dinner with all your mutual friends, brings up that he's been bored by your blog recently...

"sorry babe, but its been so boring...there's been nothing. nothing at all since april 22. i'm so bored by mother earth. i mean...a lot has fucking happened since april 22! but i guess it hasn't been important for you to blog about it? are you too busy? reading other blogs? come on babe...i mean, we only bought a house and renovated it...people will want to know about that...how about our napa trip? did you ever blog our wedding? all those recipes you were supposed to blog? babe, i love you, but you really need to update that blog."

ok, ok...i'm scrubbing the paint and sawdust off myself and i'll be back with some updates asap...i promise...
for reals this time :)

to any readers i still have left...i'm sorry that i've been boring you all with no new updates...thanks for being patient!!

mother earth

2010-04-22T19:29:00.000-05:00

i hope we all reused, reduced, recycled today...(although, i'm not going to lie, my condo complex doesn't recycle glass, so after i finished off my bottle of wine this evening, i tossed it in the trash...now i'm thinking perhaps i should fish it out and swing by whole foods tomorrow to stuff it in their glass recycling bin...)

this is our only earth, lets take care of her, shall we? happy earth day, loves...

casa de penoli...hopefully!

2010-04-22T08:41:00.004-05:00

(napa day 2 and 3 coming soon!)

with a smidge of trepidation (because we haven't actually closed yet...), i am going to post a few pictures* of our new casa...

its in a great 1970s neighborhood in southwest austin, full of amazing old oak trees, and cool houses...we went for our inspection on moday**, and we've already met a few neighbors

we definitely have months and months of work ahead of us to make this home look like we want...walls will be coming down, floors will be going in, paint paint and MORE paint! so squint your eyes when you look at the pictures, and picture it like we do...with so much possibility!!!

wanna come over for a pool party??

*these are from the listing agent...i would obviously taken much cuter pictures of the place myself :)

**our poor inspector did not know what he was getting into when he arrived, innocently, on monday evening... he was subjected to no less than 10 of us following him around to every room while he tried to do his job... my dad, jason's parents, jason's sister and brother-in-law, their 2 kids, jason and i, and our realtor, tim....it was a spectacle, that's for sure, and he is probably not fully recovered...poor guy...

napa (day 1) in pictures

2010-04-20T22:40:00.001-05:00

mortgage lending quandaries, finishing patient progress notes and re-evaluations, and - lets be honest, shall we - american idol, glee, and lost are keeping me from writing a full napa recap...

so here are a few pictures of day 1 to whet your whistles until i get it all done...

welcome to napa valley!

happy 6 month anniversary, my love...

pretty flower picture taken on new pretty camera

favorite napa valley snack...

oh, this is just francis ford coppola's private table...no biggie...

wine flights at gorgeous, organic frog's leap winery

i think we actually drank *this* much wine...

it might have been *this* much :)

gorgeous vineyards and mountains

after wine tasting and twilight-touring the mondavi winery

oh wait...this is the after picture :)

more pics and napa/sonoma recap to come...

i need 36 hours

2010-04-19T09:28:00.000-05:00

...in my day today!

we got back from an amazing napa adventure late last night, we have our home inspection this evening, i have about 400 pounds of laundry, no food at our house, and no less than 20 progress notes to write for my patients - ideally by tomorrow!

yikes! anyone have any hours to spare??

full napa recap coming...but i'll leave you with this little quote from our friday evening:

(on the twilight tour at robert mondavi, after hitting 4 wineries previously that day...)

jason: so...i think we just paid $50 each not really for a tour, per se, but to basically drink as much wine as possible in 2 hours...

despite not remembering the drive home (oops! sorry for not staying awake to keep you company my sweet designated-driver-husband!)...that's my kind of tour, my friends!

last minute tuesday faves

2010-04-13T22:29:00.000-05:00

(in honor of our new house!)

from pottery barn...

um...wine bottle chandelier? yes please!

gorgeous organic chair

amazing bar table

its getting a little crazy around here

2010-04-13T22:20:00.000-05:00

um...we just bought a house!! (inspection and last minute mind-changing panic pending :)

built in the 70's...3 bedroom, 2 bath...double-sided fireplace...stained concrete and saltillo tile...pool and hot tub...we.love.it.

the remodeling and decor ideas are swirling around my head so fast i can barely keep my mind on glee and lost tonight!

oh...and then there's our 6 month anniversary trip to Napa coming up this thursday!!! so we have to step back from the home buying for a moment and get ready to get our wine-tasting on...(its all the swirling home decor ideas that are making me use dumb phrases like "our wine-tasting on")

so house fun for one more day...then Napa...then back to house fun!

so we might have just bought a house...

2010-04-12T23:10:00.001-05:00

..i know i said i was back...

....but then i found out i was going to be going to oklahoma and back in one day and oh, buying a house.

maybe.
as it turns out we should have been on hgtv's "my first place" or something with all the ridiculous things that have gone down in the last 5 hours...

like:

oh, i don't know...meeting our realtor to put in an offer on a house...deciding mid-discussion that i want to put offers in on 2 houses so i have longer to think about them...finding out that the second home has 2 offers on it already...putting in a better offer...the seller possibly not even looking at our offer after receiving 2 offers already...and so on...

but the house is really cool...

if we get it, this blog becomes home makeover central. home renovations all day everyday...and i've got lots of inspiration boards prepared, so get ready (it was either that or keep making nursery boards and freak out my darling husband...)

so...my loves...i'll keep you posted. think happy thoughts for our offer! and if we dont' get it, meh, it wasn't meant to be! (see how i put that calm, zen-like energy out there, universe?!? now you come through for me!!)

been a while...

2010-04-07T13:41:00.000-05:00

hello lovely friends!

i've taken a bit of a break from the blogworld...

well, that's not entirely true, as i've been keeping up with all of you, my "internet friends," but just not taking the time to write myself...

...and i know you've been on the edge of your seats, missing me somethin' terrible!

really, with 4 out of 5 weekends traveling and lots of craziness at work...something had to go. and while i wish it could have been the whole "work thing"...it turns out we need money. for things like groceries, and future houses, and shopping at anthropologie (what?! i didn't say that...)

but. now i'm back...

...with wedding week and honeymoon recaps (yes, 6 months late...)
...with recipes
...with tuesday faves
...with weekend adventure recaps
...with blog crushes
...and so much more!

happiness

2010-03-03T13:52:00.000-06:00

i'm feeling so happy that washington dc is joining the ranks of intelligent and compassionate cities allowing same-sex couples to get married!

i feel like jumping out of my chair and celebrating with all of the people who have been waiting for this day...perhaps this gorgeous, sunny day here in austin, texas is a metaphor for all the joy that this decision will bring...

tuesday faves

2010-03-02T12:52:00.000-06:00

today's edition will focus on the people and happenings in my life that i am loving right now...

* the text message i got an hour ago from my husband: "you are so beautiful. i love you." really it's not this text...it's that he takes the time, so often, to send me sweet notes or tell me sweet things...or that he sneaks back in to our room after he gets up to get ready for work in the guest room to kiss me on the cheek before he leaves...

* spending time with true friends - whether they are a walk, plane ride, or phone call away. i have so many lovely, wonderful friends who i can talk to, drink margaritas with, gossip and giggle with, dance on bars with (what!? did i just say that...) and more...

* my dad stopping by our townhome on his way home from work yesterday just to give me a hug...

* eating broccoli and eggs that come from less than 10 miles away! in fact, i'm loving all the organic, delicious foods from our local farmers market that i am making an effort to purchase and eat in order to 1) support local growers and to 2) improve my health....

* the final stages of planning the adventures that are just around the corner!! i'm getting so excited to visit places i've never been, and to spend time with my favorite people in the world...

frumpy.

2010-02-24T10:05:00.000-06:00

one of the worst feelings in the world is having a closet full of clothes and nothing.to.wear.

i opened my closet doors this morning, with eagerness and anticipation (er, squinting, tired, and wishing i was still in bed)...and started into the vast depths of all my clothes (at least the ones that aren't stuffed in the "less-frequently-worn-and-thus-usually-forgotten" closet)...

