Texan Couture

I have a Tarte Obsession!

2011-08-28T16:05:00.001-05:00

Hi Lovies!

Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend and my East Coasters stayed safe during Irene.

I'm glad I could introduce a few of you to Birchbox and thanks for feedback on Tone It Up. I am starting the plan mid September after Austin City Limits Music Festival. I will keep everyone posted!

The other day I went into Ulta looking for just a new Bronzer and found a makeup line I am completely obsessed with. Tarte!!

I currently use their Recreate Foundation with Wrinkle Rewind Technology, Park Avenue Princess Bronzer, Clean Slate Natural Face Primer and Smooth Operator Micronized Clay Finishing Powder.

Tarte products are formulated without parabens, phthalates and synthetic fragrances. I can definitely tell the difference in the quality of the makeup on my skin compared to MAC and Makeup HD that I have used in the past.
I plan on adding their mascara, blush & eye shadows into my makeup collection very soon.

Here is a picture of myself wearing the JewelMint "Astoria" Necklace I talked about in my last post.

Excuse the photo being so blurry. I need a new camera but as you can still tell the necklace is gorgeous! I get so many compliments. I highly recommend JewelMint

If you follow me on Instagram "erinscogin" you probably have already seen this next post
Another new favorite thing of mine to do is put fresh Mint & Strawberries in my water. It works best if you let your water sit in the fridge over night with the strawberries and mint to really let the flavors take.
Much better for you than the artificial flavored stuff!

Spending the rest of the day relaxing, catching up on blogs and watching for tonight. So pumped for TrueBlood, Jersey Shore and the VMAs

August Birchbox, Jewelmint & Tone It Up

2011-08-21T15:23:00.012-05:00

I hope you guys have not forgotten about me!! I am still here I promise. I am really active on twitter (erinscogin) is my handle. I wish I could be more active on my blog and I will really try to.

Working for a start-up does take a lot of time! We are on track to get our 3rd round of Venture Funding after this quarter. It is so exciting to be on track to take a company Public. Hello reaping the rewards from my stock options :)

I recently signed up for Birchbox and I love it so I had to share! Birchbox is service where you pay $10.00 a month and receive a box full of 4-5 deluxe samples and always a "little something extra".

My first box arrived this month.

The samples I received this month included;

Not everyone will receive the same Birchbox. When you register you fill out a Beauty Profile which helps to determine which samples may interest you the most.
If you would like to order any full size version of the products in your Birchbox. You will receive free shipping on those items.

Now onto another monthly service I signed up for JewelMint

JewelMint is a member's only site. Once you are a member you gain access to pieces of jewelry priced at $29.99 shipping included! You fill out a style profile which allows JewelMint to offer suggestions for your "showroom". You are not limited to the choices you can purchase any piece of jewelry offered on the website.
If you choose to not purchase a piece of jewelry for the month simply login between the 1-5th of month and select "skip this month" and you will not be charged.

I purchased my first item this month. The "Astoria Necklace".

I have received so many compliments on it even at the gas station lol. I will post a picture of me wearing it very soon!

Now that I've covered beauty and fashion, onto Fitness!!

Has anyone out there tried the Tone It Up Diet Plan ?

I have been seeing this pop up all over the blog and twitter world.

Karena & Katrina are regularly featured in Self & Shape magazine. I immediately recognized the two girls from there.

I follow the Tone It Up plan on their twitter Tone It Up and also their Youtube Page offers videos full of free recipes and work out routines Tone It Up channel.

Purchasing the actual diet plan full of recipes and tips also gives you access to a Community where Tone It Up members come together to post progress.

I am about 99% sure I am going to purchase the plan but any real life feedback would be great!

I'm Engaged!

2011-05-31T20:37:00.009-05:00

Hello Readers it has been awhile, please forgive!

I have some huge major life changes to share!

I'm Engaged!!

After 4 1/2 years David finally popped the question!

In the morning we went to Zilker Park Nature & Science Center as well as the Botanical Gardens

After Zilker Park we hiked up to a cliff over looking the 360 Bridge and the Lake

David proposed on the Cliff!

To celebrate we had a nice Dinner at Eddie V's.

We are thrilled! There is no set date yet we are thinking late 2012.

My other major news is I have changed jobs. I now work for a New York City based Startup that opened an office here in Austin this month! I am Account Manager and love my job!

On my first day we played Settlers of Catan

I won the game!! My prize for winning... a trip to New York!

Hair Band Sing-Along

2011-02-27T21:09:00.007-06:00

Alamo Drafthouse is a fun place in Austin that serves drinks & food with a waiter while you watch a movie. You write your order on a piece of paper and set it up like a little flag when you need the waiter to come around.

They hold special events like Classic Movies and Sing Alongs!

My friends & I went to a Hair Band 80s Power Ballad Sing-Along.

In our minds we imagined the night going something like this

We ended up going looking more like this

Our 80s Shoes

Alamo Drafthouse provided Lighters to sway in the dark and cupcakes

We played Air Guitar on our Legs

And saw Half Naked Men Dance around on stage in their pink tighy whities

Long Time, No Blog

2011-02-13T20:00:00.000-06:00

Okay I'll admit it. I lost my motivation for blogging. It has been around 4 months since my last post and around that long as well that I have been keeping up with all my blogs I would read regularly.

I hope I still have some readers out there!

I am hoping this post will get me back into the blog world on a regular basis.

Things have been going good in the Texan Couture world. I still love my job as a Technical Recruiter that I started back in July. I am extremely busy unlike my old job where I could blog in my office all day. Between working, exercise, balancing my new amazing friends here and time with David. Blogging just slipped through the cracks.

David & I recently took a trip to Denver last week and we had an amazing time! We visited our friends Jeff & Casie while also exploring the city on our own.

We had an amazing meal I will never forget at Panzano

It is a 4 star restaurant and everything was delicious!

David & I shared calamari, Grilled Cesar Salad, and Tiramisu with Viogner wine

My main course was Scallops with Pasta

We had plans to visit Red Rocks, Coors Brewery and a couple of other places but it started snowing pretty good in Denver making these places hard to drive to so we settled for staying at our friends house in Littleton and having a snow day!

David & Jeff putting together the body parts for our Snowman

The finished product

We also discovered a cute authentic French place Crepes N Crepes . The radio station was even all in French it was so cute!

We are thinking of planning a trip back to Denver during the Spring so we can experience white water rafting and hiking!

I have another fun post about a night out with girls at Alamo Drafthouse where we sang 80s Power Ballads but I will save that for next time!

Now I'm off to attempt to catch up on my favorite blogs while watching the Grammys

Zoe’s Kitchen, my new obsession

2010-10-24T07:30:00.000-05:00

I love Zoe's Kitchen. I know it s a chain so I have no idea what took me so long to discover this place. But it is my new favorite spot for a healthy cheap meal. I went on Friday night with David then back again with David’s family on Saturday.

on Friday we had Hummus as an appetizer

I had a Veggie Pita Pizza that also came with a small Greek salad and I had an unsweetened tea to drink.

David had a chicken pita with a side potato salad

Everything was so delicious I want to try the whole menu!

I apologize for the small pictures I'm now using Windows Live Writer to edit the blog so I can do posts offline and hopefully be able to write more and publish from my desktop. Any tips on how to make pics bigger with Windows Live Writer?

Austin City Limits & Marathon Announcement

2010-10-18T18:30:00.005-05:00

Before we get to my long overdue quick recap of the 2010 Austin City Limits Music Festival!

I have some news I would like to share! I have registered to run the Austin Marathon on February 20, 2011! I am so excited this will be my very first marathon! I bought a training program from Active Trainer and it wasn't that great so after a little research I found this great website Marathon Rookie that has 16 week training plan that I will doing. I officially start my training the first of November. The training schedule on Marathon Rookie has the marathon happening on a Saturday but mine will be on Sunday so I need to tweak it just a bit.

Now on to ACL. At the last minute I was able to get wrist bands at face value thanks to Davids coworkers.

My favorite performances were Miike Snow & Vampire Weekend

Here a video I took of Vampire Weekend doing A-Punk.

I did take a ton of pictures but it really is way too much to post on here. Enjoy the video.

I hope to keep my blog in much better shape while I document my marathon training! I still have a new layout in the works look for that soon as well!

Happy 2 Year To My Blog

2010-09-21T07:30:00.001-05:00

Today My Blog Turns 2!

When I first started blogging I had 1 reader my friend Emily who also had a blog but no longer does(not Mrs. Bun Bun )my other bff named Emily. My four best friends share names 2 are Emily & 2 are Allie.

Anyway back on topic she was my only reader and fellow blog friend. Now I have a great group of readers I really appreciate. I am so proud of how much my blog has grown and so thankful to have met a lot of people in the blogging community who I know call friends!

Here is many more years of Blog Birthdays!

Fall Favorites

2010-09-09T07:30:00.000-05:00

I love quirky things from Fred Flare it is always fun shopping on that site.

I picked out of a few of my new favorite things I have just wish-listed there:

Majorette Gloves

I love collecting gloves and scarfs!

Wine Monkey

Cute conversation piece when having friends over for wine and games.

Art of Andy Warhol 2011 Calender

Everyone knows I love Warhol painting and quotes!

Nancy Drew Cookbook

I read Nancy Drew growing up, would love to see what this book is all about!

knitted Mia dress

I love knit dresses in the fall to wear with tights and boots!

Laffy Taffy scented nail polish

I wish it came in more fall/winter colors but I need this Laffy Taffy scented polish asap!!

Button-Up Earrings

These are just really cute and would match a variety of things.

Sweet Lips Cinnabalm

Flavored Lip Balms are the best!

grey Gables Wool Trench

My favorite black peacoat that has lasted and is in perfect condition is by this brand "Tulle" I bought it in 2005 at a boutique on Royal Street in New Orleans. I would happily by another coat by this brand!

Silhouette Notes

Who doesn't need Post It's in these cute shapes!

Happy 4 Year Anniversary With David

2010-09-08T07:30:00.000-05:00

Today makes my 4 Year Anniversary with David!

We met in college in New Orleans. I don't know if I ever told the story on the blog so I will tell it now.

It was New Years Ever 2006 we met at a club called Ampersand in New Orleans but at the time David had a girlfriend and I was there with a date. He still managed to buy me a drink. I will also note at the time he was coworkers with my roommate so it wasn't scandalous or anything like that with him buying my drink. I was excited to finally meet him my roommate would always talk about her cool coworker David who liked to go out the same place as us and would burn us good techno cds that we would have dance parties to while getting ready to go out.

Once my roommate told me that David broke up with his girlfriend we would call him randomly to go out but it just never happened. Flash forward to 8 months later August 2006 we meet again at this party called Fat Black. Now David was no longer working with my roommate so I didn't hear about him as often and kind of forgot about him but he shows up to the party with a guy that my friend that I went with was dating so we hung out. The next week we went on our first date to Nacho Mama's on Magazine street then out to Puccinos for coffee. After that we went to my apartment which was across the street from all these fabulous places on Magazine street. We watched a movie. I think a few days after that we officially changed the facebook status because in college that makes it oh so serious and have been inseparable ever since :)

After 2 years of dating in New Orleans we moved to Austin together and have been here for the past 2 years and it has been an adventure!

I love you Boo Boo Bear and these past 4 years have been amazing! Thank you for everything! I don't know what life would be like without you!

Mug Love

2010-09-07T07:30:00.000-05:00

I would like a set of mugs like this for Boyfriend & I!

Hope everyone had a great Holiday Weekend back to working world now.

Old School Nintendo

2010-08-22T18:00:00.003-05:00

Who used to play old school Nintendo?

My boyfriend, David, came across this website www.nintendo8.com that lets you play all the old classic games right on your computer using the keys "enter, control, x & z" My favorite game growing up was Super Mario Brothers 3. I have been playing it today. How fun!

I also loved Legends of Zelda, which they also have available. My grandma was a piano teacher and when I would go take lessons after each of my lessons I would play Zelda like nobody's business while she taught other students until we could hang out.

So tell me what games did you used to play growing up?

Celebrations Call for Cupcakes

2010-08-08T08:59:00.000-05:00

Once again I apologize for disappearing. I know I sound like a broken record that just keeps on breaking. But I have the most amazing news!

I took a new job and I am now back into recruiting! I am doing technical recruiting for permanment positions which is way different than what I was doing staffing for healthcare on a per diem and contract basis. But I will say now I surely do know that I absolutely love recruiting and want it to be my career path. I enjoy going to work everyday the days just fly by. My hours Mon-Thur are kind of long but we get to leave early on most Fridays so that does make up for it.

I have been so busy with my new job learning all the technical terms and who does what in the technical world. I am now getting back into a normal routine so I should be around more and I have a lot of fun things going on the rest of the summer that I just can't wait to post about!

David bought me the cutest little cupcakes to celebrate loving my new job from Cupprimo

Considering it was like 102 degrees here in Austin they slightly melted. We had Vanilla Primo, Chocolate Elvis, Margarita & Pina Colada.

I also have a new blog layout in the work which I am really excited about can't wait to share it with everyone! Today I have to go to Central Market for Grocery Shopping, Clean the house then I plan to spend the rest of the day catching up on blog reads.

Is anyone else very excited about Eat Pray Love coming out next week?

It is one of my favorite books! I'm excited to see how the movie captures it!

Birthday Hints - Sweet Little Apron

2010-06-23T10:00:00.001-05:00

So my birthday which is on July 4th is coming up very soon so I have been coming up with my wish list to email to my mom and aunties :)

I came across this Tea-And-Crumpets Apron

And fell IN LOVE. I am envisioning myself baking perfect little cupcakes in this gorgeous little apron. I have been trying to find the perfect one for sometime and this maybe the winner!

