letters for tuesday: please and thank-yous

Dear alarm on my phone, please continue to beep, loudly, even when I push the dismiss button.

Dear Tuesday that feels like a Monday, please hurry and get to the good stuff.

Dear Chobani Greek Yogurt, please start tasting less like straight up sour cream and more like the GoGurt of my youth. Or ice cream.

Dear nice, cute guy from Starbucks this morning, please come back tomorrow at 7:36am. I’ll be the one who orders a grande, 2-Splenda ice coffee and is wearing a smile.

Dear roommate, thank you for being so sweet and cute and happy and for making coffee every morning.

Dear chocolate Shakeology, thank you for inspiring me to be healthy but please hurry up and get here so I can make you into a yummy dinner.

Dear sunburn from Memorial Day Weekend, thank you for being proof of a great weekend. Please turn into a beautiful, golden tan {yeah, right} and do not peel.

Dear MIBIII, thank you for being totally awesome and far exceeding my expectations.

 

And so it goes,
Katie

How was your weekend? Long or short? Sun or shade? BBQ? Music?

days of dallas: fun in the sun

It’s Friday!

By now you all know that I love my city. I am mildly obsessed with finding new, fun adventures in this great city of Dallas and I especially get excited about finding new things to do outside. Lucky for you, I recently hit the jackpot when it comes to Dallas fun in the sun, and I’ve got your Memorial Day Weekend all planned out!

Tonight:

1) CityArts

Tonight, at Fair Park, the Dallas Film Society will host two free outdoor film screenings, for FREE! Tonight is American Graffiti at 9:00pm {and, ”guests are invited to put on their poodle skirts, roll up their jeans and rewind time for 60s-themed dance pre-movie parties from 7 – 9 p.m. hosted by 98.7 KLUV. Plus, kids can enjoy crafts from 7 – 8:30 p.m.”}. Grease *squeal* will be playing tomorrow night at 9pm, proceeded by the same dance party festivities. It is the perfect weekend to snuggle up on blankets and lawn chairs with snacks, a cup of wine, and good friends.

Tomorrow:

1) Dallas Farmer’s Market

This outdoor market offers the freshest seasonal fruits and veggies that you could imagine. Everything is beautiful and fresh, and you will find yourself suddenly inspired in manner of Martha Stewart, queen of the kitchen, except perhaps slightly less arts and craftsy. But that part is up to you. Can’t you hear the juicy tomatoes, plentiful garlic, and flavorful avocados calling your name?! I see a very impressive , homemade dish in your future.

2) White Rock Paddle Co.

After hitting the market, slide on your swimsuit and sunglasses and head to White Rock Lake. Whether you canoe, kayak, tandem kayak with a buddy, or stand up paddle board, you are guaranteed to have a blast, get a workout, and soak up a little Texas sun.

*This little hut gets pretty busy during the summer so be sure to follow this link to make reservations.
*Also, be sure to bring a ziplock baggie to hold your smart phone while you are out there. You aren’t going to want to miss the photo opps by leaving it behind, but it will definitely get splashed if you don’t protect it.

3) White Rock Lake

While you are here, take time to explore White Rock Lake. Hiking is a blast, and dogs love it. You can also fish (last time I visited, I saw a man catch a really big one!), sail, play in the dog park, or run the loop around the lake. It is beautiful, crowded, and full of life.

4) Keller’s Hamburger’s

By now you will be starving. This throwback joint is so cool and “Dallas-y.” It is a drive-in {dive}, so bring your truck to sit in the tailgate or a car that you don’t mind eating in. You never know who you are going to encounter at Keller’s. From an old biker gang swapping stories over a cold one, to the classic car club members parking their shiny hot rods, to college students in unnecessarily large trucks for the tiny city streets, you will see it all. Bottom line, no one can pass up the delicious and cheap Keller hamburger {and ice cold beer if you’re in the mood}.

5) Dallas Arboretum

Spend the remainder of your day exploring the Dallas Arboretum. Their current exhibit, Chihuly, is exquisite. Dale Chihuly is a legendary glass artist, inspired by nature. The entire art world was busting at the seems to go see it and now it is your turn!

Enjoy your Dallas Weekend! Don’t forget to make a 5-star meal with your beautiful produce!

 

And so it goes,
Katie

**pictures 1, 2, and 3 are from the camera phone of the lovely Amanda Stokowski

makeover

My

blog

needs

a

makeover

in a baaaaaad way.

Just a little lipgloss…bronzer…mascara…and a touch of color to the cheeks!

