Category: Birthdays

Birthday Travel Options

April 15th, 2013 · · Birthdays, Travel 27 comments - Tags: , , ,

My 30th birthday is on the horizon and I have a few airline miles burning in my pocket. I’ve started thinking about how I want to celebrate my 30th. Here are few contenders I’m currently considering for a weekend trip.

  1. Houston

    Obviously no airline miles are needed for Houston since I live in Austin. I always have a great time in Houston. I’ve never been to Houston with Alan. Since we’ve been together for five years, I think the Houston introduction is overdue! Plus some of my closest friends are in Houston. We can spend Friday night eating take out with my parents since they work all day. Saturday, I can show Alan around and grab dinner with whomever is free. Sunday, brunch with whomever is around before heading back to Austin. If I don’t do this for my 30th, I definitely should drag Alan to Houston soon regardless.

  2. New York

    I’ve been missing New York like something fierce. I take 2-5 trips a year and told myself that I should stop going back to New York City until I cross off more states. I’ve been five times and the last time was 5 years ago! Best Dudie Friend still lives there and it would be great to see him in his element again. The only two cons to this plan are that I’ve been here before so it won’t fulfill any travel goals, and NYC in July can be a bit balmy.

    But man would I eat so good.

  3. Baltimore

    I’ve never been to Maryland. If I go to Baltimore, I can scratch off one new state and fulfill my visit two new states resolution! I can also revisit Washington D.C. and see the Smithsonian again. I’ve always wanted to go back.


  4. New Orleans

    My good friend, Jennifer lives in New Orleans. She just visited Austin last weekend and she told me I should visit her during her medical residency. Mmm. I love me some good Cajun food. The last time I was here was for New Years in 2006, pre-Katrina. Like New York, it won’t fulfill any travel goals but I salivate just thinking of the food in New Orleans.

  5. Nashville

    I’ve never been to Tennessee. I very much want to eat Nashville and visit Elvis’s home and Dolly Parton’s park!

What do you think about these places for birthday weekend trips? Wouldn’t it be lovely if I could wrangle up a few people to meet me out of state? Until recently, my 30th has been a source of much anxiety. It wasn’t until I earned some miles from my new travel credit card that it’s become a source of fun daydreaming!


Questions: What was the most elaborate birthday you’ve had? How did you celebrate?

28 Awesome Experiences from My 28th Year

July 28th, 2012 · · Birthdays, Lists, New Thing(s) of the Week, Travel, VEDA, videos, We Blog We Vlog 35 comments - Tags:

I turn 29 today and it has been customary for me to post a list of some sort on my birthday. I don’t have any shared life lessons to share so thought I’d tell you about 28 things I’ve done in the last year that I really enjoyed doing.


  1. A few days after my 28th birthday, Vlog Every Day in August (VEDA) started. I completed my 2nd year doing VEDA despite being out of town twice (once was out of the country!) and moving. We’re gearing up for VEDA Year 3. The people of VEDA are just sweet and adorable, evident from this surprise video from a bunch of them today:


  2. I moved in with a boyfriend for the first time. It was a challenging experience but we’re about to sign our second lease!

  3. I left the country for the first time in 10 years and went to Vancouver, which is currently my favorite city!

  4. I adopted my first dog, Bob! Since then I taught him how to sit, shake, rollover, play dead, and act like a thug.

  5. I went to Bloggers in Sin City for the first time and had a grand time.


  6. I visited Arkansas for the first time, crossing one more state off my 50 states goal. In Arkansas, I climbed my first mountain on Earth Day with Treavor.

  7. In November, had the most perfect day with Kim and Thomas and friends. We ate a lot of food, wore sparkly tattoos, and learned how to fold paper cranes. Later in April, Kim and I scattered the cranes from the perfect day around Houston.

  8. I saw the bats in Austin for the first time.

  9. I dramatically decreased my meat intake.

  10. I hosted a “Never Have I Ever” dinner party and tried my first meal worms.



  11. Had a special tasting menu centered around bone marrow made especially for Kim and me. Read about the fun and unique experience on my food blog.

  12. I judged my first food contest! Volunteered as a cupcake tasting judge at That Takes the Cake.

  13. Became a more active member of Austin Food Bloggers Alliance by joining a couple of committees and have met so many powerful women through this organization. This fairly new organization is a constant source of inspiration.

