Happy Anniversary, My Love

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We had pretty limited wi-fi (and I didn’t feel like doing anything but Italian things while away) so I didn’t get to post anything on our anniversary. So here it is, a week late 🙂

Reliving the day that started it all! One whole year that has completely FLOWN by. And honestly, every day has gotten better. I can’t even imagine being paired with someone who so perfectly fills in my imperfections, who makes me laughs in ways that help me forget any worries, and encourages me so completely. Here’s to many more days of travel and happiness and house projects and cooking and unconditional love. Life with you endlessly fun.

Thank you again to everyone who shared our wedding day with us- what a joy to be surrounded in celebration by everyone we love.Your support of our life together means so much.


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Ciao!

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“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” – Marcel Proust

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Dan and I leave for Italy TONIGHT! It will be his first visit and it’s going to be awesome seeing everything with him by my side. Plus we’ll be celebrating our one year anniversary! I’m a little in shock that it’s here and also crazy excited to just be there already, relaxing and enjoying an extended vacation. We start the remodel almost as soon as we get home, so preparing for that and a 2 week trip has been a little stressful. Okay, a lot stressful. But definitely the good kind of stress, thinking of all the fun things coming up. And also my own fault… ☺ Dan knows we are going to Italy, and I think he knows which cities, but that’s about it. HA. Lots of surprises in store for him! I, on the other hand, have a big spreadsheet with a tab for each city with ideas on what to do. Type A at its’ best. Or worst if you hate plans? I promise to still be spontaneous and not let a spreadsheet dictate the entire trip. And we are way open to suggestions if you have any! SO if you’re curious, here’s the itinerary:

Houston>>Istanbul>>Venice>>Florence>>Cinque Terre>>Arezzo>>Amalfi Coast>>Rome>>Houston

I think Dan is most looking forward to Venice, and it’s a toss-up for me between just hanging in the middle of nowhere in Tuscany, and swimming in the Blue Grotto in Capri. 

Unfortunately, Dan twisted his ankle this week while playing basketball. It’s bruised all the way around and so, so swollen. It’s such terrible timing but he’s been trying to just keep it propped up with ice on it as much as possible. Fingers crossed it’ll be healed enough by the time we get there, but we may renting a Vespa in every city if not. Thus getting to live out my Lizzie McGuire dreams. 

And if you’re wondering about Barley, he’ll be staying with his grandparents out in Georgetown, enjoying time away from the city ☺ Big thanks to them for watching our favorite pup. I only cried a tiny bit after leaving him. Dan says to think of it as doggie summer camp.

Ciao for now!

**photos from the best Box family vaca in 2013**

The Boxes Take Music City

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A couple of weeks ago, we went on a vacation with my family to Nashville! My mom has gotten really into genealogy, so they spent the week doing research in the area and visiting family, and Dan and I met up with them for a long weekend. And let me say, they don’t call it music city for nothing. Even some of the boutiques had bands playing! I liked to think of it as my personal serenade.

My parents rented a cute, old house for the week right off 12th South (which was an awesome neighborhood- more below) and it ended up being a few houses down from where my cousin lived when she first moved to Nashville! Small world- I love those coincidences.

We flew in Thursday night and feasted on Southern cooking at its’ finest at Monell’s. The whole meal is served family style, potentially sharing with others if your party isn’t large enough to fill the table! Plus, it was in a beautiful historic home- with a neon sign in the front window 😉

FRIDAY

Brunch at Marche! We waited almost an hour for a table, which was a little crazy for a Friday, but I’d say it was worth it. My savory crepes were delightful, the coffee just right, and my almond croissant too yummy (they were out of the chocolate croissants… why are they always out of the chocolate ones?!).

We peeked around East Nashville for a hot second and went into Woodland Wine Merchant, which was definitely the coolest liquor store I’ve ever been in (or “Purveyor of Uncommon Wine, Spirits & Beer” as they call it). The branding is crazy adorable, also.

Next up was a visit to The Hermitage, Andrew Jackson’s home. It has been incredibly well maintained and the grounds were beautiful. We did quite a bit of walking to see it all. The audio tour was also fantastic, and we all learned a lot listening to that.

