She's Famous!

Many of you know that my sister is a dancer (Hi Brandy!!!). I've written about it several times when I went to Nashville to watch her dance. She's danced for years, I remember watching her dance for the first time at Disney World when she did a swing dance when I was 12 and spent the summer with her and my grandmother. She also danced in the half time show in Super bowl XXX (I think that's the year). She got ALL the dancing skills in the family, I think I have two left feet for any type of organized dancing. Ha! She makes it look so easy....I only wish! She even got my dad to take dancing lessons...the world has ended.

She even made the local news!  She's super pretty to boot!

One Week Away!

AAAAAAHHHHHHH one week from today I will be headed to the airport for my 6am flight to sunny (and hot!) San Antonio for the 52nd Phi Mu Convention.  I can't wait to see people and stay at the glorious and brand new JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa. And I can't wait to experience everything at the Riverwalk. This is the first year that another sorority will also be at the resort. We'll have a combined Phi Mu and Delta Zeta event on 4th of July to celebrate this country's founding! I can't wait!

Don't know what the Riverwalk is? Well neither did I, so here's from their website:

The San Antonio River Walk is a public park, open 365 days a year. It is a network of walkways along the banks of the San Antonio River, one story beneath approximately 5 miles of downtown San Antonio.  Lined by bars, shops and restaurants, the River Walk is an important part of the city's urban fabric and a tourist attraction in its own right.

The River Walk winds and loops under bridges as two parallel sidewalks, lined with restaurants, shops, hotels and more. It connects the major tourist draws from the Alamo to Rivercenter Mall,  Arneson River Theatre and La Villita,  the San Antonio Museum of Art, and the Pearl Brewery.

Over 20 events take place on the River Walk every year.

I can't wait to drop some dolla dolla bills in Carnation Collection!

Towards the end of Convention, we'll find out where the 2014 Convention will be held. That will be my third Convention

Can't attend but want to stay connected? Follow along on twitter, #Phimuconv2012 for all the deets!

Here is the schedule!


Wednesday, July 4         
10:00 a.m.                      Registration Opens
10:00 a.m.                      Carnation Collection Opens
1:00 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.        National and Area Officer Meeting
1:00 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.        Collegiate Chapter President Session
1:00 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.        Phi Director Session
3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.        Area Collegiate Chapter Meetings
3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.        National and Area Alumnae Department Officer Meeting
4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.        Alumnae Delegate Meeting
5:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.        Buses load for off-site Welcome Dinner
6:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.      Welcome Dinner: ΦΜ  & ΔΖ  4th of July Celebration at Pedrotti's Ranch
10:30 p.m.                      Buses return to JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa

Thursday, July 5       
6:45 a.m. - 8:15 a.m.        Breakfast   
8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.      Opening Business Session
10:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.      Memorial Service and Initiation (white dress)
1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.        Sisterhood Luncheon
2:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.        Convention Photo (white dress)
3:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.        Fraternity Business Session
4:30 p.m. - 6:20 p.m.        Workshops
6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.        Dinner
7:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.      Pool Party
9:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.      Past National Council and Past Chapter Consultant Reception (by invitation)

Friday, July 6   
6:45 a.m. - 8:15 a.m.         Breakfast
7:15 a.m.                         National and Area Officer Breakfast (by invitation)
8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.       Fraternity Business Session
12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.       Alumnae Luncheon
12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.      Collegiate Luncheon
2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.         Foundation Business Session
4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.         Award Celebration
5:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.         Buses Load for optional River Walk Excursion
6:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.         River Walk Excursion
6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.         Carnation Club Reception (by invitation)
6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.         Legacy League Reception (by invitation)
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.         1852 Society Dinner (by invitation)
9:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.       Trestrella
10:30 p.m.                        Buses return to JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa


Saturday, July 7       
6:45a.m. - 8:15 a.m.          Breakfast
8:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.         Closing Fraternity Business Session
1:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.         National and Area Officer Meeting Time with Chapters / Free Time
6:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.       Carnation Banquet
11:00 p.m. - 12:00 p.m.     Carnation Collection Midnight Madness

Saturday, July 7       
6:45a.m. - 8:15 a.m.          Breakfast
8:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.         Closing Fraternity Business Session
1:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.         National and Area Officer Meeting Time with Chapters / Free Time
6:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.      Carnation Banquet
11:00 p.m. - 12:00 p.m.    Carnation Collection Midnight Madness

Its Almost Time!!!!

