My First Experience at Painting with a Twist

A few weeks ago, a brand new company came to town that had my little friend group buzzing. We often look for fun things to do in our quaint town, and having another activity to add to the list is always refreshing. Plus it's summer and light until 9 freaking 30pm so what else are we going to do after work? Go home? I think not.

So anyway, there's this company called Painting with a Twist. The whole basis of the company was to host events where people can relax, drink wine and learn to paint. They started in Louisiana but have since expanded to literally every sort-of big city across the country. When they opened in Abilene at the end of June, a friend suggested we try it.

Now look here, I am not an artist. I cannot draw to save the life of anyone I love, and my only claim to fame in the whole art department is being able to color in the lines, a skill I didn't possess until well into the 3rd or 4th grade. Suffice it to say, it'd been a while since I'd held an actual paintbrush.

Look how scared I look of the canvas.

I went with a friend on Monday night, and ohmygoshyouguys it was so much fun! Here's something I especially enjoyed on Monday night that I didn't have as a child in art class: WINE. But apart from that, they give you just the right amount of instruction without being overbearing, and emphasize having Fun while you're there. Holding a paintbrush, though somewhat alien, felt a little bit like opening a beloved children's book long after childhood. I found I was excited to rediscover it. The instructor also gave us plenty of time to just paint, and my friend and I were able to catch up on life. And you know what? My painting didn't even suck that badly.

See? Well, they're supposed to be bluebonnets but whatever.

I kind of love how everyone's looks a little bit different.

I definitely recommend going to a Painting with a Twist class, if just to have something different to do on a Monday (or any!) night. Plus, you walk away with a piece of artwork that no one but you could have created.

It's Day 22 and I really just want some wine.

Within the span of ten minutes, three people asked my mom and me why wine glasses were noticeably absent from our table. As I sat at the country club sports grill, the place my parents and I normally go to drink wine and talk about our feelings days, I wondered why this Whole30 thing is even a thing. It's boring, it's annoying, and people look at you funny when you say you can't drink wine or lattes or eat sandwiches or cheese.

And I won't lie, today I was a bit cranky. Though my clothes fit better, I wake up every day with a clear head and have energy throughout the day (mostly), I really just wanted a glass of wine when I got home from work. But it's only 8 more days of this. Only 8. More. Days.

And after all, isn't this what being an adult is about? Doing things that I know are good for my health, even though it kind of sucks in the interim; exercising self-control when all I want is to dive into a bowl of queso; saying "I'll just have a water" when I know that amazing pinot noir is waiting for me behind the bar.**

Can you tell I'm missing all my favorite things?

But then I went to a new restaurant and had drinks (water) with some great friends, and I think I was just missing some girl time. The support of friends should never be underestimated when you're going through something like this.

Here are some of my favorite things I've been eating. None of the recipes are original, though I often make adjustments when it comes to spices. I can't get enough oregano lately.

Is there anything better than guacamole?

Besides pesto, that is.

Hamburger with a sweet potato "bun." I added grilled mushrooms and onions and some arugula. Yummy!

Some spicy chicken sausage with potatoes on a bed of lettuce. I drizzled olive oil over top. Love

**I apologize if anyone is thinking about doing Whole30 and this post completely put you off. It really is amazing and will very likely change your life and the way you look at food. Plus you get to eat pesto. Check it out if you want some other inspiration besides my ramblings.

Monday Meals, aka Drinks Can Be Meals Too.

When the weather cools down and people remember that their fireplaces function, I find nothing more comforting that curling up next to said fireplace and sipping a hot toddy. My drink of choice is usually a lovely cabernet or merlot, but sometimes it's nice to spice things up a bit. This season, I am looking forward to fun drinks like this one, especially since Fireball whiskey is 2014's most popular liquor (I'm assuming this based on Saturday nights at Bar 14/The Zone...).

Last year at Thanksgiving, I made this Cranberry Old Fashioned for our guests, and though it was about as subtle as a punch to the face, it was very festive and fun to try something different. Thanks C&C.


