tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14124028854214400022024-03-12T21:54:30.252-07:00Who's Austin?Nikol Schillerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05379798623945600275noreply@blogger.comBlogger83125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412402885421440002.post-16267798640173930022012-12-20T09:13:00.001-08:002012-12-20T09:13:12.736-08:00Austin Christmas TraditionsI'll admit it. I was worried that Christmastime in Austin was going to be a bust this year. Family is what makes Christmas the most magical time of the year and we're more than 1,300 miles away from our parents and siblings.<br />
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While both Robert and I are lucky to be able to spend actual Christmas day with our families, we had to do something in the meantime to get into the Christmas spirit.<br />
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LUCKILY, we've been so fortunate to have made the most hilarious group of friends this year in Austin. We all got together to spread a little Christmas cheer and wear some hideous Christmas sweaters before we all left Austin to spend time with our families.<br />
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We started off our Christmas party by cramming 20 people in our tiny, 600-square foot apartment. Collin took over the role of master brewer and made hot chocolate for everyone. <br />
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This is Lindsey, a friend from Robert's work. She hosts the best game nights at her apartment and has an adorable five-pound pup nammed Briley. He's a riot.<br />
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Despite our tacky Christmas sweaters, I'd say the ladies at the party looked great! <br />
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The men were in the kitchen serving everyon hot chocolate and coffee-- with a little Bailey's or Peppermint Schnapps thrown in for good measure. <br />
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These guys...<br />
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I keep calling the party a Christmas party, which is so not PC. At our <i>HOLIDAY</i> party, we celebrated Hanukkah as well. Sam, our Jewish friend, brought the Hanukkah cheer with his homemade menorah sweater. <br />
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"Most <i>Awesome</i> Sweater" award was a tie between Sam's Hanukkah sweater and Lauren's who had a nutcracker friend on the front of her sweater...<br />
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and a nutcracker butt on the back.<br />
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Sam brought over some mistletoe, I think with the ulterior motive of trying to steal a kiss from Lety.<br />
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Didn't quite work out in his favor.<br />
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Collin, making sure the hot chocolate is just right. <br />
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Check out that marshmallow action in there. <br />
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I searched far and wide to find those adorable winter wonderland styrofoam cups. The ones at the grocery store were plain white and too small. The ones at Walmart were too big, didn't have tops AND were plain white. Worst combo ever. But the ones at Target were just right- medium sized and cute.<br />
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Here are my friends <a href="http://www.whosaustin.blogspot.com/2012/10/movers-shakers.html" target="">who moved here</a> from California. They're turning into Austinites faster than Robbie and me! <br />
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I love "before" pictures of group shots. They're always hilarious to look at.<br />
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I'm so lucky to have all these crazy people in my life. <br />
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Elizabeth managed to sneak her way out of the group picture because she wasn't wearing an ugly Christmas sweater. Snapped a shot of her hiding behind Spencer.<br />
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The second phase of the night involved walking the Trail of Lights. Robbie and I live close enough to Zilker park that we walked over as a group to avoid the traffic mess.<br />
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The boys...</div>
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The girls...<br />
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The amazing (and kind of trippy) tunnel of lights at the very beginning of the TOL.<br />
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The Trail of Lights wraps around Zilker park. There are different light displays along about a mile-long stretch of road. We went on opening night, so it was PACKED. Here we are at the end of the trail, looking back at the TOL. This was by far my favorite view.<br />
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Our last stop was at the Zilker Christmas Tree, a giant "tree" made up of lights. It's tradition to spin under the tree while looking up at the lights. And man, did we spin. I think each of us could only spin around two or three times without falling down. So fun!</div>
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This ugly Christmas sweater party may be the beginning of a new Austin Christmas tradition. Looking forward to next year's party!Nikol Schillerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05379798623945600275noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412402885421440002.post-33621770362883549762012-12-10T09:05:00.000-08:002012-12-10T09:05:52.476-08:00Birthday glimpse<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A couple pictures to let you know we're alive and kicking in Austin! Robert turned 24 this weekend, and my what a weekend it was. These two pictures at Bell Springs will have to hold you over until I have a moment to share more stories with you. For a small glimpse of the craziness that ensued approximately 8 hours later, follow me on <a href="http://instagram.com/nikolvirginia" target="_blank">Instagram</a>.<br />
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P.S. Hope everyone's getting into the holiday spirit! We're looking forward to hosting a tacky Christmas sweater party this upcoming Sunday if anyone wants to join. :)Nikol Schillerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05379798623945600275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412402885421440002.post-68704350710788941422012-10-31T06:59:00.000-07:002012-10-31T06:59:36.068-07:00Happy Halloween<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Happy Halloween! As many of you know, Robbie and I are Star Wars nuts. One of our first dates was hanging out watching Star Wars together to see who knew more movie lines.<br />
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Nerds.<br />
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So of course it's been my dream for the past three years to be Princess Leia and Han Solo with Robbie for Halloween. We decided we'd go for it this year.<br />
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Growing up, my mom always sewed me and my sisters' costumes. We always looked (and felt) like the real thing while everyone else at our school had the store-bought costumes. My sisters and I got the craft gene passed down to us and all three of us girls have always been more inclined to make our costumes rather than buy them. This year it was ESPECIALLY crucial to make stellar Princess Leia and Han Solo costumes because, well, we're supernerds.<br />
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So to make our homemade Princess Leia and Han Solo costumes, we went to the GoodWill to dig up some awesome finds.<br />
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Han Solo costume: the only black vest left at GoodWill, a woman's tan button-up, awesome blue pinstripe pants with added red ribbon to the sides, a handmade gun holster out of black vinyl and a black spray painted nerf gun.<br />
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Princess Leia costume: gorgeous white dress found at the GoodWill, added long, chiffon sleeves, aluminum foil belt and sock buns!<br />
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We had a fabulous time on Saturday night hanging out with the Harts at their <a href="http://www.ruthiehart.com/2012/10/halloween-hootenanny.html" target="_blank">Halloween Hootenanny </a>(they put on the best parties) and our little group of friends afterwards at Phil's house.<br />
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Top left to right: Blog friends at Ruthie's party! (<a href="http://mallorieowens.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Mallorie</a>, <a href="http://becauseshannasaidso.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Shanna</a>, me & <a href="http://www.ruthiehart.com/" target="_blank">Ruthie</a>), Phil & Lauren as Mickey and Minnie Mouse, pumpkin carving on Sunday and PRINCESS LEIA COSTUME!<br />
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What are your plans for Halloween?Nikol Schillerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05379798623945600275noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412402885421440002.post-15142654721097776022012-10-30T07:28:00.001-07:002012-10-30T07:28:54.560-07:00Weekly traditions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Do you have little rituals that are precious to you? As a creature of habit, I take comfort in little routines that turn small tasks into symbols. Aveeno moisturizer smells like bedtime to me. Taylor Swift's music without question always brings me back to my early college days in the dorms. Buying cinnamon pine cones means that Thanksgiving and Christmas are here. <br />
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And Tuesdays are my <a href="http://unchartedstyle.com/" target="_blank">Michelle</a> days. We have a standing lunch date every Tuesday where we meet for almost an hour to chat about life, writing, our blogs, the future, Austin... anything that comes to mind. It's a nice little break from work that I look forward to every week. We pick a new place to meet for lunch or sometimes just coffee, but we stick to our little tradition week in and week out. A few weeks ago we tried Sandra Bullock's restaurant, <a href="http://www.waltonsfancyandstaple.com/home.aspx" target="_blank">Walton's</a>. I'm totally hooked. The french onion soup is to die for.<br />
