A night with Willie and the Boys

I haven't been to a concert in years! So, when I saw that Willie Nelson was coming to town, and coming to Billy Bob's- I couldn't resist the opportunity to get back into live music. I love Willie Nelson for many reasons. The main reason- he's just cool. Everyone loves him. You can be 12 or 90 and you just like the guy. He's true to himself, a great musician, and well, just one of a kind.

So, last night, I dusted off my boots (that I got 3 years ago and have only worn once to the Rodeo) and headed to the Stockyards with John, Terri, and Chris. We started at THE Stockyards tourist restaurant- H3 Ranch. It was a close walk to Billy Bob's after dinner and we wanted to give it a whirl. The place was filled with history and character, the food was delish, and the beer was cold. A great start to the evening.

Terri is "side-saddling" the famous saddle bar stools

Sisters at H3 Ranch

No, I am NOT ever drinking this beer!

 Then, we headed to Billy Bobs' for the concert. I love this place. It's been a few years since I had been there- and the people watching is greatness. You just see it all- especially with a Willie concert. You never know who will be there. (Even US!)

Yep, we are here- part of the people watching I'm sure (esp on the dance floor)

He played all our favorites from "A Good Hearted Woman", " Mamas Don't Let you Babies Grow up to be Cowboys" to " Healing Hands of Time". It was a really great show. He played straight from 10:30 to midnight- only taking a few breaks to let his son, Lucas Nelson, sing. (Which got us thinking...how many kids does Willie have....?)

Yep, the hand stamps! Didn't know we needed a stamp to remind ourselves we were at a party!

 And the beer, wow. Billy Bob's does the cold beer right. They have big beer tubs- so as long as you have cash- there is no line and the bar and the beer has been sitting in ice for hours. I wish more places would pick up on this idea!

Cheers to a great night!

What a great night! And what did I walk away with this evening filled with music, dancing, and more?

I should wear my boots more often!

Love my boots! They are the ones on the left!

Christmas Staycation

This year the holidays were great! This was our year to stay in Fort Worth and we were extremely blessed to celebrate with both sides of the family. My whole family came in from three different states to celebrate the holidays. The nice part about being in Texas is that we are the central location for the family. With my sister and her husband in Phoenix, my grandparents in Florida, and my parents in Nashville- its the easiest for everyone to get here.

We had a great time celebrating Christmas, a baby shower for my sister, and just being together.

I got some great gifts! If you are wondering how my family feels about my beer blog- wonder no more. Here are a few items that I got this year. I can't wait to try them out in the months to come!

This is a bottle opener from my sister- AWESOME! Love that is has my blog engraved

This cute hat came from my mom- yep, I guess that's me! Ha!

Fancy Pants

I have a lot of Monica in me- I love to categorize EVERYTHING! I have categories for my perfume, my moisturizer, shampoo, towels, napkins, purses, scarves, lip gloss- you name it- it's categorized. Duh, and beer too. From special occasion, to guest, to fancy guest- its all there.

But do you think I went too far with categorizing my dish brushes? 

Fancy is on the left and only used for pretty clean dishes, everyday is on the right

Like a good neighbor

We hosted a party this last Friday night and from past experiences John and I both agree, when hosting a party of at least 20- it's best to get a keg. We like this for multiple reasons...

1. Less mess! I hate cleaning up all the cans and bottles the next day and have trash overflowing. With a keg, its simple to dump the cups and toss. Much better for that night and the next morning.

2. It probably is cheaper. I love to host- but my biggest problem is that I always want to please EVERY last guest- so we would probably have at least 10 different kinds of beer- and that gets super expensive! Plus, although a keg seemed like a million dollars in college- its actually quite cheap.

3. It gives a place for the guys to go. This should be the #1 reason, right? Guys need a place to gather around and talk about sports, and sports, and whatever else they talk about. And since college football season was on a break Friday night- we really needed a place for them to gather. I will ALWAYS have a keg for this reason. It does wonders for the conversations inside.

4. It takes us back to our college days- or me, anyway. And who would turn that down?

5. It makes me the COOLEST neighbor EVER! So, we live super close to TCU and because of that, we have some Senior guys that live a few houses down. Since we didn't come close to finishing the keg, and school is out for Winter Break I walked down yesterday and offered them the 80% of the beer left on our keg. ( I only offered on a Sunday since I knew they didn't have school today)

Yep, this pretty much sums up why I am an awesome neighbor! (But I think what they are really saying is...." Let us know the next time you have a party so we can finish that keg off for you!")

Frankie's comes to town!

John is always on the search for the next great Sports bar in Fort Worth- trust me, they have been hard to come by. So, when our friend Eric suggested the new Frankies (Dallas sports bar) that opened a location right outside Sundance Square- we decided to try the place out. And, wow- I only have great things to say about it!

Ben was a smart guy

The beer was super cold- (I forgot my thermometer- darn- will have to go back!). I loved that it came in this football- shaped mug.

Cute Mug

There were TONS of T.V.s. There was not a spot in the place where you couldn't see a game. They even had T.V.s in both the women's and men's bathroom mirrors.

Charging station- LOVE it! My cell phone is always needing a charge-and this is genius. This wall mount carries all the different chargers for every phone there is- and more than that- this could be a great place for a Meet. Cute.

Awesome!

So, cold beer, T.V.s, and well, that's all it takes to make this crew happy! Frankie's- you scored a touchdown with this one!

Smiles all around!

John's happy with Frankie's!

Hostess with the Mostest

A few days ago, John and I hosted our first Thanksgiving for 20 guests. I learned there are 5 things you need to have a successful Thanksgiving.

1.  A husband who smokes the turkey so I don't have to worry about ruining or drying it out.  #Biggest fear

John carving his 1st Turkey

2. A great sister (I mean sous-chef) who came Wednesday night to keep me calm and assist me in pie making, carrot peeling, and potato mashing

Sisters

3. A very, very helpful family who all volunteer to bring parts and pieces to create an amazing feast!

Turkey and Ham!

Feast!

4. An apron to complete the look! (That is part of being a great hostess after all- the outfit!)

Thanks Linds for my cute apron!

5. Plenty of Cold Beer.

Shiner? Yep, we are in Texas after all

 Yep, folks that's all it takes! Happy Thanksgiving!

Hottest Fall Trends- Buyer Beware!

This weekend my sister Terri came to stay with us. She and I went shopping Saturday afternoon for some of the latest new Fall trends. We found some super cute stuff at the Gap- including a cute scarf, a flannel shirt- super cute (and a little farm-like as well), and.....wait for it....

Terri found Green-Jean-Leggings!

If you know my sister at all- this is a bold buy for her- but she did it and I applaud her. They are really cute and totally hip- right off the runway!

So, of course, she needed to take a crash course with them on-so, we hit the town last night. (The things I do for her...)

Well, folks let me tell you- Green Jean Leggings...oh what the heck- Green Jeggings...that's better...were NOT made for beer! Beer was made for elastic pants, casual day on the couch, or being around someone who already loves you. (That's how I get away with it ;) ).

"This beer clashes with my jeggings!"

When accessorizing your jeggings- cocktail style-we can say from experience- Vodka is the way to go.

So, when you are buying those new fall trends and getting ready for a night on the town- remember your drink is more than just a drink- it's an accessory.