Memories Made Flying Solo in NYC-Part 1

 

So have you ever wanted to go somewhere just to get away? To reflect, to soul search, to see something far from ordinary, to celebrate, or just to be on holiday? That was me these last couple of months as I planned my second adventure to one of my favorite cities to visit---New York City. On my last NYC Adventure with my sweet Mom, we had a blast, but I still came home with an unfinished list of things I felt I had to do!

Turning 28 just a week before I left, I had actually begun planning this back in June, getting my plane ticket, lodging reservations and US Open ticket. I had made yet another map, complete with all the places I'd been dreaming of going since my last trip.
I spent hours researching blogs, Instagrams, and websites to find all the places I thought I had to try. I knew I wouldn't get to them all, but I was going to darn well try!
So told my family and friends adios and boarded the plane on Thursday morning.

I talked to the sweetest woman sitting next to me on the 2 1/2 hour direct flight to LaGuardia. Her name was Lisa and she is an occupational therapist in the Birmingham area. She was headed to meet her friends in New York first for a quick lunch and then they were all flying to Spain to go backpacking through the country for 3 weeks! She had only a backpack with two pairs of clothes and the bare necessities for three weeks--carrying it on your back and staying in hostels, you want as little as possible. She even had a solar panel on her backpack to charge her cell phone! Very interesting!

A must re-read for me on this trip was a great memoir from a local friend, Elizabeth Mozley McGrady's "We Share the Same Sky," about her experience traveling alone in NYC. Great read and such inspiration and truth about life, not to mention all the different areas in the city she visited while on her trip.


Arriving at the airport, instead of taking the taxi (whiplash warning) into the city, I decided to instead go the cheaper way and boarded a shuttle bus going straight to Grand Central Terminal, two blocks from my hotel. On the crowded bus, I sat beside this adorable lady named Yvette, from Orlando. She was from Puerto Rico originally and had the prettiest accent and liveliest personality. We had a great conversation on the thirty minute ride into the city. She was meeting her husband for a short weekend trip and they were going salsa dancing. They used to live in Brooklyn, so she was familiar with the city. We exchanged business cards and she told me to call her if I wanted to go dancing with them! ha!

Two blocks from Grand Central Terminal I found where I'd lay my head for the next two nights, The Roosevelt Hotel. I had never stayed here before and I must say, it was great to get out of the noisy Times Square! The Roosevelt was built in 1924 and was alive and well during the Roaring Twenties! Many famous people have stayed here, as well as many movies filmed at this very hotel. Two of my favorites--"Maid in Manhattan" and "Man on a Ledge."





The rooms were on the small size, but it had everything I needed.

LUNCH TIME!














The Halal Guys are known for their flavorful street vendor halal food. The location I went to on 53rd St. and 6th Ave.is the original spot. There is always a line, and going during prime lunchtime didn't help, but I was determined and famished! It would have to be worth it!

The chicken and rice is the most popular dish and at $6 was by far one of the cheapest meals I had the whole trip!  It was a gorgeous day--high of 74--so I took my signature yellow bag and pound of grub three blocks north to Central Park and ate on a park bench, surrounded by the sounds of kids laughter and the soft sounds of the city.

I drizzled the white Greek sauce and carefully dripped some red hot sauce over the food. Oh my stars--it was intense! I like hot, but the red sauce took it way too far! I was able to pick around the affected areas. The yellow/orange rice was good, mixed with the lettuce and chicken and white sauce. MMM!

 I was done at this point. TOO MUCH FOOD!

Central Park Selfie...
#PlazaHotelBackgroundSelfie

My mouth was on fire so I knew I needed something sweet to put out the fire, ha! Inside The Plaza Hotel, a beloved spot of mine each trip, there is a Food Hall with every kind of food imaginable. Billy's Bakery is a spot I knew I had to try. I opted for the Banana Nutella Cupcake and Iced Chai Latte. Really good!

