Thin Blue Line

I'm back! This week has been really busy, but in a good way. A lot of the happenings this week revolved around the "Thin Blue Line," my husband's profession and second family. Over the past few years I have been witness to police officers and their families come out in support of each other; fundraiser/auction for an officer battling cancer, officer funerals, etc. This week was more joyful. 

Most people have heard the term "Thin Blue Line," but do you know what it means? I Wikipedia'd it for you:

The Thin Blue Line is a symbol used by law enforcement, originating in the United Kingdom but now prevalent in the United States and Canada to commemorate fallen officers and to symbolize the relationship of the police in the community as the protectors of the citizenry from the criminal element.

Each stripe on the emblem represents certain respective figures: the blue center line represents law enforcement, the top black stripe represents the public whilst the bottom represents the criminals. The idea behind the graphic is that law enforcement (the blue line) is what stands between the violence and victimization by criminals of the would-be victims of crime.^[1]

Proponents of the symbol assert that the identifier is intended to show support for police.^[1]In the wake of controversies over police shootings, the Thin Blue Line Flag has become popular among law enforcement personnel, their families and supporters.

Wednesday, the University Police Department presented their first ever spring break safety event to university students. They had a fantastic turn out with roughly 400 students (pretty unheard of if you're not providing free food or t-shirts lol)! Feedback from the students was positive. The officers put on a good, interactive show that spoke right to students through trendy songs, saying, and videos. At the same time, they delivered a positive message about staying safe during spring break. Following the event, the group had what I like to call "UPD family dinner" which always proves to be a fun time.

Butters and Denzel Road Tripping

UPD Night Club

Thursday, a former UPD dispatcher graduated from the police academy and will begin his full time job as an officer on Monday! The hubs and I attended the graduation ceremony with about 15 others from the department. The turn out of officers, supervisors, and dispatchers was really great to see. UPD is proud to welcome a new officer to the family.

On a more serious note, a police officer has been diagnosed with ESRD End-Stage Renal Disease, kidney failure. A GoFundMe account has been set up and has raised over $20,000 in less than a week. It's a long way to go to getting him a new kidney, but please take a minute to read Roy's story and consider donating. I understand not everyone can make a donation, but you can share the story through social media to spread the word.

Thanks for visiting. To all officers, stay safe out there! Until next post...

xoxo Becca

My weekend...

Busy and productive weekend y'all! Saturday morning I woke up early to get a pedicure. I prefer going when the nail salon first opens, it's less crowded and as a result much quieter. There's nothing more relaxing than a quiet pedi. I opted for a spring color since the weather was warmer (that was short lived...39 and cloudy now). Fact, I love to read the names of the nail polishes. The last one I had was an OPI color called Vant to Bite My Neck, a dark purple color. So vampy lol This weekend's color is called "Berry Blast" less exciting, but still a pretty Barbie pink.

Next I went shopping. I had 2 birthday gifts to pick up for friends, plus a few gift cards to spend on myself (thanks hubs). After 4+ hours of shopping I came home with some great sale items and the gifts I needed. First up, a Fossil crossbody bag I have been eying for months. My coworker owns it in "mushroom" and it's fabulous. Macy's was having a 1-day sale so instead of paying $198, I paid $80 (pat on the back).

Fossil Erin Tote | Bought the color "bone"

Next up, a top from Banana Republic. It was my first time shopping here and I fell in love with this dress, just waiting for a sale. The hubs bought me a cropped sweater for Christmas and I needed something to go under it. This racerback style (on sale for $20) will look great over jeans or these Loft pants I recently purchased.

Banana Republic

Then a trip to TJMaxx was in order and I got this great shirt for $13. Not my usual style, but ultra soft and perfect for a casual outfit. 

Threads Studio

After shopping it was off to a friend's surprise birthday party. Sunday I spent cleaning, catching up on some TV shows, and watching the Oscar's Red Carpet. Ali Fedotowsky, I agree with your favs. 

Have a great week everyone! Until next post...

xoxo Becca 

Shattering Records

During my morning workout today I watched NBC News report on the record shattering cold in the northeast. The reporter was in Covington, KY and the temperature was -10 with a wind chill of -21. This time of the year I am thankful to live in Texas (summer...not so much).

Yesterday I saw a video on Facebook of a man diving into a snow bank in swim trunks. Of course the slow motion made it even more satisfying to watch as his body completely disappeared beneath the snow. Glad it was him and not me. You can watch here.

To all my family on the east coast, I hope you stay warm and don't have to venture out on the icy roads.

TGIF everyone! Until next post...
xoxo Becca

Austin Marathon Weekend

Hi all! This weekend was a fun one for the hubs and I. We traveled to Austin, TX (about 3 hours from where we live) to watch a friend and her mom participate in the Austin Marathon and Half Marathon. This is not their first race and I doubt it will be their last. Our friend did amazing and even powered through a bum knee for miles 4-13.1. She's a rock star!

