Texas – Page 11 – …on the B.L.

Time After Time by Lisa Grunwald

July 7, 2019July 5, 2019 RaeAnna

Worth A Read Yes
Length 416
Quick Review A love story conquering time and obstacles set in 1940’s Grand Central Station. A great light read for summer vacation.

Lisa Grunwald is a beloved author of six novels. She returns with her latest novel Time After Time. Grand Central Station is the setting for a fantastical love story beginning in the 1920’s and lasting through World War II and after.

Nora Lansing and Joe Reynolds meet under the gold clock in the main concourse of Grand Central Station on a crisp winter morning of 1937. They come from very different backgrounds but are drawn to each other anyways. Nora is an early 20s socialite in a dress that doesn’t quite befit her class. Joe is a leverman from a working class family in Queens. They don’t meet again until 1938, but Nora disappears suddenly. Joe is intrigued by the mysterious woman in the unusual dress. It’s not until two years later Nora reappears and they fall in love.

Lisa Grunwald narrates Time After Time in the third person told mostly from Joe’s perspective but Nora’s as well. In the beginning, the book jumps from their present to their pasts, but it is mostly chronological for the majority. The book consists of five parts.

I liked Nora as a character. She’s strong, vibrant, and determined during a time women were not allowed to be quite as free. Joe is a traditional man from Queens. I don’t like him much. He’s old fashioned and controlling. I can’t imagine a woman like Nora falling in love with a man like that under any other circumstances than set in the plot. She’s trapped and Joe is kind of the only option as far as relationships go.

The plot is slow but not boring. Time After Time is littered with clues, so I found the plot incredibly easy to guess. It’s not a bad book. Just a bit slow.

Memorable Quotes
“…Nora had come to understand the difference between infatuation and love. Infatuation was weather. Love was climate.”

Buy on Amazon | Buy on Barnes & Noble | Buy on Book Depository
Shop the Post
[show_shopthepost_widget id=”3638822″]

Title: Time After Time
Author: Lisa Grunwald
Publisher: Random House
Copyright: 2019
ISBN: 9780812993431

Travel, Travel Eats

Crawfish Boil 2019

May 29, 2019September 8, 2019 RaeAnna

More people came before and after. We had fun. Can you find me?

Family is one of those complicated things. I have not always been close with mine. Extended family were around when I was younger, but they were never a huge part of my life especially in my teen and adult years. No one person’s fault, life just works out that way. I was also in a weird age bracket. I was the oldest by a lot (my brother not included) of my first cousins. The extended cousins were either much, much older or much, much younger. Now, as I’m nearing 30, my cousins view me as an adult like them [yay, finally!!!], or I get to be the fun much older cousin.

The chef, my cousin, sharing the plunger of honor to cook the crawfish. It’s a thing. I promise.

In March, I went on a cruise for my Grandma’s 80th birthday. I hadn’t seen the aunts, uncles, or cousins in about fourteen years. I fell a little bit in love with them. While I was there, I was invited to my great aunt’s 80th birthday party in Maryland over Memorial Day weekend. The cousins I stayed with in Germany – eight years ago – throw an annual crawfish boil, which made the perfect birthday gathering.

Kelsey pulling her weight in the… kitchen.

I would just like to inform you, my family has this ‘All Are Welcome’ attitude. I found out I come by that trait genetically. There was a swirl of cousins, aunts, uncles, relatives by marriage, friends, and strangers. As an introvert, I am not comfortable in crowds but I also hate feeling like an outsider. I hadn’t seen a lot of my family in a very long time, but they never made me feel like I wasn’t included. I wanted my bestie to see my grandma and also because I wanted someone to be able to lean on and know in a crowd. My family made her feel right at home and kept our plates well stocked.

Precooked crawfish. Still alive and pinchin’.

This part of my family hails from New Orleans. I spent a huge amount of time there growing up, so it feels like home for me too. They moved all across the country; many are on the East coast. New Orleans is known for food. There’s nothing quite as Louisiana as a crawfish boil. Almost 200 pounds of crawfish were brought in fresh and consumed. I can’t really explain the scale of this party because it was immense. My great aunt is loved, so she brought in a crowd. My cousins are loved and make friends everywhere they go. Throughout the course of the afternoon, there had to have been close to 200 people at the party. Everyone had a blast and ate their fill of crawfish, shrimp, sausage, potatoes, corn, and mushrooms. I’m a fan of crawfish boils. Enjoying one surrounded by family made it even better.

Kelsey trying crawfish for the VERY first time.

The food was amazing. The fun was even better. It’s been a long time since I have been to a party quite like that. Even longer since I was surrounded by family. I had a blast. I can’t wait to make it next year.

