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!

three

not too long ago, T and i had an amazingly friend-filled weekend getting to see some of our most favorite friends. the weekend kicked off with a wine dinner with cat who was briefly in town for a visit. it was the perfect opportunity to try out another recipe in my french cookbook, sample armagnac (which is similar to cognac or brandy), taste wines, and catch up...aka a friyay night done right. 

[m. jacques' armagnac chicken aka the most heavenly and comforting dish]

[a cozy meal and loads of wine]

saturday night we celebrated candace and alysha's birthdays at some of our favorite okc spots. and while we love getting to see our tulsa friend gang in my hometown, it was so much fun showing them our local watering holes. there were loads of laughs, great cocktails, and funky locations to visit. 

[late night happy hour]

[hanging with my favorite redheads aka the birthday gals]

sunday we closed the weekend out with a bang at a gospel blues brunch with m+j. the music and vocals were amazing, the food and cocktails were dynamite, and we of course love any chance to hang with our couple bffs. 

[loved their singing]

[one of the tastiest crab cake benedicts]

vintage wine bar

for T's birthday last month, he had one request: to enjoy a great bottle of wine while listening to blues music. sadly, i couldn't quite get the blues part to work out (sadly, we are in the wrong state for regular blues music), but i could make sure the wine could happen. to help substitute for the lack of his music request, i went for a venue that was something out of a classic, modern 70s cocktail lounge...enter, vintage wine bar.

T and i were huge fans of its original location, vintage 1740, and couldn't wait to see what their new location and concept would be like. the setting was perfectly made for what we were looking for - chic, cozy, and relaxed. their selection of cocktails was just as inventive and enticing as their original location. their varieties of wines by the glass or bottle were mouth-watering. and last, but not least, the service was attentive, warm, and friendly. while the location and look had changed, T and i were pleasantly surprised everything else that we loved about their original location had remained. 

[the wine vault]

[a very happy birthday gent]

this visit, we opted for a bottle of chenin blanc (which was a-mazing by the way) that was paired with a killer cheese tray. fun fact, i am not a bleu cheese fan by any means. however, after the manager enticed me with a bleu cheese he paired with our wine selected, i am a fan! well, maybe not of all bleu cheeses, but that one i'd have again and again. in fact, everything on our cheese tray was a perfect compliment to our wine. i couldn't get over how much it opened up new flavors for our varietal. 

[impromptu fireworks for the birthday gent]

thanks again vintage wine bar for treating us to quite the birthday celebration and we cannot wait to return!

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!

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.  

90th birthday weekend

last weekend, T's family gathered together to celebrate his granddad's 90th birthday. it was a big one to celebrate and the fact that it brought so many of us together made it even more special. now, when you think of someone turning 90, many would imagine someone less able-bodied and somewhat functioning mentally. but, T's granddad kills it as he is still making wise-cracks about his age and taking care of himself (driving too). he is #oldergoals in the best way. 

the actual party took place saturday, however, some family members came in town friday. so, T and i hosted a little cocktail hour to welcome everyone and catch-up. all the little cousins had a blast playing together while the adults got to visit and swap stories. 

[fresh lemonade, sangria, and mint water]

[mid-storytelling]

then, saturday came and it was time to celebrate the birthday boy! 

[brothers catching up]

[all the kiddos]

[viewing old photos of granddad]

[cheese!]

[coconut cream pie and white cake with vanilla buttercream and pineapple preserve filling]

[the webb men]

the party was a complete success and filled with so much love, great food (a huge thanks to sergios for all of their help), laughter, coconut cream pie (the birthday boy's favorite), and quality time celebrating our favorite family member. it was beautiful. 

[spiced pork rinds]

that night, T and i got together with some of our family from out of town for cocktails and dinner. 

[artwork courtesy of my 9 year old cousin alex]

after dinner, we showed everyone the views of campus at night and then went to have rolled ice cream (so good). 

[coffee + kit kat]