Alabama + Graffiti

- a lifestyle blog -

Randoms from Easter in New Orleans

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Spending the weekend with Lindsey in NOLA  for Easter was one of the best weekends I’d had in a while.  The weather was perfect, the drinks were delicious, and I even got to try a few new spots.  
Which is what you do when you go there, because there are so many things to do and places to eat!  Our first night was spent on Bourbon/Frenchman, where we got the traditional hand grenades and absinthe and a fruity drink that I can’t really remember.  Step-bro had never done the absinthe thing, so that was fun.
The next morning, we woke up early, although none of us quite figured out why, got breakfast and walked around the quarter.  We got some hair of the dog in the form of frozen daiquri’s from The Gazebo, got some fried chicken and went home to take a nap.
With naps over, it was time to go to Bourbon again.  It was a great night filled with 3-for-1 specials and dancing.
It was a great weekend!  Enjoy some pictures from that awesome weekend!
I love being photobombed.

Banana daiquiri time!

defend nola.

Mr. Okra!!
I love this city so much.  So much that I’m going back again this weekend for Jazz Fest and Bruce Springsteen.

Braves Baseball

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Two weeks ago, I got to go to two Braves games in a week!  I got to go to the home opener (which I’ve never done!) and then went to a Saturday night game.
The first game on Tuesday was a bit chilly, but the Saturday night game was a shirt and shorts kind of night.  They lost their home opener, but won Saturday night.  Even Freddie Freeman hit a home run.  It was incredible.  Plus I got to spend both games with very old friends of mine.  Home opener was spent with my very best friend in the whole world, Robin.  Second game I got to see with my second oldest friend in the world, Brett.
Every time I see these people, it breaks my heart just a little.  I am so glad that I have both of them, and am so sad when I have to leave them.  I don’t get sappy about high school friends, but for these two I would. Sometimes I really think that they know the true me; they saw me go through the awkward phases, make mistakes, and just love.  Love, in general.  It was great.  
So baseball… love it in person, not so much anywhere else.  And if you’re a Southern girl and you don’t Tomahawk chop…shame on you.  

Atlanta is only 2 1/2 hours away, so this is definitely an awesome thing to do during a fun weekend.  Plus, I would go to a Friday night game (fireworks) or Saturday (only because the sun is down!).  Sundays are the worst, because a 1pm game in July doesn’t sound like that much fun for me.  Or anyone who hates severe heat and humidity.
It’s getting to be that time guys!  100 million percent humidity!  Have a good weekend y’all!

Asheville Breakfast: Biscuit Head & Twisted Crepe

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A couple weekends ago, we took a trip to Asheville.  I’ve never been, but always wanted to go.  It was kind of a chilly weekend, but with all the brews and the little bit of sunshine, it wasn’t too bad.
The breakfast we had the first day was freaking out of this world.  We found it on Yelp!  and that never steers us wrong.
We read about this place Biscuit Head and saw the pictures and said, yep, that is the place we are going to.  So I’m going to stop talking and just show you the delightfulness.

I got the pulled pork biscuit with jalapeno pimento cheese, topped with an egg and a slice of bacon.  B got the fried chicken biscuit with coleslaw and a lovely jelly topped with an egg.  The biscuit was soo good, and these things were enormous.  We also shared a pitcher of mimosas, and it was pretty much the best breakfast I’ve ever had.
The second morning, we were a little concerned that during Sunday brunch everything was going to be jam packed.  With a five and half hour drive ahead of us, we wanted something where we could get in and out.  So we found a place that looked amazing, and what was even better was that it was completely empty when we got there.
They make savory and sweet crepes.  You can get them pre-made or custom.  They have a ton of options, plus beer!  So now we find Twisted Crepe. 

Asheville had some super yummy breakfasts.  I can’t wait to go back and get some more!

