Best of Instagram, week 5

It’s been a weird weekend.  This is one of those circumstances where shit is going on in REAL life that is simply too sensitive to blog about—the things that make life imperfect, the things that hurt, the things that can’t always be captured in words and pictures.  Do you know what I mean?  One thing I don’t ever want to do here is paint a picture of perfection that doesn’t match my reality, so that’s why I’m telling you that NEWS FLASH: life is hard sometimes.  It’s not always puppies and rainbows, and for anyone else who’s going through some hard stuff, I just want you to know that it’s OK.  We’re all in this together.  You’ll do the right thing, and you’ll be OK.

One of my biggest pet peeves in social media is when others (whether on Facebook, Twitter, or blogs) are cryptic and vague, and here I am being cryptic and vague.  So for that I apologize.  All I can say is that everything really is OK—no one is about to go jump off a cliff or slit their wrists or anything, but I think that sometimes the fibers of life that can be so beautifully intertwined can also become maddeningly knotted.  It’s like when your jewelry all sloshes around in a suitcase for a while and then you find it in a big tangled mess that has to be carefully undone.  I don’t know about you, but sometimes untangling those chains just makes me feel a little like screaming and crying and punching someone in the liver all at once.

But it will be OK. Life is beautiful, and life is good. Even when it’s not.

Now here’s my week in Instagram.  :)  Link up below!

1. Chamomile-vanilla tea… good for the soul.
2. The disaster that was our bedroom while I was filling frames.  I’m fairly certain that this gallery wall will be the death of me (literally—I almost fell off the ladder trying to reach the frames at the top).

3 & 4. On a dinner blate with Ruthie Hart… have you ever laughed AND cried AND felt like the person you just met has been your BFF your whole life?  Me either.  Until this past Wednesday night.  Ruthie, I just adore you and had so much fun at dinner! :)

5. Cupcakes for Matthew’s birthday (which is today!).  I used a cheap Wilson decorating kit with bags and metal tips for the icing, and they turned out SO pretty!
6. Tomato-Basil Parmesan soup… HEAVEN. (but NOT healthy)

7. Something I wore + Gracie face. :)
8. My sweet baby boy. (and his precious ball)

 
9 & 10. Dinner last night for Matthew’s birthday…such a nice evening. :)

Happy Sunday, my friends! It’s gonna be a good week.

 

Another epic “blate”

Last night I had the absolute pleasure of meeting Celine of Starbies and Sangrias, my future fellow Austinite and doctor BFF.  We met at Clive Bar downtown (a really cool spot), and she brought her husband and I brought my mace gun (which I test-fired into the bathtub before I left then proceeded to nearly choke to death on the fumes).  Better safe than sorry.

The below is what happens when you mix a couple of crazy bloggers who just met with a little bit of alcohol (and the Pocketbooth app on the iPhone):

(sorry these are so tiny!  they were too blurry if I made them bigger… boo.)

No but seriously now, here’s a normal, less awkward picture:

Lesson here? Blogger dates are the best. Go on one.

Coffee blate + wish list ideas

representin’ both Nikon and Canon

 

I’m a whole week late on my reporting, but last Sunday I had the honor of meeting Julie, a loyal sponsor and, now, friend in real life. :)  She was the sweetest and funniest, just as she seems on her blog.  Love it when that happens. 

What are you guys up to this Sunday afternoon?  I’ve been working on my letters to Santa this morning, and also burning some time on Pinterest. 

Here’s some awesome stuff on my wish lists this year, in case you’re looking for some ideas for your own!

Expecto Patronum print :)
My favorite luxury bubble bath
This scarf! And this one and this one!
This backpack
This gorg red jade necklace
This necklace too!
This aqua clutch
This salt & pepper shaker (sold out online, but hopefully it can be found in store?)
This iphone case
This wrap-around watch

If you’d like, I’ll continue posting wish-list items occasionally to give you guys ideas!  It’s always nice when someone else does the legwork. :)  Happy Sunday!

Blate Queens

I really didn’t know what to photograph for day 8, “technology,” so I decided to go out on a limb here and and just post pictures from yet another awesome blate* I was a part of yesterday!  Because without technology, us girls below would have never met.  And that would have just been sad.

  Sabrina, Shalyn, me, and Erica

       (dress and belt from TARGET!)

Favorite quotes of the day:

Jenni to Shalyn, who was slightly hungover: “What does it feel like to be hung over?  I’ve never been.”

