Good Times with Good Friends: Skate Night and Wild Wing Cafe
This past weekend we went back to our childhood with some old school fun! We went to one of the local Skating Rinks for a fun night of skating with good friends! It's been about two years or so since Paul and I have been skating, and probably closer to 10 or more for some of our friends.
We went to Slapshot Family Skate Center in Cumming, GA. It had all those old school things you remember from your childhood skating rink...
It's definitely different then when we were kids. I guess as you get older you tend to have more fear, and a lot less balance! But thankfully once you get out there it's kind of like riding a bike again and you actually start to get into it! While I think we were all a little unsure about it at first, we ended up very happy with our decision to go skating, and I'm pretty certain everyone that went would be willing to go back again.
After we wore ourselves out skating we decided to head over to Wild Wing Cafe for some good eating and live music! The food is of course always great, but we were pleasantly surprised with how awesome the band was! It was the first time Roshambeaux had played at Wild Wing, and I am totally hoping they will come back cause they were amazing!
They played a mixture of everything from Collective Soul, a remixed (alternative style) of the Cupid Shuffle, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, John Cash, and their own stuff. Their style of music had a very bluesy feel, with various improvised moments from each member from guitar, bass and drum solos. We were thoroughly impressed and will definitely keep an eye on how they progress.
In any event, the evening was awesome. We had a great time with all our friends and I hope that we can plan an evening like this again soon!
My Virtual Makeover! It's Amazing What You Can Do!
So, I have decided I'm going to try to grow my hair out. I don't know what has gotten into me because I always have short hair! ALWAYS! And I think I look good with short hair, so it's not a bad thing, but the biggest challenge with having longer hair is growing it, and patience to wait for it to grow out!
Anyway, I decided to try out some new "do's" online! It's amazing what you can do on a computer. I searched around and found a fun Virtual Makeover site that actually does a pretty amazing job at making not only alternate hair styles look realistic, but also make-up! I went from a picture with no make-up or style to a gorgeous masterpiece! haha
You start by uploading a picture... and it gives specs. Then you mark areas of your face with dots to let the program know where things should be, etc. Then onto the make-up application!
First you start with foundation... And you can even choose the make-up you use by brand! Or maybe you want to try out a different make-up to see how it would look! I use Smashbox foundation, so I figured why not go with what I already have...
And then you move onto blush, eyes and lips... I noticed the biggest difference with the eye make-up! Very cool options for shadow application (one, two and,three color application) as well as eye liner with a very broad spectrum of colors!
You can even play with contacts... check me out with green eyes! Oh YEAH!
But for real, I was very pleased with the outcome! Check out the difference, I really look like I put on make-up and I was surprised how different and good I look with some extra makeup. I need to start wearing more eyeliner I think, and maybe curl those lashes!
Then on to hair... I am seriously going to try to grow my hair out, and I actually found something that I think I would actually look decent with! You can play with the dots to adjust the hair to fit your face better and you can play with color and everything!
For a digital makeover this wasn't bad! I'm going to plan for a Sophia Bush do! So check me out, hopefully in a year or so, if I can actually last long enough to grow it out... I could look like this! Oohhh La La!
Nothing a little vitamins, and curling couldn't work out... and if worse comes to worse I can try extensions! Hahaha Not really, but I will try to GROW IT OUT!
I couldn't finish this fun without some experiments with other options. This is when it gets fun! I don't think I would ever go for a dramatically different color, but it's fun to see what I could maybe look like!
If you want to do your own makeover check it out online for yourself HERE! This was so fun!!
The Bachelor is Back... and the Drama Begins!
I watched the Bachelorette with Ashley Hebert and have been watching the Bachelor and Bachelorette on and off for years! It's one of my meaningless pleasures. I don't watch too much reality TV, but this I do partake in!
So when Ashley didn't choose Ben I was definitely disappointed because while he seems to be like a best friend, he seem to be the kind of guy a girl should marry! I think in more cases than not, friendship should be the true bond of a relationship and everything else is a perk. Don't get me wrong, I do believe in sexual attraction and passion, but I think that only grows more over time with a true friend and will fade with someone that truly isn't a friend!