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Do you have any small, special traditions that you treasure?Nikol Schillerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05379798623945600275noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412402885421440002.post-48778759350680915882012-10-25T07:56:00.000-07:002012-10-25T09:03:58.034-07:00A bad case of the Busy Trap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Have you ever read "<a href="http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/30/the-busy-trap/" target="_blank">The 'Busy' Trap?</a>" If you haven't, please do; it'll take 5 minutes. My best friend's sister posted this on her Facebook a while ago and it really resonated with me. I think about this article every time I feel too busy.<br />
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Lately, I've had a bad case of the Busy Trap. I've been feeling "too busy" doing things that my brain tricks me into thinking will make me happy, when these self-imposed tasks actually kinda stress me out. I have a natural tendency to want to take care of the people around me. I think most people do. Where I find my annoying "busy" factor kick in is when I try and take care of the people and things around me that don't exactly matter. It makes me feel important. Which in turn, my brain thinks, should make me feel happy. There's a difference between wanting to do something important (spending time with your loved ones, making a difference in the world, providing for your family) and wanting to feel important (taking on tasks for recognition). Lately, instead of wanting to do something important, my actions have shown me that I just want to feel important. Do you ever feel like that? <br />
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<h3>
"Busyness serves as a kind of existential reassurance, a hedge against
emptiness; obviously your life cannot possibly be silly or trivial or
meaningless if you are so busy, completely booked, in demand every hour
of the day." </h3>
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So, as a way to combat my bad case of the Busy Trap, I'm hiding out. Just like this author did. I'm hiding from saying "yes" to new responsibilities that I don't necessarily want to take on. Responsibilities that I would normally take on to make myself feel important. Instead, I'm going to focus on finding out what's actually important to me.<br />
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In the photos above, you can see the fun busyness that's been going on in my life!<br />
Top left to right:<br />
1. First day of selling beer at ACL. <br />
2. ACL venue statue.<br />
3. The last day of ACL. Robbie and I were exhausted!<br />
4. Some pretty lilies Robbie got for me.<br />
5. A hilarious dog at Progress Cafe.<br />
6. Wine tasting with Robbie's parents!<br />
7. Rainey Street bars with Lety and the gang.<br />
8. One of many sewing projects covering the kitchen table.<br />
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<h3>
"Life is too short to be busy."</h3>
Nikol Schillerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05379798623945600275noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412402885421440002.post-12540675596888861232012-10-02T06:10:00.004-07:002012-10-02T06:10:57.289-07:00Movers & Shakers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's true- the Californians are taking over Austin. More specifically, the Riversidians.<br />
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My two good friends, Collin and Ryan, from elementary school-college decided to move to Austin about a month ago. I've known these two knuckleheads forever; Collin since third grade and Ryan since sixth. This past weekend, Robbie and I picked them & their four bags up at the airport, housed them for two days, then dropped them off Monday morning at their new apartment complex. We feel like empty nesting parents, calling them to make sure they're finding their way around the city ok, making sure they have a couple rolls of TP at their apartment. Robbie called me yesterday at work and asked, "How are our children? Did they get to the apartment ok?" We're excited to have them live in Austin with us.<br />
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In other exciting news, my sister and brother-in-law <a href="http://www.pageonpaper.com/2012/10/on-move.html" target="_blank">are moving</a> as well! They're currently living in San Francisco and are moving to Phoenix, Arizona in a couple of weeks! I couldn't be more happy for them. As wonderful as San Francisco is and as tough as it will be for them to leave their first home together, it's a great time for the both of them to start a new adventure together. Plus, instead of being eight hours away from our hometown, Riverside, in Southern California, they'll be about four hours away.<br />
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As for Robbie and I? We're staying put in ATX for the time being. It's a pretty wonderful city and we're just beginning to look past the major attractions the city offers and really explore the nooks & crannies.Nikol Schillerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05379798623945600275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412402885421440002.post-8171234792651096752012-09-27T08:34:00.001-07:002012-09-27T08:35:17.293-07:00Catching the Sewing Bug<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Robbie's parents <a href="http://whosaustin.blogspot.com/2012/03/sew-needle-pulling-thread.html">got me a sewing machine</a> for my birthday back in March. After a failed attempt at sewing earlier this year, I finally faced my fears and pulled out the sewing machine for another crack at it.<br />
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Turns out, I just had my sewing machine threaded wrong.<br />
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My b.<br />
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Since successfully making this beauty: <br />
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I've been obsessed with sewing. I made another fun dress (courtesy of <a href="http://www.tripoverjoy.com/2010/07/diy-elastic-empire-waisted-dress.html">Trip Over Joy's tutorial</a>) and have been dying to try new tutorials.<br />
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Here are a few of sewing/crafting blogs I've come across and now adore:</div>
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<a href="http://elleapparel.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Elle Apparel </a></div>
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She's starting her own fashion line. Check out her beautiful <a href="http://elleapparel.blogspot.com/2010/11/lace-for-days-skirt.html" target="_blank">lace pencil skirt </a>and <a href="http://elleapparel.blogspot.com/2011/02/striped-cardigan.html" target="_blank">cardigan tutorials</a>.</div>
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<a href="http://sweet-verbena.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Sweet Verbena</a></div>
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I have all the supplies to make <a href="http://sweet-verbena.blogspot.com/2012/07/lined-sequin-clutch-with-zipper-tutorial.html" target="_blank">this clutch </a>and want to make <a href="http://sweet-verbena.blogspot.com/2012/07/how-to-add-pockets-to-skirt-shorts.html" target="_blank">this cute dress with pockets</a>.</div>
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<a href="http://www.comeonilene.com/" target="_blank">Come on, Ilene</a></div>
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Love her <a href="http://www.comeonilene.com/2011/07/21/the-california-here-we-come-pillow/" target="_blank">DIY California pillow</a> and pretty, <a href="http://www.comeonilene.com/2011/10/17/american-apparel-circle-scarf-knock-off-tutorial/" target="_blank">American Apparel-knock-off scarves</a>.</div>
Nikol Schillerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05379798623945600275noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412402885421440002.post-86683184175105980082012-09-25T07:40:00.001-07:002012-09-25T08:30:08.684-07:00Austin: The New HollywoodApparently <a href="http://digitaltexan.net/2012/atx-gossip/christian-bale-natalie-portman-ryan-gosling-spotted-ut-campus/article40052/" target="_blank">this incredibly handsome</a><a href="http://digitaltexan.net/2012/atx-gossip/christian-bale-natalie-portman-ryan-gosling-spotted-ut-campus/article40052/"> individual</a> is in Austin.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_hHeB4oPdOrA6phNA9qoajANQ_xxX5Y3GRH5ctZv7iCzMJoLtb1o9QxtYBCeqbikRptYqj0rtGpw69bLC4_shaJuXGi2V8Np5NjiwSOIBfHX13ldNutSxe-q-Hlm6iakr8hoLC0QU6dLm/s1600/Ryan-Gosling-51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_hHeB4oPdOrA6phNA9qoajANQ_xxX5Y3GRH5ctZv7iCzMJoLtb1o9QxtYBCeqbikRptYqj0rtGpw69bLC4_shaJuXGi2V8Np5NjiwSOIBfHX13ldNutSxe-q-Hlm6iakr8hoLC0QU6dLm/s640/Ryan-Gosling-51.jpg" width="490" /></a></div>
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(via <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0331516/" target="_blank">IMDB</a>)</div>
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As are Christian Bale and Natalie Portman. Apparently.<br />
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Robbie and I are convinced that they're filming on our street because it's been shut down for two weeks and there's no construction going on.<br />
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Curious? Definitely.<br />
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I really do think that Austin is becoming a new, cool spot for celebrities to hang out. Austin is like Hollywood's chill, younger brother who's in a band- everyone wants to hang out with him, but he doesn't get noticed as much as attention-crazed Hollywood.<br />
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Robbie and I had a celebrity run-in the other day. After playing volleyball at Zilker park with some friends, we headed to Baby A's to have their famous purple margaritas. We sat outside so the boys could watch sports on the back patio. A group of men were watching football as well and eventually got up to leave. Their bikes were right outside the patio, close to where we were sitting. <br />
