Trip to Toronto Part 1

When Colt came to me some months ago about spending the weekend in Toronto I was an immediate, without a doubt, YES. Canada has always been on the good ol’ bucket list and Colt was going to be flying out there for a case competition with school. Since Colt was going to be busy most of the time with his competition and school stuff, we invited my sister, Angel, to go fly out with me so I wouldn’t have to travel alone. For the past few months, we’ve been counting down to this trip… it did not disappoint.

We flew out on Friday. I didn’t take the day off from work thinking it would be a breeze to leisurely leave right after school and jet on over to the airport. I was wrong. The whole day was a whirlwind. Deadlines needed to be met before I left work, substitute plans had to be made & set out, there was some drama with a few of my students and a parent called wanting to talk to me before I left. I finally left work only to be met with horrific traffic the entire way to the airport. By this time I was sweating buckets. I was set to board at 5:45 PM and I wasn’t quite sure I was going to make it! I still had to park my car and take the shuttle to my gate! Alas, I made it just fine and all was well. My sister and I grabbed a bite to eat and then boarded our plane. I could finally take a deep breath and leave all my worries behind. Canada, here we come!

We landed in Toronto close to 11 PM and we had to get through customs and call an uber. For as long a day as it was, I wasn’t too exhausted. I was excited to be in this vivacious metropolis and couldn’t wait to start exploring!

Since Colt flew in the day before, he and his friend met us at the hotel where we changed and went out to this cute little place across from our hotel where we enjoyed a few night caps. We didn’t stay out too late though because we wanted to get an early start the following morning!

Saturday morning we woke up bright and early to downtown Toronto. The view from our balcony was breathtaking. The weather was a little dreary, it was windy, cold but we were ready to go out and see the sights and the soaring skyscrapers. We had heard that Toronto was the “clean version of New York City” and I definitely agree that it was!

Saturday we walked the downtown strip, went shopping, had lunch at the Hard Rock and ate some delicious Poutine, watched some talent shows in the main square, did more shopping at Toronto’s largest mall, Toronto Eaton Centre and enjoyed the crisp, cold weather. By evening we were exhausted and ready for a mid evening nap! We headed back to the hotel, met up with Colt and took a luxurious nap. We woke up starving and headed over to this quaint Japanese place for ramen.

After ramen we ubered over to Madison Avenue Pub. This place was the coolest! There are 6 British style like pubs inside these 3 connected Victorian Mansions! Complete with dance floors, patios and a piano bar! Little did we know that this is also the popular spot for the local undergrads to hangout. It was overly crowded with early 20 something year olds and you literally could not get through the crowds, but still so fun. We were easily the oldest people there. I’m pretty sure I was at least 10 years these people’s senior, but we didn’t let that stop us. We stayed until 2 AM closing time, where we crowded around the piano with the fellow Canadians and belted out Billy Joel’s “Piano Man”. It wasn’t until everyone was leaving and walking down the street trying to catch their ubers when we realized we were located on “Greek Row”. Hah! The cherry on top was the snow fall we got to see right before we left. What an epic night!

Sunday morning we were up fairly early and dressed to make the 10 minute walk to church. We visited St. Michael’s Cathedral Basilica. It’s one of Toronto’s oldest churches and the church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto. Mass was lovely and the cathedral and its architecture was absolutely stunning.

After Mass, we walked back on this beautiful, sunny, but cold, Sunday to meet up with Colt’s buddies at the hotel and pick up our rental car. There was no time to waste. Next up on our agenda… Niagara Falls! First we headed to “PATH” which is Toronto’s famous “underground city”. There are tunnels, subways, shops, food and entertainment underground. This was basically built to help pedestrians stay warm and safe from the harsh conditions of the winter cold and snow. How neat is that?! We picked up the rental car and headed off on our hour and a half journey to Niagara. Unfortunately, this also happened to be the coldest day of our trip!!!

After stopped traffic and a stop at Tim Horton’s for the world’s worst meal, we arrived at our destination. We were greeted with ice cold winds and dropping temps but we were eager to see The Falls! We walked for what seemed like forever before finally catching a glimpse of the waterfalls. By the time we made it up to the falls, I could no longer feel my legs nor my face. That didn’t keep us from enjoying the views and taking a ridiculous amount of pictures. #americantourists

Tesla! 

After the photo op we headed inside for coffee, hot chocolate and to defrost while waiting for the sun to go down so we could see Niagara at night. It was so worth it. At night, the falls light up with all different colors. It was beautiful. How incredible are these natural wonders???

The Canadian Flag!

The walk back down to our car didn’t feel nearly as bitterly cold as it had been earlier. Still, we couldn’t wait to get in the car and put the heat on full blast and turn on the seat heaters! I fell asleep instantly once we got on the road. Before I knew it, we were back at the hotel picking up another of Colt’s buddies and onward to our next adventure!

If you made it this far, kudos to you & thanks for reading! I hope you’ve enjoyed following along! Part 2 of our Toronto trip will be up on the blog soon.

