weekend, I love you.
we're hunkered down, recovering from the cold we keep passing back and forth to one another, taking in hours of football, which comes as a shock to no one. I live for a low-key weekend lately...  glancing at our calendar and seeing all of the blocked out days for the remainder of 2018 is equal parts exhilarating and exhausting. what have you got going on this weekend?

so, now I come to you, asking for help. we're jetsetting a little bit in october and november, and would love any suggestions you have for what we need to embrace in asheville, austin and san francisco!

I grew up an hour north of austin, and know the touristy high points. so what I'm asking for here is what you would absolutely push us to see/do/eat, knowing we'll be there for less than 24 hours. is there anything new-ish (within the past five years) that would be life-changing for us to experience?

october is taking us to asheville for a wedding weekend, so we're jazzed to do all of the hiking and brewery bouncing. we've been to sierra nevada, wicked weed, hi-wire, burial... and we know the biltmore is beautiful and all, but please! all brewery/coffeehouse/unique hike suggestions welcomed!

and november will usher us out to san francisco--mostly so J can attend a work conference, but I'll have a lot of solo time, and we'd love to know your eatery/coffee/bookstore recs especially.

I will always gravitate more toward hole-in-the-wall establishments, and tend to avoid the mainstream "top ___ dinners" lists that anyone can google from their phone. so, the more obscure or tucked away, the better.

thank you, thank you, thank you! now, feel free to go about your weekends.

• Like we weren't totally convinced of this already. But hey, science backing me up is always good.
  
• Tell me this isn't the cutest little housewarming present.
  
• It's a little late to be reporting on this, but if you haven't watched Meghan McCain's magnificent eulogy of her beloved father, there's no time like the present.
  
• And in keeping with the political realm.... GO BETO, GO!
  
• YES, GIRL. This is how you use your platform.
  
• Now that the temperature has momentarily dipped below 70, I cannot pry this coziness from my body. Getcha one. Or four.
  
• Ever the personal growth guru, I've kicked off a book club with my work team. Have you tackled this one yet?
  
• So, speaking of girl power... I scooped this up from a local shop and have gotten all of the compliments. Love it so much. #shopsmall
  
• Aaaand, setting us back a couple generations... I still can't decide how I feel about professional cheerleading. What say you?

Gah, blogging is such an ebb and flow game for me. I stick with it and mosey back here every couple of months because I love having the outlet. I love retreating to this little nest to just purge my thoughts into. I come up with ideas I want to write about constantly, almost daily... I just don't have the time or energy or need to pour it all out here on a consistent basis. I'm skeptical of people who post daily... I think part of me doubts that authenticity that I try to stay true to myself.

I dare say I'll never traipse into the world of fashion blogging. Can't really see myself ever transitioning into a mommy blogger--though, it's arguable that my obsession with my pups would be a great precedent for documenting the requisite chaos and cuddles with human children. Definitely don't have the patience or time to be a food blogger. So... where do I fit in? I've asked myself that for years when it comes to this scene.

What I've settled on--after being in the blogging game for about 15 years, give or take--is that I'll always just return here when something strikes a chord within me. Not to say everything poured out onto this page will be dripping with deep substance... but I can promise that when I write, it's because I want to have a voice about something, something that resonates--not merely stick to a schedule, or follow an expected cadence of post formats.

That said, more and more lately has been igniting me... beckoning to me to return here again in order to try and fit feelings onto a screen in an attempt to find some semblance of order and sense. Coming to terms with toxic relationships, the loss of McCain and what that means for our country's future, being shaped by a small town and the resentment and pride that encompasses that, drawing boundaries with people in order to become who I'm supposed to be. It's all swimming in my head, begging for some structure.

So... stay tuned. And thank you for reading still. 

Hullo! July, half over now. Officially in the latter part of 2018. I hope your fourth was all kinds of relaxing and magical, and you felt at least a smidge of pride to call the good ol' U S of A home. Mine involved the standard grilled fare, a bounty of explosives gazed at over the sticky humid, suburban sky and a homemade slip + slide that left me more than a little sore the next morning. In a word? It was perfect.

Here's a little of what life and the internet have brought me lately:

• I have a serious girl crush on Cleo Wade. (go get her book!)

