…hello, AUSTIN!

As an early (and because at the time I bought the tickets I figured we should go over Memorial Day weekend) birthday present to Bear, I’m taking him to Portland, Oregon!

< found here >

Don’t ask me why that was the place he chose when I sneakily asked him months ago. I’m guessing it has to do with all the breweries.

But the more I look at the stuff to do there, the more excited I get. This will be a fun (and hopefully relaxing) trip to get our minds off of the move. A good hoorah before Bear starts his new job.

Any suggestions to the town are most welcome.

You all have a wonderful weekend!

Beertown, USA…here we come!

We are living in the middle of towers of boxes and attempting to clean out our pantry and refrigerator. It ain’t pretty.

And moving ain’t fun. Our parents have been a tremendous help – with packing and wisdom from their experiences.

Will we be as grown up and capable as our parents?

I just want to throw everything into bags labeled ‘misc’ and be done with it.

Since I forgot to take my camera to the beautiful but boring polo match we went to this evening, here are some random goodies from my Google Reader:

< she’s officially my role model >

< seen on this fun website BFF turned me onto >

< says it all. found here >

< makes me miss my lion cubs! found here >

< Can’t wait to get one once we get to Austin. Anyone have recommendations or tips? Found via Lust Pour Life >



Hope you all have a fantastic Monday! I will be watching this lady because I am officially addicted:

< Can I PLEASE find some amazing nude pumps like these already??  >

Girl went and asked for 50 guys instead of only 25. Hell yeah. Damn you, crazy white folks on reality TV that have me addicted to you absurd antics!

This apartment was once just mine. Today as we (okay, Bear) painted my red wall back to white, I recounted the story of painting it with an awkward co-worker who may or may not have had a crush on me. I had taken the tape off too quickly and the result was a splotchy but brilliant wall which I promptly covered with black and white photographs from my adventures.

The accent wall was my first sassy step into yuppie-dom. It was the premiere of my total and utter independence. Calm and clean. A time when it dawned on me that if I wanted to bring a boy over or eat in the middle of the night or take showers while drinking ice cold bottles of water (necessary ritual when I was hungover), I could and no one would question me.

I think back to all the memories this apartment holds: coming home after my first and then-exciting business trips, ex-boyfriends, when I brought Bond home and it was just us two, after-parties that spilled over from a night of dancing at Deco. It saddens me to think about the end of a chapter in my life where adulthood hadn’t yet fully overthrown my college days.

But the best thing I ever put on that red wall was this note Bear gave me the day I quit:

< “I love you and will forever be your partner, your punching bag, your sweet-toothed friend and your right-hand man.” >

And crazily enough for an only child, I happily welcome the responsibilities and chaos of a growing home and the benefits of having roomies who depend on me, take over my bed and are always curious about what I’m doing. The black and white one that continues his precious adoration. The tiger who wakes me up by licking my eyelids because she wants to cuddle. And the tall, dark and handsome one that makes the lonely and dark nights (yes, I’m still afraid of living alone) much less lonely and dark.

Hey all!

BFF brought it to my attention that she did not know what I did this weekend, thanks to my lack of blogging recently.

I will be back as soon as I can, promise. Things have just been crazy. Hoping they will settle down now that we have a month of doing everything in Houston we haven’t done (open to suggestions!) and preparing to move.

We spent Mother’s Day weekend with both sets of parents. Papa Bear even organized a cute dinner for all the ladies of his friends group…and all the guys cooked! It wasn’t the tastiest meal but tons of fun.

Then we went apartment hunting. Which started out very exciting and full of possibility but turned out to be just another adult chore…and quite frustrating. But we found something great and will be heading to Austin on June 1st!!

Tomorrow, Bear and I have ballroom dance class and I can’t wait to to be stepped on. ;-P

Other than that, my days will be filled with using up Groupons for here in Houston – ballroom dancing lessons, personal trainer sessions, yoga classes, NIA classes and pole dancing classes. Oh yeah, and packing!

Will be back with a better/more entertaining post soon…

The past few days have been kind of a blur and I can’t make to-do lists fast enough to keep up!

Bear and I both participated in Volunteer – Blog it On. I hope you did, too! (Shout out to those that did and don’t blog – BFF and her man and Britney!)

I spent time with the HPSCA and Bear went to the Food Bank (proof below).

< Bear said he probably wouldn’t fight me too much if I tried to bring home a Calico.  Like at all. But my coworker says one more and I’m officially crazy cat lady. She was adopted before I left! >

We also dropped off a load of toiletries we had stolen accumulated over the years as consultants at a local homeless shelter. And then baked some cookies for the nurses at the hospice I volunteer for.

Sunday we spent time on an estate sale find.

Before:

Oh wait, the camera ate the pictures. Picture this: We picked her up for $20 and she was a little scratched. She was also dressed in what looked like something you’d imagine Jane Eyre sat on (nice but not stylish).

After:

So we bought her some new paint and some new garments and voila!

< Turns out I’m a magician with the staple gun. >

Fancy Pants now resides by our door and is the perfect place for putting on my strappy heels and lacing up my Doc Martens (don’t judge, they are still my fave shoes). She also has a great compartment for we-don’t-know-yet.

As for work, tomorrow is my LAST day! It’s a little surreal and don’t think it has hit me yet that I will be voluntarily unemployed. Who am I?

Friday also happened to be Bear’s last day. And isn’t life funny? Two days earlier he had gotten a really great offer for a company in Austin. After a pro-con list and some negotiating, he’ll have a shorter summer vacation but one that lasts till June 7th nonetheless. Of course now we have to pack and do a million other things because WE’RE MOVING TO AUSTIN!!!

For those that aren’t aware – this is the best city in the whole world. And happens to be my hometown.

So…I’m going HOME!