Stay tuned!

XO

 

Day Trip to The Silos

January has brought with it less stress and returning our home back to normal. Actually, we just took down all our Christmas decos last Monday…but who’s keeping tabs. 😉 It’s nice to have the house back to its normal self. Everything is back to being clean, orderly and organized. We are getting back to our normal routines and I am finally getting this post up. I have been meaning to update the blog with our quick day trip but to be honest when I’ve had free time, I’ve been taking that time to read, rest and rejuvenate. It’s been blissful. Now on to the deets of our trip!

Christmas break was quickly coming to an end. We were in the final days of our break and we woke up one morning and decided to take an impromptu road trip to Waco, Texas to go see Magnolia Market at the Silos (and were hoping to catch a glimpse of Chip & Joanna!). Like many of you, we are huge fans of the show “Fixer Upper”.  We haven’t been and it has been on our to-do list for quite some time.

It was a beautiful, unseasonably warm day in December. Colt filled the tank up with gas, packed some snacks and we were ready to head off to Waco. Adventuring is our favorite! We were anticipating all the sights the Silos had to offer. When we arrived, we didn’t have to park too far away and we eagerly walked hand in hand up to the entrance.

It was incredible how many people were there on a weekday. Everyone was so friendly and kind. Someone was even sweet enough to offer to take our picture for us!

I loved that all the Christmas decorations were still out. It made the grounds that much more festive. It was such pleasant weather to walk around, sight see and enjoy the outdoors. Everything was just so quaint, pretty and perfect!

We checked out the Seed Supply Store, as well as, the greenhouse. It made me want to buy up all the flowers, herbs and seeds and plant it all. I really wish I had a greener thumb than what I have. I hope this spring I have more time to garden.

How do I grow my own vegetables and herbs?! I would love to be able to do that. Also, seems like a lot more work than I care about taking on right now. Maybe someday! Plant lady goals.

After the seed supply store, we walked over and checked out all the food trucks. When Colt used to live in San Antonio, I would go visit him and one of our favorite things to do was to go check out the food trucks and try out different foods. This reminded us of S.A. Food trucks for days. Yum!

It was a bummer this one wasn’t open! Must go back and give it a whirl! 

 

I loved how there were picnic tables for eating, swings for swinging, comfy outdoor chairs and more than enough outdoor games for families and friends to play. Such a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

Finally, it was time to head in and check out Magnolia Market! Give me all the cotton stems and milk glass vases!

Can you spot, Colt?!

How adorable is this little girl’s bed?! Swoon! 

I had heard from several people, that many of the items were overly priced. Now that I have seen it with my own eyes, yes, lots of items were pricey. I was looking at a wreath when I overhead the gentleman next to me tell his wife, “This stuff is expensive. We can go get the exact same thing at Hobby Lobby!” Which is probably true. Hah. We still bought a few things… “when in Rome…” right?!

After a long while of shopping, perusing and looking at every.single.thing. We decided it was time to head out for a delicious treat! Off we headed to the bakery building. Lots of people must’ve had the same idea because the line was wrapped along side the building! We were willing to wait. We weren’t leaving without a sweet treat!

So many treats sold out!!!! 

These window boxes though!!!

The wait wasn’t too bad. It was about 15 minutes before we were able to go inside. Once inside there were cupcakes for days! Cupcakes are life!!!!!

We paid for our treats and headed outside to enjoy these tiny pieces of heaven and sit at the cutest bistro table together. Colt ordered a chocolate chip cookie and I ordered a lemon lavender cupcake!

Seriously the BEST and tastiest cupcake I’ve had in a long while! Sharing a lemon lavender cupcake, on a December evening, with my handsome husband, was the cherry on top of an already perfect day.

This was a great day filled all my favorites: shopping, sun, leisure, tasty treats, and most importantly this handsome guy next to me. It was just what we needed before heading back to the hustle and bustle of school and work.

This day was a fairy tale.

Christmas Pictures 2016

Hooray! I am finally getting around to uploading our Christmas pictures up on the blog! We took our pictures on a freezing, cold, dreary, windy, December Saturday. Contrary to what we look like in our pictures, our hands were freezing and I’m pretty sure my nose and fingers were this close to frost bite! Colt and my sister were such a good sport about it all!

Originally we had just wanted one, quick snapshot for our Christmas cards. (It was SO cold outside, afterall!)  What we got was much better. My sister was so kind as to take the time to snap some photos of us. She did just a fantastic job capturing the moment and our personalities. Huge thank you to her and her talent.

I wanted to add our pictures to the blog to have for safe keeping for many years to come. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did taking them.

Aaaaaand here is the picture we chose for our Christmas Card this year! I just love Christmas card season… don’t you?! Thank you to everyone who sent a card this Christmas. We loved seeing all the beautiful pictures of our smiling loved ones.

We still cannot believe the holiday season is over. Only 344 sleeps until Christmas 2017! Hope everyone’s January and New Year has been off to a positive and fun start.

 

We love you all!

