Hotlanta Before The Mountains

I finally got my new USB cord for my camera and uploaded 700 photos from the past month and a half. Here are some photos from our afternoon in Atlanta before we went to the mountains for our anniversary getaway. We mainly went there to go to Ikea, and boy did we go to Ikea... (? better joke in my head)

And we didn't even buy everything on our shopping list. We didn't have enough room in our car.

Part of me (most of me) longs for an Ikea in Nashville. But dang, that would be really dangerous for our bank account.

After spending way too much money at Ikea, we ate at The Vortex. I got so many good recommendations on where to eat, but when Boo sees "Atlanta's best burger" as an option, theres no turning back.

I couldn't get a good picture of the food since it was so dark in there, I had shaky, hungry hands, and Miles wouldn't allow me to turn my flash on and "draw everyone's attention". But it was deeelicious! My favorite part was the fried plantains as my side. It was like...dessert...as my side.

And then we went to Trader Joe's and filled our cart with an equal parts food for the week:wine, wine & wine. I still can't understand why Tennessee is so lame, with its wine-less grocery stores. 

Next up: the mountains! Oh...mountain vacation...oh, you...

Weekend Getaway

Our Chattanooga weekend was so incredibly wonderful. Miles and I kind of had a hunch that we needed some time away for just the two of us, but we had no idea how refreshing it would actually be. It was the first time we've been away together, alone, without friends or family as company. Except our honeymoon, dur. We rested, we had great conversations, we were carefree, we spent way too much money (I guess I was wrong about thinking we'd be safe from that), we ate delicious foods, walked around forever, went to the aquarium, took our time...it was beyond perfect. And I couldn't have wished for more beautiful weather. I even took a screenshot of the weather on my phone to remember exactly how perfect it felt. The best 63 degrees of your life.

Miles has decided that we need to go on weekend trips every weekend. We'll have to find a more reasonable/affordable alternative, but we will definitely plan to get away more often. We took a ton of pictures, so I'll have to weed through them and spread them out over a few posts. Expect the aquarium post to have an obnoxious amount of fishy pics.

I ended up having to work last Friday morning instead of having the whole day off, so we didn't get into Chattanooga until around 4. Just in time to check in... and take a nap. I love naps. Have I shared this before? Naps are the best. And I've started to rub off on Miles when it comes to loving them. We stayed at The Chattanoogan and really liked it. Our room was, unfortunately, on the way to the pool, and surrounded by rooms full of happy, loud kiddos on either side. But that was the only thing we would've changed. And it was kind of out of our hands. Well, Miles would've wanted there to be robes in the closet and for the actual hotel building to be from the 30s. But you can't have it all, bud. I love the blackout curtains that most (all?) hotels have now. You know what they're perfect for? Naps. 

The bathroom was lit in such a way that would make anyone look red carpet fabulously gorgeous. Which was so amazing while I was getting ready, and a rude awakening when I passed my first reality check mirror. I went from "I'm simply glowing!", to "oh, nope".

We ate at Tony's in the art district, per a new blogging/we've met in real life a million years ago friend's suggestion. And it was delicious. And in such a fun area. We walked around forever after dinner and loved everything about the sculptures, the houses, the little hilly streets... Then later on, we walked a block or two over to Urban Stack, where we ate last time we were in Chattanooga, for drinks and late night conversations. Twas a wonderful start to our weekend.

Chicago iPhone Photos

We ate so much food, walked so many blocks, wore so many layers, still froze our butts off, laughed too loud in public, rode trains, read maps like tourists, vintage shopped, TopShopped, went to the movies, took pictures, and spent all our money. This weekend was a blast. 

And my brother has a fabulously fancy camera, so maybe if he puts some pictures up I can steal a few. Since I obviously didn't take a single picture with my phone of my siblings. Well, except that one of my brother's back...

