St. Patrick's Day '12

We celebrated St. Patrick's Day 2012 in Carrollton with some dear friends. We even managed to bump into a few more friends during the course of the evening's festivities. We are really lucky to have such wonderful peple in our lives. There were lots of laughs, which is always the case when we all get together. Some at ourselves, lots at the foolishness happing around us. All in good fun. I hope you found luck on this fun holiday ... even if you aren't really Irish!!

{dinner at the corner cafe ... my favorite!! green beer at plates & the pub.}

 {two of my favorite bar tops ever -- pennies @ the pub and corks @ plates/uncorked}

{here's just a little something extra} 

An Irish Prayer

May God give you... For every storm, a rainbow, For every tear, a smile, For every care, a promise, And a blessing in each trial. For every problem life sends, A faithful friend to share, For every sigh, a sweet song, And an answer for each prayer.

cabin weekend {no boys allowed}

i have never been on an all girl vacation. never. weird right? even i find it hard to believe. with so many years participating in youth groups, bible studies, sports teams, young life, fca, life groups and tri delta sorority, it seems all of my trips have some how ended up being co-ed. well, this weekend was my 1st ladies only get away ... and it was fantastic! some of my sorority sisters and i rented a cabin and spent the weekend just relaxing in the blue ridge mountains. we had a little weather scare on friday night with tornadoes blowing their way through the entire state, but we made it through just fine. we chowed down on a crazy amount of delicious food, enjoyed many sweet treats and played lots of {hilarious} games. the wine was a flowin' and my sides are still recovering from hours of uninterrupted laughter!! the one-liners and metal images created by round after round of catch phrase & guesstures will not soon be forgotten. priceless moments people. priceless.

 

{Blue Sky Cabin Rentals -- Buckhorn Lodge}

i can't thank these ladies enough. my soul was in desperate need for all of it. the laughter. the fellowship. the conversation. the acceptance. the junk food. the hugs. it was a total blessing for me in every way. it's true what they say, it is the little things that make all the difference. i feel a sense of renewal and healing. i am so grateful that i know so many strong, caring, empathetic, funny, smart, creative, free spirited, unique, genuine women. ladies like that are difficult to come by and my life has been abundantly blessed with them. i am in awe of each of them for so many reasons. thanks again ladies. i will be dreaming of our next trip together! 

 

Susan G. Komen :: May Race @ Atlantic Station

We walked on Marsha's Team "Girl Fight" and in honor of so many others that we have loved. Over 15,000 people came out to Atlantic Station to support this amazing cause. I was so privileged to just be a tiny part of it all. Keep up the fight!!

Marsha's sweet husband wore this on his back in honor of her!

2009 Atlanta Sports Awards

Some of my favorite folks were in attendance at Monday evening's Atlanta Sports Awards @ the FOX theatre in Atlanta. We hung out with a few mascots, saw some local sports celebs and enjoyed the evening. Kudos to the Atlanta Sports Council for a wonderful event!

Goodbye.

To my dear friend,
I will miss you so much. You aren't even gone and I can already feel the pain of your absence. Much of our relationship is unspoken and lies just below the surface, but we always manage to communicate exactly what needs to be said. We don't rely on constant contact and endless conversations to stay connected. We just are. I am certain that our unique bond will withstand the miles that will soon be between us.
I hope that you know how proud I am of you. Hold your head high for making it a priority to fulfill a purpose that is important to you. Congratulate yourself for desperately fighting to keep a commitment through such a tumultuous time. Honor your bravery for not doing the easy thing. Find contentment in the fact that you are fighting against future regrets. Find joy in the knowledge you are able to share with others for their benefit. Find hope in knowing that life happens for reason and there is something to gain from each moment - even the most challenging. Find peace in knowing that you are only as far away as the thoughts of those that love you.
As much as I hate to see you go, I hope this experience is all you need it to be and more than you could ever imagine. Take it all in. Live & learn through every opportunity that presents itself. Try to remain open. Do yourself the ultimate favor ... don't be your own worst critic. You are talented, capable, worthy and wonderful. I love you. Please come home soon. There will always be room for you here.
All my love. AB
PS: I promise only a few tears. ;)

Surprise lunch ...

