Did Someone Say Food?! {A Macy's Event!}

Oh hey there, y'all. Remember when I used to be a good blogger & then suddenly I fell off the face of the planet? Yeah, sorry about that.

BUT, I come to you now with some REALLY fun news.

If you're a foodie, this is for you. If you're a Houstonian, this is also for you. Oh and if you love food trucks, this is DEFINITELY for you :)

A while ago, I was invited by the Macy's Culinary Council to come meet Chef Cat Cora and attend one of her demonstrations. Well now, the Culinary Council is back with their Summer Food Truck Tour!!

What is this event you might ask? Here are some deets for y'all: 

Macy's will take to the highways & back roads of America for a national food truck tour making its way across the country, serving up the best of America's cuisine created by icons of the Macy's Culinary Council and featuring hot dogs & ice cream! 

The event will be in Houston at Macy's Memorial City on Saturday, June 1st at NOON! (I will be busy celebrating my baby brother's birthday, but secretly wishing that there were two of me so I could be at this event too!) 

All of you awesome people NOT in Houston, have no fear there are a few other stops left that I'll share for you below! 

Saturday, May 18 at 1 PM: Macy's South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, CA

Saturday, June 1 at Noon: Macy's Memorial City, Houston, TX

Saturday, June 22 at TBD: Macy's Woodland Hills, Tulsa, OK

Saturday, June 29 at TBD: Macy's Marketplace, Rochester, NY

If you do make it out to this fabulous event, PLEASE share pictures with me!! 

Have a great weekend, friends!! <3 

*Disclaimer: I was compensated for this post, however, all opinions about Macy's Culinary Council and their fabulous events are all mine :) 

May Challenge: Day 9 - Just a little moment...

Day 9: A moment in your day
A while ago, I wrote up a blog post talking about my favorite part of the day. Instead of re-writing the whole thing, I'll share the same post with you again. If you want to go check it out, you can click HERE. Or just read below :) 
I firmly believe that everyone in a relationship (marriage or otherwise) has an absolute favorite part to their relationship.

At first when I started thinking about this, I thought of a slew of things that I think are great about my marriage. But then I realized what my absolute favorite part really is.

It's the mornings.

Let me explain...
Hubs & I generally get up with 20 minutes of each other. From the minute he walks into the bathroom, where I am either taking a shower, brushing my teeth, fixing my hair, doing my makeup or just generally prancing around, the hilarious conversations/questions/actions begin.

Here are some things that I find absolutely HILARIOUS pretty much every single morning.

1. The fat dance (as hubs calls it)
On a pretty normal basis, hubs will walk into the bathroom, turn to the side & jump around. He will then stare in the mirror and decide how much of him jiggles so he can give himself a few words about how he "really needs to get back in shape"

My reaction: To stare at him through this whole ridiculous display & then laugh at him more when we discuss what we've been eating recently.

2. The incessant round of questions (sometimes in funny accents)
From hubs to me: Do you think my hair looks okay? Does this shirt match with these pants? Do you know where my wallet is? What about my belt? How the heck did I get a hole in my shirt? I'm smart, right? Is the iron on?

My reaction: Most of the time, i'm laughing through all these questions. And then after a certain point, I start making fun of him for it. I talk in a baby voice and ask all the same questions back only to make the whole situation more ridiculous.

3. The times we try to get the other one to do stuff for us or just plain try to beat the other one out
Hubs will ask me to get the coffee, I will ask him to get the coffee. We'll try to pin who gets to take the dog out on one another (whoever leaves last has to do it, so of course we both try to get out earlier than the other. usually I win.) I'll ask if he can plug the iron in, just so I can iron my clothes first. He'll try to get to the shower first (according to him it takes him less time to get ready) and until one of us finally makes it out the door, these shenanigans continue.

4. The terrible jokes
We are a seriously corny couple. We make ridiculous jokes & also tell each other dumb jokes on the daily. The good thing is, we happily laugh at our own stupidity & at each others. I think if anyone were to actually hear the things we say, they'd be worried about our sanity.

5. The singing
Ohhhh, the singing. And I don't mean he's singing soft ballads. Homeboy will be in the shower and/or walking around the bathroom & bedroom singing everything from country to rock. loudly. Also? It's not that he's just heard this song that morning or the night before, he just wakes up to these tunes in his head and enjoys sharing them with me.

