last thursday

Last Thursday was one for the record books. I had a multiple huge orders at work and was on the clock from 5am-4pm. And for some miraculous reason, when I got home I was not only conscious enough to consider a margarita, but flat-out demand one. After what felt like the most glorious shower of my life, Richard, Meggie, and I went to this great little place around the corner that we love (Enchilada's!), and lemme tell you, that margarita tasted goooood!

Meggie, who loves barbeque so much she tries it at a Mexican restaurant. (I'm so glad she did, because the fries were delicious!)

Afterwards, we went to Wal*Mart for a few randos, and thaaat's when the 11-hour shift + margarita hit me! So, the logical step was the get in the cart, have Meggie to push me around, and giggle/text all my friends about what an awesome step-mom I am. I'm so glad my family doesn't mind being a spectacle!

It was such a fun way to end a crazy fucking Thursday! Meggie was in such a cute Meggie Mood, and part of the reason she's always so much fun because she totally gets how much I have to (have to) love on her dad (I had to go to bed so early on Wednesday I had lost time to make up for!). Plus, she's one of the few people than can decipher my deliriously tired speech and then girlfriend made cookies while we were watching the new "Parks and Rec" episodes. She's kinda killing it at being my step-daughter. ;)

"you're crazy, sadie!"

On Saturday, we took the family to Debbie and Aaron's because Ashlee and Will were in town. (This was a California-peeps weekend, I tell ya!) As per usual, we had a smashing time. My only regret was that I wasn't able to get more pictures... I dusted off my fancy camera for the first time in a whiiile, and, ahem, I was very rusty with the fancy settings. Ugh!

But! I do have two darling videos of Sadie entertaining the grown-ups (fair warning: I have a really lame "supportive & proud step-mom" yell). And lemme tell you, this girl is quite the hoola-hooper! (Remember the end of this post? Well, she hasn't stopped.) She started out with two...

"I make it look easy, but it's not really easy!" (at 0:45)

And then girlfriend threw down THREE hoola-hoops! She's crazy!

Just sayin', I've watched these videos like 10 times today. I can't get over how well she recovers the hoops when they go hay-wire. Physics a la Sadie!

an evening with nikka!

This week, our sweet/amazing/adorable/hilarious Nikka came to Dallas! Nikka is just further proof that I really have the best stock of cousins in the world. I hadn't seen her in about 4 years, but you would think it had just been 4 days. We always just pick-up right were were left off, and words can hardly express how happy I am that I was able to see her! I even called her earlier in the week just to say, "Uh, I'MSOEXCITEDTOSEEYOU, DEEEE!" (I'm that person. A text will not suffice.) Mumsie picked her up on Friday, and they came over to our apartment so she could meet my sweet Moores for the first time, and it's pretty safe to say they all hit it off! We were only able to hang out for the night, but the littles have been asking all weekend, "Where's Nikka? Is she coming back?" (Ugh, my heart. :))

After a good ole Pizza Hut dinner with the fam, Nikka and I went off by ourselves to the Pearl Jam concert at the AAC. It was actually our second Pearl Jam concert together--she took me a few years ago when they played in LA, and I fell pretty hard for them thanks to that show. :)

In typically Nikka-fashion, she got us really killer seats (oh, you know, like on the FLOOR). I mean, the only thing better than hearing Eddie Vedder live is being in arms' length of him while he's singing live. It had been 10 years since the band had been in Dallas (to which Nikka would reply, "And I was at that last show, too!"), so they seemed to have made a point to give everyone an especially kick-ass concert. 

Really, it was just a wonderful, wonderful evening. I didn't get to bed until 2am, and thennn I had to work at 9am the next morning (whew!) but I would do it all over again. Ugh, can't wait to see that girl again. :)

feeling tipsy and fresh--!

On top of the list of things I most look forward to is a date with CJ. We haven't been able to hang out in a few months (thanks, life!), so I was over-the-moon when we were able to schedule a Monday-night champy date to catch-up and be silly. I was so excited that I dirtied everything in the kitchen, ahem, I mean made homemade lemon bars from scratch (twerkin' that fresh lemon zest!) because nothing feels more lovely than treating my friends and family like the celebrities they are. Plus, Ceej always has the champy, ya girl has to show up with something.

(Sometimes we accidentally get a little heavy handed with the berries in the champagne... homemade champagne cobbler!)

After cocktails and dessert, we went with Jim to a little Japanese place around the corner, and I allowed myself to have udon noodles for the first time in years. (Ugh, how I missed your starchy goodness, udon!) We were even served tempura pumpkin?! I didn't know that was a thing, but it sure was delicious. Basically, I could really get used to these opulent Mondays! It was one helluva way to kick-start a week. :)

drunken mushrooms, space, and burgundy

This week was R and I's first week back at work, and boy was there work waiting for us! I'll just say I had so much overtime throughout the week that I only had to work 2 hours one day to even everything out. Phew!

However, it was my sweet angel's birthday on Thursday, and since he had a long-awaited tattoo appointment on his birthday we waited for Saturday to have a fun, little birthday date. We even got all gussied up and bought new clothes for the occasion! #opulence

We started by having an amazing dinner at the amazing Sundown at Granada! One of our darling chef friends told us that we specifically have to go there because they have a great mix of omnivorous plates and vegetarian/vegan offerings. And we were completely sold after seeing how many times the menu used "with drunken mushrooms" to described a dish. I honestly haven't felt so "ugh?!" on what to select from a menu in a very long time, so needless to say we plan on going back a few more times to try everything.

(The most wonderful flat-bread... with drunken mushrooms!)

Then, we went to see Gravity in 3D, which was one of the most stressful film experiences of my life. I sure am glad AMC has a bar, because I was nursing my whiskey the whole movie trying to deal with the suspense! Don't get me wrong--the film was GORGEOUS and amazing on every level, and the birthday boy thought it was kick-ass (which was the whole point), but involving me in any gripping "suspense/thriller" movie basically means getting me tipsy so I don't pass-out from the stress.

(Yes, R and I matched for the evening. We're freaks. HAPPY FREAKS IN LOVE.)

Overall, this weekend has been really lovely. Meggie and I went on a long-overdue Meggie Date (buying Clinique mascara and my new birthday date sweater!), while Richard and I watched the new Aziz Ansari special, and cleaned out the closet a little bit. We even bought the original "Wizard of Oz" on Blu-ray, which makes my heart so happy! Things are coming back together piece by piece, even if it's hard and full of suck, but we have so many friends and family members giving us all they got and it never escapes us how lucky we are. And if this week was any indictation, we're totally going to kick November's ass. ;)

halloween, etc.

Alrighty, one more "bits and pieces" post, and then I'm jumping on the wagon. :)

The littles on Halloween. :)

Meggie and her friends on Halloween. :) 

Peanut butter Totoro cookies! (recipe)

My bouffant and Emily's subsequent interpretation on our bathroom mirror.