...and came up with nada. so many cute anthro tops! so much flattering dark-washed denim! so many perfect layers! but it all felt frumpy.

to me feeling frumpy is the absolute worst - it feels like everything i own makes me look fat and boring. (and in reality i know - uh, hope? - that plenty of the garments i've paid a pretty penny for do neither) but it's one of those days...

so comfy-yet-slimming jeans and a springy top (to welcome the sun today!), my go-to sweater, and some gold flats will have to do...but i still feel blah.

anyone else with a closet full of clothes but nothing to wear??

tuesday faves

2010-02-23T18:54:00.001-06:00

well, since it keeps coming down...i guess i'd better either love it or hate it...SNOW!! (although there hasn't been enough for the snow angels i swore i'd be making before dinner...eh, oh well..)

clementines...a little sweet and tangy glimpse ahead to spring (despite the aforementioned current snowy conditions...or perhaps, especially because of said snow.)

a toasty, roaring fire (er, firelog, since all the wood we keep getting seems to just hiss and steam...maybe if the brilliant team at randalls had put it INSIDE...oh well...) around which to snuggle with a handsome husband

and finally...in honor of the gals' performances tonight...the always amazing...

what are you tuesday faves??

jet setter...

2010-02-22T12:07:00.000-06:00

...that's me!

this spring i have an amazing line-up of adventures planned...

first: in march, i will be visiting my best friend in nashville, tn where she is currently getting her mba at vanderbilt...i've never been, and since jason will be going on a bachelor party that weekend to ski in brackenridge, i decided i should take a little adventure too! my other best friend will be flying in from dc to join us...cannot wait!

second: the very next weekend in march i will be flying (along with my 7 best high school friends) to chicago to celebrate st. patrick's day with green beer and good times...never been to chi-town either, and despite the chilly temps we'll no doubt encounter, i am so freakin' pumped!

third: jason and i are heading to napa/sonoma for our 6 month anniversary, and could not be more excited...wine tasting, bike tours, and romance...oh my!

anyone have any advice for any of these cities???

true story

2010-02-18T09:35:00.000-06:00

the following is an actual event that occured last week:

me: hey babe, i'm going upstairs to take a shower....(pause)...(slyly) wanna come?

jason: (distracted) uh...sure...yeah...i'll be there in a minute - i want to check my email first.

now even though this is out of character for him, i decide a punishment is in order: i run upstairs and take the fastest shower ever to ensure that, after a response like that i am out of that shower and fully clothed before he has a chance to come upstairs.

he gets upstairs moments later with a confused look on his face and after i explain that perhaps it wasn't prudent to choose email over one's wife... i inform him that his lack of, er, enthusiasm, will be recorded for posterity on the ol' internets...

older and wiser

2010-02-17T09:34:00.000-06:00

at happy hour last night with my girlfriends (including the very lovely kiersten)...we remembered at some point in the evening that it was fat tuesday. the first thought that went through my head was 'thank god we're not downtown right now...fighting a crowd, around all those obnoxious people and slutty girls..."

mere moments later, the second thought i had was, 'wow. ten years ago...ten? could it possibly be ten?!...6 of my high school friends and i were just getting ~~half-naked~~ dolled up to go downtown for fat tuesday mardi gras celebrations.' we relished a huge crowd and all the craziness of the strange holiday. we were on spring break that year and had just taken a weekned trip to the beach that still holds a spot in our favorite memories category. we walked our seventeen year-old selves around 6th street that night like we owned the place (er, we also "all forgot our id's at home! oops! can we still come into your bar??" *wink* *smile* *wink*...poor bouncers didn't stand a chance...)

and then, sitting there at happy hour, i realized...although we had a lovely time (and, thank god, none or our boobs ended up out of their respective shirts/on creepy personal cameras/the internet/girls gone wild)...i'm so happy to be where i am now...ten years later...older and at least a little bit wiser...

tuesday faves

2010-02-16T12:52:00.000-06:00

for cold mornings...i've been loving my comfy (albeit, ever-debated/consistent fashion don't) classic tall, chocolate brown uggs...

(ps...is it snobby of me that i wanted to use the image from nordstrom, NOT the boot barn???)

...and, due to a bit of a cold, i've been downing odwalla orange juice. pure deliciousness.

...also - because i work with children who often require significant ~~bribes~~ motivation, and thus we have 47 containers of delightful treats and snacks at all times - goldfish, goldfish, and moooooore goldfish. (better hope next week a tuesday fave is the freaking treadmill...)