Hello Lovies!

2010-06-22T18:24:00.001-05:00

I'm back! Same old story to tell life got hectic I promise to be a better blogger, I know my readers are sick of it and once again I apologize!

Here a recap of what has been going on since I last posted.

I was a bridesmaid in the fabulous Future Mrs. Bun Bun's wedding.

Three days after returning from the wedding I was laid off from my job due to my company filing for bankruptcy. I scrambled to find a job fast. It was pretty much uncertain my financial future because my company filed for bankruptcy they would not be required to pay unemployment. The company was in 16-19 million in debt so my severance was only 2 days extra of pay and they also paid out my PTO that was it.

So naturally I jumped at the first job offer (I'm still in the process of doing interviews) but for the time being I'm stuck at a horrendous job just to keep the cash flow coming in.
It is only a contract job for 3 months so I have until the end of August to find a new recruiting job before I'm unemployed once again.

Right now I'm currently an Account Executive aka telemarketer calling businesses. I make 100+ calls a day talk to rude receptionists and get hung up on a lot. It is pretty awful. The only good thing is it is located in a building across from where I live so I don't really use any gas to get there. I am dreaming of the day I get a job offer to get back into recruiting. I have a few pretty good prospects that I should hear something from in the next 3 weeks!!! I just couldn't afford to be unemployed while they decide to offer me the job in case that day never comes.

So needless to say things haven't been that peachy in Texan Couture Land which has made me not in the mood for blogging.

To continue my pity party. I also dropped my iPhone today leaving my job to go to lunch. At first I was so upset I was sitting in my car crying then I started laughing because I thought to myself how can this really bad stuff one after another keep happening to me without some light at the end of the tunnel.
Ironically this iPhone situation snapped me back into reality and brought me out of the daze I have been in since being let go from my job.

Thankfully I will be getting the new 4G just in time for my birthday, July 4th.

Thank you all for staying followers! I do love each and every one of my readers!

Yoplait Greek Yogurt & Spa Set Giveaway Winner

2010-05-12T09:40:00.002-05:00

And the winner is...

Comment #10

Congrats to MG from Magnolias and Mimosas

Please send me your contact information ASAP to texancouture@gmail.com as I need to get your info sent in by today!

Yoplait Greek Yogurt & Spa Set Giveaway!

2010-05-06T17:45:00.000-05:00

Be sure to get your entries in on time for this one! It will not be extended. I have to turn the winner in by May 12th or the prize will not be sent out!

Yoplait now has a line of Greek Yogurt out!

The yogurts contain 0% fat, 2x the protein of regular leading yogurts. The yogurts come in Strawberry, Blueberry, Honey Vanilla & Plain.

Yoplait is sending 1 lucky TexanCouture reader coupons to try the new yogurt along with this spa set that I also received! Let me tell you it is fabulous! I love to wear the towel wrap while doing my makeup & hair in the morning.

Pamper yourself while enjoying something good for you!

There are several ways to enter:

1. Leave a comment telling me which flavor you would like to try (1 entry)
2. Leave a comment telling me you have become a follower or that you are already a follower (1 entry)
3. Leave a comment telling me you have tweeted about this giveaway (1 entry)
4. Leave a comment telling me you have posted about this giveaway on your blog (1 entry)

Winner will be announced Wednesday May 12th.

This Yoplait giveaway is brought to you by MyBlogSpark

Chelsea Handler & a Wedding

2010-04-24T08:57:00.010-05:00

I do apologize for this update being a week late but if you follow me on twitter texancouture then have probably read that for the last 3 weeks I have been on conference calls going to lots of important meetings my last one is on Monday morning then hopefully I can share the amazing news that has been taking up all my free time :)

Last Friday David & I went to Chelsea Handler's book signing where I met Jo Koy!

Got my book signed by Chelsea

There were so many people they didn't have time to let you take pics with Chelsea so that was kind of a bummer.

After the book signing we headed to their stand up performances.

Jo Koy was hilarious I was laughing nonstop. He was pretty amazing! Chelsea was okay basically it was jokes about her family & ex-boyfriend which I heard on the show because I watch every night and if it wasn't on the show it was written in her book. If I didn't watch her show & had not yet read the book it would have been awesome but I found her performance funny but just okay.

Saturday night our friends Michael & Sarah were married. Their wedding was held at the Gorgeous St. Mary's Cathedral

I love the architecture inside the exposed wood beams everything about the setting was gorgeous!!

The reception was held at the Sheraton on the Capital another great location!

There were around 250 guest. First there was a cocktail hour with passed hor'devours then the party moved in a ballroom for a 5 hour reception which included a sit down dinner, champagne toast, great music and a photobooth complete with accessories to dress up your photos...loved it!

After the reception we took a Trolley downtown to Sixth Lounge to continue the party.

This weekend I had to cancel my plans we had big birthday celebration planned for David. It will be moved to next weekend. I feel bad they are rearragning it all for me.
I am taking is easy recovering from strep throat which I came down with Wednesday afternoon kind of annoying because not only did we had to rearrange birthday plans with David's friends & family but I also had to reschedule the big final meeting I was supposed to have it on Thursday.

Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Prickly Pear

2010-04-13T21:36:00.006-05:00

Saturday night David & I went to have dinner at Vivo

I started off with a Prickly Pear margarita my favorite and we shared a big bowl of queso!!

I loved the ambiance of the place it was gorgeous inside we sat next to a wall full of lit candles. I would have taken more pictures but it was dark inside and I had to use my flash so didn't want to be too obvious

They also give each girl who dines there a pink rose!

After dinner we went to see Clash of the Titans, I thought it was just okay. David liked it but it is a total guy movie lots of action & fight scenes.

Tonight I have been working on a writing sample that I need to submit by the end of the day tomorrow. Along with my writing, I have been chatting on the phone catching up with friends while eating crackers, fig spread, cheese and wine!

Hope every one's week is going great!

I have fun plans this weekend that include meeting & seeing Chelsea Handler at her book signing and stand up routine & a wedding for our good friends here in Austin. Tune in next week for not only recaps but also for an Aquabling & Yoplait Greek Yogurt/Spa gift set giveaways!

Farmer's Marktet & Brunch

2010-04-10T16:24:00.012-05:00

Today David & I headed to the Austin Farmer's Market .

I ended up with Blueberry Scones, Walnut Maple Bread Pudding, Lemon Poppyseed Biscotti & Brussel Sprouts....I was hoping to find more fruit mostly just vegetables were displayed maybe next time!

For Brunch we headed to Taverna

I had a Bloody Mary, Bread & Oil for dipping and Vanilla French Toast! So good! I love this place for brunch!

As I was walking back from brunch it was a little cloudy. I put on my favorite Marc Jacobs aviators anyway something didn't seem right but I wasn't really sure what. I got a little paranoid as I thought people were starring at me but I brushed it off. When I go to the car I knew why....

I was so embarrassed still crying from laughing when taking this pic!!

David & I busted out laughing apparently I had been walking around with only one lenses in my glasses no wonder people were starring! It was a fairly short walk back to the where we parked so David didn't really notice because I put my sunglasses on while I was walking. I knew something wasn't right but it was cloudy & my lenses are light so I didn't pay it any mind...oh my that Bloody Mary must have been strong.

I put the lens back in...much better! Still need to got Solstice tomorrow to have it tightened back in place

Tonight we are going to dinner & drinks at the place I have been wanting to try followed by movies..recap tomorrow!

New Orleans Trip!

2010-04-07T19:44:00.013-05:00

David & I took a trip to New Orleans for Easter weekend to visit with family & friends and to attend a wedding!

First we stopped in Lake Charles, LA to visit with my family and to eat some good boiled crawfish!

I also had a cup of shrimp & crab gumbo...so good!

After crawfish we finished the drive to New Orleans!

We stayed at the gorgeous Roosevelt Hotel

I loved the fact that there was a flat screen TV in the bathroom although it is not showing in this pic

We had drinks at the famous Sazerac Bar located in the Roosevelt where Huey P Long was almost assassinated they still have the bullet hole preserved next to the original paintings from the 1920s. I of course had a Sazerac to drink!

Saturday before the wedding we met up with friends for Bloody Marys at Pat O's we also planned to go to Central Grocery for a Muffuletta but it was raining and we had to get ready for wedding.

Unfortunately this is where my photos end. Saturday night I came down with a stomach virus did not get any pictures of the wedding and missed Easter Sunday with David's family. I had to lay in bed sick to stomach at this mom's home while they did Easter at his aunts. Totally not how I wanted our trip to go but I had fun on Friday and for most of the day on Saturday.

Stay tuned to the blog 2 awesome giveaways coming up!!! Also my allotted time for my hamstring to heal is up and I will be making my slow & steady return to running this weekend!!

Cool Austin Event This Saturday!!

2010-04-07T12:37:00.003-05:00

I decided to keep the details of Miami and my friends coming to Austin private. A blog girl has to have some kind of private life you know :)

But I will share with you all my trip to New Orleans coming later this afternoon! David had a friend from college getting married and of course most of you know David is from the New Orleans area and I went to college there so it was nice to see friends in family. Check back for that later tonight

but for now if you live in Austin there is an awesome event going on this Saturday April 10th!

I'm still here

2010-03-23T20:51:00.001-05:00

Usually I do unannounced blogging breaks. This time I wanted it to be different so I just wanted to let everyone know I'm still here! I just will not be blogging as much this week due to friends in town & Miami. I will explain more in later posts :)

Miss you all!

Lunch eats & Healthy Probiotic Chocolate!

2010-03-18T20:46:00.007-05:00

Is everyone excited it is almost the weekend? I sure am!

I have fun things planned this weekend including a hair apartment, Austin rodeo depending on the weather and a spring cleaning of both my apartment and car okay so those are not so fun.

Lunch was leftovers somewhat. I brought Amy's Southwestern Soup and I had a left over wrap and cupcake from yesterday's St. Patrick's Day party.

The cupcake was nice little sweet snack! I have a healthy sweet snack for you..

Now we have all heard that dark chocolate can be good for you. Have you heard about Probiotic Chocolate?

Attune sent me 3 bars to review.

These bars contain 80-90 calories and probiotics strands. They are also great sources of calcium.

My favorite flavor was mint.

I will be purchasing more of the bars and can feel better about my mid-day chocolate snack attack!

My name is Irish you know!

2010-03-17T22:39:00.000-05:00

While it is true my name Erin means "Ireland & Peace" and my dad may or may not look like a giant leprechaun, regardless of my Irish heritage I get excited about any holiday celebration!

Today at work we had a party! We took our lunch time to sit around eat green food and watch an old Christmas episode of "The Office" not really on theme but was fun times!

After all those treats I knew I had to get to the gym tonight! I did speed walking intervals on a machine that looks like a treadmill but the the roller was grooved so it is less harsh on the body and good for my hamstring!

To replenish after my work out, keep with St. Patrick's Day I had a Green Machine Smoothie. It contained Veggie Protein, Yogurt Pineapple Juice, Pineapple & Banana. I plan to recreate this at home using Amazing Grass packets as my "Veggie Protein"

For those who asked about my grandmother sorry I forgot to update. Thank you for all your prayers! She is out of the hospital and doing very well. Her kidney has stopped bleeding as it turns out her kidney just has a cyst on it which they can't treat unless it bust. Then she will be put on antibiotics no biggie. Her heart valve that was leaking is miraculously fine!!! Her other valve is just a little constricted so they are changing her beta blocker and putting her on a fluid pill. She should be back to to completely normal in no time. After basically a month in the hospital it truly is a miracle and the doctors are still confused as to how her heart and kidney both took turns for the best!!

Time for bed now my company's brand new CEO/President will be in the office tomorrow & Friday to meet us all. This also means I will be going in to work early/staying late and ceasing all blogging and twittering while at work. Gulp.

Citizen Cope & A Rooftop Party

2010-03-16T22:56:00.001-05:00

Hello Readers! Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend! I sure did!

To start off the SXSW celeberation going on here in Austin, David & I attended a Citizen Cope concert.

The opening act was Gin Wigmore. She was from New Zealand it was her first time playing in America. She had a really soulful voice. I enjoyed her.

And of course Citizen Cope was amazing as usual. I saw him at Austin City Limits this past October. I was really excited to see that he was coming to Austin again so I bought tickets as soon as I found out. Good thing I did the show was Sold Out!

Saturday night there was a party at Lanai, a very cool rooftop lounge, to honor our friends that are getting married next month. The theme was Stock The Bar everyone invited brought a bottle of their favorite beverage to stock the couple's bar :)

This is only a small group shot there was around 30 of us there in our group the groom being honored is not even in this photo.

I had a blast! I knew a few of the girls there but also met some pretty amazing ladies that I really fit in with here in Austin. Hopefully we will all get a chance to hang out again soon!

My old computer had an awesome photo editing program. I'm not happy with my picture quality I have now. I will be purchasing Adobe Photoshop Elements soon to get the most out of my pictures. I saw it at Best Buy for only 99.00!

Tonight I headed back to the gym, I previously tore my hamstring running on the treadmil. This is the first time in my life I ever had an injury from working out. It was painful. I totally blame the treadmil!!! I have to take 4-6 weeks off running. So tonight I did the elliptical, light weight lifting and maybe a nice slow cool down walk on the treadmil. I don't think I will ever run on one again.
I am just excited to get back into any type of exercise even if I have to take it slow at first!

