Even though chokers have been on trend for a while now, we still are rocking them! This velvet choker is super cute for spring, and is so effortless! You can throw it on with a simple grey v-neck sweater, like this one for a simple, neutral look. This v-neck sweater is warm and thick, but not super heavy! We love v-neck sweaters because they’re flattering on everyone! We paired the sweater with our favorite stretchy jeans from Topshop. They come in black, too, which we also own! They are on sale for $42, aka a steal, and have the perfect rips in them! Nordstrom has so many great options to transition your wardrobe for spring. We love the Topshop section because they always have really great, trendy options that always have a fun twist on basics. They offer free shipping and returns, which is why we LOVE shopping there so much! Shop more Topshop pieces here! In partnership with Nordstrom.
In honor of Valentine’s Day, we decided it would be fun/funny/super entertaining to have a guest writer on our blog to share some her hilarious dating stories. We are sure you some of y’all will totally be able to relate, or just get in a good laugh;) Enjoy! Xo
Hey guys, guest writer here coming at ya with some needless to say, interesting dating stories for your sheer entertainment. Now, I see Lex and Sam on a pretty regular basis, and some of our conversations (well let’s get real, most of them) consist of the world we all like to call “dating”. I’m not even sure we can call it that based on how we’re all basically swiping until our thumbs hurt, but let’s just go with that for now. There were some nights where I left dates thinking…”wait, did that just really happen?” only to realize, yes, it did. And, it happened to me. Awesome. Hopefully some of you can share my laughter (and also pain), and have some similar experiences that you can relate these to.
#1
I first downloaded Bumble for the sole purpose of using the BFF portion…well, at first. I had moved to Dallas recently, and work in a pretty male-dominant field, so meeting girls that I can Netflix, brunch, and spin with was a lot harder than I expected. I met some pretty great girls on Bumble BFF, one being Miranda: Blonde, athletic, and a traveler, I thought, “Hey, she seems like someone I could go to ACL with…and she would probably wear a flower crown too.” We exchange numbers and the invitations to HH ensue. She invited me to happy hour one Thursday night when I was already in bed. My response was, “Hey girl, sorry I’m actually already in PJ’s…PMS has gotten the best of me!” She seemed to understand, and it ended there. A couple of weeks later, Miranda pops up on my screen with an invitation to a party later that night. My response, “Hey girl, I’m actually at spin right now, and am going to a work thing later. Thanks for the invite, though!” What happened next I legitimately cannot make up.
Her “Why do you keep calling me girl?”
Me “…I think that’s just how I talk?”
Her “To be honest I think you’re chill and pretty, so I wanted to hangout with you, and see what you’re about. But, I guess that won’t be happening.”
At this point I was convinced I had used the Bumble BFF app incorrectly, and signed onto the “Women-Only” filter. I mean, she was hitting on me,right?
Me “Wait, didn’t we meet on bumble BFF?”
Her “No, we met at The Old Crow. Lol, don’t worry about it.” HARD PAUSE. “But if you can’t remember – you held my dog’s leash while I went inside to buy drinks. Well, you seemed like a cool person I guess. Bye.”
O. M. G. I had confused Miranda with this guy I had met a few weeks back at a bar in Dallas. So, this WHOLE time I am texting him about sweat pants and PMS, thinking it was a woman. I cannot describe the range of emotions I felt in that 5 minute time frame, but it went from cool to scared to mortified. Needless to say, I never had my brunch date with Miranda.
