monday {spring break}

Today was one of those days where we got in the car with no real plans.

We wound up at Billy Miner's for hamburgers.

It was good, but if you're a Fort Worth native, it's not like the old place used to be.
I still enjoyed having lunch with my handsome lunch date.
This was one of my dad's favorite restaurants, so I thought about him a lot this morning.
That's always a good thing.

I'd like to have a sign like this on my front door,
but then that wouldn't be very nice, huh?

Then we went to an old park, in an old part of town.

We've been here before and Boyd really likes it. 

This church is across from the park.
I could sit and stare at it for hours.
God painted the sky the most beautiful shade of blue today.

We left the park and headed for some coffee at Avoca, my favorite place.
Boyd wasn't thrilled about the coffee stop, but I told him I'd make it quick.
He found this heart rock in the parking lot of the coffee shop.
i love it.

I had my usual mocha.
It's rich and sweet and a little salty and so good.
Boyd likes to dip a straw in my coffee and have a taste or two.
We also shared a piece of chocolate.
{apple butter and tamarind soft chocolate toffee.
sis, you would love this one}.

 I've heard about yarn bombings, but have never seen one in person.
These were all over Magnolia Avenue, where we stopped for coffee.
They were on utility poles and trash cans, and in the trees.
I absolutely loved seeing them.

so cool to see this yarn bombing in my hometown.

 we're headed out to play and ride bikes.

today is my favorite day.

love,
nicolle

cupcake friday {and the last few days}

 I panicked the other day and said I was not going to blog anymore or often or something like that, and of course I've had a change of heart, but I'm still working on how I feel about it all.
{vulnerability, privacy, yada yada yada. but i still love this place}.
Time will tell.
For now, I will focus on the parts of blogging that I really love, and not think about the other stuff.

Boyd and I were on our own for dinner one night, so we went to Rosa's. 

Boyd always wants a large gumball, that he chews for 2 seconds, and then he is done.

Sometimes I say no, sometimes I oblige.

This night I let him have one, he got yellow {although he's always hoping for the blue one}, and he chewed it for about 2 seconds and was done.

And I wasn't surprised.

Boyd and his goofy faces. I love these faces.
We were headed to meet Kevin for lunch.

Had coffee with a very dear friend, and 3 hours of uplifting conversation.

this.
oh my word.
I will treasure it forever.
Boyd drew our family.
The first time he has done this.
{snowman, boyd, mommy, daddy}.
 I LOVE it.

We headed out for cupcakes this morning.
I wasn't sure which one we were going to, and Boyd said he wanted to go to the one with cookies.
So, I knew which one he meant. J. Rae's. I had a coconut cupcake, and Boyd chose this Texas longhorn cookie, which made me laugh. I guess he's going to love Texas just like his mama. He ate one or two bites of the cookie, decided he wanted to save it, and then he had about half of my cupcake. I didn't mind sharing, they really piled the icing on this one. It was delicious.

We always have our cupcakes first, then lunch.
{life's too short to follow all the rules}.
We went around the corner to Chimy's and had tacos.
Boyd ate his first ever crunchy taco, and he loved it.
When he is bigger and has a ferocious appetite, I know we will miss these days when one taco fills him up.

After our cupcakes and tacos, we ran by the flower market that Kevin and I used when we got married.
It felt special to me to take Boyd in there.
{he wasn't that interested. imagine that}.

I bought a hydrangea bloom to bring home.

That's our week in a nutshell.

Don't get me wrong, we LOVE the days when there are friends to play with, mamas to talk to and have a coffee with, family to see, school days, and so much more.
But, my most favorite days ever are ones like today, where there is nothing specific on the calendar. Where Boyd and I can hop in the car and pick from 5 different cupcake places, drive around, and not have anywhere we have to be. Maybe they are my favorite days and I am holding so tight to them, because I know they are fleeting.
today is my favorite day.

The weather is in the 70s today, which means an afternoon of riding bikes and playing outside with neighbors.

enjoy your weekend.

love,
nicolle

food trucks with my mama

My mom came into town today, we dropped Boyd off at school, did a little bit of shopping, then she treated me to lunch at the Fort Worth Food Truck park. We have a lot of similar tastes in food, and I am glad that she will try new things with me. 

And the weather was absolutely perfect.