If I had the skills, I would be all over it, but I don’t.

Anyone up to the task?

 

And so it goes,
Katie

weekend wonderland

As far as weekends go, the last few have been pretty darn good.

The excitement of Mother’s Day weekend was heightened by my {not so} baby brothers and favorite cousin GRADUATING FROM COLLEGE! So I would first like to apologize to all of them because their individual landmarks in time are going to all be clumped together in this one sentence: My family is amazing.

Jan does more for me than is normal for any mom, friend, accountability partner, therapist, or comedian is expected to do, and she is all of those rolled up in one {plus more}. I can’t even entertain the thought of a world without her.

{mommy’s day pics to come}

And these brothers of mine…I can’t believe they did it! Okay, wait, that didn’t come out right…I can believe they graduated, but I can’t believe it is already here. I don’t normally cry at the right moments in life. I don’t cry in movies, I don’t cry at weddings, funerals, or good-byes, but I was a big huge baby at these guys’ graduation ceremony. I mean, I had to whip out my phone and play a game of Sudoku to keep myself from weeping when each of their names were called. But I couldn’t be more proud of those guys and am so excited to get to share this “real world” with them. It is going to be quite an adventure!

And then there’s my cousin, Elizabeth. You all know her. You learned how cool she is on this post. She is amazing, and now she is a real life grownup too?! Blowing my mind, guys. Hopefully Elizabeth and I will be sharing many adventures to come. We are kindred spirits, ready for adventure!

But don’t let Mother’s Day get overlooked! My family celebrated our mothers and graduates by having dinner in Allen at … . I had the most wonderful salad! It was full of fruit, chicken, and nuts {and a little less of the icky green stuff}. Mamaw and Papaw were in town, which was just the cherry on top of the sundae. Incredible weekend.

…..

This past weekend was a blur. On Friday, friend Deanna and I drove all the way to Springfield, MO to watch our dear friends, Caroline and Clayton get hitched! It was truly a magical evening. You remember how I never cry at the right moments? Well I was an absolute mess during their ceremony. Is it possible that I am actually getting more emotional as I get older?? Please, no! The 10 hour each way road trip was a blast, and totally worth it. It wouldn’t have been complete without little Jan riding in the backseat playing dj! Plus, I got to catch up with “Ms. Dempsey,” THE biggest Baylor sports fan you will ever meet. {Too bad she’s dating an Aggie–just kidding, D!}

{look at that view!}

{greatest groom’s cake ever created}

{managed to snag a pi phi angel pic with the bride}

Gotta love and cherish these celebration weekends!

How did you spend your weekend?

And so it goes,
Katie

welcome to la-la-land

I’m a dreamer by nature, not nurture.

And even though every now and again, someone or something takes a metaphorical dump on my neon pink and flashing heart, a white daisy always manages to push up through the fertilizer and I am able to believe in a fairytale world once again. It is an emotionally draining process that I do not recommend to anyone, but for those of us who have this, as Jan calls it, ”La-la Land Condition,” we have no choice but to find some really good, dependable friends and family members and live with our {permanent} occasional handicap.

In my old age, I strive, more than anything else, to be practical. Despite what the Disney movies taught me, dreaming does not get you very far. Practicality is my prayer, my ever-growing desire, the thing that I have tried so so hard over the years to teach myself, but the concrete never seems to dry.

After all of the mess of the last few months {moving, saying goodbye-for-now to a friend, dealing with cable companies and banks…} springtime in my heart is finally here and I can’t help it. It seems like everything around me inspires the dreamer within and I just can’t help but to be blissfully happy. Regardless of whether I am bored to tears or on the verge of actual tears, it is like I know that this tragedy will lead to my own personal fairytale ending, just like in the movies. {Ewww, I know, how pathetic am I?! I think I’m even grossing myslef out here.}

I hope I am not in for a rude awakening soon. P.S. Know that a lot of the “dump” material is actually just real world stuff that every normal person has to deal with, not so much tragedies, but hey, it can still bring a girl down!

For all of you solid, cool, practical people out there who don’t lead a life of peaks and valleys, here are some of the things that have been inspiring me of late:

………….

Collin Hughes. I stumbled upon his tumblr the other day and have been inhaling his work ever since. I instantly fall in love with the people and places he photographs. Check it out here and here and probably a million other places that I am leaving out. 

This guy’s genius idea of a website. Tydepool posts the coolest finds from Amazon and Etsy for you to purchase. I’m serious, who woulen’t want…

{a pineapple ukulele}

{a canvas fanny pack}

{a (Baylor) bear bottle opener}

{flag suspenders}??!