Shalyn: “Oh, it’s the worst feeling in America!”

Jenni: “The worst feeling in AMERICA? Really?”

(entire table explodes into laughter)

* * *

Shalyn to server: “So the BLT… is that just bacon?”

Server: “Uh, basically it’s bacon, lettuce, and tomato.”

(again, entire table explodes into laughter)

((love you Shalyn!))

* * *

Later, as last picture above is being taken by awesome guy named James, an old man pedals by on his bike and shouts: “It’s like the Beatles, except way sexier!”   :P

* * *

Sabrina flew down from Washington and Erica from Boston, and they’re both staying with Shalyn.  I think that is just the coolest thing EVER, and a testament to the strong relationships that can be built through the amazing technology that is blogging. 

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!

*blate = blog or blogger date, coined by Megan :)

Love at first blate.

Day 3 of the photo challenge is supposed to be clouds, but we Austinites haven’t seen a cloud in days unless you count all the smoke from fires around the city!  It’s been scary y’all.  Thankfully our home isn’t too close to the fires, but we can still see and smell the smoke.  Do a little rain dance for us, will you?

So I guess I’ll skip cloud day and just tell you about the two amazing ladies I met up with for lunch today!  Yes, I had myself another “blate,” and it was amazing.  I swear, people you meet on the Internet are the best. Blogging is like Match.com, except for friendships… if you love the way a person seems on their blog and in emails, etc, chances are very good that person will be just as cool or cooler in person!

I finally met up with the lovely Shalyn from The Nelson Diaries—a blate that has been a long time coming—and Kelly, who doesn’t have a blog you can go stalk (yet), so you’ll just have to take my word for it that she’s the sweetest!

We met at Wahoo’s Fish Tacos, and I brought cupcakes.  Because honestly, there should really be cupcakes present at every blate.  New rule?

Sidenote: I seriously felt like I was in the presence of two living, breathing Barbie Dolls today.  It was awesome.

 Kelly and Shalyn

Me and Kelly

Gorg.

Awwww….

LOVE THIS.

Shalyn, you make me smile!!

   

Don’t you wanna come hang out with us?! 

Happy Wednesday everybody!!

Ruminations on blogs, bloggers, blogging, and blates.

While Matthew and I were on our South America trip a couple months ago, I was asked many times the dreaded “what do YOU do?” question.

I know people are just trying to make conversation, so I don’t hold it against them, but it always makes me a little squirmy to explain that I’m not working right now, despite being educated and perfectly capable of working.  Pretty much the most interesting thing about me is that I have a blog with a somewhat substantial following, so that topic tends to come up in conversations. 

And it is just so darn funny to see the wide range of reactions from people when I tell them about my blog or blogging in general.  I’ll never forget the reaction of one middle-aged gentleman who sat with us at lunch one day on the trip.  His doctor-girlfriend asked me what I do, so I started rambling about not exactly working, though my blog is like a part time job and earns me a tiny (*TINY*) bit of income.

I’ll never forget the look on this guy’s face when I described my blog to him.  His eyes were as wide as pancakes and his jaw just about hit the floor.  His reaction actually sort of startled me!  He was just so shocked that anyone would post photos and personal information about themselves and their lives on the Internet, and he started grilling me about the safety of it all and blah blah blah… it was quite funny.

The thing is, many people just don’t understand what blogging is all about and its potential to entertain, to educate, to generate a little income, to bring people together, and to change lives.  I really believe in this medium, and I will defend it ‘til the end.

I am so fascinated by blogging and the relationships we forge over the Internet.  I really and truly believe that one day it won’t even seem strange to people.  I just met another blogger friend for coffee this morning, and she and I joked about how blogging is kind of like match.com, but for friendships.  The nice thing is, you don’t have to worry about your new friends trying to get in your pants on the first date—or ever (hopefully?).

My experience so far has been that bloggers are just real people, and their blogs are a pretty accurate representation of who they are in “real” life.  Because the Internet, to me, is just an extension of real life.  In fact, it’s more “real” than some of the relationships we deal in every day of our lives! 

So that’s that.  Blogging is awesome.  Bloggers rock.  I will never be ashamed to tell someone I blog somewhat “professionally” (or that’s my goal, at least),  because I have met some truly wonderful people in doing so and have become inspired to be the best version of myself, both personally and professionally, thanks to this wonderful little world on the Internet.

