bourbon crawl

in the nature of catching up on the past semester's fun, we are taking things back to a chilly february weekend where T planned out a bourbon crawl in okc for my birthday. we sampled cocktails at some of my favorite happy hour haunts with our friends and it reminded me of how much i love this gang of goofs. at each stop, T coordinated a different bourbon-themed cocktail for us to sample which, coincidentally, turned out to be some of my picks i usually sip on. 

first stop: the pritchard

cocktail: 'the final ward' aka 'the last word' with bourbon instead of gin

verdict: the cocktail to start our night with - yum!

[the final ward]

second stop: nic's

cocktail: the sazerac

verdict: i just love a good sazerac, it truly is hard to beat. that being said, i don't have them all too often as they are my go-to cocktail for leisurely sipping.  

[the sazerac]

[inadvertently becoming inspired to retell my own drunk history of ona judge]

[the old fashioned]

third stop: r&j supper club

cocktail: the old fashioned 

verdict: old fashioneds are pretty much one of my top four drinks aside from a sazerac, bourbon neat, or a quality manhattan. you really cannot go wrong with this cocktail in my book. 

final stop: o bar

cocktail: the author six

verdict: this one was the sweetest of them all and, to be honest, was a bit too much after the other cocktails. i was caught off guard by the bacon and orange juice hitting my mouth so, i stuck to a glass of bourbon neat instead. 

[a bourbon chaser and the author six]

all in all, it was a great night that was filled with loads of belly laughs, toasts, hugs, and the ones i love, oh so, dearly. and what a great way to say, hello 32!

celebrate

a couple of weekends back, T put together a little birthday dinner party for my 31st with a few of my closest gal pals. it was a pajama-themed party over a deliciously planned dinner courtesy of T and mike. everything about it was absolutely perfect - i mean, who doesn't love celebrating with their loved ones while eating great food in your pjs?

[wine ever flowing]

[first course: michael's salmon chowder served with rosé]

the gals and i couldn't have been more impressed with T and michael's culinary skills. between the two of them, they whipped up some of my favorite foods with such ease...it blew me away. 

 

[second/main course: lamb roast served with garlic mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts with bacon]

[last, but certainly not least, course: funfetti fruity pebbles cake]

[blowing out my candles]

once dinner and dessert wrapped up, the guys headed out to relax after all their hard work while us gals hung in. we decided to keep the fun going so we treated ourselves to a little mask action while watching princess bride (kathy's never seen it!).  

[love these gals]

a huge thanks to T and michael for treating me and my gals to such a beautiful night, and thanks to my sweet friends for coming out to celebrate. 

31

this past tuesday i came another year around the sun and turned 31. it feels so strange to think about me ten years ago finally getting to hit the bar scene and partake in cocktails...still trying to figure out who i was and where my life was going and what i wanted to do with it. flash forward ten years to a much more settled version of myself with a sense of purpose and drive. it really is like they say that you feel more yourself in your thirties. it's like i'm more relaxed and at home in my own skin. that being said, i still of course wrestle with doubt, nerves, and anxiety now that i am tackling grad school (eep!! and eek! at the same time). but, still, a sense that i am on the path of where i want to go and i know exactly who i am/want to be. 

here's to 31! i cannot wait to see what i can do with this year :)

flirty thirty

a couple of saturdays back, T and i drove up to tulsa to celebrate our friend candace's 30th birthday. her rockstar of a husband decided to surprise her with a party bus filled with her closest friends to take us all out to some of her favorite watering holes. the look on her face when they pulled up to the parking lot...priceless!

[party favors]

[group shot]

[two of my favorites]

once we surprised the birthday girl, it was time to crank the tunes, pour some cocktails, and get to boogieing!  

[not the best photo, but the bday girl with her bff and her husband aka the party planners]

we drove around in the party bus for awhile before getting to our first stop: she theatre (a burlesque club). the group had such a great time dancing between sets, and watching the amazingly talented dancers. 

our second stop i forgot to snap a photo at/note the name of since i was too busy dancing (read: sweating) my little tail off ;) 

but, their 90s dance mix was pretty dynamite. then, our third and final stop, the majestic (aka my favorite t-town gay bar). cue more dancing, more singing, and more cheering to the birthday girl. 

[happy 30th!]

it was such a great night celebrating my fiery, dancing queen darling. welcome to the thirties! 

surprise!!

last saturday, T thought he and i were going out to celebrate his 30th birthday early just the two of us since we'd be out of town for his actual birthday. but, what actually happened was a surprise party filled with some of his dearest friends, his favorite views of the city, slice after slice of pizza, too many laughs, hugs, and high-fives to count, and the healthiest wine pours. for months i'd been planning away, and it made my heart all too happy to see my plans finally come together to celebrate my sweet husband.  

[hey T's head]

since my beau is a man of simplicity and humor, i thought the best decor would be life-size versions of his face. our guests had loads of fun posing with them and/or leaving them in bushes to spook anyone nearby. the guys had a lot of fun creating new ways to play 'where's T?' (a fun play on where's waldo)

[this burrata and that truffle honey...i'll dream of it always]

[which T is the real one?!]

[couple of goofs]

[T got thirsty]

[the bros altogether]

[the roasted goat pizza; yum]

[group shot, plus, find T]

[love these women]

[welcome to the 30s club!]

after snacking on amazing pizza, singing happy birthday to the birthday boy over a mountain of cookies, and loads more posing with T's signs, we ventured to the next location. we kept the party going with the remaining gang while sipping delicious cocktails at my favorite supper club. the guys kept the jokes coming with T's signs while we toasted to our favorite baldy. 

[i love this photo]

[which T is which]

[bro hugs; hey ladies]

it was the most perfect night to toast to one of my favorite humans, and was such a blast. a huge thanks to hall's pizza for being so outstanding with everything as well as our friends who sweetly came out from near and far...and a happy early 30th birthday to T. i can't wait to see what this year holds for you :)