Sisterly Love

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Last weekend I flew up to Pennsylvania to visit my mom and sister who I hadn’t seen in forever.  I went by myself, which sometimes, I will admit, I enjoy more so I can focus my time and attention on just being around family.
I flew in Thursday night; my first flight took me to Chicago, and then onto Philadelphia.  I didn’t get to my mom’s house until around two in the morning.  Needless to say I was exhausted, and my dinner of pizza and a cheeseburger didn’t help the cause.  Neither did those two beers or vodka drink.
The only thing awesome about flying at night is how exhausted I was; it was pretty easy to fall asleep on the plane and keep it that way through both of the flights.
Friday was spent shopping around, eating Mexican and then having happy hour at Chili’s…

My Juney-boo having a margarita thing… I don’t know.  She said it was delicious.
Saturday we spent in Lititz, PA, where I spent too much money on Wilbur’s candy.  We stopped at a British pub for a snack, and then headed back to the house.  We went to a really awesome place, Speckled Hen, in downtown Reading for dinner, but I didn’t want to bust the iphone out and ruin family dinner, so I didn’t.  Trust me though; if for some reason you find yourself in downtown Reading, PA, definitely check it out.
Sunday was a family dinner, complete with aunt, uncle and grandma.  We drank, ate spaghetti, and watched The Family Stone.  Some awesome outtakes of me and Juney in the midst of our drinking.  She’ll kill me for putting these up here, but hey, she lives about twelve hours away, so I think I’m good.

I totally have old lady neck in most of these pictures, but I love them.  I also tried to talk her out of that vest she’s wearing, but to no avail.  It was really cute.
It ended up being an awesome visit.  I was actually sad that I had to leave.  I spent that entire Monday on planes and in airports, flying from Philly to Orlando and then finally to Birmingham.  
My takeaway from that weekend?  Probably should visit more often.

The Twin Cities

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Or more like the red-headed stepchild of Eagan, MN is where I traveled last week for some corporate training.
Everything started out innocently enough; as always, I was super early to the airport.  For some reason that I can’t explain, I always feel better if I’m at the airport with at least an hour and a half to spare.  So I sat down, waited for my flight (which was on time), boarded my flight and got to sit next to the drunkest man you’d ever meet at 8am.  
oh yes.  An entire flight sitting next to a drunk man, because he didn’t like to fly.  Yes, I understand this very well, all too well, but not at 8am.  Maybe an 11am flight, maybe, but most certainly not at 8am.  And then to top it all of, he didn’t get the universal signal of opening up my book and putting in my earphones.  Because the man continued to talk.
Great fun.
And guess what?  Laura forgot her GPS.  Yep, going to a city where she has never been before.  No problem right?  Because your car rental company will give you one!  Hooray!  No!  Probably should have checked it for functionability before starting the car and leaving the airport.
I would go into the joys of roaming around a city that one doesn’t know while trying to operate a cell phone while driving, but I won’t.  I’ll let you imagine about how fun that was.
I finally get to the hotel, run my five miles, and decide that after driving and seeing nothing but this…
that it was time to get something to eat.  And normally while traveling I like to try some place new, but I wanted something familiar and warm, so I hit up Houlihans, my favorite haunt from back home in ATL.  Where I promptly enjoyed happy hour (2 for 1!!) and this lovely spinach dip..
Yep ate all of this by myself.  
That night I get back to the hotel, promptly turn the heat to eight million, and fall asleep.  But not really stay asleep, because I’m always terrified that I won’t wake up for my alarm. 
But I did, got dressed, went out to the car and saw this..
Yep, -6 degrees.  You want to take a guess at windchill?  No?  Ok, I’ll tell you.
-22.  Yep, NEGATIVE 22!!  So fun right?  Only challenged by how much fun the actual leadership classes were.
So after the full two days of training, I had a little mental breakdown since my phone GPS routed me to the actual airfield instead of the airport.  Crying and all.  But I’m guessing that the car rental guy noticed my blood shot eyes, and decided to not charge me for the gas that I didn’t have time to put in the car, because I was deathly afraid of missing my flight, and having to spend another night in MN was my biggest nightmare.
I get through security, walk through the terminal saying multiple times, “Beer, Beer, Beer,” and then it appeared in the form of this….
Summit Beer!  Hooray!  
And then since I had a horrible week, I rewarded myself with this…
And since I think it was still pretty obvious that I was distressed, the bartender gave me a warm cookie and some ice cream!  For free.  Nothing better than free ice cream and cookies.
And then the pilot must have known that I really wanted to get home because the flight was thirty minutes early.  I was never so happy to pay an airport parking fee in my life.  
So sorry, Minnesota, I can’t say that I ever want to go back to visit you.