Y'all, Austin is hot. I was warned but didn't believe it would be as intense as it was. Afterall, I take frequent trips to Phoenix where the temps get much higher. I forgot that humidity is kind of a big factor.
But man, is Austin a fun city.
It was a whirl-wind of a trip, packed with great friends, food and lots of adventure. I flew down with my friend Megan, who currently lives in Boston, and stayed with a couple friends of ours. They had a lovely house and, second most importantly, it had AC.
Here's what we did in 2.5 days:
Had lots of girl talk
Ate at a sketchy neighborhood joint (there are lots of these in Austin) and it was delicious. Don't judge a book by its cover.
Visited the state captial. It was gorgeous. And look - first appearance of the red romper! I was almost too scared to wear it.
And enjoyed some shenanigans inside.
Visited Sixth Street, which has an abundance of bars and music venues. They block off the whole street for pedestrians and you can hop from place to place. It was so much fun.
Only downside to partying in Austin is that you get really sweaty and gross just standing in one spot. Oh well.
We snagged free drinks at the first joint. Always a great way to start the night!
We also visited the University of Texas Austin, where one of our friends is studying. ESPN Game Day happened to be filming and we HAD to make our "O" sign. We thought about making "Go Ducks" signs but chickened out.
We tried on boots galore. By the way, who knew cowboy boots were so expensive? These digs cost $400+!
Thankfully...they don't look that hot on me.
"Jessica, I've never seen you eat this much in your life."
Did I mention the food? Please eat at The Salt Lick if you ever visit. It's worth it. The calories I mean. The cost was super reasonable.
Mexican food is also a good choice.
Just don't ever order a "Prickly Pear Margarita" thinking it will taste like a pear. Turns out a Prickly Pear is part of a cactus. Smack. Head. Now. Luckily, the waiter was a peach and let me choose a different drink.
That's it, folks.
Have you been to Austin? What did I miss out on? I'm ready to go back!
I've been a bad blogger as of late. Really bad. Work has been so chaotic that I haven't had the energy to come up with anything to talk about.
Here are some snaps from a wedding I went to this weekend. The ceremony was held at a church, with the reception out at the bride's family's farm. It was gorgeous. And the food. Amazing.
I only had my iPhone, and it was dark by the time we ate, so I don't have any food pics. But I'll show you what I do have. : )
On an even better note, I am heading down to Austin, TX tomorrow. So looking forward to a much-needed girl's weekend with good food, drinks and talk.
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| don't buy dresses from Forever 21 - the straps fall off |
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| Open bar = yay |
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| The bride did such a good job with decor |
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| My friend Jacob was nice enough to keep me company |
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| The newlyweds! |
See you next week!!
This week at work was a rough one. I pulled a close all-nighter Thursday night, which reminded me of my colleges days! It ended on a high note, and I decided a drink and some good food was mandatory.
A friend and I headed to Romano's Macaroni Grill for some good carbs and wine. It was very similar to The Olive Garden, but I thought the atmosphere was a lot more intimate. They start you with warm, buttery rosemary bread and olive oil. It was amazing and, in my book, surpasses Olive Garden's bread sticks. To contrast the classy were paper tablecloths you could draw on. But that was a win in our book!
The only downside to Romano's was that the food was so dang rich. It was great, and very satisfying, but I could only eat half of my shrimp rosemary parmesean dish. Which was probably a good thing, because it was 1200 calories.
By the way, is every restaurant now listing calories next to its dishes? If I want to indulge one evening I don't need to know, thankyouverymuch!
Here's my rundown:
- Atmosphere: Romano's
- Bread: Romano's
- Food: Olive Garden
- Wine: Romano's (for presentation)
And I only have one photo. Because it was a late dinner and I was hungry!
But look - I came home and rediscovered PhotoBooth on my computer.
And no, I wasn't trying to be cute. PhotoBooth ain't glamour shots, people.
I wasn’t sure if I wanted to discuss finance on this blog but it has consumed my mind lately, so what the hell. My office just went through a pretty significant layoff, so for a while I was uncertain if I would still have a job. I quickly realized my savings wouldn’t last me very long.
