God bless America!

memorial day weekend was just great. simple. family-oriented. patriotic. a hint of the promising summer that will soon commence. hope you enjoyed the weekend as much as i did!


locked my keys in my car. LAME. but i did get to have lunch w/ lauren @ the bluebonnet cafe and then she waited with me and we ate cherry pie on the back of her tailgate! love you lots!


cousins brought their ipad to the lake and now i'm convinced that i need one...although i really can't tell you the difference between the ipad and the iphone?!


i just adore cajun shrimp and crab boils. it's a very unrefined way of eating, but you can't beat it!


met this little guy at the llano texas proud festival...i wanted to take him home with me so very badly.


all day long on the boat!!!!! simply the best.

THANK YOU TO ALL U.S. MILITARY MEMBERS (BOTH PAST AND PRESENT) WHO SERVE THIS COUNTRY. I AM SO PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN AND I OWE IT ALL TO YOU! GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILIES.

i love love love texas music!

saw a great show tonight, gotta hand it to brandon rhyder...he was truly phenomenal. got to talk to him post-show for awhile and that boy is good as gold! here's how part of the convo went down:

shan: so i gotta tell you, you've got one of my favorite voices in the texas music scene, well, really anywhere. you've got this deep, distinctive, gravelly thing goin' on.
BR: well thank you honey, it's the church of christ!
shan: well then, God bless the church of christ. and i also wanted to tell you that i think you're an incredible songwriter. i think you & wade bowen have some kind of connection to the female psyche...it's like you know exactly what a woman wants to hear! how do you do that?
BR: well i wasn't always this good lookin', had to figure out a way to impress the ladies somehow.
shan: no really, you're really good!

what a sweetheart that man is. such a good family man too. i'm SO impressed...genuinely awesome guy.

hope you enjoy our unfortunate little phone pic:

it's true...

never irritate a woman who can operate a backhoe.

how 'bout them fredericksburg peaches!

hill country tour continued...


this little cafe RATHER SWEET is TO DIE FOR! first heard about it from levi and then the reviews just kept coming...i've been wanting to visit here for what seems like forever and it was totally worth the wait. restauranteur and chef rebecca rather (dan's daughter) serves up the best chicken salad sandwich i've ever eaten in my life and don't even get me started on the desserts! this is a little piece of heaven on earth.


found some great stuff for mi casa at double r dry goods. this place has some beautiful things and excellent service too...probably my favorite stop on main street. in addition to home furnishings (their specialty), they also carry rocki gorman, old gringo, and bb simon! ahhhhh i could spend some hard-earned dollars here.


spied these handmade crocodile boots at double r. i think i'll buy them for the future mister one day. who wouldn't look distinguished, dapper, and ruggedly handsome walking down the street with a pair of these on his feet?


you must experience the tasting show room of rustlin' rob's texas gourmet foods! holy moley, there are over 200 different dips, sauces, honey, preserves, cobblers, and jams to try! it's INCREDIBLE! you could really be in that store for days...a note of warning: don't think your bulletproof and try the def con hot sauce...sinuses cleared, throat burning, eyes watering just to prove that i could. i'm stubborn that way.


finally got to visit das peach haus and it was just perfect. it's on the outskirts of the town on highway 87 and the grounds contain a cooking school, winery, gift shop, and tasting room all based on peaches! the proprietor was so warm and welcoming and he even serves as the county judge in town. this place was spectacular and i will be coming back for many years to come.


love this little thing!


you bring the peaches, i'll bring the cream...

an afternoon in gruene...

is simply divine. if you haven't ever had the opportunity to visit this little hill country treasure, i urge you to do so ASAP! you'll thank me for it. gruene, texas has always been a special town to me and my adoration for it has grown over the years. for one thing, it is the definition of quaint texas charm, for another, you wouldn't believe how much there is to do there! although it has become a huge texas tourist destination, as the town saying goes, "gently resisting change since 1872." i, for one, think the town has managed to do an incredible job preserving the spirit and hospitality of this texas landmark.

i have been out to gruene countless times (some of the best times of my life) and i've found my favorite places to visit. if i were you, i'd be sure to check out adobe verde for an afternoon on the patio with some amazing chips and queso and a fantastic drink, but you MUST have dinner at the gristmill (that one's a rule.) for shopping, i'd recommend the gruene general store for kitschy texasesque memorabilia and an old fashioned soda pop, cactus jack's for fine home furnishings, and lone star for fun clothes and gifts. pre-dinner, i suggest sitting back with a glass of wine from a texas vineyard at the grapevine or celebrating happy hour at tavern on the gruene. then, you MUST visit lonestar music (maybe you'll get lucky and see someone famous!) and you MUST check out a show at the legendary gruene hall. if you're really lucky, maybe you can splurge on a room at the gruene mansion inn (go for the river view) so that you won't even have to drive home!