Ingredients:

- 10 fresh cranberries

- 2 sugar cubes (or 3/4 tsp of sugar)

- 1/8 tsp of cinnamon (optional)

- 2 dashes of bitters (I used Angostura)

- 2" strip of orange peel

- 2 oz rye whiskey or bourbon

- ice

Place cranberries, sugar, cinnamon, orange peel and bitters into a tumbler glass, add a touch of water. Muddle the ingredients until the sugar is broken up and mixed well. Add whiskey and ice, stir to mix, then serve.

PS. Thanksgiving happenings. 

{Five Things}

Quiet mornings with all the clothes.

This week was marred by an injury. My dad fell playing tennis and broke his wrist, putting him out of commission and into light retirement for a few weeks. Every day essentially feels like a weekend with him home for coffee every morning. I'm also working a few days at a women's clothing store, and am getting some great ideas for Christmas presents.
Have a great weekend!

A great event last Saturday at the Paramount with an Abilene native,
who is editorial director at People and Entertainment Weekly.

My shopping cart at the grocery store. #sorrynotsorry

Currently coveting this perfume.

And finally, the doc with the bad wing. Poor guy.

An Extended Stay in Northern California

The San Francisco airport is cold as I wait for my plane to board. I am reflecting on my week in Marin County and the town directly to the south of it, aka San Fran. It is a beautiful city, and incredibly pleasant when comparing it to the sauna that is West Texas in August. The fog rolls in frequently in this area, and is almost as beautiful as the sun that burns through it every afternoon to reveal a bright blue sky.

It was a whirlwind two weeks. Last week, my parents and I spent time in Carmel, one of my favorite places in the world. We drank coffee, played golf, sipped wine, and built fires on the beach. I loved having some quality time with them after a month away, and cherished our little cottage and the quiet mornings we spent together. The only unquiet times were when Dad and I played golf, which was fun and frustrating. Pretty normal for golf, actually.

Last weekend, I drove the 2 1/2 hours to San Francisco. The first few days there I had a lot of alone time, which I'm usually pretty fine with, but I definitely started to feel lonely toward the middle of the week. I went to the Muir Woods and walked between the huge redwoods, wrote in my journal while lounging by the Palace of Fine Arts, and rode on the back of a friend's Vespa through town and up to Coit Tower to take in the incredible views of the bay.

I loved getting to see some Paris friends and meeting new ones. Some incredible writers and publishing gurus at the conference inspired me. Not to mention Book Passage is where I want to retire. In the actual store. I would just live in there.

The only sad part of the trip was when Robin Williams died. He was a fixture in San Francisco, so it was odd that he died during my first trip here.

I return to Abilene today, and am excited for my birthday tomorrow (26!) and a wedding in San Antonio this weekend (hey Olivia!). The gate person is saying it's time to board, so for now, I'll grab a coffee and say goodbye to cloudy and cool California.

Hello, my pretty.

At a winery in Carmel Valley, they sold these, and I loved it.

A little Monterey action.

This will probably be the title of my memoir.

Doc's place from Steinbeck's Cannery Row.

With the madre.

Yes, I did take a dreaded selfie.

Jack Kerouac alley.

Andrew McCarthy and Tim Cahill. What inspiring writers! 

A Simple Guide to Paris, Part 2

There are few places in the world to find a better meal than Paris. Waiters and retail workers have a reputation of being a little snooty to Americans, but I've found that if you try to be polite, in French first, they will likely switch to English as soon as possible and be very helpful. A simple "Bonjour" when entering a store or a restaurant will do wonders.

Now that you've got that down, here are some of my favorite places for eating, drinking and shopping. As I said in Part 1, I spent most of my time in the Saint Michel-Latin Quarter-Luxembourg area, so naturally, my favorite places are in that area. But every area has its own charming restaurants, shops and bars. Other favorite areas: Le Marais, Bastille, and Monmartre.

Food and Drink

Not counting the fancy, reservation-required restaurants, choosing a place to eat in Paris is done on more of a "stumble upon" basis. Unless you are unlucky, most cafes have amazing food and you won't go wrong sitting at any cafe along the streets of Paris. 