My little brother is the best. He surprised me today by dropping by my office for lunch. It was a much needed break from work and the usual lunchtime menu. I am really lucky to have someone so funny and so wonderful for a brother. He's great. Thanks for the lunchtime drop-in. I really needed the laughs! xo

Christy's B-Day

She's the best. That's pretty much all there is to say. Those who know her, love her. Those who don't, are missing out. Glad to share in your birthday festivities again this year! Cheers to you (and your silly husband). Much love. Here's my pic for best photo of the weekend.


A few stops on our birthday celebration tour:
Hudson Grille @ Perimeter Mall - very cool atmosphere, tons of televions, great patio, fantastic menu, reasonable prices. Check it out.
Charlie Mopps (Roswell Road) - if you don't have a favorite pub, this is a good choiec. Laid back atmosphere, large patio, tons of beverage choices, all around great pub environment. There is a huge "regulars" crowd, I would recommend bringing your own crew to hang with.

Shout Out!!

There is a little part of us all that dreams of being famous some day. Oh, wait. Is that just me? Ok then. Well, even though I'm not famous myself, I do happen to have the great pleasure of knowing a D.I.Y. starlet in her own right. My friend Mrs. Christy Petterson of a bardis designs has been on the hip indie craft scene for years. She is an artist, crafter, DIY extraordinaire and organizer of the Indie Craft Experience (ICE), a showcase event and market for independent artists and crafters, that takes place twice a year. She has also recently been featured in the Indie Craft Documentary: Handmade Nation and the accompanying book. This is a fun look inside the world of indie artists who are very passionate about what they do. Check out some clips and more info about Handmade Nation on their blog.

HUGE congratulations Christy on being "kind of a big deal"!! I am so excited for you. One day we can say we knew you when ...

Cheers

Even as excited as she was to leave...I still miss her tremendously. When I think back on what has happened in just the past year I am amazed. Life changes so quickly. For some reason it hit me today, we had already endured years passing between us. We grew, we changed, we were different people when our paths finally crossed again. Somehow though, the friendship that had once sewn us so close together was still there just waiting to be fostered again. I will miss her so much. I feel it deeply even in the short time she has been gone.

So here's a post in honor of my friend. Wishing her safety & excitement in her new adventure. Hoping that when she returns all the changes we have both made will have only made us stronger, better & wiser. Cheers to you Jennifer.

You can check out her blog about Guatemala here!

Fun times to come

Along with a very hectic work schedule full of meetings and project updates, I have committed to having more fun time with my friends. I work too much, that's the bottom line. Since it doesn't look like that fact will change any time soon, my goal is just to infuse fun whenever possible. Sleep is optional right?

So this week's fun activities include ...
Thursday night dinner @ Dante's Down the Hatch


followed by Screen on the Green @ Centennial Olympic Park -- the movie is E.T.


Friday fun lunch with some new friends at my fave new Taco Mac @ Philips Arena


followed by a night time tour of the Sweetwater Brewing Company


Saturday is potential yard sale goodness with my domestic goddess of a sister-in-law. (two work events which shall remain nameless)

Come out and play. Better yet, let me know what fun thing you are doing and I will come if I can.

Tony & Ashley's Wedding

The wedding was beautiful. The bride was gorgeous, the food was delicious, the company was priceless and the entire event was memorable. As I suspected, it was nothing shy of a OHS class reunion. It was honestly wonderful to see how great we are all doing. The majority of our little group is happy. Lots of married folks, babies, careers in full swing and still looking ahead to all of the laughs and good times in store. With all that has changed, there was so much that had stayed the same. Some old friends that we haven't seen in years, or barely hang out with, were able to pick up right where we left off. A true testtament of character on both sides of a relationship I say. To be able to marvel at all the changes the other has made, remanise in the glory of the past and come together in the present to enjoy each other now.

Christy's speech was so touching. She certainly brought a tear to her big brother's eye and had pretty much everyonw else in the room welled up. The night was full of love. The love that Tony & Ashley exuded for one another was palpable. Everyone in attendance could see the bliss radiating from the two of them.

With our wedding day barely in the rearview mirror, it was nice to watch them start this next leg of their journey together. Just a few pics for fun...

I still have a tan from the honeymoon. Scott - not so much.


What a good looking group.


Classic Erik & Ashley photo.


Even more classic Erik & Christy shot.


mom was there too - she made another delicious cake.


just us gals.