Fun in the Sun

I usually run on Saturday mornings and in the summer, the earlier the better. This weekend, my running partner and I agreed that 7AM would keep us from too much humidity and give us a better opportunity for a longer run. Chip lives around the corner from where I run, so he offered to make me breakfast afterwards and take me out on his boat. So, once I showered the grime and sweat of 7 miles off, we headed to Trader Joe's to buy the ingredients for some yummy omelets. Chip's culinary skills are quite impressive and tasty! Then we were off to the boat for fun in the sun. We didn't stay out too long, but it was a very relaxing time together. He bought me a few magazines the day before so I would have something to read while we were out and he showed off his nautical talent. He's pretty awesome! To say the least, I was pretty worn out since I'm use to a little nap post run on Saturdays but I hope to have more Saturday mornings like this for the summer. I loved it!

Amish Country, Ohio

One of my girlfriends tied the knot in Amish Country, Ohio. She is the first of the Bright Eyes to marry, so we all had to be there for this momentous occassion. I was a little unsure of what the middle of nowhere Ohio would have to offer. I was in for a real treat! Although it took Joanna and I what seemed like forever to arrive in Cleveland (the other one) and then drive to the middle of nowhere, we were not disappointed. Saturday morning while the bride and Maid of Honor were getting ready, Joanna and I decided to explore this little town. Guess what we found? CHEESE!

Laugh if you must, but to find a cheese showroom where all flavors of cheese are ready for tasting is heavenly. And taste we did! I probably tasted well over 20 different kinds of cheese identifying new favorites (yogurt cheese and farmer's cheese) and even some that I didn't care for (butter cheese). We had a blast!

Here are the ladies right before the wedding. What a joy to share this time with Nikki and to catch up with everyone. As a single woman, attending a wedding can create lots of thoughts in your own head about what you hope for your future. By the end of the weekend, I think the remaining 3 of us had everything worked out in our heads minus the groom. But why get caught up in the tiny details, right?

Here we are at the reception. We got a good kick out of this picture because neither Karin or I realized I was holding her hand for the picture. HAHA! It was pretty funny.

Congrats, Nikki! We wish you and Sky a happy future together.

The Fray

You may recall that my good buddy from college, Jeremy McCoy, is playing bass for The Fray. Well, they made a stop in Virginia Beach during their summer tour and we were able to meet up. Jeremy joined me for church on Sunday morning and then we caught up talking about everything from politics to the modern church. I have always respected Jeremy and his opinion, so it was great to discuss these topics that are so near to my heart and to hear his perspective. I gained alot of wisdom from that discussion about many things. Thanks, Jeremy!

I found it quite entertaining when we returned to the venue to drop him off and the "security guard" was so lenient on letting us back. All Jeremy told him was "I'm with the band." I thought, couldn't just about anybody use that line? Oh well...

Apparently, the band gets a certain number of tickets for each venue that they can give away to family and friends. Fortunately, they didn't need many for VA Beach, so Jeremy graciously provided some tickets and After Show passes. Chip and I met up with Meghan and her beau for the show. I tried to take lots of pictures of Jeremy but it took a while before I figured out how to make them look better.

After the show, the band hangs out with their friends and family for a bit. We went backstage and spent time with Jeremy. We also had an opportunity to meet a few folks with the band. Everyone was really nice and Jeremy seems happy to be doing what he's doing. I jokingly told him he did great, but who were those other guys on stage?!?! LOL I hope he's able to stay with this gig for awhile. They would be losing if they didn't let him.

A-T-L

Last weekend I traveled to Atlanta to spend time with some girlfriends from college and to celebrate Cybil's bundle of joy soon to arrive. I learned at arrival that the weekend would mostly involve eating and hanging out. Good thing we lauged alot or we could have gained some serious weight. Actually, I think I did pack on at least 5 pounds.

After a 2 hour delay, I was finally on my way to Atlanta. Whatup and Joel scooped me up and Brittany was waiting at their place. We stayed up way too late, as any visiting group of friends would. The next morning, we arrived at Kelly's house for brunch and coffee and started the chatter that would not end until our departures. Immediately following brunch, we headed to the shower luncheon. Yeah, I know. Our eating was pretty ridiculous but you only live once!

As you can see below, the gang all showed for the luncheon. Unfortunately, Brittany and Sarah both had family obligations that took them on their separate ways following our time together at the cafe.

After the luncheon, we all headed to Amberly's house to see her little girls and relax from all the food prior. Thankfully, Joanna lives down the street so Whatup and I were able to sneak a nap in before the evening festivities began. Additional folks arrived at Berly's place for a cookout that really was a cookin since the rains came. We sat around the table sharing stories of our college youth and laughing alot. Sure, some of the conversations got a little out of hand but that makes for good stories the next time we get together. Right? God bless Joel for sticking it out with a bunch of crazy women!

