Dining Room Plans

We're still in the thick of painting and nowhere near actually getting furniture in here, buuuuuut I wanted to put together a little round up of what I'm hoping to do in the dining room! (Patience never was my strength.)

As a refresher, here is the "Before" shot of our dining room. (This is the photo from the real estate listing.)

And below is a roundup of my plans for this lovely room. The chandelier is definitely staying (link to a similar chandelier), and I've purchased the following:

Wall paint color (Tornado Season by Behr) | Mid-century expandable dining table (West Elm) | Copley upholstered dining chairs (Target) | Classic cafe walnut dining chairs (West Elm) | Aragon indoor/outdoor area rug (Target) 

A few notes on my design choices:

• Paint: I wanted the dining room to be my "statement" room on the main level. Most of the house will be painted a light grey, but "Tornado season" will pack a punch in our dining room. We get a lot of great natural light in this room from those lovely windows, so hopefully it won't feel too dark. We've painted the trims white using this Behr enamel. 
• Dining table: I wanted a dining table that was simple but attractive. And something not so trendy that it'll be outdated by next winter. AND I wanted to have a table that was expandable and could seat 10-12 when fully expanded. I'm thinking ahead here for holidays, family dinners, etc. (A few more thoughts on the table below.) I ordered the table over Labor Day weekend, but we won't get it until mid-October.
• Dining chairs: To be honest, my ideal chairs would've been upholstered, but we plan to have kids someday and want to make sure our home design choices are family-friendly from the get-go. So we went with eight of these cafe walnut chairs along the sides and the two grey upholstered chairs for the ends of the table. Since we won't have the table for a few more weeks, it'll be a little while before I know if this will all work together, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed!
• Rug: I chose an indoor/outdoor rug for the same reason I chose non-upholstered chairs: practicality for use with future babies. Outdoor rugs are (theoretically) much easier to clean. I also like the color and pattern the rug brings in to the room without being TOO busy.

*A note about the table:

After I ordered the table, I felt like I was seeing it everywhere, and I worried I had chosen a table that was already TOO trendy! Exhibits A and B:

From actors Bitsie Tulloch and David Giuntoli's home tour on Apartment Therapy

From LaTonya Yvette's home tour on Cup of Jo

But then I decided that perhaps this was evidence in support of my table choice! I love how both families have made the table their own and have created completely different looks/feels, just by having different dining chairs. So in ten years, when I'm craving a dining room refresh, I can switch out the chairs, and it'll be a whole new dining room!

Just for fun, here is how Emily Henderson used the same rug I chose for our dining room in a living room makeover:

Image is from this living room makeover

Now, we just need to:

• Paint (ha.)
• Find window treatments (I'm leaning towards sheer white curtains to preserve the natural light, but I'm open to other suggestions!)
• Figure out a china hutch situation (I'd love to have a built-in buffet/hutch someday (something like this or this), but in the meantime, I might make over a hutch we already own.)
• Decide what else will go on the walls.
• Count down the days until West Elm calls to tell me my dining table has arrived.
• The chandelier is attached to the ceiling within its own little recessed space (I don't have a good photo to show this right now.). If we're feeling ambitious, we've considered using this tutorial to do a little ceiling stenciling in that space. Maybe something art deco-inspired, like this?

If you happen to have any brilliant suggestions or tips, I definitely welcome them in the comments! 

Whale Watching + Lahaina Banyan Tree (and some food, of course!)

 

One of the first things we did in Maui was to take a whale watching cruise. We were told peak whaling season ends in February, but the Pacific Whale Foundation (through whom we bought our cruise) also guaranteed us a whale sighting or we'd get to take another whale watching cruise for free within a year, so we figured why not book it?

And boy, were we glad we did! (Travel tip: you can book your whale watching cruise in advance. You can cancel without penalty up to 48 hours before your cruise, so it's a good move to book as soon as possible. As your trip date gets closer, you can check the weather to make sure you'll have good weather on your cruise. While I'm on a travel tip, I learned that they only offer sunrise cruises during peak season, which is why we took our cruise in the afternoon. Word on the street is that a sunrise whale cruise is an awesome experience. Oh, also, we booked our cruise leaving from Lahaina. If you do this, remember to leave plenty of time to find parking, most of which is in paid lots!)

We saw not one, not two, but THREE (maybe four?) whales! Our guide said it looked like a love triangle: two males fighting over a female, which seemed especially probably at the end of mating season when the pickings are slimmer. ;)

I'm not sure what I was expecting to see, but the first whale sighting came from a fellow passenger and was sort of underwhelming. In fact, I didn't even see it! The whales were far from our boat, and the only way we could tell they were there was because of the stream of water from their blowholes every time they came up for air. Our captain told us to scan the horizon to see the blowhole spouting better, and that definitely helped. See blowhole spouts below! (Note that the photos below were taken once our boat was closer to the whales.)

