Dixie Dude Ranch

This past weekend we hit up a dude ranch in Bandera, Texas. Yep, you read that right. Dixie Dude Ranch is a charming spot if you want the real Texas ranch style experience and you better believe everyone we met vouched for it's true authenticity. The ranch is about a 2 hour drive southwest of Austin. We rode horses, drank lots of coffee, read, did some much needed lounging, and ate some of the best meals I've had in a long time (breakfast, lunch and dinner are provided). A relaxing weekend well spent before coming back to reality this week ie. my very, very long to do list. TGIF, y'all!

Bloglovin, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook

El Cosmico Snapshots

Photos by me

I figured since I threw it back with my Marfa look on Tuesday I'd just continue with that theme for the rest of the week. And anyway these shots from El Cosmico in Marfa are just too pretty not to share. We stayed out here on our first night and then at a house we rented through HomeAway for the other two days.

I didn't actually take any photos besides these. I let Chelsea handle that because well, she's a boss and of course the photos she took turned out amazing. But the few shots I did get I'm pretty proud of. If you're ever in Marfa I definitely recommend staying at El Cosmico. It is the cutest little trailer park I ever did see. I feel so calm and relaxed every time I stay there. And y'all, there are outdoor showers... There aren't many things better than outdoor showers. I promise.

Bloglovin, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook

To Do in Nashville, TN

As you may have known I went to Nashville last weekend for a friend's wedding. What you may not have known was that I fell in love while I was there... With Nashville, of course. Don't be getting any ideas, y'all. I'm not quite that impulsive (smirk face emoji). Anyway, I spent about five days there and did a lot so I thought I'd share a few of my favorite spots from my new favorite city with you!

for breakfast.
Barista Parlor - I had THE BEST sausage biscuit with jelly at this place. They also have amazing coffee (that vanilla latte, though) plus the atmosphere is great and the music is on point. They played the entire Lord Huron Lonesome Dreams album and I just about couldn't.

for lunch.
Hattie B's Hot Chicken - Apparently Nashville is kinda famous for this thing called hot chicken. I'd actually never heard of it until recently but it's basically fried chicken made at varying degrees of spiciness- mild, medium, hot or extra hot. I got the hot because I'm from Louisiana and I can handle it. And I did. No problem. And y'all, it was real real good.

for dinner.
Urban Grub - This is supposedly a locals favorite. Our server was superb and my oysters and salmon were wonderful. Plus they had blue cheese olives. There's nothing better than that. And for dessert... vanilla bean donuts that literally melt in your mouth. So maybe I take back that statement about the olives. There is pretty much nothing better than vanilla bean donuts with bacon toffee cream cheese ice cream on top. Yes, you read that right.

for a treat.
Las Paletas - Who doesn't love Popsicles?? They literally have every flavor you could imagine. I got raspberry lime. It was delicious. Plus this place is on 12th Avenue South which is a super cool strip in town featuring lots of restaurants, bars, shopping and even a quiet park for lounging after a long day of exploring the city.

for drinks.
The Patterson House - I'd classify this place as sort of a modern day speak easy. It's one of those extra cool places where the bartenders are called mixologists and I'm all about it because I probably had one of the best cocktails I've ever had here. A real fancy take on a traditional Pimm's Cup and I drank it in about 20 seconds. They only have a limited amount of seating and you have to put your name down and wait a bit but it's totally worth it. Once you are inside it's not too crowded, not too loud. Just right for a mellow evening with friends.

for gifts.
White's Mercantile - This was by far my favorite spot I went to during my trip. Not only did they have really awesome gifts from lots of local brands, but on the day I was there they happened to be having a special pop-up event going on. Nashville based t-shirt company Y'allsome (great name!) was out front selling their merch plus there were free drinks and free live music. AND the Hattie B's Hot Chicken food trailer was there. It was the best event I've accidentally stumbled upon, like ever.

for jeans.
 imogene + willie - I've heard a lot about this shop around the instagram world so I had to go check it out. They are best know for their very high quality denim. And yes, I bought a pair. Jeans are a staple piece in my opinion so I usually will spend the extra money on them and these are definitely worth the larger price tag.

for shopping.
Pre To Post Modern Vintage - I did a good bit of shopping in Nashville and this pretty vintage shop was my favorite. The vintage clothing was very well selected and the prices were great. Nothing was over $25. They also had great mid-century modern furniture. There were a few pieces I was so tempted to snag if it weren't for the fact that I didn't have a good way to get them home!

