Feel Good Friday

That is all.

Bought it but not "buying" it....

So, my sisters and I were at the mall this weekend when we stumbled across a line of ladies' undergarments that are sold in ONE SIZE. Really, Victoria? Have you seen other women? 'Cause I have and they most certainly are NOT one size. What are you trying to do to us? This could be worse than your pearl thong of '02....

(And no, I did not post a picture of my underwear on my blog. Those are my sister's. It has been a pleasure blogging. I am sure that I am now dead.)

The last post of this series... I promise.

Because I can never get enough of the City of Atlanta, I decided to spend another weekend there before racking up some more frequent driver miles and heading back to Tallahassee.

And when I say that I can never get enough of Atlanta, I really just mean that I can never get enough of Reagan. And not just because our names rhyme and she inspires me to live a little more green. And really how much more 'green' can I be

Reagan's goal for 2009 was to run a 5K every month. Lucky me- her July 5K just happened to be when I was in town. (so very sneaky of her.) So on Saturday morning, this travel weary gal woke up EARLY to run a little race honoring the Battle of Atlanta. And did I win? No. I decided that I would leave that honor to someone else. (See how generous I am!)

After running our race and supporting the Kirkwood neighborhood (home of Austin and Buckley), we hit up Sun in my Belly for brunch. Delish. And super cute. They had fabric flowers hanging everywhere. SO with that inspiration, Reagan and I proceeded to have a little afternoon of crafting fun.

Now running a 5K is good. But that is NO way to fully celebrate the Battle of Atlanta. So,after crafting, Reagan and I headed up to the East Atlanta Library for a dramatic presentation called, "Gone with the Wind in 20 Minutes" and then followed it up with a cupcake from a local coffee shop. (Things are always better when followed with a cupcake.) Oh, and don't be fooled into thinking that our educational cultural adventure stopped there. It most certainly did not, as we decided to check out a Civil War tour of Oakland Cementary. Super cool, btw.

There you have it. My vacation in 5 parts. Whether you enjoyed it or not. I did.

Leave them alone on the farm and...

Just when you thought that you were done reading about 3 urban gals (well, suburban gals) gallivanting in the country. I bring you this. The lost footage has been found.*

Without further ado, Sarah's "Kenny Chesney" photo shoot:

*Thank you Emily for secretly uploading these photos to my computer.

Back to our roots...

And I don't mean the ones that I get touched up every few months. I know that everyone thinks that I am from Florida. But SURPRISE- I'm not! I was actually born in Illinois and lived in the country for 6 whole years before relocating to Tampa. In the summer, we like to go visit family and take the country by storm... (they really can only handle us in small doses)

So, as we drove two hours south of Chicago back to the homeland we were in need of some car entertainment. As crafty individuals, my sisters snagged some scotch tape and made artsy faux 'staches. They stored them on the back of the car seats, as seen here:

They even let me try one on for size. This is my "serious" face. (One that people don't see too often.) Somehow the photo of Emily with a uni brow has disappeared. Hmmm....

Once we arrived at the farmhouse, the Greene girls ditched the rental Avalon and got a new ride:

Emily appointed herself our designated driver. Here was our reaction:

Please ignore my forehead creases. Extended time with family increases the appearance of aging.

If the thought of Emily driving that massive truck didn't scare you, this most definitely will:

Sarah and Emily practiced for hitting Bambi. I prepared for burglars.

Yes. You should think twice before breaking into our house. (This would be even more effective if I owned a gun.)We do however own a drill gun and you should have seen how fast those guys moved when they saw Sarah do this:

That corn didn't stand a chance with us.

No trip to Illinois is complete without hanging with these two rock stars. Don't worry Grandpa, we haven't told anyone that you bumped the curb with your fender. (whoops.)

If that didn't give you warm fuzzies. This will. There is a whole field of them at our farmhouse. Jealous? I thought so.

Didn't see Oprah or Vince Vaughn giving a tour...

In an attempt to pack light, I left my laptop in Atlanta. Bad idea. I had to go old school and keep notes with pen/paper to document my Adventure in Air Travel. Did you know that Delta can cancel your flight for no reason- even once you are at the airport? Well, they can. And a sufficient customer service response is "Yea. It's cancelled." Followed by a blank stare. So, I grabbed that little black Delta phone in the middle of Hartsfield-Jackson and quickly got rebooked on a flight to Chicago (which was better than my original cancelled flight) and walked away wondering if Delta execs were aware that 98% of their employees appear to hate their jobs/lives.

So, I ended up arriving in Chicago earlier than my family had planned to pick me up and got in some good airport people watching. I was distracted from the mother who was letting her children play on baggage carousel by the full on family argument over whether grandpa should use the wheelchair or walk. But they were all trumped by the lady wearing a low cut bright yellow top exposing her black bra. Oh and she was wearing a chenille blanket as a skirt. (Of course, someone has probably written about me in their blog- because I was the one painting my finger nails at baggage claim. C'mon- I had time to kill!)

Once the family was all united, we headed out to play in Chicago. Yes, my mom has a map where she has highlighted her favorite things over YEARS of trips to the windy city. (Hard to see is where she has written "pizza" and "burgers" in Lake Michigan and drawn lines to their locations.)

Since the Greene's are always hungry, we had lunch on the river. And yes, my dad had a "burger". (Gotta love when the map comes in handy.)
After walking for days along the Magnificent Mile and changing shoes, the Greene girls decided to have an artistic adventure in Millennium Park. Cue photo shoot:

Here we are at the bean , wanting to be in a Plain White T's video. But we were like 7 months too late. (FYI-those photos don't turn out well at night.)

