okc zoo

[snacktime]

saturday afternoon, T and i decided to brave the oklahoma heat to spend the afternoon at the okc zoo. i hadn't been before and T hadn't been since he was little so, it seemed like the perfect mini day date. 

[black bear, black bear, what do you see?]

[making friends]

it was fun to watch T reminisce about his favorite spots at the zoo while we saw the exhibits and picked out our favorite animals. plus, i got to snack on my favorite out and about snack - dippin' dots. i mean, how can you say no? 

[hi little one]

[just a couple of gorillas, hanging out]

we had such a fun time and i can't wait to come back when the camels and rhinos arrive. 

taco tour

last saturday, T and i set out with empty bellies on a hot summer day to try as many tacos on our list as we could stomach. it's a hard task tasting delicious tacos, but it was one we were ready to undertake ;) 

our first stop, mainly by accidentally finding it first, was el primo loco. even though we didn't plan to start with this truck, we were so happy we did. one, the scents of smoked chicken immediately made my mouth water. two, once we had our bird, tortillas, salsas, and goodies, i could hardly wait to snap a photo before digging in. 

of all the tacos we tried, i made the biggest mess with this one, and for good reason, it was unbelievably good! smoky, spicy chicken filling our fresh tortillas and then dipping them into both salsas...oh my gosh. both T and i were very happy this was our first stop and couldn't stop talking about it on the way to the next truck. 

stop number two, taqueria el jiro. we had the good fortune of placing our order five minutes before the lunch rush came. quite literally, five cars immediately pulled up after we paid. if we had any concerns about this truck, they dissipated after seeing how many people came for lunch. 

the most recommended taco from this truck were the cabeza (head) and lengua (tongue). we also ordered the tripas (intestines) after the girl taking our order recommended it. the cabeza taco was so full of flavor, tender, and just incredibly tasty. the lengua taco was my second favorite from this truck as it was tender, juicy, and just an all around great taco. i loved it. the tripas was...okay. honestly, it was a little too crunchy so it was distracting from the rest of the taco. not bad, but not my favorite. 

also, if you are game to eat whole peppers, the chile toreados at this truck are supposed to be dynamite. while i do love heat in my food, i don't know that i am brave enough to dive into a whole pepper. i did that once before and it did not go well so, i had to pass this go around. 

our third (and last stop because we were getting full) stop, taqueria mr. dollar. another coincidence of timing with ordering our tacos before the lunch rush. plus, this truck was across the street from a mexican bakery i'd been to before...i really had to fight the urge to stop in for some sweet bread. 

the most recommended tacos from this truck were the chorizo and tripas. we also ordered the lengua because i kept thinking about it from the last truck and needed another fix. our favorite with this one was that spicy, smoky chorizo taco. oh man, was it good. and the tripas from this truck were just what i'd been looking for - a little crispy action but still tender and juicy to compliment the rest of the taco goodies. perfect! the lengua taco sadly left me missing the last truck again, but can't win them all.

now, with our bellies full of delicious taco goodies and we were ready to decide our favorites:

1. primo loco smoked chicken taco

2. taqueria el jiro cabeza taco

3. taqueria el jiro lengua taco

4. taqueria mr. dollar chorizo taco

5. taqueria mr. dollar tripas taco

6. taqueria mr. dollar lengua taco

7. taqueria el jiro tripas taco

such a great lunch and i can't wait to go back!

ice cream tasting

[strawberry]

over a lot of trail and error, i have gotten to build up some pretty swell cooking and baking skills. many of the things i've become good at making were items i had an infatuation with...i'm looking at you, freshly made pasta, fried chicken, mac 'n cheese, cake, etc. but most of all, i love ice cream. so it only made sense for me to start learning how to make it myself. 

coincidentally, most of the ice cream recipes i've whipped up have thankfully worked out amazingly well. but, not all can be winners. and as much as social media, even this blog at times, may make it seem like everything comes out swimmingly, i feel it's only fair to share when it does not. case in point: mascarpone ice cream and ricotta ice cream. both seemed just crazy enough to be an amazing flavor you might see in a gelato shop. but, in real life? horrible! i mean, could not throw it out fast enough, horrible. thankfully, of the dozens of flavors i've made, only two have been a bust, but they were very memorable to say the least. 

here's to hoping my future ice cream trails are more on the delicious than memorable side!

[passion fruit with cacao nibs]

[blackberry cheesecake]

[blueberry basil]

lately

we've officially cracked into the fall semester and after having a short break after finishing my summer class, i feel ready to get back into the swing of things. even though it was a quick break, it was filled with a fun movie night with our nephew, a weekend back home to celebrate my mom's and brother's birthdays, catching up on some good reading/research for work, and celebrating a friend's baby on the way. and, of course, you already know what's coming...the photo journal!

