cordones

9

our house is complete. all of our curtains are up. the bed skirt's covering up tons of things we have to hide under our bed. stephanie's aunt and uncle gave us this amazing dining room table which unfortunately did not fit in our tiny cozy tree house but does indeed go comfortably on our deck. we love our deck. it is our second living room. and luckily it hardly ever rains and never gets colder then 40 degrees. which means that we are constantly sitting out there.


work is going swimmingly. its one of my favorite jobs ive ever had. everyone there is around my age and really fun and laid back. the place is even owned by a young lesbian couple. how perfect. everyone has very specific eating choices too which makes it quite easy to be gluten free dairy free. everyone really works well together. no drama. not yet atleast. i dont think there will be though. its not that kind of vibe. this is my helen's. tomorrow i have a few hours long of tea training. very excited. i quit drinking coffee about 4 years ago and switched to teas. but i never really got into all the different types. this is a great opportunity. i love working for a place that i am proud of.

http://blog.golocalaustin.com/

terra cotta warriors

i was pretty bummed out that i was going to miss this exhibit in dc, coming a month after moving. but! i just found out that it is currently in houston! and we happen to be going this weekend!

Terra Cotta Warriors:
Guardians of China's First Emperor

May 22, 2009 - October 18, 2009

The Houston Museum of Natural Science presents one of the most extraordinary archaeological finds of the 20th century, considered by many to be the Eighth Wonder of the World: terra cotta warriors from the tomb complex of China's First Emperor, Qin Shi Huang. Intended to protect him throughout eternity, the warriors stood guard over a vast necropolis commissioned by the Emperor when he was only 13 years old. Marvel at more than 100 amazing objects, the largest display of terra cotta figures and tomb artifacts to travel to the U.S.

the steeping room

I got a job! its a restaurant lounge specialty tea shop! its a locally owned business and they serve 100 different types of teas. and also food to pair with them. the menu is awesome, it even has gluten free options. its the kind of place i was hoping to find. tomorrow is my first day. so excited! i cant wait to learn more about teas.

cortney tidwell- boys


mumford & sons- sigh no more


kings of convenience- Declaration of Dependence


yo la tengo- popular songs

monsters of folk


"Monsters of Folk is a collaboration of Conor Oberst, Jim James, M. Ward- three of this generations most critically acclaimed voices and Mike Mogis , one of the most sought after producers working today."

paramore- brand new eyes


guilty pleasure

we arrived monday and i have been too busy loving being here to update you all. our place is perfect. perfect location. wonderful people around us. its perfect. my dream city. i dont think i could love it anymore then i already do ( even though im sure i will ). it feels like a breath of fresh air. like its right. i dont even think about being so far away from everything ive ever known bc, to me, right now, this is all i want to know. everything about the attitude here, the outlook, the originality- is the opposite of what ive been living in for the past year. and Stephanie said it, 'i dont think Lauren realized how much she hated dc until she got here.' and its true. dc did not settle well with my spirit. but im not thinking about that. only about how i cant stop smiling. i am looking for a job but i am not to worried about it. there is so much to do that i wish i didnt even have to get a job. this past week has been so busy and the list only keeps growing. we have already cooked out a few times, taken the dogs to red bud isle a few times (an off leash island), gone to see the chuck close exhibit at AMOA, became members of wheatsville co-op, and spec's liquor. i even got my library card. life is good. cant wait for friends to come visit me!

and tonight we went to watch the bats fly out from the s. congress bridge. 1.5 million. it was pretty crazy to think that that many bats live in one bridge. and that they chose austin as their summer vacation spot. they come out every night from june through oct as the sun sets. in november they all fly back to mexico for the winter. the largest urban bat colony in the united states. it was amazing. they flew out in swarms, snake like in the air. i couldnt believe it. so many people go every night to watch the little guys too. i didnt take this picture but here is a glimpse of what we saw.

the future of food

in a few days i will be a texan. an austinite. i am very excited to be moving back into a city more my speed. one that makes me feel welcome. one that doesn't put pressure on me to be a certain way, one that isnt always in a hurry. an eco friendly, bike friendly, dog friendly, southern hospitable city. one with water, hills, the largest urban bat colony, desert sand, everything i could want. its a bigger more progressive richmond, a warmer brooklyn with out the traffic. a place full of originality. full of new ideas. hardly any chains businesses. keep austin weird. a place where its not going to be a shocker that i bring my own reusable bags. i plan on sneaking in on some classes at UT, working at the local co-op, maybe get a moped, soak up as much new music as i can discover. a huge deck calls for a huge garden. which calls for hopefully eating much healthier. im ready. i need some fresh air. and i cant wait to explore the south west. this will be a new start for us. a good one. a place that is not my city or your city, but our city. one we can discover together. it will be good. im ready.