Texas Wine Trip

I've been meaning to share a little bit about the Texas wine trip that I took last month, and in an effort to get something completed this week (it’s not been productive week for Palm Papers), I thought I’d get this up on the blog. Whether blogging is considered doing 'something' well, let's just say that this week, it is.

Okay, well I love wine, so I suppose if you don't, this trip may not sound fun, but it is truely relaxing and enjoyable just being out in the hill country. This time of year (we went in early April) in Texas, you never really know what you will get in the weather department, but it ended up getting into the high 80s, which was a little warmer than normal. For me, it was perfect. The only negative at this time of year is that the grapes are teeny tiny. If you go in August they are ready to be picked, though I just don’t think I could stand the heat. So small grapes it is.  

This is the second year for us to go on this trip and we made it to 6 wineries throughout Marble Falls, Fredericksburg and Comfort, some of which we had been to before, others were brand new.  If you plan to go visit the area, check out a Texas Wineries map and plan out your trip to get the most out of your time. My brother and sister-in-law really planned it well, so we spent a minimal amount of time driving.

One of the new wineries that I loved was Stonehouse Vineyard. They grew some grapes there, but most of their wines were from Australia.  They had a nice selection to taste and I liked a lot of them. We left and had lunch and went to another vineyard, only to go right back to sit and relax and enjoy a bottle of wine. They had a nice little tasting room, a quaint patio and gorgeous views. I definitely want to go back.

Another one of my faves, was Singing Water Vineyards, which is in Comfort, and it was unanimously the favorite for everyone in our group. We loved it last year, and this year it did not disappoint. We always head there before going to our B&B to get ready for dinner, so we close down the place. Their tasting includes a good variety of reds and whites and they are all yummy. They had live music and had plenty of seating in the shade.

I really loved this trip. If you ever have the opportunity to spend a quick weekend in the area, I would definitely recommend it. It amazes me sometimes what lies in your own backyard. You really feel like you are in another state, or country for that matter. The rolling hills and gorgeous scenery are a far cry from Dallas and it's so refreshing to enjoy the atmosphere without having to hop on plane. Sigh. I am ready to go back.

I love my Mom

I love my mom. It’s hard to put into words what my mom means to me... she is my supporter, confidant, and most important, my friend. My sisters and I are so lucky. She would do anything for us in a heartbeat and will fly across the country the moment we need her. Except she won't kill bugs for us anymore - we have to do that ourselves now. ;)

Happy Mother’s Day Mom! I wish I could spend the day with you, but I'm sending hugs from Texas. I love you.

10 years

Let me preface this story by saying that we were 18, not the most mature and obviously needed to create our own entertainment... Back in high school, after having just begun dating my now husband, my friends put together a poll on what time he would finally kiss me for the first time. I think circumstances prevented it from happening prior to this night, and even though we were hanging out with a group, everyone was so sure that he would make his move that they made a game out of it. I still have a torn out piece of notebook paper that has big lips drawn on it and lists everyone's name and their chosen time. Again, maturity levels prevented this from being a secret all night and he figured it out and so, right before he kissed me he said "who has 11:57?" :) So smooth for a high schooler. It's a wonder I didn't up and marry him right then.

That was 10 years ago. We dated that summer and even though we were going off to seperate colleges, we decided to not break-up and 'just see what happens'. Now, we are about to celebrate our 2 year wedding anniversary but we are still celebrating this day because, well, 10 years is a pretty big deal. (And by celebrate, I mean a little dinner date instead of frozen pizza!) I put together some old photos of us through the years... have we changed much?

We've said that, after this tenth year, we will stop celebrating this day and just celebrate our wedding anniversary, but I have a feeling we will continue to count until forever. It's not a gift giving day or a day with any expectations, it's just fun to say, 'wow - we have been together for x number of years.' And today it's 10!

Happy Friday

This weekend we are headed to the Texas Hill Country for our 'Chism Annual Wine Trip' with my brothers-in-law and new sister-in-law. We go to local Texas wineries and... drink wine. It's awesome. This time of year, it is so beautiful. It feels like you are in another state, instead of being hours from home. I love it.This is a little taste of our view this weekend... hope yours is a good one as well! image via pinterest

How does an accountant become a stationery Designer?

I've been getting a lot of questions lately about my designing... and I thought I'd do a few posts answering some common curiosities... I get the accountant question quite a lot, probably because, in general, accountants aren't your most creative people. Stereotypes aside, I think it’s kind of fitting for me that I am both.

Growing up, I was your typical type B personality. While my sister was studying, I was cruising through high school having a good ole time. I made good grades, just not perfect grades. A 'B' was good enough for me. I was pretty laid back until I went off to college and realized that I couldn’t do nothing and do well, so somewhere in there, I learned how to study. I was in the business school, so I was leaning towards a Marketing degree, but at the time, jobs were nowhere to be found… except in accounting. Not only were there jobs, but the companies came into our college town to wine and dine recruit us. Since I ‘got’ the whole accounting thing, I decided that I would take that route and after 5 years of school, I graduated with my masters and passed my CPA exam (shocking anyone who remembered me as the aforementioned highschool student). I think it was safe to say that I wasn't really all that laid back anymore, but then again, not too many accountants are.

After graduation, I moved to Dallas and started working for an oil and gas company, where I still work today. My husband and I got engaged a couple years later and even though I was never the type of girl that always dreamt of her wedding day, I quickly fell in love with the planning. I discovered the world of wedding blogs and I was a goner.  I was engaged for a year and half, so I had to keep the excitement alive. I am pretty sure I planned the entire time!

When it came to my wedding invitations, I just wasn't seeing what I wanted. I’ve always been creative and pretty resourceful when it came to crafty projects, so after a lot of hours with google, I decided I was going to take a stab at designing my own… and I ended up designing all the little details for my wedding and completely falling in love with it. Here are a few photos of my wedding and you can take a look at some more on my facebook page. We got married in Carillon Beach, Florida, which is to this day, my favorite place in the world. Our photos were taken by Paul and Mecheal Johnson of Paul Johnson Photography. Best money (my parents) ever spent!

Designing my invitations didn't turn into a business overnight. I started a blog right before I got married, opened an Etsy shop, and slowly took on projects for friends and friends of friends. Last year, I got brave enough to enter my first Minted challenge and credit the design community for helping me take my designing to another level. I have learned so much and I love thinking back to the days when I was trying to figure out what the heck I was doing with my wedding invitations. (To be honest, sometimes I still don't know!) What's funny is, if I could do it again, they probably wouldn't look that different... well, maybe a little... my font collection has come a LONG way.