  

My mom had read about a neat vintage shop (I guess that’s what you’d call it?!) called Old Made Good that we stopped at next. They take old items and put a twist on them- no photos allowed in the shop, but the floors were covered in pink glitter. My dad absolutely despises glitter (3 girls on drill team will do that to you) so it was funny to see his reaction. Some of the funniest pieces were old paintings with a surprise update added. It reminded me of this clip from The Last Man on Earth (does anyone watch that show other than Dan and I?!). Seriously couldn’t stop laughing for DAYS over this. Oh, and BUNNIES!

We ate dinner at The Pharmacy, which I could easily see myself hanging out at on a regular basis if I were a Nashvillian (?). Cold beer, perfectly shaded biergarten, and some seriously tasty burgers. I had the stroganoff burger and now my mouth is watering. Don’t you hate it when you find something so great and can’t get it anywhere else?? Not that I should be eating stroganoff burgers on the regular…

I just really adore this guy. I actually smile every time I see him smile.

That night, the young ones ventured down the street to check out some local joints. We tried The Flipside, Embers Ski Lodge, and 12 South Taproom & Grill. Dan hit it off with a man at the bar (who apparently is the head of a big music association and has an impressive resume) who recommended we go see some live music at Station Inn. This venue has been around forever and I’m SO glad we went. The band was very talented and I think most of them had been playing their entire lives. I especially loved the banjo player, who absolutely killed it.

SATURDAY

We had brunch at Pinewood Social which is the coolest concept. There is a swimming pool. At the restaurant. And a bowling ally. And just really neat places to hang out. I didn’t want to creep anyone out by taking a picture of the pool (and thus people in their swimwear), but it is just the most genius idea for hot climates. You can reserve lounge chairs and have all your drinks brought out to you, just like a country club. The design of the place was also AWESOME and I couldn’t stop looking at everything. Especially the stork wallpaper.


We shopped for a while before heading over Tennessee Brew Works, which was probably Dan’s favorite part of the trip (surprise, surprise). The layout of the space was great- double-decker patio and a plenty of tables upstairs, with plexiglass overlooking the brewery. Considering my love of basil, it’s no surprise that I really enjoyed their basil farmhouse ale. Dan, can you please make lots of beer with herbs?!

Our twins!!!

My mom planned the entire trip with pretty much no help (thanks mom :)), but my one contribution was picking dinner- Rolf & Daughters. Maaaybe one of my favorite restaurants I’ve been too. Is that too extreme? I loved everything about it. Rose? check. In an old warehouse with twinkly lights? check. Super fresh ingredients? check.

Considering we were in Nashville, we couldn’t miss out on visiting Broadway. However, visiting Broadway with an under 21-year-old is a little tricky. We did manage one spot where we somehow devoured curly fries… after our large dinner. Healthy. Tara, Dan, and I stuck around to hear some more music and check out Robert’s Western World before we headed home. Broadway was fairly similar to 6th street in Austin, with a country twist, and if you’re into bachelorette parties, it’s your spot! Glad we saw it, but not even close to my favorite part of Nashville.

 SUNDAY

We couldn’t leave with some Tennessee barbeque. I’m really picky about my beef (hello, Texas), so I generally order pork outside my home state. Edley’s is pretty famous in Nashville and definitely hit the spot.

We spent the afternoon touring another plantation- Belle Meade. If you get married here, you are lucky. It was gorgeous. The family history was also really interesting, as they were the premiere thoroughbred stud farm. Several famous race horses can trace their lineage back to horses owned by this family (think Seabiscuit and American Pharaoh). We also got to see one of my cousins and his adorable family! Unfortunately, no pics 😦

 Thanks mom & dad for a great trip!! I can officially add Nashville to my very short list of places I’d live outside TX.

Barley’s 1st Birthday

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Dan finds it silly to celebrate a dog’s birthday. I told him I wanted to throw Barley a party and Dan said he wouldn’t attend. So he’s a big party pooper, clearly. But! Seeing as we don’t have children to spoil, and considering how much of our life revolves around him, I think he needs to be celebrated. Because I just adore him. A bit surprising considering how adamant I was that we weren’t going to get a Great Dane. Now I can’t imagine life without him 🙂 Yes, I’m bringing full on cheese. For his birthday he got this collar that I found on Etsy and we are meeting up with some friends for drinks at Cottonwood- his favorite bar 😉

Looking back over these pictures, it’s INSANE how much he has grown.

