Weekend on the Water (and with Harry Potter ;)

SUCH a great weekend!  Our friends Avery and Luke were in town so I got to play hostess J.  This was amazing for two reasons; One- I LOVE LOVE LOVE when people come visit and entertaining (hint to anyone reading this!) and Two- it forced me to get unpacked last week ;)  They didn’t come in until Saturday so Friday night I convinced Patrick to go see the final Harry Potter with me - such a good fiancé! ;) It was a little easier to twist his arm, however, when I explained that we’d be seeing the show at the Alamo Draft house.  The Alamo is a chain of movie theaters in Austin that double as a bar/restaurant.  Between each row of theater seats is an aisle for servers to move between and in front of the seats is a wooden counter/bar.  So before and throughout the movie, you can order whatever drinks you’d like from their full service bar and/or food from their pretty extensive menu!  For some of the bigger movies (like Harry) they even have special event menus with food and drink items associated with the film – yes they were serving Butterbeer!  Check out the menu on the link below to see.  Once Patrick realized he could eat and drink beer while watching, it wasn’t too difficult to convince him to go with me. 

http://drafthouse.com/austin/south_lamar/Lamar_our_chef_menu/

Saturday we went with Luke, Avery and another couple Kacey and Kyle to kayak on Lady Bird Lake.  This is not an actual lake, but a huge river that runs through the middle of the city and extending outward from the middle of downtown.  There are several entry points to the water at which you can rent kayaks, paddle boats, or paddle boards.  $15 will get you a kayak for two for an hour and you can bring your own cooler as well if you so choose.  We ended up spending two hours paddling down the river and looking at the magnificent houses boarding it, sometimes getting a great arm workout, sometimes just floating along.  There are rope swings and little cliffs you can kayak out to and play on as well.  The best part is that there are literally people out enjoying this aspect of Austin All. The. Time.  Seriously, anytime you drive over the bridge into the city you will always see people out taking advantage of the gorgeous scenery and jumping in the water to cool off. 

After the lake, we went out to dinner and hit up several bars downtown.  The best thing about the nightlife in Austin is the abundance of rooftop bars and patios and naturally, the weather that allows you to enjoy them.  It’s definitely hot during the day, but the lack of humidity at night means that after dark, it’s perfect weather to enjoy being outside while out with friends.  Sunday we walked to brunch, discovered an old fashioned candy/soda shop with a generous serving ice cream for $2.17 (also within walking distance), and headed to Barton Springs for a little more sun and cooling off in the water (which is chilly!).  Grilling out that night was the end to a perfect weekend.  I made some (pretty amazing) white sangria too, recipe is below if interested. 

1 bottle of White Wine (Pinot Grigio)

½ C. Peach Schnapps

¼ C. Sugar

¼ C. Sprite

¼ C. Vodka

Cut up mango, peaches, and half grapes.

Prep: Stir all ingredients together, toss in fruit and let chill for several hours or overnight.  Add additional sprite or vodka/water to taste (depending on how strong or how sweet you like your sangria).  Serve over ice… and enjoy the fruit!

~Puppies and Produce~

We're here!  We left Charlotte last Sunday and drove three days, arriving in Austin Tuesday.  Since then, it’s been hectic!  There’s been a lot going on with the movers coming with only half of our items, unpacking, and starting to explore our neighborhood and city while also taking care of our new puppy! 

Sadie: 

10 weeks old, 16.8lbs, and the cutest dog I have ever seen.  I know I’m biased, but she is absolutely adorable.  We picked her up before even getting to Austin because I couldn’t wait any longer to see that sweet face.  She was born in Troy, Texas which is in the middle of absolutely nowhere and was part of a litter of 11.  Immediately sweet and cuddly in the car, we thought that maybe the transition from her farm to our house would be seamless…  NOT the case.  The first night she cried allll night long, whined when she saw her reflection in the oven because she thought it was her sister that she missed, and wouldn’t eat.  But since then, she’s gotten better every day, and now has a routine where she goes out around 2 or 3 a.m., and then wakes up at 6 a.m. and other than that sleeps through the night.  I think she is going to be high energy but she is so loving and follows one of us around everywhere we go.  She knows her name, and yesterday we discovered treats at this local dog store that she will do anything for!  We also had her first vet visit yesterday and she was incredibly well behaved.  I also realized if we ever have daughters, we are in trouble because Sadie is a total Daddy's girl and has Patrick wrapped around her little paw (he is sitting next to me with her and just told her that "Every day is Natinal Sadie puppy day because she is the most beautiful puppy ever" ha!  After 5 days, we already see her as such a gift, and are completely in love with her.