Blog + Dog

Happy 4th Birthday, Beau!!!

May 15, 2019 RaeAnna

Beau could not wait to eat her birthday cake. | Beach Days Hat | Good Vibes Shirt | Jean Shorts

When you rescue a dog, you never really know how old they are or when their birthday is. Beau was about a year and a half when I adopted her, so we decided to choose a day for her birthday because everyone deserves a birthday. May is my birthday month as well as many other people I love dearly. She was most likely born in 2015. I have a thing for numbers with a pattern, so I picked the 15th as her birthday. 5.15.15 is her birthday!

Today is Beau’s fourth birthday! I love celebrating people’s birthdays and that extends to my very favorite breathing entity: my dog.

Yesterday, I snagged a cake from Three Dog Bakery in Rice Village. It’s even customized with her name on it. Beau loves yummies, and Three Dog Bakery makes healthy and dog friendly treats. Peanut butter is a favorite flavor, so that’s what she got in the shape of a bone. I also picked out other dog treats because it’s not a birthday without presents.

Beau and I laid in bed for a good bit this morning getting our cuddle on. She didn’t know what the afternoon would bring, but it was definitely a celebration of her life. She loves the ocean. I love the ocean. We love the ocean. Luckily, Galveston is an hour away. Beau was very nervous as I packed clothes and food and blankets. I even wrangled up birthday balloons in her favorite color. Yes, she has favorite colors: hot pink and teal.

We were at the beach by three. She got to spend the afternoon running after birds, leaping in the waves, and chasing her favorite peoples. I even managed to get a few pictures before she chowed down on her cake. I would lie to you and say she only had a piece, but nah. She ate the whole cake in a matter of moments. I don’t think it even lasted two minutes. By five, Beau was exhausted. We spent another hour and a half just laying in the sun drying off enjoying the last bits of sunlight on her fourth birthday. Honestly, it’s the perfect way to spend a day. She had a blast, and now, she’s laying on my feet snoring. She may not know it’s her birthday, but I hope she felt extra special love today.

I couldn’t be happier to be this girl’s mama. She makes my heart happy and probably makes me a better human being.

Shop the Post
[show_shopthepost_widget id=”3582708″]

Lickin’ her lips after scarfing down the whole cake. | Hat | Shirt | Shorts |

In My Own Words, Lifestyle

Instagram Tax

April 28, 2019June 23, 2019 RaeAnna

Me posing with an overpriced lemonade in Houston’s Montrose neighborhood at a kitschy unicorn cafe. |Sweater|Scarf|Yogas

New theory. Instagram tax. No, it’s not just another new and terrible thing Instagram is doing, but it is a thing we are paying for as consumers and content creators. Places are cropping up everywhere with a visually appealing and stimulating aesthetic trying to be the next local must-be-seen local place. As a traveler and blogger, I have come across a ton of them here in Houston and all over. They’re fun, inviting, cute, and trendy. It’s fun taking pictures and posting from these places. Content creators are under pressure to be at these places constantly and always be on the lookout for the next one. It’s not just content creators who are on the lookout. Anyone who likes a cute picture for their feed is out and about. We’re all just trying to look cute. Cute is not cheap. These hotspots are not accessible to everyone, and they’re not meant to be. The market is targeting this need for cute content, and prices are rising because the demand will pay for that picture.

If you have spent any time around me, you are probably aware I don’t like spending money. I am a saver, a scrimper, a spend as little as possible kind of person. I don’t make a lot of money, and I have a travel addiction. I am picky where and what I spend ma monies. As a blogger, there are lots of things pulling me in a lot of directions. I love it. I hate it. I wish it were free.

Everything costs money. I live in the fourth largest city in the U.S. I know I’m going to pay more for dinner here than I would in small town Illinois. I like city living, and I’m willing to pay that price. Cities have a range, and that range now includes an Instagram tax. Aesthetic costs money. In the Insta-era, people are going places just for the picture with the thing. I’ve done it. I’ve spent more money on some things than I normally would because Instagram. I hate spending money. Sure it’s fun, but it’s fleeting. That lifestyle costs money I don’t have. Even if I did have it, I can’t justify spending $15 on an ok milkshake for the picture in the unicorn place. No thank you. I can make that shake at home. Instagram is all about aesthetic. I mean, I love aesthetic; it’s great. A coffee shop turns into a floral paradise. Why have a dessert shop when you can have a unicorn dessert shop? White, sleek, and modern. Go for it. Rustic, leather, and low to the ground. Have at it. There’s a niche for everything. Find it, design it, add $4 to every item.