Happy 1st Birthday Barley boy!!

In love with: Cement tiles

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I’ve been looking at cement tiles for months and months. I desperately wanted them for the bathroom addition, but to my great despair, they don’t quite fit into the renovation budget. I even went so far as to consider buying them in bulk to get a better price and selling off the rest!  Even though they aren’t a possibility, I can’t stop ogling them. These are some of my favs:


 This Walker Zanger tile is what I  would use as the kitchen backsplash in a budget-free world. It was $75 a sqft. Insanity.


 And I wanted something like this for the bathroom floor.

Or this 🙂

Love this blue from Villa Lagoon.
 

And this from Granada Tile.

It just looks SO good in action.


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Sigh. Maybe in the next house??

Summer Daze

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Houston gets reallllly hot in the summer. I grew up in Texas, I’ve lived through Dallas summers, I know it gets hot. But the humidity in Houston totally ups the heat game. Between that and the mosquitos, I feel like everything outdoors has been semi-miserable since June started. And I haven’t really been enjoying the summer time, just kind of waiting for it to be Fall already. This is on top of getting ready for the remodel/ being out of town all the time anyway. But thinking back, relaxing outside on summer nights at home can be pretty magical.

All this to say: thank goodness for having friends over to grill because it saved me and now I want to take advantage of the rest of the summer, even if it is hot 🙂 Oh and it may have had something to do with the watermelon, which I had for the first time this whole year. Juicy goodness.


Summer Goals:

– Make homemade ice cream

– Take Barley to the beach

– Blend up some frozen margaritas

– Not complain about the weather- embrace it as a warm hug

– Go to an Astros game

– Go swimming

I’m giving myself to the end of September 🙂

Dallas Days

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I’ve gotten to head home and visit my family twice over the last month, which has been great!! When I moved to Houston, I kind of resigned myself to never living in the same city as my parents again, so visiting lots help make that feel a little less depressing. I was able to see best friends from high school, celebrate at a baby & wedding shower, shop for house things with my mom & sisters, and explore Dallas a bit. Having grown up in the suburbs, Dallas always feels new and now that Tara has lived in Deep Ellum for the last year, it’s fun going with an actual local 😉

Some pictures from the weekends, even though I slacked a bit:

^^ Laura & Alex’s wedding shower at my parent’s and Ash’s Baby shower 

^^Barley hated every second of learning to swim.

Lunch with mom’s at Celebrity Cafe  

^^He’s gotten huge. To scale: Dan is 6′ 4″. 

Dinner in Ft. Worth (whoops, not Dallas) for Tara’s birthday

^^ My parents treated us to a really fun night out at Trinity Groves, which lots of great restaurant concepts. We tried LUCK (Local Urban Craft Kitchen) for dinner, which only serves beers from DFW, and Off Site Kitchen for games & drinks. 

Barley had a great time too 🙂

Beach Getaway- Cancun Edition

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I would never consider myself a “beach person” due to the whole pale skin/not the best swimmer thing, but being on the water and relaxing to the sound of waves is incredible. Luckily, our in-laws are super generous and treated us to a little weekend getaway to Cancun over the 4th of July at Villa del Palmar:) So grateful to have parents on both sides who love hanging out with us. It was 3 days of doing mostly nothing but hang pool/beach side with pina coladas and it was perfect. Oh and we ate a lot too. We had to make the all inclusive worth it 😉 Preface: Dan uses beach vacas as an excuse to wear only tanks and my eyebrows get even curlier in the humidity. See documentation below.

 DAY UNO: Isla Mujeres

The beach here is just stunning. And we had to kick off our first day of vacation with a beer before we could explore further.

The island had some fun shops we checked out. I was on the hunt for a good hat and found a great deal- much better than the one I loved at J. Crew:) Dan’s mom was on the hunt for a giant thing of vanilla, which was surprisingly harder to find than expected. At least the giant version for a good price! I really enjoyed just walking around and seeing the murals/ every day life on the island.

