As the World Rambles On: May Edition

Written by: Callie, Kenzie and Brenna

We’re already moving into the second half of the year. How did that happen so fast?? Well we’ve got a lot to catch up on from the month of May so let’s get started!

Callie

May was kind of an insane month. That seemed to stretch on for quite a while. I was not at home in FW 4 out of the 5 weekends in May so I felt like I was just always on the go this month. Which wasn’t a bad thing! I had so much fun!

First up I moved into a booth at Painted Tree! You can read more about that here. Since then though I’ve been able to add more cool finds to my space and right after I’m done writing this post I have to price even more things and then Jason and I are running up to the shop to rearrange and add more things!

Then I found out that one of the shoots I collaborated on got published! I was so freaking excited you have no idea. That had been a goal of mine since starting participating in styled shoots and to cross it off the “goal list” was so satisfying (yes, I actually have a physical list where I write things down and cross them off). The website that I first found out the shoot was published on hasn’t actually published it yet, it’s scheduled to be sometime in June or July. But since then another publication has picked up that same shoot! So you can read the published version here and/or read my recap of the shoot here.

The first weekend in May was 1. our one year wedding anniversary and 2. a friend of ours wedding (on the same exact day as ours) in which Jason was a groomsman. So we packed things up and headed to Austin for a long weekend of wedding things. It was a fun time and though I didn’t know anyone besides the groom and Jason (literally my worst nightmare) I managed to make friends with a few of the other groomsmen and their SOs and danced horribly (in a good fun way though) through the night with them. While in Austin on Saturday morning we had some time to waste so Jason and I grabbed breakfast and hit the estate sale scene. Because estate sales in other cities are almost as great as in your own city. Anyway, the only thing I managed to buy was this shell jewelry box so if anyone you know is having a beach themed wedding, styled shoot, or engagement shoot hit me up because it’d be perfect!

The second week in May Jason and I started going to Orange Theory. After hearing Brenna go on and on about how great it was and Jason really wanting me to workout with him I finally agreed to give it a shot. I don’t hate it and that’s about the best thing I can say for it. Though the workout on Friday was very arm centered and I can barely type this now because my arms STILL hurt so bad!

Mother’s day weekend was fun! Jason and I split to go to our own families for the weekend and celebrate our awesome moms. The weekend after that Jason and I both went to his family for what was supposed to be a girls weekend for me with his sister’s and mom and he was gonna go to the ranch and help his dad. But one of the sisters ended up not being able to go to the Board and Brush class they had planned so Jason went with us to do her project. Then he ended up staying the whole time and fixing all the broken things around the house. It was a fun, relaxing weekend! Also on our way to the ranch we always pass through Waco and a few times we’ve driven by the Silos Bakery (you know, Chip and Joanna’s bakery in town) but it’s always been so packed. But this trip we left early enough that I finally got to go and it may have been the best chocolate chip cookie I’ve ever had!

Guys, we’re almost done with my section. Hang in there. The weekend after that we went to Palestine, TX to visit the grandma and celebrate her 80th birthday! It was a lot of fun and most of the family was able to come down for the weekend so it was great to have everyone around. She lives in a historic Victorian home that takes up almost a whole block. It’s an amazing house and unfortunately with the crazy Texas storms lately one of her hundred year old Pecan trees was blown over and smashed the original smoke house and servants quarters that were on her property. Thankfully, it didn’t hit her actual home, but it was so sad to see these cool old building be destroyed. Some guy that represented the City of Palestine stopped by on our last day there and said he would send someone over to brace the incredibly lean-y servants quarters until someone could see if it could be restored. It’s a hazard as is so I hope the city finds someway to save it soon.

And lastly, I had another styled shoot on Memorial Day! This one was fun because Brenna got to participate in it too with her hand lettering! Mom, Dad, and Kenzie’s boyfriend helped me get everything unloaded and set up the basics and then after Kenzie got off work later that day she and they all came back out to help with clean up which I greatly appreciated! The shoot was lots of fun and I’ll have a full blog written about it on LPC soon!

Kenzie

Trying not to cry as I gather my stuff.

May started out with me having to get rid of my first car ever, Carla. That was a pretty sad day but there was no way my parents or I had enough money to pay to fix her. And in a way, it makes me more excited for getting Vinny in tip top shape. Still, I’ve had so many fun road trips and memories in that car and I’m a sentimental fool so it was rough.

In May, Claire and I also saw a little bit of return from our garden which was exciting and encouraging and I started to remember how much I love being outdoors - except for the sweltering Texas summer heat. I also got to see The 1975 in concert with Brad which was pretty spectacular. Live music is something I’ve been so drawn to for a while now and they put on a great show.

