Seizing Your Twenties

I just read this article about 21 things you should do in your 20's. Since I'm nearing the end of my 20's it made me think gosh I sure do feel old at sometimes.

#12 says relish your hangovers. I would definitely have to beg to differ. Last week I rang in the 4th on the Couch for the majority of the day (not what I had planned)

I WISH I still had the stamina and hangovers of my early 20's but now they are un-believable and un-manageable.

Will that stop me from drinking? hell no, but I definitely don't think a hangover at any age is ever "really" enjoyable.

Anyhoo it was a funny read and wanted to pass it along.

Cheers!

June-a-palooza!

Happy July 1st! I can't believe June is over and July is already here!!

I was so busy in June that I haven't had a moment to catch my breath! Here is what I've been up to:

New Orleans Oyster Festival

Red Fish Grill Buffalo Oyster Po-boy

I rode my bike to the festival with a friend on Friday and we ate delicious fried oyster po-boy from Red Fish Grill.

Giant Oysters 

My husband was working all weekend at the Pat O'Briens booth so I went back on Saturday and got some delicious praline bacon from the Elizabeth's booth! It is to die for.

They had an oyster eating competition and Sonya the Black Widow broke her record by eating 47 dozen oysters in 10 MINUTES! It was crazy.

My bro and I festin' it up

The weather was so hot that after the fest on both days we had to jump in the pool. It was a perfect weekend to kick off June.

Indy Wedding Weekend

The second weekend of June we went to Indianapolis for one of my high school friend's wedding. 

It was our first time in Indy and we had a really quick trip. We were there just a little over 24 hours!

Oldest Bar in Indianapolis

We got in really late on Friday night but were able to hit up the bar scene with our friends and visited the Slippery Noodle Inn.

They had a funny Blues Brothers Display

We only have a few hours to sightsee since the wedding was in the afternoon.

 The wedding was very beautiful and I am so happy for them!

Brett and I outside the church

Bye Bye Brett's Gallbladder

The Monday after we got back from Indianpolis my husband had his gall bladder removed. We definitely celebrated hard at the wedding to give it a good send off.

Since my hubby was recovering that week his mom and sister came in town and we had some fun, but not too much since he was still recovering.

Beignets at Cafe Du Monde

We walked around the French Quarter a bit and ate some Beignets (my husband did not eat these of course since he cannot have friend foods yet)

Single Lady Weekend

Last weekend my hubby was in Challenge, CA for a bachelor party and I stayed home with the pups 

My friends and I went off our diets and indulged in the new Dat Dog.

The best hot dog ever! You can't go wrong with white trash fries either!  YUM!!

Happy July 1st and get ready for another whirl wind month!

Up on the July Agenda:

• 4th of the July celebrations next week, Happy Birthday 'Merica!
• Only 24 days till Tales of the Cocktail, eeek! 
• Lose 10 lbs by August 1st just in time for my beach trips! Roatan, Honduras and 2 trips to Gulf Shores
• Tan, tan and tan!

Hopefully I will be able to post more than once this month :)

Clothes Swapping

Last night I went to a clothes swap party. We had snacks, wine and a brought all the stuff we wanted to get rid of!

I'd never been to one before but have heard about doing them and it was a ton of fun! we modeled the outfits and tried to "hard sell" our stuff. Anything that didn't get taken will be donated.

I got some great new pieces and all for FREE! I got this cute floral blousey dress from Express and a small Hamsa necklace.

I definitely recommend having a party like this and I can't wait till we do it again! Next time I'll drink less wine so I'm not hungover at work :)

Ranch Trip-Road Trip

For the memorial day holiday weekend the hub, pups and I headed to his family ranch in Sonora, TX.

We had a great time relaxing with family and enjoying the beautiful weather.

Now we are back to NOLA with the dogs in tow.

Will post more pics of the ranch soon!

P.S. This is a seriously long road trip (11-12 hour drive) each way (eek!)

Luckily we've listened to some good audio books

You are what you drink...

This past weekend was a busy one! I went to a Bday BBQ and a going away party.

The going away party was themed "wear what you're drinking"

I had lots of ideas and a surprising number of options but decided to go as something I really wanted to drink: Stoli Blueberry! We also happens to have some Negro Modelos in our fridge so that is what the hubs was.

