sunrise

Every morning around 6:30-7:00 Gertie and Kitty join forces to wake me up. This morning their alarm clock services were executed even earlier than usual. Stumbling out the door to take Gertie to pee I see the sky as the sun is coming up.

 I was like whoooooaaahh. I dashed back inside to snag my camera and snap a few shots (none of which I edited. so these colors are real!)while Gertie whined at me telling me how bad she needed to pee.

 I couldn't believe my eyes. The clouds were amazing this morning.

While It isn't the most fun being woken up at the crack of dawn I will admit that I love getting up early. I feel like this part of the morning is mine. The way the early morning looks is different from the rest of the day. Before the sun has time to warm things up often there is fog, mist, rain, and gorgeous cloud formations that look like a painting. Not very many people are out and there is this peaceful quiet. I experience a sense of gratitude for life and the beautiful world I live in during this time of day.  Come 8:00 the regular morning starts and my favorite part of the day ends putting me back into the regular daily routine. All this happens LONG before Joey someone in this house even thinks about waking up ;)

classy never dies.

My idol Audrey Hepburn is resurrected for a chocolate commerical and I am in love.  

In the words of Liz Lemon, I want to go to there.

It's a Major Award!

Name that movie...
 One of my best friends from childhood Miss Mikell Gordon from the Love & Such blog has been so gracious as to nominate me for the...

I am flattered and excited! I feel like my blog isn't cool enough for something like this so thanks dear! Mikell included some questions for me to answer so here you go!

 

1. what has been the greatest adventure for you in the last year?

This is going to make me sound like I hate my husband so to be clear I don't. I love him very much! Anyways on to the adventure: We were living in Madison, WI last year Joey (my husband) was accepted to Rice University (in Houston, TX) for an MBA program. We were thrilled that he was accepted to such a great school but we weren't thrilled about what that meant for my schooling. I just had 1 more semester at UW-Madison before I graduated which meant if I stayed to finish he would have to go down to Texas about 4months before I did. As terrible as it sounded to be apart for that long, in the big scheme of things it most definitely beat having to transfer (again) and probably add another year to my college career instead of just 1 semester (gotta love "credits that wont' transfer"). So He moved down in the end of July and I moved in with a bunch of girls in a house just off the lake in downtown Madison. While I missed my husband terribly to be honest it was one of the best times of my life. I found friends that pushed me to new limits both physically and academically. I did my first century bike ride and I never worked so hard in school in my whole life. I lived in downtown on my own which does that need explaining for how fun that is? I was able to be in school as a "regular" college kid again. I basically got to live the single life that I cut short by getting married at the youngling age I did. Again don't think I am regretting getting married or anything like that but I won't say that I lived in misery being separated for a few months. Our relationship is stable enough that a few months doesn't make any difference on our love for each other or the quality of our marriage. I'm grateful that my husband valued my education and that we both had this opportunity to grow. Like the saying goes: distance makes the heart grow fonder...this will by far be the longest answer. I'm sorry. 

2. If you could live anywhere in the US Where would you move? 

I have so many places I would love to live right now. For at least a little while NYC, D.C, Hawaii, sorry I won't pick just one. In reality though I want to end up somewhere on the NPC doesn't matter where as long as it has mountains, beaches and lots of stuff to do outdoors.

3. Dill pickles or sweet?

Dill. All other varieties are disguised disappointments.

4. If someone handed you $1,000.00 what would you do with it?

Get ready for the lamest answer ever: I would put it towards my student loans. I'm a wild one I know. 

5. What is your dream job?

Other than being a stay at home wife that just goes to the gym, plans soirees and attends lunch dates? I want to be a hot shot art gallery owner in NYC. 

6. What is your favorite thing to spend money on?

Clothes from J.Crew and food from Whole Foods.

7. What is your favorite season and why?

I love the begining of every season. I love the excitement of feeling the change of seasons. Right now I can't wait for spring flowers, floral patterns, bunnies, and pastel colors. I absolutely love summer, fall and, winter (with snow). 

8. What is one accessory you couldn't live without?

My j.crew polka dot snood. I wear it anytime I can without sweating to death (thanks, houston) I am really bad at remembering to wear jewelry and stuff like that.

9. Where were you born?

 I was born at LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah. 

10. Do you have any pets?

I have two pets: a miniature schnauzer named Gertrude Leia (yes that is a Star Wars reference) Plater. We just call her Gertie. We also have a chubby cat named Ethel but we just call her Kitty (Arrested Development reference not the fact that she is a cat).   

