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Now, I haven’t always lived in Alabama. I was born in Pennsylvania and lived there until I was 11, we moved to Missouri until the middle of my sophomore year of high school and then found ourselves in Georgia. I finished up high school in Gwinnett County GA, went to college at the University of West GA then landed myself a job in downtown Atlanta. I lived in Atlanta until 2010. If you recall my love story, I fell in love with a boy that lived in Alabama and against everything I had once believed (that I would NEVER live in Alabama), found myself moving to Alabama for love.

Now, living in different parts of the country…there was always a stereotype view on Alabama. The thought was that the state was filled with a bunch of slow talking, redneck country folk. And well, there is some of that….but name a southern state that doesn’t have their fair share? You get outside of the Atlanta metro area and Georgia is just as bad. And hello, have you been to West Virginia? Ok then.

To my surprise, there is actually quite a lot to do in Birmingham. Plus, we are just a short drive from the gulf shores, Atlanta, Nashville, Huntsville, Chattanooga….you cant really beat the location. Let me show you 5 things that we have going for us here in “The Magic City.”

1. Breweries and Beer – In the last few years, the amount of breweries that have sprung up in Alabama is baffling. And it couldn’t make me happier! Just in the Birmingham city limits we have Avondale Brewery, Cahaba Brewery, Good People, and Trim Tab. Then in Gadsden there is Back Forty (my favorite) and Old Black Bear. In Anniston there is Cheaha Brewing Company, all around metro Birmingham. We also have amazing places like World of Beer, were there are literally like a hundred different craft beers on tap….plus THOUSANDS of bottled beers to chose from. Hop City, which has a bar area where you can grab a glass of beer, and an area to shop and purchase craft beers from all over. We also have trendy places like J Clyde where there is great food and an amazing selection of beer.

Wild South Brewfest at Iron City

World of Beer – Check out all the bottles behind us!

2. Restaurants – For being a smaller big city, there is a shocking amount of restaurants that make “the best” lists in the country: Highland Bar and Grill, Ocean’s, Hot and Hot to name a few. There are so many different types to chose from, that you never get bored with selection. We have some of the best BBQ around (Dreamland, Landmark BBQ, Full Moon BBQ, Moe’s BBQ), a few great places to hit up for Sushi (Surin, Kanomi, Maki Fresh, Rock n Roll Sushi). An array of Mexican and Tex Mex (Fuego, La Paz, Cocina Superior), a few great Italian places (Belini’s, GianMarcos) decent pizza (Slice, Fox’s Pizza Den, Tortuga’s, Dave’s, Davenport’s) and the best meat and three place in a questionable part of town that keeps you coming back for more, Niki’s. Some other mentions are Twenty Six, Five, Dixie Fish Company, Village Tavern, Baumhower’s, and Superior Grill.

We also have an array of fast casual with Ashley Mac’s, Zoe’s, Taziki’s, Newks, Urban Cookhouse…the list goes on! Plus, don’t forget to hit up Dreamcakes for the best cupcakes ever!

Dixie Fish Company : Sweat Tea Chicken

4. Mountains, Lakes and Gulf Shore Beaches – What other state can you find all three? Not many! Not to mention our parks! Just south of downtown Birmingham you can find Oak Mountain State Park. It is beautiful and a great place to go for a picnic, a hike, a boat ride, bike ride, or heck if you are feeling extra sassy…you can get married!

Railroad Park in downtown Birmingham:

When you sit on the patio at Chuy’s at The Summit, you have a beautiful view of the mountains:

5. Shopping – The Summit, The Galleria, The Shops at Grand River…oh my! Don’t worry friends, if you come to Birmingham there are plenty of places to go shopping! We have some great malls to choose from, not to mention a ton of super cute boutiques! Some of my favorite boutiques are Jade (Trussville) The Pink Tulip (Mountain Brook and now a new Hoover location) The Pants Store (Trussville), Lotus (The Summit and The Galleria.) If you are looking for designer stores, The Summit will offer you Michael Kors, Kate Spade, Sak and more!

Yup, Birmingham might not be a “destination” city for most people…but it sure does have a heck of a lot to offer. If you are coming through the area, hit me up! We can show you a good time!

For my third birthday I received the most coveted gift I would ever receive in my lifetime. Love-a-Lot Bear. Perhaps you recognize her from the Care Bears. She was one of the original ten bears. Love-a-Lot was  a lot like cupid per say, always trying to spread love. She used the word love a lot. Hence her name.

Well, my Love-a-Lot bear became my instant best friend. She literally went EVERYWHERE with me. She slept in my bed at night, she watched cartoons with me during the day, she ate dinner with me at the table, she went shopping with me, she came to all my doctor visits, she spent the night with me wherever I went. Because she was with me 24/7, she encountered germs and dirt and grime just like I did and had to be washed, a lot. My mother would throw her in the washing machine, and then hang her by her ears on the clothesline outside. You see, it was common back in the 80’s in the north to hang your clothes out to dry. We didn’t even own a dryer.

