start and finish

Pic from here

Y'all I just got back form an epic trip to Dallas.
My goodness it was so fun and just flew by!
A catch up post will come but first I wanted to give you the juicy gossip of how I started and finished my trip in a similar manner. 

• What I thought would be a smooth trip became...

A nail in the side wall of my tire and an emergency car switcheroo with my parents to catch my flight (on the way there).
My expected 4.5 hour journey became 8.5 hours due to some kind of border delay ridiculousness (on the way back).

• I was hungover BADLY on the way there and back.

On the way there because I had dinner with MrTrader and a bottle of wine and beverages at a bar later (the Friday night on the way there).

I went to Weber's in Ann Arbor and met up with Will and his crew who were out.  My flight landed at 10:45pm and I thought it better to stay at Will's for the night instead of driving home (on the way back).

In the interests of being honest I suppose I can tell you also...

On the way there those late night drinks with MrTrader turned into a sleepover of the randy sort.  Only y'all I so was not prepared for all that to go down.  I'm talking I wore black tights in lieu of shaving my legs etc unprepared.  I'm talking first day of my period unprepared.  I'm talking probably worst way to ever ummm "start" things off.  I literally thought I would not hear from him again but we exchanged a few texts during the week when I was in Texas AND we have date #4 on the calendar for tomorrow.  Maybe he was just as drunk as I was?!

On the way back...well everyone in grad school assumed Will and I hooked up...so that happened after one too many drinks and before I knew it things...happened.  But don't worry I made things sufficiently awkward in the morning when I was shy and embarrassed and naked didn't know how to handle the situation.  Will called me out for being awkward.  

So I oddly started and finished my trip in an awkward, slutty, hungover and very embarrassed fashion.

bad trip

Pic from here

So here's how my trip went down.
It kind of started off bad.
The fact that I've had to rent a car since my car broke down.
Or that I even had difficulty picking up the rental car (from the shady car rental place).

Then a rough day of work on the day we left.
Picking up Laurel from her work place.
Getting caught in traffic.

As we drove and day turned into night.
Laurel fell fast asleep.
Which sucks because I was exhausted.
So I decided to stop in Syracuse versus Utica.

Exhausted and rolling into bed.
And finding out Laurel sleeps with a sound machine.
Sounds kind of like a staticy channel turned up really loud.
So I slept like crap.

Finally making it into Boston.
After Laurel who refused to find an address and insisted she was right in directions.
So we missed eating at the lunch place that we wanted to eat at.
And I just got quiet (mainly because I was starving because I opted for a coffee only breakfast because I hate McDonald's breakfast).

We then toured Harvard University which was awesome and I got a token sweatshirt.
Then we headed to the W (which I love).
We started to get ready.
And Laurel thought the sink was broken (turned out it was not she only had the plug in activated).
Then she forgot her makeup in the car (which was parked a little a ways in valet).
The stadium was 15 minutes walk away but Laurel's boots were too uncomfortable to walk in so we cabbed it.
But totally missed the opening (one of my favourite parts of the game is the introduction of the teams).
It is the first game I've been to in a couple of years and yeah I was pretty disappointed.

After the game was over I was really looking forward to a night out in Boston (our only real night "out" on the trip).  So we snagged a seat at the bar at the W which was promptly filling up.
Laurel was tired and wasn't really in the mood but did decide to have one drink.
Then went to bed.
I stayed for one more but then decided to just head up.

The next morning I got up early to work out in the am.
When I came back Laurel let me know her one sugary drink effected her badly so we wouldn't be making the 9am tour.
So I showered and got ready and tried to figure out what to do.
We ended up going on a different (and now unresearched tour).

We thought it was weird being on a Freedom Trial tour and 90 minutes in had only visited two sites.
Now I was thinking...wow we ended up selecting the wrong kind of focused tour and not a generalized one like we wanted to originally.
Laurel was saying out loud..."this is b*llsh*t I'm asking for a refund because this is NOT the freedom trial tour"...and was saying this LOUDLY.
And I was embarrassed.
And irritated.

And the rest of our day was similarly downhill.
I'm realized in spending 24/7 with Laurel at this point in the trip that she is quite negative.
Also reminded me of my mum in complaining about everything.
It was like wearing a wet blanket all weekend long.

And it got worse.

We went to our sorority meeting where we (granted unexpectedly) had to add an extra girl to our room.
Laurel went so mean girls on this new roommate that she was in tears 10 minutes in.
Seriously.

I busied myself trying to smooth things over.
Reassuring the new roommate that she was not intruding and apologizing for Laurel behaviour.
And trying to deescalate Laurel's meangirl routine.
That by the end of the weekend I was exhausted.

There are more details that I just am too exhausted to even write out it full.
It just stinks that this may be my only trip of the year and this is how it went.
Bad trip indeed.

Safe Haven

My escape here in Florida has been two fold...
One of these has been heading to the gym.
The walk there to just simmer down.

The actual gym which more often than not is empty.

