Five things that made me smile

I found these things while perusing the internet. One can never have enough reasons to smile in life. Here are five little things to add to the list.

And this adorable engagement video that I've fallen in love with

Hope you find them equally as smile-worthy as I did.

love and light

Adrienne

April: nothing to write home about.

April has not been the most exciting month so far. Maybe my life needed some slowing down to make up for the awesomeness that was March. Either way, it calls for lack of blogs and exciting photography. I tried my best to bring my A game though.

(1st) The first was a beautiful day! First time this year the sun and the weather were being friends. I took this as an opportunity to lay out and get some color before work. It was the first time I went to my pool too. Friday was the preparation day of our new summer collection at work, so it was a great way to unwind before getting caught up in that hectic atmosphere.

(2nd) It was Phil's birthday weekend. A group of us went to dinner at Chuy's Saturday night to celebrate.  We all partook in a couple delicious margaritas during dinner. I cut myself off to let the guys celebrate longer. They took a seat at the bar after dinner to have a couple more drinks. The waitress came over and asked our drink order, when I asked for water her response was "aww, are you not 21 yet?" After a good laugh from everyone I let her know that adults are responsible about drinking and these boys needed a safe ride home. I think we embarrassed her.

(3rd) The mr's birthday! Sundays tend to be lazy days for us, but I truly can't remember the last time I spent a day with no plan at all. We went with the flow all day, and for some reason it felt like I was back in high school--which was probably the last time I didn't have a care in the world. Phil wanted lunch at Cheddar's, though against it at first, I found out why when I saw their $3 sweet tea margaritas. After lunch we went to his friends' house where I napped for an hour while they played video games. The four of us picked up another friend and had an early dinner at Dog Almighty. Went back to our friends' place for a couple hours and ended the night with a stop at Yo-Way frozen yogurt. Laziest day ever, but I'm pretty sure the mr had a great bday.

(4th) Monday was the second day of the store's new floorset. The first day didn't go so hot, so we spent the day trying to recover and continue. On top of that, the store was busy, tons of paper work to do and prep for the following day needed to happen. I closed and stayed extra. The hardest part was that I had to open the next day at 7am. I ended the day knowing things weren't completed. I did my best to unwind when I got home at 12am.

(5th) Tuesday I worked 7am-6pm. Long, busy day. Sometimes it's nice leaving work feeling exhausted, it gives me a sense of accomplishment for some reason. Well, I was feeling super accomplished that day. On top of the new floorset, I also had a review with my district manager. We pretty much agreed on the same areas where I was excelling and lacking. It's always nice to hear it from someone else though. When I got home, I was too pooped to pet the cats. Reni must have been freaked out by that, because she lurked around corners checking on me.

(6th) I had the day off and did my best to sleep in. Went to the gym once I finally got up, and laid out by the pool afterwards. It was a relaxing day. The mr and I made a pan (yes a pan) of nachos for dinner, and ate the whole thing. Just as I was settling in for the night, one of my bffs text me to kindly remind me Lady Gaga was in town and insisted that we go out in celebration. It took some convincing, but I ended up downtown with him in hopes of seeing Gaga. We, and everyone else at the bars we went to, were dressed very 'gaga-esque'. Though we didn't run into her, we had a blast.

(7th) Another fun day at work. Lots to do and tons of customers to please. Knowing this, before work, I did my best to lounge. I didn't want to get out of bed in the morning, though my cat did everything she could think of to get me to move. She was so stressed out that I wasn't paying attention to her, she seemed to have lost her mind. She got herself tangled in the blinds and seemed startled that I would reprimand her for it. She was too cute to be mad at though.

It wasn't a bad week by any means. A lot of relaxing and stressing rolled into each day. I'm okay with it though. It keeps me strong.

I hope everyone is having a happy April and enjoying the extra hour of daylight!
Love and light
Adrienne

Goodbye March

March has been an awesome, relaxing and eventful month. Here's a look at my last week.

25th. I thought most of my plants died during the crazy winter freeze. Turns out my money tree survived and is blooming well.
26th. My washing machine broke around the beginning of the year. I finally saved up enough money to get an awesome energy saver washer. It works quite lovely.
27th. The mr and I went on a date night for the first time in weeks. Watched Battle LA, and I finally convinced him to eat froyo. He loved it, too. We walked hand in hand eating our yogurt.
28th. After a needed work out at the gym, I stopped by the store and bought some healthy treats and a pretty, green Peace Lilly.
29th. I had a craving for a tuna sandwich--this was the sandwich that ended the craving: Tuna, sunflower seeds, tomato, lettuce, spinach, cheese and olive oil mayo. Got a tummy ache, but well worth it.
30th. On my day off I got my oil changed, tires rotated, new wipers and air filter. While I waited the 3 hours it took, I got a glass of wine down the street. Very relaxing.
31st. The best part about closing at work is watching the sunset in Cali.

