top six

T and i just returned from spending a week visiting my grandparents in san miguel de allende, mexico where they live. we got to celebrate día de los muertos, bring flowers to the cemetery, eat so much amazing food, tour the main sites, and just generally enjoy time away from normal life. it was beautiful, vibrant, and unbelievably wonderful and we were very sad to leave. to help ease back into normalcy, i thought i would share my favorite moments had on the trip, in no particular order.

enjoy!

[vibrant and beautiful marigolds framing doorways all over town]

[spending all the quality time with my grandparents]

[finding a new favorite cocktail in jamaica margaritas which are from the jamaica flower]

[the twists, turns, views, and colors found in the streets]

[walking through the center of san miguel during día de los muertos...it was electric]

[filling my eyes with all of the gorgeous colors throughout the city]

pizza crawl

last weekend, T and i embarked on a new ride okc tour of pizza! you heard me right, a tour based on tasty, mouth-watering pizza from six pizzerias. normally, i wouldn't be able to finish six slices, but the biking in between helped us to work off some of it before we were set to try another one. plus, how awesome of a way to get to know more about our city. 

[ready for pizza!]

stop #1: the wedge

slice: the italian stallion - port wine sundried tomato sauce, house made italian sausage, fresh mozzarella, and fennel

[pizzas waiting to be eaten...mmm]

verdict: tasty, and the perfect start to our pizza tour. 

[bike tour knowledge being dropped]

stop #2: hideaway pizza

slice(s): pizza of the gods - olive oil and garlic glaze, mozzarella, provolone, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, and roma tomato; the bratza - garlic glaze, bavarian mustard, mozzarella, sauerkraut, bratwurst, red onion, cheddar, jalapeños, and parmesan-herb shake

[pizza tossing demonstration]

verdict: surprisingly my favorite pizza had all day and i say surprisingly because the bratza completely caught me off guard. it tasted like having a bratwurst with spicy mustard and sauerkraut aka octoberfest. had i gone in outside of the tour and the waiter told me about this pizza, i would have politely declined thinking it couldn't work. but, i was floored to find that it was so well paired and crafted. so, this slice gets the gold star for the tour!

stop #3: pizzeria gusto

slice: the margherita - tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, parmesan, basil, and evoo

[perfect way to quench our thirst]

verdict: classic. you really cannot go wrong with a crisp, fresh margherita. also, the co-owner of this restaurant, who runs the kitchen, came out to speak with us. after hearing her talk about their wood-fire oven (which is always burning, regardless of if they are open or not), her ideas about pizza, and her overall demeanor, i was impressed. so much so that it completely changed our thoughts about the restaurant!

stop #4: empire pizza

slice: foghorn leghorn - sweet marinara, roasted chicken, bacon, jalapeño, and sriracha drizzle

verdict: a great by the slice pizza, but not sure i could do a whole pizza. not that it wasn't tasty, which it was, but a little went a long way. 

[biking to the next stop]

stop #5: hall's pizza

slice: saturday night - pepperoni, sausage, housemade sauce, fresh basil, whole milk mozzarella, and parmigiano reggiano

[cheers-ing to our city]

verdict: hot, steamy (which i loved during a cool bike ride) and delicious. plus, hall's is a personal favorite for T and i so it would be hard to not love everything they do. also, hall's uses a wood-fire pizza oven too and are one of two pizzerias (with pizzeria gusto) that does not use gas. aka, all that heat is coming from the classic wood-fire oven which takes some finesse to get the temperature just right.

stop #6: joey's pizzeria

slice: bianca neve - fresh chopped baby spinach, fresh garlic, smoked bacon, feta cheese, mozzarella cheese on our signature alfredo sauce

verdict: delicious, and the perfect way to close out the pizza tour, especially since it had started to rain on our way to the last stop. 

we learned so much about our pizza community and have so much more appreciation for the work and creativity that goes into each slice. added bonus was that i found new favorites to order when we go back to visit. 

thanks ride okc for putting together such a great day!

autumn

[german comfort food]

typically at this time of year, i would post a photo of changing leaves aka a quintessentially fall moment. and while our temperatures are signalling fall, oddly enough, our trees haven't turned yet! so, my next best bet was schnitzel and spatzel enjoyed not too long ago. for whatever reason, i just love enjoying german food when the weather is cooling down and sunlight hours are getting shorter. mmm! here's what else i'm looking forward to this season:

• reenact what it'd be like to make the amazing bakes on the great british baking show by trying out a recipe a month from mary berry's baking bible
• sip hot spiked apple cider on chilly fall days
• sport my favorite color of burgundy nail polish
• check out another bike tour in classically fall weather
• enjoy hilariously terrible b-rate horror films with T
• celebrate día de los muertos while visiting my grandparents in mexico 
• up my bartending game with my autumn/winter themed cocktail book 
• make up for missing out on last year's halloween costume fun with a themed costume for this year's fiesta
• bake an apple-themed treat like a crisp, crumble, or hassleback
• take regular walks through the neighborhood with T and the pups to enjoy the changing trees

falling for autumn

[can't wait to see these colors in the leaves]

can you believe tomorrow is the first official day of fall? it feels like summer slowly crept past, and i didn't even realize it was gone until it was too late! but, i can't say i'm too sad about it though. fall holds such a special place in my heart since i always like to think of it as a season of warmth and comfort. 

here's what i'm looking forward to most this coming season:

• try out this and this fall-themed pasta recipe from scratch
• take a long weekend to camp out in the ouachita mountains with T and the pups
• up my camp cook game with this apple crisp recipe
• check out the drive-in for a cool weather friday night feature
• see the latest rotating gallery on campus with T for a little day date
• savor the cooler temps and gorgeous foliage over a jammy wine at one of our favorite tucked away bar patios
• build our light canopy to enjoy our new, vintage hot tub (post to come)
• stargaze in T's new inflatable hammock
• if we can swing it, host a chili cook-off and cornhole tournament with friends
• excite the inner child within by whipping up leftover halloween candy blondies and browned butter rice krispies treats

what are y'all looking forward to this season?