Oikos Winner

2010-03-11T13:21:00.005-06:00

Thank you to those who emailed me about my last post, you readers are too sweet!!

My grandmother is still in the hospital, they have found a spot on her kidney which the believe the blood is originating from. We are now waiting on the next step from the doctors.

The long awaited Oikos winner giveaway winner is:

Comment #16

Congrats to CME from Fun With The Super Munns

Please send your mailing address to texancouture@gmail.com so I can forward your information to Oikos so that you may recieve your prize!

I have one more giveaway next week, with your regular blog posts coming soon!

Oikos Giveaway

2010-02-22T13:58:00.005-06:00

Sorry this giveaway is coming a week late, I was out very sick with the flu last week. I have a lot of blog catching up to do! My valentines day post will be coming tomorrow!

The winner of this giveaway will receive an Oikos tote bag, 1 free 16 oz Oikos coupon and 4 free 5.3 oz Oikos coupons

***You have 4 ways to enter, you do not have to do all 4 to enter each is a separate entry and please lease a Separate comment for each to be counted as an entry!

1. Leave a comment telling me which flavor you would like to try (1 entry)
2. Leave a comment telling me you have become a follower or that you are already a follower (1 entry)
3. Leave a comment telling me you have tweeted about this giveaway (1 entry)
4. Leave a comment telling me you have posted about this giveaway on your blog (1 entry)

Winner will be announced Saturday February 27th.

Also I have not heard from the winner of my Amy's giveaway . I understand things can happen like my unexpected flu so I will give it a bit more time, but if I do not hear something soon a new winner will be announced Wednesday.

Morning Oats and Birthday Party!

2010-02-14T09:10:00.007-06:00

I am still recovering from last night's birthday party. To liven myself up I had oats with fresh fruit.

Nature's Path Oats with Hemp

Turned into this:

David's coworker had a birthday party she rented out the bottom bar at 219 West we celebrated there and then went to Lavaca Bar with an undocumented stop at Whataburger

And then one in the parking garage

Happy Valentine's Day! David & I have fun things planned expect a recap tomorrow. I am kind of wishing I didn't have so many glasses of Pinto Grigo or any of those shots with the birthday girl but I will still have a good time today!

Amy's Organic Soup Winner!

2010-02-13T09:05:00.001-06:00

Only 15 entries, that is a record low for a giveaway. What happened readers? Sheesh you people are missing out after eating Amy's soups then trying to go back to normal soups I bring to work they tasted like watered down nothingness compared to Amy's goodness!!!

So without further ado the winner is

comment # 10

Congrats to Annie from Chapters of Our Life . Please send your mailing info to "texancouture@gmail.com" so that I can pass it along to Amy's so they will mail out your prize. I know you will enjoy the soups and the nice reusable bag it has been my lunch bag to bring my food to work in ever since I received it.

Tune in next week for an Oikos giveaway!

I am off to go get my hair cut & colored at my favorite salon Kisma followed by a relaxing mani/pedi then tonight David's coworker rented out a private bar downtown for her birthday so we will be heading to that celebration!

Origins Skincare

2010-02-10T20:24:00.000-06:00

I have been a faithful user of Clinique skincare since Junior High but I decided to switch it up and go for something more Green when I ran of out Clinique.

After doing a lot of research on organic skincare I decided to make the switch over to Origins

Well Off Eye Makeup Remover, Never A Dull Moment Face Polish, Checks & Balances Face Wash, Purifying Tonic, Balanced Diet Moisturizer and Out of Trouble 10 Minute Mask

I ordered online to get samples!

Conditioning Lip Balm and Mega Mushroom Face Serum

I wish I would have made the switch sooner, I am completely in love with my new products. The way they make my skin feel & smell it is like I'm at the spa!!

Origins products are NOT formulate with: Parabens, Phthalates, Propylene Glycol, Mineral Oil, PABA, Petrolatum, Paraffin, DEA, Synthetic Color, Synthetic Fragrance nor Animal Products.

I also received a coupon which I plan to use soon I have been out of foundation for awhile and have been contemplating which brand to go with.

I think I may have injured my right knee running on the tread mil Monday night. My knee feels almost completely better than yesterday and the swelling has gone done but I'm still a little sore. To prevent a further injury, I am skipping the gym tonight and going to sit here in my Origins FACE MASK and catch on my blog reading.

Do any of you use Origins? What is your favorite skincare line?

Speaking of organic don't forget to enter my Amy's Organic giveaway happening here . The soups are pretty amazing!!! After having these and then try to back to eating Wolfgang Puck Soups for lunch I just sat there wishing I had Amy's instead!!
Winner will be announced Saturday morning.

Amy's Giveaway

2010-02-08T07:30:00.000-06:00

How about them Saints!!!
Sometimes I really wish I lived back in New Orleans while all my friends are still celebrating and enjoying Mardi Gras season attending parades all week. I am back to my regular 8 to 5 job with no hint of excitement in the office.

But I do have one thing that is exciting happening here on Texan Couture...

Amy's sent me this package of soups to try along with a nice reusable bag! I have been taking my lunch to work in it.

Amy's is an all organic & vegetarian brand. Amy's is most know for having frozen meals but their other products include soups, beans chili, pasta sauces and salsa.

The soups my package contained were: Spanish Rice & Red Beans, Southwestern Vegetable Soup & Creamy Tomato Bisque

In the package I discovered my absolute new favorite soup Spanish Rice & Red Beans...so good!!

If you would like to win the same soups & bag now is your chance! You have until Friday February 12th 11:59 p.m. cst to submit entries. Winner will be announced Saturday morning.

***You have 4 ways to enter, you do not have to do all 4 to enter each is a separate entry and please lease a Separate comment for each to be counted as an entry!

1. Leave a comment telling me which flavor you would like to try (1 entry)
2. Leave a comment telling me you have become a follower or that you are already a follower (1 entry)
3. Leave a comment telling me you have tweeted about this giveaway (1 entry)
4. Leave a comment telling me you have posted about this giveaway on your blog (1 entry)

Good Luck to all!

I may not be posting as much on blogs this week as I will be super busy at work and we have a lady from corporate coming in to our office on Thursday. But you can always follow me on Twitter user name: texancouture
I always try to update it via my iphone when I'm pressed for time with blogging.

Saints Superbowl! Who Dat!

2010-02-07T12:00:00.001-06:00

I wish I could have been in New Orleans for the Superbowl and the start of Mardi Gras but unfortunately since I will be going twice in April for David's friend's wedding & my friend Future Mrs. Bun Bun 's bachelorette party!!! I really did not want to purchase a 3rd set of plane tickets and take off more of my PTO.

I really can not explain why I do not own any Saint's shirts either. So today for the Superbowl I am wearing a black sweater [bought from J. Crew during the huge online sale 2 weeks ago :)]

Accent with Fleur De Lis (New Orleans & the Saints symbol) earrings & ring from Mignon Faget a New Orleans jewelry store I worked for in college.

Of course since the team colors are Black & Gold not Black & Silver I added a hint of gold courtesy of my Tory Burch Revas!

We were told not to worry about bringing any kind of food but I decided to bring my own veggie tray since I am not sure if the party will have anything healthy and I don't want to eat just wings & fries all day. Also bringing along some Blue Moon. I know I should be drinking Abita to support Louisiana today but a Blue Moon with a Slice of Orange just sounds so good today!

GO SAINTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Winner Winner & a Torchy's Dinner!

2010-02-06T09:51:00.001-06:00

And the winner of the Chobani giveaway using Random.org is comment # 14

Sarah from Running For Chocolate

Sarah please send your mailing address to texancouture@gmail.com and I will forward it over to Chobani so they can mail out your prize!!

If you didn't win this time do not worry I next week I have an Amy's giveaway followed by Aquabling & Oikos giveaways!

One of my favorite places to eat Tacos in Austin is Torchy's Tacos .

Their new North Austin location opened up near my work and only about a 15 min drive from where I live so much better than always having to drive downtown just for these amazing tacos!

Last night David & I headed to the new location for dinner. Now it is not the healthiest place by any means but it is darn good and I think it is okay to splurge on tasty meals every once in awhile!

We shared Chips & Green Chili Queso which is Torchy's in house chips with green chili queso topped off with guacamole, queso fresco, cilantro and diablo sauce. Diablo sauce is fire roasted habanero chilies blended with vinegar, spices, and tomato

I had a "Trailor Park" which is fried chicken (basically just a chicken tender) green chilies, lettuce, pico de gallo, and cheese served on a flour tortilla with poblano ranch. I made it "Trashy" by adding queso on top.

Along with a "Fried Avocado" which is hand battered fresh avocadoes fried and served With vegetarian refried beans, lettuce, pico de gallo and Cheese served on a corn tortilla with poblano ranch sauce.

Don't worry I didn't eat both at the same time!

Today we dropped the dogs off at the groomers, heading to the gym, running a few errands and gearing up for my hometown New Orleans' Saints to win the Superbowl tomorrow!!!

How I wish I was in New Orleans now, one of my best friends is the Queen of Sparta this year she is riding on her Grand Marshall float today as it is the start of Mardi Gras parades along with citywide Superbowl celebrations! I will live vicariously through my friends pic mail and facebook albums :)

Mix My Granola

2010-02-04T07:30:00.000-06:00

I received my "Texan Couture" granola from Mix My Granola

Mix My Granola is a website that lets you customize your very own granola mix. First pick your granola base next you pick your fruits, nuts & seeds, extras like chocolates gummies jelly beans cookies anything you can think of!, last but not least you add your enhancers like bee pollen powder or green tea powder. Once you have added everything you want you name your mix and it packaged and shipped to you.

My granola mix contained: Organic Granola, Chia Seeds, Macadamia Nuts, Papaya & Goja Berries

I received permission from Mix My Granola to share a discount with the readers of Texan Couture, if you would like to try Mix My Granola and receive 10% off just enter the code "GRANOLA10".

I eat my granola mix with Chobani Yogurt! Do not forget to enter my Chobani giveaway found HERE . Winner will be announced Saturday morning.

Run For Haiti

2010-02-02T16:20:00.004-06:00

NYRR, New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, and MapMyRun.com have come together to organize a virtual event to benefit the victims of the Haiti Earthquake.

100% of the proceeds received for each $30 registration will go to support New York City's Haiti Relief Fund.
This purchase is not tax deductible.

How you can participate:

Simply Run or Walk the 4 miles anywhere you choose from Feb 19 to Feb 24, 2010. Read the Step-By-Step Guide

2. Submit race distance and time at the Virtual Run/ Walk for Haiti website. Results can be entered manually or via supported timing devices like Garmin, Nike+, Polar, and more.

3. Compare your results with other virtual participants and see how you would have finished among the live participants.

Go HERE to register now!

Will you be participating?

Also do not forget to sign up for my Chobani Giveaway found HERE . Winner will be announced Saturday morning.

Chobani Giveaway

2010-02-01T18:53:00.005-06:00

The wonderful people at Chobani sent me a package of 11 Yogurts! Plain 2%, Blueberry, Strawberry, Honey, Vanilla, Pomegranate, Peach and not picture Strawberry Banana, Pineapple, Plain 0% & Raspberry.

Chobani is Greek Yougurt!
All natural. No preservatives. No artificial flavors.
· No synthetic growth hormones: No rBST-treated milk.
· Includes 5 live & active cultures, including 3 probiotics.
· Made with real fruit.
· Twice the protein of regular yogurts.
· A good source of bone-building calcium.
· Gluten-Free and Kosher-Certified.
· Safe for people with corn, nut and soy allergies.

If you would like to win the same package of yogurts you have until 11:59 p.m. on Friday February 5th to submit entries. The Winner will be announced Saturday morning.

***You have 4 ways to enter, you do not have to do all 4 to enter each is a separate entry and please lease a separate comment for each to be counted as an entry!

1. Leave a comment telling me which flavor you would like to try (1 entry)
2. Leave a comment telling me you have become a follower or that you are already a follower (1 entry)
3. Leave a comment telling me you have tweeted about this giveaway (1 entry)
4. Leave a comment telling me you have posted about this giveaway on your blog (1 entry)

Good Luck to all!

The Pirate's Booty Winner is....

2010-01-29T09:26:00.001-06:00

The winner of the Pirate's Booty giveaway has been selected using random.org.

The winner is #11

Comment #11

Congrats to Jocelyn from Running With High Heels On . Please send your info over to me at texancouture@gmail.com so that I can forward over to Pirate's Booty to mail out your prize.

If you didn't win this time check back next week for a Chobani giveaway and then an Amy's giveaway the following week!

Anyone have any fun plans for the weekend? David & I are taking a miniroad trip just to get out of Austin for the weekend. It should be fun!

Wine Tasting & Whole Foods Salad bar

2010-01-28T08:27:00.000-06:00

I apologize for the quality of photos. I took them on my iphone conspicuously no one was taking pics with cameras at the Wine Tasting or in Whole Foods lol so I didn't want to look crazy!

Last night my complex where I live had a wine tasting hosted by Becker Vineyards

I learned a lot of cool stuff and my favorite wine by them is the Viognier. It was a bit softer than a Chardonnay. I will be going to my local Twin Liquors to buy it soon!

The one pictured here was a Grenache I did not care for the taste.

After tasting: Viognier, Granache,Cabernet Sauvignon & Zinfandel I was bit tipsy and did not want to cook dinner, so we made our way to Whole Foods.

I opted for the Salad Bar

David choose a Barton Springs sandwich & a small salad.

