let's brunch

 The best kind of Saturdays are the ones that we can sleep in as long as we want, text each other "wanna get food?", and know that what we really both mean by that is a delicious brunch at a place we haven't tried yet. This is just what happened this past weekend and it turned into a lovely start to a fun and relaxing weekend. Hillside Farmacy is a refurbished 1950s drugstore turned eatery in East Austin that specializes in delicious brunch dishes with local ingredients, creative and classic soda counter drinks, and oyster and cheese plates. It kept the charm of an old fashioned pharmacy with wooden cabinetry full of dry goods for purchase. Although we had to wait quite awhile for our food, the orange brioche french toast made it worth the wait. 

{farmacy french toast: brioche, berries, orange maple syrup}

{inside details, the hillsider: country pâté, poached farm egg, hollandaise on ciabatta, cappuccino made with love}

{grapefruit brulée}

Olivia

{photos by Olivia & Lauren}

le petit déjeuner

My favorite restaurants are those that take you on a journey and transport you to a far away place. And the ones that take me straight to Paris are among my favorites. Over Christmas break, my high school best friends and I decided to switch up our traditional brunch place to try the recently opened Boulangerie Kayser on the Upper East Side. Following traditional Parisan rules, an establishment cannot be called a "Boulangerie" or bakery unless it makes all of its own bread on the premises. Therefore, when walking into the smell of fresh baked bread and buttery croissants is overwhelmingly delicious. The atmosphere is lively at 9am, with friendly waiters in striped sailor shirts and friends and family sipping coffee at the traditional marble cafe tables. The croissant I enjoy is the best I've had in a while and it is easy to pretend we are in Paris. 

Olivia 

{photos by Olivia}

home for the holiday

Home. This word is unique to each individual. We each have our own connotations that come to mind. For me, coming home for Thanksgiving is the best week to be back in New York. It is a short and sweet week of traipsing around my old stomping ground, eating my parents' incredibly delicious home cooked meals, brunching and museum exploring with my best friends, shopping with my little sister, sitting by the fire, reading, napping, bike riding, attending an annual Christmas tree lighting, watching my favorite movies, and truly relaxing. We're not stressing about Christmas shopping quite yet, not every day is too cold to spend time outdoors, and we really cherish the few days we have with each other before the last stressful month of schoolwork. The holiday spirit already is in the air at this time of year. My high school put wreaths on every window, couples are carrying trees up to their apartments from the Christmas tree seller on the corner, and there is a general sense of the magic that the holiday season brings in New York. 

Olivia 

{photos by Olivia}

gobble gobble

Today we reflect the things we are thankful for. Sadly we only have one day set aside for this when honestly it should be our first thought every morning and our last thought at night. Sometimes the bumps we hit in the road of life leave us feeling distraught and bring darkness on all the good things we have but even that darkness should be thanked. The mistakes, the fails, the dysfunction of life make us who we are and forces us to grow so be thankful for the darkness. Be grateful for all the opportunity we have. The opportunity to choose to be happy. Happiness is a choice. Life is hard and sometimes things don’t work out the way we want them to but the choice to look at good and to smile that in itself is a miracle. I know I am grateful for the wonderful friends and family that have given me courage when I felt weak, laughter when I’ve felt like crying, and love in endless amounts. Be thankful for every morning you wake up and see the sky. Today and everyday reflect on the blessing in your life and smile.

Lauren 

{photos by Lauren}

rhino and dino

Dinosaurs. 65 million years ago the greatest creatures to roam the earth mysteriously vanished.  Anyone that has scene The Land Before Time, Jurassic Park, We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story can relate to the fascination with these animals. I mean it’s a totally healthy obsession to keep miniature dinosaur figurines by your bedside.  The Tyrannosaurus rex with its baby arms and giant fangs. I don’t know why but the bloodthirsty killer I imagine the T-Rex being is my favorite.  The Triceratops, Stegosaurus, Brontosaurus, and Velociraptors are all right but just not quite as cool. The uncertainty of what happened to them and the mysterious theories keep me wanting more. I want to travel to unknown lands and uncover fossils. I want to uncover the mystery buried within the sand but for now I’ll play with my plastic dinosaur friends.

Lauren 

{photos by Lauren}

sweat it out

Often times the absolute best stress reliever is sweating it out. When this is also combined with a dark candle lit room and awesome Yoga instructors who laugh with you when you lose balance instead of intimidating you, its even better. Black Swan Yoga is the coolest yoga studio I’ve ever stepped into. I can forget about what’s bothering me, set an intention for my workout, and put my whole heart into mastering some crazy yoga positions. I hadn’t been all semester, but last Friday night, it was the perfect way to end the week. Sometimes you have to throw out tradition and choose something new and exciting to do, just because. It makes life interesting and makes you feel good. 

Olivia 

closing time

Sometimes we need those defining moments that bring light to an end. An end of a love. Those moments where you realize sometimes things just don’t work out. Sometimes its not meant to be. Sometimes that fairytale that plays out perfectly in your mind is just that, a fairytale. Those moments where you hold hands for what could be the last time. That feeling where you know you will be okay but you will be okay on your own. I am starting to doubt goodbyes. How could one word end something so powerful. Those people that come into your life and change you, change you forever. A goodbye doesn’t justify the change that took place. The growth and love that once was there does not go away. So I am done believing in goodbyes. It is never goodbye, it might be an end of something that once was but it is just that an end. Closure is the best word to define these moments of ending. Endings bring new beginnings. Terrifying new beginnings. But isn’t that part of the adventure. 

Lauren 

{photos by Lauren}