Tis' the Holiday Season

You know it's been too long since you last posted when you have 3 holidays to cover... Fall has been busy! It feels like just last week was Halloween, yesterday was Thanksgiving and now Christmas is in less than two weeks. Not to mention 2016 is less than a month away. What is going on?!

Celebrating our first Halloween with Shiner obviously meant shopping for a pet costume! I picked out a cute dinosaur one and Shiner participated in a dog costume parade at the farmer's market. Believe it or not she won "Best Costume Dressed As Another Species"- go Shiner! I was surprised this was actually a real thing... but then I remembered I'm in Dallas. We went out for the night, with Sam as Maverick and me as Ronda Rousey. The best part of the night was running into a Floyd Mayweather...

Also in October, we saw New Found Glory & Yellowcard, and I saw Matt Nathanson. We went to the Deep Ellum Brewery for some tasty beers to celebrate their birthday, and even got a visit from Hannah one weekend! While Hannah was here we introduced her to Texas with a visit to the Fort Worth Stockyards for the cattle drive and, of course, real Texas BBQ! 

Thanksgiving came and went and was nothing short of amazing. Being around family, friends, and pups is seriously the best time ever. Not to mention all the tasty food! I'm fairly certain I ate at least a whole pie. I'm so thankful we were able to make it home for the weekend! Although, I guess I should thank the hurricane which cancelled Seagull Century since I needed a reason to re-use my flyer points...

After returning we jumped right into Christmas! I've never had a real tree before, so we went out and got one. Let's just say that Christmas is a LOT harder when you have to buy/do everything. But... we pulled it off and our living room looks and smells beautiful!

 

Even Shiner is excited about her stocking and this new giant green plant...

Now it's time for Sam to finish up his finals, me to finish up Christmas shopping, and us both to get ready to go home for Christmas! Followed by a family trip to the happiest place on earth. :)

Happy Holidays! 

Love, Kendra

Safari Fun With A Side of Fall and Fair Food.

Phew, it's been a while! Time flies when you're having fun. The past month has been filled with adventures and I can't believe its already October AND Fall. Not that it even feels like Fall yet, but I guess weather in the 80's and sunny isn't terrible. :) Here's what I (and we!) have been up to lately:

Sam and I had a date night out to a bar with a rooftop view and it did not disappoint. There's Dallas all lit up in the background! One of my favorite pictures so far from down here. 

 We were VERY excited about Labor Day and even had plans to go the lake, however Shiner contracted Kennel Cough at day care and we had to stick around to take care of her. #FurbabyLife

We had to come up with other Labor Day plans for the weekend and I heard about this wildlife center where you could drive through a safari type atmosphere and feed animals. So... we clearly had to do it. The animals loved coming up to the cars and even stuck their heads/noses in. 

We were really excited for the zebras and were scared we wouldn't be able to get very close. But, sure enough, a group of zebras swarmed our car. We even got to touch this one's nose when he stuck it in the car! Touch a zebra: CHECK!

I had the hope of getting a giraffe to stick it's neck in our sun roof, but sadly that didn't happen. We still got to see just how massive they are and how funny their tongues look. And I plan on going back and attempting this again!

                                           

Next adventure was a trip to see The Price is Right Live! I had no idea this was even a thing until I saw it on Facebook and OBVIOUSLY we had to go. I had high hopes of getting called to "Come on Down" but sadly we didn't get called. It was still a hilarious and fun night and if this show is coming near you I absolutely recommend it!  

One of my favorite parts of the night was the name tags we got. Just like the real deal! Even though I DO plan on making it to the REAL deal in the future. But, this sufficed for now. 

Another highlight from September was when Garth Brooks decided to play 7 shows in the span of 5 days downtown. I worked a few of them and was lucky enough to score a free ticket! Although he had started to lose his voice when I saw him on show 6/7, he was still incredible. Such a cool experience to see him on such a historical sold out tour in Dallas.  

This weekend was supposed to be the weekend of the Seagull Century and I was SO excited to complete it for the second year in a row and have a mini trip home. However, Hurricane Joaquin had other plans in store. Since the ride was cancelled and I couldn't fly home and back in a hurricane, we had to make other plans, involving pumpkins and fair fun!

We took Shiner to the pumpkin patch to help us pick out some jack o' lanterns. People were taking pictures of their kids in front of the pumpkins so, duh, Shiner had to partake too. She's so small it makes me laugh, but we let her pick out her own special mini pumpkin and we can't wait to carve them!