Just look at the website. It is way better to see it there than here.

See, it’s the silly, simple things that make me so happy.

Oh, yes, and clothes! Pretty clothes are making my heart go thumpity-thump even though my wallet must stay safe under lock and key. Look how pretty this stuff is!

{you can find the gal who put all of these pretty pieces together at Wit & Delight}

And then there are the life slogans. I am a huge sucker for wisdom, wit, sarcasm, and a sassy saying. These are everywhere I look.

{so true}

{no, mom, i don’t live by this but i hear all the greats did! }

{i think this one is especially for me}

{amen}

And on top of all of this FUN, I have really good friends getting married this weekend and at least one per month from now until November, which is just joyful in and of itself. Love is in the air!!!!!!!

Oh and here I go getting myself all worked up.

Back to reality.

And so it goes,
Katie

moving madness

Today and Saturday are moving days! Yep, it is officially here, and ever since the new roomie and I decided where we would be living {a chic, downtown Dallas apartment!}, how to decorate it is all I have been able to think about {besides, of course, all of my other recent changes}.

I have spent many-a-day dreaming about…

{pretty pillows}

{fancy furniture}

{lucious lighting}

{comfy couches}

{cozy curtains}

{brilliant bedding}

{and killer new kitchen supplies}

…but for now all I have to purchase are ugly, brown boxes that I can only hope to freshen up with my handwriting from a thick black Sharpie.

No movers for me this year–just me and mama and papa Minchew, so every and all volunteers are welcome!

And so it goes,
Katie

and so it goes

I have been taking some much needed time to reheat my irons lately. My life has been speeding so quickly uphill that the engine has pretty much pooped out so I basically forced myself to take a hiatus.

Ready set go.

Except it is wasn’t exactly that easy.

Author’s Confession: I do not deal well with Change.

Some of you will not be surprised by that revelation. It seems that regardless of how I personally view Change {generally, I think change is good and necessary}, it sneaks up on me and makes my brain go…berserk! And boy has Change been storming the fort in my life lately. It is kind of comical, really. Because if I wrote this post describing Change in all grammatical and sensical perfection, it could very well turn into a novel, I will write, instead, in stream of consciousness style. Welcome to the mind of Katie Minchew.

…..

Oh my gosh, I can’t believe she is getting married in four months. I can’t believe she is leaving [me] earlier than we planned. I can’t believe my best friend is going to be married and far away and in bliss and I am going to be single and here and probably without the glowing bliss…I will miss her calmness, her soap opera addiction, her prevalent laundry-doing habit, her mild way of staying calm and calming me, her happy demeanor, her inspiring fashion sense, her constant common sense, her never ending patience…I hope I see her often. How will I find a new roommate? Where will we live? Should I live alone? No, I want a roommate. Should I move far, far away? I found a roommate! Where should we live? Is downtown dangerous? Will she get married and leave [me] in a year too {see this post about the bizarre miracle of all of my past roommates’ current very non-singleness for further information}? We will live downtown and it will be exciting and modern-feeling and so much fun. I need a couch to go in the new apartment. I need a new car. I hope my car doesn’t break down before I can get a new car. I need a new job so I can buy a new car and couch. I need a new job so I can move on and be a real live professional. I need a new job so I can get back to writing, to what I love. Interview, interview, sweat, sweat. I found a new job! Oh gosh, am I ready for this job? I’ll buy a new car. Financing? Down payment? Stress, stress, stress. I bought a new car! I love my new car. My new car makes me feel grown up and mature and tall. Time to start the new job. Panic. Worry. Panic. Confidence? New job is awesome. So much to learn. I miss everyone at the old job and am enjoying meeting so many new and interesting people at the new job. So much changed–so much to handle. I can do it because I am a grownup {ha!}. When does my old apartment lease end? When do I move into the new place? How in the world am I going to move all of my stuff over there by myself?! I need a truck. I need a boy. Or two. Or three. I need to transfer the internet. Do we need cable? When do we get the keys? When are Torie and I going to clean? Oh my, oh my, oh my!

…..

So, if you are keeping track, that is a lot of change for one person in such a small amount of time {especially for one who, usually, does not deal well with change}. Thank goodness it is all good and happy change! I hope you were all able to follow my jumble of thoughts. Thank you to everyone who has facilitated all of these wonderful changes and who have supported me in my grumpy moments. And a special thank you to Zune for allowing me to download unlimited soft, loud, sad, angry, slow, trendy, and off-beat songs for my playlists of which beats set the days’ tones.

