Starbucks... desserts????

Have you noticed that Starbucks is now serving Petites???  Well, this past weekend they were giving them away free with a coffee.   So of course Jennie and I had to walk over and get ourselves one...

This is the salted carmel and it was lovely!! Sweet and salty together... melt my heart...

This is why...

I don't know if you noticed in the pics I uploaded yesterday but I have gained some weight recently.  Don't try to be nice and tell me you didn't see it... haha!  Well, I know exactly why I have... I call them 30th birthday treats.  Here are some of them... some are still on my camera and I have to take them off and add them here...

Birthday Cake at the Surprise Party - thanks Jennie!!!

Saturday wasTurtle Mocha Coffee at West Egg 

courtesy of Odessa - yummy!

After West Egg was Gigi's Cupcakes with Odessa & Eric

My IT Team surprised Andrej and me with yummy cookie cake!!

Monday was a Piece of Cake Strawberry Cupcake courtesy Buckhead Church!!

(I forgot to take a picture of it so this came from Piece of Cake's website)

Monday night Jennie and I had Cami Cakes cupcakes!!!

The only picture I don't have is from Erinleigh... she made me a chocolate ice cream cake!!! Of course there was no dairy in hers!!! It was amazing!!!

No wonder I can't fit into my pants any more!! LOL!!! And... no wonder this is how I ended up...

Post-Skydiving Range Shooting

What better way to cap off a great Saturday of skydiving than to go to the range!  Haha!!! Bennett joined my parents, Zach and me for a fun hour shooting guns...

In this picture Zach is showing me how to shoot a rifle... in my sparkly dress!!

What else did my parents and I do this weekend???  Well, we went to Fat Matt's Thursday night and then just hung out at the apartment.  Jennie and Jeff stopped by for a few cocktails on the roof.

Rise-N-Dine was for brunch on Friday and ran into Marcus on his lunch break.  We all really liked Rise-N-Dine!! It was yummy!! Then we spent the day shopping and finished out the night with dinner at Via with Jennie.  Via was horrible... save yourself and don't go!! 

Saturday was skydiving, shooting, and the dinner at Fox Brother's BBQ.  I am so excited about shooting... my Dad bought me a Smith & Wesson .22 revolver so I was practicing with that.  Dad and I were also able to shoot Zach's 9mm and rifle and Bennett's 45.  We had a blast shooting all the different guns. Dinner was with Bennett, Marcus, Marthalynn and Julia.  I hadn't been to Fox however I've heard only good things about it.  In my opinion, it doesn't beat Fat Matt's for ribs however it did for the sides!

Sunday after church my parents and I went to Panahar for their first Bangladeshi experience.  And they really liked it!! Of course I did too... but it wasn't my first experience!  Haha!! We ran some errands during the day and then hung out on the roof before a major storm blew in and we went to Pizzeria Venti with Jennie for dinner.

It was another fun weekend with the parents!! Preston was very happy they were in town too... they do a great job at spoiling him!!!  Hahah!!

Tuesday's Fud.

Tuesday I got to visit Erinleigh & George's new house when I brought them dinner!! It is a beautiful house, just outside the perimeter.  Luckily I remembered my passport... LOL! I actually loved their neighborhood... a fun mix of culture and 70's style homes.

In the next paragraph I'll discuss what I made however first I must say that after dinner EL and I went to the Super H Mart... an Asian (with a splash of Mexican) market about 10 miles from her house.  I couldn't read a lot of what was there but I want to try it all!  I loved it and will be frequenting it I'm sure.  Now to find someone who is Asian to take me around... LOL!!!



Ok, now for what I made.  Since I was out of town all weekend I didn't want to try to do too much for dinner so I bought a roasted chicken from Publix and brought rice, beans, and corn.

Rice and Beans

1 cup of dried beans
2 cups brown rice
water
1 can Rotel tomatoes (original)

In a large bowl, cover dried beans with water and soak overnight in the fridge.

Next, place the brown rice and 5 cups of water in a large sauce pan.  Bring to a boil on high. Once boiling, reduce heat medium-low and cover.  Let cook for 45 minutes.

While the rice is cooking, boil the beans in a separate pot on the stove over medium-high heat.

Once the rice is done cooking, drain the beans.  Add the beans and the Rotel to the rice.  Mix and serve.


