Easter – Hoots of a Night Al

April Favorites!

May 1, 2014 4 Comments

It’s May! I’ve been looking forward to May for months because this is the month my 2nd nephew arrives!!! (Unless he’s super late…just kidding, Amy…that isn’t going to happen!) April was great, but it flew by! Here’s a little roundup of some of my favorite things of the month….

Dr. Pepper IN A CAN: Dr. Pepper is my favorite soda by far and my favorite drink after water. On snack runs, road trips, or to accompany popcorn it’s always my top pick. However, this month, I thankfully remembered what really sets it over the top. Drinking it out of a can. It may sound stupid to you, but I promise. Out of a can it’s a different consistency, a different flavor, a different experience. Don’t judge me until you try it. And if you disagree, don’t tell me. Because you’re wrong. Dr. Pepper out of a can for life. (Striped straw not necessary.)

Springy Jewelry: I’m all about these “statement pieces” lately. I guess the statement I’m making is, “I love this $9.80 necklace from Forever 21 that is probably turning my neck green at the moment.” Seriously though, I can’t bring myself to spend a ton of money on this fun jewelry, so my current collection is all from Forever 21 and under $15. I love pairing these necklaces with my Old Navy chambray tunics, and I wore these earrings with my Easter dress.

My Easter Dress: Speaking of my Easter dress, it was one of my favorite outfits from April. I found it on the clearance rack at Target, and I knew it would be perfect for Easter Sunday! It had such a fun pattern with so many pretty colors, so I paired it with my nude pumps and faux stone (thanks for the clarification Forever 21…I thought I was spending $5.80 on REAL diamond earrings) earrings for a fresh, pretty look. Perfect for celebrating Jesus and all that Easter means!

Easter: Easter was so great. It was filled with confetti eggs, Peeps cupcakes, Easter egg hunts, church, laughter, fun, and most importantly FAMILY FAMILY FAMILY. It’s hard living in a different city from our families, but it makes the time we spend at home so much sweeter. If I’m being honest, one of the best parts of the weekend was when my nephew called me “Alla.” He’s at the age where he’s really starting to talk, and I felt so special that he knew my name! Totally melted my heart. Side note: How precious are the chocolate covered strawberry “carrots” my mom made below? Love.

Pappasito’s: If you aren’t from Texas, first of all, I’m sorry. Secondly, you wouldn’t understand the magic that is Pappasito’s Cantina. Their thin, salted tortilla chips dipped in delicious roasted salsa followed by perfectly marinated beef fajitas wrapped in fresh tortillas and dipped in mantequilla is a heavenly experience. Louis and I have been craving it basically every day lately, but unfortunately they don’t exactly have Taco Bell prices. We’ve limited our visits to weekends, but I can’t get enough! Seriously, next time you eat Mexican food, make it Pappasito’s.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier: There haven’t been many movies we’ve wanted to see lately, but Captain America was a must-see! We love the Avengers movies, and Captain America may be my favorite Avenger…I just love America so much. Anyway, this movie was great! It was a little darker than the first Captain America, but it still had several funny moments, great action sequences, and crazy special effects. If you haven’t seen it, I’d recommend it!

This GIF: Because it is everything.

See ya, April. Howdy, May!

Family, Humor, Married Life

High Five for Friday Part 2!

April 24, 2014 4 Comments

Happy Friday, friends! This week has gone by pretty quickly, and I’m excited for the weekend! There’s nothing I love more than having Louis home with me! Just wanted to stop in today to share 5 of my “highs” from the week!

1. This past weekend Louis and I went home for Easter to celebrate with our families. Last year, we stayed in San Antonio, so this year we wanted to head home. We got tons of quality family time and got to do tons of fun stuff, but the best part was just being together with everyone. Even though the weekend was packed with fun activities, one of my favorite times was late Sunday night. My dad popped homemade popcorn and got Sonic drinks for us, and my mom, sister, and I sat in the living room by the fire laughing and catching up. With Amy having Henry (and soon Hudson!) and me being in San Antonio, times like this are rare these days. It was great just to all be together!

2. Speaking of Easter, my parents had an Easter egg hunt for all the big kids, and Louis found the golden egg! Enclosed was a gift card to Chic-fil-a! Any night I don’t have to cook dinner is a win in my book, so I was psyched we got to use that for some delicious fri fri chicky chick this week.

3. This was actually last week, but I got a haircut! Woo! My hair has always been long, but it was getting a bit out of control. I decided to take a few inches off the length and add some face framing layers. Shout out to Nancy at Visible Changes in La Cantera. She was awesome, and I love my fresh, new look! I’m sure most people can’t even tell I got it cut, but to me, it’s a big improvement! Also, I’m sure you’re psyched I labeled the pictures below because you couldn’t tell that the picture with the shorter hair was after…

4. Another high this week was that my car passed inspection. You’re probably like, “Wow, Ali leads a super lame life if that was a highlight of her week.” Well, um, stop being so rude first of all. Secondly, I’m psyched because I was worried it wouldn’t pass! My Sunfire has been my buddy since my parents gifted it to me for my 16th birthday, so it’s been through a lot. Currently my windows, gas gauge, and speedometer don’t function…it is what it is. NOT funny story: last time I got my tires changed I asked the mechanics not to roll down my windows because they don’t roll back up. They chose to roll them down anyway, and I had to drive home with them down…in the rain. Because of that fun experience, I taped the note below over my power window buttons to ensure my windows would remain up. Thumbs up for Firestone though because they DIDN’T roll down my windows (not that I gave them much of a choice), and I only had to wait for 30 minutes for my inspection. Plus they had free wifi! Way to go Firestone. And way to go, Sunfire!!! We’re in it together for at least another year, baby!

