Weekend Recap!

How on earth is it already October?! This year is FLYING by! Granted, I'm super excited for some pumpkin fun, my trip to Europe, TU Homecoming, etc., so I'm okay with it being October. :)

Eric and I have hit up the Austin Farmers' Market and the Fayetteville Farmers' Market in recent weeks, but had yet to venture out to the Tulsa market that's just a 2 minute drive from our house. Something felt wrong about that, so we headed to the one on Cherry Street on Saturday morning. Breakfast burritos from Pear, local produce, local beef... good stuff. 

Saturday night, Eric and I hung out and had dinner with our friends, Jenny and Jeff, at their house. I think we started with three or four bottles of wine. And there was no wine remaining when we left. I woke up and apologized to Eric for trying to make the passenger seat my own personal dance club my behavior in the car on the way home...haha... Needless to say Saturday night was a good night with good friends. :)

Today, I got out some fall decor-Wahoo! I packed everything away with some scented pine cones I really liked last year. In a tightly enclosed tub, the pine cones' scent penetrated all my fall decor. It's a little eye-watering strong when you first walk into the living room, but it'll get better.... I hope. 

Tonight, my mom took Eric and me to dinner to celebrate our engagement. :) I took pictures of my breakfast burritos (below) but forgot to take a pic at dinner tonight. Fail. 

Thank you guys so much for your comments on my last post by the way! Personally, I didn't think a year felt too long at all, but you definitely helped support that thought! We're working to get a date locked in, but our venue of choice has some limitations and won't let us book the wedding yet. Long story. So, we might have to book the photog before we book the actual wedding venue because I don't want to lose the photographer that I really, really want and he's already booking up. Eek!

Also, I'm putting together my packing list for Europe!! I bought some comfy, casual (but still cute) shoes, so hopefully I'll be good there. Unless it pours. Which could happen. But I won't let wet feet stop me from exploring London. Any tips on late October weather/packing for London, please let me know. I'm thinking layers.layers.layers.

Happy October, friends!

WIRW

Instead of What I'm Loving Wednesday, I've decided to go rogue and do a What I'm Ranting Wednesday. It's more applicable for my brain today.

Without further adieu, I bring you the randomness that's currently swirling around in my brain...

* I'm pretty sure my flu shot made me feel a little like I have a cold. I know people say that's bullsh*t and it's in my head, but I disagree with them.

* I tried a recipe from Pinterest this week-cilantro lime chicken. The chicken was tender, but the rest of it kinda tasted like the bird must have eaten limes its entire little chicken life. Pinterest fail. Or maybe domestic Jackie fail. Either way.

* The ring on my left hand makes me happy. I can be working on the most mindless and random thing, glance down, and get happy. It's cheesy. It's true.

* I'm one of those addicted-to-magazines people. Glamour. Cosmo. Real Simple. People. Vanity Fair. Love them. Lately, I have an issue with bridal magazines. Have I opened even half of them? Nope. But do I keep accumulating them? You betcha.



Case in point.


* I REALLY wanted to like the new JJ Abram's show, Revolution. But so far, it seems like a lot of really attractive people with swords and bows/arrows running around trying to give me lessons in how technology is ruining the world. (Case in point the woman this week saying "All my photos of my family are on my iPhone. I never even printed them." Or the guy last week saying "I'm a billionaire from google and I'd trade all my money for a roll of toilet paper."). I'm trying to like it, but..yeah.

* I really want to get married next fall. I find it odd that other people think that's weird. People seem to think a year engagement is like waiting til we're 95 years old to get married. *shrugs* Whatever.

* My internet searching consists of wedding-Europe trip (next month!!)-wedding-Europe trip-wedding... haha.. :) Also, I think I should start calling it my Eurotrip. That was such a funny movie. *glances off in distance thinking of some of the funny scenes*

* I got my nails shellaced (is that even a word) when Eric put my pretty ring on my finger (!!) Now some of it is coming up and I have an issue with wanting to peel it off. In meetings. At home. At my desk. I'm sure everyone who sees me doing it cringes inside. Eh well...

I'll stop now b/c you've just spent 2 minutes or so of your life reading my randomness... I have full intention of being more exciting soon. Maybe. Probably not. Happy Wednesday, friends!

Weekend Recap!

What a week! I can't thank you enough for all the thoughtful and kind congratulatory wishes in comments, tweets, emails, fbook posts... I'm still just so overjoyed! Eric and I are both so excited and get smiles from ear to ear when we start talking about it. Granted, so far many of the conversations between us have been "We're getting MARRIED!!!!!" followed by a high five, kiss, hug, or whatever feels right in the moment...haha.. In short, it's blissfully still sinking in. 