​One of my high school friends got married in May and I was in the wedding. It ended up beautiful, but I am thankful to be through with bridesmaid-ship at least​ for a while! Things at work have been picking up and I have had SO MANY cake orders. It’s been fun getting some creative freedom and trying out new things. I’m particularly in love with buttercream flowers at the moment - I’m not quite as good as my boss at them yet, but I’m on my way! We’ve also been doing a lot of estate sale-ing and searching for good buys for a Callie to sell in her booth and to eventually sell online and honestly, that had been a blast. I love searching through junk to find the goods and making them look great again. 

Callie already told y’all about going to our grandma’s house - one of my​ favorite places and I’m super sad about the damage the tree has done - so I’ll skip that and talk about something Brad got... A DANG PUPPY.

At first, I was like “Oh geez, why???” But then I looked at him and that was that. His name is Apollo and he’s a French bulldog and he’s an absolutely wonderful little nugget of joy. 

May seemed to really fly by and I’m hoping for things to move a bit more slowly in the coming months, but I don’t really see that happening. Maybe I’ll just make more of an effort to take time to do the things I like to do and explore my hobbies in the future. Hope everyone is having a great start to the summer! ​

Brenna

Y’all I have stayed on top of my stuff this month by writing a few sentences every week about what I’ve been up to so I’m not scrambling the night before this post is due. Work smarter, not harder #AMIRIGHT?!

So the first weekend in May, JT and I went to Fort Worth to celebrate Holly and her dad’s birthdays! Kevin turned 60 and let me tell y’all, The Nichols know how to throw a GREAT party. It was fiesta themed, complete with a margarita AND Bellini machine. Debbi made the yummiest food ever and we all had a blast catching up with friends, playing ping pong, swimming and celebrating two of the coolest people I know. Callie and Jason had a wedding in Austin, so we stayed at their house to make sure sweet baby Bas didn’t feel neglected. He is the sleepiest dog I’ve ever met!

On the 11th, I took a special 90 minute class where we burned more for #AQuestForMoreLife to raise awareness and funding for ALS! The weather was supposed to be pretty bad that day so it wasn’t the turnout I had hoped for but it still felt really good to burn more with these people. Especially for a good cause. Callie came into town that weekend so I went to her house after and we didn’t do a damn thing. It was absolutely the best and just what I needed.

Mother’s day was great and we were able to celebrate our moms with new plants and yummy food. My mom and JT’s mom are easy like that. I know it’s mushy, but I couldn’t help but think that in the next few years we’ll hopefully have a baby and Mother’s day will be THAT much more special. It makes my heart so excited. Also, because I just really want to be a mom like so bad. That’s one thing I know for sure.

The following weekend, JT and I went to a customer appreciation party at Ameritex Pipe on Saturday with some of my coworkers and we had a blast! It was a Vegas themed party and they did ALL the things. When we arrived, they took a glamour shot (doing the most), then gave us fun money to play with and free range to eat from all the food trucks they brought in. I learned how to play Craps and definitely had winner’s luck. We ate some of the best crawfish we’ve had all season and enjoyed visiting with everyone. That Sunday, Cheyenne and Malory came over and we laid out all day. The weather was beautiful for once, the champagne was cold and the people watching was top notch.

Memorial Day Weekend was easily one of the most jam packed weekends I’ve had in a long time and it was 100% worth it. Friday, I ran errands and went with Mom and Brayton to celebrate his girlfriend graduating high school. Victoria is the sweetest peach and we are so thankful she puts up with Baby B. Saturday, three of my OTF buddies and I drove down to Fairfield to take a class at that studio because we miss our old Coach, Sierra! After that, we had an early lunch and fought the crowds at the outlets before heading back to meet our husbands and kids at Julie’s for a crawfish boil. If it wasn’t for Julie, Lindsey and Kelli, OTF Spring wouldn’t be all that I hype it up to be and I sure as hell wouldn’t go as much. They hold me accountable and die a little with me every single day. Sunday, JT and I slept in for once and got breakfast tacos at Bigote’s before I headed over to Callie’s to prepare for a styled shoot we did on Monday.

SPEAKING OF WHICH, Callie brought me into this styled shoot to write some stuff on her vintage rental pieces and it was so freaking fun! It was hotter than hell but everything turned out so pretty. Callie is a pretty shy human but once you get her in her element she thrives and it’s seriously my favorite thing to witness. I think it’s so cool that she collects all these neat things and rents them out to brides who love vintage stuff as much as she does. If it wasn’t for her, my wedding centerpieces and decor wouldn’t have been half as cool. So there you have it, a wonderful, busy month of May and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.