Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts

My Birthday: Ft. East Austin Succulents & 2Tarts Bakery

Friday, October 7, 2016

Hi guys! I know I have not been posting as much lately. October is such a busy month for me! It seems October-December are always a blur of events and celebrations. Small town festivals, birthdays, and weddings...the list never ends! I am actually pretty relieved that this weekend should be relatively calm. I promise I am going to keep writing, but it may not be as often as the three times a week posts I was pumping out in the past. But hey, quality not quantity, right?!
Last weekend I turned 24. Sorry...that still looks weird to type! 24!! I'm sure most of you are rolling your eyes at me right now. "Twenty-four is still so young!" Well, I'm sure it is but I remember when I was 16 what 24 looked like. It looked like marriage and a super important business job. It looked like a house and a baby and two dogs, maybe a cat and so much more. Now, I'm not saying there is anything wrong with that at all, but let me just say that I am SO happy that 24 turned out to be a whole lot simpler than that. I am grateful to have completed college, landed a job with a company I love, solidified true friendships, met a great guy, and become a (for the most part) independent adult.

I am a serious planner. I love a detailed, fully planned and researched schedule. I don't like not knowing what to wear or expect or how much time I have to do something. So I always overwhelm myself with trying to plan out every detail of my birthday. I try to include as many of my friends or loved ones as possible. And with a huge family and spread out friend group that I feel should all be included, it ends up being a complete mess. So this year I decided I was not going to plan a single thing. And you know what? It ended up being the absolute best birthday I've had in a while. Of course there are plenty of people I would of loved to see, but we are adults now with busy lives and I know that they were still thinking of me. I was blown away by all the thoughtful gestures and calls and messages I received. My boyfriend played a huge part in my weekend. He planned out the entire weekend and truly has paid so much attention to my interests. Y'ALL. HE TOOK ME TO A SUCCULENT SHOP. But I won't drag on anymore, the main reason for this post was I wanted to highlight two of my favorite parts from the weekend. Not only because I enjoyed them so much, but because they are local, Texas businesses I've had my eye on a long time and I can finally attest to how great they really are.

2Tarts Bakery  

I stumbled upon 2Tarts Bakery on Instagram and was instantly in love with their cakes. I thought no way that this place was close by, these are the type of cakes you see on Pinterest and drool over. But to my great pleasure they are located right in New Braunfels. I've wanted to visit their bakery for at least two years but I seem to always be passing through New Braunfels instead of stopping in. I casually mentioned to my boyfriend, Wilson, one day months ago that the onlyyyy thing I really wanted for my birthday was a cake from 2Tarts. I'm pretty sure he gave a "yeah" response and I knew he had no clue what I had just said. Uhhh wrong, he surprised me with a cake from there covered in CACTUS AND SUCCULENTS. Obsessed is an understatement, this thing was adorable! The appearance of the cake honestly needs no further comment. The pictures say it all, and even those don't completely do it justice. As far as taste, it was a red velvet cake with cream cheese and buttercream icing. Yuuuuuuuummmmy. It was super rich, but so delicious! I will definitely be visiting the actual bakery soon for a cupcake or treat. Check out their Instagram to see all of their amazing cakes, you may just seen mine as well. :)









 East Austin Succulents 


 The first place we went on Saturday was East Austin Succulents in Austin.This was another place I have been dreaming of visiting for a long time. I wasn't sure how big it would be or how pricey, but my expectations were blown out of the water. It's not exactly in the nicest area, so female friends I would not visit alone. Of course at the store itself I felt completely safe, but the surrounding area was a different story. East Austin Succulents is actually conjoined with another plant shop, which I did not realize, but you can walk around the two altogether. Think TJ Max and Homegoods, lol. There are gorgeous pre-made arrangements, 2 inch plants, plants bigger than me, rows and rows of anything your heart desires. They had the neatest collection of rare grafted plants. Now the grafted plants were a bit pricey due to their novelty but with regular succulents and cacti you could get 6 plants for only $10! They also sell containers of every shape, size, color, material and design you could ever think of if you want them to make an arrangement for you. I chose a gold and white striped ceramic container that was so pretty. Next time I will bring my own! Then I picked out six little guys and they potted and arranged them quickly with expertise. They used kitchen and medical tongs to grab the cacti and I am so bewildered that I never thought about using something like that before! They had plants growing out of everything too! I posted a lot of pictures but one I forgot to take was plants coming out the bottom of a water fountain! The employees were so friendly and knowledgable. I will definitely be visiting again. OH, and if you spend over $40 you get to spin a giant wheel to win something. I got a free plant that ended up really pulling together my arrangement. It was the little spikey guy in the middle! And they added a pretty crystal. If you love plants as much as me you must go! It was heaven and I wish there was something similar to it in San Antonio!













I hope everyone has an excellent weekend! Let me know what your favorite little places are! Thanks for reading, and don't forget to subscribe!

