I had made future dinner plans with some of my college girlfriends at our last dinner together and unfortunately needed to change the date twice to accommodate my travel schedule this past summer. We were finally able to get together the week after I came home from Texas and had a fabulous dinner at Chino Latino (click to read my review). Many of the college girls weren’t able to make our dinner, but it was great the my bffs could join us. Kim, Mary and Sonja spent so much time at my apartment during college that they are honorary alum. Here we are:
Planning another dinner for early October sometime, should be fun!
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A few weeks ago while still in Texas, I took a drive down to San Antonio with Chaitra and Linda one weekend. I had been to San Antonio once before (11 years ago) but really wanted to see the Riverwalk and Alamo once again. I am kind of bummed that I didn’t take any video footage at all while spending the whole summer in Texas, but I finally remembered to take some while in San Antonio. With the help of Animoto, I created this little video with some of my video footage and photos from that day. Hope you like!
PS The song is San Antonio Rose by Willie Nelson. A little too twangy for my taste but goes perfectly with the video!
PPS Click the smaller play button on the left side, as the big play button in the center will play the video in full screen and totally distort it
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One of the coolest things to do in Austin is to head out to The Oasis on Lake Travis to see the sunset. Last year I made the trek all by myself but this year I had Carolyn and Chaitra to keep me company. We went together after dinner with the big group of work friends. It was such a beautiful night! The first in many that it was clear and not raining (it has been a very rainy summer down here in TX) although it was HOT…..
Enjoying the sunset (and the Frozen Margarita- which had a floater of Chambord)
The Oasis is Ginormous, with seating to fit over 1000. They are building a new addition right now as well, so I am sure it is going to be even more magnificent when it is done. Hopefully I will see it for myself next summer ;)
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Last week several of the people who have been working on the projects down here in Texas went out for a Mexican dinner at Casa Chapala. Great food and great company! Many of these people either finished the project that they were working on last Friday or had plans to go out of town this week. So this was it, our last big group time. Chaitra also came along even though she didn’t work with us this summer (she is a teacher however!). I introduced her to Linda, Kiyana, and Ted weeks ago and she has been hanging with all of us ever since.
Teachers rock!! Especially those who teach math and career/technical education!
Yes, that is me with the sombrero! Of course I had to steal it off the wall for this photo but you only live once and I had to do it ;)
I will miss this group but hope to see them all again next summer!
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Got a group together one Sunday a few weeks ago for brunch at Trudy’s North Star. Trudy’s is a very popular Tex-Mex restaurant in Austin and the brunch was delicious! Read my review here.
Ted, Kiyana, Erik, Doris, me, Carolyn, Linda and Samantha
This is my buddy Erik and his girlfriend Doris who was visiting for the weekend from their home in Miami. We all loved her! Thank goodness for Facebook so we can stay in touch ;)
Later that night me, Carolyn, Erik and Doris went to Home Slice for NY Style Pizza. MMMMmmm! Very good (but not as good as Cossetta’s back home!)
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A few weekends ago I went out with my new girlfriends, Kiyana and Linda. We had dinner at a fabulous Brazilian restaurant called Sao Paolo (Read my review) and then went for drinks at the Brown Bar, downtown Austin…..
It was a lot of fun, as it has been the many times we have gone out together. Kiyana flew back home to North Carolina last weekend, we already miss her!
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The project that I was hired for in Austin was brought to a halt (mid-way) due to a legal issue. We got word toward the end of the third week that the project could not continue until things were worked out and that they were sending me and the other two who traveled back home that weekend (everyone else lives in Austin). I was very upset to hear this news, on many different levels. Fortunately I got to spend the last few nights in Austin with some friends, and eating at restaurants that I had on my list that I had not yet visited.
Later Friday night I drove out to Samantha’s place where she was having a Rock Band party. I had only tried Rock Band briefly once prior, but it was a lot of fun! On Saturday Samantha took me to Trudy’s for Brunch. Heavenly Mexican and Best brunch I have had all for $9.95. Review to come on that as well……
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One of the best things about being in Austin this year is all the awesome friends I have made and hung out with. Last summer I did a lot of sight-seeing and dining alone while in Austin. This year it has been all about the social stuff. Last week the lovely Linda had a group of us over for a really great dinner. This week it was even better and even more fun!
Linda seriously amazes me with her cooking. This girl goes all-out!!
Here is the Asian Feast that she cooked for us (you couldn’t find better at a restaurant and ya’ll know I am a serious foodie)…..
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If you are ever in the Austin area, I highly suggest stopping by Vino 100 in Round Rock, TX (just north of Austin) to try the sauce-less lasagna. O.M.G. The best lasagna ever (and I am usually a big fan of sauce but this was absolutely perfect without it. It had ground italian sausage, panchetta, sun dried tomato, ricotta and mozzarella.(Read my Review Here!). Tuesday night is Teacher Appreciation, get 20% off food. What a deal! Of course there is also a great selection of wines too ;)
Samantha, me, Lauren, Summer and Carolyn. Teachers rock!
After dinner a group of us headed across the parking lot to Third Base, a place with a giant patio and Tuesday Night Trivia. Teams compete against each other for Gift Cards at the restaurant. Competition is fierce and the questions can be hard! There are 11 questions for each Category and around 8 categories a night. Some of the categories they have had the two times I played were Friends (tv show), Country Music, Sports, Infomercials, Sex Drugs & Rock N Roll, The Hangover (movie), 80′s Rock, Random Shit, etc. Fun stuff!
I love Tuesdays in Austin ;)
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I have met some really cool people these past couple of years while working in Austin. Recently I met Linda, another teacher who is working on a similar project as me. Linda invited me and a few others to her home on Wednesday for a home-cooked meal. I brought along my friend Chaitra who lives here in Austin. What a feast, and a beautiful one at that!