My favorite costumes were:

Petite Syrah
Franzia boxed wine
Surfer on Acid
Flaming Dr. Pepper

The winner of the costume contest was Malibu Barbie--we will miss you!! (when you move away :p )

Will post more pics soon.

Call Me Maybe?

Hey, I just met you,

and this is crazy,

but here's my number,

so call me, maybe?

It's hard to look right,

at you baby,

but here's my number,

so call me, maybe?

Hey, I just met you,

and this is crazy,

but here's my number,

so call me, maybe?

And all the other boys,

try to chase me,

but here's my number,

so call me, maybe?

Soooo...I'm officially obsessed with this song and it is my summer anthem.

Last weekend after a wedding I insisted on coming home to karaoke to this song after the DJ had never hear of it?!?!?!

When we got home I sang it 3 times in a row to my hubby and dogs he LOVED it (not)

But really who could not love this song it makes me so happy!

And I'm not alone! Everyone loves it! When I saw Katie from Running on Happiness love it too I knew I wasn't crazy.

so call me, maybe?

Hipster Eyewear

I've had poor eye sight since 1st grade and have need corrective vision for a while.

I pretty much never wear glasses in public unless I have a severe eye infection. My dream one day is to get Lasik but alas my eyes keep changing.

My old specs were from high school and of course my eyes have changed since then so when I saw this post on Swank Heights I was pumped to get some new eye wear!

Coastal.com is will give you your first pair of glasses FREE! I mean glasses are expensive and if you are like me and only wear them to watch TV in bed at night then why would you spend that money when you could buy other stuff. 

So I went online and ordered me a pair of glasses from Coastal.com and I can see 100% better when wearing them. They are pretty hipster and I'm not sure if I can rock them in public yet, but seeing clearer is a big plus!

I also told my visually impaired Hubby to get some specs too since he likes to wear mine when he has too. Can't wait till his get here will post a pic of what he looks like. He went the less hipster route.

P.S. you can also buy contacts from them too which I will try out as soon as I run out of those too

Thank you Coastal.com

Arm Party

If you know me then you know I LOVE jewelry!

I especially love bracelets and stacking them up which is so on trend right now! Here is my arm party from this past week.

Bracelets from top: 

Om Imports

Best discount jewelry store in Dallas,TX

Heart U Back Dogbone Bracelet

Present from my brother that supports the ASPCA

Ettika-similar styles

Love all there jewelry!

Col. Littleton Camp Bracelet 

They have great leather goods--good place to buy presents

Local New Orleans Artist

David Yurman

Store in Athens, Greece

Madewell

Not available online anymore

Alex and Ani

 Local New Orleans Artist

David Yurman

Ettika-similar styles

Madewell

I need to get some color into my stacks stat! I've been staying too neutral lately--means I need to shop!

Hunger Games

Last night I finished Catching Fire, the second book in the Hunger Games Trilogy, it was uh-maze-ing!

It leaves you in such a cliff hanger that I am dying to get the last book and read it in two seconds.

Alas I am waiting to see what our book club picks next to read so I can order both at the same time. Rumor has it that is is going to be Shades of Grey (or is it Gray?)

The last book we read was The Paris Wife, which I highly recommend.

I'm not really a book worm but being in a book club helps me a lot. I'll give a summary of all the books we've read so far in another post.

P.S. audio books rock my world

Boil in the B-Ham

This weekend the whole Sudd crew (me, hubs, Beignet, Andouille and Lady) all went on a road trip to Birmingham, AL to visit our friends.

Our friends threw a crawfish boil which a ton of fun and a great way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo and the Derby. I'll have another was the the of the day.

B-Ham was beautiful and it was so great to see our friends and their two pooches (Bear and Jes)

I was very thankful the dogs all got along with each other, the guests and their kids at the boil. Can't wait to go back and visit!

New Do

I've been procrastinating getting a haircut for about 7 months and boy did I need a haircut. I took the plunge today and decided for a shoulder length cut that will be great for summer!

Excited to try some new hairstyles and my hair drying quicker :)

Ship Island & Bean Town

I've been so busy lately hanging with girlfriends, celebrating birthdays and in Boston for work trips that I have slacked on my blog updates.

Here is what has been going on this week/last weekend:

Birthday Beach trip for Krell to Ship Island, MS

Getting all the girls ready for the trip

We made it! After an hour long drive then an hour ferry trip we are relaxing by the beach!

