midweek afternoon walks

Is there anything more heavenly, rejuvenating or relaxing than a walk through nature after a stifling day in the office?  I've been skipping out of work earlier and earlier this week, putting leashes on the puppies and heading down to the neighbourhood pond - where spring is well and truly underway.  I've been enjoying sights like these all week:

My favourite thing, no question, about Texas is spring.  Not only are the wildflowers ridiculously breathtaking - but wild berries grow all around, often in the oddest places!  Nowhere else have I seen raspberries, blueberries and mulberries growing so matter-of-factly and, well, blatantly!  In road islands, sidewalks, forest trails, unsuspecting garden bed and children's playgrounds!  Here is a small sample of what the neighbourhood pond currently looks like:

And the forest trail around the pond:

Date night in New Orleans

To kick off our week of anniversary celebrations, Will and I spent Saturday the 21st February in New Orleans.  As I've mentioned on several occasions: NOLA is one of my all-time favourite cities in the world, but it was even more magical this time, since love was in the air as we remembered that perfect night we met - six years ago.

We stayed at the Hotel Indigo, which was awesome in every way!  After getting checked in and dressed, we we took a 'Street Car' (trolley) to a surprise dinner location that Will had organized in advance.  The location turned out to be Chateau Du Lac, in the Warehouse District - and a true testament to the fact that Will is the best husband in the world since it's somewhere I've been dying to go, yet he doesn't like French food!  His sacrifice made me feel so spoiled and then lucky, because we both really enjoying our meals and the quaint, intimate atmosphere of the restaurant; followed by a leisurely stroll around the part of New Orleans we'd never spent much time in, before another 'Street Car' took us back to our hotel.  

It was bliss.  In fact, the whole week was amazing, romantic, spontaneous!  I can't wait to share it all with you in the upcoming days.  For now, here are some pics from New Orleans:

You know you're in New Orleans when.....

Bucket list item checked off: I had the steak tartare
for the first time!  YUMM

Our dinner/ table/ view of restaurant through reflection <3

Was bummed when this place didn't turn out to be an actual
Aussie pub!  False advertising, I tell ya! 

Will's traditional breakfast of boudin balls and biscuits
the next morning.  I had a frittata (paleo, remember) but it was
gone before I could snap it!

The beautiful vine covered building next door to Hotel Indigo