Hello readers, I am currently working on gathering all of my photos and videos which is taking a little longer than I anticipated. I apologize for not getting my post up on time but I am working on it and it's coming together great. I can't wait to show you everything. Stay tuned for my upcoming travel post!
Hello there my wonderful readers, I am back in Texas. It was pretty dreadful to return to the awful heat we are experiencing in Texas but it's still nice to come back home to my dog, family and friends. I vlogged and took plenty of pictures for my next blog post about my travel experiences. I am excited to tell you everything about my trip, I had an incredible time in Washington and Oregon. I hope you all had a lovely week. I'll try and upload my blog post with a video and pictures by the end of the week. In the meantime, I have a little sneak peak video from the Great Wheel in Seattle.
Thanks for reading and be on the look out for my upcoming blog post!
Hello, hello! I have had the most fantastic week. I spent almost everyday with Eddie, Mia and Jade. I got A's in both of my summer classes and just relaxed and went exploring around McAllen. I purchased a lot of clothing and I'm thinking of doing a haul sometime soon. One of my favorite purchases was a Mac Demarco shirt I got on Etsy and it's absolutely adorable. I love Mac's little gap and I was so excited to wear it. I leave to Seattle on Wednesday so I've been preparing an itinerary for my trip and doing a lot of online shopping which means I have a bunch of new clothes and accessories to take with me to Seattle. I made sure to be productive with my time this week since I am not going to summer school. I even finished a 400 page book!
McAllen Public Library
If you live in the Rio Grande Valley I suggest checking out the McAllen Public Library. It used to be a Walmart store so you can just imagine how many books are stored in this wonderful facility. On Monday, before I drove over to library I registered online for my library card. Once I got inside the library with proof of address + ID I was able to obtain my library card and now I have access to everything that McAllen Library has to offer. I checked out a book for myself, books for Mia and Jade, travel guide to Seattle and a DVD. I am encouraging my little sisters to read more by taking them to the library and letting them pick out whichever book they would like to read. I gave them a week to finish their book and we will go back tomorrow to check out new books because we all finished our books. I decided to read 'Z a novel of Zelda Fitzgerald' by Therese Anne Fowler and it is a must read if you enjoy reading about the lost generation. Fowler manages to capture such detailed imagery in the novel, it was written extremely well. I finished the novel in just two days because it was so captivating. If you do decide to read the novel I suggest reading 'This Side of Paradise' beforehand. Also, let me know if you read it because I'm dying to talk to about the book. It's the most heart-breaking story and I have absolutely no one to talk about it with. The novel inspired me to travel, live in different countries, write short stories, learn french and continue to lead an unconventional lifestyle.
International Museum of Art and Science (IMAS)
I enjoy museums and love admiring art. The IMAS is a museum in McAllen with a small but educational art and science section. The art section was large in comaprison to the science section. It was interesting and most of the art pieces were Latin American. They also have a nice large playground outside that my sisters enjoyed playing on. The science exhibit is quite small but interactive. Eddie and I enjoyed acting like kids playing all the game hands-on games with my sisters. All in all, it was a fun, educational and good experience at the IMAS.
Flamingo Bowl + Moonbeans
I am absolutely horrible at bowling. I can't even bowl over 100. It's quite sad and embarrassing but it's always fun to bowl with your family. I spent the afternoon bowling with my dad and sisters. Mia and Jade were still getting the hang of it so they had a lot of gutter balls. I had a lot of gutter balls just because I am awful at bowling. After a few games of bowling we went to Moonbeans for coffee (for me) and to spend some time reading. My sisters and I finished the day by baking some glazed chocolate donuts at home.
Before My Trip...
Tomorrow I am going to go to the library to pick up a book to read during my trip to Seattle. I am also going to get travel size items and start packing because I have to leave Tuesday because I am flying out of Austin at 6:00 a.m. Wednesday morning. I am going to stay with my friend Viv once I get to Austin and I'm excited to reunite with her because it's been over a month since I last hung out with her. I am anxious to travel and I can't believe I am leaving on Wednesday. My itinerary is packed with visits to museums, parks, libraries, bookstores, record stores, rose gardens, good eats, bars and even the Rogue Brewery in Portland. I will be vlogging and taking plenty of pictures for my blog.
Music to my ears...
