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 I'm actually beginning to feel a bit excited about the idea of not having anywhere to go for a few months (vacation-wise, that is). I'm really loving spending quality time at my apartment, especially since it's been fixed up to look so much nicer recently. I'm feeling eager to enjoy some cooking, movie nights, having friends over, and maybe planning some summer-themed gatherings.
I love that hour or so before my boyfriend gets home from work, and I know we don't have any real plans for the night but to stay in, and I can spend that time casually getting dinner ready while sipping some wine. Sometimes I'll put on a chill Pandora station (I love David Gray) or some Sex and the City episodes to cook by. It's so therapeutic!

I'm liking the idea of doing a uniquely-themed potluck at some point, such as "bring your favorite fruit or cheese, and a bottle of wine" or "bring your favorite summer beer" for a little tasting party. A while back, I had the idea to do a brunch potluck, where everyone brings their favorite breakfast foods. I can't even imagine the variety of delicious things everyone would get to try. One person's breakfast staple might be something indulgent or brand new to someone else. Plus, potlucks can really take the stress out of throwing a party and having to plan and prepare (and buy!) all the "menu" items.

Now I just have to get around to actually scheduling one of these and inviting people! Sometimes I just get lazy. Do you have any good ideas for summer potluck parties? I'd love to hear them!

The Big Easy

 Good morning!
I'm feeling a bit nostalgic about my vacation this morning. I felt happy to be back in Austin last night, but waking up alone in my own bed this morning was a little harsh. It's hard to believe it's already over. I really enjoyed getting to spend some time with my family, and it's funny how even after just spending a few days in a city like New Orleans, you feel sort of attached. It always feels strange to leave a place just as you feel like you're getting to know it.

I'm coping by brewing some of the Cafe Du Monde coffee I brought home with me. The 24 hour outdoor coffee shop is one of my favorite things about New Orleans, and we made sure to make a late night trip there for beignets (french donuts with powdered sugar) and cafe au lait (coffee with hot milk) every single night. If you ever go to New Orleans, be sure to put this on your list. It's a wonderful place to wind down after a night on Bourbon Street. I have yet to make it there for breakfast, but I'm sure it's a lovely way to wake up, too! Look for the inviting, classic white and green awnings!

Alright, so let me share some of the memories and photos I took over the course of my trip. I'll be happy to go through them myself.

Starving in New Orleans, with all its amazing food, would be a real travesty, so be on your best behavior (a sign from Coop's Place, the first restaurant we went to for dinner)!

Some of Louisiana's own Abita beers. I particularly liked the Strawberry, which I've never see anywhere else, but I also enjoyed the Purple Haze (raspberry beer), which is a little more common in other states. (Sorry this photo's so dark!)

 Alligator Sausage at K-Paul's. This was quite a sophisticated place with lots of interesting menu items. A great place for a quiet dinner and a glass of wine.

"Mother's" was one of the most casual and simple places we went to, but I think this was the best meal we had! We tried the works: shrimp po boys (the bread was so soft!), seafood gumbo, crawfish etouffee', and bread pudding (I actually had bread pudding two different times that day. Ha!). I'm tempted to make the drive back right now for lunch! Ha. This place almost constantly has a line of people out the door, and once you try the food, it's no surprise why.

An amazing little swing/jazz band at "The Spotted Cat" on Frenchman's Street, which seemed to have a whole strip of small, retro-like clubs. We felt like we'd been transported to the 1940s while watching this band, who's name unfortunately escapes me now! When the girl in the red dress wasn't singing, she was swing dancing with a male partner. She was very good at both! The woman playing the trumpet would sing some of the time, and I thought she had even a better voice, which is really saying something! Both women could just wail, with no microphone over the loud band (impressive!). The whole group was extremely talented and fun to watch. They had wonderful chemistry and looked like they were having such a fun time performing.
Many of the people at the club and around Frenchman's Street had the "rockabilly" look going, and I couldn't help but get some retro fashion ideas.