[love that family of mine]

[custom cocktails]

[lunch at my favorite hometown spot]

[colorful peppers]

[pizza time!]

[movie night feature: black panther]

[backyard lounging]

[first time cracking into my mortar and pestle]

[research for work]

[celebrating baby ketter]

[congrats kathy!]

[this made me giggle]

[cast-iron cooking]

happy

earlier this week, while waiting at the doctor's office, i had a chance encounter with another person waiting to be seen. i don't normally talk to people in the waiting room, but the person was being seen at my doctor's office for the first time and was a little nervous. this led us to stumbling onto the subject of finding your passion in life. the woman i was talking to referenced someone close to them having a life-threatening illness which led them to change their life's direction. i've always found it interesting what people decide to do when faced with such a difficult instance. the woman pointed out how she found it most interesting how people don't do what they truly want with their life until faced with such circumstances. this includes working at jobs you hate, being with or surrounding yourself with people you do not care for, etc. 

she then went on to tell me about how she was the manager of her department at a job that was okay but left her feeling unfulfilled. she often had to do tasks she didn't agree with and made her feel internally conflicted. she finally quit her successful job to find a job that has given her a sense of satisfaction and completion. she stated it was worth leaving because she was doing work that meant something to her. she didn't want to live her life working towards a future all the while making herself unhappy. life-threatening illness shouldn't be the impetus to live a happier life or at least a life that you actually choose. 

what she said really resonated with me. i have worked at several jobs that i could not stand to go to everyday i was there...and the weirdest part is that i was surrounded by people who hated it just as much as i did. but they had no interest in leaving or finding anything that could make them happy. each move i made was to help get me closer to finding something that would make me happy or, at the very least, satisfied. i even think the same about my relationships. ex-boyfriends and dates that flopped, blew up, or fizzled. it was hard making each change and move, but all for the best to making myself a happier me. we should keep pushing forward and keep choosing things and people that fill ourselves and lives with what makes us truly happy. because, let's face it, the future isn't promised either, so why not be happier now? why wait for a difficult reminder to signal us to choose happiness? just a thought and a kind reminder from a waiting room stranger :)

awesome & awkward

[this photo makes me really happy]

awesome:

• not too long ago, T joined me on the grad school train! i'm so, so proud of and excited for him. while we may be in differing programs, i have to say, i've got the cutest study buddy around :)
• if you haven't listened to jonathan van ness' getting curious podcast, please do yourself a favor and add it to your list. for those who don't know, each week, jvn will find an expert on a topic he is genuinely curious to know more about. he then spends that show asking any and all questions related to the topic to learn as much as he can. i feel like i walk away so much more knowledgeable on subjects i previously had little to no information on. i adore anything jvn does but i really love that he uses his platform to inform himself and others. 
• last weekend, i had the best blackberries i have ever had. i know that doesn't sound like much but, when you get your berries from the grocery store, you forget how delicious they originally are. note to self, when and where you can, always get a batch of berries from a local orchard. 

awkward:

• last friday, T and i had our nephew over to watch movies and we were having such a blast with him. at the end of the night, when we walked with him to the car, he suddenly turned to me and said, "why don't you have a baby in your belly?" ummm! i told him i didn't have one now but in the future that could happen. then, T chimed in to say we didn't have a baby yet and we were enjoying just focusing on him. T then said, "don't you like not having to share our attention with a baby?" our nephew quickly responded with, "no!" ...oh geez. 

[movie night with our nephew]

[my study buddy]

[celebrating the wins]

lake weekend

a couple of weekends ago, T and i ventured up to grand lake to spend the weekend with our tulsa friend gang for what i like to call "the real world: grand lake...14 friends living in one house together. let's see what shenanigans they'll get into!" honestly, short of us having the normal drama that occurs in the real world shows, i think the hi-jinxes we get into would be pretty funny to watch. 

side note: in most situations, i have my phone handy to snap photos here and there (as you all know). but then, the mood will strike where i will inadvertently leave my phone behind and just soak up everything happening in the moment. this weekend happened to be one of those times. so, oddly enough, i personally only took a couple of photos and the others within this post are from friends. as much as i love taking photos of life as it's happening, it can be equally nice to take a break. 

[tofu scramble with sauteed spinach, vegan cheese sauce, tomatoes, and fried potatoes]

[boyfriends]

[our traditional group photo]

while this may not be the most fun photo journal i've ever made, i can tell you it was filled with amazing food, fun cocktails, loads of catching up and dance parties, and too many belly laughs to count. i surely do love this goofy, fun-loving friend gang of ours.