an austin adventure

here are some shots from my long weekend trip to austin, texas. i flew out early friday morning and was in by 10am - i honestly feel like i could have stayed there another week! there's so much to do and austin is such a vibrant place, i basically fell in love with the city. my cousin is interning there for the semester and so graciously invited me to come visit. and what an awesome choice it was!

friday

7am flight, woohoo! i grabbed lunch at diner 24 (holy yum), stopped by the baylor art wall, and then to the top of mt. bonnell for a fabulous view and mayfield nature preserve for peacocks! we then ventured to south austin to my cousin's apartment. that night, we went to firehouse bar for a delicious cheese plate, and then hung out and listened to some live music at guerro's before heading to dinner at south congress cafe (warm goat cheese + prosciutto salad, need i say more?).

and, of course, we had to hit up the bar scene - we stopped by c-boy's and then finally got hauled over to 6th street to go to buckshot. everyone says you can try to avoid ending up on 6th during a night out, but you'll inevitably find yourself there.

 saturday
i was so excited to go to hamilton pool! this natural pool is about 30ish miles west of austin, and oh my gosh, is it worth the drive! there's a short, steep hike down to the pool, and honestly photos don't do it justice. if you're in the area, you must go here.

after our day excursion, we headed back to austin to get ready for fun fun fun fest! i didn't take any photos here (lots of snapchats) but it was an awesome festival. and i crossed seeing modest mouse off my bucket list.

sunday
on this day, we explored south congress a bit and had sunday brunch at blackbird & henry. i got a lamb leg grilled cheese with goat cheese and some grits (plus a mimosa, of course) and was about ready to die afterwards because it was so damn good. then, we trekked to walton's fancy & staple per molly's recommendation for some macarons! i also explored UT's campus a bit before we drove all the way down to salt lick for bbq. there's a vineyard on site, so of course, we picked up some of their wine! afterward, i had my first experience at alamo drafthouse to see 'st. vincent'. loved it. why aren't all move theaters this way? they should be.

on monday, my cousin returned to work, so i stopped by patika again for a vanilla latte, then toured the zilker botanical gardens, which were a perfect way to wind down before my flight back to birmingham.

have you ever been to austin? did i hit all the good spots? the foodie scene is so overwhelming there! i can't wait to go back!

life lately... labor day edition

• i finally finished moving! i'm all settled into my new apartment & i love it so. while i was so grateful and happy to live in a historic home for a year, my furniture fits a lot better in an apartment, let me tell you. less space to clean! yay! plus, i have this adorable new bookcase setup, seen above. everyone in my complex is super nice, offered multiple times to help me move in, etc. -- it's kinda of mayberry-esque. which means that everyone is just genuine and pleasant, or they're all plotting to kill me.
• i whipped up some delicious + low carb chipotle chicken bacon chowder. and i savored every drop, because it's honestly the best and only recipe to properly welcome fall. also pictured are brisket tacos from little donkey, which is the closest thing to heaven.
• i got these awesome taupe booties from express & i can't stop wearing them. also, i bought a skirt. i'm not a skirt/dress gal. i'm trying to become one. wish me luck.
• whitney is the best at cute package design, y'all. i ordered her desk day planner & she wrapped it up oh so nicely. go check out her stuff!
• i drove to fairhope for labor day weekend! the weekend was lovely except for this one part where a tractor trailer tire flew like a firey bat out of hell into my bumper and uh, totally screwed it up. it could have been so much worse. my poor car (i've had him since i was 16, and this is the worst thing that's ever happened to him...) is in the body shop & i'm rocking the rental.
• i'm really, really excited for the next birmingham bloggers meetup because molly, beth & i have some super cool plans that we hope work out. i miss all y'all blogger people.

in-flight essentials

july is insane for me - work is nuts, and i picked the most inopportune month to travel my heart out. it just sorta happened that way. it's been a minute since i've been on a plane - 2010, exactly. i had to ask my friend mike to remind me how the whole process works. "where do i get my tickets again? how many bags can i take?"

as you're reading this, i'm on my way to atlanta to hop on a flight to denver for a little mini vacation. i know, i know, i was JUST in atlanta for the southern blog society's 2nd annual conference -- but flights out of birmingham are crazy pricy. i've never been to colorado before, and i'm super excited to see real mountains (not to knock you, birmingham, but i dunno if red mountain counts).

