Belay! Belay On!

I'm really surprised I have never gone rock climbing back at Ramsey after having adventuring out to Atlanta Rocks this weekend! It's so much fun getting to challenge your mental strength and physical endurance to get to the top. We had Maggie, our certified climber, help guide us with move strategies and for belaying our butts!


After learning "the ropes" we got checked by Mr. Shady Instructor Greg that we could tie the correct knots and belay others to be able to climb the wall.

Here's a nice action shot of Matt attempting his way to the top! There were so many ways to maneuver up the wall, but only so many routes to get there by using the right nubs. Stay away from the brain nubs!


My favorite part, but Leslie's absolute worst, was coming down from the crazy tall heights. Make sure you trust your belayer before flying back down the wall! Commitment issues? What??

After much fun and laughs, I know I will definitely be back for more...as soon as my wrists and arms stop quivering from our initial rock climbing session! Climbing! Climb on!

4th & Swift Birthday

For Leslie's birthday this year we tried a new place for an urban, yet intimate dinner, 4th and Swift. The loft-style atmosphere of this restaurant evokes a contemporary flavor, as their menu brings the freshest local ingredients to the table.

We all were excited to try a new spin on the entrees that have been known to be American staple comfort foods, like Fried Pickles and Truffle Devil Eggs. Not only did we have a cozy space to celebrate birthday times, we also got a first-hand view of the kitchen team artfully concocting our gourmet eats!


There's our food all lined up to be served!


I ordered the super delicious Bank Diver Scallops with Pumpkin Risotto, topped with pumpkin seeds and golden raisin pesto. To top off our palette for dessert, Leslie shared her wonderful log of Toblerone (under the table)!

Louleepalooza Time!

Cheers to Louisa and Lee's Birthday! The Back to the 70's & 80's theme brought us all back to the days of tacky, neon-colored apparel and retro hip beats! With full decor in check along with a decent amount of booze, we had some good times bringin' it back to the days of our youth.



We had moments of laughter and nostalgia as we had some interesting party moves from folks that like to strip, to kids that like taking chocolate peppermint schnapps shots. Ugh!

It's crazy to say that the clothes we acquired for our gettup are being sold in retail stores today as everyday wear! Whoever wears this stuff normally kinda scares me?! Stirrup pants. Really?

Gobble-dy Wobble-dy!

This year our Thanksgiving was spent at home, here in Atlanta! We had our immediate Mississippi crew come up for some yummy eats, followed by shifts of local visitors to share our thanks!


Stacey tried out her new Cupcake Heaven caulking gun and made the most beautiful and quite tasty Red Velvet cupcakes from scratch! I had one for breakfast the next morning!


Our family got to meet Kevin's family this year, and we all shared a long-lasting Thanksgiving lunch feast! We all went back for seconds, and had tons of desserts! I think we'll be eating the leftovers for the rest of the weekend! My all time favorite would have to be my mom's Broccoli Cheese casserole and the yummy smashed sweet potatoes with marshmallows!


Kevin's sister, Nancy, and her boyfriend, Craig.


Little Anna devouring the yummy cream cheese icing!

Beachbound

What a better way to break up the frigidy cold fall air than to take a hop, skip and a drive down to the Florida gulf! Matt and I took a long weekend down to Bradenton Beach to soak up some rays and live it up with all those retired old fogeys. Boy do they live the life!


We had perfect weather (maxing up to the mid 70's), fresh seafood, and beautiful views outside our villa. We even got to take our new rollerblades for a spin! And I kinda think we might need new ones... after I kept getting shin splints!

Overall, it was a great getaway that ended way too short. I had the best time getting to know a new beach, and of course, a new friend.

Viva la Vida!

Coldplay, my all-time fave band from forever ago, blessed us with their amazing presence last Tuesday! Of course, my trusty Coldplay partner, Laura got ahead of the game to make sure we got tix on time. Their playlist was a great mixture of their old stuff, with some of the new album songs. Chris melted me when he played Green Eyes with just him and the piano under the spotlight. Way to bring it back...old school.


