Road Trip

Skirt: Banana Republic, thrifted...Blouse: Gap...Cardigan: Target...Belt: Gap...Shoes: Naturalizer

From tomorrow through next Thursday I'll be out of town, driving a big-arse SUV from Houston to northern Idaho. Boss Lady spends summers up there to escape the heat and, as the driver of her housekeeper, her girls and a bunch of stuff, I look forward to the opportunity to escape for a few days, too. My Guy will be my co-pilot, which is excellent news for two reasons. 1. He's the world's best road trip driver (on our drives from wherever we're living to NW Ohio for holidays, he usually does several 6-9 hour shifts and we make it there non-stop) and 2. He's fun and we get to spend some time hanging out in the car, one of our favorite things to do together. I'm also really really excited about spending time with the ladies- the housekeeper's girls are 17 and 18, so we're going to have a lot of fun with pop radio sing-alongs,  lots of introductions to classic Rom Com's, giggling about fashion and other girly goodies.

I also reeeeeally look forward to fresh air, exercise in nature, wildlife, and soaking up a little sunshine. I hope to check in every few days with lots of mix-and-match casual looks, too.

See you all soon!

Stars and Stripes

Skirt: Gap dress, refashioned...tank: GapBody...Cardigan: Gap...Shoes: J Jill via Buffalo Exchange...Polish: Essie Tart Deco

Well, I worked a long half day. On a holiday. I hate it.

I also haven't been feeling especially well. I also hate it.

But, later this afternoon I get to attend a BBQ with picnic style side dishes- my favorite by a long shot. There is really nothing better than a potluck. Except a potluck put together by the 65+ crowd. They really know how to throw a potluck with the best dishes.

Happiest 4th to you all. I hope your celebration will be filled with as much food, music, friends and fireworks as we have planned.

And a little something for the road:

An Uneasy Truce

Jeans: UO...Blouse: Gap...Belt: Target...Shoes: Nine West via Buffalo Exchange...Scarf: Liberty of London via Buffalo Exchange

I got a mosquito bite in my armpit. It is literally the worst.

On a more cheerful note, we've been marveling at how well our critters have been co-existing lately. Miles lives up to a lot of the beagle stereotypes- nosy, loud, needy, snuggly, curious, playful, garbage eater, grinning goon. And Eddie, for the most part, is not a normal cat. She seeks out affection, will practically beg you to play in the evenings, likes to sit on any lap she can find, shares my pillow at night. Which I like. I'm not really a cat person. So a need-machine dog-like cat is right up my alley. But, she's little. As in she was the runt of the litter and is still a whopping and very fluffy 6 pounds little. Miles used to jump up to a table top, grab her fluff and yank. Poor little girl would sit on whatever high surface she could find and do her best to stay completely out of sight for the first 4 years.

And then something happened... I think she finally bit him or used her back claws to scratch him. Anyway, these last few months, I've caught them sitting side by side on our bed in the evenings or hanging out on the sofa together. I don't think Eddie trusts Miles enough to try to snuggle with him yet, but I have high hopes. At least she doesn't take off like a shot when he trots into the room anymore.

Weekend Visit

Skirt: refashioned Gap dress...Tee: UO...Belt: thrifted...Shoes: J Jill via Buffalo Exchange...Jewelry: Target...Umbrella: Target...Bag: D&B via Buffalo Exchange

Check out these refashioning skillz... I always like the details like the curved bottom hem and graphic navy and white stripes, but never the several-inches-above-the-knee length. Problem solved: make it a skirt.

Our weekend was exceedingly nice- my roommate from my second year in the dorms is moving from San Antonio back up to Ohio and we were able to snag her for a night and host a dinner so our friends here could get to know her a little. Do any of you have a friend that you kind-of sort-of lose close contact with but when you reconnect it's as though no time had passed at all? Pam is a friend like that. And I love evenings like Saturday where we get someone from our past together with our people from here and now and they get along swimmingly. Confirmation that we have a friend "type." People who are interesting and interested, people who are easy going, inclusive, funny, a naughty sense of humor, easily entertained, happy to help. Our people from then and now are good ones. Really, really good ones.

And Sunday was spent sipping coffee and giggling before a lunch-time send off (of course I cried), a Trader Joe's run with another girlfriend (45 minutes to get there is tooootally worth it), quesadillas with black beans, corn and perfectly ripe avocado, ending with our Sunday tradition of going to Valhalla, the on campus bar that sells a delicious rotation of beer on tap for $.95 - $2.50. Bromance has a weekly volunteer bartending shift so the crew all shows up each week to spend a little time together. Lots of sing-alongs to 80's and 90's hits.

How was your weekend? Were you up to anything especially awesome?

