MONTHLY LOVE | MARCH

I can't believe how quickly 2015 is going by! So many things have happened this month, but I'm going to fill you in on my biggest life update… I GOT A JOB! After moving back to the states I frantically applied for every job under the sun. Finally, after a month and a half of applications and interviews I can finally say I am employed. I know I don't want to stay in Houston permanently and it's not in the field I imagined for myself (I have two history degrees, how did I end up in the medical field???) but I'm happy to be back in the city I grew up in at the beginning of my career. I won't indulge much of my work life on the blog as I don't want to mix my hobby with my professional career, however I will say I almost fainted on the first day! Apparently I'm the kind of person who will faint at the sight of blood, who knew! But enough about that, here are the things I'm loving this month!

THINGS I'M LOVING

Future Weekend Trips | Gone are the days of my day-cations around England. I miss hopping on a train and going somewhere new. However my love of travel doesn't have to end now that I'm stateside. Up coming weekend trips include Nashville and New Orleans!

Pretty Little Liars | I used to watch PLL years ago, however I stopped keeping up with it halfway through season 3. I started rewatching it again when I moved back to Houston and I'm obsesssssssssed.

Seafood | Shrimp, oysters, crab, crawfish. You name it, I've been eating it this month. Gulf coast seafood is the best.

Running | During my unemployed month I knew I needed something to do to keep me busy. So I began running. I've never really run before and to be honest it feels great! I love seeing myself improve and would love to run a marathon (one day in the very faraway distance).

Maxi Dresses | Having lived in the UK up until fairly recently, my summer wardrobe is practically nonexistent. This past month of amazing Texas weather has only proved to me that this summer is going to be brutally hot. My new favorite warm weather clothing? Maxi dresses. I'm obsessed. The only problem is finding dresses for my height (being 5'1 makes it impossible to shop)!

Weddings | A couple of weeks ago I was asked to be a bridesmaid in a friends wedding! I'm super excited and can't wait to be a part of her special day!

LOVELY LINKS

+ Have you taken my reader survey? I'll be closing it on Friday, so if you haven't done it yet pleaseeeeee do! Thank you so much to everyone who has helped me by taking it, the results are really helping me understand YOU, my readers! :)

+ Of Golden Roses is now offering Sponsorships! Make sure to check out all the details if you're interested!

+ Catch up on all my Edinburgh posts! What a wonderful city.
+ The rodeo is a very Texan thing to do, so let me introduce you to a quick guide to Rodeo Houston!

BLOGS I LOVE: EXPATS IN THE UK

+ Rhyme & Ribbons

+ Chicadeedee

+ Found Love, Now What?

+ Team Starnes

Missed February? Catch up with my February favorites here!

What are some things you're loving this month?
xoxo

A Quick Guide to Rodeo Houston

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is the world's largest livestock exhibition and rodeo. For twenty days during the month of March over three million people visit the rodeo grounds in central Houston to eat fried food, watch bull riding, and embrace their inner Texan. It's Houston's BIG event. Naturally, having recently moved back to Houston, I found myself at the Rodeo three times this year. It's hard to explain the rodeo if you have never been, so here's a quick guide to Rodeo Houston.

WHAT TO DO

+ Visit the carnival

+ Get up close and personal with longhorns

+ Watch a live birth (cows, sheep, chicken, you name it!)

+ Get fitted for a cowboy hat

+ Buy a hot tub or a car

WHAT TO EAT

+ Fried Oreos

+ Fried Red Velvet Cake

+ Funnel Cake

+ Corn in a cup

+ Turkey legs

+ Brisket baked potato

+ Chicken Fried Bacon

WHAT TO SEE

+ The Evening Concerts: This year I saw Fall Out Boy and Florida Georgia Line, previous years have seen artists from the likes of the Black Eyed Peas, Taylor Swift, and even Hannah Montana.

+ Bull Riding: It's a good night if at least one cowboy can stay on their bull for at least 8 seconds.

+ The Calf Scrabble: Possibly one of the most entertaining events of the night, 20 or so kids chase 15 calves around the area. The kids who catch a calf, tie it, and bring it to the finishing line get to keep the it. 

+ Mutton Busting: Looking for something adorable? Mutton Busting is an event where 3-8 year old children ride sheep. Yep. That's an actual event. 

Happy Thursday!
xoxo

Jane Austen & the Bristol Giants | Blaise Castle Estate

 A few weeks ago I shared with you one of Bristol's hidden treasures, Blaise Hamlet. Just around the corner lies Blaise Castle Estate, an 18th century mansion surrounded by 650 acres of rolling hills. The mansion itself has very limited opening hours during the winter months, however the grounds are open year round, and it's the grounds that hold the most history.

The grounds of Blaise Estate have been home to human settlements since the Neolithic Era, some five thousand years ago. Since then humans throughout the ages have left traces of their settlements in the form of burial mounds, caves, and even a castle on a hill. Legend has it two giants, Goram and Vincent, used to roam the land around Bristol, leaving footprints and gorges in their wake, which obviously explains Blaise's unique geographical features. Fast forward a few thousands years and Jane Austen refers to Blaise Castle Estate as the "finest place in England" in Northanger Abbey. 

Elle and I visited Blaise Castle Estate in the middle of the winter, so the mansion itself was closed. However, we opted to explore the vast grounds and hike up to the castle on the hill. To our amusement,  a princess was waiting at the top. Yes, a woman decked out in full princess attire was having her picture taken next to the castle. As we waited for the princess and her camera crew to leave, we looked out at the amazing views. With all the gorges, cliffs, and rolling hills in our eyesight, it's easy to believe the land was carved out by two giants!