This is what I came home with

It contained dill pasta, red leaf lettuce, carrots, cheese, broccoli, bits of hard boiled egg, kale, tomatoes & cucumber. Along with a lemon green tea!

Today is also the last day to enter my Pirate's Booty Giveaway found here

Meet the Pomelo & Amazing Grass

2010-01-26T07:26:00.000-06:00

I picked this big guy up at Sprouts when I did my weekly grocery shopping.

I feel like it is almost half the size of my head!

A Pomelo is what is used to create the grapefruit, which is a hybrid cross between a pomelo & an orange. The Pomelo is native to South East Asia.

I plan to have it as a snack after work so I will let you know how it taste!

Amazing Grass sent me a few products to review this morning I tried the Pomegranate Mango Amazing Meal...

I mixed it with water shook it up and to me the taste was a little grainy so I could not tell much of the flavor, on the back of the packet it says you can mix it with milk or in a smoothie. I think next time I will put it in a blender and mix it with milk.

I have received questions about what gym I belong to, I go to Life Time Fitness it is pretty awesome!! It has everything thing you could want in a gym and more! Swimming pool indoor & out both with water slides a smoothie bar at the outdoor pool, sauna, a Cafe, an Aveda Spa, tons of equipment & lots of group classes. If there is one in your area I highly recommend joining.

Have you ever tried a Pomelo? What is your favorite fruit?

Don't forget to enter my Pirate's Booty Giveaway here . Winner will be announced Friday morning!

Pirate's Booty Giveaway!!

2010-01-25T07:30:00.001-06:00

Pirate's Booty sent me a treasure chest full of loot!

It contained the flavors: Veggie, Crunchy Corn Sticks, Sour Cream and Onion, Sea Salt & Vinegar, New York Pizza, Aged White Cheddar, Real Wisconsin Cheddar & Barbeque.

Look for my reviews as I eat my way through the bags and a full review once I am done.

If you would like to win the same chest you have until 11:59 p.m. on Thursday January 28th to submit entries. The Winner will be announced Friday morning.

***You have 4 ways to enter, you do not have to do all 4 to enter each is a separate entry and please lease a separate comment for each to be counted as an entry!

1. Leave a comment telling me which flavor you would like to try (1 entry)
2. Leave a comment telling me you have become a follower or that you are already a follower (1 entry)
3. Leave a comment telling me you have tweeted about this giveaway (1 entry)
4. Leave a comment telling me you have posted about this giveaway on your blog (1 entry)

Good Luck to all!

Intro To Cycle & Pure Bars

2010-01-24T07:44:00.000-06:00

After I expressed my love for Pure Bars which I purchased the other week at Sprouts the great people over at Pure were kind enough to send me a 12 pack of Pure Bars!

I received the flavors: Chocolate Brownie, Apple Cinnamon, Wild Blueberry, Trail mix, Cranberry Orange & Cherry Cashew.

Pure Bars are raw and vegan, contain a full serving of fruit, organic protein, rich in Omega-3s. They do not contain any refined sugars, dairy, soy, cholesterol or trans fats.

To fuel up before an hour before heading to my Intro To Cycle class at my gym I had the Apple Cinnamon Bar ( in addition to my bagel and Tofutti cream cheese I had earlier in the morning)

It only has 190 calories it was the perfect snack to not weigh me down before working out. But my one complaint is the texture in this flavor was a little off compared to others I have tried in the past. I will be reviewing these bars as I eat them but look for an overall review once I am done.

Let me just say even though it is called Intro To Cycle it kicked my Boo-tay! What a way to start a Saturday morning. I will surely be headed back to that class next weekend!

We had plans to go to a Vegetarian restaurant instead we grabbed a quick lunch at my Gym's cafe.

We had lots of errands to do grocery shopping & outfit shopping. My corporate office is being moved from Dallas to Orlando as new executives are taking over so I needed new work clothes to look super professional for when they stop by our office! I never turn down a reason to shop!

Today I need to bathe the dogs, clean the house, head back to the gym for cardio & I plan to do the Shred at home after I finish catching up on blogs!

Be sure to check back tomorrow for a Pirate's Booty Giveaway!

And the Winner is...

2010-01-21T08:04:00.000-06:00

How is everyone's week going? I am so happy it almost the weekend!

I have fun things planned for this weekend. I am taking an Intro To Cycle class at my gym on Saturday morning. Does anyone have any advice on good indoor cycling shoes?

I also have plans to visit a vegetarian restaurant, trying a new self serve frozen yogurt place that opened by me and switch up the running to hiking and take the doggies on a hike with my boyfriend looking forward to that!

Now on to the Popchips Winner.... "Fist Pumps All Around" in honor the season finale of "Jersey Shore" my very guilty pleasure!

I used Random.org where I entered numbers 1 - 34 and it choose number 28

Comment # 28

ktbwood be sure to send me your contact information asap to "texancouture@gmail.com" so I can send your information over to Popchips and they will mail you out your prize!!

Don't worry if you did not win this time I have partnered with Pirate's Booty & Chobani to bring you giveaways for the next 2 weeks! Be sure to check back for those!!

King Cakes, Wedding, Brunch & a Giveaway!!

2010-01-18T08:00:00.000-06:00

Friday after long rainy day at work I came home to not 1 but 2 King Cakes shipped over from Louisiana by my mom.

We already dug in before I could get a good picture, How I miss living in New Orleans for Mardi Gras season!

Saturday David & I attended his coworker's wedding in the small town of El Campo, TX which is about a 2 1/2 - 3 hour drive from Austin. There were 425 people in attendance.

It was a beautiful traditional Catholic wedding the reception was held in a civic center because of so many guests. The space was huge! A Mariachi band played before the reception began, David & I participated in a Grand March which I have never done in Louisiana weddings we usually do what is a called a 2nd line so it was interesting to participate in a different type of wedding tradition, after the Grand March another live full band played. We had a great time with the wine flowing freely!

Sunday David surprised me with brunch at my favorite restaurant in Austin Jaspers .

I had a Bloody Mary with Vanilla French Toast

While David had Pecan Crusted Trout with Molasses Sweet Potatoes.

There was also fried green tomatoes that were shared and not pictured.

And now I am proud to announce my very first giveaway!

Popchips, one of my favorite food brands, is giving one lucky reader a 24-mixed case of single serve bags of popchips!! That is some serious snacking!

There are a couple of ways to send in entries:

1. Head over to www.popchips.com then leave a comment telling me what flavor you would like to try.
2. Tweet about this giveaway (leave a seperate comment telling me you have done so)
3. Post about this giveaway on your blog (leave a seperate comment telling me you have done so)
4. Become a follower (leave a seperate comment telling me you have done so)

The winner will be annouced Thursday morning. Good Luck!!

Going Green & Swaps

2010-01-12T11:40:00.000-06:00

Sprouts Farmers Market just opened up in my neighborhood and I fell in love.

The produce, deli and bulk items are super cheap!! The prices of regular items vary for instance Amy's Spicy Chili is 30 cents higher than at Whole Foods but Coconut Water is 30 cents cheaper than Whole Foods so it is give and take but not to mention all the savings on produce, deli & bulk balance it out regardless.

I found Pure Bars which I have been wanting to try after seeing them on all the food blogs I know Jenna at Eat Live Run is a huge fan

Caramel Bites & Chocolate covered Cherries

My new favorite tea Mangosteen Green Tea!

Veggie wrap & salads which will make perfect lunches to bring to work

This is only a small sample of the food I purchased.

Did I mention the bags they give you are reusable love it (Yes I came home with a lot of goodies)

I pass Sprouts on my way home from work every day super convenient!

I have also been getting back to the gym. I think I want to start taking more group classes.

Yes I know I am a bad blogger for not using a reusable water bottle, but Austin water taste like dirt even Brita can not help it but I do recycle!

I can not wait until temps warm up and I can run outside again! I do not have warm enough running gear to do outside runs. I am working on purchasing some better winter running clothes. I need to make a trip to the Nike outlet when I have time.

Just had to share my amazing lunch it is the Mediterranean platter from Tom's Tabooley here in Austin, I purchased at Whole Foods. so good and filling can't wait to dig in at my desk!

P.S. Loves Of Life is hosting a Valentines Day Swap , Join in it will be fun!

Top Siders

2010-01-05T09:12:00.000-06:00

My favorite pair Sperry Top Siders were destroyed this past Fall at the Austin City Limits Music Festival with the rain and mud.

This pic is after just one walk around the grounds, they were way worse by the end of the day, sadly there was no saving them I have to throw them away.

But I am happy to announce I am in love with this pair found here that Sperry has designed for J. Crew I ordered mine in soft sandalwood.

2010

2010-01-03T10:14:00.000-06:00

Happy 2010! I hope everyone had a great NYE! I know mine was pretty amazing!

Now on resolutions, I decided to list 10 for well 2010

10. Eat less meat. in high school & for most of college I was a vegetarian even with all the exams & parties I feel like i had way more energy than I do now so I would like to try it again but I love burgers.

9. Learn Something New. I miss college although I enjoy being out of school and do not want to go back any time soon. I miss learning new things. I have no idea what I want to learn but it will be something.

8. Enjoy Life More. After all the deaths and sadness of 2009 I feel like I need to appreciate life to it's fullest and get rid of any pessimistic moods that may come my way.

7. Be more productive at work. I do a good job and I know it but I want to go way above the expected. We have plans to move to Dallas in the Fall so I want to get the best reference there is because I'm sure Dallas job market will have lots of competition.

6. Save more money. I waste money for example we buy groceries then end up eating out for the majority of our meals so the fresh produce goes to waste and we have to throw it away.

5. Run more. I was running machine then will all the stress last year I lost motivation and I have slacked off and I have been running only twice a week.

4. Get back to healthy. This ties into eating better, not eating out as much and running more often.

3. Get More Organized. I am an unorganized mess! Last week I had the time wrong and showed up late to my hair/waxing appointment and the girl doing my eyebrows had come in on her day off to do them. She had to wait until I had the color in my hair taking away from her day off. I felt terrible!! I have a super cute new Lilly Pulitzer planner I need to write in it more and refer to it more this year.

2. Help Others. Christmas 2008 David & I volunteered at Texas Children Home and it was a great feeling! Unfortunately all we did for 2009 was donate to Goodwill & Salvation Army. I would like for us to actually do more for the community.

1. Spend more time with Family & Friends. I would like to make more trips to Louisiana to see my family & def New Orleans to see all my friends. I miss them so much!

P.S. Does anyone else love the Lady Gaga & Beyonce song "Telephone"?

Pugs, Popchips & Table Linens

2009-12-30T14:57:00.005-06:00

Hello Blogworld, I am still here! I have been a very busy girl!

I have good news to report after all my moaning and complaining about my job; my prayers have been answered! Corporate hired a new girl to do my old job so I am not doing the job of many people in doing so they officially had to change my job title in the paperwork which lead to a big raise and not at a paycut!!!

I have also been busy decorating our place, David so graciously purchased us all new furniture and everything to go with it. I'll post pics once we have all the finishing touches. But for now here is a preview of our new dining table:

The pug, Kingston, has also finally been neutered.

And I received a nice package from my favorite brand of Chips; Popchips! If you have not had these I highly recommend you try them as soon as possible! The Sour Cream & Onion are my favorite flavors!

Well that is all for now just a quick update, I have packing to do we headed to Dallas for the New Year! David is working a half day tomorrow then we will be off! In between my preparations I will be catching up on everyone's blog.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

I'll be back in 2010 with my 10 for 2010 list!

Aimme Allen - On Vacation

2009-12-13T09:38:00.001-06:00

I saw this sweet little music video, while I was on the treadmill at the gym and thought it was adorable! It is such a Happy little video...Enjoy!

What I Am Thankful For

2009-11-23T14:18:00.001-06:00

I found this on Sweet, Sassy, Southern and Classy and thought it was a really cute idea.

I am listing 26 things I am thankful for, being that Thanksgiving is on the 26th.

1. My family! We have been through a lot the past year with 2 deaths and it has only brought us all closer.

2. My boyfriend David, he has supported me through so much! He always makes me smile.

3. My friends! Most live back in New Orleans and Houston Hi Future Mrs. Bun Bun .

4. My 2 dogs Riley & Kingston

5. As much as I complain about it I really am grateful for My Job!

6. My GPS, without it I don't know how I would ever get around

7. Lazy rainy days, where I lay around in my Zebra Snuggie & read Harry Potter.

8. Tivo, watching tv at my convenienance is amazing!

9. Starbucks Holiday Lattes!

10. Lexus' not only heated but cooling seats, very useful during Texas over 100 degree heat summer!

11. Netflix, it is so convenient with my busy schedule!

12. My iPhone it makes my life much simpler combing work & play in one little electronic bundle.

13. New Shoes, I always love a good pair of heels!

14. Receiving flowers from my boyfriend, reminds me how something so simple can be so beautiful

15. Snuggies, I do not know how I ever lived without my Zebra print one.

16. Flip Happy Crepes, if you are ever in Austin you must try!

17. The Daily Mail UK tabloid website, my coworker & I read it and discuss

18. Central Market, especially their meals for 2.

19. My gym membership Lifetime Fitness has everything I could want in a gym!

20. Running, helps to keep me balanced.

21. My ipod, helpful when running and when I just want to dance around.

22. Google Reader, catching up on blogs can be time consuming.

23. Fake Lashes, Laura Mercier has the best kind!

24. Sushi, I never get tired of eating it.

25. Relaxing hot bubble baths after a long day at work.

26. The Way God Works

Sephora Goodies

2009-11-18T13:05:00.000-06:00

Hello Blogworld!

