Archive for August, 2009

We had a wonderful time last night with our friends at the outdoor patio of 8.0, one of our favorite summer spots in downtown Fort Worth. The weather was beautiful, for once!

Some of of our group celebrating a gorgeous Texas night.

Then somehow a funny little challenge was posed, how it began and who’s idea it was is still a mystery. To my best knowledge this is how the event was played…

Brittany and Andy decided to take a happy little picture of themselves (on fire?)

I showed the previous picture to Rick, who then decided that we could do better. He said to act surprised, and this is what came out. This is very literally the widest I could get my eyes to go. Apparently, I didn't put much thought into what to do with my mouth...

Brittany and Andy decided to respond with this photo...of Brittany looking rather intimidating. I'm a little frightened that she's going to mug me!!

Our response was to show that we say no to petty theft by way of our bulging muscles.

And apparently, our muscles were shocking enough that it triggered claws to come out.

This lead to the final challenge, how would each team respond to the same subject? We were told by our judge (Adam O) to look pensive. Rick looks very contemplative, I look like I'm trying to decide whether or not to pick my nose...

Brittany and Andy studying, deliberating, and concentrating very hard...on what? Which fast food restaurant has the best french fries? How to resolve the health care crisis? What to do during a magnetic pole reversal? Can you actually teach an old dog new tricks?!?

Ultimately, Adam O proclaimed Andy and Brittany the winners of that night’s challenge. Admittedly, their photos were much better than ours. It just means I need a little mirror time to perfect my poses. After all, out-posing Brittany is going to require major amounts of practice!! But be warned, in the near future, I demand a rematch!! (Click here for more photos of the evening, ones that aren’t part of our picture battle)

I’m having a rather lazy and unproductive Saturday afternoon surfing the web on the couch. When lo and behold, I came across the most marvelous idea! Ladies, how many times have you gone out to a party or social event in your most daring high heels only to spend the majority of your evening limping about the dance floor/party scene? It happens to me so frequently that I often stash a pair of flip flops in the trunk of my car. By the by, never never NEVER take those shoes off and go barefoot, no matter how painful they are. I shudder to think what disgusting things have been on that public floor. Yuck!

The simple solution would be to wear comfortable shoes. But let’s face it, you can’t wear your old tennis shoes with a fabulous party dress! Not to mention, I love my high heels! I can’t give them up! In fact, I have several pairs that are genuinely somewhat comfortable, they just weren’t meant to be worn for more than four hours at a time. (three hours if there is a lot of dancing involved)

Which is why I am so excited to see the Rollasole concept! It’s a vending machine placed strategically outside popular clubs and bars filled with cute looking ballet flats! For $8-10, you can pick up a pair of these lovely shoes and enjoy the rest of your evening!

Can't take another step? Easy! Just pick up a pair of comfy and stylish Rollasoles! (picture from shoppingblog.com)

How completely adorable! (picture from allaboutweddings.com)

Look how well that would fit in a purse! (picture from lawitchesbrew.blogspot.com)

The sad part is that it’s currently only in England (darn those more innovative British!), but I’m hoping the brilliant idea will soon be able to help poor aching feet the world over. Rumor has it that they will be launching a trial run in LA and New York City in the near future. Keep your fingers (and toes) crossed!

I am happy to announce, the Bucky Ballers FINALLY won our first kickball game this season. We came very close on several occasions, but somehow always managed to get too confident and lose in the last few innings. We are no longer the last team of the league…again! You can check out the scores and more info by clicking here.

And apparently this is the face I make when we're winning...

Last night, several of the girls and I went to see the new movie, Julie & Julia. It tells the story of two women that have an unlikely bond through their love for food and cooking. One of the main characters was based on the legendary chef, Julia Child played by Meryl Streep. I absolutely adored Julia Child and fondly remember my dad’s hilarious impressions of her cooking show. The other character, Julie Powell played by Amy Adams, is the modern twist to the movie that gives the audience a glimpse into Child’s influence on American culture and cuisine.

Julie & Julia, loved it! Go see it!

I loved the movie! Both actresses are completely amazing, but nothing can outshine Streep’s brilliant portrayal of Child. I highly recommend checking it out at your local theatre. It made me giggle hysterically and wish I had a better handle on the fine art of french cooking. Hm…I guess I have actually never made french food, so I suppose I would have no handle at all. However, I am now twice as excited with our upcoming trip to Paris in October!

AND…now I have a new item to add to my wish list!

Teach me your wonderful cooking ways, Julia! I'm willing to learn!

We had a fantastic weekend of family, friends, and puppies. The Trommer parents drove up to Emporia to visit Grandma Rose on Friday, and we got the pleasure of watching Andy’s childhood dog, Lilly for the weekend. Jabber was very happy to have some extra canine company in the house, Attila was less than thrilled. Thankfully, Attila tends to manage just fine on her own.

After a nice afternoon walk around the neighborhood, Lilly was ready for an even nicer afternoon nap.

Jabber keeping an eye on the occupants of our house.

Attila was very wary of the sudden surge in the dog population of the Trommer household.

We spent some time in downtown Fort Worth on Saturday night with a bunch of our friends. The weather was decent, the music was amazing, and as per usual, the company was fantastic.