 

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, friends! One of my favorite times of year is New Year’s Eve. Something about the bubbly, the sequins, the glitter, confetti, the countdown, celebrating with loved ones, a midnight kiss, the tradition of eating a dozen grapes at the stroke of 12 and looking forward to all the adventures the new year has in store for us in the months ahead. The optimism and the new beginnings the new year brings is exciting and hopeful. It’s a fresh start. In the words of Oprah, “Cheers to a new year, and another chance for us to get it right!” Truer words have never been spoken.

Last night we kept it pretty low-key. One of our couple friends was having a party but we were unable to stop by due to Colt coming down sick. He woke up NYE morning with a stuffy head, congestion, cough and an achy body. That wasn’t going to keep us from putting on our fancy clothes and welcoming the new year in style! 😉 My fam came over even though 3 out of 4 of them were also sickly. It was fun nonetheless. What better way to ring in the new year than with people and pup that you hold dear?

Happy New Year from me & Benji! 

We celebrated and made it til 1:30 Am or so. And by we made it until 1:30, I mean we were showered, in our jammies and laying in bed watching a movie! Such a relaxing start to 2017 and my birthday!

This afternoon we woke up and headed over to my parents for my birthday lunch, cake and the Cowboys game. My family had the cutest setup waiting for me. I really am the luckiest!

Today was filled with so much joy, love, laughter and blessings. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to spend my birthday. A HUGE thank you to everyone who has helped make my day smiley and special with a text, a facebook message, a snapchat, a card and or a phone call! I have felt so much love!

•••

One of the best parts of the new year is that it gives each of us a clean slate and a fresh start. My resolutions this year include: being in the moment more & on my phone less, hydrating & drinking more H2O throughout the work day, having a little more patience, declutter and buy less “things”, read a few more books and of course the same ol’ make smarter food choices and exercise more!

2016 was a blessed and positive year for us. It was filled with many adventures, travels, lessons learned, friends, family and tons of love. I hope 2017 brings with it good health, success, joy, happiness, adventure and more love. We will continue to celebrate life and cherish every day we have on this earth. We will reflect on how to make our quality of life even more enjoyable, such as, leaving work at a decent time, smiling more, walking 10,000 steps a day, show gratitude, pray, get 7 hours of sleep and socializing. We challenge you to take a look at your life and make sure it’s exactly what you want it to be. If it’s not, that’s okay. This is your time. It’s a new year for a new you and to make the changes you need to live the life you want!

“The happiest time of my life is now!” – Marilyn Monroe

Happy New Year!

Here’s to new beginnings!

We love you all!

 

5 Christmases & a Partridge in a Pear Tree

Happy New Year’s Eve Eve! We hope your Christmas holiday was nothing short of splendid! After being sick the first week of winter break, it was time to get ready for the festivities and celebrations. Over the course of a couple of days, our Christmas was filled with lots of family, presents, celebrating, fun and celebrating Christ’s birth. Fun was had by all. Here is a quick run down of how we celebrated this year:

• Christmas numero uno. Colt & I, his siblings, their spouses, our nieces & nephews and my in-laws celebrate together on the 23rd. This is to ensure that we are all able to get together at the same time. Colt’s parents live out in Alvord, Texas which is a good 45 -60 minute drive from our house depending on traffic. Heading out to the country is just lovely. Wide open spaces. Stars in the sky for miles. Dirt roads. Country living. Lots of food, games, stockings, presents, laughter and fun family time was had. We all stay the night together at my in laws before heading out Christmas Eve. We love this time we were able to spend together.
  

  listening to our nieces & nephews perform Christmas carols for us

  

  all 5 nieces and nephews

  

  Family Game Night. Has everyone played “Speak Out”? So fun! So silly! 

   

• Christmas Eve we said our goodbyes and left Colt’s parents house around 1 PM or so. We drove back to our house, unloaded the car and ran upstairs for a quick power nap before more festivities. Around 4 PMish we woke up and began getting ready for Christmas Eve Mass with my parents and sisters. Christmas Eve Mass with my family has always been a tradition. I just love celebrating our Lord & Savior’s birth that evening with loved ones. There’s no better feeling.
  

  Sisters at Christmas. Alexa, Angel, me. 

  

  This handsome guy and I 

   

• Christmas #2… after Mass we drove over to Colt’s grandparents house to spend some time with them. While we were there we enjoyed more family time, gifts, delicious homemade wassail and we were even there to see and be a part of Colt’s cousin’s proposal and engagement! Love making memories like these.
  

  Homemade wassail made by Colt’s grandmother

  

  Herman (grandfather) and Colt

  

  Three generations of Miranda Men! (Annette, Colt, me, Lola, Herman, Phillip)

  

  Colt’s cousin getting proposed to! 

  

  The newly engaged, Theo & Leah! 

• Christmas 3: Colt and I woke up on Christmas morning in our house. This is our tradition to spend some alone time together and exchange gifts with one another. It’s peaceful, it’s quiet and this time is ours. We spend some time together before getting dressed and heading over to my parents house for presents.

