Happy Halloween!

Halloween got started a little bit early this year with a party on Friday! This is the first year in probably four years that I've gotten to dress up. I've forgotten how much fun it is!!! My friends Ruthie and Jon, some of you may know her through her blog, threw their first Halloween Hootenanny and Scott and I were thrilled to join them!

zoo keeper and panda

I also got to see some girls I hadn't seen in ages! Cassie being number one! I got to meet her hubby and introduce them to Scott. It was super great getting to chat with them, especially Cassie! So fun!
Next, I saw Sam! Sam and I used to live down the street from each other, but lost touch throughout high school. I'm so happy we've reconnected! They also have blogs as well so it's fun to keep up with their life, even if I don't get to see them often.

Me and Sam

I also got to meet two more Austin bloggers, Nikol and Shanna!

As for today, you'll see me in a different black and white costume. I persuaded some of my office friends to dress up as dominos with me! This costume is such a great idea for an office. It's quick, cheap, easy and super cute!

Soctt and I are looking forward to handing out candy to our little trick-or-treaters tonight and carving pumpkins in between!

What was your costume for Halloween? Send me a link or comment below!

Highs and Lows

Lately my life has been crazy, the good and bad kind. I'm sure everyone feels that way as they get older though. Not all of it's bad crazy, actually a lot of good crazy. Just to understand what's been going on, I wanted to share some highs and lows I've been going through.

Lows: the bad

Melvin, my 3.5 month old puppy, went in for shots and a de-wormer(for precaution) and is experiencing the side effects in the form of the squirts.(I know, gross) I feel so sorry for him, especially since I can't do anything about it. Any suggestions, or just let it take its course?

brothers.

My sleep schedule. Since Friday Melvin has woken us up 4 times a night to be let out of the kennel because of his issues. I haven't had a solid 7-8 hours of sleep since Thursday night :/ I'm running on zombie mode. And I now know how new mommies feel.

Jealous/sad of Scott being able to sleep in and stay home with the dogs during the day.

Listening to constant negativity at work. That just doesn't put you in the best mindset, am I right?

Taking care of a puppy is hard. But I sure do love him. Even if I have to give him a bath after playing outside...every.time.

Check out those dirty paws. He's precious

Highs: the good.

Seeing friends and letting loose at a Halloween party on Friday. I was very proud of mine and Scott's costumes!

A beautiful wedding shower was thrown for me and Scott on Saturday, which was such a blessing. Lots of my family were able to join the celebration, along with out of town guests, Aunt Connie and Emily(the one we stayed with in CT)! The hostess' did such a great job, it turned out gorgeous!

Jack Johnson pandora station. It really puts me in a great mood.

Making friends with some girls at work.

Having no downtime at work. (good because my day zips by, bad because I can't always catch up on
blogging ;))

Eating brunch at our wedding venue. Seriously the best brunch in Austin. Austinites, check it out!

Small group starting next week.

Gym time.

Spending time with my BFF before she jets off to Florida.

Bridesmaid and MOH

See, there are lots of good things that outweigh the bad. I'm very lucky to have what I do. I also realize things could be a lot worse. It's kinda silly of me to post about my "lows" when people are being evacuated out of their homes, but everyone has their own issues I suppose. I'm send out prayers for those who are affected by hurricane Sandy, especially our family and friends up there.

Perks of Being a Wallflower: Book Review

via

POBAW is a very quick and easy read. Charlie, the main character, writes journal entries about his life as an incoming freshman to a new high school. He has no friends, because the only friend he had, committed suicide the summer before(depressing)! You could say he's a socially awkward, quiet, shy kid, that doesn't really have a supportive family. He quickly meets Sam and Patrick, quirky seniors, that soon befriend him. He learns to grow, communicate, and participate through them. He finds out about love, homosexuality, dating, literature, and new experiences, all of which he writes about.

“And in this moment, I swear we are infinite.”