Anyway, I was very excited when Ben was going to be the next Bachelor! I think he is a good guy, and he seems down to earth and respectable, but this first episode left me wondering what the show will be about. It started out with a lot of drama! Which is to be expected, but I honestly feel like Ben has slim pickins when it comes to a quality lifelong love!
I will definitely be interested to see how things unfold and hope that it isn't a women's bitch fest while Ben is clueless in the background. I think that is how the sneak previews portray him. But I could be wrong which is of course why I will continue to watch it! Reality TV truly does have a way of making you think things are much more dramatic than they may be...
So these girls... making interesting impressions from the start. I just have one person to say bad things about... although I'm sure I could say more about others. I would rather make this about my favorites and hopefuls to be Ben's match!
So first we have Monica, I'm disappointed in this selection. She seems to be there to push people's buttons and to increase ratings. And I'm sure she will. But she does piss me off, I mean she is giving my name a bad name here! I think she is a little devil and she is just trying to play the game of screwing with people... not a fan. Now don't get me wrong, my friend Ashley and I (in college) thought it would be hilarious to be on a show like this just to cause trouble, cause who would ever really want to fight for one man among 25 other catty women! Not to mention knowing he is kissing and God knows what else with each of them. It's really kind of sad... but it's nice to dream that you can win the heart of someone... and it is certainly upsetting to know someone like this girl Monica is just there to screw with you and others! Not Cool! So hopefully Ben will figure this out and boot her!
Ok now onto my hopefuls! There aren't many because like I said I wasn't very excited about the options for him this time around! But here it goes...
My third runner up is: Brittney! She seems really sweet. Now it was a little odd that her Grandmother came with her, but in any case she still seems very sweet. So if she moves along I won't be upset!
Second runner up! Emily! I liked her cause she seems really down to earth and she totally rapped for him! And it wasn't just some rap, it was like this long elaborate rap and she totally pieced it together and had cool movement and everything! I really think she will add a little character and humor to the show and possibly Ben's life... here's hoping Ben will keep Emily around!
And my first choice......... drum roll please!? It is Jennifer! I don't know why, she seems cool and I just thought she is a likely choice for him. She didn't seem to be involved in drama, laying low but made a good impression! She would be my first choice if I was betting on who will be there in the end!
Well that was a lot of talk about a silly show, but I enjoy it so much... and hope these ladies make it to the end! I may continue to post about the show and what's going on as things progress... who knows... but consider this me placing my bet for these ladies!
I hope at least one of them makes it to the final three... we shall see!
What Are You Doing New Years Eve??
Came across this and had to share! We love Zooey Deschanel, and Joe Gordon-Levitt is pretty cool too!
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSq1cez_flQ]
What are you doing New Years Eve??
It's Snowing On My Blog!!!
Baby's It's Cold Outside... Tis the Season... Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow! hehehe How Fun, it's Snowing on My Blog!
Thanksgiving Holiday in PCB!
Paul's parent's have some awesome condos right on the beach in Panama City Beach Florida, and we have the privilege of using them on various occasions, and Thanksgiving was no exception!
Paul and I headed down after work Wednesday, to sleep in, relax and prepare our bodies for an amazing Thanksgiving Dinner at the Boat Yard. It was pretty awesome as they prepare a family style dining experience for Thanksgiving where you get a 26 lbs Turkey, and all the traditional Thanksgiving Dinner dressings, of mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, dressing, veggies, green bean casserole, and my favorite cranberry sauce! And of course they topped the meal off with some pumpkin pie! It was a great time, and they even had live music (a local saxophonist).
Also, on a very impressive note, they pack up the turkey carcass, turkey and any left-overs, so you can take it home and eat it for the rest of the week! How cool is that?? We actually took the carcass home, and Paul is making up some delicious Turkey Soup! YUMMM!
