Finally wore the skirt I bought way back when and Bear took pictures for me out on our fantastic new patio:

< Rodarte for Target skirt (on sale, $20 bucks), Old Navy silk top (couple bucks), necklace (still can’t remember where/when it’s from), ring (ditto), shoes ($2 or so, thrifted from a store in Houston), marc by marc jacobs sunglasses ($98 at Nordstrom), belt from Urban Out fitters ($10) >

Got a few compliments on the skirt so I’m glad I went out of my style comfort zone to buy it. And the heels were super comfy for a full day of meeting some awesome local bloggers.

Austin has changed so much since I last lived here. 2nd street is a whole different world now…can’t wait to explore my hometown with new eyes! Gonna start with the bar & grill that’s stumbling distance from our place tonight…

Pictures from our long weekend in Portland:

< spent a lot of time finding our way around on public transit >

< shoes from kenneth cole >

< turquoise ring from vendor at Houston rodeo, live wide ring custom made by jeweler in Napa >

< our hotel/room was so pretty (the nines) >

< my favorite place in all of Portland – the biggest book store in the world! >

< cupcake stops = must >

< please excuse the pose. just wanted to show off one of my new favorite jackets – from wish boutique in houston, only $10!  especially love the shoulders and the flower applique on my left side. too lazy to look at where the shirt is from, the shoes are way too old to remember and the jeans are AG, worn here >

< fun bag I found at a garage sale awhile back…or maybe it was a thrift store? either way, it was cheap. >

< bracelets from le tigre, ring from f21 (seen in this post) >

< Portland you copycat! That belongs to Austin. >

< Thanks for the tip, Stefanie! It was great. >

< fun new blazer I got at a thrift store recently for a couple bucks. can’t remember where the necklace was from… >

< especially love the buttons! >

< my favorite thing at the market were these soaps made to look like truffles. now I wanna try and make them myself! >

< the Japanese Gardens were gorgeous and the sun came out for the first time all weekend at the right time >

< there were so many ‘awesome’ signs around! >

< of course we spent a large part of the weekend drinking all the beer Portland had to offer >

< but we made time to hit up Hip Chicks Do Wine, and LOVED it. can’t wait to start ordering their wine. just gotta finish all the ones we have from our last Napa trip… >

< how fun is that? it’s painted on the wall behind the sinks so you see it in the mirror every time you look at yourself. a future must do in my bathroom. top from H&M, blazer from banana and necklace found at random estate sale>

After Portland, we moved to Austin! It’s been great so far – we’ve spent a ton of time with our parents and even saw a shooting star on our first date in Austin. Hopefully will be updating a lot more now that we’re settled in. Bear starts his first day tomorrow and I’m on a hunt for a career…

And I especially can’t wait to catch up on all my favorite blogs!

We attempted to spring clean our apartment quite a few times this weekend and got sidetracked by…

A gorgeous antique card catalog!

I have been wanting one for awhile now and Bear kept on the hunt till he found me one in a nearby town. It was a bit beaten up but still solid. Took a little elbow grease but now it holds so much stuff and looks great!

A spontaneous dinner invitation

I had never tried Vietnamese sandwiches before friends of ours called with a craving. We quickly abandoned our efforts.

< I am now a fan of Vietnamese sandwiches >

Then of course we had to get dessert

< It’s made with shaved ice, condensed milk and fruit. Strange but yummy! >

Beautiful weather, which absolutely called for some ice cream and shopping instead of cleaning indoors.

< We found a cute little bead shop in Rice Village and went nuts >

< More books. We are really running out of space. >

And for dinner we had crawfish but we were too eager to get there to remember the camera!

Brunch and strawberry-orange mimosas on Sunday morning.

Remember the cropped skinnies I was going to get? Got them and LOVE them.

< Nine West shoes I re-found in my closet, top was $5 at a consignment boutique, and AG jeans >

< found these fun earrings for 50 cents at a garage sale! >

And cupcakes with Stacy of Stacy Says!

In the midst of the gluttony we managed to get our spring cleaning done and the place looks fab now! Let’s see how long it lasts…

Heading out to San Antone and Austin for the weekend to spend some time with the most awesome parents!

Tomorrow is Momma Bear‘s 50th birthday! She is the cutest and sweetest woman ever. I adore her.

Brother Bear (yes I know how cheesy that is) will also be in town on Spring Break from JHU. Future doctor ladies, and a hottie to boot.

Can’t wait to play with my camera and Papa Bear‘s lenses. Only wish we could take the furbabies because the Grand Bears love them so.

Then it’s off to my hometown, aka the greatest place in the world, AUSTIN. A religious ceremony in the morning at home (yes even though I haven’t lived with my parents for 3 years, it’s always home) and shopping for some jeans in the afternoon at Hem because I lost another pound! Loving these cropped skinnies:

…then it’s BFF time!! WHOO! (I keep linking your blog woman – write sumtin.)

But for now, all I can think about is the feast I’m having tonight:

Hell yeah. Three of each. OINK OINK!

Have a great weekend y’all!

P.S. Here’s some random things I’ve spotted that made me smile, a la Hope Chella style:

< etsy shop >

< fun! >

< baby otter takes momma for a ride >

< ooma bowl, so many uses >

< via weheartit; I WANT! >

Everyone else might want to look away for the sheer cheesiness factor.

Anyone else become super productive at work when you’re wearing something that makes you happy? I mean so productive you forget to send your boyfriend love pictures you took way back in the morning? Yeah, me too.

I’ve been a huge fan of this nude shimmery top ever since I picked it up for like $5 at H&M a year ago (it’s got adorable buttons and puffy shoulders, how could I not be?). And I finally wore this blingy necklace that I got at the flea market a couple months ago for a buck.

Friday needs to hurry up.

Participating in BonBon Rose’s Champagne Saturday again:

Wearing:

< My new Sperry Topsiders, JCrew boyfriend jeans and BR sweater; Michael Kors purse and bangles from Le Tigre, H&M and even one from a garage sale yesterday! >

Drinking:

< Iced green tea (obviously I was thirsty) - yum! Still tryin to detox from last weekend… >

Spent the day shopping in the Texas heat (85 degrees!)

Boo for Spring Forward and early morning flights…

Participating in BonBon Rose’s Champagne Saturday!: