Highfalutin on the Hill

As an extended weekend, I flew up to DC Friday through Sunday.

Hess on the Hill, a college friend / former PR teammate / potential business-partner (with a start-up PR firm), was a wonderfully gracious hostess and we rocked DC!

In short, I had a blast all weekend and am still amazed at everything we were able to fit in:

• a Capitol tour
• a Pentagon tour
• a night-on-the-town in historic Old Town
• a Saturday morning run & coffee on King Street
• lunch in Del Ray with an old college friend
• shopping all over Old Town including perusing the old Torpedo Factory Galleries & a visit to the Old Dominion Boat Club
• a Taste of the South Pre-party at Jill's in Dupont
• the climactic gala: Taste of the South at the DC Armory
• then closing the night out at the Capitol Heights Bar

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The Capitol

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Night on the Town in Historic Old Town

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Taste of the South Pre-Party


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Taste of the South

Kiss with Silver Lullabies

As my DC trip will inevitably include a nice dose of rain, I've decided to embrace it and thank God for a break from sunshine. Time to break out the rain gear.

If only those Wellies were just a smidgen quicker shipping...

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Let the rain kiss you

Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops.

Let the rain sing you a lullaby.

-Langston Hughes

Walk Barefoot Across Sunshine Days

I was born to catch dragons in their dens

And pick flowers

To tell tales and laugh away the morning.

To drift and dream like a lazy stream

And walk barefoot across sunshine days.

-excerpt from James Kavanaugh's "Sunshine Days and Foggy Nights"

Pretty Little Things to Pack

Old Winter Fashion Flubs

As I was sadly disappointed by the Fall / Winter Fashion Flubs of...

• ...skinny jeans, esp. bunched around the ankles with high-heels
• ...MC hammer pants
• ...menswear that's too masculine, screams of androgynous dress...am a girlie-girl and like dressing as such
• ...high-waisted skirts and pants (mostly because I have no torso anyway-no need to shorten it more)
• ...the return of Uggs now cloaked in fur
• ...tunic shirts worn as dresses, without leggings (note: I'm not anti-mini dresses; however, some of those tunics are definitely not meant to be worn as a dress)

Spring Emerged with Classic, Pretty Clothes!

Pretty Little Things Packed for my DC visit to Hess on the Hill:

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SAFARI

Banana Republic Safari Dress & will have Guess woven leather heels with my JCrew gold sandals on hand in-case of excessive walking...it is DC.

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BOHEMIAN
Wal-Mart Dress on CLEARANCE (stick that one in your pocket!) & leopard-print flats. Will cinch with a white belt, top with a bohemian bangle, and throw on a white hobo bag.

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CLASSIC FEMININE
JS Collections Cocktail Dress- couldn't find an Online picture, but it's an empire-waist, mid-calf length nude dress with a black, pleated overlay & clear/silver beading (3 inches thick under bust)...a gorgeous dress! AND my Manolos- black patent leather heels

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TBA "Putzing-Around Outfit" will likely be something simple-classic like shorts, or white pants and a colorful halter

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TRAVEL IN STYLE

Also, my carry-on roller bag has officially been retired. As it's had much use and abuse, it was time to get another one. Note: I always buy the cheapest luggage because no matter what- even if always carried on- it will get ripped/marked/drenched/etc. during travel. It's inevitable.

Here's my super-cheap ($12) luggage & bag tag

You're Such a Beach

Two-hours before departure time, Pink Pimpette had to cancel our Beach Trip due to a family emergency. But all was not lost, as I was a little concerned with 4 things surrounding this particular trip:

1. I love Pink Pimpette dearly and understood her need to be with family...glad she was able to attend to them! (plus I didn't have to admit to her that I hadn't actually even packed yet)
2. Discretionary funds dwindling with...future travels; furniture purchases; my reconciliation with current fashions (upcoming blog on pretty little things).
3. The weekend's weather forecast was very questionable- it was indeed overcast and dreary. Not so great for the Beach.
4. The condition of my home when I'm away for a while. I still cannot believe how dirty the house magically gets (even when I'm not even here!) so it gave me a chance to think on this a little more...

So I thought on it...

Why does my home get dirty/messy/unorganized?
Why did I still not really clean said mess?