I needed the strength for the walk to Times Square to stand in line for the half price Broadway tkts.
You never know what you will see in Times Square...
Random wedding photographs in the Broadway Ticket seating area...

 

 I stood in line for an hour and scored a decent price and seat for "Pippin!" YAY!                   And I finally saw The Naked Cowboy after all my experiences in Times Square...BAM! There he was strumming away! Did you know he also marries people--in Times Square! Maybe the couple above had just been married by him in his tidey whities! The Naked Cowgirl and even the Grandma were there, too, but I chose not to waste my pictures on them! Sorry!

"There is more sophistication and less sense in New York than anywhere else on the globe." Elbert Hubbard




After being able to check in my hotel room at The Roosevelt, while tiny, it had everything I needed in square foot, I changed and darted out for the 30 minute trek to the Roosevelt Island tram.

 

Going across the Queensboro Bridge...see the cars below!

This tram takes you high above the cars passing on the Queensboro Bridge in about 3 minutes and drops you off at the Roosevelt Island tram station, all for the swipe of your Metro (subway) card = $2.50 per trip. I saw this last time my mom and I were leaving the city going home and made a mental note to do that next time! The Island is small, only covering about two miles in length, complete with apartment buildings, a park, lighthouse, memorial to Franklin D. Roosevelt, and even the remains an old Smallpox Hospital, built in 1856.

 

I came to experience the tram ride across the bridge, look at the historic hospital, and mostly for the gorgeous views of the city, which in the late afternoon are kind of shadowy. Sorry!

"One belongs to New York instantly, one belongs to it as much as in five minutes as in five years." Tom Wolfe

 

I hurried back across on the tram, which runs every 7 minutes or so, and found the closest subway to get to Bryant Park. I had a yoga class to get to!

But I got distracted by a street flower market--appropriately named: Sunshine Flowers, featuring my favorite: sunflowers!

I knew I was heading in the right direction when I began to see both men and women of all ages carrying yoga mats. I had registered online to do this through Flavorpill and it was free, which is always good in one of the most $$$ cities in America!

They provide the mats on the grounds and I found my spot. It was an hour long class, led by a fantastic instructor on a microphone and several helpers demonstrating up front. It seemed like there were at least 500-1,000 people stretching and downward facing dogging with me in the very heart of Manhattan, and several hundred more watching. Despite all the noise and chaos around, it actually was one of the most serene and in touch with nature classes I've ever attended. It soothed my tired muscles from walking and traveling and helped me to relax and really be in the moment and focus on being thankful for my body and grateful for life.




Post Yoga Selfie...(#ForcedToTakeSelfiesOnASoloTrip #DontHate)


 After it was over, I had a few minutes to go change and walk into Times Square again, in time for the 8:00 show of "Pippin" at the Music Box Theatre.

"Pippin" is an incredible high energy show, combining acrobatics, comedy, drama, and more. Pippin is a young man on the verge of being king but does not fully know who he is or what he is good at. The circus style characters in the show attempt to show him who they think he should be and in the end, though, he finds out exactly what makes him happy, and it's a surprise! Great show!!!


After the show, I headed a few blocks west to Hell's Kitchen to 5 Napkin Burger, a restaurant I had researched and was hungry for three things:

1. Wasabi Devilled Eggs
 
A twist on the southern favorite! They had just enough bite to make them irresistible.

2. The Classic Burger

Brioche bun, gouda cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, special sauce, and an amazingly crafted hamburger. Did I mention the sesame brioche bun? And sweet potato fries. Perfect...







3)S'Mores Milkshake: Let me set the scene: bits of marshmallows, graham cracker crumbs, and cocoa powder. The toasted marshmallow on top--devoured in 5 seconds at this 5 napkin burger joint!

Getting back to the hotel around 12:30, full and coming off a sugar high,  I crawled into bed and rested for the day ahead!




