life, according to my iphone

[ramen-graming]

"the summer night is like a perfection of thought" - wallace stevens

i came across this quote not long ago, and it really resonated with me. even as an adult where summer "breaks" don't truly exist anymore, i still love the thrill of summer nights. time seems to slow to the point of near nonexistence...much like the summer day. there's a certain type of wonderfulness about it. feeling like you have all the time to do everything and anything. i truly love how freeing it feels. not to say i dislike the other seasons, but summertime is different. it's like the perfect bite of food, a delicious sip of wine, or the most beautiful melody in a song...it's like the perfect thought coming together. 

[cute guy; menu viewing]

[big ol' hydrangea; snow in summer]

[jana + boba tea; sushi night]

[tortilla bowls]

[lap laying; decisions, decisions]

[lake babe; yum]

[wine auction; lima bean brains]

[goofs]

[does any one else see a palm tree?; beautiful bread]

[T looking for his michael; grilled goodies]

[goat cheese + blackberry red wine ice cream; tea shop lounging]

[slumber party; yum]

[asian market goods]

[love this shop slogan; sleepy puppy]

grand lake

last weekend, T and i drove up to grand lake to stay at our friend's lake house with our tulsa crew. one house, seven couples, and too many laughs and cocktails to count. it was such a blast start to finish, and it had us all wishing the weekend was just a wee bit longer. 

[sunset driving]

our first night, T and i got to the house just in time for pizza and late night shenanigans. think loads of pool hangs, pranks, golf cart debauchery, and belting out our favorite tunes. i initially had every intention of taking it easy the first night, but that did not happen...in only the best way.

the next morning was a late one for the house altogether. but, once we did come around, the am gang made breakfast for everyone. oh, it was so good...especially the tofu scramble!

then, we loaded up our goodies and set out to hit the lake for the day. so much sun, laughs, swims, and dancing. really, just the perfect saturday. 

[hunky husband]

[pre-tubing]

[lily pad lounging, a new lake fave for me]

[taking in the views]

after we wrapped up on the water, we brought all the toys in, and T and i with matt and julia got to work on dinner. that night, we hung in, played games, and found a new hilarious favorite in melmojis. 

[natalie working on brunch]

but like all good things, it had to come to an end. we had such a great time with these goofs, and cannot wait for the next lake trip!

baking 'ventures

as much as i love to bake, there are some recipes i steer clear of that seem too technical or outside of my skill level. for a long time, the swiss roll was on that list...until a couple of weekends ago. honestly, the idea of rolling a cake didn't quite click for me until i'd watched an episode of the great british baking show that featured it. the way the judges broke down each step and the logic behind it suddenly made it so simple. i had to finally see if i could do it.

first up, i had to whip the egg whites to lift the sponge cake...

then, to bake the cake to the perfect level of light golden and quickly roll it. oddly enough, this stage wasn't as hard as i thought it would be. minus, burning my fingers from rolling a hot cake. 

[goodies ready to go]

once the sponge cooled, i slowly unrolled it, added the cream and berries, and got to re-rolling it. 

then, to taste it...thankfully, T and my brother were sweet enough to be my guinea pigs. it was everything i'd hoped it would be, and i've already begun dreaming up new combinations :)

[yum]

field of dreams

last weekend, T and i celebrated the first friday in june by watching the okc dodgers play in chickasaw bricktown ballpark. it was the perfect summer night with perfectly warm temps, a cool breeze, and a gorgeous sunset. plus, we had dynamite seats!

now, i've been to my fair share of baseball games, and had the game explained to me many, many times. but, only until then, did i actually start to understand the game. T very sweetly answered every question i had until i finally got the hang of it. i had the added benefit of also being able to learn more about T playing ball when he was little. 

[classic coney dog with mac 'n cheese added]

[my favorite baseball game treat]

it was the best way to kick off the weekend, and get out of our normal routine. go dodgers!

cositas

[sunday funday]

have any of you watched the great british baking show? it quickly became one of my favorite shows between the quick wit of the hosts, the commentary and skills of the judges, the delicious bakes made week after week, and the kind nature and humor of the contestants. this weekend, i'll be tackling the intimidating swiss roll. i'd long assumed it was way out of my skill level, but after watching their breakdown of its bake, i think i can do it. wish me luck!

[stay lit]

["can i have some?" - solo]

[restocking on some of my favorite local goods]

[wings with the wings]

[a dapper pup mailgram]