Well, if I had been cleaning all weekend, that would have kept me from constructing this very important theory:
I think there are messy, little, unkempt elves that appear when I'm traveling/sleeping/away and they invade my home and throw stuff around and encourage dust to settle everywhere. They also make my dishes and laundry pile up (sometimes together). They're the worst around my bathroom vanity and in my closet.

P.S. Where did those darn ants come from?

Happy Momma's Day!

"The sweetest sounds to mortals given
Are heard in Mother, Home, and Heaven."
~William Goldsmith Brown

So on Mother's Day, almost everyone says their Mother is incredible...but mine really is!

My mom is...

• a godly woman
• a faithful, loyal, and patient wife
• a mother to FIVE sometimes-extraordinarily-difficult kids (if you know us well, this is a particularly monumental feat!)
• a role model
• a best friend
• a talented artist / wood-carver (entrepreneurial too)
• a close friend and confidante to many
• a teacher
• a darn good cook
• an open-minded, open-hearted person (while holding fast to her core beliefs)
• a mediator
• a giver
• an activist (did I mention that she's lobbied on the Hill, passed state legislation, and served as President of the Council on Adoptable Children in Texas...among other things)
• a compassionate woman
• a servant
• a well-respected and honored woman

My Mother is Beautiful.

Brown Paper Packages Tied Up With Strings...

These are a few of my Favorite Things

1. Music: I'm big into classic rock and jam bands. Here are some of my newer finds Old 97's...Grateful Dead...Bob Dylan
2. iPods: which technically ties directly to music, but I'm going to count it as a separate Favorite. I got a Nano for Christmas, and then got one of the new Shuffles last week. I still haven't opened the package though...Dear Friend has accused me of moving at a snail's pace & I think this must apply to being a Laggard with techie gadgets


3. Traveling: for Leisure rather than business. Will keep you posted on my upcoming adventures...


4. New Purchase: Tommy Bahama's bust-enhancing bikini


5. Old Purchase: Foyer Lantern over my kitchen table (yes, those are jingle-bell trees on the table...pic @ Christmastime)


6. Decorating Inspirations:


7. Cake:

Before

After

I wanted to save the "HAPPY" part, but this looks more like it said "Nappy"

I'm Rewriting the Rules

Just two quick things that I'd like to report. And make sure you're sitting down for this- you're going to find it bizarrely incredible:

A) It's not my Birthday anymore so I can remain a Southern Lady and let you in on a little secret over the past three days: This afternoon, I realized that I inhaled an entire sheet cake all on my own...in three days. No joke. I took a picture this morning to commemorate the "Happy" part right before I finished it off. I am not sure if I'm brave enough to post it because at that point I actually was HAPPY. Right now, I'm quite: FAT & HAPPY...but no longer on that sugar-high.

B) Last time I was in a hotel for non-business reasons was December 2006...and it was posh! But how sad is it that it's been 2+ years! For the next three weekends in a row I get to travel for leisure, no business whatsoever. WHAT WHAT?

1. Tomorrow night my Pink Pimpette and I leave for the Beach to scout out wedding resources for her August Wedding. We're hoping that the sun will poke through the clouds either Saturday or Sunday, but at least we'll get some fresh seafood!
2. Next weekend I'm flying to DC to visit my college friend Hess on the Hill. I booked my flight today and I'm actually taking a Vacay day on Friday for the touristy sightseeing stuff and then Saturday will be for the locals showing the hidden gems. Saturday night is a black-tie affair called Taste of the South. This promises to be a blast!
3. Memorial Day Weekend Dear Friend invited me out to her family's lake home and I will likely pig out there as well...only in a bikini. So much for running again!
   Where are You going?

Bottega Blunder

I'm totally a BloggingWhore today (no Mom, I don't mean it in that way).

It's just that I've already posted once for today and I'm posting AGAIN...twice in one day. Heck, I might even post another one tonight!

Last night's Birthday dinner was at a favorite restaurant- Bottega. There's a history here with a story that's likely more amusing to me and the witnesses present; it's probably one of those where "you just had to be there" for it to have any effect. So read-on if you like, or click-on if you don't.
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TIMELINE

Four years ago...2004

Fresh out of college, I was fortunate enough to instantly bond with a phenomenal group of girls and we started our very own Supper Club (SC). The four of us were a tight group of friends who rotated dinner party hostessing- at the time we'd meet even once a week- although today there are three of us and we meet about once a month. We often cook a la casa, but would occasionally go out to dinner as well.