It's a little over a week until Phi Mu Convention!!! I can't wait to see some familiar faces, learn a whole bunch of stuff, and bask in the sunshine, preferably around a pool. I can't wait!!

I saw that there was a twitter feed on the Convention page and I got SUPER excited and tweeted! You'll have to click to enlarge it, but this may be the only time I'm ever on the national Phi Mu website!!

And to my surprise, I got tweeted back!! Yes, I know I'm a nerd, but I've embraced it.

Shellac (or gel) Nails

Woohoo, I was recently introduced to shellac nails, also known as gel. Well, I take that back, I had heard about them a long time ago but never tried them myself. I finally broke down and tried it when a friend went to the salon with me before my bestie's wedding. She told me the process and took me to her nail salon. I really like them, it doesn't hurt to get them put on (they only lightly buff your nail though another friend once had them use the little drill thing on her nails like getting the fake nails..no thanks!) and make my nails stronger...mine annoyingly peel normally.

And they last FOREVER. This picture is a week after getting my nails done! Only a little bit of nail grow underneath. This is my second time getting my nails done with shellac. Last time at the end of the 2 weeks there was a bit of bubbling under the paint and drove my OCD insane. I tried a new salon (in VA as opposed to NC) and am anxiously awaiting to see if its the same.

So clearly I liked them a lot to try again so I'm a satisfied customer! You should try it too!

Srylsly?

Not sure how this one got past the DMV but it sure enough did! I assume a chick drives this car, what a classy lady.

Ouchies

Well that didn't take long. Not but like 5 or 6 rides later with my CaBi bikeshare membership I get in a bike accident. I'm really lucky it wasn't worse because I didn't have a helmet on. I know, I know, stupid. I have a web page up on my computer of helmets I've intended to purchase, I will be purchasing shortly if I'm ready to get back on the horse anytime soon.

I was biking down a hill and traffic (thankfully) was stopped because a construction vehicle was coming out of a site and I'm passing the traffic and some stupid crazy bitch opens her door at the exact moment and I crash into it an go skidding. I smash my elbow, knee, and other items. I've got serious gashes in my left arm, a black eye, and a black and blue knee. I'm thankful it's not worse.

I get up and scream at her "you need to f*ucking watch what you're doing" to which she yelled back "you need to watch where you're f*cking going" SERIOUSLY?!?!??? You didn't look before opening your door! Thank god traffic was stopped because I would have hit a car. I was too stunned to yell at her more or get her insurance info in case. I was only a couple of blocks away from home and I just wanted to get home. I never even checked to see if the bike was okay. I just stuck it back in the station. I hope it's ok.

The day had just been SO weird. I spent almost an hour talking to my dental hygienist about Teen Mom (the MTV show). We laughed and cried hysterically and then she showed me what might be the BEST thing on the internet! Amber from the show has this giant horribly ugly tattoo of her daughter that spans most of her side/stomach. I laughed until I cried it was so funny. Here is the glorious picture that had me laughing so hard I was snorting:

(image)

Not only is the tattoo ugly but the kid is not that ugly in real life! Horrible on all fronts.

Then when I left the dentist (look mom, no cavities!!), I got yelled at by some crazy woman who thought she saw me park my car and get out of the elevator. Like screaming yelling following me down the street saying:

her: I SAW you park your car there and get out of the elevator
me: (dumbfounded) no you didn't
her: YES I DID. YES I DID.
me: NO you didn't. You must be confused.
her: YES I DID.
me: I was at the dentist and I don't have a car here.
her: YES YOU DO, ITS GOING TO GET TOWED.

I walked away while she was still yelling at me. Crazy bitch. SO yeah, I had a REALLY weird/bad day on Friday!!

