Halloween Concert and Book Signing

Yesterday was my first real concert with the Bartlett Community Band - the third annual Halloween concert at the BPACC. Most people were in costume and it was SO much fun! I went as a Starbucks Frappucino (an idea from Pinterest). I freehanded the Starbucks logo onto white posterboard, and for the straw, rolled up a green posterboard and hot-glued it to a headband. The dress was a truly last-minute find at Goodwill the night before. I'm very happy with how the costume turned out!

The band had a great time backstage before the show checking out each other's outfits. My favorite was the clarinetist who dressed up as a blind referee. :) It was also an opportunity to officially meet more people. I've only been a member since July and hardly know anyone besides the other second-row fluties.

Alanna and Jonathan, and of course my parents, were faithfully in attendance.

***

The other exciting event of my weekend was attending a book signing for Thin Space, the new YA novel by my 11th-grade Honors English teacher, Jody Casella! A couple of weeks ago I got an e-mail about the upcoming event and was like, "Wait, I know that name." I followed the link to her blog and we reconnected. On Saturday I went to the signing along with a couple of my old classmates (whom I hadn't seen since high school - I didn't go to my 10- or 15-year reunions), and then we all hung out talking for most of the afternoon! It was a great time, and I'm happy and excited for her success and what might be next. Look for a review of Thin Space here soon!

On another note, I grew up in Hickory Hill. For those of you not familiar with Memphis, that area went, well, downhill very rapidly during the mid-to-late 90s... my high school years. I had no idea how much I'd missed knowing people who share that experience. My family moved after my first year of college, and the friends I've made as an adult have never driven down their childhood street and felt heartbroken at how dilapidated it is. Or watched the mall where they had their first jobs become a run-down, deserted shell. So it was good to talk to people who carry that with them too, underneath the Hickory Hill card that we occasionally pull for street cred.

SIPsters Weekend 2013

A few of my best friends were in Memphis last weekend! We met on LiveJournal back in the day and have been gathering annually since 2009. This was our second meeting in Memphis - we've also gone to Knoxville twice and Jacksonville once. A few people have been friends since they were teenagers, but everyone has known each other for at least five years. We've already seen each other through marriage, divorce, new careers, new relationships, and new motherhood. Who knows what crazy stories we'll have to tell in another five years?

One constant of our weekends together is thrift shopping (the best clothes always surrender themselves at Bethany's presence). We're all different, but we all find good stuff every time. During our first Knoxville trip, someone said we were like the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Since that name was already taken, and we'd endured some harassment/concern about having internet friends, we decided to call ourselves the Scary Internet People. Which was quicky abbreviated to SIP, and morphed into SIPsters. So the sister part survived.

Our weekends tend to be very low-key. I had ideas for Memphisy activities, but we always end up sitting around talking and eating most of the time. When you only see each other once a year, there's just too much to catch up on. We worked in local flavor where we could, though - brunch at Cafe Eclectic, extensive rhapsodizing by me and Alanna about Memphis basketball and Quincy Pondexter, and pointing out landmarks constantly. Also, everyone came to church with me on Sunday morning, which made me very happy. My heart was full looking down the row!

Anyway, it was great having friends under my roof for a few days. I miss them already.

Life Lately 8/26

I try to keep "My Weekend" posts to a minimum here, but this one was pretty cool!

 

When I was in seventh grade, I met a girl named Carissa and we became fast friends. Together we went to some of our first boy/girl parties, marched in our first parade, got inducted into junior high honor societies, and saw Wayne's World in the theater. I mean, milestone events. Sadly, at the end of the year, she and her family moved away. We exchanged letters and she came back to visit a couple of times, but eventually we lost track of each other. I always wondered what happened to her, so I was thrilled last year when she found me on Facebook! On Friday, she came through Memphis with her three kids en route to her new East Coast home, and we met for dinner at the Rendezvous. We hadn't seen each other in about 20 years. Happy times!

On Saturday I participated in my third Forrest Spence 5K! The Forrest Spence Fund is run by a couple from my church, and you can learn about it here. Although I only did minimal "training" beforehand, in the process I finally discovered my natural pace, so I was optimistic about this 5K. I ran most of the first mile, something I'd never done before, and felt great. But I didn't want to burn out early, so I decided to walk for a little bit. Then the 80% humidity started getting to me, and I never got my mojo back. I was passed by multiple stroller pushers and even a chihuahua (seriously). Even so, my time wasn't my worst ever, so it was fine. The True Blue 5K in November is my favorite race anyway. :)

I saw The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones with my neighbor Elizabeth, my only local friend who also loves the Mortal Instruments and Infernal Devices books. I enjoyed the movie, BUT... I feel like it didn't translate very well. Anyone who hasn't read the books will probably be confused, because a lot of key things are explained sparingly or not at all. The mythology of the books is so much richer (and less cheesy). Elizabeth and I had an extensive comparative discussion afterwards. Other fans, please chime in with your thoughts. I will say that I was very pleased by the casting, other than the morally bankrupt tabloid producer from Mr. Deeds as Hodge (an association that made me totally unable to take him seriously).

