Double, double weekend trouble!

Never a dull moment when I reunite with my favorite Egyptian princess!

Stephsie made her first visit to ATL (since I've been here), and we had a blast  exploring another one of the South's capital cities, although our hearts will always be in THE capital city!

First, we made our way to Atkins Park in Virginia Highlands for a quick dinner. We even allowed Mr. Dove to join us because we needed a chaffeur!

Saturday was absolutely gorgeous, so naturally, I took Steph to Decatur for lunch and shopping! We sipped on Ayinger at Mac McGee's and snacked on fingerling potatoes, pork belly sandwiches, and for dessert, creme brulee.

          

When we made it out of our lunchtime food coma, we headed back to the balcony at my apartment. We jokingly referred to the porch as the 'lanai' all weekend, as we channeled our inner Golden Girls. :) Unfortunately, I didn't have any cheesecake in the fridge, but I did have some champagne!

Dinner was at Basil's--a Mediterranean restaurant we discovered during Buckhead's restaurant week last month.

Whitney, Steph & I loved the patio setting and delicious tapas!

Mushroom flat bread with cremini & shitake mushrooms, parmesan & manchego cheese and truffle oil. YUM!

Mussels for Stephsie!

After dinner celebrations picked up at Ormsby's, a bar that poses as an arcade! Think Chuck E. Cheese meets family game night meets pub....basically all my favorite things!

We played a few rounds of Apples to Apples before Chaffeur Dove drove us home while we enjoyed the beautiful Atlanta skyline.

 

I've been noticing that my "fun" weekends come in twos! The past pair of weekends were a great example! First a visit from Steph, and then a birthday celebration with Elise and Lindsey--pledge sisters, turned fellow Atlantans!

We started the weekend off right, constructing and packing a homemade cooler and poppin' bottles.

Friday evening was spent in downtown Tybee Island, GA at Rock House. If you've never been downtown Tybee after dark, you're in for a real treat and some great people watching!

We enjoyed the bands, the drinks, the dancing and even a magic trick!

Although we had a blast in Tybee on Friday, we decided to class it up a little more on Saturday evening!

Pics by the Savannah River and a delicious dinner at Chart House were the perfect way to celebrate Elise's 23rd birthday!

          

I swear, she doesn't look a day over 22!

Sunday, after a quick trip down to the beach to put our "toes in the water, a** in the sand," we headed to J. Christopher's for a post-birthday brunch.

        

With a few hangovers, some minor injuries and a plethora of hilarious memories in toe, we boarded the "shoebox" (AKA Elise's Honda Fit) and hopped on the highway.

Since moving to Atlanta, I've attended beer festivals, visited the aquarium, cheered on the Braves, mastered my GPS and successfully mananged to eat my way through every area of the city.

But Tuesday I took part in the ultimate Atlanta experience--dinner at The Varsity.

I went with a classic double bacon cheeseburger and fries. Taylor had two chili cheese dogs with onion rings. 

        

(Yes we worked out and then went to The Varsity. Better than NOT working out and going to The Varsity, right?!) 

We capped off the meal with a few scoops of birthday cake and pecan praline icecream....and a couple Tums! :)

Up next on the agenda:

Buckhead Wine Festival. Look out winos, I'm coming for ya, with my VIP ticket in hand!

Cup, Baseball, Prom...must be spring!

I consider myself pretty lucky! Recently, I spent two weekends in a row traveling to (in my opinion) the greatest state in the U.S.

With a perfect weekend in Charleston behind me, I hit I-20 once again to embark on my 4^th Carolina Cup.

First stop, Thirsty Fellow, to visit my favorite weatherman, Garrett, He promised to give us good weather for Cup, and as always, he delivered!

 

Just a few blocks away from the restaurant, we entered the gates of Carolina Stadium to watch the two-time national champions devour A&M. Go Gamecocks!

 

 

The main event for the weekend, however, was not Cola-- It was the ever-famous, ever-entertaining, Carolina Cup in Camden, SC.

 

Armed and ready, a great group of Carolinians (both North & South), headed to Springdale Race Course. We had everything we needed for a perfect day at the races:

Mint juleps

 

 

Good beer

 

Moonshine

Cornhole

 

Fabulous outfits

 

And...our ID's-- although, I'm the only one who actually needed it! :( (yes, I got carded at Cup!)

Because we were staying at Taylor's house on Lake Wateree, our tradition of racing to Monterrey's in the Vista was broken, but we had plenty of enchiladas ready to toss in the oven, and after dinner, some of us even enjoyed a chilly dip in the lake. I promise the mint juleps had NO impact on that decision at all!!