#2
I have a friend that used to live in Dallas, that when I was in a relationship, I would bumble for her. She will openly admit that her text game is not strong, and I can be moderately witty sometimes,so I would talk to guys for her in the app. She matched, made dates, and we did our due diligence to cyber stalk the candidates. She went out with a guy we will call “McLaren”, and proceeded to tell me about how much fun she had after the date. One night while watching RHOBH on her sofa, I asked to see the guy she went out with. Within 14 minutes, I was able to figure out alma mater, ex girlfriend, career, position at career, and get an overall sense for who McLaren was as a person. My friend, Zoodles, went out with him a few times and really liked the guy. He ended up ghosting her, and she came to me about it because she was pretty upset. We quickly came up with 30 excuses as to why that happened (lost his cell phone, was training to be an Astronaut, got eaten by a lion…you know, the usual). A few months later, I was single and bumbling and matched with a guy that was witty, super fun, and seemed like he had a good head on his shoulders. We went for sushi and I kept having that feeling that I knew him (I get this feeling all the time on the account that my memory is so insanely bad). We said goodnight, I went home and it was still bothering me how I felt like I knew him. I found his social media page and did some digging…and then it clicked. THIS WAS THE GUY THAT GHOSTED ZOODLES. We went out a few more times and I ended up confronting him about it, and his reply was “at the end of the day I just wasn’t attracted to her.” We didn’t go out again.
#3
While on bumble, I matched with a tall, dark, and handsome guy that seemed to be pretty well -rounded. We texted a bit, and yoga came up (probably because some of my pictures are of me doing yoga poses in nature…lol). He asked me to a yoga class and I dismissed the invitation because I typically don’t do workouts for the first date. I mean, who wants to be hot, sweaty, and bending in ways that seem abnormal to yourself, let alone someone who you’re trying to impress? We texted a little after that, but never actually took the first date plunge. My friend came in town, who is a yoga instructor and owns her own studio, so naturally I wanted to take her to a few classes around Dallas during her stay. We go to one of my favorite studios in State Thomas on a Saturday morning, and I am super pumped. I roll out my mat, get in child’s pose, and proceed to stretch. The class was relatively full, and surprisingly, there were a lot of men in the class. I notice someone that looked familiar in the class, and realize it’s the guy that I never went on a date with…located directly in front of my mat. He was staring at me, so I kept trying to turn my face the other direction and continue with my practice. I thought “well, he may not know its me. I’m sweating and have no makeup on, surely I look like plenty of other brunettes and am not recognizable right now.” At the end of class, an announcement is made – WILL [my name] PLEASE SEE THE FRONT DESK. Oh. No. It’s not like there are a ton of [my name]’s in this city, let alone in this yoga class. As soon as the instructor uttered my name, the guy turned around and cut his eyes at me. I ran out of the class as quickly as possible and left my friend so confused as to what was happening. I told her the story after class at brunch, only to receive a text from the guy saying “how funny is it that we were in the same class this morning? I thought that was you!” No bro, just no.
#4
I work in a field that sometimes on Friday nights you need a night out with your team (wait, that’s every field, lol). One Friday, me and 3 guys from my team go out on Greenville/Deep Ellum. Two of them live in Fort Worth, so I felt obliged to show them just how great Dallas is. We went to a few bars and ended up at High and Tight (one of my faves). This was pretty well into the night and we were all pretty happy at this point. I was trying to corral everyone and could not find 2 of them, and see my teammate talking to some guy. I go up to him and say “I can’t find Hank”, and interrupt their conversation. The guy, I will call Mr. Robot, proceeded to allude to the fact that I was rude for interrupting their conversation. We begin to play the “wait, who are you again?” game and he leads with the statement “I have a patent pending for a robot I designed.” Ummm…come again? He pulls out his phone and shows me videos of this robot that basically has caterpillar like tendencies and can crawl up stairs. Cool. Little did he know he was talking to an Engineer. I countered with “well, I built a robot in 6th grade that was solar powered, moved on its own, and was named Frank.” We argued about robotics for the next 20 minutes, and then he asked me out. We have dinner plans next Thursday.
#5
I got asked out by a guy in finance (the typical frat, too-cool-for-school guy) which I wouldn’t normally say yes to…except where he wanted to take me, I could NOT refuse. He texted me asking if I wanted to go to sushi or a concert that Juvenile, Trick Daddy, and Scarface were performing at. AS IF THAT’S EVEN A QUESTION? Who wouldn’t want to go to that concert. He picks me up with a few roadies, and off we go to dinner. Things are going well, he opens the car doors, he’s making fun of himself, and flattering me a lot (all while I’m eating a cheeseburger). We get to the concert and are a little tipsy at this point. I’m standing next to a 6’ 4” girl with a full afro, and he’s next to a 6’ 8” basically NBA player. I’m 5’ 4”. The pours get heavy, the music is loud, and “back that ass up” comes on. I am in pure heaven. We get a little rowdy, are having a good time, and before I know it, it is time to leave. I’m feeling pretty good at the point where we arrive to my house. He hints at the idea of him coming upstairs, and in my head I think “just because you took me to a Juvenile concert, you think you get to come upstairs???” I politely turn him away, and he proceeds to kick me out of his car, leaving me on the sidewalk, speeding away. We never spoke again.
And, if you’re looking or some fun Galentine gift ideas, check out these:
After A TON of y’all asking us to do an updated post of what we eat in a day, we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to share with y’all what we ate this past Sunday when we were in Houston for the Super Bowl! We thought it may be helpful to see what we in a day when we are out of town, and make do with the options we have around!
Trust us when we say, it really does get a little easier, and more of your routine the longer you stick with it! We wrote this post a little while ago on our tips on eating out healthier, and we really do follow those, as you’ll see below!
We got up early on Sunday and got in a workout before heading to breakfast at The Egg and I. We had actually eaten there in Austin when we went to school there, and totally forgot about this place! We both ordered an egg-white veggie frittata (no butter, light oil) and instead of the potatoes, we ordered a side salad with the dressing on the side. Another good option would be fruit instead of the potatoes. You don’t need to order it without butter, but we both have a sensitivity to dairy, so we stay away from butter. Of course, we knew we’d be starving on the way to the game (about 2-3 hours later), so we picked up some BBQ at Spring Creek Barbecue nearby. We both ordered the half roasted chicken (ALWAYS go for this if it’s on the menu) with a side salad for the sides instead of the other unhealthier options they had (again, dressing on the side). Be careful with dressings because they are usually far from healthy! Stick to dressings like oil + vinegar. We got tons of pickled stuff on the side because we love it!We got to the stadium early, so we hung out for a while, and once we got in the stadium, we were ready for something to eat;) Although there were tons of tempting options like ice cream, pretzels, nachos, etc, we went for a foot-long hot dog and took the bun off. I found some jalapeños and onions to eat with it! By the way, I ended up eating another one of this halfway through the game, haha. By the time the game was over (SO AMAZING!!), we made it back to The Woodlands and ate at BJ’s. It is a great spot because they have a ton of options for everyone, and they’re open super late. I think the waiter seriously wanted to kill me with my order, but it all worked out;) This meal was at like midnight, haha. Oh, and also, I had snaked on a ton of peanuts walking to the car after the game that my mom had gotten!
For this, I ordered a side salad with oil and vinegar on the side and then the lemon thyme chicken with no rice (extra veggies) and no sauce. The reason I got no sauce was because I wasn’t sure what was in it, but it would be a good option to get it on the side, that way you can add a little bit for taste and flavor!When we got back to the hotel room, of course I wanted something sweet, so I had a chocolate-chip quest bar (or two);) LOVE these and swear by them!
Below our are must haves that we always have in our bag:
We love this dark chocolate because they’re dairy free, and great if you’re craving chocolate like we always are! We also use this stevia to sweeten our iced teas and coffee, and you can carry it in your bag!
We also shared our favorite snacks + protein bars in this post! As always, if you have any questions at all, feel free to email us! XO
We have been getting a lot of questions about tips on starting a blog, and just various questions about blogging in general, so we thought we would share some tips with y’all (not that we are experts AT ALL), haha. We have been blogging full time since September 2015, so about a year and a half. We have definitely learned what has worked for us, and what doesn’t work as well. Sidetone: this thermal top is so fun and love that it has buttons and a cute peplum hem! Just to give y’all some background, we were not always fashion bloggers, obviously. We both graduated with degrees in Management Information Systems from The University of Texas at Austin, and worked at Ernst & Young for a year out of college. After that, we both left our jobs to pursue personal training, and something more creative. Eventually, we kind of fell into blogging, and have now turned it into our careers. We absolutely LOVE what we do, but that is not to say that it is still a job, and you will always have your good and bad days, like anything else!
So, here are our tips/advice for starting a blog, or improving your current one:
Be Consistent:
This goes with posting on social media (Instagram, snapchat, etc), and your blog. If you are not consistent, and readers don’t know what to expect or when you will be sharing content, they will drop off, and find someone who will. Yes, it can be a pain to constantly be thinking about the next post, but you have to be ready to keep feeding content to your audience. As y’all may be able to tell, we are CONSTANTLY on our phones, and will post between 4-5 times a day on Instagram, alone.
Stay Focused:
It can be very easy to go from posting your latest meal, or that cute quote you saw on Pinterest, but if you’re trying to share outfits or fashion inspiration, you need to stay focused on that topic. It can be very confusing to your readers if you jump around from topic to topic. With that being said, if you are a lifestyle blogger like we are, it is totally awesome if you find a way to incorporate food with your outfit, or travel with your outfits, etc. There are definitely bloggers that have a very cohesive feed and a color scheme to their Instagram feed, and some that don’t. We think you should do whatever works for you, but just remember to stay focused!Edit Your Photos:
This is a MAJOR one. We are not talking about going in and photoshopping your face or making your arms or waist look smaller, haha (call me an idiot, but I didn’t know there was an actual app that you could do that with until the other day!) Having clear, bright photos is super important. We get asked all of the time what camera we use. Most of the time, we use our iPhone camera or our Cannon 60D with the 50mm 1.8 lens. Nobody wants to see a dark image on your feed. We never post the raw image just because a picture can always look brighter, even if it is taken in good, natural lighting. Our favorite apps are Lightroom and Snapseed.
Focus On What Works Best for You:
We are sure we are not the only ones that are constantly comparing ourselves to other people in the industry. Of course, it is only natural to do. However, it is important to realize that someone else’s content may not do well on your Instagram or blog, or visa versa. We both know, for example, that most of the time, headless shots (sounds SO silly) or mirror pictures receive the best engagement. It probably has to do with being relatable, or maybe y’all just don’t want to see our face;) No, just kidding, but it makes sense! We do take pictures with our nicer camera, but those are mainly for the blog pictures.Think Outside Of The Box:
Like in any creative industry, it is super easy (and convenient) to just steal someone’s ideas or creativity, BUT, it is important to give credit to them, or to just put your own twist on it. We are sure you all are probably tired of seeing the same types of “poses” or outfits all over social media, but to be honest, it is just human nature. Of course, if we see something that looks super similar to something one of us posted a few days before, it is hard to not become annoyed about it, but it is definitely a form of flattery. Our recommendation is to save something you love the look of, and brainstorm ways to make your take on it different than the original. It also never hurts to give credit to whatever or whomever inspired you!:)Be Engaged With Your Readers:
This one is probably the one we think you should spend the most time on. If you’re not engaged and listening to your readers, or responding to them, they will not value your opinion, or feel that connection to you. Does it take a TON of time? Absolutely. But, we think it is super critical. I am totally one of those people late at night (hello 1 or 2am) responding to comments or email in my bed when I should be asleep, or promised myself I would finally go to bed early;) It is not even about the money or “making a sale”, it is just my personality to want to help others, or feel like I got everything done I needed to. We both may not be able to respond to ever single comment, but we do our best to respond to questions via Instagram, snapchat, email, etc. We also will frequently ask our readers if they like that post or if they have anything content related they want to see!
We hope those tips were helpful. As always, please email us with any questions you may have about anything. We will also be sharing another post soon on the myths of blogging, which we are really excited to share!
After many requests, we are finally doing a post on our spring travel must haves! We are actually heading out of town this weekend to Scottsdale for a couple of days, and CAN’T wait! Make sure to follow along on snapchat and instagram!
When spring hits, all we want to do is pull out of all of the bright colors! It just makes us so happy:) Our top necessities are:
Happy Wednesday, y’all! In case you missed the first couple posts of this workout series we started this year, you can check out some of them here and here! Below, you will find videos, several of our workouts from the week, as well as a breakfast, lunch, and dinner recipe that we have tried or are planning on making this week!
As far as cardio goes,we will do anywhere from 30-45 minutes of cardio, usually on the stair master, followed by weight training (each muscle group a different day). Every body is different, and you definitely don’t need to do that much cardio each day, just whatever you feel up to, or feel like you can handle at this time! We used to do ZERO, so just find what works best for you!
