Ringin' in 25 Texas style

June has always been one of my favorite months. It's the start of summer AND my birthday! This June started off perfectly with some Country music and a trip to Austin. 

I got to work the Tim McGraw concert in Dallas and see what a real country concert is like down here. Basically LOTS of cowboy boots. Before the show I got to meet the opening acts Chase Bryant and Billy Currington. I had no idea what they looked like before meeting them but both were not what I was expecting. It was exciting to put a face to the songs I hear on the radio though! Oh, and you'll have to excuse the sweaty appearance- it was in the 90's and the sun was blazing all day. 

Welcome to TX. :-)

Then I got to see Tim!!! I've wanted to see him for a while but never actually did. He played a lot of my favorites and was a lot of fun to watch. He also flashed his abs for a second which wasn't a bad touch to the show at all. 

Then it was the day of turning the big 2-5! It was weird to spend it away from home but we made sure to celebrate it appropriately. Sam took Shiner and I out to Canne Rosso for some wine, meatballs, and pizza! It's so nice eating on patios here, and especially nice when they are pet friendly. Shiner stayed under the table and was even better behaved than a child that was there. And the food was delicious to say the least. 

Shiner was clearly very happy to celebrate with us. She was actually scared of this pig when we tried to take the picture. 

My favorite part of a birthday is eating Carvel ice cream cake. The box says it is what happiness tastes like, and it is completely true. Although I do miss the cakes my mom used to make. In a perfect world I would have enjoyed one of each! 

                                             

For the weekend we took a day/night trip to Austin and even got a puppy sitter. Our first stop was Hippie Hollow. It was a really pretty lakeside beach area. The water felt amazing, and let's just say that since it was a "Hippie" place, it may or may not have been a nude beach. Definitely a first for us as we happily kept our clothes on. I could have stayed in the lake all day it felt so nice. It seemed like a place right out of California. 

At night we joined in on a typical Austin Saturday night. We got dinner and drinks on a patio at a restaurant called Cedar Door, and then walked a few blocks down to see all the action on Sixth Street. 

Sixth Street has a definite New Orleans feel with a million bars. Most of them had live music and one even had a mechanical bull. After seeing a bunch of people give it a shot and fall off, the cowboy who was working it decided to show off. (Side note: I had no idea somebody sat there and controlled the bull. But the cowboy totally did and he definitely had fun with it.) They also had a Cheers bar based on the show, and a few shot bars. I didn't know a shot bar was a thing, but it is and they have every shot flavor you can think of. Sam had some PB&J ones and I tried a pink starburst and raspberry jolly rancher. Yum! 

The next day we went and explored the Capital. We walked all the steps to the top and that was enough for me. It was really pretty to look at. Don't mind our selfie in front of it... We saw multiple people using their selfie sticks and taking selfies of their own!

That's all for now folks, 

Kendra

I almost forgot what sun looked like...

IT'S SUNNY! Although, I hear the rain is now in Maryland! I mentioned it in the last post, but it really did rain about every day for a month. It felt like every other night my phone would make that terrible beeping sound alerting me of a flood watch in the area. Lots of roads flooded, but luckily we weren't affected hugely by it. But now, it's sunny and its HOT! It feels like summer!

This blog post could easily be a bunch of pictures of things Shiner has chewed that I didn't think was possible. She chewed off her harness (while wearing it), chewed our sheets (while in her crate inches from the bed), chewed her PLASTIC food dish to pieces, and has even chewed apart a Kong toy. Two of her favorite toys that are still alive are a squeaky bone and ball from Walmart. Props to Walmart for their quality dog toys! I think we may have the hang of things now so the chewing has stopped. Despite all this I wouldn't trade her for the world. She is the best companion I could have asked for and I am 100% guilty of talking to her like a human. I don't even notice until Sam points it out.

But seriously, she's adorable. Everybody should come pay us a visit and meet her for yourselves. :)

I had to have a little fun with Shiner after coming home to our torn up sheets, so I made her wear them. Since then, we bought new ones and she's yet to touch them. Maybe she learned her lesson by me taking embarrassing photos of her?!

This is Shiner's favorite pose. Pet her basically anywhere and she rolls over and puts her belly up in the air. Okay so she MAY be a little spoiled. Just maybe. 

I've always been a fan of going to Paint Nite's so naturally I had to do a Dallas one! Audrey and I found a pretty one of the Dallas skyline so we signed up and gave it our best attempts! It was actually a little difficult and time consuming, but the final products turned out well! We both agreed the "sunset" we were supposed to paint kind of looks like Dallas is on fire, BUT I promise we both really like the city and that's not the case!

I've realized that one of the highlights of the day is seeing something in the mailbox that isn't a bill or junk mail. In the past week I've gotten 3 awesome postcards from Atlanta, GA and Estes Park, CO. I think it would be REALLY neat to be able to get a postcard sent to me from every state. (or as many as possible!). So feel free to send one my way if you are traveling or just live somewhere else so I can add it to the collection. I promise to return the favor. :)

<3, Kendra