  14. I shot my first real bow and arrow and got my face painted for the first time.

  15. I finally graduated from a dinosaur phone to a smart phone! What a life changing move that was!

  16. I started cooking 4-6 times a week, thus improving my cooking skills.

  17. I had my first cable TV show cameo! I ate fried bacon wrapped pickle for Eat St.


  18. Had my first TV news bit, promoting Dishcrawl.

  19. Worked with Dishcrawl as a brand ambassador and launched them in Austin. What a growing experience this was and continues to be!

  20. I made my first Vietnamese chicken curry and it was delicious!


  21. I went to my ten year reunion!


  22. I saw Snoop Dog in concert and Kevin James live.

  23. Made my first cheesecake! Making cheesecake has been on my life’s list for years now but I was just so scared of screwing it up. I rocked it! Maybe this year I’ll tackle roasting a whole chicken.

  24. I learned how to skip rocks, another thing that’s been on my life’s list for years.

  25. I reunited with my sister for the first time in 17 years and met my niece and nephew for the first time.

  26. Kim and I turned our daily morning ritual of sending each other three good things in our lives into a blank journal you can buy off Amazon.

  27. I completed my second year of doing Sketchbook Project.

  28. Accepted a job offer yesterday! Though I am really sad to leave my current work team, I’m excited to start my year with a new position that will hopefully offer more growth and opportunities.

28 has been sweet to me. Cheers to being 29 now! Thank you much for following along.

7 Friday Quick Takes (vol 62)

October 7th, 2011 · · 7 Quick Takes (Fridays), Birthdays 17 comments - Tags: , ,


1.

This week on Totes Awesome Channel, we talk about our college majors.


Youtube Link

For those who cannot watch videos, I explained how I took a couple of bioethics classes in high school. One of the books we read was centered around a bioethics committee at a hospital in Houston. I thought I’d want to serve on a committee like that so in college, I double majored in philosophy (emphasis on ethics) and biology. It wasn’t til I was almost out of college that it clicked that I did not want to pursue a career in bioethics. C’est la vie!


2.


I do not own Apple products. My work computer is a Mac. I still found myself deeply saddened by Steve Job’s passing. I watch his commencement speech every few months for the last couple of years as a source of motivation. I watched it again yesterday and it gave me goosebumps hearing him speak about a cancer scare and living like you’re going to die.


Youtube Link


3.


Yesterday as mentioned in my previous post, was Alan’s birthday. I left little gifts around the apartment for him to find and then treated him to a delicious meal at Jeffery’s. We’re meeting up with some of his friends tonight to drink in his honor.

4.


One of the little surprises I left was a balloon in the laundry room. I knew he’d be going in there during the day to grab food for Bob.

When I got home for work we tormented our poor puppy by tying the balloon to his collar. It gave both of us the giggles for a good 20 minutes.


5.


I mentioned at the beginning of the month that I was going to have a 30 day goal centered around sleep in September. My goal was to get an average of 6 hours of sleep per night on week nights and then 7 hours of sleep on the weekends. The first week I fell short, but all in all I think I’ve succeeded! The point was to start a new habit. Before September I’d shower anywhere between midnight and 1 am and then would go to bed an hour to an hour and a half after the shower. Now I’ve worked it so I’m in the shower between 9:30 and 10:30 and in bed by 11:30/12. Sometimes I even make it to 7 hours of sleep on a week night!

This is huge improvement for me. I often average between 3 and 4 hours of sleep a night.


6.


Throughout this year, I’ve dedicated whole months to single goals. I had 30 days of vegetables. I did VEDA twice. I just dedicated September to sleep. I’ve been so successful with all these goals (I still eat vegetables!), that I might just start doing these monthly focuses more often, be it a 30 day blogging goal or a goal to help establish a new habit.

I’ve decided to make October the month for organization! Every day I will focus some time on organizing spaces, establishing routines (meal plans, blogging, cleaning calendar), and other ways I can streamline my living space and routines. I’m starting a week late but have already done a few things the first week of October. (Bought a couple of plastic baskets from the dollar store to organize some kitchen cabinets and have started to seriously meal plan.)


7.