Steve and me by the Mississippi River

I think my mom and her husband had more energy than me, Steve, and my brother and sister combined! They were always up for another trip to Bourbon St. or one more set at one more jazz club. We were able to fit a lot of activities into two and a half days. Shopping on Royal and Decatur Street was also really fun, with all their souvenir shops and art galleries (carrying along a frozen banana daiquiri adds to the experience, I have to say). I think one of my fondest memories was of my whole family, tromping down Bourbon Street (after a few rounds of drinks, of course), our first night in town, singing show tunes at the top of our lungs (three part harmonies with my siblings - not bad!). We always have a good time together, and I miss them already!

After New Orleans, we drove straight up to Arkansas so I could see some old friends before heading back to Austin. We only had one night in town, but it was a great time. We followed some of our old traditions, including dinner at our favorite kinda-crappy-but-so-delicious Chinese buffet, drinks at U.S. Pizza Company (a Little Rock staple), and Fox and Hound Pub for karaoke.

 My sister and I outside Fox and Hound

 Steve and I getting ready to rock the mic at karaoke. I finally debuted my white dress from Bebe (which I got in Vegas in May). Love it!!

I don't have any trips coming up for quite a while. As much as I'll miss the traveling adventures, I am sort of looking forward to settling in to Austin again and enjoying the rest of the summer here. There's lot to do and  friends I'm excited about spending more time with. I also miss those simple nights with Steve and just a movie and a bottle of wine, whenever we don't have one for too long.

What are you looking forward to for the rest of the summer? Do you have any vacations planned, or are you staying close to home?

I have returned

Ok, so yes, I was a total blog-slacker over my vacation to New Orleans and Arkansas. But I must say, it felt liberating to have not even turned my laptop on for the entire trip.
We just got in from Arkansas. We've done a lot of driving over the past few days (and we did a TON of walking around New Orleans; my feet have the blisters to prove it, even from my most comfortable shoes!), and it was quite a whirlwind, but definitely worth it. It was a blast! For now though, I am ready to camp in front of the TV with a pint of Rocky Road ice cream that I picked up at the gas station a couple blocks from our apartment. Our air conditioning is struggling to catch up to 74 degrees, after being shut off all week, so a cool snack is in order. Plus, I've been SO body/diet-conscious for the past couple weeks, knowing I wanted to wear a hides-nothing white dress last night to go out with my Arkansas friends, so just for now, I'm letting all that go and relaxing! 

I hope you've had a wonderful week while I've been gone. I'll be back tomorrow with more of an update on my trip!

Road Trip

Road tripping to New Orleans today! Here are some of the things I am really looking forward to:

- Beignets and cafe au lait at Cafe' Du Monde

- A street car ride through some of the beautiful neighborhoods, full of Antebellum mansions (I want one.)

- Browsing art galleries on Royal St. (I might even breakdown and finally buy something this time, since we're getting the apartment all decorated lately.)

- A mecca of live music on Bourbon St. (I'm not a huge jazz or blues fan normally, but it's just such a part of the experience in New Orleans.)

- A charming and delicious little oyster bar that we came across the last time I was there (Let's hope we can find it again!)

- Morning Bloody Marys (to-go!)


Have a wonderful weekend! See you next week!

Travel Tips

My boyfriend and I leave for New Orleans tomorrow morning for a weekend with my family, followed by a quick additional trip up to Arkansas (where my family lives) afterward, to visit with some old friends. I'm super excited. I love road trips, and my last vacation to New Orleans a year and a half ago (also with my mom and her husband) was a wonderful experience. I am happy to be sharing this trip with Steve, as well as my two siblings this time! I think it's going to be a blast. I will try to blog Monday and Tuesday from Arkansas, but no promises. We'll see how packed my visiting schedule gets...and how much I'm recovering from Bourbon St. Tee hee.

I thought this would be a perfect time to share some of my prepare-to-travel tips. These are some of the routine things I do before leaving town:


Wash the sheets!
You'll probably be doing some laundry before your trip anyway, so be sure to throw your bed sheets into a load as well. Put them back on and make the bed before you leave. It is so nice to come back home to a fresh, clean bed, especially after being spoiled with comfy hotel or guest beds (is it just me, or do other people's beds always seem like the most comfortable EVER?).

Clean out the fridge and take out all trash!
Not a pleasant task, but it's a perfect time to do a chore that probably needed to be done anyway. It's no fun coming home to a smelly kitchen, or a fridge full of old food. Get it done now. You'll be glad you did.
If you have extra time, give your place a quick de-cluttering job and even vacuum the carpets. Once again, it makes that coming home experience much more inviting.

