Two Places At Once

This article has been going around lately and I just had to share as well in case you haven't seen it.  It's the little things….like Blue Bell ice cream and sweet tea, Beyonce and country music, wildflowers and HEB groceries, breakfast tacos and Barton Springs.  All those things that I used to think were standard to any town.  Check it out below!

"50 Sure Signs That Texas Is Actually Utopia" via BuzzFeed

And another read that quite perfectly sums up being an expat….

"What Happens When You Live Abroad" via Thought Catalog

Here are some of my favorite excerpts from the article:

"As you settle into your new life and country, as time passes and becomes less a question of how long you’ve been here and more one of how long you’ve been gone, you realize that life back home has gone on without you... 

 There is a certain amount of comfort and confidence that you gain with yourself when you go to this new place and start all over again, and a knowledge that — come what may in the rest of your life — you were capable of taking that leap and landing softly at least once...

To live in a new place is a beautiful, thrilling thing, and it can show you that you can be whoever you want…it can give you the gift of freedom, of new beginnings, of curiosity and excitement. But to start over, to get on that plane, doesn’t come without a price.  You cannot be in two places at once, and from now on, you will always lay awake on certain nights and think of all the things you’re missing out on back home."

Photography assignment of the week: exploring light

Gal time!  We had a relaxing evening of cooking in and watching trash tv together while her hubby is away on tour.  What was supposed to be a nice getaway sleepover for her turned into a 6:30 am wakeup call from construction workers drilling into the concrete below us.  Not cool.  

Random week happiness…Super Bowl watching party on R's "lunch break", surprise mail from my thoughtful mother-in-law and grandparents, and teddy hugs!

Mid-week dinner date at Barrio Chino.  The closest thing to Mexican food and great atmosphere!  Don't worry, I only have a list of like 37 places we have yet to cross off our food list…and still growing.  I also had a fun "first date" with a new girlfriend this week (who is R's coworkers twin sister) and she took me to the coolest spot..which made me realize there are SO many wonderful hidden places here!  And it was refreshing to hit it off with such a warm and genuine person.

So this thing keeps happening…R and I will find ourselves among a room of people that are ALL thirty years our elder.  And we love it.  Take Friday night for instance…we went to a play called Liberty Equality Fraternity at Ensemble Theatre conveniently within walking distance to our place and were accompanied by our usual crowd.  

Yesterday would have been my mother's 52nd birthday.  Every milestone is a painful reminder of her physical absence, but like we promised my mom, we did our best to celebrate her life.  R had the brilliant idea to treat me to some retail therapy and frozen yogurt after a quaint brunch at The Book Kitchen in Surry Hills.  On the way to the shops, we walked past a banner promoting Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and it stopped me in my tracks.  My mother would have been so pleased to see how far ovarian cancer research and support has come from when she was first diagnosed.

A celebration of my mom wouldn't be complete without her signature Red Velvet.  Due to poor planning and being short of some ingredients, I tried a new recipe for Red Velvet Brownies.  The center was too "cakey" to be a brownie and I couldn't get the rich red color I was hoping for.  I only made enough for a few bites so we wouldn't be too tempted with sweets around!  I mean, Valentines Day is only a few days away.

This week in the kitchen:

 Thanks to Steph, we cooked Baked Barramundi with Pumpkin and Capsicum with Sweet Potatoes and Herbs.  We made a good team!

The Pioneer Woman's version of CPK's BBQ Chicken Pizza. I used whole grain flour for the crust and it still turned out well. R was obsessed and I love that it made tons of leftovers.  

This week will either go by super slow or really fast as we wait in anticipation for our family to get here on Saturday!!