Five on Friday

Happy Friday y'all!  As always, thanks to the hosts a.liz adventures, carolina charm, hello! happiness and the good life blog!

{one}
My sister is coming to visit this weekend!  I have no idea what we'll be doing, but I'm seeing some pool time, perhaps the park (she's bringing her puppy!), rose drinking and I'm dying to eat at Easy Tiger again!

{two}
I'm dying to spend a little $$ on some new summer clothes, but I'm trying to have a little bit of self-control since I've got an upcoming trip to New Orleans.  BUT I'm LOVING this dress from Loft {as well as everything else they currently have -- random fact:  if I could have any store be my closet, it would be Loft!}:

{pic from loft.com}

{three}
So all of my plants on my porch have died.  Yep, it's so sad and didn't even want to bother with a photo.  I think it's mostly because I only get morning sun, and these plants need more than that.  I'm hopeful in a couple of years when I'm not living in an apartment (or one that has more sunlight), I'll have better luck!

{four}
What's on your reading list?  I've got about 50 pages left in The Goldfinch -- which I HIGHLY recommend -- and I have no clue what to read next!  I've also read Where'd You Go Bernadette and I also HIGHLY recommend it!

{five}
Last night I went to see The Grand Budapest Hotel at an Austin-favorite theater, Violet Crown. Anywhere I can go to eat popcorn and drink rose at the same time is a winner in my book! But back to the movie -- sometimes Wes Anderson can be a little out there for me, but this one was so fabulous!  Laugh out loud funny in some parts!  It's now out to rent on iTunes or On Demand -- add it to your weekend to-do's!

Have a great weekend! xo!

Weekend Update

I know I say this every Monday, but where did the weekend go? The rain is coming here in Austin, which would make this the perfect day to finish watching Season 2 of Orange is the New Black, but here I am at my desk instead. :)

Friday:

After leaving work I came home then grabbed dinner at a favorite Mexican restaurant, Maudie's, before coming home to begin Season 2 of OITNB!

Saturday:

It was a slow start to the morning but around noon we headed to a lakeside bar for lunch and watch the Longhorns take on Houston in the NCAA Super Regionals! I love the Bevo Teas (think Texas Tea but with a little orange served in a giant mason jar. You only need one and you're basically set for the day. I still think they're wonderful but that may be because I didn't get my share of them in college since I didn't attend UT :)) All in all, it was a successful lunch because UT is going to Omaha! 

(Accidental filter on Scott's phone-does anyone know how that happens??)

Then it was time to go watch Scott's boss play in the championship match in his tennis league. It was way hot (I've got an awesome sunburn/tan line to prove it) but so fun! Unfortunately he didn't win, but it defnintely inspired me to pick up my racket again! I wonder if those lessons I had as a child will come back easily like riding a bike? We will find out!

We closed the evening having dinner at Takoba with Scott's old roomie and his girlfriend. She even brought her 4 month old black lab, Dixie! We had a blast catching up and are now in the midst of planning a summer getaway to Fredericksburg. Can't wait for wine tours and now distillery tours, too!

Sunday:

We were up in time for church, and then ran some typical Sunday errands. Afterwards I wish I could say we were productive but it was more watching OITNB (we are only 6 episodes through the season and I hear it only gets better!) and making dinner at home before it was Game of Thrones time!

Have a great week!

Five on Friday

Hey hey! Happy Friday y'all!  As always, thanks to the hosts a.liz adventures, carolina charm, hello! happiness and the good life blog!

{one}

The X-Games have arrived in Austin!  They set up last night's ramp one block from my office, but right in front of Scott's!  He and some other offices in his building had a get together on the top floor with the balcony to watch!  Luckily there was also a TV because you had to literally look straight down.  No, thanks.  I had someone else take these for me because I was afraid I'd somehow fall over the railing that came up to my shoulder. Logical, I know.  It was fun catching up with some of our close friends and even work people I don't see very often!  That is the extent of my X-Games participation though...

{love the view from the top floor of his office.  it never gets old!}

{two}

I'm looking forward to a quiet weekend!  A little pool, perhaps? {summer is definitely here, it has hit 95* and no telling what it actually feels like with the humidity.}  Texas is hosting Houston in Austin for one of the NCAA Super Regional, so I hope to make an appearance at one of the games!  Definitely rooting for Texas since Baylor unfortunately didn't make it that far this year.

