Shaping lives

Justin & I have been consumed with the College World Series this weekend. It's a 3 year running tradition for us, and no matter who plays we enjoy watching. I actually attended the CWS 4 years ago, & we hope to go back one day together, because the excitement of the tournament is enjoyable to us.

We've especially enjoyed watching this tournament, because Texas is playing. If you've been reading this blog for a number of years, perhaps you remember that when I lived in Austin I helped out with a youth group...teaching Sunday School & Wednesday night bible study.

Texas played their 2nd game on Tuesday night & I was pleased to see that Chance Ruffin was the starting pitcher. Chance was also one of my students in the youth group. Unfortunately, Chance was retired after the 2nd inning & the announcers {who I usually think are TERRIBLE & ridiculous} start talking about what a fantastic young man of character Chance is.

Justin turns to me & says, "And just think Lesli, you helped shape his character."

Not sure there's any truth to that statment, but wouldn't I like to think so! {wink, wink}

Character aside, he's a darn good pitcher ~ Hook 'em!

a wish for Austin

Are any of y'all lucky enough to go to South By this year? That's the local term for South By South West in Austin, Texas. When I actually lived in Austin I can recall going to one little old show because all the festival was to me an adage to annoying downtown traffic.

When I lived in Austin it was a festival for people with extraordinary taste in music & a flare for independent films. Me, I'm DYING to go to the Britney Spears Circus Tour and hope to find time to see Confessions of a Shopaholic before it leaves the theater. It wasn't exactly a festival for me, but I was more than happy to support a friend's boyfriends band and attend the single show that I can call my SXSW experience.

Apparently it's more than a music and film festival and you can hang out with bloggers and celeb chefs. I'm following several bloggers & my first husband, Tyler Florence on Twitter and it's KILLS me to read their updates about arriving in Austin for their SXSW journey. Honest to gawd, my hurt has literally been hurting to think that TF is chillin' at all the Austin hot spots that I could have been to in 10 minutes if I still lived there. I've been brainstorming ways to ditch my real life in Tupelo and swing through Rockwall to get Allie so we can STALK Tyler in Austin. Wouldn't be too hard, because he is kind of enough to tell ME exactly where he consuming wine and polishing off tacos.

Hotel San Jose? Done. Gueros? Not my favorite, but we've got plenty of time... it's going to be a long week.

sipping tea

If any of you were keeping up with me back in November, you'll remember that I lived in Austin and suffered a nasty cold for oh what felt like an ENTIRE month! I wrote about Mint & Honey Sweet Leaf Tea being my throat savior.


Someone over at Sweet Leaf Tea stumbled upon those praises and kindly offered to mail me coupons for FREE TEA! Merry Christmas, right? I work for a company that believes that a true raving fan of your product will be more than happy to pay full price for the product and I believe that about this tea. I also think that the best way to advertise a product is by word of mouth and actually getting the product in your mouth. That is of course unless it is NOT a food or beverage product, in which case I wouldn't go putting things in my mouth from pushy marketers.


With that thought in mind, it would be my pleasure to share my coupons with those of you who maybe have never tried Sweet Leaf Tea and would like to! Please visit their website and then comment here about which flavor you would try if given the chance to try for FREE! Of course, leave me your email address so I can correspond with you about where I should send them!


Cheers!

Time for new traditions?

Just wanted to give y'all a little peek at mine and justin's Thanksgiving feast! I think it's about the furthest from turkey and dressing you can get, but when in Austin... Tex Mex it is! Last year was the first time either of us had spent significant holiday's away from our families ~ Thanksgiving for Justin, Christmas for me. This year we were both away from our families and naturally entertained the idea of what it would be like to start a new tradition for ourselves and have mexican food for Thanksgiving. It seemed like an ok idea while we stuffed our faces with carne asada and quesadillas, but I was wracked with jealousy today when I asked our employees how their day was and they all went on and on about the food!

I missed all the pies and the stuffing and the green bean casserole so bad that I'm not sure if our traditions can change anytime soon. How many days until Christmas?