This week’s moments of bliss: ♥ most touching compliment I’ve gotten in a long time (BDF said I’d make an “amazing” mother) ♥ almost buying Alan a “Cowboys Dad” t-shirt (you couldn’t see the word “dad” by the way the shirt was folded) ♥ pretty morning skies ♥ decadent meal ♥ my emergency fund helping me out during an emergency ♥ itchy cuddles with my dog (I’m allergic!) ♥ cracking open a new book ♥ the extra touches from nice restaurants (having a note to wish Alan a happy birthday printed on menu) ♥ cooking a meal that lasted all week in leftovers ♥ morning walks in cooler weather


Question: What “mundane” thing has made you happy lately? (My answers are in Take 7.)

Cohabitation

October 6th, 2011 · · Birthdays, the not so single life 31 comments

It’s been a month and a half of living with Alan. I’ve lived with him once before, four years ago but we were still just platonic friends at that time. He was one of the best roommates I’ve had but we were not sharing a bathroom or bedroom. Shoot, we didn’t have to share a closet! It’s a world of a difference living with him now than it was living with him then.

There was a bit of a culture shock at first. He was shocked I had so much stuff, namely shoes. I am still recovering from the fact that he does not like to sleep with a flat sheet. I knew this about him after years of spending nights at his place, but there’s still some adjusting needed when his bed is also now my bed. There’s no “coming home” to a well-made bed complete with flat sheet after spending a weekend with him. I am already home! Also, there might have been a few incidents where I freaked out about napkins.

Yeah, not pretty.

It’s not all compromises though. There are perks. I don’t have to carry around a clean pair of undies in my purse for spontaneous overnight stays. (This has saved me embarrassment when I dig frantically through my purse for my elusive wallet.) He eats more home-cooked meals. I have easy access to hugs and kisses. His collection of chick flicks has quadrupled. I have more updated news on football. I mean, the list can go on for quite a bit.

All in all, I find cohabitation a great move (ha!) for us. We have grown as a team as our shared responsibilities have increased. I cook and he does the dishes. He takes care of our dog and I do the laundry (he does some folding.) We each pay different bills and come together at the end of the month to work out the gritty details and expenses. We indulge in date nights once a week and eat at the kitchen table at home instead of the coffee table. Perhaps most importantly, being in each other’s space all the time has helped improved our communication.

I’m just very grateful for him and proud of how we’ve navigated living together so far. After deciding to share a place, I remember being terrified about us crumbling. (I have this fear about moving in with all my past roommates.) I’m so happy to report no one has lost any appendages and we’re still loving on each other.

I’m looking forward to creating more memories in our home.

Starting with tonight, since it’s his birthday!


Questions: Thoughts on cohabitation? What are your experiences? Any Life Lessons learned from cohabiting?

Weekend Recap

August 1st, 2011 · · Birthdays, Photographs, VEDA 21 comments - Tags: , ,

I had my birthday celebration with friends over the weekend. We saw Friends with Benefits at the Alamo Drafthouse and then just mingled over drinks. I went to bed incredibly late both Friday and Saturday (think 4-6am). Sunday, Brandi cooked dinner for me and made orange chocolate cupcakes (heavenly!) and we watched Sweet Bird of Youth, another Tennessee Williams movie to close our spree of 4 Tennessee Williams movies.

So ends the month of July and today is the first day of August and VEDA (Vlog Every Day of August). I recorded my video already but experimented with doing it with my new smartphone. I can’t seem to get it uploaded through the networks at work. I’ll figure out the upload later today and embed both today and tomorrow’s on the blog tomorrow. Or you can watch for it today by subscribing to my Youtube channel.


Photos from Birthday Celebration









If I were to describe my weekend in just one word, I’d use “convivial.”


Question: How would you describe your weekend in one word?

28 Life Lessons from 28 People [Video]

July 28th, 2011 · · Birthdays, Guest Posts, Lists, pursuit of happiness 37 comments - Tags: , ,

I’m 28 years old today.

Last year on my birthday, I shared with you, 27 Life Lessons I Learned by the Age of 27. This year, on my 28th birthday, I present to you, 28 Life Lessons from 28 People. I hope you makes you smile and laugh like it did me.

Many many thanks to my sweet friends who took time out of their schedules to record their tokens of wisdom. I had more than 28 submissions, so thank you to Kym, Davey, Valerie, Will, Rogue, and Thomas for their contributions. They’re not in the video but may have inspired me to make a sequel soon.


Youtube link
 
P.S. Even after Alan and I proofed the video a dozen times, the subtitle for the Chinese at 3:53 was tagged on the wrong person. Deepest apologies for the confusion.

