Heart Umbrella

So, I was just going through my "likes" on Pinterest and found the heart umbrella I posted about earlier today! Now I know I was meant to order this thing. And how romantic & sweet is this picture with it?! Hope you're having a lovely Monday.

Happy Easter!

pic via here

Have a lovely Easter Sunday!

Quote of the Day

{pic via here}

My [almost] First Date Story

 {photo available here}

Don't you love remembering your first date with that special person in your life?  The giggling, your butterfly-filled stomach, and just an overwhelming amount of euphoria.  I honestly don't remember mine, but I do remember what was supposed to be my first date with my boyfriend of 7 splendid years.

We met in creative writing class in college and quickly became friends.  In fact, I tried to introduce him to a few other girls from class but that didn't quite work out well.  Then after a few months of hanging out, we had this one night where we spent hours on the phone talking about complete nonsense - do you squeeze your toothpaste from the top or bottom, favorite condiments for hotdogs, which side of the bed do you sleep on - and I could feel myself starting to have feelings for him.  A few weeks later it was Halloween, so some friends and I hung out at a local bar then went back to my place.  At about 3 am, everyone but me had crashed out.  So, I called him up.  Because I'm a mumbler and was whispering to keep from waking someone up, he decided to just come over and hang out.  Sitting by the pool that night, talking about random things I found myself wanting to kiss him.  I don't know if it was the moonlight or the alcohol, but it was at that moment I knew I liked him.

A few weeks later I decided to gather all of my courage and call him.  But not just call him, I wanted to ask him out.  He was totally up for it and said he'd love to go to a movie and dinner that Friday night.  Thursday rolled around and I was getting really excited about our date, until he called.  He said some friends had came into town and they all really wanted to get together and play Texas Hold 'Em.  He asked if I would mind us rescheduling.  I was a little sad about it, but decided to be a good sport and said it wasn't a problem.  Luckily for me, my friends were planning to go to Latin Night on Friday so I joined them and spent the entire night drinking, dancing and have an absolute blast.  When the bars closed around 2am, we weren't quite ready to finish having fun so we went to an after-party and kept on dancing.  It was about that point that the alcohol made me lose all sense of reason.  

I told my friends of the courage it took me to ask a guy out and how he had cancelled last minute.  Being in a drunken state as well, they encouraged me to call him that instant and let him know how horrible he had behaved.  Drunkenly obliging, I called him and told him he was a jerk for not going out with me that night.  He had just finished playing poker with the guys and was on his way home, but having noticed the drunken state I was in decided to come over to the party and make sure I got home safely.  About 15 minutes later, we walked into my apartment and I began telling him everything - about how much courage it took to ask him, about how much it stunk that he had cancelled and about how much I wanted to kiss him that night.  I was a babbling fool that was stopped only by his lips touching mine.  I looked at him in amazement, completely sure I had just imagined our first kiss.  He grinned back at me, and at that point I was his forever.

So, I guess you can say it was the best almost-first-date.  Either way, it was the beginning of "us".

Sparkly Dress

Speaking of keeping the holiday sparkle alive - how AH-mazing is this dress?!  Wish I knew who the designer was.  Either way, this deserves a red carpet moment.

{photo found here}

Quote of the Day

photo copyright of redoryon, found here.

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For my birthday almost a year ago, a co-worker gave me a "gift book" for my desk from Hallmark containing various quotes from different people.  Unknown to her at the time, I was in the middle of trying to decide to quit my job and go to pastry school.  As I flipped through it, the above quote struck a chord with me.  I loved making desserts.  Absolutely loved it.  Something about the precise production of a creative dessert made me happy.  Perhaps it was the opportunity to be creative I loved.  Or maybe I loved it because of the affirmation you receive once serving a dessert - the Oohs! and Aahs! were encouraging and made me want to keep baking.  It's were I found my heart to be at that particular time and this quote told me it was time to start doing exactly that.

I have exactly three months of school left before I begin my externship and today was the first day back after winter vacation.  It felt great to be in class again, to know that I would be learning more about the thing I most want to do.  Furthermore, Chef went off into these huge tangents today in class which were actually very inspiring.  She told us how the industry has evolved and what to expect once we get out there - tons of "words of advice" that I truly appreciated and needed. 

Just this morning I woke up feeling scared about where life may be taking me (especially since I don't really know yet), but now I'm feeling a little excited.

So, remember to "do what you love, because it's what you were meant to do".

Goodbye 2011, Hello 2012

It seems strange to me this year to say goodbye to 2011 - it was a year of life changes that looking back required a world of courage and one giant leap of faith.  If this were last January, I would have been taking stock of IRS forms, preparing 1099s and mentally prepping myself for tax season.  Instead, I am sitting at my desk after two weeks of school vacation searching through the web for bakeries and restaurants in Austin that may peak my interest.  My boyfriend of 7 years is at his parents' home two hours away (that sometimes feels like oceans away), and tonight we will have the pleasure of spending New Year's Eve together in San Antonio with his childhood friend Phil and his precious family.

Looking back, I would have never foresaw the big changes 2011 would bring.  For almost 11 months I pondered quitting my job and going to pastry school, talking to different admissions counselors and discussing the possibility with my close friends and family.  I wanted to, but was ridiculously scared to leave my job - I would be giving up financial security by quitting, moving to a different city (still undecided at the time), and wondered if the change would strain my relationship with my boyfriend.  I began saving as much money as possible just in case and numbed my mind with the craziness of tax season.  Then in March I received a call from an admissions counselor at Le Cordon Bleu in Austin. She said they had an opening for the classes beginning in early May.  Although I wanted to go, my lease was not over and I would not have enough time to pack and find a new apartment in Austin because of the hours of work tax season required.  She did say, however, that a new set of classes would begin in early July and for some crazy reason I said, Sign me up! 