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Everyone in our group started whispering and I wasn't catching on to what they were saying (must've been the purple margaritas). Finally Robbie told me, "that's Woody Harrelson."<br />
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"Who's Woody Harrelson?" immediately went through my mind. When I looked over at him, I saw HAYMITCH from the Hunger Games unlocking his bike and riding away.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_IrzfObeNKuX7UJtwvESCnJlLfxN2G1NiuFymhQSRWKqvBCapAcsX4LMsl6vhrBgS1XRqMu3tvDG3cIaEMDYYpShYqtuStVVATX8Bj2P5dWEBHQGrRGkgyRdo9IqVQLCMGXxz11itdg5W/s1600/Woody_Harrelson_2009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_IrzfObeNKuX7UJtwvESCnJlLfxN2G1NiuFymhQSRWKqvBCapAcsX4LMsl6vhrBgS1XRqMu3tvDG3cIaEMDYYpShYqtuStVVATX8Bj2P5dWEBHQGrRGkgyRdo9IqVQLCMGXxz11itdg5W/s640/Woody_Harrelson_2009.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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(via <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Woody_Harrelson_2009.jpg" target="_blank">Wiki</a>)</div>
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Such is the tale of when I could've been Woody Harrelson's date to the next Hunger Games premiere.<br />
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Bummer.Nikol Schillerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05379798623945600275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412402885421440002.post-90962157525192424892012-09-24T07:58:00.000-07:002012-09-24T07:58:03.097-07:00Poolside reading<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Happy Monday, my friends! <br />
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My favorite kinds of weekends are the ones spent reading by the pool. That's exactly what I did on Saturday AND Sunday. How spoiled am I? Robbie spent most of the weekend watching football and golfing. We joked that our best times together are the times we spend apart. :)<br />
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I have a fat stack of books on my bedside table right now and got two of those babies finished this weekend.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Defining-Decade-Twenties-Matter--And/dp/0446561762/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348497499&sr=8-1&keywords=the+defining+decade" target="_blank">The Defining Decade</a> by Dr. Meg Jay: Totally recommend this book to my 20-something friends who are feeling a little lost about finding a life path that's fulfilling. Dr. Meg does a great job pointing out how your twenties prepare you for happiness in your thirties. <br />
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<a href="http://happiness-project.com/" target="_blank">The Happiness Project</a> by Gretchen Rubin: This book makes you want to embrace your true-inner passions. Like reading by the pool all weekend. This book makes you want to create your own "happiness project," which is totally doable with Gretchen's <a href="http://happiness-project.com/" target="_blank">awesome website</a>. <br />
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What's the best kind of weekend for you? Also, what are your favorite books? Send them my way! I'm always looking for new reading material.<br />
<br />Have a great Monday, y'all.Nikol Schillerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05379798623945600275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412402885421440002.post-14524571094967321762012-09-21T09:08:00.000-07:002012-09-21T09:08:30.683-07:00Starting the Chronicles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My dream when I first started Who's Austin was to interview the people I met in Austin. I wanted to chronicle the weird and interesting people I came across and take their picture for my blog. <br />
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The truth is, despite studying journalism for four years, it's still nerve-wracking for me to ask people to take their picture. Talking to people, interviewing them- not so much a problem. I can ask questions until the end of time. But when I have to whip out my big, ol' Nikon, I get behind-the-camera-shy.<br />
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To get out of this funk, I decided to start with baby steps. I asked Robbie if I could start my chronicles with him. He was sweet enough to go along with it and was a good sport about me taking his picture and talking to me about Austin.<br />
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Robbie and I moved here earlier this year in January because he got a fantastic sales job. He originally was going to be placed in San Antonio, but when he interned for his company six months before he officially started, he chose to intern in Austin. Little did Robbie know that this internship would eventually cause his company to re-place him in Austin. And can you actually believe it- we were MAD that we were going to live in Austin rather than San Antonio. We had no clue that Austin is way better. :)<br />
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Robbie's a true Michigander that was transplanted to San Diego right before high school started. He actually goes by Robert (his friends and family all call him Robert), but I was introduced to him as Robbie as a joke and have been wrongfully calling him Robbie ever since. We met and started dating in college in San Luis Obispo, California- the most beautiful place on earth.<br />
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Robbie has a great sense of humor and he has a hot, hockey player bod. There! I said it. I have a smokin' hot boyfriend. <br />
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Here's my interview/Saturday afternoon conversation with Robbie:<br />
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N: Where's the best place to get a beer in Austin?<br />
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R: <a href="http://www.unclebillys.com/" target="_blank">Uncle Billy's</a>. You can sit outside, there's always sports on and it's really close to our house.<br />
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N: What kind of beer do you like from there?<br />
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R: The Agave beer.<br />
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N: What's the weirdest thing you've seen in Austin?<br />
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R: I've seen a lot of dogs paddleboarding. Let me think of something weirder... Have we seen anything weird here?<br />
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N: Yes! Remember that weird bicycle/car we saw driving downtown? It was half bike, half car?<br />
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R: That's not weird. Oh! What about the Texas Longhorns guy? The way he moves his knees is scary.<br />
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(We recently went to a UT football game and at the game we spotted the band leader who was dressed head to toe as a cowboy. He stood still while the band members marched in and moved his legs so it looked like he was shaking his booty at us. Check it out in <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqr0nmugDNk&feature=related" target="_blank">this video</a> at about 17 seconds in. You can see the cowboy standing still in white. Hilarious at the time, I swear.)<br />
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N: That is a good one. Ok, tell me about your mancave.<br />
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R: I have to have a big TV and I have to have HDTV or I'll die. It's my way to escape. Not that I need to escape from anyone...<br />
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(Long, awkward pause)<br />
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... I also love having your iPad to gamble on. This is my favorite spot. Saturday, sitting on my lumpy couch with holes in it. <br />
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N: What's your favorite thing to do here in Austin?<br />
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R: I like getting out of the hustle and bustle of the city. Like going to Hamilton Pool and like <a href="http://whosaustin.blogspot.com/2012/09/smashing-good-time.html" target="_blank">the thing</a> we went to yesterday.<br />
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N: Tell me about "the thing" we went to yesterday.<br />
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R: That was just a huge gathering of rednecks. It was a demolition derby. So you get there and there's bleachers set up around a mud pit. There's a bunch of rednecks in cars- they're pretty good mechanics, so they've fixed their cars up pretty good. They get together and they ram into the back of each others' cars.<br />
<br />It was interesting to see who had been there before and who hadn't. Some people came early and were sitting in the bleachers with blankets. Some other people came prepared and brought coolers to stand on so they could see over the bleachers. Everyone was really into it.<br />
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It was BYOB and they didn't charge me for my little cooler because it was too small. They felt sorry for me. Now we know how to do it next year- bring a big cooler to stand on!<br />
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N: What do you miss about San Diego?<br />
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R: I miss the weather. I miss being close to my family. Contrary to popular belief, I don't miss the ocean. I am happy there's water here, though. I used to miss knowing where everything was. It was kind of a shock getting here and not knowing where to get a beer or where the closest Target was. You get over that. It only takes about six months!<br />
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Oh- I also miss not having a professional sports team in town. Austin's pretty torn (between Houston and Dallas), especially when it comes to professional sports. No one really cheers for the same team. Everyone roots for different teams because there isn't one here.<br />
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N: Have you made good friends here?<br />
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R: Mmmhmm. Making friends was easy because I had you and I had Phil. The less you're trying, the easier it is to make friends. You go to places with the one or two other people you do know and you start to make friends fast.<br />