How was your weekend?

My Super Sweet 34

On Friday I kicked off my birthday by sleeping in, then enjoying a smoothie with whipped cream while watching the Today show. I had forgotten it was also Kathie Lee's birthday, so they were celebrating too. Mid-morning, my mom picked me up and we went for a bike ride on the Greenline. I wore my favorite autographed DJ Stephens shirt. We saw turtles and lots of butterflies (expect a nature photo post soon). One of the butterflies alighted on my bike tire and hung out there, which I took as a good birthday sign!

My mom dropped me off at my friend/neighbor Elizabeth's house, and she and I (and her two younger sons) rode our bikes to McAlister's for lunch. Then I relaxed at home, and had a video chat with Debra and Niecy, before going out with a few friends. (Gandalf sat nearby while I got ready.)

We ate on the patio at Slider Inn, a Cooper-Young restaurant that's been on my list for a long time. I ordered the lobster roll - it's on the original list of 100 Things To Eat In Memphis. It lived up to the hype and the lobster was very fresh. At Myla's suggestion, I also had a Washington Apple. It was sort of like an appletini. I approved!

 

Caroline graciously made me a strawberry cake for my birthday, AND chocolate-covered strawberries, even though it was her first week of school and she was exhausted. I'm so thankful for her! The cake was the perfect ending to an awesome day.

The fun continued on Saturday. My parents took me to an IMAX movie about sharks (I seriously consider this special-occasion fun) and then to dinner at a surprise downtown location. We walked further and further down Main until I was drawing a complete blank. Then we stopped in front of Flight and I practically started jumping up and down!

(The middle wine was my favorite)

Flight has three-course flights of appetizers, entrees, wine, and desserts. Each of us had a different entree flight (my mom and I also got the complementary wine flights). I tried something different and ordered the Feathered Flight, which offered chicken and waffles in a mushroom sauce, quail and dumplings, and duck with spinach ravioli. Everything was to die for. I haven't liked the duck I've tried in the past, but this was exquisite. I also encouraged my dad to look for some quail on his deer hunts.

Best birthday meal ever. I'm still happy today thinking about it. I'm also thankful for the knowledge that my parents really get me, and knew how happy it would make me to go downtown and eat at a really cool and Memphisy place.

Overall, 34 was my best birthday in a long time. I felt loved and known by the people close to me, and have an unfounded sense of hope about the next year. I just think this is going to be a good one. I feel a rightness about being 34 that I didn't feel about being 33. It's all very mystical!

Gulf Coast Beach Trip

(that's me in the water)

Last weekend I went to Panama City Beach with my sister, BIL, and niece! A couple they know in Dothan has a condo at the beach and kindly offered to let us use it. So I flew down (from Nashville) on Friday, and Debra, Lance, and Niecy met me there.

 

 

Unfortunately, our weekend quickly started to resemble a Griswold family vacation. Both my incoming and outgoing flights were three hours late. The weather was fairly stormy (although we enjoyed a few pockets of sunshine). We couldn't swim very much due to DOUBLE red flags on Saturday - I had never seen this sign before:

We did go to the pool and pose on the beach, though!

On Saturday, Debra and Lance both got really sick. We suspect food poisoning because Niecy and I never caught it, but we also ate a lot of the same things, so it doesn't make much sense either way. I felt SO terrible for them. We actually closed up the condo and went back to Dothan on Saturday night. Sunday was supposed to be Debra's and my Hermanas Only day at the beach, so I was really sad and disappointed.

On the plus side, I got some fun bonding time with Niecy that I wouldn't have had otherwise. She's at a really fun age. I already miss her, but thankfully she and Debra are coming to visit in a few weeks.

By Sunday morning Debra had made a miraculous recovery! So she and I went back to PCB and had our day together after all. We went to the pier, which was lovely.

This sign cracked me up:

And then it was beach time, during which WE SAW DOLPHINS! I didn't attempt to take pictures of them, but there was a large pod about 100 yards offshore. I was ecstatic. I've only visited the Gulf about five times, but I've seen dolphins every time.

So the vacation ended well, and since I was blessedly not sick, I was able to stick to my plan of spending Sunday night with my college BFF Emily and her family in the Nashville area. We went to lunch and hung out yesterday before I headed home, and I spent some quality time with all of her kids, including her new baby. Two birds! One stone!

And now it's a VERY short work week. Yay!