First we split the spicy asian flatbread, from Good Karma Kitchen.

Mama mia, it was amazing. We were on fire, the sauce was so hot, but it was so good. 

My mom and I are both huge cilantro fans, and this reminded us of a Thai pizza we once made. I will for sure be going back to have this again. Out of this world yummy. The girls running this truck were so friendly too. Loved everything about this truck.

Next we split a grilled muenster and macaroni and cheese sandwich, from Lee's Grilled Cheese.

I've been wanting to try this sandwich since I first heard about it. 

I think they might serve these in heaven.

Gooey and different and delicious.

It was the best day to be outside.

Of course, I love spending time with Boyd, but now when I do have time away from him, I think I enjoy the quiet and my surroundings more than I ever have. 

We ended our lunch with cupcakes. My mom had coconut and I had peppermint chocolate. 

We took a quick picture with my phone, as we were leaving. 

Are you full yet? 

I thought we were, but as we were headed home, we saw another food truck that I had been trying to locate, Tacos El Barrio. I wanted to try their elote. 

Corn, fresh cream, lime juice, cotija cheese, hot sauce. 

What can I say, it was delicious, but we were only able to eat a few bites each at this point.

I'm glad we stopped though.

that was an embarrassment of food, but we loved it all.

today is my favorite day.

..............

thankful for:

1. bicycle rides.

2. school crafts.

3. cute cups and $1.65 peppermint mocha lattes.

4. good days.

5. mamas.

..............
 

Boyd and I are going to take a nice long bike ride now. Then we plan on laying low for a couple of days, relaxing, cleaning house, reading Christmas books, {eating light}, spending time with Kevin, and enjoying the weather, before it turns really cold and wet on Monday.

Have a good evening.

love,

nicolle

cupcake wednesday {and, crazy love}

Boyd and I missed our cupcake date last week, and we knew it would be tough to fit one in this Friday, so we went today. We went by Central Market first, for breakfast and to play on their playground for a few minutes. 

They always have 5 or 6 different coffees brewed, and they had one of my favorites today, Mexican chocolate. 

I was a happy girl.

Our child loves bacon, and guns.

After Central Market, we headed to downtown Fort Worth. There is a new cupcake place I wanted to try, and I wanted to take Boyd by the Christmas tree. 

I'm so in love with downtown Fort Worth. There is so much to see, so many things to photograph and stare at, places to eat and to shop. They are doing a lot of construction right now in the heart of downtown, but when it's finished I can't wait to spend some more time down there. 

I have always loved these angels at Bass Performance Hall.

We went to The Original Cupcakery.

I had a strawberry cupcake, and Boyd had chocolate.

My review, they are pricey, but pretty and very good.
{I guess they have to pay for that downtown rent}.

We left the cupcake place, and walked a block or so, to the Christmas tree.

I am in awe of the buildings downtown. 

It's no NYC, but I can dream.

The dang crane was in my way here, but I liked this angle because the sun was just right. 

I worked in Sundance Square for a few years, right before I had Boyd, and I always took this beautiful tree for granted. Today I just loved seeing it with Boyd.

We had a great morning together. 

Today is my favorite day.

..............

I just finished the book, Crazy Love, by Francis Chan. 

It will hit you with some hard things to read, but so many beautiful truths. 

I tried so hard to write my thoughts about the book here, but I just can't put it into words.
I'm already looking forward to reading it again. 

{Yes, Seneca, it is life changing to read. I could barely sleep the night I finished it, and I read it all in just a few hours. Thanks again for the suggestion}.

Here is a short video one of my best friends sent me as well, I hope you have a few minutes to watch. 

Read the book. Let me know what you think. 

I want to be a Crazy Love person.

 God deserves all of us, not the comfortable let me sit in a pew once a week us.
He loves us more than we can ever imagine.
 
I love this sign that says,
don't just go to church, BE the church.
It's hard, I know it is, but our light must shine at all times.
He wants us to love our neighbors, those who aggravate us, those who the world deems unlovable, and those who will never have the ability to love us back.
God's greatest commandment to us is to love.
We don't do these things to earn a place in heaven. We are saved by God's grace, we are saved by the cross, and by believing in him. Good works do not save us, but they are God's will for us.
I am so thankful that I am redeemed and set free.
God is so good.

..............

love,

nicolle