here's a few pics from yesterday with cori jo and ali-gator:


in front of the hall...they just put a fresh coat of paint on this thing too...it's so white now it's blinding!


she gets really excited in the general store...


this is SO COOL! every thursday, the grapevine does a wine tasting and features a texas winery with live music out in the garden. guess who the featured winery was yesterday? LLANO ESTACADO! it was fate!


sitting on my swing.


saw this in the general store...don't get mad at me dallas friends, but i gotta say an amen to this one!! i wouldn't last a week...

josh grider trio playing "rock and roll tonight" at a free show in the hall!

if you ever want to find me on a wednesday night...

county line is where i shall be. yeah, i'm a regular there, but i'm not ashamed...it's the best!!!! greatest music in texas, most succulent ribs w/ shiner, the PERFECT atmosphere, and san antonio's finest. sometimes i feel as though i would've been lost in this city without finding my place @ CL. i wasn't sure how this summer was going to be without randy goss (owner of CL - randy tragically died a few months back in a flash flood and it was a terrible shock to the san antonio community.) however, things have carried on and each wednesday is a tribute to randy's memory, we sure do miss him though! CHECK OUT THE SCHEDULE and come join me sometime, it'll be worth your trouble...



anyway, last night was a special occasion because cori jo's in town, thus it made it even better than usual! we had a fantastic dinner and then gathered in the backyard for some deryl dodd - or DOUBLE D - as I affectionately call him. this girl walked up and i told her i knew what color her underwear was. she looked at me like a cow lookin' at a new gate and i said, 'they're hot pink and i promise! cause you walked by and they sorta caught my eye IN MY NEW TONY LAMAS!" oh double d, you're a baylor boy, and that explains so much about you...but i do sorta like it when you wear those bandanas! ;)

my new art collection

i have been familiar with the work of doreman burns for a long time now...for one thing, he hails from lubbock, but for another his work is really well-known and can be found in the pages of cowboys & indians magazine and in private collections all over the southwest. i have often gawked at his artwork and thought to myself, "someday, i will have a doreman burns painting in my house!" now, i want to start a whole collection of them!


this one's entitled "let's rodeo" and it's the one i bought recently because the artist thought i resembled her.


this one is called "classic collection" and i have just the perfect place for it!


"dancing with cowgirls" - i think she's beautiful!


"double trouble" - what a feisty looking cowgirl...gotta have this one too.

it's okay, tina's going.

grandmother frances passed this along to me because she thought i would get a kick out of it. oh my goodness...

FW: Night Out Texas Style

Daughter: My friends and I want to go out tonight.
Mama: Where y'all going?
Daughter: To the cowboy bar on the edge of town.
Mama: I don't think you should. There's been a lot of trouble at that place. I heard there was a fight there last weekend, and several people got hurt!
Daughter: But Tina's going with us...
Mama: OH WELL IN THAT CASE, y'all have fun!

are you a real cowboy?

interesting revelation. haphazardly stumbled upon urban cowboy and watched it for the first time in ages. dang, there are so many parallels between this movie and my real life. don't know if i should be proud of this? ha. on a completely different note, how adorable is john travolta in this movie?! LOVE HIM. "i'm bud, from spur!"



as you can see, spur, texas is just a hop, skip, and a jump away from my hometown over in dickens, county. i knew he would be from west, texas!

lonesome dove

in honor of the 25th anniversary of this incredible piece of literature written by the brilliant larry mcmurtry, i had to pay tribute. word on the street is that an upcoming texas monthly issue will feature the story of woodrow and the boys and there are also several commemorative events happening all around texas...hopefully i'll make it to a few of those.

as is standard procedure, when i read a book, i mark it up in the margins completely and then i always write my thoughts inside the back cover when i finish reading it. i read lonesome dove back in the summer of 2007 and here's what i had to say about it at the time:

July 12, 2007

I stole this one from my daddy's personal library. I've been wanting to read it for what seems like forever and during my downtime this summer in Argentina, I finally got the chance. I feel like living among the ranches and arid pampas of this country was the perfect setting to read this book (you wouldn't believe how much Argentina and Texas have in common)...I believe this even more so, now that I know that Robert Duvall fell in love with a beautiful girl from Buenos Aires and takes up residence here.

I obviously know that this is a novel about the classic idea of the journey, but this book is all about longing, desire, and solitary loneliness. There is a quest for these two old men to become dangerous, tenacious pioneers once more and you can feel their restless yearning for adventure. Although my favorite characters were Deets, Newt, Po Campo and Clara; I am hopelessly in love with Augustus McCrae. I want to marry a man like him, do you suppose they really exist? I am enamored by that trademark smirk, that swagger and spontaneity, that love for exploring the unknown.