for a haircut.
Local Honey - Yes, I'm fancy and decided to randomly get a haircut when I was there. My roommate and I were working at the Barista Parlor and saw this salon across the way. I first noticed from outside the window that there were clothes hanging in inside... vintage clothes. So, naturally I had to go in and check it out. When I went inside I realized it was not only a vintage clothing store (great vintage at great prices BTW) but it was also a hair salon. I REALLY needed a trim and since I had a wedding in a couple days... I figured why not?! I got an awesome wash, trim, and style! Plus bought some real cute vintage. Win, win.

for fun.
Pinewood Social - I have to be honest, I didn't actually get to go here but literally everyone I asked about Nashville recommended it so I couldn't leave it out. It's a restaurant, bar, bowling alley, pool hall. It seems to have a little bit of everything for pretty much anyone to enjoy. It's definitely on my list for next time and I'll jump on the bandwagon and say you should check it out too!

Have you ever been to Nashville? What have you done that I may have missed but should check out? I'm definitely going back and hopefully soon. I loved it so much!

Bloglovin, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook

#SisterhoodXMarfa: Creative Ladies Road Trip Across Texas

 Images via #sisterhoodxmarfa

Let's discuss Marfa, shall we? What happens when you put six women in a Chevy Tahoe with A LOT of luggage, A LOT of snacks, and have them drive seven hours across the state of Texas? Well, first of all, lots of laughter and excitement, but also moments of anxiety and even tension. We are a bunch of ladies in a small confined space, cut us some slack OK?! But, damn y'all, it was fun. Unlike any other trip I've ever been on. I've never gone on a vacation where the intent was to hang with creative friends, bounce ideas off each other, take lots of photos and do all the "silly things" I like to do with other people who like to do the same "silly things" as me.

I've been thinking about friendship a lot in the last couple weeks since I've been back from Europe. I am super lucky to have an amazing group of friends who are all so different from one another which I think is a huge reason why we all work so well as a unit. Y'all know who you are (and thank you for reading my blog Annie, Michelle, Laura, etc, etc). But, for a long time I've been searching for a group of friends who share my same passions. I can now say that I have found that group... the group I went to Marfa with. Yes, of course we are also all very different but we share a special common ground. We are working toward the same goals. We are bloggers, makers, small business owners, photographers and super stylish, badass bishes (yes, I'm old and I know people don't say "bishes" anymore)! Each women is so inspiring to me and I am a better, happier person because of them. I love each of you and I am so happy that after a long weekend away we are all back in the same city and get to hang out even more!

I know this post is already pretty sappy, but here's just a little more sap for ya. This last year has been one of the roughest years of my life. Maybe the roughest yet. I started seeing my therapist almost one year ago to this date. I've talked about that decision before and how I felt so low at the time that I didn't know what else to do. The journey from then to now has been all over the place and at times it felt like this last year went on for an eternity. But here I am, one full year later and I'm so freakin' proud of myself. I've done so many things that the younger April would have honestly probably laughed at (I was kind of an asshole growing up). I started therapy, I vowed to travel more, I planned a solo trip to Europe then went on that trip for six weeks, I reached out to new friends (like Chelsea and Nicole), I dedicated more time to this blog, I got to know myself, I stood up for my feelings and followed my heart. And there are some other things I'm in the process of doing that I can't talk about just yet, but they are big, huge, scary, awesome things that I thought I'd never do. But I'm doin' 'em! 

So thank you Chelsea, Katie, Nicole, Pei and Stephanie, my Marfa ladies. Thank you for playing a huge part in pulling me out of a dark place. Thank you for being my friends, my cheerleaders, my confidants and thank you for being my sisters. Without y'all I don't know if I would have found the confidence to be doing all the things I'm doing now. Y'all are all rockstars and I am so excited to watch you continue to kill it individually but I'm also so stoked to grow in life together!

Bloglovin, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook

European Vacation 2015: The Trip of a Lifetime

Floating in the Aegean Sea off the coast of Santorini! 

How was it? Was it everything you wanted it to be? What was your favorite place you visited? Are you sad to be back?

These are just a few of the questions I've received from friends in the last week since I've returned home from my European adventure... Now that I've been back for about a week and have had some time to process all that's happened I'm ready to talk about it here with you on this little blog of mine.

How was it? // Was it everything you wanted it to be?
What big questions, right?! They're difficult ones to answer because they kind of encompass the who scope of my trip. So, first, here is the short answer. It was amazing. I mean you read the title of this post. It was the trip of a lifetime. And yes, it was everything I thought it could be but also so much more than I could have ever imagined. I went to Europe just off some pretty intense and strange times here in Austin and it was just the refresher that I needed. And how lucky am I that I was able to hop over to Europe rather than do what people normally do and like, you know, just deal with my problems at home? I recognize this and I am extremely grateful.