Ice House and Tacos

Pants: Zara...Blouse: Target...Cardigan: Target...Necklaces: Target & J Crew Factory...Earrings: Banana Republic...Shoes: J Jill via Buffalo Exchange...Bag: D&B via Buffalo Exchange...Shades: Gap via TJ Maxx

We said goodbye to our couple friends last night. He finished his Master's and they're going to travel for the summer before they move to Seattle. It's big and exciting, especially since she went up a few weeks ago for a few interviews and has already landed a job and found a place they're likely to rent.

The group met up at the West Alabama Ice House which has a great outdoor seating area, dogs milling around, basketball hoop, and lots of picnic tables. There's an amazing Taco Cart across the street. My Guy has had the hardest time warming up to not-really-nice-looking food carts, but he agreed that we could eat tacos for dinner while we sipped on beer and got nibbled on by mosquitoes. I thiiiink he might be a convert. Mmmm, all that spiced, greasy meat, warm tortillas, cilantro and onion overflowing and tasty, tasty green sauce that burned my mouth. It was a magical meal. And CHEAP!

One of the cute milling dogs was a fluffy, curly haired black ragamuffin, a poodle mix, maybe?, and it kept casually jumping up on the bench of our picnic table as the guys were getting up to shoot some hoops and stuck it's little face into the plate of taco leftovers. I had to swat him away a few times, nervous that he'd eat the onion. Onion is bad for dogs, right?

There was also a minor tragedy with me and the red version of the hot sauce. It was seriously pigmented and managed to get all over my fingers, the back of my hand, up my arm and in between my fingers as I opened the little plastic container. Which meant there was a very high likelihood of getting on myself, which of course I did. I ran into the bathroom and used hand soap to launder myself, walked out with an enormous wet spot and went on my merry way with the knowledge that it's so blasting hot it would dry within a few minutes. And it did. And I stuffed my face with delicious tacos and all was right in my world. Small pleasures.

You're the Best Around

Dress: Target...Cardigan: Target...Sandals: via DSW...Belt: thrifted...Bracelet: thrifted

An Ode to Target:
Your dresses are long and pajama-like. How I love thee.

Short and sweet- that's how I roll.

Dudes- I watched Karate Kid for the first time ever and I LOVED IT. I was a little shocked by how less-than-totally-corny Mr. Miyagi was and how earnest Daniel seemed to be. The ending was too rushed and there was no real resolution, but I liked the mix of cornball 80's teen crap and and the genuine interest and connection with Mr. Miyagi. We had one girlfriend watching with us last night who couldn't stop laughing at the cheesy moments, but I feel like on the whole it really is a movie with enough heart and entertainment to hang onto a spot in a list of must-see's. I have a few quick notes about the film, though: I would gladly take any of the vintage cars off of Mr. Miyagi's hands if necessary. Nothing better than a sweet old classic car (My grandpa has a major infatuation with Studebakers... and many other vintage cars- it rubbed off). Also, if four days of hard manual labor to teach dynamic and pertinent karate skills was all it took, I would probably be a karate master several times over. I call bull pucky. One last thing, Johnny is a turd, a mean spirited jerk and I'm glad Daniel kicked him in the face at the end. I'm not a violent person, but I like a good underdog story.

That's all I have to say about that classic movie.

Which way to the Gun Show?

Skirt: Banana Republic...Tee: H&M...Belt: thrifted...Shoes: via DSW...Shades: via TJ Maxx

Here's to hoping the rest of the week rolls along quickly. I'm tired already!

For the first time since we've been in Houston, I am a member of of the University's Rec Center. This means that 1. I can yank on my swimsuit and hang out poolside anytime I want, which is great since we live in an old apartment complex with no extras like that. 2. My Guy's Bromance teaches swimming lessons, so we can go harass him and/or eavesdrop for the adorably awesome kid quotes he tells us about. 3. I can work out at real equipment- something I haven't done in years.

We worked out yesterday and I am out. of. shape. Scary out of shape. So, starting now, we're going to make a real effort to get over there and sweaty at least 4 times a week. Because if you're too wimpy to work out for long segments, you should just do your best to work out often. And I want good muscles, so there you have it.

Are you linking up? Pleated Poppy's What I Wore Wednesday!

Neighbors

Pants: Gap...Tee: UO...Shoes: Seychilles via DSW...Belt: Target...Necklace: Target

Our neighbors are the coolest. It's already hot and soupy all the way until the middle of the night, but we still all hunker down at the picnic table outside and chat for hours in the evenings. A lot of us are dog owners so we're formulating a plan to make a wood slat fence of sorts to keep dogs from escaping down the front sidewalk. Miles has been relatively trustworthy to spend the time outside roaming free with his leash dangling behind him, which is kind of unheard of for a beagle, but the fence will be nice.