Sippin on some Firefly Lemonade getting burnt crispy!

After the sunny day at Ship Island we went on a crazy shopping spree at the Gulf Port Premium Outlets, holla! P.S. I just told my hubby about my shopping spree eek! He likes the new outfit but we'll see about the bill

Next stop I was off to Beantown (aka Boston) bright and early (up at 4 am for a 6 am flight).

When I arrived the weather was uh-maze-ing. Especially for my sunburnt skin.

Here are the highlights:

Cambridge Galleria Fountain

I did more killer shopping here

More nice view from my walk with my bro

Visited the Elf's house and saw his liquor cabinet. I told him to drink up.

The main reason I was in Boston was for my day job. I judged a Drambuie Nail or Fail competition (yum!) Here is the recap of the cocktails from the nights:

Night 1: best cocktail competition drinks eva

Night 2: Great drinks the winner is Drambuie Shiz-le

Next stop B-ham! Can't wait doing some research tonight as I have never been there and cannot wait!

The anticipated agenda will be:

Drinking

Playing with the pups (all 5 of them)

Seeing the Popes

Eating Crawfish

Shooting Blow guns

See you next week!

Zucchini Love

Last night we had a great dinner at Satsuma in the Bywater. Usually this is my quick go to for lunch and ice tea since it is 2 blocks from my office but now they are open for dinner an it is deelish!

My menu included:

Chili oil, salt and paprika marcona almonds

Zucchini salad

Steamed mussels with salami
Hubs had the trout with chili oil and a mint and orange aioli

Lillet on ice

Yum!

Hump Day Fun

Today I wish I was biking instead of driving home from work, but I've got to let the pups out quick so we can meet some friends for dinner.

Looking forward to some yummy food from Satsuma!

Cake, Cake, Cake

Today was one of my best friends and former college roommates bdays! We had a fun time drinking wine and hanging outside at Bougliny Tavern( http://www.boulignytavern.com/) on Magazine. Must eats ate the tempura green beans, Gouda beignets and Kobe pigs in a blanket yum!

We will be continuing the celebration this weekend at Ship Island! Get ready for the debauchery!

Sunny Days

This weekend was rainy and gloomy but still very productive with lots of spring cleaning and visiting our friends' baby Ava-what a cutie!

Yesterday was a beautiful day out we turned off the A/C and slept with the windows open (uh-maz-ing for Nola!)

We enjoyed the weather today and so did the pups!

Biker Bling

I can't believe how gorgeous the weather has been! I am praying it stays this way for a few more weeks. I love riding my bike to work on a beautiful day. It's also NOLA Navy week and those sailors all around town are great eye candy. I need to get some pictures while I'm not riding.

Puppy Love

I'm a sucker for a cute puppy. My friend is looking for a Boston Terrier and I saw this cutie and had to get a pic for her! His name is Jackson perfect for a Nola pup!

Roasted

Trying to get back in the workout routine is tough! My hubs and I went on a run and then he made us a delicious dinner.

Roasted chicken, potatoes and kale

Mmmmm

Turtle Time...

After an fun-filled weekend work got me down yesterday and a trip to the pet store was needed to lift my spirits (and buy toys for the dogs). I saw this turtle and it immediately cheered me up!

Thank goodness for the little things in life that can make you smile :)

Biking, Boiling an Festing!

This weekend kicked off festival season with French Quarter Fest, the largest free musical festival in the country.

Friday started off with a crawfish boil at my office which was lots of fun!

Then on Saturday we rode our bikes to the ferry then rode it over to the west bank for another boil with some friends.

We ended the night Festing and seeing one our our favorite bands, Honey Island Swamp Band (they played at our wedding)

Sunday I went to a bridal luncheon which was at Ste. Marie and yummy with 25-cent mimosas!

Then it was back to Festing it up! I'm exhausted and going to spend the night in with the husband celebrating our 6 months of marriage :)

Honey Island Swamp Band 

St. Louis Cathedral 

Bicycle Built for Two

Mmm Crawfish

Puppy Love

Last night we got a little crazy! Went to the Loyola Young Alumni Happy Hour. I enjoyed one to many Tito's and sodas. It was ok because I slept in late with these pups! Now off to a crawfish boil and French Quarter Fest! Woo! Happy Friday