DJ Stephens Meet and Greet

On Saturday, I went to a meet and greet with DJ Stephens, one of my favorite Memphis Tiger basketball players of all time! He just graduated and is eligible for the NBA draft on Thursday (along with another Tiger, Adonis Thomas, who left school early to enter the draft). So this was like a last hurrah for Tiger Nation before he goes wherever he's going (we're all hoping to the Grizzlies, but who knows). He's an incredible athlete and I'll be thrilled to see him get a chance.

I had brunch with Alanna beforehand near the bookstore, and she ended up staying and waiting in line with me and even getting DJ to sign a poster for the boy she nannies.

The place was packed. We waited in line for about an hour, and there was probably another hour's worth of fans behind us.

DJ seems like a truly nice, humble, genuine guy. He was great with the kids, as well as random alumni there without kids!!

He had a good assortment of Sharpies. :)

 

 

The money shot that I will cherish all my days!

I had a total blast. It was especially great to be with a friend who enjoyed my excitement and didn't think I was weird. I get self-conscious sometimes about how into this basketball team I am, but that's just the way it is. It brings me joy. I could be taking joy in much worse things. :) She even confirmed my belief that I ought to be working for the University and putting all this passion to good use. Maybe someday!


PS - This is now my official meeting-a-Tiger shirt. I wore the same one when I got a picture with Charles Carmouche (my previous fave) in 2011!

Dinner Club at the Madison Rooftop

About a year ago, some girlfriends and I were discussing the plethora of cool Memphis restaurants that we hadn't been to. We thought they would be great choices for dates, but unfortunately, none of us were dating anyone. Then we looked at each other and realized, what was stopping us from going together? And so the Dinner Club was born. We go out about once a month to a hot restaurant that most of us haven't been to before.

We hung out at a downtown rooftop once (at the River Inn) and liked it a lot. So when I saw an I Love Memphis post about the renovated Madison Hotel rooftop, I forwarded it to the girls. On Saturday, we went downtown and ate a fantastic dinner at the original Local on Main. Then we walked the few blocks over to the Madison in perfect weather. Our goal was to watch the sunset from the rooftop, but apparently a lot of other people had the same idea, because they were at capacity. We had to wait in the lobby until some people came down. Thankfully, we made it just in time for the sunset!

Anyone who thinks Memphis isn't beautiful needs to take a look at this view in person. I felt blessed and free up on the roof looking at the lights and stars (and incoming FedEx planes that looked like stars), with my good friends and a delicious mojito.

The fireworks at the nearby Redbirds game were our cue to leave, and we made it out of the parking garage before hundreds of people descended. We all agreed that it was a perfect evening. I think we can make an exception and go back to the rooftop. We didn't have dinner there, so it doesn't count. :)

While it was great with friends, I would also love to be taken there by a guy I liked. You can't look at that gorgeous view and not feel romantic. At least I can't.

In The ATL

Last weekend, I went to Atlanta with my friends Alanna, Elizabeth, and MinShien! The main purpose of our trip was the Hot Chocolate 15K, in which Alanna and Elizabeth were running. I've been through Atlanta many times and love the aquarium and the Coke museum, but I'd never spent much time IN the city. As it turns out, between the race and the NFL playoff game, this wasn't the best weekend to start. While A & E were running, MinShien and I tried to explore downtown, only to get caught in a massive gridlock of Falcons fans. That was okay because it was cool to be a part of playoff excitement. But later, we all wanted to go to Centennial Park and couldn't find parking anywhere nearby, even for $20 or $30. We literally spent hours driving in circles, getting lost and searching in vain for a safe place to park and/or a good restaurant or activity that was actually open. 

Drive-by of the Margaret Mitchell house, on one of the five different Peachtree Streets
 

Historic-looking country club on one of the other Peachtree Streets

 

Four single ladies in the city - for the record, we're all "the Charlotte"
(although I'm more of a Carrie/Charlotte hybrid) 

And so it was that we spent most of our Atlanta weekend at Atlantic Station. We did a lot of shopping, and ate at Strip (recommended by a local we met in the parking garage) and Rosa Mexicana. Both were great! In the evenings we went back to the hotel and ate desserts while watching girly TV (the Miss America pageant and the Golden Globes). I'd call that a successful girls' weekend.

  

Atlanta is full of cool statues and monuments. I noticed sculpture everywhere! (And I could enjoy a lot of it from the car!)

 

On our way out of town Monday morning, we stopped at Trader Joe's! The closest TJ's to Memphis is in Nashville. I'd never been. I did some research beforehand to determine the must-gets, and shopped selectively (although I still left with a haul, including half a case of $3 wine). The first item I tried was their Cookie Butter. It looks like peanut butter but tastes like gingersnaps. SO DELICIOUS. I'll have updates later as to how I liked the rest of my purchases! Anyway, I don't know how we fit our four cartfuls of TJ goods into the car, but we managed!

  

On the long, cold, slightly hazardous drive home, we stopped at a Cracker Barrel for warmth and sustenance. There's nothing like Cracker Barrel when you're on the road.

The end!