This was super easy and I would totally do it again.  I was even impressed with the pre-cooked chicken from Publix!!

Food, food, food!!!!

I have had such a great food weekend!! No good pictures but I thought you may want to hear about the restaurants that I went to.  I already talked about Desta (that Teesha, Joel and I went to on Thursday).

On Friday after I left the doctor office... I had to get my monthly allergy shots... I was hungry for falafel. I heard that Pita Palace on LaVista was really good.  I even tried to take my mom there when she was in town in October however it was closed when we stopped by.  So I stopped in.  The guys there were amazing and they made the most spectacular traditional pita falafel for me!! I loved it. It was HUGE so I split it with Kasii.  You need to try it out!!

Saturday after dress shopping for Odessa's wedding (yippee!) Odessa, Teesha, and I stopped at Panahar for some Bangladeshi cuisine.  We didn't realize that we would need a reservation however they still managed to find us a seat.  And they hooked us up!!  Not sure what all they brought out but the appetizer was Poori Shrimp.  You MUST try this if you go.  And then try anything they recommend with lamb or goat!! It is AMAZING!!

Monday lunch I went with Elizabeth to California Pizza Kitchen.  One could ask why would a girl who loves to try unique restaurants actually like CPK... one reason... Moroccan Chicken Salad.  I have gotten it the last like four times I have been there and am in love with it.  No cheese is even on it.  I always get the dressing on the side.  And it is full of yumminess!!

On Tuesday Brant was in Buckhead and we headed out for some sushi at Yu-Ka.  To die for good!! Seriously on par with M F Sushi.  I was in sushi heaven!!  And, we got a few rolls and split them... which rocks... I heart sharing food!!

In other news...

I've had a very fun, very busy week!! To let you in on a few food things...

On Wednesday Jennie, Teesha, Brant and I had taco night at my house.  Once again, no pictures.  I don't know what's wrong with me.  Jennie and I LOVE to do taco night.  It's so easy and people can assemble whatever they want to in it.

For the meat,  I made Boca crumbles with a fajita seasoning I made from scratch.  I mixed the seasoning with water and poured it on.  I also put about 1/4 cup of salsa with it.  YUMMO!!  And, for those who were too scared to eat it (who will remain nameless), I made Tilapia seasoned with fish seasoning and pan fried.  Lots and lots of toppings to go with it!!!

Thursday night Teesha, Joel, and I went to Desta Ethiopian Kitchen and were BLOWN AWAY by the food.

Teesha and I ready to get our food on!!

Joel, Teesha and I all decided to wear green.

How random!! Haha!!

If you live in the Atlanta area and haven't been there you are soooooo missing out!!  We at the meat lovers (Kitfo was medium rare, Wilderness Tibs were lamb, and the Gored Gored was medium well) and the Fish Tibs.  We split it all and we ate it all.

Few Things You Must Know

I had a wonderful weekend!!  Very busy but very fun...

On Friday some girlfriends and I did 'Brunch & a Market' by going to Ria's Bluebird Cafe and then the Dekalb Farmers Market.  Ria's has crazy ridiculously yummy food!! I had the brisket breakfast.  The other ladies got different breakfasts and we each tried bites of each other's food and I have to say each one was amazing!!

Friday night my Aunt Sue and cousins Alex and Wes came thru Atlanta on their way from Florida to Indiana.  They thought they were going to make it into the city in time for dinner however traffic dictated otherwise and they made it at about 10pm instead.  So, Aunt Sue and I had a glass of wine and we all hung out on the roof for a little bit.

In the morning Aunt Sue, Wes and I let Alex sleep in (like all teenage young ladies like to do) and we took Preston out to the dog run and then up to the roof so they could see the ATL skyline in the daylight.  Of course we went back up again after Alex was up and moving too.  Since it was almost lunch time and when asked Wes said he wanted steak for breakfast, so we decided to nix breakfast all together and head to Fat Matt's for rib.  Yummo!!  I don't know of better ribs.  I figure they liked it too cause between the 4 of us we at a rack and a half of ribs PLUS a half chicken.  Lots of meat!

At night I went to 1010 in Midtown to meet up with VJ and some other friends to hang out at the pool.  Amazing pool it was. But after a bit we were hungry so we headed to Piola and had an amazing time hanging out at the bar, meeting the staff, and eating waaaaaay to much.  If you are ever in Midtown you need to stop here.  It is the best!! 