Okay, I have a separate post coming with more info about all that, so I'll just dig into the weekend stuff... :)

Saturday morning, Eric and I got up early and drove to Fayetteville to have my ring sized. Why, you ask? Because that's where Eric found my gorgeous ring! They're able to do everything in-house, so they sized my ring while we explored Fayetteville a little.  

Saturday morning farmers market 

 Chi O was founded at the U of Arkansas so you know I had to take a sneaky snap as we drove by. Not creepy of me at all...

Just ignore the crazy girl in the truck taking a photo... :)

 Eric, my newly sized ring, and I made it back in time to tailgate for TU. Did you expect anything less? ;)

My best friend since second grade, Blaze, was in town from Dallas! Such a perfect weekend for her to visit! We got to hang a little before the game and talk about weddings and then again at brunch this morning and talk a little more about weddings.

G dog wanted to tailgate this weekend, so I happily obliged. :) 

And she made some new friends...

And I think Gracie was lucky...b/c TU won! Wahoo!

Okay, sidestepping a little to tell you about an "issue" we've had around Tulsa this summer/fall. See below. Those, my friends, are crickets. They.are.everywhere. Especially at TU. This picture doesn't even do the infestation justice. They were flying at us all night long.. yes.. at us. I'm pretty sure they're trying to take over.

*shudder* 

 Tonight, Eric and I decided to walk around the nearby campus.. Gorgeous night and gorgeous view from the library steps.

Intramural game and skyline in distance... 

I hope you had a fantastic weekend, friends!

The Birthday-Engagement Tailgate Weekend!

Yup.. you read the subject line correctly! 

Let's get right to it, friends!

While Eric and I went to Austin for his actual birthday weekend, we wanted to also have something to celebrate with friends. His mom had the great idea to celebrate his 30th at our tailgate! If you've been following awhile, you know we're pretty die hard TU fans and have a regular tailgate spot with Eric's familia. :) His mom did a ton of work and made the tailgate really special with special touches all the way down to personalized water bottles with Eric's photos! 

Annnnnd that's where I'd be focusing this entire blog if not for what happened NEXT! 

Midway through the tailgate, Eric came over and said he wanted to say a few words to thank everyone for coming. I looked at him strangely and said something like "Nah.. You've already thanked everyone personally.." He said "Ya think?" I said "Yeah..." He was like "I'm going to say something..." I was like "I really don't think it's necessary, but okay..."

So, I stood there, beer in hand (classy) as he got everyone's attention and proceeded to thank them for being there and celebrating his 30th...

And then, he said "And I also want to thank Jackie for an awesome birthday weekend in Austin last weekend." I thought "Aww...that's nice.." and continued sipping my beer, totally oblivious. 

Around this time, friends reported seeing him fidgeting with his back pocket. Again, I was oblivious. Sheez. 

Then he said "As most of you know, Jackie and I have been together 4 years..." I still thought nothing was up until he finished that sentence with "And she is my best friend in the entire world.." My eyes got wide and my jaw dropped. I turned around to put my beer down and saw ALL of our friends with their iPhones ready to snap photos... I thought "Ohmygosh, they think something's happening, too! OHMYGOSH!" 

I turned back around and Eric dropped to one knee...

And the whole world fell silent in my head. It was like we were the only two people there. It was pretty crazy. I saw him open the little red box and extend it toward me. I wanted to leap over and hug him, but I had to mentally say "Let him keep talking!" I'm pretty sure I wasn't breathing. He asked me to marry him and I said "YES!" at the same time I dropped to my knees and hugged him so hard I'm surprised I didn't take him down. Or at least I think I said yes.. I screamed it in my head, but Eric later said he wasn't sure I actually said it out loud til he asked me to confirm it a few minutes later.. haha! 

Our friends and family were SO awesome to capture the proposal in photos!  And a VERY special thank you to Eric's longtime friend, Matt, who is an outstanding photographer and captured almost every second of the best moment I've experienced in my 31 years. :) Matt is editing some photos, so I plan to use the final versions for facebook tomorrow or so, but I couldn't resist posting some unedited ones now! I actually kinda attribute meeting Eric to Matt. I don't even know if he knows that (Surprise, Matt!) But I know Matt and I were friends first...and that's how Eric and I first noticed each other. 

This is that moment I described where I looked back to put down my drink and realized something was definitely going on. Timberly's face is awesome!

I love his smile here!

It meant so much to have friends and family there. It made the moment even more special, if that's at all possible! 

Eric hadn't told ANYONE except my mom and his parents. So, everyone was completely surprised, too. I can't believe he managed to keep this a secret from everyone!

We got home and I was still grinning from ear to ear. He said "I have something else.." and walked out with some (fake) bling for Gracie dog, too!! I just love this guy so much...

We freshened up and met friends for (many) celebratory cocktails and champagne. This morning, I experienced the most well-deserved hangover I've ever had! haha! :) We got to continue celebrating at brunch with friends this morning (and mimosas...obviously).