So with that, I leave you with a few pictures from my latest “blate,” with the seriously sweet and BEAUTIFUL Rachel from Guide to Menhattan.  This chick grew up in Austin, lives in NYC, and is about to move to Berlin for a few months.  Drives my point home that bloggers are real and cool and LEGIT.  They just happen to write all about it to “strangers” on the Internet. :)

 

  

Look, Lassie!!  (Actually, his name was Bennett. And he was awesome.)

Doesn’t her smile make YOU want to smile?

Anyway. Happy Hump Day!  Hope all you awesome bloggers and readers of blogs are having a wonderful week! :)

Blate = awesome.

Meeting blogging friends in “real” life is awesome, y’all.  I highly recommend it.  You know why?  Because so far, every blogging friend I’ve met has been exactly how they seem on their blog—maybe even cooler, as was the case with Miss Emily from Em=Me. 

Her and her husband just moved from Chicago to San Antonio, which is splendid because San Antonio is just a little over an hour’s drive from Austin, and I’m there often.  Emily and Nick are also doctors, which is equally splendid, because now I have someone to call when I need guidance on embarrassing health-related matters (don’t worry Emily, I probably won’t even do that… very much).

Anyway, Emily and I met up for pancakes (at Magnolia Pancake Haus, only THE most delicious pancake joint ON PLANET EARTH), and we had SUCH a nice time chit-chatting.  Interestingly, not even all that much of the talk was about blogging. Which is what I LOVE about blog friends.  You already know them, and you have plenty to talk about.

Here are a few pictures from our breakfast!

  Ridiculously pretty, no?

GET IN MA BELLY!!!

Good bloggers always have their cameras. Always.

 

Three things can be deduced from the above photos: 1) Emily is hot, 2) I need to probably NEVER go out in public without wearing three inch heels lest I bump into 5’8 hotties like Emily, and 3) I desperately need a tan. (UPDATE: I took care of that at the pool this weekend. I now look like a lobster. Awesome!)

But seriously, Emily was such a warm and sweet person.  And beautiful to boot.  I’ll take another blate, please. :)

You guys do anything fantabulous this weekend??

Happiest of Mondays to you.

Five Things About This Weekend.

There must be a million thoughts swirling through my head today… happy thoughts.  Hopeful thoughts.  Full of love thoughts.

This weekend was just so darn nice.  Here’s why:

1. Saturday morning Matthew and I went down to South Congress for a little photo shoot (because exciting things are happening on this little blog tomorrow – stay tuned!).  I was really concerned by the photography skills (or lack thereof) that Matthew has demonstrated in the past, but after a short lesson and with the aid of some awesome backdrops on quirky SoCo, I am happy to report that the pictures are GOOD.

2. Saturday afternoon I met Allison from The Blogivers for a little coffee date (remember how we randomly met twice in the same day a couple weeks back and decided that the Universe wanted us to be friends?).  Well, the Universe was on to something.  We talked and laughed for THREE HOURS STRAIGHT yesterday – so much so that I actually started going hoarse.  Which *AHEM* I’m sure is no indication of how much time I actually spend talking to real-life non-virtual people.

But seriously, it’s just so nice when you click with someone.  Here’s Allison’s cute little pregnant self:

3. Saturday night Matthew and I had dinner at Moonshine Bar & Grill, and we both agreed that it was one of the very best meals we’d had in a long time.  You could tell that the food was prepared and served with pride, and it was an overall NICE experience. Love it when that happens.

4. This morning we met my mom and Edd for breakfast at the beautiful Mansion at Judges’ Hill, and I couldn’t help but think about how much I love my family.  Edd has lost all of his hair now thanks to three weeks of radiation, and for the first time, he actually looks like a cancer patient. 

That sucks, of course, but it has been lovely to watch my family come a little closer together thanks to all of this.  Something beautiful can always come out of something ugly. Always.

5. Story of My Life has a new sponsor! I hope you’ll check out FLOW Designs.  Personally? I’m obsessed.  Here’s a few of the drool-worthy (and inexpensive!!) items sold at this lovely little shop:

 

Dear Real Life Friends and Family:

Easter is coming up, which is the perfect occasion to buy me a gift. And anything from FLOW would be awesomeballs.  Just throwin’ that out there.

That’s all for now folks. Hope your weekend wraps up nicely, and your new week is full of happy little surprises.  Like the one happening here, tomorrow. In case you already forgot.

Y’all come back now, ya hear? ;)