{last weekend's pool party.  I'm LOVING the Ban.do products lately.  They're so fun and girly -- perfect for summertime!}

{three}

So remember when I planted that little flower garden on my porch?  Yeah, it all died.  Scott's sister, Morgan, noticed when we were pooling it up last weekend and showed up at my front door Sunday afternoon with new plants to plant!  She made sure they were a little more heat resistant!  One is a hibiscus and I'm not sure what the other two are -- one has pretty pink flowers and the other ivy looking plant has pretty blue/purple ones.  Once they both start blooming, I'll take an updated pic!  I'm hopeful these stay alive a little bit easier, although I'm wondering if it's because I only have morning sun and it has been overcast in the mornings the last 2 weeks. Trial and error!  By the time I have my own house, maybe I will have a green thumb!

{four}

So y'all know I'm obsessed with Game of Thrones.  To let you know, I have caught up and nearly had a heart attack at the end of last week's episode.  I've also heard from 3 people that the books are AMAZING.  Adding them to my already long list of books to read!  But, this was floating around in the internet today.  Peter Dinklage's{aka Tyiron Lannister} high school yearbook photo.  Holy, mullet!  But this totally made my day!  Whether you watch Game of Thrones or not, I'm sure you've seen him in something {South Pole Elf, perhaps? ha!} so I hope you enjoy that as much as I did!

{five}

It wouldn't be a Five on Friday without mentioning theSkimm!  We all need to know top US & world stories, but sometimes don't have the time to browse the news. So why not get them in a quick, smart and witty morning email?  You won't regret it and I guarantee it will be your new morning obsession!  Sign up today!  

Five on Friday

Hey hey! Happy Friday! I'm very thankful the long weekend has arrived!  As always, thanks to the hosts a.liz adventures, carolina charm, hello! happiness and the good life blog!

{one}

I had work meetings in Dallas all day, but on our way back Southbound 35, my boss suggested we stop at Baylor for a walk around campus so we don't hit Austin traffic. I was more than happy to give him a tour-being back there always brings back such great memories! I also stocked up on some new Baylor shirts and accessories. I realized I haven't updated my Baylor wardrobe since college!

{two}

One of my favorite parts of spring is the tree that blooms right in front of my apt window.  It only lasts a couple of weeks but it's one of my favorite parts of spring! I love the pink blooms which looks even more gorgeous against the cloudless blue sky we had this week!

{three}

Speaking of blooms, I've stocked up on some fresh flowers this week! Randalls and Trader Joe's had some good deals including two of my absolute favorite blooms-hydrangeas and peonies! Only one peony is blooming now-last time I bought them before blooming, they just died. Keeping my fingers crossed this time around goes a bit better!

{four}

For my Texas friends, don't forget to go vote in the primary run-off election! It's definitely a big one that will change the direction of our state for our kids and future grandkids. Tuesday is Election Day and you can find your voting location here! Doesn't matter how you believe the direction of our state should go, just go vote! Same message to those of you in other states--I promise your vote matters!!

{five}

Here's my weekly theSkimm pitch! If your looking for a witty and quick way go read the days top stories, sign up here today! I guarantee you will not be disappointed--it will be your new morning addiction!  Sign up here!  

Have a fabulous Memorial Day weekend! xo!

Munich!

And we've finally arrived at the third and final installment of Eurotrip 2014 {read part 1, London, and part 2, Amsterdam}

Our final destination of the trip was Munich.  I WANT TO GO BACK SO BADLY!  I wish we had decided to stay there an extra day -- although I think we made a good decision to fly back on Saturday instead of Sunday to give us a day to rest before returning to work.

Munich is AMAZING -- there's still SO much I wanted to see!  But first....the train ride of a lifetime that will never be happening again.  For those of you that have had great overnight train travel through Europe experiences...congratulations!  Honestly, our experience wasn't that bad, definitely could have been worse, but it just wasn't at all what we had expected.