11. Why do you blog?

I started blogging when Joey and I decided for the adventure of moving across the country to Wisconsin. We wanted to keep our family and friends in the loop of what the hell we were doing way out in the midwest. I don't really know what my blog is now haha. Just a place for me to jot down what is going on in my head. I love the challenge of designing blogs (even though I suck at it) and I love the way people can connect online through blogging. I am in the works of taking my blogging "to the next level". Hopefully that means more connections and friends to be made! Because I have no friends in Houston yet. Stay tuned for some changes here!  

This is my first time doing something like this so thanks Mikelly! This was fun.  

warming up

This weekend Joey and I went to a birthday dinner with some of his classmates. Being the newbie to these parts I was asked a couple times how I like Houston. My answer kept being, I'm warming up to it. Now that I have two places I call "back home" (utah & wiscsonsin) means Houston has two big shoes to fill. I made a pro/con list of Houston so far for an idea of how I'm feeling about this place.

Pro:                                                                               Con:
1. So many museums and art galleries.                        1. Not a walkable city/ and hardly bike-able.
2. Never ending yummy places to eat.                         2. No Mountains or activities that go                                                                                           with them.
3.  Lots of pretty trees.                                                 3. Cockroaches.
4. Unique architecture.                                                4. The most terribly maintained roads ever.
5. Mild Winters                                                           5. Dreading summer and that whole                                                                                           having to wear clothes during it bit.

Perhaps Houston will continue to grow on me. I haven't completely turned my nose up to this place. It is still Big Ol' Texas down here though, with compensating pickup trucks and 'murica attitudes but there is also a lot of diversity and culture which I embrace. My biggest problem with this place is that my friends aren't here. I hate leaving them behind but I am so glad for all the ways I can still keep in touch with them. I consider myself blessed that I get to have one of my bestest friends from Utah move down here in just about a week! Keep working, Houston you might win me over some day.

classy it up.

I never lived during the days when everyone got dressed up for everyday life. When air travel was a fancier occasion, or wearing dresses and heels were the normal attire to go to the grocery store in. Even though I never lived in such an era I miss it. According to a program I listened to on NPR the French, i.e the Parisians still live this way. That even to get a stick of butter one dons her heels and perfume. Inspired by this program and the Parisian ways of living a life of "plasir"...

I am going to classy things up around here. By here I mean my life but in reflection of that my blog as well.

My posts will be sparse while I work on this little project. It is about time I renovated the blog. Pretty sure the world and my less than a handful of followers won't be completely devastated.

get this girl some help.

 I hate to admit this but I am becoming a worry wort. Driving home from the house I work at I had this gut wrenching feeling that I forgot to turn off the gas on the stove. I called the house and no one answered. I was panicking, their house was going to blow up. The police would investigate me to see if I am a suspect for the death of a father, child and their slobbery boxer. I started thinking of my testimony to the investigators and hoping that they would believe it was an honest mistake. I called again no one answered. I started thinking of how my life as I knew it would be ruined. Poor joey who has had to put up with the silly things I overlook or forget now has to live with this, something that had I been paying attention would have been avoided. I thought about how I would never end up having children because I would not be able to live with myself for what I had done. My phone started ringing it was them. Thank goodness their house hadn't blown up yet. I quickly asked them to check the burners. They were off. I was beyond relieved. That moment I realized I am going crazy and could probably benefit from some help. Then I drove past the art museum to see a big advertisement for a an exhibition coming next week that I about peed my pants in the car over. PICASSO in black and white. Good thing my ADD let me quickly move on from evaluating my psychiatric issues to what really matters. A Picasso exhibition is coming and I am going to be there everyday feasting my eyes upon it... and buying the catalog raisonné. All is well.

the weekend in iphone photos

        

1. Walking to Joey's school with Gertie 2. Watching Joey's Soccer game. 3. Waiting for our healthy lunch at the waffle bus food truck (amazeballs by the way.) 4. Our waffle bus sammies. 5. Bought new stationary.-love writing letters, love getting letters, love rifle paper co. 6. went to the Menil Collection. -LOVED it and will be going back lots. 7. "The Greatest of all is Love."

*I don't understand the big white gap. It doesn't look like that when I am editing my post...I suck at blogger haha.

djesus

My teenage fan girl went to the moon and back when Christoph Waltz was the host on SNL last night. To keep the sabbath day spirit alive for the remainder of this beautifully sunny Sunday here is the clip that satisfies all my fantasies combining my two favorite Tarantino films with Mr. Waltz as the Star.

wanderlust

Is that so much to ask? I consider myself a low maintenance kind of gal, but one thing this lady needs to stay happy is wandering about this lovely world. I took this image from the stylebook blog (which is adorbs) but this balloon speaks truth. I need a vacation to look forward to. I found online there is a cottage tucked away in the mountains of Austria that will trade free food and lodgings to help with serving at their cafe...Sounds like Joey needs to stop being busy with this whole grad school thing so we can help these Austrian sisters out. I'll keep dreaming for now.