Here she is at the hospital when I went to visit my mom after my sister was born. Sorry about the blur!

I used to get SO MAD at my mom for hanging her out to dry like some common material item. Love-A-Lot was my best friend. She had feelings. And she did NOT LIKE to hang outside on the clothesline by  her ears. I would run out and try to jump and reach her, never succeeding in actually pulling  her down. I would tell my mom that she was hurting hanging out there by her ears. I also had an irrational fear that a damn bird was going to come and swoop her away like my sister’s pacifier. Perhaps that is where my hatred for those disgusting creepy little furry animals come from? That is a story for another day.

You would think my love for Love-A-Lot would eventually fade over the years as I got older, but no. Not at all. Love-A-Lot continued to be my buddy and come to all sleepovers with me. Anytime we traveled, Love-A-Lot found her way in my suitcase. She started to become more and more delicate over the years. I always told my mom it was all her fault that she was showing signs of aging because of the times that she hung by her ears outside, or all the times my dad would toss her around with my mom and my sister playing monkey in the middle with me. RUDE! My mom even had a back up Love-A-Lot, but I knew the difference. The back up was an impostor!

Love-A-Lot slept in my bed with me all the way until I got Gracie in 2005. Yes, I am not ashamed to admit that I slept with my childhood teddy bear until I was 21 years old. You can ask my college dorm mate, Love-A-Lot was always on my dorm bed. The ONLY reason I stopped sleeping with her was because Gracie felt like every stuffed item in the house was hers to shred. She wasn’t shredding my care bear, damnit! The joke in my house was that Love-A-Lot was going to walk down the aisle with me at my own wedding. Had we actually had a wedding ceremony with people, she might have found her way in there somewhere…if nothing else…as a laugh for my parents.

Last week I came ill. I had some type of 24 hour bug and I felt like death was upon me. Chris and I were getting ready for bed, and he was out in the living room shutting the TV off. I had already crawled in bed when he walked in and he looked at me and said, “Wow, you must really be sick since your bear made it to bed with you.” There I was, at 30 years old laying in my bed that I share with my husband, squeezing my Love-A-Lot bear that I dug out of my closet who is no longer the beautiful pink color that she once was nearly 30 years ago. Who is missing her little curly hair on top her head that I cut off when I was about four because I didn’t like it. Who is missing LOTS of fur all over her body. Whose tag has been worn to mere pieces of thread from all the years of me rubbing it between my fingers as a form of comfort. Who has caught most of the tears of my life. The one whom I always squeezed for comfort in time of anger or sadness. And let me tell you, that night I slept like a baby. I even had random unrealistic and vivid dreams, just like I used to when I was little.

Today I want to share a recipe that has been in my family for awhile. My great aunt is from Italy and being from the north, Italian food was a big deal anyways. One of my favorite Italian dishes is Italian Sausage. You can make this dish as spicy or as not spicy as you like with just a few tweaks!

What you need:

Italian sausage – I use hot, if you don’t like spicy food…use mild. You can use one to two packages, usually a package has five links in it.

Tomato sauce – I used a 33 ounce container but you could also use the 28 ounce can

28 ounce can crushed tomatoes

2 small cans tomato paste -(I prefer no salt added, but to each their own!)

2 green bell peppers

1 onion

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (the more you use the hotter it will be)

1 teaspoon chili powder

4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons vinegar

1/4 teaspoon celery seed

Italian seasoning – I don’t measure Italian seasoning, I just dump. You want to add some when you add the other seasonings, and then you want A LOT on top at the very end.

What you do:

– Dump tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes and tomato paste into a crock pot.

– Add the sausage. Now, I cut each sausage link into three pieces, I prefer to serve this in a bowl and they fit better that way. They also cook faster this way.

-Add all the seasonings, Worcestershire sauce and vinegar.

-Cut up the peppers and onions into strips and add to the crock pot. They should be cut in strips like this…

-Mix everything around and make sure all the sausage pieces are covered by sauce.

-Now sprinkle Italian seasoning pretty heavily over the top once everything is in.

Cook on low for eight hours or on high for four to five. Stir and serve!

I serve this with fresh wheat french bread. I LOVE to dip the bread into the spicy sauce. Yum yum yum!

Friday – It seemed like the work day couldn’t get more hectic. After work, Chris and I were trying to decide where we wanted to go. It started raining and I was exhausted from busting it all day that I asked if we could settle for Red Robin in Trussville. I just DID NOT feel like driving back downtown again! He was fine with that, so we headed on over and sat at the bar.

Our bar tender was awesome! She was super nice and laid back, and we sort of decided we want to be her friend but we cant be creepers so we might have to become regulars for a little while and feel it out. Ha! Anyways, we ordered some beer and a few appetizers to start the night off.