And our neighbors are such interesting people, too! A special ed teacher, an artist, a gallerist, a wine specialist, a physicist, a med tech/ male nurse. Some of these folks do archery, some do rock climbing, some photograph weddings, some are bidding singer/songwriters. Vast and varied. I learn a new tidbit or hobby every time we hang out together.

We've never really had good neighbors before. In Tucson, our apartment was managed by a scary, angry, vindictive woman, which reeeeally set the mood for the rental experience. In Ohio, we had a string of bass with amp-playing night owls, pot smoking creeps and many arguing couples around our apartment. We're very lucky and happy our place in Texas is full of good people. It really makes it feel like home.

Have you ever had awesome neighbors? Any especially good stories about your nightmare neighbors? Share!

A Weekend of Awesome

Skirt: F21 (old)...Blouse: thrifted...Cardigan: Target... Belt: thrifted...Shoes: J Jill via Buffalo Exchange...Earrings: Wish Boutique

Yeah, yeah, the skirt's too long.

Hey, you all! I'm not exactly thrilled to be back into the work week, but I sure can't complain about my weekend. Friday we made this asian style slaw salad to take to an evening of grilling and hanging out with neighbors. I got to spend the evening mostly with our glass artist upstairs neighbor- he and his wife are both so friendly but I never get to chat with him alone. I discovered he's wonderfully refreshing and cheerful with a few naughty stories tossed in even when he's not playing the role of respectable husband. I enjoyed it immensely. Saturday was lazy and hot until about 2:00 when we went to the Pride Houston's festival (booths, swag and awesome people watching). We met up with a crew later in the evening, drank weird Wild Blue beers to get them out of my friend's fridge and wandered up to the Pride Parade. I cheered and nearly lost my voice, high-fived more skinny men in only underpants than most people will high-five in their lifetime, was gifted a boa that fell off a float after I yelled "May I PLEEEEEEASE have that boa?" and someone picked it up for me, high-fived a few drag queens, a bunch of LGBT allies, more skinny boys in only underpants, several insanely tall latina lesbians... I was a high-fiving machine. But, only one mermaid for our parade. Yesterday was spent catching up with a friend from when we lived in Tucson (this friend grew up 45 minutes south of Houston, it's a treat to be able to see him pretty often when he comes home). We were invited to join his family for the day at their rental house on the beach in Surfside, which was filled with lots of chatting and laughing, chips and dip, splashing with our dog in the ocean and more Frescas than any one person should consume in a day. It was hot, what was I supposed to do to keep cool enough to stay out in the sun to burn myself crispy? Kidding, I used sunscreen. Anyway, it was a wonderfully relaxed day and I love love love that his family didn't treat us special at all, we just got to join the lump of people milling and snacking and lounging and helping ourselves. My favorite kind of family time, even if it wasn't my family.

So, what were you all up to this weekend? Anything awesome? What are you looking forward to this week?

From Pride... I adore these women!

Pride

Jeans: UO...Blouse: Target...Cardigan: Gap...Shoes: J Jill via Buffalo Exchange

Tomorrow is Houston's Pride Parade. I thought I'd get an early start and dress in a rainbow of colors.

I've kind of weighed whether or not to write about the Pride events... Many of the bloggers I've gotten to know and appreciate happen to be religious and are awesome people. I didn't want to rock the boat, push anyone away, whatever... Here's my story: I, very thankfully, grew up in a warm Christian household, my parents are inclusive and loving people. My church was an awesome community for me as a shy, introverted kid who liked to learn and analyze and assess new ideas. When my Guy and I got serious in high school and I found out his sister was gay, my whole view of religion kind of shifted. I noticed that people I had looked up to as a kid had mean-spirited condemning views of the gay community. Their religion was used as a bludgeon for denying rights to the LGBT community. And I was absolutely repulsed. When I left home for college, I didn't seek out a church to attend. I couldn't maintain a relationship with a broad organization that told me one of the most loving people in my life was "not okay." And I kind of adore that my loving, Christian, faithful homelife formed me into the accepting, inclusive person I'm proud I've become. But most of my experience with the rest of the religious community didn't have the same values as me... Anyway, I'm not a heathen, I'm not religious, I'm not irreverant, I'm just doing my best to be loving.

And I love me the gays. Many of my dearest friends in adulthood identify with the LGBT community in one way or another. And I'm not going to apologize for forming strong, supportive friendships with loving people and I'll happily state that someone's gender, religion, sexual orientation, age, skin color, hair color, or food allergies has nothing to do with how I choose the people important to me. As long as you're willing to show a little humility and humanity, we'll get along just fine!

Happy Pride!