partner party

a few weekends ago my partners & i celebrated the holidays with a cozy little get-together. 

we all most of us brought something to eat or drink and daiana brought cards against humanity which we played...which got interesting. but now i totally understand why the game is called that! it was so much fun, maybe too much fun for me as i definitely had a glass or two too many of wine, but hanging out with my friends from work, outside of work, is always fun. 

i haven't even mentioned on my blog yet, but i'm going with my mom and sister to new york for a few days! we leave the 29th and will ring in the new year in a different city with a totally different vibe. sadly, dek isn't coming with us. i miss him already. don't event get me started. but this is a girls trip and he didn't really want to join in this time. so we have rented an apartment in the upper west side and have plans to be total foodies for five days while we scope out the city for fun treats and take advantage of the scenic & iconic backgrounds for photoshoots, of course. if you have any suggestions on what to do/must see things/places, let me know :)

hope you all have a wonderful week & holiday!

here are some photos from our "partner party," if you would like to see...

pasta salad & cider

spinach salad with strawberries & homemade peppermint bark (in the background) 

chili's appetizer platter & cornbread (?)

i fell in love with this kitty

& stay tuned for a fun and super cool diy project that i will post soon!!

sunday funday

this past sunday dek & i made our way over to white rock coffee to sip on a latte and enjoy their atmosphere before heading over to my grandmother's house to rake and mulch the sea of leaves that has accumulated. 

i've heard of wr coffee before, a few friends have suggested we go and sunday was the day. we had no idea what to expect walking in, but we loved it! the coffee shop itself is located in a slim and narrow building with space being really well utilized. they have a lot of seating for being such a small cafe, but the ambiance of the upstairs and all the natural light is really great. as you enter and you walk right in to a fluffy and decorated christmas tree, paired with the robust smell of their-own-roast of coffee...it's a great sensation. i especially appreciate the wood vaulted ceilings and the industrial fans :)

the barista behind the counter was super nice & helpful, as they usually are when the first words out of my mouth are "hi, we've never been here," said with a smile. dek & i weren't feeling meat that morning so we opted for plain & everything toasted bagels with cream cheese to pair with our lattes. (his: extra hot, mine: vanilla with almond milk) we opted to sit upstairs with our breakfast & beverages and people watch from up above. it was super cool & we even left our mark by tagging our names on the beam. you know you're a barista when...you keep 2 black, fine-tip sharpies in your purse.

here are some photos from our sunday, if you would like to see:

there was a wr barista named parker actually roasting his own coffee on the patio outside; it was the coolest thing! he had a notepad with details from how he wanted to differentiate this batch from his last and a timer running in order to catch the beans at their peak. i have never witnessed coffee roasting before my own eyes, but he explained this is an at-home roaster, so i might have to look more into this whole coffee roasting process thing myself...

raking the sea of crunchy leaves in my grandmother's back yard

beanie: charlotte russe, scarf: charlotte russe, sweater: h&m, pants: target, shoes: nine west fango booties

i had a blast riding that thing!

thanks for reading!

have a wonderful week!

the pattern of coffee & people

after a sharktank marathon last night, dekel & i woke up early to head to houndstooth coffee, a quaint corner coffeeshop off henderson avenue, recommendation by my friend harley. the place was so my style and i loved the uniqueness of everything. you walk in and are greeted by handsome baristos behind a beautiful chrome, mirrored espresso bar. after placing your order, we went with lattes (me: almond latte with vanilla, dek: original) you get to watch a beautiful creation of latte art and then enjoy the natural-lighted space with your caffeinated beverage of choice. 

another point to make is you can even choose which espresso you would like in your shots! check out their daily offerings board below, but after choosing which espresso you would like you can see the barista stuffing your chosen grounds into the filter, yielding a special "brewed for you" feeling. 

starbucks needs to step up their game. 

 the pattern of coffee and people is what they are all about

 pretty teal barstools fill the room

 chocolate croissant & latte art 

 cute detail revealed when you finish your last sip

cool, tucked away room in the cafe & their sleeves at the condiment bar

 daily offerings board; we enjoyed timepiece in our lattes

 fancy

 houndstooth, one of my favorite patterns & now one of my favorite coffee shops!

milk & honey, a boutique next door i have been dying to check out but they don't open until noon on sunday, so i'll just have to come back...  ;)

 booties from hallelu that i bought four years ago! you know you made a great purchase when you wear them often & still love them just the same.

thanks for reading & have a great week!

thanksgiving our way

my aunt carol was kind enough to host this year's thanksgiving celebration at her home and yesterday my family & i had a nice meal around the table. after saying what we were thankful for and eating until we simply could not any more, we unbuttoned our pants & watched the cowboys game. (let's not talk about how that game ended!)

in between our late thanksgiving lunch / early dinner and the dessert portion of the meal, mirelle & i stepped out in her front yard to have a little photo shoot, before our bellies got too big. ha! my mom made a version of the high & mighty ice cream pie that used to be my favorite chili's dessert, but they discontinued it, so she made it for me & i had way too many slices to mention...

here are some photos from yesterday, if you would like to see:

i wore: target skinny jeans, target top, jessica simpson boots & a thrifted belt (not pictured: my grandfather's cardigan for when it got chilly)

mirelle wore: charlotte russe sweater, target tights, target boots, buffalo exchange necklace, bracelet by sour melan and rings are from jj pearce pacesetter bazaar

hope you had a wonderful holiday!

thanks for reading!

cowl neck cravings

i want one some.

all photos via 

coffee shops & such

dek & i love trying out new coffee shops, especially on weekend mornings when we are both off. (this is my 3rd saturday off in a row & i am LOVING it!)

this time we headed for downtown garland to check out generator coffee, recommended by my friend daiana from work. we didn't look at the menu, we didn't read reviews, we just woke up and went and loved it! the ambiance of sitting under tiny white lights is magical and the fact that there are games to play while you sip your morning latte is genius. we played connect four & then headed outside in this gloomy, yet sort of warm weather for a quick photoshoot. we are loving photography more by the day and we love practicing any chance we get. hope you enjoy the below photos :)

earring from my friend monica

beautiful fall leaves, my grandfather made me appreciate the beauty in the different colors. fall was his favorite season. 

thanks for reading!