The End.

And so it goes,
Katie

P.S. I hereby promise to get over my slump and blog more.

…and so it goes…

days of dallas: arts district wine stroll

A miniature version of this article was posted on Crave DFW by my good buddy, Steve Doyle. Thank you! But as a writer, one who is never quite satisfied in deleting any words once written, I felt compelled to post this full version. Fellow writers will understand. Our words are our babies and it is difficult to part.

…………..

Friday evening, as part of the infamous Savor Dallas event, a friend and I participated in the Arts District Stroll. The event was hosted at four venues (Meyerson Symphony Center, Winspear Opera House, Dallas Museum of Art, and Nasher Sculpture Center) and promised lots of wine, beer, and snacks, all to sample in a very short two hours. The event started at 5:00pm, not allowing for us worker bees to arrive on time. We raced in and registered at the Meyerson, ready to mix and mingle with our fellow Dallasites.

Our lovely check-in volunteers at the Meyerson.

l;askjdf

Fun was in the air at the Meyerson.

The people of 1221 Le Baron Ranch take their business very seriously.

<;a

This Black Oak Pinot Grigio was just what we needed after our short hike from the car.

There was a cheese spread at the Meyerson but we skipped this table hearing that there might be better goodies at our next stop.

Oh, and they had ale too. Real Ale Lost Gold IPA was smooth, citrusy and delicious. The balance and slight sweetness was just what we needed to get us to the Nasher where we discovered…

…this lovely lady pouring the evident drink of choice.

Nothing can compete with Stella!

We took in the beauty of the Nasher. It was truly beautiful, despite the drowning mugginess.

Waited in obnoxiously long lines.

Noshed on some yummy food from Meso Maya.

And joined new friends in resting our weary, high-heel wearing feet to see the new beauty that Dallas has to offer–Museum Tower.

Next stop was the Dallas Museum of Art, my personal favorite.

On the way, we were inspired by the familiarity of a piece of our skyline seen up close with such clear blue skies.

Enter: DMA.

They had rocking music.

Fancy art.

And this wine. This wine made all the strolling in heels, heat, lines, and crowds worth the trouble. I am finding that I have a distinct preference for Argentinian wines. By this time in our travels, we were good and ready for some reds. Premium Port Wines, Inc. provided the Prazo de Roriz 2008 Douro that made us skip a few of the booths and come back for seconds.

When it was all over, we were starving and pretty bummed that the event wasn’t long enough for us to make it to the fourth venue, Winspear Opera House. Plus, the lines to taste each wine were so long that it was impossible to taste more than a couple at each location without wasting precious time needed to visit your next destination. The food was also a pretty big disappointment. I mean, who wants to drink a cup of hot soup in hot and humid weather? Cheese is good and all, but I was expecting a little bit more, I think. Thank goodness they had to foresight to invite the Food Trucks! My friend and I stopped at the first one we came across–Ruthie’s Rolling Cafe.

I splurged on a #4 The Boss. The Texas BBQ and Sharp Cheddar Cheese on Sourdough all grilled together was just what I needed to wind down in the cooling Dallas twilight. Gorgeous.

These ladies had the same idea.

The Savor Dallas Arts District Wine Stroll was lots of fun. I just hope they give us a little more time to stroll and enjoy next year.

macho profile: kevin brolan of dallasbasketball.com and WFAA Sports

Author’s Confession: My blog is kind of girly. What can I say, I’m a girl. So this week’s awesome guest blogger is for all you guys out there. Holla!

Kevin Brolan writes for dallasbasketball.com and for the sports page on WFAA. He attends all events basketball, baseball, soccer… let’s just say he pretty much owns the Dallas sports scene. If you are a sports fan, or just need some daily entertainment, follow his twitter @kevinbrolan. It is what I use to keep informed and {try to} sound cool when I {try} to talk to guys about sports. Is it just me or do yall think he is all that and a bag of chips too?!

Today, lucky for us, Kevin took a few moments away from being mister macho and wrote a blog to help us end the work week with a bang. It’s random, it’s quirky, and it’s going to crack you up. Enjoy!

…………

During a regular, standard weekday in one’s life, a single moment stands out among the rest as the worst of the 24 hours. There’s no way around it. Everyone has to do it and it’s miserable.
Waking up is simply the worst.

Obviously there are exceptions. Sleeping in on the weekend doesn’t count, as waking up with the weight of a full work day is the biggest trigger to this negative moment. Dragging yourself out of bed to head to your job is awful at any time of the day, but I recommend as early as possible if you want to feel the maximum amount of sadness as your alarm goes off. Then again five minutes later. And again.

