Rocket City Brewfest 2010

On Saturday I went to the Rocket City Brewfest! The Brewfest is one of the primary fundraisers for Free the Hops, an all-volunteer non-profit in Alabama. It is the widest selection of craft beer available in North Alabama. A portion of the festival proceeds go towards Free the Hops' efforts to lobby the Alabama Legislature for greater consumer choice over the range of beers widely available in other states and to reform the beer laws of Alabama.

It was held at the Historic Depot in downtown Huntsville. There were tents lining the railroad tracks and each tent is a different vendor that serves you a little sample in this tiny glass and I probably tried over 20 different beers. Some were dark and strong, some fruity, some dry and some were just HORRIBLE. I quickly discovered I like lights and pale ales. The worst was Hoegaarden, it was terrible! My favorite was one close to the beginning and I honestly cannot remember what the name was!

This was my first beer festival and honesty it was just nice to get out in Huntsville and do something different. I saw a few friends and made some new ones! Great little Saturday afternoon!

A-Day Weekend!

Anna and I headed down to Tuscaloosa to see the A-Day game. We drove down Friday night and stayed with my brother until Sunday. After getting settled in at the condo, Anna and I headed out to see her sister and her husband. It only took us about an hour of walking around in heels to find this tiny place called Alcove that neither of us had ever been to. We finally arrived and it was such a treat to meet some of her family! After catching up for a bit, Anna and I headed out to meet up with my brother and his friends.

On Saturday I went shopping at the Limited, since we do not have one in Huntsville or Birmingham. I got two pairs of much needed pants! Anna and I watched the A-Day game together and then headed out to meet our friends!
It was so much fun seeing people I went to high school and college with, old clients from the Crimson White and all the new people I got to meet. I was really excited to meet Anna's good friend Tara, she is such a sweetheart!

I had a blast with good friends in Tuscaloosa but I must admit I am ready to get back to reality for a bit! A-day weekend was a complete success and so much fun!

David Gray Concert

After a day of roller coasters I headed to downtown Atlanta to see David Gray perform live at the Atlanta Civic Complex.I have never been to a more amazing concert. David Gray was everything I had hoped it would be and more! He is an amazing artist and I prefer him live to his CD, all the songs have more meaning and excitement! It was the best $100 I have spent in a very long time, I am hoping to go see him again in August at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.

Here are two of the songs he performed last night, they were much closer than I was!
(Click to hear, "Sail Away"

(Click to hear, "Freedom")

Amos Lee and Six Flags

This weekend was jam packed with entertainment and my wallet is now reaping the repercussions! Despite of the misfortune on my bank account I would have to say it was well worth the money! I had so much fun. The weekend started Friday night with seeing Amos Lee live at Crossroads. It was amazing how naturally talented he is, to be honest I only knew one song, "Sweet Pea" the one on the Cingular commercial but after the show I am a new fan!

After a long night of good music I woke up at 4:30 am to drive to Six Flags to meet my friends for a day of roller coasters and a nice stroll down memory lane. Glenn and Catherine came up and it was so much fun talking about past college stories and hearing about everyone since college. Its crazy, we were all just a few years ago in Tuscaloosa together and now everyone has moved to different cities, has different relationships, babies, marragies....its all blowing my mind! I guess we are growing up whether we like it or not! We only got to ride the Batman, Mindbender and Superman because of the long lines but because I was in good company I enjoyed every minute. Good times!!!

Me and the batmobile!

Glenn getting ready to ride on The Batman!

Easter

Easter was this past Sunday and it was a wonderful weekend! I went down on Saturday to my parents house and spent the evening with Mom, Dad, and Joey. Mom and I cooked for Sunday's lunch and we all just sat around chatting about the new things in our lives. It was nice to just be the four of us, I actually cannot remember the last time we had no extra guests! Dad grilled his famous ribs and Mom made her famous potato salad....yummm! Dad and I got in the hot tub and had one of those great chats that we never have an opportunity to do and then I hit the hay!


Sunday we ate Easter lunch with Aunt Julie and Uncle Lee and had a spread to feed 10 families. It was amazing! We had ham, homemade macaroni and cheese, deviled eggs, mom's dressing & gravy, real green beans, rolls, key lime pie and a whole bunch of appetizers! It was great seeing Aunt Julie and Uncle Lee because of her father's cancer battle we really do not have an opportunity to spend quality time together. It was a lovely weekend and the only thing missing was GranGran and Papa but I did get to hear some intresting stories about them that I had never heard before so that was very nice. I love my sweet family!!!!

Even Mr. Biggs ate too much!

This was part of my Easter basket

Mikawa

Last night I was pleasantly surprised when my date took me to a restaurant in Huntsville that I had no clue existed! I was pretty impressed because he is not from Huntsville and he had found the only restaurant in town I haven't eaten sushi at. It is off University Blvd and when you pull up it is this little blue building that you wouldn't even know was a restaurant. He had never eaten there before either so I was happy we were both unsure about what to expect. I have to admit I was a little nervous when we pulled up. However, to my surprise it was really cool when you walk inside, they have the seats on the floor, huge paper globes and the rice paper doors.

The manager told me that the restaurant originally opened in 2003 just for the Toyota dealership next door and that business was fantastic but since the recession they are struggling. The restaurant is way in the back on a side road and doesn't have a sign so no one knows it even exists!

We ordered two different kinds of Saki, which I had never had before! We had all these different kinds of sushi, one had little crab claws inside the roll, another was called salmon egg, I had no clue what I was eating because each piece was different. We then ordered these dessert balls on a stick. It was the craziest thing I have ever eaten, it was some kind of gooey rice ball that was like thick marshmallow goo coated in two different sugar glazes on a stick! It is called Mitarashi Dango (see the pic below)

It was a lovely experience, the whole night was just one surprise after another. On the way out we stopped at a counter that was stocked with tons of different kinds of Japanese candy. It was by far the strangest combinations of foods, one was called Krunky, which made me giggle at the name but it was like the Krackel candies. Another was biscuit sticks coated in strawberry paste, just a bit odd.

If you get the chance to swing by in Huntsville you have to go eat there, it will be an experience you will not regret!

Favorite Quotes

Some of my favorite quotes lately........

“Relationships are like glass. Sometimes it’s better to leave them broken than try to hurt yourself putting it back together.”
—unknown

"Don't cry for a man who's left you, the next one may fall for your smile.”
-Mae West

If a girl looks swell when she meets you, who gives a damn if she's late?
-J.D. Salinger

A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.
-Coco Chanel

Here is my absolute favorite:

"Wait for the man who pursues you, the one who will make an ordinary moment seem magical, the kind of man who brings out the best in you and makes you want to be a better woman. Wait for the man who will be your best friend, the one who will drop everything to be with you. Wait for the man who makes you smile like no other guy makes you smile. Wait for the man who respects and loves you for who you are, not who everyone else wants you to be. Wait for the man who wants to show you off to the world when you are in sweats and no makeup, but loves it when you get all dolled up for him. Wait for the man who praises God for you, and encourages you daily in your walk, and most importantly, wait for the man who is more in love with God than you. Someday, someone will walk into your life and make you realize why it never worked out with anyone else..."