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Another Monday, another wonderful weekend. Vero had a great turnout on Friday night for the Love Your Mama Fest, which I guest bartended for. I am an expert sangria pourer, if I say so myself. 
Saturday I headed to Atlanta again to see a certain JM, and it was a lovely time as always. However, I did have a major rice krispy treat fail…so I will need a redo on that project. Not only did I not have enough marshmallows, I probably shouldn’t have refrigerated them for an extended amount of time. They basically tasted like sugar bricks. I’m fairly certain that if you threw one at someone’s head, it would knock them out cold. Either that or make a really funny crunchy noise and break into a thousand little pieces. 
This is going to be a pretty big week after hours, as I think I have something going on almost every night. Perhaps the thing I am looking forward to the most is The Burger Coalition dinner tomorrow night at Ollie Irene! Then on Wednesday night, I have my monthly drinks with Debbie date. But I do fear that we went a little longer than a month between the last time we saw each other. That just means we have extra to catch up on!
Last night when I got back into town, I curled up on the couch with Baby Kitty and listened as the storms passed by. I had my pj’s on, put on a good movie, and messed around on the computer. It was so peaceful and comforting. I had every intention of going to the grocery store and running a few other errands before this week got started, but it just felt right to be still and chill with my kitty. What is it that’s so exciting about thunder and lightning? Maybe it’s the danger, or maybe it’s because most plans have to change when bright lights fill the sky. A big electrical storm is always a little unexpected, especially when you’ve paid zero attention to the weather reports. If it had been perfect outside, I might have been a little ashamed for being so unproductive. But since it wasn’t, I felt I had every right to become glued to my sofa. It was a great Sunday night.
I’ve been playing a waiting game on something very important for the past 3-4 months. I can’t directly speak of it yet, but it’s been a goal of mine for quite some time. Patience is truly a virtue, and most of the time I am good at it. Honestly, when I look back on the beginning of the process, it’s been an enormous blessing that things didn’t work out the way I had initially planned. It’s almost as if someone has been looking out for me, being able to see the bigger picture when I couldn’t. And, I still can’t. All I know is that I’m pretty happy right this very second, and I’m doing all I can to move in the direction that I want to go. That’s all you can really do….while enjoying the process of life.
Strawberry basil sangria at Naked Art for the Love Your Mama Fest.
Cute family. Thanks for coming to see me Sarah!!
Mr. James Martin
Me! (btw – we shared that monster marg)
Friday!!!!!!!!!!!!! It never gets old. This morning I got up bright and early to meet Vero for a 5 mile run downtown, and it was just glorious outside. We were both very thankful that we took yesterday off…she seems for once to be on the same level as me athletically. But I have no doubt that she will be pulling me around again in no time. I keep hearing that a cold front will be moving through this weekend…geez, I surely hope not. I was freezing my butt off in the 60 degree morning air at 6 a.m.
Do you have plans for tonight? If not, you should come by and see me at Naked Art Gallery in Forest Park from 5-9 for the Love Your Mama Fest. I will be the guest bartender serving up some of Vero’s complimentary homemade strawberry basil sangria…and beer! If you’ve never been to Naked Art, it is a must-see in the Birmingham area. And if you haven’t gotten your mama a present, it is the perfect place to pick one up. The gallery has also been nominated for Best Art Gallery in USA Today’s 2012 Best Places in America. Vote for her here! She is currently in the lead.
Speaking of moms, I lucked out and got a really good one. In fact, not only is she my mom, she is one of my best friends. I know what unconditional love is because of her. And because of that, my bar is set pretty high…and rightfully so. Love you so much mom!!!
Moms do rock! Art by Vero.
This morning I ran in the rain with Vero. Normally we would call off a wet run, but it still felt pretty great outside and it wasn’t coming down too hard. It is a neat feeling to have water hitting your face as you glide forward, a sensation that we normally run for cover from. The only downfall was when a truck passed by towards the end and splashed a huge puddle on us. At least it made us laugh. It confirms that Vero isn’t only a fair weather friend.