That being said, here are a few places that I loved:

Le Jardin d’en Face – In Monmartre. Tiny restaurant but delicious food. It’s one of the best meals I’ve ever had. Ever.

Brasserie Lipp and/or Les Deux Magots – Boulevard Saint Germain. These two restaurants are almost right across the street from each other. They were both famous Hemingway haunts. Because of that, they run on the slightly more expensive side. I’d recommend Deux Magots; the atmosphere is not quite as stuffy as Lipp.

Laduree – On the Champs Elysses. Famous for their macaroons and tea.

The Best Falafel in the World – in the Marais, Rue de Rosiers. That is literally the name of the place.

L'As Du Falafel is also on that street and is incredible. The lines for both of these are usually pretty long, so I'd suggest going early.

Restaurants on Rue de la Huchette – Saint Michel metro stop. Il Gigolo Italian is great for pizza/pasta. The gyro place to the right of it (they put the French fries in the sandwich) was my favorite.

Crepes – Street vendors are all over the place, especially in touristy areas like Saint Michel and Jardin de Tuileries.

Le Loir Dans La Theieri -- Brunch place in the Marais on Rue de Rosiers. It's an adorable little tea restaurant with incredible fried eggs, coffee and fresh squeezed orange and grapefruit juice.

The Pink Flamingo -- Near Canal St. Martin. You order your pizza, they hand you a pink balloon, then they will find you with your order out by the canal. It's a cool experience in a beautiful area of Paris where few tourists go. And the pizza is incredible. I recommend the Paella Pizza!

Good for big groups, too!

Shopping

Rue de Rivoli – From Rue Saint Jacques, walk north across the river and the Isle de la Cite until you get to Rue de Rivoli, which is where all the H&M-type places are located. You can follow it all the way down to the Louvre and Champs Elysses.

Boulvard St. Honore/Champs Elysses – Higher end places but fun to go to.

Shakespeare & Co. – The famous English bookstore and another Hemingway place. I would get lost downstairs among all the famous titles, and then take my journal upstairs to sit by the window facing Notre Dame and write. If you buy something, make sure you ask for the official Shakespeare & Co. stamp to mark your book!

Boulevard St. Germain -- Lots of fun shops on this street, some unknown, some well known like Zara and LOFT.

Rue Mouffetard – Cobblestone street with cute shops, and places to buy cheese and wine. Place de la Contrascarpe is a great plaza with restaurants flanking its fountain.

Nighttime Activities
Similar to the Food section, bars work on a “stumble-upon” basis. That’s the best way to do it, in my opinion. Nighttime is also the best time for picnics that I discussed in Part 1.

Wide Open Spaces -- on Rue St. Jacques, an English bar with great original cocktails and a fun atmosphere.

Piano Bar -- on Rue de la Huchette. Drinks are kind of expensive, but the live music always makes it worth it.

Requin Chagrin – Irish bar in the Place Contrascarpe off Rue Mouffetard. It has a great little outdoor area where I've spent hours people watching (a typical Parisian pastime).

Café Universel – Jazz Club on Rue Saint Jacques. The mojitos are fantastic, and they have jazz every few nights. They're also open for lunch and made a great cafe au lait.

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Paris has been written about so much, that often times it's difficult to find anything new to say. I would encourage anyone who is going to Paris for the first time to not get stressed out if you don't see every single tourist attraction on the list. If an American's pace is "go-go-go," a Parisian's is "enjoy-enjoy-enjoy." The Mona Lisa will always be there, but the kind waiter willing to help you with your French will not, nor will that gorgeous sunset sinking over the Seine on a summer night. So enjoy, and discover the Parisian in you.

A Simple Guide to Paris, Part 1

After attending the Paris Writing Workshop last summer, a friend was traveling to Europe to celebrate graduating law school and taking the bar. She asked if I would send her a list of things to do in Paris and London for her and her boyfriend. At first I thought I'd write a short email of places to see and food to eat, but it was virtually impossible to keep the list shorter than about two pages. As I typed, I felt like I was reliving my time there.

