I Got 99 Problems and A Blog Ain't One

Happy 100th blog post to me!!

Yahoooo!!  What up 889

What an strangely exciting yet irrelevant landmark.  I can't believe that I've had the chance to share all of my ridiculous stories (mind you, the PG ones) with family and friends from back home.  I wish I had been less stubborn about replacing my Mac, which I'm still devastated about, so I could have updated this little blog more often in the last few months. 

Either way, it feels good to be back to posting about my life in this absolutely self-serving way.  I hope you all have enjoyed this as much as I have, regardless of how much I blog about the weather or how weird Texas is.  It feels good to know that I have a space to share what's going on in my little life with the ones who I love and miss the most.

So raise your punch glass and here's to another 100 posts and plenty more interesting experiences!!

Mom's Thanksgiving Punch, yummm

Khloe & Lam Lam

Unless you've spent the last week out of touch with the really important things that are going on in the world, then you know that Lamar was traded to the Mavericks.  More important, that means that Khloe is moving to Dallas!!

This is the first place Evan and I went when we moved to Dallas, too!

The Big D is a-buzz about where they may live (fingers crossed for Uptown), if they'll film their secretly amazing spin-off here, if Rob and Malika will join them, and if a DASH store will open in town.  As someone who loves watching the Kardashians on E!, I am kind of pumped with this breaking news.

There have been a ton of reality shows filmed here recently that I love watching simply to see what restaurants and bars are featured, what events are highlighted that I didn't know about, all of that fun stuff.  I wonder where Khloe would get her nails done, which supermarket they'd shop at and what gym they would join.  I can only imagine what it will be like to have a piece of the Kardashian madness so close.

Seriously though, what if they become our new couple friends!?  I can totally see Ev and Lamar hitting it off.  This could be amazing.

Hangover Helper

I'm not proud of what happened tonight, but I feel like I have to share both the shame and joy that came along with my dinner from Taco Cabana.
Before we moved to Texas we received a lot of advice and recommendations from friends that had spent time in Texas.  One of suggestions was go to Taco C... immediately (thanks Jordan).  And order the queso.

It took a few weeks before we got there because unlike native Texans, I can't eat Tex Mex more than once or twice a month.  I need to space it out, pace myself.   I have an issue with loving enchiladas too much and then there's the queso (liquid cheeeeeese!!) so limiting my Tex Mex intake is for the best. 

The #6 Combo

Taco C serves some of the best Tex Mex I've had since moving  to Dallas.  And did I mentioned that it's a fast food restaurant?!  This little factoid makes the food even better because it's completely unexpected.  Plus , you can order margaritas there!!!  So ridiculous.

Tonight's hangover helper was chicken street tacos and queso.  Heavenly, unlike my lingering headache.

Bridal Industry Rant- Part 1

Aside from the fact that I could dedicate a boring blog to ranting about the wedding industry as a whole, I still feel compelled to share this weird ad that I saw the other day.   

Really?  Would this really be doing them a favor?

I'm creeped out when I see models in wedding gowns who looks like child brides. It just seems weird to me to have girls who should be in prom dresses selling bridal outfits. Not only does it make me feel old, but, well, I guess it just makes me feel old.

These bridesmaids ads should make me more comfortable than the kindergarten brides but their pouty expressions make me uncomfortable since they can't be older than 15. I get it, bridesmaids can certainly be younger sisters, cousins, etc but I just don't get why this brand couldn't have picked older, more age appropriate models to represent their line of dresses. 

I guess I should close this blog with saying that I can't pretend I don't think these dresses are a little bit cute.. I feel like a hypocrite saying that, but come on!  They're flowy and pretty even if I'm not enamored with their ads.

Egg Nog = Egg Ew

While watching Elf tonight, Evan learned that I have never had egg nog before.  I know, I know, it's bizarre.  But the idea of the nog has always grossed me.  I'd rather opt for the peppermint schnapps or the hot chocolate than this creamy white drink.

Anyways, Evan immediately grabbed his coat and ran out to Walgreens at 10pm to pick up some egg nog for me to try.  Adorable!  How thoughtful! 

The nog is not my friend

HOW GROSS!!!!

Egg nog is not for me.. even when you add rum to the mix.  I tried adding cinnamon too with no luck.  I just don't understand what the appeal is here, can anyone explain it to me?  Buddy the Elf??  Are you out there?  Barf.

The Texas State Fried Fair

There are so many things to be said about the annual Texas State Fair that these pictures could speak for themselves.  In a nutshell, this month-long event brings out the finest from the Lone Star State, including more fried foods than I typically eat in a year. 

First we tried the fried grilled cheese, which was insanely disgusting and delicious, all at the same time. 

Crusty gooey fried grilled cheese!

Then there was the fried guacamole, which was upsetting. I should have anticipated the texture being strange, but the fried ball of guac were squishy and the mixture inside was not my favorite.  Innovative?  Yes!  But will not be returning to that stand next year?  No, I'll save my calories for a corn dog.