When I finished this book, I felt accomplished at having read 943 pages, but once again, I wasn't ready to leave Lonesome Dove behind. Larry McMurty, you devil, I still feel a need for closure.

This is probably my favorite book I have ever read thus far in my life, which is a bold statement to make, but I loved absolutely every minute of reading it. Like all of the greatest things in life, Lonesome Dove was tragically beautiful and I shall never forget it.

SDS


oh child, such a flair for the dramatic! getting all hot and bothered over a fictional literary character and then being on the verge of tears when you've finished reading a book? hahaha what a funny girl. but yes, if you couldn't tell, this book means a great deal to me. find some time to read it some day, watch the miniseries, or even pick up the fabulous coffee table book by bill witliff (it is quite the staple of any rustic/old west home.)

"lorie darlin', life in san francisco, you see, is still just life. if you want any one thing too badly, it's likely to turn out to be a disappointment. the only healthy way to live life is to learn to like all the little everyday things, like a sip of good whiskey in the evening, a soft bed, a glass of buttermilk, or a feisty gentleman like myself." - augustus mccrae

i've been tagged!

my dear friend callie tagged me in this little fill in the blank goodness, so i had to indulge...

1) who is your style icon?

hmmm...my style ideal is a woman of contradiction and versatility...a woman who can be effortlessly dressed for any occasion. a woman who can get dirty with the boys, yet she possesses feminine mystique. a woman who can throw on a pair of jeans and boots and look incredibly sexy, yet can grace the red carpet later that night and knock 'em dead. for that reason, i've always admired the look of these three ladies:


sheryl crow, what a babe...


carrie's my go-to girl. i often think, "what would carrie wear?" "how would carrie do her hair?" she looks STUNNING. ALL. THE. TIME. to me, she captures the true essence of the all-american, southern sweetheart, but her style still has some edge.


i love everything about emmylou harris...dear lord, is it really possible to look like this at 63?

2) what is your favorite socialite lit book?

hands down, "what southern women know that every woman should" by ronda rich. this little gem is fantastic and so is the author. i'm dying to meet her someday!



3) what is your favorite party theme?

haha, you know me, i loooove a good party theme! i'm incredibly partial to the "white trash" theme, but coming in at a close second would be anything that could fall into the categories of jimmy buffet/mexican getaway/island in the sun.



4) what is your go-to halloween costume?

once again, i love dressing up, but senior year at halloween i had no costume and decided to use my always handy aviator shades and ever-present bomber jacket to be kelly mcgillis (charlie) from top gun! best part of the night? there were so many cute boys dressed up as maverick who wanted to have their picture with me!



5) what is the one extravagance you can't live without?

it's a tie. i could NOT LIVE without my bubble baths accompanied by a glass of good wine, but i will also subsist on an incredibly miniscule budget and give up just about everything so that i can partake in traveling...





6) who is a living person you admire?

geeze louise, i admire so many people! i'll try to narrow it down with how i feel today...


i am absolutely blown away by the philanthropic work that bill & melinda gates have done. not only is their foundation wiping out the harmful effects of preventative diseases, but they are at the forefront of funding higher education. it's one thing to be rich and give money away, it's another to be directly involved in the efforts.


i love dolly parton so very much. i read her autobiography a few years back and it was just incredible. i have so much respect for her. people totally underestimate her as a dumb blonde, but she is a tremendous song writer, shrewd businesswoman, a performer with longevity, and she has given so much back to the people of her appalachian hometown.

7) what is your greatest fear?

wow. that's thought provoking. i'd say my greatest fear is wasting time or living regretfully...looking back on the years and wishing i would've taken more chances, done more things, or told more people how i really felt about them. for this very reason, i'm trying to be proactive about facing this fear and i'm doing my best to live with gusto, passion, and a sense of respect for the brevity of life.

8) what is the trait you deplore in yourself?

i think i've mentioned this in other blog posts, but my deplorable trait is a double-edged sword (as most character traits are) because it's something i actually like about myself and refuse to change...oh the wonderful world of dichotomy! this sounds so freakin' emo (forgive me), but i feel things very intensely and i give my WHOLE heart to every person, job, situation, _______ (fill in the blank) that i deem worthy (which doesn't require the greatest sense of discernment on my part.) as you might have foreshadowed, this can lead to some bruised and broken hearts along the way. sometimes...a lot of times...i wish i didn't care so much...i wish i could be more ambivalent or blissfully ignorant and detached. however, one of my coworkers said to me the other day, "i just wish i was as passionate about one thing as you are about everything." that made me feel really good. :)

9) what talent would you most like to have?

oh that's easy, i wish i had the voice of a pretty little songbird! if that were the case, i'd already be on stage at the grand 'ol opry a looooong time ago!