I just can't believe he totally and completely surprised me...I had absolutely no idea and I'm not just saying that. I mean.. we've been together 4 years.. I was kinda hoping it was happening soon; don't get me wrong. But, I really believed it might be coming around the holidays. He floored me. And to do it at TU...somewhat full circle of our relationship... Just amazing.  It was just so perfect and I am so happy.

We never went ring shopping. I really wanted it to be a surprise and I know Eric has great taste (and also the great sense to ask my friends if he really needed help... haha..). He knew I wanted something original and antique-looking, but also simple and classy. He absolutely nailed it. I can't stop staring at the gorgeous jewelry on my ring finger and smiling.

We're getting MARRIED and I'm pretty sure nothing has ever felt so right!! 

As a funny to end this novel... I can finally change my pinterest board called "Celebrations" to "Wedding ideas!" I mean.. who was I kidding with that anyway? ;) 

Weekend Recap: Eric's 30th in Austin!

I want to kick off this post with a HUGE thank you for all the London/Europe tips, advice, comments, etc. I'm so very grateful. Grateful doesn't even begin to describe really. I'm only there for a week and want to maximize everything I can, so I just thank you guys so much.

Now to talk about a trip closer to home, but still somewhere neither Eric nor I had ever been-Austin, TX! We had an absolutely blast this past weekend for his big three-oh!

So, without further adieu, here's Eric's bday weekend in Austin! His birthday was on Thursday, so that's when we flew in. This is gonna be long (sorry), but it's his birthday post, so I want to capture it all... Plus, we crammed a lot into a single weekend and you know I had to capture it all on film...

view from our room at the Hilton off 4th street

Eric really wanted to stand up paddle board...and while I was excited and intrigued, I have the balance of a drunk monkey, so I was also a little worried. It was actually really easy and super fun! We SUP'd all the way down Lady Bird Lake to Barton Springs Pool and back... :)

We both seriously now want our own. Not even being a teensy bit overdramatic.

After getting a glimpse of Barton Springs from the paddle boards, we opted to head over and take a dip in the technical "pool" part. Fed by underground springs, the pool stays a crisp 68 degrees year-round. Pretty sure my legs went slightly numb from the chill at first, but it was a cool experience and the water was clear and beautiful.

If I'd gone to college in Austin, I would have tried to lifeguard here. I'm just saying. 

After thawing out a little, we opted to head up to The Oasis restaurant on Lake Travis, famous for it's breathtaking views (but not so much for its food). We took friends' advice and skipped the meal, but went straight for a drink to overlook the gorgeous lake.

Oh annnnnd it was The Oasis' 30th birthday, too! (I may have taken our plastic cups that said "30 years." I mean.. I think you were allowed to, but I didn't really ask, so there's that.)

Got back and changed for Eric's bday dinner at La Condesa! Some of you had recommended it (thank you!!) so I googled and found many, MANY more excellent reviews. All the recommendations were spot on. Excellent food, out-of-this-world cocktails.. yeah... two thumbs up for La Condesa!

Happy Birthday to Eric!

We took our first pedicab ride... (I'm really sorry to this lovely lady whose booty is now on my blog. Just wanted to capture the moment).

Had an after dinner drink at a rooftop bar on 4th where we were legitimately too full to even finish our drinks. Seriously, my stomach HURT it was so full... but it was so worth it.

Saturday, we started the day with a food tour by Austin Eats Food Tours. I'd found them on a food critic's blog and decided to give 'em a whirl. One thing you should know about Eric and me is that we love to try local food. And Eric is moderately obsessed with food trucks. Seriously. And Austin is the food truck capital of the world, so this food tour sounded right up our alley. 

From 10:00-1:30, we enjoyed a fabulous walking tour of downtown Austin's best little local gems, starting with the farmers' market and taking us to Sandra Bullock's bakery/restaurant, a local pub, a BBQ place, a cupcake place, Whole Foods flagship store, an Austin landmark hamburger restaurant, and more. We kicked off the day with breakfast tacos from a food truck. Can't.go.wrong.

Finished the day with our choice of local beer or local root beer. Having full bellies, we both opted for the root beer. Uh.mazing. 

Overall an awesome experience and I'm so glad we did it. They have a lot of different tours so if you're ever visiting Austin, check them out! They also get a lot of locals so even if you call Austin home, you should go!

Later that day, two Oklahoma football fans found themselves in a sea of burnt orange. Neither of us had been to the stadium, so we found some tickets on the cheap and decided why not.

College football is almost a religion in our part of the country. 

We stayed through halftime, then headed to get a drink on the rumored-to-be-more-calm-than-6th Rainey Street. We both decided this is where we'd frequently get drinks if we lived in Austin. Loved it. Old homes turned into bars, lots of seating, bands playing...fabulous.