I probably talk about relationships a lot, but they are so important. I remember looking at Vero during our run this morning and thinking – who else would I want to be doing this with? The answer was no one. We were semi-soggy, it was early, and it was dead smack in the middle of the work week. But we had a great time talking and just being present in the moment. Miles fly by when I am with my sweet friend.
It’s so interesting to think how small we are in the bigger picture of the universe… how we make our own little lives that are uniquely our own with the things and people who are around us. Am I really just a walking piece of flesh with a limited life span, or is there more to us than meets the eye? I like to think so. I believe I have a spirit and energy that exists beyond my body…but I don’t pretend to know anything more than that. I think we have connections and bonds with other souls for a purpose greater than we could ever comprehend with our human minds. And even though these are my own personal beliefs, I always love to hear what others think. Sometimes it expands on my own theories and gives me new ideas.
This Friday night I will be guest bartending at Naked Art’s Love Your Mama Fest opening from 5-9 in Forest Park! I will be serving complimentary strawberry basil white sangria and beer (while supplies last). 
There will also be a wacky inventions show and music jam in the neighborhood. Come by and see me and buy your mama a present made by local artists!!!
Happy Friday!!! Always one of the best days of the week. I’ve got a lot to do today in preparation for my trip next week to Greece, but once 5 rolls around I should have most of my checklist done. My cell phone is ready to go for international Instagram shots (mandatory) and my bank has been alerted. Now I just need to get some things finished at work so I can officially turn my mind off for vacation mode.
There are some fun things going on around town this weekend. Tonight is Third Friday in Forest Park, and Vero will have a complimentary henna tattoo artist at Naked Art from 5-8…hopefully she won’t be too busy so I can get one for my trip! Sunday is the Alabama Picnic for the Planet at Railroad Park from 11-3 and I plan to do that as well. Wine & cheeeeeese please! I will also have a special guest in town on Saturday & Sunday to show the local sites too, it is always fun to give the grand tour of our awesome city to someone new.
Since I have activated my international phone data abilities I will be able to write in my blog while I on my trip next week. Woohoo!!! My posts probably won’t be a regularly scheduled times though, so just check in when you can to see new entries. See you guys on Monday!
I love it when a person's home feels like who they are. Micah's kitchen!
Chatterbox
Wall of Fortune
To say that yesterday was an amazing day would be an understatement. We went over 50% of our goal yesterday on day 1 of our Kickstarter campaign for CRUSH thanks to family, friends and supporters. That is a pretty big deal and we are both so grateful for the contributions. An extra special thank-you goes out to my dear friend Vero who will be donating 10% of her sales at Naked Art this Friday night to our movie. Click here to learn more about the event! Hope to see you there.
In other big news, I woke up this morning with no more pain in my throat!! YAY!! I literally felt like someone had punched me on both sides of my neck all weekend so it is a huge relief not to feel that way anymore. In fact, I think I feel well enough to go for a run this afternoon… so that’s exactly what I’ll do!
October will be my one year anniversary of losing weight. It still blows my mind sometimes to think that much time has passed by, and also that it’s been so much easier to keep the weight off than I ever anticipated. I once again attribute my success to this blog and posting my weekly weigh-ins for everyone to see. Also, seeing a therapist has helped a great deal too. Even though I originally started seeing her because of my divorce, we have now shifted focus to other areas of my life. She has helped me realize that our bodies are pretty resilient, and if we don’t abuse them then they will reward us kindly. I was always scared to start eating a normal day’s amount of calories, thinking that my body was different and that I would gain all of the weight back. That has not been the case at all. In fact, as long as I eat within reason, my weight doesn’t really fluctuate at all. That is a pretty amazing thing and it just keeps surprising me. I’ve also discovered that taking away some of the pressure and anxiety off of my body image helps me to relax and actually enjoy food. And food is a wonderful thing!!
