When one of our board members shared the news that Allen Stern, Austin Food Blogger Alliance (AFBA) member, early tech blogger, entrepreneur, and green smoothie enthusiast had passed away last week, many members shared stories of Allen’s kindness, welcoming personality, and excitement about his new healthy lifestyle.
I never met Allen Stern personally, but he was an active member of AFBA, and a very enthusiastic and giving one at that. Unfortunately, I never met Allen in person, all of my interactions with Allen were all in an online context — via …

Today marks the end of my two-year term on the board of the Austin Food Blogger Alliance and I’m feeling a lot of emotions this morning — a lot of pride, a little sadness, and overall I’m very grateful to have been a part of the founding and growth of this amazing organization.
This Sunday I will hit “publish” on the 2013 Austin City Guide — a coordinated list of blog posts with recommendations for the best eats and drinks in Central Texas. The first year we published the guide was …

Most of the people I work with are really into our dogs — since most of us don’t have kids yet, our dogs are our children. When Courtney came across a “paint your pet” class benefiting Austin Pets Alive earlier this year, we jumped at the chance to try it out.
Unfortunately, all of the classes that were offered to benefit APA either didn’t work for our group, or were already sold out. However, we came across a class at Painting with a Twist on Burnet and 183, and decided to check it …

Today, I read an amazing article in the New York Times starring Brandon and his boyfriend, Benn. The article details how Brandon and Benn decided to move to London together (Benn is British) after Benn was unable to renew his work visa. The article poignantly shows — through interviews with Brandon and Benn, a photo slideshow, and audio, the painful experience of leaving your country, line of work, family, and closest friends in order to stay with the person they love.
I was reminded how lucky I am to know my friend …

One week from today Austin’s Project Transitions, a non-profit dedicated to helping those living with HIV and AIDS, will host its annual “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” fundraiser. If you are available next Saturday, Feb. 2, I highly recommend that you make a reservation.
Last year, I was invited to cover the event on my blog, and I decided that it would make more sense to wait and post about my experience until tickets went on sale for this year’s event. Of course, life got busy and now I’m just telling …