Mid-Afternoon Style Break

Today I discovered that O.P.I. (the experts in nail polish)released a spring line based on Texas!! I love the names of these fabulous colors!

I am really digging Big Hair, Big Nails, Do you think I'm Texy, and San Tan-Tonio!

Lone Star Weekend

Last Friday after worked I hopped a plane to Dallas and was greeted by my wonderful friend Stephanie who I first lived with in Dallas. We both moved from Lubbock to Dallas and were roomies for the first few years. I. Just. Love. Her. She stood beside me on my wedding day - friends don't get any better than that! Steph was just getting off her night shift at the hospital in Plano when she picked me up and we had a 45 minute "speed date" while she drove me to my brother's apartment downtown.

We didn't take any pictures so I am posting this one - this was us having breakfast the morning of the day I got engaged! Anywho, then I stayed with my brother one night and the next morning I got up super early and went for a run down Greenville Avenue. I laughed to myself counting the number of amazing Tex Mex restaurants I ran by in just a 5 mile span... there was a lot. Good Tex Mex is hard to find in Nashville for obvious reasons! Randy and I met up with his girlfriend Janice for breakfast at Cafe Brazil (one of my personal favorite breakfast spots). She is super sweet and it was great meeting her!

Then I hopped back on a Southwest plane this time headed to Midland. I was greeted at the airport by my parents (fresh off their own plane from Hawaii) with a orchid lei straight from Maui. These things seriously smell amazing. The first thing we did when I got in the car was drive straight to Rosa's Cafe (West Texas peeps, you know what I'm talking about! It's the BEST Mexican food!)

It was good being home, which consisted of a lot of good home cooked food, waaay overdue mani/pedis, watching lots of Iron Chef, wine, and playing with Duke, our tiny little chihuahua! Saturday night one of my dearest friends from high school had an couples shower. It was like a mini high school reunion all in itself. I was actually quite suprised at just how many people in our class have moved back to Midland. Anwyay, it was a blast to see everyone and I could not be more thrilled for Amy and Ryan to get married, they've met and started dating junior year of high school! Their wedding will be in San Antonio in March and I'm super excited for another upcoming mini vacay in Texas. I didn't take many pics at the party because there was a photographer snapping tons of shots everywhere, but I did snag Amy for a photo!

Sunday was going to my parents church and again seeing tons of people - mostly my friends' parents which is also fun! Then Amy had a bridal shower that afternoon. Another fun time!

Monday was a little bit of shopping, a dentist appt (courtsey of dear old dad) and lunch with my mom. Then I headed back east - had my plane been ANY later I would have been grounded due to all the crazy weather the nation's been facing. Luckily, my flights were perfectly fine and I even was on the same plane as Ben Stein!! (I resisted making any jokes about winning his money. Although I seriously had to bite my tongue.)

All in all the weekend gets two thumbs up!!

Time for LOVE!

It's February, and that can only mean one thing! (Are you holding your breath?) Time to pull out the "Love Wreath!" This thing only gets pulled out for one month out of the year and the other 11 it sits and takes up waay too much room in our closet (according to Doug, anyway!) But I love it and this colorful wreath makes me so happy! Midland peeps, this is a Miss Cayce's creation! I had a fabulous weekend in Texas, post and pictures coming soon!

Vanderbilt is doing something this year called 365 at VU where they post one picture from campus each day for a year. I am seriously in love with this winter skyscape and think I'm going to frame it and hang it on our bedroom wall. Will be a compliment to the giant vintage map of Dallas over our bed. (I know it sounds like we're obsessed with Texas, and I never thought so, but maybe, just maybe, we are.)

But I think these colors are so pretty...

Cabin Fever!

This past weekend Doug and I had a major case of cabin fever what with all the cold weather we've been dealt lately! We wanted to get out of Nashville and see something new. So we spun the globe (not really) and our fingers landed on Louisville, KY. Turns out, it's a lovely city with an awesome riverfront and a vibrant downtown. We landed a sweet deal on a hotel, and were on our way.

On our way!

We had dinner at the River Bend Winery - good food, good music, good wine!


Then we headed to Proof, a restaurant inside a modern art museum and hotel. We had dessert and of course I had to try some of the famed local Kentucky bourbon. (When in Rome, right?)

Sunday morning we had brunch at an amazing spot called Ramsi's Cafe on the World. Anytime the two words brunch and buffet are side by side, you know you're in for a treat. I will go back again just for brunch at Ramsi's one day.

We toured Churchill Downs, where they hold the Kentucky Derby each year. This is me in front of the horse Barbaro.
At the paddock where the jockeys and the horses parade out!

I don't know if you can see the statue of the guy in the back, but he's the all-time winningest jockey at Churchill Downs. They gave the poor guy a break and made the statue 2 inches taller than he really is, he's tiny - 4'10"!

Winners Circle!
The Derby is always the first weekend in May, which is when our anniversary is. We promised each other that we'd make it back one day for the race. Big hats, dresses, and mint juleps? Yes please!
This is the Ohio River front --
Had a blast!

Happiness is...

...working on a marketing project for a client back in Dallas and eating Trader Joe's gingersnaps and drinking homemade hot chocolate. My recipe of choice: warm up 1 1/4 cups almond milk and add to it 2 tablespoons Hershey's cocoa, 1 tablespoon raw sugar, a dash of salt and a dash of cinnamon. Add more sugar, marshmallows, whipped cream to your heart's content. Yum!

When life hands you lemons....

...you know what to do!! Happy Tuesday, everyone!