12 days of Austin

I can not believe that we have 12 days left in Austin, Texas. Where has the time gone? Ryan said it best when she said that Norman seemed to drag on and Austin has FLOWN by! I've found myself day dreaming about my kitchen lately. I've been searching recipes, so I can have a menu planned for the evening I arrive. Nevermind that the only thing left in my fridge will be ice in the ice bin!

What I'm needing is a good refried bean recipe, because sure I can get them out of a can, but what's the fun in opening a can when I could be refrying beans in my very own kitchen?

It's when I start to think about the refried beans and the tex~mex, that's when I start to get a little teary eyed, because I know Lexington thinks they have good mex, actually many places do, but really there's no place like home. It's all a little bittersweet, you know?

We're 9 deep in our Tex~Mex tour which leaves us with one, but I think I know which restaurant is going to make the cut, because Justin put in a special request for a follow up visit.

In the next 12 days I need to accomplish the following... let me know if you'd like to join ~

~ Moonshine for dinner

~ Pictures in front of sign above with Justin

~ Flip Happy with Andy

~ Pictures at Friday Night Lights landmarks

~ Lunch or dinner at Zen

It's a short list, but if the past is any indicator of the future, we will be on our merry way all too soon. Either way, I can't wait!

Halfway point

I have nothing to say about football this Saturday...don't fall out of your chair! I can't believe I'm already to the halfway point of NaBloPoMo! I imagined that it would be much harder than this, and I hope by saying that I didn't just jinx myself out of a creative thought for 15 days straight.

I have my favorite Saturday routine playing out, but it's coming to an end all too soon. Snuggled up on the couch... browsing the blogs I've missed this week... turkey cooking up on the TV ~ food network is finally working... Lola playing in the floor with her toys {read - her crate}. It's a brisk 48 outside and I'm holding tight to my coffee.

Some thoughts today...
~I can't believe in 2 weeks I'll be celebrating 1 year of marriage
~I'm so happy I'm not planning a wedding
~I might cry when I get back in my own kitchen
~I'm really going to miss all the Tex-Mex
~Will we ever have lazy weekends with no work
~Am I ready for my NEW new years resolution
~I need to get in the shower so I can go to work on a Saturday

Settle in my friends, 15 more days of posting. Thanks for following the journey this far.

The Get-Me-By Shoes

When you leave your house in July and plan to return the first of October you don’t pack your closed toed shoes. Well at least I didn’t. I planned on being home before fall set in, so in my bag went my flip flops and my strappy sandals.

Now it’s the latter part of November and we’re not home, but fall has arrived. While it’s not cold in Austin, strappy sandals seem a little silly for a November dinner and it does get more fall~ish after the sun sets. I went to Wal*Mart the other day in search of a get-me-by pair of closed toed shoes until I could get back home. I have plenty of closed toed shoes boxed up individually patiently waiting for me at home, so I didn’t need anything super nice. And let’s get real here… my super nice pair of shoes in my closet were $75 dollars and a gift from my mother in law… black suede stiletto boots with rabbit fur trim around the cuff. Forgive me, I'm cheap. Those shoes are fabulous though and I will definitely show them to you when I get home.

What typically happens to me is I usually look for my get-me-by shoes, find them and proceed to love them like an everyday shoe and wear them to death. These shoes MIGHT just take the cake.

Black and White Satin Zebra Flats*

On Sunday a darling little waiter at Moonshine stopped me and said, "Ok girl you HAVE to tell me the story of those shoes!" Story? What do you mean story? "You know, where did you get them, how much?" Oh. Wal*Mart - $9.

I MUST come up with a better story before we make our next trip out of the house!

*picture doesn't come close to doing these shoes justice AND you'll be happy to know that they are comfy too!

Sweet Leaf Tea

Unfortunately for poor little old me I've been suffering from an illness for right around a week. I'm sure it's just sinuses acting up or allergies flaring from the weather change, but either way I HATE 'EM! I'm not sick very often, so I don't wear it well. Symptoms include but are not limited to ~ runny nose, chest congestion, raspy truck driver voice with a touch of pre-pubescent teenager, scratchy throat, headache, chills, and coughing. Not to worry... I'm taking the medicine and hope to be on my way to a speedy recovery.