Friday morning, I set out around 8:30 and grabbed a healthy breakfast of Champions at Grand Central Terminal--

Banana Pudding from Magnolia Bakery. I'm sure it's what all the dedicated tennis players have, too, right?
The train ride to Flushing Meadows was exactly an hour, and it being such a busy and crowded time to go--since everyone was going to the Open, it was standing room only.

 We saw the sights of Queens proper from the train.

And then finally, we had arrived on the last stop of the subway train...Flushing Meadows!

After going through security at the south gate, I decided to purchase some souvenirs to bring back--a t-shirt, a ball cap to protect my head from the sun for the day and I love collecting ball caps--it had to pink, and some tennis balls, a program, and a bottle of water, I was all set to watch the all day tennis event at the historic Louis Armstrong Stadium.

The first match was between # 28 Roberta Vinci and Peng Shuai. There was hardly anyone there when I took my seat, at exactly 11:00 AM, when it began. It was a great match and Shuai ended up defeated her ranked opponent.













Then came #7 seed Grigor Dimitrov against Dudi Sela. It was an easy match and I loved watching Dimitov in action! Did you know he is dating tennis star Maria Sharapova? Cute couple!


















It was an easy win for Dimitrov.

It was time for lunch--lobster and shrimp salad--$20! They even had a Chick-fil-A!

 

Then Lucie Safarova, ranked 14, against Alize Cornet, ranked 22.

Safarova defeated Cornet, but has since been eliminated in the Open.

And finally, what we had all been waiting for: Venus and Serena Williams vs. Kalashnikova and Savchuk.

Venus had lost her spot in the Open just hours before, but she played with a lot of strength and teamwork with Serena.

 

It was a quick and easy win for the sisters and awesome to see them play together.

Goodbye Flushing Meadows! See you again someday for some more quality tennis action!

The ride back to the city took another hour and once I arrived to the hotel it was about 9:30. I was not ready to go to sleep and decided since it was my last night at the hotel, I owed it to myself to check out the rooftop bar, Mad 46, which is one of the features that attracted me to this hotel. So I changed quickly and rode the elevator up to the exclusive bar.

The "bouncer" had informed me on the ride up that the bartender was from Alabama, told me his name is Tristan and he makes a mean mojito. That's all I needed to know.

I rode the elevator up with a guy from Canada and we decided to grab a drink together and talk. It was quiet up on the rooftop, with smaller, more intimate groups and conversations. I glanced around, ordered my drink and the bartender asked me if I was from South Carolina. I laughed and said that in fact it was Alabama. He said he was from Alabama, too. What are the odds?As he made my drink, I learned that he grew up in Ozark and moved to south Florida during college, and was neither an Alabama or an Auburn fan, ha!

The guy from Canada named Kyle, was also flying solo and it was his first trip to Manhattan. He is a real estate agent in the Alberta area. I told him some great sites to check out in the city, we talked about how small the rooms were here in the hotel, ha, and about traveling in general.
As we rode the elevator back down, we parted ways and wished each other a great rest of the trip.

I was exhausted from a full day of tennis but it was a great way to end the last night at The Roosevelt!

Plenty of adventures still left for Saturday & Sunday, as this birthday trip was far from over...



"Something's always happening here. If you're bored in New York, it's your own fault." Myrna Loy

It's a Birthday Blog!

Since it's been over a month since I last blogged, I decided what better time to redeem myself than on my 28th birthday. Holla!
And it's been a memorable day, I must say!

My mom made me breakfast and my parents and I had a quick celebration this morning, complete with my mom telling me my birth story again. I was born almost a month early and weighed just over 5 lbs and ended up dropping just under 5 lbs a few days later. The preemie diapers were too small and apparently I was carried around on a pillow because I was so small, such royalty for a King!

My coworkers took me out to lunch at one of my favorite spots-Cafe 336 (Bakers on Main) downtown Guntersville. I received some beautiful gifts--cross bracelet, picture frame, earrings, gift card to Baker's, and gorgeous flowers from friends, as well as numerous phone calls, texts, hugs, and wishes on social media, all of which I love and has truly made my day! I am one very blessed girl!

