Jason's 30th

My sweet boyfriend, Jason, is officially 30 years old as of September 30!  I had decided a while back that I wanted to do something special for Jason in celebration of this milestone, and I've always wanted to throw a surprise party, so I figured this would be the perfect occasion.  I, obviously, couldn't blog about any of this before the big day so I'll walk you through the process a little bit.  I knew I wanted to invite as many people as possible - anyone and everyone that has made some kind of an impression on Jason.  I sent out emails and Facebook messages to everyone I knew Jason would want to celebrate with about a month and a half before the date I chose for the party, just to get an idea of how many people would seriously consider attending.  Once I had a rough estimate of the number of attendees, I began my search for a venue.  Originally, I was set on Max's Wine Dive, but their food & beverage minimum was out of my price range.  I checked with a few other restaurants and ended up happily settling with Red's Porch.  Jason and I had eaten there many times and really enjoy the food and drinks.  They have great specialty cocktails and a more than decent variety of local beers on tap.  It ended up being the perfect crowd pleaser, offering something for everyone.  

On the day of the party, I had wonderful assistance from my best friends Emily, Heather and Sarah and from my mom who arrived early in the afternoon to help me de-stress and get ready.  It turns out I was worrying and stressing for nothing because, even with storms rolling in all day and night, the party went on without a hitch, and Jason was absolutely shocked when he showed up and everyone yelled "SURPRISE!"  It was such a fun night, and I am so grateful to everyone that made the effort to come and help us celebrate this exciting birthday for Jason!

**All photographs courtesy of Emily's camera and Emily & Sarah's picture-taking expertise.

So This Is Love.

Love is what makes life divine.

Love is the frosting on the cupcake, the cherry on the sundae and every little beat of the heart.

It's so wonderful and crazy to think that this is my fourth Valentine's day to celebrate with Jason.  Every year we plan something fun and romantic, and it's truly a holiday I get so giddy over.  In 2010, for our very first Valentine's Day as a couple, we went to Palmer's in San Marcos partly because it's pretty much (or at least was) the ritziest restaurant in town and partly because we had never been and were interested to check it out.  Jason gave me a gorgeous silver necklace with a black and white diamond heart-shaped pendant, and I gave him a hand-painted picture frame with a picture of me with our dog Fozzie and cat Hunter.  The next year we celebrated our relationship in New Orleans, one of our favorite getaway spots!  We dined and drank to our hearts content and returned to Austin with a couple of, what I consider to be love-themed, street art pieces from Jackson Square.  For our third Valentine's Day together, Jason treated me to dinner and a movie at one of our favorite local spots, the Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar.  For the holiday, the theater hosted a "Princess Bride Valentine's Day Feast" where they showed the classic love story, The Princess Bride, and served a four-course meal with drink pairings.  We had been to one of the Alamo's feasts before for New Year's Eve when they showed The Apartment, and we obviously enjoyed ourselves enough to try out another.  For Jason's gift, I reserved two spots at a Whole Foods cooking class where we learned to make some traditional southern comfort foods.  

This time around Jason was scheduled to work in the evening so we went out to dinner last night at Salty Sow, which I'm pretty positive is my new favorite place ever.  We ordered duck fat fries for an appetizer which were perfectly crisp the way fries should be and served with two soft poached eggs on top and bernaise sauce for dipping.  Jason ordered the candied pork belly, I ordered the petite bone-in fillets medium rare with red wine bone marrow sauce and mushrooms (OH MY YUM!) and we shared the bananas foster beignets for dessert.  Probably one of the best meals I've had in a long time.  I'm not a huge lover of red meat, but I do enjoy a nice bright pink fillet from time to time, especially when it's paired with a magnificent, flavorful sauce like that!  Oh, and if you ever find yourself at this lovely little eatery in east Austin, I highly recommend the house-made blood orange Blanche frozen margarita.  So, so heavenly.  As you can imagine, we were both quite stuffed and happy at the end of the meal.  When we returned home, Jason surprised me with a beautiful bouquet of red roses, a heart-shaped box of assorted chocolates and a card in which I found the sweetest handwritten message that got me all teary-eyed!  I got him a couple of Dogfish Head beers, some candy and a sweet little card as well.  