XXXX
Lindsey 

Six Flags Fiesta Texas 2016 Fright Fest

Friday, September 23, 2016


I've been a fan of horror movies and scary things for as long as I can remember. Something about scary movies is so funny to me. When most people are screaming I'm usually laughing. One of my favorite shows of all time is American Horror Story. And in college for my design class I had to create a magazine and my entire theme was horror. But put me in a haunted house or in front of a scary costume and I will lose my sh*t! It's just TOO real and too up close and personal for me. I went to the House of Torment in Austin one year and closed my eyes the entire time, hanging onto my friend's hand for guidance. Funny side note, the actors are not supposed to touch you but one of my friends gave them permission to prank me. My friend let go of my hand and when I turned around to regrab it I was holding the hand of a dead pirate. There was screaming and panic. LOL! So when I got invited to go to the early VIP night of Six Flag's Fright Fest I was STOKED. Slightly nervous, but stoked. I honestly was blown away by how elaborate everything was. I mean the costumes, the props, the actors, the affects. Everything was amazing they seriously go all out. There was scary music, strobe lights. and fog. So much fog! And they left the park pretty dark so even just walking between houses was creepy!  Each area had Scare Zones outside. The scariest to me were the zombies and the clowns. Clowns are just eerie no matter what. Jumping around and laughing with their crazy eyes, it's just unsettling. There was one puppet clown who disturbed me the most because he looked so inhuman. I'm sorry to inform you guys that I am a huge wimp and did NOT go into the 3D Clown house. I mean clowns is one thing but in 3D?! I don't think my heart could handle it. But nothing scares me more than...ZOMBIES. I don't know where Six Flag's gets their actors from but these people looked and acted straight out of The Walking Dead. I mean they had the slumped walk and sprint and hissing down to perfection. It was horrifying. And my fear was obvious when about four of them circled me and left me sprinting away. The zombies were part of the RockKill High School haunted house which was by FAR the scariest and most popular attraction! You go through different settings of the school such as the lab and the locker room. The coach was creepy! Buried Alive was probably the most unique attraction. You go "down" an elevator shaft and walk through an old mining shaft. Everyone inside is dead and gears come out at you! My friend said she thought they threw saw dust or something similar on her at one point when she went. All the houses are so different!

Haunted Houses:

Buried Alive

Buried Alive exposes eerie tunnels and passageways long forgotten beneath Crackaxle Canyon. As you descend into the bowels of the abandoned mine via a rusty, corroded elevator shaft, your mistake becomes all-too apparent. Step through the hall of maggots before witnessing the evening finales, a bizarre satanic ritual at the skeleton alter.   

Torture Chamber

Torture Chamber, in Spassburg, is a dark and decaying medieval reminder of how far twisted henchmen will go to extract your most terrifying fears and phobias. Around each horrifying, scream-filled corridor in a castle dungeon, you'' encounter pure evil as deranged sub-humans seemingly enjoy inflicting pain as they mutilate their terrified prey!

RockKill High School

Back from the dead with an even more horrific ending is RockKill High School! Would anyone dare stop by abd visit the most horrific haunted house in RockKill? The walking dead roam the halls of RockKill High School in hopes to tear away at fresh brains and flesh. This gory haunted house features the bloodiest undead creatures waiting for guests at every corner.

Slaughterhouse 6

A barn-full of screams and terror in Crackaxle Canyon where no one makes it out alive! See your food chain too up-close-and-personal, as creatures are led to slaughter where mistakes occur with alarming frequency.  

Fear House 3D

A frighteningly 3D crazed-clown filled maze with nightmareish illusions. A dark, twisted circus of horrors with insane clowns who roam the halls waiting for new souls to prey on. This demented haunted house is a nightmare come to life filled with illusions that will makes even the sanest guests lose their minds.



You can find out all the dates and buy tickets on the Six Flags Fright Fest website!

I'm not sure whose grandma that is but she was brave!

 This witch kept following us around, so I finally told her to hop in the picture with Wilson, haha!

As for the Chupacabras, I thought they were pretty cute in a weird way. They reminded me of Lilo and Stitch. Maybe if Stitch and a gremlin had a baby. And he made this growling noise that sounded like purring! These guys were the most mild and my favorite. Haha!

Fright Fest also has shows and a kid-friendly Looney Tunes trick-or-treat trail. These weren't open yet but I really want to go back to watch the shows! The Haunted Houses are not recommended for children 12 and under, so the Looney Tunes trail would be great for those of you with little ones.

Special thank you to Emerald Kailoni and Six Flags Fiesta Texas for inviting me to the VIP night. I had so much fun and highly encourage all adrenaline and fear junkies to check it out ASAP! You won't regret it, and hopefully you are braver than me. ;) Thanks for reading, and don't forget to suscribe!