 And, they have my favorite (which I have now learned how to make) Aperol Spritz!!  Woo hoo!!

Finally, one more thing you just must know, especially if you own an iPhone.  Ok, so only if you own an iPhone.  Did you know there is an App called Scout Mob??  If not, you must download immediately!! It finds your location and then gives you a coupon on your phone for a percentage off at local restaurants, shops, boutiques, etc.  When you get to the location you show them the Scout Mob coupon to receive the discount.  Thank you Tom for showing me this app!!  

Weekend Fun

I had a BLAST this weekend!!

It started Thursday night with hot tub night.  Teesha, Jennie, and Candice.  We went to Super Jenny for grilled cheese night.  There was a huge line up for a table so instead of eating in we went back to my house, which was perfect for me since I can't have cheese and the PB&J that I was going to have was out.  So, they had grilled cheese and I had left overs from the night before, which were amazing!!  After dinner we all went to the roof for relaxation.  We actually saw a few different people on the roof, including Courtney (who I work with) and her husband.  Fun time and believe me I slept well last night!!

Friday I met up with Jill W, Kasii, and Miranda for brunch at Carroll Street Cafe for brunch in Cabbagetown. I hadn't been there before so I was super excited. They didn't have an extensive brunch menu so instead I got lunch (salmon sandwich with salad) and it was really good! I did enjoy it.  Afterward all but Miranda went to the DeKalb Farmers Market for some good grocery shopping.  Neither Kasii or Jill had been before and they were so amazed... it made me so happy!

Friday was a beautiful day so I took Preston for a good walk in the afternoon.  Luckily the past few days have been really nice so it has been great to get outside.

At night I drove the 3 minutes to Lynette's new house.  I am so excited she lives just down the street from me now!! It used to take me about 45 minutes when I would go to her place for ladies night.  Love the shortened commute!!  She made dinner for a group of us, which was absolutely amazing, and then we watched Bride Wars.  Since everyone has been so busy lately it was great catching up!

Saturday was supposed to be a really down day for me, however it didn't work out to be.  Jennie let me borrow her bread maker so I tried to make a recipe of bread.  Twice.  But neither turned out all that well.  Boo!  Neither did ever rise so they were like bricks.  The second was not such a bad brick so I have been just calling it 'dense.'  I was hoping to post an amazing entry about the loaf of bread too.  Not going to happen... not yet at least!

In the afternoon I met up with Erinleigh and her dog Bauer for a walk around Lenox Park.  It was great to get out again and have the feel of spring/summer!!

Yesterday I went to another amazing park, Piedmont Park, with Victor.  We met up with a few friends including another Victor and Eli.  It was great to catch up with them too!!

We should have one last day of amazing weather today so Preston and I are about to be going on an extended walk around the block before he gets a bath.  After today the rain is supposed to come in for the rest of the week.

Restaurant Review: Cru

So, apparently cru means raw or uncooked in French. However this restaurant wasn't a sushi restaurant (as I thought it should be) but a tapas restaurant. Britt, Andrea and I (Andrea is who Britt and I stayed with in Italy a little over a year ago) went there with a group of their friends. Andrea had stopped in Atlanta for a week before heading to graduate school in NYC. Can you believe it... I am so jealous that he is able to live there!!

We started with a glass of Sangria. Their house Sangria was only $5 a glass, which tasted pretty good! Then I got Lamb sliders for dinner which was also very yummy, in fact, everyone seemed to really enjoy what they got. The only complaint was that the food was a little pricey for a tapas restaurant. I generally like to try 2 items at a tapas restaurant but at $12 for my plate that was out of the question. But, if it tastes good that's what counts right!

Either way, I had a great night with my friends... And that truly is what counts!!

Starfish, Fox, and a Symphony

Friday night was ladies night for my friends Heather, Christina, Amy and me!! We had a blast!!

Our night started with dinner at Starfish, a sushi restaurant down the street from my house. We got a few different kinds of rolls and split them between everyone. It was a fun way to chat, eat, and taste different options. To fun!
After dinner we made our way over to the Fox Theater to watch Jersey Boys!!




We actually arrive late so we didn't have to wait in any line. However, missing the first bit wasn't great. I had no clue that it was the story of the Four Seasons (I don't know why I didn't know) however Amy clued me in before we got there. Good thing or I would have been royally confused!!! LOL!!!! I loved the musical!! We had a blast watching it!! I would recommend it to anyone.

