Saturday, August 7, 2010

Travel Dreams


If I had unlimited vacation days & unlimited money, then I would book myself on a New England Islands cruise via American Cruise Line. Surprisingly, I have never been north of New York on the East coast and I am just dying to go to this section of the country. It looks so picturesque. So charming. I saw a magazine ad for this cruise maybe 3 weeks ago & I can not stop thinking about it. I just know that Martha's Vineyard & Nantucket would live up to my dreams!

Friday, August 6, 2010

What I'm Craving This Friday

I am totally craving this travel duffel bad from Amy Butler. The size looks perfect for a weekend getaway to Tyler. And the colors are just divine. But the $240 price tag is not... Sigh. Hmmm, let's see if I can rationalize this somehow?!

Sunday, April 25, 2010

The Perfect Pants

Ok ladies, hold the phone...I have found the PERFECT pair of pants. The J Crew Minnies. They are stretchy without being spandex-y...the are a great length to wear with flats...they are casual chick, dressy but not too dressy...I have not found a single problem with them! Oh and to boot...I had to go down a size in these! (I've read other reviews, most everyone has to..so sadly it's not that I've lost weight, it's just the cut of the pants and the fabric). I have a black pair and I wear them, oh maybe, 2 times a week. I think I might invest in another color, or maybe I'll just get another pair of black so that I can wear them EVERYDAY! Ha! No but serious, you need to try them. They just might change your life :) Ha!

Texas Hill Country Trip- Lost Maples State Park

On our trip to the Texas Hill Country, the BF had expressed that he really wanted to do some hiking. Now I had never been hiking before, but I wanted to make him happy so I thought we would try it. When I started researching areas in the Hill Country to go hiking, I realized that there were tons... But when I came across a review of the Vanderpool/Medina area near Lost Maples that described it as the "Tuscany of Texas", I knew we had to go there!!

We left Boerne and drove to Bandera (the Cowboy Capital of the World) on TX-16. It was only a 30 minute drive. Bandera is a small town and it had just one main drag. The BF and I walked into a few stores, tried on some cowboy hats, and then decided Bandera was not really that fun... But it was a good chance to stretch our legs :)

We got on RM-470 and drove to Utopia, which was about a 1 hour drive. Both the BF and I were very surprised about how pretty the drive was! It was about lunch time when we got to Utopia, and the BF doesn't ever skip a meal so we deiced on Lost Maples Cafe. Well, honestly I think this was our only option other than maybe fast food, ha! It was interesting to say the least... I went with the daily special and the BF got his usual grilled chicken. I will admit that the mac & cheese was really good. But I don't think I would say this is a "restaurant" that you have to try :)

Onward to our final destination, Lost Maples State Park! It was only like 10 minutes away from Utopia, and I was blown away when we got there! I did not even feel like we were in TX anymore!!! Even though we were there in December, it was more like November weather and we definitely got to see all the leaves changing colors...gorgeous! We decided to do the East Trial, which was 4.6 miles. I don't think the BF thought I was actually going to be able to hike it all, but I was determined! And honestly, it was so pretty that I did not even notice how far we had gone. There were some steep parts, but the views after climbing those steep parts made up for it. OMG, gorgeous. I only had my iPhone, so the pics were not the best. After we finished the hike, I was on a high...and I decided that I LOVE hiking! No one told me it was just like walking, but with nice scenery. I guess I did not expect the path to be so clearly marked and I thought we were going to be like guessing where to go...but it was not like that at all.

On our way back we took RM-337 through Medina to get back to TX-16. Wow, most beautiful drive...ever. The BF and I were stunned at how gorgeous this drive was. Little to know, we discovered later that RM-337 is on the list of like Top 10 drives in Texas or something like that. It is a must do if you are in this area.

All on all, this trip to Lost Maples was great! We left Boerne at maybe 10AM, and I think we got back around 4PM. And I found out that I love hiking! Wahoo!

Look how cute the BF is :)


He made it to the Top...ha! :)



This was the steep part!! Ahhh!!!


The sun was so bright so that can't see....but the view was gorg!


Wish List


The Amazon Kindle has been on my wish list for awhile...but recently within this last week, it has been popping up all over the place! A girl on a blog I read just got one...the lady getting her nails done next to me was reading on one...I think it's a sign :) I LOVE reading, but I never have the time to go to B&N to get a book...this would so solve this problem! And note to the BF...since you are leaving me for 6-8 weeks for your internship...this would be a great present to make up for that, I'm just sayin...

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Josh Lomers!!!


I also forgot to mention in my previous post that the one and only Josh Lomers (aka- my favorite Baylor basketball star) is from Boerne, TX!! No wonder he's so great :)

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Texas Hill Country Trip- Boerne, TX

I just realized that I never blogged about the trip the BF and I took to the Texas Hill country in December 2009. We had a blast! At one point, the BF even told me that if was the best trip he had ever been on (which just tickled me pink!). I put a lot of effort into planning this trip and it paid off. The BF specified that he wanted to stay in the small towns where we would walk to dinner, rather than stay out on a ranch. That helped to narrow down my planning. We had 4 nights, and we spilt that into 2 nights in Boerne and 2 nights in Fredricksburg.

