Happy St. Patrick's Day!

To all my wee little Irish friends out there and to those who love green beer and an excuse to pinch people ...

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

in my St. Patrick's day finest ... yeah not gonna lie, this was a few years ago when I was still a party animal!

We Survived! (thank god) : Bachelorette Weekend In Nashville Wrap Up

 We embarked on our journey around 2pm on Friday. 5 girls. One car. 250-ish miles til Nashville, Tennessee. With everyone buckled up, bags packed and the iPod streaming through the radio, we were on our way.

We arrived in Nashville around 4:30pm that afternoon and headed to check in. The hotel man, Ben, offered us an upgrade to a suite (fully equipped with a parlor room...wtf is a parlor room). What he didn't tell us right off the bat was that the upgrade would cost us $650. We kindly declined and stuck with our 2 "free" hotel rooms (Thanks again, Lauren and her dad, Sir Todd for the Marriott points) that were side by side. 3 in one. 2 in the other. We chilled out, unpacked and got ready for dinner and the night out.

headed to dinner

Merchant's was our first stop in Nashville. This restaurant is super cool and has a great atmosphere. The food was amazing as always as were the drinks. Lots of drinks to be exact. Once we wrapped up our dinners, a nice crew of boys arrived at the bar and of course, we had to make friends. I had this adorably glittery book of things I had to complete by the time we were packed up and ready to head home on Sunday. What a better time to start than at Merchant's right? After Maria went up and found out that the group of boys was in fact a Bachelor party, we soon started to make friends. I convinced one of the guys, Will, to get me a drink. My first task of the book seemed so easy and carefree! Turns our we'd later run into this crew throughout the rest of the weekend!

Post dinner and some shots at the bar with our new friends, we headed over to Paradise Park, which has got to be the crappiest bar in Nashville. The place was packed and we were on a mission to get stuff in the book done. First up, get a guys boxers. With one fail swoop and very little convincing, this was the product in hand.

shocked that he dropped his pants IN the bar and handed me these!

they were all about helping!

After this and achieving a few more things in the book, we were on our way. We jumped in a cab and headed up to Whiskey Kitchen in the Gulch area. We headed to Whiskey Kitchen on a whim and  a suggestion from the maitre d from Merchants. When we got there, we stayed about less than 5 minutes. Really, we stayed long enough for me to complete 1 thing in my glittery book (kiss a bald mans head - his name was Trey. He had nachos) then we promptly went out to hail a cab via high kicking. We headed back towards downtown Nashville and made our way to The Stage! The fun really set in here. What was supposed to be the chill night turned into the crazy night. We ended up finding a spot at a bar and a different bachelor party that was full of good times. They were bound and determined to get my glittery book of fun finished by the end of the night. True story, they did a good job. With one guy with his shirt off and almost kicked out of the bar, shots galore and who knows what else, we ended up having the best time.

poor guy almost got kicked out of the bar because of me!

blow job shots with the Bachelor

Kerri and I headed out back to the hotel just before 2am and Lauren, Maria and Courtney stayed out to have some more fun and search for food. Around 3:30 when the pizza I ordered finally arrived, the 3 chicas were stumbling back in. Thank God we all made it back to the hotel in one piece and with all of our belongings.

Nash Trash Tour Bus

Saturday morning was pretty rough. We didn't really get moving until close to 11AM. Brunch at 417 was pretty good and the fried food and diet coke really helped ease the hangover. Post brunch, we embarked on our afternoon adventure, The Nash Trash Tour. All I have to say is ... DO IT if you're ever in Nashville. Totally worth the money. It was beyond hysterical for a solid 1.5 hours with a pit stop at the Country Music Hall of Fame (long enough stop to shop, get a beverage, potty and take some pictures with the Jugg Sisters). Not only do you get to go on a driving tour around Nashville, you get entertained by the Jugg Sisters and also get the chance for some real high class Cheese-Whiz and crackers! Overall, totally worth the money and such a good time! I can't wait to go back to Nashville and take some other people on the tour!