My other safe haven is my room.
Which I made bright and sunny for Florida.
I wanted my room to feel like a happy vacation spot.
What's more happy than pink and green?

I picked the smaller between the two bedrooms (not including the master of course).  
I like how it makes it cozy :)

 I love the thick crown molding!

I love my clear lamp...and the random shiny pink parrot that I found.
I need to fill that green vase with some white hydrangeas I think!

I enjoy small details like how I can find a curtain rod that echos the lamp without it being from the same store.

It's definitely my escape.
Maybe I'll do a whole house tour for y'all.
It's just a small vacation home but I really like it.

Dallas Trip ~ Tuesday (Day Six)

Today was all set for another big shopping day.
With that we first headed to Cavender's to find me some boots!

Very Americana looking!
I was so super excited! 

There were clearly so so many options.

Good thing I had the most amazing shopping partner EVER in Taylor.
I really am not usually a big shopping person but with Taylor I have SO much fun!!!
We also had the sweetest man helping us named Kirk.
When I settled on a pair I asked to take a picture with him and he happily obliged.

The brand is Lucchese.
And I love them!!!

To me they are the classic cowboy boot.  They already look worn in and they are super comfy.

Did you know that these boots are all made by hand???
I had no idea.
So you have to match them up by sticker underneath the sole.
So each and every pair is a little bit unique and not the exact same!

After that we went to Lilly Pulitzer in SouthLake.

Pic from here.

And they were in the process of redecorating and painting the walls by hand.
This was the day we were there.

Pics from their FB page.

Obviously obsessed with the wall and how they show the Lilly colours!

They call this their Texas toile

Not sure how I feel about this star mirror though.

Their super cute bathroom.  Love the Aquanet Hair Spray cans on the ceiling.

This is what we saw and it was done so perfectly it looked like wallpaper.

I love Lilly!
Here is what I scored from Lilly.
My first drink cup this style (obviously in our sorority print).

Pic from here.

My fabulous new phone case.

Pic from here.

And a planner for 2013.  I'm seriously obsessed with planners.

Pic from here.  Monthly agenda in Dirty Shirley print.

Then we headed to the Cheesecake Factor for some food before heading to a meeting she had.
Then it was off to bed for us two girls.
I was heartbroken at having to leave the next day.
I cannot believe how quickly this trip flew by!

Highs and Lows

Coming off the lack of sleep last night.
How excited was I to head to a girls night with the CanadaCrew girls.
5 of us and Vietminese Pho at a place on Spadina called Pho Hung.

I'm going to pretend that I wasn't a little perturbed at Laurel who insisted we change the location.
And then she didn't show up.
Granted she had a perfectly good work excuse.
So I tried to just let it go.

It wasn't a crazy night like this.  But we had lots of laughs and fun.  Pic from here

And I couldn't wipe the smile off my face.
I was so so happy.
Finally feeling like I'm getting my groove and making new girlfriends.
We are also going to do a bookclub during these cooler months.

I practically skipped downtown all the way to my car.
Then I made the mistake...

Then I called my parents because I had made dinner reservations on July 6th with the thought that we just might be celebrating Christmas in Florida.
To one of my bucket list restaurants...Victorias and Alberts in the Grand Floridian (@ Disney).
As in I made a reservation on July 6th for December 29th and I still didn't get my prefered table!

So being that it is in Disney and my parents place is in Delray Beach...I called tonight to suggest we get a hotel there (about 3-3.5 hours away).
Only my mom BLEW up at me.
Saying I NEVER said it was at Disney (ummm I know I did).

Then she informs me that now in our little Florida house not ONLY is it going to be my parents, my brother and me (as I was originally told)...4 people 2 bathrooms one living space = already being in everyones face a little much especially because I was going from the 22nd-1st.
But NOW its going to be my uncle and his 4 kids and my grandma too. 
Please add that up...now its 10 people...2 bathrooms.

And since I did (mistakenly already screwed up the date of my dinner reservation I said it was the 26th but as I checked my email now it is on the 29th)...my parents are like cancel it.
This is the ONE activity I wanted to do over Christmas.
My mom then yelled at me that I was being a brat and that they didn't want to go now.

Pic from here

Of course than I was irritated because of all the extra house guests.
You've GOT to be kidding me.
I know what this means...I will be sharing my bed with my grandma for sure and just there will be no escape from everyone. 
So I maybe said, "okay well maybe when they are there I will head to Miami to stay with a friend".

To which my mom blew up at me and yelled at me saying that I don't give a f*ck about family and I always put my friends first and they just screw me.
Ummm okay.
To which I got so mad....I mean really.
I may have said I will change my flight because that is not relaxing for me to spend my only vacation jammed in a house with 10 people.
To which my mum siad I was being a high maintenance brat and it was my FAMILY.

She also then screamed at me for the money they spent on my flight and I was ungrateful.
And that I think they just have all this money floating around when they don't.
Please keep in mind my parents are going to Florida THREE times between now and Christmas.
This is the cycle of guilt and punishment that does seem to rear its ugly head.
It hasn't happened for awhile so I thought maybe just maybe it had passed.