Enjoying a nice night on the town!

With that said, the weekend was wonderfully relaxing and fun, but not really anything out of the ordinary. We didn’t really do anything new, or try anything past the norm. So, I find myself here on a Sunday night (my usual blog night, how predictable, right?) trying to figure out what might interest you, the reader. Have you every found yourself saying, “Gee, if only I had a little (or a lot of) extra cash, I would buy…”? Well, here is a compilation of things that I would purchase if I had some extra funds…

**WARNING: to the men who read this blog, boring mindless girl chatter ahead!!**

1. The Frenchie Slicker from J Crew

With our Europe trip fresh on my brain, I imagine myself strolling through the streets of Paris in this cute jacket and a pair of dark jeans. (I'm not huge into khakis)

2. The Bristol ankle boot from ECCO

A brand that is well known for their comfortable footware, and I'd love to give it a try by getting these cute little ankle boots!

3. The Madison Op Art Crossbody purse from Coach

It seems that a lot of my wishes are currently being swayed by our Europe trip. This would be an ideal solution to the pickpocket snatching your purse from your shoulder problem, whilst avoiding the dreaded American tourist's fanny pack.

4. The Leaf Print Shirtdress from Kay Unger New York

Again motivated by the Europe trip, wouldn't this look splendid wandering down Las Ramblas in Barcelona?

5. The Serpentine Shimmer Headband from Anthropologie

I've had a fascination lately with embellished headbands. I don't currently have any, but I'm fascinated nevertheless.

6. The Lip Gloss Pencil from Sephora

I actually do have this item and I absolutely love it! It's got the precision of a lip pencil with the shine of a lip gloss. Why did it make the list? Because I want them all!!

7. T3 Bespoke Labs 73415 Flat Iron available at Amazon (or Sephora)

I've contemplated getting a better flat iron for awhile. I've been told that with a nice instrument, you can curl OR straighten your hair, leaving it shiny and smooth! My current one cost me $18 from Walgreens and only moderately straightens my hair after I've worked with it for an hour.

8. Any of the boxed DVD sets of Doctor Who

I've been absolutely obsessed with the BBC television show, Doctor Who. If you've never watched it, I highly recommend giving it a try. Start with the first series (instead of season, in the UK its called series), but make sure to stay tuned until David Tennant's appearance in the second series.

9. The Awesome looking Spice Rack from Dean & Deluca

Maybe it's just the scientist in me, but I love that everything is all organized in test tubes!

10. Solar Screens

Okay, this has nothing to do with my whims and fancies as a girl. However, we are trying to put away enough money to install some solar screens in the front of our house. It saves a tremendous amount of energy during our terrible Texas summers and if you get the right kind, they look rather spiffy.

Okay, I’m done with my list for the time being. As a disclaimer, in no way shape or form am I trying to get anyone to buy any of these extremely pricey items. Though gifts will never be rejected and are always appreciated. However, if you find yourself winning the lottery or you become friends with Warren Buffet in the near future, please do remember your good friend Angela!

Something on the horizon for Andy and I to look forward to, we finally booked our Europe trip last week! For twelve days, we’ll be traversing around Spain and France seeing all the sights, eating all the different types of foods, and immersing ourselves in several unique cultures. We’re terribly excited and I’m already in full fledged planning mode. Lists are being made of all the monuments, famous museums, and special picturesque locations that we absolutely must visit. A detailed time table will be put together to maximize our vacation’s potential. And yes, I do plan extra time into our schedule to meander and enjoy the European experience. That’s what the Spanish siesta is for!

In between studying all the Europe trip stuff, I had a few friends over Friday night for a small girls’ movie night. Playing on our little screen that night was Newsies, the 1992 Disney musical starring an 18 year old Christian Bale. I adored that movie as an unbelievably awkward middle schooler! On top of the amazingly awesome movie, my friend Con brought over her two 11 week old beagle puppies, Callie and Sloan. They are absolutely adorable! Though I thoroughly enjoyed playing with the puppies, I am thankful we got Jabber as a fully potty trained, well mannered (for the most part) dog. Puppies take a lot of energy and care!

Callie and Sloan taking a quick nap before they're back at the hyperactive puppy playtime again.

Jabber was thoroughly unimpressed with the puppies and remained hidden under tables for most of the night.

Lacretia snagged herself a puppy!!

And Attila slept undisturbed for most of the evening, completely unaware (or uncaring) that there were was a puppy invasion in her home.

After completing some necessary chores on Saturday afternoon, we headed for Fort Worth to spend the night with some friends. We even found a new and somewhat interesting spot to spend our evenings, Lola’s Saloon. I liked it because dogs are welcome inside! I spent some happy petting time with a very huge American Bulldog named Rosco. It’s nice to find new hangouts to try, it expands our range of places to go.

I discovered that I have very few pictures of my buddy Rickaby and decided to remedy the problem. Alas, this was the most normal Rick picture I took, and I think he prefers it that way.

They're the dudes, the boys, the homefries....

With the weekend almost gone, Andy and I are just hanging around the house doing a few chores, relaxing, and working on more trip planning. Let me know if you have any suggestions as far as Europe goes!