Our captain steered our boat as close to the whales as legally permissible, and then he turned off the engine. And then the whales got closer (there's no law governing how closely the whale can approach the boat), and one of them even swam RIGHT UNDER OUR BOAT!! See its back and blowhole in the photo below?? That's how close we were. It was amazing! I'm actually shocked its tail didn't whack the bottom of our boat as it swam.

Two whale videos from our cruise:

We had an amazing experience. I would highly recommend a whale watching cruise to anyone heading to Maui! Stephen and his parents have done whale watching cruises before, and they said this was, by far, their best experience ever. I guess my bar is set pretty high now! We decided that next time we're in Hawai'i, we'll try a dolphin cruise. :)

After our whale watching cruise, we spent some time in Lahaina Square. We stopped to snap a photo with the famed Lahaina Banyan tree, of course. It was originally planted in 1873, and its canopy spreads out over 2/3 of an acre! It's the largest banyan tree in the United States and the oldest banyan tree in Hawai'i.

And then we had some fantastic burgers (voted Best on Maui 13 years in a row) at the Cool Cat Cafe across the street. Our favorite was the monthly special, which included a burger patty, lettuce, tomato, bacon, a fried egg, and two glazed donuts in place of buns. It was so good! (Of note: I wish we'd known this beforehand, but the Cool Cat Cafe will validate parking!)

Oh, and I can't end this post without mentioning one of my favorite food discoveries from our first day: Dole Whips! AND, even better, I learned they are DAIRY-FREE! Woot woot!

We headed back to our resort after dinner to wind down and relax. It was a great first day in Maui!

#ATXyall (Part 1) + I found an apartment!

Helllllo, blogging world! I'm popping in tonight from the comfort of my very own.... apartment!! That's right; my OWN apartment! It's my first time having an apartment all to myself (the tiny private room + bathroom I had as an RA in college doesn't count!), and I couldn't be more excited about it. (Though it was kind of sad this morning when I was getting ready for church and had no one to consult about which heels I should wear? But overall, it's been great!)

There's not much to see yet, but... in time! :)



I also wanted to take a moment to preserve for time and all posterity the photos from my recent trip to Austin! My friend Jordan was planning a trip home (she's a bona fide Austinite!) and invited a few of us to join her. The group consisted of Jordan, Maddy, Addison (another Austinite), and moi; I couldn't have asked for better travel companions!



I booked this trip after I'd accepted my new job in Utah, but before I actually left DC, because A- I've been wanting to go to Austin for foreverrrr, B- I was afraid I'd be experiencing DC withdrawals a month into my new life in Utah, and I wanted to make sure I had something to look forward to in case things weren't going so smoothly. Plus, honestly, I was worried I'd feel claustrophobic and landlocked. One of the BEST things about the East Coast is it's SO incredibly easy (and relatively cheap) to travel, whereas in Utah, you can drive for FIVE HOURS and still be in the same state. I'm going to sound super yuppie and spoiled, but I became accustomed to traveling at least once a month, either for work or for pleasure, and I definitely already miss it! Though, actually, between Arizona (a post for another day) and Texas, I've managed to maintain my one trip a month quota thus far! :)

OK, so the most important thing to know about this trip is we essentially ATE our way through the city of Austin, with a few activities squeezed in between meals. (Gotta work up an appetite somehow, right??)

We started our trip off right ... by eating at every breakfast taco place within a few miles of Jordan's house. Let the record show that the BEST of the tacos was The Democrat from Shaky's.



Next, we explored a bit of our Mormon heritage at scenic Mt. Bonnell. ;)

Aside from the amazing view of Austin and the water, Addison's hair in that last photo was a highlight. ;)

Then, we were off to Barton Springs!

