Beach Blanket Bonnie

Last weekend I hit the road with my manpanion and went to the beach. We needed to get out of the city for a while so we booked a little cabin in the quiet little town of Port Aransas. We turned our phones off, slathered ourselves in sunscreen, rode our bikes everywhere & drank micheladas with sand between our toes. It was fantastic! One day I will runaway, buy an ice cream truck and become a beach bum. I believe it is my calling.

We stayed at this cute little place called the Laughing Horse Lodge. It was kitschy & quiet & cheap - in other words a dream come true. Our little bungalow was called "The Hobby Horse" which we felt was pretty fitting.
Before we left town we stopped off to get tropical pedicures! We didn't plan for them to be girly pink and bad boy blue - that's just how it worked out - cross my heart. It was Austin's very first pedicure and I doubt it will be his last.

Since Austin and I both work ALL THE TIME we were "not allowed" to work during this trip. So there wasn't a lot to pack. I did bring my computer though - which I really only used to check the weather and listen to music. I thought it would be hard not to work for an entire weekend, but turns out I was wrong! Dead wrong!
When we weren't laying low or looking like vampires on parade at the beach we hung out at the local pirate bar - The Gaff. A gem of a place that is filled with characters and hosts belt sander races on the weekends. Yes, you read that right - Belt Sander Races. We did not get to see said races which left me feeling cheated, but that gives me another reason to return.

Speaking of vampires at the beach - we forgot to pack our kites so we went on an adventure to find one. Luckily this tiny town of 3,370 people has a kite shop and we picked up the most bad ass delta you've ever seen! It was black with a big bloody vampire mouth smack in the middle of it. Did I get a picture of us flying it? Sadly - no. Whatever - you try to take a picture of something flying next to the sun and see how it turns out. I guess you'll just have to trust me about the "most bad ass" part. Flying it made me want to get chinese take out and watch Lost Boys like 4 or 5 times in a row. So instead of pictures of a killer kite flying session here's a shot of me looking totally washed up:
The whole trip was totally effing delightful! Going back to work Monday morning felt worse than any sunburn, but you can't have the rainbows with out the rain... right?
Take my advice - raid your piggy bank and get out of town! Make like a tree! Shew! It doesn't have to be a big deal of a trip to make you feel brand new.

To see more pictures of our adventures check my flickr account!

xo!
Bonnie Rue

p.s. Best song to listen to at the beach? Summer Time Rolls ... if you ask me

Playing With My Food

It's been said before that I am only ever interested in my next meal... & there's a lot of truth to that. You may recall from my first ever Want. Need. post that I absolutely had to have a Zojirushi Mr. Bento to pack my lunch in. AND I got one! Well, not the Mr. Bento but the Mini Bento (it's cuter and more my style). My Mom wrapped it up & put it under the x-mas tree for me, Thanks Mom! I have been packing my lunch in it everyday since the new year started & I gotta say - there IS an art to packing your bento. You want to get a variety of things in there with out all of them "contaminating" each other and you want to pack items that are to be eaten at the same temperature together.. it gets complicated! I'm all about becoming a pro though. To reach this goal I've been taking notes from The Food Pornographer, lunchinabox.net & Anna the Red. Anna creates some lunches that are so incredibly cute & creative that it would be almost impossible to eat them. She even customizes her own cookie cutters to make crazy little tasty creatures! AND if that doesn't make you want to get on the bento box wagon how about these awesome bento's made to look like some of the greatest albums ever! I found these on Jacket Lunchbox & my stomach is glad that I did!
So, the inspiration is there, now I need some tools & a little more time to pack my bento each night. I guess I could get up earlier & do it but, a girl needs her beauty sleep. I've really been enjoying putting them together so far. Not only is it a chance to make edible art but, it gives me a chance to think about my meal. It is so very important to think about not only what you are eating but the portions. It's all about portions. As my mother always told me "Moderation in all things". When I was a kid I wanted to jam a fork in my eye when she said it but of course she was right. That's why she kept saying it... and kept saying it and kept saying it. Thanks again Mom. I mean it! As I mentioned before, my camera is broken, so I can't take a photo of my lunch today, which is delicious & nutritious but doesn't smile up at you or make you want to rock the casbah. I will soon be enjoying a cup of 15 bean soup, with *you guessed it* 15 beans, an onion, some celery, carrots, a sunchoke, quinoa & some herbs and spices. Then I have a small salad with greens, sprouts, walnuts, grape tomatoes, with a few crumbles of gorgonzola & topped with a drizzle of olive oil. For dessert? Vanilla yogurt & a dab of apricot jam.

....dang, I wish it were time for lunch!

*big thanks to Red Anna for letting me use the picture of her Katamari Damacy bento*