Fortunately, I still have a job (and a paycheck!) but this recent scare has me rethinking how I spend money. I have a couple months’ savings accrued – but it’s advised to have a minimum of three. Some experts even advise on having up to 8 months. Gulp. How can you ever save that much?! I don’t live paycheck to paycheck, but I still feel like I’m a long ways from that goal.
My debt is pretty minimal (compared to most). I was fortunate and got through college debt free. I did work part-time to pay living expenses, and my tuition was covered. I have 17 car payments left to make and then it’s completely mine. My credit card debt is very small but, after calculating, it would take me 4 years to pay it off if I only make the minimum payments – and don’t accrue anymore. Say what?!
I should also note that I contribute to my 401k, so I take advantage of my employer’s matching offer.
My biggest focus point is to increase my credit card payments so I have that off my plate. I hate paying interest on debt I collected on odds and ends over the past few years.
Do you have tips for budgeting and paying down debt? I’d love to hear it! I know most of us are all in the same boat and it can be overwhelming and confusing.
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| via Heather Dyan |
Happy Friday!
This is the first weekend in awhile that I don't have plans - so I am going to soak it up and enjoy some much-needed relaxation. Especially after this week, which was a whirlwind of activity.
I'm sure plans will pop up - they usually do. What are you up to?
Play along with Lauren, and link up over at her blog!
My most favorite birthday was my 16th birthday. My friends threw me a surprise party, and it was so special. I never told them, but when I knocked on the front door, I could hear them all say “she’s here! Hide!” Cat is out of the bag now.
My worst birthday was I think my 7th birthday. It was the most chaotic. I had a sleepover, and one friend ended up getting the flu. It was a long night for everyone – and I ended up sleeping in my parent’s room. Ha.
My favorite birthday memory is my 21st weekend. It was a 2-day extravaganza and I paid for it dearly. Great memories though.
The best birthday present I've ever received was I can’t recall. I always love all my gifts.
The best birthday present I've ever given was a camping stove for my dad this year. He loves it. I can’t remember what I usually give people, so this was the most recent.
Birthdays are usually a week-long event in my family. My Dad usually starts counting down months in advance. And there’s always a lavish cake. We have cake for almost every special occasion.
My favorite age so far has been 21. That was an amazing year! Ah, to be young and in college again…
This week has been a busy one! Tuesday I was up in Seattle for a conference. Wednesday was spent catching up on work email, and then I went to The Vault for a drink with another old friend I hadn't seen in a long time. Tis' the week for reunions!
And I didn't take a single photo this week. Dang. I'm usually snap happy too.
So I'll leave you with this:
Because who couldnt use a little baby panda in their day?
Yesterday I surprised a high school friend at her baby shower - I hadn't seen her in six years (something ridiculous like that). I walked in and she was shocked. Excited screams and joyful tears followed.
We were super close in high school but, after she moved up to Washington and I moved down to Eugene for college, we slowly lost touch. Neither of us had money, or the time, to visit one another. After so many years of not really speaking, it becomes more awkward to get back in touch. I was too selfish in college to realize what a good thing I was losing.
Anyhow, her awesome husband and mom schemed up this brilliant idea and I'm so happy it worked without a hitch.
Never lose touch with your girlfriends. If you have, hop on the Facebook wagon and track them down for a meet-up. I promise you won't be sorry you did.
Happy Monday!
This weekend I took a break from the brunch mission and decided that wine sounded more tempting.
I headed to Cooper Mountain Vineyards for a picnic lunch with a glass of wine. I chose their Harmony (a white) which paired somewhat OK with the sushi we brought along. By the way, the Trader Joes sushi isn't that stellar. You get a ton for $5.99 for a reason.
Another by the way: in Trader Joes, we got some nasty looks from some females because we were dressed up a little. They were in sweats. I'm sorry for dressing up and that you're jealous you didn't give a shit about what you looked like today - but don't turn nasty on ME. I gave nasty looks back.