I am now FUMING.
Ummmm guess what I'm not close with my family.
And if you knew how much my "family" screwed over my parents it is really quite laughable.
AND hello what about Thanksgiving???
I will be spending it ALONE here.
Since family is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO important.

I'm literally so livid and now DREADING this Christmas vacation.
What the HECK did I get myself into.
I can't even describe how angry I am.
With that I'm going to munch on the chocolate one of the CanadaCrew girls brought back from her recent work trip to Switzerland.

Dallas Trip ~ Monday (Day Five)

We woke up early and were sad to see PinkSundrops head home.
I gave her a HUGE hug and realized just how much I miss this beautiful girl!
Taylor and I lazed around and slowly got ready for a shopping day.

We headed to North Park (our old stomping grounds for shopping).
First stop Kate Spade.
And Taylor and I were instantly in love.
However, knowing the first rule is to never start shopping right away we knew to explore the mall.

After walking around the mall we came back to Kate Spade to try things on.
And here is where I got into trouble.
And ended up coming home with ...

Suzette Coat...seriously this picture does not do it justice...this coat is GORGEOUS!

Clearly my bow obsessed self was OBSESSED with the bow collar!

From the back!  Love how the collar from this angle too.

And then this dress.

The Charlie dress...obviously y'all know what I love!

I love Kate Spade jewelry too.
So these classic earrings soon found their way into my shopping bag!

Add caption

And I wanted to get something for my bestie...how about matching "friendship bracelets" actually it is Kate Spade's Bridesmaid Idiom Bracelet... the inside says best friend ever and the outside is engraved with "birds of a feather, two of a kind, perfect pair, partners in crime, peas in a pod, sidekicks."   

I love how the jewelry came in perfect little hat boxes.

And the way I totally justified these crazy extravagant purchases???
They had a labor day sale so for spending $1000 you saved $250!
I mean yes I may be eating Ramen the rest of September but these are "investment" pieces.
And Kate Spade hardly EVER has sales....that's at least how I justified it.
My first Kate Spade purchases ever!!!

It was so fun we had to take a picture to commemorate this fun time.
Look how cute Taylor's baby bump looks.
She is definitely one of those beautiful pregnant girls that is all belly.

Grrrr can't figure out how to rotate the pic!  I was able to rotate it in paint and it saves that way but when I upload it it is not right side up!
Sorry that it is annoying posted this way.
You can check Taylor's blog for an upright pic!

We made perfect timing because we went from there to have dinner with Taylor's husband, Melody and her husband and our friend David.
I haven't seen David since my Thanksgiving 2008 trip to Dallas so that was awesome.
We all went to iFratelli.
Originally we wanted to go to another restaurant but it was closed due to Labor Day.
So we went here instead.

Pic from here.

 
So after some yummy food we just headed home and hung out.
And these are the things I miss most.
Being able to hang out with my best friend.
Another perfect vacation day!!!

Dallas Trip ~ Sunday (Day Four)

That morning we had a secret to keep.

We had planned for the last couple of weeks. 

A super secret baby shower for Taylor.

Foiled by the failed attempt the night before to sneak out of the house.

We thought our only chance was to have PinkSundrops sneak out of the house by herself.

We made up an excuse that she went to CVS because of eye pain and then had a boyscout emergency to deal with over the phone.

We were trying to make up any plausible excuse.

And we were STRESSED.

I even tried to change breakfast places because I was so worried we would be so late.

But not to do so in an obvious way.

So we headed to BreadWinners a fav of ours Uptown.

The wait time was over an hour (I was in a PANIC about it).

But we were able to sit outside (in the shade) and be seated immediately.

Thank goodness.

We all ordered different Scrambles which was AMAZING!

My fav symbol is the Fleur de Lis so I obviously noticed this one on the menu.

Mimosa!

My Scramble...it was DELISH!!!  And a glass of ice water because it was H O T!

So as we finished up breakfast I leaned over to PinkSundrops showing her a "photo" on my phone.

However it was a typed note saying... "Melody's car better break down soon!!!"

And magically she texted Taylor that her car broke down and if we could help.

Only this was waiting...

The AMAZING spread...

Didn't PinkSundrops and Melody do an AMAZING job with the decor?!?!?!?!  

It was a book theme so this is how we displayed the "menu".

Book garland.  And you can see the AMAZINGNESS that are PinkSundrops legs....seriously I am so super jealous.  She had the cutest dress on with lace peeking out.  And y'all her legs...I wish I could have legs like these.  I have the prettiest girlfriends.  

The wedding favours were OPI in the shade "It's a Girl!" rather appropriate don't you think.?

So y'all we pulled it off!
I couldn't believe it.
And I think she was happy with it.
Gah I can't believe she is going to have a baby in a few weeks.
This little girl is super lucky...her mom is an amazing, smart and beautiful woman.
And we all can't wait to meet her.

The day flew by.
Taylor, PinkSundrops and I returned to Taylor's house.
We munched on leftovers and just chilled.
And I had another fabulously blissful day of vacation!