It goes way deeper than just awkward high school dances, football games, and Pre-AP literature class. Towards the end of the school year, Sam, Patrick and all of the other friends he has made, are leaving for college. Depression overcomes him, and he quickly funnels into a downward spiral. A big secret is revealed, something that he has been struggling with his whole life....(sooo apparently I read over that very important part of the book, which was crucial to the story, but we saw the movie last night and everything started to make a lot more sense, ooops!) 

"You see things. You keep quiet about them. And you understand. You're a wallflower."

Anyways, it was a book that shared growth, troubles of high school, and real life issues that kids go through. In my opinion, I thought it was a really great book, and I would highly recommend it. Either read the book, or see the movie. I was VERY impressed with how close the movie matched the book. The actors that played Charlie and Patrick were spot on. The movie would be a great option if you're not much of a reader.

The trailer is actually really sweet looking, but in actuality the book/movie is really dark and hard to watch at times and definitely a tear jerker, so be prepared!


“We accept the love we think we deserve.”

That time I used a chainsaw...

and two different cordless drills, and a nailer....talk about tomboy! I may have worked at home depot, but I know NOTHING about construction, building, planting, etc.

This weekend was an eye opener and I'm exhausted to say the least. This post is going to be short and sweet. Enjoy some pictures of me "being tough" and our beautiful new fence!

Yes, there is an extension cord attached. I'm not THAT B.A.

I think the best part about finishing the fence was that we don't have to look at the hoarding neighbors backyard anymore.

Bailey meets Melvin

I had soooo much fun introducing Melvin to my BFF, Bailey! Her and Ed came over for a short bit last night in honor of meeting my new little pup. I think I have now convinced Bailey that she needs a Melvin of her own!(Sorry Ed!) But sadly, for us, Bailey and Ed will be moving in just two short weeks :( Not too much longer until they are off to the magical land of Orlando... Can somebody say Disney World?!?! Don't worry, it won't be long until we're heading East to visit them. :)

ACL weekend recap

 This past weekend rocked, literally!

In my last post I talked about the music festival, Austin City Limits, held in the greatest of cities, AUSTIN! I wanted to share my experience throughout the weekend because it was a little different this year, than previous years.

Typically at a music festival with at least 70,000 people attending each day, you expect there to be huge crowds, parking issues, traffic, lines, and expensive festival food. Well to my surprise this year was different! Sure there was a crowd, but it wasn't overwhelming. Each day Scott and I drove down, hassle free, found a spot on West 6th and rode our bikes. Best ACL decision #1! We were in the park within 10 min. No complaints here. Also, there are ways to get around the expensive booze prices smuggle it in which will make anyone's wallet happy.

Friday kicked off the festival, including getting out of work 2.5 hours early :) Scott picked me up, and we rode over to the park. We were able to see Ben Howard right when we got in. We also saw Trampled by Turtles, Florence + the Machine, M83, and the Black Keys. Friday was a gorgeous day, hot, but gorgeous!

Saturday was a wet one! There was a 60% chance of rain, and boy did it rain! But, rain and all, it was still a great time. Scott and I were super prepared with umbrellas, rain jackets rain pants and all. We stayed relatively dry. But the ground turned into a muddy mess! Saturday was also the most music packed day for me. We saw Rufus Wainwright, gah he has a beautiful voice, little bit of Metric, Michael Kiwanuka(one of my favorites), The Roots, Bassnectar, and Jack White. We ended up leaving early from the J.W. show. Didn't bother me too much though :) 

Sunday. The rain had gone, but the mud was still there. I could only imagine what the grounds were going to be like after Saturday's rain. Scott and I got up early on Sunday and headed to Academy on a mission to find rain boots. About 20 other people had the same idea. Rain boots=best ACL decision #2. They were absolutely necessary. Blue skies, packed park and hot temps...Turned out to be an alright time if you ask me!

We saw Two Door Cinema Club(another one of my favorites), The Lumineers(shit was crazy over there), little bit of Die Antwoord(worthless excuse for a music group), The Avett Brothers, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

During RHCP, a couple insisted on taking our picture because "we were too cute not to." First they asked if we had a camera and if they could take our picture...We didn't even have to ask haha too funny.