So we were trying to "call" which song they would encore with. Lars totally thought it was going to be Shiver, and I was pretty definite it was going to be Yellow. I mean come on, why else would I wear that color sweater? I do have to say that although this year's concert was definitely shorter than the other one we'd gone to, I'm definitely glad I went! It was an awesome time!!

Don't forget the pots!!

So our first annual non-turkey Thanksgiving get together has finally passed! We had much fun at Leslie's hangin and grubbing out on our collective pot luck, with dishes traveling all the way from Athens! (which happened to be the source of inspiration from The Grit).

Martha sported her readiness (see fork in pocket) to munch down on the yummy food! For apps, Matt and I pulled a rebellious move of bringing a party platter that had BOTH cheese & meat!! We also had yummy spinach artichoke "dip on a ship" and Tomato, Feta, Basil soup. Pauline and Maggie went all out with the casseroles, salads, and some awesome improv YAMS! Heyyy!

For dessert we had "light" eclair treats, and rice krispies, and of course...the gingerbread pots!!! (I'm not going to even talk about the neglected pumpkin pie.) I'd have to say everything turned out great! We had more than enough food, good laughs, and great ideas flowing about how we're going to help Leslie work the corner with bake sales, bedazzler hats, and airbrush shirts!

At least that midget's massive fro helps with his height!

This weekend was a fun-filled time to catch up with good friends and just kick-it. My good friend Laura came up to the ATL so we could celebrate her recently passing the Bar!! Awesome, I know! Now I can have a lawyer for the next time I decide to steal a scarecrow!

So we got to hang out with Thomas and watch Georgia barely win vs. Kentucky! I swear I thought it was going to be another upsetting repeat from last weekend. I am disappointed in you GA! But at least you pulled it off the last minute. Just my style!


To begin the night of celebration, Laura totally deserved a delectable Asian sandwich! With a bloody mary on the side! Tasty!


So apparently, random strangers like to think we'd have beautiful Hasian babies? Thanks, I think, Miss Kroger Bakery lady? Awkwaard!

This was the midget who would not let his vertically-challenged-self lose out on the night scene. I think he had fun livin' it up, throwin back the fro wit style! Crazy dude. Totally made my night!

When Nature Calls

It's been since this past summer that I've gotten a day to get away and absorb the yummy smell of the outdoors at Kennesaw Mtn. With the weather being so gorgeous in the middle of fall, I couldn't resist the urge to be free within nature's boundaries. The vivid colors of the sunkissed leaves lined the path to new possibilities and a new season.


Here's to bringin' new friends to play in nature's element! Next time we'll make sure to find the top of the mountain! ;)

Gnilleps

Asian Cranium Domination time! Pauline and I finally worked our way to getting another Asian team together to challenge our unbeatableness. Of course this was just a training session so we'll be ready to conquer all of those amateurs in the near future! This pic was when the newbies were trying to spell "incognito" backwards. I like how Stacey has to look up, and Kevin has to keep his eyes shut. Nice methods.

Stacey and Kevin, Cranium virgins, basically went through the whole stack of Red Data Head cards, friggen braniacs! We found their weakest link was Star Performer and the Word Worm! After lots of laughs and last minute wins, we totally had them beat! Of course, we challenged ourselves even further and offered them a sudden death round. Whoever lost the next card, lost the whole game. Let's just say it was good practice. :)


I like how their identifier card was totally random and sitting on the kitchen counter. What the heck is a persimmon anyways?

It's Tricky to Rock Around!

So this Halloween we got crazy and dressed up to make total fools of ourselves. That's all halloween is about, right? My understanding of Halloween costumes is that it's the only time for for chicks to be excused for lookin like complete ho's! And of course, my costume of Eskiho fulfilled that. At least I wasn't the only one! I would have to say my faves were: african baby mama, jamaica-mon, lance armstrong w/steroid shots in his arse, and a whoopie cushion.

All in all, we had a blast getting to live it up incognito, and bust out some moves! Of course we made Maggie detour to the closest Chinese restaurant for our night cap! What else is better than BBQ Corner II at 1:30 am?! That was the best dinner I've had in a while. Wonton Noodle Soup & Soy Sauce Chicken Mmm!