On Friday morning we loaded up the Envoy and started our trip down to Boerne. The traffic around Austin & San Antonio was HORRIBLE! We were really glad when we got to Boerne after the 5 hour drive and saw the little town. I think I fell in love at first sight with the cute little downtown area. Shops, shops and more shops! And to boot, they had an arts fair going on right across from our hotel. We stayed at Ye Kendall Inn, which is the oldest hotel in town and right in the middle of everything. I upgraded us to a Garden Court Suite, which was way worth the extra like $15. It was clean, and the bathroom was new! Two things that are very important to me.


The first night we walked to the Dodging Duck Brewhouse, and it was delish! We had the beer sampler which was great because I like to try new beer, but I usually can't drink more than a few sips. I tried their Sausage, but my favorite thing was the side of warm Bavarian Potato salad. Mmmm...I could eat that every day. It also came with a pretzel and some cheese!
The next morning before our next adventure, we went to Bear Moon Cafe for breakfast. I had read many reviews of this place, and it did not disappoint! They had a hot breakfast buffet, which sounds gross...but everything on the buffet was yummy! Including biscuits & sausage gravy, which oddly enough I don't think I had ever had...and now I dream about them. The BF was also happy because they had oatmeal and some healthy options. I would recommend this place! Just get there early, because this place fills up quickly.
For our second dinner, we choose Tin Roof Steakhouse on the recommendation of the staff at Ye Kendall Inn. I thought it was going to be a little stuffy or expensive, but I was wrong! The decor was neat, it had great prices, and a business casual feel to it. Both the BF and I got pasta dishes and we liked them. To top it off, we got Bread Pudding for dessert!! Yummy!

In addition to all the food and the great hotel, I did some shopping (surprise, surprise, right?!). The main street in Boerne is just lined with these cute little boutique shops. I got some great Fall decorations that were on sale, some Christmas gifts for my Mom, and two cute scarves (which are my new obsession). There were actually too many stores to recommend my favorite. You can't go wrong just going into every one of them! The only thing I did not find was a great piece of art. I love to buy art when I travel, but in Boerne I could not find any for a decent price.
Overall, Boerne was great! I would come back again...and really hope that the BF and I do...soon! I still need to post about Fredricksburg, Lost Maples Park, Pedernales Falls Park, and Enchanted Rock to finish off our trip :)

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Sweet 16, Baby!!

The Baylor Men's Basketball team has advanced to the Sweet 16 in Houston, TX this upcoming weekend. The BF has noted that this is Baylor's biggest sporting achievement in our lifetime, so of course we're going. I am over the moon about this!!!

For starters, I am so excited that the BF is so excited. I love to see him happy...and nothing makes him more happy that a Baylor sporting win. Sic 'em!!

Second, we are staying with my bestie...the one and only, AP. I have not seen AP since last July!! And recently I have been missing that girl like crazy! We are already planning on doing breakfast Sat. morning, wandering around the Bayou Arts Festival, catching up like crazy, and maybe making the boys shack up in one bed so we can have a slumber party in the other (ha! just kidding, BF!). AP is the peas to my carrots, the butter to my bread, basically my other half and I am just so darn excited to see her!!!!!

And third, the BF's sister (CS) lives in Houston and we get to see her apartment for the 1st time. CS has impeccable style and taste and I know her apartment will just be the cutest thing I have ever seen. I even got her a lovely little house warming present that I have been dying to give her.

So say a little prayer that Baylor beats St. Mary's...and look for us on TV because we are in row 13!!! Sic 'em!!

Thursday, March 18, 2010

March Madness Talk

The NCAA Basketball tournament starts today...which means I will lose the BF to basketball games, basketball reviews, online basketball gossip (as I call it), and the love of the Baylor Mens Basketball team for the next few weeks. While I consider myself a sports fan and can spit out many facts about Josh Lomers or Tweety, I do not have a clue about any of the other teams. So when it came down to filling out my bracket, I base my decisions on 1) if I like the state or not (NC & TX get preference here), 2) if they have a good name (love Marquette & Gonzaga...beautiful names), and 3) the team's colors (love Villanova's colors!).

I came across the points below that will help any girl be able to "talk the talk" of the tourney and gain a few points with the boys :) Enjoy!