The guac-strosity

And finally, there were fried s'mores which were so delicious that there was no time to take a picture. 

So not only was there a plethora of food to eat, but the exhibits were as ridiculous as the fried bubblegum (which we didn't go near, ew).  The indoor butter sculpture was kind of amazing.  It was too big to fit in one frame but you can see that this cow is literally life sized and carved out of butter.  If you have some time on your hands, google butter sculpting.  There's a whole underworld there that's frightening... and awesome, like hoarders.

That's a lot of butter

You know what the best part is?  The opening weekend of the 2012 State Fair coincides with our wedding!  Hopefully some of our guests will be able to enjoy the fair before the festivities take place and we take the plunge.

7th Grade Is Cool Again

A huge part of my 7th grade social life was spent celebrating bar and bat mizvahs.  This meant awkward braces, bad hair and forced couples dances.  Most of these events were over the top, almost like mini weddings, and there were always these dancers that came with the DJ to help drum up excitement and get the weird middle-schoolers dancing. 

One of the more ridiculous activities was the snowball dance, which started with a couple, usually the 13 year-old of honor and a boyfriend/girlfriend slow dancing.  That couple broke off and partnered up with two different people, then split off again and again until most of the room was involved in uncomfortable slow dancing.   It was like being picked for the kickball team in gym class, but so much worse.

And athough I don't hope for a lot of things to come back from the late 90's, I did stumble upon these gems the other day online- shrugs!

They're back!

Does anyone else remember these?  Shrugs are like pseudo cardigans that were big back then, along with platforms, and they were the perfect solution for covered shoulders which were required for synagogue.  They're like the cardigan's cooler cousin that is better fitting and perfect for going out.  It's funny how things like this come around again- what's next, Juicy track suits?

Things That Make Me Happy

Just before I got my new laptop in October, one of my all time favorite people came to visit- Kath!  It was wonderful to have her in town and I was delighted that we were able to explore Dallas together.  We went to a lot of artsy places that I hadn't visited yet and lucky for us, it was a special artsy day where special artsy people got to visit special artsy museums for free!

Romantic day with Kath

We went to a festival with flowers and dogs dressed up in Halloween costumes, walked on water, saw live music, drank wine by water fountains, visited the Nasher Sculpture Garden, the Dallas Museum of Modern Art and other fantastic places downtown.  The only thing that could have rounded out our fantastic dork fest was a visit to the library.

Turns out, few things make me happier than a warm sunny day spent exploring a new city with one of my best friends.  And now, I can add small dogs in funny costumes to that list too.

Dogs dressed like bumble bees!

The Kessler

Since starting my new job I've had the opportunity to do and see some really interesting things.  Being on this side of the Marketing business is completely different and challenging in it's own way.  One of the things that I secretly relish in is the chance to sit in on the 'big meetings' that I was never privy to in my old position.

At last week's 'big meeting', I even got the chance to present, which threw me back to my middle school days when I thought I was meant to be on stage (hint, I wasn't).  I've always been a big fan musical theatre and sadly I was not blessed with the voice, dancing ability or acting skills necessary to the stage. 

Granted, that didn't stop me from embarrassing myself on stage in The Wiz, Bye-Bye Birdie, Fiddler or high school choir productions, but it was always from the safety of a large group also known as the chorus. 

But this time, instead of getting stuck in a peasant costume with neon yellow pit-stains, I got to wear my own clothes on stage at the Kessler Theatre in Dallas.

The Kessler, where dreams come true

The last time I was on stage, I was participating in a sorority pageant, which is another story that I certainly won't be sharing here. But for those of you who were there, this was a little bit more glorious... mostly because I wasn't dressed like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz.

And regardless of how small this stage was (which I assure you, it was small), I felt like I was fulfilling one of those sad childhood dreams at the meeting which definitely wasn't on the formal agenda.  Long live the Kessler!

Getting In The Spirit

It's tough to get into the Christmas spirit when it's in the 50's and 60's in December.  We cut down a tree when we were in CT this year which usually helps kick off the season and it was even warm there!  I feel like I can't escape this warm weather (what a problem to have).

Hair's gotta look good, even at the farm

So when we got back to Dallas I decided I needed to take it upon myself to get in the spirit.  It was red lipstick on Friday that really got me in the groove of celebrating the holiday and I decided, it was time to decorate!  Could it have been the champagne laced martini talking?  Probably. 

We don't have anything other than the ornaments Mrs. Boyer gives us for Christmas each year so I had to start from scratch to get our apartment looking like it was December.  Mind you, we still haven't turned the heat on, but I digress. 

Off to Big Lots we went, in search of inexpensively priced decor, and alas!  I think we found some good ones.  I also looked into some DIY ideas on Real Simple and found some clever, less expensive ways to bring St. Nick into your living space. 

Let the love light glow

I would love to know how you're all getting ready for the most wonderful time of the year.  But most importantly, I hope you're enjoying it with loved ones and Christmas cookies!