Afterwards, Whatup and I spent the night with Jo. Since breakfast was at her place the next morning, we stayed up a bit to cook so we had less to take care of the next day.

After stuffing ourselves and hearing the umpteenth labor and delivery story from the mothers, we headed to the pool to just relax. We were able to lay around in the sun and spend quality time as a group sharing life lessons and encouragement while also nurturing one on one relationships on the side.

Once everyone was showered and ready we met up at Flip Burger Boutique for the last meal as a group. This place was amazing! How ingenius it was to take the classic burger and fry joint and add creative variations in a modern atmosphere. I would bet this would be the love child of Ikea and Five Guys Burger and Fries.

I think all the girls would agree the greatest part of this dinner experience was the milkshakes. Below you will see my fantastic Nutella shake with burnt marshmallows. I don't know about you, but that combo is straight from heaven. They even had a Krispy Kreme milkshake and you guessed it, there is a doughnut inside. Mmmmmmm

Thank you, Ladies, for a wonderful time. I cherish the memories we have and look forward to the ones we will make in the future. Can't wait to meet up with you all again soon and laugh some more.

Olives, No Thank You

I consider myself a pretty serious foodie. I love food. I love cooking. I love eating. I hate olives. I was reading about the MUFA (monounsaturated fatty acid) quality of olives and decided to give them another shot. I mean, perhaps I could incorporate olives into my life. I decided to try tapenade. I hear about this olive spread on the food network and read about it in my various cookbooks and food mags. If Rachael Ray loves it, I will too, right? She's never let me down before. WRONG! I bought green olive tapenade today to give it a try. I mean, it's a win-win purchase at Trader Joe's since I can get a refund if I hate it. Well, it's official. I hate it. I just can't make myself like them. If you've got any ideas, I'd try it again. Is there a way to ease yourself into olives?

Red Light, Green Light

I witnessed the funniest thing this morning. Due to crazy weekend schedules, my running partner and I decided to hit the park at 6:30am as opposed to our usual 8 or 8:30 schedule. Being done so early, I couldn't do my usual Trader Joe's stop on the way home. I decided to head to Starbucks and have some breakfast. It was a bit chilly, so I opted for a hot cappuccino instead of my iced summer drink. (Can you smell the espresso? Mmmmm) I had bought a new book the night before and had it in the car, so I settled in at the store to read, eat, and drink. Then it was time to go home (and take a nap). Almost to my abode I remembered that I needed to stop at the bank. I figured they opened at 8am and it was almost 9. Once I pulled up, I realized that they were not open and there were cars sitting about 10-15 feet away from the drive-thru windows waiting on them to open. Then I noticed the red lights over the lanes and concluded they were closed but probably only for the next 3 minutes. And then, it happened. I was sitting behind one car and the lane to my immediate right had another car waiting the same distance from the window. When that red light above the lane turned green, I thought for a moment I was at a NASCAR race as the cars both pulled to the window with such great speed and determination to be the first customer on this Saturday morning. I just sat there laughing until I realized I needed to resume my position as 2nd in line. WOW!

That's What Friends Are For...

I had an interesting episode occur today. My father called me in a bit of a panic with the question "Do you know anyone mechanically inclined in the Atlanta area?" I thought that was an interesting question, so I asked what was going on. He informed me that on my parent's trip back to SC from his GA conference, the radiator hose on their car burst. I couldn't think of anyone in particular that was "mechanically inclined" but about 75% of my besties live there. I told him I would get on the horn and call him back. I did what I knew to do from my days as Sigma president - phone tree! So, I sent a mass text out to Joanna, Whatup, Sarah, Kelly, and Joel. Immediately, Sarah called to find out where they were and then she gave me Amberly's number. Everyone started texting me back trying to help out and Joel used his handy dandy iPhone to find the nearest mechanics in the area. It all happened so fast and all I could think about was my folks sitting on the side of the road in the ATL heat. I mean, come on people. Why do you think it's called "HOTlanta"?

I couldn't believe how responsive everyone was and so willing to help. It was so amazing! The second time I ended up talking to Berly, she wanted to chat about my visit South and then I realized, "I'm gonna see all of these great people in one week!" This afternoon I appreciated my ATL crew more than ever and I'm super amped about the girls weekend just around the corner.

It's funny how there are some relationships that you build that are solid and firm for life even though they aren't watered and fertilized often. I guess it's more like family...