Venus Trapped in Mars Sports and Lifestyle Blog Dallas

29 August 2017

Hurricane Harvey


Yesterday around 9am CB texted me asking if he thought I could get boats from work. He had heard a call for anyone with a boat to come to Houston and help with rescues of the hundreds stranded in the floods that are just getting worse. I immediately got the ball rolling at work, while CB jumped on the phone trying to find out exactly where to take said boats.   

I work for an outboard motor company called Tohatsu Outboards. We also sell a line of inflatable boats which as it turns out is perfect for a scenario like this because they don't need to be towed. They fit in a box, and you can fit several in the bed of the truck. My company graciously agreed to not only donate boats AND motors to bring down and even leave in Houston for relief efforts, but some of our employees even stepped up and said they'd go down there with CB. 

CB and I spent the entire rest of the day trying to figure out where the heck to bring the boats. This is very sad, but you've gotta be careful in the time of a crisis to not put supplies and donations in the hands of the wrong people. After sending out tweets and facebook updates and instagram stories on Dallas Love List, we finally landed a solid tip on a staging area to bring boats. We learned that they'd be pairing up professionally trained rescuers with boat owners for safety at this location, and I felt much better about CB wanting to go down there to help. 

CB and his friend JJ, along with some guys from my work loaded up their trucks with gas cans, propane tanks, cases on cases of water bottles, food, blankets, boats and motors and headed down to Houston around 4am this morning. 

I saw a story on CNN about looters posing as people who needed rescue, and shooting at rescue boats, attempting to overtake their boats. That of course terrified me, and I got to thinking about those of you who have spouses, husbands and wives, who are fire fighters, or police officers, or military, or first responders, or anyone who risks their lives every single day to keep the rest of us safe. How does that make you feel? Do you worry every day? 

On the alternative side, I am feeling SO PROUD of CB, in the grand scheme of things, relatively small gesture. I'm so proud I have a man who is willing to help. I'm just so dang proud right now. Those of you who have husbands and wives that risk their lives every single day for the rest of us, do you just walk around beaming all day every day, and boasting to anyone who will listen about how amazing your S.O. is?? I mean, I would. 

Selfishly, I wanted to tell CB, "NO FREAKING WAY YOU CAN'T GO DOWN THERE" but I cannot do that. In all honesty, I'm sure he will be smart and safe, and he's with a team of young, strong, smart capable men. He promised me he wouldn't put himself in a position that was dangerous. I still panicked this morning when he didn't answer my phone call, he then called me back in about a minute and told me he couldn't answer because he was eating a breakfast sandwich. Face palm.

So, anyway, if you wouldn't mind, reserve a thought or prayer for CB today. 

But more importantly, think and pray about everyone in Southeast Texas and Louisiana. For those risking their lives to save lives, and for those stranded praying for help. I never know the right thing to say here, but I'm giving it an attempt. I have good friends who are currently safe on a higher level floor, but scared and running out of food. Let's pray this rain stops and recovery efforts can begin as quickly as humanly possible.  

A lot of people have shared how to donate to the Red Cross, so I thought I'd share a different venue for donating that's a little more Venus Trapped in Mars style! Click HERE - this is JJ Watt's crowd funding page. His initial goal was $200,000, he's now reset the goal to $1.5 million because donations have barreled in so quickly. Currently, he's at $1.3m. 

PLEASE donate and help raise money!! 

28 August 2017

The 5th Annual All Girls Fantasy Football Leauge


FOOTBALL FOOTBALL FOOTBALL
SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY

All of your instagram DMs and twitter messages are about to be answered...
YES!!! It's time for the....
5th Annual All Girls Fantasy Football League
| A Few Important Things to Note |

1. The draft for LEAGUE ONE will take place at 9Pm EST on TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 5, 2017.

The draft for LEAGUE TWO will take place at 9pm EST on WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 6, 2017.

Please make sure you are available to draft your team at this time.

2. You are required to update your roster each week.
If at any point, your team goes 3 consecutive weeks without a roster update, you will be disqualified from winning any money. With that said, I of course understand mistakes from week to week, I've made large ones in the past.

3. This is first come first served.
I've already had tons of people inquire about our Fantasy Football league this season, so sign up below. First come first served.

4. This is NO LONGER a giant league
The last two years, I set the league up for 20 roster spots so that I can accommodate the maximum number of women possible. This year though, I decided to just bite the bullet and admin two leagues. I don't love doing that, but - I JUST CARE TOO MUCH ABOUT Y'ALL'S FANTASY FOOTBALL HAPPINESS!  

Related: How The Waiver Wire Works in Fantasy Football

5. Come prepared with an A+ Fantasy Football Team Name

6. Buy In || Pay Out
Buy In = $20/person
Pay Out= $200 to 1st, $60 to 2nd, $20 to 3rd
All money will be collected through VENMO upon signup.

7. Strategery || You Might Also Like...
Tips and Strategy for Nailing Your Fantasy Football Draft
How to Play Fantasy Football - A Beginner's Guide For Girls
How I Finally Won A Fantasy Football Game In 5 Easy Steps
A Girl's Guide to Fantasy Football
How To Make Football Even More Fun

Get it? Got it? Good.