i'm using my kate spade andee bag as my carry on. it's the biggest bag i've got, and it easily fits everything i need. i actually bought one of those silly airplane pillows for my neck. will it help out? i mean, maybe. i've loaded up my ipad mini with movies, books and other things to keep me entertained. and i can't forget my quest bar - i'm going to attempt to stick to my diet while i'm traveling this month. keyword: attempt.

don't forget -- birmingham bloggers, if you're in town this weekend, don't forget to head to see jane write's bloganista mini con! also, stay tuned for my #SBSCon part 2 recap!

photo diary: labor day & early september

summer's end + labor day weekend have come and gone quickly, but i've had a great time the past couple of weeks. its no secret that summer isn't my favorite season - the alabama heat is exhausting, and all my favorite clothes are scarves and jackets.

i got two things last week that pretty much made my week - some beautiful roses delivered to my doorstep courtesy of corey, and my starbucks goldcard finally came in the mail! on august 27th i went to the backstreet boys concert in tuscaloosa & it was everything my childhood dreams hoped it would be, aka uhmazing. labor day weekend was spent in gulf shores with corey and family on the beach and at the wharf. i'm really looking forward to getting a few weeks to tie up some odds & ends and spend time in birmingham. its been go go go for months now. if it were possible to just wrap up in a sweater and hibernate, i might do it. with a pumpkin spice latte.

a journey westward: my spring roadtrip

long post ahead! ever since i was a teenager, i have wanted so desperately to take a roadtrip out west. i've finally done it. words cannot express how overjoyed i am that i made this journey. this is one of the best things i have ever done, and i would roadtrip again in a heartbeat. i learned so much about my two best friends, our amazing ability to never get irritated with one another, and most of all, i checked a huge item off my bucket list.

originally, we wanted to go to los angeles, but changed our mind for some reason. i honestly couldn't tell you why, but likely because we thought there would be more to do in las vegas.

after this post, i plan on making a road trip tip guide, giving some insight into how to roadtrip efficiently and some things to take into consideration. but for now, here's what charla, sofia and i did for the entire week!

♥ day 1: we awoke bright and early to finish packing our rented car, a ford escape (never again). we were off into the distance by 8:30am, making our way north to travel through mississippi, tennessee, arkansas and oklahoma. we made incredible time, and stopped in amarillo, texas around midnight. we were incredibly tired after driving 15 hours, so we slept wonderfully. no photos - trust me, we looked rough.

♥ day 2: time for roswell, new mexico! we left for roswell and made it there after lunch. but first, we stopped by cadillac ranch in amarillo. roswell was, by far, one of the weirdest places i've ever been. the entire town was adorned with alien stuff - hotels and restaurants had alien statues out front. even the lightposts downtown were in the shape of alien heads. we checked out the UFO museum and it was just about what i expected - totally weird. afterward, we left for albuquerque, new mexico and got caught in a sandstorm along the way. that night, we tried to go out for mexican... and between two restaurants, we couldn't find any margaritas or queso. major fail.

♥ day 3: this day was so much fun!! we left new mexico for arizona, and along the way, took a detour to the wild spirit wolf sanctuary. we spotted a billboard for it on I-40 and immediately took the trip. SO WORTH IT!! this is nerdy, but i love wolves, and the sanctuary gave us a very informative tour about wolves, wolf dogs, why they aren't suitable as pets and the work they're doing to help these animals. I LOVED IT. and why yes, we ARE wearing wolf shirts at the wolf sanctuary.

afterward, we visited a classic route 66 landmark, the jackrabbit trading post. finally, that evening, we made it to flagstaff, arizona. i had no idea that place was so beautiful! the mountains capped with snow were breathtaking, the surrounding scenery was beautiful, and the downtown area was quaint and inviting. we ate at a restaurant called mama burger for dinner.

♥ day 4: we made the drive from flagstaff to the grand canyon, which only took about two hours. and afterwards, it was time for las vegas, only another 3 hours away! we rolled into vegas right at sunset and immediately went out exploring to the bellagio fountains. 

the rest of our time in vegas was spent shopping, exploring the strip and eating delicious food i had been waiting for for what seemed like forever. the day after arriving, we ventured to the bellagio's warhol art exhibit and the canals of the venetian.

the next day, i finally got to try in-n-out burger!! i consider myself a cheeseburger connoisseur. no really, i do. i've had burgers in every state i've visited, and i have always wanted to try in-n-out to see how it stacked up. for the price, it's incredible. best burger i've had in a long, long time. 10/10 burger awesomeness.