5. I’ve been lusting after this GIGANTIC teal mason jar at Walmart for about a month, and I finally broke down and bought it this week. I think it was like $9, so it wasn’t a major investment, but I’m in love! It holds 32 oz like my Nalgene, and I find myself drinking even more water than usual, so yay for that! Also, the color is so fun! Perfect for summer.

Well, that’s my week in 5 quick moments! Hope you had an incredible week, and your weekend is off the charts! Apparently Fiesta is going on right now in San Antonio. It seems like it’s a big deal, but to me it just means to avoid the River Walk! Hah! Such a Debbie Downer. 😉

Married Life, San Antonio

Easter 2013

April 1, 2013 7 Comments

Happy Easter! Louis and I had a busy, fun Sunday celebrating the day Jesus rose with church, fajitas, and hunting and dying eggs! Here is a photo recap of our day!

We started the day with visiting ~~the movies~~ a new church, Mission Church. I found a flier for the church by our apartment mailboxes, and (since we have been visiting different churches since we moved here) we decided to give it a try this Easter! The awkward part? They meet here:

So…yes. Louis and I spent the first few hours of our Easter at a movie theater that would be screening The Host moments after the last worship song. It was a little bizarre to be sitting there with our feet sticking to the floor while listening to the gospel, but the pastor (an Aggie grad! Whoop!) gave a great message, and we really enjoyed the service overall.

After church we decided to have a celebratory Easter lunch, and headed to Pappasito’s for some of their delicious fajitas. I acted like a 7-year old and asked Louis to take a picture of me with the ~~Mexican~~ Easter Bunny. Of course, not before I spilled salsa all over my shirt. We got seated in the back banquet room at a table for 6, so it was nice and quiet and we had an awkward amount of room to spread out.

I ran into the Easter Bunny at Pappasito’s…I also spilled salsa on my shirt.

After a delicious lunch of fajitas at Pappasito’s!

We headed home from lunch for a rousing Easter egg hunt! No Easter is complete without hunting for some candy-filled plastic orbs! The fact that we live in an 800 square foot apartment made the hunt a little difficult, but we managed to find some excellent spots for hiding! Louis hid a dozen eggs for me, while I was quarantined to our bedroom, and, after I found all my eggs, I hid a dozen for him!

Basket in hand...ready to hunt! — Basket in hand…ready to hunt! Also, after I changed into a shirt that did not have salsa all over it.

Somehow I ended up on the floor twice during our Easter egg hunt... — Somehow I ended up on the floor twice during our Easter egg hunt… #klutz

Camouflaging one of Louis's eggs in the pocket of my Anthropologie apron form Amy! — Camouflaging one of Louis’s eggs in the pocket of my Anthropologie apron form Amy!

Louis found the egg I hid in the candle! (with a little “You’re getting warmer…” help from me!)

All of our hunting worked up our appetite, so Louis requested a sweet dessert. We headed down the road to Marble Slab for a snack! I was craving Sweet Cream with gummy bears (seriously, I acted like a child all day today…), and when I asked for gummy bears, the employee looked at me like I was an idiot. “We don’t have gummy bears at this location.” BLASPHEMY. I settled for Reese’s Peanut Butter cups, and the world did not end.

While Louis and I ate our ice cream in my car, this guy got in his car and started BLARING rap music and singing along. So awkward.

Marble Slab for dessert. — Marble Slab for dessert! Excuse the huge pimple on my cheek.

After our snack excursion, we returned home for another Easter tradition…dying eggs! Usually I have great goals for my eggs every year, and they end up looking super rough. This year though, Louis and I made some pretty beautiful ones if I do say so myself.

The "<3L" egg was my first of the day! — The “<3L” egg was my first of the day!

This is part of my header, but I was so proud of my egg!

Louis's amazing rainbow egg! — Louis’s amazing rainbow egg!

So proud of my striped eggs...and WHACKO hair. — So proud of my striped eggs…and sorry for the WHACKO hair.

While we boiled our eggs and waited for them to be ready to dye though, I got to FaceTime with my family who were celebrating Easter together in Houston! They were so hilarious and fun to catch up with. Their day included church, ribs, and an indoor egg hunt due to rainy weather. The most special part of the day though, was celebrating Henry’s 1st Easter! I loved seeing their updates all day on Instagram, but it was so much better being able to chat with them and see them for myself! My mom even gave me a tour of the house to show me her Easter decor and delicious homemade desserts!

Mom giving my dad bunny ears on Easter :) — Mom giving my dad bunny ears on Easter 🙂 They’re so goofy.

Dad & Henry waking up from a nap! — Trav & Henry waking up from a nap! (Just Henry…I don’t think Travis was sleeping.)

He's going to skip crawling and just walk. (with a little help from Mommy!) — He’s going to skip crawling and just walk. (with a little help from Mommy!)

It was weird celebrating Easter away from our families this year, but the drive to and from Houston is a pain when we both have work Friday and Monday. I know we’ll get to make some trips home in April and May, so that made it worth staying here and ~~doing laundry and cleaning and doing dishes~~ getting rested up for another work week bearable.

I hope everyone had a fun and relaxing Easter!