The silver lining to the sickness is that I found a fabulous new tea made right here in Austin, Texas to soothe my throat and tantalize my taste buds. I ADORE tea ~ green tea, sweet tea, unsweet tea with splenda, peach tea, hot tea, cold tea and now I can add to my list ~ Sweet Leaf Tea!

I spotted the tea at a restaurant the other day and instantly reached for the peach flavor, because peach tea is my favorite drink, but then hacked half of my chest out and decided on the mint & honey. It was a fantastic choice! I'm not usually a fan of bottled tea or tea from a drink tower, but this tea tastes like it was brewed with fresh mint and local honey and then poured directly into my bottle.

If you are not lucky enough to be in Austin, TX, go to their website ~ www.sweetleaftea.com ~ and type in your town/city to find out where you can purchase this tea deliciousness!

It's all gravy, baby!

Oh, the weekend... It was fantastic and tasted delicious! Allison and I accomplished all that we hoped to accomplish ~ divine food, wine drinking & thrifty shopping! You will be shocked to know that I didn't even take my camera out of it's case for the entire weekend, so the only visual proof that we did what I said we would do is this picture of one of my Sunday brunch plates from my phone. I was able to sneak it while pretending to text. It's all about being inconspicuous!



Ok, repeat after me - Chipotle Cream Gravy & Biscuits. oh laudy! Did you notice the bite I couldn't help but take out of my Corn Flake Fried Chicken Finger? For my next plate I cut out the middle man and ladled the gravy directly onto the chicken finger. This is from the Sunday Brunch Buffet at Moonshine. I WILL NOT be sharing with you the final number of plates we went through or the trips we took to the buffet, but I will say that we definitely got our moneys worth!

After Vivo's on Friday night, Fire Bowl Saturday evening & Moonshine Sunday morning I think I could peacefully sleep in a food coma for many many days. Or maybe I should think about restricting myself to a water with lemon diet for the rest of the week. Oh wait, what about the leftovers?

This just in!

I am looking forward to a fabulous girls weekend with one of MY Austin Originals ~ Allie! We're wild women who have some really great wine drinking and shopping planned around our eating stops and gossip. It's like Allie says ~ If you don't have anything nice to say, come sit by me! It's been hard to be back in a place where I lived out some formative years of my life and not feel a little nostalgic, so I am so glad that I'll have a partner in wine to re~live some of our good times!




Food Stops on the Agenda include ~

Vivo's ~ Better than Sex... Tex Mex



Moonshine ~ Please click the link on this one, because this is a brunch I want you all to think about all weekend long!


HomeSlice ~ gooooooooood pizza!




Finally ~ THIS JUST IN!
The best way for 2 girls like us to start our weekend is for this to hit the newsstand...
According to Mrs. Sarah Jessica Parker in a statement to Access Hollywood ~ “I’m thrilled to know Kim is excited but all the deals are not yet done. With ‘the wind on our heels,’ we hope to make it a reality,” HOPE is enough for me! Now the question girls... who's hosting the premiere party next summer?

Face Full O' Migas!

One of the biggest things weighing on my mind and fluttering my nervous tummy this week was the big Texas game. There was several ways to spin it and different scenarios of the way the game would play out and I considered all of them, but really it all came down to what would happen on the field. I could hardly watch last night and I tried desperately to change the karma, but in the end there was nothing I could do to help the Longhorns. I woke up this morning having dremt all night of different outcomes. GET A LIFE MAMA!

When I woke up I felt like I had a hangover; seriously, it was a football hangover and my feelings were hurt. Really, there's only one cure to any hangover when you're in Austin, Texas and like any smart person would do I went and buried my sorrows and my face into a big ole plate of MIGAS!



Anyone else taken pictures of their food at a restaurant? It's a little weird, but I'm thinking that a few of you Non~Texans (Bless your heart) might be saying Mi-what? Meee-Gus! Ok, so let's examine the plate above. We have eggs scrambled with tortilla strips, sauteed white onions, tomatoes, fresh screaming hot jalapenos, chorizo, all covered in queso and coupled with a heaping side of refried beans.

Look at that happy face even if I have on the same old shirt that I wear every weekend! What, it's comfy and cool... don't judge me! Back to the migas. Typically I would eat my migas wrapped into a tortilla and eaten like a breakfast taco, but today I conquered my plate with a fork and chips. Yumm-O!