Of course any ladies night wouldn't be complete without a good cocktail so we walked to Bazzaar for a quick drink and conversation. We had a blast people watching and updating each other on the latest in our lives.

Saturday was a really, really fun day!! I spent the morning at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market. I have always wanted to go to the market but had been trying to clean out my pantry. I finally have it fairly well cleaned down so I figured why not. I love the idea of locally grown organic foods!! I was able to purchase a squash, some green beans, and a few different heads of dark greens. I made up some dinner yesterday from what I got... and yummy!!! I'm going to try to do this more often on Saturdays. There wasn't as many vendors as I would have liked however it was a close walk. I have another option of trying the Morningside Market however I would have to drive there. If I do make it there I'll let you know what I think.

In the afternoon I hung out with VJ and John at John's pool. Always fun to hang out by the pool! On my way home I stopped by Erinleigh's house to pick up her dog Darcy. I am watching Darcy until tomorrow A.M. She is fun however she is a night walker and the tags on her collar jingle when she does. So, I was woken up abruptly a few times last night. Tonight I am going to have to take her collar off before going to bed!! Otherwise I really enjoy watching my friends dogs!! Always a fun time!! :)

Then at night VJ and I went to the opening night of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater. It was beautiful music, amazing choir, beautiful location. It was also outside in 90+degree extremely humid environment!! Even I was a bit miserable because of the heat, and if you know me you know that is *almost* impossible!! However we did have a blast and it was worth sitting in the heat to hear.

Silver Skillet Rocks

Erinleigh, George, and I went to the Silver Skillet today for brunch... amazing!! I had a biscuit with egg and bacon, side of pancake, and coffee... yumm-o! Erinleigh and George have a habit of going and hopefully they will include me every time they go. I could do that again in a minute.

I guess this post is my restaurant review, although I don't think they really care too much about my opinion cause its, like, the most visited restaurant in Atlanta by the 'real' famous people. Want the history... check it out here. What I found most interesting is that parts of Remember the Titans were filmed there as well as Travis Tritt's Here's a Quarter, Call Someone Who Cares music video.

Since I have posted a Travis Tritt video already I figured you would want to see another one! Don't you just love the mullet!!!

Rich People Problems

Tonight for small group we went out to Seasons 52 and I had a great time! I love my small group and had never been to Seasons 52 before and was excited to go. The premise of the restaurant is that there is nothing over 500 calories. Tiffany (who is also vegan+) and I decided to split two of the entrees... Salmon Flatbread and the Autumn Market Vegetable Plate. To go with it, everyone in the group had a glass of wine. Everything was wonderful and I would recommend this restaurant to anyone. The service was slow, however it was just fine because we each had so much to talk about it made time just fly! Let me say that this part of the evening was more than I could have asked for... I had a blast.

But the rest of this is going to be written before all this healthy rage wears off...

Seasons 52 is in a retail/business area called One/Two Buckhead Plaza. I have been to the Plaza before to go to J. Christophers, a breakfast restaurant, and the first time I parked in the wrong parking garage and ended up paying more to park than I did to eat, needless to say I was frustrated.

However this time I searched and searched until I found the correct parking garage, it was a maze to get into and I passed complimentary valet parking but because I was being really cheap and didn't want to pay the tip to valet, I parked myself. Where I parked was for retail customers and was 2 hours free parking. Or so they said.

However, when I tried to get validated they said that Seasons 52 is not a retail shop. I question what it is then? I defined retail in this setting as something other than business. Since I am going somewhere to pay them money for a product (aka food) I figure this was retail. Crazy me.

So then I go to exit (and luckily it was evening) and I ended up paying $5 to park. Not that $5 is a lot of money, however I was expecting free. And more than that I feel like they purposefully made it complicated just so they can get money off of people like me (and had this been during the day it would have been $6 per hour or in this case about $15). And more than that, this isn't downtown Atlanta where there is no free parking to be had, this is Buckhead where its free to park pretty much anywhere. And more than that I could have done complimentary valet, pulled up to basically the exact same place and I could have tipped them this money, which I prefer to do, I was just being really economical (or cheap).