I've been listening to The Velvet Underground + Nico on repeat this week. I found my CD that I purchased when I was in Middle School and it's still in great condition. If you've never listened to the entire album I suggest you add it to your list. It's one of the greatest albums ever recorded. Andy Warhol produced the art-rock progressive album. I love the songs with Nico, I find her voice soothing and unique. I hope you enjoy it.
The Velvet Underground + Nico - I'll Be Your Mirror
Oh my gosh, it's been awhile since I last blogged. I apologize for not posting I was busy with summer school and trying to stay away from social media. The summer semester went by really fast but it's all over now and I am just waiting for final grades to be posted. Anyways, I need to update you on my life in the past two months. My relationship with Eddie is the best ever, in August we will be dating for a year already. How crazy is that? We are going to Seattle/Portland next month and I promise I will vlog this time, I didn't vlog in my Austin trip. Now that I am done with summer school I have about a month and nine days until the Fall semester in August. I plan on keeping myself busy by reading and learning more French, also getting by substitute certification so I can sub during the year as a part-time job. Right now, I am just looking forward to traveling, I leave to Seattle in just 10 days!
Austin..
[Morrissey show, Halcyon, Pluckers and my cutie pie]
Alright, Austin was loads of fun. I hung out with Eddie, Pete and Vivian most of the time. We ate good food, drank too much and did all of the "Austin-ey" things you are supposed to when visiting. Eddie and I booked a private room on AirBnB and we stayed in East Austin which is close to downtown. The room was pretty okay for the weekend, it was really cheap so I didn't complain. My highlight of the weekend was MORRISSEY, of course. The performance was beyond my expectations. I actually cried because I was amazed by his incredible voice. If you have never been to Austin I suggest checking out my favorite local places in west sixth downtown area. My absolute favorite record store is 'Waterloo Records' and I love purchasing used CDs, vinyl and books. You should also check out 'Book People' it's such a cool bookstore. Eddie got me a signed copy of 'The Fault in Our Stars' from the bookstore. Anyways, that was pretty much my trip to Austin. It was a good and short trip, I definitely miss living in the big city but I know I'll be heading to the West Coast soon.
Eddie turned 23..
On May 31st my boyfriend turned 23 years old. I got him some cute and thoughtful gifts along with a giant cookie cake. We spent the day together eating bbq, watching a movie and then in the evening we joined friends for some beers at Roosevelt's. It was a nice day and Eddie loved his gifts that I got him.
Summer I and Summer Fun...
[Eddie and I at wedding, Beach day picture, Sarah and I, Wedding Outfit (Sarah lent me accessories), Selfie after getting ready]
I decided to take summer classes which meant I was busy during the week but I had Friday's off and that was pretty great. I had to write plenty of essays during the semester but it's all over now. I just want to graduate and finish as quick as possible. I won't be taking Summer II because I will be traveling and I am 100% okay with that.
I've been spending a lot of quality time with Eddie this Summer since he has been working a lot to save for our upcoming trip.Eddie and I attended one of his friends wedding which was a lot of fun getting dressed up and dancing..of course drinking as well. We also were able to visit the beach for the day which is always a nice little getaway. I've also spent time with my friend Sarah and we've become even closer since I've started living in the valley again. It's nice to have a friend that you can just text who is always down for a drink, good conversations and food. I've decided to stay away from social media this summer and hoping to not go back because it takes up a lot of time and I don't like being glued to my phone. I will be able to keep up with blogging now more since I don't have school and I can focus all my attention on one website instead of having various social media websites.
Seattle/Portland trip!
Eddie and I will be celebrating our 1 year anniversary soon and this a trip we will be spending together next month. We love Seattle and I can't to visit again with my wonderful boyfriend. I have so much planned and we are staying near Alki beach which is about 10 minutes from downtown. I also get to go to Portland, Oregon this time. I am extremely excited because I've heard Oregon is such a beautiful place. We will be taking the Bolt Bus to Portland from Seattle and I can only imagine how amazing the scenery will be on the way over. Oh, did I mention we are going to watch Modest Mouse? The tickets sold out in two minutes and I was fortunate enough to grab us a pair of tickets. I'll be in Seattle/Portland from July 16 - July 21 so keep up with me on Instagram my account is latelywithdeb, i'll best posting pictures on their. I'll also be vlogging this time so I may have my YouTube channel set up by then.
My treat to you..
