things to do in dallas - white rock lake.

A few weekends ago, I was given Merge homework to take Pete on a date. It needed to be something he wouldn't expect, something out of the ordinary, that wasn't dinner and a movie.
I had the perfect plan and just knew he'd never guess my faaaabulous date idea. The weekend came, and the day before he got gloriously sunburned. My date idea took place outside (because, ew, the outdoors are not my fave, but they are certainly his) so this threw a kink into things. I mentioned that we could still go if he just wanted to place a towel on his legs. From THAT clue, he guessed the ENTIRE date! What?!

He said, "Oh, my legs, huh? Are you taking me kayaking?"
I said, "...*blink blink*..."
He said, "And you said lunch, too, right? So that would be BBQ, most likely. Pecan Lodge?"
I said, "...*incredulous blinkblinkblink*..."

Ridiculous. Either he's too predictable or I am.

Long story short, we still haven't made our way to Pecan Lodge (but you totally should, it's fantastic), but over the long holiday weekend, we went to White Rock Lake to kayak - sans sunburn.

We had such a nice time! Again, with this delightfully mild summer weather, we enjoyed some sun, but didn't melt into the floor of our kayak. We rented a tandem kayak for an hour from White Rock Paddle Co (a business idea I wish I'd come up with!) and explored an area that branches off from the main lake. It was rugged enough for him while remaining perfectly arm's length from too much wildlife for me. Win-win!

I highly recommend, ya'll. Not to mention, there's so much more to do than just kayak! At White Rock Paddle Co alone, you can also rent canoes or stand-up paddleboards. There's also a great dog park at the lake that allows your pups to get in the lake and swim around. You can walk the trail, bike, picnic, or watch the sunset from one of the most beautiful sight-seeing spots in the city.
It truly is a little escape in the middle of all the busyness that comes with living in Dallas.

Have you ever been to White Rock? What's your favorite thing to do there? What did I miss?
-e.

things i love, lately - april 2014.

I don't know if it's because of the 100 happy days challenge that I'm participating in or what, but this month I had a ton of pictures to narrow down for this thankfulness post.

It still may be longer than usual. It's been a good month and I have much to be grateful for.

 

For time spent with this playful pup.

 

And with this sweet man.

 For the opportunity to see one of my favey bands so up close.

And another great band, just not so up close.

 

For this sweet boy who is growing so fast and sitting up on his own!

For reminders of what an amazing Creator I belong to.

For chickens and goats and judgmental stares from children at a pop-up petting

zoo at the Dallas Arboretum. And for a boyf who gets a kick out of my enthusiasm.

 

-e.

things i love, lately - march 2014.

I'm sooo happy to see Spring, finally! The weather has been up and down all month, but when it's up, it's been absolutely gorgeous. I can officially say that I've gotten my first sunburn of the year, but I just had to enjoy that 80 degree day by spending it outside! I'd have been crazy not to.

A few other things that have made this month one to be thankful for:

breakfasts at home spent in the Word that make my heart and tummy happy.

humbling views on the drive home from work.

baby rosemary, basil, and thyme sprouts to make me feel accomplished!

the best key lime pie in town, eaten on Pi Day.

happy hearts revealed in side-by-side shoes.

texts from my brother-in-law that have THIS FACE staring back at me!

blue light shenanigans spent with old elementary school girlfriends.
(terrible quality; don't care!)

My very early attempt at gardening has begun with 3 pots of herbs that will be transplanted outside once they're big enough. I'm so excited for rosemary and thyme seasoned pork tenderloin and basil pesto from my own garden! Coming next month, I hope to also have tomato and red pepper plants and hopefully some other seeds on their way.

Spring is such a beautiful season for growth and new beginnings. I feel it in my life the same way I see it in my growing herbs.

How are you growing lately? What are you growing lately??

-e.

things to do in dallas - arboretum.

