Dallas Asian Festival

This was our first time going to the 23rd Annual Asian Festival in Dallas, and let me tell you, it was more than worth the free admission and $5 parking! No, but really, it was a lot of fun. Pork on a stick, the adorable kid dancers, perfectly refreshing boba/bubble tea from Delish Bubble Tea in McKinney, finding the perfect Totoro to take home, posing with said Totoro everywhere and generally having a great time on the first truly warm day of the year.

We even continued our current Pinkberry obsession as we searched the Dallas area for all things Studio Ghibli. We finally made it by Anime Pop which is a wonderful stop for all things anime. A very hot, yet fun, but still quite dorky way to start up the summer!

A Beautiful Mess App

I think everyone on the Internets is cuckoo crazy for the new ABM APP, and we are jumping on that bandwagon wholeheartedly! If you haven’t tried it? I suggest a visit to your app store and download it, best money you ever will spend!

She’s Kind of a Big Deal

Mothers Day 2013! It was the best one by far! No stress, plenty of mama time, and yes – family time, a lot of really delicious food and the best of the best…laying in a warm bed with my mom watching Hocus Pocus yet again all while while eating nachos. I’m mean, it doesn’t get better than that. It’s the simplest things that can feel the absolute best. And while we are at it, nothing says mothers day for us like a giant bolt art piece. This is the 2nd year we have taken Mothers Day pictures by that sculpture, and it just keeps getting cheesier and cheesier! Only in the best way possible of course.

Though I’m not even a “mama, mama” but just a puppy mama…my amazing mom brought me back Minnie Mouse ears from DisneyWorld and a new Lost In Drawers vintage business card holder! She’s a dear and a half.

We, of course also celebrated Mothers Day with Bo’s mom, Sherry and and his family. And had the best brunch of our entire life. Bottom line, we love our mamas, we love our family and we are blessed in more ways than we can count.

New Orleans City Park

While we try to visit New Orleans every few months, this was our first time to City Park in the northern part of the city. The park is a beautiful and very large 1400 acre complex that has something for everyone. We got the sounds of Jazz Fest brass bands, echos of The Black Keys on the main stage, actors performing Shakespeare in the park, we got some bicycle riding in, enjoyed the fresh air, people watching among the always kind people of NOLA and New Orleans Museum of Art Sculpture Garden. The great joy of New Orleans is always the feeling you get when you arrive and you hear that random and unexpected music playing in the air and the city comes alive. It’s a great place to be, and can we just say how we had the best grilled cheese of our entire life at Il Posto in Uptown. A great first day back in our favorite city. More to come…..

(And lastly, can I just say that these new shoes I purchased are the most bike friendly shoes I own!)

Warby Parker-Chandler Olivewood & Baxter Catalina Blue

When Zack and Brian from Warby Parker contacted us about trying out some of the 2013 Summer Collection through Warby Parker’s home-try-on program, we just couldn’t say no! The home-try-on program is a great resource when looking for frames, as Warby Parker allows you to pick 5 pairs of frames that they ship to you for a 5 day try-on period. Try them on, wear them about and then simply ship them back with the included return label. It’s absolutely the best way to try on frames. As we have followed the company over the years with great admiration, we jumped at the opportunity to try out new frames with our style.

So we headed out and did the most summery thing we could think of, and had a picnic by the lake while taking in the glorious sunshine! In this particular post, Bo and I were trying out the Chandler Olivewood  & Baxter Catalina Blue optical frames. Zack deftly suggested we try these and after a day of wearing them about, we wholeheartedly agreed. Warby Parker simply makes great frames. The quality is apparent from the minute you open the box, the fit solved many problems one has with acetate frames and the styling bridges the gap between classic and fashion forward. We both were in agreement as to how the frames color, and in the case of the Chandler, pattern allowed these to be everyday frames for any occasion.

And to be honest, they look great and are fun to wear. You can’t ask for much more in a pair of glasses that should cost much more than around $99.