 

 

After such a fabulous weekend, it is always hard to return to work on Monday. Good thing I had a halfday and the Braves home opener to look forward to! This was my first "adult" Braves game, and I thoroughly enjoyed the festivities. Shout out to my new fave, Justin Upton--I know you've been hitting those home runs for me and my #8 jersey! ;)

 

 

 

Reliving my youth is a favorite pasttime lately, and I really hit the jackpot when Taylor asked me to prom!!!!! Ha :)

It was his law school "prom," AKA the Barrister's Ball, and boy, have I come a LONG way from the streamer-lined "old gym" at Clinton High School.

Pre-prom dinner was at Escorpion in Midtown. I stayed safe and went with Sangria and enchiladas. Taylor, as usual, was a little more brave-- lengua (beef tongue) tacos. I tried it, and I have to say, it tastes just like beef...but the texture is less than desirable!

 

 

 

 

The event was held at the Biltmore Hotel-- again, a far cry from the gym at my high school, which I'm pretty sure was constructed in the 50's!

 

A few highlights of the night: the brie platter, people watching (a girl wore a floor-length gingham dress...) and of course, the open bar!

 

Now, I've checked back in to my 22-year-old "adult" life and resumed my weekly schedule. Only thing getting me through this week is the blast from my past coming to town very soon. Can't wait to have my Stephsie in ATL!

Thanks for reading, y'all!

 

I get by with a little help from my friends!

It’s hard to appreciate how great your friends are until you spend an entire weekend reuniting! A couple weeks back I had the privilege of sharing a few days with some old friends and some OLD OLD friends!

A wedding for a pledge sister brought me and Taylor down to Charleston, and boy was I glad to be in South Carolina!

 

Our first stop was Five Loaves Café in Mt. Pleasant. We discovered this place from a quick Google search, and I think we made a great choice! To start, we toasted to the beginning of a reunion weekend. I had a Westbrook White Thai, and Taylor tried something new—Green Flash West Coast IPA, which he said tasted like grass.

 

For lunch, we both went with soup & sandwich combos. Chicken salad and broccoli cheddar and potato soup for me; salmon salad (yuck) with tomato soup for Mr. Dove. I highly recommend this lunch spot-- lots of gluten free and vegetarian options!

 

With our tummy’s full, we checked into our hotel and started getting ready for the big event. Well, I started getting ready…Taylor went across the street to TJ Maxx to buy a tie because he conveniently forgot to pack one…for a wedding weekend….

The ceremony was, of course, beautiful. As the first of what will be tons of weddings from our pledge class, there were many tears shed, but all eyes were dry for the fabulous reception!

 

The atmosphere (Boone Hall Plantation—aka Allie’s summer home in ‘The Notebook’) was absolutely gorgeous, and the service wasn’t bad either. I can’t complain when I’m greeted at the door with a cocktail. Who can resist a little sweet tea--the house wine of the South, as they say in 'Steel Magnolias.'

 

Lauren and Jay did a wonderful job picking out the menu. Shrimp and grits, mac and cheese bites and my favorite, a cupcake bar!

 

 

 

A highlight from the reception was the singing of "Shades," a Chi Omega tune that is performed by all Chi O’s at a sister’s reception. It was my first time participating in this tradition, and I cannot wait to do it at many more weddings!

The best part of the event was reuniting with some of my best friends. I don’t think I’ve laughed that much in months! I’m very grateful to the newlyweds for bringing us all back together! If only we could figure out a way to go back to college!

 

 

Congratulations, Lauren & Jay!

 

Because we’d made the long trek to Charleston from ATL, we figured we'd make a weekend of it. Saturday, I decided we’d have brunch at the restaurant where my high school BFF works. Blind Tiger Pub was the perfect place to nurse our hangovers, and Amanda was a fabulous host to our VERY large group.

She even served us our post-wedding mimosas and bloody marys in the rain!

 

After lunch, I said goodbye to my college BFF’s and headed to take a quick nap before our delicious dinner at Virginia’s on King.

 

Again, Taylor did a Google search and stumbled upon this insanely delicious eatery. I’m embarrassed to say this, but I polished off this country fried steak, mac and cheese and green beans with ease. Guess I brought my big girl appetite to Charleston!

 

A couple hundred (thousand) calories later, we headed to Social Wine Bar to meet up with some of my high school friends. A couple mojitos and some much-needed catching up was a great way to spend my Saturday night!

 

We even snuck in some shots at Mac's Place (thanks Taylor Cook, and sorry I don’t have any pics with you and Virg!!) and of course, Emy and Amanda kept us entertained.

                                     

 

I am so blessed to have such amazing friends, both from high school and college! Some times I forget just how lucky I am.

As cheesy as it sounds, that Girl Scout tune “Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other’s gold,” couldn’t be more true.

Thank goodness for weekends that remind me of some of my favorite friendships, and hallelujah for the weekend’s cure—Waffle House coffee and an All-Star Special! Mmm Mmm Mmm

 

PS—keep an eye out soon for a recap from my first post-grad Carolina Cup!