As always I can't complain. I've had a really great month. Hope your month was awesome too!
Love and light
Adrienne

Word Wednesday: For the love of F

Yes, the letter F. It's a fancy letter and because of it, beautiful words are created. I thought I'd share some of my favorite F words with you:

I've been fascinated with Feathers lately.
They're so beautiful and whimsical.
Perhaps my next tattoo will be of a feather.

What girl doesn't like Flowers? My absolute favorite are sunflowers. They brighten a room and make me smile. Frolicking in a field of sunflowers is on my bucket list.

In case you haven't noticed, I love Film.
I've always enjoyed capturing moments
in time with a push of a button. 

The fancy Fox. I've fallen in love with
them. They're breathtaking to watch
and so smart. Plus they always look like
they're wearing little black socks.

It may sound silly, but I've always wanted
Freckles. They always make a woman look
so dainty. And a dark skinned girl like myself
could shine for days with freckles.

Forts! I'm not gonna lie, I've always wanted
a tree fort. I think I could live in a tree and
be content with life. I hope someday this
 will be my room.

Take some time today to think about your favorite F words. Make it PG though. Nobody likes a foul mouth :) 

Love and light

Adrienne

Third week in March

I can't help it! I like taking photos (and sharing them). So enjoy yet another week of my Project 334.

15th: I got to spend some quality time perusing around my home town, Las Cruces. I really miss the mountains and the incredible colors the sky produces.
16th: Oh man! I got to drive my old car. I got my third used car my senior years in high school. I stayed with her throughout college, and she moved with me to Austin, but after a couple months of living here we got into a wreck, but she was fixed and given to my grandfather. She was a simple but sweet ride.
17th: Mmhmm, St Patrick's day. With so little options on where to go in LC, the friends and I picked the one place we knew would be hoppin', Dublin's.
18th: Back on the road again. The 'rents drove my sister and I back to Texas. 10 hour drive and not much to see. What a drive.
19th: The whole family stayed in my little 2br apartment over the weekend. It was cozy. The blowup mattress was a big hit.
20th: Mom, Max, Phil and I went to a nearby vineyard (Mandola) for a classy dinner and wine tasting. We spent the hour wait with a bottle of wine and calamari. It was a beautiful landscape and the wonderful food topped it off.
21st: Back to the daily grind. The 'rents left to NM, and Phil and I finally filled our cabinets with food. To celebrate, we partook in a bit of bread and oil with a glass of wine before dinner. Delish!
22nd: Spent most of my morning on campus in search of future employees for the store. Stepped into a library for the first time in years. Ugh! I truly love the smell of old books. Takes me back.
23rd: Had the day off, and decided to go to the gym for the first time in weeks. Spent an hour on cardio, an hour in yoga class and and hour lounging by the pool. Feeling the burn, but it was much needed.
24th: Found out I have a very low vitamin D intake. Figures since I don't like milk or eat fish. Noticed a huge difference after a single use though! (*note to self: don't leave gel capsules in a hot car, they melt into one).

Nearing the end of the month, and I'm excited to see what other adventures it has in store.
Love and light,
Adrienne

On Holiday at home part 2

Wednesday the 16th was an awesome day. My sister and I slept in a bit and got all dolled up to take photos. It was our mission during this week to take pretty photos for updates on our blogs. Unfortunately, she took the photos with her camera and insisted that they were her property. She's posting wednesday's photos on her blog as a little feature on me. So, keep an eye out for that post.

After the photoshoot, the three of us went to Las Cruces and dropped off my sister at her friend's house. My mom had plans for me as a birthday surprise. We met up with my mom's bff, Dela, who I have always considered another mother. The three of us went to Old Mesilla, a quant little town known mostly for it's association with Billy the Kid. It holds a lot of history within the old adobe buildings, and if you let yourself explore, you can stumble upon some great little restaurants and nooks.


That's what Dela and mom did. They found the cutest little wine tasting/tapas bar. They served wines from all over New Mexico. The best part about New Mexican wine is that's there's always some kind of spice to it, perhaps it's because we mexicans like it hot... The building itself had such a southwest rustic feel to it. The tables outside were community seating, so it was a great place to meet new people. If only this place was around when I lived there, who know's the memories that could've come from it.

The three of us had a great time chit chatting. I hadn't seen Dela in over a year so we did a lot of catching up. Three hours flew by quickly.

Only a handful of my friends from high school and college chose to stay in the enchanted lands of NM. It's lucky for me they did--that way I have someone to hangout with when I go visit. I got to catch up with two of my favorite homies, Amaru and Raul (who came to Austin last year and made an appearance in my blog).

I met them at my second favorite mexican food restaurant in LC, Si Senor--they have delicious salsas and amazing stuffed sopapillas. I've known these guys since my sophomore/junior year in high school. We lost touch during college, so it was really great reminiscing. After we stuffed our faces we decided to share a pitcher at High Desert Brewery. Of all my legal drinking years, I'd not once been there. Tasty drinks and continued great conversation.