The State Fair of Texas is in town and it is literally all everyone is talking about. So we had to try it out, and by that I mean we had to go and eat a week's worth of calories in one day. These pictures are still making my mouth drool and we will definitely be going back for more before it leaves for the year! 

One of my favorite foods has always been a corn dog (which will never change!) and at the state fair they claim to have the best. This is a corny dog and it is deep fried deliciousness. Coated in ketchup, just how I like. Next up was a Frito Pie, which is basically a bowl of chili with fritos on the bottom. I'm not a huge frito fan, but this was pretty bangin. 

My favorite fair food find of the day was hands down the Red Velvet Funnel Cake. Imagine a funnel cake, but about 100 times better. Red Velvet fried batter covered in icing and powdered sugar. NOM. We ate this in about 1 minute and had zero shame about it. 

The staple icon of the State Fair is Big Tex. A picture doesn't do him justice. He is literally a GIANT man statue who stands and talks about the fair. His voice is a tad creepy, but I guess he just wants to make sure people understand him. It wouldn't be a trip to the State Fair without a selfie with him! (Or so I gathered from all the selfies happening.)

I almost feel guilty enjoying a perfect sunny and 80 degree day while everyone back home is dealing with wind, rain, and 50 degree weather. But hey, someone has to enjoy it, right? Here's hoping to a successful Seagull Century next year- hurricane free!!! 

Until next time, 

Peace, love, and fried foods, 

Kendra

It Wouldn't Be Kendra's Blog If It Didn't Involve a Maroon 5 Post

The title speaks for itself- Earlier this summer Maroon 5 announced two East Coast shows. So after deciding we would all go, my dad, Anuva, and I bought tickets and then the countdown began! It's always a fun adventure when the 3 of us get together to road trip to see them. Some of the best memories I have are from these trips!

First up was a show at Hershey Park Stadium! Unfortunately the park was WAY too crowded to even attempt going in to ride rides, but we did muster through the Chocolate World line and obviously got some chocolate. We would have taken home way more chocolate than necessary, but given the fact that it was in the 90's outside, it probably wouldn't have lasted too long in a hot car. Instead we bought a bag of Hugs and had it for lunch. Quite an accomplishment devouring the 9 serving bag, but we definitely had a nice SUGAR high from it...I'll leave this pun here for the M5 fans to get :-).

While in PA I just HAD to see one of my closest friends, Hannah! She lives relatively close, so she drove over and met us for some chocolate fun. It was so nice to see her considering we haven't seen each other since before I moved in February! Had to document it! 

The show was great, PLUS we got to see Matt McAndrew and Nick Jonas... who, by the way, is no longer a little Jonas brother. We didn't have front row for this one, but my dad is in the crowd a little to the left and closer. 

Always a blast singing and dancing with my partner in crime, as if you can't tell from this post-show selfie. 

After the show, and after our 1.5 mile walk back to car, we headed on towards Atlantic City for show #2! Stopping somewhere in between Hershey and AC we got a hotel and caught some shut eye before another exciting day ahead. The next day started with a McDonalds breakfast feast where we loaded up on caffeine for our journey into New Jersey. This show was on the beach of the NJ boardwalk. I've never been to a beach concert before, but this was just as awesome as I expected it to be! One minute we were playing in the sand and dipping our toes in the water, while the next we were sitting on towels awaiting the show to start. 

Before the show, we walked around the boardwalk and my dad even threw some money away on the slots. Here's our boardwalk selfie out from of Ceasar's where the money was lost. 

Then we entered the show and had to make the most out of the lovely sand we were stepping in and beach we were on! One thing I've learned in TX, the beach is hard to come by. I was a little excited to be back on it!

Seriously, you guys... who's dad is the coolest?!?

Oh, and also... Maroon 5 basically made us our own personal shirt for our trip. No big deal. 

Another great show in the books- and it even ended with a little shirtless Adam Levine. That's never a bad thing, right?

Then it was time to head home and return to reality... but a mini Maroon 5 concert trip was the perfect addition to this summer. Now, we can't help but wonder where we'll end up next....

More to come soon, 

Kendra

P.S. Hi Tye! :)

A Little Vacation Never Hurt Nobody

Wow, what a month. It has seriously flown by and I haven't had a chance to get a post up in a bit. Between work, Shiner, the gym, sleep, and being out of town, it's been a little crazy. But here's a new one to catch ya'll up on everything recently!

