Things I'm Loving Friday XLV

And now that I've officially decided that I'm back on my blogging game, I am pulling one of my fitnessandfroyo traditions way out of vault - Things I'm Loving Friday, which is where I share with my faithful readers (seriously, you have to be really faithful if you're still following me at this point) some of the things I'm currently loving.

The Five-Minute Journal
I bought this in a moment of weakness while perusing Paper Source in Highland Village. Note to self: Never go to Paper Source (or Target, for that matter) without a purpose. But I don't think this purchase was necessarily a bad one. In fact, I know it wasn't. And I love writing and journaling, but sometimes it's hard to find the time to really sit down and commit myself to it. Which is where the five-minute part comes in. And I love that it allows me to set goals, celebrate the big and small in every day, and give myself daily affirmation -- something I'm not entirely comfortable doing. Life gets busy, but we all have five minutes to put toward our overall happiness and mindset.

Hopdoddy Burger Bar
I know that I have previously posted about the deliciousness that is Hopdoddy. However, this time I got to enjoy my favorite burger without having to drive all the way to Austin. Though I did still have to wait in an epic line. But I digress. Hopdoddy officially opened its Houston doors in the hoity toity (and I say that in the nicest way possible) River Oaks District at the very end of May, and my brother and I built up our appetites while waiting in the hour+ long line, only to leave with happy hearts and happy stomachs. I don't know what it is, but I think the fresh ingredients and careful attention to every single burger has something to do with it. And for all my vegetarian friends out there - there is always a veggie option on the menu. And I hear the spiked milkshakes are to die for.

Greek for me, and Buffalo Bill for Daniel

Soul Cycle
I took my first Soul Cycle class while visiting my cousin in New York City last summer, and I don't know how much I actually enjoyed it. To start, it was my first cycling class in close to a year. And then you have to factor in the fact that I was taking this class with a bunch of glamorous New Yorkers (who apparently don't work) who take this class on a daily basis. And their legs were moving SO FAST. I thought I was in shape. But I can't deny that it was an addictive party-on-a-bike, calorie-burning, total-body workout. And just like Hopdoddy, it has finally arrived in Houston.  Now I'm just trying to figure out how I can possibly afford to take these classes on a semi-regular basis. Help a teacher out, will ya?

Acai Bowls
Some of you were probably rolling your eyes at the mention of Soul Cycle. I'm falling into the latest trend, right? Well, acai bowls are right on up there with Soul Cycle. But I don't even care how "basic" this makes me because acai bowls are dang tasty, healthy, filling, and refreshing on a hot summer's day. What is an acai bowl, you ask? It's basically a smoothie in a bowl. And acai is actually a berry popular in South America, but its health benefits - and great taste - have intrigued the rest of the world. Acai bowls are plentiful here in Houston, but they will cost you a pretty penny. And you can certainly make them from the comfort of your own home, but getting the right consistency is absolutely key. My favorite acai bowl spots? Tout Suite and Sustain Juicery.

A Man Called Ove
I can't remember if I wrote about this, but I set a 2016 reading goal for myself: 25 books. And impressively enough, I'm over halfway there. Which is great, because we're officially halfway done with 2016 (how?), and my pace is sure to slow once volleyball season hits. And while I've surprisingly loved every book that I've read this summer, I absolutely devoured this one. I mean, I was quietly wiping away tears on a bus in Argentina as I finished. It's an absolutely beautiful novel, and one of my favorite quotes was one that stopped me in my tracks, and made me realize just how precious our time with other people really is.

“...all people at root are time optimists. We always think there's enough time to do things with other people. Time to say things to them. And then something happens and then we stand there holding on to words like 'if'.”

And that's that. I hope you guys have a most wonderful holiday weekend planned. I love celebrating the Fourth of July, and while I usually find myself somewhere other than Houston, I'm more than content staying close to home - hanging with my family, friends, pup, and maybe trying out a couple of new recipes. Stay tuned!

July 4th, 2015 -- Town Lake

Two Down

Happy Thursday! My heart is happy after a wonderful Wednesday spent with one of my favorite people on this Earth (though sometimes he tells me I'm a horrible decision maker). And we crossed two more items off of my Summer 2014 To-Do List, so life is even sweeter. So, let's start right in on those two items, shall we?