• Christmas number 4. We drive over to my parents house to visit and spend time with my parents and sisters. We open presents together and then have brunch. We spend most of the day there visiting, snacking and relaxing. It’s a slow, easy going day creating memories and most importantly, remembering that Jesus is the reason for the season.
  

  Tree, presents and Benjamin at my parents

  

  

  The parentals opening gifts

  

  My dad and his new hat. #indianajones

 

sisters opening gifts 

 

• Christmas Cinco. Our last Christmas celebration was spent in Haslet with my extended family. My cousins and their families and my great aunt. More food, more fun, more presents, more family time. We didn’t want any of this to end! Thanks to my cousin, Leslie for these pictures!

 

my cousin, Sam

all the gang

cousin Rob and mom

White elephant gift exchange. Who doesn’t love Nutty Buddies?!

sisters

When you’re 7 years old and you have the capability to text Santa directly. What?!

Love this picture so much. It warms my heart. Great aunt, Adriana, little cousin, Ashlyn and Colty playing Christmas carols. (All the heart emoji eyes!!!)

Too much fun. Baby cousin, Carson was so pooped he grabbed a Twister game mat to cover himself up for a long winter’s nap! 

We definitely enjoyed fun, food, games, celebrations and family time over the past few days. The days seemed to go by quick and we didn’t want any of these moments to pass by or end. Everything was so good. This was lots of Christmas fun for the books. We will be remembering and cherishing these times for many years to come.

Whew! I enjoyed writing this blog post and looking at all these wonderful pictures all over again. We love the holiday season and have enjoyed every precious minute of it. It was also a time to remember that long ago, a baby was born to bring hope to this weary world. And the world rejoiced! It truly was and has been a Merry Christmas.

We hope your Christmas season has been filled with hope, love, and  special moments shared with the ones you treasure & hold dear.

Not ready to take our tree down! 

We love you all!

This is the Way the Season Starts

Happy Christmas Week, everyone! Wow! How unbelievable is it that Christmas is only 4 days away?! The hustle and bustle of the holiday season is upon us and we have been soaking up every minute of it. We have loved all the chaos this time of year brings. Colt and I are both on Christmas break and I am finally getting a minute to breathe, kick up my feet and blog. Ironic how I just said, “I have a moment to breathe…” Actually, right now I can’t breathe out of my nose. Yesterday, I had to take a trip to the doctors office. I have somehow managed to come down with some sort of upper respiratory infection. It’s like my body knew I was on break and I could get sick. Mouth breathing is the absolute worst! Praying and hoping I’m feeling much better by Christmas!!! I will not let this put a damper on my fun and excitement.

The last two weeks of school before break was crazy! Imagine trying to still teach 19 8 & 9 year olds who are so filled with excitement and joy that they can’t even see straight! I can’t blame them though. Their teacher was just as excited if not more. Our school had a “Breakfast with Santa” one Saturday morning to kick off December. SO fun! We’ve had festive dress up days, holiday music was playing daily in our classroom, Santa’s reindeer cam was on live stream and our classroom kindness elf was bringing us different ways to spread kindness in our classroom, home and community. Not to mention all the sweets and treats my little darlings were bringing me on the reg. Plus, on top of all that, our dear office staff were hosting teacher treats every single day! Cookies, sweets, popcorn, cider, hot cocoa, and more galore! Pretty sure my consumption of treats and sweets exceeded the “healthy limit”. I’m ashamed to say that my self-control has definitely been thrown out the window…

We found this little guy in our classroom one morning! Randolph the Reindeer spreading holiday cheer! 

 

Saturday with my students @ Breakfast with Santa!

So grateful for my 3rd grade team! These ladies have helped my transition from Kindergarten to 3rd be a smooth one. Love them! 

The month of December has been nothing but fun pretty much the whole month! Some other fun things we’ve been doing this month include:

Christmas Cookie Exchange with the TCU MBA wives. We always have such fun together. Friends and delicious cookies are a must this time of month!

My parents, my sister, Colt and I enjoyed a Saturday at Bass Hall to see the Nutcracker. It was beautiful as always. Watching the ballerinas on stage reminded me of my own dance “career” as a child and the several times my sister and I were in the Nutcracker Ballet as little girls. Such great memories that I will always treasure.

After the ballet, we were starving ! Taking selfies in the cold while waiting for valet then dinner!

Later that night, mom and I had a date to see Andrea Bocelli in concert at the American Airlines Center. His voice is that of an angel. This is our second time seeing him in concert and he was once again breathtaking. His rendition of  Adeste Fidelis and Amazing Grace was incredible!

This past weekend we went on a double date with our friends Dante and Anna then headed to a Christmas party afterwards. We didn’t get to stay out too late because Colt is taking a winter mini-mester class that started early the next day. Still a fun night though!

Hanna, Me, Anna, Angela 

Anyone else frantically trying to get all the wrapping finished??? Christmas shopping has been done and I planned on having all wrapping finished by this time until this sickness set in!

