Day at the Zoo

I went on a trip back to the east coast with my uncles to see family. I was lucky enough to see both my dad and mom's side of the family while out there. My cousin Carmen and I went to the National Zoo in Washington DC on my day off and it was so fun! We went trying to see the baby cheetahs as all day I kept exclaiming, "Baby Cheetahs!!!!" Unfortunately they were not out until later and we missed them. But we were able to see so many other animals. My favorite was the exhibit with the meerkats and the panda bear. He literally sat there playing with this crate for hours. I know this because on one of our many trips back to see if the baby cheetahs were out we passed by the panda several times...in the same spot...playing with the same crate. My least favorite exhibit was the gorillas, not because they're not awesome (which they are) it just smelled sooo horrible. I hightailed it out of there as soon as I walked in. The only downside to going to the zoo that day was how ridiculously hot it was, thank goodness I was wearing my new silk top. But even then we had to leave after only a few hours because of the heat. After the zoo we met up with my aunt for drinks and then dinner at this amazing French restaurant. My mouth is watering just thinking about the amazing chocolate mousse. While on the way to dinner Carmen and I passed this amazing graffiti wall that we just had to stop and take pictures. The crazy street art you see walking around downtown Bethesda! I hope you enjoy all the pictures from my day with my family

 

Outfit

Top: Madewell 

Shorts: 7 jeans for all mankind

Shoes: Sam Edelmen Felicia flat 

Jewelry: Necklace from Duo , bangle from Museum of Modern art, bird ring from Nordstrom (old), Tiffany bead earrings

Sunglasses: Chanel

Purse: Louis Vuitton

Brunch

The Sunday Amanda was here we went to brunch at Backstreet Cafe. I didn't realize how popular this place was so I didn't have a reservation. However, I called that morning and was able to get a 1pm reservation (thank you rain for the cancellation).  After brunch we went to see The Vow with Channing Tatum. The movie was just decent, but I definitely enjoyed watching Channing Tatum!

When we sat down at our table they brought us this small plate of muffins and scones. My favorite was the simple walnut scone.

I ordered the benedict without meat and Amanda ordered the waffle, which looked delicious!

Here are just some snapshots we took at the table. It was pouring down rain outside which is why there are no full outfit photos.

Outfit

Top: Banana Republic sweater

Bottom: 7 for all mankind jeans (not pictured)

Shoes: Steve Madden boots (not pictured)

Jewelry: BCBG ring, Stella & Dot earrings

Who Spiked the Punch?

Here's a few quick pictures of what I wore out over the weekend. No one really spiked the punch I just thought it was a fitting title with my spiked sweatshirt.

Hope everyone is having a good leap day!

 Thanks to my friend Minhthy for taking the pictures

Outfit

Top: Forever 21 tank

Sweatshirt: DIY

Jeans: 7 for all mankind

Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell

Jewelry:  Marc Jacobs ring, Tiffany mesh ring, BCBG ring, Christine Bowden Designs necklace

PS. How amazing is this necklace? It's laser cut out of wood and painted white!

This Isn't My First Rodeo

It's official...I have attended my first Rodeo in Texas. I can now put truth into the statement, "This isn't my first Rodeo" (said in a thick Texas accent) It all started that day with a drive home from the gym. I noticed that an exit was blocked, mental note to ask the uncle when I get home. However I didn't need to ask him because as I passed the police blockade I saw a horse, then what the horse was pulling...a covered wagon. This was just the beginning of Rodeo.

Rodeo kicks off with a BBQ cookoff contest that my friends and I went to this past Saturday night. You pay an entry fee to get into the area which is pretty much like a fair, then there are separate tickets for each tent that has entered the contest. We went to a few tents but sadly we got there so late that we didn't get a chance to try any BBQ. The free beer made up for the lack of food, however, and the last tent we went to had a really great band so there was lots of dancing.