As you can see Justin had a full plate of enchilada goodness and he about licked his plate clean. This was at the Enchiladas y Mas stop of our Tex-Mex tour and I have to say I think it took a commanding lead over the rest!

Grease~Ball Hotties

It's another football Monday! Justin and I went to our first University of Texas game together this weekend. I've been before, but this was his first college football game ever. EVER! He said before, "I went to a game at the college across town and they had 5,000 people there." Ok, so here we are Saturday in Darryl K. Royal Memorial ~ 98,500 and something people and I'm thinking there are more people in this stadium at this moment than in all of Texarkana (hometown)! More by like 20,000! Ay ya ya...

We had to be down there for work before the game, which is a far cry from my tailgating days, and I sure would have traded it in for a breakfast taco. I will say though, it was fantastic people watching. Texas girls are always fabulously dressed for the game and look darling in their boots, but there is a new trend out there that made me cringe! The high waisted poof skirt. Do y'all know what I'm talking about? It is OK on a stick figure, but not flattering at all if you're 1lb over 95lbs. Other than those skirts, I stood in clothes envy the entire time. I miss my closet,(we left our apartment in July and what we have with us is what we have with us) I wish I had cowboy boots, and I wish I looked better in burnt orange.

Back to the people watching... I'm silently judging people, good and bad, as they walk by when my eyes catch this one guy. Crusty Grease~ball hair, long sleeve button down shirt unbuttoned to his navel, miller light in hand, and painted on jeans. Boy he things he hot, huh? OH WAIT... he IS hot! 98,000+people and I just saw my good friend Tim Riggins from Friday Night Lights! Gawd, I was so star~struck I had to cover my mouth so I didn't scream! He was with Tyra and Buddy, and I was ALL BY MY SELF, so there was no one to share my joy or take our picture. Plus I couldn't remember their real life names, and what is sillier than yelling out their character names? Arrggg...Oh well, I'll always have the vision in my heart.

On to the game. It was NEEEEEEEERRRRRRVE WRACKING! By the end I had no fingernails left and my stomach was doing somersaults. It's not just this team... I do this for every team that i pick to cheer for. I do it to myself.

I'll say this... the experience of being with the crowd and foot long corn dogs is something everyone should experience, but I much prefer watching the game on tv.

Heeeeeeeeeeeeey ~ Matching Ray Bans. Ok, well their not real Ray Bans, but they're Justin's best attempt at Ferris Bueller & the cool "now" look for college. We have two pairs, because Justin can never find his glasses, so I keep a spare pair in my bag and luckily so, because the sun was in our eyes the entire game.

If you need to be reminded...The Eyes of Texas are upon you... all the live long day.

College Game Day

I don't know why I like college football like I do, but I do. Some of you even find it hard to believe, because I didn't even graduate from a school that is ever good at football (although, they have gotten a few ESPN shout outs this year). I guess you could say I like the rich tradition of college football and how from one season to the next new players come on the scene and it's a whole new ball game.




When Justin and I were presented the opportunity this past weekend to be apart of the College Game Day Broadcast down at the University of Texas we jumped at the chance! Get paid to be watch in person one of my Saturday morning ritual and risk the chance to getting to smooch Kirk Herbstreit? Oh, yeah, I'll take that chance! Girls, have you seen how yummy Kirk is? Perhaps you should start watching as well... at least for the eye candy ~ just remember that some of the players are still in their teens!



Justin went to a small school in Missouri for his undergrad where they don't have a football team or cheerleaders or pretty girls for that matter. I thought he might lose his lunch when the Texas Cheerleaders and Dance Team came out. He assured me that they weren't as pretty as me...he must have forgotten that I don't have a perfect tan, rock hard abs and beautiful long flowing hair...seriously, can I be as cute as them when I grow up?







Oh hey, what do you think of my new dark fall hair?

Justin and I are really trying to take in all that we can while were here in Austin, and we've done a pretty good job with the food, so we're working on the entertainment side of things. We have tickets to the game this week...we haven't gotten Baylor tickets yet, but hey ~ when in Rome... Hook 'Em Horns!

the task at hand

With our crazy work schedule, we rarely have time to stay in and cook a meal, which in Norman made me long for my kitchen, but in Austin makes me smile. It means I get to plan our evenings around where we'll have dinner. I also told Justin that he was going to turn into a taco before we left, so we need to get to work on the task at hand!