You may be asking how I myself get fired up in order to take on the day. There isn’t much you can do to soften the blow that is waking up in the morning… but I will give you two tips: Catching early-morning showings of Boy Meets World and/or Home Improvement. (I’m sure you were already thinking that.)

To be clear, I highly recommend these shows at any time of any day, but is there a better time to see the face of Cory Matthews or Tim Taylor than when you need a pick me up? This council of one votes no. Allow me to diagram your morning based on when you wake up. Follow this strict early morning schedule and I guarantee you will most likely, probably have a better morning.

Three days a week I am up at 5:45 am. That is just enough time to get up, shake off the cobwebs a bit, throw a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios together, and sit down for the 6:00 am Boy Meets World. Just make sure you have ABC Family (Channel 778 on Time Warner Cable) and be ready for Cory, Shawn, Topanga and the rest of the BMW gang to spark your day toward a productive start. Currently, the World rotation has started over and ABC Family is running episodes from the early days of the show. I cannot recommend these episodes highly enough.

5:45 too early for ya? No worries.

The rest of the week I am up by 6:15, where I run through the same routine and have myself seated on the couch by 6:30 in order to get my fill of Home Improvement. There is no better way to get your fill of wholesome family fun and a daily lesson from Wilson Wilson, Tim’s wise neighbor who always has some positive light to shed on any situation. If you find yourself in the 6:30 wake up time frame, make sure to have your television tuned into TBS, in HD on channel 744 for Time Warner. And I know you want Tim’s Tool Time assistant Heidi in High-Def. Right, guys? Amiright?

Side note: Fresh Prince of Bel-Air airs following Home Improvement. Also a good show, but just not in the same stratosphere as Home Improvement. Don’t get me started on arguing this.

I’m almost positive that this has been the least helpful article you’ve read in quite a while, but I promise you this routine is full of merit. Additionally, it will also catch you up on always relevant Boy Meets World/Home Improvement pop culture. Katie has her ‘Spring Cleaning’ routine and I have an early 90’s bad sitcom schedule that has me feeling ready to take on the world.

Only one has real value.

It’s hers.

…………

I hope everyone enjoyed Kevin’s wise words. Happy Freakin’ Friday!

And so it goes,
Katie

rule #1

Rule number 1 of life: be friends with a professional chef. No matter where you live, you will want a chef on your list of best buds. You will get to taste some ah-mazing cuisine, will learn interesting words and phrases like “mise en place,” will get to see some wild things like entire severed animal legs, hoofs attached, lying on a counter like it is totally normal, and will definitely get to experience some really cool adventures, like going to a home winery.

The chef I am closest to is Chef Andre Bedouret. I have written about him before here. Chef Andre is a fabulous chef who I first met on an assignment when I was interning at D Magazine. One of his most successful students and good friend, Michael Scott {no, not the zany character from The Office}, was competing in a big chef competition. Little intern Katie nervously took notes of Michael’s prep work while Chef Andre yelled out things like “capiche?” and “do one more time–one more time of butter.” In my article I called him “a handsomely disheveled Frenchman” and have still never lived that comment down. He, luckily, decided to forgive me and has become one of my closest friends.

On Friday, Chef Andre and I took advantage of the gorgeous weather and fought the traffic toward Allen, TX where friends of his live and let him finish his charcuterie {cured and dried, meats, like this}.

We pulled up to a quaint little house on a small piece of land scattered with flowers and vegetables and rows and rows of grape vines. After getting a box of cured meat ready to hang and other supplies out of the trunk, we made our way to a little hut on the side of the yard. The inside was dim and cool, the perfect temperature and humidity for drying nets of meat into lonzino, coppa, and cured ham. It was a beautiful thing. Thankfully, Andre is enough of a ham {pun intended} to let me take these dorky pictures of him and his “children,” as he calls it.

{Telling his children to be good while he is gone. Editor’s Note: the more unique and strangely dedicated the chef, the better their cooking.}

On our way out, Chef Andre saw an opportunity to harvest some of the gorgeous asparagus. I have never seen vegetables so green and fat. Gorgeous, and perfect for a light dinner of asparagus and shaved Parmesan omelet.

{please excuse the blurry phone photo}

If you don’t have a chef on your list of friends, head to your favorite restaurant and cozy up to one quick. They are some of the craziest, most fun, handsomely disheveled people you will ever meet.

And so it goes,
Katie