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N: Would you recommend someone our age moving to a different state by themselves?<br />
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R: Look at that squirrel!<br />
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(There's a squirrel outside trying not to get wet because it's raining)<br />
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N: Oh! He's cute!<br />
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R: I wouldn't recommend it to people who aren't going to put themselves out there. You have to be willing to just go to a bar by yourself. It helps if you have people at work who are the same age as you. You just need to find one person and you're good. So no, (laughs) I really wouldn't recommend it!<br />
Nikol Schillerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05379798623945600275noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412402885421440002.post-28829058936023614262012-09-20T09:08:00.000-07:002012-09-20T09:13:39.969-07:00Smashing Good Time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoSvnHEsZiBBaGtunbrYZtWYmTu8RLIhQF9mvnr2O3poWCRgAdg1x0f031NnwlCvCI_p_4FBdl7qJXsb2IZNmk7iDFKorkGJMk_g3TX9p2Fih9bb_UqpZ2OaWIZ8dZMdJdKkqLW2nUOMQF/s1600/DSC_1164_zpsd5c58757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoSvnHEsZiBBaGtunbrYZtWYmTu8RLIhQF9mvnr2O3poWCRgAdg1x0f031NnwlCvCI_p_4FBdl7qJXsb2IZNmk7iDFKorkGJMk_g3TX9p2Fih9bb_UqpZ2OaWIZ8dZMdJdKkqLW2nUOMQF/s640/DSC_1164_zpsd5c58757.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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It took me and Robbie an hour and three stops to get to Spicewood Springs. We thought it would take 20 minutes, but Google Maps fooled us and took us to three different locations that were supposedly where this demolition derby was taking place.<br />
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I guess technology really is only as smart the user...<br />
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When we got there, we were in for a true, Texas treat. We arrived with a tiny cooler full of beer and no clue what to expect. We walked in to the derby to the sounds of people cheering and cars revving. We stood behind what looked like high school football bleachers that were set up around a makeshift track. Being five-foot-three really has its disadvantages, sometimes. I could barely see the cars smashing into each other when the blow horn started the round. The kind mom sitting on the top bleacher in front of where I was standing offered me the family's ice chest to stand on. Lots of people were doing this to get a good look at the cars driving around. <br />
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Eventually, Robbie and I made it to a prime bleacher spot and settled in to cheer for our favorite cars.<br />
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We couldn't help but cheer on the maroon Texas A&M car that came out for the second round of the derby. Our friends, Phil and Chad, were watching the Texas A&M game while we watched the A&M car get smashed up.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq93M2C-7lI_zNkm0HJqiuAGqPVS9RaL9GeXiuUCqMVuBZyih37uQTErBzdMYZtUWXUlP96c1Z_xxdEHj0p2OBXZ7Zgu2xiN1ZMIR-5zoftfjabvKTvxtKFO3LGDpS2cgKG3N5FQHBb0lC/s1600/DSC_1167_zpsb17cee31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq93M2C-7lI_zNkm0HJqiuAGqPVS9RaL9GeXiuUCqMVuBZyih37uQTErBzdMYZtUWXUlP96c1Z_xxdEHj0p2OBXZ7Zgu2xiN1ZMIR-5zoftfjabvKTvxtKFO3LGDpS2cgKG3N5FQHBb0lC/s640/DSC_1167_zpsb17cee31.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh70lVKZfHk4-1Kzj2nmvEtslGS_2-wJzTslBrX9jI0ul9T4V5Q0-w4HKGppBNzIEyqh0Ts0prUV6TWFzHEqCKFdxoxISl7Sy00Tl7tFcLkOpUim1Mq8sFo_ACsMqV_1T0X7My98pm9Jsav/s1600/DSC_1169_zps8a5b2e8a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh70lVKZfHk4-1Kzj2nmvEtslGS_2-wJzTslBrX9jI0ul9T4V5Q0-w4HKGppBNzIEyqh0Ts0prUV6TWFzHEqCKFdxoxISl7Sy00Tl7tFcLkOpUim1Mq8sFo_ACsMqV_1T0X7My98pm9Jsav/s640/DSC_1169_zps8a5b2e8a.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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As one derby-attendee said, "welcome to my rather unusual community- a demographic mix of wealthy retirees, cosmic cowboys, goat farmers, Southern Baptists, meth addics and tattoo fanatics. And the thing that brings us all together? Smashing cars."<span style="font-family: monospace;"></span>Nikol Schillerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05379798623945600275noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412402885421440002.post-63891827088967045382012-09-18T06:51:00.001-07:002012-09-18T14:11:12.690-07:00My Sad BookshelfYesterday, I did the laundry dance. You know the one where you arrive at the laundry room in your apartment complex and all of the washing machines are full? So you keep checking to see when the sucker moves their clothes from the washing machines to the dryer? Such is the life of an apartment dweller. After walking back to my apartment a second time after checking if the machines were free- they were not- I noticed that one of my neighbors has the most amazing apartment ever. He has SEVEN bookcases! SEVEN. This is our one, lonesome, empty sad little bookshelf:<br />
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Sad, I know.<br />
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Can you spot <a href="http://whosaustin.blogspot.com/2012/01/puppy-fever.html">my doggy fund</a> and our decorated wine glasses from <a href="http://whosaustin.blogspot.com/2012/08/diy-wine-tasting.html">our Michigan trip</a>? <br />
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At my California home, I have this really great, rich, chocolate brown book shelf that's overflowing with books in my bedroom. These days, with how quick and easy it is to read on my iPad, I find myself buying fewer and fewer books and downloading books more often. Do you find yourself doing the same or are you keeping Barnes & Noble in business?<br />
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Here are some wonderful libraries to be inspired by today:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirMW9RYiBzhe4jHFOvXnBGvUjIYRxf4iku0JM-rbOUbEvVcX1U_aM__eafQaR1BtfsUReAstG5fFqt5nX2iL84mUQCyVql7v_RtIKyvvZjgClRy_Ns9YAsQuis463Tnup00wIHVapvwtKu/s1600/tumblr_m32qnt1mv61qzl7pko1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirMW9RYiBzhe4jHFOvXnBGvUjIYRxf4iku0JM-rbOUbEvVcX1U_aM__eafQaR1BtfsUReAstG5fFqt5nX2iL84mUQCyVql7v_RtIKyvvZjgClRy_Ns9YAsQuis463Tnup00wIHVapvwtKu/s640/tumblr_m32qnt1mv61qzl7pko1_500.jpg" width="470" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">source: <a href="http://appleday.tumblr.com/post/21839403782">appleday</a>; via <a href="http://hautefavesdeux.tumblr.com/post/22253768029">Haut Faves Deux</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyV8lnvskE9nwkzhjsD8ZSDZSlxnqdZ639j8DR5KiSvCS8ALDKuzfXJIsZ4-X0b6o282AYlGWTX8lgNSei4NB2Y46q1MCdbLKwYMnuqLm3NJMOdforF-9mND7moaPuji1Ue3gMwxpHb07K/s1600/Acevedo_ikat-sofa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyV8lnvskE9nwkzhjsD8ZSDZSlxnqdZ639j8DR5KiSvCS8ALDKuzfXJIsZ4-X0b6o282AYlGWTX8lgNSei4NB2Y46q1MCdbLKwYMnuqLm3NJMOdforF-9mND7moaPuji1Ue3gMwxpHb07K/s640/Acevedo_ikat-sofa.jpg" width="518" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(source: <a href="http://photoarchive.1stdibs.com/search?photographer=Melanie+Acevedo">Melanie Acevedo</a>; via <a href="http://www.katyelliott.com/blog/2011/08/vintage-ikat-sofa.html">Katy Elliot</a>)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrjqLTVhZkrQ3KAKzFMnWlRU-oixTsbByD7C0Sp4c0HUFuqANmFTxhm1fJSIEJ2wkdpia4PfTLBZUjzzFwsiRXgxZKYcYqNo24vOnGmp6w9YRXjrzCuWYuz_BsZcKpbReHhiDRiRk0-eq6/s1600/1.1333957671.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrjqLTVhZkrQ3KAKzFMnWlRU-oixTsbByD7C0Sp4c0HUFuqANmFTxhm1fJSIEJ2wkdpia4PfTLBZUjzzFwsiRXgxZKYcYqNo24vOnGmp6w9YRXjrzCuWYuz_BsZcKpbReHhiDRiRk0-eq6/s640/1.1333957671.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(source & via: <a href="http://nicety.livejournal.com/1132799.html">here)</a></span> </div>
Nikol Schillerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05379798623945600275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412402885421440002.post-82463421569274637582012-09-17T07:20:00.000-07:002012-09-17T07:20:50.455-07:00Rain, Rain, Don't Go Away<br />
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This cool, rainy weather made my weekend so relaxing. I finished Mad Men season 4, sewed another dress (tutorial and pictures coming soon!), went to a hardcore demolition derby, finished The Defining Decade (book recommendation also coming soon!) and spent some quality time with Robbie.<br />
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Here are a couple of fun internet finds to keep your weekend going just a tad bit longer this Monday morning:<br /><a href="http://followgram.me/nikolvirginia" target="_blank"></a><span id="goog_1640979168"></span><span id="goog_1640979169"></span><br />
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Loving little Mad Men actress Kirenan Shipka's <a href="http://opusbeauty.com/blog/grazia-uk-featuring-actress-kiernan-shipka-styled-by-robert-behar" target="_blank">great sense of style</a>.</div>
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Can't wait for Parks & Rec season five to start THIS week. Check out some cute cats that look like <a href="http://catsthatlooklikeronswanson.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Ron Swanson</a>.<br />
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Speaking of excellent t.v. shows, take a look at my sister's <a href="http://www.pageonpaper.com/2012/09/top-5-thursdays.html" target="_blank">Top 5 Fall TV Shows</a>.<br />
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I have nothing but crafting on my mind lately! Can't wait to make <a href="http://sweet-verbena.blogspot.com/2012/07/lined-sequin-clutch-with-zipper-tutorial.html" target="_blank">this clutch</a> and these <a href="http://www.beautylish.com/f/yzrmyi" target="_blank">mason jars</a>. <br />
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For those of you who are feeling a little lost about life right now, I totally recommend these two books: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Defining-Decade-Twenties-Matter-And/dp/0446561762" target="_blank">Defining Decade</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Happiness-Project-Morning-Aristotle-Generally/dp/006158326X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1347649517&sr=1-1&keywords=happiness+project" target="_blank">The Happiness Project</a>. <br />
