taste addison 2011

You remember back in the day when I promised a post dedicated to Taste Addison 2011? Yeah, I was totally not lying about that. Not at all.

In short: it was all that knew it would be! We got to talk to some vendor's, listen to music, people watch, and eat/drink to our heart's content. Oh, and there were definitely corn dogs. My lord, the corn dogs.




(get your minds out of the gutter, people! it's a corn dog, it can't help being falic!)

I can not express how excited I was about getting to eat a corn dog. You know, there isn't a single eating establishment in Dallas that will actually sell you a corn dog*. It's a freaking travesty. We basically ended up paying $10 each for those corn dogs (admission fee + cost of food.) Worth every single penny.

After Corban started limping like a poor sad puppy (he's still recovering from the accident), we retired to Astoria to drink beers and hang out with the owners, Nick and Tedi. Knowing them makes us infinitely cooler than we ever could be otherwise.





I'm so glad that summer has started up and we get to do these things more often for a little while (at least until the heat becomes completely unbearable.) Next up: Memorial Day celebrations!



*this is not an actual fact, that i know of. it seems unlike. although, I have eaten a restaurant s'more, complete with open flame this year. there may be hope yet.

book review: extremely loud and incredibly close

I recently started contributing to the Plano Public Library System blog, Plano Reads, and my first book review just went up! Go see what I think about Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer (spoiler alert, I enjoyed it!)

Because you totally care. Obviously.

p.s. - I really didn't like his first book, Everything Is Illuminated. Like, at all. Definitely do not recommend. I do want to see the movie, though.

p.p.s. - I'm currently re-reading Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. Because I'm a total sap that way.

outfit: new favorite shirt

Oh em jee, you guys, I am in love with this shirt. Like, no lie, I want to marry it.




Date: May 22, 2011 / Occasion: Taste Addison
Details: shirt-Strut / shorts-Old Navy / sandals-Steve Madden via DSW / silver hoop earrings-Tiffany's / silver ring-custom

Strut is quickly becoming my new favorite place for summer pieces. I've been taking advantage of their 40% off sale the first Thursday of every month. For May, I got this shirt (which is seriously comfy, breezy, and so pretty...I constantly get complements!) and a strapless brown senorita maxi. My summer look this year is definitely leaning toward the hippy/bohemian, and that is completely ok with me!

I'm noticing how many "favorite" pieces of jewelry I have. This silver heart ring is particularly special to me. It was a gift from my father circa 2000. He had it custom made at a local jeweler, just for me! It's got lots of lovely little imperfections, and I completely adore it.

Today I am taking a "me" day to rest, recover from last night's revelries, and get a few domestic things taken care of (ugh, grocery shopping.) I'm so excited for my mister to come home tonight so we can eat homemade pizza and catch up after our busy weekend. Also, I get to take Harley in to have her stitches removed tomorrow! Lot's to look forward to. :)

DIY: welcome banner

Instead of finishing up my chores today (I hate grocery shopping), I decided to whip up a cute little welcome banner diy that I found on A Beautiful Mess (Elsie is so freaking creative and adorable, I ♥ her blog!)






(please excuse my sucky iPhone photos)

I couldn't ever decide what to put on this wall space in our entryway, so it has been awkwardly uncovered since we moved in (hello, a year and a half!) This banner is super perfect, and I made it with old birthday/holiday/greeting cards, twine, and tape that I had laying around the office!

I also made lentil burgers recently (can I call that a DIY? cooking is kind of a project for me) and they are delicious!



I could almost be a vegetarian if I didn't like fish so freaking much. Perhaps pescatarianism is the way for me? Alas, I have a sneaking suspicion that I am way to lazy for such a commitment.

Now for a glass of wine, snuggles with kitties, and reality television! Hoorah for Sundays!

outfit: little black dress

Wow, I haven't done an outfit post in a while! Probably because I've been dressing like a total lazy bag-lady lately (alliteration!)


Anyway, I realized last week that I didn't have a summer-appropriate LBD, so I bought this one at Target for $20! I love me a good deal. :)





Date: May 13, 2011
Details: dress-Target / necklace-gift from Corban 2006 / watch-Michael Kors / bracelet-Express / sunglasses-Prototype Vintage in Austin

Yes, I used my husband as a prop in these photos (mostly because he was in the room at the time.) This little gold locket is my #1 favorite piece of jewelry. Corban gave it to me as a gift for our first dating anniversary. It was the sweetest little surprise ever, and my favorite reminder of our (very long) courtship.


