The Neighborhood -- BelAir Cantina

I love living in Wauwatosa. There are so many cute restaurants, cafes, parks, and shops. I think that a lot of people picture Wauwatosa like the semi-upidy Washington Highlands-esque area, but it's not like that at all. You just have to look for it--which I kinda like--the chase. You know.

I've been exploring my neighborhood a little more and over the next couple of weeks I'll be doing posts here and there on my new findings and adventures. Now, this won't be exclusively for Jacobus Park -- my burrow -- but the Wauwatosa area in general. ;)

The Neighborhood.

Earlier this week Meta and I headed over to North Avenue to check out the new BelAir Cantina.

Now if you are one of those silly Eastside roaming dollies -- raising hand -- then you know that the original is over on Humboldt in MKE. I'm a big fan of BelAir so I knew that I had to check out the new location.

They have amazing deals on Tuesdays and Thursdays -- select $2 tacos and spiffy drink specials.

We braved the busy crowds and took our chances on the wait time.

If you go and there is a long wait they will tell you that you can sit at the bar if a spot opens instead of waiting your allotted hour. It's every man for himself.

Well we rolled the dice and found two spots at the bar within 5 minutes of waiting.

We're champions.

And the best thing was my trusty sidekick ^^^ and I got to watch our super friendly bartender sling drinks and mix margs all night. 

$2 Dos Equis. NBD.

Although I had been to BelAir before, it is always a struggle to pick out my tacos choices.

The chap next to me picked one of my tacos out for me--clever guy. 

He also owns an old school hotdog joint in town.

Meta and I are going to check it out soon so keep those baby blues or browns open!

We placed our orders and sat munching on chips and salsas -- The orange one is the best. Hands down.

Also, can we talk about the curse of the Mexican restaurant chips for a second?

Those things are so delicious. The perfect crunch, the perfect saltiness. I can't even get over it, but by the time my food comes I'm already full. I always say that I'm not going to each chips while waiting but...

Then the food came -- honestly we only waited for the food for about 10 minutes -- quite fast.

Just another great thing to say about this place.

BelAir: 2000 points.

We both ended up getting 3 tacos.

Barbacoa.

Baja Tilapia.

Raja.

Chiles, onions, black beans, and queso.

This is hands down my favorite taco.

Ever.

After dousing it with lime...

it was on.

And it was good.

So I know I say this every time, but next time you're in the MKE/Tosa area and craving some killer tacos, go to BelAir. 

You won't regret it.

But before you go, hit a sista up.

Side-note: Only a few days left to put your name in for the Uganda Community Project Giveaway.

