Favorite Song – In honor of DJ Kontrol coming to Birmingham to play at Skky this weekend, I am sharing one of my favorite songs he did with Lil Jon…What a Night featuring DJ Kontrol 🙂 Please take a listen! It will get you pumped for Friday!!!
Favorite Lunch – Yesterday Laura and I met for lunch at Chicken Salad Chick. It was so great to get out of the office on a Thursday! We haven’t gotten together just the two of us in quite awhile and it was much needed! I am so thankful that blogging as brought amazing friends in to my life.
Favorite Quote:
Favorite Pin: I am still getting office inspiration. Look at this beautiful desk! I had been leaning towards white and then I saw this and now I don’t know what I like better!
Favorite Gracie Pictures: My sweet sweet Gracie turned 10 on the 10th this week. 10. I cannot believe it!!! I really don’t like to think about how old she is.
I need to get her something special this weekend. My little doodles has been with me through a lot. She truly is the definition of loyal companion. I would like to say more, but I am just getting all emotional with alligator tears so….Happy Birthday, Gracie!!! Mommy loves you!
Yup, all emotional like the crazy dog lady that I am….so that is all I have today! I have a Puggle to go snuggle. Let’s get some laughs now, shall we?
I did a currently post a few weeks ago, and I really enjoyed writing it and thought maybe it needs to be a more regular thing!
Listening – I am still really enjoying the Totally Married Podcast. I will start episode 13 today on my way to work, so to say I have been binging would be correct! I also listen to Call Your Girlfriend and Birmingham Life when they have new ones as well.
Reading – I am in the home stretch with the last book of the Stephanie Plum series. I talked about it a little on Tuesday if you are curious. I read an US weekly last night while cooking dinner and I have a Self and Shape to catch up on too!
Watching – We watched Pretty Little Liars and The Mindy Project last night after work. Once again, we learned nothing in PLL and I fell asleep half way through The Mindy Project because I was just so tired and wiped out! Chris did too, so I am hoping we can revisit it later.
Drinking – I have had a peanut butter protein smoothie every day for breakfast the last three weeks. They manage to keep me fuller for longer over any other breakfast for me.
Wishing – I could wear flip flops today!
Needing – Clothes!!! I feel like I have no transitional pieces in my closet. It has been pretty warm this week and I have been hot in my office every day in my winter clothes.
Loving – This quote!
Excited – Saturday is going to be so busy, but a lot of fun! We are going to Eat Drink Birmingham in the afternoon. The event features all you can eat food with beer pairings featuring local restaurants and breweries! They are discounting advanced tickets, so be sure to grab some if you are in the area!!!
Also, our friend Stephen, aka DJ Kontrol, is coming to town this weekend from Vegas to DJ at Skky on Saturday night!
We used to hang out with Stephen a lot when he lived in Atlanta and it is going to be great to see him! Which brings me to the question, what are the bitches wearing to the clubs these days? I haven’t stepped foot inside one in years…
–You guys, this morning I ran for the longest amount of time straight since I was….maybe 18? 19? It wasn’t long by any means, and nothing to brag about by fitness people standards, but hot damn I feel good! Maybe I self high fived myself when I was done. By maybe I mean damn skippy. #selfhighfive #barneystinsonstyle
–Mac took a sip of my water the other day. I just ignored the fact that I saw it and continued to drink from the glass. Dog owners, you do this too right? #dogsarepeopletoo
–There is this freaking adorable pig at the GBHS right now. Her name is Pretzel and I really really want her. I showed Chris a picture of her and the other day on the way home he said…You know, if I came home and that pig was here, I wouldn’t be mad. DONT TEMPT ME SIR! That also opens the door for puppies, right? Because I really want to bring them all home when I leave there. I mean, look at her!!! #oinkoink #iamacrazypetperson
I am fairly certain that anything I said before this picture may be forgotten because how can you resist that little piggy snout??
–I am really excited for spring for some odd reason? Usually I am all about the cold weather for as long as possible. I think I just really want to wear flip flops and sandals every day again if we are being honest! #realshoesareoverrated
–Speaking of spring, I am super pasty. I need to get a gradual tanning lotion this weekend, what is your favorite? I am open for recommendations please! And please don’t tell me Jergens. That shit smells like pretzels and I hate it. #pastyisthenewsexy
–I had a great time last night with my #MagicCityBloggers!!! We had our monthly Blogstorm meet up and talked about SEO, link ups and all things blogging. I always feel so refreshed and inspired when I leave there. It makes me feel good about all the hard work we put in to our organization.
I have been reading the same series for so long, that it was a really nice break to get caught up in Yeah, Maybe. And when I tell you that I got caught up….I got caught up! I literally read this book in two sittings. I couldn’t put it down, I just had to know what happened next!
From Goodreads
For quiet, reserved, and focused 15 year old Annie Mackey, school was a sanctuary. But when her bubbly and beautiful neighborhood best friend joins her at Willow Point High for freshmen year, her world is turned upside down.
Everything Annie could count on for stability is shattered, and she’s left feeling more alone than ever before.
Just when she’s about to lose all hope, someone unexpected swoops in and gives her a much needed lesson in perspective.
This book grabbed me from the very beginning, it has all the feels! Yeah, Maybe is the perfect depiction of what high school is really like for most people. I feel like we all had someone we knew in high school that seemed sort of our arch nemesis. That person that was always in your head.