This Day in History v.28

Piccadilly Circus is CRAY-CRAY. So full of people, life, neon signs, and colors. Its the hustle and bustle that gets me every time. I love being a part of that feeling like I am such a local that I have to rush to get home or work or wherever life is taking me. I don't have time for silly tourists. Ha! There's a big open space in the middle of the jumble of cars. The picture above was taken on the top of a double-decker bus with Hannah while we rode a bus to see the city. Honestly, if you're in London, try to take a bus if you have to go anywhere. Its neat to see the city and you really understand how close some of the tube stations are and how its probably easier to walk!!

According to Wikipedia, Piccadilly Circus was built in 1819 to connect Regent street with Piccadilly. Near Piccadilly Circus are a lot of West End theaters, major shopping areas, and of course high end restaurants.

Pimms & Lemonade

(source)

Now that its officially summertime (not really, its still spring for a few days but this heat makes it feel like summer), let's talk about a quintessentially British summer drink: Pimms and Lemonade.  I first tried this yummy drink while I was visiting Megan while she studied at Oxford. I remember thinking OMG this is soooooo yummy!!! Its a perfect drink to sip at a polo match or at the horse races. Whilst wearing your facinator...duh.

According to its website, here is the history of the famous drink:

London's dandiest city gents loved to partake in oysters and gin. But with its bitter tang, gin was knocked back, not savoured. Enter shellfish-monger James Pimm and his famous central London 'Oyster Bar' in 1823. Patrons soon swallowed oysters with the PIMM'S 'house cup'. Flavoured with liqueurs and fruit extract, this more palatable long drink 'gin-sling' kick-started the great British PIMM'S story.

According to Wikipedia, there were several variations over the years:

Historically, there have been 6 types of Pimm's, each given a number corresponding to a different alcoholic base (gin, scotch whiskey, brandy, rum, rye whiskey and vodka respectively). Only Pimm's Number 1, 3 and 6 are still available.

Traveling by Train

Seeing and hearing trains always makes me think of my grandparents. The train tracks were practically in their front yard (no literally, it was there front yard then BAM train tracks!). My mom used to tell me stories of how they as kids would hear the train coming, go outside, and wave to the conductors and hope that they would throw out goodies like magazines, which they often did.

It's amazing to think how long the train has been utilized in America. While not as long or as extensive as Europe, Amtrak is pretty sweet. It's a nice, easy way to travel. Only drawback is that their bathrooms as seldom clean. I get it boys, it's hard to aim when the train is moving, but come on, sit down!!!

Overall, I've had pleasant experiences using Amtrak. I load up my iPad with movies, eat snacks and drink wine juice boxes and before I know it, I'm there! Only once was I forced to sit in front of a screaming/talkative 4 year old who kept kicking my chair...and I had a KILLER hangover, he was lucky I didn't reach around and tell him to shut up and sit down. He was all over my chair and I quite bitchingly moved my chair to its seatback position and the child went flying. Teach that little shit (and his grandmother who didn't make him stop) a lesson. There is a reason I don't have children, I'd be in CPS all the time!

I traveled on Amtrak two weekends in a row recently. The first was over Memorial Day weekend (there was NO way I was getting on 95 South at any point of the weekend) to Newport News and the second one was last week when I went to Raleigh for my bestie's wedding!

Here were a few pictures I took:

The Masonic Temple in Alexandria

I forget how BIG trains are. This was right before it blew its horn and I nearly peed in my pants!!

The beautiful Alexandria station in VA.

I love the look and feel of the tracks and the smell of trains, reminds me of childhood!

 

The BEST way to travel: coffee, cheese, boxed wine and Reese! I watched several movies over my trips and this one was super cute, called This Means War. Total chick flick!

Foodie Friday

I love Fridays. I mean, who doesn't? I decided to share a few of the things I've been up to in the kitchen lately.

First up, I got these strawberries from the local grocery store. Just LOOK at the size of those strawberries, they're unnatural!!!

p.s. They didn't taste very good either.

Recently I tried out something that turned out FANTASTIC!!!  I chopped up peppers (red, yellow, and green), sausages, mushrooms, added in some parsley, garlic, and onions and VOILA! Ok, not so much voila because it took like 45 minutes to cook, but still. Turned out pretty yummy.