Friday night we went out on 6th Street. The hubs and I decided it was a good thing we didn't attend The University of Texas at Austin because we would have never graduated haha

The group on 6th Street

Playing Jenga

Saturday was relaxing. We started the day with brunch at Austin Java (Barton Springs location) and then walked to pick up race packets. On the way back to thecar we stopped at a store called Great OutDogs, a cute little shop filled with dog toys, beds, leashes, and treats. We bought a cute, plush lizard toy for Lexi and she's in love with it. Then we headed back to our friend's house to hang out and make race day posters (you'll see pictures of them below).

On our way to pick up packets

Sunday was race day and we got up pre-crack of dawn (I am not a morning person so this was tough, but for a good reason I guess lol). Experiencing the energy and people watching was incredible. The hubs and I had a great time in the cheering section. We managed to get a great spot near the finish line! After the race we had brunch at Red's Porch, highly recommend!

About to cross the finish line

The things the hubs and I love about the Austin area is how friendly everyone is, how people walk places instead of getting into their car to drive a short distance and the many dogs that join you at restaurants. It's a relaxing atmosphere and we both enjoy our visits there.

Until next post...
xoxo Becca

Valentine's Day & Student Workers

Valentine's Day is 2 days away. Are you prepared? I felt rather on top of it this year, until the hubs dropped a bomb saying he had put in motion a Valentine's Day gift for me prior to me saying "lets not get each other gifts this year." Needless to say I'm now scrambling to figure out something for him. I hate that, because I want the gift to be meaningful which means I want to put lots of thought and time into it. 2 days isn't enough! Any suggestions?


I did manage to get a little something together for my student workers. I mentioned in my welcome post that I work in higher education. Anyone who went to college or works at an institution knows student workers are important to the team and are often overlooked. During my time as a student worker we often got free food, were issued polos to wear to work (hello free clothes), and generally were thanked for our work. Over the years I have had more than several student workers come and go. You tend to keep in touch with the best ones and I'm always excited to see where they've gone and what they are doing in life. Some stay in higher education like I did. Anyhow, back to my point. Student workers are often overlooked, like those in my current office, so to say thank you and recognize Valentine's Day I wrapped up some candy and made a cute tag. Hope they like it!

The National Student Employment Association (NSEA) designates the second full week in April as National Student Employment Week or as The University of Texas at Austin calls it, National Student Employee Appreciation Week. UT Austin is the first place I heard about it and they even provide a list of suggested ways to show appreciation. It doesn't have to be anything expensive, little things go a long way, especially if the whole office gets involved. I'm looking forward to doing this for our student workers this year.


What are your Valentine's Day plans?


Until next post...
xoxo Becca


I'll leave you with a picture of campus. Taking time to each lunch with a friend (and former student worker) in this beautiful weather was great!

Award Season - The Grammy's

Every year there are a million awards shows and I must confess, I hardly watch any of the award shows, but I always watch (or record) the Red Carpet events. Particularly with The Grammy's, I have never been one to keep up with the music scene, buy an album the minute it was released, or make mixed tapes of my favorite songs (hello dating myself there....tape? what!?). The hubs and I have a system that works well for us. He downloads the music, loads it to my phone, and I enjoy it. If I hear a song on the radio I like I will often text it to him and he will graciously download it the next time he's on iTunes. Love you hubs :)

Now back to the reason for award show season lol The fashion.....ohhhhh the fashion! I love shopping, I love clothes, I love glamorous and fashionable people.

Here are some of my favorites from last night:

 Ariana Grande

 

 Meghan Trainor

 

 Least favorite...Rhianna, you look
like a cupcake

 

 Best Dressed! Taylor Swift

 

 Chrissy Teigen

 

 Love when women rock the
pants! Giuliana Rancic

 

 Another woman in pants! So edgy!

Gwen Stefani

 

 Iggy Azalea

 

Jessie J

Photo Source

 

Until next post... xoxo Becca

Welcome

Hi all and welcome to my cozy little place in the blogosphere. My name is Rebecca and I'm a born and raised Texan. Growing up in a small town gave me a lot of advantages in life, but I dreamt of something bigger. After college I began working in higher education because I loved being around students and watching them become successful. Got married. Got a puppy. Got a house. And then I decided I wanted to share daily life, struggles, ambitions, and everything in between.

This blog stems from a long conversation I had with a close friend about having a quarter life crisis. I would venture to say everyone has heard the term mid-life crisis and immediately pictures a 40-50 year old purchasing a motorcycle or a sports car. Until now, I never thought about what happens when you're in your mid to late twenties or thirties, you're no longer a college student living it up on cheap liquor, but you're likely not settled into your dream job yet either. What are those in between years and how do we define them? This is when my friend introduced me to the term quarter life crisis. Here's a clever BuzzFeed to give you more insight, 10 Signs You’re Having Your Quarter-Life Crisis.

So it got me thinking, am I having a quarter life crisis? What would I want to share with the world about my late twenties and early thirties? Well life! DUH! This blog will feature life as it unfolds, the lazy weekends at home, the projects I’m working on, the experiences I get to share with family and friends, and how living in the quarter life has its advantages! So stick around!

xoxo Becca

After Graduation | December 2008

Our Wedding | 04.10.10 | Photo by Aric of Solaris Studios

The day we got Lexi | 06.09.10 | 3lbs. 6oz.

Found our First Home | October 2011

Bought our First Home | October 2011

My biggest supporter! Graduating with my Masters. | May 2013