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Can't stop saying <a href="http://weknowmemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/ermahgerd-snuhr.jpg" target="_blank">this phrase </a>at work.<br />
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If I had the <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/summeranne/this-is-the-worlds-tallest-dog" target="_blank">world's tallest dog</a>, I'd probably ride him to work.<br />
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Happy Monday, my friends!Nikol Schillerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05379798623945600275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412402885421440002.post-75896310338124591252012-09-13T13:58:00.001-07:002012-09-13T13:58:47.061-07:00Becoming a comedy enthusiast<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggAtVBMQfFMCeUPZOr_Xw0gx9jsk4W6tRQI7v1L710rNuVKF6-olmqJkUoKZoF7WczmQ5Ivbd6ifEJLjbff1-3QrttMRLsG_HxekojeVC9cCGIrvehb0ZNj1SVDqp7xb7cd_tdz5yL9q74/s1600/DSCF3417-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggAtVBMQfFMCeUPZOr_Xw0gx9jsk4W6tRQI7v1L710rNuVKF6-olmqJkUoKZoF7WczmQ5Ivbd6ifEJLjbff1-3QrttMRLsG_HxekojeVC9cCGIrvehb0ZNj1SVDqp7xb7cd_tdz5yL9q74/s640/DSCF3417-1.jpg" width="480" /> </a></div>
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I recently told Robbie that I've decided to be a "comedy enthusiast."</div>
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I tell him things like that sometimes. </div>
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I love Saturday Night Live (please look at <a href="http://mylifethroughkristenwiig.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">this tumblr </a>and try not to laugh). I listen to <a href="http://www.comedy1027.com/" target="_blank">comedy on the radio</a> on the way home from work. I love watching comedians on Netflicks (especially <a href="http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Kevin_Hart_Laugh_at_My_Pain/70211216?locale=en-US" target="_blank">Kevin Hart</a>). I just love laughing. </div>
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When Kat came to town, we decided to catch the tail-end of the <a href="http://www.outofboundscomedy.com/" target="_blank">Out Of Bounds Comedy Festival</a> that was in town.</div>
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Now, I have to admit: Robbie and I are not coffee house type people. We're Starbucks people. Not that we have anything against cool, indie coffee houses. We just aren't cool enough to embrace the indie-ness of a true coffee house. Which means we're regular, old, conforming, consumer-America Starbucks lovers.</div>
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So when we arrived at The Hideout and found out that the improv comedy show we were seeing was at a coffee house, our palms got a little sweaty. <i>We are so not cool enough for this, </i>we all thought when we walked into the coffee house. </div>
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We got even more nervous and felt even more uncool when we entered the theater area of the coffee house, which seated about 20 people. Robbie swore that if they asked for any audience participation, he was outta there. It didn't help that all the "comedy enthusiasts" (is that even a thing?) who had attended the festival all week started showing up and laughing about all the shows they had been to. </div>
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<br />We were so out of the loop.</div>
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The show got rolling with a three-person Austin-based group (drawing a blank on the name!). About two minutes into the show, we forgot how out-of-place we felt and were laughing our heads off. By the time the next crew came on, we had tears in our eyes from laughing so hard.<br />
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We saw a San Francisco-based trio, <a href="http://www.3forall.com/" target="_blank">Three For All</a>, that completely blew us away. Please, please, please- if you're in the SF area, you MUST go see these three, no matter the cost. They put on a great show.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB3wdVTISpd6fDqlv76TbVg1LsUgihKxf44PkLDGo3xhTMU9Cv2Xvp1s5BgI78-J_LLI3IbHSdnc8RcBegkEWUcDwDXbElf240SOUoC9slfhtjHlEiXmwksXUFlr4sncLS29A7VSFR0rkp/s1600/DSCF3415.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB3wdVTISpd6fDqlv76TbVg1LsUgihKxf44PkLDGo3xhTMU9Cv2Xvp1s5BgI78-J_LLI3IbHSdnc8RcBegkEWUcDwDXbElf240SOUoC9slfhtjHlEiXmwksXUFlr4sncLS29A7VSFR0rkp/s640/DSCF3415.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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(Three For All; p.s. this photo is for you, Kat. Cancun Hero song!) </div>
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We all walked out of the show smiling, happy that we tried something new.<br />
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As for me becoming a "comedy enthusiast?" I'm working on finding a new cool coffee shop that hosts improv comedy as my next weekend adventure. <br />
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Nikol Schillerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05379798623945600275noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412402885421440002.post-36816017801812569392012-09-12T08:05:00.003-07:002012-09-12T08:05:39.121-07:00Kendra Scott- EVERYWHERE!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRE3_lueMZ8g5nQowqCVqU9jrP09BeldrdASuBp0IGrrAuhCixGbjLC06G-HZhdSki_4To4DUGsc5p6tT098PklJLS62DrEV3K2PbhQ8DdFLfY_s7HIAydt3GhFW8Cod7LuruiTOpaJ3n0/s1600/DSCF3519.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRE3_lueMZ8g5nQowqCVqU9jrP09BeldrdASuBp0IGrrAuhCixGbjLC06G-HZhdSki_4To4DUGsc5p6tT098PklJLS62DrEV3K2PbhQ8DdFLfY_s7HIAydt3GhFW8Cod7LuruiTOpaJ3n0/s640/DSCF3519.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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When Kat was in town a couple weeks ago, one place that was a "must" on her to-do list was visit Kendra Scott, a boutique jewelry store on South Congress.<br />
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The Kendra Scott name has been popping up a lot lately. A couple months ago, after Kat sent me a text message about her love for Kendra Scott, I got a Facebook invite to the Kendra Scott Fall Launch Party. Shortly after that, the Kendra Scott name emerged once again when I learned that a friend of a friend, the lovely and talented <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cristina-Facundo-Wardrobe-Stylist/213971338700954" target="_blank">Cristina Facundo,</a> styled the popular <a href="http://www.youplusstyle.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/kendra-scott-403x350.jpeg" target="_blank">Kendra Scott ad</a> that's plastered everywhere around town. <br />
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Kendra Scott certainly is alive and well in the city of Austin.<br />
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Kat and I found ourselves in seventh heaven when we walked into the Kendra Scott boutique. Kendra Scott jewelry has a signature look. The pieces are vibrant and big, but elegant all at the same time.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3FuRlXEOwIpHtjKYWuNspZ45K8GBKfw3KXEEH5C0TT0o1JMW_ew6GL9eOrQPLKcFrnujnQR-vj-ODwHoZERaV3CqSc-QpSLcPJVnyqXl5-ll924ekmT3UTi5yhpornbx0N06LQYrntzbO/s1600/DSCF3514.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3FuRlXEOwIpHtjKYWuNspZ45K8GBKfw3KXEEH5C0TT0o1JMW_ew6GL9eOrQPLKcFrnujnQR-vj-ODwHoZERaV3CqSc-QpSLcPJVnyqXl5-ll924ekmT3UTi5yhpornbx0N06LQYrntzbO/s640/DSCF3514.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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The boutique itself is so interactive. Signs everywhere encouraged us to try on jewelry, open cabinets, flip through an iPad... Kendra Scott knows her audience!<br />
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Kat ended up with this beautiful bracelet:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq6M_z_ZcSJQJtEW41nDVEdGr5uzOTI0jMbj-kIzB3whD-Ll9PWt-gbxTEQOjbf8IPiPE3eLEB5IGppWtubNK-wjKi-k1MmqNbh8-kxoOZeZ_qci3bwLnw_7aAy2kJ_86ASJMs_rqmYbVd/s1600/DSCF3516.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq6M_z_ZcSJQJtEW41nDVEdGr5uzOTI0jMbj-kIzB3whD-Ll9PWt-gbxTEQOjbf8IPiPE3eLEB5IGppWtubNK-wjKi-k1MmqNbh8-kxoOZeZ_qci3bwLnw_7aAy2kJ_86ASJMs_rqmYbVd/s640/DSCF3516.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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We loved the "Color Bar" where you could create your own, unique piece of jewelry. You chose the type of jewelry, the shape and the stone color. Doesn't that sound like a fun bachelorette party activity??<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmicboLQWGTV949ALrXNdTlP5JuLVax3_J0z1ZaB_YBVlRNcsWNjcQX91jKF4iNTlZrmMwg0cMY-SDd17-0L7jNS4vhfyULVHfl2sOQHgEs61_Sz_y-UzfUoiWf1wcyH1KkYpyQtpUy0ID/s1600/DSCF3517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmicboLQWGTV949ALrXNdTlP5JuLVax3_J0z1ZaB_YBVlRNcsWNjcQX91jKF4iNTlZrmMwg0cMY-SDd17-0L7jNS4vhfyULVHfl2sOQHgEs61_Sz_y-UzfUoiWf1wcyH1KkYpyQtpUy0ID/s640/DSCF3517.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Even her dang business cards were adorable.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTa2qRJ6wPx-Aig8s4FaTd7drtbY66C1YIoDwslCIv7cDULocBb2aP-5gdw6toNyenWjOg5JCklzZBtSSd-Oc0zSxC-ChDnqg77dTDpvJTZQPUI6XeIYyYlNdHggGesaInnK5bonpptpca/s1600/DSCF3520.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTa2qRJ6wPx-Aig8s4FaTd7drtbY66C1YIoDwslCIv7cDULocBb2aP-5gdw6toNyenWjOg5JCklzZBtSSd-Oc0zSxC-ChDnqg77dTDpvJTZQPUI6XeIYyYlNdHggGesaInnK5bonpptpca/s640/DSCF3520.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Kendra Scott, girl- you've got it goin' on.Nikol Schillerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05379798623945600275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412402885421440002.post-33288667993097144852012-08-31T08:00:00.001-07:002012-08-31T08:01:22.485-07:00Miss Katerina<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl0aLSKgRA9Z_x24m6cLuei6oY9r1HqMtBaM1kvqNpXevNgvT2brlHUlgplcfPslRfxL_mKWxpF6YRGoL2I3MJGkwl1srcscixBZ4SFj39jEfCqhJv2V85F-eG6lSq7XnTd6ldAMslM1Lu/s1600/2302_65692063711_9149_n1(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl0aLSKgRA9Z_x24m6cLuei6oY9r1HqMtBaM1kvqNpXevNgvT2brlHUlgplcfPslRfxL_mKWxpF6YRGoL2I3MJGkwl1srcscixBZ4SFj39jEfCqhJv2V85F-eG6lSq7XnTd6ldAMslM1Lu/s640/2302_65692063711_9149_n1(1).jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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When Kat, or Katerina as I like to call her, and I met our freshman year in college, we instantly bonded over our weirdness. Kat's the kind of friend that I feel like I've known since birth. We're both prone to dancing and singing (like the picture above) when sweet jams are on. We love The Office and How I Met Your Mother. We make weird noises. And she's one of the few who I don't mind snuggling with in bed (I'm <i>not</i> a very cuddly person).<br />