Top Golf

I know, I know, I'm late to the Top Golf game, but I was never in Houston long enough to make the trip out there (okay, maybe I was, but Dylan and I had said we would go together, and it's just far enough away from him to probably not be worth the trip). And the one in Austin is fairly new, and it's pretty much always crowded, and it's hard to give up a few hours when you're in the middle of a busy semester. So, with only two weeks left in Austin, and a night that Dylan didn't have to work, we made our way over to the Top Golf in North Austin. We got there around 3:45pm, became Top Golf Life Members,

and were told we had about a 20-30 minute wait. We were told there was a bar where we could wait, and then we were also told there was a lounge with pool tables. Guess which one we chose? We're adults, I swear! Anyway, after one full round of pool we got a text saying our bay was ready. We found the concierge, where we were promptly asked if we would need help getting set up. Since we were first-timers, we said we probably did, and someone else was immediately brought over to show us the ropes. I have to give a shout out to Eric, who asked us if we would be needing any left-handed clubs. Obviously, I would be needing some of those (though I did learn how to play golf right-handed), and though Dylan is a true righty, he is sometimes ambidextrous, and golf just happens to be one of those times. So, we were both given a bag of left-handed clubs, and led down to Bay 124.

We were shown very quickly how it works, and because this was not only our first time at Top Golf, we both have absolutely no idea how to play golf. For Dylan, this is understandable, but I, on the other hand, have no real excuse, because both my dad and my brother are avid golfers. That being said, it was a no-brainer that we took a few practice swings before starting the real thing.

Here's how it went down: neither of our scores were very high, but that's okay because we truly had a wonderful time laughing at one another's shots, and also commenting on one another's improvement. I'll go ahead and say that my score was higher than Dylan's, but his shots were much prettier than mine. My style of golfing is more like bowling, which I felt like was cheating, but I made it into the target areas quite a few times. The luck favors the lucky, right? Dylan actually looked good while he was golfing, consistently hitting balls right on line, to the back wall, and with a nice arc, and while I'll admit that I had a few good shots (improving after texting my dad a picture, with him advising me to keep my right arm straight), my points came mainly from my bowling shots. But hey, we sure had a great time together, and the set-up was just great. Fans with misters, televisions with the Argentina/Netherlands game on, water to keep us hydrated, and though we didn't take advantage of the food and drink menu because we had plans to get dinner elsewhere, it had some very appealing items. Next time!

Hopdoddy

Next up on the list was dinner at one of Austin's finest establishments: Hopdoddy. Read any list titled "greatest burgers," and Hopdoddy will almost certainly be on that list. It is always a "must visit" place when asked for recommendations, and that is with very good reason. The beef comes from humanely-raised cows, who are never given any growth hormones or antibiotics, the meat is grinded in-house, and the buns are made from scratch. The fries are thin and crisp, hand-cut from Kennebec potatoes, and their milkshakes are to die for (so I've heard, anyway). The menu stays fairly constant, with a few rotating items, and though you are almost always guaranteed a wait, you'll be hard-pressed to find someone who says it isn't well worth it.

(Source)

(Source)

Hopdoddy, aside from being one of my favorite restaurants in Austin, also holds a special place in my heart because it is the site of Dylan's and my very first "real" date at the beginning of last summer. I realized tonight that I hadn't been back since said date, and though he very much knew of my blog, I didn't take a picture of our food for what I hope are very obvious reasons.

For our food this round, I went with the Thunderbird (sans bacon, pepper jack, and chipotle mayo), which is a recent addition to the Hopdoddy menu. It is a chicken burger topped with sliced avocado, green chiles, salsa verde, and the usual lettuce and tomatoes. I added a little bit of mustard to the top bun, and didn't leave even one crumb on my tray.

Dylan, after much deliberation, went with the Llano Poblano, and his tray looked similar to mine. We shared a regular order of fries, and Dylan just couldn't pass up the Raspberry White Chocolate Milkshake.

It looked so good that I contemplated taking a sip before I snapped back to reality and realized that might not be my best idea. My burger ended up filling me up so I didn't miss out on much by not having some of the milkshake. 

We parted ways after dinner because Dylan had a test to study for, so I went home and lounged, and once again managed to get to bed at a decent hour. It was a fabulous Wednesday afternoon, and ladies and gents, the two week countdown has officially begun. Here's to making every last day count!