8.28.2007

Hipster Olympics -To Cool For Skool!


Where is the U.S. located on a map?



I believe our children are our future...But this is just plain wrong! Sorry Ms. Teen USA from South Carolina, not sure even the bathing suit competition can help you recover from that blunder. Ouch!

8.25.2007

Summer Sisters Birthday Extravaganza

15 years ago I made a new friend at Temple’s Wednesday night school. Who knew that 15 years later, countless movies, dinners, trips and more that we would still be such good friends…As well as Summer Sister (heck our birthdays are 2 DAYS APART).

So this past weekend, Sarah and I celebrated a joint brunch given to us by our parents. I think this was in an effort to get Sarah over her stage fright of entering a new decade. And for me a chance to start practicing saying a very large number, even when I’m not completely acting my age. Either way it truly was a milestone to enter a new phase of our lives.

I will fondly recall it as the Summer Sisters Birthday Extravaganza from now on.

We had some good friends join us for some bagels, french toast casserole, fruit and my personal favorite – Strawberry Cake from Miss Muff’n, What a great day and what an incredible group of friends and family that surround us. I’m extremely blessed to have such kind, warm-hearted people in my life.

Here are a few photos of the folks gathered:

Sarah & Rachel

Steve, Jan & Lauren

Cooper & Jordan

Beth & Sam

8.23.2007

Welcome to the Dirty Thirty Club!

It finally happened. I woke up yesterday and was officially welcomed into the Dirty Thirty Club. It was bound to happen sooner or later (but I was still hoping for much later).

Anyway, more on the subject of staring a new decade in another post. And I'll recap my birthday celebrations from the weekend. But how funny is that the random number selected after ordering Dinner was - 30!


Guess it was just my destiny. Let's brace for impact as I begin life as a thirtysomething...

8.12.2007

Wicked Game

Last night my friends and I were treated to the sultry melodies of Chris Isaak. What can I say about him – he’s dead sexy and his voice oozes with words of desire… Not a bad combination to have at all.

We braved the 100+ Memphis temperatures to picnic at the Live at the Garden event. I believe we were all a bit surprised that last night brought a slight reprieve from the summertime swelter that left us with a pleasant and sans buggy night. Or maybe it was they layer upon layers of bug spray that were applied.

Either way my friends and I filled our stomachs with a fabulous array of picnic items of meats, cheeses, salads, cookies and some adult libations. Our eyes were filled with the sights and sounds of Chris Isaak and the happenings of the picnics that surrounded our little site. And our ears were greeted with such tunes as:

Wicked Game
Two Hearts
Somebody’s Crying
Blue Hotel
Only The Lonely
Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing
San Francisco Days
And more….

It was a sensory overload on all fronts that left my mind and spirit at ease. As the evening cooled into a late night bliss under the stars, I couldn’t have been more pleased the musical and comedic offerings of Mr. Isaak. And I think my friends would agree too:



8.06.2007

Sweltering Summer Heat

This weekend was eroded by the sweltering summer heat that seems to roll around every August in Memphis. I was just lucky to be able to offset some of hot temperatures by chilling out with some old school pals. I attended a party in Midtown on Friday. This outside gathering (honestly it was a bit steamy) in a well manicured backyard garden provided some good eats, drinks and people to chat with. Unfortunately, I was a tad bit layered in my clothing selection so I quickly started to burn up and look like a tomato (see below).

Other then the party, I really just enjoyed spending quality time with some other fun folks over the weekend. Sushi at Pacific Rim was superb and who can beat a pre-movie trip shopping at Target. Plus there is no better way to beat the summer heat then going to see a movie (seriously – the ticket price alone for the air conditioning is worth the price of admission).

And finally what could be better then chilling at home Sunday with a few surprise guest visits throughout the day. Being greeted by a series of friendly smiles is a sure way stay calm and refreshed to start a new week.

The only other thing that might be better cooler this week while I'm at the office may be my mid-morning ipod shuffle to start the week. Here is the soundtrack to how I've started my morining post meetings:

1. The Authority Song – Jimmy Eat World
2. If It Makes You Happy – Sheryl Crow
3. Without You – Dixie Chicks
4. City of Blinding Lights – U2
5. You Just Haven’t Earned It Yet, Baby – The Smiths
6. I Don’t Want To Think About It – Wild Strawberries
7. Nos Da Caraid – David Gray
8. Try Again - Keane
9. Leave This City – The Sundays
10. Different Names For The Same Things – Death Cab For Cutie

8.03.2007

Catch Me Up

Best of Times, Worst of Times

I’m not going to sugar coat it. Things have been a bit topsy-turvy for me as of late. My emotions have been quite raw. And the smallest things set off chain reactions that seems to send shockwaves to the far reaches of my soul. I could begin to list all these things out for you, but it won’t. It might scare you away. I will just state simply that July really has embodied the best of times and the worst of times.

And now is a time to heal and begin fresh. What I will choose to highlight are some special moments that have passed briefly before me. Things that are now burned into my memory like:


*Long, late night drives to clear my head with no particular destination in mind.
*Support of the greatest group of friends a girl could ask for (who seem to love me unconditionally)
*Unexpected gestures or visits (see pics of flowers from a friend or a visit from Kacey)
*Memories of what once happened and dreams of what are to come
*Long conversations that probe the parties involved of thoughts beyond the surface
*Learning the depths of my new co-workers and appreciating them for the unique perspective/easygoing smiles

These are some of the things that have warmed my heart and ripped my soul wide open all at the same time. I promise though my next post will move back more into a more light-hearted format of what amuses me. And we will continue to explore the special people, places and things that fuel my world.