life, according to my iphone

[window candy; have you seen the gin?]

with all of this strange, springlike weather coming in, it's been hard not to jump on the bandwagon for the season to come. daffodils and tulips have already started blooming, the sun is staying out later, and we've been enjoying biking around our city again. and while it feels unnerving how early it's started (as well as what that means for our summer season), i've tried to not overthink it even though i do love having a full winter season. how about you guys? is all of this warmth weirding you out at all? 

[loving this view]

[ramen and mochi night]

[festive ride; i'll think about it ;)]

[new mural viewing; snow daze]

[michael's bday dinner; best buds]

[respective happy hours]

[post-playing in the snow lounging; squash boats]

[complicated and fun; yoga practice]

[hello kitty donuts!!; my pug-tato boyfriend]

[new brew tasting; a seriously intense round of jenga]

[best pup pals; trying new pizza combos]

[trail marker; soup ingredients]

[pre-movie cocktail; my early bday gift courtesy of T!]

[an evening with dawes; fri-yay cocktails]

[banana cream pie making; pup mail day]

the mercantile

last weekend, i took a day trip out to the pioneer woman's restaurant and shop with alex and kathy. we'd been interested in taking a road trip out, and initially planned to go last december. sadly, our state got a bad spurt of hail and freezing rains that day, and had to cancel. so, we set our sights on last saturday with the hopes we didn't get any freak weather conditions blow through. 

[quick breakfast at an old favorite]

once we parked, we learned about the many lines to get in. our initial plan was to grab lunch at the restaurant, and do a little shopping after before heading home. however, the line for her restaurant was 3 hours long. you heard right, 3 hours! now, i've waited an hour to an hour and a half for a table, but 3 hours is just too long. so, we waited to get into the shop (which was a much shorter line) and bakery. 

the shop couldn't have been more adorable. it was filled with loads of kitchen goods in practically every color and shape. i set my sights on a set of bright olive ramekins, alex picked up a new sign for her home, and kathy got a candle and ring dish. 

next, we ventured upstairs to the bakery and practically drooled looking at all the sugary goodies. i still can't decide which dessert was my favorite between the lemon bar and ree's cinnamon roll...but, i do know i was in sugary, buttery heaven. 

[yum]

after we shopped and snacked, we saw the line hadn't died down so, we headed back to tulsa for a late lunch. we'll be back though, don't you worry. but, i think it'll be for a weekday visit when the lines aren't nearly as long and we can sit for a bit while we enjoy the food. 

all in all, it was a fun mini trip with the gals. plus, i got to introduce alex and kathy to my all time favorite bbq spot in ok. a win, win in my book! 

early birthday

continuing the count on to my 30th, my parents came down for an early celebration with my brother, T and i. we ventured out to one of my favorite bars in okc just in time for sunset to take in the beautiful views. thankfully, our normally frigid february weather paused for the day, and we were left with unseasonably warm temps and springlike energy. it was absolutely perfect. 

[cocktail hour]

[outfit details]

[gentlemen pose]

[ladies pose]

our dinner was filled with so many of my favorite things - champagne, course after course of delightful dishes, amazingly paired wine, and most important of all, my beautiful family. 

[pot de creme...apparently, i'm on a french kick for bday desserts ;)]

it was such a beautiful evening, i hardly wanted it to end! it was only made that much sweeter with a surprise nightcap with brian and nicki at our home. they were in town for a brief visit, and we loved getting to catch up with them. 

such a wonderful way to celebrate with my family. and i am all to thrilled to break in my gift for future pasta making adventures to come.

birthday girls

last weekend, my best and i got together for a long overdue gals date. february marks our birth month, and this one is a biggie - we hit the big 3-0! so, we felt the best way to celebrate was over dynamite wines and charcuterie.    

[prosciutto and jam (left); salame toscana with housemade pickles (right)] 

[(top middle) our trio of cheeses - drunken goat, project x, and ewephoria]

the combinations between our selection of cheeses, jams, nuts, and cured meats were incredible. each one was so perfectly matched, we were constantly wowed with every bite. then, came our delicious entrees, followed by dessert. it couldn't have been a more perfect way to toast to our twenties ending, and our thirties beginning. 

plus, it was a sweet trip down memory lane recounting our first meeting at eighteen to crossing through our twenties together. i can't wait to see what our thirties brings :)

cositas

[love this window display]

two new shows T and i have really gotten into - the oa, and the man in the high castle. have y'all watched them? i'll admit i was doubtful i would be into either since they had been hyped up by so many people. most of those we knew referred us to the oa noting it was similar to stranger things. we loved stranger things, but it was so unique. so, i couldn't imagine anything coming close to it. 

honestly? i didn't think it was much like stranger things aside from the exploration of the unknown in alternate universes. that being said, i loved the show! 

[snack time]

[beer puns]

[delicate edging]

[playful pups]

food in movies (revisited)

you may recall my food in movies post where i tackled the movie ratatouille. the dish, ratatouille, was amazing, but left me curious about the delicious soup remy first made. what did it taste like, and what all was in it. i began searching for any and all sources who'd attempted recreating it, but didn't come across anything that felt like the soup.  

then, i finally stumbled upon it. it had everything i'd been imagining would be in it. i had to create it!

[potatoes, scallions, garlic, shallots, and leeks]

[wine for the soup courtesy of cat]

my only alteration to the recipe was to add chicken since i am married to a meatatarian. but, i felt chicken wouldn't take away from the overall flavor of the soup.  

[it looks like the soup in the movie before remy fixed it!]

[adding in the cream aka the moment of truth]

after a healthy addition of cream to the simmering soup, it was time to take a whiff and see if it had come together. oh man, guys...if there were a way to attach that heavenly scent to this post, i'd do it. i had no clue what the soup would smell like, and yet, when i checked it, i knew it was ready. 

served with fresh baguettes and tasty wine, it was everything i'd hoped it would be. even T liked it! he doesn't even like soup, but said, "that may be the best soup i've ever had". how great is that?!

a bit of new

this past month, i've stumbled onto a couple of new-ish locales that i thought were worth sharing. because who doesn't love seeing something new? 

first up, was found when i made plans to workout with cat. it had been awhile since we got into a hot yoga class, so we thought we'd get back in one saturday morning. not only was yoga amazing, but we sweated our little booties off! it was well overdue, and left us feeling reinvigorated. we decided our post-sweat treat was to try out the newly opened juice bar, wheeze the juice. neither of us had actually tried out a legit juice bar, so we were excited to check it out. 

not only were the owners extremely nice, knowledgeable, and welcoming, we loved their use of 90s slang. i mean, how can you not get pumped about juice when hearing things like "tight" and "radical". we both loved our juices (cat, wheezing greens; mine, sup doc?), and our smoothies (cat, camp anawana; mine, dana scully). not to sound cliche, but it really opened my eyes to the world of quality juices. 

[girl talk and smoothie sipping]

then, T and i both had a very long and frustrating week not too long ago. feeling so drained, we naturally felt like hanging in and watching a movie, or two. but, against our inclinations, we decided to check out the rotating art gallery in 21c hotel and museum downtown. several pieces truly gave us pause and shifted our perspective. we later enjoyed the local views, and stylish atmosphere over craft cocktails. it really was the best way to help us leave a dreary week behind us, and greet the weekend with a fresh face. 

[his and hers]

[i love dating this guy]