So, here is the longer answer. I have to admit when I first started the trip I was super overwhelmed. I arrived in Florence and immediately felt very far away from home not just because I physically was but also because of how different it was. A completely different culture, different landscape, different language, different in almost every way. As you might know, I suffer with anxiety and I was definitely feeling it at first. Being in a place where you don't know how to get around and you really aren't able to communicate can make you feel extremely anxious and lonely. But, alas, I just needed to have some patience (which I'm not so good at having), because like with a lot of things, when you give it time it gets better and it did. I felt better and better, more and more comfortable. It took about two weeks to really feel settled in but once I did everything kind of fell into place. I felt this sense of calm and even euphoria. I was relaxed and I was, dare I say it, truly happy. All my jumbled thoughts I had before and during the beginning of my trip untangled and set themselves aside to allow me to really enjoy myself. Before the trip I remembered telling friends that I was hoping to find some sort of clarity while I was there but I wasn't sure if that was asking too much. I mean just because I was going out of the country didn't mean my life was just magically going to make sense, I understood that. But I can honestly say that I did find a lot of clarity while I was there. Sure, I'm still figuring things out, I always will be, but I feel that now my journey is a bit more focused and a bit more organized. What else could I have asked for?

What was your favorite place you visited?
Another very difficult question. Y'all, going to Europe isn't like traveling from Texas, to Tennessee, to New York, to California. I can easily rank each of those places from my favorite to least favorite. But, at least for me, I really loved each country I visited for completely different reasons. I honestly cannot pick a favorite. Italy was my spot. I was there for the longest time, I made a lot of new friends, I learned the city of Florence very well, the food was amazing, the wine was fantastic. It was my little home away from home. I left Florence feeling so whole and happy. I actually didn't want to leave. I felt like I had just begun to scratch the surface of my experience there. Greece was my vacation from my vacation. I left my computer at home and almost completely unplugged. My mom and I spent our days lounging on the beach, swimming on the beach and eating all the feta, tzatziki and olive oil we could stomach. That was definitely the most peaceful part of the trip. I left a little piece of my heart in Santorini. Then finally there was Madrid. Like I said, I almost didn't really want to leave Florence but the moment I arrived in Madrid I fell in love. Madrid reminded me a lot of home. The streets of my neighborhood, Malasana, were lined with coffee shops and little trendy cafes. There were artists, fashionistas and musicians running all around. I felt like I was in a little European version of Austin. It was really the perfect place to end my extraordinary adventure.

Are you sad to be back?
Of course I'm sad. I'm sad to be gone. The moment my flight left the ground in Madrid to take me home all the amazing memories I made started flashing through my mind and I started to cry. Really, I did. I'll miss walking along the streets of Italy. Running to the train station to go on new adventures. Lounging on the beach in Monterosso and Santorini. Sailing along the Aegean Sea. Zipping through the streets of Florence on the back of my friends scooter. Laying in the park then running for cover from the rain in Madrid. And so much more. Yes, of course I'm sad to be gone. But I'm not sad to be back. I love Austin and I missed home and my friends and my "real" life. And I'm super excited to take all of the things I learned on my trip and put them to use. Let's just say I had somewhat of an "aha" moment in the beautiful Cinque Terre region one lazy afternoon. There are some big things coming up for me and I am so excited to dive in and share this new chapter of my life with all of you. Stay tuned for some very big announcements in the next few months.

So there you have it. The trip of a lifetime. If you are interested in going back and reading about my journey from the beginning check out all my European vacation posts here.

And now, in true April fashion because I never stop, I'm off again to enjoy a creative girl's weekend in Marfa, Texas with some very inspiring ladies I'm lucky enough to call my friends. I am so excited about this trip. I love spending quality time with people who I respect so much for all the amazing things they are doing and who push me to be the best creative version of myself. Follow us on instagram with the hashtag #sisterhoodxmarfa and I'll be sure to tell you all about it once we are back next week.

Bloglovin, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook

My Ultimate Guide to Florence, Italy

Here we go. I spent about a month in the beautiful city of Firenze so I've got A LOT to share. This is my ultimate guide to all the things you should try to do while you are there!

First let's talk about food and drinks because that's what we all travel for anyway, right??

