Mexico Weekend Pt.1

Last weekend we made our way down the coast past Ensenada to a small beach town close to Punta Banda. Getting there was a little difficult when you are relying on directions that tell you to make turns at the dirt road (loads of them), or Pemex gas station (they are on every corner). Things got a little hairy but once we arrived and saw our rented beach house we forgot all about the little detour there that landed us on a tiny dirt road off the beaten path that we named "Chihuahua Alley". The house was to die for. Balconies surrounding the house on every floor with a roof top deck that had an amazing view of the ocean and was perfect for viewing the lush amount of stars on display.

We spent hours lounging on the fine sandy beach, riding horses!!, watching our daredevil friend fly high in the sky, and laughing until our faces hurt. Dinners of tamales from local street vendors and much cerveza that ended in dance parties and nights spent taking the view and ocean air in. It was heaven.

Austin, Texas

The day after the wedding we headed back to Austin to spend the last few days of our trip there. Man, I love that city! So much. It's right up my alley. I always knew I would without even visiting before but was really thrilled that it was almost as I had imagined. One night while having drinks Alex said that he was just as taken with the city and that he could live there too, if there was a ocean. Huh? Well.... since that is never going to happen we will just have to come back and visit as soon as possible. So.. here are some highlights from the rest of the trip, which included lots of eating. Five pound weight gain to be exact :)

Veggie brat at Wurst Tex was amazing. One of the best I have ever had! The saurkraut was pretty

great and the curry ketchup for the fries was so good. 

More food truckin' on E. 6th ave. Had some yummy tacos but was a little sad that the Vegan Yacht (on the same lot) wasn't open. The menu looked so good!

Drinks at the Hotel San Jose. I wish we could have stayed here because it's a beauty. Having drinks on the patio was a treat. Sipping white wine sangria and a michelada for the man was so relaxing.

Night time walks around town were lovely because the heat had settled a bit and we could sit outside. We went to Perla's. The oysters were a hit but so was their ceviche and scallop pozole verde. Such delish seafood.

On a recommendation from a guest at the wedding who was a Austin local we tried the food truck East Side King behind The Liberty which is a dive bar. This might have been my favorite meal on the trip. I had the Veggie Meshi which was out of this world tasty. We also shared deep fried roasted beets with some amazing aioli. Yes, as amazing as it sounds! We came here twice on the trip, it was that good. They also have another truck about a block away with a different menu that we tried and liked too. We were on a food truck roll for sure.

Hitting up Krause Springs outside of Austin is something I have wanted to do since I saw some pictures of the watering hole a few years ago. It was really pretty and the most ideal escape from the summer heat. I wish we brought tubes or rafts though. It was still refreshing to swim and try my first pickle brine flavored shaved ice. Being a major pickle lover I was shocked that, well, I wasn't such a fan of this.

We were fixed up on a "blind date" with a friend of a friend who lives in Austin so it was a way to see the city through the eyes of a local and meet a new friend. He took us to a lot of different bars around town and the boys had many shots along the way. I wonder if the blind date jitters got to them and they overdid it a bit :) Yes, I think so.

The last picture sums the whole trip up!

Texas Wedding Weekend: Part Two



Hands down, this was one of the most beautiful weddings I have ever been to. The venue was so charming with all the white lights, rustic touches, and just simply being in the country. I love it out there. And the heat was somewhat bearable with the addition of chilled white wine and a hand fan :). Jessie, the bride handmade mostly everything and searched for every last vintage goodness for her wedding. She even made her own cupcakes the day before. What? Super woman I tell ya. Somehow she allowed me to do all the flowers for all the tables and I was touched that she would trust me to do so. I enjoyed every minute of it and was happy that I could contribute any aspect to the event. Now I'm obsessed with owning a flower shop, among the  other business ideas that run through my head daily.

The best part was seeing Jessie for the first time with her parents. She took my breath away. I have never seen her more happy and radiant in my life. When her husband to be Mark saw her he looked so proud and in awe. It was beautiful to watch and be a part of.  Plus they are funny, funny people so the whole ceremony was full of laughter. I love weddings and this one will be hard to top.

Congratulations to the happy couple, it was a night to remember for sure! We both were so happy we were there!

Texas Wedding Weekend: Part One



We were so happy to land in Austin while the sun was still shining and get a glimpse of the city before heading out to the wedding location in Wimberley. Aside from the intense heat that took a little while to get used to (who am I kidding, I never got used to it) we made our way blindly to South Congress and stopped at one of the many food trucks to seriously chow down and get our first taste of Austin. After that we bought a cooler, some beverages, and snacks and made our way out to our b&b in the hills.

We finally arrived at the Southwind gates a couple hours before sundown and lets just say that gps was of little help finding our country inn. It was literally a scene from a bad comedy movie trying to navigate our way with many u turns being made and what-the-hells being said. Once we did it was a relief but still an adventure. Southwind consists of three or four cabins and a main guest house with three rooms on 25 acres of hilly countryside and a vast amount of trees, and we loved every minute of it, except for the tons of bug bites I received during our stay there. They seriously love me. We had dinner "in town" at an amazing restaurant called The Leaning Pear, where Alex had his first Shiner Bock (his new fave beer) and we both ate the most delicious and creative food. I was a little shocked but the food was better than some of the food we had in the city. Nights were spent rocking on the chairs on our deck having drinks and talking about future plans, meeting other wedding guests that became fast friends, with mornings spent with the staff of the inn who fed us breakfast and told us hysterical stories and had hearts of gold. We even saw a fox. Her name was Miss Foxy. Apparently she is a regular guest.

The last picture is of the morning of the wedding as everyone prepped, it was an army of love pulling this event together and you could feel it at every moment. Can't wait to share the photos. It was a really magical and hot day. You will probably hear me mention that a few more times :) Very hot! 

Our Weekend

It was a relatively relaxed weekend filled with work that doesn't feel like work( I love my job!!), a tasty dinner and drinks with much missed friends, hours of surfing for the man, a bagel breakfast date together, beautiful ocean views, a last minute dinner with friends at our house, late night swimming, and soooo much laughter!!! I seriously went into the laughing so hard I'm crying stage a ton this weekend and I really needed it. Perfect!

Saturday



Saturday we attended a memorial for one of Alex's long time surfer buddies wife who suddenly passed away last Saturday. I really didn't know what to expect since I had never met Susan before and only had met her husband Mark a handful of times in the past. I was extremely blown away by the love, support, and admiration that everyone who knew her had for her. In a few short hours I felt the immediate connection to a woman that everyone spoke so highly of and really felt her essence. Her photos of an extremely well lived life were scattered around the outdoor space and the radiant words spoke by her children really spoke to me. I got the feeling through listening to her friends and family speak that this was a woman that I would have so wanted in my life. Her spirit really did soar through the shores of La Jolla that day.

After the words were spoken all the boys and girls suited up to head out to the ocean for a paddle out in honor of Susan. I was really awe stricken at the mass of people and the energy that surrounded the whole experience. It was so amazing to see everyone paddle out and also all the people watching with open hearts and love flowing everywhere. I really love that ritual when it comes to death in the surfing world, it has such unity and embraces nature. It was very touching to watch.

Obviously after a day where I was constantly reminded by this diverse group of men, how great my husband is, he is loved whole heatedly by so many people and I'm so happy to say that I am his wife. We decided to hit up a new place for dinner and spend some serious one on one time. Appreciating each other to the fullest. Such great food, halibut rolled tacos, hello! I am extremely happy for the little family I have. It means the world to me.