Liebster Award

I love the blogging world. It's a really crazy thing. I started this blog to get myself busy and doing something after I moved back from the DR. I never expected to have a large following or anything...OK yes there were those Taza-type dreams, but as a blogger, who doesn't dream about that??
The thing that I love best about blogging are all of the amazing people that I have met. Other bloggers that I've run across that are genuine some of the best people I know. And I can say for sure that I've made some brilliant friends that I'll have for a long, long time.
One of those brilliant lovely ladies is Jade over at Gracious Silhouettes.  If you haven't come across her blog-please bop over there and check it out.
Last week Jade nominated me for the Liebster Award.
"The Liebster Award is given to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. So, what is a Liebster?  The meaning: Liebster is German and means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome. Isn't that sweet? Blogging is about building a community and it's a great way to connect with other bloggers and help spread the word about newer bloggers/blogs." It's such a beautiful way to get bloggers together to create a sense of community!
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So this is what I need to do.
1 << Tell you 11 things about myself 2 << Answer the questions Jade has sent me 3 << Choose 11 lovely bloggers to tag and ask them 11 questions
Well here goes it...
11 Things About Me in no particular order.
1 << I love anything traveling -- to any place -- by car, plane, boat, raft, you name it. See this.
2 << I am a fluent Spanish speaker -- It's a blessing being able to bridge gaps to communicate with other people.
3 << As much as I love to travel I cannot see my self living anywhere, but my MKE.
4 << I paint my nails constantly...I'm doing it right now.
5 << I have a weird obsession with needing things to be clean -- always -- I can't go to bed without doing the dishes.
6 << If I'm cranky usually it's because I'm hungry -- I keep rations of foods with me at all times.
7 << I love Diet Coke. And coffee.
8 << And eggs -- seriously, I could eat breakfast burritos every day for my entire life.
9 << In high school, I went through a terrible stage of dying my hair different shades/colors every month -- auburn, burgundy, purple, emo-y blonde streak -- it was awful -- I've been dye-free for a few years now.
10 << I'm a sucker for shoes -- I think it has to do with my Popp being a cobbler.
11 << I'm a city girl at heart, but I would love to live on a little hobby farm in the middle of no where. 
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Jade's Questions
1 << Do you have any bad habits? Ooooohhhh Yeah! It's not good at all -- I tend to jump to conclusions, I'm trying to work on that -- I also show all of my emotions, also something I'm working on
2 << What subjects did you most enjoy studying in school? I loved Spanish, obvs, any Social Studies or Geography, and Religion
3 << Who are your all time favorite actors/actresses? Tom Hardy. He's a good actor -- but mostly because he's nice to look at. ;)
4 << You find a guild free £50 note, how do you spend it? First, I would be JACKED because that means its $77!! I would prob buy some clothing or nail polish -- Or go out to a new restaurant.
5 << Any tattoos? What have you got? What would you like to get? Jade and I have talked about this one before! I would love to get some and I'm hoping before the year is up I'll have them -- I want to get the Alpha and Omega symbols -- one on each forearm --maybe a sleeve eventually? Build up to it kinda thing.
6 << Favourite TV show as a child? I LOVED Zoom -- had crushes and all!
7 << If you could swap bodies with anyone for a day ('Freaky Friday' style) who would it be and what would you do? I would swap with Beyoncé -- hands down. I would love to put on one of her concerts -- fierce.
8 << Past/present embarrassing crush? Aladdin.
9 << You're looking for a new dress, what's the first shop you go to online? Wellll, I would normally go to Anthropologie, however, sometimes I can't afford it -- my second option would be Lulus.
10 << You're having a sick day, what film do you put in? The Devil Wears Prada -- like clockwork, every time.
11 << What's your pet peeve? When people have that weird I-need-to-clear-my-throat sound -- and don't clear their throats.
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11 Questions for My 11 Lovely Ladies
1 << If you could go back to any moment in time or time period, what would it be and why?
2 << If you had to sing karaoke, what song would you pick?
3 << If time and money were no matter what would you do?
4 << What is your favorite piece of clothing?? Pictures??
5 << What would be your ideal vacation? (Mine is going to Cuba--I'm going next summer! What what!)
6 << Do you have any hidden talents? What are they?
7 << Flats or heels?
8 << Where/when are you the happiest?
9 << If you had to change your name what would you change it to?
10 << What's your favorite cookie?
11 << What item could you not live without?
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The lovely gals that keep me blogging: My choices were based off Bloglovin followers In no particular order
Leah and Erin -- http://acloverandabee.blogspot.com/
Tessa Lynn -- http://www.alavendersea.com/
Kendall -- http://www.dippedinyellow.com/
Amy -- http://www.hammeringnotes.blogspot.com/
Becky and Steve -- http://www.loosefromthezoo.com/
Caroline -- http://www.perpetuallycaroline.blogspot.se/ (I broke the follower-rule, eh, oh well!)
Valentina -- http://valentinaduracinsky.blogspot.com/
Jennifer -- http://blog.jchongstudio.com/
Kate -- http://artsyabroad.blogspot.com/
Irela -- http://holairela.blogspot.com/
Emily -- http://emilyrosedowney.blogspot.com/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I just love this whole concept so much to tie everyone together. All of the ladies (and gent) that I chose are wonders that inspire me to keep blogging every day.
Please head over to each one of their blogs to have a visit and see what they're all about.

Don't forget to enter to win the  Uganda Community Project Giveaway!

The Uganda Community Project and Giveaway!

Today I'm so proud to be able to partner with the Uganda Community Project. I'm also so excited to say that they are helping me with my very first giveaway too! Hot dog!
I couldn't be happier to join together with UGPO since the mission is something that I fully support -- it brings the giveaway so much closer to my heart.
A couple weeks back I was contacted by Kelsey at the Uganda Community Project. The Community Project is a non profit that Kelsey started with her husband.
They had both dreamed about starting a nonprofit -- with Kelsey's background in the ministry and Denis' in technology -- it was the perfect mix to create a community center to reach out in Jinja.