XXXX
Lindsey 

Fiesta Winery- Fredericksburg, TX

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

This past Labor Day weekend I relaxed a ton and went on a spontaneous trip to Fredericksburg with some friends, some old and some new. I had never been before but have wanted to make a trip for ages. We got a late start in the day so we had lunch and spent the rest of our time at the Fiesta Winery.
There are so many cute German restaurants, wineries, boutiques and shops. I definitely want to go back and spend a full day or even a weekend there. I live in San Antonio, so the drive is only about an hour for me, not bad at all! But if you were coming from somewhere farther I would definitely make it a full weekend trip. We really enjoyed Fiesta Winery. It was recommended to us by several different people so it was a no brainer to stop in. Most of the other places close at 5 on Sunday's but Fiesta is open until 6. The place was crowded and only two ladies were working the bar, but they handled it so well. I wish I could remember the name of the lady assisting us because she was so on top of her work. She gave a tasting to our group, plus others, and was checking out other customers all at the same time. She was so helpful and knowledgable and did not make us feel rushed. She happily answered every one of our (probably silly) questions and gave great recommendations to those of us who were not familiar with wine. We decided to do the wine tasting first to find out what we liked. It was $12 to sample 6 different wines of your choosing, and you get to keep your wine glass too. Here are the wines I tried, between myself and my friends, with their descriptions and my thoughts!

Whites

Trebbiano

A light wine with pineapple and kiwi hints for a fresh taste.
Light is right! This was very refreshing but did not quite have enough flavor for me personally. Our guide suggested this as a pairing with fish.

Texas Well Water

Sweet Pinot Gris with a subtleness of white cranberry.
This one was dangerously drinkable. It was so yummy and I think I could easily drink a bottle by myself. I usually prefer reds but there were several wines here that had me really loving whites!

Happy Trails

Sweet Chardonnay that is light and full of ripe peach.
OH. MY. GOSH. This was the wine my friend had suggested I try, she said I would have no regrets. She was correct. This is bar far the yummiest wine I've ever had the pleasure of drinking. If you are unfamiliar with Fredericksburg it is important to note they are known for their delicious peaches. So it only makes sense my favorite wine was peach flavored. Three out of four of the girls walked out with a bottle of this one, myself included.

Reds

True Texan

Estate Grown blend of Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, & Merlot. This wine is aged in French oak barrels for 12 months. Only available for tasting on the weekends.
I'm no wine connoisseur, in fact my palate probably does not extend past $10 HEB wines. So forgive me if my terminology is not correct. This red was really heavy to me, it tasted smokey or oakey (haha rhymes) and it made me want a giant ribeye.

Back Porch Sittin'

Semi-sweet Cabernet backed with blackberry, aged in oak.
This was a yummy red that I would love to drink again. Not too dry, just the right sweetness.
I have serious issues because there was not a single wine I didn't like!

Texas Summer Night

Sweet Syrah with distinct flavors of blueberry.
Holy yum. If you are a sweet red drinker this is the wine for you! We got a bottle of this to enjoy outside and I think it was gone in less than ten minutes. The blueberry flavor really comes through and give it a really unique flavor. This was my second runner up for favorite!

Blush

Savannah Rose

Sweet White Merlot with bold flavors of strawberry.
And that is exactly what it tasted like, strawberry! I felt like I needed to be at a picnic with my girlfriends somewhere surrounded by flowers drinking this. It was a little too sweet for me to want more than one glass of, but ultimately delicious.

Dessert

Sweet Baily Ray

Sweet dessert wine, full bodied with rich chocolate and sweet orange.
So from the description I would of never picked this wine. I mean chocolate and orange? Ew. However a guy who was buying a SIX pack of bottles of Happy Trails for his wife (obviously we share the same tastes) suggested the Sweet Baily Ray. I actually switched my choice to this one because he said it was so good. And I cannot honestly say if I am thankful and should be finding this man to hug him or slap him for introducing this sinful wine to my life. Ladies, if you PMS hard like me and want chocolate and wine, look no further girlfriend this stuff will satisfy all your cravings. It was like drinking a chocolate bar but then tasting wine after. This stuff is RICH, a little would go a long way. But it was SO dang good. Oh, and did I mention this one has a higher alcohol content?

Overall I would highly reccommend this winery. The service was wonderful, the scenery is perfect, and the wines are all amazing. It was also very reasonably priced. An added bonus, there are other wineries and shops right next to it. Most of them were closed since we got there so late, sadly. It is off of 290 and kind of in the middle of no where, so it's nice that there are several little options clustered right there. I can't wait to go back and explore more!

 

 
Have you ever been to Fredericksburg? Please let me know what your favorite places are so that I can make a list for future trips. We were very disappointed in our choice of restaurant, so I would love some food recommendations, especially German. I also want to explore more wineries and do some shopping! Thank you so much for reading, have a wonderful short, week! Don't forget to suscribe!

XXXX,
Lindsey
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