How has everyone been? Things have been okay here in Austin. I took a break from posting after my grandfather passed away on November 6th. But I am back in the swing of things once again.

I love getting new packages in the mail, especially packages from Sephora!

This package included a nail polish color set exclusive to Sephora Beauty Insiders; 6 shades for Sephora by OPI.

My go to lip plumper since 2005, DuWop's Lip Venom!

And of course Samples!

I am excited it is officially holiday time and I have fun plans coming up! I am completely booked every weekend until mid January. YIKES!

A Trip to Dallas this weekend, Thanksgiving where I will be running in Thundercloud Turkey Trot my mom and aunt are coming to Austin for the holiday weekend!,

The first weekend in December I will running in the Reindeer Run and a trip to Houston for Future Mrs. Bun Bun Engagement Party.

After that Holiday Parties, Christmas, New Years Eve in Dallas, bachelorette party and a wedding for David's friend in January.

Dogs for Adoption in Texas

2009-10-28T09:36:00.001-05:00

Pass this on to anyone you know of that could save a dog...

A German Shepherd rescue group called Camp Wolfgang, in Ennis, Texas is closing down because of family issues on 31 October.

All the dogs are vetted, spayed/neutered, micro-chipped,
well cared-for and many have had training.

They have nearly 200 dogs that must find a foster or be
adopted before 31 October or they will have no choice but to euthanize them all.

If you cannot help by fostering or adopting...YOU CAN STILL HELP!!!

Please forward this information to everyone you know...if
we all forward this to everyone we know, chances are good
that many of these dogs can be saved!

They do not need or want donations; they simply MUST place all of the dogs.

Adoption fees are $75.00, free to verifiable rescue
groups.

Current dogs:
(approximate)
120 German Shepherds
2 Akitas
1 Anatolian/Great Pyrenees
4 Purebred Rottweiler
1 Great Dane/Lab
1 Boxer/Mastiff
1 St. Bernard/Akita
1 WolfDog
45 Other mixed breeds

Time is of the essence!!

If you know anyone who can adopt, accept a dog into their
rescue, or help in any way, contact Neisha Livengood, Kennel Master at Camp Wolfgang.

Neish a Livengood
windigo1966@yahoo.com
mailto:windigo1966@yahoo.com

wally@campwolfgang.com
mailto:wally@campwolfgang.com

campwolfgang@yahoo.com mailto:campwolfgang@yahoo.com

phone: 214-755-1627
Camp Wolfgang
6234 FM 879
Ennis, Texas 75119

Giftwrap Wonderland

2009-10-21T12:01:00.007-05:00

I love The Container Store's giftwrap selection! Last year I had this great Paisley print.

These are my favorite selections from this year:

Reindeer White on Black

Wrap Icing Scrolls and Dots on Red

Wrap Holiday Candy on Red

Keeping with the gift wrap theme, these Kate Spade Bourgeois Bow earrings found here are so cute! I want!

Prayers are also need for my grandfather, he will be taken off life support in 2 days. He can go no longer on the ventilator we are praying he will be able to breath on his own. I can't bare to loose another family member. It has been only 3 short months since my beautiful little cousin Aly passed away waiting for her heart transplant.
I don't want to have to relive another funeral so soon.

Happy Boss's Day!

2009-10-16T08:09:00.003-05:00

Here at my office, we often quote "The Office". We have even went so far as to name one of our monthly office parties "Cafe Disco".

So it was only appropriate to give my boss a Micheal Scott card.

The inside says "We're afraid of how much we want you to have a Happy Boss's Day. (Which is a lot by the way!)

Happy Boss's Day!!!

Austin City Limits Music Festival

2009-10-08T12:14:00.018-05:00

Long over due update about the Music Festival last weekend! We had a blast even though it rained and turned super muddy. Mostly pictures in this post

Shuttling to Zilker Park

We arrived

Day 1 before the crowds, rain & mud

Starting to get crowded

Coheed & Cambria

KINGS OF LEON!!!

Eddie from Pearl Jam on stage with Kings Of Leon

Mute Math, a really awesome band who are from New Orleans who knew could have seen their shows while I lived there for college if I only would have known!

Citizen Cope

What I had to wear for most of Day 2, I also had to purchase Toms Shoes as seen on my feet at the festival bc my flip flops were leather and causing blisters rubbing on me in the rain.

Leaving early, really wish we could have seen Dave Matthews Band but was completely soaked and just ready for a hot shower & soup

Day 3 was a mud pit

I really wanted to see Artic Monkeys & Ben Harper on Day 3, but with the sun, humidity & the disguisting smell of the mud I felt so sick to the point of I almost ralphed in the middle of the crowd at the festival so we had to leave right after the B-52s as the Artic Monkeys were coming on I had to fight my way out of the crowd bc we were the first people at the stage :(

We did see more bands but unfortunatly I do not have a water proof camera so was limited on what I would take pics of I had to be very crafty with my poncho head hole to get that pic of Citizen Cope lol

Overall I had an awesome time! I can't wait for next year. We will be better prepared as in will wear my Hunter Wellies if a hint of rain!

I have been super busy catching up on work I missed I took off last Friday & this past Monday to recover from the Festival. I promise to catch up with all your blogs soon!

Real Housewives of Austin?

2009-09-24T08:20:00.002-05:00

According to this article found here Bravo might be picking up a season here.

It will be interesting but I kind of wish it was Real Housewives of Dallas!!

I am super excited for Style Network's Dallas Divas & Daughters premiering October 4th 8/7c

I can't wait to move to Dallas!! I adore that city! David & I are thinking maybe in the next year or two at the most!

Happy Birthday To My Blog

2009-09-23T10:39:00.007-05:00

Actually my blog's 1st birthday was on Monday September 21st, but I failed to notice. Oops. It has an been an incredible year documenting my first year living in Austin. I have made tons of blog friends and I appreciate each and every one of my followers.

It was cool and raining all day yesterday and is currently 65 degrees here in Austin. I love it! Hopefully the weather will be here to stay, I'm over 100 degree heat!

We had 66 days where the heat was over 100 degrees this summer, it was miserable.

If the cold is here for good, then I need lip gloss more than ever.

I love this Petit Four Lip Balm Set

It comes in flavors of raspberry cream tart, cream tart, chocolate cream
puff, and strawberry cream tart! Yum!

Ring Shopping at Tiffanys...Eeek

2009-09-21T08:25:00.002-05:00

Saturday night David & I had dinner at Z'Tejas . I love love love their Pomegranate Mojito's

and their Grilled Shrimp Guacamole Tostada bites are also amazing!

At dinner David informed me we were going to Tiffany's to ring shop. Now the conversation of my engagement ring has come up before David & I have been together for 3 years and currently live together. The part I was shocked about was we were this weekend! David & I previously discussed waiting until January to go try on rings.

I am obsessed with the Tiffany & Co Ribbon Ring

I have never seen anything look so amazing on my hand EVER!

It makes any other diamond ring it is next too look like a quartz. This is the one!

I received two books for trying on rings.

I just love the photos in the book!

I love that I have a boyfriend that would do anything for me including buying me my dream ring! I am truly the luckiest girl alive!

David is having rings shipped into the Austin store in my size then he will go in and pick out the final one alone. David wants the proposal to be a surprise and will not tell me when the ring comes in or when he will propose. It could be weeks or it could months. All I know is that he said he has the whole idea of how he wants to propose already planned. I'm so excited!!!

A night full of Salmon Cakes & Wine

2009-09-18T14:24:00.002-05:00

Sometimes when I don't feel like making a big effort in cooking but don't want to dine out either. David & I pick up Central Market Dinners for 2, packaged and ready to go! Healthy all natural and organic!

Last night we picked up their Dinner for 2 that contained Romaine, Corn & Salsa salad with Ranch dressing, Creamy Roasted Tomato Bisque, French Dinner Rolls, and Smoked Salmon Cakes with Remoulade sauce.

and paired with a bottle of white wine David received for purchasing his Lexus, yes I know that was back in April but we have been purchasing our own favorite bottles and just never got around to drinking this one.

The dinner was amazing!

I updated by Wists, which is located under the right side bar under "Craves". It is full of my favorite things for Autumn!

Also super excited because my real life friend/sorority sister Emily started a blog Future Mrs Bun Bun . That's right both of my real life friends & sorority sisters named Emily both now have blogs!

I think Emily's maybe mostly about her wedding planning, Future Mrs. Bun Bun is the one who asked me to be bridesmaid in her wedding in May with this mega mega rock that I am obsessed with!

If you love my blog you will love hers! She is basically my twin if I were short & blonde. We think alike and have the same style. I just wish she lived closer than Houston so I could borrow all her Louis Vuittons and clothes on a regular basis!

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!

Is it too early for Halloween?

2009-09-16T08:53:00.004-05:00

I was super excited when I went to Central Market last night and saw the pumpkin displays! I love Autumn, it is my favorite season!

I immediately wanted to buy a pumpkin to carve, but David thinks we should wait. Have you started to decorate for Halloween yet?

A year at my job

2009-09-15T13:48:00.008-05:00

Today makes 1 year I have been a my current job, and what a year it has been.
I've survived the layoffs, have been promoted & won awards.

In other news, does anyone know what happened to Cardigans & Kisses ? It was such a cute little blog, one of my favs but it seems to have disappeared.

New Design & Link

2009-09-02T11:33:00.002-05:00

Hey Everyone!

Sorry for the lack of updates! Just wanted you to know I am now accessible at www.texancouture.com and I have a great new layout courtesy of Allison at Mud Duck Studio . Allison is building up her portfolio and offered to do my new layout for free. She did an amazing job! I highly recommend her!

I had a great weekend, Saturday I did some cool things in Austin with Rose from Pink Sun Drops , Mai from Maisquared , Dani from Texas Hearts and Kiley from Hello Kiley .

I will be posting a full recap along with what I thought about Wicked that I saw on Sunday!

I just need to get some pictures together to add with my post, I brought my camera on Saturday but seriously took like 2 pictures what was I thinking!

Organic Fast Food & A Pug On The Loose

2009-08-16T08:03:00.005-05:00

Yesterday David & I picked up food from Terra Burger . It is an all natural organic fast food place unique to Austin.

Everything down to the sodas and ketchup are organic.

I had a Terra Burger on wheat bun with lettuce, tomato, mayo, white cheddar and jalapenos. For my combo I picked regular fries there is an option of sweet potato. For my drink I had a large Creme Vanilla.

IT WAS GOOD! I will be going back whenever I have that crave for fast food.

David went to the gym alone yesterday my arms were stiff & sore. I have no upper body strength and can not even tell you the last time I worked out my arms aside from the 30 day shred. When David returned Kingston, the pug, must have slipped through the front door without us noticing. Our mini schnauzer, Riley, is pretty vocal so it is easy to notice when he goes missing. Kingston could be doing anything like playing with toys, tearing up a blanket or eating shoes. So it was a great surprise when our neighbor came and knocked on our door and said she found Kingston sitting on the sidewalk just staring at people going by. I am so thankful he is ok and so ashamed that for about 3 minutes we had no idea he was even missing.

Healthy Living Summit

2009-08-15T09:16:00.006-05:00

How I wish I was there in Boston with all my other favorite foodies, if there is one next year I will be definitely be attending!

Healthy Living Summit was put together by 6 bloggers all in their mid 20s who wanted to meet up with other healthy lifestyle bloggers. They gathered sponsors and sold tickets for 30.00 I believe there are 130 bloggers that are attending.

Instead of attending I am watching it LIVE here while I eat my breakfast. The presentation from the Registered Dietitian was very interesting.

And it is cool to see my favorite health/food/fitness bloggers on the committee live in action!

Yoga, Meteor Shower & a New Gym

2009-08-12T08:37:00.005-05:00

My Yoga problem of where to go has been solved!

This past weekend David & I joined Lifetime Fitness ! David has been looking to join a better gym he was currently at 24 Hour Fitness and I just used my apartment complex gym which is very nice for a free gym we even have gym cards to scan in and everything but since we both had off work on Friday we took off just to run errands we took at look at Lifetime & Pure . Lifetime won because it was geared more towards luxury and spa like atmosphere which is exactly what I want in my gym.

They offer regular Yoga classes but for signing up I received a free month pass to Bikram Yoga which usually cost extra then I received a gift certificate to spend on anything so I can use it towards an additional month of more Bikram Yoga before I resort back to their regular group classes of Yoga.

I have also been meeting with a personal trainer and nutritionist there. I'll be sure to update on my progress with toning up!

Did anyone catch the meteor shower last night? I was hoping to, Kingston, the Pug woke up and wanted out of his kennel at 3 a.m. so David & I went and sat on the balcony which offers a great view of the sky to take a quick peak and saw nothing sadly I think we live in a too highly lit area to see anything.

The last time I saw a meteor shower I remember being little going to the park in my hometown with my mom laying on the back of the car and just watching, it was the coolest thing ever!

Na, na, na-na-na, na-na-na-na, na-na All right All right

2009-08-04T08:35:00.000-05:00

This morning I woke up at 6:00 a.m. and did the Shred and some Ab Work.

With a Smoothie for Breakfast

I planned to take pics, but was running a little late this morning.

But I must tell you all about my latest purchase....

Sometimes I browse Overstock for discounted older season Kate Spade shoes and other odds and ends when I came across this

I watched this growing up and loved it! This DVD is the first season and contains 13 episodes, I'm kind of excited to watch it!