But first, a quick pitstop with some Texas wildflowers! Little did I know at this point that this would be my only wildflower photo of the trip. *sniff*



OK, back to the story. Barton Springs is a set of, well, natural springs (ha) that has sort of been partially turned into a pool. The coolest part about this place was how perfectly clear the water was. As you all may know, I'm VERY much afraid of water, but it was just so pretty, even I ventured in! (Not to swim – let's not get crazy here – but just to say I at least went in the water.) Maddy lent moral support while Jordan and Addison were catching some rays (and some zzz's). :)




After a healthy lunch of Amy's Ice Cream, we went home to clean up and change in preparation for the most luxurious dining experience at Paul Qui's new restaurant, Qui! It was voted GQ's Most Outstanding Restaurant of 2014. Jordan's generous parents joined us – and then treated ALL of us to – this amaaaaayzing dining experience! Maddy and I ordered the vegetable option (I'm so glad I did, because several of the courses were seafood, and I don't particularly care for seafood. Mostly because of the smell... Have I mentioned here yet that I'm a very smell-oriented person? I once went out with someone whose cologne I didn't like; things did not work out.), and the others ordered the regular menu. We all just ended up sharing, but ALL of my courses were amazing! If you're ever in Austin and feel like spending $55-70 on dinner, try Qui!




After dinner, we killed some time at THE original Whole Foods, and thennnnnn we went to...




GOURDOUGH'S PUBLIC HOUSE!!

Of ALL the incredible places we ate during this trip, this one was my FAVORITE. I'm super picky with sweets, but the donuts here were to DIE for! I will DEFINITELY be returning to Austin, if only to eat the Glory Daze donut (+ vanilla ice cream) one more time.



And guys! This was JUST the first day!! I now realize I took WAY too many photos to share this entire trip in one post, soooo.... Stay tuned for Day 2 with these crazy kids probably later this week! :)




And

That Time I Went to Manhattan and Brooklyn Last Summer... (#FBF)

One of the things I'm really going to miss about working for Voto Latino is the opportunity to travel. I've gotten used to traveling at LEAST once a month, either for work or for fun, and I'm already afraid of feeling a little... claustrophobic and land-locked when I get to Utah! ⊙﹏⊙

That's seriously one of the BEST things about living on the East Coast – the fact that you can get almost anywhere so easily, quickly, and affordably.

This belated post chronicles my travels to the LULAC National Conference last year in NYC (it's in SLC this year! If you're going, come visit me! Woo hoo!).

I've already forgotten the name of my hotel, but I liked it, and it was in this neighborhood, around the corner from the Ed Sullivan Theater:

One of the people I got to see at the conference was Juana, who I know from her days in DC. Juana actually offered me my very first job out of college. And even though I ended up taking a different offer, I'll always remember her for taking a chance on me. I'm happy that we remain good friends. :)

The other suuuuuper awesome thing about this trip is that I got to see Lee and belatedly celebrate her 30th birthday!!! ʘ‿ʘ

We made plans to go to dinner, and last-minute, we decided to try to catch a Broadway show. We turned a corner and right in front of us was the theater for Jersey Boys! We inquired about tickets (the show was starting in <30 minutes!), and we were able to get seats for $27! (Hooray for student discounts!) The show was so, so good! If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. Possibly my favorite part was the fact that the crowd was so into the music, we were all singing along to the songs by Franki Valli and the Four Seasons. It was a good time!

A few years ago, my friend David introduced us to an awesome (and cheap!) Thai restaurant in Hell's Kitchen. Every time I try to find it I have to look up the location, BUT this time I was smart, and I took a photo of the intersection!

The restaurant is called Yum Yum Bangkok (how fitting!), and it's SO good! And cheap! The pad thai is only $9.95! That's a steal anywhere, but especially in NYC.

Lee lives in Brooklyn, and we spent the next morning exploring and adventuring.

We started our day off with brunch at Station Cafe in Gowanus.



This is Lee's best friend, roommate, and business partner, Sara. Sara is a talented hair stylist, and she JUST opened the cutest salon, Sara June! (Go see her if you're in Brooklyn!) The salon is right next door to Station Cafe, and it was fun to see the construction site right as they were starting.

After the tour of Sara June, we hit up one of my NYC bucket list items – the Brooklyn Flea!

And guess who was there the same day?? (Except we didn't see them?? #fangirling)

 

But hey, Brooklyn Flea, we really liked you!

I also realllllly liked THESE NINA Z CLOGS:

via

And these!

via

But in this color also?

via

The only problem was that I gave up shopping in 2014, which meant I COULDN'T BUY THEM!! ಥ_ಥ

(I'm happy to report I've since purchased a pair! I can't wait for the weather to warm up so I can finally wear them outside!) 

After the flea, we took a li'l break at Fort Greene Park.

And naturally, our trip also included a pit stop at Junior's – aka the most delicious cheesecake of my liiife (chocolate mousse cheesecake... mmmm!)

Some carnitas tacos for the road, and I was back on a train to DC that afternoon.

I'm going to miss these little NYC trips, but I'm looking forward to going BACK at least once more this year for my friend Lesley's wedding in September! Hope your guest room is ready for me, Lee! ;)