Let's see, in 2004 I was single, a little boy crazy, and feeling a little sassy (ha! I suppose it's not too much unlike 2008...).


BACKGROUND of the SETTING

In Birmingham, we have Culinary Chef and Mastermind Frank Stitt. His genius is shared with us locals through 3 restaurants:

1. Highlands Bar & Grill, 5-Star restaurant (which has been nationally praised on numerous occasions including a feature article in the NY Times)
2. Bottega, Mediterranean/Italian in an Art Deco style
3. Chez Fonfon, trendy and slightly more laid-back, French

I'm a patron of two of these venues...not blue-blood-enough to set foot in Highlands.

Bottega has just been a more casual place and serves this phenomenal Chicken Scaloppine dish that is to-die-for! So, us Supper Club gals frequented Stitt's restaurant #2.

PLOT LINE

This particular meal, there were only three of us in Supper Club (SC) that could make Lunch. But we were at a great, happening restaurant as young professionals facing a brave new world (or city at least). I was loving this new phase of life!

To begin with, I self-parked my car only to have the Valet Attendant scout me out at the restaurant. In an embarrassing scene (remember I'm a Birmingham-neophyte at a trendy place) he scolded me, in front of my friends and surrounding hip patrons, that only Bottega customers were allowed to park their cars in this particular lot.
Uh-huh...I see.
I suppose maybe he just wasn't thinking about me sitting down to lunch at the exact venue where he was parking cars.
He is forgiven. May have been on medication? Actually to think of it, he probably shouldn't have driven my car anyway... But at this point, I was so humiliated that I surrendered the car keys of my already-parked-car to appease him.

Back to the story:
Despite the slightly-shaken meal start, we had a lovely lunch with the as-always-wonderful Bottega food. I still drool thinking about Chicken Scaloppine!

And did I mention that our Server was HOT?
It was in a sweet, boyish sort of way. Tall with dark curly hair and a flirty look. Big smile, a friendly, mellow demeanor. Charming, gentle, and loving----evidently these were all things that I conjected from his looks alone. Have you caught on yet that I don't always have the gift of discernment?

Did I mention that one of my SC Gals knew said Hot Server?
He was actually her brother's good friend (and I think former roommate???)

So you can probably write the rest of this tale:
What does single, new-to-the-town, boy-crazy, sassy-feeling, already-humiliated-but-not-gonna-let-that-that-get-me-down, little 'ole me do?

Yeah, I definitely left my phone number when I signed that meal check.
Confident, Bold, and Daring. An excellent start for my new life in Birmingham.

Hot Server was supposed to see the new fabulousness of me too. He'd call me up to ask me on a date...right?

And he never did.

Actually something worse happened. Through my SC Gal's brother, Hot Server relayed the message that "I'm just not really looking to date anyone right now. But that was nice of her to do that."

NICE?

It was kind of him to respond, but at this point, I'd officially been downgraded to: Delusional, Arrogant, AND Desperate.


LESSONS LEARNED

Would I do it again? Actually, yeah. Just because it was kind of fun and risky and new. The true lesson learned here wasn't one of regret but of humility- to Laugh at the silliness of my self-parking faux-pas; and to Laugh at the goofiness of essentially asking a guy out and getting turned down; to Laugh at myself. I'm just not all that and a bag of chips!


BRINGING IT FULL CIRCLE

Four years later, for my 27th Birthday Dinner last night. Guess who waited on our table? Yep, HOT SERVER.

Still adorable and dreamy.

Still has that thoughtful, boyish charm.

Still working as a server at Bottega.

It's a good thing to laugh at myself, the situation, and yet think of doing it all over again... Still.

No Regrets.

Bestest Friends

I am extraordinarily blessed to have incredible friends who love me deeply.

They have seen me through very tough times: a broken engagement 30-days before the Wedding; and severe heartbreak (actually this was a separate incident from the broken engagement)...