Make a list!
As I've mentioned before, I'm notorious for making hand-written to-do lists. A week or so before I go on a trip, I have a pad and pen handy at all times to jot down any little, easily-forgettable items whenever they come to mind. Certain things (such as phone chargers or nail polish for manicure touch ups) are super easy to forget when you're running around throwing everything into a suitcase the night before you leave. Having a list that you've been compiling all week really takes some stress out of it, and you can drive (or fly) away in confidence that you haven't forgotten anything (although, I pretty much still always still get that nervous twinge that I've left something behind. But I'm just neurotic that way).

Be your own stylist!
I usually put a decent amount of time deciding what I want to wear on my trip, which ensemble I want to where for each day, and whether I'll be changing into evening wear, etc. Of course, that's because I fully enjoy playing "stylist" to myself. The good thing is, doing this keeps me organized and prepared when packing. If you're not that into fashion, you probably don't need (or want) to put much effort into this kind of thing, but then again, you're also probably not reading this blog.
Once again, if you start doing this type of planning in advance, certain things may occur to you such as, "Oh, wait, that's the day we'll be doing a lot of walking, so I should probably wear my most comfy flats that day". Then you can change up your planned outfit accordingly and wear something that looks great with those super-comfy black flats you have, for example. This keeps me from packing WAY more than I actually need, because I know I have an appropriate outfit ready for each day or night. It also saves a lot of time on your actual trip when you're getting ready, because you already know what you need to put on and what look you're creating. I'd rather spend my time experiencing the vacation, not primping in the bathroom! I honestly have some make-up and hair ideas already in the back of my mind for each outfit, too.
Don't get me wrong though, I do like having some freedom in what I'm going to wear. You never know what mood may strike you when you're getting ready in the morning. So I try to bring generally versatile items that are easy to mix up a bit, if I feel the need. I'll also throw in a few wardrobe staples that are nice to have, just in case (a pair of regular sneakers, simple tank tops, a good pair of jeans, etc.).

What tips do you live by when getting ready for a vacation? Any advice for me?

Some inspiration

Quick, early post for the day, as I'm headed off to a film shoot. Take some of this inspiration with you today.

Holiday

Hope you had a great holiday weekend! I must say, 4th of July here just wasn't quite the same without any fireworks. We currently have a total burn ban going, because it's been so hot and dry here. Even the large fireworks displays downtown were canceled. What a shame!  I spent a lot of time with friends throughout the entire weekend, though, so that was nice.


I thought I'd share some of my "Patriotic" ensembles from the past few days:

I wore this out to the river on Monday. I thought the scarf would help keep me cool and protect my head from the sun, while also giving me a little bit of a 1940s vibe. Since I wasn't planning spending a lot of time in the water anyway, I indulged myself with some red lipstick, too.

 I wore this out for dinner and drinks with friends one evening, hoping the red, white, and blue combination wouldn't look too cheesy. I think it worked! I'd wear this again sometime, too. And, I decided it was finally time to attempt wearing heels since severely spraining my ankle 4 months ago! It's been a very long wait, and I was so happy that I had no problems, even after wearing them for hours and doing a lot of standing. I felt great in them! I was surprised how much I missed it.
The white lace top is my newest purchase from Forever 21 ($15), and I absolutely love it! It's really soft and comfortable, too. I'm simply wearing a black bra underneath.

This was my somewhat-lazy-Sunday ensemble. I think this was taken right before we headed out for our Starbucks fix in the morning. I've had this bandanna-looking top since college, and I'm pretty sure I bought it at a thrift store for about $3. I decided 4th of July weekend was a good time to bring it back out. The pants are my newest obsession  from Forever 21 (on sale for $7.99). I got them instead of the more typical harem pants I was looking for. The ones I tried on didn't look quite right, and as soon as I put these on, I knew they were the ones! They are SO comfortable, I never want to take them off. They are great for just lounging around the house and doing nothing, but I am really loving finding different ways of contrasting them with more stylish items when going out. They still have a touch of that baggy harem look, too.

What do you think??
Tell me about your weekend! Did you find some cute red, white, and blue ensembles you never knew you had? Hope you have a great week!

Independence!

Three day weekend ahead...