It's such a treat to be so in love with your best friend and to be able to share something so intimate and personal.  No two relationships are the same; each one has its own qualities and reasons for survival.  I feel so lucky to have found love and to have made it to nearly four years with this remarkable guy.  Here's to many more Valentine's Day celebrations with him!

Oh, and Happy Valentine's Day to you too!

xoxo

Thoughts On A Rainy Day

Tomorrow is Jason's 29th birthday.  It is so crazy to me that he's almost thirty!  Then again, I still feel like I'm fifteen in so many ways, which is silly because I'm such an old soul at heart.  I'm usually falling asleep by 10 p.m. every night (sometimes even 8 p.m. if I'm exhausted) and my partying days are mostly over, although there are occasions when I just want to go nuts and have "just one more" margarita.  I've always been a little beyond my years.  My close friends that have known me most of my life are familiar with my wild side, but as my dear friend Taylor always used to say to me - "You're hilarious and silly, but you know when it's important to be serious too."  That has always resonated with me because it is such an accurate description of my personality.

Fun was had last night.  Jason and I met up with a friend of mine from work, Zac, his fiance, Kim, and their friend Harrison for dinner at Urban at the Domain in north Austin.  After dinner we went over to the Regal Arbor Cinema to see The Perks of Being a Wallflower.  Having read the book years ago and remembering enjoying it, I was looking forward to the film, and it was really wonderful.  I had forgotten how deep the story goes and all of the heavy elements it focuses on.  It isn't just petty high school drama, and it's definitely something I was able to substantially relate to my freshman year of high school.

Tonight i'll just be lying low inside, maybe do some cleaning around the apartment and watch a movie or two.  Tomorrow, as per Jason's birthday request, we are going to Franklin BBQ for lunch and then participating in some serious bar-hopping.  Should be a fun time.

Cheers.

Just Another Wild Saturday Night

Hi guys. I went to another "BARcade" last night.  That makes the second one this summer, and I'd never been to one before in my life.  This one, Pinballz, was up in north Austin (a.k.a Suburbia).  I've never really experienced much of the north side aside from going up to Jason's parents' place about once a week or so.  We met up with our friends, Corey and Helen, who are newly engaged!  I'm so excited for them AND the fact that we'll be attending another wedding in the spring.  I just love the energy of weddings...and the food...and the cake...and the dancing of course.  Anyway, back to Pinballaz - it wasn't really a bar exactly, but it was BYOB in an odd fashion.  You could only bring in one drink at a time; you had to keep the rest outside of the business.  Luckily one of Corey's friends brought a cooler that he just kept in his car out in the parking lot.  So this place was 13,000 sq. ft of crazy awesome pinball machines, old school Sega and Pacman games, skee ball, air hockey and the oh-so-addicting ticket machines.  Thanks to Corey, Helen and Jason's contributions I had 296 tickets at the end of the evening and picked a mood ring, a scented pencil, a fortune-telling plastic fish and two jolly ranchers as my prizes.  And let me tell you, that mood ring sure changed some colors at work today!  Boy oh boy.

Quick Little Post

Oh, hi there.  I guess I let the weekend run away with me there.  It was quite the weekend, lemme tell ya.  My sweet friend Rachel and her boyfriend Adam came down for a visit so I spent Saturday night on Rainey Street with them and a few of their friends.  Even though we spent most of the night crammed and huddled up inside Bar 96 whilst it poured rain like a mad woman outside.  Not complaining too much though; we Austinites most definitely welcome the rain any chance we get.  I had such a great time I ended up staying out until around midnight regardless of having to work at 7 a.m. the next morning.  Of course I was rather tired Sunday at work, but it was all worth it in my humble opinion.  Besides I had yesterday and today off so I've been able to rest up and watch plenty of my guilty pleasure - Gossip Girl.  I'm on season four, and it just keeps getting crazier!  I'm shamelessly obsessed.