...If you want to play in the...
WORLD FAMOUS 5th Annual ALL GIRLS FANTASY FOOTBALL LEAUGE(S) 2017
SIGN UP NOW!

Signups will automatically close when league is full.
If you signed up, be on the lookout for an email from me when the league is full with extra details.

The leagues will go in direct order. The first 13 spots will be in league one, the next 13 spots will be in league two. I will be spot 14 in each league!

Questions? Holler at me in the comments below!


LEAGUE ONE (Draft at 9Pm EST on TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 5, 2017).
   - SIGNUPS CLOSE AFTER 13 ENTRIES







LEAGUE TWO (Draft at 9Pm EST on WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 6, 2017)
 - SIGNUPS CLOSE AFTER 13 ENTRIES




17 August 2017

The Ultimate Austin Mural Guide || Where to find Austin's Best, Most Colorful Walls

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Visit Austin. The opinions and text are all mine.

As you guys know, we just got back from one of my favorite trips to date, Austin, Texas! I'm going to recap our big Texan adventure for you in two posts: the first post was a complete city guide - where to stay, eat, drink and explore in Austin. The other is today's post, which is a complete mural guide to the most colorful walls in Austin, TX. You know I never met a mural I didn't like, so this post is strictly dedicated to Austin's best murals and colorful walls. 

Ok you ready for the best part - I'VE MAPPED THEM OUT FOR YOU! Yup, the best murals in Austin, all available to you in google map form. That way you can hit several all at once, based on where you are planning to grab dinner or drinks. YOU. ARE. WELCOME! 😍

Special thanks to the team at Visit Austin who helped me find these - some are MAJORLY hidden gems that we've found for ya! I hope you enjoy, pin and share! 




YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: 

As promised, here's an interactive Google map for you to use on your visit. Using this will allow you to see which murals are closest to each other, and in turn, keep you from driving all over creation. Most of them you can even walk to, especially the ones near South Congress + 1st St.! 


Ok, let's get crack-a-lackin, Y'ALL! I'm going to take you through my mural trip through Austin, exactly how I did it. From start to finish. We kicked off the weekend with drinks at Josephine House, and right down the street about a block was...

LOVE IS THE QUESTION, LOVE IS THE ANSWER
1115 W LYNN ST



After a welcome cocktail, we headed back to our hotel -  Hotel Van Zandt - which is right off Rainey Street. Rainey is where we spent the rest of the evening... full recap on those juicy details will be in the next post!  

The next morning we woke up bright and early, grabbed some iced coffee from Cafe 605 in the hotel, then walked about 40 steps over to the mural, Creator State of Mind.

CREATOR STATE OF MIND 
90 RAINEY ST. (SIDE OF CONTAINER BAR) 



From there, we drove over to Elizabeth Street Cafe for breakfast. After breakfast, we left the car and opted to walk. Turning left out of the cafe, you'll hit the following murals, all on 1st St.

GREETINGS FROM AUSTIN
1720 S 1ST ST


BOB BARKER COME ON DOWN MURAL 
1603 S 1ST ST
*BONUS MURAL* DIDN'T HAVE THIS ONE ORIGINAL ON MY LIST, BENEFIT OF WALKING!
BIENVENIDOS/ FRESA'S
1703 S 1ST ST


LENOIR RESTAURANT
1807 S 1ST ST
*ANOTHER BONUS* NOT TECHNICALLY A MURAL, BUT TOTALLY IG WORTHY




RUN DMC
1905 S 1ST ST




Right about now is when you need to make a crucial decision on if you'd like to get your car or not. We did NOT get our car, and we were totally fine. It's a big of a walk in the Texas Summer heat, but nothing unbearable, 15 minutes tops. I say go for it. 

Or be a wimp and go get your car.  


LOVE FROM AUSTIN
1912 SOUTH CONGRESS AVE
My personal favorite! This one is located on the side of the the store Prima Dora. 


WILLIE FOR PRESIDENT
1315 SOUTH CONGRESS AVE





SMILE MURAL (NEXT TO WILLIE)
1315 SOUTH CONGRESS AVE




Ok fine, I give you permission to go track down your car back at Elizabeth Street Cafe now.
Next we drove over about 10 minutes across town (everything is SO CLOSE TOGETHER) to the Till Death Do Us Part Mural.

Till Death Do Us Part
E 7TH ST & WALLER ST.





Then walk to another bonus mural just down the street which we found, not on our original list, I Love You, Bacon. 

I Love You, Bacon
WALLER ST.



Ok, go ahead and jump back in your car. We are heading downtown now! On the way, we pulled over real quick to snap this LIVING THE GOOD LIFE IN AUSTIN mural along the way.

LIVING THE GOOD LIFE IN AUSTIN
1114 E CESAR CHAVEZ ST

On our way to have drinks at La Condesa, we found this Love Will Win mural in a parking garage across from The W Hotel! Keep an eye out for parking garage murals, we saw a ton of them downtown!

LOVE WILL WIN
200 LAVACA STREET

Ok you still with me over there??? I hope so, because I'm not done yet!