For brunch + coffee - Ditta Artigianale

For lunch - Le Vespe Cafe

For sandwiches - Ino

For pasta -Trattoria 4 Leoni

For pizza - Gusta Pizza

For aperitivo (happy hour) - la Ménagère

For steak + the best waiters - All'Antico Ristoro Di Cambi

For a fancy dinner - Cucina Torcicoda

For gelato - Gelateria dei Neri

For late night drinks - Piazza di Santo Spirito

For the best + largest variety - Mercato Centrale

For authentic Chinese food - Chong Qing Yin Xiang

Other places worth visiting:

The Uffizi Gallery for famous art like the Primavera // The Accademia which houses the original statue of David // Boboli Gardens at Pitti Palace for a relaxing picnic // Officina Profumo Farmaceutica Santa Maria Novella for perfume, candles, liquor and other great gifts // Mercato di Sant'Ambrogio Farmers Market for groceries // San Niccolo neighborhood for good restaurants and live music // Piazzale Michelangelo for the best view of the city // the top of the dome at Il Duomo for an intimate view of the city // Signum for paper products, prints, and gifts // Ponte Vecchio overlooking the beautiful Arno River

There you have it! I know it's a lot but Florence is a pretty small city so honestly you can catch most all of the big sites in a few days if you hustle. Let me know if you have any questions, have any other suggestions I missed, or want more details in the comments!

Bloglovin, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook

Sites of Santorini: My Recommendations

Photos by me

I'm sure at this point you're probably like "OK, I get it. You went to Santorini and it was just FAhhhhBULOUS. But like can we move on now, please?" Yes, yes we can folks. After this one last post. I promise. I just have so many beautiful photos I wanted to share and besides the shots I also wanted to give a few recommendations for things to do and see on this beautiful island. 

Food.

We were recommended Prince by a local on Kamari Beach and it did not disappoint. Treat yo self to a delicious chocolate covered waffle with vanilla ice cream for dessert. Elia on Kamari Beach was by far my favorite restaurant we went to during the trip. It's a bit more pricey but worth it if you are interested in a nice dinner. The mussels and apple pie were fantastic. I already mentioned Sunset Cafe in Oia in my Part 1 post. It's a great place to watch the sunset and the salmon comes topped with a wasabi cream sauce. So good. Tavern by the Sea on Kamari Beach wasn't anything too special but we made friends with the beach boy so I have to recommend it. He was so sweet. It actually is a good spot for lunch if you just want some traditional Greek food. Plus you get free PADDED beach chairs and an umbrella if you eat there, so why not? 

Nightlife.
Although Santorini isn't known for the nightlife (Mykonos is a better option if that's what you are interested in) Perissa and the capital city of Fira have clubs that stay open late. My mom and I stuck around Kamari and checked out Albatross Beach Club one night which had a pretty good DJ. Nice atmosphere if you just want to sit and chill with friends and have some great drinks. 

Shopping.

Literally the island is completely geared toward tourists (not in a bad way) so for shopping there are, no exaggeration, hundreds of shops. We explored several along the beach in Kamari and on the cliffs of Oia. Of course, my favorite was all the beautiful jewelry! Greece is know for the famous evil eye symbol which has been something I've always been interested in so I definitely stocked up on some bracelets and a necklace to ward off those evil thoughts that might come my way ;)

That's all I got! I hope you enjoyed my Santorini recaps. Next week I'm onto my reviews of my new home away from home, Firenze!

Bloglovin, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook

Sites of Santorini: Sailing to Oia

Photos by me

OK, so I'm dying a little bit inside because I'm not in Santorini anymore. These photos. I mean. So gorgeous.

On one of our days there my mom and I took a catamaran tour all the way from the southern tip of the island over to the northern tip where we ended in the famous village of Oia. The tour was amazing. It's $100/person and is worth EVERY penny. The host (who happened to live in Texas for seven years!) was friendly, entertaining and informative. The crew was professional, but also funny and excited to be there with us. And the chef made the most fantastic traditional seven course Greek meal that we ate while sailing along the Aegean Sea. If you are ever in Santorini, look up Captain Ted's Sailing Tours. We were on the Dreamcatcher. Such a blast.

Once the tour ended, instead of heading back to our hotel in Kamari, we stayed in Oia and did some shopping, exploring and then found a spot to watch the sunset. Of course, my camera battery died before the sun actually set so that's why there is no photo of it. I guess you'll just have to go and see it for yourself! I recommend going at least an hour early to get a spot. Thousands of people line up everyday to see this iconic sunset (especially in the peak months of July and August). We found a restaurant called Sunsets Cafe (recommended), with a cute waiter (required), and posted up to just relax with food and drinks for a few hours before and even made friends with the nicest Australia couple who we ended up going out to dinner with on another night as well. One of my favorite things about this trip, besides witnessing some of the most beautiful landscapes I've ever seen, is all the new friends I've made along the way!

So, 1) take a sailing tour, 2) watch the sunset in Oia, and 3) make new friends! I have lots more photos and recommendations to share from Santorini next week. Talk soon!

Bloglovin, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook