blogger family goes to austin

 well, miguel & i traveled to austin, texas for the second annual blogger family meet-up! it was fantastic. we took rapid transit all the way to the airport which was quite interesting. it took a bit to get there, but it wasn't too bad. miguel doesn't like flying, so he was pretty brave getting on a flight that was over three hours long. i'm proud of him for that.

once we got there, we were soooo excited!! haha. i love this photo that nicola took of us at the austin airport. i seriously was that excited.

 it was so nice to see bloggers from last year. i couldn't believe that it had already been a year since we met face-to-face in seattle. here are natalie & nicola being glamorous.

 i also got to meet new bloggers as well! this is the lovely kaylie.

 i also was so happy to see nicola for the third time!

 in austin, i would say the best part of the trip (besides being with awesome bloggers) was the food! i loved the food there! & i was pleasantly surprised to find that there were many vegetarian options in all of the menus. this photo below was when we went to snack bar. so good!! maggie (our host) did such a good job taking us to the best restaurants!

 i had to try this mozzarella grilled cheese...!!!

 there was also quite a bit of cute romantic wall art in the streets ;)

 the next time we will be meeting up will be for when these two get married ;) the blogger family gave them this chalkboard as an engagement gift.

 shelby & sam also just adopted a new beagle puppy they named benny & were skyping him ;) too cute.

 we went so many places & did so many things. it was some serious fun. this is at bennu coffee where they had literature inspired drinks : )

 bananarchy! frozen banana galore.

 mozart's had a nice little patio to eat breakfast at.

 probably one of my most favorite stores we went to was uncommon objects. it's a must see & shop for austin in my opinion. miguel even liked it & he doesn't really like vintage & antique shopping ;)

 all of us got dressed up for a fancy dinner at matt's famous el rancho. everyone looked so good! (although i didn't actually get pictures of their outfits :/)

 i'm really gonna miss them. love my blogger family buddies.

miguel & i were sad to leave. we had such a great time & made so many amazing & funny memories with these super bloggers that we had just spent a week with. in the airport while we were waiting for our plane, i started getting emotional. ahhh...only 10 more months until the next meet-up! i am so blessed to have found such wonderful people via the blogosphere. love you guys!

terrariums, lemon bars, & celebrating

i made another terrarium! i had a few succulents left over & my mom picked up this glass vase(?) for me when she was out thrifting, so i decided to put them all together. i really love terrariums & succulents for that matter.

last saturday, my sister raquel & i went over to my cousin brisa's cute little home (i love that her & her boyfriend joseph have moved to my city!) & made lemon bars! she has a wonderful lemon tree in her backyard, so there was an endless supply of lemons. i think i would love to have my own lemon tree when i get my own place.

 i took a trip on the train to stay with miguel for a couple of days & tried to get some reading in on my trip. i've been reading (trying) lunch in paris: a love story with recipes by elizabeth bard. it's hard for me to get into it. i think it is mostly due to the fact that the main character has been annoying me because she is quite naive & seems a little haughty. anyways, the book also includes about three recipes at the end of each chapter, which is pretty awesome. the author even had a blog with recipes inspired by the book. the book does however let me reminisce about the trip i took with nicola to paris. oh how i miss europe!

miguel knows how much i love european things & took me to a eauropean inspired deli down the street from where he works. (he works in the cutest downtown area with little shops, bookstores, & coffee shops!) he had been wanting to take me there for so long & it did not disappoint!

 i went to visit miguel to celebrate our 17 months together ;) we love a reason to celebrate & still have fun celebrating each month we are together. we decided that instead of going out for dinner & spend money, we would stay in & cook together & save some extra money for austin next week(!!!). we decided to make lasagna with cheese & veggie meat. when we started putting together the sauce (we made our own sauce from scratch), we realized that we couldn't find a large enough casserole dish for the lasagna. so, miguel went out to pick one up & came home with not only an amazing glass casserole dish with a lid, but flowers, macaroons, & eclairs! i was quite surprised & happy : )

 i took this photo on the morning i went back home. there is a train station just around the corner from where miguel works, so we try to plan efficient trips so he can pick me up & drop me off according to his work schedule. anyways, he made us smoothies that morning for breakfast & put them in the starbucks cups he saves. haha. oh miguel.

i took my flowers home on the train & i felt happy to have them in my bag.

miguel & i leave for austin on wednesday! i am so beyond excited for this trip. i'm excited to be traveling traveling with miguel & i am excited to see all of my blogger family pals & to meet the new ones! see you all soon!

a few little notes

me & miguel on the fourth 

photo credit: lizzie

+ miguel & i went camping in june & we had so much fun! we did forget to pack a pot to heat water for tea & oatmeal in the morning, thus cutting our trip a tad short, but it was all part of the experience & we are both waiting for the weather to cool down so we can go again! 

+ i want to try making this. i can't eat raw egg anything (i even have to have my fried eggs over hard - otherwise, my poor tummy!), so this recipe will be perfect - especially in summer! & it's healthier, which is a big plus!

+ i kind of went crazy at the jcrew factory sale...i mean 50% off the whole store & 60% off clearance?? yes please. got my first pair of jcrew ballet flats. retro jade suede. so excited. photos probably in the future! (p.s. the sale is until tomorrow so you still have time to see what there is!)

+ since it's been SO HOT lately, i really want to try this cute scarf updo from delightfully tacky: 

Head Scarf Updo Tutorial from Elizabeth on Vimeo.

+ back in june, the blogger family had a "favorite things" swap organized by maggie. i got an amazing package from shelby! thanks, shelby ;)

+ the county fair is going to be starting up again soon & i'll be working again (as i have for the past 10 summers?!) in the building where they display all of the arts & crafts, baked & preserved foods, etc. that people enter. this year i will be entering two cookie recipes (as part of my 25 before 26) & miguel will be entering his beef jerky! i'm super excited. i'm going to take the train to stay with him on monday (for our monthiversary hehe) & he's planning to start the jerky that day. he always impresses me - making his own jerky : )

+ i've been looking for a striped tee. not exactly just any striped tee, but more along the lines of THE striped tee. a comfy one that isn't fussy (meaning not see through or too clingy). what t-shirt brands do you like the most? i need help!

that's all for now! stay cool! (& for those in the cool now, stay warm! ;))

exploring the islands

 well, i have been away for a bit as you can tell. i went on a trip with my family to the caribbean islands! we took a cruise, so we were able to go to multiple islands. if you follow my instagram, you may remember these photos. the photos are from st. thomas, barbados, st. lucia, st. kitts, st. maarten, and puerto rico.

 these last photos are from puerto rico. out of all of the islands i went to, i love puerto rico the most. old san juan was so beautiful. we stayed at the casablanca hotel, & i highly recommend it! (just be prepared for no elevators ;)) we stayed right in the middle of old san juan & were able to walk just around the corner to caficultura - one of our favorite spots.

we had a nice time exploring different cultures : )

my sister has officially moved back home. but this is only for a month or so until she leaves to (most likely) thailand to teach english for about a year.

soon miguel & i will be off to austin, texas to reunite with blogger family bloggers of last year & new blogger family bloggers as well! we are both quite excited!

things have been going by so fast. i thought i would have more time once i finished my thesis, but now it seems everyone know that i am done so i have so many more things to do. it's pretty crazy...