...as well as through very joyful times: like the broken engagement (haha- tricked ya earlier- this was a saving event where God was again protecting me. Praise God!); and me buying my first home (still can't believe this).

My bestest friend Jamie is a Kindred Spirit who miraculously loves me in a way that builds me up, supports and encourages me, and challenges me in my everyday walk with God (although, I must note, that I struggle with the "everyday" part and more often than not, this walk is more like a crawl, but you get what I mean...)

Yesterday, she wrote a beautiful post honoring my special day...I feel so honored.

Enough with the SAP!

What I really wanted to do was segue to this: Jamie Michele has amazing graphic design skills. She does it all: from invitations, to stationery, to newsletters and mailouts, to personalized calendars. Today I have to plug her latest Blog Design work: you're lookin' at it! Check out her Blog: The Grizzles

In real life, this girl is a combination of Martha Stewart - Candice Olsen - Swoozies. (yeah, in case you were wondering, that's like 3 major corporations all wrapped up in this one Chickadee)

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Oh and I have to post a picture of my Birthday dress from last night...

O Happy Day! O Pretty Dress!

A Very Merry Birthday to Me!

So, a lady never reveals two things: her weight and her real age.

And a Southern lady never reveals one: how many pieces of cake she devours on her Birthday!


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"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years."
-Abraham Lincoln.

I Need Professional Help...In Writing and Dating!

Wow, didn't realize how many grammatical adn spellnig errors I make (ha-ha) until I go back to re-read some of the journals.

On another note, I also didn't realize how much Knight in Shining Armor's non-responsiveness was bugging me until I really thought about how much time/effort/thought went into that one single e-mail...and how he won't at least reply!
Arrrggghhh.
Am thinking maybe Knight in Shining Armor was peacock-like after all.
Stupid animals... Or maybe it's stupid girl for still dating animals.


Here's the referenced, well-thought-out and totally PC, e-mail:
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Hey Knight in Shining Armor,

I need to apologize- I don't know what was wrong with me, but I was definitely not myself last week when we met and went to dinner. Dear Friend was great to arrange everything, and I think I was just nervous about the idea of a "set-up." Anyway, it was great meeting you- if you would ever be up for doing a coffee or drink thing one-on-one sometime, let me know... Dear Friend mentioned something about skiing this summer too, maybe I'll see you then.

Take care,
Gypsy Soul
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Even with all the excuses in the world:

• Maybe he never checks this e-mail account
• OR maybe he's in some remote area of the world that's uncivilized (aka a place without Starbucks, mobile service, and especially Internet)
• Perhaps he's not sure who I am and deleted without reading

You know what they say... HE'S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU (insert ME)

Project: Goodbye Frog

At what point is a girl to say "Goodbye" and close the door on a dating prospect?

AND that's not to say he can't be moved to the FRIEND Zone... but when is it time to just admit he's not the One? All these frogs and I'm still not convinced that they'll magically morph into

Prince Charming.

It's time to call a Frog a Frog.

I have this tendency to want to give everyone chance after chance after chance...and no, 77 times doesn't apply to my dating search. It ain't about forgiveness, it's about finding a helpmate. Someone to share the rest of your life with, who will serve and love God alongside you, who will have your babies/cook you dinner/clean the house (ohhh wait- is that the other way around?). On this, I get to be picky.

I have/am decidedly saying Goodbye to the following in 2008:

• Ape ended over "How to Cook Asparagus"
• Chameleon Yeah, yeah...so he said "goodbye" to me...whatever...
• Sick Manchild is really half the age of his Earth years. That and he's just so uncouth.
• Super Fan is too much like a kid brother. Ewwwww!
• Random Atlanta Guy calls/e-mails sporadically to see if I'm in town for a coffee. No, I'm not. And when I am, it's for business and I'm busy.
• Adventure J lives in Hunstville anyway and has even more of a "gypsy soul" than I. Tough, flighty guy to catch. We might hit it off remotely, but we're just not able to connect in-person.
• Flyin' "F"s is the extraordinarily successful and very ambitious pilot instructor; albeit he has the mouth of a sailor. Content not as bad as Sick Manchild, but definitely not a guy I'd want my parents to meet until he's washed his mouth superclean.

When is it time to just throw in the towel in dating?