 

End product...yummy!!! 

This is my attempt at re-creating a dish from my beloved Rockola Grill that I worked at for 7 years. Its pasta covered in alfredo sauce (with a heavy heavy shake of cajun seasoning), bbq covered chicken, diced tomatos and cheese. The cheese hadn't melted yet in the picture.

This is when I made a curry vegetable stirfry. I'm starving just thinking about all this food!!!

Bachlorette Party in Carolina Beach, NC

After an almost 8 hour drive from DC to Carolina Beach, NC I was more than ready to get out of the car and parrrrtay with my friends. The weather was warm, skies were blue and we had a house on the water...what more can you ask for? The house's view of the ocean was AMAZING. I wish I had thought to take a picture of the view! The weekend went WAY too fast but I had a blast with the girls! I would have taken more pictures but I was too busy drinking and having fun.

 

 A sign at a Virgina rest stop

 

First sign saying I've reached NC! Half way there! And yes, I stopped the car along the highway and took the picture. In my defense, this sign was on the pull off to the rest stop.

 

 Now I'm really in the south.

 

Not sure what this was but it was a HUGE Budweiser place in NC

 

 

Allllllmost there!

 

FINALLY! Check out that view!

We celebrated immediately with a very LARGE margarita!

 

And the next day with FRESH HOMEMADE donuts!!!

 

BEST SHIT EVERRRRRRRRRRRR

CaBi Member

Well, I did it! I finally became a member of Capital Bikeshare! I first wrote about CaBi last September and I finally joined last week when they put a station right outside of my apartment building!I got a spify key fob in the mail and took my initial ride the next day. Boy, let me tell you how out of practice I am riding a bike! Its pitiful!

What is Capital Bikshare (CaBi)? Well, according to their website:

Capital Bikeshare puts over 1525+ bicycles at your fingertips. You can choose any of the 160+ stations across Washington, D.C. and Arlington, VA and return it to any station near your destination. Check out a bike for your trip to work, Metro, run errands, go shopping, or visit friends and family. Join Capital Bikeshare for 24 hours, 3 days, 30 days, or a year, and have access to our fleet of bikes 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The first 30 minutes of each trip are free. Each additional 30 minutes incurs an additional fee.

For a mere $75.00 a year I have access to bike stations all over DC and Arlington and for the first 30 minutes my ride is free! There is even an app for my iPhone to tell me where stations are, how many bikes are there, and how many open slots there are for me to return the bike. Pretty cool, huh? Its very easy to use, however, I did have to look up how to get the bike out of the station...I felt pretty stupid...ha! But once I figured that I had to pull up on the seat, not pull back the handlebars, I was ready to go! There is even a basket with an elastic band to hold my purse in place.

CaBi just announced they had their 2 millionth ride! They reached 1 million rides back in September and in a short 8 month times pan they had another 1 million rides. Awesome!

Bicycling magazine recently announced that both DC & Arlington were on their 2012 list of "America's Top 50 Bike-Friendly Cities". D.C. was ranked 4th, while Arlington was ranked 23rd.

IT'S TIIIIIIIIME!!!!

MY BESTIE IS GETTING MARRIED!!!!! I'm scheduling this post because I'm already in Raleigh waiting to celebrate the marriage of Nikki and James! I'm SO excited. I remember meeting James and thinking WHOA that's a big scary dude. But in reality, he's just a big teddy bear and I'm SO glad that Nikki met the man of her dreams and is going to live happily ever after! We've both been through some hard times over the past decade (wow, I think I've known each other for over 14 years now...damn we're old) but I'm glad she's finally happy!

So in preparation, here are some of the reasons I love this girl:

 I tagged this ONCE and FB has decided to put it as our friendship picture. Of ALL the pictures we've been tagged in FB decided on this one. Oh the irony.

p.s.- Thank GOD facebook wasn't around when we were in high school. I'll let those memories be in people's heads, there's no need for there to be digital proof of our bad haircuts, clothing, or whatever else embarrassing thing we did.