Yoga in Austin

2009-08-03T08:37:00.003-05:00

Even though I've always been more of Pilates kind of girl...

In addition to my running and gym I want to join a Yoga studio.

I need one in North or Northwest Austin area, so that I can easily go after work and not drive too far on the weekends when I'm home.

I have narrowed down to 2 options.

Yoga Grove which offers Bikram Yoga

or

Yoga Yoga which seems to offer every class but Bikram

So to all my fellow Austinites out there which studio have you been to or heard good things about? Is there another prominent studio in North or Northwest Austin that I should know about.I need some help in deciding!

Non Austin Blog friends my question for you is should I Bikram or not?

Also Kristin at Iowa Girl Eats is holding a Pure Bar giveaway go here to enter.

My heart also goes out to one of my favorite bloggers Meghann of Graduate Meghann whose dog Abbie passed away after a bad reaction to medicine.

Running for Thin Mint Blizzards

2009-08-02T08:28:00.002-05:00

It felt great to get back into running, David snapped a shot as I was rehydrating with coconut water, my life saver after runs! Here I am no make up and frizzy hair...fantastic! I bought this running outfit at the Nordstrom Anniversary sale, so I was also excited to finally wear it!

My fastest mile of the day was: 10:31 I expected much worse after not running for 2 weeks, so I'm quite impressed.

I try to avoid Dairy Queen at all costs but now that the Girl Scout Thin Mint Blizzards are back, I see myself making a few trips there this month...I just can't resist!

Speaking of Sweet Treats, Zesty Cook is trying to reach 300 comments with the Sweet vs. Salty question head over here to give your answer!

I was prepared to spend the rest of my day laying out by the pool but it is overcast and I had a few sprinkle drops on me during my run, so I guess I will stay inside and catch up on my reading. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Cheese Rap

2009-07-31T22:25:00.002-05:00

Marisa, my coworker, & I found this today and laughed so hard, it's hilarious!

I had planned to get back into running again, I haven't had a run in over 2 weeks I was all dressed and setting out to do my longest run to date I wanted to set a personal distance record before I heard the news about Aly and I just haven't been in the mood since but Sunday will be the day!

Tomorrow morning bringing Kingston, the Pug, to the vet for a check up with his skin, he developed red spots one even turned black that I'm sure what they could be. He doesn't seem to be itching or bothered by them, so hopefully it is something just a cream can clear up!

TGIF!

2009-07-31T22:24:00.001-05:00

Reedited & Reposted

Any fun plans for the weekend?

David & I plan to hang out at the pool and run a few errands we haven't been able to do with the unexpected trip home to Louisiana, catch up on sleep mostly.

I am happy to report my TX Driver's License finally arrived in the mail, I'm ready for cocktails!

Note to the comments I had no idea!! Thanks for the warnings!

For some reason on my Macbook even when I click to enlarge the picture I can't even make out my own address so I thought it was safe...David couldn't read it either thanks Apple I know feel every picture I look at my not be the quality it should be apparently but I have now blurred it just to be safe.

and as far as my birthday it's pretty obvious everyone that knows me knows I'm born July 4th and I'm 24 so 1985 is no surprise there lol I wear contacts I'm 5'9 and have Green eyes so there ya go the secrets of my DL ...ha

Also my Austin City Limits tickets arrived in the mail!!! Can not wait!

My cousin Aly's classmate also posted a memorial for her on You Tube.

I hope to return to my daily blogging next week, I miss it life has just been so hectic lately but it is calming down, Aly is in better place, the salary reduction has been lifted and I will be getting my normal pay back at the end of August with my annual raise in September!!

Thank you for all your support

2009-07-28T09:51:00.006-05:00

Thank you for all your support on the last post, it really means a lot.

Services were held in Ohio on Tuesday & Wednesday then she was flown into Houston and driven to our hometown in Louisiana.
Last Friday was a private showing for the family, then the funeral home was opened to public. Even though Aly was swollen from steroids she had to take for surgery, she still looked beautiful and I am glad I was able to see her to say goodbye. Friday night was also a vigil and rosary. The funeral and burial were held Saturday.

At the vigil a letter written by Brady Quinn was read. Brady met Aly through the Granted Wish foundation.

Brady Quinn then went to visit Aly a few more times in the hospital. His letter stated that he was going through a tough time and prayed for an angel then God sent him Aly and he realized it was his wish that had been granted. He promised Aly when she was well that he would take her to Cleveland stadium and throw the football with her, he said when they meet in Heaven he will fulfill that promise to her. Brady also said he loved her in the letter.

I know Aly would have just been tickled by that letter, she loved Brady ever since he was the quarter back for Notre Dame, her dad's & brother's favorite teams, then followed him when he was drafted by the NFL for the Cleveland Browns.

He was so good to her, he was previously on CNN with her as he is the spokesperson for Granted Wish and wanted to use Aly as his main story.

He gave her this jersey she loved to wear:

Aly touched so many people the funeral home in Ohio, where the first service was held said they had never seen a service of that size. At the service in Louisiana a song was performed that was written about her.

She was a very special girl and will be greatly missed.

When I saw my family for the first time at the funeral home, my aunt who is Aly's grandma the first thing she said to me was Oh Erin, Aly used to always talk about you. So I know she is in Heaven watching over me.

RIP Aly

2009-07-19T08:53:00.010-05:00

I am sad to say my little 14 year old cousin Aly passed away this morning.

I have mentioned her a few times on the blog you can find here . She was born with heart problems, had her first transplant in November 2008 it went well for 8 weeks then rejection set in, she has been in the hospital since January 31st of this year dealing with complications, she had brain surgery to correct the disease Moya Moya, last night she had surgery to have an artificial heart place in her until another heart became available. During the surgery she started bleeding and they could not stop it.

I am heartbroken for myself and my family before the surgery Aly had a tube in her mouth and could not talk she only gave the thumbs up for the surgery. She wanted to live so bad. She had more strength and determination than anyone I have ever met. I urge you please to donate your organs when you pass, I keep thinking if only we would have been able to find another heart sooner.

I am still processing everything, I am friends with her on myspace and facebook and I have request from her for the little applications I don't want to click them and accept them because its my last contact with her and I don't want them to go away but I also want to see the last things she has sent me. I know that might sound silly but I just can't believe this.

I always thought of Aly on my runs whenever I could not get through one and wanted to stop, because all she wanted to do with her new heart was to be able to run, now I'm more determined than ever to run for her.

I was headed out on my morning run this morning and decided to check my phone before I left when I saw a missed call at 5 a.m. from her brother.

It is too soon to know about funeral services all I do know is that David & I are going no matter how far if the family decides to bury her there in Ohio or how much time of my PTO it uses I would rather not have a vacation and just be able to tell her goodbye.

Sweet Sunshine & The Nordy Sale!

2009-07-12T08:39:00.013-05:00

I love lazy Weekends!

David & I took advantage of some quality pool time together, it was nice to put on our swimsuits and play around.

These photos were taken at David's sisters pool, she lives on Forest Creek golf course in Round Rock and has an amazing house that I am in love with! She is a quite older than David, David is 27 and his sister is 43. She is married with 2 adorable kids 13 and 9 years old.

His sister is the only family we have in Austin the rest of David's family lives in Boca Raton, NYC & New Orleans, while all of my family lives in Louisiana aside from my cousins who live in Ohio.

I wish salons were open on Sundays, I would love to get a pedicure today, I have been itching to try out this new color by OPI for Sephora Techno Girl from their Spring 2009 line called Digital Diva.

Even though its Sunday, I'm ready for Friday heads up to all my Shopaholics this Friday July 17, 2009 is Nordstrom's Anniversary/PreFall Sale!

David, my coworker Marisa & I already have a game plan of going there to shop then dining at the Nordstrom Cafe Bistro I am just crazy over their crab bisque and the blue cheese with pear salad.

My favorite part about Barton Creek Mall would also be the Nordstrom Coffee Stand..Black & White lattes are amazing.

I just love that store...beyond excited for October 22nd when Nordstrom Rack will be opening in Austin in the old Linen's N Things location.

New Hair and 24th Birthday featuring Kellie Pickler

2009-07-06T21:15:00.001-05:00

How was everyone's fourth of July? I had an awesome 24th birthday!
This is a long post but full of pictures :)

I love my new hair color, I choose a dark red that looks almost brown.

Friday after my hair and massage appointment we headed to Truluck's for dinner

Dinner was AMAZING! We started off with crab cakes then lobster bisque and a Sonoma greens salad. For entree I had Texas Bass that came with rice mixed with shrimp, crab & crawfish. David had jalapeno salmon. For desert I received a raspberry tart with candle and we ordered the mocha pie. All with glasses of Pinto Grigio.

On to the presents!

New Big Blue Kate Spade Tote, J. Crew chinos, J. Crew tee, J. Crew Navy Shorts, True Religion Tee, Lacoste Polo, J. Crew turtle cardigan, Confessions Of A Shopaholic DVD

J. Crew Grey Dress, Diesel Shirt, Diesel fringe sandals, J. Crew White Tee, J. Crew linen pants.

and not pictured the new iPhone! It is ordered but has not shipped from the warehouse yet estimated delivery date July 15-17th but I sure hope it comes in sooner!

Now on to the fun stuff!

We went to Freedom Fest at the Dell Diamond and saw Kellie Pickler!

We purchased the tickets with seats instead of general admission which I'm glad we did we sat in the shade until it was time for Kellie to come then we moved closer to the stage, We ended up 2nd standing row from the stage. She was so awesome and nice! She talked to the crowd a lot, told personal stories.

I also took a video of Kellie singing her song "Red High Heels", I took it with my digital camera it is a little shaky at first but gets better.

Summer Bootcamp & Birthday Plans

2009-07-01T11:00:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite blogs Oh She Glows is holding a Summer Bootcamp you can you read about it here . There are sweet prizes involved too. I am excited to start the bootcamp today!

Tomorrow at work we are having a
4th of July celebration/office birthday party for ME! Incase you have missed my numerous mentions of it, My birthday is this Saturday July 4th, I will be 24. I'll be sure to post pictures there is competition going on throughout the company so we are decorating the office with a camping theme.

Friday I'm off of work yay and I have my hair appointment to go Red Head!, Romantic prebirthday dinner at Truluck's

and special birthday plans courtesy of David through out the rest of weekend. Although pretty bummed still no sign of my Texas id in the mail it's been 3 weeks :(

I would totally adore this Pink Rolex from J. Crew for my birthday!!

I'll be back Friday with a new hair update!

Hair Choice & Cool Stuff

2009-06-27T10:12:00.011-05:00

Thanks for the advice on the last post!!! I have decided to go a Dark Red color, for the simple fact that if I do not like it, it is much easier the next time to go to a Dark Brown color from Red than it would be trying to get a Dark Brown to lighten to a Red. You will see the results on Friday!

I haven't done a post like this in a while so I wanted to post my favorite "cool stuff" that is currently around.

Do you just love the way books smell and miss it if you read e-books now you can get that with your very own can of Smell of Books

Love to sing in the shower? How about a Shower Mic Sponge

I want this for my night stand! Book Shelf Lamp

For the shoe lover a High Heel Cake Server

Big Girls Don't Cry Girly Bandages

Tres Chic Bread Stamp for French Toast

Also sad to hear about MJ passing away along with Farrah. I think I was one of the first to hear about MJ as I saw it on Twitter via Perez Hilton before any national news media reported it I then immediately told everyone in my office and text all my friends. One of my first memories I have as a child is dancing around with my mom listening to Michael Jackson. The song Billie Jean also reminds me of being at my favorite bar in New Orleans "Red Eye" dancing around with my friends and just having fun.

This weekend I was supposed to go on a wine tour, but my Texas id has still not arrived in the mail so I was unable to go.

Back to Red Head or a Dark Brown

2009-06-24T23:00:00.000-05:00

Ladies, I need some advice!

So on July 3rd, just in time for my birthday, I have a hair appointment and I'm thinking of going back to being a Red Head or a Dark Brown Head!

Red makes my green eye pop...I miss that.

This is NYE 2006 with a lighter red and blonde highlights

Thats me at age 20 ...these pictures were taken the first night I met the boyfriend David!!! He had a girlfriend at the time so we wouldn't start dating until September 2006. We had mutual friends out at the same club we were at for NYE and were introduced!

and yep I'm 5'9

Here I am Summer of 2007 with darker hair

I also miss my long hair, I am never cutting it short again EVER

Also looking at these photos makes me realize I need to get my bootay to Palm Beach Tanning Salon asap! Why haven't I been using my membership more I will never know!

Thoughts on the red or dark brown hair??

Shopping, Clothes & a Shoe Tub

2009-06-22T19:47:00.004-05:00

This weekend was another fun filled one!

I saw the proposal and laughed so hard at parts I could not catch my breath. Especially *do not read if you haven't seen and do not want a spoiler* the chant around the fire with Sandra & Betty White OMG made me think of my college days we all used to "chant" to window ..to the wall...good stuff!

David & I went to the new store Eco-Shoppe that just opened not too far from us. It is owned by the same company that owns Vitamin Shoppe. It did not disappoint, I found a ton of things I want in that store! I will most certainly be going back and I really hope it does well!

I settled on a new collar for Riley (the mini schnauzer), Pizza Treats from Olive Green Dog, Olive Green Dog soap bar to wash the puppies, an oven mitt made from Bamboo and we were given free Olive Green Dog treat samples! All in a biodegradable bag!