We all learned who our real friends were, most always the hard way.
One of my favorite passages from the book, and trust me there were many…
And then she realized, everyone had something. A story. Annie had been so caught up in the drama around her that she hadn’t noticed how her story was changing her. And she’d been so busy blaming everyone else that she’d never take responsibility for anything that happened.
I love that you sort of grow with the main character and her friends throughout the book.
I have really enjoyed reading the Stephanie Plum series over the last several months. There are 21 books that are published so far, and I am half way through the 21st. (There are also a few books in between like Plum Lovin’ and Plum Lucky which I have not read and don’t feel I missed much not reading.) I have never read more than a 4 or 5 book series before….so the fact that I have read all 21 consecutively (with the exception of breaking between 20 and 21 to read Joey’s book) is a huge deal!
From Goodreads:
Stephanie Plum is a bounty hunter with attitude. In Stephanie’s opinion, toxic waste, rabid drivers, armed schizophrenics, and August heat, humidity, and hydrocarbons are all part of the great adventure of living in Jersey. She’s a product of blue-collar Trenton, where houses are attached and narrow, cars are American, windows are clean, and dinner is served at six.
Out of work and out of money, with her Miata repossessed and her refrigerator empty, Stephanie blackmails her bail bondsman cousin, Vinnie, into giving her a try as an apprehension agent. And that’s only the beginning of series that will set her on the trail of fugitives. Stephanie will have to sharpen her sleuthing skills, because she’s got many a mystery to solve.
Please note: Each book in this series is a whole story with a beginning and an ending, however there may be minor references to events that occurred earlier in the series. Therefore, with respect to the mystery alone, the books can be read out of order, if desired. However, like any long series that focuses on a core group of characters, there are various relationship changes that develop more naturally when the full length novels are read in the order in which they were published.
I have laughed out loud at some point in each of these books. Stephanie and the strand of wild and crazy characters that she meets in her dealings as a bounty hunter are quite entertaining! Plus, like all good stories, there is a love triangle that continues through out each book. Much like Pretty Little Liars, you never get any answers about where the triangle is going…but you cant help but get sucked in!
There is a movie based on the first book, One For the Money. I have not seen it, as I don’t want to ruin how hot Morelli and Ranger are in my head. I heard the movie wasn’t that good, but I plan to watch it at some point since I have invested so much time in the books.
I highly recommend this series if you love a good comedy and a little action. They are about 300 pages each and go by quickly. I give this five stars! Nothing keeps my attention for this long!
What are reading? I am going to be looking for suggestions after I finish up this last book!
Did you remember to spring forward? I must say that 4:35 AM felt extra early this morning! Let’s just jump in to my weekend shenanigans, shall we?
Friday was a weird day. I woke up to 54 degrees inside our house, as our heat had broken over night. Fun times. I ended up skipping my run because who wants to shower when it is 54 degrees inside? Not me! I got to work to discover that the thermostat was broken and cold as shit as well. At lunch I went to meet my lunch club and it took me about 20 minutes to find a parking spot because the shopping center was ridiculous and everyone else was already there so we couldn’t change locations. Shout out to Courtney for standing in line a second time to place my order for me! So Friday evening, we stayed in and enjoyed the warmth of our newly fixed heater.
Saturday we got up and headed to a thrift store and flea market in Moody. We then headed down town for lunch at Babalu. We got to sit outside on the patio and enjoy the weather’s spring preview. It was such a gorgeous day! From there we took an impromptu trip up I-65 North and hit a few thrift stores between Birmingham and Huntsville. We saw some really pretty views along the way.
We called our friends that live in Huntsville and ended up meeting them at Stem and Stein for some beers. I tried the Wells Sticky Toffee Pudding Ale and OMG it was freaking delicious!!!! This is the smoothest beer I have ever had. No bite afterwards. It is darker without being heavy.
Unfortunately, our service was a little less than stellar, so we decided to head somewhere else to grab food. We ended up at the Moe’s BBQ in the Providence area of Huntsville. I love that area, there are a ton of restaurants and it is a cute spot.
Sunday I had to run up to my dad’s house and I got to see his new puppy, Vixon. She is ADORABLE!!! I meant to snap a picture but I was too busy playing and receiving puppy breath kisses. She is a boxer/rottweiler mix. They rescued her from a really bad situation and she is such a sweet baby! Here is a picture the day they brought her home. She is like double this size already! Look at her white socks!
I then headed to the grocery store and came home and made Stephanie’s No Bake Energy Bites. These things are freaking delicious and you must try them! The rest of the day was spent watching reruns of The Big Bang Theory and laundry.
Weekend Eats
The menu and my beer at Stem and Stein/Enchilada’s of the Day from Babalu – They were pork with poblano peppers and delicious!/Iced coffee I made Sunday afternoon in a mason jar because why not?/The energy bites before they were mixed and rolled
In other news, I finally painted my nails! This is Revlon Lavender Soap! They have put all of the Parfumerie line on clearance at Target for $1.48. Score!
It is a little hard to tell in my picture, but it is a pearly-lavender color. I just love it! It it smells just like lavender soap!
I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend! If you live in the Birmingham area, next Saturday is Eat Drink Birmingham! I am SOOOOO freaking excited for this event. Go ahead and pre-order your tickets now!
Hope you have a great week! I for one am excited that it is going to be light when I leave work tonight!!! Well, as light as it can be seeing as it is all gloomy and rainy today…