(ps, weirdness...this photo came up on google images...from a blog called: lds pad: the journey back to the heavenly father...and the blog mused that goldfish crackers must be the official snack of latter day saints families...not sure what that says about my current obsession with them...)

confessions

2010-02-16T08:42:00.000-06:00

so...i've never watched '16 and pregnant' before yesterday...and i may or may not have taped, then watched 4 episodes!

but that's not even what i'm really confessing to you, internet friends...

what i'm confessing, is that i seriously bawled like a baby during the whole episode where catelynn and tyler decided to give up their baby girl for adoption.

i also might be confessing that these 2 teenagers seem to be more mature and sincere than most people i know that are my age, including me!

er, the last confession should probably be that i set the dvr to tape all new episodes of '16 and pregnant' starting with the season premiere tonight...

don't throw up...

2010-02-15T10:36:00.001-06:00

...but i have an unbelievably romantic husband! (and dad, for that matter...)

for valentine's day, jason and my dad surprised me and my mom with a romantic dinner and surprise VIP tickets to the 'truth and beauty' ballet at the long center...

seriously...dinner at romeo's, VIP ballet seats - complete with champagne and chocolates...oh, and he brought me a beautiful bouquet of flowers on friday before we left...

swoon. (see, i warned you not to throw up...)

tuesday faves!

2010-02-09T12:25:00.000-06:00

i've been guzzling locally created buddha's brew (blueberry flavor) like crazy...

(in my head its magic healing properties cancel out the torchy's taco i just ordered for lunch...er, and the multiple-per-week-happy hours i've been attending with gusto...)

*bonus! they have it on-tap at our local whole foods locations...i feel so eco-trendy when i bring in my refillable mason jar and they fill it right up...

also, i used to totally be a target mascara gal...

but this damn dior style show really is as good as they say...so now, i have less money, but freaking awesome eyelashes...i guess that's a fair trade...

anything you currently can't get enough of??

lost!!

2010-02-02T18:16:00.001-06:00

i am a converted lost fan...didn't watch until season 4, but now i.am.obsessed.

we are heading over to our friends' casa this evening for dinner and the show...and there better be some big questions answered starting now dammit!

i am dying to know: why and how they are all connected...who is jacob...what the freaking hell is jack's dad doing on the island...what is the smoke monster...i could go on and on...

...but i wont...hopefully i will have some answers by 10pm tonight.

(at least if i don't have answers, i will be stuffed with yummy dinner and peanut butter cookies, nutella, raspberries, and homemade vanilla ice cream...)

delightful.

2010-02-01T22:50:00.003-06:00

this weekend was simply delightful.

friday, we finally ventured to high ball with some friends - so much fun!

saturday, we picked up our new bikes (and a new, different, car carrier for them...too many confusing straps on the first one = angry husband!) and went for a fabulous, albeit freezing, bike ride through the hills of our neighborhood. (nevermind the fact that i walked up 3 of the hills...)

saturday evening was date night...to celebrate getting my doctorate in physical therapy (yay!) and to just spend time together...we went to the delicious carmelo's, and even had the bananas foster that they make tableside...heaven. after that we curled up by the fire (er, fire log) with a bottle of wine and season 3 of 'big love' - may have been the best date ever.

sunday we had brunch at moonshine - if you live in austin, you must.go.for.brunch. delish. then we cozied up on the couch for more 'big love' (and we may or may not have, after the brunch wore off, eaten some fresh homemade brownies and ice cream - but i'll never tell)

in lust

2010-01-28T08:28:00.001-06:00

over these...

le sigh.

(not in lust with the over-half-the-rent-plus-bills price tag though...)

getting a little ahead of myself...

2010-01-26T14:08:00.003-06:00

i blame it on the lack of wedding-related blog-stalking/planning that i'm getting to do since we got hitched in october (full recaps coming, i pinky promise!!).

but i cannot stop planning our future nursery. (note: we are tentatively thinking about going for baby #1 at the beginning of next year, so this is a tad premature, as you can see.)

what better place to unload a few creepy/creative planning ideas, you might muse, but out into the interwebs, for all to see?!

this i have in my etsy shopping cart, but can't bring myself (as of yet) to hit 'purchase'...

gorgeous, natural mobile from willowbaus

and i actually already bought this:

deciduous tree puzzle from anthro - but it's no longer available

and, of course, when my friend had a little girl last summer and i bought her some adorable organic outfits...i had to buy a few for my future child as well. oh, and an adorable summer dress (er, 2 adorable summer dresses.)

ok, that's enough. back to home projects, trying new recipes, planning our upcoming napa trip, and generally enjoying my mid-twenties before real baby fever sets in...

its fun to be a wife!