 

My friend Lauren Cothran challenged me to the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge last night---so on my birthday--I did this:

It was incredibly cold, but you endure because you're another year older, stronger, and ready to take on whatever life brings you--including social media viral challenges for a good cause--yes, I will donate to ALS! :) 

I'm excited about this age and have some goals and adventures planned coming up. All in God's plan of course. I saw this story trending on the internet and it made me smile! Fist bump to all of us "choose-to-be-singles right now!
#TBT Birthday Edition:

 

 This was my 20th Birthday with my sweet Maw-Maw!

Lots of stuff has been going on this summer...

My coworker and sweet friend Beth got hitched at the Lake Guntersville State Park!!! She is a beautiful bride! Look at that watermelon!

Selfies with this cute boy! I heard you can "take selfies until you have kids." Simba's not my kid, so I'm good...right? Selfies are so controversial. Either you love em or you hate em. I like to think Simba is a fan.












The first part of August, I went back to college--for a week! I received a scholarship from Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association to go to Southeastern Tourism Society's Marketing College, held once a year on the campus of North Georgia University, a military college in Dahlonega, Georgia. It is a three year program to earn your CMP degree (Certified Marketing Degree).

Check out my dorm room!

On the first night, we went to Wolf Mountain Vineyards on opening night--beautiful view from after the rain. My "freshmen" class had about 100 classmates from all over the Southeast.

 Here's some of my sweet friends I made--Kellen, Ally, Morgan, and Cecelia!

 We had class from 8-5 each day, and covered all kinds of tourism marketing tools and trends.
 Here's the view I had each day walking from the dorm to campus. So pretty!


And here's the view at night, when I would attempt to walk/run off all the yummy foods they fed us during the day. We had a cupcake bar one day during break, among other tasty foods, and I was determined NOT to gain the freshman 15 in one week's time!
I was in good company on the evening runs,though, as the military students would be running all over campus reciting their drills in unison.

The best part was there was no homework or tests and I had a lot of great ideas to implement on my job once I got back home. It was so fun to explore Dahlonega and it's "rich" history, meet new friends, and I'm looking forward to doing it all again next year!

 

 On August 9, Mom and I worked the Main Street Music Festival gate--in the rain, but we had a fun time, counting clicks as people walked in. Did you know they totaled around 28,000 people for the two day FREE music festival!?! How awesome! Great job Albertville!

 

 I loved hearing one of my favorite 90's bands, The Gin Blossoms! They rocked hits like "Hey Jealousy," "Found Out About You," and "Found Out About You," and "Alison Road." 

God painted such a beautiful sky last night as I was on my evening walk at home.

Living Out the Plans:

So, God has really been teaching me lately. Things like how much I need to die to myself daily and put myself last. How often do we take "selfies" of our heart? It would surely be a scary selfie sometimes. As I turn another year older, I can't help but realize how little this life is really about me. The world tells us thousands of times each day how to make life about us and that it's really rewarding, but I disagree. When we turn away from ourselves and focus on our Savior, only then do we see life's big picture, that we are meant for more, glorifying the Father and living out love in this broken world. I'm not perfect and I'm thankful for Christ's forgiveness and my salvation is my greatest gift I've received. I don't want to take life for granted because who is really guaranteed tomorrow? Instead, I want to make the most of each day and focus on what I have now and how the Lord wants to use me for His purpose.

 "I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith." Phil. 3:8-10

 

Thanks for reading y'all! Peace out on my first day of being 28th!

It's been a wild wet day but I've enjoyed every minute of it!

Constant Cravings Confessions...has always been..the 3 C's

So I know it's supposed to be summer but I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that July is NEXT week--which means a 3 day weekend! Whoo hoo!
If you and I were to sit down with a cup of coffee, (reference for later), I would tell you this on what's new with me as we sip:
I am:
1) sometimes cheap, sip the non-Starbucks coffee, see: Starbucks Raising Prices Story
2) (hence) still living at home, sip
3) known as Boomerangers since we are cohabitating (again) with our baby boomer parentals, sip
4) working on some kind of tan (side note: I helped with some junior interviews this spring at the schools and no joke, the question was casually asked "What are your summer plans?" and the response was "work on my tan and that's about it." What can I say except in the real world, that does not exist, but wow, what a response. I also wanted to scream "Open a book, volunteer, DO something besides subject your skin to the sun all summer long or at least say you will to your board of working adults who are holding your ticket to get in this important program!" but I resisted.  Life lessons. Some we have to learn the hard way. I'll drink to that and shake my head.
5) missing the beach and these photos on Instagram and Facebook aren't making it any better, sip
6) regretting the bright idea to "splurge" on a 10' blow up pool like I remembered so fondly from my tween years staying at home by myself and wasting away the summer with a Kool-Aid or Capri Sun in hand and boom box blowing out the speakers with random CDs like LFO and Vitamin C, not knowing how good I had it, sip
7) still laughing about it saying in LARGE print on the side "NO DIVING IN POOL." Who doesn't like to risk diving in shallow water? Then watched as the pool filled with leaves, ants and other creepy crawlers within seconds, sadly, sip
8) BUT wait, there's more--then we discover there's no drain plug on this supposed "new and improved" inflatable pool which means, ladies and gentleman of the 21st century, that one must either hire Paul Bunyan to come to your house and lift the blow up pool, sitting in not even a foot of water to empty it OR if Paul's not available, you must then get a gallon bucket and scoop all the creepy crawler water out, gallon by gallon--warning: may cause back injury if done more than 5 times. So yeah, that was loads of fun as it suddenly turned dark and stormy and I just knew I'd be the girl struck my lightening emptying her overpriced Wal-Mart special pool, double sip.
9) Returned deflated blow up pool Wallyworld, along with my deflated hopes and dreams of achieving any summer color, just kidding, but kind of not. Sip.
10) Will have to resort to bumming off people with a real pool for my tanning days or get a plastic baby pool that's just big enough for my legs. Off my soapbox, and the cup is empty anyway.

So I'm headed to Atlanta this weekend with my mom and mawmaw to visit my aunt and uncle. They are fabulous. I have good memories of visiting them during the summer and them spoiling me and taking me to all the best places in the city, which usually involved my choice of Six Flags, movies, zoo, Coca Cola Museum, a ride on the Marta for culture, Disney Store, bookstores, toy stores, and malls. Now it's more like "Let's go to Ikea or a walk around the neighborhood and go to church"...my how priorities change.

Confession 1): I didn't cry during "The Fault in Our Stars." Yes, I have a heart and for some reason, maybe it was because after reading the book, I knew what was coming, but honestly, it just didn't do it for me. If there had been a dog involved...that'd be a totes different ballgame.

Confession 2): I have watched 0.0000000% of the World Cup games. I'm at peace with this and enjoy getting updates on our winning/losing from my twitter followers. While I'm 100% American, I understand very little of soccer. I'm so glad it could unite Americans for weeks of intense soccer playing watching and cheering but I'm still confused by the sport. How can there be a tie and it be ok?? It's ok because I'm sure if I have any children (another reference for later), they will probably play soccer and I'll immerse myself in it then.
Until that point, I'll happily settle for watching Wimbledon, which is also going on.





My sister and I said that when we come back to London, we will stay in Wimbledon, probably not Centre Court mind you, but the city itself is the perfect balance of trendy, quaint, and urban without so much hustle and bustle like so much of London is. Although we probably won't get to see Roger Federer and Venus and Serena again.





Confession 3) And while we are on confessions, 3 things I'm currently obsessed with:
* COFFEE--in the hot or iced version with lots of cream and Splenda
* Chocolate--in the form of chocolate chips
* Cherries--in their original cute form, frozen, fresh, dried, flavored, i.e.-I don't care
(not always in that order and not always together, but I do think it'd be a winning trio.