I am going to leave you with this artist who is signed on Captured Tracks. He is an artist from Los, Angeles California and his name is Chris Cohen. I suggest listening to his album it's called 'Overgrown Path' it has an interesting sound and I love his voice, it's so calm and soothing. It would be perfect to listen to while sitting on a beach. This song is called 'optimist high' and it's one of my favorites off the album. I hope you enjoy it!
I'm done with classes which means a lot of family, boyfriend and friend time. This Saturday I had the pleasure of hanging out with a long time friend. Alyssa and I met on Livejournal in middle school and have been friends ever since. It was great to see her again. She traveled from Philly to Texas and we had a few beers and danced the night away. My best friends Jenn and Sarah were also able to make it out that evening and we had a pretty fun time. It was nice to talk about our high school days that seem so long ago. I can't believe it's already been four years. The time just seems to keep passing me by.
I spent the night at my boyfriend's house since I didn't get to see him that evening when I was out with friends. We've been dating for nine months now. Can you believe that? Our relationship started off a little rocky because I was living in Austin and we hardly got to see each other. After we traveled to Seattle together we became incredibly close. Now that I am living in Edinburg we are inseparable. It's kind of funny how things work out, I'm thankful that they did. Eddie is the person that I envision the rest of my life with. We've both changed a lot since we started dating and we compliment each other so well which is why I am actually considering moving to Seattle or Portland with him. It's very unlike me to move in with a boyfriend but it's different with Eddie. Our relationship is literally perfect. ::Chris Traeger Voice:: As a birthday present to my boyfriend I am taking him to Austin this Thursday and I booked a room on AirBnB in the east downtown area. I am planning on doing some vlogging for the first time. (I'm very excited about that!) We have plans to watch Phillip Seymour Hoffman's last film 'God's Pocket' at the Violet Crown. I also got us a pair of floor tickets to watch the wickedly talented Steven Patrick Morrissey. I am ecstatic, I can't believe I finally get to see Morrissey. The show is at Austin Music Hall which is one of my favorite venues. I'm also planning on taking him to a nice dinner for his birthday. I'm sure the weekend will consist of heaving drinking and eating. I really want to make his birthday special since he is working on his actual birthday and I'm sure this trip will be nonstop fun. I'm already making plans to go to Ken's Donuts, Juan In A Million, Halcyon, Thunderbird Coffee, Torchy's, East Side Cafe and Easy Tiger. Those are just a few of my favorite places in Austin.
Anyways, I couldn't be any happier at the moment. My friends and I have really good relationships and we've been making more time to hang out with each other. My family is the best. They make living at home fun and it's great to spend time with Mia and Jade. As I mentioned before things with Eddie are fantastic. I've also been reading a ton and my reading comprehension has improved. I'm trying to read five books by the end of this month. I've read two out of the five so far. I hope you all are doing mighty fine. Thanks for reading, I appreciate it more than you'll ever know.
Lastly, I'll leave you with this video. I saw Father John Misty last year at Emo's in Austin and he puts on quite the show. He was a member of the band Fleet Foxes but now focuses on his solo career. His album 'Fear Fun' was one of my favorites and I recently started listening to it again. I hope you enjoy.
[Eddie at Roosevelt's @ 7, Lame pic of myself at Eddie's]
[Ferdinand and Buddy]
[New book for the month, Mac DeMarco vinyls from my love and my mom's and grandma's Mother's day gifts from me]
I did it.. I jumped on the young readers bandwagon. I found it quite impossible for me to watch 'The Fault In Our Stars' without reading the book first. Let me tell you..it was incredible. It was by far the easiest book I've read. It's so simple yet beautiful in every way. I don't want to give anything away but if you haven't read the book, please do. You will not regret it.
Sorry for the lack of posting. It was finals week for me which meant a bunch of writing, assignments and test to take. I did manage to finish 'This Side of Paradise' which was a great novel about the lost generation. I was quite taken by the ending. I did enjoy it. I also finished 'The Fault In Our Stars' this week as well. This month's read with Eddie is 'Notes from Underground' by Fyodor Dostoevsky and I'm quite excited for it because I know nothing about the book. I'm also going to start 'As I Lay Dying' by William Faulkner and hopefully finish my Morrissey autobiography this month. It's officially summer for me which means a whole lot of reading since I don't have a job (not by choice) and I'm not sure if I'll be able to take summer classes (not by choice either).