A few weeks ago, I grabbed my friend Brittany and we headed to the Dallas Blooms exhibit at the Arboretum. It features all the best tulips, but we went during the first week, so most blooms were too shy to show their faces just yet.

We still got some great pictures, basked in the beautiful sun, enjoyed our Arnold Palmers, and held an impromptu photo shoot at the request (demand?) of a photographer who was nice enough to document our presence there.

During the off months (including the very hot summer months), the arboretum is only $5. You can bring food and wine for fun picnic or just lay in the grass on a nice day. It's a really great way to spend an afternoon. They also have a concert series every Thursday during the spring and summer months that features great cover bands and usually sells out pretty quickly. It's also an excellent way to enjoy a cool summer night.
Also, fun fact: parking is 50% off if you buy online. It's $10 if you pay when you get there.

Get out there, ya'll!
-e.

things i love - december.

Ya'll...ya'll.
I'm so sorry I haven't posted all month. December has not been particularly kind to me. I've mostly just been trying to keep my head above the water -- forget blogging and baking! Thankfully, I have some of the best friends a girl could hope for and a God who watches over me so I've made it through. Phew.

Soon I'll be jetting off driving 13 hours in a car on Monday to get to Colorado where I hope to emerge with many tasty baked goods and sweet, Christmas-y blog posts.

For now, I'll reflect on the good that's come out of this month.

Great views of the city I love on the way to try new things.

(Seriously, check out that first link to Trinity Groves. It's an excellent concept.)

Stellar customer service from a chef who holds my heart (and stomach).

Long story short - my favorite restaurant closed down and I tweeted my condolences at the chef.

He actually responded to me, then invited me to dine at another of his restaurants - Neighborhood Services.

When we arrived, we were treated like VIP and he made the above dish

(a favorite at the now-closed place) especially for us.

It's not a normal menu item. We were blown away and ecstatic. It was a really cool experience.

Tiny, cluttered coffee shops that smell delightful.

Purchase from said coffee shop for a dear friend.

This item makes coffee that even snobs can appreciate.

My new, very colorful drive home from work.

Eating new foods - which, in this case, includes but is not limited to:

pig tail and a full pig head.

Have you eaten anything crazy lately?

Was it in Dallas? Holler. I wanna know.

-e.

Things in this post worth checking out:

-Trinity Groves

-Kitchen LTO

-CBD Provisions

-Coffee Company

-Neighborhood Services

things i love - august

It's always around this time every year that I am juuuust about over the hot weather and begin craving cool breezes and falling leaves. Too bad I live in Texas and I don't have that to look forward to for at least another month.
In anticipation for Fall, I bought a bunch of sweaters, hoping Mother Nature would get the hint and accommodate me. It dropped to, like, 67 degrees one morning! It's a start, ya'll.

This month alone, I've crossed something off my 30 Before 30 list AND my Dallas To-Do List.
For my 30 Before 30, I crossed off: Take a cooking class.
I went to a Central Market Knife Skills class and learned so much! I loved it so much, in fact, that I'm actually taking another (baking this time!) in September. Highly recommend.
Then I got to cross Restaurant Week off my Dallas To-Do List. This is something that I'm glad I did, but maybe won't do again. We went to 2 different restaurants and it was like night and day. It's hard to say which one is the norm, but before we went to our first, I'd been reading some articles about how restaurants hate this event and, therefore, treat patrons as such.
Either way, I had some really great food at a really great price.

Other great things about this month:

bearded dogs who snuggle sleeping babies,

more and more commonly occurring meals with people I love,

delicious coffees that serve to remind me how blessed I am,

sweaty trips to the arboretum and brilliant colors,

faux-fancy meals from the comfort of my own home (recipe here),

smiling pups who love to play,

catching the sunrise before I start my workday.

Finally, other things I love, in no particular order: that my nephew is due ANY day now, this incredibly eye-opening photoblog about addiction and homelessness (warning: not for the faint of heart), and this sweet blog of a creative college friend!

-e.