the Jugg Sisters

mmm. Cheeze Whiz

loved this tour!

during the pit stop at Country Music Hall of Fame

at Cabana with my pimp cup

Saturday night was more calm and under control in comparison to Friday night. With everyone in black and myself in red, we headed on down to Cabana for dinner. We were nestled in the back of the restaurant in our own private cabana (with speakers to use personal iPods - thanks Maria for the playlist!). Dinner was good, the mood was much calmer and Willie made his first appearance! Post dinner at Cabana, we headed back down to Broadway and started our night of fun at Tootsies, a prime Nashville honkytonk/bar. Love this place! Downstairs is country and usually packed, upstairs, a little less packed and a bigger range of music! Made some friends and Willie definitely did as well. Willie even got asked to pose for pictures with other people. He's a true celebrity in Nashville!

I continued to check things off in my book and by that time, I was ready to head to Big Bang dueling piano bar just across the street. There I met another bachelorette who, believe it or not, is also getting married at Flint Hill...just a few weeks before us! Crazy huh!? We had some fun, sang some songs and I of course, got pulled on stage for a nice rendition of Canine Amore, yes, it's just as dirty as it sounds.

little black dresses ... so cute!

Willie meets the King

and then I found a big rooster on a trailer!

on stage at Big Bang!

Once the clock struck midnight, not only was this a Bachelorette party, it was also a Birthday party! We tried to make our way to Wildhorse Saloon, but by the time we arrived they were at last call and the night then quickly came to a close. We sauntered, half drunk, back to our hotel.

The trip wrapped up early Sunday and we headed back to Atlanta. The car was quiet, people were attempting to put pieces together from the weekend and then we devoured McDonald's! All in all, I'd say the weekend was a total success. I can't thank the 4 girls enough for heading up to Nashville, for Lauren and her dad's Marriott points, Kerri for organizing and for the good times we all had!

Looking forward to my next night on the town next weekend. God help Atlanta!!

AJC Peachtree Road Race : An Atlanta Tradition

The AJC Peachtree Road Race is a Fourth of July tradition for so many people. As long as you registered on time, you were entered. You got to enjoy 6.2 miles lined with fans and supporters as you run/walk past. There's tons of music, water/gatorade/food stops along the way making this race very enjoyable. 

Mike and I from the 2010 Peachtree Road Race

Well, that's not really the story this year. The AJC and Atlanta Track Club have decided to increase the participants from 55,000 to 60,000 thus instituting a lottery system to enter. Starting today and continuing through March 24th, prospective runners can enter the lottery. While you have to fill out all the necessary information for racing (credit card info, shirt size, emergency contact), you're not guaranteed a spot in the biggest 10k in the world on the Fourth of July. Everyone who enters the lottery will be notified whether or not they are "accepted" to participate by March 29th. 

Excerpts from the AJC article about the new process

"The 2011 Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race will have a field of 60,000, an increase of 5,000. The Atlanta Track Club also will change the entry process to a lottery format in hopes of making the system fairer and less frantic. "All applications will have an equal chance of being accepted. Runners who have competed in 10 or more Peachtrees will receive special consideration."

If you're interested in entering the lottery, here's the link to get your name in the hat! Good luck and good training whether you're selected or not!

Hello 27! So far ... You're Looking Alright!

First off, a big THANK YOU to the ladies for a super fun Bachelorette/Birthday weekend! I had a blast! I'll be posting about the trip with some pictures as soon as I get them from the girls!

My 27th Birthday was yesterday. For the first time in years it wasn't a 'big' ordeal. In fact, it didn't really feel like it was my birthday. We'll chalk that up to being tired, semi-hungover and in a car for 4 hours on the way home from Nashville. Regardless, it was and now I'm older. I'm a whopping 27 years old now.

Mike and I went to dinner at Brio to celebrate since it was walking distance and we had a gift card. The weather was nice so we sat on the patio and enjoyed the people watching in Buckhead. He also kindly got me a piece of cake from the Publix bakery, a man after my own heart! While I didn't have any gifts to open, I did find out one heck of a nice gift will be arriving early April. What is it you may ask...well have a lookie here ...