Whole Foods: 

We went here yesterday and I have to blog about it.  For those who don’t know, Whole Foods was started in Austin and the flagship store is in the middle of downtown.  Patrick and I went yesterday and it is simply awesome.  I have never seen a more beautiful, upscale, enormous grocery store!  They have produce you wouldn’t believe, each section of fresh poultry, meat, or seafood is bigger than all three combined at a normal grocery store.   They also have two cheese sections with wheels of every kind of cheese imaginable behind the counter.  There are counters scattered throughout the store (I counted 4 and I couldn’t even take everything in) with ready to eat items (vegetarian? There’s a counter with all white bean and spinach salads, quinoa, veggie and gluten free lasagna).  There is an olive bar with 20 types of olives to pick from.  Fill your own container stations with various types of nut butters (peanut, almond, cashew you name it) and olive oils and vinegars so you can pick your size and try away.  Spices I’ve never even heard of.  Two separate wine tasting stations and a huge selection to chose from (including racks of eco-friendly wines and local wines from Texas).  A desert bar where you can select truffles, candy covered apples, anything chocolate covered from their chocolate fountain they have running.  It is truly insane and somewhat overwhelming! 

Adding to the greatness of this Whole Foods is that they also serve food here at three different sections throughout the store.  I saw sections serving sandwiches and salads and sections serving amazing looking pasta dishes, you can come here for lunch or dinner and have a variety of options to choose from.  There are bars at the sections as well and one main bar in the middle of the store.  All were PACKED!  We were there on a Friday around 5:45 and it seemed like the place to be, tons of people enjoying their happy hour at the grocery store… amazing.  There is a section made to be a coffee bar like setting as well, where several people were finishing up their workdays on their laptops and sipping lattes or smoothies.

All in all, I’d say we’re going to love this city.  We’re slowly but surely getting everything unpacked (all of our stuff didn’t fit on one truck which we didn’t find out until the day before the truck got here so the rest of our things arrived Monday – the movers have been the low point of this move).  Our house is starting to look like a home; we adore our new addition to the family, and can’t wait to explore more!  A friend of mine from college and her fiance moved here recently too and they're coming over before we go to dinner tonight so hopefully I'll get everything else unpacked today and will upload pics of the house soon.  Have a fabulous weekend everyone!

Productivity + Creativity = A Fabulous Weekend

Condo is rented, house is rented and the movers are coming FRIDAY!!! 

One of the things I've really enjoyed the past few weekends is being able to take the time to enjoy them!  We're usually on the go so much that weekends consist of traveling somewhere, so it's been nice to be able to take the time and have a laid back, long dinner on the deck with friends like we did on Friday, take a yoga class, and still have two full days to get things done (PACKING!) that we need to.

Last night, I went to the Wine Palette in Noda.  What an awesome, creative business!  Every session features a different painting and artist.  Customers can bring in whatever food and beverage of choice that they’d like and the receive hands on help from the artist of the painting.  Wine Palette provides all canvases and paints, you just show up with your bottle of wine and ready to paint!  Last night, the painting was of the bridge at Freedom Park.  Freedom Park is definitely one of my favorite places in Charlotte and I’ll definitely miss running there when we move. For $25, this is such a fun alternative girls night that is also a perfect memory to take with me to Austin!

Patrick also got creative this weekend and stained our once light wood coffee table to a dark, cherry color and added new hardware.  It's a gorgeous coffee table that was his parents previously and we have been wanting to stain it darker to match our other furniture for some time.  I admit, I was a little skeptical about starting this project when we had so much else to do, but it actually ended up beautiful.  All it took was $40 for the stain and sanding items plus the 4 new pulls on the drawers and a couple of hours of sweat equity.  See below for the before and after pics:

Stressed but Blessed

Disclaimer – if you aren’t in the mood for sappy, don’t read this post! (or just read and roll your eyes all you want).   I am wayyy too emotional today.  Last night all I could think about was the things that I’ll be missing when I move.  Life just keeps getting more hectic the older we get and I feel like it’s hard enough to see people and keep in touch while living in the same city or state, how is it going to be once we move?  I HATE missing out on things and last night was the first time I got sad about it.

