H-Town Recap

Well, this post is quite overdue.. who's surprised?!
Zaky has been living in Houston for about a year now, and the awesome sister that I am I had visited zero times. Big sister fail!

So we set a date a few months ago and I was hellbent on sticking with it.

So March 16th J&I headed out to H-Town to visit Zaky & Chara. (Love that she is so close now, too!)

I have re-confirmed that I am not a "road-tripper" kind of person. I have tried it multiple times, but it.is.a.fact. that 3 hours is my maximum car riding experience.

Nonetheless... we made it! And I got a picture of the infamous plant... if you dont remember - you can catch up here.

We had some beers with Zak, Chara got off of work, (J tried on her hat - think I should get him one for his birthday?)

and we headed over to Miss Kelley's 

Then on to the rodeo. In all 14 years I have lived in Texas, I never made it to the Houston Rodeo, so we took advantage of the opportunity. Train was headlining that night, so we all know that J-Man was overly excited.

So excited in fact, we are all "blesssed" with his air guitar skills...

Once the "Hey Soul Sisters" and "Marry Mes" were through, we headed out to the carnival

and to an after-party-ish tent with more live music - I would insert a group photo here... but someone has not sent it to me yet ::Cough, Kelley Anne Strout, Cough!::

St. Patty's day we were lazy bums - it was amazing. Not that I wouldnt have loved to be with our friends out on Greenville & at the girls party, but the way we spent it was perfect. After we finally convinced each other to get up we got cleaned up & headed out in Zak's area.

We went out to Max's Wine Dive for a late dinner. It was so delish and a really cool atmosphere.

We had Bubbly, Fried Oysters (my first time ever! & J even ate one! They were yumm!), Fried Chicken with Honey, and Lobster Pot Pie

I am absolutely positive that you could have rolled me out of there I was so full, but it was so so good! I am happy to report, Dallas will be getting one of these soon in West Village - who wants to go on a date?!

These two were great hosts - we had such a good time with them! (pardon the darkness of the photo.. i had to turn the flash off after I got the stare down from other patrons)

We walked over to a bar nearby afterwards to join all of the St. Patty's Day drunkies - one thing was very apparent, we were waaay behind on the drinking brigade. We had some drinks and some laughs - I failed at the photo taking thing. Buuuut I wont completely disappoint - I did get this video....

While out Debs sent me this... Spoiled much? And can we talk about how she slept in bed with them?? Good Lord, our children will be rotten when we pick them up from both sets of grandparents.

We headed home on Sunday... it was great to see them and definitely way late on our part - but I cant wait to go back!!!!

Love is...

Love is...

Birchbox

Its that time again! Birchbox!

I must say a huge thank you to my girl, Jacqueline, for teaching me that you can specify things you are interested in for your monthly Birchbox... you may remember my last month's Birchbox Envy... Envy no longer my friends - I ooo'd and ahhhh'd over every single item I received this month!

Annick Goutal - Petite Cherie: A blend of fresh fruity notes and musk, this French fragrance is the definition of understated chic

essie - luxeffects: Layer this glittery top coat onto any polish for an eye-catching look

fresh - Sugar Rose Tinted Lip Treatment SPF 15: this delicious balm has a subtle hue, plus natural sugar extracts to exfoliate and smooth lips.

Kerastase - Elixir Ultime: Add this nourishing oil to your hair regimen to hydrate, smooth, and sleekify your strands

twistband - Hair Tie: Give your ponytail a makeover with these colorful, snag-free elastics

love, love, love!!!

Asian Roll Ups

When I was in San Fran this past February, we had these amazing beef roll ups as one of our appetizers at our welcome dinner and I had to re-make them...

Literally the day I got around to the remake, Chocolate Broccoli was on my same page {shocking}.

I had been marinating my strip steak in my favorite teriyaki sauce Mr. Yoshida's Marinade - The Original Sauce is amazing! But then I followed the way Amber cooked her rolls... since I, of course, hadnt thought that far ahead! Check out Amber's recipe on the link above as well... she did a slight variation :)

Ingredients

1/2 pound strip steak, trimmed
1/3 Cup Mr. Yoshida's Marinade
4 green onions cut into 2 inch strips
Cooking spray


Instructions
Cut steak diagonally across grain into 6 thin slices. Marinade steak overnight.
Remove steak from marinade, reserving marinade. Place 1 steak slice on a cutting board or work surface; arrange 3 green onion pieces on the end of steak slice. Roll up; set aside, seam side down. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Place beef rolls in pan, seam side down; cook 7 minutes, turning once. While beef rolls cook, bring reserved marinade to a boil over medium-high heat; cook 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Drizzle sauce over rolls.

Quiet Time

I love quiet nights. Tonight was one of them.. Power was out when I got home from work, we went to dinner and came home.

Storms are rolling in, neither of us turned on a TV or the iPod. I started web browsing and J was putsing.. I downloaded a new book and listened to the rain while cuddling with Layla.

Can you say perfection?

Love is...

Random Ramblings

Oh Thursday - you couldn't come soon enough! You see, this Thursday is my Friday, and this weekend we get to go visit Poopy & Chara... & well, I really need a fun weekend after last week!

Here are random things from this week, I thought were worth sharing...