Anyways, moving on.. I couldn't be any happier with the way things are going in my little world. I am so in love with my boyfriend and I am enjoying every minute that we spend together. I slept at Eddie's last night and we listened to the Mac DeMarco vinyls he got me while we cuddled in bed. We also did some serious snacking and 'Community' watching. We fell asleep early because I was exhausted but falling asleep in Eddie's arms is probably my favorite thing to do. We woke up and laid in bed for hours. I read for awhile and then eventually fell into another deep sleep. We eventually got out of bed, did some more reading and then went to have a late lunch. We ate together and had a couple of mixed drinks followed by some yummy Brooklyn Lagers at Roosevelt's. We spent the evening talking and drinking beers outside. It was really nice. After a lot of drinking we headed home early because I still had an online final to take. I took it while I was buzzed. I know, dumb idea. I got an A and took the test in eight minutes. We hung out some more, cuddled and then I left because Eddie had to work in the morning. Once I got home I spent some time with Ferdinand and we ate Whataburger together. Finally, I finished reading my book and here I am now thinking about my boyfriend and how wonderful everything is going. Tomorrow is Mother's Day and I got my mom and my Grandma some cute and thoughtful gifts. I'm probably just going to lounge around and spend time with my mom. I hope you all had a great week. Oh, I almost forgot to mention season four of Louie started this week. It was worth the two year wait. Louis C.K., you are a phenomenal being and my idol. Anyway, thanks for reading.
P.S. I want to share this song with you that describes my feelings for Eddie perfectly. It's our song.I know I'm super cheesy and in love but if you knew what I was feeling you would want to brag as well.
I had a pretty exciting and fun week/weekend.. On Wednesday, I invited Jenn over to go for a run and then we hung out the next day as well. Jenn invited me to a show at Cine El Rey and I hadn't been there since I was in high school. We saw 'Phantogram' and they were pretty great and the venue wasn't too crowded. After the show we headed to Suerte Bar in downtown McAllen. Normally, I don't go downtown in the valley but it was right next to the venue and everyone from the show ended up going so it was a different crowd. It wasn't your normal downtown crowd. It ended up being really fun. They had awesome drinks with chamoy in them. I also ran into a lot of people I had seen since high school/middle school. I had fun with Jenn though, I really missed hanging out with her so I enjoyed her company and I was glad she invited me out. We ended the night at my house instantly knocking out as soon we got back.
I've been feeling a lot more comfortable in my body and I was able to wear this bodycon dress that I bought about four years ago. I'm really proud of the changes I am seeing and I hope to continue to keep up with this healthier lifestyle.
This weekend consisted of a lot of family time. Mia and Jade made their First Communion on Saturday and as the big sister I had to make sure and be there for support. They looked adorable and they were really happy to see me there. After the communion my sisters got to choose any restaurant they wanted to eat at so they were very excited. They ended up choosing Luby's, lol. It was a nice day with the family. On Sunday, my Aunt Patty called me and invited me to the Cinemark Bistro for a girls movie day to watch 'The Other Woman'. It's not a movie I would normally watch but I thought it was hilarious and enjoyed spending time with my aunts, mom and grandma. They want to make it a monthly thing and I think that's a great idea. I want to continue to spend as much time as possible with my family.
I ordered this great Mac Demarco shirt off of Etsy. I am in love with his albums, voice and I just simply can't get enough. I thought this shirt was super cool and immediately ordered it. It was sent to me really quickly and the seller included a pizza bumper sticker and a little note thanking me for buying the shirt. I thought that was really awesome of him and made the purchase a little more personal. The shirt was made for Mac Demarco's album premier party and only five-hundred were made and fifty were sold. I think that makes it just as unique as Mac Demarco himself.
On Saturday, I went out for drinks with Eddie and his friends for his brothers birthday. I was insanely nervous to meet them because I tend to be really shy when I first meet people. It ended up being a pretty cool night though. We went to Roosevelt's around nine and sat outside conversing and drinking beer. Later, we went to Gamehaus and I had fun playing skee ball with Eddie because every other machine was broken. All in all, it wasn't so bad after all. Everyone was really nice to me and I had a lot of fun with Eddie.
I hope you all are doing well. My life has been pretty perfect and I owe it all to my wonderful family, boyfriend and friends. My views have gone up so much lately..I can't thank you enough for reading. It means so much to me, I hope I continue to keep you interested. I'll try to write more often and included a lot of pictures and videos.