Luckily, I have friends that keep me grounded and build me up when I need a boost.  I have the best family in the world too, but they kind of have to love me you know?  The friends I have in my life I am just blessed to have…

A friend who I look to as a friend, a therapist, and an inspiration, because she moved out to New Mexico by HERSELF when she for a few years, which takes independence that I admire.  She’s honest enough to say that “yeah, you’ll end up missing out and it sucks because you literally can’t just go to anything and everything, but the relationship you gain with yourself and the experience you’ll get is completely worth it”.

Another friend, who somehow can verbalize what I’m thinking even if I can’t and who, no matter what kind of mood I’m in or what she’s going through, somehow knows the right thing to say and usually how to make me laugh if I’m crying.  Maybe because she’s known me since we were 14 and that type of connection only comes from over a decade of emotions, events, and experiences.   

A third friend, who is somehow the most blunt person I  have ever been friends with but who is also one of if not the most supportive people I’ve ever met.  Who can make me feel like I am literally super woman even I’m feeling like a failure.  Who I didn’t even know two and a half years ago but who now knows me probably better than the majority of people in my life. 

And a few more who are unfailingly loyal, who are inspiring because they are such strong people, who are just FUN, and who are really some of the best people I know.

To have one of friendships is rare.  To have multiple friendships like this is precious. 

Have a happy Friday, go give your friend(s) a hug, and enjoy the weekend!

~Love to the Queen City~

As excited as I am about our move, I’m feeling some bittersweet emotions as well since we’ll be leaving so many friends and a pretty great city behind.  This weekend definitely made me appreciate Charlotte so this post is dedicated to some fave places and some new things I just discovered… so if you’re here and haven’t already, check out:

The Wine Shop on Park Road Fridays from 4-7

In need of a low key weekend, this seemed like the perfect way to end the work week without getting too crazy.  From 4-7 they offer free wine and cheese tastings.  Some girlfriends and I went up Friday to check it out.

In addition to your tasting, or anytime you are there, they have Self Serve Tasting machines which are so incredibly cool.  I discovered these with my mom earlier this week and here’s how it works.  You put money on a card ($10 minimum) and there are 15 wines in the self serve machine.  Using your card, you can pay to taste (96 cents - $2.00 depending on the bottle), have a half glass (which is more MY idea of a taste!  ) or enjoy a full glass of whatever wines are featured in the tasting machines!  They have high top tables scattered as well so you are able to gather and enjoy your wine for awhile if you’d like.  This is genius!

Brunch at Pewter Rose:

I went here for the first time a few months ago and again Saturday to celebrate a friend’s baby boy coming in August!  Everything on the menu that I’ve sampled is incredible and paired with the double mimosas (you can get normal too if you want… but who doesn’t want the extra champagne?) it’s hard to go wrong. They bring each table butterscotch scones which are as incredible as they sound.  And I can’t resist ordering the Italian omelette every time (Italian sausage, basil pesto, fontina, spinach, and roasted red peppers)- it is to die for, and for a super carb loaded breakfast, they even feature a mash potato omelette! 

Divine Cupcakes and Yogurt Café:

I brought cupcakes from here to the brunch and you must, must go there.  Made fresh daily with no added preservatives, these cupcakes are delish.  Offered in their daily selection are vegan and gluten free options so everyone can enjoy!  They also serve up cake balls (mix of cake and frosting dipped in chocolate) and home-made frozen yogurt with real fruit… you literally can’t go wrong!  And for all of you that pamper your puppy, they even have “doggie delights” and “pupcakes”  Honestly, it cannot get any cuter ;)

Tip: I noticed on their website when looking them up that Monday is Buy one cupcake, get one free… what a perfect cure for case of the Monday’s next week!

~Austin!~

I had every intention of updating this twice a week and I’m already behind!  In my defense, I have been busy J

Over Memorial Day weekend, we went to Austin for the first time to house hunt and explore the city and are now even more excited to move there!  It would be an extremely long post to detail everything we did but let me just say thank GOODNESS that Austin is an active city because with all of the amazing food, you definitely need to stay moving!  Here are a few of the weekend highlights:

Rudy’s BBQ:  This ain’t NC BBQ ya’ll… but it is GOOD!  The line at Rudy's is always long, but it moves quickly and while you’re waiting, you wind past long rows of coolers filled with beer and a variety of soft drinks in glass bottles (why is it that sodas are so much better from a bottle?).  When you get up to the counter, you can order by the lb (or half lb) from brisket, ribs, chicken, turkey, or sausage.  They then pull whatever you order from where it’s been marinating/cooking and slice it then and there.  Served with their signature BBQ sauce, a variety of sides (the creamed corn was amazing), and literally a whole loaf of bread per order, this was unlike any BBQ I’ve ever had and I will definitely be back, and will take everyone who visits there to experience it!