At the end of every morning though - when I'm done getting ready & about to head out of the door, I give hubs a kiss, tell him I'll see him in the evening - he'll tell me I look pretty and we go on our ways. And while I'm in the car on my way to work, I think back to the happiness that fills me every morning when I get to wake up & spend time with hubs. And I decide every day that I am blessed & grateful for what I have.

This guy, he makes me real happy.

What is your favorite moment of the day?!

May Challenge: Day 8 - It's YOUR life...

I'm keeping this short & sweet, y'all.

Day 8: A piece of advice you have for others. Anything at all.

Source: habershamhaven.blogspot.com via Myra on Pinterest

Those words. That's all I have for you. Read them, soak them in & then follow it. Your life will be happier, I promise!

Give me your favorite advice! 

May Challenge: Day 6 - I am... & Day 7 - I'm fearful of...

Do you know what happens when you run to the airport, end up missing your flight & then spend the next 8+ hours in and out of airports & planes? You forget to blog. Wait, not forget. You just end up so exhausted, you could really care less.

So yes, that happened. And now I'm in Canada, thrown off by this time change and STILL exhausted. Yes, I also realize how late this post is going up, but oh well. Better late than never, right?!

Day 6: If you couldn't answer with your job, how would you answer the question "what do you do?"
I'd like to think I do a lot of really interesting things, but that's really just not true. But here's what I DO do outside of work...
I spend time with hubs & our pup pup. I laugh & make a fool out of myself. I talk to family members & friends. I check my social media like a real addict. I bake lots of random things. I workout & read up on new fitness things I can try out. I sit outside & enjoy the weather with a cup of coffee. I go to Target & buy everything I don't really need. I paint my nails. I listen to music & dance around my house. I read like a crazy person. 
You know, all the usual things girls do, right?! :) 
Day 7: The thing(s) you're most afraid of.
Losing someone:  My parents. Hubs. Grandmothers. Pup.
I know that this world is temporary. I understand that we are all meant to be here for a finite amount of time. But at the end of the day, I am still scared for the day when I lose someone who holds a huge part of my heart. I pray that I will find the grace that I have seen others exude when they have needed to & I pray that God will help me be strong. I hope that I will look past my own sadness to understand there was a reason for the person to leave my life & that they will be waiting for me to one day join them eternally. 
My every day prayer is that God keep everyone in my life (including myself) safe & sound. That He bless all of us with health, happiness & prosperity throughout their lives. 
Do you have the same fear as me? Share with me! 

May Challenge: Day 5 - I must confess, I love...

Goodness gracious, May. Time seems to be just flying by!

If you're interested in joining in, click on the button below for all the fun prompts. 

Day 5: Publicly profess your love & devotion for one of your blogger friends. What makes them great? Why do you love them? If you don't have blogger friends, talk about a real-life friend or even a family member.  I'm going to bend the rules here a little bit, because there is no way I can profess my undying love for only ONE blogger. The blogging world has been so good to me and has brought me some of the most amazing friends a girl could ask for.  These gals have heard it all from me. The laughter, the tears, the whining - they know all about it. They've been there for me through some of my most difficult days & have ALWAYS been there to cheer me on when something awesome happens! Let me introduce them to you :)  The Houston girls: Katie, Tara, Meg, Heather & Michelle Other than Tara & Heather (who I knew back in college), I met these beautiful women two years ago after we randomly decided to get some of the Houston bloggers together. We met up for Mexican food & bonded over all sorts of ridiculous stories, cupcakes and chips & salsa. Our little group has been through weddings, babies, good times, bad times, hard times & planning celebrity stalking trips together. 
I've never really had a LOT of girlfriends, but these five girls, they sure make it easy. My life is better in knowing them and I know I will never be without them. I cannot wait to see all the other amazing things we have coming up for our friendship in the future! 

My Triplets: Courtney & Joey These girls came into my life in a complete whirlwind and the amazing friendship we have found has been nothing short of wonderful! We live in three states across the US, we talk every day, we share stories, advice & a severe love of cupcakes. I've "met" both of these girls through Google Hangout & we're already TRYING to get a plan together for an in-real-life meetup! 
My day to day life would be so boring without these two and travel weeks would surely suck! I am so thankful they came into my life & I am excited for all the other goofy shenanigans which I am SURE are headed our way :)

To all of you girls - I am so blessed to know EACH and every single one of you. Thank you for being a part of my life and thank you for always being on my side. I love you all! 