Lastly, I'll leave you with this song by Mac Demarco called 'My Kind of Woman'. It's always in my head and I can't stop singing or humming it. Remember, Mac is a little weird.. you'll see if you watch the video. I hope you enjoy it.
I had a wonderful time this weekend spending time with Eddie. On Friday, I headed to Eddie's after a day of shopping with my little sisters. I took over a couple of goodies that I had ordered for him which was King Krule's album on vinyl and 'Inside Llewyn Davis' on Blu-Ray. I like getting Eddie random little surprise gifts and just being the best girlfriend ever (kidding, but not really because I am). We hung out for a bit then went to stuff our faces at Rudy's BBQ which was a great idea to do before going out drinking (kidding). We then headed to Roosevelt's at 7 to hang out with Eddie's best friend Pete who was in town for the weekend. We drank a lot and had interesting conversations. It was a really good night. I slept over at Eddie's which means cuddling, movies and laziness all day. I finally left the next day in the afternoon to get ready to go to a Quince with my boyfriend and his family. I got a really cute white/pink dress from BCBG. The quince was nice and as nerve-wrecking as it was to meet Eddie's family they put me at ease with their kindness. We didn't stay out too long because Eddie was tired. We went back to his house and just hung out the rest of the evening which is always the best. Easter Sunday was good spending time with the family. I participated in the adult egg hunt and got fifteen dollars and a bunch of lottery tickets. I also ate tons of bbq. The rest of the evening I spent with my boyfriend of course. We put in many hours of game play on Pokemon. We are playing Pokemon Heart Gold/Soul Silver right now on our Nintendo DS's. It was one of my favorite games that I played in high school so it's really cool to get back into it. After much game play, cuddling and kisses I headed back home. As soon as I got here I knocked out. I guess I was still exhausted from the weekend. Now, after about four hours of sleep I'm completely awake and it's not even five in the morning yet.. oh well. Anyways, I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. I'll leave you with this video.. I am in love with Mac's music. If you haven't had the chance to have a listen yet I suggest you download or buy 'Salad Days' by Mac Demarco.
P.S. I need to discuss how perfect last weeks episode of 'Portlandia' was. This is a personal reminder to do so. Also, Louie is back in May! If you haven't watched the show then you are definitely missing out.
Love Deb
Today I had to work on a bunch of assignments for school that I had been putting off for awhile now. I am all done now and it feels great. I had a test, paper + presentation, assignments plus fiction writing. I'm so glad I finally got it all out of the way. After a busy day filled with homework and Ferdinand I got to hang out with Eddie. We talked, watched Parks, HGTV and cuddled. Tonight's episode of Parks and Recreation was absolutely perfect. I am so sad that this season is coming to an end and I'll have to wait until Fall. Oh well, I had a pretty great day today. My boyfriend is off for the weekend so I plan on spending a lot of time with him. I am going with him to a quince on Saturday which should be interesting meeting more of his family. I'm kind of nervous and don't know what to wear but I'm sure it will be fun. It's also Easter this Sunday which means plenty of family time as well. I hope you have a great and fun-filled weekend.
Oh, to be with the one person you love is such a joy. I felt awful today and all I needed was to see my boyfriend and be in his arms again. Eddie and I enjoyed each others company while talking about our day and watching 'The Last Stand' together. It's a cheesy action film that I probably would've never seen on my own time. But, you make sacrifices for the one you love (only kidding). The movie was cheesy and typical but I actually wanted to know what was going to happen in the end.. so, I guess you could say I was slightly interested in the film. My boyfriend loved it, of course. After a nice evening with him I came home and watched 'The Words' because it was on HBO. It had just started so I figured why not sit down and watch it. It exceeded my expectations, I didn't think I was going to like it at all. The story of an old man's stolen words and a young man's success who found them. It immediately caught my interest and I'm glad I watched the film. As of right now, I'm just listening to records while I sit and write in bed. I'm going to try and get some homework done in a bit. I am far more interested in reading my book though. I am still reading 'This Side of Paradise' and I plan on finishing it this week. The story of the lost generation seems to relate to me in many ways. Anyways, I just discovered my syllabus from my favorite literature class while attending UT Austin and I really want to re-read them all soon. I hope you all had a great day. I'm going to get some reading done. Love, Deb