No trip is complete with out a summer fling, so I found a new boyfriend at a bus stop.

And Emily found an opportunity to tell her favorite pick-up line. "If you were a pirate, would you put your parrot on this shoulder...or thiiiiisss shoulder (cue suave arm slide)"

Day Two involved a trip to the Museum of Contemporary Art. Where in this exhibit, my dad exclaims a bit too loud loudly..."This is art? It looks like a broken water main to me!" (We quickly moved him to the next exhibit. Where he was asked to leave because he answered his phone.) The bathrooms were quite fun. (And you know I love a good Ladies Room!) For Jeffrey, Brian, and Sam: Regular faucet. Meghan faucet.Not photographed... but super cute and a highlight for my sister was Sarah's Candies. And my dad really enjoyed the drive across the city during rush hour, so that she could get a t-shirt. :)

Enough about the big city... I know that you all can't wait to hear about life on the farm...

Atlanta: Take 1

As promised here is part 1:

This time two weeks ago, I bounced out of Tallahassee and headed north to the city of Real Housewives, Usher, T.I., Katherine Hiegl and Ryan Seacrest. A sweet friend offered to join me for the road trip as we were both heading up for Blair and Holly's wedding. He volunteered to keep me company, but refused to read US Weekly to me out loud. Since everyone knows what a road trip looks like... let's fast forward...cue weekend in Atlanta:

I learned that when Reagan asked if I wanted to see "Friday Night Sprints" at the Velodrome, she wasn't referring to an indie band. The cycling entertainment for the evening was really fun. I even caught eyes with a professional cyclist. The kind that drives a BMW X3 with a sponsorship logo paint job. It was my teal skull scarf that he couldn't resist. I could tell. We didn't get to talk, but only because he was too busy riding a bicycle.

On to the main weekend event...

Two of my favorite people ever got married! Blair and Holly's wedding was beautiful. It was so much fun to see everyone. And by everyone I mean the craziest crew of FSU tailgaters. It was 100% FSU and I loved it! (Best comment of the night..."There a lot of men here who played team sports.")

And to burn off Saturday wedding and Sunday brunch calories, Reagan and I went for a little bike ride on the Silver Comet Trail. While the intentions were there, this little excursion involved a planning FAIL. But we were determined to get a ride in...even if we forgot a wrench to lower one of the bike seats...and even if I forgot my shoes and had to bike in Havaianas. (So much for safety first!) We were determined to get at least 14 miles in... and that we did! (I will leave the grumbling about the sore cooter to a minimum, let's just say it had been a while since I was on a bike.)

In summary, Atlanta (part 1) = fun.

Worthless without pics...

As a firm believer that a picture is worth a thousand words, I have been holding off on posting of my recent travels. But, I do want to let my tens of readers know that I am indeed still alive and am back home. (So your opportunity to break into my house and steal my 25" television from the 90s has elapsed. Darn.)

As a teaser, here is what you have to look forward to in my 4-5 part series titled "Delta I hate you, Vacation I love you"...

-Frequent driver miles
-Professional cyclists
-Faux mustaches
-Cookies and T-shirts
-Rifles and pistols
-Contemporary art and raspberries

Stay tuned!

Let freedom ring...

When I was living in North Carolina, some of my favorite people there were starting a church from the ground up. And in the forming process came a lot of brain storming. One of the creative debates was naming this church. In those initial stages, this is the little suggestion that stuck:

"So I was looking in the paper at church names... I think that we should be called The Church of Your Choice... I mean, think of all the free advertising... At the top of the page it says... Go to the church of your choice!"

This past weekend provided the opportunity for me to pause and reflect on the liberties and freedoms that our nation prides itself on.... And I believe the one most taken for granted is the Freedom of Religion. (At least by me.) I am free to go to the church of my choice every single Sunday or Saturday or Tuesday or third Wednesday. No one stops me from practing my religion and exercising my faith... except for ME. Why would I choose willingly not to exercise this right? A right that not every global citizen has.

My "I'm too tired", "I'm out of town", "I don't have anything wear" type excuses carrying absolutely no credence. Oh to be reminded as I am trekking (yes, that College Ave hill is a trek in my 4" heels) it to the "church of my choice" that it is indeed a freedom and a privilege. And to whom much is given, much is required.

You're the God of this city

You're the King of these people

You're the Lord of this nation

You are

You're the light in this darkness

You're the hope to the hopeless

You're the peace to the restless

You are

There is no one like our God

There is no one like our God

Greater things have yet to come

And greater things are still to be done

In this city

Red, White and Boom...

As the weekend festivities begin to sizzle away, I paused this morning to think a very profound thought... "I should post pictures of my favorite fireworks displays on my blog!" (Give me a break, it was early, that is as profound as I get pre-coffee.) But as it would be, I don't have a single picture of a firework that I have seen. I know that Lea is screaming blasphemy! But it is very much the truth.

For a gal who absolutely LOVES the way a little pyrotechnic explosion lights up the night and ooohhs and aahhhs with the best of them, I can't believe that I don't have a single snapshot. The only possible reason for this.... I am way too mesmerized with the moment to bother with a camera.

I don't have pictures from the years of laying on the golf course behind my parent's house to watch the City of Temple Terrace's rockin Independence Day display, none from Turner Field's post Braves game display, none from the hour long shake your world display from the summer in Nagoya, Japan, none from Tom Brown park, Epcot, Uptown Charlotte, or the frillons of other random displays of sparkly bliss that I have seen in my life. None. Not one.

But, they are all saved in the scrapbook that is my memory. And when I hear/see that glittery boom, the moments that I have shared with so many people over the years come flooding through. And that is why fireworks are so very good to me. I have never ever watched them alone.