While that was the main highlight of the weekend, there was some more fun to be had! Following dinner, we all of course went back to the condos to chill, nap and let the turkey tryptophan wear off. Once we were able to get the energy back on, we decided to head over to the movies and were totally entertained by the movie Hugo in 3D, and while I believe it is geared for children, it was actually a very good movie, one I would totally watch again! It has a very intriguing and elaborate story line, and is good for the whole family! Of course I think it could be a bit much for children under five or 6.
Thanksgiving Day wasn't over yet, we headed back to the condo to hang out and wait for Midnight so that we could take part in the Black Friday fun, starting at 12AM!
Elizabeth (my sister-in-law) and I decided we were going to hit up some stores in Pier Park in PCB. Target was open at 12AM Friday, we decided that was going to be our first and "main" stop. This was the first time that Elizabeth had gone out for Black Friday, and I think she may actually do it again in the future. Of course it really is one of those thing that you need to do advance research on, as there seems to be either very specific deals in places like Target, and smaller stores have what you would be surprised to find, like 40% EVERYTHING!
When we got to Target, there was a line to get in, but by the time we walked to the front, the line had dissipated and we were headed in! We found a good amount of deals and were seeing people everywhere with LCD TVs in their carts. We weren't really looking for anything specific, so we got a mix of good deals and just stuff we had to have. And while we thought we would only be out for about an hour or so, I think we actually spent almost 2 hours in Target alone! We roamed around and as we were in the midst of our shopping spree, we noticed a line building around the entire store! It was INSANE. Ironically, we continued browsing, and by the time we were ready to check out, the lines were gone. Either time flies when you're having fun, or those Target checkers were moving in super speed! CRAZY!
Once we left Target, we moved on to some of the other shops in Pier Park, and were very excited to find that American Eagle was doing 40% off your entire purchase! YEAH! These are the times that we find more stuff for ourselves than others... but we did accomplish a good bit of Christmas Shopping too! ;) Other stops included Bath & Body Works, New York & Co., and Nike! Elizabeth and I were shocked when we finally got back to the car at 4:15AM! The couple of hours we thought we would spend out, turned into 4 hours of shopping... It was so fun!
The rest of the weekend continued with more fun, shopping (Paul's Mom really knows how to scope out the consignment shops!), eating great PCB Seafood (Bayou on the Beach and the Captain's Table), a Boat Parade and Festival (the 25th Anniversary in Downtown Panama City Beach), and just good old family fun!
Join Me and Stop the Privatization/Expansion of Briscoe Field!
Greetings,
I just signed the following petition addressed to: Board of Commissioners Gwinnett County. I've lived in Gwinnett County for about 20 years now, and grew up in Lawrenceville, GA where Briscoe Field is located - There has been so much great development in Lawrenceville and Gwinnett it would be a shame for them to ruin all the great stuff with this new plan to privatize and/or expand!
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Stop the privatization or expansion of Briscoe Field
Don’t Land in My Back Yard
Join together and let Gwinnett County Commissioners know they need to care more about the quality of life of their citizen’s than making a buck.
There have been numerous article, commentaries, opinions, etc. about expanding the use of Briscoe field. We need to deal in facts and realities, no matter what they call it; this privatization will evolve into the expanded use of Briscoe Field.
What does that mean to the residents of Gwinnett County, more traffic, added pollution, noise and larger planes landing and taking off from Briscoe Field? The quality of my life over the last 18 years has been impacted with the rapid growth of Gwinnett. Growth is good if it does not also impact the value of your home as well as the quality of your life in that community. Real Estate motto, location, location, location try and sell your home with large and frequent planes landing 10 miles from your back yard. In my case I’m about five miles from the airport, less as the crow flies.
I did a search looking for the number of residences within a 20 mile radius of Briscoe Field. These are the zip codes I came up with 30011, 30017, 30019, 30024, 30043, 30044, 30045, 30046, 30052 and 30052. There are over 70,000 homes based on information from the post office in these zip codes. If you live in these zip codes your probably within about 20 miles of Briscoe field.
I can sit in my back yard and watch planes every 5 minutes fly over heading for Atlanta Hartsfield Airport. I’m over 35 miles away from the Atlanta Airport and the planes are usually fairly high but we do occasionally hear them. Try to imagine being 5 or 10 miles away from the run way.
