Long time no write! So, it's been a while and things have been beyond hectic and I'm so glad that it's settling out a bit and I'm really ready to get back to writing. Brent's 40th surprise party and trip were a total success and I'll get the post up about Belize soon but for now I'm ready to tell you about a great experience I had a while back at Beet's Cafe! I took a cooking class there that I had auctioned on while at the Umlauf Garden party which I posted about here (an awesome event by the way). I can't remember the exact name of the class but it was basically an intro class into raw cooking. I don't eat an exclusively raw diet but I do enjoy the food and how it makes me feel, so wanted to learn a few techniques.
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I just wanted to give a quick update... oh how I miss logging in and updating this site!
First of all, I'm not done blogging. I've simply been beyond overwhelmed. First it was work, then Young Executives, then planning Brent's surprise 40th bday party, throw in a trip to NYC and now a trip out of the country this weekend and I've just been swamped. I see the light at the end of the tunnel though and I have some great stories to add when I get back! New Hair do's, chef celebrity meetings, a raw cooking class. Whew, can't wait. I miss you my dear blog. My creative outlet and personal/public online diary. See you all soon- Lovingly, Laura First of all let me say that all the shops on the GlamShop tour were fabulous. We first went to Beyond Tradition and met the Co-owner Phillip. He was quite a character. Cory, pictured above, designs Tikkr watches. Kappie was a doll and told us how she fashioned her "Fashonista" beverage with cranberry juice, vodka, and champagne... nice! They have some really cool/chic items from jewelry to bags for chicas and wallets to watches for men.
While Brent's in NYC I enjoyed a nice dinner at Whole Foods pasta bar. My favorite dish: 1/2 order of the pasta of the day, extra spicy, and a side salad with a bargained price glass of Italian Chianti for $4.50. For reading: some Tribeza, Austin Monthly, and a few other local magazines. The perfect wind down from an errand filled evening.
This weekend seemed like it was going to be nice and relaxing, slow and lazy. All of that took a quick turn when we began our day at 24 Diner, which I've blogged about here. I've visited a few other times and it was never quite as good as that first visit but we gave it another chance this weekend and it was pretty tasty. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of my food but the Veggie Sausage Patties are fantastic! They are bright red and when they come out actually look like some raw red meat, kind of ironic and funny.
So while at Breakfast we ran into two very nice folks from Dallas, Carolyn and Lampo. They were in town for a wedding and looking for some fun things to do in the afternoon. After it was all said and done they were headed out to meet us on the boat a few hours later! Well, lately I've decided/ been pushed a little into the sport of golf. It only makes sense as I'm taking over the running of mine and Brent's business, Eye Caddie. So since I need to know a bit more about the sport I've acquired some clubs, got some super cute golf outfits, and the all important pink golf shoes and I'm ready to go. Timing worked out perfectly because Young Executives partnered with Grey Rock and had a special golfing event Friday night. Young Execs got to play some golf at a special rate and then head to the clubhouse for some live music, food, and drinks.
Recently I went to FINO with my long-term career counselor, Doug. It was my first time at FINO and I decided to try it out since I bought a gift certificate on Restaurants.com. If you hit their website at the right time you can get like 80% off of a certificate and it challenges me to try places I haven't been before. So, I got a $25 certificate to FINO for like $5 bucks. Not bad! Granted you have to buy two full entrees but it's totally worth it! One thing I didn't realize about the restaurant is that it serves a lot of Texas local meat, so I was happy to split a couple of entrees with Doug and I got to try several of their dishes; it was really good! The stuffed peppers wasn't my favorite dish of the night; it was good not great. Our server did a great job at suggesting wine pairings! Somehow I didn't get a picture of my favorite dish:
Za'atar & Roasted Garlic ChickenSpinach, Hazelnuts & AppleCurrants & Garbanzos. The chicken I will definitely be back for, the garbanzos were toasted and the chicken was flavorful and cooked perfectly! I'm not even a big chicken fan but I will crave this dish and can't wait to bring Brent in to try it. We liked it so much that Doug, in his usual extroverted fashion, raved about it to the table next to us and they both ordered it as well. I'm never that bold but he made an excellent recommendation! So, dinner was good and as always it's fun to catch up with Doug. Doug helped me find my place in the world a couple of years ago professionally. In this crazy world, if you find yourself soul searching for where you want to be/what you want to do, look him up! (His LinkedIn link is up top). Every time I meet with him he presents to me a simple yet brilliant challenge. Though he helped me find my niche a few years ago, I'm ready to spread my wings again and with his guidance, continue onward in my journey to be a Young-ish professional. I hope everyone is doing well out there and if not, head to FINO for some wine and food and I promise, you'll feel better fast. I continue to fall in love with Heather at Salon Sovay. I blogged about her here and here. I don't even think I've been going to her for a year yet and I love that she helps me put a twist on my look almost every time I come in to see her. She's so great at what she does; Heather is a perfectionist and always wants us both to be happy when I walk out the door. I was almost embarrassed to come get my most recent "do" re-done simply because it had been way to too long since I saw her last. I couldn't believe I was STILL getting compliments on my locks up to the very day I walked in the front door.
I hate that I'm writing this post so late but that's how I seem to roll sometimes. Anyways, I went home, several weeks ago, to my hometown to celebrate my Mother on Mother's Day. It was a short visit but a good one none-the-less. My mom isn't so easy to shop for but she has a lovely garden to which I wanted to contribute. So, we sauntered down to the local Lowe's to do some browsing and shopping. I don't think either one of us really thought we were going to come home with trees when we chose our little sports car over the 4-runner my step-dad drives. BUT I saw the plum trees and we both loved 'em so you just make it work! Oh yeah, and there were two rose bushes in the trunk... Brent would have died! Granted, we did have to drive 25-30 miles-per-hour on the drive home but it was an adventure and well worth it!
Isn't she lovely? She'll be even more beautiful after she gets a new more lady-like paint job, though that will be a while. Last weekend Brent purchased new-to-me Kawasaki Vulcan 500. I love it! It is taking some practice in learning to shift and such and hills terrify me right now. It feels like I'm a teenager learning to drive a stick shift all over again, but this time I'm a little more exposed. I drove it for the first time to work on Wednesday and was super pleased that I didn't even stall once. Hoorah!
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