As I was driving home and I was stewing over this and basically just making myself more and more angry I started thinking about Oasis and Andy Stanley.

The anger training that we just went thru in Oasis class talked about healthy anger. And since I wanted to hurt someone over this means its not healthy anger.

And as Andy would say, this is a rich people problem.

I was able to eat, inside a restaurant, I was able to pay for the food with my own money, I was able to drive in my own car home, and I have a home to go home to. If any of those things were not there, this would be a real problem. Me having to pay a parking garage to be able to park my car is a rich people problem. And really, I need to just get over it.

So why am I still upset?

I Feel Like I Am Falling Behind

I noticed that I am not updating as much as I have been... where do the days go!! I had a great weekend. Friday became my day of rest and what do I do on my day of rest... I run for an hour and a half. Well, not really run the entire time, but most of it! I was going to go on a 4 mile run, which should have taken about 45 minutes. However as I started running I wanted to try a new course so I ran around different streets, thinking I knew where I was going. However, about an hour into the run I realized I had no clue where I was. Luckily I had my trusty I phone on me so I pulled it out, used GPS to find my location and mapped my way home. I was about 2.5 miles away from home!! I couldn't believe how far I had gone, and I would have to go about 2 miles down Peachtree to make it home. I don't like running on such a busy street so once I got to Peachtree I called my mom and talked to her on the rest of the walk.

The rest of the day was then resting. I sat on the couch, took a nap, had lunch and dinner, and knitted. It was great!! I am making Victor a scarf for his birthday, which is this week, however it may not be done on time. If not, he will get it a little late! Oh well, I am actually impressed on how far I already am on the scarf since I just started it last weekend!

Yesterday I worked out again in the morning, but this time I played it safe and went to the gym. I ran on the treadmill for 30 minutes, did 30 minutes of cardio-kickboxing, and 30 minutes of yoga. Since the cardio-kickboxing and yoga are done to FitTV (and they have commercials) I did a few minutes of weightlifting during the commercials.

After the workout I ate some lunch and went to my friend Erinleigh's house for her dog, Bauer's, 2nd birthday party!! It was a lot of fun and I got to meet some new people which was very cool. After the party the ladies wanted to go to an art fair so we left around 6pm to head over there... however the fair closed at 6pm so by the time we got there all the booths were closed up. The guys were going to another house to play video games so us ladies headed over to that house to hang out. The game the guys wanted to play was missing some key parts so indeed we played Apples to Apples. I hadn't played it before but it was a lot of fun! Around 9pm Erinleigh got hungry so she, her husband George, and I went to La Fonda Cantina for a little Mexican food.

The Cantina (on Peachtree) is very close to my apartment and I had been there before but just for drinks. Their food was pretty good. I had the veggie tacos and Erinleigh got the salmon fish tacos. Since we each got 2 tacos with our order we decided to split them. We both preferred the veggie. We also got dessert to split... Apple Empanadas. They reminded all of us of apple pies from McDonalds. I wouldn't get the dessert again but I would go back for the main course. And, like all Mexican restaurants, they had chips and salsa. The salsa was super fresh and super good! And, for those that care, the price was very good.

My new favorite restaurant...

I was introduced to a restaurant called Sweet Tomato today at lunch and I am super in love!! Once again, I was able to go to lunch with members of my work team... Rachael, Griffin, Chip and Josh... and we had a great time!

I had never been to Sweet Tomato before and when we got there I found out its a soup/salad buffet. It was amazing... some of my favorites were the Honey Minted Fruit Toss salad, the Indian Lenil soup and the Asian Ginger Broth. And, they had TOFU!! It was pretty inexpensive and has many vegetarian/vegan options! I will for sure be going back!!

Sweet!

Tin Drum - Restaurant Review

I always like to get the guys who help me move something for dinner to say thank you (Sad, isn't it that I move enough to have an 'always'). But, nonetheless, in the past the easiest thing to has been to order pizza. However, since I don't do meat/cheese and my friend Marcus doesn't do the crust (he's allergic to gluten) and there were only 2 people who were for sure available to help me I thought pizza was just a bad idea.


I started thinking about the different options and Tin Drum came to mind. Its cheap, its tasty, and there are non-gluten and vegan friendly options... perfect! So after getting all of my stuff out of storage we stopped by Tin Drum on the way home. And like always... it was great! I had tofu instead of meat and Marcus had rice instead of noodles and we all enjoyed our options. The only downside is that I would have loved to have more vegetables in the dish. Either way, always good!