Karma Chameleon

So I know this is long overdue, but I promised I would post pictures from the crazy scarecrow stealing night! We were contemplating whether to dump the body in a dumpster out back, or to dress him up in a hawaiian shirt and a straw hat, and put a sign on him that says, "Back from Vaca!" But our instincts kept telling us to do the right thing, and apologize and return him to his rightful owner. I know this is a lame ending to the story, but I just know my karma has to be in less jeopardy now that we attempted to correct our drunken foolery.

So along with my guilt and embarrassment, Chris was a lot more devastated and shameful of the whole happening at work, so we decided to play a little prank on her! We got a guy friend to call the office, ask for her, and say he was Sargeant Jones from the Alpharetta Police Dept. following up on a complaint of stolen property to pick her up and take her back to the station. Of course when she answered, she was freaking out with sweaty palms, and the biggest shock on her face. Talk about priceless. Yay for Friday Pranks!

It’s like having a little pet for your face.

What's a better way to celebrate Halloween eve than a nice cold beer break after work! We just popped over across the street, at SmokeJack, to get into some fun lovin' happy hour times. According to the beginning of the night, we planned to take it easy and just chill...but you know plans like that never stick especially when there are mustaches involved.



And apparently right now there is a 6 ft, 70lb. man laying face down in overalls in my truck as we speak. I don't know how to get rid of the evidence of our shenanigans? That's what lunch break today is for! Pictures of the hostage are soon to follow... stay tuned!

Today's Blue Light Special, Aisle 13: Fishing Rod Poles

So we had a wonderful long weekend in Charlotte to veg out and do what you're supposed to do on the weekends: Find that quality time with lost long buddies...and of course, watch the Dawgs kick ass! While reconnecting with Amstel & Chris, we got to do some yummy dining, and had a lil too much fun at Black Finn at the Epicenter. This aftermath pic was from the elevator that seriously looked like a padded room.


Yesterday, we had a great time chilling outside, eating lunch in the sun, & planning our next getaway. While we were famishly waiting to eat our yummy cheesesteaks at Laspada's, we couldn't help but stare at our server's lovely tattoo. Who gets Mr. Potato Head tattooed on their leg?? Wow.

GD Reunion Time!

United at last! It's been three years and way too long for all of us graphic design gals to finally get together! We had a blast catching up with each other's lives. It's so much fun to hear the stories about life after slaving away til 3 a.m. in the Tanner building. We got to reconnect and reminisce on all of those crazy parties and delirious nights of huffing spray mount. From the nights when we would jump the curb on the north deck to avoid the parking fee, to the eclectic folk we would always meet at Helen's keg parties, to the trips to ERC, to the totally inappropriate music we would play for Ms. Roberts...I'd have to say we had some really great times. But we still have no idea who it was that hooked up on the couch down in Tanner, for them to buy and replace with uncomfortable Herman Miller plasticware!? It must have been hot and heavy for them to get rid of that couch.

Lost in translation

So it's been like two weeks since I've been back from our wonderful trip in Spain. I've come back wondering where I left off from. I'm still not back in the flow yet. I have been living so in the moment to find something to distract me from going back to the basics. It seems like while I was on the trip I really got to experience life on a simple note. Wandering around in a foreign city can really help you know yourself. You trust your instincts, trust your perfect strangers, and trust that everyone is all in this together.

I am grateful that I got to immerse myself in a totally different culture, except it's really not all that foreign. In reality we're all humans, doing our thang. Living life. Language isn't that huge of a barrier either. You can totally get by with just gestures and facial expressions. The only difference between us and the Catalan is our environment. This different world boasts a fusion of local and ancient history, where the architecture is amazing and so unworldly compared to our straight angled structures we pass by in our cars on the highway everyday. I've learned to appreciate all of the design that was put into their city planning. Little details, like the Gaudi street stones, just flaunt unique charm and character. And why can't we have roundabouts to replace all stoplights? Yeah, some dummies might get turned around and keep going in circles, but at least everyone is always moving. Constantly moving.