10) what is your greatest achievement?

first and foremost, my greatest achievement would be my spiritual life in the fact that i know Jesus Christ as my personal savior. after that, it would be my discovery (post-college, mind you) that working with kids labeled as "unlovable" and "rejected" was the answer to what i'd been looking for my whole life. there will never be ANYTHING greater that i can ever do in this lifetime than to build blessings in their lives and to watch them grow into resilient, capable adults.



alright, time to pass it on...i'm tagging: brittany, maggie, crystal, stephanie, and megan.

happy (early) mother's day!

Every day at noon like a chapel bell
Find her Jesus keep her well
Help her do more right than wrong, at the end of the day
I've got five good gears and a tank of gas,
50 watts and Johnny Cash
A guitar and a broken heart
Just full of things to say

You taught me how to stand those tests and trials
But you can't see a desert sunrise in the Bible

She loves me more than anything
And she wants the world for me
Her west dropped off in El Paso
And her north in Abilene
Mama I'm okay out here
I've seen how hard the world can be
My step is sure and I know my name
I'M STRONG JUST LIKE YOU PRAYED I'D BE
I'M STRONG JUST LIKE YOU PRAYED I'D BE

If I had done what you and daddy'd done
I would have never lost and never won
Or gotten myself kicked when I was down
I would not know how to travel well
A hundred bucks and cheap motels
I would not know how to fight for my own heart next time around

Don't you cry another night about me
In this city I've got angels all around me

She loves me more than anything
And she wants the world for me
Her west dropped off in El Paso
And her north in Abilene
Mama I'm okay out here
I've seen how hard the world can be
My step is sure and I know my name
I'M STRONG JUST LIKE YOU PRAYED I'D BE
I'M STRONG JUST LIKE YOU PRAYED I'D BE

I FELT IT EVERY TIME YOU PRAYED FOR ME
I'M STRONG JUST LIKE YOU PRAYED I'D BE

-miranda lambert, "mama, i'm alright"

happy cinco!

this day always makes me miss college and my best friends from baylor. i think even when i'm 80 (supposing i'll make it that long) the date of may 5 will always bring me back to that red brick house on 9th and wood. i don't know how it all got started, but we annually put on the biggest cinco de mayo fiesta anyone had ever seen! we had mexican food, sparklers, pinatas, margaritas, mexican muumuus, salsa...the whole shabang. and that's also how my famous sangria recipe got started (i'll gladly give you the recipe - it's SO EASY.) the last cinco party that we threw senior year was the best of them all and will go down in history as legendary. it started as a small gathering of close friends from the class of '08 and by the end of the night, i looked across our glittered/confetti lawn and counted 100 people! i even overheard little 18-year-old freshmen exclaiming, "THIS IS THE BEST PARTY I'VE EVER BEEN TO IN MY LIFE!!!" we knew we had to go out big. oh my friends, i miss you so much. thanks for the memories. VIVA CINCO!

w & fam

did anyone watch oprah today? i dvr'd it and it was a lovely special on the royal family of texas. they were specifically there to promote laura's new memoir "spoken from the heart." can't wait to get my hands on a copy of that!!! i think laura is the classiest woman EVER...a true first lady...one of the best, if not THE best, we've ever had. and i'll have you know that laura, jenna, and barbara were all kappa alpha thetas!!!! so that like totally means we're like sorority sisters!! anyyyyyyyyyyyyway...what can i say, love the bushes. always will.

found this pic of W. what a roguishly handsome devil. good job laura!!!!

king george

sooooo yeah, let's state the obvious. the sold out/only concert in tx/last stop on the tour was last night and thank my lucky stars, i was there!!! although we had to fight the mob of 55,000 other rabid fans, it was all worth it.

didn't make it in time to see law or rr (due to insane traffic), but reba was FANTASTIC. oh geez, i wish you could have seen her sing "fancy" in that red dress. mighta been born just plain white trash, but FANCY WAS MY NAME!

and yeah that guy george was just alright. hahahaha. don't even get me started.

i knew i was in trouble when he came on stage with his cowboy hat tilted down, started strumming...then ever so dashingly cocked his head up, winked and smiled that GORGEOUS smile. ayayay...weak in the knees. (don't worry i have accepted the fact that our romance shall never be. new plan of action: find out who the young buck is who played his younger version in "seashores of old mexico.")

he put on an awesome show and he played for 2.5 hours, all the while giving his aw chucks grin and declaring, "man, it feels good to be home!" he said out of all the records he's ever recorded, this is his favorite song he's ever done and i must say it's a good one. LOVE YOU GEORGE HARVEY STRAIT AND THANK YOU KJ97 FOR THE TICKETS!!!!!


deanna & i outside the alamodome. you should have seen us on the way up there...HONK IF YOU HONKY TONK!!!


i cross my heart, check yes, desperately, get carried away in this man's presence.