We left Amsterdam around 8:30pm as the only people on the sleeper section of the train.  It was a bit eerie, but we had some fun taking photos and being goofy.  There was no wi-fi -- which sounds so first-world problem of me to say -- but we wanted to watch some Netflix to pass the time!  We were keeping our fingers crossed we didn't have to share our cart with anyone else.  About an hour into it and the final stop in the Netherlands, a young man around our age joined us.  We lucked out -- he was extremely nice and chatted with us for a while.  He had missed his flight to Austria for work and decided to just take the train instead.  He and Scott grabbed some beers and I continued to hole up on my top bunk terrified to leave it {although I was sucked into the end of Where'd You Go, Bernadette -- I HIGHLY recommend it. It's a quick, witty read.  Great for summer poolside.}  As we reach the German border, a lady around our age as well joined us to make 4 close-quartered sleeping buddies for the night.  She was also very nice and she translated for us as the train conductors spoke in German and the border patrol came around to check our passports.  Sleep that night was touch and go -- the train would slam to a stop at every stop, and the bunks were so tiny -- at 5'3" even I was too tall.  Some genius at 3am decided to smoke which then set off the fire alarm causing the train to slam to a stop.  So that was fun.  We finally arrived in Munich around 7:30am. After saying our goodbyes to our bunk-mates, we grabbed a cab to our hotel, Ambiance Rivoli.  It was a bit out of the city, but was right next to a subway stop -- only 4 stops from the center of the city -- and was very nice.  Since it was too early to check-in {although I was in desperate need of a power nap and a shower} we walked down to a cafe and grabbed some coffee and a little bit of breakfast.  The hotel was kind enough to hold our luggage while we waited.  Around 10:30am, we checked into our room and immediately took an hour nap.  Then it was time to freshen up and grab some lunch!  Since we only had one day to really explore Munich, we took the subway down to Marienplatz, Munich's town center, to wander around.  We grabbed lunch at a really popular looking restaurant -- which turns out was famous as the table of Americans next to us informed us.  The day couldn't have been more perfect.  The sky was bluer than I had ever seen it, the sun was shining and the temp in the low 70's.  After filling up on beer, sausage and the best potato salad ever -- we walked around and did some shopping.  This area had everything from H&M's all the way to the typical designer stuff I could never afford {at least in this year of my life!}.  We also saw some amazing architecture.

After an afternoon of wandering, we ventured back to the hotel to freshen up for an evening of beergarden tours.  Earlier, while we were waiting for our room to be ready, I was reading all the fun, touristy brochures in the lobby.  I found one that takes you to 4 out of the ordinary beergardens around Munich -- and for only 15 euro a person.  I finally convinced Scott that we should go -- and it turns out that it was one of the highlights of the entire trip!

We met the group at the train station around 6pm.  Our guide was Martin -- a German guy in his early 20s. The rest of the group included 3 students from Wisconsin, a couple from New Zealand and another girl from New Zealand that had just moved to Europe {after living in the states for a while, she decided we worked too hard...} and another girl from Canada that was studying in Europe.  We grabbed our first beer -- a roadie -- and sipped on it while traveling to the first beergarden.  In Germany, you can walk around with beer -- even take it on the subway {although you can't drink it while the train is moving} -- so that made this tour very convenient.  The first stop was at Paulaner -- they sell this in the states, too.  It was so good and I've become a huge fan of all hefeweizen beers!  We had a blast talking with others about our different cultures and just random quirks we all have from all over the world.  The next 3 stops are a bit fuzzy..as you can tell from the photos - and these below are the most normal looking of all.  The beers were great and the company was great -- we all loved each other by the end.  While traveling to the final stop on the train, our guide was telling us to all stay together.  Scott, trying to take charge, raises his hand to gather the group.  Martin, our guide, walks over and says, "we haven't done that since '45." and we all die laughing awkwardly.  Martin also informed us that the tour was supposed to be over at 10pm -- and it was already 10:30pm. We hadn't even made it to the final destination, which made us a pretty fun group and it was time he could start drinking with us.  I kindly gave him my jager shot and half of my beer to close out the night.  After almost 4 liters of beer, I couldn't {and didn't} need anymore!  I'm not usually a big drinker these days -- but I let loose and whoaaaaa did I feel it the next day!  Scott and I left around 11pm and while it was a bit spotty back to the hotel, but we managed to make it safe and sound.