My plan is to keep my mouth shut and let him decide his own favorite, but I'll enlighten you with my initial thoughts. I've found that I'm mucho passionate about the things I like, which tends to over hype, thus causing severe disappointment in my other half. So, Silencia, Por Favor! Below I have created a list of -- austin original tex-mex restaurants for us to enjoy.

a. Chuy's - an austin staple. especially for visitors. when i lived in waco this is the food I ate every visit to austin. when i lived here i ate here maybe once or twice

b. Trudy's - three words... deep. fried. avocado. oh, gawd.

c. Vivo's - garlicy salsa to ward off the witches

d. El Arroyo - this restaurant was close to all of my apartments, so it was good for a quick fix

e. El Chile - once i asked the server to ask the chef how he made his black bean puree, because it was a dynamic burst of flavor... beans, olive oil, garlic, and nutmeg.

f. TacoDeli - i've never been here, but if it's winning awards it's at least worth a try!

g. Enchiladas y Mas - a good dive restaurant with great food

h. Jardin Carona - another dive where you have to practice your spanish before you go or you won't be able to order

i. Hula Hut - i think justin is going to bury his face in a pipline enchilada and i'll never hear from him again

j. Maudie's - this one is all about the location... do we go to the nook maudies in west austin or do we venture to davenport village for milagro? the salsa and queso are sure to please.

Now it's up to you Austinites, Austin lover or just Austin researchers... is there a restaurant I'm missing? If you can think of a place up north close to the Round Rock/Cedar Park area I'd love your suggestions. Remember, we're heading back to the midwest where they think mexican food is picante sauce, so HELP!

The Midas Touch

Justin and I enjoyed yet another wonderful weekend in Austin, Texas and of course it was filled with MUCH football. College... professional... ok mostly college. It dawned on us last night... we might just have the Midas Touch for college football teams.

As you know we were in Norman, Oklahoma for the start of the season. While we were there the Oklahoma Sooners were ranked #1. Rightly so, our staff and customer base were all die hard sooner fans and even sooner coaches, so we hoped for the victory every week lest we'd have some distraught people on our hands.

Then we were up and transferred to Austin, TX. A city that stands on itself without The University of Texas, but still... hard to go anywhere and not see the burnt orange and longhorn. Would you believe that in under a week and a half the tides have turned and now the Longhorns are #1? I'm with Colt... wish they could have flown under the radar for a little while longer, but entertained a very nice thought of all the sad weary souls in Norman on Saturday afternoon.

I said week 1 that Alabama and Texas were the two teams that were better than the rankings suggest. Now lookey who's number 1 and number 2. But be careful all BCS teams... Justin and I head back to Lexington, Kentucky, home of the Kentucky Wildcats, December 1st... just in time for bowl play!

austin weekend 1

we had our first weekend in austin and I can already sense that our time here is going to go much to fast! It's amazing to me how much this city has changed in just 2 short years! Every time Justin and I are out for a drive I point out 15 different things that weren't here when I was last here. Times might be tough for everyone, but Austin didn't get the memo, because it's booming!

I have comprised a list that I am perfecting a will be sharing of Justin's Tex-Mex tour, but first things first. I had to let him try Juan in a Million and the Don Juan that saw me through many a hungover days when I lived in Austin. JiaM is not on the list, so there was no pressure for him to score their food, he just needed to eat it and enjoy it. I've only eaten the don juan when I had a gurgley empty drunk stomach, so I was worried it wouldn't be as good, but for $3.60 it was just as I remembered.

The $3.60 Don Juan Breakfast Taco

Justin made the beginners mistake of equating price to size and considered ordering 2. Then I schooled him on the ways of east side mexican food and he came to his senses. I was pleased that I could not scrape my plate like I used, but we still left feeling like stuffed pigs. So Shawna and I walked to Amy's Ice Cream for some exercise. I can report that I've also never seen Justin scarf any ice cream so fast.

then Lola made her first Austin friend... Lucy. The babies loved each other and are both looking forward to more fun times.

anyone else sick of seeing me in the same clothes, or is it just me and probably Justin? Gosh we've been gone a long time. If there are any volunteers willing to break into my house and send me more clothes options I promise I will not press charges!