We wrapped up the night with a quick stop at Dublin's, it is one of 3 maybe 4 bars in LC. It's just across the street from the university, so it was pretty hopping. It was evident that we were three of the oldest kids there. But it was still so much fun. I really enjoyed the day.

Thursday was our last day in New Mexico. It was lovely because we got to see my beautiful grandparents and aunt and uncle. I hadn't seen them in awhile too, and we easily spent a few hours just catching up. I couldn't get enough of my grandma. She's the prettiest little lady ever. I unfortunately didn't take any photos during our visit, but just to show you how sweet she is, here's a photo of her from my last visit.

After our quality time, I ended up sticking around in Las Cruces for the evening. Seeing how it was St Patricks day, I thought I should celebrate a bit with my friends before I left back to Austin.

I met up with Amaru and Raul again. We had dinner at El Sombrero, my third favorite restaurant. I had a food baby by the time we finished eating. We thought Dublin's would be pretty happening for music and conversation. It was fun, but I was very thankful that I live in a bigger city by the end of the evening.

I had a great week long vacation, lots of r&r, tons of delicious mexican food, and beautiful time spent with my family and friends. I couldn't ask for a better time.

Love and light
Adrienne

On holiday at home part 1

Though the beginning of my vacation started out full of stress and frustration, it's blossomed into a great time. I've spent a lot of quality time with my siblings and my mother. We did what we do best: created memories.

Sunday the 13th was my mom's birthday. We woke up way too early so we could make it to church. My mom and Max left an hour before us to go to their bible study class that they teach. After sleeping an extra 30 minutes, my brother, sister and I got all snazzied up and drove the 40 minutes it takes to get to our church.

The service was good, and it was fun seeing a bunch of familiar faces. For mom's birthday lunch, we went to Andale's, which is hands down the best place to go for green chili enchiladas. As stuffed as we were, my brother, sister and I still made a little pit stop for some delicious frozen custard at Caliches. It was so very tasty. I had a strawberry cheesecake. To help our food babies pass, the three of us, mom and max laid around and watched Morning Glory, with Rachel McAdams, who's so pretty.

The movie finished just in time to pick up my younger stepbrother, who's been staying with the 'rents, from work. None of the siblings wanted to go because it was midnight and we were tired, but my mom assured us it wouldn't be long. Silly lady just wanted to spend more time with us. His work is a 45 minute drive from our home and when we got there he wasn't officially off. So since we hadn't had enough carbs and calories in one day, we went to Dunkin' Donuts for a midnight snack. Great conversation was exchanged. I love deep conversations and debates with family.

As far as events go, nothing insanely awesome happened on Monday. We all slept in. It was about that day that I started realizing how hot and dry New Mexico is. I woke up parched and with a headache. I guess I was used to it when I lived there, but it took some getting used to not having visited in a year.


My mom, sister, brother and I went to El Paso to run some errands. My brother left back to Albuquerque around 6pm and the ladies and I decided to do some perusing at the outlet mall. With truly no intention of buying anything we walked into the Coach store. I ended walking out with my very first designer bag. She's the prettiest thing, too! I had every intention of buying the purse myself, but my madre and Max insisted on buying it as my bday present. I'm not gonna lie, I got a little teary eyed. I don't deserve it. But, when in Rome...I ended up getting myself a pretty little wristlet to go with it.

Tuesday was way less eventful. With my brother gone, it was just me and my sister. It was by this day that I started to really feel like I was back in high school. The biggest problem with going back home to visit is that "home" is 30 minutes from town. We live on a farm in Anthony, where if you sneeze, you might drive right passed it. We had no car and were somewhat at my mom's disposal.

She dropped us off at Starbucks in Las Cruces in the afternoon. Because our house is so far out, we can't get internet there. We very contently spent four hours blogging, facebooking, and huluing till lunch time. After lunch, we stopped by Boba Cafe (my favorite cafe) and got chocolate bubble tea. They're too fun to drink, and I annoyed my sister by chewing the bubbles obnoxiously loud. Afterwards, we watched most of Whip It while sitting outside in the Walmart parking lot. Now, some may laugh at how ridiculous this part of my vacation seems, but it was the norm growing up. "Get as much done, while in town, as you can." So, it was nice reliving that and spending some quality time with my sis.

Melisa brushed Molly to pretty her up

When we finally got home, mom made calabasita for dinner (squash stew). It was so delicious. We watch a Lifetime channel movie as we ate dinner. It's one of my mom's favorite channels (that and HLN). We humored her and didn't complain, and it turned out to be pretty entertaining. Dim Sum was the title, if you're interested in partaking in some bad acting and ridiculous plot watching.

Love and light
Adrienne