Definitely our favorite stop ^^ It was a father/son studio with amazing wood work. We got a bowl, which is going to look great on our *future* island filled with fruit and Dan’s parents got a cutting board. The wood comes from Mexico and is incredibly heavy. It’s so tough that the artist uses a chain saw to do his work! Impressive. The dad invited us to sit down for a drink and we made a new friend in his dog. Just the friendliest family all around. Dan’s parents got his number and told him they’d treat him to a steak dinner if he were ever in Austin 🙂

We also found a really great, tiny, B&B on the rocky side of the island to hang out at for a bit. The owner was a bit of a jerk but the view couldn’t be beat. I also had the BEST mojito of my life. Dan and I have always struggled to make a good mojito on our own (hint: just use crystal light mojito mix- less calories, tastes great, so easy, even if it is cheating). But this was made using coconut water and mmmm yum.

DAY all the others 🙂

After we got back to the resort, we stayed put the rest of the trip and I did a lot of the above ^^^ Would highly recommend The Signature of All Things which is written by the same author of Eat, Pray, Love.  It got me through the whole trip (I’m a bit of a speed reader) and has so many stories within the story as it follows the dad’s life, and his daughter’s. It’s about a botanist in the 1800’s, but I promise, it’s much more intriguing than it sounds.

Dan built a killer sand castle and we spent loads of time throwing the frisbee. At one point, I ran into the ocean to try and make the catch, but hit a patch of rocks and face planted. Dan proceeded to leap over me in pursuit. His priorities: frisbee > wife. I guess it did keep us pretty entertained all weekend.

Every day it seemed someone joined us! Dan’s aunt and sister both arrived after we did and made it all the merrier. For the 4th of July, we saw an “American” rock band who played covers of all the classics. With fire dancers. They were actually really great musicians, but the lead singer tried to do our national anthem and totally butchered the lyrics. I was giggling the whole way through, which was probably very unpatriotic of me. But she was straight up making up lyrics- when you grow up in Mexico and not in America, I guess that makes sense. AND we pressured Dan into singing karaoke! He picked Better Together by Jack Johnson and dedicated it to me and it may have been the highlight of the trip 🙂 BTW- that last photo was the view from our shower. So cool.

Has anyone ever noticed that the air traffic control tower in Cancun has a Corona ad on it? Hope they aren’t drinking any beers up there! Until next time, Mexico!

Land of Beer and Beautiful Weather (at least sometimes…)- Portland!

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Wow, I’m WAY behind. Work has been crazy between traveling (to Midland- most exciting city ever ;)) and us moving floors and just lots of projects. Trying to play catch up now! And this post deleted mid-writing so forgive me if it’s not very detailed, because I just got a little tired of it.

A few weekends ago, we flew up to Portland for a family visit. My brother-in-law grew up there and was our official tour guide! Considering I’m such a huge planner, you will be shocked to discover- I did no planning. NONE. I looked at one Thrillist article about Portland breweries and that was it. Weird for me, but also kind of nice to just go with the flow. The main point of visiting was to hang out with family anyways, so any activities were just extra.

Y’all, the weather was beyond unbelievable. Having visited in January, I know it wasn’t the norm, but man was it good. I swear, we’ve been the luckiest lately! First NYC, then Portland. Fingers crossed this continues. We spent the evenings just hanging on the back porch of Rob’s parent’s house, in their beautiful backyard, surrounded by raspberries bushes. Which I ate handfuls of. The summers there are like something out of a dream. Mostly because that could never be a reality in Houston. If we try to sit outside, we get covered in mosquitoes and start sweating within 3 minutes.

We got into town fairly early, so we headed to Portland Brewing Co. for dinner. They make Pyramid, if you’ve tried that! It was the first of many breweries. The fish and chips were great! Then after the kiddos went to bed, we walked over to Laurel Public House. They have a few locations in Portland. Heavy on IPA’s so not my favorite ever.

The next morning, we drove up to Mt. Hood to see some snow. They had a dry winter, so while there was snow, there was’t much. However, people were still skiing! We got to see Timberline Lodge, which was beautiful with really nice woodwork inside. This is where the exterior shots of the lodge in The Shining were filmed.

After that, we drove on to Hood River for lunch at Full Sail. Their Amber is one of the best and there was a nice view of the river. We also tried out Double Mountain Brewery. The service was fantastic and they had a Red Ale called the Engineer just for Dan 🙂 Plus, we hit a couple great fruit stands. The cherries… and blueberries… and everything, so yum and fresh. I could have spent days in Hood River.

To take a break from beer, we visited Cathedral Ridge Winery. The wine was great, but even better was sharing a bottle while laying in the grass and enjoying the scenery. Man, I really loved it.