Anyway, this morning I've been doing a little planning.  Jason's birthday is coming up next month, and mine is in October, so, naturally, we've been discussing possible plans for our special days.  Jason is still super interested in brewing his own beer, so he wants a starter home-brewing kit, and I'm sure we'll go out to dinner or wherever he wants.  I previously wanted to go down to good old Magnolia, Texas for the Texas Renaissance Festival, but I've decided on a more mature outing - a hill country winery tour!  I am so excited!  I've been researching a bunch of wineries the past couple of hours and I've narrowed it down to the Driftwood Estate Winery, Bell Springs Winery in Dripping Springs and the Duchman Family Winery.  In addition to the tour, I figured we could eat some delicious Salt Lick barbecue while we're out there.  It just seems silly and irresponsible not to, ya know?

Now, I must go get ready for a little afternoon date with my favorite man.  We're going out for lunch at this cajun place called Evangeline Cafe.  I'll let you know how it is!  Have a lovely day. xoxo

Flashback Friday

Ahh, the sweetness of young love.  This is mine and Jason's first picture together as a couple!  It was taken sometime toward the end of 2009.  I always refer to this picture as the "baby seed" picture because our relationship was so fresh and new like a baby seed that needs nurture and care in order to blossom into a beautiful piece of nature.  And if I may say so myself, we've got a green thumb.  It's absolutely mind-blowing that we've been together for almost three years!  We are better than ever, and I have such an enormous, ever-growing amount of respect for Jason.  He inspires me every day and makes me want to be the best possible person I can be.  I cherish all of the time we have together, and I feel so lucky to be able to grow and prosper with my best friend beside me all the while.  I love you, Jason.  xoxo

Summer Lovin'

"And if you're scared of the future tonight,
We'll just take each hour one at a time.

It's a pretty good night for a drive,

So dry up those eyes, dry up those eyes.

Because the radio will still play loud,

Songs that we heard as our guards came down.

Like in the summertime when we first met,

I'll never forget, don't you forget - these nights are still ours."

The Gaslight Anthem

It's lame, but I just now (like today) started listening to The Gaslight Anthem, and I don't for the life of me know why.  I am so surprised I never gave them a chance before, especially since I've always been an Against Me! fan.  I am a stranger to myself sometimes.  Their songs seem like good summertime songs - the lyrics are angsty, youthful and tell cute little stories of love and heartbreak.  Is there really anything better?  No, there isn't.

Ahhh, yesterday Jason and I got our sushi fix down in good ole San Marcos, Texas at Japan Latino.  I got my usual Sex on the Beach roll, Jason got the Seafood Dynamite roll and we each treated ourselves to Sakeritas.  Yum!  My mouth is watering, guys.  I could seriously eat sushi every single day.  

Some things I'm excited about right now:

1.  Eating sushi again ASAP  :)

2.  Moving on with my life, and refusing to let this post-college/pre-successful-adult-life chew me up and spit me out.  I will make something of myself!  This economy will not keep me down.

3.  PORTLAND next month with my best friend, Jessica.  I've already started piecing together a tentative schedule of events.  Planning ahead and looking forward to something keeps me sane.

4.  Looking into possibly doing something fancy for mine and Jason's three year anniversary.  I mentioned staying a night at the Driskill or maybe a resort on Lake Travis.  Basically, whatever we can afford when the time comes, but it will be extra special and full of love nonetheless.

Little Bitty Update

Hi there, friends.  Hope everyone had/is having a super Thursday.  Mine started off pretty icky, but I have since recovered thanks to Jason and Maeby's hugs, blue cheese salmon burgers, sweet potato tots and The Innkeepers.  I wasn't sure how I felt about the horror flick at first, but the more I think about it, the more I like it and realize how clever the story really is.  It's written and directed by Ti West who also wrote/directed one of my favorite films, The House of the Devil.  I enjoy his retro style, and the videography is mighty admirable as well.