All in all a great experience. I had the most fun this year then other years. Maybe it was the music choices, maybe it was the people I ran in to. It can be very hard to meet up with people at ACL. I did get lucky and run into some friends throughout the weekend which made me happy.

Just to recap my favorite performances: Michael Kiwanuka, Ben Howard, Bassnectar, Two Door Cinema Club, and RHCP.

Oh, and yes, we are that couple that brings a chair with a chair-brella attached. We're cool like that.(Best ACL decision #3)

See you next year ACL!

Austin City Limits

also known as

ACL 

ACL is a huge music festival held in one of Austin's best known parks, Zilker Park.
3 days.125 bands.Beer
Don't think it get's better than that!

Although I am pretty sad I won't be spending my first weekend with Melvin. Don't worry, we got a sitter for during the day. Thanks mama Hamilton!

This year is the 11th anniversary of ACL and if I'm correct, I think Scott has been to every one of them! This will be my third time in attendance. I've never been this late in the year, so I'm really hoping for some cooler weather!(and no rain!)

ACL 2011

There are a ton of bands that I want to see this year. Some of my favorites are Ben Howard, Black Keys, M83, Michael Kiwanuka, The Avett Brothers, and Two Door Cinema Club. I featured one of Michael Kiwanuka's songs in this post if you're interested in checking him out.

Here's my schdule in pictures

Friday

 Saturday

 Sunday

Terrible pictures... sorry about that!

Are you going to ACL this year? Who are you most excited to see?

My Big Surprise Revealed!

If you read my last post, then you'd know I spent the weekend in Ft. Worth, TX. I also said that I was going to share with you my surprise! And it is a BIG one!!! Without further ado, I'd like you to meet Melvin, our newest addition to the family!

If you read this post, then you'd know that I LOVE wheaten terriers. They are my absolute dream dog. This is going to sound so corny, but Scott made that dream come true on Sunday! We had talked and talked and talked about getting a play mate for Mac. But I knew, or thought I knew, that we weren't ready for a puppy. And I was totally fine with waiting. Lots of people would ask when we were going to bite the bullet and get another dog and every time I would respond "It will be a loooooong time before we're ready for another one."(sounds like I'm talking about kids haha)

You may be asking, "ok, so what made getting Melvin a surprise?"

Like I said, we were in Ft. Worth, about 3.5 hrs away from Austin. We saw the TCU game on Saturday, went to visit some friends on Sunday then head back home....SO I THOUGHT! We visit with Scott's our friends, get in the car to head back to the hotel to pick up Milo, and the GPS says 74 miles. I start questioning Scott. Let me give you some dialogue:

S(finally): I have a surprise for you!

B: Uhhhh

S: It's a good one! 

B: Can I try to guess it?

S: Oook (he gives in)

B: Does it involve animals?

S: Yes

B: Black and white ones!!!? (I thought we were going to the zoo to see pandas... I don't even think Texas has a zoo with pandas...?)

S: Yes

B: PANDAS!!! 

S: No

B: ?? Zebras? 

S: No.

By that time we were both cracking up... (I also guessed polar bear, penguins, and other sorts of animals. I wasn't in my right mind.) Then it dawned on me. My puppy fever kicked in full force. Weeks prior I had looked up breeders in Texas. Turns out there only 2! One in Texarkana, and one in Gordonville. Gordonville happens to be 1.5 hrs from Ft. Worth. I knew then where we were going! Gordonville Texas!

Once I figured it out, we started talking about it, and of course I was like, uhh we're not ready! Wait, are we? He told me that there were no expectations of making a decision to get one, but that if one spoke to me, then he was prepared for it. He reassured me that he had done a ton of research and knew how much to plan for. He had made the appointment and had checked out the breeder before hand.

This is what we saw when we got there

PUPPY CUTENESS OVERLOAD!

OMG I was in heaven!

While we were trying to find the one, Scott got some video footage. This is the puppy that would soon become our Melvin.

Just to make you smile!

TCU weekend

First off, I want to introduce you to my new blog design courtesy of Hannah at Simply You Designs...What do you think?! I'm SO happy with how it turned out. It looks amazing!