On the way back into town, we stopped at Multnomah Falls. This is a can’t miss when in Oregon. Beautiful!

Saturday morning, we went to the Rhododendron Gardens which were stunning. The kids (and adults) loved feeding the ducks and geese. I was legitimately more scared of the geese than the babes were. I’m a huge chicken. But they were mean!!

We had lunch at Widmer Brothers. Their hefe is one of my all time favorites. The brewery scene is SO different in Portland. Pretty much all of them serve food and it’s actually very good. We spent the afternoon brewery hopping in the Pearl District.

Deschutes- Packed! But great. The actual brewery is in Bend, which we hope to visit sometime.
Fat Head’s- A crowd favorite. Lots of fun beers, like blueberry, which was surprisingly tasty and not at all syrupy. If you ever visit, try to branch out of the norm. Dan’s mom picked her flight, to the boy’s skepticism, and it ended up being the best. Tons of options!
10 Barrel Brewing- I liked the interior and the beer but it wasn’t super special.
Rogue- We sat on the patio and tried some pretty interesting beers. For example, Beard Beer, made from yeast in one of the brewer’s beards. Weird, yes. But it tasted good. They also have several local influences, like Marionberry and Voodoo Doughnut beer. Loved it.
Cascade- On the way back, we stopped here for their sour beers. And I’m sorry, but I’m just not a sour fan. Yuck. Not sure how this is becoming popular, but I guess some people like it!
Forewarning: Dan and I take a picture in front of every brewery we visit… it’s the only time he willingly takes photos with me so I take advantage.

That evening, we soaked up the weather while Rob grilled. We also had to soak up being around our niece and nephew!! We most likely won’t see them until November, and when you’re that age you change so much. I’m going to miss them so much. We’ll miss you too Rob & Jenny 😉 Ugh just look at these cute faces.

That night, we went out with Dan’s parents in Nob Hill (a bartender had told us it was cool), just because we could because we are kid-less. Gotta take advantage while we can! Will have to explore that neighborhood more the next time around.

Thanks Rob & family for showing us a great time in Portland! We truly had a blast and hope to visit again soon.

#HilburnsGetHitched

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Man, I think I’m just now starting to recover from the weekend! But my heart is so full! Katie and Josh got married Saturday night. Seeing such great friends get married is the best. Knowing that they’ll get to care for each other, laugh with one another, and love on one another FOREVER. Just the coolest and it makes me smile from tip to toe. I get way more emotional at weddings now that I’m married- knowing just how good marriage is. *Disclaimer- I may still be in the honeymoon phase*

With so many pastors in the family, it was bound to be full of great speeches and a terrific ceremony. The wedding & reception were at our church and it made for a great background. The whole thing was just beautiful. Plus, Katie got us flower crowns and I’ll be forever grateful. I could live in those things. Getting to spend time with good girlfriends all weekend was pretty great too.

I didn’t go too crazy on pics, but the photographers were amazing- they’ve already put up a couple from the first look on Instagram, and I can’t wait to see how the rest turn out!! Helps to have such a cute couple 🙂

Bridal Brunch: At Tiny’s No. 5. I’m in love with Tiny Boxwood’s so I was excited to try this location. And apparently they are opening one in Austin soon!

white jeans on the end.

the cutest gift from Katie, stocked with earrings, home made lip balm, a robe, and other goodies

The Rehearsal Dinner: At the church, with beautiful centerpieces. I was crazy nervous about giving a speech, per usual. Dan said the nerves were endearing and I’m going to go with it. Oh, and Dan made the beer and it was excellent 🙂

AXO’s!

 

Erin made the cutest stand in bride to walk down the aisle 🙂

Wedding Day Prep: We spent the morning getting ready at the Hilburn’s home then headed over to the church! There was an evening service so they had lots of volunteers there to flip the space from church to a reception hall. In less than an hour. Impressive. I’ve also never worn more makeup in my entire life.

Wedding Time: And then it was time!!! They both looked beyond ecstatic standing at the altar 🙂 We spent the rest of the night dancing, feasting on chicken and waffles, doing our wedding mad libs, and enjoying time with friends and family!

my handsome date

  

Hope you’re having fun in Nicaragua, Mr. and Mrs. Hilburn!