Olive Green Dog is an Austin based company that was just recently mentioned on Justin Timberlake's blog for their biodegradable poop bags. You can read that post here

We also donated to Good Will, David & I debated selling to Buffalo Exchange he got rid of his old jeans which are all Sevens, 575 and a few Rock and Republics so I know we would have got a decent amount but he felt better about giving it away especially his nice dress shirts.

I also received a nice surprise from Popchips more of my favorite flavor Sour Cream & Onion to try!

and finally.....

How cool is this tub

found here

Breakfast At Tiffanys!

2009-06-10T13:10:00.000-05:00

My 3 day weekend was so much fun!

Well maybe Friday not so much I spent from 9 a.m. until 3:30p.m. waiting around it wasn't really much of a day off; first I went to VW for an inspection sticker, Title place to get TX license plates for my car, DMV, Allstate then back to DMV. But I am now officially a TX resident tehehe. Bad News is my driver's license is now a piece of paper and my photocopy one will not come in the mail for 8-10 weeks. I am hoping the girl was just giving me a worse case estimate. What the heck!!!

I have been wanting to try Jaime's Spanish Village, David & I purchase their queso at Central Market all the time, so David took me there on Saturday.

It was a little tough getting around considering ROT bike rally was taking over downtown. We also went shopping at Saks which is having a great sale! My best find was a cute Marc Jacobs top for 60% off!

Sunday I got a great run, I had been slacking with running because I got sick with my sinus then was just really overworked, stressed and exhausted I needed the extra sleep in the mornings so to get back into my routine felt great!

David & I went to brunch at the Driskill Hotel

then headed to the Paramount Theatre for a screening of Breakfast At Tiffanys. My favorite movie. Audry Hepburn and Tiffany & Co are two of my favorite things.

I just adore Tiffany jewelry and luckily David is happy to oblige. For our first Valentine's Day together in Feburary 2007, David bought me a pair of Tiffany pearl earrings that I wear almost every day.

I love them! Every Christmas and Valentine's I can count on a piece of Tiffany & Co coming from him as my gift!

Now I'm back in the grind at work, my next fun day off (aside from weekend that is) will be July 3rd, the day before my birthday! I'll probably spend that day having fun playing downtown!

Also head over to Emfabulous Funshine and wish my blog/real life friend/sorority sister a Happy Belated Birthday!!

Pool Time & Coconut Bliss!

2009-06-08T12:57:00.000-05:00

How was everyone's weekend? Mine was ok I spent Friday & Saturday completely stopped up. I tried my nettie pot which helped with congestion, but my ears would not unpop until I poured a little bit of alcohol in them to dry up the fluid. Sunday I felt like a medicated zombie but I was determined to have some fun!

David & I headed to the pool where I laid out, read the latest issue of Elle and got in a little swimming!

To cool down after being out in the sun I decided Coconut Bliss would be the perfect treat!

Vince was kind of enough to send me a packet including 3 coupons to test out 3 flavors.

The first one I am trying is Naked Coconut .

David is a huge coconut flavor person so I knew he would just love this one. I loved it too. It was so creamy and delicious hard to believe it is Dairy, Soy & Gluten Free!! Coconut Bliss is Organic, sweetened with agave syrup and is Vegan as well!

I really love the "Naked Coconut" flavor it is perfect texture with little flecks of coconut slices in it. I can definitely taste the fact that there are no artificial flavors in this frozen Coconut Bliss !

I found my Coconut Bliss at Whole Foods, I know Central Market is in Austin carries it as well. To see a complete list of where you can purchase your Coconut Bliss click here .

I have 2 more flavors to go reviews coming very soon!

This week will be a short work week for me! I am actually off Friday but technically I will be doing lots of things like going to the dealership for an oil change, getting a TX inspection sticker, finally going to DMV to change my driver's license over to TX as well as my car license plates. I am hoping my driver's license will come in the mail in time for me to be able to have a cocktail when out on my birthday - July 4th.

Also my car is not fully in my name. My mom's name is first on the registration but my name is on there! It is just listed second. Does anyone know if this will cause a problem with switching my plates over to TX without my mom being present?? Texas is strict about some things so not sure about this one?

Cutest Thing Ever.

2009-06-05T09:03:00.004-05:00

I am not a fan of American Idol, but I constantly heard about it due to everyone in my office being huge Adam Lambert fans.

This video is a 15 month old baby freaking out over Adam Lambert. He brings his mom her iPhone “Adam, Adam” over and over until she puts the video on. He then sits, watches, claps and kisses the phone. Pretty much the cutest thing ever!!

What is everyone up to this weekend?

David & I have a few fun things planned. Mostly I can not wait to work on my tan! I was also given samples of Coconut Bliss to test. Review coming soon!

Austin Blogger Meet Up

2009-06-04T06:59:00.004-05:00

I got in a nice 2.44 mile run and sweated out my Mexican Martinis from last night, but then I realized I am out of bottled water and Austin water even with my Brita Filter taste like dirt to me, so I am patiently waiting to get to work and drain the water cooler!

Last night I met up with 4 other Austin bloggers. I was so excited to meet these wonderful ladies! We all belong to the 20 Something Bloggers group for Austin Bloggers.

Pictured is Mai , Jillian , Dani , Rose and Myself.

We met at Trudy's . We had good food and drinks. It was fun and I can't wait to see these ladies again!

It was a much needed great time after I heard disappointing news yesterday. I had been in the interview process with another company. David's coworker has a best friend working for a company that was hiring. The salary would have been double what I was making plus commission and still only 15 minutes from my place including time spent in traffic. Yesterday I received a call letting me know the company's summer forecast is not up to investor's expectations, so their parent company has ordered a hiring freeze. I was also told had this freeze not been put in place they would have moved forward with me. But the good news is as soon as the freeze is lifted they will call me, but the bad news is it could be weeks or months...I am now searching for a 2nd job until the hiring freeze is over because my company's numbers were the lowest they have ever been since I have been there this past week so I do not believe our original salary will be reinstated anytime soon, the salary cut is here to stay.

I know I have been slacking on blogging and commenting, sorry I have been really busy with interviewing, preparing and what not. I plan to return back to my normal blogging! I have so many of you to catch up with!

Memorial Day Recap

2009-05-26T22:20:00.000-05:00

Memorial Day was relaxing and fun!

I got up early and went on a run, David slept in a little late. When he woke up we headed to the pool. For lunch we headed to Rudy's for BBQ. We had spicy chopped BBQ sandwiches, potatoes and Banana Pudding! Not healthy at all but I dream about this banana pudding.

We originally planned to head back to the pool but after feeling stuffed from Rudy's we settled in on the sofa to watch The Curious Case of Benjamin Button from Netflix.

Not in the mood to really cook for dinner so we picked up Thundercloud Subs . I can not and have not ever ate at a Subway or Quiznos since having Thundercloud. They are amazing!! I had the California Club; Turkey on wheat with avocado, bacon, provolone & American cheese, lettuce, tomato, thunder sauce and pepper.

With my sub I had the Salt & Pepper Popchips . They were tasty!

David tried the Parmesan garlic flavor, neither of us were a fan of this flavor. I can not put my finger on what is wrong with this flavor it just was not good. But I love all my other flavors of Popchips

This work week is fairly short, 2 more days to go and I get to leave at noon on Friday!

How was everyone's Memorial Day?

Foodbuzz Featured Published & Popchips!

2009-05-21T13:06:00.000-05:00

Exciting news, I am now a Foodbuzz Featured Publisher which you can see on the left sidebar!

Tory from Popchips was also nice enough to send me a package of their flavors to test and review for the blog!

Popping is a way of cooking all-natural ingredients using heat and pressure to burst the ingredients into the shape of a chip before it is seasoned.

Popchips are made with all natural safflower and/or sunflower oil. They contain 0 grams of trans fat and no saturated. They are not made with fake colors, fake flavors or preservatives. Popchips are also Vegan! Not to mention low in calorie one small bag roughly 16 chips is only 100 calories.

I will be testing all the flavors over the next few days, as tempting as it is to eat all of the whole bags immediately! I have to restrain myself!

My first flavor I tried was the new flavor Sour Cream and Onion.

Growing up this was my favorite flavor of chips and Popchips did not disappoint! The seasoning tasted perfect on the little Popchips. The thing I like best about these chips is that the flavor is bold and just enough that you do not have extra caked on flakes. Kudos to you PopChips so far I am very impressed!

Maki & a Movie

2009-05-18T16:04:00.000-05:00

David was originally supposed to be back in Austin this afternoon, but Saturday night he was ready to leave and left New Orleans around 10 p.m. he arrived in Austin around 5 a.m. Sunday morning and there was no sleeping through his arrival the dogs went crazy running circles around him and barking, it was kind of the cutest thing ever!

We decided to make the most of our weekend day together and for lunch we headed to Maki !
Maki is a place where you design your own sushi rolls you pick either Traditional (seaweed paper) or Modern (soy paper) then you choose your meat, veggies, topping and sauce.

I had a Modern with shrimp tempura filled with avocado, cream cheese, jalapenos with spicy mayo on top. Not the healthiest but it was oh so good!

and Edamame

Sushi was so fresh and the staff was really friendly and helpful. I will definitely be going back there many times!

After Sushi we headed to the movies to see Angels and Demons

I really wish I had read the book before seeing the movie. I read Da Vinci Code before seeing it and loved it. I liked Angels and Demons more than Da Vinci Code even, so I just know I would have loved the book.

David luckily still has off work until Wednesday unlike myself he gets way more PTO days (25 days to be exact) and after this long week off he still has 16 days he can take off. Not fair at all I only get 15 days per year and I have to build up the time per pay period before I can even take those days.

At least the boss is vacationing in Honduras at the moment, we are super busy at work but it still a little less stressful!

Wicked Tickets & 30 Day Shred

2009-05-16T17:14:00.000-05:00

I was at my computer for 10 a.m. waiting for Wicked tickets to go on sale. And I have them, David & I will now be seeing Wicked when it comes to Austin with Broadway Across America in August. I scored Orchestra seats row M the first section in front of the stage it is basically the 2nd to last performance but I'm beyond excited!

I finally got a run in again this morning, 2.43 miles and it felt amazing!

Breakfast was Oats made with Vanilla Almond Milk, Flax Seeds, Walnuts, Blackberries & Honey

I also went to Whole Foods and picked up a few things I needed:

Lunch was Sushi also purchased at Whole Foods

Today I had planned to lay out by the pool and catch up on my magazine reading, but when I finished my shopping at Whole Foods the weather planned other wise. It has been gloomy and rainy all day. So I headed to Target and picked up the 30 Day Shred. I started today and hope to tone up, a toner body means a better runner!

How is everyone else spending their weekend?

Exercise On Demand - TGIF

2009-05-15T19:14:00.001-05:00

This morning I woke up a little later than expected so rather than going for a run, I went to the living room and did some Exercise TV on Demand via my Time Warner Digital Cable Box.

For breakfast I was craving something fruity: I made a smoothie with: Vanilla Almond Breeze, 1 Tablespoon of Flax Seeds, Greek Vanilla Yogurt, Frozen Bananas, Frozen Blueberries, Fresh Blackberries, Fresh Strawberries and Fresh Mango! With a Morningstar Farms Breakfast "sausage" I may or may not be slightly addicted to these little patties.

Lunch was simple and easy a serving of Amy's Organic Spicy Chili with a serving of pretzels and string cheese to dip in the chili. Yum!

Dinner was a stir fry of Mushrooms, Spinach, Garbanzo beans and Tofu with a baked sweet potato topped with black beans. For Desert a Skinny Cow Strawberry Shortcake.

Tonight I have Across The Universe from Netflix to watch. I am excited I have been wanting to see if for so long. Snuggled with the puppies.

I have plans to wake up early tomorrow morning for a run, head to palm beach for tanning then Whole Foods for some shopping all before lunch time ;)

Please Say A Little Prayer for My Mini Schnauzer

2009-05-13T09:49:00.005-05:00

My dog Riley who has a history of inflammatory bowel disease, started vomiting last night around 8:30 p.m. it stopped and everything seemed fine but then he started again at 1:00 a.m., 2:00 a.m. & 4:00 a.m. I am running on little to no sleep right now. I was up worried all night debating if I should take him to the emergency vet clinic. I was at the vet for 7:00 a.m. as soon as they opened. They gave Riley a shot to help with nausea, antibiotics to fight colon bacteria, and another medicine to help calm his stomach acids, along with half case of bland soft food.

I came into work late, but my boss is very understand of my dog being sick so I will still be allowed to take a lunch to go home and check on him.

I love this little dog more than anything( I love Kingston the Pug too) but I have had Riley for about 2 1/2 years.

Here are pictures from when Riley first developed IBD, he had to get exploratory surgery to take biopsies and also had blood transfusion.

I am so scared that when I go home for lunch he will not be okay, I just hope the medicines work. And I am not in for another long haul at the vet, the puppy medical bills really add up fast! And of course freaking out handling all this alone. I really wish David was here now.

All By Myself

2009-05-12T18:40:00.002-05:00

Happy to announce my new Nike sensor works!

David left this morning around 10 a.m. for New Orleans. I would have loved to have gone but unfortunately I did not have enough PTO and my job is pretty strict on that. David's cousin is graduating high school she will be attending LSU majoring in Chemistry. I am so proud of her and wish I could be there. Not to mention see all my friends and sorority sisters which I have not seen since Christmas! David will be back in Austin next Monday. I have never been alone in Austin for this long.

I started off my morning with a 2.01 mile run. I was actually really slow this morning. I think I was just in a funk about David leaving, I know I sound like a clingy girlfriend but I don't really know anyone in Austin aside from my older coworkers & David's sister but she is 42 with a husband and children. So David is not only a boyfriend but a bff here and I will be lonely.