Two

 Disclaimer: This post (it's gonna be a big one) is strictly about food and our questionably unhealthy relationship with our dog. You have been warned. 

Two years ago this little

 peanut was born way out in the country a few hours away from Madison, WI. Still undecided whether or not we should even get a dog we drove out to the little podunk town she lived in to see what this pup was all about. The second I held her I knew she was coming home with us that day. Gertrude Leia Plater (explanation of her name should be saved for another day) has since been the joy in our lives and a constant source of happiness in our family. 

This weekend we celebrated Gertie's second birthday with a trip to the park to feed the ducks and baked a yummy (for people & pooches) almond strawberry cake. Here's our little party. 

  I am in love with Hermann park. I could go here everyday. It is huge! The zoo is attached to it and there is a long reflection pond, a duck pond, people practicing cosplay sword fights, a choo choo train, Japanese garden, ampitheater, the natural science museum is across the street...you get the point it's got a lot to offer. Not to mention all of these gorgeous trees.

 Gertie loves the ducks. She doesn't quite know what to do with them. As they would get closer trying to get our bread she would get super excited and lunge at them scaring the ducks away...We didn't end up feeding ducks for too long. Instead we just checked them out from a safe distance...unlike this chap here.

 Now on to the yummy things...don't worry I included a link to the recipe (with a much prettier presentation/photographs) HERE. This cake was so easy! It is pretty healthy too definitely something you could make as a guiltless dessert to share with your significant canine other. (I like it better taste wise without the "frosting")

 We cut a slice for Gertie and before I could get a cute picture of her with her cake she snatched it and tried to make a run for it. She doesn't get fed scraps so when the opportunity for "people food" arises she takes the money and runs.

 In a split second her slice was half...

...I mean all gone.

 You're a good dog, Gertie. You are the by far the best snuggler in the universe. You make a lovely 7am alarm clock...everyday with out fail. You always include your sister even though she's a cat. You have brought your daddy and me closer together as a couple and we thank you for that. Happy Birthday we love you lots!
-Mom and Dad.

for the tatas

this is by far the greatest ad for women's health ever created.

you're welcome...hahahahaha.

                                         

that wasn't yoga

I love groupon. I also love yoga. Put that together and I love that as an impoverished young adult I can get my yogi on by purchasing groupons and getting an unlimited month here or 20 class pass there. Sometimes though, groupon fails...big time. Take this morning's groupon adventure. I saw a killer deal that for $30 I could get 1 month unlimited to Dahn Yoga Studio. If you know what "Dahn" yoga is then you are probably busting up right now. Look it up or better yet go take just one class and you will understand the biggest WTF nightmare I endured for two hours at 6am today.

For the record it was not yoga. At least not the yoga I am accustomed to. Call me a naive westerner who only knows adapted yoga from India geared for Americans. I don't care that's the yoga I like. I can get centered, find my breath and inner peace (get a freaking work out) just fine with Bikram or whatever the other stuff is that I deem "normal" yoga.

This morning's adventure consisted of bouncing, pounding my chest while making sounds, grandma stretches, massaging my colon, breathing to pooch my belly, listened to an inspirational speech of us apologizing to our bodies and saying "we love you, we love you body" for about 10minutes, and then my favorite part: stared at a cosmic pokemon card and closing my eyes waving the card around my body. Because apparently we won't get Breast Cancer if we do these exercises.

Groupon you could have warned me. Or Dahn "yoga" maybe leave the Y word out of your name, it's super misleading. We didn't even use mats! I have learned my lesson next time always check out the yoga studio's website before buying their groupon. I assumed too much that the picture of happy people in warrior pose and the groupon title unlimited yoga $30 meant I would actually be getting some sun salutations in with it. 

 Last bit of my rantings: Seriously though yoga, for a sport/activity/lifetstyle that emphasizes on  inner peace, being equal,  promoting good vibes too all the world why are you so elitist? Why must I pay more than double to have a membership with you than with a regular gym? Why? You don't even need equipment we bring our own mats...just a thought for you. Make yourself affordable so I can just go to one place that I like and not have to fall into the Dahn yoga traps.
p.s someday you will see pics of me doing these poses, yo.

hello monday

Here's to a new week with new opportunities. I am going to try and be more productive this week and make myself a better person each day. I have a new inspiration to consciously and continuously improve myself. Here's to the start.