The cookoff ended at 11 so we ended up having to leave. But this is definitely on my agenda for when Amanda gets here in just a few days. I'm picturing the much needed funnel cake, silly fair rides, and o ya what makes it different from just your everyday state fair....bull riding! Get ready for an upcoming post about that!

Entrance into the Rodeo

The wonderful police officers manning the tent entrance

Outfit

Top: Forever 21 tank, Green Madewell top (thanks Estelle!)

Jacket: Zara (similar here)

Jeans: 7 for all mankind

Boots: Steve Madden

Jewelery: Madewell necklace, Marc Jacobs ring, Tiffany heart ring, Betsey Johnson Alligator ring
Bag: Louis Vuitton (similar here)

Memorial Park

While my cousin was still here we all attended the Memorial park tree planting event. A lot of the trees  in Memorial park died after the horrible drought this summer. I heard it was one of the hottest summers, though thankfully I moved here right afterwards so I was able to skip the whole humid summer Houston scenario. Our family bought trees for all of us to help replant the park. This way as our family grows together so will our trees. (insert awww moment here) Then we were able to go to Memorial park and volunteer to plant the trees. Unfortunately it was raining, hence why my hair looks the way it does. I also didn't realize how muddy it would be but my Tory Burch flats got me out of having to plant in the dirt. Thank you Tory Burch!!

 

Thanks uncle MBP for the pictures!

Outfit

Top: Karl Lagerfeld for Macys

Jacket: Elie Tahari

Jeans: 7 for all mankind 

Shoes: Tory Burch  (similar here)

Jewelry: Madewell necklace, Marc Jacobs ring, bracelet from Greece, bow ring from Contemporary Art Museum

Wild West

Last week I went to the country bar called Wild West and took these photos. Sorry for being so far behind on my life at the moment. My cousin flew into town this week and we were in the process of setting up our new computer. We are now the proud owners of an iMac! I've had my macbook for almost 5 years now and love it so I finally was able to convince my uncle to buy a Mac as our shared computer...although if you ask me it didn't take much convincing!

Anyway, back to the point of this post. My friend Beth (who has an amazing handbag line and I can't wait to show you some of her pieces) took me to Wild West, which is not only a country bar but has line dancing too. Yes, you heard that correctly, line dancing, and yes, I actually learned a few steps! My uncle went there when he first moved to Texas and he told me this was just a right of passage to becoming a true Texan! I had never been to a country bar before let alone line dancing so I paired an outfit I would normally wear with cowboy boots. Overall the night was a lot of fun and I was able to get on the dance floor and learn a few steps!

Photos courtesy of my amazing uncle MBP

Also, special thanks to my Mom for giving me her cowboy boots

Outfit

Jeans: 7 for all mankind

Top: Karl Lagerfeld for Macy's

Blazer: Kimchi & Blue (old)

Shoes: Cowboy boots (old)

Purse: Louis Vuitton Eva

Jewelry: Marc Jacobs ring, BCBG ring, Tiffany Atlas ring

Touring Houston

This was day one of my parents trip to Houston. We took a tour around the city and showed them all the city has to offer. Honestly this is my favorite thing to do when people come out to visit for the first time. My Uncle Matt knows so much about the city and has so many fun facts to share as we drive around. I get to hear something new with every tour we do!

Our first pit stop was a park that is dedicated to my uncles that is both able-bodied and disabled children accessable. It was really a fun park...as you can see I had a little bit of fun there too! We also drove through downtown and saw the theater discrict. Finally, we drove around River Oaks, my favorite neighborhood. I love to look at the different houses and all the architechture. River Oaks has some amazing homes!

Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to take photos of my outfit, but you can get the gist from the photos. Enjoy!

Beer can house aka house made entirely of beer cans!

Outfit

Top: Jcrew (similar here)

Jeans: 7 for all mankind

Shoes: Tory Burch (similar here)

Bracelets: Stella & Dot, Tiffany, purchased in Greece

Earrings: Tiffany (old)