Soooo thanks to Pinterest for allowing you to fulfill all your needs, habits, hobbies, addictions, and cravings with a search box and hundreds of choices, I made these:

 Say hello, Chocolate Chip & Cherry Bars.

 They aren't very shy.

Can you see the berries peaking out? Make these...like yesterday. 

 

 

They are seriously so easy and soooo good! I used frozen berries and cherries. Next time I might add some quick oats for more texture but they are divine just the way they are. And topped with some Limited Edition Edy's Summer in the City Cheesecake ice cream. And it's pretty much my favorite ever so I guess it's a good thing it's only available for two more months...

And I have had coffee every morning for the past week or so, which signals to me that I am officially an adult, as if there was any question before. WHHHAAAAHH. But like one of my sweet blogger friends so eloquently tweeted recently: "Anyone else get excited that it's almost bed time because that means you can wake up and have coffee soon?"
I feel ya, 110% arabica beans, Rihanna.








                                                          And another great tweet:
                                                "The only World Cup I care about:"

So I'm learning to deal with these cravings. And lastly on cravings--why oh why must we as women have dreams where we are pregnant? I've never been so relieved to wake up! Maybe it was the combination of baby showers recently I've been to, nursery duty at church Sunday, or people I know that are having/had babies recently. In my recent dream, I didn't feel I had anything really inside me until someone pointed it out in my dream and I caught a glimpse in the mirror and boom, baby boom!
Do men have dreams/nightmares they are ever pregnant I wonder? They would probably never admit to it. It is a truly awesome thing and a blessing from God that I look forward to one day, but for a single twenty something year old--it scares the living dirty diapers out of me!
And so I had to get to the bottom of this--I had to know what was really going on in my body to make me have these dreams every now and then. If you or someone you know has these dreams, too, forward them this story:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/13/dreams-about-being-pregnant_n_891547.html
Research found in a Huffington Post article which may or may not be so accurate, but still, it reassured me that it was more my creative side and something new on the horizon, not baby related. Ahhh....deep breathing now...

On a side note, Happy Anniversary to my wonderful parents on 39 years!!! My parents met when they were both at Snead State. They dated six months and knew they were a match!











I am so blessed to be their daughter. My dad is the hardest worker I know and my mom is the sweetest person I know. They have taught me so much and I am so thankful for them supporting and loving me unconditionally.

They are a sweet pair and I wish them 39 more years!

And Happy 9th Anniversary to my sister and bro-in-law, Lauren and Drew--wish you many many many more years of happiness! They met at UA, both working for the Crimson & White campus newspaper. They have the cutest little mut, Dalton.









                              

I adore this...from bird seed to rose petals, 30 years between the two weddings and almost exact expressions! So sweet!

Living Out the Plans
Let's go back to cravings. I titled this blog "Constant Cravings Confessions, etc." from that 90's hit with the same title. Do y'all remember it? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXqPjx94YMg
Anyway, cravings...What do they signal? Something you are not getting that you want/need. How much more so than anything like a certain food, drink, hobby, person or thing, should we crave to be in the Lord's presence. Every single day. Not just on Sundays as we worship Him, but through the week in our daily quiet time, small group studies with other believers, or alone out in nature. God is always with us, so how much more so should we crave that intimate time spent with Him, in prayer, worship, and in His Word. The incredibly awesome thing about it, is that the more time we spend with Him, we grow in the depth of our love for Him and crave more and more time spent with Him, which there is no better place to be. I want to crave The Lord more and more each day.
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled." Matthew 5:6
"God is the most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him."John Piper


I LOVE hearing from YOU so if you have any recipes/advice/suggestions on any of the above topics, and rantings, comment below. I need, or shall I say, CRAVE interaction on this blog. Just please and thank you. Even a hello. Bye. Sip. Sip.