Angry Orchard and Old Black Bear (local brew from Gadsden)

 Pretzels and beer cheese

Homemade Chips and French Onion Dip

We snacked on that for awhile and just hung out, and then ordered some dinner. I usually get the Whiskey BBQ burger there, but blue cheese was speaking to me. I love the complexity that it adds to the flavor of a good burger. After we ate, we had hung around a bit longer and our bartender had to make some beer shakes for some people. There was extra left in the blender after she poured the glasses, and she asked us if we wanted to try some with her. HECK YES WE DO!!!!

 Blue Cheese Burger

Beer Shake

Red Robin turned out to provide the perfect Friday evening for  us. When we came back home, Because I Said So was on LMN so we watched that. Chris fell asleep, and Georgia Rule came on. I watched that too. Damn you Lifetime!!! Always sucking me in to your movies!

Chris was also sweet enough to go to TJ Maxx with me before we went to dinner to see if they still had my shoes. You guys….BOTH pairs of Michael Kors shoes that I wanted were still there!!!!! It was meant to be! A TJ Maxx miracle! We also got Gracie a new dog bed and she was SOOOOO excited when she came back in to her room and saw it sitting there for her! She has been hamming it up inside that thing all weekend!

Saturday – Saturday morning we caught up on a few of our shows during breakfast. We got ready, and headed over to Chris’s parents house. We decided we were going to spend the day with his dad. We went to eat at Baumhower’s and shopped the Bargain Hunt in Hoover. I found three Scooby Dvd’s and a Tom and Jerry DVD for Cooper for $1 each. I would say Bargain found!

After that, we headed back to his dad’s house and just hung out for the rest of the evening chatting. Chris had stopped by our favorite place in Trussville to get beer, Raceway. Yes, the gas station. This particular one has about 25 craft beers on tap that you can purchase by the gallon. They also have the BEST selection of craft bottles and cans. I wasn’t really wanting anything, but then I saw that they had the Redd’s Strawberry Ale in individual pint cans for $1.79. Seriously?! Yes, please!!! I had been wanting to try this one for awhile, it did not disappoint. I think I found my new beach beer. It is light, refreshing and in a can which means it can go in the pool with me!

Sunday – I did our meal planning and grocery shopping early, then headed to my sister’s house for Cooper’s 4th Birthday party! It was dinosaur themed and they had a dinosaur egg hunt! It was so cute! She even hid a golden egg, and three little girls were on the search for it. One of them got it, then the other two started crying hysterically and screaming how they wanted the golden egg! I told my sister that next time she asks me when Chris and I are “going to stop popping out nieces and nephews for her to spoil” to remember that moment and she would have her answer. Haha!

Anyways, my sister is AMAZING at making cakes. She makes the most beautiful cakes! And the best themed cakes ever! Check out the volcano dinosaur cake and the cupcakes she did! Not only are they adorable, but they taste AMAZING!

She also had the cutest place cards with fun foods on them!

It was fun seeing everyone, and we will be back up there next weekend for Berkley’s birthday! She will be eleven!!!!! Three kids all within a month of each other, I told her they are going to break me! Haha!

I also got a little crafty on Sunday. While I was grocery shopping at Target, I saw the cutest sparkly Easter eggs and I thought….hmmmm where can I make these work?! I re-purposed a basket that I wasn’t using and am now using it as a center piece on our kitchen table! I love it!

Everyone needs glittery Easter eggs in their life. Just sayin’.

Hope everyone has a great week!

Well hey there blog world. Anyone else happy that it is Friday? I came down with a 24 hour big or something Wednesday and felt like death was upon me Wednesday night, I started feeling better yesterday afternoon and think I am in the clear now. Good thing too, because my first thing for today is….

1. I finished T25 Alpha this morning! I did have to skip the cardio work out yesterday morning due to the fact that I probably would have passed out and died since I hadn’t eaten anything since Wednesday at lunch.

I start Beta on Monday morning. While I haven’t really dropped any ell bees (damn you Shaun T!) I have seen some great improvements in my abs, thighs, calves, and lower back. Soooooo I must be doing something right.

2. The battery in my scale died this week. I have no plans on replacing it. I think that is the best thing that could possibly happen for me as I start the next month of this program. I can purely focus on physical results, and not what that damn number is!

3. My little Cooper James turns four on Sunday!!! Cant believe that! He is such a mature four. He doesn’t want “kid things.” He asked me for belts to match his boots. I asked if he wanted brown or black…he said both! He also wants Teenage Mutant Ninja turtles movie. His birthday party is dinosaur themed, and they are going to have a dinosaur egg hunt!

Ugh! Just stop growing!

4. I am going to see if the TJ Maxx law applies to me this weekend. I saw some super cute Michael Kors sandals and shoes last Sunday, along with the perfect dog bed for Gracie. Will they still be there this weekend when I go back for them?!?! Or will the YOU SHOULD HAVE BOUGHT IT WHEN YOU SAW IT rule come in to play? Jury is still out!

5. There are better days ahead…