[hanging fireside, cozy with wine]

[hearty, warm your bones comfort food]

halloween weekend

wow, these past couple of weeks have flown by quicker than usual! between work keeping us both busier than ever, and our weekends locked in with plans, there's been no time to blog. and, believe me, i've been missing it something fierce. 

to kick things back off on the right foot, i thought a festive recap from the holiday weekend was due. enjoy, and happy halloween!

friday night, T and i rode our bikes to check out the fall festival on main street. i just love seeing all the adorable costumes and festive flair. i'm a complete sucker for original costume ideas. my favorite pics this year were baby dracula sitting in his stroller decorated as a casket, and toddler rey from star wars. 

[taco break]

then, we ventured out to a local wine bar with friends to enjoy the fall-like night. it was perfect.

[such a great night]

the next day, we took a road trip with m+j out to reding farms to see if we could best their corn maze. we'd heard they came up with a special design for their 50th anniversary, and were all too curious to take a peek. 

[the wings]

[a-maize-ing]

[let's check it out!]

of course T and michael tried to run ahead so they could sneak up and scare jana and i. but, they only managed to successfully sneak up on each other (see above). thank goodness i've gotten good at spotting T quickly!

after conquering the maze, we took a hayride through the fields, snacked on some delicious bbq sandwiches, and headed back home. 

[cider...yum]

[bugs bunny, and elmer fudd]

later that night, we sipped on some of my spiked apple cider (delicious, if i don't say so myself), got into our costumes, and headed out for a little halloween fun. it was such a blast, and i couldn't have been happier with the company. 

fall season

fall is officially here and it seems the weather agrees. it's finally cooled down to the 60s, and i am absolutely loving it. all of the savory dinners, and sweet fall-themed treats...what's not to adore? 

here's what i'm most excited about for my favorite season:

• take a road trip out to explore a local corn maze
• whip up this, an old childhood favorite
• now that T's bike is fixed up (thanks again michael!), take more bike rides out to enjoy the changing winds, gorgeous leaves, and halloween-themed homes
• keep our toes warm by the fire pit with jammy red wines
• spend a couple of weekends away camping with T and the pups
• whip up my own batch of autumn sangria with granny smith apples, blood oranges, plums, blackberries, and cinnamon sticks
• have a b-rate horror film marathon with a couple of goosebumps movies mixed in...by the way, does anyone remember are you afraid of the dark?
• try out another indulgent pasta recipe from scratch
• take a sunset ferris wheel ride cozied up to my love

the great outdoors

quintessential fall weather, balmy campfires, and gorgeous views provided the backdrop for our weekend away in the woods. after our first trip with the pups went so well, we were itching to get back out again! originally, we were set to meet back up with m+j in october but, plans had changed and it needed to be moved to november. and the timing couldn't have been more perfect...warm, sunny days followed by chilly nights with bouts of overcast aka idyllic cool weather camping. 

[such a happy boy]

[best buds reunited]

as our campsite was on lake watonga, it gave the pups just the inspiration to make every game end with a run into the water. i'd like to say i was surprised but, it goes with the territory of having water dogs. plus, i love seeing how thrilled they become when they see water they can swim in. 

[morning mimosas]

[bruce, our resident dinosaur]

after we got settled, we thought it was high time we hiked a couple of nearby trails and explore a bit. 

[my 'lone wolf' pup leading the way]

[conquerors of the ridge, right before they nearly slid into a cactus]

once we got to the other side of the lake, we found a little nook to sit down, hydrate, and have lunch. 

[our lunch view]

[jana, looking for pretty florals on our hike]

["come on, come on!" - boba and solo]

[at the top of inspiration point]

[sunset-painted ridges]

the hike, while long, led us to more and more beautiful views at every turn. every time we thought we'd seen the best view, our trail led us to another one. it was such a treat, and the pups really loved going off the beaten path with us. oh, and for any who are curious, bruce did not join us on the hike. he was back at the campsite enjoying a long nap :) 

[our trail bouquet, gorgeous right?]

once we made it back to camp, we got comfy, built a fire, and made dinner...

[brats...yum]

the night was spent making s'mores, keeping warm by the fire, listening to the ou v. baylor game (boomer sooner!), drinking wine, and stargazing. i am always amazed how many stars we see outside of city limits. and we actually see quite a bit where we live but, nothing compared to what we see out in nature.

[good morning indeed!]

[boba asking bruce about being a dinosaur...or how he can get on people's laps too]

the next morning, we woke up to chuck, the boxer, asking if our boys could come out and play. as much as T and i wanted to keep cozy in our tent, we couldn't help but, oblige sweet chuck. the pups really do love being altogether any chance they get.

[campfire breakfast bowls; they may not look it but, taste so, so good]

[pup magnet]

once we finished breakfast, we packed up, said our goodbyes and headed home. ready to take a hot shower, start a load of laundry (that campfire scent gets everywhere!), and close out the week on a high note.