Rant over.
There were more chickens than people at the winery, and you could tell they have been given people food before. They were darling. If that's a word you can use when describing farm animals!
Walking around the vineyard with glass in hand was fun.
Then it was off to Street of Dreams! It was in Bull Mountain this year, and they had 5 homes to tour.
Most of the homes were gorgeous, but a couple had awful cabinetry. It was too weird to even describe.
I loved pieces of each home - so I'd prefer to do something custom. You know, if I had an extra million laying around. We also noticed that these homes had teeny backyards. Is that the new thing? Big homes with tiny yards? I love outdoor space, so that seems unfortunate. Especially if you have little ones (dogs OR kids).
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They made everyone wear booties - that was a sight to see!
If you've never been, I definitely recommend checking it out. It's a fun thing to do on a sunny afternoon.
Cheers to Sunday!
Yay for Friday!
This weekend I am heading to Street of Dreams and Cooper Mountain Vineyards. We are doing the winery before touring the homes - should be more fun that way.
Sunday, I am heading to a baby shower to see a friend from high school I haven't seen in six years. Buying baby stuff was too much fun. Dangerously cute.
What are you up to?
My go to outfit for a dress-up occasion like a wedding is a knee length dress. I usually buy a new one for each occassion - and it depends on the venue. I usually do a semi-formal dress in a fun color.
This week has been random. Work has been slow, but I've kept busy with evening activities. I love summer!
When it's dinnertime and I'm feeling lazy I'll usually eat a couple eggo waffles. I seriously could eat those every night. Yum.
My favorite pair of shoes is my black ballet flats. They go with everything!
A random item that I own that is completely unnecessary, but that I could never part with is my baby blanket. I obviously have it tucked away, and it's definitely not needed anymore, but I will never part with it.
My favorite person is....I don't think I have one. I don't have a significant other, so don't have an easy answer! : )
If I were going to write my own blank it would say what country would you most like to visit?
If you're ever looking for home decor inspiration, look no further than The Nester. Recently, she posted about JuJu Hats, which are incredibly unique. They run high in cost, so there's no way I could afford one, but could you find a better conversation piece for your home?
Swoon!
{photo credit unknown}
I spoke earlier this summer about how I was planning on playing tourist in my own city/state. So, my family and I piled into the car and made the long trek to Aurora. Turns out it's only 23 miles outside of Portland - who knew?
Named the "Antiques Capital of Oregon" this cute town was lined with historic homes turned antique stores. We made it into probably half of them, before we became too overwhelmed by knick knacks and doo dads.
We discovered an amazing little cafe inside one of the shops for lunch. The $9.95 lunch special included half a panini sandwich, a cup of homemade soup and 2 scoops of gelato. If you couldn't tell by now, food is very important to me.
The town was surprisingly quiet, so we managed to snag a comfy table outside. The food was amazing and I plan on making the trip back soon, if just for this yumminess. Is that wrong?
If you enjoy browsing vintage items, in a relaxed setting, then Aurora is a must for your list. I didn't end up buying anything this trip, but I found lots of lovely items I could have splurged on.
Have you been? I can't wait to go back!
The 50's-esque diner is located on NW 12th and Glisan. The joint was featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives awhile back, so it sounded like a given that the food would be a hit.
Not so much.
We popped in around 8:30 to a full house. At first glance, the place was super cute but we snagged a little table outside, which was much more enjoyable anyways with the weather being so lovely.
The coffee was Stumptown, but it wasn't nearly as good as it should have been. I only had one cup, and that's saying something for me...who usually gulps down at least 3.
We each ordered the Mt. Rushmore Hash, which sounded amazing: Home fried potatoes, hand - cut corned beef, onions and chunky bell peppers toppedwith cheddar cheese and one egg your way.
It was just meh. It was definitely edible, and I ate until I was full. By no means was I as satisfied as I expected to be. I can (and do) make better hashes and scrambles at home.
Live and learn. My verdict? 2 out of 5 stars. Feel free to skip this one.