Aesthetic is what draws us in. It’s what keeps us taking pictures and telling our friends about it. It’s CUTE! It may not make for loyal or return customers. Once you have the picture, do you really need to keep going back? Probably not. I have a picture of me eating ice cream out of a watermelon. I’ve not been back. Why pay $8 across town, when I like my $3 ice cream just down the street.

I have no problems paying market value for whatever it is I want. I’m kind of tired going to places to buy the thing to have the picture and paying double or triple the cost. It’s crazy stupid. No judgement. I will probably continue having those pictures when my friends go, but I’m not going to search them out. I search out the food not the look. I’d rather have $10 in my bank account than spending time in a poorly decorated unicorn dessert bar. Speaking of which. The picture was taken at a unicorn themed dessert bar in Montrose. It looks like a unicorn wet dream. Anything unicorn, pink, or sparkles is there. No continuity what-so-ever. My friend got a $8 lavender lemonade. It was fine, but you’re paying the Instagram tax. It has cotton candy and lights up. Not worth it. I borrowed her drink for the picture because I prefer plane tickets.

Shop the Post
[show_shopthepost_widget id=”3562149″]

Books, NonFiction

The Elephant in the Room by Tommy Tomlinson

April 11, 2019April 3, 2019 RaeAnna

Worth a Read Yes
Length 256
Quick Review Tommy Tomlinson has “always been fat.” After living a full life, he decided to make a change and lose weight.

Tommy Tomlinson is a well known journalist. He had a brilliant career and the love of his life, but he was a fat man. His weight kept him from enjoying his life to the fullest. Over the course of a year, Tomlinson documented his weightloss journey in The Elephant in the Room.

The memoir delves into his year of weight loss but also his past. The past can rear its ugly head forever if it goes unconfronted. To deal with his issues with food he had to look into his past and why he loved food as much as he did. Each chapter documented one month of his weight loss journey. At the end of each chapter he document how much weight he had lost or gained. His honesty about the struggle is refreshing. It is a journey with ups and downs; all of which he experienced.

Tomlinson’s honesty is inspiring. His style of writing is funny and sad and deeply insightful. I really enjoyed reading The Elephant in the Room.

Buy on Amazon | Buy on Book Depository
Shop the Post
[show_shopthepost_widget id=”3532945″]

Title: The Elephant in the Room: One Fat Man’s Quest to Get Smaller in a Growing America
Author: Tommy Tomlinson
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Copyright: 2019
ISBN: 9781982106690

Blog + Dog

Late Night Dog Walks

April 3, 2019April 3, 2019 RaeAnna

Trying not to get drug around in my professional pajamas, cozy man sweater, and red wellies.

Growing up, I had a fenced in backyard, so letting the dogs out to go potty was easy any time of day. Living in an apartment, it’s not quite so easy. I actually have to put on pants and leave my comfy home to take Beau potty. The responsible dog mama that I am, I take her out first thing in the morning and right before we crawl into bed at night. (Also a few other times throughout the day; I’m not a monster.)

Potty breaks first thing in the morning and last thing at night are inconvenient. I look more of a mess than I usually do, which is saying something because working from home does not inspire great fashion choices. I have come to mildly enjoy the inconvenience of our late night dog walks. It is usually very late in the evening, so everyone is asleep. I like walking around in the peace and quiet. I even break the rules and let Beau run off the leash when I’m absolutely sure no one else is around. She’s my runner. She loves the freedom to chase leaves and be free. I may mildly enjoy the walks, but Beau loves the walks.

Posing like the fashion icon I am in my red wellies.

Luckily Beau does not care how fashionable I am. I am the absolute least attractive dog walker in my apartment complex. In light of this, I have documented a few late night walk outfits because I look insane. Comfortable but a nut job. I have to wear whole shoes because I’ve been stung by scorpions on more than one occasion. I recently became the proud owner of Hunter wellies, and they are my go to. If I get stung by a scorpion in those suckers, I’m cursed. On the chillier nights I wear my flannel puppy pajamas. Obviously, they are the best jammies ever. I couldn’t find the exact pair, so I linked something equally puppy-rific (shorts, top). On warmer nights, I’m in my professional jammies. Red wellies always. I almost always wear an over-sized men’s sweater because comfy and warm. Surprisingly, I have been on the receiving end of many compliments in my hot mess outfits.

Here’s the thing. Being a dog mom isn’t all about cuddles and cuteness. It’s a lot of inconvenience. Late night dog walks kind of suck. Picking up dog poop definitely sucks. It’s all worth it because I get the unconditional love of my sweet Beau.
xoxo,
Beau + RaeAnna

Shop the Post
[show_shopthepost_widget id=”3532922″]