I want to thank everyone again for being so supportive of my family the past couple weeks. We're all healing up nicely, physically and emotionally, and it just wouldn't be possible without everyone's support. I am so lucky to have so many amazing people who care about me and my family!


Coming soon: Taste of Addison festival review post!

when you open your eyes

A few days ago I took a run around the park instead of going to the gym, and I saw some of the most amazing things!






(take a close look at the next to last photo...there was a sweet little bird's nest on top of a cushion stuck in the tree!)

I drug Corban off the couch to take a look at these beautiful flowers bursting out of their pods, and he really said it the best. "It's amazing what you can see when you open your eyes."

It really is amazing. :)

bandages off = a whole new set of problems

I took Harley in to the vet today to get her bandages off. She's healing up great, so Dr. Block sent her home with a clean bill of health and a plan to remove the sutures on Wednesday.



Of course, it couldn't just be that easy.

Pretty much the second Harley came home, she started trying to pull her sutures out with her teeth. I called Dr. Block and he suggested that I make a little kitty shirt for her using the sleeve of a cotton t-shirt.



I love me a good DIY opportunity. :)

Needless to say, Harley Quinn is not happy about this new development, but I find it pretty damn hilarious.


Kitty Shirt from Shertown Studios on Vimeo.

the worst week ever vol. 2: the accident

Very early Sunday morning, around 12:15am, Corban and our good friend Stephen were involved in a car accident. Stephen was driving his beautiful, bright orange Nissan 350 Z (RIP) to get some delicious late night tacos when the backend got out from under him and the car spun around, hitting a tree on the passenger side where my husband was sitting.

Stephen was able to walk away from the car and call me. I immediately ran over from the apartment to this scene.



I have never in my entire life been so terrified or distraught. Looking back, I'm sure I looked just like a hysterical woman from a dramatic Oscar-winning film. Corban had lost consciousness for a few minutes and was pinned in the car. The next heart-wrenching forty-five minutes were spent watching a team of large men in neon jump suits literally cut him out of the car.



I had never fully understood the phrase "jaws of life" until that moment.

Though reports kept coming back to me that he was talking and moving, the medical team decided to care-flight him to a hospital twenty miles away. I miraculously drove to the hospital without being involved in an accident myself around 1:30am and was finally allowed to see him around 2:00am. We then waited until about 4:00am to hear that all of his x-rays and CAT scans had come back...and everything was ok. No broken bones, no concussion. He should have broken his ankles at least, but instead just had bruises, swelling, and a few minor cuts. It was amazing. He was even able to walk (with considerable assistance) out of the hospital.



We all went out and got burgers (the whole taco thing being a total bust) and returned home around 6am.

Longest day of my life.

The past fews days we have been shown overwhelming support from family, friends, and co-workers; we have received everything from well-wishing texts to fulling prepared meals delivered to our door. Today is Corban's first day back at work, having spent the past several days propped up on the couch icing his ankles, and being waited on hand and foot. Between him and the bandaged kitty, it's like a freaking trauma ward in here.

It's amazing the perspective that one can get from this kind of thing. Of course I know that I love my husband and tell him so many times a day; but, it's still so easy to take things for granted and forget how very very lucky I am. Driving to the hospital, the only thing I could think was "please just let him be ok, please let me keep my husband, please let me touch him and talk to him again." I wasn't thinking about money or inconveniences; I just wanted to kiss him and know that everything would be ok. All of a sudden all those little stressful, nit-picky things went away, and I just felt grateful to have someone to love who loves me. It would be my worse tragedy to lose that.

In the end, my little family (husband, kitties, and friends) is ok, and that makes me the luckiest girl in the world.

PS - See Tuesday's post for a little video of my husband and kitty being all pathetic and wounded. They are super adorable.

the worst week ever vol. 1: sad kitty

Last Tuesday morning we woke up to my poor baby kitty, Harley Quinn, vomiting. I didn't think much of it because, hey, she's a cat and occasionally eats some non-food item (the vet called it a "dietary discretion") that causes her gastric distress. Unfortunately, this behavior continued, not only throughout the day, but the night and next day as well. Things started getting scary when it became obvious that she couldn't even keep water down and had not used the litter box in several hours.



