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to my sister on her 30th birthday…
This weekend my sister turns 30 years old. Are you kidding me? Even though we are only 2 years apart, I feel old. I still remember rehearsing “shows” for my parents friends that we would perform on New Years Eve when we were little. I remember telling on her when she got into a gigantic fish tank because she wanted to “play” with the fish. I remember our fights growing up, most vivid being when she threw my bright green dinosaur piano down the stairs because I threw her rocking chair down just 30 seconds before. Now she’s turning 30. Woah. Turning this age is monumental because it’s the moment where you finally are growing into…
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gift ideas for acquaintances
Gift ideas for acquaintances can be challenging. Gifting isn’t just for the holidays coming up, it happens year round for occasions like birthdays, promotions, new additions, big news, etc. It’s easy to get gifts for people who I know well- family, close friends, etc., but gift ideas for acquaintances seem to always stump me. These are tough because there are 2 criteria I like follow: 1. It can’t be too expensive 2. It needs to be thoughtful. So here are some ideas that might work for you if you have an acquaintance that you want to give something to. This could be a boss, co-worker, friend-of-a-friend that has done something nice for you, or even a distant family member that…
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Cirque du Soleil: Kooza
Welcome, welcome, welcome! Step right up ladies and gentleman and be prepared to be amazed by the traveling acrobatic production of Cirque du Soleil: Kooza! Ok so you probably figured out that I went to go see Cirque du Soleil. The traveling show set up shop in downtown Dallas near Reunion Blvd in a big tent. I was so excited as I had always thought it was just in Vegas, but since it was in the city and the tickets were discounted via Living Social, it was hard not to pass up. So we arrived, late. After some missed turns, parking issues and finally walking over to the entrance,…
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austin city limits festival 2012
“There’s nothing to compare to live music, there just isn’t anything.”- Gloria Gaynor The Austin City Limits Festival (ACL) was this past weekend. A 3 day outdoor October event in Zilker Park featuring big bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Florence and the Machine and Gotye. It’s packed with music for everyone country, rock ‘n roll, hip hop, electronic, indie and everything in between. People of all ages gather for one thing and one thing only: live music. This is my second year to go and I have to tell you that the coolest part of going to one of these events is hearing a new band solely by chance…
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10 things I learned at a wine tasting class
I attended a wine tasting (I think they called it an “education” class) this past Sunday after buying a Groupon. It was hosted by Andy Gonzales, also known as the “DaVineGuy” at The Wine Therapist in Lakewood where they have a great variety of bottles to purchase. Andy looked a bit like John Tuturro and was super knowledgeable about wines, pairings and clearly loved talking about them. After 10 tastings and a plethora of information, here are 10 things I learned: 1. Never taste wine with cheese. The dairy actually clogs your palette’s ability to really taste the wine. At our class we had bread pieces and water. 2. If a…
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what a good hair stylist and colorist can do
“Never underestimate the power of a good hair stylist or colorist” That’s the first thing that popped into my head on my way home after 3 1/2 hours at Delaney Salons visiting Rosa and Sharon. After 2 weeks of unruly hair, roots and grey’s showing like nobody’s business and straw-like ends, I had enough and couldn’t wait to see “my girls”. I went all in- got my color done (f-u grey’s!), cut off my split ends and chemically straightened my hair with a Brazilian Blowout. After the hours of transformation, I feel like I can go out in public again… It’s a tough thing to find a good person (or…
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what kind of grocery shopper are you?
Grocery shopping can be an enjoyable, relaxing experience or one that just falls short. I shop at Kroger most of the time and the company you have plays a big role. Let’s talk about it. I’ve come to the conclusion that you need to be picky about who you go grocery shopping with. I learned this the hard way so I thought I’d relay the information to you as a guide for your next shopping experience. I for one love going grocery shopping. Going down each aisle, seeing what’s new, crossing things off my list (when I have a list, which is rare, it’s usually in my head) and occasionally dancing to…
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my first blog conference…
I had been looking forward to Bloggy Boot Camp since I got those tickets inside a beautiful birthday card from 3 of the most lovely people who I know along with a note that said “to the next Carrie Bradshaw”. The time finally arrived on Saturday and I think it might have changed my life. The blog conference was held at the Doubletree Hotel and lasted all day. It was an early 9am until 6pm day filled with incredible presentations, wonderful food, amazing sponsors ready to talk to bloggers and wonderful people from all stages of their blog careers from newbie to established. The night before there was…
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football is back
This weekend marked the first football Sunday of the season. Granted, football has been on since pre-season in our house, but Sunday was the big day (and even bigger because the 49ers played on Sunday which is my husband’s all time favorite team). So we celebrated by cooking up some food and inviting some friends over for some much-needed catching up and good laughs (which mostly came from a little 1-year-old, I mean a 15 month old). We had a good mix over. From our master chef couple who always bring over something delicious (even if it’s store-bought), our newly parents couple who’s little one just gets bigger and bigger every time we see…
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the yonka incident
When I lived in Houston and wanted to get into the beauty world, I took a job working front desk at a brand new spa. By brand new I meant hadn’t yet opened, in the construction building stages and still recruiting for therapists, estheticians and nail technicians. I remember feeling pretty darn special that I was able to be a part of something so new. Since this spa was going to be in the “uppity” area of Houston, they wanted the staff to be as informed as possible of the exclusive lines they would be caring: Yonka and Jurlique. Thus began my obsession with the spa beauty world. We had seminars, workshops,…