San Antonio & Houston: Megan Odabash

Here's one more thing to add to your to-do list: from noon to five Wednesday, June 16 and Thursday, June 17, sloan/hall in San Antonio and Houston, respectively, will host designer Megan Odabash for jewelry trunk shows.

Garland: Stetson & Albertus Swanepoel

See those hats? The ones above in that group shot. Those are the new fall 2010 Albertus Swanepoel-designed hats for Garland-based Stetson, a special capsule collection the iconic Texas brand put together for the upcoming season. Swanepoel has designed hats for Marc Jacobs, Carolina Herrera, Proenza Schouler, Alexander Wang, Thakoon, Peter Som, the list goes on. How fabulous is it that this CFDA-nominated designer has come together with a brand that all Texans are inherently familiar?

Dallas: Beyond Pilates

What an ass-kicker of a morning I had. It was my first class at the newly opened Beyond Pilates on Lovers Lane. I was a little intimidated by the machines - a big piece of equipment with all kinds of springs and pulleys - and I always thought that it was for folks who just wanted to stretch a little. So wrong. First off: Beyond Pilates is an off-shoot of traditional Pilates. Using a machine called a Megaformer, you're taken through a series of body-toning motions. After a quick, but thorough rundown of the machine, the fully sold-out class (and this at 9 am on a Sunday!) got to work.

The moment we started I could immediately feel my core working to full capacity. Owner Brandi Marino - who has the most amazingly toned arms - took us through all the motions while coaching us individually if we needed help. 15 minutes into it I was full-out sweating. Every single move took all the control and stability I could muster but Brandi was very motivating, upbeat, and the dance music was perfect. Classes are similar to Tread Fitness, in that you can buy a package of classes. The more you buy, the more you save. If you really love it, you can buy a unlimited month-long pass. If Pilates isn't your beat, try the Beyond Barre classes, a ballet-inspired workout that firms up the legs and lower abs (Come and meet me for the Tuesday night class!). It's about time that spots like this have made their way to Dallas. Finally a place where you can get a super-intense workout and attention as needed without the pricey-ness of gym membership or personal training.

Oh, has anyone else noticed that all the best trainers have B names...Brandi, Bethany, Bart, Brandon? I'm going to change my name to Bristie.

Houston: Crave Cupcakes

I've mentioned before that my first stop in Houston is always Crave Cupcakes. My plane usually lands before 10 am and I head here for a cinnamon sugar cupcake and a hot earl grey with half and half. But now I dying to try some of their recently introduced breakfast cupcakes.

Along with the cinnamon sugar, they now serve walnut zucchini, lemon blueberry, almond cranberry, maple walnut, and what may prove to be a new favorite, apple streusel, a delectable little morsel filled with granny smith apples and topped with maple pecan streusel.
While Crave's presentation is modern, they are thoroughly old-school when it comes to making their cakes. All the dairy used in the recipes is from Texas farms, the vanilla is Madagascar bourbon, and there are no preservatives so they don't sell what was made yesterday today.
In fact, any cupcakes left over from the day are donated to Prepared for Life, a Houston non-profit that teaches kids life and business skills.
Makes me thirsty for some cold, flavored milk. I happen to love the ones from Promised Land Dairy in Floresville, Texas, which is about 6 miles up the road from where I spent all my summers as a kid. Wouldn't be surprised if this is where Crave gets their goods.
The interior is so beautiful. They're opening a new location this summer in West University on Kirby.

Austin: Helm Handmade

Joshua Bingaman has always had a thing for men's shoes and boots. He met some highfalutin folks on the inside of the bespoke footwear world and created Helm Handmade, an Austin-based men's boutique shoe design company. These aren't massed-produced mounds of leather and laces, but handmade kicks that only the most discerning appreciate.

One pair of boots take up to five days to make. The leather is hand-cut, hand-stitched, and soles are hand-nailed. That's a whole lotta love that goes into something that you put on your feet. But then again, it's always about the shoes, isn't it?