Livin' La Vida Local

Kristen came across a list on Facebook of 365 things to do in Austin, including places to eat, sights to see, and events to attend. Being the new kid on the block, I want to hug the boy who created this list. We've decided to try to tackle one thing per week.... not that I'm going to be in Texas for 365 weeks (don't worry, Mom), but we'll at least try to check off the most appealing suggestions.

We started off our venture with a trip to the Live Oak Brewery, a local Austin gem, Saturday morning. Little did we know, and little did the brew-master Julie know, that an obscene number of people had all seen this genius suggestion on Facebook, and had also decided it was how they wanted to jump-start their Saturday. We fell into a line of about 50 people waiting outside of the brewery, most likely waiting for the hour-long tour that was described in the Facebook post. Not so much. As we got closer to the inside of the brewery, I heard the blonde brew-master yelling "GRAB IT AND GO, GRAB IT AND GO", referring to the beer that she was pouring from the keg at lightning speed. Kristen and I exchanged looks of confusion and quite possibly fear, as this girl was not messing around. We wandered back outside, where we joined about 150 more people all either enjoying their beer or eagerly waiting to have one poured. Eventually, we heard Julie yelling for people to come a bit closer so that she could share a little insight about the brewery and the beer we were drinking. The first thing out of her mouth was, "HOW did all of you hear about this tour?" Laughter followed as a few people shared that it was the Facebook post that had divulged this well-kept secret. She told us later that they normally toured up to 100 people on a typical Saturday... there had to have been close to 250 people on this particular morning.


Julie was a one-woman show. We were able to sample five of Live Oak's beers (all delicious, especially the HefeWeizen) and she shared a bit about each beer between the samples. One 30-something girl managed to get 250 people in and out of a tiny damp room (Kristen made the observation that it smelled like Splash Mountain, and indeed it did) five times, in addition to a quick tour of the inside along with a little "beer education", all within two hours. To top it off, she had the best sense of humor (with a streak of sarcasm, which I thoroughly enjoyed), and handled the situation like a pro. She deserves a serious raise. So I raise my glass to Julie and to the Live Oak Brewery... I will definitely be returning with out of town guests.

Kristen Met Her Husband at the Chuggin' Monkey

Can you see the fireworks? Can you hear the choir sing? Ah, love is in the Austin air...


Sike. This kid might have found his soulmate in Kristen, but all she found was a not-so-secret admirer. Not once but twice has this guy singled Kristen out at the Chuggin' Money, and clung to her like cellophane (Dee, note the throwback reference) on and off the dance floor. The first time was semi-normal. It was the first weekend I had arrived in Austin, and we were having a blast dancing with my sisters to Jay-Z, Whitney, Bon Jovi, you name it. We were beatin' the beat. Kristen must have had all the right moves that night because out of nowhere... he appeared. With the energy of an 8-year old after eating 12 packs of Fun-Dip. He danced around Kristen with so much enthusiasm, I thought he was going to burst. He was jumping, spinning, bending on one knee... the kid was unstoppable. His friends eventually dragged him away and out of the bar, and we believed that was our first and last encounter with Kristen's admirer.

3 Weeks Later

Kristen and I explored different bars on 6th street for most of the evening... we were feeling a bit defeated as we were not encountering any PF's and we weren't so thrilled with any of the places we had been so far. We were about to pass the Chuggin' Money and thought "We've had a good time there before... let's give it a go". We weren't 10 feet into the bar when we hear, "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!"as Kristen simultaneously gets attacked with a bear hug and slathered in affection. And there he was, in all his glory. And there Kristen was, wide-eyed and somewhat in shock. And there I was, laughing so hard that my hands were shaking as I quickly reached for the camera in my purse. This incredible reunion clearly had to be documented. We left him to use the restroom and returned to find him on stage, dancing by himself. Apparently the DJ had played a special song for James (Kristen eventually did ask his name), leading us to believe that he was well known around these parts. By the time we joined him on stage, he had only his top button buttoned. Awk-ward. This picture isn't grandmother-friendly, but it's too funny not to post.
He showered Kristen in twirls, dips, and spins on stage for a second time around. It may have been the most entertaining night of my life. Needless to say, his superhero friends dragged him off stage and out the door once again. But now we know where to go when we need a good dance partner... and an even better laugh.

To Kristen and James: May your love for each other grow stronger and stronger each year. Or each weekend. CHEERS!

Go Nicki, It's Your Birthday

In honor of my sister's birthday on February 23rd, I have created a list of the top 10 reasons why Nicole is one of the two best sisters in the world. Keep in mind that there are thousands of reasons, but these are some of my favorites. Here goes...

1.) When she was a kid, she went over to our neighbor's house to see if her friend could come out to play. When the Mom told her that she wouldn't be able to play that day, Nicole sulked away, found a dead bird on the sidewalk, returned to the house, knocked on the door, threw the dead bird into the house, and ran away.

2.) She is the best hostess in the world. Whether I visited her at college, in San Diego, or in DC, she always planned out the entire trip so that we would have a memorable time. It's amazing what we packed into one of my 4-day trips to San Diego... Laguna Beach, Disneyland, Tijuana, Encinitas, Mission Viejo, and the list goes on...

3.) See picture below.
4.) She stuffed a box of raisins up her nose when she was itty bitty, forcing Mom to pull off the interstate and perform emergency raisin-removal.