 

Home Buying 101, Book Signing, Baby Shower, Dog Diagnosis, and Other Lessons in Life

New York is still just a blur. It feels like it was yesterday and yet it was three weeks ago. A part of me will always feel I belong there. I honestly don't think I could ever live there though. Rent would eat up my entire paycheck, but it's always nice to visit!
Here's my list of things to do when I do go back:
1. The Highline
2. More Central Park exploring
3. Century 21 for retail therapy
4. Silvercup Studio Tour
5. Levain Bakery
6. Sky lift to Roosevelt Island
7. Billy's Bakery
8. Cafe Lalo from "You've Got Mail"
9.
10.
(TAKING ANY AND ALL IDEAS FOR 9-10, PLEASE! THANKS)

I would like to think I'll decide on a whim to hop a plane and go just myself. Would it be just as magical if you were by yourself? I don't know. I'm positive I would enjoy a beach trip by myself but you kind of want someone with you for big city trips.

For now I'll happily settle for evenings walking on my family's land seeing sunset after sunset just like this...surrounded by lightening bugs and gazing up at the stars at night. I love being in the country.

You can't take this for granted, y'all.

Did you know that "Napoleon Dynamite" celebrated it's 10th anniversary this year?! That makes me feel old. I remember being in high school and rushing over to my friend Caitlin's house after church one night to watch it on DVD--a big deal, and getting my first speeding ticket, another big deal. That was traumatic.

I still blame it on getting caught up in Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway" song. You try belting out one of her power ballads and not go over the speed limit. Ugh! Tickets...back to Napoleon!

I have so many beloved quotes from that movie.



Napoleon: "I like your sleeves. They're real big." Deb: "Thanks. I made them myself."

"I want that!"

 

Tina, Pedro, Uncle Rico, tots, Kip, the infamous dance scene at the end...I could go on and on. What are your favorite quotes? I think people either love or hate that movie. For me, it's right up there with "Dumb and Dumber" for a hilarious movie that I can watch again and again.

 

Last week, our Young Professionals group hosted a "Lunch & Learn" networking luncheon at Hospice of Marshall County. Thomas Moore from First Bank Mortgage gave us all some great tips about home buying/selling/renting. It was very educational to know about how to get approved for loans, what levels you should look for when buying, etc. These luncheons are coined to "teach us everything we need to know as an adult but they didn't teach us in school."

 

I had an early meeting in Tuscaloosa last Friday so my mom and I drove down on Thursday and shopped, ate, and walked around campus. I'm always amazed at the changes, new buildings and apartments, etc. that have came in the five years since I've been there. It was a beautiful and surprisingly cool moonlit night for a walk around the Quad. Ahhh...memories.

 

Friday, after my meeting, we met my sister for lunch in Homewood and then went to meet one of our favorite authors, Emily Giffin. She has written seven books and you might remember her first book, "Something Borrowed" was made into a movie. I forgot how many times Shake Shack was featured in all it's gloriousness in that film. It has to be a record. Anyway, for all you fans of the movie, the sequel "Something Blue" is coming out next year, set in my other favorite city, London. Whoop! Anyway, Emily was in Homewood for a book signing at the cutest little bookstore, The Alabama Booksmith. 

Every book in there has been signed by the author and so many famous authors and personalities have done signings there over the years. Check it out if you are in the area and a bookworm like me.   Emily was really nice and down to earth. She talked informally to the forty or so groupie gals who had gathered inside the little bookstore.

She answered questions and then took photos with us and signed copies of her new book, "The One and Only." I haven't read it yet but it's set in Texas and revolves around college and football. She asked me and Lauren if we talked on the phone everyday. Does texting count? I told her we travel together and like to swap books, haha. I told her she writes in a very thought provoking way. If you haven't read her other books, put some of them on your summer reading list. They really do make you think what you would do in certain situations in life.

