Alabama + Graffiti

There are so many pictures that house themselves in the phone and never meet the light of day, except in those moments when I’m scrolling through and remembering.  There is definitely a lot of ridiculous, but there is also some magic in the little mundane moments of every day – the simple things that don’t require an entire blog post or Instagram square.  So here is my offering for everyday life events that deserve a little bit of spotlight.

||1.|| This was our delicious pizza from North Italia that B and I got on our date night that we got when my mom was in town.  It was so good- we also got their burrata which was some of the best we’ve had.

||2.|| On a solo trip to Target, they had dressed up their red balls outside in Kirby attire.  I immediately sent a picture of it to Bennett to show Sheffield.  That kid loves him some Kirby.

||3.|| One night, our neighbors and us spontaneously decided to head to Paramount for dinner for burgers and video games.  This sweet picture is of our neighbor playing a racecar game with Sheff.

||4.|| Our neighbors also have a sweet ass bar.  They invited us over after they got it stocked, and we enjoyed amazing Moscow Mules.

||5.|| Up until a couple of weeks ago, I had never had a Big Mac.  B called on his way back home from baseball practice and said that day was the day.  And I have to say, I am very much a fan.

||6.|| B got Sheff this swing for the back yard.  He had gotten dressed up in his Ironman costume, and was having such a good time on it.  I had to get a picture of it.

||7.|| When Sheff and I get a night to ourselves, you better bet we’re ordering pizza and vegging in front of the TV all night long.  I know I will miss these nights where he wants to hang out with me ahead of everyone else.

What everyday moments are you celebrating lately?

Sheff was out of school on Monday, so I got to work from home.  He had a friend come over for a few hours on Friday morning to hang out, and he was in heaven.  Then, about 30 minutes after his friend left, he got to hang with Poppa and G’ma who were in town on their way down to their Florida house.  The weather was absolutely gorgeous, so we spent the afternoon out on the porch.  We went to an early dinner at Cajun Steamer since no one had really eaten any lunch – it was so good!  After, we came home to dye some Easter eggs and hang out.  Sheff was so wiped from the day that he passed out in his bed with his bunny ears on.

We woke up to thunderstorms, so unfortunately, Sheff’s baseball game was canceled.  We took the grandparents to the Original Pancake House for breakfast, and they headed down to Florida.  After they left, we drove down to Montgomery to spend the holiday with B’s parents.  We went to dinner and then came home to watch the Birmingham Stallions win their first USFL game.  We plan on going to their game this upcoming Saturday!!

Sunday morning Sheff woke up early and was pumped for his Easter basket and an egg hunt.  Luckily the rain held off until later in the morning so we got to do the hunt outside.  He had one gold egg that was worth $5 that had him jumping up and down.  Even Lucy dog got in on the bunny ear fun! We spent the rest of the day before lunch just lazing around.  Lunch was delicious, and then we packed it up to bring it on home.

It was a good weekend filled with lots of family and Easter candy!  Hope you all had a great weekend too!

The Unsinkable Greta James – Jennifer Smith ||  I loved every second of this book.  It gave me good Ted Lasso feels, and this book will definitely put you in all of your feelings.  A daughter takes an Alaskan cruise with her dad that was mean to be with  her mom – but she passes, and she is left to endure a week long cruise with her dad, who she has quite a rocky relationship with.  This was a good one, y’all.

The Women of Troy – Pat Barker || This was just sitting on the new release shelf when I walked in the library, and it was like it was just waiting for me.  I had just put in on my TBR the day I headed to the library.  This book follows the women of Troy after the Trojan war – it mainly follows Briseis, Pyrrhus and there are a few chapters from Calchas’ point of view.  If you dig mythology, pick this one up.  Was a quick and interesting read.

Once There Were Wolves – Charlotte McConaghy || Oh, this book.  This one will stick with me for quite awhile, and will definitely make the favorites list at the end of the year.  This book was so beautifully written, and I fell so in love with Inti and everything about her.  This is one that I wouldn’t normally pick up or stick with, but damn.  Definitely read.

The Night Shift – Alex Finlay || I really loved Finlay’s first book, so I was excited when book club picked this as the read for March. Unfortunately the meeting was right smack in the middle of spring break, so I didn’t get to talk about it, but it was so good.  About halfway through you start to figure out the whodunnit, but it didn’t take away anything from the mystery/thriller part of the book.  There were also some twists in the book that I didn’t see coming at all.  Read it if this genre is your jam.

Electric Idol – Katee Roberts || I don’t normally do series with books.  They’re usually just not my thing, but this Dark Olympus series is one I’m getting behind.  They are spicy and sexy and hot, and I loooove them.  I would call them my guilty pleasure, but I don’t feel guilty about it at all.  This one is the spicy romance between Eros and Psyche, a forbidden romance as their mothers, Aphrodite and Demeter don’t get along so well, and only intensifies when Aphrodite puts out a hit on Psyche.  Roberts has another one coming out in June, and you better bet I’ve already gotten it pre-ordered.