The next morning when we finally decided to move, we went to rent a car to drive out to the Alps to visit Neuschwanstein.  Scott had a blast driving on the autobahn and I took in the scenery.  It was GORGEOUS!  About an hour and a half later, we finally arrived {after figuring out how to turn our GPS from German to English...} -- unfortunately tours were done for the day but the bus was still running up the hill for photos and to walk around the outside of the castle.  It was seriously breathtaking up there.  I can't even put it into words.  If you go, make sure to wear comfy shoes.  Flats were fine, but I wish I had worn some running shoes -- there were some fun looking trails to explore!  We took the bus up, but decided to walk the mile down the hill.  Again, it was just breathtaking.

One of the contract workers in my office grew up on the US Army base near Munich and used to vacation in that area so she told us about this little ski town {Garmisch-Partenkirchen} nearby that we HAD to go check out.  So we decided to drive through there on our way back.  The road took us on the border road between Germany and Austria and straight through the mountains.  Again, no words.  Gorgeous.  The town was adorable, too, but we decided to keep trekking back to Munich to eat at the famous Hofbrauhaus.   

After returning the rental car, we made it to dinner.  The Hofbrauhaus place is HUGE!  We enjoyed the live music as we searched for a table that we finally found in the very back room -- randomly right by the Wisconsin students from our group the night before!  We found out that everyone had stayed up until 3am {um, what?  I could barely function at 11pm....} although they couldn't recall too many details, ha.  We ate pretzels, sausage, potato salad and drank more beer until we couldn't anymore. 

By that time, we headed back to the hotel to gather our things to leave bright and early for the flight back to the states.

Eurotrip 2014 was a complete success and I absolutely cannot wait to plan our next trip back -- Italy, France, Spain??  The list is too long!

Five on Friday

Hey y'all!  Happy Friday!  As always, thanks to the hosts a.liz adventures, carolina charm, hello! happiness and the good life blog!  

{one}
After a long week with something to do every night this week, I'm looking forward to a relaxing Friday night catching up on laundry and the season finales of most of my favorite shows.  Preparing to cry during the Grey's Anatomy finale {yep, I most definitely still watch it!} as Cristina leaves!  The rest of my weekend consists of some fun family time and enjoying the warm sunshine weather before it gets too hot!

{two}

One of the highlights of this week was getting to go to the Governor's mansion for the first time!  It was a small gathering for his A&M scholarship fund, but I was just excited to see what the inside looked like!  It was very pretty -- but just as you'd expect from an old historic building.  As we were first arriving, his new puppy was running around the yard and he was having to go get it to bring it back into the house.  It made me laugh at how normal he actually is!  You forget these things sometimes.  The puppy was adorable, too!

{three}

I finished my Junior League of Austin provisional year!  It was definitely a crazy busy year, but I've learned so much about our community and the programs we help with.  I can't wait until the fall as my placement begins with the Sustainable Food Center.  I'll be working the tasting booth at their farmer's market Saturday mornings!  I get to gather samples from all the booths and let the shoppers have a taste of all the different products -- which means I'll also get to do some sampling. :)  Looking forward to doing some shopping myself and having fresh fruits and veggies all year!

{four}

Did you participate in theSkimm day yesterday?  If not, you still can!  Sign up here!

As someone that works in PR, I tend to focus on state and my client's industry news -- this is the perfect way to read all about what is going on in the US & the world in a smart, quick and witty way.  

Ryan Gosling wants you to.  

{five}

I spent a little too much time this week taking Buzzfeed quizzes.  Those things suck you in! Here are a few of my faves:

Which Mario Kart Character Should You Actually Play With?  (Wario)

Which Hunger Games District Do You Belong In?  (District 10...)

Which Game of Thrones Character Are You?  (Daenerys Targaryen.  Duh.)

Which London Underground Station Are You?  (Camden Town -- can't say I've been to that stop before!)

Which TV Friend Group Do You Belong In?    (How I Met Your Mother.  I guess I should add that to the list of shows to start watching!)


Have a great weekend!