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When you have a friend like Kat that you feel like you've known since forever, it's hard to differentiate what I liked/what I did pre-Kat-era because it feels like she's been around forever. Do you have friends like that?<br />
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I met Kat when she was dating a close friend of mine our freshman year in college. She and I obviously hit it off pretty well, but it didn't really occur me that we'd be close, long-term friends until our sophomore year in college. Kat and I were living together and I was having an especially hard time after a tough break up with a boyfriend. Weeks went by, maybe even a month or two, after we had broken up and I was still pretty torn up about it. Kat knew how sad I was and left me the sweetest card on my desk for me to find. Her kind words and thoughtful gesture made it really click in my mind that she was a great friend that I needed to hang on to for a long, long time.<br />
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This weekend, Robbie and I are lucky to have Kat from today all the way til Monday. <br />
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Here are a couple more photos of Kat and me from our college days. Just for kicks.<br />
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Us being<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/discoweasel/329706070/" target="_blank"> ice monkeys</a> while we bake:<br />
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Hitting the bars at 6 a.m. on graduation morning: <br />
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And us just being normal. :) <br />
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Love you, Katerina!Nikol Schillerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05379798623945600275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412402885421440002.post-87591246369211830602012-08-30T07:16:00.004-07:002012-08-30T07:16:58.062-07:00The never-ending game<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On Saturday morning, we hung out on the giant lawn at the lake house. We played some badminton, ate some lunch, rode the jetskis and best of all- got a little sunshine.<br />
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We knew something was up when Robbie's Uncle Lew started surveying the lawn. He nonchalantly walked from one end of the lawn to the other, checking out trees and hills and the beach. Finally, he was ready to show us what he was up to. Amidst all the surveying, Lew laid out croquet wickets from one end of the lawn to the other. And not in easy places. Some were right alongside the lawn-to-beach ridge, some were next to trees and others... well, they had some Fireball whiskey next to them.<br />
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Here's Uncle Lew walking us through his cross-country croquet course.<br />
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We drew cards to randomly pick teammates and it was clear that some of the teams were stacked.<br />
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Matt & Dianne:<br />
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Sydney & Pam & Hayden:<br />
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Jessie & Tim:<br />
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Robbie & David (they definitely rigged the team assignments). <br />
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Eric & Marilyn:<br />
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Me & Sam:<br />
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And finally the mastermind himself, Lew and Mark:<br />
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When we started, we had no clue that the game was going to take hours. We thought, eh- an hour tops. WE WERE SO WRONG.<br />
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Lew had <i>very</i> specific instructions when he showed us the course. For example, at this wicket you couldn't just go through it, you had to go through it a specific way. You had to go through it tree-side out to the open side. <br />
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For this wicket, you had to go through the wicket and take a swig of Fireball or some kind of butterscotch liqueur. We didn't mind this rule too much.<br />
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The worst was hitting it on the beach. There was a ridge from the lawn to the beach that made it near impossible to get back onto the lawn. Here's Uncle Mark helping Matt get back onto the lawn by making a ball runway.<br />
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Paddle added for a extra insurance. :)<br />
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And yes, Matt was a champ and made it up the ramp in one shot!<br />
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Marilyn going through the Fireball wicket.<br />
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Brotherly love.<br />
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This was another tough hole. The lawn sloped toward the beach, so nearly everyone ended up on the beach at some point.<br />
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Like me and my partner. I hit it on the beach and our ball ended up in the water (whoops!). Poor Sam had to take a swing at our floating ball.<br />
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After a couple swing and misses (the ball kept floating away!), Sam finally hit it back up onto the lawn. <br />
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Roberto and me. :)<br />
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Hayden hung in the game as long as she could til she got bored and decided the beach was more fun. <br />
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Somehow these guys got way ahead of the rest of us.<br />
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The game was taking a LOT longer than we thought, so we moved the Fireball to another wicket!<br />
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Lakeside view. The lake house was gorgeous and had a beautiful view of sunsets at night.<br />
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These two held on to the paddle that helped them get back onto the lawn and used it whenever they needed a little extra help. They called him Mr. Fix-it.<br />
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After quite a few hours, these boys finally won, fair and square. Nobody was even close to catching up to them!<br />
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We heard that there was a bachelor party going on a couple cabins down from us, so Uncle Lew and a couple others headed over to check it out. Of course we had to bring some Franzia. This particular group of gentlemen were British! They had never heard of "slapping the bag." Yes, I know what you're thinking and yes, we DO keep it pretty classy at the lake with Franzia and Fireball.</div>
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We had the best time in Michigan.<br />
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Can we please go back?Nikol Schillerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05379798623945600275noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412402885421440002.post-16572551043890086762012-08-27T09:25:00.001-07:002012-08-27T09:27:27.997-07:00DIY Wine Tasting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Robbie and I traveled a LOT this summer, but most of our trips were weekend trips which meant quick turnaround times. For our trip to Michigan, we finally got to take a trip that was longer than just a couple days. It's amazing how long Thursday-Sunday feels when you're relaxing at a lake house!<br />
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We woke up at 3:00 a.m. to pack and catch our 5 a.m. flight a couple Thursdays ago for our last summer vacation trip to Michigan. Fifteen hours later, we made it to the lake house in Michigan. The original plan was to go wine tasting on Friday, but instead of going to a winery we opted to create our own wine tasting experience at the lake house!<br />
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First, we had to get the goods. We went to Shay Station Friday morning to get some exotic beer. Yes, beer. For wine tasting. You'll see.<br />
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They had a fun selection of wine, but we were already stocked up at the lake house with California and Michigan wines. The moms and aunts were prepared with their wine picks.<br />
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Shay Station had a cool vibe. It reminded me of a Speakeasy. And there was a young boy playing piano for tips. He was great.<br />
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Robbie with his Texas beer.<br />
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The weather was absolutely perfect in Michigan. I don't think it was hotter than 75 the entire time we were there.<br />
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The masterminds behind the lake house wine extravaganza. Robbie's Aunt Pam (on the left) and his mom (on the right) organized the entire wine tasting day. <br />
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We took some time in the morning decorating wine glasses with glitter paint. You can see a decorated wine glass in Robbie's mom's hand.<br />
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Then, everyone split up for about an hour and created four different wine
tasting stations. After we were done with the set up, the tour started.<br />
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First up: Beertopia. <br />