Corban decided to take her to an emergency vet on Wednesday night. We ended up waiting there until past midnight, just to learn that her blood work came back clean and nothing showed up on the x-rays. They advised us to take her to a "real" vet if her symptoms continued, which, of course, they did.

This is how we found the coolest vet in the Dallas area. Dr. Block at Cottonwood Animal Clinic is the sweetest, most invested doctor I have ever met. He seems genuinely concerned for Harley's well-being. He did some doctor things that I will not go into here, ended up cutting open her stomach and found that her gall bladder was super inflamed. She later passed a bunch of bile, immediately after which she started feeling better.

We know that she felt better because she went from being sweet and compliant to trying to tear Dr. Block's face off. I picked her up yesterday and was so gratified and touched to find that she recognized my voice and face. When the vet tried to handle her, she was hissing and growling, but as soon as I started talking to her she meowed pitifully and snuggled close to my chest. She's home recovering now, no vomiting and with a renewed appetite. She is napping in my lap as I type.




Her shaved tummy and bandages look so silly, and are really freaking out her sister Ivy (a day later and she's still growling at poor Harley.) Still, she's got her spunk back and will get her bandages off on Friday, then her stitches next Wednesday, if all goes well.




Dr. Block was almost as happy as me to hear today that Harley is eating and seems to be better. We're still watching her, but I feel that after the crap storm that was last week, things are genuinely looking up. I'm just so grateful to have found such a great doctor and so so happy to have my baby back home and getting healthy.

I took a little video to show off my battered, but happy family (more about Corban in my next post.) I love these beings. ♥


Welcome Home, Harley! from Shertown Studios on Vimeo.

the worst week ever: prologue

Hello, blog-o-sphere! You know that saying "when it rains it pours"? If that's so, then last week was a freaking deluge at the Johnson household. The two biggest hits were my cat having to have emergency surgery and my husband being involved in a major car accident.

Scary, horrible, and traumatizing.

The amazing thing is, as many blows as we have taken, everything has ended in the best possible way. Everyone in my family (two legs and four) are healthy and happy, and that's all I could ever ask for. I am definitely a super duper lucky gal.

I'm going to dedicate a post to each of these two incidents. We have had so many wonderful family and friends wishing us well and giving us various kinds of support, I couldn't even begin to thank everybody. I've tried to give everyone the full stories, but in case I missed anyone or left anything out, everything will be here. :)

I'd like to give one more thank you to everyone who reads my little blog. It's such an emotional release to be able to put my life out there and know that someone, somewhere will read it. You guys rock!

mustachio bashio 2011 vol. 2: drinko de mayo

Soul-crushing heat aside, I really do love the summer time. I'm still waiting for the weather to warm up enough for pool time, but it will come soon enough.

Most of all, I love kicking off the season with my crazy, wonderful friends. And their mustaches.

Mustachio Bashio/Drinko de Mayo is the best. There's always delicious food and drink, including brisket tacos, Corban's famous guacamole, margaritas, jello shots, and of course a keg. I even did my first keg stand this year! Normally this is not something to brag about, but I kind of missed out on all that high school/college craziness, so that's one more life experience that I can cross off the list.

A wonderful first taste of the summer, I can't wait for more!

mustachio bashio 2011 vol. 1: cake flag diy

Every year Kenji and Jimmy host a mustache-themed Cinco de Mayo party. The men grow out silly facial hair and the women are made to wear those creepy synthetic stick-on mustaches.

Yes, we are adults.

Also, at the risk of sounding like a total elitist, I would like to add that we were doing this way before mustaches were cool. Just sayin'.

This weekend also happens to coincide with one of the hosts birthdays, so I thought I would make cupcakes for the occasion. Mustache cupcakes. Obviously.

I made cake flags in the shape of cute little mustaches. Bonus, these could also be used as fun party favors or a mustache alternative to those opposed to spirit gum! Here's how:

1. Create your mustache template or download mine here and print (I printed 12 mustaches per sheet, enough for 6 total mustaches)

2. Color and cut out your mustaches (I used good old fashioned Crayola crayons)

3. Use craft glue to glue two mustaches together, back to back, with a toothpick in between

4. Pretend to have a mustache

Simple, yes? I was able to do most of this work while watching Community. Win, win, win.

Next up, Mustachio Bashio 2011 Vol. 2: Drinko de Mayo!