2010-01-25T20:28:00.000-06:00

today i went to central market and bought yummy stuff for the week...

then, with said yummy stuff, i made the following for dinner:

rosemary pecan and blue-corn tortilla chip crusted tilapia...with steamed broccoli and fresh strawberries.

succes. most delicious dinner ever. (except when there are sweet potato fries involved...i have been making - and scarfing - those like crazy this last week...)

what is your favorite thing to make for dinner??

i'm so excited!

2010-01-20T08:21:00.000-06:00

i'm so excited! i'm so.....scared!! (saved by the bell reference, anyone?? best episode ever!!)

er, but back to business...

its official! last night jason booked our flight to napa in april for our 6 month anniversary!!

can't wait for this...

hurry up, april!!!

domestic goddess

2010-01-18T10:31:00.002-06:00

this weekend was fabulous. and i was a pretty darn fabulous wife if i do say so myself...(er, no cleaning, but lots of yummy cooking and home decorating!)

(unfortunately, i don't have my pictures here to post, but i will do a follow-up when i get home...)

friday:
*i got to see the parentals at my house in beautiful wimberley...
*made it back to austin for sweet friend emily's delicious dinner at annie's downtown (tomato brie soup,
*margarita pizza, champagne, and chocolate cake..delish.)...
*danced and danced to an amazing band, sauce, at speakeasy with the best group of friends...

saturday:
*slept in, had tacodeli breakfast tacos...heaven...
*searched for bikes...and i think we found the ones we want! check em' out...

(manly guy color for jason)

(pretty girl color for me)

*dinner at whole foods with my handsome husband...
*then kelly's birthday-beer pong-fiesta - christine and i made it to the semi-finals as the only girl team, and really, should have won if i hadn't gone for a swipe and accidently pushed the ball into my own cup...rookie *mistake...

sunday:
*slept in, made homemade cinnimon waffles and scrambled eggs...
*bought and arranged new plants in beautiful new 3-month-anniversary-present pots...
*long walk with christine through the hills in our neighborhood while the boys watched football...
*got wedding photos printed, framed them, and hung up our gallery wall...i love it!
*yummy ingredients from central market helped me create the most delish dinner: buttermilk pecan chicken, rosemary garlic roasted new potatoes, steamed asparagus, rosemary bread, and blackberries...so amazing.

i promise i'll upload some pics soon (of everything from birthday dinner to dancing to gallery wall and plants...)

how was your weekend??

most amazing day (and pictures!)

2010-01-14T09:35:00.001-06:00

lisa woods captured our wedding day so perfectly...and she finally just posted a blog post about it!!

check us out!!

(and couldn't resist a preview here!)

also...a "real" post of the day, with more pictures, is still coming...but its overwhelming! so much to say about the most amazing day...

addicted!

2010-01-14T09:15:00.000-06:00

for christmas, the husband and i were supposed to just do stockings and then pick out bikes together...

well, my sneaky, sweet, perfect husband surprised me with an iphone under the tree!! and the obsession began....

i've gotten good at iphone facebook and "floodit" and finally can message without typing the wrong thing all the time...

but! i know some of you blog from your phone...how does this work?? help!!!

mixed feelings

2010-01-08T07:18:00.000-06:00

*so sad for colt and the horns...(and might have completely lost my voice - sorry neighbors for the screaming last night)
...but excited about the next few years with gilbert!
*had so much fun making fajitas and ritas last night...
...not feeling quite so jazzy about it this morning as i head to work at this ungodly hour.

but it's friday! thank god. happy weekend everyone! stay warm...

hook em!!!

2010-01-07T09:22:00.001-06:00

burnt orange outfit - check

chicken and beef marinating for fajitas tonight - check

lots of tequila and beer - check

getting rid of extra booze from the wedding - hopefully check

chairs arranged around our *NEW* tv (thanks in-laws!) - check

horns kicking bama's ass?? CANNOT WAIT!!!

hook em!!!

new year!

2010-01-05T09:24:00.000-06:00

well we're well into 2010, but i wanted to wish each and every one of you a happy new year!

i had the most amazing 2009 (another post coming on that)...and can't wait to what this next year brings...

also, i think this is the official time to put those self-improvement resolutions out there for the world to see (in an attempt to hold oneself accountable), and so, without further ado...

* be more healthy (obviously...this always seems to make it onto everyone's resolution list, but its a good one, nonetheless)
...this includes less salt, more water, more fruit and veggies, less (but not no) chips and queso, etc...

