boyd, texas

 good morning. boyd and i had to run an errand yesterday and found ourselves near boyd, texas.
we've driven out there once before, just to look around.

{boyd's first name is my maiden name, he's not named after the town, but it's still neat that we live so near to this cute little texas town}. my friend holly told me about a taco place in a gas station that i needed to try.

it was delicious. i think the refried beans and hot sauce were my favorite part. we were going to head to a snowcone place down the street, but boyd opted for an ice cream from the gas station. just a good excuse to get back there soon.

makes me want to take the time to explore more of this great state.

we live in such a neat place. my heart will always be in texas.

we're looking forward to seeing my sister for the next few days.

coffee and cupcakes are on the agenda.

love,

nicolle

cupcake friday {the rest of the week}

 we met my mom for lunch on wednesday, and had a really good visit. 

we ate at rodeo goat, a newer hamburger joint in town.

it was a funky, cool place. my favorite kind of place.

during lunch my sister texted me, said she'd be in town for just a couple of hours, delivering a load to a place right by our house. so boyd and i got home from lunch, and ran out to see her and her co-driver/our friend, angie. and, they each got a new beagle puppy, so boyd was loving that. we sat in their big rig for a couple of hours, shared tacos and coffee, drove with them into the lot for the delivery. it was a ton of fun, boyd thought it was the greatest thing ever and he honked their big horn more times than he should have. it was a treat to see them for a quick visit.

i bought the devotional jesus calling, and have not been good at reading it daily. 

i am going to try my best, it only takes a second, i have no excuse.

{thank you for the inspiration, m}. i love what i read yesterday morning...
I have designed time to be a protection for you. You couldn't bear to see all your life at once. Though I am unlimited by time, it is in the present moment that I meet you.

on thursday we made a quick drop off, of ramen noodles, to our hungry friends.

then we headed to the waterpark.

we went with friends, and ran into friends.
boyd is blessed with some wonderful friends in his life, and he loves them all like they are each his best buddy ever.
it was incredibly hot out, as in hard to breathe and i felt a little nauseous by the end of the day, but we had a good time. we drank a lot of water and stayed in the water. days like these, i'm extra thankful for a/c and ceiling fans. thank you jesus for being so good to us.

cupcakes this morning.
lemon for me, and a red, white and blue vanilla cupcake for boyd.

then i picked up two of my favorite summer snacks, iced tea and cantaloupe.
we had a morning swim with friends, and now we're inside for the rest of the day.
i can handle the heat, but not heat like this.
it's time to hibernate.

enjoy your weekend.

love,
nicolle

alone time, foodie style

my mom came to town this morning, to spend the day with boyd.

i debated on staying home and just enjoying the silence,

but i wanted to eat at a new restaurant.

it's in one of my favorite parts of fort worth.

i'm glad i went.

the food was good, the silence truly was golden, and i did what i love doing...

trying new food, stopping for my favorite coffee, taking pictures, being alone.

i went to the magnolia cheese company.

they are known for their fancy cheese platters, and i think that would be a fun lunch with girlfriends,

along with some wine,

but i went with a funky salad. 

they call this one the runaway caprese.

it was different, and it was really good.

 i think food is so beautiful.

and i think life is too short to not try something new. 

and i'm thankful for every bite that god gives me.

i dream of being a food photographer one day, or a food critic, or maybe just eating my way through fort worth. something along those lines. as long as it involves pretty and delicious food.

i devoured it. 

then i had coffee at my favorite place, avoca, which is just down the street.

i left the coffee shop, and walked around like a tourist for a few minutes.

i made a quick run into trader joe's.

and now my happy bowl is full of the ingredients for my favorite lunch lately.

one diced avocado + a few diced grape tomatoes + fresh lemon juice + black pepper.

i got home, my mom and boyd showed up about an hour later, and somehow i lucked out and she took boyd with her for the weekend. and i'm not going to lie, i almost cried happy tears. boyd was thrilled to go.
and she told me not to call to check on him, or she would be mad at me. so i will try.
i know i will be so glad to see him on sunday, but i know that kevin and i will be grateful for the rest.
i'm so thankful.

have a good weekend.

love,

nicolle

tuesday

I was looking up coffee shops in our area recently, and came across this one,

Avoca Coffee, down in the arts district/older part of town.
I'm a fan of the not so well known coffee shops. This one was so cool, and full of people.

I meant to take my sis here last time she was in town, but I forgot, so we will be going back.

It's the neatest place. They roast their own fresh coffee beans {you can watch through a glass wall}, and when you get out of your car, you are hit with the best aroma ever. The coffee shop is in an old auto repair shop. I just loved it. I had a dark mocha latte, and it was so good.

I left the coffee shop, and headed to try my first falafel. I've been wanting to try this for so long now. I had the impression that falafel would taste like a hush puppy. Don't ask me why. I was so wrong, but it was so delicious. 

And just because I could, I bought some hummus too. It was beautiful. Can I say that and not sound totally weird? .....because it was the prettiest hummus ever, and so fresh and tasty.

I'm extra thankful for days like today, where I have time to be alone, try something new, and re-charge my battery. I thrive on alone time. I'm usually a homebody, but I think life is about taking that adventure, so even if it's a small one, I'm going to take it. Plus, I really like to explore this city that has my heart. Today was so good. My battery was re-charged.

 I picked Boyd up from school, and I'm always so happy to see him after those 5 hours. Bless his heart he is such a mess {aren't we all}, and we just love him so much. He brings us so much joy. The funny things he says and does have me and Kevin looking at each other and laughing every single day. Thank you Jesus for such a sweet child.

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

thankful for:

1. kindness and smiles from strangers.

2. sipping chocolate.

3. Jesus, learning more about his love for me, and feeling the changes in my heart.

4. beanies on little boys.

5. the smell of fresh roasted coffee beans.

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

have a good afternoon.

love,

nicolle