Photos from around Kelsey's house in Uganda 1 << Evelyn and Alisha Evelyn was the inspiration for creating the Community Center 2 << Sorting beans 3 << Carrying water for bathing 
The Uganda Community Center Vision 
"to build and equip multiple community centers that will partner with local schools and churches to aid children in literacy and technology education so they are better equipped to finish school and find employment as adults. These community centers will also function as a place where adults in need of economic aid can take job training classes offered by volunteers from their own community. We see these centers as serving a function of matching peoples’ need with assets that they already have within their own community as well as the global community."
The women of the community create beautiful jewelry out of rolled paper beads. All of the profits from the jewelry go to supporting the women's children whether it be school, shelter, or nourishment.

Normally I don't wear necklaces, but I love these because they are lightweight and super versatile. You could even wear them around your wrist or forearm -- if you schnazzy like that!

Kelsey and the Uganda Community Project are generously giving away one of the necklaces above to one lovely reader. To enter the giveaway you need to:
1 << Like The Uganda Community Center on Facebook 2 << Visit the Uganda Community Center website and find your favorite item  (Check out the mobiles!! -- Someone needs to have a baby so I can get if for the tyke!) 3 << Post the link to your favorite item in a comment below along with your choice of the purple or blue necklace.
Giveaway is open until Monday, September 2nd at 7:00pm central standard time.. The winner will be drawn and announced shortly after.
Good luck!

Straw Hats--Throwing Sticks.

Hat - Target

Tank - Target

Shorts - Target

Sandals - Target

Sunnies - Asos

I tricked you on the last one didn't I??

I'm just a walking talking Target commercial.

This is a little outfit that I wore while tromping around at the cabin. So summery and perfect for throwing slimy sticks for the dog. 

Complete with my favorite hat--it's a little worn and misshapen--actually I have a photo of Anthony holding it for a while to put it back into the correct shape--didn't work. 

AANNNDD my favorite Asos sunnies. Look at those side details!

This week has been crazy, so I'm very excited for the weekend. I have a few very special posts for you. 

I'm scheduling my very first giveaway for next week!

What?!?!

Yes. First. Ever. Giveaway.

With that said, I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Go, Caesar, Go.

Cabin Livin'

Last weekend my brother and I drove up to our cabin to spend time with our parents. Mom and Popp were already up there for a week on their vacation and Anthony and I wanted to make sure they ended their vacation with a bang.

POW!

We got up there on Friday night and had a fire--complete with color fire changing color packets!

(??)

On Saturday Anthony and I laid around in the sun and played with Caesar while my Mom gardened (she really loves that doesn't she??) and Popp watched from a distance.

As you can see from above sitting at the end of the pier while playing with Caesar can be a little wet...and sandy; thus Popp stayed quite a ways away. 

After dinner Anthony and I decided take lil' walk. 

Well, more like I walked and Anthony played around on my long board. I taught him little tricks about staying on the board and what not.

And while he played around, I took photos of my feet.

Typical.

We ended up at the ice cream shop--well, cabin more like.

Isn't it gorgeous?!

The ice cream was delicious.

Cotton candy, mint chocolate chip, and chocolate fudge almond.

Can you tell we couldn't make up our minds??

The rest of the weekend we kind of just bummed around and took photos. We hung out with Mom and Popp while they played cards--Mom always wins by-the-way.

She cheats.

At least that's what Popp says.

It was amazing this weekend how calm I was. Going to the cabin was such a stress reliever. I've been a little tense lately because at work we're finishing up enrollment for the school year and it can get pretty crazy. 

It was really nice not having cellphone service so I never had to worry about emails. It's so nice being disconnected sometimes.

Anthony didn't agree...As you can see he found a cellphone-service-sweet-spot on the deck...

I also rekindled my flame with Diet Coke. 

It's a problem.

We ended the weekend by picking some flowers and taking them to gram's grave on the way home. 

I try to visit her every time I go up north because I just don't get up there as often as I would like.

The weekend was definitely much needed and SO relaxing.

How did you spend your weekend?