After six days of work in a row, I am a free lady for the next four days!  Needless to say, I am thrilled, and I'm even more excited because this weekend I get to have a mini-college reunion with my favorite ladies at my dear friend Ashley's wedding on Saturday!  I am so happy for she and her future hubby, Cameron.  They are the absolute sweetest, cutest couple, and the perfect match for one another, hands-down.  It's going to be a fun-filled weekend for sure.

Some other things I'm happy about include Bass Drum of Death's current U.S. tour that will be bringing them to Austin soon!  They are currently working on their second studio album and released a catchy new track this afternoon.  Listen here.

Also, my upcoming getaway to PORTLAND with my bff, Jessica!  It is 100% official now because I finally purchased my plane ticket.  There's no going back now!  Look out, PDX, we're headed your way.  The Northwest is about to get a little bit sassier.

Lastly, Jason popped the news that he really wants to attend the Sasquatch music festival next year, which I am most definitely not opposed to.  So far we've been to Austin City Limits, VooDoo Experience and Coachella.  Why not add Sasquatch to our list?  Of course, this is assuming we live past 2012.

Well, kiddies, bed is calling my name.  I am in great need of some serious rest.  Enjoy the end to your day, however you may choose to do so.

xoxo

An Interview With Jason (My 100th Post!)

I borrowed these interview questions for your spouse/significant other from Jess of IROCKSOWHAT.  I just thought it was a really neat idea, and I actually learned a few new things about Jason in the process.

1.  What was your first impression of me?  This girl doesn't feel the need to fill every second of silence with mindless chatter.

2.  How accurate do you think it was?  Totally accurate.  I feel like no silence between us has ever been awkward silence, just silence.  And silence is okay.

3.  What is your idea of a truly romantic evening?  Having a delicious dinner, a few drinks, perhaps going out to movie or watching one at home.  Just enjoying each other's company; that's all I need.

4.  If I promise not to get upset, can you tell me something you'd like to change in me but don't have the nerve to tell me?  There's nothing I would change about you.

5.  If you weren't in the profession you are now, what would be your dream profession and why?  A chef because I love to cook.

6.  Apart from the obvious one, what other two areas of your body are the most sensitive and most responsive?  My earlobes and my side.

7.  Can you name the three qualities that attracted you when you met me/got to know me?  (1) Your lips (2) You're a very cool character.  I never felt that you were trying to impress me; you were just being yourself, and I could tell.  (3)  And you accepted that I was the same way.

8.  What is your dream destination and why?  Argentina because of the diverse climates throughout the country and the different types of food and culture.

9.  Which is your favorite movie of all time and favorite scene in it?  I'm not really an "of all time" kind of person.  Nothing comes to mind.

10.  Which fruit or vegetable do you think I resemble and why?  A tomato because I'm not quite sure if you're a fruit or vegetable, but it doesn't matter because you're delicious.

11.  Can you remember your earliest childhood memory of fear and that of happiness?  Fear - when there was extreme weather...I think a tornado was nearby, and our dog Spot was outside, and I was really worried for Spot and afraid he would be taken away by the tornado.  Happiness - going to see my grandparents in Dallas.  I always loved my grandfather.  I was obsessed with that man as a kid.  It made me happy getting to visit him and spend time with him.

12.  Who is your favorite aunt/uncle/cousin and why?  Uncle Jimmy because he's easily relatable, fun and nonjudgemental.  He's the most like me.

13.  What are the qualities that draw you to people that you can base a friendship on?  Similar interests, people who are more introverted than extroverted.  I don't like people who force themselves on you.  I like relationships and friendships to evolve more naturally.

14.  Your first crush - what drew you to him or her?  I remember a girl in preschool who I had a crush on, and who knows what draws a preschool kid to have a crush on somebody?

15.  Your first date - where did you go, what did you do and how long did the relationship last?  We went to a middle school party, hung out and played video games, watched movies.  It lasted three weeks, maybe two...I don't know.