Since then, a few others have asked me to send them my list of things to do in Paris. I've made few changes after spending another month there this summer, and I offer it here as a way to, yet again, remember and relive my experiences.

There is enough in Paris to keep a traveler occupied for fifty years, but here are the few experiences I found to be most valuable and memorable, if you're only there for a week or so.

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I spent most of my time in the Notre Dame/Saint Michel area, and further south on the Left Bank, between Rue Saint Jacques/Mouffetard, and Luxembourg Garden areas. It’s a lovely little neighborhood, and one of the oldest in Paris. 

Activities

Some/No Cost:
Picnics – My favorite thing to do in Paris is buy a baguette, some cheese, and a bottle of wine, and picnic somewhere beautiful with a group of friends. The best places are the Champs de Mars (the park by the Eiffel tower), the Quai Saint Bernard, and the quais by Notre Dame. When I look back, those times were more fun than a visit to any famous tourist site.

Notre Dame Cathedral

Luxembourg Garden – Luxembourg metro stop. This is where Hemingway used to walk through on his way to Gertrude Stein’s house. It has gorgeous fountains and lots of green space.

Walks along the Seine – I loved walking by the river with no particular destination:
There are street vendors all along the river near the Notre Dame. Some fun souvenirs for pretty cheap, and it’s fun to walk by and look at it all.
I recommend walking from Notre Dame along the Left bank (by the Saint Michel fountain) to the “Lovers’ bridge” or “Pont de Beaux Arts,” which was the first pedestrian-only bridge in Paris. It is famous because couples will buy a lock, write their names on it, lock it onto the bridge, and then throw the key into the river, sealing their love forever (until the city of Paris replaces the metal panels every few months...). After you cross Lovers’ bridge, walk around the Louvre pyramid and into the Jardins de Tuileries. After a nice long walk through the beautiful garden, you’ll come to the Place du Condorde, where Anne Hathaway threw her blackberry into one of the ornate fountains in Devil Wears Prada. If you keep walking, you’ll walk right up the Champs Elysses to the Arc de Triomphe. This is a long walk, but you'll go by plenty of cafes to rest and have a glass of wine.

Monmartre – Blanche or Pigalle metro stops. This is the artsy district of Paris. Sacre Coeur basilica is one of my favorite places in Paris and it lends incredible views of the city. The area is great for wandering: Moulin Rouge, Pigalle, and really fun restaurants and cafes. It's a hill-y area, so wear walking shoes!

Sacre Coeur Basilica

Le Marais – This is an area on the Right bank that used to be known as the Jewish quarter, but is becoming a really hip and popular section of the city. Known for their Sunday brunch here, it is divine. There are also some great falafel places around there, too. Place de Vosges is the lovely, shaded plaza where Victor Hugo lived.

Notre Dame – The line is usually long but the inside is absolutely beautiful. If you don't want to wait in line, though, walk around to the back, sit on a bench and admire the architecture.

Cost

Museums & Sites –

• The Louvre is pretty, but overwhelming. As a first timer, it's definitely something to see, but I don't feel the need to go again...
• Musee d’Orsay is worth the 9-euro entry fee. You’ll find Renoir, Degas, Monet, and other very moving impressionists works.
• L’Orangerie – “The Orange Grove,” Napoleon built this place because he wanted fresh-squeezed orange juice every morning. Monet’s Water Lillies are here, as well as other Impressionist artists like Picasso and Renoir. Very cool and not too expensive, 9 euro or around there.
• Rodin museum and gardens – “The Thinker” is here, and many other sculptures and works. On a pleasant day, the gardens are a wonderful place to have a picnic.
• Versailles – If you have an empty half- to full-day, I recommend going out to Versailles. The palace and gardens are overwhelmingly gorgeous, and the town itself is very charming. Tickets to see the palace run about 21 euros, plus the 45-minute train to get out there.

Inside Musee d'Orsay

Next up, Part 2: Food and Drink!

The Last

It's been quite a month. As I sit in my sixth floor hotel room with the window open, I can see the Pantheon in the twilight glow of a Parisian night. It has been warm here, but just cool enough to walk around all day and not feel exhausted. Instead, I feel exhilarated.