Weekend Excitement

Miles and I are off to Chicago for the weekend to celebrate my brother and sister's birthdays (a week early). I am so excited to see them and to go back to Chicago, this time with my boo! Its going to be a short trip, but I'm sure we'll squeeze so much fun in. Probably too much. Also, I'm a little afraid of coming back to  Nashy and wanting to movie to Chicago again. I cannot let that happen every time we visit. But I feel like our lives have changed so much since August, for the better, that I'm wanting to be in Nashville for the long run. And hello, we're kind of maybe buying a house here. So thats kind of big. Anyways, Chicago. That was the point of this post. I can't wait. I mean, just look at this place.

Catchupwitchyalataaa!

(sources: 1, 2, 3)

Best Day EVAR

On Friday afternoon, Miles called me to tell me that he surprisingly didn't have to work the next day! When Miles gets a Saturday off that we were planning on him having to work (which is most Saturdays) I feel like I've won a million bucks. But its actually better than that, I've won a Saturday morning with the love of my life! Ok. Winning millions would be nice too, but lets not linger on that analogy.

We slept in (to 7:30) made breakfast together, sang along to Christmas songs on Pandora as we got ready together, went grocery shopping together, made several returns together, bought a Christmas tree stand, bought poinsettias, bought White Christmas...Basically the first half of our morning was just me running all the errands I needed to run while Miles was at work--but Miles was with me! Its so much more fun that way. 

Then we went to the Porter Flea Market and went nuts trying not to buy a million amazing things from each stall we passed by. We somewhat succeeded. We walked around East Nashy and fell in love with it all over like we always do whenever we cross the river for a visit (which is weekly), ate lunch at our favorite East Nashy bar and walked across the street to pick out our first little Christmas tree!

Once we decided which was the tree that needed the most love, we took it home and began making our paper chains, paper snowflakes and popcorn strings. The popcorn string making proved to be somewhat more tedious than anticipated. 

We filled our bellies with our drinks (draanks) of choice and our takeout from our favorite Italian restaurant, and sang along as we watched our newly purchased copy of White Christmas. And once White Christmas was over, we stayed up uncharacteristically late and indulged in our (very, extremely, embarrassingly late) obsession with Lost--as in we're only in the middle of season 1. 

But oh, what a wonderful, perfect Saturday! Definitely would rank in my list of top five most favorite days, if such a list existed. Also I took a few pictures. With my actual camera..that I haven't remembered to bring along anywhere in about 12 months. Shame. 

Let's Pretend...

Right now I am home, cozied up on the couch pretending that it is much colder than 64 degrees outside. Pretending that the gusty wind is actually really chilly and the drizzles of rain are, in fact, flurries of snow. Listening to Dean Martin sing Silver Bells on Pandora and having my plethora of apple spice candles lit around me helps a lot with this game of pretend. Now Nat is helping with Joy to the World. 

There is a disaster of a kitchen just two rooms over, but I am ignoring it for now. I have a (nine days early!) birthday package sitting on my coffee table and I am trying to ignore it. I have a huge Goodwill drop off, and tons of movies and books to trade. But its just too cold to go out right now (remember?) 

Obviously I am all for bringing on the holidays a teensy but earlier than some would like. I am okay with that. I just need to stock up on candles. Or maybe I'll just start to mull spices. Thats something, right? At least it looks cold outside. I haven't totally lost my mind. 

I think the farm adventure this weekend allowed me to check off the "fall" season. Not that its not my absolute favorite. But really...its only my fave because it leads up to the holidays. So lets lead a little faster, shall we? Here's to our lovely fall evening out in the middle of nowhere. It was absolutely perfect.

All but the last were taken with my iPhone. Why did I even ask for a camera last birthday? I always forget it. But I love this last photo taken by someone else that night. With a real camera. 