Last night my littlest sister, Al (short for Alexa), spent the night and she cooked dinner and we baked more Christmas goodies.  This is us this morning. Not sure why my face is 3x more giant than hers nor why I look so pale…  We laughed and laughed about this! LOL

Here are few snippets of some of the decorations I put up in our house. If you’re like me, you find a way to put up as many Christmas trees as you can. This year we added one to our bedroom and I’m in love! Something about the glow of the tree lights at night just makes my heart go pitter patter.

Flannel sheets and a cute pillow make any bed more festive and sweet! 

Monday, I enjoyed the first day of break with peace & quiet and sipping hot cocoa in my warm bed.

Cheers to two weeks off from work and enjoying every bit that the season has to offer. Looking forward to spending this time with family, friends and the hubs. We are enthusiastic about no alarm clocks, mid day naps, movies, lounging and preparing for the New Year! (And definitely kicking off this cold!) December has brought so much fun. We don’t ever want it to end!!!

Hope everyone is having a joyful week!

Tis the season to be merry!

We love you all!

Planes & Pancakes

Good morning, friends! Breakfast on Saturdays is our “thing”. When we were first married, Saturday morning tradition consisted of making homemade breakfast together or going out to breakfast together. It’s our way of not only enjoying each other’s company, but also a way to reconnect after a busy week. With Colt in school full time and us being on 2 different schedules, we don’t always get time to talk and catch up throughout the week. Saturday mornings and food is our way to do just that.

For awhile now, we have heard from many friends and family members about this little cafe tucked away in a private airfield. We have heard nothing but positive reviews about the atmosphere and most importantly, the food. Colt and I have been wanting to try it for so long and yesterday our wish came true! We woke up starving and no one felt like cooking anything up. Just when we were about to give up and head to Waffle House, the idea came to me to try something new! We excitedly hopped out of bed, got dressed in record time and off we headed to Beacon Cafe.

This little cafe is a short drive from our house. When we first drove up, we immediately saw airplane hangers, airplanes and the airfield. 

We pulled into the parking lot and walked up to the cute little cafe. It was a short 10-12 minute wait. Which wasn’t too bad for a Saturday.

We were seated inside the cafe, which was great for us considering how chilly it was outside. The waitress handed us a menu but we said “no thanks…”. We were there for the All You Can Eat Weekend Brunch Bar!  Oh man, was it worth it! The aroma of pancakes and omelettes cooking up made to order made our taste buds dance. Omelettes, pancakes, hashbrown casserole, biscuits and gravy, sausage patties, bacon, tamales… everything southern cooking is made of! I was told to try the pineapple upside down pancakes but I went with the blueberry. Omg. The amount of butter they use in those pancakes makes the pancakes melt in your mouth. Seriously, butter makes everything taste better.

I filled my plate up because I wanted to try a little of everything. The food and service did NOT disappoint. The servers were so attentive and the food was nothing short of delicious. We ate to our heart’s content and our bellies were full and happy.

Don’t let the looks of the inside of this place fool you. What I love about small towns is the fact that little cafe’s like this one are diamonds in the rough. On the inside were all different types of maps, photographs and plane memorabilia. I loved how you could watch and hear the planes taking off as well. It made the atmosphere even more enjoyable.

When we realized we could no longer eat another bite, we asked for the check and headed out to take another look at the grounds. We walked around for a few & checked out the planes. Has anyone seen the show “Airplane Repo”?! I’m pretty sure a few planes have been repoed from here!

One of my favorite things to do is explore and find new gems in our hometown. This was definitely a fun find this weekend! Thank you to everyone for all the recommendations! If you don’t mind a drive, you must try this place out! Totally worth it. I was wondering if this place has been on the show “Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives” because if not, it should be! I know Colt & I can’t wait to return and try some different pancake flavors. We also look forward to bringing family and friends here on weekends. 

If you and your loved ones are interested in checking this place out, it’s located off Business Hwy 287 at Hicks Airfield. Once you try it, let us know what you think… or better yet, invite us! We’d love to join you!

We love you all!

Keeping It Real 24/7

Recently, I received a comment on social media that sparked the idea for this post. I posted a picture of dinner. (Take out from Central Market)

The comment read, “Do you leave the take out containers out? When did it become socially acceptable to be so real with our husbands?” I responded with, “when I work a full time job, I’m in the middle of parent-teacher conferences, my schedule is full and let’s face it… I.Am.Exhausted.” When I get home from a ridiculously long day, the last thing I want to do is cook!  Not to mention, it’s almost the year 2017! I was just proud that take out was grilled chicken and veggies from Central Market instead of the usual Taco Casa…

Although I know it was a joke and she was kidding around, it made me wonder what happened to women along the way that led us to believe that we have to be “perfect”…  or even give the impression that we are? Why should we be judged for eating take out instead of eating a home cooked meal. Who said we have to keep a perfect, clean house, cook healthy home cooked meals every single day, decorate our houses as seen on Fixer Upper, work full time jobs, keep a super fit body, grocery shop, run errands and do all this while trying to take care of ourselves and our families. We can do anything, but we can’t do everything! 