May Challenge: Day 4 - In the words of...

If you haven't had a chance to catch up with the rest of my posts, just scroll on down & you'll find them all!

Day 4: Favorite quote (from a person, from a book, etc.) and why you love it
This prompt was SO easy for me. Mainly because there has been one quote that I feel has continually shaped me since The Princess Diaries came out. (Ok go ahead, get you laughter out now...) 
Are you ready now?! :) 

Read those words. Then read them again. Does that whole quote not resonate perfectly?! I love everything about it. Simple words with so much truth.

We are who we are. And we are only ever going to be as wonderful, amazing, talented, graceful, etc. as WE personally think we are. 

Through middle & high school, I battled with being the oddball. I grew up in a strict Pakistani cultured family, where I was the only girl & to top it all off, the oldest of the bunch. I wasn't allowed to go out late, hanging out with friends came second and/or last to every other priority and actually, hanging out in general was always a struggle since boys were generally present & girls and boys hanging out alone is a taboo situation in our culture. Whereas this could have made me feel like a real loser & a loner, I got lucky. I had somehow surrounded myself with some amazing people who never tormented me or let anyone else made me feel low about myself or my way of life. 

As I continued to grow into myself, I slowly got more confident with who I turned in to. My parents instilled a sense of worth in me that I am forever grateful for. But that is not to say that sometimes I feel like I am not good enough. Like I'm not a good enough wife, daughter, friend, etc. Sometimes, I STILL feel that way. But then...

Then I remember the words I heard Julie Andrews utter in that one Princess Diaries scene..."No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." Touche, Eleanor Roosevelt, touche. I am good enough. I provide love, comfort & happiness to anyone & everyone I possibly can. So sitting around being depressed over not making dinner one night (ok fine 10 nights in a row) shouldn't bring me down. Because at the end of the day, I still do my best and that is enough. 

I.am.good.enough. And I always will be, as long as I believe it.

May Challenge: Day 3 - Let's talk about...uh, maybe not.

This is going to sound silly, but I'm actually impressed that I'm keeping up so far. I'm a casual blogger, so this challenge is really making it fun for me to find time in my day to dedicate time to writing & sharing more of myself.

So now, on to Day 3 of the challenge. If you're interested in getting into the challenge, just click the button below, write up your post & link up! 

Day 3: Things that make you uncomfortable...
Y'all, I am one heck of a weirdo and I tend to be in randomly embarrassing situations often. Especially when it comes to saying silly things & running into inanimate objects. That being said, there's not a WHOLE lot that makes me uncomfortable, but there are just some things that will absolutely turn my cheeks red & make me feel like an awkward turtle. Haha.

Here we go:
1. Confrontation: I am all about speaking my mind, but it reaaallllyyy requires someone saying something awful or just plain terrible for me to get involved. Getting in people's faces makes me super uncomfortable, but if I feel like I am making a good point, I'll eventually find my voice & say something.
2. Talking about certain personal things: I'm thankful for some really close friends who I can discuss things with & joke around with, but I get so awkward when people I don't know talk about REALLY personal things. I mean, come on, there's a time & place for everything, right?! 
3. People who complain constantly: I try to be pretty positive so when I start hearing the whine, whine, whine thing going on, I start doing the avoiding thing. 
4. Being put in the middle of others problems: Let's be honest, I will always give out my personal/honest opinion if it has something to do with my family or my close friends. But if any of those people put me in a weird middle person position where I have to stand up for one person or the other, I will be a squirming mess. 
5. Being in an elevator with one random person: LOL. Y'all. I just cannot. I get so weird. I don't know if I should speak, or smile at them or make eye contact. It is so awkward. And weird. And uncomfortable. End of story. 
I'm sure there are other things that can make me wish I was on another planet far away from uncomfortable situations, so if I think of them, I'll be sure to update this list! Lol.
What things make YOU uncomfortable?! I can't wait to read & see how many of us are weirded out by the same things! :)
HAPPY FRIDAY, BTW! Come on back for Day 4 tomorrow!