You can say not in my back yard, you can attend meetings and get verbal or we can band together. There is strength in numbers and it has more impact than an occasional article or TV spot on the news.
Let your voice be heard, tell Gwinnett County Commissioner’s that we do not want Briscoe field privatized or expanded.
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Please join me and sign this petition today! Click here to SIGN!
Anniversary Weekend: We Love You MacBook Pro
This is definitely a Happy Anniversary to US both! While I have been grovelling for a new Mac for some time now (since I have been working from a 12 year old Mac Power Book), this brand new MacBook Pro will be a gift that both Paul and I will cherish for years to come.
It will not only help me not to go bald (tearing my hair out with the PowerBook), but it will allow me to help Paul with his business sites, and me to BLOG which has become a new addiction of mine.
And of course I'm finding so many things to talk about, including this fabulous Anniversary Gift! THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH Paul Paul! I love you and together with this awesome new machine, we will embark on our second year of marriage with excitement and pleasure! Hehe And I know we will do so many great things together for years to come.
You have to check this baby out, isn't she a beauty (yes, she is a she, because she is magnificent). Maybe Paul and I should give her a name! Maybe Anni - short for Anniversary?? I know it's cheesy, but isn't that what Anniversaries are all about??
Definitely stay tuned, cause we have a lot more to come with a weekend full of fun!
Loving My Pinterest!
So I've had an invite to Pinterest for some time now, but hadn't taken the leap cause I knew it would be another thing that I would truly become addicted to and I was right. But with the constant stream of COOL stuff that I find EVERYWHERE, I need a resource to hold all these cool things I would love to have, try, and do, so I'm in it and collecting and adding new things daily to my boards!
I imagine my account will be huge not too long from now, and it will be a great resource for any and all ideas I've got for our life! Not only that, but I imagine it could be a very good "hint" resource for Paul when it comes to knowing all things I'm into and loving right now! Couldn't hurt!
I've found several ideas I am ready to implement soon. I think my first project will be this one...
But another very cool one that both Paul and I are loving is this! I image this one will be further down the line as we don't really have a bar area for bar stools YET, but it will happen, and these puppies will be in the picture of our bar/living space.
But this isn't just a resource for home decor ideas, it's about anything and everything you can imagine! Whether it's a frame of mind, a frame to put on the wall, a frame you make, or a place to go so you can put it in a frame... you can pin it!
It's like the new "there's an app for that", but now it's "pin it!"
And to top all of the fun decor stuff we will be implementing hopefully soon, I'm also in absolute DIY mode, and Pinterest has totally been feeding my "to do" list of things I KNOW I can make, and they WILL be so cool you'll want to pin them. I think I may start with the Christmas ornaments... It is that time after all.
Either way check it out!
Vote for Sunday Alcohol Sales TOMORROW!!!
How many times have you gone to the grocery store on Sunday and picked up a bottle of wine or case of beer, gotten to the register and realized during check-out... "DANG IT it's SUNDAY!" Well it's happened to me more than once, and I'm not really absent-minded, I just don't think about those things all the time cause it's really unnecessary!
Georgia is one of only three states that does not allow alcohol sales on Sunday, and it's finally time things change! This will be the first year that we have been able to decide on this issue ourselves, and I am hopeful people will get out to vote! This is not a primary election, and I'm sure there may be more pressing matters on the ballot than this issue, but I personally get the impression people will care about this! And they will care more about this than the other random local votes on the ballot.
About 100 Georgia cities and counties are holding votes on whether to allow stores to sell alcohol on Sundays. The referendum is the result of a lengthy battle in the state legislature over whether municipalities should have the right to decide on the issue. This has been a very controversial issue, and you can rest assured that there will be as many people out voting against it as there are for it.
If passed the Sunday alcohol sale referendum will allow convenient stores, grocery stores and liquor stores to sell beer, wine and liquor on Sundays. I know it's not a primary election or anything, but there is definitely good reason to make the trip to the poles tomorrow! Read more about it here!