Next we headed back to the hotel to shower - but more importantly take advantage of Hotel Van Zandt's FREE HAPPY HOUR with beer, wine and margaritas! Then headed to dinner at Licha's Cantina where even THEY had three or four different murals!

LITCHA'S CANTINA
1306 E 6TH STREET

Outside of Licha's were several within walking distance. Which was good because we ATE SO MUCH and needed to walk it off!

WHEN YOU'RE STRANGE
1310 E 6TH STREET


 

KAMMOCK MURAL
1401 E 7TH STREET







A TX
1500 E 6TH STREET
The next day we went on an Austin Eats food truck tour and I spotted this Austin Howdy mural from the bus. This one is someone secluded, so you'll need to drive. 

AUSTIN HOWDY
W 6TH ST + NUECES ST








OK, let's pop back on to South Congress.

We went and had the famous frosé at Hotel San Jose, and we waited in line to get the MOST popular mural in Austin, I Love You So Much.

YES - WE WAITED IN LINE FOR A MURAL.
PAUSE FOR REACTION.

Alas, this would be an incomplete Austin mural blog post without THIS mural.

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH
1300 S CONGRESS

Just up the street from I Love You So Much is this heart wall located in the back of the Tom's shop. We have a wall just like it in Dallas!

LOVE/HEART WALL
1401 S CONGRESS







After the LOVE wall, we walked down the street to the Till I Die Wall, where you can write your goals you have before you die. If you watched my instagram stories, you'll know that wall was SUPER inappropriate. So much so that I'm just going to skip posting a photo. Feel free to check it out though, CB and I had fun writing our dreams on there - *cough* Tennessee national championship in Football. 

Next we went to a spot that came highly recommended by the locals, Kitty Cohen. They were having their anniversary party that night, so it was packed with tons of drink specials. I dug this place, but I REALLY dug their wallpaper. Is this a mural, no, but this is my blog post and I say wallpaper counts! PLUS - for every selfie you post on IG in their bathroom through September, they donate $1 to Safe ATX.

KITTY COHEN
2211 WEBBERVILLE RD







Ok ending this list with another Austin Mural Icon! You're my Butter Half is certainly in a more residential area, so you'll need to drive. It's pretty darn cute though, take it with your besite and post on INSTAGRAM, IMMEDIATELY!

YOU'RE MY BUTTER HALF
2000 E MARTIN LUTHER KING JR BLVD


Ok, so CB and I did our very best to cover as much mural ground as possible, how'd we do??? Want to know the best part?

I'VE MAPPED EVEN MORE MURALS FOR YOU THAT ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THIS LIST! 

Yup, that google map up there has tons more options including the HOPE Outdoor Gallery which is an entire park filled with murals and tags.

So what do you think about my list? Did you find any murals in Austin that I missed but you think I would LOVE? Let me know in the comments and I'll add it to the google map!

PIN THIS POST!


AND DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT THIS POST FOR YOUR NEXT TRIP TO AUSTIN:
Austin City Guide: Where to Eat, Drink and Play in Austin!  Or click the image below! 










This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Visit Austin. The opinions and text are all mine.

16 August 2017

Our Engagement Photos + Tory Burch Bag, Apple Watch, and Kate Spade Sunglasses Giveaway


So we just got back from a very long weekend in Virginia Beach and my inbox currently resembles our overflowing guest room closet where I keep my winter clothes: some really good stuff in there, but mostly a lot of junk that should probably just be thrown away. There are enough emails in there to strangle and ox. 

BUT, I had to pop in today because two things. 

Thing one, I partnered in a big blogger giveaway (done old school, via a Rafflecopter) below that you'll love featuring a Tory Burch Bag, Kate Spade Sunnies and an Apple Watch! Scroll down to enter. 

THING TWO: YOU GUYS! We got our engagement pictures back and they are AHHHHMAZING! I couldn't get over how good CB was in front of the camera. 

So, a little backstory. I actually won a styled engagement shoot (insanely talented vendors tagged below) on Instagram. Our wedding photographer (Ellen Ashton, she's genius, website HERE) includes an engament shoot as well, so CB get to do this twice. I love that, he of course is less than thrilled but WHATAREYAGONNADOYOUKNOW

We did our photos at a variety of locations in my fav neighborhood Deep Ellum. Deep Ellum is where CB and I had our first date, where I lived for the first 1.5 years of our relationship, and where he proposed. Having photos here just made total sense, Deep Ellum is 100% US

Ciara from Bash + Co. styled the whole thing, my killer makeup was done by Becca from BA Beauty, specialty rentals like the amazing couch and rug all delivered from Corral Lane, INSANE custom made wifey jacket by Alli K Designs and finally these absolutely PERFECT pictures done by Madison Kaitlin Photogrpahy

I hope you LOVE THEM! As you guys know, CB isn't exactly keen on his photo being on the internet... SO, we compromised. You guys get to see all of our PG photos, then the make out ones we are saving for just ourselves to enjoy! I'd love to show you every single one of them, but marriage is about compromise, or so they tell me!








WHAT DO YOU THINK Y'ALL????????

NOW, GIVEAWAY TIME!



a Rafflecopter giveaway