• Bird flocked to Nashville, and almost just as quickly, flew the coop (PUNS). The city is working on amendments to get it stationed here for good, and the whole concept just fascinates me to no end. Do you have Bird in your neck of the woods?

• Millennial wingdings. LOL.
  
• More than a little jealous of this kid.
  
• The Royal Wedding has come and gone, but one of my favorite little print shops churned out this gorgeous snippet of Bishop Michael Curry's lovely vows... which now lives tucked among the dog photo shrine above our cozy, sectional.
  
• Who's idea was it to revamp all of Elton John's best? I'd personally love to embrace you.
  
• I've needed a bit of a social media break, so I have stepped away from Facebook for now. This week, I downloaded the Moment app for my phone, and it's been pretty alarming--the app monitors your phone usage, and can even send you notifications when you've overstepped goals you've set for yourself. I highly recommend it--it's already breaking habits I have... oddly enough, I'm not using my phone a ton, but I'm a compulsive picker-upper! #PUTITDOWN

• Follow this account now. 

• All my best girlfriends and I are kicking off a cookbook club this month--first stop, Chrissy Teigen's Cravings... I'm doing sides! I'll bring you a full report later.
  
• You can take the girl outta Texas, but you can't take the Texas politics outta the girl: somehow I managed to get myself recruited to be a volunteer for Beto's campaign. I wish like hell I could vote for him in November, but since I can't, I'll do my best to get you Texans to.

Until next time, y'all...

And hey, 2018 is half over!

The past six months have been so good to me. SO ridiculously good to me. I've always been a glass-half-full kinda gal, but reflecting back on this year sends me into a fluttery tailspin of giddy gratitude, and I'm more aware than ever of this charmed life I lead. I just feel so full--full of experiences, full of love, full of excitement and anticipation--as much as I've always leaned "optimist", I've never really known a sense of happiness like this.

Where have I been, you may ask?

Where haven't I been?

I wrapped my first full year in a job that was made for me--a hectic event season, driving all over the southeastern US, breaking fundraising records, and a TV appearance thrown in there. It's been a whirlwind, and I couldn't be more grateful to work toward ending the illness that took my mom, alongside a team whose time spent laughing is only rivaled by its collective dedication to do good work.

I finished up serving as a VP for Junior League, and--while the year was exhausting to say the least--I walk away with a better grasp on my leadership skills, sweet new friendships, and a clearer focus as to what drives my volunteer heart.

The boyfriend is just a dream. We've skedaddled from concert to concert... then playoff hockey games where he dutifully threw the catfish. We've indulged in lazy afternoons, sampling beers at our favorite taprooms, and laughed til our sides split at wine nights with the Smiths. We've binged more than our share of TV shows, thrown all of the tennis balls at the dog park, and graced all of the sporting events. We've trekked home to Kentucky for weekends surrounded by his huge, hilarious family, and stood shoulder-to-shoulder cooking together in our kitchen, pups weaving in and out of our legs, hoping for a clumsy spoon bobble. Our life is so sweet... hokeyness aside, I wish I could pause time sometimes.

I've capitalized on my Rent the Runway subscription, as we've danced the nights away at the weddings of dear friends and a spring gala, and I've co-hosted a couple of sweet baby showers and felt my whole soul light up, receiving the news that these babies were born.

I spent a far-too-short weekend (accompanied by negative wind chills) with my sweet dad, visiting his stomping grounds in southwestern Pennsylvania, loving on his people as he played tour guide to his sleepy hometown--down to me convincing him that roller skating at the exact rink he grew up spending his Friday nights in was how we needed to spend our Friday night.

I've caught up with friends and made headway on my ever-growing reading list. I've simplified where I can, and streamlined so much in my life. My relationships are stronger, my purpose continues to become clearer, and I've never felt so loved, supported, and fulfilled in my three decades on this earth. (It's nauseating, right?)

Thank you for still reading here, and supporting me despite these prolonged absences... I'm still here, I promise.

So what's next?

More weddings and roadtrips. Baylor homecoming and a jaunt to Austin. Piggybacking on one of his conferences in the fall and visiting the east coast.

More writing, more reading, more involvement in Nashville. Who knows what the back half of 2018 holds? I'm perfectly content with letting the chips fall where they may.