1. Meet Zwei. In German it means two. As in, my second beta, since my husband decided to kill sweet Leon.

2. Do you ever find yourself driving without the radio? I seem to do this more often than I used to. I assume that this is because my life is somewhat out of control at times. Its like the only time where its quiet and I can just think and enjoy the peace and quiet?

3. The iPhone Debate - Do I leave the comfort of my Blackberry world? At last week's program I had an attendee make fun of my phone... I have already been thinking about the "big switch" but now I have been pushed a little further to wanting to get one... Is it worth it??? Ohhhh by the time you read this I may already be a proud owner of one of these suckers!

4. There has been no new TV for the past 2 weeks... this is completely unacceptable. When I come home from a program, I fully expect a day's worth of DVR to catch up on - its my excuse to be lazy! Although our usual TV hasnt been new - Dance Moms has not disappointed... I love this hot mess of a TV show!



5. I joined J's office's March Madness Bracket Tournament - GO KENTUCKY!!!!!

6. Do you ever find yourself wishing you were on a beach vacation with no email access? This has been my every other thought for about 2 weeks. Care to join me?

7. My sweet friend, Kasey, is having her sweet baby girl, Harper Quinn, on Friday. Keep her in your thoughts and prayers for a safe and quick delivery! We cannot wait to meet Miss Harper!

8. Have you ever watched Ice Loves Coco? Like I said earlier, TV has been slim and it just so happen to come on after Khloe & Lamar (another guilty pleasure of mine).. but I loved this quote oh so much, I had to share... "My aunt used to make me eat this vegetable not meant for human consumption called okra. It's slimy, it has fur on it, and she wouldnt let me go out until I finished the okra. So I'd throw it out the window across the street and say 'I'm ready to go out now!' and she'd say 'Well, did you finish that okra?'" - fist bump, Ice T, FIST.BUMP. I could not have descibed this awful vegetable better myself.

9. Did you know that giraffes are all the rage? Sweet Landon has a Sophie (and apparently a million other kiddos do too)

so I decided Boog needed her own "Sophie" but hers is cooler... it has a purple mohawk!!!!

Thats all I got - Have a great weekend peeps!

Jalapeno Chip Chicken

I saw this recipe on Pinterest & knew that we had to try it!

Ingredients
2/3 cup Dijon-mayonnaise blend I used Canola Oil Mayo
6 cups barbecue potato chips, finely crushed I used Jalapeno Kettle Chips
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (5 ounces each)

Directions
Place mayonnaise blend in a shallow bowl. Place potato chips in another shallow bowl. Dip chicken in mayonnaise blend, then coat with potato chips.
Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until juices run clear.

This dinner was delish and a good change in pace for our chicken routine - even my anti-mayo husband ate it up!

Exciting News

We are planning 2 trips coming up next month...

San Antonio to celebrate our 1 year anniversary - Can you believe its almost been a year?!?!?! I have never been to San Antonio.. we want to stay on the Riverwalk, but any suggestions for hotel/restaurants/to-dos are welcome!!!!!

We are also heading to Philly for J's Birthday. Originally I was thinking a crawfish boil, but a new program came down the line for me in Philly, so J is going to join me pre-meeting. Genuine Philly Cheesecakes for the Birthday Boy? What more could he ask for??? Again, we have never been, so yall tell us what we need to do and where we need to go!!

Looking forward to new adventures with the Hubs!

Missing Me?

Yet again I am behind on posting... but I will catch you up quickly, and we can resume our friendship as usual...

What's been going on? Well... I went on program at the Gaylord Texan Friday March 2nd and life was absolutely crazy. My "view" was a little different than what I am used to, but it was kind of fun to people watch from my balcony.

Although my week provided many, many, many, many ups and downs.. there were some pluses that are worth sharing:

• I walked about 20 miles a day; therefore I think I lost some weight, which is opposite of what usually happens - and I am hoping that it will make me work out on a normal basis - it felt good!
• There was time for a photo op with my roomie

• I got to bond with some favorites
• I finally got to let loose and play with our random lost & found items

Although this week was quite the challenge, I definitely grew in my position at DFF and learned a lot!

What was J doing while I was working my botty off, you ask?? Well... I am sure he watching catching up on Z's and enjoying a quiet house... He also murdered my sweet cooking buddy, Leon.

Rest in Peace sweet friend...

I got home Friday afternoon, and that night we headed out to the Cabrera's for Supper Club.. As always, we had wonderful company, lots of laughs and delish food! I'll steal pictures from Mrs. Massey when she posts, but here is one of sweet Landon & I to tie you over

Everyone keeps teasing when its our turn, but I will continue to offer my babysitting services before we are getting one of our own :)

Have yall seen Parks and Recreation - "Treat yo'self"? If not, please enjoy the below:



From now on when I get off program, I am having a "Treat Yo Self" Day. Saturday, I went an got a massage and a meni/pedi... it was phenomenal.

Sunday - I headed to lunch with Heather, Jenna and Raquel then off to Alfred Angelo for Bridesmaid Dress Fitting! I failed at taking pics, even though I specifically brought my camera to document. But it was good to see some of this girls, since I havent seen anyone in FOREVER!

Thats about all I got... Here's to a good week, friends!

Love is...

Love is..