And, it was just enough food to give us the energy to unpack at the apartment. Brilliant!

Cafe Intermezzo - Restaurant Review

For lunch on Saturday (yea, I am reviewing in no particular order) we headed just down the street to Cafe Intermezzo. I have been here a handful of times since moving to the ATL, however I haven't gone since converting to vegan+ so I was interested to see what I could get. And, really there wasn't much. I settled on a black bean burger which I thought was quite pricey since it didn't come with any sides however it did taste really good.


Because I can't come here without getting dessert, I only ate half my burger and shared my dessert with the table... which was espresso, raspberry, something else chocolate cake. Yeah, yea... I am sure it wasn't vegan friendly but I just couldn't resist! It was really good.

We did sit on the back porch and I do love sitting back there... the fans are super fun. If you go, check them out!! And if you end up in the restroom enjoy the language lesson... this time it was Dutch!!

On a side note, I ate the other half of my burger for lunch by heating in the microwave for 30 seconds and it still tasted really good. Just in case you wanted to know.

My vote for here: come for the atmosphere, dessert, and drinks. The food is OK for the price. I love the look of the place and when I own my own house/condo I will use their style to decorate.

Ru Sans - Restaurant Review

I already knew I loved Ru Sans... a chain of Japanese sushi restaurant with quite a few all over Atlanta. So when Angela suggested going when she got into town last Tuesday I was excited!!


If you go at lunch they have an amazing lunch buffet (that I always eat to much at) but for dinner or when I am on a tight budget I love to go with a friend and order a few dollar roles. They have an extensive dollar sushi menu and for $3 (1 maki roll = 3 pieces of sushi) I always eat just enough to feel full.

Just know, if you are going to go by yourself they have a $5 limit per table and if you are going to pay with credit card it jumps to $10. The $5 limit is why I like to go with a friend cause $5 worth of dollar rolls are just too many for me!!

Lola - Restaurant Review

I thought I would start with the best review first... and it has to be Lola!!! On Friday night the following ladies joined up to party with Angela.

(can't remember her name -- sorry), Angela, Heather, Christina, and Me

Heather, Me, Angela

All the ladies again!!

Christina and Me

The the decor is very much what I would consider the Atlanta up-scale restaurant. The service from the employees, I thought, was exceptional... the greater/seater was very sweet and came back many times to check on us, the waiter was very knowledgeable about what they serve, and the cooks definitely know what they are doing. At one point I got up to go to the restroom and one of the waiters stopped what they were doing to escort me. I have never had that happen in a restaurant before but he says that is what they are supposed to do, nice touch.

Some of the ladies started out with an appetizer... however it was meat, cheese and olives so at the end I just stole one of the olives! My main course was their chef's special... a snapper dish with fingerling potatoes, mushrooms (not sure what kind), and a lobster sauce. Honestly, I have never tasted anything so good!! The snapper was cooked perfectly -- still has lots of moisture, the potatoes were amazing (I am going to have to buy some to cook with at home and see if I like them as much), the mushrooms were ridiculously amazing, and the lobster sauce finished it off perfectly.

It was so big I only ate half and had the other half Sunday for dinner... you know how sometimes a dish can be good the first go but not so good as a left over... well, if given the option I would have the left overs any day of the week. They blew me away a second time!!

For a drink I ordered a Bellini, and I have to say I wasn't a fan. But then, maybe I am not a fan of Bellini's and I just didn't know it. To me, it was too dry and too tart.

Earlier in the night, Angela and I had drinks on the roof with a few of her friends in the condo building and I had a blueberry martini made by one of her friends... now that was amazing!!! He used:

Blueberry Vodka
Crystal Light Lemonade
Splash of Pomegranate
Mint Sugar on the Rim

Not sure the quantities but if I could mix a drink like he does I would be drunk all the time! Haha... probably a good thing I can't, huh!

Slovakia Mission Trip Revisit

It was amazing seeing many of the people that I spent time with on the mission trip in Slovakia. After getting back, most mission trip groups get together at least once to say hi and catch up. Most groups share pictures as well, but we had already done that so we could spend all of our time finding out what each other was up to since returning. It was great! We picked right back up where we left off after the trip! I laughed so hard my stomach was starting to hurt... ahh, the memories!!