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You can see at the bottom of the list, there's a map for us to follow. :) First up, the Red Horse Flats cabin. We walked from the big lake house to the smaller cabin right down the road.<br />
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The Beertopia crew! Sam, Jessie and David. Don't you love their hats?<br />
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Sam did a great job explaining the different types of beer. <br />
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They had the best sign by far.<br />
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Even Hayden, Jessie's little girl, wanted in on the Beertopia action. She got tastings of blue vitamin water. :)<br />
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Syd's cute wine tasting glass.<br />
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Next up was the California winery. Here's Robbie practicing his wine facts.<br />
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He started off with a excellent demonstration on how to open a wine bottle.<br />
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Then we tried all kinds of wine. <br />
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Next was the Pontoon Winery where we tried all kinds of Michigan wines. We loved the background music that played on repeat- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0O0nzkESTI" target="_blank">"Pontoon"</a> by Little Big Town! Aunt Pam and Syd were the hostesses. <br />
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Pam did a great job telling us about all the wines and Sam did a great job pouring for us!<br />
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Robbie's brother David's glass, my glass and "Hob's" glass. We called Robbie Hob all weekend long. According to Wikipedia, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickname" target="_blank">Hob</a> is an acceptable nickname for Robert. So is Hob, Dob, Rob, Bob and Nob. Now you know! (Bill Nye, anyone?)<br />
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The "kids" on the trip.<br />
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What a pretty view!<br />
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The whole gang on the way to the last station.<br />
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The last station was the finale! Robbie's Uncle Lew was very secretive when setting up his station, so we knew he was up to something sneaky.<br />
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Welcome to...<br />
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Luigi Da Fireball Vineyards! The one and only station where we sipped on whiskey instead of wine!<br />
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Uncle Lew with his pirate friend.<br />
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Part of Uncle Lew's spectacular presentation was having the Fireball Whiskey shipped in via zipline. David was in on the zipline surprise. He snuck away and when Uncle Lew said it was time for us to try the whiskey, David released the whiskey package and it flew down the hill on the zipline to Uncle Lew's station.<br />
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Lew had a couple of different selections you could pick at the Luigi Da Fireball Vineyards on his tasting board. Here's everyone checking out the board.<br />
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After each tasting, we got stickers to put on our wine tasting glasses.<br />
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Me and Robbie's mom, Marilyn!<br />
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The zipline was a hit! Everyone took a ride, and I mean everyone. Grandmas, aunts, uncles and even little cousins. <br />
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More photos coming soon of our epic cross-country croquet game!Nikol Schillerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05379798623945600275noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412402885421440002.post-82374617849604807842012-08-24T08:25:00.001-07:002012-08-24T08:27:54.961-07:00Wishing for cooler weather<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Our trip to Michigan last weekend was one for the books. I'm pretty sure we were laughing from the time we touched down in Michigan to the time we left. Next week I'll share pictures from our epic wine tour and five hour cross country croquet face-off.<br />
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The best part of Michigan- besides the people, of course- was the weather! I had to wear a sweater the entire time I was there. The brisk mornings, chilly evenings and little bit of rain that we got in Michigan was such a treat compared to the sticky Texas heat.<br />
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Friends, I hope you have a wonderful weekend. I'll be curling up with a book and playing on my sewing machine; Michigan's weather got me in the mood for fall season. Cool weather, get here already!Nikol Schillerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05379798623945600275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412402885421440002.post-83829063767781635752012-08-23T07:29:00.000-07:002012-08-23T07:29:07.598-07:00Beating the heat<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The heat was pretty brutal while Kyle and Ashley were here, so to beat the heat we took a little river floating trip (my favorite thing to do when it's 100+ degrees outside). Brittany from <a href="http://thesecondhandmagpie.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Secondhand Magpie</a> joined our adventure with her two adorable dogs and fun husband, Micah. </div>
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The working boys. Robbie has met these cool friends from work. They're the greatest.<br />
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And The Chad! We don't know where he came from...<br />
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The water was a little lower than last time and less cold. Or maybe I was just prepared for the chilly water this time around. Either way, it was so very refreshing. Within the first couple of minutes of hopping on in my tube, I got the camera wet. Prepare for some very blurry photos ahead!</div>
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Roberto. Typical.<br />
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The boys. Love Micah's face in this one!<br />
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And Robbie's in this one.<br />
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Brittany and her adorable puppies! They were so great! They stayed in their tubes and floated with us all day. Brittany and Micah are great dog parents. When Robbie and I get a puppy (still have my <a href="http://whosaustin.blogspot.com/2012/01/puppy-fever.html" target="_blank">puppy fund</a> going!), they'll have to teach us a thing or two.<br />
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Precious doggies.<br />
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The whole gang!<br />
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Ashley and Kyle were troopers. They live in Utah, so they're not used to the Texas heat. Thanks for being such good sports, guys!<br />
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Chad found some lovely ladies who were part of a bachelorette party (there were a lot of those that weekend). He was in heaven until...<br />
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the girls wouldn't get out of his tube. <br />
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We kept floating away as Chad figured out how to get the girls to give him his tube back. </div>
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Philly Bob! Fun fact about Phil: see that roman numeral two on his chest? He got that because he's the second of triplets!! How neat is that? He has an older and younger sister. <br />
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Robbie's river rapids floating position. Even though the water was lower, we didn't get stuck in rocks nearly as often as we did last time when we floated through the rapids part.</div>
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Floating under the hot sun all day really wore us out, so we went to the Salt Lick for dinner. Since it's BYOB, we brought all of our leftover beers to dinner, hence the ice chest.</div>
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Ashley and I kept seeing "Wine Tasting" signs with arrows. We followed the arrows that led us to this:<br />
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Which led us to a little tasting room! Right up our alley. For $5 we tried 5 different kinds of Texas wines. The boys had no clue where we were and had to come find us after we disappeared for half an hour!<br />
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Needless to say, Sunday was a resting day.<br />
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Thanks for a fun visit, Ashley and Kyle! Come back and visit soon, y'all.Nikol Schillerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05379798623945600275noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412402885421440002.post-61711445668081893422012-08-21T08:06:00.001-07:002012-08-21T08:06:00.396-07:00Hitting the town<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Oh man, the last two weekends have been full of family, friends and FOOD. Robbie and I have been on the go, entertaining visitors in Austin and being visitors in Michigan.</div>
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We'll start with the weekend of Ashley and Kyle.</div>
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The two of them got into Austin a couple Fridays ago and we started the night off at the Roarin' Fork downtown. We ate way too much and had some tasty drinks with dinner.</div>
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Then, in true 23-year-old-fashion, we hit the bars. A while ago, Robbie and I went out with some friends/strangers (they're one in the same, really) and they took us to this bar that serves Flaming Dr. Pepper shots. They should be called BLAZING FIRE Dr. Pepper shots...<br />
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(I love the expression on the girl in the green dress!)<br />