Hannah is extremely talented and very professional with her design business. I actually won this design from one of Mallorie's giveaways and boy am I so glad I did. Hannah made my blog look much more appealing and gave it a special Brooke touch. Thanks again Hannah (and mallerie :))!


This weekend Scott, Milo(Scott's dad) and I drove up to Ft. Worth Texas to meet up with Aunt Connie. She was able to score some BA tickets for the TCU/Iowa State football game. Scott went to TCU a number of years ago, so he was really excited to see all the changes that have been happening on the campus! It was fun watching him go down memory lane. Not only has the campus gone through huge changes, but the stadium as well. The place was amazing! Our tickets had access to the club suit, where we ate lunch, and thawed out before the game. Since the cool front came in, it was freezing outside, but I'm not complaining! It was perfect football weather. When the game started, our tickets brought us the the second row on the 30 yard line... I told you there were BA! But sadly TCU lost :( It was still so much fun watching the band, cheerleaders, dancers, and football team play live, just a few yards away... Here's some pictures to recap.

OH, I was sooo cold!

But there is more to my weekend in Ft. Worth than just the TCU football game... If you follow me via twitter or instagram then you already know... I'll be sharing my big surprise in my next post! Stay tuned!

hint

Taco Seasoning

The other night was taco night at our house. As I was cooking the meat, it dawned on me that we didn't have the little taco seasoning packet that we always use to season the meat... Well I went and searched google and found a recipe that I wanted to share. Needless to say I won't be using those little packets anymore...

What you need:
1 tbsp chili powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp flour

These are all things most of us already have in our cabinets. Some minor adjustments I made that you may consider is lessening the sea salt. I used regular salt, and maybe half of what it called for. Also, I used just a sprinkle of crushed red pepper. If you're spice sensitive, use less! Next, mix all the spices together. I also added 1/2 tsp of flour to the mix for thickening.

Once the meat has been cooked and drained of the fat, sprinkle the seasoning over it. I recommend 2 tbsp of seasoning per 1 lb of meat. Add 2/3 cups water and let simmer.

This recipe is delish! You won't want to go back to the prepackaged stuff once you try this!

Life as of Late

With the last post, I was feeling a bit stressed and overwhelmed, but things seem to have subsided for the time being. Thank you to those of you who helped encourage me. Y'alls sweet comments mean so much. It's amazing the friendships I'm already making through blogging!

This weekends forecast included rainy, windy and slightly chilly temperatures. Does that mean fall is here?! I don't know about you, but I'm pretty excited about the changes! Fall is my favorite time of the year. Boots, football, Thanksgiving, holiday breaks! BRING IT ON!

I planned on staying inside, reading and vegging out this weekend, but my to-do list kept growing and growing and I decided that it was time to get at it.

Starting off with a little bit of shopping...

I purchased some new curtains for our living room from World Market. They have really given the room a different feel. This picture is terrible. Maybe I'll give you a tour when it's closer to being finished. I will say the curtains are the exact colors of my walls in the living room and dining room, and they tie the two rooms together, which is exciting. Am I the only one that loves buying home decor?!

I'm in the market to buy a "Jackie O" style dress for one of my wedding showers later this month, and came across this beauty at Anthropologie. I was in love, but def NOT willing to throw down $187 bones. I'm checking out some vintage shops after work, wish me luck :)

 In other home updates, we are getting closer and closer to our guest bedroom being finished!

This is a new addition to our dining room. I got it from my mom for my Birthday and LOVE it. She did a great job!

We purchased a new couch and loveseat. Scott makes the loveseat look so tiny, but it's my favorite seat in the house! You will see more of them in the home tour!

Got snuggle time with this precious puppy. Isn't she adorable? The sad thing, she's not mine :( But now I have the puppy fever. Scott has been talking more about our future puppy lately... Maybe he's got the fever too? :)

Yesterday we got together with my family and celebrated my Uncle's 50th Birthday! It was so much fun, and great for his "low key" request. We ate at Opal Divines, mmm! This is him with his signature silly smile. Isn't he a goof?

I hope your weekend was fabulous and your Monday isn't too hard on you.