That weekend my boyfriend and I came to Austin, signed a lease with the first apartment we saw and went home to start packing.  I gave my notice in late April and my last day at work was June 10th.  My apartment complex at the time let me out of my lease a month early and on June 16th I moved to Austin to begin preparing for pastry school.  It was undoubtedly, the best decision I have made thus far.  I am still scared, though.  In April I will begin my externship and I still haven't picked a place - I worry about finding a good fit, but have faith everything will work out in the end.

All of that aside, my Dad moved to Arkansas in October to take a new job, leaving the place I had grown up.  Only one of my three brothers remain in McAllen, making it no longer feel like home.  It seems a distant memory, a place where a life was lived but could not end.  Knowing I may never go back feels as if I am surrendering my childhood, but the memories of our life there in the hot & humid land filled with palm trees 10 minutes from the Texas-Mexico border sustain me.  I honestly do not know where I will be at the end of 2012 or what job I will have, but I have faith that it will be a year filled with success and love.

May you have a wonderfully magical New Year's Eve night!

{First picture found here, second picture found here}

Christmas Time is Here!

It's officially the first of December, the beginning of the Christmas season.  Have you decorated your tree, hung your stockings, and started your holiday shopping?  I am so far behind and am hoping to do lots of it this weekend, depending on whether or not I'm still under the weather.  Hope everyone's having a great Thursday!

Ps.  Parks & Recreation definitely made me smile tonight.  I am totally crushing on Ben. :)


{picture via here}

Sick Day

I'm feeling so under the weather today.  It sucks.  But a cup of cocoa always makes everything better.

{picture via Pinterest}

Funky Hair

I kinda really want to do this.  Especially before I'm too old to even consider it.

(picture via Pinterest)

Creative Outlets

After a crazy day at school, this made me smile.

(photo via Laughing Squid)

Ryan Gosling

He is so cute.

(pic found here, via here)

Quote of the Day

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this quote makes me smile.


{quote via pinterest}

Movie Rewind: Breakfast at Tiffany's

Hi, my name is Crystal and I've never seen Breakfast at Tiffany's.  Until yesterday.  Sure, I know who Audrey Hepburn is and can vividly recall the famous shot of her exiting the cab in that black dress, pearls and those wide-rimmed sunglasses and walking over to the Tiffany's display window eating a croissant and drinking her coffee.  But I had never seen the movie.  To be honest, I wasn't even completely sure what the movie was about.  So, I finally watched it yesterday.

Breakfast at Tiffany's is a wonderful snapshot of Manhattan in the 60's - the scenery is amazing, the fashion is iconic, but the story is completely implausible.  Holly, as a character, in incredibly flawed - she's extremely naive, a social climber using men of a certain wealth to maintain her lifestyle, and is arguably very selfish having abandoned her family and married life for a Hollywood/Upper East Side lifestyle.  She steals from the Five and Dime, regularly, just to see if she can get away with it and is such a commitment-phobe that she even refuses to name her cat.  All of that aside, you just can't help but love her.  Audrey Hepburn's portrayal of Holly Golightly is so charming that you find yourself looking past the character's flaws and wishing nothing but the best for her, even wishing you were her.


{photo via Pinterest}

Cake

What a wonderfully easy way to decorate a cake!  So cute.



{Photo courtesy of Lisa Hubbard}

Home Decor Ideas: Plates on Walls

What a great way to showcase your favorite plates!  Or, if you find a couple of great plates on Etsy or a thrift store, this would be a great way to show them off.  Love it.



{Photo via Pinterest}

Stylish Bedrooms with Twin Beds

I love the idea of using multiple twin-sized beds in a guest or kid's room, probably since I was the only girl and never had to share a room.  It is a great way to maximize space however, especially if you're short on square footage or receive many guests during the holidays.  If you're a grandparent with lots of grandchildren, you could even add trundle beds or bunks beds.  Here are a few rooms that inspire me to make my future children share a bedroom.

understated feminine guest room

Hollywood Regency

sweet & whimsical

modern girl's room

Mid-Century Style

eclectic bedroom

rustic style

Southern Living

charming kids' bedroom

Audrey Style

A striped shirt and black pants never looked so chic.

{photo courtesy of Secrets of a Belle}

Happy Weekend!

It's finally Friday!  This week went by really slow for me, but all is well for Friday is here.  And it's been a really good day so far - the weather is amazing outside (cold but sunny), my boyfriend is headed to town for five whole days, and 1001TTL is celebrating it's 100th post and first ever giveaway.  So, there are tons of things to celebrate and what better way to then heading to Wurstfest, a festival filled with sausage & beer.  What are your plans for the weekend?  Either way, I hope it's wonderful!

For your weekend viewing pleasure, here are a few posts from around the web:

super cute date-night outift

7 New Wonders of Nature...Jeju Island is absolutely magical.

The perfect cookie for your friend with the green thumb

A French-inspired birthday party for adults & kids

Kitties in Love

for Lego lovers

11-11-11

Make a wish.

It's 11:11 on 11/11/11.

{photo via Pinterest}