For breakfast I had a whole grain bagel topped with organic raspberry preserve, morning star farms breakfast "sausage", and a kiwi. A mug of coffee I finished off at work.

For Lunch I had a Kashi Veggie Medley Sandwich with a side salad topped with Annie's Green Goddess Dressing and a sliced pear.

Dinner was one of my favorite meals to make!

I took a multigrain tortilla layered it with a thin slice of pepper jack jalepeno cheese, then added a mixture of Kashi Fiery Fiesta Pilaf , Spinach, Corn, Black Beans & Jalapenos. Baked at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.

For the Dipping Sauce I combined Avocado & plain Greek Yogurt in the food processor and topped with sliced tomato.

Desert was a Skinny Cow Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Sandwich

Jackson's World is hosting a Holey Doughnuts giveway

Go here to enter!

I'm off to anxiously await the season finale of The Biggest Loser!

Weekend Wind Down

2009-05-11T06:15:00.002-05:00

I have decided to use my blog to track my training and & food eats. I signed up for Austin Run America Run race on October 11, 2009. I know it is 5 months away but I have a fear of being the last one of finish so I want to make sure I have plenty of time to train!

Don't worry my followers I will still post about my life & all my fabulous fashion finds, not abandoning my blog roots by any means, just don't be alarmed at the more fitness approach my blog will take now that I can track my workouts with my Nike + iPod I am more motivated than ever.

Saturday we celebrated David's nephew's 10th birthday with Mighty Fine Burgers and a pool party. Followed by games of nerf ball on Wii. We originally planned to attend a crawfish boil that David's coworker was throwing, but the party ran a little longer than expected.

Sadly I was not able to go home and spend time with my mother for Mother's Day. We celebrated when I was there last month!

I took yesterday off from running and headed to the gym for cross training. I did 30 minutes on the elliptical, then worked out my upper body on a few machines.

Also yesterday morning and I tried my samples of Barney Butter .

It was amazing! It is the most creamiest and tastiest almond butter I have had! I placed my order for a full sized jar and can not wait for it to arrive!

I tried my Barney Butter in a bowl of oats, vanilla almond milk, mixed with flax seeds and strawberries.

I also headed to Express and picked up some new clothes for work. My favorite I bought:

After shopping at Express David & I headed to Panera Bread . I had a Mediterranean Veggie sandwich with an Apple as my side and Unsweetened ice tea to drink.

This morning I woke up at 5 a.m. to go running before work due to the Austin heat actual temp today 92 but news says it will feel hot and muggy at 101 or 102. Yikes! Afternoon runs are just not possible anymore, well I was in for a rude surprise when my nike + ipod sensor could not be located by my ipod. I am so disappointed. I am going on my lunch break to exchange it today. I missed my run this morning trying to figure out why it was not working. I tried pressing the sleep/wake button twice and nothing. Hopefully my sensor will last a lot longer than one run...maybe I should have just got a Garmin after all :(

Nike + iPod & a Green Monster

2009-05-09T08:06:00.001-05:00

I wanted a Garmin 305 or 405, and I know this has received a few bad reviews where Nike + iPod will over estimate your distance ran, but my wonderful mom purchased me new Nike running shoes that are compatible with the iPod sensor, a new iPod (I have a shuffle and iPod touch 1st generation) that is compatible with the Nike +, not to mention the Nike + itself, a new arm band, work out top, running shorts, moisture resistant socks, & clif bars!!! Thanks mom, I love you!

I love that my mom tries to fully support me in everything that I do, I would still consider myself fairly new to running as I have not officially entered a race yet. Expect me to posting more about my runs now that I can track the distance and pace!

I know there is a widget to post your progress on your blog and I will put that up soon as I figure out everything my new little gadget can do, also have a question does anyone know what layout it is where you can have a sidebar on both sides of your blog?

I plan on participating in my first race in Austin late summer/early fall. My goal is to one day run in the Nike Women's Marathon where they give Tiffany & Co charms to all ladies who finish.

If that isn't motivation to run then I don't know what is...kidding...sort of!
(picture found on Marathon Martiza via Google Images)

I would like to share what I have been drinking in the morning thanks to Leslie at Jackson's World for sharing her recipe for a Green Monster with me.

My Green Monster consists of:
1 cup vanilla almond breeze
1 teaspoon of natural almond butter
1 handful of spinach
1 banana
1 tablespoon of flaxseeds
1/2 kale leaf

If you are into running, fitness & healthy eating, please visit Jackson's World . Leslie was even nice enough to email me when Barney Butter was offering free samples on their site, she remembered when I had left a comment on her blog dying to try it! Sadly nowhere in Austin sells Barney Butter, but I will be ordering a full size jar from their website soon!

Summer Shape Up & Natural Products

2009-05-05T09:31:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite blogs The Fitnessista is hosting a Summer Shape Up program. Eating and work out guidelines will be provided along with a spreadsheet doc to track your progress. This is not a diet program but instead a way to tone up! I am excited to participate in the challenge, Gina has already received over 200 emails from participants!

David & I are lovers of natural products, we use all natural & organic things in our home. I can not stand the smell of bleach if something can hurt you skin, make your eyes water & make your nose feel like it is burning probably shouldn't use it.

I am always on the hunt for new natural products and on a whim at Target I bought Method's Marine Natural body wash, and I love it so much I wanted to share!

I have the Mint Scent which smells like a minty rain forest so refreshing in the morning!
Method Body Marine Naturals are made with 97% natural origin purifying sea salt, no parabens, phthalates, a biodegradable formula that has not been tested on animals

Happy Cinco De Mayo!! David & I will be taking it easy after all the going out we did this past weekend, I think we are just going to sit at home and relax, perhaps break into that Abita Strawberry Lager!

Birthday Celebrations

2009-05-03T21:27:00.008-05:00

In celebration of David's 27th birthday which was last Tuesday, we had friends come in town to Austin!

Friday night we had dinner & drinks at North by Northwest which a restaurant and brewery. We then headed to Little Woodrow's which reminded me of one of my favorite spots in New Orleans The Bulldog. We sat on the patio and caught up while enjoying Blue Moons.

Saturday we headed downtown to Flip Happy Crepes one of my favorite places to eat in Austin. It was over an hour wait for our crepes but well worth it!!

Later in the night we headed to QUA where the dance floor is over a shark tank, very cool! It is 25 for guys to get in and 21 one for girls so no worries about falling over drunken UT students also very cool!
After QUA we headed to Pure Ultra Lounge It wasn't one of my favorite places and I'm not sure if I would go back.

After Pure we then ended to night at Pangea and I loved everything about it! The setup, the music, the people, the drinks...I can not wait to go back!!

I do not have much going on this week aside from work, it should be relaxing! I can catch up with blogs, tivo & most importantly the gym!

Long Overdue Louisiana Update

2009-04-30T08:33:00.010-05:00

Sorry for the delay in my weekend recap, it has been crazy since I returned from Louisiana. I have been catching up on work, grocery shopping, laundry and cleaning & shopping in preparation for David's friends coming stay the weekend at our place, and of course David's 27th birthday was Tuesday!

Last weekend we went to visit my family in Louisiana! We left Austin around 11:30 a.m. Friday morning arrived to our destination around 5 p.m.

Riley & Kingston in their car seats, asleep in the backseat. Kingston is still not fully house trained and David was really worried about his new leather seats, so we loaded the back with my old thick pottery barn mat.

We headed to Grand Casino Coushatta for all you can eat crawfish, we gambled playing the slots and won 280 off 40 bucks nice! I forgot my camera at in car and we parked a good ways or I would have taken pics of the crawfish!

Saturday we hung out with my family all day was nice to get up whenever (my mom handled feeding and taking the puppies out)and just sip coffee while reading the morning paper, things I could do in Austin on a Saturday morning but for some reason it just felt more relaxing to do there. In the evening we headed to DI's Cajun Restaurant which is about 30 minutes from my hometown.

It is in the middle of rice fields filled with crawfish traps and the food is very bad for you but taste so good!

We had a reservation on the dance floor there was a Zydeco band and people Cajun French dancing all around us.

Sunday we attended a benefit for my cousin Aly 14,000 dollars was raised!

We left Louisiana around 2 p.m on Sunday. Kingston was ready to go sleeping in my Betsey Johnson luggage.

We arrived back in Austin around 7:45 p.m.

The trip was fun and relaxing but exhausting at the same time, I wish I had taken off Monday as well just to rest.

In Louisiana, my mom knew I had been searching so she purchased me a pack of the fabulous Abita Strawberry Lager

This weekend David has friends coming in town to celebrate his birthday a few days late, we plan to go downtown. Even though I will be the only girl in a group of boys I am so excited to get dressed up and go out!

David & I still do not really know that many people in Austin aside from our coworkers so I can not wait to have real friends around for the weekend!

Awards, Aly, & Work

2009-04-22T10:16:00.002-05:00

I was given the Neno award by Yours Truly , Have Yourself a Little Fabulous Funshine, and That's Sassy . Thanks Ladies!!

I am supposed to say why I love blogging: I love to share my ideas, thoughts, opinions and life. I love connecting with so many amazing people who have the same interests as myself. I am grateful to have such wonderful support on my blog. I appreciate each and every one of my readers and all you have taught me.

Now I would like to pass the award along to:

All things Fluffy...Fashion... Famous!

French Kiss

La Mia Vita

The Preppy Polka Dot

My little 14 year old cousin Aly who you can read about on these websites here and here who had the heart transplant then complications mentioned on my blog here and here finally returned home from the hospital stay due to rejection of her new heart she received in November she was hospitalized January 30-April 9, she was doing well but was air lifted to Cleveland from her home in Toledo, Ohio yesterday she was passing out and her heart was racing, the doctors orginally thought her medication may be causing her to release too much potassium in her urine, but today she was placed back in ICU they think her body is again rejecting her new heart. Please keep her in your prayers!

My boss informed me they will outsourcing some of the credentialing and payroll part of my job so that I can focus more on recruiting, this will cut back a lot of the stress! I am not sure of how soon that would happen, but the CEO of my company was coming in tomorrow but will now be here next Thursday instead!

Lazy Weekend

2009-04-20T12:45:00.009-05:00

Saturday Riley went to the groomers, and Kingston had his last round of puppy shots. In the afternoon David & I headed to Ikea to buy outdoor furniture, we settled on this set for our balcony.

The next project for the balcony is to get plants, I still have lots of open space on the balcony especially the front sides

Sunday we had breakfast outside, the boys really enjoyed playing on the balcony.

Don't let this sweet face fool you, he is a little terror.

This weekend, David & I are headed home to Louisiana to visit my family, eat boiled crawfish, go to a real cajun restaurant complete with a reservation for a table on the Zydeco dance floor. Friday I was going into work until 10 a.m. but this morning my boss informed he would do my reports so I can sleep in late and have all of Friday off, so far this week is off to a fabulous start!

Lexus IS 250 & More Wine

2009-04-16T08:00:00.002-05:00

Thanks for the support from the last post, it is so good to know I am not the only one feeling this way!

To answer the question about the colored Deviled eggs in the last post, I bought them that way at Whole Foods, so I can't take credit.

Unlike me, David does not have a low paying entry-level job problem.

So when his car was totaled due to the hail storm. He knew he wanted a Lexus IS or an Infinity G37, he test drove both and decided to go with luxury over speed.

David now owns a fully loaded Lexus IS 250.

Here is his new baby, that I am happy to drive for him anytime :)

Lexus gave him a bottle of wine for the purchase!

And we also attended a wine tasting at our complex last night, so much fun. I would have taken pictures but no one else was and it was a seated event, so I did not want to be the only one snapping away!

Tini Swap & Easter Plans

2009-04-10T08:05:00.000-05:00

I participated in Drew & Ashley's Martini Swap with NYC H.I.T.

I received a pink & green Martini Glass. Love it! My old sorority colors are pink & green so it was perfect!

I sent NYC H.I.T. a Girls' Best Friend Martini Glass.

My favorite part was the Girl's Best Friend Martini recipe printed on the bottom.

What is everyone doing for Easter?

David & I are staying in Austin.

We are visiting my family in Lake Charles, LA the last weekend in April. We would go this weekend, but it is a long drive (10 hours total for there and back) to do on just Saturday & Sunday, possibly more if you count holiday traffic that Houston will surely have.

The drive to New Orleans to visit David's family is just too far of a drive as well (18 hours total for there and back ) to do in 2 days.

Sure we could always fly, Riley (the miniature schnauzer) could but kenneled but our new baby Pug, Kingston, has not had all his shots yet, so we can not kennel him nor take him on a plane. It will be weird to spend a holiday with just David. His sister lives in Austin, but they are going to Bilouxi for the weekend.

I am planning a menu for Sunday, so far I have Creme Brulee from Central Market for desert....suggestions anyone? I'm a pretty good cook, not to brag or anything :) So I am sure it will be a great meal once I fully plan it out.

We are also dying eggs, playing racquetball, super spring cleaning...I'll return with pictures next week!

oh and one more thing....I can't wait to have Starbucks & It's A Grind again...I officially made it through all of lent without one slip up!!

I did it

2009-04-09T13:20:00.003-05:00

I joined Twitter.

Find me here !

Follow me there, and let me know if you have twitter so I can follow you!

And tweeting tips? I just signed up yesterday and I am still trying to figure it all out.

That is all for now! I'll be back tomorrow with a real blog update :)