Don’t worry. This isn’t a post about women’s lib or women’s rights. This is post to say that in this day and age, in the age of social media… where my Facebook newsfeed blows up with pretty, seemingly perfect pictures of: people, their families, cute kids,  adorable selfies, delicious food, new cars, big houses, snagging the perfect job, incredible vacations & fun experiences, it becomes easy to compare.  I think we are only human and it happens sometimes. Once in awhile, as you’re scrolling for miles through your newsfeed on Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat, you start comparing your life to others. We only get a snapshot of someone’s life on social media. A small glimpse into their world. The perception we give off or the view we have of someone else’s life doesn’t necessarily mean their life or ours is perfect. At least, mine isn’t! Let’s be honest, we pick & choose what we want to share with others and what we want the world to see. Most of the time, we choose the “picture perfect” moments like these:

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Now don’t get me wrong. I love sharing pretty, perfect pictures with the world. I am the first to snap pictures and to post them. I love pretty pictures just like the next girl. But I hope through my pictures, you’ll see the real me.

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Perhaps if we shared more real moments we would realize that we are all in this together. We are all just doing our best to make it in this world. Sometimes, we are just doing our best to make it through the day!

I pride myself on “keeping it real” with my husband. Now, I’m here, “keeping it real” with you, friends! I thought I’d share a few fun facts  about all the things that I’m not perfect at. Things I’m actually…really, really bad at…

Numero Uno…  Washing Tupperware in the dishwasher. Call me lazy. But I don’t care. This  is one that pushes Colt’s buttons. I know if he unloads the dishwasher and sees Tupperware in there, I’m going to have to hear one of his speeches on why you should never put Tupperware in the dishwasher or how another Tupperware lid got melted & destroyed because once again I put it in the dishwasher. Whatevs, bro.

Dos. Cooking dinner on the reg. Who has time for that? My favorite thing to do when I get home from work is grab a snack, lay on the couch and scroll through my phone while watching tv. So what. (In my defense, I am in charge of 19 little lives daily. That should count for something!)

I love one pan dinner meals! So quick! So easy! 

Which brings me to #3. I’m really bad at watching a ridiculous amount of tv. I watch it for hours and hours. There is so much recorded on my DVR. My brain is turning to mush. And I don’t mind.

4. I’m bad at being on my phone. Yes, yes, I know I need to enjoy the moment. I’m the first to admit I’m addicted to my phone. Laying on the couch? On my phone. Out to eat? On my phone. Stopped at a red light? On my phone. Sitting on the toilet… most likely I’m on my phone. Hey…. I’m working on it!!!!!!!!!

5. So you’d think since my phone is pretty much glued to my hands that I’d respond quickly to text messages. Nope. WRONG. Answering text messages is not a strength of mine. Actually. Answering group texts is even worse. I don’t do it. Have you seen the meme that says “I’ve never been to jail but I’ve been stuck in a group text”? That’s my life. I don’t know what it is about group texts but I probably won’t respond in a jiffy. Sorry not sorry.

6. I need to work on my bedtime. I know how important it is to get a good night’s rest. I hardly go to bed at a decent time. Considering my first alarm goes off at 5:05 every morning, you’d think I’d be in bed early. Nahhh. Someone tell me, what does 8 hours of sleep feel like? Will I ever learn? Probably not.

7. Drinking Dr. Pepper is another bad habit. Yes I know it’s bad for me. Yes I know how many calories it has. Yes I know it’s full of high fructose corn syrup. Yuummmm. High fructose corn syrup tastes delicious. Maybe Lent 2017 will be the end of Dr. Pepper. Probably not though. It’s okay to have dreams…

Ocho. Working out. It’s the worst. We have a love hate relationship. I always feel better after working out. It’s just the getting there that’s the problem. I’m always too tired. Too lazy. Too unmotivated. If I make it to workout once a week I call that a win. If only working out was as easy as eating…

9. I know more lyrics to inappropriate rap songs than I know bible verses. Jesus, forgive me.

10. Another thing I’m bad at. Biting my nails. I’ve had this habit since I was a wee tot. It’s the worst. Colt hates hearing my crunching of nails. Speaking of… my nails look so ratchet right now. Ugh.

11. Having a green thumb. I don’t have one. I tried decorating my front porch with a festive fall wreath, pumpkins, gourds and mums. Let’s put it this way, 2 mums have fried and died. The whole remembering to water it every day is a prob.

12. I’m bad at eating my veggies every day. Colt and my sisters will tell you. I’m a small child. Who wants to eat veggies?! Not me. Every day I pack up veggies and have goals of consuming them at lunch. Every day my veggies come back home in my lunchbox. One time, I packed up this delicious salad with spinach, spring mix, olives, walnuts, avocado & all the works. I dumped it in the trash when lunch time rolled around. I literally took one look at it and thought to myself “gross”.