Zilker Park:  this enormous (351 acres!) park is considered Austin’s “most loved park” and it’s easy to see why.  Located literally just outside of downtown, it provides hiking and biking trails, sand volleyball courts, a nine-hole Disc Golf Course, 2 Multi-use Fields, access to Town Lake for canoeing, playgrounds, picnic table and Barton Springs Pool.  About the pool – this is truly awesome!  It’s a natural spring-fed pool with a year-round average temperature of 68 degrees.  The main spring pumps an average of 27 million gallons of water a day!  We were walking around on the park on Memorial Day, so it was swarming with people.  There is even a separate area of the springs below the main area where dogs are allowed!  I definitely see a puppy in our future :) You can see a picture of the scene below with the buildings in the background.

702 Monroe:  a.k.a. our new house!!  We looked at houses in a lot of different areas around Austin which was helpful because we were able to get a feel for how the city and surrounding areas are laid out.  We found the perfect location at this house off of S. Congress.  It’s just under a mile outside of downtown and within walking distance to restaurants, coffee shops, bars, and stores.  It’s also about a fifteen minute walk or five minute bike ride to Zilker Park J  We put in our application and found out yesterday that we were accepted! The house is 3 bedroom/2 bath so we are anticipating visitors!  Front and Back views of the house are below...

~Current Obsessions~

 Some are chaos contributors, others are bringing JOY

~ 3 things that are making me happy~

1)      My attempts at “gardening” (Which means I am successfully growing basil, mint, and cherry tomatoes – hey I’ve got to start somewhere!)  I LOVE fresh herbs but they are expensive to buy and I tend to not use them all since I’m typically only cooking for two.  The basil and mint were pretty easy to grow – you buy, throw in a pot, place in sunlight, and water.  I was a little nervous about the tomatoes because I’ve heard they can be hard to grow but when I got home from out of town last weekend, the little buds sprouted and little tomatoes were on the vines!  I was seriously like a 5 year old, demanding Patrick come see what I’d grown immediately ha.  But it is pretty cool to actually be able to cook with something you’ve grown yourself!

2)      Summertime cocktails ;)  I love cool refreshing drinks that are made for sitting outside somewhere!  Plus, if you go with the two below, they are low cal too, so no worries about sipping while in shorts or on the beach

Two of my faves  - Cheers! 

·         Absolute Ruby Red and diet tonic (or diet soda if you aren’t a tonic person).  The grapefruit flavor scream summertime.  Squeeze a little lime (with tonic) or lemon (with soda) juice and add a sprig of the mint you’re growing to make it pretty ;)

·         Cucumber Martinis: See?  Drinking is good for you!  Muddle (read: mash) a few mint leaves and slices of cucumber with a little sugar (or splenda!) in a cocktail shaker.  Add 2 oz vodka and ¼ oz fresh lemon juice.  Shake shake shake and strain into your glass.  Garnish with a cucumber slice and mint sprig if you’d like!

3)      Hot Yoga:  Holy hotness…I recently got into this because Arrichion Hot Yoga had a groupon in Charlotte (they are still offering a great deal for newbies in Charlotte and Raleigh as an FYI).  I knew it would be a good workout and was looking for something different to get into but I am now obsessed!  They offer a variety of classes including pilates and circuit training as well as yoga and you literally look and feel as though you have jumped into a pool after the class – that is how much you sweat.  It is fantastic.  The classes range in difficulty levels and I’m telling you, the more advanced ones are some of the most intense workouts I think I’ve ever done!  Check them out if you’re in the area!  http://www.arrichion.com/

And the number one obsession that is making me a little crazy:  Trying to sell our house!

Check out the link here for the virtual tour.  It’s definitely a little stressful thinking about the possibility of owning two properties in Charlotte and picking up a rent in Austin.. plus the whole keeping it perfectly clean ALL the time (because you never know when someone will want to drop by for a showing) is hard! 

http://tours.tourfactory.com/tours/tour.asp?t=735602