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<br />There were a lot of Bachelorette parties out that night. We met up with some friends and swapped stories about participating in Bachelorette activities. I sang to a Bachelorette ("Call Me Maybe," of course) and I think one of the boys gave a bachelorette a piggy back ride? <br /><br />
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Typical night on the town. Ashley and I agreed that Sixth Street was like a blown-up version of our college town's downtown scene.<br />
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Floating pictures to come tomorrow!Nikol Schillerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05379798623945600275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412402885421440002.post-23973526827904220412012-08-09T14:15:00.000-07:002012-08-09T14:15:01.437-07:00Stuck together<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Guess who's coming to visit this weekend?!<br />
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Ashley!<br />
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Just picking out pictures for this collage put a huge smile on my face. Ashley, for those who don't already know her, is my college roommate. We were paired up to live in the same tiny dorm room freshman year and haven't seemed to get rid of each other since.<br />
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When I first met Ashley, she had never been camping. She wasn't the outdoorsy type. She was a little spitfire with a really fantastic closet of clothes. We had both worn the same red dress for our high school prom and we both had two older sisters. It was totally meant to be. <br />
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Our freshman year of college was tough, although I don't remember it that way. I really have to dig in and remember how many tears, yelling matches, arguments and silent treatments went on in that tiny 11x13' dorm room.* It's funny how your mind plays tricks on your memory. When I look back on my freshmen year of college, all I remember are the good times. The extreme highs. I remember when Ashley and I pulled an all-nighter driving back to school after a three-day weekend singing our heads off at a country music festival to make our 8 a.m. classes Monday morning. I remember doing Ashley's hair before going to a fraternity pinning with a special date and feeling like a proud mom taking pictures of them together. But that year was tough. We were miles and miles away from home, in a brand new city, knew practically no one and living with a stranger. The really tough days, when we were missing our family or when we were having boyfriend drama or when we just wanted to have pity parties for ourselves, solidified our friendship. We had to learn how to support each other.<br />
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Once we got past that tough year, we were stuck together forever. We've grown and changed together. Ashley is totally the outdoorsy type now. She even went on a 40(?) mile backpacking trip our senior year! I'm looking forward to another weekend of epic proportions with her in Austin.<br />
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And if there's any lesson to be learned here: when times are tough, keep the faith. Stay positive. And above all, stay friends. You'll look back and only remember the good. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*I kid you not, that's how small our dorm room was, and we were the lucky ones! We only had two girls rooming together, while the rest of our hallmates had three! </span>Nikol Schillerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05379798623945600275noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412402885421440002.post-72789148617262865662012-08-06T10:22:00.000-07:002012-08-06T10:23:43.972-07:00Kayaking Lady Bird Lake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It was another adventure weekend in Austin for Roberto and me. </div>
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We borrowed kayaks from the lovely Lauren at <a href="http://cactuscollective.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Cactus Collective</a> and shoved off in Barton Creek.</div>
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I'm obsessed with Barton Creek. The bridges over looking the water are perfect for late afternoon walks and the water is a magical shade of blue, almost turquoise. <br />
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More bridge shots. <br />
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After paddling down Barton Creek, we made it to Lady Bird Lake. There's a ton of <a href="http://austin.ynn.com/content/top_stories/286072/lack-of-rain-creating-flourishing-eco-system-in-lady-bird-lake" target="_blank">plant growth </a>going on in the lake right now, which is gross for kayakers but good for the lake's ecosystem. </div>
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Can you see Lauren and Phil in the background? They kayaked with us for a little while too!<br />
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Our adventure buddies. Since Lauren is moving to Houston pretty soon, we've been crossing off a lot of bucket list items before she leaves. Kayaking was on the list!<br />
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A little bit of city and a little bit of nature. That's what makes Austin so awesome. I love the urban forest feel.<br />
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Robbie found a little friend on his kayak that stayed with him the entire trip. We named her Gweneth. <br />
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At the end of our 3 mile (YES, THREE MILES!! Freaking jeez that's far) kayak adventure, it was time for Gwen to find a permanent home. So Robbie made her a home out of gross excess lake plant growth.<br />
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And was sure not to hit her with his paddle on the way out. What a gentle giant.<br />
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Thanks, Lauren, for letting us steal your kayaks for an afternoon!Nikol Schillerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05379798623945600275noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412402885421440002.post-88241348419180657392012-08-02T07:36:00.003-07:002012-08-02T07:36:27.747-07:00Lucky<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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List formation will have to do today:<br />
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1. Robbie and I got to spend a nice, long weekend in San Diego with the Moen clan. It was a perfect 75 degrees outside with zero humidity. Bliss.<br />
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2. I won a whopping total of $1.40 at the Del Mar racetrack over a course of 10 races. Everyone in our party left winners, which never happens.<br />
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3. There's two yards of yellow, orange, grey and brown-striped fabric sitting in my kitchen waiting to cover my ugly, brown kitchen chair seats. Hello, craft weekend!<br />
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4. Next to the two yards of fabric in our kitchen are tons of picture frames and art to be hung in our apartment. Even though Robbie and I have been living in our new place for a month, decorating has been put on hold since we've been MIA every weekend. After visiting <a href="http://cactuscollective.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Cactus's</a> apartment last week for a craft night, I was inspired by her cool interior designing skills that I've dedicated this weekend to sprucing up our apartment.<br />
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5. Got to celebrate their debut on <a href="http://www.ruthiehart.com/2012/07/whirlwind-of-weekend.html" target="_blank">House Hunters</a> with Ruthie and Jon a couple weeks ago. It was so much fun hanging out with her friends and family and it was WEIRD seeing them on tv! Thanks for a fun evening, Ruthie and Jon!<br />
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6. Our summer trips are coming to an end. We're going out with a big bang in August, taking an extra long weekend to go to a Michigan Lake House with Robbie's family. Totally looking forward to relaxing by the lake and definitely looking forward to staying still for a while in Austin. Traveling is exhausting!<br />
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7. Staying put in Austin means we'll have friends come visit US! Can't wait to have my wonderful college friend, Katerina, come visit in September.<br />
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Been feeling pretty lucky lately to be able to visit family and friends this month and to be able to adventure around Austin with new friends.Nikol Schillerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05379798623945600275noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412402885421440002.post-67620719573746522092012-07-26T07:59:00.003-07:002012-07-26T08:03:45.181-07:00Full-On Vacation Mode<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My friends, I have been in full vacation mode this month. All of the traveling and exploring Robbie and I have been doing makes it feel like we're on summer vacation, with a couple of work days thrown in during the week.<br />
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Last weekend, we checked out Austin's Green Belt with some out-of-town friends for the first time. We found a swimming hole with a little waterfall and a rope swing. Let me tell you, rope swings are not for the faint of heart. You need something called upper body strength to hold on for dear life while you swing.<br />
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For people who are lacking the minimum requirement of upper body strength to swing on a rope swing- ahem, me- the end results can be embarrassing. As soon as my feet left the ground my upper body strength, or lack thereof, gave out and I swung out a good foot or two before I had to let go of the rope. Ridiculously embarrassing. <br />
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Robbie and I are off on another adventure this weekend to San Diego and couldn't be happier. The cool ocean breeze, 75 degree weather and almond wine on the Moen's patio sounds like a dream come true. Weekend, please get here already!Nikol Schillerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05379798623945600275noreply@blogger.com4