Here is a quick group picture... with all the people there the only camera we had was my camera phone so its a bit dark and grainy but its still good!!

We ate dinner at Stefan's Off the Square in Marietta, which is a Slovak restaurant. Since Slovak's are not known for their seafood, but for their meat, I wasn't able to have a traditional Slovak meal... but the restaurant still had an extensive seafood menu which satisfied me!

We started out the meal by all sharing appetizers... halusky, smelts, and spinach pirogue. Even though I shouldn't, I tried a teeny, tiny bit of halusky and it was amazing. But I also loved the smelts and the pirogue. My dad used to manage a restaurant in Michigan and they would have fried smelts from time to time so it reminded me of that which was pretty cool!

For the entree, both Kristen (sitting next to me in the picture) and I were going to get grouper so instead she got grouper and I got salmon and we split. And I am sad we did... we both should have gotten the grouper cause it was soooooo amazing and the salmon was slightly dry.

A lot of the guys (including Andrej who is Slovak) got the Chicken Patrik which looked absolutely amazing and the portion size was HUGE! It must have been pretty good too cause they each at all of their food.

And we finished off the night by splitting dessert... apple strudel. Not sure how Slovak that is (I would think of it being more Dutch/German, but who knows). We had the ice cream separate so those who can have lactose could have ice cream and I could have a bite of dessert without it. It was pretty good... but I would say not worth getting again.

I have spent a lot of time at many different restaurants this past week with my friend Angela and will have to give you my reviews on all of them... stay tuned (and you can thank my friend Kedrick for the idea of reviewing the restaurants)!

Chocolate Pink Cafe AND Cafe Sunflower!!

Friday was a very busy, fun, and super exciting day!!! Even though it was a day off, it started at 6:30am... I got dressed and headed to Buckhead Church where a few of us met before heading to Woodson Elementary School. The church raised enough money and support to get shoes for every child at the school. There had been a few people in the church working hard for weeks getting everything together. On Thursday I helped arrange the shoes by classroom and label each child's shoes so we could easily get them on the students feet on Friday.

We drove over to Woodson, which was close to my old apartment in West Midtown, and got to sit thru one of their school assemblies. We had the most fun!! The students were so amazing and would do loud fun when appropriate and quite fun the rest of the time. There were introduction to the school rules, as well as a school mascot, a reading program, and school step/dance teams, drum lines, and cheerleaders!!

After the assembly we took the shoes to each classroom and put the shoes on each student to make sure they fit properly. I was in the first grade class and they were all so amazing!

After Woodson I headed to Edgewood to go to Flick to get my hair cut by only the best stylist, Abby!!


She is so super amazing and I always love the way my hair looks when she cuts it, and (more importantly) once I am home!! Even when I do my hair I still love it... and that is hard for me!! Only the best stylist can pull that off!

After Flick, I decided I would stop at Chocolate Pink Cafe and then make my way to the Midtown Red Cross to give blood.

I am on the mailing list for the Chocolate Pink Cafe so for my birthday they gave me a coupon for a free dessert!! I had a hard time deciding but I ended up picking their special of the day... that had peach in it!! It was amazing!!

I left the cafe and got to the Red Cross to give blood but found out that they closed at 3pm and it was after 4pm!!! I was so upset! I have been meaning to stop by here to give blood for a while and thought they were open until 7pm. Oh well, I will have to stop back another day.

My original plan was to go straight from the Red Cross to dinner, however I now had about 2 hours to kill so I went home and I was so exhausted I took a nap!! Luckily I woke up just before 6pm, which gave me a few minutes to freshen up before heading out to meet my friend Susan for dinner at Cafe Sunflower! I haven't been there before but it's a vegetarian restaurant just down the street from my apartment. I have been wanting to go but I am really bad about going out to eat when its just me... I love to have an occasion to go out for dinner (mostly because I love to cook)!

Their menu looked amazing and both Susan and I loved what we got!! We shared a starter of edamame. for the entree I got orzo eggplant lasagna. The lasagna was amazing but I only ate half so I could also get dessert... they had a coconut cake that sounded amazing... and it was!! Susan and I shared the dessert and we both loved it!!

After dinner I came home, watched some television before heading to bed!! All in all it was a perfect Friday (minus not being able to give blood)!

I love these days!!