We have been getting a lot of questions as far as what our cardio is, so we decided to put together a treadmill cardio workout. We both did a similar one this past weekend!
This week, we are sharing a treadmill workout, along with a leg workout.
This is the leg workout we are planning on doing today!
Here is the treadmill workout. This one is 30 minutes long, but you definitely don’t need to do it that long. Also, you can hold on lightly if you need to, just make sure your legs are doing the work!
Below are some workout pieces we are loving this week [click each item to shop it directly!]:
See videos for each exercise listed above further down in the post!
For LEGS:
Alternating Lunges:
Single Leg Deadlift:
Glute Bridges:
Overhead Squats:
Sumo Squats:
In case you all did miss it in last week’s post, we have done some posts on what we eat in a day here and here! We are planning on doing an updated post soon:) In the meantime, we do eat mostly paleo due to our hypothyroidism condition. In case you missed it, we shared why we avoid certain foods. Also, we are planning on doing post of what we eat in a day this weekend, so stay tuned!
As far as cooking and meal prepping, we like to have some kind of protein prepped for the week, like grilled chicken or salmon baked in the oven. That way, we can just add it to salads or veggies for lunch or dinner in 5 minutes! Nobody wants to have to come home and make a full meal, right?
As far as meals go, we have gotten a few requests for some paleo meal ideas. We actually created a new Paleo Meal Ideas board on pinterest, in case you want more ideas!
This banana bread oatmeal couldn’t be easier to make, AND it sound amazing! You make it in the crockpot, so you don’t even have to watch it. Serve it with some yogurt or eggs for extra protein!
Banana Bread Slow Cooker Oatmeal
Serves: 6 servings
INGREDIENTS
1.5 cups steel cut oats (do not substitute quick cooking, instant, or rolled oats)
4 cups water
2 cups milk, any kind you like (we use unsweetened almond milk)
2 large mashed ripe bananas, plus additional banana slices for serving
3 tbsp ground flaxseed meal
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp kosher salt
For serving: chopped toasted walnuts, raisins, chocolate chips, maple syrup, peanut butter, or any other mix-ins you enjoy with banana bread
INSTRUCTIONS
Place all of the ingredients except the toppings in the bottom of a 4-to-6-quart slow cooker
Stir to combine: Steel cut oats, water, milk, mashed bananas, flaxseed meal, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours (overnight) or on high for 4 hours, until the oats are soft, but maintain a bit of chew.
Remove cover and stir to evenly combine the ingredients. Enjoy warm with desired toppings.
{ Grey Sweater | Grey Bag | Espadrille Wedges Black Here | Ripped Jeans | Black Choker | Sunglasses | Nail Color | Lip Color “Life Of The Party” | BRACELETS: David Yurman Cable Bracelets here, here, and here and Pave Bangle | RINGS: David Yurman Ring here and here | Lightening Bolt Necklace and Hamsa Necklace Similar Here | WATCH: Michele Deco Watch } 
Even though chokers have been on trend for a while now, we still are rocking them! This velvet choker is super cute for spring, and is so effortless! You can throw it on with a simple grey v-neck sweater, like this one for a simple, neutral look. 
This v-neck sweater is warm and thick, but not super heavy! We love v-neck sweaters because they’re flattering on everyone!
We paired the sweater with our favorite stretchy jeans from Topshop. They come in black, too, which we also own! They are on sale for $42, aka a steal, and have the perfect rips in them!
In partnership with Nordstrom.
We got to the stadium early, so we hung out for a while, and once we got in the stadium, we were ready for something to eat;) Although there were tons of tempting options like ice cream, pretzels, nachos, etc, we went for a foot-long hot dog and took the bun off. I found some jalapeños and onions to eat with it! By the way, I ended up eating another one of this halfway through the game, haha. 
Sidetone:
Edit Your Photos:
Think Outside Of The Box:
Be Engaged With Your Readers:
Slow Cooker Chicken, Kale, and Sweet Potato Stew
Serves: 4 servings