Grabbed a drink at the Lustre Pearl on Rainey Street

And then...we hadn't eaten since the food tour and were finally hungry! Our guide had recommended an Indian food truck, the G'raj Mahal. People bring their own adult beverages and enjoy Indian food at this quirky, cool little truck/cafe. I was floored when I saw how elaborate it is...

A little three man jazz band provided the soundtrack our meal. And in case you were wondering, it beat any Indian food I've had. Period.

We headed back today, but not before stuffing ourselves one last time at brunch at Moonshine's. Two rooms FULL of a brunch buffet. Dear Gawd if I'd gone to college in Austin, I would have surpassed any silly little "freshman 15" and gone straight to the freshman one hundred.

Glad we paddle boarded on day one because I'm pretty sure I would have looked like I had a food baby if we'd waited til today to do it. Either that or I would have sank to the bottom of Barton Springs.

All in all, a fabulous weekend! Eric says he had a great time ringing in his 30s there which makes me happy. :) I don't wanna get too cheesy here, but I really dig that guy and I feel so lucky and blessed to get to celebrate awesome milestones like this together. We have so much fun together, especially when traveling. He made my 30th so special, so I hope he had even half the fun he showed me when I turned 30.

Okay, now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go run on a treadmill and eat lots of celery... ;)

London Calling

It's official! I'm going to LONDON...in just over a MONTH! What?!

So here's where I need help... Lauren obviously can't take off work the whole week I'm there, so I'll be exploring on my own a bit, too. Have you been? Any recs of must-see's? Sites to find info?

From St. Paul's Cathedral to the London Eye to Buckingham Palace, I am just so pumped!

With my airline miles, the whole thing came to less than $200! How can you pass up a trip to LONDON when you get to see and stay with a best friend and have miles to cover the flight?!

YOU CAN'T! (<-- That's what I told myself at least).

I know you guys just mostly know blog Jackie... and not like I'm a different person.. but you can't tell from my blogs that I'm just not that spontaneous...typically. For the most part, I plan, I research, I save...but I haven't EVER booked a trip like this a month away! Cray cray up in this blog, people!

And I'm one of those annoying "I don't have regrets because you learn from everything" people, but if I ever DID have one, it would be not going to Europe in college/law school. I wanted to save money, not take out more loans, and work during my breaks from school. I worked at the law firm during all my breaks. Good thing I did that to secure the job that I no longer even DO. Sheez. *shaking head at self*

And Lauren is game to take a weekend excursion somewhere by plane or train! Travel is so cheap over there. Any recommendations for side trips? Paris? Edinburgh?

Ohmygosh I am so excited!!!

Okay... harnessing my chi and coming back to reality for now.

Happy Tuesday!

Weekend Recap!

Happy non-manic holiday Monday! This blog comes straight to you mid-afternoon from my sofa. :)

Wasn't the long weekend glorious? 

As I said in my last post, I really didn't have any formal plans this weekend...which is one reason it was so glorious. No schedules. No must-do's by a certain time, etc.

Friday, Eric and I tried out Platt College's Culinary Institute's restaurant, Foundations. We'd read about it on the Tulsa Food blog and had been wanting to try it for a couple weeks. Then, I saw Katie's post about it from last weekend and I was sold. We made a reservation the same day I read her post. :)

Guests can choose from a 3, 4, or 5 course meal with a set menu of three or four options per course. This menu isn't up to date because it changes frequently, but just check out some of the options via that link! And it's really affordable. A full 5 course meal is only $23. Wow. 

I almost forgot to mention that they also have one of the "World's Best Wine Lists" as selected by Wine Spectator. 

Who knew this was RIGHT HERE in Tulsa? You need to have some patience because it takes a little while, but it's well worth it. 

Some pics of our food. From top left clockwise: Eric's sausage appetizer, Eric's ribeye, my stuffed flank steak with white asparagus, onion, etc, creme brule, palette-cleansing sorbet of vanilla, raspberry, and champagne (YUM!)

Oh...and I got to rock my red jeans I haven't worn since winter! Bring on the fall! :)

Saturday, Eric and I headed out to our friends' house for a little TU football watch party! So glad college football is back in action! Bummed we didn't get a win, but we'll turn it around. We've got a whole season to go!

Sunday, I got to FaceTime with Lauren for the first time since she moved to London. Technology is so awesome when I'm not dropping it or breaking it. :) Talking to her made me want to visit London even more...

Annnnnd good news... It's low season to travel to Europe starting next month! That means, I can use HALF the miles I'd normally need...which means I have plenty of miles to get me to London for FREE. Well, I'll have to pay those pesky taxes and fees, but mostly for free. :)

Iamsoexcited! I've never been to Europe and I want to make this happen so badly! :)

Sunday night, I took Eric to dinner to kick off his birthday week. He turns the big three-oh on Thursday!

And today has been fabulously low key and relaxing.

Happy long weekend!