vacation recap: chicago

Last weekend, Kyle and I took a three-day trip to Chicago to visit my good friend Sarah and her husband EJ. We had a wonderful time just hanging out and exploring the city together! Here are some photos if you'd like to see...

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college roomies reunion!

My good friend, Kristin (far right), who was also my potluck roommate freshman year turned roommate for all 4 years was in town from Spain! We drove to Austin for the weekend and hung out with our other friend/college roomie, Runi, and shopped and ate to our hearts' content. It felt so good being back in our old 'hood together again...

Runi introduced me to the cutest little shop that reminded me a lot of Japan...

I've been on a green juice kick lately so we found a local place where I ordered a broccoli, spinach, and banana smoothie. It was so delicious!

Shopping for clothes on South Congress...so very Austin:) Here I am trying on a pair of faux leather shorts and looking like I was ready to go out clubbing afterwards haha. Can you believe I actually bought them??? Oh boy...

Seriously, the best brussels sprouts I've ever eaten (from one of my favorite restaurants too). Maybe the best thing I've eaten so far this year and I don't even like brussels sprouts. 

So happy I got to see this girl and catch up, even if it was only for a few days. Living on different continents can be challenging when it comes to keeping in touch and I miss her all the time...but I'm very thankful she's only a Skype chat away, pending time zone differences:) Love ya! xx

best buds

This past weekend, my good friends Runi and Thomas were passing through town, so we all went out for sushi and had a great time. I'd be lying if I said seeing them didn't make me miss Austin (and all of our other good friends) terribly. Even though I've lived in Fort Worth for three years, working from home and having my close friends only ~3 hours away has made it difficult for me to find the motivation I need to make a ton of new friends. I do have a few pretty awesome friends that I've gotten to know here...but why does it have to get harder and harder to make friends as we get older?

This article (though a little old) pretty much sums it up. I particularly liked the example of the guy who tried to walk his cat in hopes of meeting new people:)

chris & kathy's wedding

A few silly photo booth pics from our friends Chris and Kathy's wedding this past weekend. It took place at a lovely art museum and with all of her creative handmade touches (um, check out that photo booth backdrop), their wedding was seriously the cutest ever. Congrats to the happy couple!

(Photos via Annie Ray)

goodbyes are hard

On Friday, I said goodbye to my lovely friend Sarah...her husband (EJ) got a big promotion at work, which also meant a big move to Chicago. While I am ecstatic for the both of them and their new adventure, I can't help but feel like bawling deep down inside. I don't know why, but I guess I always thought saying goodbye would get easier as you get older. I still remember how end-of-the-world it felt when I had to leave all my close friends in Florida and move to Austin, TX...in 7th grade. Maybe it's especially hard because not only did Sarah and I keep each other company at work, but also outside of work while we were both in long distance relationships - her husband working overseas for the military and Kyle (fiance at the time) working in Fort Worth, while I was still in Austin. Or who knows, maybe it's because I haven't really changed that much since I was 13...

And while I know it's not impossible to still keep in touch and visit, etc., I know it will be different. But maybe different in a good way?

On the plus side, our pups got to hang out with each other one last time before they left Texas...here is Pancho, Eli, and Winnie lookin' all cute and wanting to come inside and enjoy the chilly A/C:) 

kyle's birthday surprise!

Back in January, I decided I wanted to throw Kyle a birthday party in Las Vegas and have all of his closest friends fly in and surprise him. Fast forward to this past weekend and it was a total success! Despite a few minor hiccups...

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bff necklace

Not your average Best Friends charm necklace...maybe a little ghetto fabulous even? Love.

girl friends

Happy Monday! Kate (from For Me, For You) wrote a little blog post a week or two ago that really resonated with me...I too have always thought it was weird that I've never had a group of girl friends that I hung out all at once with (à la Sex and the City). Turns out, I'm a serial "best friender"...

"...wherever I move or whatever phase of my life I enter I end up making a really good friend that I do most things with, or have a few different people that I do specific things with."

Made me feel better I have to say. So for any of you serial best friends out there...you are not alone!

Pictured above: the only time I have hung out with all of my best friends at the same time...at my bachelorette party:). Love my girls!

weekend snapshots

A few iPhone photos from the past couple of days...highlights include:

*Hanging out with our friends Bobby and Eurjean (in town for a wedding)...so of course tex-mex and margaritas were in order.

*Celebrating Kyle's birthday with our favorite key lime pie.

*A whirlwind trip to Austin for Mother's Day...and to see friends!

*Getting to eat not one, but TWO cowboy tacos from here.
Best. tacos. ever.

bike rides

The food, the weather, the views in Palm Springs...all incredible and exactly what I needed to decompress from work and so forth. Staying at the most hipster hotel on the planet helped too. And can I just say, offering free bike rentals to their guests is a genius move. We took turns with our friends, Runi and Thomas, riding the tandem and cruisin' the posh neighborhoods of Palm Springs like nobody's business...

palm springs in pictures