 

Hard to top getting to meet one of your favorite authors, but we headed to a bakery Lauren had been raving about called Dream Cakes. They were voted the #1 bakery in Alabama and I instantly fell in love with this Curious George banana peanut butter cupcake! A sweet ending to an already great day.

On Saturday, my good friend and former college roomie, Malarie, had a baby shower. It was outdoors, hosted by one of her and Shannon's good friends, Monica Dooley, who is a professional photographer. Look at the half moon prop behind us. And a lemonade stand for drinks and cake, a quilt covered table, and a house full of props to browse through. So fun! Malarie is just glowing, along with Kelli and Ashley who are also expecting.
So good seeing Cara, Lori, Shelley, Delaney, and all other ladies as we celebrate Mr. James David Allen's arrival next month!

This week, we found out my 11 year old pug, Cuddles, has an enlarged heart and a collapsed trachea. She had been coughing for a few weeks and medicine wouldn't cure it. The enlarged heart and collapsed trachea are both manageable with medication thankfully, but it still makes me feel so bad for her. There is really nothing we could have done to prevent it, but I still hate seeing my baby girl have to take medication everyday for the rest of her life, but hopefully that will be many more years.
The bad news: no exercise or heat exposure. Um...problem #1: She LIVES to eat and problem #2: We live in Alabama. We love to get her out to walk but it looks like that will do more damage to her health, so I guess she'll just be on doggie Weight Watchers now and limit her time outside, especially in the summer!

It's incredibly hot for June. I've had flashbacks to January and February when we have snow for days.
I went walking on my lunch hour one day this week because I wanted to workout--but all I had was tennis shoes in my car. Sooo if you passed by the trail by the lake and saw a girl with a bright turquoise dress and socks and tennis shoes huffing and puffing, that was me. I honestly didn't care what I looked like. I wanted exercise but in 90 degree heat, it's probably not the best thing to do unless you have the rest of the afternoon to crash. Heat exhaustion. Bleh.

All I can think of now is going to the beach! Ahhh...the sand and waves are calling to me.

Has anyone besides me noticed the random lists put on any social media nowadays--especially sites like Buzz Feed, Twitter, Thought Catalog, etc. They are so addicting. What did we ever do without these lists telling us things like: 59 Things You'll Only Understand If You Were a Teen in the Early 2000s, 28 Problems You Have Now But Didn't Have 10 Years Ago, How We've Been Cutting Cake Wrong Our Whole Lives, 20 Things You're Taking For Granted Without Even Realizing It, and 27 Things You Won't Regret When You're Older.
I could spend hours reading these and yelling "AMEN!"and "Aww" at my screen. What has been your favorite list you've read???


Living Out the Plans
I have been thinking that age 27, while not always a good age for celebs, as it's seen as an omen for untimely death, is actually an age I've come to like. I feel like I'm finally settling into my own skin and not afraid to just simply be me. I know what I want in life, and really see more of the big picture now. Most of my 20's have been about trying to discover what I want, who I want to be, where I'm going, etc. While my style, preferences in relationships, and tastes continue to evolve, I feel established, happy and content. I am trying to live without regrets and so over the past few years, I've tried to be more outgoing and take more risks. That's what your 20's are for, right? Nothing that would damage or pose a threat or get your a speeding ticket, but more personal risks that get your out of your comfort zone, grow a little deeper and try new things. I have made a list of things I want to do while I'm in my 20's/Early 30's and will try to work a little harder each and every day to see those goals/wishes come true. Yesterday, I was driving home thinking about these deep life things--a rare thing indeed, and jotted down my thoughts on life's journey we are all on:
We shouldn't fear the journey. The lessons we learn from the challenges we face along the way strengthen us and allow us to face each day stronger than the day before, with more love, peace, hope and joy than we thought possible.
Let's not have regrets. Let's not forget to tell the people closest to us how much they mean to us. Let's not be glued to our phones and miss out on the beauty right in front of us. Let's not back down for what we know is the right thing. Let's live in the now, not yesterday or even tomorrow, but simply be in the present.