Last Girl Ghosted – Lisa Unger || This one had my adrenaline going for real.  I really liked the main character, and how her story played out and how strong she is.  I sort of figured out who the “bad guy” was as soon as the backstory was introduced, but it didn’t take anything away.  If you’re into the thriller/mystery genre, then give this one a go.

After our most fun dinner at Medieval Times, we all went to bed and woke up the next morning to head to Universal Studios.  We only bought tickets for the Islands of Adventure side – it had more rides that we thought Sheff would do, plus he was really excited for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  B wanted to ride all the big roller coasters, but Sheff wasn’t tall enough for the two huge ones, so we walked around and met some super heroes and Olive Oyl from Popeye.  She was so sweet with him – it was so cute.

We, of course, got Butterbeer and did the Hogwarts ride – which wasn’t exactly as I remember it, but was a total blast – even Sheff loved it.  It was made even more fun for me sitting next to the single rider – he narrated the whole thing and was screaming and having such a good time – I couldn’t help but smile.  Sheff even found a hidden wand within the park, and it made his day.

Sheff got a Captain America face paint, we got totally soaked on the Popeye barge ride, met some more super heroes and villains and closed the day out with three rides on the Accelerator – think Teacups, but a tad more intense.  Sheff loved it.

We were so worn out from the day, and were so glad to find a delicious Mexican place about a mile from the resort.  They had the most gorgeous margaritas, and their cheese dip was delicious.  Nobody stayed up too late Thursday night- but it was another really fun day!

Friday, we got up and it was raining.  We decided to hit the outlets for a few hours and then got some deep-dish pizza for lunch.  We went back to the room to grab a nap, and then went down to the pool for a couple of hours.  By the afternoon, the rain had stopped and the sun came out, and it was hot and humid and perfect for a dip in the pool.

To end our trip, we went to an Orlando Magic basketball game where we got to see former AU player Chuma Okeke!!  Even though they lost, we still had a really good time.  We had plans to get up early and start heading home, so it was another early night.  We all crammed in the bed to watch Bob’s Burgers and fell asleep.

Our drive back took two hours more than it should have thanks to other spring break traffic, but it was so good to be back home.  This was our second spring break since Sheff started school, and I have to say I am a big fan!

Even though this weekend was super busy – it left my heart feeling completely full.  We got back with our old baseball friends, and got to have fun with my oldest friend from the ATL.  24 years, y’all.  It just was – and it was all good.

Friday, I got to have a lunch date with B.  We went to Helen about half a block from my office.  I got the smoked bologna sandwich (SO GOOD!) and B and I shared the cauliflower.  It was all so delicious.  Right after work, I had a hair appointment, so  B took Sheff to baseball practice.  I picked up some weekend essentials from Target, and we all met back at the house for a pizza and a movie.  I also had to trespass in a church parking lot to get that sunset shot.  It was one of the prettiest I’ve seen in Birmingham – the sky was fire red and pink.

We had to get up pretty early on Saturday – with Sheff moving up in class at baseball, the games are way earlier – which trust me, I’m not mad about.  His game started at 8 this past Saturday, and it was pretty chilly, but still a pretty day for opening day at the Joy League.  Sheff got a hit and an RBI, and his team won 9-5.  He’s on the Yanks this year with his bud, and I think they may actually have a really great team this year.  We absolutely love the coaches, and Joy League is just the best.

After the game, we had to rush home and get ready to host Brett and his family for the night.  We had made plans to hit up Cahabaque, so almost as soon as they got there, we were out the door again.  The kids had so much fun playing skee ball, jumping in the bounce house, and trying some BBQ.  The adults didn’t have such a bad time either – having beers and eating BBQ is hardly a bad way to spend a Saturday.

After the event, we went home and just hung out.  The kids watched a little bit of TV while B did some burgers and hot dogs. After we put the kids to bed, the adults busted out the card and board games.  We had such a good time.  Plus, it always makes my heart swell to see one of my oldest friends hanging out with Sheffield.  I’m so very glad that he’s still a part of my life and gets to see Sheff grow up, as well as me getting to see his son grow.

Sunday was a rest and recoup day.  The weather was gorgeous, so we watched some of the Masters outside, and I finished a book.  We took a glorious Masters nap, ate dinner early, and watched The First 48 before we fell asleep.  I finally figure out what I want to do on the risers of the stairs, so I hope to start that project soon!  Also getting some ideas for the outside so we can enjoy the pretty weather!!

Hope y’all had a great weekend as well!