"let Texas fill my soul." - pat green

In honor of the VP debates I wanted to show y'all my new Sarah Palin glasses. What do you think?

This was Lola and I right before we headed out to austin. She then spent the next 7 hours (traffic in ft worth and dinner in waco) curled up in my lap sound asleep. I was very much looking forward to showing Justin around Baylor and getting pictures by the bear pit, but the sun set before we got to hillsboro, so all that Sic 'Em Bears practice is going to have to be saved for another time.

We're staying at the edge of Austin, and when I woke up this morning it felt mighty nice waking up in the great state. It's hard to believe that I've been gone for 2 years. From the looks of things a LOT has changed around the city, but in a way it feels like i just left. I can report that I already have plans for 2 nights this week, and I've hardly been here for 12 hours. Gawd, it's so good to be home.

home away from home

on one hand it seems like we just pulled up in Norman, Oklahoma, but when i think about our home in Kentucky it feels like we've been gone for an eternity. Our time here is quickly coming to an end, and the last week is always the hardest because my emotions are being pulled in two different directions. Part of me is so sad to leave our new friends and the employees we've developed, but the other part of me is counting down the minutes until i will back through the familiar door to our house and lay in my own bed and watch all 400 hours of TV that my Tivo has collected.

until we found out that we wouldn't be going to our house, but to a home away from home in Austin, Texas. When i heard the good news i literally jumped up and down with my arms thrown in the air all the while screaming. Then i immediately began day dreaming of all the finer things i'd get to introduce justin to.

justin's idea of texas is dallas, and austin is so not dallas. his idea of austin is UT and it's so much more than that. to me austin is the kind of town that gets inside of you and gets a hold of you. i never knew how much i loved austin until i left austin, and i've talked to other people that have chosen to leave, but would jump at the chance to go back. it's weird...i can't explain it.

we leave wednesday and head straight there. i am starting a list of all the places that i've never experienced that i want justin to experience with me and we'll be eating our way through the best restaurants in the country. first things first...

i have a secret place in austin that i used to like to go to to get away from the daily. i always thought about having a picnic there, and now i have someone to go with me. so, i'm thinking... wednesday night, sunset, me, justin and lola and some mighty good take out from thundercloud. let the culinary adventures and weight gaining begin!

sparse week

this week might be a little sparse for the old blog, because i had to get back to the great state for a little visit because i've simply had enough of midwestern mexican food.

sort of, i mean i've had enough of it, and i have some important things to take care of.

1. seriously, about the mexican food - i've searched far and wide, and NOTHING beats what i enjoyed in austin, texas. even the "bad" mexican food was exponentially better than "good" anywhere i've been.

2. it's high time for a girls night in, girls night out, girls night upside down at my favorite farm house in texas. there are two white rocking chairs on the porch with our name on it. plus our friends from seattle grace will be there.

3. churches and dress and hair, oh my! i'll be knocking some wedding stuff out... got to see that church, get my dress hemmed and fix this hair. not that it's broken, but it's crying out for new color and a cut!

4. that means... i'll have plenty of pictures to share when i resurface. nope, not of the dress. no one is seeing that puppy until it walks down the aisle.

ps - before i fell asleep last night all i could think about was how the word SPARSE was misspelled in the title... ah ya ya... had to wait for morning.

cadillac escalade

i just got a call on my cell from a chicago number. i rarely get chicago numbers that i don't know, because people hardly ever mis-dial an austin number. i had to check the message, because what if it was my doctor telling me i had an abnormal whatever and was dying? seriously, scariest feeling next to getting trailed by a cop.

upon listening to the message i was informed that i won a cadillac escalade!! it must be my lucky day, because apparently i entered a sweepstakes and won the grand prize? a year ago i would have been ecstatic to get an upgrade on my squealing, no air conditioner in the dreadful texas heat, montero sport, but this time i promptly deleted the message. ain't no way sister is about to trade in riding the bus every day for buying gas in the most expensive place for gas...especially for a Cadillac Escalade!