This past week was a lot of fun. From our last Fellows soiree, to an amazing Thai restaurant, an underground jazz club where I danced the night away, a puppy store, and a pizza place on the Canal St. Martin, I've had a blast. I'm going to miss the group from this year, but I know it won't be our final encounter. Here are a few pics from my last few days in beautiful Paris. I have a sneaky suspicion my next few months will be as magical as this July. Sante!

In line for pizza at the Pink Flamingo.

Austin, being his adorable self.

Tricia and me. Thanks for being such a sweet friend! 

Pizza, Canal, Wine. What more do you need in life to be happy?

Italian with the crew.

Can't come to Paris without a visit to Shakespeare and Co.

My morning routine, coffee at McDonald's before Fellows Workshops. Sorry, not sorry.

Puppies!

PUPPIES!!!

So fun to see this long-time family friend! Yay Debbie!

Flea-marketing with Whitney and Kate

Brunching with Whitney and Kate

Le Marais exploring with Whitney and Kate!

Wasabi Cashews that need to make an appearance in Abilene, TX.

A version of the last supper. Rose and chicken on the outskirts of Luxembourg Gardens.

The view from my room this last Sunday night.

No Country(side) for Old Men

After three weeks in Paris, a couple friends and I were ready for some fresh air. A few days in the French countryside was exactly what we needed. We spent the weekend in Beaugency, a small town southwest of Orleans in the Loire Valley. It is an adorable little town, quaint and quiet, but with plenty of bustle in weekend morning markets and boulangeries.

View from our b&b

We arrived Friday night, after the sweatiest and stickiest train ride of my life, and checked in to our B&B. Our hosts were a family of three, and thank goodness Janelle speaks pretty great French, because they hardly spoke English. I tried, but my responses were mostly blank stares, and then glances toward Janelle to translate. They were sweet and so accommodating. The daughter walked us to the only restaurant that was open that late (9:30pm), and we closed the place down talking about families, writing and hometowns.

Sante!

Tricia and Janelle at breakfast the next morning. Check out that spread! And the french press. Mmmmmm.

Our plan was to ride bikes the next day to visit some chateaus that are in that area, and our final destination was Chambord, an enormous chateau and estate a little south of the Loire River. Our hosts said that a bike ride to Chambord would be too far in one day, but I guess they had never met American tourists. When we set our minds on something, we go for it baby.

Let me back up for a second. I haven't ridden a bike in more than two years that wasn't stationary and in a room with lights and an instructor. I learned late how to ride a bike, and they've never been my favorite things. So the idea of riding one 15 miles one way in unfamiliar territory gave me cause for concern. However, I decided this was a good weekend to conquer my fear/dislike of the things. The first few minutes I was wobbly, trying to navigate the narrow cobblestone streets of Beaugency and the cars that passed us. 

Still feeling unsure...

Then we got out of town, and it was more of a breeze. There are amazing bike paths that run up and down the Loire River, and they were not crowded at all. We passed a few families of bikers and a few runners, but that was about it. The river was to our left for most of the trip, and we ventured through a few towns, got lost a couple times, and finally made it to Chambord around 12:45, two hours after leaving Beaugency.

I mean, come on.

Paddle boatin. Go Tricia go!

We had lunch near the castle, then toured the incredible inside. It was beautiful, and we loved thinking and talking about what it would be like to live there. After a tumultuous paddle boat ride, we got some gelato and decided it was time to head back. A few hours later, we rode into Beaugency feeling exhausted, but proud of our sojourn.

We had dinner at the same place as the night before; it was too good not to go back! During an after dinner walk, we heard music coming from the direction of the river, and found a concert going on right on the banks of the Loire. The musician, Natalia Doco, was great, and just what we needed at the end of the day. A rainbow appeared in the sky, and I sipped my rose and felt tired and perfectly content.

Looking out at the Loire River before we headed back Sunday.

It was a wonderful weekend, and I am looking at Paris this week with a new set of eyes. It's amazing what fresh air can do for you.