If you cannot view the video, you can find transcription and credits below.

  1. Always have a can of Raid handy. – Naz

  2. My bit of advice: Take care of your feet. – Mef

  3. It’s okay to act like a kid. Wee wee wee! – Alyssa

  4. A healthy person works out 3 times a week. – Tony

  5. Learn to cook or find someone who does. – Suki (Twitter)

  6. So going forward in your life, it’s very crucial that you listen to yourself and don’t give two craps about what other people think about you. Do your thing and do it for why you do it. And enjoy it. – Treavor (Twitter) (Youtube)

  7. You should listen to both sides of a story. – Ali

  8. By Robert Frost: In three words I can sum up life: it goes on. – Abby

  9. You know when you’ve done something excellent. Don’t ever let anybody else take you down a peg and tell you that what you’ve done is substandard. – Nic (Twitter) (Youtube)

  10. To quote Maya Angelou, when someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time. (Not the 39th time) – Kim

  11. The saying is, “Ignorance is bliss.” I don’t think ignorance is bliss. Holding the truth to make them happy, can only make you unhappy in the end. – Adam (Twitter)

  12. Everything looks and feels better after a good night of sleep. So sleep, dammnit. – Nicole (Twitter)

  13. Never skip out on breakfast. It helps increase your energy level and metabolism. – Alan

  14. Enjoy your day. Take time out and enjoy your day. You’re going to have bad days, don’t get me wrong. I have bad days, I mean, this hair for one. But if you try not to worry about the little things and just go into today and have the BEST day you can possibly have, I think your life is going to ultimately be that much better. – Ian (Youtube)

  15. My momma always says the only thing that matters is people. – Andrew

  16. One life changing lesson I recently learned, is acceptance. When I started to accept that every person, thing, and situation is exactly the way it’s supposed to be at this moment, I was able to let go of my tight grip of the world and become a happier person. – Brandi

  17. If you’re on a flight of stairs, keep your hands out of your pockets. If you’re clumsy like me, you’ll end up in the ER with 6 stitches. – Cindy (Twitter)

  18. Anything worth doing, is worth doing poorly. For example, I can’t sing, but I do it anyway. – Michael

  19. The only thing that you can control is your training; you have no control over your opponent. – Deesh

  20. The one thing my parents have always taught me, was balance. Balance yourself physically, mentally, and spirtually. -Thinh

  21. If you have to take a poo and a shower. Make sure you poo before you shower. – Sae

  22. If I were to give you some advice, I would say that if you ever plan on picking your nose, try not to pick your nose after eating some Flaming Hot Cheetos. – Willis

  23. Never talk while you’re eating because that’s just rude. – Jason

  24. Chocolate is always the answer. – Monica

  25. Don’t be afraid to satisfy your sweet tooth. – Karen

  26. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. – Elisa

  27. (Translated) Learn a foreign language – Bing

  28. The best way to make sure you have a great day is make sure your day has 4 elements: Novelty, Beauty, Growth, and Love. If you get those four things every day, you’ll probably have a good time. – Neville

Weekend Recap

July 25th, 2011 · · Birthdays, Love, New Thing(s) of the Week, pursuit of happiness 27 comments - Tags: ,

The majority of my weekend was spent with Totes Awesome Channel’s Ashley, AshleyD, and Nicole. It was the sort of weekend that leaves you dazed (the good kind of dazed) on Monday morning.

I’m was honored and grateful to not only meet these girls, but see how close and sweet on each other they are. I have a soft spot for very close group friendships and love watching from the outside like the nosy voyeur that I am, but what stunned me even more is that these girls met online! They have this sisterhood that spans more than just the three of them, and they see each other sometimes more than they see their family members, and know secret stories that don’t broadcast on their blogs. I’m just amazed by their dynamic. It’s a joy to be around and I was thankful to share some of these moments with them.

We caught a performance of Footloose at Zilker Park (my new thing last week.)

We blogged, baked, and tweeted. Made a dessert mountain that was chocolate chip cookie layered under Oreos, layered under brownie, layered under hot fudge sauce. Yes. Here’s the link for recipe.

We brunched.

I also managed to squeeze in a coffee reading date with my friend Davey.

Not pictured from this weekend but too special not to mention are a dinner with Alan’s family celebrating my birthday early and 7 straight hours of Dawson’s Creek.