• Be careful not to talk about a "buzzer beater" unless it's actually happened. When they do happen, when a player scores at the buzzer (in the last second) to change the game's outcome, throw the term around wildly. It'll be what everyone is reliving, and if you feel especially bold, you can try to give someone a high-five while saying, "How about that buzzer beater?"
• Discussing injuries in vague terms is always safe, since most every team has suffered some. Ideas: "They really can't afford any more injuries this season." Or, "Didn't they have a big injury this year?" You don't have to know the answer, but it's an easy way to engage with a sports nut who will gladly tell you more about some stranger's ankle than you ever wanted to know.
• Tell people around the water cooler that you really admire a team's "tenacity." Mandel says that's "a good fastball no one can argue with," because by virtue of making it to the tournament, a team's got to have some serious tenacity. Other terms you can throw around to describe a team: "smart," "experienced" and "well-coached."
• Something called "guard play" is apparently very big this time of year. You might shake your head and mutter, "I don't know if their guard play is good enough." Or, conversely, you can say, "Oh, yeah, I think they have a good chance because they've got good guard play."
• There are some things you might say that could be risky, as they may prompt others to ask you a question in return. For example, if you were to say, "Gosh, that was a big shot," someone might ask, "Which one?" This would be a good time to spill your coffee, diverting attention.
• In basketball, the word "press" (short for pressure) is used when discussing defense. So you might want to express your heartfelt concern about a team "having trouble with the press."
• There are different conferences that make up the NCAA. The Big East dominated this year. You can talk about how the "Big East ruled," but make sure you don't misspeak and talk about the Big North, because no such thing exists. There is a Big 10, but it's made up of 11 teams.
• "Ball movement" refers to how a team passes a ball. Any team that's made it to the "tourney," as some insiders like to say, must be strong in this realm. So you can assume you're covered if you say something like, "Wow, they have great ball movement."
• A strong three-point game can make the difference for an underdog team. So if some folks are saying how a team doesn't have a chance, you could nonchalantly stroll by and say in passing, "They could pull an upset if they get hot shooting threes." Another fun phrase to toss out: "They live or die by the three."
• Casting blame on referees for making "questionable calls" is highly popular. "Man, there were some questionable calls" is a good gripe to share, but only if the game was close. If it was a "blowout," a win by a large margin, your saying this would make you look foolish. It might be better to say, if people are chatting about an upcoming game, "Man, I hope the refs just let them play."
• Word is that everyone loves a "Cinderella," the team that comes out of nowhere to make a good run in the tournament . If you want to sound especially savvy, use it in conjunction with the world "dance," another fun slang term for March Madness, as in, "It's always nice to see Cinderella go deep in the dance."
• If you feel compelled to throw out a player's name, one you're pretending to be excited to watch, the one to know -- and one that's easy to remember -- is John Wall. Rhymes with ball, if that helps. He's a freshman guard at Kentucky and will likely go pro soon, so using his name next year during March Madness would blow your cover. Keep that in mind.
• Last, and this is very important, do not -- repeat -- do not walk into work on April 1 and talk about how crestfallen you are that March Madness is over. The tournament goes by this name, but the actual championship is played in April.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

These Boots Were Made for Walking...


Ok so these boots I am about to talk about were really made for walking in the rain (not the slutty Jessica Simpson cowgirl walk...that's a different post!). I just have a hankering for some of these Hunter boots by Wellington. I know the BF would so make fun of me, but I feel like they are preppy, classic, and useful. Couldn't you just image me slipping them on with jeans to run errands? I think I would prefer these to my Uggs... Hmm...Plus, Dallas is suppose to get more rain this week....boo! Should I splurge?!

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Turkey & Bean Chili


I have been trying some new recipes lately and I must say that this Turkey & Bean Chili has been my favorite. And it is is even under 400 calories per serving! Plus, if I can make it...then anyone can!!! I would suggest having all the ingredients out and ready to go because steps 3 and 4 went pretty quickly. Ya'll should try it! Enjoy...

Serves 4 Hands-On Time: 15m Total Time: 40m

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 pound ground turkey (preferably dark meat)
2 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chili pepper or 2 teaspoons chili powder
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
2 15-ounce cans kidney beans, rinsed
kosher salt and black pepper
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
cilantro sprigs, for serving

Directions
1) Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 4 to 6 minutes.
2) Add the turkey and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes more. 3) Stir in the tomato paste, cumin, and chili pepper and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
4) Add the tomatoes (with their juices), the beans, ½ cup water, 1¼ teaspoons salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 12 to 15 minutes.
5) Serve with the sour cream and cilantro. (And then bask in the glory of what a good cook you are!)

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Reality TV meets the White House

Do you think President Obama keeps up with the Kardashians?

Monday, January 18, 2010

I love...my Dustbuster!

Have ya'll ever tried a hand vacuum?! If not...RUN and go buy one! I love my Black & Decker Dustbuster! I use it all over the apartment and it always comes in handy. Spill some rice? Use the Dustbuster! BF makes crumbs when pouring cereal? Use the Dustbuster! I am just over the moon about mine :)

Friday, January 15, 2010

Sushi Etiquette


You should always know your manners...