family – Hoots of a Night Al

I can’t believe the first month of 2015 is over already! I had a great start to the year, so I figured I would share a few of my favorites with y’all!

Tiny Prints Stationary

Have you ever heard of Tiny Prints? If you haven’t, I’m sorry, because they have dangerously cute merchandise. I apologize in advance because it’s so hard to visit their website without purchasing something! I recently ordered these two sets of personalized stationary, and I couldn’t love them more. Anyone want a handwritten note in the mail??

Our Bedroom

We have lived in our apartment for around two and a half years now, but I recently completed the gallery wall in our bedroom. I absolutely love the feel of the room because it is so happy and colorful. When we were picking out our bedding, we both agreed that we wanted something that was fun and vibrant instead of the typical “adult” feel. We wound up getting this quilt from Urban Outfitters, and I’ve decorated the rest of our room around it. Our gallery wall holds all sorts of fun things I’ve picked up over time. The deer is some string art from Target. I purchased the USA banner for $.40 on clearance at Hobby Lobby and painted it orange. The white frame holds a glittered greeting card I liked. The giraffe in the center is a wood cut out I admired at Hobby Lobby, but I decided it was too pricey. I came home one day, and it was laying on the bed with a note from Louis as a surprise (best husband ever, right?). I say it’s “done,” but I’m sure I will keep adding things here and there that I stumble upon! I love gallery walls because you can really incorporate such a variety of things that you like!

iPhone 6 & Otterbox

Louis and I upgraded to the iPhone 6 at the beginning of December, and I’ve been loving it! When they first released the iPhone 6, I was annoyed with how big it is, but I’ve quickly adjusted and it’s great! We both went with the 6 (versus the basically tablet-sized iPhone 6 plus) and purchased Otterbox Symmetry cases. I fell in love with the Floral Pond color and snatched it up during one of the rare times it wasn’t out of stock. It’s the perfect amount of protection without making my phone feel like a brick, and I love the unique watercolor look.

Anne’s Upcoming Wedding!

Back in October, my friend Anne asked me to be a bridesmaid in her upcoming wedding, and I am SO excited! I’ve known that I get to be part of her wedding for a few months now, but the ball is really starting to get rolling on wedding planning, so I’m thrilled for all of the upcoming festivities! I get excited every time she texts me with a new update. Anne is one of the most kind, hilarious, wonderful people I know, and I can’t wait to see what a beautiful bride she will make!

My Birthday

I turned 26 (SO OLD) on January 12, and Louis and my family made it so special! On the Friday before my birthday, Louis took a half day off at work and surprised me at home with birthday decorations and a beautiful bouquet of flowers! We spent the weekend celebrating at our favorite places to eat and shop and had a wonderful time. He makes me feel so loved all the time!

Since my actual birthday was on a Monday, we decided not to drive home to Houston. I was pretty bummed because I love spending my birthday with my family, but they understood. On Monday morning, Louis surprised me by taking the day off and fixing me a delicious breakfast in bed. My sister called to wish me happy birthday, so I got to spend some time FaceTiming with her and my adorable nephews…technology is so great! I eventually got up and started getting ready. In the middle of doing my makeup, I heard a knock at the door…my parents drove all the way from Houston to surprise me! Seriously, how great are they?!

I was so shocked and happy they were here! They’re the best parents, and I really cherish our time together, especially since we moved away to San Antonio. They came bearing gifts, too! They brought a care package of some of my favorite homemade foods, a delicious homemade birthday cake, a precious candle holder, and (possibly my favorite) the cutest monogrammed chambray shirt! As you can see in the pictures, I loved it so much, I put it on right away. 🙂 They also brought up my gift from my sister and her family…a selfie stick! We used it to take the group shot below, and I can’t wait to get tons of use out of it!

We went to Chuy’s for lunch, Bakery Lorraine for my mom’s favorite pistachio macarons, and came home to play some board games together before they had to get back on the road. I love that my dad took off work, and they spent the day traveling all the way from Houston just to spend my birthday with me. They made it so special, and I felt so loved and grateful.

The next few months should be pretty busy, so I’m happy the year was off to a good start! What was your favorite part of January?

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. 😉

January Favorites!

High Five for Friday Part 2!