Just Being Real

Can we be real for a minute here? Only a minute. And only because I think it's necessary to be really real sometimes.

So just for a minute, I need to be real about New York City. And Texas. And me.

I have not lived in New York for a full year now. Translation: I have now lived in Texas again for a full year. One year. An eternity - like I never left at all. But at the same time, only a second - like I keep waiting to wake up and head back to life in NYC.

It feels like a lifetime and a different girl ago. Is that a thing?

Leaving New York was tough. Like heart-hurting, breaking-up, am-I-making-the-biggest-mistake-of-my-life tough. I love that city. With my whole heart. I loved my five years living there. Every minute (even the hard ones). I am the girl I am today because of that city. As much as Texas made me, New York City shaped me.

I am completely confident that it was my time to leave New York when I did and head back home to the south. I wasn't prepared for how hard it would be. Or the amount of time it would take me to fully adjust. In some ways, I still haven't.

But then there's Dallas. And oh Dallas has quite grown on me. I love my apartment with BFF, Lindsey. I love my very own bathroom. And my crazy big closet that fits all seasons of clothes and all my shoes at once. It is magical. I love lounging by our pool on any given lazy weekend. I love all of the new friends I have made here. And by some blessing of the Lord, I have made more than a few.

I love that I see my family as often as I like...which quite honestly is sometimes once a week. And usually so daddy can make me weekend breakfast. I love that I can meet my sister for lunch or take a day off work to go antiquey treasure hunting with mom. I love that I can hang out with my brother and his cutie family any time I feel like swinging by their place. I love that my niece looks forward to our girly play dates and that I'm not watching my nephew grow up through pictures. I especially love that I have been here through every step of my sister's pregnancy. It's different when it's your sister. It just is.

I am happy in Texas. I very much love it here. And I loved Texas before I loved New York. Maybe I loved it even more when I was still in New York - just out of principle.

So all this to say....sometimes I have moments when I miss New York and my old life so terribly that it hurts. But those moments are fewer and fewer the longer I am gone. I worry that I will forget. And that New York City will forget me.

But then I read things like this subway poster on the un-ordinary-ness of New York. Words that so fully embody the spirit of the City that I'm overwhelmed with nostalgia. I can almost feel the woosh of the train on the subway platform, hear the taxi horns on the streets, see the city lights out my window.

Can't argue, New York City is no ordinary city. And I'm reminded that for five years, it was mine.

Even though I've adjusted to being a full time Texan again, I was a New Yorker for a season. And sometimes I miss it.

So that's just me. Being real.

Longhorn Love

Longhorn Network FTW!





Raise your hand if your desktop photo on your work computer also features the tower? Lit up in all its orange glory? Just me? Oh.

Thanks for sending this, Andrea!   :)

birthday week + smink surprises!

with a summer bday right before the 4th of july, it's usually tricky to get all my friends together for big celebrations. instead, i usually opt for dinner, or drinks or brunch. or some combination of those.

this year was no different. this year i planned a small lil birthday brunchy with some of the girls. we went to breadwinners uptown. (it's on my dallas brunchy list...of course) and it was just what i wanted - give or take several friends + sister who weren't able to make it. 

i love brunching. and i love these gals. so it was perfect!

this is my sparkly new summer bag from jamie. totally love it. 

the following photo montage is what happens when you hand a camera to ms. lauren osbourne.
gosh i love her.

brunchy brunch brunch

little did i know, these girls are birthday super schemers! after a week full of birthday wishes, my schemer friends surprised me with a surprise "smink" birthday party! (smink = small + pink. duh.) brilliance rachel, true brilliance.

i was shocked. stunned even. there were no words.

in hindsight, maybe there were a few clues. kristen was being weird and distant. my sister "couldn't make it" to brunch. i knew i had some sort of sunday night plans with rachel and kristen.

all day sunday, this was the conversation -

LJ: "rach, have you talked to kristen? what are we doing tonight? why didn't she come to church with us this morning? does she even still want to hang out? whatever." 

Rachel: "we're going to dinner. she says you can pick the spot. we'll go over there later." 

LJ: "but what are we dooooing? i'm not even hungry since we ate late lunch. and why didn't kristen or my sister come to brunch yesterday. seriously? it was 2 hours of their day. annoying." 

Rachel: "......."

when we walked up to kristen's door, there were voices inside, but just as i thought,"hmmm, that's weird, i know kristen's roommate is out of town, who is she talking to...OMG, WHAT?!?" no really. that was my inner-monologue. word for word.

and i also stood in shock for what felt like an eternity before i could process through what was happening and walk towards the door. my sister was there. and my brother. and their families. there were hilarious video messages from mom, dad, uncle jay and susan, who were all on a cruise. it was just too much.

there are no words for how very special my friends and family made me feel on my birthday this year. they are simply the best. THE BEST.

so many pink treats!

p.s. my nephew tyler is CRAWLING!! yay!

more pink treats! and a perfect handmade birthday card from julie! :)

love these girls!

oh hey, this also happened. we locked ourselves out on the front porch. whoops!

good thing keith was there to scale the fence and retrieve the hidden key.

actually! good thing KO had a hidden key available for retrieving! :)

and to my super schemer hostesses - kristen, rachel and lauren -

y'all are my favorites. SUCH a perfect surprise. you know me and my pink princessy-ness well. thanks for putting up with my brattiness...who knew you were trying to throw me off your trail?! i mean, i totally knew. just putting on a bratty act to...you know...fool ya.   :)


love y'all much!!!



*most photos courtesy of the talented miss julie. thanks friend!

a super sneaky surprise engagement

it was a really happy weekend. full of lots of celebrating. and lots of happy surprises.

here's the first...
SPARKLES! for linds! weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

totally have to applaud colin, he pulled off one heck of a surprise this week. i was super impressed!

he successfully kept the always suspicious lindsey off his trail last week while he was actually scheming away with family and friends to make friday night one of the happiest surprise proposals ever.

while i know it was all quite stressy for him, (and probably for katie who had to spend all week with linds at work) the whole production went off with only the slightest lil hitches. she may have thrown us all for a loop when she didn't want to come home before meeting for their fake plans, eeeek! but in the end, she showed up, surprisingly without suspicion. and SHE SAID YES! duh.

and we were all there to celebrate after! surprise!

i'm so so excited for my friend and her boy! congratulations lindsey and colin! love!