Yep, that's right. Mike got me the new white 32GB iPad 2 with the green smart cover! I CAN'T WAIT TO PLAY WITH THIS BAD BOY! Unfortunately, I'll have to wait a little while longer to enjoy it! This will certainly come in handy on the honeymoon and for the years to come....well, until they come out with an iPad 3 of course!

On another note, I'll be heading to one of my favorite little Buckhead spots, Tin Lizzy, with some good friends tonight for some birthday fun. Maybe then it'll feel like I just turned a year older? I'll also keep the celebration going this coming weekend with my family on Sunday. Who says birthday's can't last longer than one day?!

A Heart of Gold and A Shaved Head

Mike is one with a calm demeanor and a heart of gold. He doesn't get frustrated easily and he's always there to help. For the past 3 years Mike has stepped up as a hero and volunteered his time (and hair) to help support St. Baldrick's.

photo via here

St. Baldrick's is a wonderful organization that raises money for Childhood Cancer Research. Here's how it works, Shavee's pony up and raise money to shave their heads for this cause. There are huge events, usually around St. Patrick's Day (at least here in Atlanta they are). Often times shavee's are friends and family of Cancer patients, Cancer patients themselves and often times, there are people like Mike who just like to do good.

The atmosphere at St. Baldrick's is amazing. Everyone is laughing, smiling and having a good time. At the St. Baldrick's location Mike participates at, Fado Irish Pub, there are 67 Shavees and they have raised a collective $79,207. Talk about awesome!

Here are a couple pictures from Mike's head shaving last year at St. Baldrick's

during the head shaving

post head shaving

Typically Mike raises around $2,000 for this each year. With his late start on entering this year, he's only set his goal at $1,000. All the money doesn't have to be raised by today, I believe it's an ongoing donation. If you feel in your heart to donate, that'd be great, but by no means feel that you have to! You can get to his link by clicking on his name above.

Poor Baby Kona

Kona got spayed last week and she's been looking silly in her 'hats' ever since. Some of her outer stitches started coming out so she had to go back to get them glued and have some glands drained. Thank goodness our vet is also our friend and she is always there when we need to ask questions or have a minor freak out (by me of course!). Kona gets the rest of her stitches out on Monday am and I know she'll be SO happy to not have to wear her little hats anymore.

Because I'm a mean puppy mom, I snapped this photo of our baby girl!

Hate to be leaving her all weekend (this is the first time I'll be away from her really) but can't wait to get to Nashville to party!

Self Tanning Experience : Round 2

One of the girls I BLAST with, Hilary, and I had chatted about self tanner when I was trying to get 'tan-ready' for my peach dress I was wearing to the shower a few weeks ago. I was going to get Versaspa done and well, it turned out a little worse than I wanted. Hilary recommended Tan Towels and vouched that they were good and that they'd leave you not orange or streaky. So, I took her up on trying these little gems.

photo via here

I have to admit. I was quite nervous about this. The thought of just wiping the towelette across my body and hoping that it would be even with no streaks and not be orange in color. So with some advice from Hilary on how to apply, I mustered up the courage and did it last night. After showering and exfoliating as much as I could, I toweled off and started to apply the Tan Towel

I also have to admit that I was quite impressed with how it turned out. While I have 2 lines where the color stops on my wrists, the rest of it looks great! The reason for the line stops is because I washed my hands 2 times and went kinda high up as I didn't want them to turn super orange! Well lesson learned, leave it as it is!

this morning after I woke up

I put a little more on my  hands/wrist this morning in hopes to fix the line. So far, I think it helps. To the naked eye, it definitely has. In photos, maybe not as much. I might even put a little more on tonight so that I can get a bit darker before the weekend!

after the "fix" of the wrists

I picked mine up online at Sephora and would honestly recommend these to others. For $24 you get 5 towels which will cover your whole body. They come in different shades and also offer a moisturizer option to keep your tan longer.