What's your favorite local legend?

Happy Monday!
xoxo

Spring Lush Haul

 When I moved back to America I knew there were quite a few UK stores I would miss - Topshop, Primark, and Boots to name a few. Lush however, was on the top of my list. Having stopped by Lush Bristol on a bi-weekly basis for the past year and a half (I promise half of the time it was just to smell things, not to buy), I was super sad to be leaving the store behind. 

Alas! The week I moved back to Houston I found myself wandering the mall, looking at everything that had changed since I moved away. And there, in all it's glittery glory was a brand new Lush store. The best part about this story, I have a bath tub to enjoy! So I went slightly overboard a bought a ridiculous amount of goodies.

BUNCH OF CARROTS (EASTER) | This adorable bubble bar bunch mixes citrus and fruity scents, making it the perfect item for Spring! Bunch of Carrots is well worth the $12.95 as it is a reusable bubble bar! Each carrot is good for 2-3 baths, making the bunch good for 6-9 bubbly baths!

THE IMMACULATE EGGCEPTION (EASTER) | I have to admit, the main reason I picked up this particular bath bomb was the fact that there is a 'surprise' in the middle. Here's how it works. Crack the egg open (I just banged mine on the side of the tub) and inside is ANOTHER bath bomb! The scent is wonderfully citrusy, however the yellow color in my bath reminded me too much of yellow Gatorade. I suggest getting the pink one if you try this 3-in-1 bath bomb!

CARROT SOAP (EASTER) | Possibly my favorite scent from Lush ever, I first tried the Carrot Soap last Easter. A beautiful bright orange, the scent is a nice mix between citrus and fruity. With many soaps I often find the scent doesn't linger on my skin very long. However the Carrot Soap leaves me smelling like Spring hours after use!

GOLDEN EGG (EASTER) | This bath bomb melt is a glittery mess, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Other than providing your bathroom with a layer of never ending glitter, the Golden Egg has a wonderful coco butter and honey scent. The combination of bath bomb and bath melt ingredients leaves your skin feeling extra smooth!

TWILIGHT | A reoccurring purchase of mine, Twilight is a soft Lavender bath bomb that turns your bath an amazing purple color. Lately I've been loving everything Lavender and Twilight is the perfect year round relaxing bath bomb.

DRAGON'S EGG | I was a little skeptical about this particular bath bomb. If I'm going to spend money on bath products, I want them to be a pretty color! However, the citrusy scent pulled me in! When I finally used the Dragon's Egg, I was pleasantly surprised to see some color come through! Just goes to show you can't judge a bath bomb by its color!

A FRENCH KISS | I'm a sucker for anything purple when it comes to the bath. It's just such a pretty color! This bubble bar is fantastic for a late night bath. The lavender scent is relaxing, and the bubbles are just so much fun!

What are your favorite pamper time products?

Happy Friday!
xoxo

The Birthplace of Harry Potter | Edinburgh, Scotland

With only a weekend to spare in Edinburgh, I had a list of places I had to see. Edinburgh Castle, the Scottish National Gallery, and the Elephant House Cafe. The birthplace of Harry Potter was just calling my name.

The Elephant House is situated in central Edinburgh. Opened in 1995, the cafe overlooks the stunning castle and serves a mean Full English. But other than being one of the best tea houses in Edinburgh, the Elephant House is famous for another reason. It happens to be where JK Rowling sat down and wrote most of the first Harry Potter books. It's pretty easy to see why she found inspiration in this tiny central cafe. With a fantastic view, great atmosphere, and amazing coffee, the Elephant House is the perfect spot to get work done. However, being a major stop on any Harry Potter pilgrimage means it can get pretty busy! Make sure to check out my travel tips before visiting. 

- TRAVEL TIPS - 
+Arrive right when it opens. You'll have the entire cafe to yourself and won't have to wait for seating.
+Make sure to visit the toilets. I know that's a strange tip but if you're a Harry Potter fan you'll love it. Also, bring a pen.
+Price range for food 5 - 15 pounds.
+ Opening Hours:
Monday - Thursday: 8am - 10pm
Friday: 8am - 11pm
Saturday: 9am - 11pm
Sunday: 9am - 10pm

Happy Monday!

xoxo

Reader Survey

Hello lovely readers! If you haven't noticed, a lot has changed here, both in the blogging world and my personal life. So it's time to hear from YOU! This is my first reader survey and I'm super excited to hear what you have to say. Please take 5 minutes to fill the survey out, I promise it helps me loads!

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey , the world's leading questionnaire tool.

A Texas Snow | Lubbock, Texas

Shortly after moving back to Houston I booked a flight to Lubbock to visit my sister. Although in the same state, Lubbock is a nine hour drive northwest of Houston. I had done the drive plenty of times before (I lived in Lubbock while attending Texas Tech University), but the entire country was under a severe weather advisory. A flight seemed like the slightly safer option.

When I arrived at the tiny Lubbock airport I was surprised to see five inches of snow on the ground. To be honest, I think this might have been the most snow I have ever seen in my life! Although my sister and I spent most of our weekend inside with her new puppy, we did manage to brave the cold for a few pictures!

Snow in Texas has been a common occurrence since I moved back just a month ago. Who here is ready for Spring already?

Happy Tuesday!
xoxo