So obviously when my parents left after their visit it just wasn't enough for me. I flew back home 2 weeks later since clearly I can't stay away! This trip home was for our annual family vacation to Deep Creek Lake with my mom's whole side (well, most of) the family. I look forward to it every year and this year was especially great since I've been down South since February. We kicked off the trip in true Knieriem fashion with a family dinner with the 5 of us + special guest, Jen. Lots of fun, as always,. Gotta love being around 4 of the greatest people in my life all at once! 

Then obviously I also had to squeeze in some friend time with my favorites. Where else to go but our old stomping grounds? Just like all the old nights spent in College Park at Looneys this was no different... except that this time we got to Nay Nay. 

                                       

These folks are REALLY awesome and I'm so happy they made time for me while I was back. Ya'll make a girl happy and I'm so glad distance hasn't been an issue in our friendships!

The next morning was time for Deep Creek! It's about a 3 hour drive through the Maryland mountains. We rent a giant 9 bedroom house on the top of a mountain and we hang out as a family for a week. Lots of delicious food, card games, pool days, corn hole, puzzle making, etc. I'm so thankful my family does this and it's my favorite week out of the whole year. Here's a picture off the deck in the back of our house. It's the perfect view of the lake and it's one of the most peaceful views there is, especially early in the morning or late at night. 

It's always nice to wake up everyday and get to enjoy a hot pool day right in your own back yard. It was especially nice this year because it was comfortably in the 80's compared to triple digits of a Texas summer.  

Here's mom and I hanging out by the pool after the sun had gone down.

                                       

 This was basically the view for the whole week. Pool, rafts, corn hole, and family. 

One reason we ALL love Deep Creek is the fact that we get to eat like royalty all week. Fridges and cabinets stocked, plus a fresh cooked meal every night, thanks to the wonderful cooks/grill masters in the family. My favorites are usually steak and hamburger night. This year we tried something new with a create your own pizza night and that was also a hit. Food is one of the best parts of vacation, so we make SURE to enjoy that fully. Here's a typical lunch time selfie in the midst of us stuffing our faces. 

After dinner every night we try to play some family games. This is Four Square, which is actually a lot of fun., especially with such a competitive family. Other nights we played wiffle ball, rummy, pool, pinochle, and even went mini golfing!

A big attraction near DCL is Swallow Falls. It's a big waterfall which flows down a long stretch of rocks. We walk the trail, dip in the water, go down a natural made water slide, and finish it off with some Lakeside Creamery Ice Cream (another excellent part of DCL!)! Here's the main waterfall which is always beautiful to see. 

                                       

Brad and Jason don't usually get to come up but this year they did. Woohoo! We all got in the falls to document it, despite it not being the warmest water ever. 

With 3 younger teenage cousins it was only a matter of time before a selfie stick found it's way onto our vacation. They won them at the arcade and they clearly became a hit ever since. Here's a partial family selfie on the rocks at Swallow Falls. (Seriously, selfie stick for the win!)

                                        

Here's a pic of my brothers and I on our deck! In case you couldn't see the beautiful view in the first picture, this also captures it well. 

                                           

Seeing the moon above the lake at night is one of the prettiest sights ever. This was from one of the first nights, however the moon got even bigger later on in the week. (It was the day of the Blue Moon). The moon was so bright it reflected off the water just like it would in a painting. Crazy to look at it and see how perfect nature can be. 

                                            

After a FABULOUS week with the best family ever, it always sucks to leave. But the memories will last forever, and there's always next year. Seriously, I couldn't be happier to have a family that enjoys spending an entire week together, and even looks forward to it They are simply the best and my favorite part of Maryland, hands down.  

       

Leaving Deep Creek also meant me coming back to Texas! It was exciting returning to Sam and, of course, Shiner. Sam was out of town as well, so she stayed with her puppy sitter and she was SO happy to see us when we picked her up. It was the cutest. 

Although we rescued Shiner and her past is a little up in the air, her adoption papers listed August 5th, 2014 as her birthday. So naturally, we had to celebrate her turning 1 (or 7!). We were dog sitting at the time, so her party guest Bolo got to attend too. 

She LOVED her dog friendly cake and licked the plate and the floor clean. Here's to many more happy years with this crazy, hilarious, weirdo of a dog. I couldn't have asked for a better little goober to call my first pup.

Back to reality after vacation is rough, but there's always a lot to look forward to! I have a few things on my mind. :)

-Kendra