Right before I went back to work, my husband and I got to have one last (summer) date night courtesy of my parents, who offered to babysit. You don’t turn down that kind of offer. At least, we don’t. So I got myself gussied up, and we hit Whyte Ave with a vengeance. I love the vintagey vibe of this dress I thrifted at Value Village for $8, so I added some actual vintage sparklers – a matching brooch ‘n earrings set.

We decided to check out El Cortez Tequila Bar because, apparently, our newest hobby is hanging out at hipster haunts. Also, my husband loves Mexican food. Also also, we were both in a nostalgic mood; we remember about 3 previous incarnations of this little joint. I spent many a night in my undergrad years dancing at Suite 69 upstairs – and I can’t quite believe it’s still there 15 years later. That’s practically an eternity in nightclub years.

Back to the present. The menu is not extensive (the name gives fair warning that the food is secondary at El Cortez), and everything is kinda expensive for the amount you get. We enjoyed the salsa trio appetizer, as well as the cheese taco. The other tacos were forgettable. I persuaded my husband to get a Dos Equis beer, because how could he not. I Instagrammed everything, because how could I not.

We also got the (mini) churros, which were excellent – possibly the best part of the meal.

But what I really loved about El Cortez was the dedication to its theme. Everything from the table settings, to the food presentation, to the decor, is very OTT Mexicana by way of Desperado. My favourite was the bathroom.

I could have happily spent a few hours in there, and that is not something I’ve ever said about a bathroom before. Since I was alone, I figured it was as good a time as any to take a selfie.

The upside of the small portions at El Cortez is that, for once, we had plenty of room for dessert – not counting the yummy churros. We took a leisurely stroll down the Ave, and hit our go-to dessert destination, Block 1912. I also made my husband stop in front of every brick wall along the way. What can I say? He really loves me.

A lot.

I’ve been hosting clothing swaps for 7 years now – hello, where did the time go? – and this year was no exception. Well, it was something of an exception, but we will get to that in a minute. Every year, I like to do a little bit of a theme, just to get my decorating mojo going. This year, I decided to do “pink”. No particular rhyme or reason, except my mom had some leftover fake rose petals from my baby shower last summer, and apparently I hate to see dollar store decorations go to waste. Go figure. Before you judge, know that I don’t Pinterest, and that I’m about as far removed from being Martha Stewart as it’s physically possible whilst still being a woman. Which is by way of saying … don’t judge, ‘mkay?

What was different about this year is that I swapped about 4 bags’ worth of clothes and shoes (ok, that’s not that unusual) but ended up taking nothing home. Actually, almost nothing. I had to keep this beaut:

(I also got a dress for my mom, and a faux leather jacket that I subsequently re-considered.)

Why the restraint? I have been paring down my wardrobe significantly (even as I continue to replace a good chunk of it to accommodate my fast-approaching-mid-30s body) and am mostly down to pieces that are an 8 or higher on the awesome scale. At the same time, I’ve been sticking to a “one in, one out” policy pretty rigorously (with the exception of closet holes that need to be filled). End result: I have to reeeally like a new piece in order for it to make its way into my closet, because it means I have to get rid of something I already have. Nothing at the swap really sang to me, though there were definitely some lovely pieces. I had an amazing time, as always, catching up with old and new friends. And that is, as they say, priceless.