Tag Archives: best

Austin: Part I (The Food!)

Austin, Texas

For our Christmas presents/1 year anniversary/ New Year’s eve, George and I visited Austin, Texas! It was such a relaxing trip. We had no plans– which is my favorite way to travel. It’s funny because in “real life” I thrive on plans, but when I’m on vacation I don’t plan a thing.

korean food

I didn’t expect it, but my favorite part of Austin was the food! Amazing food is everywhere. There is such a variety, which I totally didn’t expect. I thought I was going to be eating Tex Mex all day everyday. And I would have been totally ok with that. The Korean food pictured above cured my jet lag.

Hut's hamburgersThese hamburgers from Hut’s Hamburgers were (dare I say) the best I’ve ever had. They even had gluten-free buns!

mexican foodThe food trucks and outdoor dining were in abundance. I’d love to go back when the temperature is a little warmer!

Austin food trucksThis cutie was in food heaven.

Stay tuned for Part II!

Did you all travel over the holiday? Have you ever been to Austin? Let me know in the comments!

love,
melanie

 

 

 

Children’s Books to Read at a Wedding

Wedding vows are pretty important. Vows are intended to be public declarations of love and promise to one person. Vows are meant to be kept FOREVER. Vows are a pretty big deal. And lately I’ve been thinking about how best to do them.

I might be able to say the standard “’til death do us part” vows in front of my immediate family, but I don’t want to say our “real” vows in front of anyone else. It feels too private to me.

George and I are going to say our “real” vows before we do the legal ones. And before I put on makeup because I’m a huge sap and I’ll probably cry my eyeballs out. But that’s ok.

Since I’m a librarian and a great lover of books, I’ve been looking for a passage or a book that best expresses my feelings. This NYPL post from Kristy Raffensberger, a children’s librarian, has some great suggestions.

But in some ways I want to find my own. It’s the thrill of the hunt.

Here’s the few books I’ve found so far…

No-Matter-WhatNo Matter What
Debi Gliori

This book was obviously intended for the love between a parent and a child, but I think it describes romantic love, as well.

Small, a little fox, questions Large, a big fox, if he would love her (or if she would love him– it’s quite androgynous) in increasingly silly scenarios.

“If I were a grumpy grizzly bear, would you still love me? Would you still care?” “I’d always love you, no matter what,” responds Large.

I can definitely be a grumpy grizzly sometimes and I’m sure George could relate to this one.

Guess How Much I Love You
Sam McBratney (Author), Anita Jeram (Illustrator)

Again, probably meant for parental love, but relevant regardless.

This lovely bedtime tale follows Little Nutbrown Hare and Big Nutbrown Hare through a series of charming declarations.

It begins with “I love you as high as I can hop!” said Little Nutbrown. And ends with Big Nutbrown’s declaration “I love you right up to the moon.”

A Lovely Love Storylovely love story
Edward Monkton

I cried at work reading this one. So embarrassing.

Such a cute premise. Two dinosaurs meet and fall in love. One is an emotionally distant dino and the other dino has a penchant for shopping. Regardless of flaws, they learn to accept one another as they are.

“Together they stand on the hill, telling each other stories and feeling the warmth of the sun on their backs. And that, my friends, is how it is with love.”

Have you stumbled across any good wedding readings? I’d love to hear them in the comments!

love,
melanie