a thankful week

i hope everyone had a wonderful holiday week. T and i had a great time away with some of our family and friends. i just love how time seems to be so full and slowed at the same moment. a normal week would feel like it flew by, but this last week felt like the timing was just right. 

to kick off this recap, we are starting with friendsgiving sweetly hosted by our friend michael last monday. this crowd can be difficult to bring together since everyone's schedules usually conflict with one another, but thankfully, we were all able to make it work - which made it all the more meaningful. 

[cheers]

the food was absolutely delectable. thanksgiving food isn't necessarily my favorite, but everything was so, so good. and, everyone's dishes paired so well with one another, without even meaning to! plus, i thought it was a good opportunity to try out a new chocolate cream pie and apple pie recipe i had my eyes on...they were quite the hit :)

[friendsgiving 2016]

midweek, T and i made our drive back to tulsa to celebrate the remainder of the week with my family. our first night in, my parents took us to a local brewpub to sample some amazing eats and drinks. 

[my sweet potato casserole]

turkey day we spent soaking up all the quality time possible with my aunt, uncle, and many cousins. we honored old traditions, shared funny stories, and caught up with each other. i loved it!

[my cousin, ain't she cute?]

the next day, we brought boba and solo over to my cousin becky's place for a little play date with her pup buddy. there was a good amount of tree marking, playing with extra large branches, and exhaustive sprinting. i don't think i've ever seen solo get that tired from running with another pup.

[new sushi spot]

[happy hour]

our last day in, my mom and i got a little shopping in while T and my dad watched the game. later, we had dinner at a place that had me swearing i was in chicago. the style of italian food, the atmosphere, and even the people had my heart singing. the only thing missing was walking out into freezing temps with whipping wind after...but, i can't say i was really missing that part as much ;)

[the most delicious tiramisu and limoncello cake]

after dinner, T and i met up with our tulsa crew to celebrate our friend matt's birthday. we had such a great time bar hopping downtown to kick off another year around the sun. my personal favorite was a catch between singing 90s boy band ballads with the gals, and seeing the guys order the prettiest floral punch bowl to share together. 

[festive]

[guys (above) and gals (below)]

layers

although it has technically been fall since late september, as far as oklahoma was concerned, we were still hanging in late summer/spring-like temps. then, ever so slowly, its gotten cooler and cooler until suddenly i got to actually wear layers last week! i was actually cold, and couldn't have been happier about it...well, i wished i grabbed my mittens and maybe a hat, but, happy to have the thought either way. 

here's to hoping fall will actually stick around long enough before winter hits, and happy turkey day!

[i just love this moon hair clip i picked up from the social club]

weekend guest

a couple of weekends ago, my aunt theresa came up for a visit. i was ecstatic the first time she came to stay with us, but the thought of her coming up again had me bouncing off the walls with excitement. truth be told, this will look more like a food diary, but if you think about it, most great visits are. 

thursday - aunt theresa arrived just after T and i got off work. so, we felt it was fitting to stick with something on the lighter side since we were all pretty worn from the day. so, goat cheese and sausage pizza with red wine seemed just right. 

[chicken ragu with basil from the garden]

friday - while T and i were at work during the day, aunt theresa explored at bit of okc from some of our recommendations. when we got back, i thought one of T's favorite recipes was the perfect way to officially kick off our weekend altogether. we stayed up into the wee hours of the night sipping wine and talking.

saturday - since our last visit included a stop at junction coffee, we thought it would be the perfect mini tradition to continue. plus, T hadn't been yet, and how can you resist such a great concept? then, we felt a little farmer's market action was in store before heading back for a bit of tailgating.

[succulents and wine tastings]

once we had our fill of funky shops, we had lunch on campus, and checked out the game (we won!). several of our friends who were out watching the game stopped by to say hey, and get to meet/reconnect with aunt theresa. i really do love how much everyone loves her like we do :)

later that night, T's parents (and our nephew) came over for fried chicken, mac 'n cheese, collard greens, and honey biscuits. thanks to my auntie, i am slowly getting the hang of making my own greens. plus, it was T's dad's first time to have soul food and he was a huge fan...it kind of made my day. 

[boba supervising the head chef]

sunday - feeling a little in the mood for a day in, T made his infamous french toast, and we settled in for a luke cage marathon. with some of my chicken noodle soup, it was the best way to savor our last day with aunt theresa in town. 

[yum]

on the road

there's something about setting out on the open road that just calls to me. i love the thrill of finding something unexpected whether it's delicious local faire, interesting people, or beautiful sights. a great road trip usually involves all three at some point. or, at the very least, if none are present, a good story. 

our trek out to the ouachitas provided some of my favorite views driving to our campsite and coming back home. plus, there is just something about blasting your favorite tunes with the windows open while on the road. T and i's recent favorite has been avett brothers pandora station :)

[hey boba and solo!]

[pit stop (above and below) to stretch our legs]

[getting closer]

[monarch photo bomb]

we drove further and further up into the mountains before we started to see little peeks of the views to come. then, we finally came to a clearing where we could pull over and take it all in. it was awesome, and more than exceeded every recommendation made.

[heading back home]

coming back through on our way home, we made a few pit stops to see the opposite side of the ridge. it was stunning to watch the rain wall slowly sweep over the other mountains. 

[natural eye candy]

[my gang]

[already missing those roads]

until next time!

to grandparents' house we go (part two)

[breakfast at grandma + grandpa's house]

after meeting an otter, and seeing chihuly's work at sunset, we were already having an amazing weekend away. then, my grandparents decided to treat us to seeing the harlem ballet company perform. but, not before another delicious dinner...  

[literally dead]

[i loved how these chandeliers looked like ribbons]

the performance was an absolute showstopper. T and i were both moved when the spelman women's choir came on stage to sing with three of their female dancers. it was one of those artistic works that you can't look away from, and brings all up all the feels...completely goosebump-worthy :)

[hey deer]

the next day, we saw a little of my grandparents' suburb including one of their favorite walking trails. mattie, their pup, was so excited to show me her favorite trees to mark as well as all the cute pups (she's quite the little ham).

[all the carbs]

later, we checked out the halloween decor, all the farmer's market goodies, and sampled some of the sweet treats from the town square. feeling a little tired, it seemed a movie marathon and pizza was well overdue to savor our last day before heading home. 

thanks again to my grandparents for a beautiful weekend away. we had an absolute blast, and can't wait to see y'all at christmas!