16.  How have you coped with break-ups in the past?  Complete severance.  At least at first.

17.  What has been your scariest dream?  I had a dream when I was a kid that the Wicked Witch of the West was chasing me through the Looney Tunes logo, and it never ended.  

18.  What has been your most frequently recurring dream?  A theme of being at work and something goes wrong, and I have to deal with the fallout of it.  Things just get crazier from there and it's totally unrealistic.

19.  What has been the best decision you've ever made?  To interview for a manager position at work because I had never planned to.  I was asked to by my boss.  I don't think I would have ever done it if she hadn't nudged me to do it.

20.  What decision do you regret the most?  Moving out of my parents' house so quickly.  I moved out before I was ready, and I was still struggling before I went to college and wasn't able to do well my first few years of college because I was having to work and make ends meet.

21.  What has been your proudest moment?  Graduating college.

22.  If you won the lottery, what are the first three things you would do?  Turn off my cell phone, invest in Google and take you out to a nice dinner.  What are five things you've been longing for that you would buy?  New car, new house, home recording studio, new guitar and a new fridge because I know you want one.

23.  If your house was on fire and you had the chance to save only five things, what would you choose?  Fozzie, Hunter, Maeby, You and my guitar.

24.  If you were asked whom you would like to be born again as, the answer would be... myself.

25.  What is your favorite ice cream flavor, favorite junk food and favorite dessert?  Blue Bell Tin Roof, Tin Roof and Tin Roof.

26.  Whose wardrobe would you most like to own?  I don't know.

27.  What's the one argument your parents had that you would like to avoid with your partner?  My parents never argued in front of me, so I don't know.

28.  What is your favorite asset/body part on a man/woman and why?  Lips, because they gotta be so kissable.

29.  What's the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to you?  That last question.

30.  If our relationship doesn't work out, do you think we could remain friends?  I don't want to think about that.  I would hope so.

31.  Who are you closer to - your mom or dad?  I don't think I'm really closer to either one of them.  I would say I'm equally close to each of them for different reasons.

32.  What is your favorite song and why?  "Mystic Rhythms" by Rush because of the atmosphere the song invokes and a little because of the memories.  I first bought the album back in 2004 when I was first really getting into Rush and that song always stood out to me.  It was on an album that a lot of Rush fans don't really like.  I'm one of the only people who really loves that synthesizer period of Rush.

33.  If somebody handed you a magic lamp and granted you three wishes what would they be?  Not all the money in the world, but enough to live comfortably and not have to work.  To be able to eat whatever I want and maintain perfect body mass index and be totally ripped.  And "world peace."

34.  What upsets you most in a relationship and what makes you the happiest?  When the other person is upset, and there's nothing I can do about it because I always want to, but I can't.  The synergy of a relationship makes me happiest, being so intertwined that you kind of know what the other person is going to say or do, but in a good, non-predictable way.

35.  What is your perception of how other people see you?  They probably think I'm a bit of a jerk.

36.  If someone told you they saw me with another guy, what would your first reaction be - she's cheating on me, he's probably an old friend or I need to get to the bottom of this?  He's probably an old friend.

37.  Can you think of something you craved for when you were young, but you were denied?  No, nothing.

38.  Have you ever found yourself attracted to someone of the same sex?  No. 

Flashback Friday & Some Tunes

Jason and I at a friend's wedding in the Texas hill country // Summer 2010

Ah, to be young again, haha!  In all seriousness, I still can't believe it's been nearly three years with my guy.  It has absolutely flown by; I guess that's a good thing though. :)

Well, excuse the super short post, but I have an insanely busy Friday night planned playing with my pets, sipping my lime-a-rita and reading The Hunger Games.  Now, here's a track to take your Friday evening to the next level, babies.  I adore these guys!  We saw them sometime last year at The Mohawk downtown, and they jammed some serious jams and blew my mind.  I would die to see them again, so much fun.