13. Depth perception. Once I pulled into my garage after work. I thought I pulled in far enough until I heard the screeching of the garage door on the top of my car and then the smashing of my bumper. Classy.

So enough about that. I also have some things that I am good at!

1. Eating an entire bag of these in one sitting. Hashtag organic. 
2. I’m great at not finishing books for my book club.
3. Washing my hair once a week.
4. Arriving late everywhere I go.

So there you have it. The next time you see a perfect picture of mine, you won’t have an unrealistic expectation of what my life is like or what your life should look like. Instead, you will know that I am perfectly imperfect. That I probably am laying on the couch eating take out.. the unhealthy kind. All these bad habits are what make me, ME. I am a work in progress.

After writing this, I have realized I need to be on my phone less, in the moment more, eat healthier foods, drink more water and remind myself that we are all in this together.

Cut yourself a break. Don’t beat yourself up. Adulting is hard work!

Always keeping it real. And real classy.

Love you all!

So over it.

As I think back to 10 years ago or so, back to the time when “adulting” was much easier and I was still in college, I recall a much more cooler and more fun me. What’s sad is that I vividly remember thinking to myself that I would always be “fun” and “cool” and “hip”. I even remember my early 20 something year old self saying “even when I do get a real job, I’m still going to go out on weeknights and hang out with friends…even if I have work the next day!” Sometimes, I don’t even recognize myself. Like. When did I get old?! Someone lied. 30 is NOT the new 20! And honestly… I’m okay with that!

Don’t get me wrong. Now that I’m a member of the early thirties club, it’s really not so bad. Life is grand. I still feel young on the inside. I still enjoy going out, meeting up with friends and having a social life, except now it’s different. I have a little more life experience. I’ve been in the “real world” and have been in charge of shaping and educating 20 little lives every day for the past 9 years. I actually wake up at 5:15 or 5:30 every weekday morning. (something my 20 year old self would never do!) Since I’m around young little ones every day, I would like to say it helps keep me young. Unfortunately, with each year that passes, I find myself despising things that I enjoyed just a few years ago… or maybe 10.

Here’s a rundown of a few things I used to love that I’m now so over, as an early thirty something year old:

• Sports Cars: Back in the day I loved getting into small, compact sports cars.I thought they were sooooo cool. I dated a few people who drove them, and a couple of my former cars were little 2 door coupes. Ugh. Now I can’t imagine trying to fit my bum or topknot in one. Or even riding that low to the ground. Now that I’ve owned a crossover and SUV, I swear I’ll never go back. I.love.comfort.
• Nightclubs: Honestly, I can’t even remember the last time I’ve been in one. I remember back in college we’d go in the middle of the week to “college night” and stay out til 2 am and then go out for Whataburger afterwards. Just thinking of a crowded place, where you can’t have a conversation or even hear yourself think sounds like a drag. Now, I’d rather go to a place that is classy, and I can sip a nice glass of wine and have meaningful convos with people I actually like.
• Staying Out Late:  I’ve had plenty of nights where we stayed up late and went out and stayed out late back when I was in college. I remember my friends and I wouldn’t even begin to get ready to go out until 10 or 11 PM at night! OMG! That sounds awful! Nowadays, I prefer to be on my way back home by 10 or 11… and that’s on a weekend! Sleep is life.
• Low Rise Pants: I remember buying these in high school and college. I thought they were super cool. Uh… I haven’t tried wearing low rise jeans in years. Nor do I want to. I’m sorry, but I need something that covers my muffin top when I sit. Mmk. Thanks.
• Sleepovers: Why is it when you’re younger, you can sleep in your BFF’s bed or on a friend’s couch and you are able to wake up bright eyed and bushy tailed the next morning ready to take on the day? No thank you. Give me my king size bed, with my comfy pillows, my matching pajama set and my snoozing husband next to me. Bonus points if it’s Winter time and there are flannel sheets on the bed!
• Going Out On A Weeknight: Ten years ago I loved going out for dinner and hanging out with friends after a long day at school/work. Now, going out after work is something I have to plan & gear up for days in advance. I’m so exhausted after work and I’d much rather get home as soon as I can,  so I can watch my shows that are on the DVR. Netflix and chill is literally what we do. We love relaxing!
• Driving With Loud Music Playing: Okay so this one irks Colt more than me. Any time we drive anywhere, the music in the car can’t be too loud! His old man ears can’t take it.
• Overplucking My Eyebrows: Why did 20 something year old me want the world’s thinnest eyebrows? And why didn’t anyone tell me something! Not sure why this was a fad. Now I spend time every morning trying to fill those suckers in before rushing off to work.
• Adulting: Back in the day, I couldn’t wait to “grow up”. I couldn’t wait to be able to buy my own house and purchase my own car and do adult things. This is the biggest laugh of all. I mean why did I think there was something better than living with my parents and eating moms home cooked meals every evening and having mom deliver my fresh clean laundry to my room? Oh have fun thirty something Liz. Enjoy paying those bills that keep coming every month!  Enjoy having to pay for that new a/c this summer … and then  having to pay for the 2nd a/c that went out just a month later. Enjoy paying for that fence that blew down and the leak in the ceiling upstairs. Enjoy budgeting and having to sit and look over the excel budget spreadsheet that your sweet husband types up and updates every month. Enjoy that more often than not you’re waking up early rather than sleeping in. Whew. Adulting is hard. Take me back to the days of watching cartoons on the couch in my pj’s while mom makes breakfast!

