morning mixed drink

There is no doubt that summer is here. It's hotter than, well, it's freaking hot in Tulsa. Over the past week we have experienced heat indices in the 100s+. I'm not complaining, really. I would take this over bitter, freezing cold any day, but geez, it's brutal sometimes.

Last summer, I indulged in Starbucks' VIA cold brew coffee almost every morning. But at $5.95 (+tax) 6-pack box, it added up. Not to mention the trips to Starbucks, Java Dave's, Coffee House on Cherry Street (my new favorite!), I would spend $5.00+ per drink and my pocketbook didn't appreciate that whatsoever. I have been missing my coffee fix a little this summer because I just refuse to keep spending money on cold coffee drinks and I sure as heck can't put down a hot drink in 90 degree weather at 8 am.

That is...until this weekend. My mom shared with me the Pioneer Woman's "Perfect Iced Coffee" receipe. Oh my gosh! Mom even went the extra step and bought all the ingredients, prepared it and on Sunday morning, I indulged in what the Pioneer Woman calls "Vietnamese Iced Coffee" and I'm in love. It's just plain old coffee (the stronger the better) and a couple table spoons of sweetened condensed milk. You need to try this and if you don't like that, well you can be old fashioned and splash in some milk or half and half and sugar. Either way, it's delicious, in my fridge, and cold. (Oh and at no cost to me...at least this time.) Now get to cold brewin'!

Thanks to my mom for saving my life this summer and keeping me sane...that is until my pitcher pours it's last drop. Then I'll be back for more. And at least once a week or so, I visit the Coffee House on Cherry Street for my new favorite concoction--Iced Dirty Chai Latte. It's a little chai, a little espresso and lots of deliciousness. Yummy. If you ever visit me or anyone else in Tulsa, you need to go and try it. Genius.

xoxo,
Iced Coffee Lover

birthday wishes for my sis

HAPPY BIRTHDAY COURTNEY! 

You're a wonderful young lady with a BIG heart and an even better sister. We have memories to last a lifetime and many more to come. I'm so thankful for you and everything you are to me!

Orange Beach, Alabama 2008

Estes Park, Colorado 2010

I hope your birthday on the golf course is successful as well as the rest of the week. Good luck in the tournament and best wishes for your birthday!

Here's to you...CHEERS!

Oh and guess what?! Chicken butt...

life unexpected

I forgot my username and password...er...my dog ate my compter. Uhhh...okay, I lie. But I am back from my unexpected blogging hiatus. Fortunately, everything is perfect in my life, and I haven't been away because of something bad happening. And my hiatus is not due to lack of information, projects, or life. It's just with all the work, wedding planning and somewhat of a social life, I didn't manage to post a blog whatsoever. I will polish my time management skills so this doesn't happen again!
I've also been thinking about the direction I want to take my blog and I'm not sure I have it nailed down, but at least I'm back in action!

Keep your eyes peeled for a view from my porch!

loving love

Being a newly engaged lady, I have thought about many wedding details - cake, venue, guest list, dinner, drinks, dancing, "i do", something borrowed, old, new and blue. But what happens after the wedding and dreamy honeymoon? Who will do the dishes? Who is going to take on the mountains of laundry? What about the dust bunnies that aggressively reproduce on the baseboards? Is he/she clean? Does he/she notice when something is out of place? Then I started to think about other engaged friends and newlyweds. Have they thought about their fiance or spouse and their habits qualities they bring to the relationship table?

Below are random questions I came up with to test your knowledge on the little things about your significant other. In the end, it's the little things...right? Have fun with it. If you're feeling a little competitive you and your other can fill these out and compare answers to see who gets the most right about each other!

1. How does your other feel about eating in bed?
_____Great! He/She would do it every meal if they could.
_____Only for a "just because" romantic breakfast
_____Too messy to even contemplate
2. What nicknames has your other gone by, from childhood on?
________________________________________________
3. Which of your relatives does your other like the best?
_____Mom
_____Dad
_____Sibling: which one?_____________________________
_____Grandparent: which one?_________________________
_____Aunt/Uncle: which one?__________________________
4. Do they have a favorite color? If so, what is it?
________________________________________________
5. How does your other get dressed?
_____top to bottom (bra, undershirt, etc)
_____bottom to top (undies/boxers, socks, pants, etc)
6. What artist is playing in your other's car?
________________________________________________
7. Is there an athlete, movie/tv star or someone else famous your other would like to meet? Who?
________________________________________________
8. How many children does your other want? Any names yet?
________________________________________________
9.You bake your other a dessert for their birthday. What is it?
_____Cookies
_____Brownies
_____Cake
_____Pie
_____Other
10. Where was your first kiss? Who initiated it?
________________________________________________
11. What is your other's shoe size?
________________________________________________
12. What was your other's first job?
________________________________________________
13. In what city was your other born?
________________________________________________
14. How does your other take their eggs?
_____Over-hard
_____Over-medium
_____Sunny side up
_____Scrambled
_____Omlet
_____Egg white only
_____Other (is there another way?)

you can find me in St. Louis...

This week my job brought me to St. Louis for the Association of Fraternal Leadership and Values, also known as AFLV. It's a conference for Greek leaders to come and absorb knowledge about leading their Greek communities. This is my first year coming to this conference and I'm having so much fun. I will get to chat with many Kappa Delta's at the affiliation luncheon today and I'm excited about that. Plus, St. Louis is a fun city and we are going to enjoy some fine Italian on "the Hill" tonight. Yummy!

There is no place like home and I look forward to a busy week of work in Tulsa and then a weekend in Dallas with my mom, sister and girlfriends!