Last year around this time we were moving into our fabulous Dallas Urban Loft... remember this post!  Well after a year of living in a loft that has two walls that are solid windows... It looks cool, but isn't meant to be lived in.  Don't get me wrong, I loved our place, it was cool, and a little too "COOL" during the last two months, its impossible to keep heat in this place.  Even right now as I look at the blinds on my windows they're swinging from the draft.  The other thing about this place is that it never had a "cozy" vibe.  Perhaps its the cement floors and completely white walls that just don't make it feel like "home" with that that said we've decided to move.  Where to you ask?  Are we moving to another state!? Again!? We're moving...

down the street of course!  We absolutely love our neighborhood.  Deep Ellum is filled with shops, restaurants, street art, the best doughnut place in Dallas, AND all around friendly people.  So down the street we go!  We are sticking with our love of modern spaces and are moving into a big studio apartment.  I'm sure many of you are thinking... well where do you go when you want to get away from your spouse!  We have plans to build a wall from the wood we used in our bar, and truth be told, I have a weird habit of liking to sit on the rug in the bathroom with my laptop and watch a movie if I feel like I need a break... don't judge.  With that said here are some pictures of our new home!  (The first picture is the view from our roof deck!)


We still have one giant window which spreads light through our whole place and I'm in love with the columns on either side.

I've been so blessed to have so many great visitors in the last few months.  First, Mom and Dad came to visit, then Mandy and Faith, and this past weekend I shared some more great times with D's younger sister Amber!  I can't believe how many activities we packed into this one weekend.  We did so much I had to split up all the fun into multiple posts!

Amber arrived late Thursday night / Friday morning.  The flight from Philly to Dallas normally takes a little over 3 hours.  But after a storm in Texas, Amber was delayed an hour and a half and then had to spend an extra hour in the air as the flew down to the gulf and back up to Dallas to avoid the storm.  What a trooper, she still arrived with a big smile on her face.

Friday was filled with activities.  The storm from the previous night had knocked out power in some of Dallas and unfortunately Top Golf was a victim.  But if you've ever been to Top Golf you know its an experience so we decided to drive a little further to the one in Allen.  Lucky us, Allan had prices that were basically 50% off the Dallas prices!  $10 for an hour of top golf is straight up unheard of.  The weekend rates ring in at $40 an hour.  And they even had a deal where you order from their lunch menu and score 30 minutes of free play!  Hooray!


Next stop, Icream Cafe.  This ice-cream parlor freezes your ice-cream right in front of you with the use of Liquid Nitrogen!  So you choose your milk type, choose your flavor, and choose your mixers!  My combination?  Almond milk (gotta stay dairy free), Pumpkin flavor, mixed with graham crackers.  It was amazing, the almond milk flavor was hardly noticeable.  If you have little ones, or have the personality of a little one like I do, go check this place out.


Onward to the TEXAS STATE FAIR!  And I finally did it.  I ate fried butter.  Its not like you think, its not a hard cold buttery center.  Its butter wrapped in a dough and sprinkled with honey and cinnamon sugar.  Wowza. I'm being honest when I say, eat it.  To make up for my cholesterol fest we walked all around and were lucky enough to see plenty of animals.  Ostrich races, tiny horses, emus, a giraffe, and my favorite, some long horns.  Yep thats me petting a zebra!



And the day still wasn't over, we headed out into Deep Ellum to let Amber mingle with our Dallas friends, and were able to give an ear to on of our favorite musicians, Benjamin Booker!  The best part, Glazed, the donut shop.  They're only open Friday and Saturday nights starting at 10:30 PM, but wow!  I honestly thought these were better than Gourdough's in Austin.  Successful day for sure.  Come back next week to hear all about our Saturday!

The past weekend was spent with D's older sister, Mandy, and her beautiful little girl, Faith!  Even though some of us had colds, we still managed to have a great weekend!  Friday was spent at the Texas State Fair.  It just so happened to be the First day of this month long Texas tradition.  If you're heading to the fair this year be sure to check out the list of discounts that are available for admission.  Admission is typically $17 for an adult, but we were able to get in for only $6 with the donation of a bottle of water!  = SAVINGS!



We saw some amazing animals, including a 1,723 lb. pig.  Yep, he was as big as a cow.  And we indulged in some Texas treats, including deep fried banana pudding and funnel cake ale (complete with a powder sugar rimmed glass of course).


Saturday was a kid friendly day spent at the pool and watching Monster's University.  It might look like we're having fun in the pool, but the water was cold.  Really, really cold.  We had just enough time to stop at the Dallas Arboretum on Sunday before Mandy and Faith had to head back to Pennsylvania.  Thanks for coming guys!