Congratulations to all our friends out there who are a half senior citizen just like us! What are some things that you used to love but are now so over?!

So glad to finish my post just in time for 9:45 bedtime!

Isn’t it ironic how not too long ago we were fighting our parents to stay up later? Now I can’t get to bed early enough! Hah!

We love you all!

Becoming Beckley

Happy Labor Day! I hope everyone is enjoying this glorious 3 day weekend. Our weekend has been pretty full. Today, I am catching up on a few things and preparing for the week ahead while Colt is at his fantasy football draft. #priorities

While Summer isn’t technically over for a few more weeks, today marks the ceremonial end of summer. School is back in session and that means back to busy weekends, hectic work weeks, being on a schedule and trying to stay organized. Working out and making healthier dinner choices is on the to do list as well. It also means that hopefully I can get back into a routine of blogging. We came back from vacation and I immediately went back to work. Starting out in a new grade level has kept my plate pretty full. Today has been the first day in a long while where I didn’t have somewhere to be or something scheduled. And that my friends, feels amazing!

Yesterday, we attended the wedding of our friends, Shane & Alyssa. I think I wrote a post awhile back explaining how we met Shane but here’s a quick recap. We first met Shane at the TCU MBA gala a few months before Shane & Colt began grad school. Since then they have remained close. When Shane & Alyssa began dating we all immediately hit it off and we’ve all been friends since. We have enjoyed watching their love grow for each other and yesterday was nothing short of perfect!

How sweet is this excerpt Shane & Alyssa wrote about Colt on their wedding website:

Since Colt was one of Shane’s groomsmen, we attended the rehearsal luncheon on Saturday at Riscky’s BBQ off Camp Bowie. Best BBQ I’ve had in a long time!  We got to snap a picture with the beautiful bride to be before leaving. SO excited for wedding day on Sunday!

The wedding ceremony was held at Holy Family Catholic Church in Fort Worth. Everyone looked so dapper and Alyssa of course looked gorgeous!

The groom

My handsome hubby

Here comes the bride!

The kiss is my favorite!

 

Mr. & Mrs. Beckley!

The ceremony was beautiful. Like many of you, I just love weddings! Hearing the vows being said takes me back to my own wedding day 3 years ago. It’s incredible how on your wedding day, you think you can’t love your spouse any more but that’s not true. Not to sound cliche, but as the days and weeks pass, and with the adventures you two share, and the difficult times that you get through together, it just makes you love & cherish your spouse more and more. AmIright?! I love seeing how our marriage continues to blossom and I can’t wait to see Shane & Alyssa’s blossom over the years as well.

After the ceremony there was a little bit of a lag time between the ceremony and the reception. Our friends, Michael & Angela, were so kind to unexpectedly host all of us and a cocktail hour at their place until it was time to head over to the reception.

The reception was held at ArtSpace 111. It was such a neat building! Every detail was perfect. They had wedding collages of the guests at their own wedding. What a great idea! Can you find ours?

We made the wedding collage! Can you spot US?! 🙂

Me, Brett, Jenn, Angela, & Michael

For dinner they provided Taco Trucks & Burger Trucks!!! How cool is that??? Loved this idea!

nom nom

First Dance

The main cake was surrounded by lots of mini Nothing Bundt Cakes. Unfortuantely,  I didn’t get a picture of the mini bundt cakes before they were all gone. I grabbed mine quick because I knew they would be scooped up in a flash! I got a chocolate one & Colt ate a cinnamon swirl one. Both were so incredibly delicious!!!! There was also a S’mores station at the reception! So many food and sweets. That’s what makes a great reception! Hah!

Roasting S’mores!

Selfie with my groom ❤

Since the reception was outdoors, the humidity made my hair wilt, but it didn’t take away from the fun and dancing we all had.

Michael & Angela!

Group pic with our TCU MBA Family

So grateful for all these wonderful people we have met on this adventure. #TCUMBA

We ended the night with a picture with the newlyweds. Food, friends, fun, dancing and a wedding is a great way to celebrate this long weekend! Congratulations, Mr. & Mrs. Beckley! We cannot wait to make many more memories together throughout the years. Thank you for letting us be a part of your special day. The wedding was beautiful & we know the marriage will be even more so. Hoping your wedding day is only the beginning of all your hopes & dreams come true. Welcome to married life, you’re gonna love it!

The Beckleys & The Mirandas

Feeling all the feels after an indulgent weekend with people we love. So grateful for all the friends who have become family over this past year. Here’s to another great school year!

We love you all!