When I was seventeen, I headed west with my parents to tour California schools. The UCLA and Pepperdine campuses were beautiful, but the biggest takeaway of the trip was catching my first wave on a longboard in Malibu. I ended up writing an admissions essay about the experience and submitting it (ironically) to the land-locked […]
Happy Mother’s Day to all you mamas out there! We’re keeping it low-key around here which is just the way I like it. I think I’ve realized that for me, it doesn’t get much better than a sunshine-y Saturday afternoon with the whole family splashing around in the pool and great music coming into the speakers. […]
From Marnie, owner of MOD Fitness: Summer comes early for us in Texas, so we like to incorporate these fat-blasting moves at MOD Fitness during the spring to increase your heart rate and tone the entire body. Grab your stopwatch and do each of these exercises for one minute, then repeat the set twice for […]
We’re having some unseasonably cold weather here in NYC… and I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who’s totally over it. Although I’m not quite ready for the humidity of summer, the bright and lovely produce of the warmer months is sounding pretty heavenly right now. In rebellion, I’m eating tropical fruit chia pudding like it’s 80 […]
Like it or not, the stereotypical American tourist isn’t pretty: She mindlessly consumes all-inclusive drinks, overpacks, and has a reputation for expecting everyone around her to speak English. Many of us find ourselves herded onto crowded tour buses, spending a few days binging on food and drink with other tourists, and then being bustled home […]
Hi y’all! It’s officially Cinco de Mayo week, which means we’re mixing up lots of frozen margaritas healthy Mexican dishes in my kitchen over the next few days. Now, I love chips & queso as much as any other self-respecting Austinite, but this year I’m in the mood to set out appetizers that are a little more unexpected, […]
From first date to first interview and everything in between – the stress of making a good first impression is all too real. Even for the most social butterflies, meeting someone new can so often be stressful. We want to be charming, friendly and witty, but can never be quite sure how our new acquaintance will […]
I don’t want to start any fights here, but in my opinion the much-beloved fall season has nothing on spring. Those first few soft breezes on your skin, the dappled light flowing through the fresh blooms on the trees, the scent of aforementioned blooms in the air—it’s simply magic. (Plus, it means that summer AND […]
Stir fries, pastas, fajitas – these are well-practiced dishes in my kitchen. But one cuisine that still seems to elude me is French cooking. I admire blogs like Mimi Thorisson’s Manger that manage to make it look so simple and of course delicious. So this year I’d like to master her roast chicken with herbs recipe, […]
One of the most fun things about Phoebe getting a little older (she turns 4 in August!!) is that she appreciates our mama-daughter dates a lot more than she used to. When I announce we’re going somewhere special, it’s not uncommon for her to whisper conspiratorially, “Girls only, right?” Life has been crazy lately with […]
Warmer weather is officially here to stay in Austin, and as a sun-loving, Texas gal, I can’t tell you how pumped I am to spend the next four months sporting tropical pink toenail polish and my favorite new bikini. And while I love the cakes and cookies that cooler weather brings, with the change of […]
Some people seem to be born with great taste, and today’s subject, Kim West (who also happens to be one of my best friends) is without a doubt one of them. Though in some ways our aesthetics are polar opposite — on a recent trip to Miami she declared that she wanted “to move into” […]