* stay organized

* let go of the little things

* make more time for the people that i care about

* less TV watching

* go to the dentist!

* have more date nights with the husband

there...now you are all in charge of making sure i keep those resolutions!

have an amazing 2010...

feliz

2009-12-24T22:31:00.000-06:00

happy happy happy christmas!!!

celebrating with my new husband and mother-in-law today with brunch at south congress cafe, wrapping gifts, eggnog, and midnight mass...

then tomorrow my father-in-law arrives (he's a fireman and had to work today) and its homemade cinnamon rolls and omlettes and PRESENTS!!...

then j and i fly to california to join my parents and brother - who are at my grandparents house - for christmas dinner...

then the next day (also known as amy's birthday!) we get to witness and celebrate my uncle marrying the most amazing woman!! happiness always, tim and marta!

whew! its already shaping up to be one of the best christmases ever!!!

hope yours is just as amazing...

new look!

2009-12-14T22:22:00.003-06:00

i'm not totally set on the new background, but i'm loving my heading picture! i might keep looking through the free backgrounds available...

what do you think??

UPDATE: still working on the background. and trying to learn how to add a column on the left side...

healing energy

2009-12-12T15:41:00.000-06:00

...would you all send your best healing powers and holiday cheer out into the universe for my granny, please??

she fell and has broken her pelvis in, not one, but 2 places...

she is 89 and has a list of ailments longer than my sunday grocery shopping list (and that sucker is long)...so she is doing as well as can be expected, but she is in a lot of pain...and will likely have to be in the hospital over christmas (so sad.)

thanks internet (and real life) friends!!!

girls night and a resturant review

2009-12-04T10:00:00.000-06:00

last night i met some of my best friends (girls i've known for 15 years!) at a new place called Little Deli & Pizzeria for a large (okay, there may have been 2 larges) margarita pizza and BYOW (bring your own wine, duh) pinot noir and chardonnay.

we giggled, we scarfed, we sipped (and sipped and sipped), and had one of my favorite nights in a long time!

if you live in the austin area, you MUST check out this little deli! Y.U.M. its in a tiny little shopping center, and only has a few tables, but it has some of the most delicious pizza i have ever eaten. and the owner is so very sweet. and its BYOW (with no corking fee!)

pretty bird

2009-12-03T08:20:00.000-06:00

these might be my favorite part of the whole tree...

(from crate and barrel)

oh, and i also really want these...

also from crate and barrel

its beginning to look a lot like...

2009-12-01T21:12:00.000-06:00

...christmas!

gingerbread lattes and peppermint mochas...gold glittered ornaments...a chill in the air...christmas carols (yes, this especially means the jessica simpson christmas album on repeat)...ice skating atop whole foods...holiday soirees with coworkers, friends, family...

and decorating our newlywed abode! oh my!

see?

what does your house look like for the holidays??

delicious food.

2009-11-30T21:22:00.000-06:00

my thanksgiving plate.

beautiful. delicious. (and i've heard calories don't count if you blog about them...)

overwhelmed...and turkey. in no particular order...

2009-11-30T19:27:00.001-06:00

i still feel like i have so much to share and catch you up on that it's become overwhelming...

but i decided i have to start somewhere...and as i don't yet have the hard copies of my gorgeous wedding pictures...

...i now present for your viewing pleasure:

thanksgiving...a day in pictures

first, we took our own "turkey trot" through the neighborhood (newlyweds with jason's parents)

homemade spinach quiche...yum!

the official thanksgiving flag (been around since i was born)

my mommy arrived to help me not ruin the turkey

with the sage and rosemary infused turkey roasting away in the oven, we headed out on our thanksgiving photo scavenger hunt...this one was "group dancing in the street!"

my brother jumps high

the newlyweds serving thanksgiving brunch** (complete with fresh fruit, homemade quiche and zucchini muffins, turkey bacon, and mimosas)

**this was actually before the scavenger hunt, but i'm tired of wrestling blogger to re-order my pics...

pre-thanksgiving meal "warm up"

adorable niece licks the beater...whilst adorable mother wears my anthro apron in the background as she makes homemade whipped cream

new wedding dishes...love. (albeit prettier without the card table addition...)

mi familia at the end of an amazing day...happy thanksgiving and hook em horns!!

hope your turkey day was just as lovely...

ciao!!