our final night in vegas, we had dinner at a restaurant in luxor called tender. i had saved my money and taste buds for this night, and it was well worth it! we got a cheese plate (we're all cheese obsessed) and steaks. not to mention, luxor is a beautiful and unique hotel.

after our last night, we woke up at 5:30am to make the drive back. originally we planned to split it up and spend the night somewhere in texas along the way. nope, didn't happen. i don't know what possessed us, but some insane force drove us to keep going and we made the drive back without stopping. we paused in witchita falls, texas for a nap around 3am, but trudged onward until arriving back in alabama around 1pm. um, can i just say that i'll never do that again? we were all pretty desperate to get home, but man... i felt like a total zombie. 

i took SO many photos but i don't want to totally flood my blog. these are the highlights! i'm so happy i chose to go on this trip. for all of college, i've resigned myself to going to the beach for spring break. i wanted to do something different. i got to see many states i'd never seen, explore the country and bond with my two best friends. i still can't believe we did it! but then again, i totally can. we're all fearless and excellent at going with the flow. hands down, one of the greatest experiences of my life.

heavy glow

may has been a fabulous month. finals and starting work have kept me busy! i mean, that's halfway true. when i'm not working i'm cooking or being totally lazy. summer classes start at the end of may & i'll be working, studying and trudging along on my way to graduating on time. i finally finished mad men seasons 1-4 & i'm in the process of watching 5. can i just say... why does season 5 feel so different/weird? or is it just me? i could be completely imagining that.

more importantly... I JUST GOT BACK FROM HANGOUT FEST! for those who don't follow my twitter, hangout fest is a music festival, similar to bonnaroo, held on the beach in gulf shores, alabama. this was my first year attending & the lineup was incredible. i didn't make it down in time to see yelawolf and coheed & cambria on friday, but i saw chris cornell, skrillex, red hot chili peppers, edward sharpe & the magnetic zeros, the flaming lips and dave matthews band. 

RHCP was probably my favorite show of all, but i was a little disappointed that i didn't hear a few of my favorite songs. RHCP has so many hits that it's impossible to play it all in a 2 hour set, so i got over it. we got a condo right on the beach and the weather was textbook perfection for the entire weekend. i also tried my hand at making some homemade mojitos with fresh mint, & i think i did a decent job! the key is homemade simple syrup and fresh ingredients. i could not have asked for a better experience for the weekend, and i'm definitely hoping to return to the festival next year.

my heart, your skin, this love i'm in

i am on the biggest red hot chili peppers kick of my entire life right now. i've listened to nothing but stadium arcadium for at least a week now! spring break was the week of the 12th & it was a great opportunity to recharge. the weather turned out perfect! i stayed with corey in his condo for the first part of the week. we went to mcguire's in pensacola - which is one of my favorite places on earth! the second part was spent with my friends in a different condo on the beach. i think i started kinda tanning? who knows. also, texans are interesting people.

i spent the weekend of the 17th at my parent's place for the arts & crafts festival in downtown fairhope. i got some gorgeous goats milk soap, then i made a trip to ulta for a full size purity cleanser & other odds & ends. when i got back to tuscaloosa sunday, i found a beautiful shabby chic dish that i now use as a place to put my daily jewelry on my nightstand. it's actually a soapdish, but i thought it worked perfectly!

now that this week is over, i will have a little time to relax & enjoy the spring weather outside. i just wrapped up working on the druid city arts festival in tuscaloosa (which was a huge success!) & now i've got to get down to planning my summer & spring schedules. i just found out that i will graduate on time if i take one class this summer. i can't even believe that.

happy spring!

4th of july weekend

last friday, daniel & i drove down to fairhope to spend the weekend with my parents. as always when i visit, we make a ton of food, & this weekend was no exception. daniel & i have spent a lot of time relaxing, happy that we're halfway done with summer semester.

on sunday we launched my parent's boat & had lunch on the magnolia river, then made our way to orange beach to take part in fourth of july festivities. the weather was gorgeous. unfortunately, i got a pretty bad sunburn - my first in years! it's one of those that are splotchy & in weird places. i look incredibly bizarre at the moment. no photos of that, plz & thx.




not much else going on, to be honest! i start my summer term II class on wednesday & i've got a great weekend ahead of me. i just bought tickets to see rihanna in concert next monday! i'm not a fan of her as a person, but i love concerts. plus, the proceeds go to torndao relief for alabama. how could i say no?