First the food pics:
Chicken Curry
Pad Thai
Fried Plantains
Now some of the people pics! We stayed up talking for hours after dinner. It was great :)
Me and Chaitra
Looking forward to hanging out and eating with these ladies again while I am down here :)
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I may or may not have mentioned that my Austin-friend Samantha is a bit of a Wino?? No? Well, she is! One of the biggest I know, in fact. Let me clarify: I know a LOT of winos but Samatha is the only one who has decorated her home with wine-decor, which makes her stand out. She knows the goods on all the local wine places around the Austin area and Tuesday nights happen to be “Teacher Appreciation” night at a trendy little place in Round Rock. I like wine but I really went for the discount on the awesome food! The menu is very small but what is on it is fabulous. I had a gorgonzola and truffle-oil bow-tie pasta. Yum. Read my review here. Pretty sure I will be back next Tuesday to try something else fabulous from the menu!
Summer (another friend I work with), me and Samantha
After dinner we went to another local bar & grill where we played Trivia. I was no help at all but it was fun!
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On Sunday I met up with Samantha and Mardi, friends I met last summer in Austin.
We hung out at the pool……
Played with Samantha’s kitties…….
Drank Wine………
Grilled cream-cheese stuffed jalapenos…….
Made pesto with fresh basil from Samantha’s garden……
And then played Washers (very similar to horseshoes)……
It was a great day and so nice to be shown such warm hospitality by my Texas friends!!
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So…… many, many years ago when I was a freshman in college, I lived in the dorms. The 9th Floor of Stearns Hall at St Cloud State University, to be exact. A lot can be said about living in the dorms but I think the most positive of all is that you get a chance to meet new people and you live within a small community. Many of the friendships that I formed that year changed my life and helped me map out the people I would be closest to throughout college. Many of these bonds have remained tight over the years and I try to see many of these college friends several times a year. There have been a few of these friends over the years that moved away, got married or we just simply lost contact but thanks to Facebook, many of those lost connections have been refound.
Last week six of us girls who lived on the 9th floor together met for a delicious time at Barrio Tequila Bar in St Paul. What a fun place! The food was also excellent (I am working on my review and will add it to this post when it is finished). It was great to spend time with my college girls and especially awesome to see Heather for the first time in 10 years!!
Looking forward to our next planned outing at the end of July when hopefully more of our girls can join us :)
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I feel like I am never going to be caught up with my blogging, I have too many photos and not enough time on my hands!!
So I will just start with recent affairs:
Last weekend we went out for a nice steak dinner at Mancini’s Char House with our favorite neighbors, S & J and D &D. Fun times, great food and we even had my bff Sonja as our server (and her service is rockin’!). A few non-food pics…..
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My dear friend Noemy left for her new home in Florida this past Sunday, where she and her boys will join her military-husband Traves. After a couple of long days packing and loading up the UHaul, it was time to say goodbye.
I hate goodbyes. Even so, I took some photos of the emotional departure….
Noemy and Denise, Best Friends Forever
Tres Amigas
Goodbye again, dear friend. You are already missed!
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As I mentioned previously, Noemy will be moving out of MN very soon to join her husband who is a Specialist in the Army. To help give her a proper send-off, Noemy’s family got together for a big surprise party. And boy, was Noemy surprised!! She thought she was going over to her mom’s house to pick her up for dinner
I love surprise parties like that where the person is actually really surprised!
A few other photos from the party….
There ya go!
Man, is it really Thursday already today????
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After an extremely long week of work, Friday night was the beginning of my spring break. To celebrate, I had a quick lunch with friends and later that night went to dinner at Manitou Station in White Bear. It was nice to spend some time with Noemy before she leaves in a few weeks to join her husband Traves who is a Specialist in the Army. They will likely live in Florida but are awaiting official orders.
Denise and Noemy have been BFFs forever.
I am blessed to have gotten to know Noemy through Denise, she is an amazing person (as is Denise!). She will be greatly missed by all of us here. Thankful to know this will always be her “home”.
Noemy and I happened to be dressed almost like twins once again! lol
Going to be a busy week and I look forward to it!
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Last Sunday Kim hosted a nice brunch with me and some of my closest friends (we used my birthday as an excuse to get together!). It was really nice to see some of the kids and just hang out and relax. Laura (brown) has also just gotten her first D-SLR and will be taking Michelle’s online photography class with me this spring, so we both brought our cameras along to practice using them.
Old college roommies, Laura (blonde), Me, and Laura (brown)
Laura and her daughter Keira
Me and Bradie
Keira and Neven
Me, Kim and Bradie
Laura, Me and Kim
Everyone else was shy about getting photos taken but the Three Little Pigs showed up and didn’t mind me taking their photo (over and over again!)
Thanks for hosting, Kim! It was fun to get together :)
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Many of my friends wanted to know what I wanted to do for my birthday this year and for once I felt like keeping it mellow and avoiding a big dinner at a restaurant somewhere. I love doing that too, but with as busy as I have been lately, I didn’t want to make a big deal about it. Lanee and Roger invited us over along with our neighbors for a delicious dinner of homemade shrimp stir-fry and fried rice. I couldn’t have had better at a fancy Asian restaurant!
The table looked so pretty and festive
Lanee also spoiled me to the max be making her famous ice cream cake. This was worth every one of the million calories, trust me! Oreo cookie crust, peppermint ice cream, cool whip, chocolate sauce and more cookie crumbs?? Pretty much to-die-for. I might’ve gone into a sugar coma after eating this!
Thank you very much to L & R for making me feel so special on my birthday! I love you guys xoxox
PS And a very happy birthday to Lanee today who celebrates just three days after me. Looking forward to doing something nice for you too!
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