If I were to describe my weekend in one word, I’d say “special.”


Question: How would you describe your weekend in one word?

2010 in Review

December 30th, 2010 · · Austin, Birthdays, Holidays, Houston, Lists, Love, Memories, Misadventures, pursuit of happiness, Quotations, Resolutions 2010, The Grind, the not so single life, Travel 13 comments - Tags: , , , ,

It’s that time of year again! I share with you my personal recap of 2010. This year was much better than 2009 (which was much worse than my 2008). It was a year of recovery and regaining balance. I feel very fondly of 2010 but I’m ready to embrace 2011. Bring it!

Note: All links open in a new window.

January 2010


Celebrating New Year’s Eve

February 2010

Progressive Meal in Houston

March 2010


Crawfish Boil

April 2009


May 2010


The back of Conan

June 2010

If a June night could talk,
it would probably boast
it invented romance.
– Bern Williams

I touched Anthony Bourdain's tricep.

July 2010


Jon and Me at my Birthday Dinner

August 2010


Aishah’s 27th Birthday

September 2010


Me & Joe Rogan

October 2010

  • I planned and organized a regional conference for work.
  • My dude turned 26! We celebrated for over a week.
  • Tried my first absinthe.
  • My half sister whom I haven’t seen in over ten years found me on Facebook.
  • Dressed up as a cop for Halloween.
  • Auditioned for a travel reality TV show after receiving an email from a casting director. I took Neville as possible partner and he totally outshone me.
  • A close friend’s brother died unexpectedly. Being with her has been a top priority whenever I’m in Houston. I’ve grown deeper in love for and with her.
  • Tried out Breakfast Klub, a culinary highlight in 2010.

November 2010


Brittany & Me at Race for the Cure

December 2010

  • Participated in Reverb10.
  • Road trip to Oklahoma! Why Oklahoma? To cross off another state.
  • Attended annual Christmas Party for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America with my little and her cousin. This is our third year in attendance!
  • Had hot pot on Christmas day twice. Lunch with Mary Ellen and her mom and her brother, and dinner with my own family. I did exactly this last year for Christmas!
  • Tomorrow’s plan is to party on a rooftop downtown in celebration of a new and fresh year. A stretch Hummer may have been rented.


Annual Christmas Party with my Little

That was my year! I’m happy to have shared it with you and have your support, comments, and readership. It means an awful lot to me. Thank you!


Question: What are five highlights from your 2010?

Happy Birthday, MEF!

November 27th, 2010 · · Birthdays, Love, Memories, National Blog Posting Month '10 5 comments - Tags: , ,


photo credit

It’s my best friend’s birthday today. 13 years of friendship. 10 years of it a best friendship. She’s lived in Boston for quite some time now. Now that she’s bought a grown up house, it looks like there’s a likely chance that we won’t ever live in the same state again. Except maybe when we are little old ladies moving into the same nursing home. In the meantime, we make due by sharing everything mentally (I like to call her, my brain) and seeing each other at Christmas and occasional visits. We’ve agreed to visit each other once a year, alternating our states. I start next year so I can see her new house.

I like to marvel at the scope of our shared experiences. She’s literally been my refuge after major break ups, offering up her miles and and East Coast home. I’ve seen her meet, date, and marry her boo. I have a random memory of her as a 1st grader with boogers in her nose from when we crossed paths as munchkins. I’ve grown to fiercely love her family and her husband. We’ve walked each other through familial falling outs. We bumped heads repeatedly as teenagers. We’ve traveled to Europe together. Hell, we once invited a strange man into our hotel room as high school students just to hang out and managed to not get sexually assaulted or killed. It’s just been quite a ride with this girl and I cannot wait to see where our lives take us. I always know we’re going to be okay because we have each other.

I love her and am wishing her the best birthday. :)

Aishah’s Cotton Candy Birthday

August 9th, 2010 · · Birthdays, Photographs 2 comments - Tags: , ,

A batch of my friends have been turning 27 this year. Aishah joined the club this weekend. Saturday night, I met her up with her little sister and another high school friend. It’s hard to feel old when you’re eating birthday cotton candy and sipping Prosecco.


Do you see that flute? 5 seconds after this picture I flung it at the poor little sister (whom I see as my little sister too). Which explains the next picture…


I sorry.