Warby Parker was founded with a rebellious spirit and a lofty objective: to create boutique-quality, classically crafted eyewear at a revolutionary price point.

And they give a pair of glasses to someone in need for every pair sold!

Eyewear with a purpose

Almost one billion people worldwide lack access to glasses. This means that 15% of the global population cannot effectively learn or work – a problem that Warby Parker is determined to address. We’ve partnered with non-profits like VisionSpring to ensure that for every pair of glasses sold, a pair is distributed to someone in need. We believe that everyone has the right to see.

We have a few more Warby Parker post coming, check back soon!!

It was hopping, It was Leaping

Like Refinery 29 said so perfectly, and first:

There’s nothing hotter than a smart, sassy local lady two-wheeling around town. And, of course, the wisest of those ladies knows that it’s essential to wear a bicycle helmet…

And it’s true. If you cycle, you need a helmet. They are hilarious looking, and can be quite dorky feeling to wear. But safety first, yes? But enough about that as we aren’t the police, we just want people to be safe.

Today was a mighty good day, people. We had sunshine, BBQ, visited Doc’s Records for National Record Store Day, and best of all, hung out with our bestest of friends Katie for a belated birthday get-together. We do love her, she is a friend that just gets “it”. The world is a better place because she is in it. And she is the funniest of the all funny people because she knows how to be herself. Those are the people who make a day like today one to remember.

Yo, Wear a Helmet

 

Finally. After searching high and low for helmets for me and Bo, we finally find some that we don’t hate and that don’t have horrible visors or pointy backs. We found them shortly after our ride today, so obviously they aren’t in these pics. But, we are all for wearing and being safe with helmets in place. So, despite the cold, (what is up with Texas weather?) Emory and I bundled up and headed out with Bo to relearn this neighborhood. Emory needed the fresh air, as he has been acting a bit…crazy? Many rides will be needed, as our knees and thighs ARE not up to par. Much more exercise needs to be going on in our house as a general principal. We much needed exercise was needed after a batch of homemade gumbo and strawberry shortcake y’all! But really…here’s to summer rides and warmer weather!

Wicked

Before anything else can be said in this post, let us say that our hearts go out to the resilient Boston people, who have had a day and week that no one should ever have to endure. We send our love in hopes that you can take comfort in knowing that you all are not alone. So, hold fast and in the words of our departed friend Leo Lewis, we sail on. Together.

Now, I mean…what. Can. I. Say. I have waited 10 years to finally be able to see this beyond fantastic musical…Wicked has been a big part of my life for a decade. The songs, the story…and tonight, we finally got to see it, live rather than repeated viewing of clips on YouTube. We got all dressed up, found our way to Dallas and, despite our split seats were able to get lost in Oz. It was as great as expected, so what better way to celebrate than pancakes! All in all, a dream come true with a husband for a date?

Spring has truly arrived.

Helloooooo Spring

We are back! Back in town from Corpus Christi with almost severe sunburns and the task of getting back in the swing of things with home improving our new house. The sea and wind (Oooooh, so much wind in Corpus. Who knew?) did us something good. The sunshine, sea breeze and sand between our toes was a much needed break from all the work we are doing on our new house. Let’s just say it was nice to not go to Lowe’s for the 10th day in a row. Emory made the trip with us, and he enjoyed every minute of it. (Note that he may be in every photo…evidently we are those people?) This was his second trip to the beach, and he ate the sand like usual and soaked up all the attention of so many adorable children at the beach. It was a stress free trip, lots and lots of sea food was consumed, and we had precious family time with my WHOLE family. Yes, my dear brothers came with us and it was great for us all to be together.

So, now it’s back to the real world, with its painting/cleaning/packing and then repeat. We leave you with a few snap shots..more to follow soon!

Smattering of Here & There

We’ve been super busy over here. And loving every.minute.of it!

P.S. Cinnamon Sugar Popovers, are a must. Give them a try if you are up for deliciousness.