BBQ, Beer & Other Bits

Figuratively speaking, today is my Monday.  Womp womp woommmmp.  However, I did have a great "weekend" the past two days.  Monday night I made delicious chicken pot pies as per Jason's request, but I was just as excited to make and devour those little bowls o' fatty goodness.  I got the recipe from Ms. Ina  Garten herself (via the Food Network's website).  If you enjoy comfort food heaven as much as I do, you've got to try this recipe.  Beware - it requires a TON of butter and some heavy cream, but if you absolutely must be a health-nut I'm sure you can make some substitutions.  Whilst stuffing our faces, Jason was sweet and let me melt over one of my favorite movies, Blue Valentine with Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling.  It's a real heartbreaker.  I mean that in the most literal sense possible.  It's a REAL heartbreaker. It will make a tear or two (or many) fall from your eyes, but I just love the honesty of it.  Plus, I just have a thing for depressing films with hot actors.

I spent the first part of Tuesday alone, indulging myself by sleeping in until 9 a.m. and catching a few episodes of Law & Order: SVU before heading over to the gym to partake in some unfamiliar bodily pain.  After the sweat storm wore off, I decided to indulge myself a little more by treating my taste buds and tummy to the magical wonder of Torchy's Tacos.  I got a green chile pork taco and a fried avocado taco (the absolute best) with a tall, beautiful glass bottle of Topo Chico to wash it all down.  After that, I drove home, freshened up, waited for Jason to get home from work and then we headed out for dinner and drinks.  Long story short, we ended up at Whip In, a convenient store/beer mart/local & independent beer bar/wine bar/music venue/Indian cafe (aka: the most awesome place in South Austin).  I tried a delicious cider new to me called Original Sin Hard Cider that was quite to my liking.  They even had this beer from a new local brewery in North Austin called Twisted X that was jalapeno-infused...very strange.

Wednesday we knew we wanted to go to Franklin Barbecue over on the east side because of all the rave reviews it has gotten from our friends and various publications.  It's been called the best BBQ in Texas, maybe even the U.S.  But the thing is they open at 11 a.m. and close when they run out, which is typically around 1 p.m. so a nice little line starts to develop outside the door as early as 9 a.m. every morning on the days they're open.  We got there at about 10 a.m., and the line wasn't too crazy yet so we were feeling pretty good about ourselves.  Once they opened the doors at 11, we waited about 40 more minutes before getting our food which was what we were expecting.  Let me tell you, it was SO very worth the wait.  The brisket was fabulously lean and tender and didn't require any sauce whatsoever.  You know it's serious when the queen of condiments and sauces here is telling you you don't need any!  Mmm mmm mmm.  Post food comas and nap time, we ended our night with The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, which was very entertaining- a bit long, but just as good as the original.

Here are some photos from my weekend.  Enjoy the rest of your Thursday, and for those of you about to begin your actual weekend, I envy you to the ends of the earth.

Because Doth This Was My Week

I had a pretty decent week, aside from returning to work after my short escape to Dallas.  Work has been crazy busy the past couple of days because (1) we had to run software updates yesterday which caused our system to be completely down for most of the day and (2) Reggae/Marley Fest is this weekend which brings in quite the crowd.  Last year, Ziggy and Damien Marley actually stayed at the hotel I work at!  I haven't seen them this year however.  Anyway, aside from work chaos, I've been feelin' pretty good the past few days.  Tuesday night Jason and I had a little date night.  We went to Alamo Slaughter Lane to see Cabin in the Woods (excellent horror flick) and indulged in some cocktails at 400 Rabbits.  I had all day Wednesday off so I ventured out for some frozen yogurt at Tutti Frutti and tried out a yummy sushi place down the street. Last night I made tuna melts for dinner, and this afternoon my friend Stella and I munched on crawfish and sipped some margaritas lakeside at Joe's Crab Shack.  Afterward we ran over to Sugar Mama's Bakeshop to satisfy our sweet tooth, and I, of course, brought home a red velvet cupcake for Jason.  Whatever this past week had in store for you, I hope you were able to find at least a few minutes of relaxation.  Cheers!