Things I'm Loving Friday

You would think that a week of no real commitments, no school, and essentially no work to do would allow me to post regularly on this thing. That is clearly NOT the case, as I have enjoyed just lounging around and really not doing much of anything. I have felt a little bit guilty about neglecting this little blog, so I promise to post every day for the rest of spring break (quite the commitment, I know).

Anyway, to prevent myself from doing a long-winded catch-up post, here is another rendition of "Things I'm Loving Friday."

• Friends and Fro-Yo

One of the greatest things about being home is getting to see some of my high school friends. It's gotten more and more difficult over the years to see many of them on a regular basis, just due to being in different cities and having different breaks, so when Lindsay, who goes to Rice University, said she was free on Monday night for dessert, I jumped on the opportunity to see her. While I devoured my $8.00 frozen yogurt, she enjoyed two very unique ice cream flavors from The Chocolate Bar. Good food, and even better company.

• Wizard of Oz

The Wizard of Oz is one of my childhood favorites. I grew up watching the movie, and when my high school did the musical, I fell in love all over again. So when I saw that the Wizard of Oz would be performing at the Hobby Center through Theatre Under the Stars, or TUTS, I knew I was going to have to go. I put on my red heels, and Dylan and I were in our seats just as the lights were going down. Perfect timing! I thought the cast did a great job, and Toto really stole the show.

• New Restaurants

Before the Wizard of Oz, and because we were all dressed up, we of course had to go to a fancy-ish dinner. We decided to try a new-to-us and a new-to-City Centre restaurant - Season's 52 - and I cannot say enough good things about it. We started off with the (dairy-free) chicken and pesto flatbread and edamame, and we both agreed that the Japanese green tea salt that came with the edamame really stole the show. For our entrees, we both ordered something with salmon (because Dylan is conquering his fear of seafood), and they were both fabulous. Season's 52 gets two thumbs up from this girl!

Lemongrass Salmon Salad

Cedar Plank Salmon

• Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

Round two of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo happened on Wednesday night. For Valentine's Day Dylan got me two tickets to Jake Owen, so we traded in our nice clothes for some western attire, and we battled traffic on the way to Reliant Stadium. We once again timed our arrival pretty perfectly, arriving with just enough time to eat dinner, and make our way up to our seats to watch the barrel racing, chuck wagon races, bull riding, calf scramble, and my favorite, mutton bustin'. Jake Owen put on a great show, and this was the first time I had ever seen a performer just walk out to the stage instead of taking a car.

• Funnel Cake, Ferris Wheels, and Bumper Cars

We made the most of our time at the rodeo by hitting the carnival after the concert. We made a beeline for the funnel cake, because Dylan had never had one before, and it's been years since I've had one, and ate that before taking it back a couple years and demolishing some kids on the bumper cars. I made us ride the ferris wheel, because I love the aerial view you get of the entire carnival, and we rounded out the night by winning a sock monkey that is easily four feet tall.

• Hammocks and Sunsets

I had a little bit of time to kill before meeting Lindsay for frozen yogurt, so I took my hammock and a new book and set up shop at Hermann Park. I was afforded this beautiful view, and it made me appreciate where I'm from all the more.

And on that note, I'm off to watch some Texas basketball with my mom. I'm headed back to Austin tomorrow morning, so I'll see you guys from the ATX!