5.) It was her and Tony's move to San Diego that inspired me to be gutsy enough to move to Austin.

6.) She participated in sister/cousin plays when she might have been a few years too old for it. Well let's be honest, we were all probably a little too old for it. She directed and produced several unforgettable performances, including "Do You Have Any Shoes?", "Detective Ray", and "The Coolest Thanksgiving Play Ever". Oh wait, can't forget the performance voted least popular by the family, Marilyn Manson's "Beautiful People". Bad idea. But hey, we were living in an MTV world.

7.) She is 29 and still gets extremely hyper = hilarious.

8.) She jump-started my adventure in Austin with me by driving me all the way from D.C. to Texas. She made the trip much more exciting (see #3 and #7).

9.) On top of her having the most fun and beautiful wedding EVER, she also had a risotto bar at the reception.

10.) She is up for anything. Whether it be moving across the country, planning a Cinco de Mayo themed party in September, riding every single ride at an amusement park, attending multiple Britney concerts, "pulling an international" by trying out an Ethiopian restaurant (never again), making several trips to Tijuana for reunions with Froy and Pancho, or jumping/singing/dancing/crying to Bette Midler's "Going to the Chapel" with me and Dee the morning of her wedding, she is in it to win it.

And that is why I love her!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NICOLE!!!!!!!!

Git Yer Hot Dogs

We're American, therefore we love hot dogs. Isn't that how it goes? I still remember visiting London after my sophomore year of college... Elizabeth and I were hanging out at a great spot in Covent Gardens and had struck up a conversation with two Londonites. Naturally, they asked us to impersonate the English accent and we asked them to do their best impression of an American. We of course rambled off something about tea time and scones... and they, in their best New York accent, loudly exclaimed, "Let's go to the baseball game where we can get a coca cola and a hawt dawg!" Something along those lines. I vividly remember the "hawt dawg" part. Made me proud.

Anyways, Kristen and I came across Frank's Hot Dogs and Cold Beer the other week and were quite impressed. This was mainly because of the options on the menu. Take a look:

The Jackalope: Our local antelope, rabbit & pork sausage, huckleberry compote, sriracha aioli, applewood smoked cheddar.

The Notorious P.I.G.: Housemade pork, bacon, jalapeno & sage sausage with macaroni & cheese, Texas BBQ sauce.

Caroline Pork It: 100% Vienna beef, stuffed with cheese, wrapped in bacon and deep fried; Grilled coleslaw, house made green chile pimento cheese.

Antelope... rabbit.... macaroni and cheese.... wrapped in bacon and deep fried?! Holy hot dog. Or sausage. We weren't as adventurous as some may be... I stuck with a good ole' Chicago dog.


And like the sign says, "A Hot Dog at the Ball Park is Better Than a Steak at the Ritz." Two thumbs up for Franks.

Cheers to You, Captain Morgan

Last weekend, Kristen and I were hanging out at JBlacks, one of our favorite spots on west 6th street. As always, we were on the hunt for PF's. For those who don't speak acronym on a regular basis (Tara McDonald and Laura Young), I am referring to "Potential Friends". My family always has a good laugh remembering Nicole, my older sister, standing on the front porch when she was around 4 years old calling out "Friend.... friend..." to the kids walking home from the bus stop. It's not as funny these days, considering I am 26 and sometimes feel desperate enough to follow her lead. How does a girl pick up girlfriends? I met Kristen through Monica... and I met Monica while dancing the night away at Metro, a small bar in Richmond. I got her name (to facebook her, obviously), invited them to my guido birthday bash... and BOOM, insta-friends! Unfortunately, bars are not as small in Austin where you can't help but to bump into people while screaming "from the windowww to the wall"... but I have faith that someone out there will notice our high-energy performance of Jay-Z's "Empire State of Mind" and want to befriend us immediately.

While at JBlacks last Friday night, I realized what I might have to do to score insta-friends: dress up in costume. It worked for Captain Morgan. He had people taking pictures of him all night. Apparently he does this quite often... either he's incredibly sketchy or completely genius.

P.S. How excited is the guy on the right? And how scared is the guy next to me?

Cheerleaders in Chaps

That's right. The UT cheerleaders/dance team wore chaps for the second half of the basketball game. This place is amazing.

Since Kristen and I were "valentines" this year, she surprised me with tickets to the game! It was a blowout... UT slammed Nebraska. Go Longhorns! We were in the beyond-nosebleed section, which turned out to be awesome... even the chaps didn't provide as much entertainment as the boys in front of us. And by boys, I am referring to four six-year old boys. They were HYSTERICAL. Best line ever: "When we get home, we're going to eat so much cake and ice cream, we're gonna PUKE!!!!" Kristen and I were wondering why we haven't run into boys like them on 6th street... hopefully soon.

It was definitely a good first experience as a new UT fan... glad Mom convinced my to buy that orange sweater last Fall.

For the Love of Brisket

It takes a lot for me to whip out my camera at a restaurant and take a picture of my meal. But it was impossible not to at the Salt Lick. Three meats (brisket, ribs, and sausage), 2 sides, and bread. It should be illegal. I'm sure my love handles consider it a crime.


It was voted one of the top 10 tastiest places to chow down by the Travel Channel. I'd have to agree. And as you can see in the picture, it's BYOB. Seriously. Salt Lick, you are one of a kind... well, probably not in Texas, but you are to this VA gal.