Already Forgetting

Last night as Miles and I were eating dinner, I realized that we had forgotten our four month anniversary (November 2). Yeah, okay, its not that big of a deal. We both forgot, so that worked out well. But how are we already failing at remembering anniversaries? I can't tell if I'm really upset that we forgot, or if I just feel like I should be. I'm going to say...just feel like I should be. Everything is so wonderful, its not like we forgot because we don't remember that time we got married only four months ago...we're just busy looking forward to weekends and evenings together, talking about house buying (yeah, I know last week I said that wasn't happening soon...but it might if we find something good), watching terrible, awful movies from redbox, failing at dinner-making and not making messes in the kitchen, and having husbands be employee of the month and winning a new Les Paul. Our loves are wonderful, we are in love, I'm okay with forgetting a teensy anniversary. 

The rest of November is going to be so fabulous. I am off next week, glory hallelujer! A whole week to myself to clean and actually have time to cook and bake and organize and read without baby interruptions. That being said, I'm pretty sure I'm going to miss the nanny babe like crazy come Monday afternoon. Then my birthday is coming up, and a week later my brother and sister are flying down from Chicago. We get to spend the whole day in Nashy hanging out, being awesome siblings, and then when Miles gets off work we're piling into the car and headed to our aunt's house for Thanksgiving weekend. I l-o-v-e thanksgiving weekend with my aunt and her family. And this year is going to be the best yet with both of my siblings and my lovely new husband. My cousins have already talked about watching Elf after our thanksgiving feast. Bring it on.

We're headed down to a friend's farm tomorrow afternoon and evening and I got a little too excited when I saw "s'mores items" on the list of things people could offer to bring. I offered. duh. I can't wait to be outside in the beautiful weather tomorrow even though I'm not 100% sure what the hang times will look like or consist of since we're tagging along with a few new friends and a lot of people we don't know. And I'm sure we won't have a giant bonfire. But there will be s'mores. There will be s'mores...

found on pintrest, here

Mini-golf and Tea Parties

I bought a Groupon for mini-golf and go-karting a while back but we only got around to using it yesterday. Well, half of it at least. The go-kart track was shut down for repairs and I tried not to be too upset since thats really all I had wanted to do out of the two activities. But we still had so much fun playing our round of mini-golf. It took me fifteen swings on the first hole, but after that I wasn't too shabby--I was the only one to get a hole in one! And Miles was sweet enough to gracefully give me a score of just five for that first hole embarrassment. 

Yesterday was almost a perfect day. Miles made us a beautiful breakfast with syrup that has changed my life, the weather was amazing, mini-golf was so enjoyable, our go-kart tickets are good for a year...Our weekly grocery shopping trip was one of the most fun we've ever had-and really, there wasn't anything that was all that different about this particular trip. We were just in wonderful moods, Kroger played all my jams, Miles only stood five-feet away from me as I sang loudly along to Groby (I can't find a post to link to, but we all know how much I love unexpected Josh Groban songs), Lara Fabian and LFO, as opposed to heading to the opposite end of the store and pretending like he isn't married to me. 

However, we went to a "rally" that was supposed to be in support of Miles' company, which is tied up in a confusing customs/wildlife/state politics thing. As Miles put it, we were going so that he could "shake babies and kiss hands" (joke?) with all the right people. But soon after we got there we realized that it was  really just a big ole Tea Party rally. I went from the emotional equivalent of eye rolling, to the emotional equivalent of "oh, dear God", then to the emotional equivalent of feeling every possible negative emotion at once, resulting in tears and sobbing on my part. Stupid t-shirts and obscenely large American flags being waved around is one thing, but the crowds of people cheering at a song with the bottom-line of "when you're in my country, you'd better speak my language" and general rhetoric along the lines of God giving America to white people, is something entirely too much for me.

Needless to say, we left. Miles incredibly mad, but totally level headed, whilst I am bawling my eyes out and the opposite of level headed (in those moments, is it a good thing or a bad thing that I am terrified of confrontation). I mean, how is that real life? I'm still processing everything that happened during the short time we were there. But I know that somehow it has changed and inspired me in a way that reading about/watching on television/hearing on the radio these rallies and ideals could have never changed me. Which I guess made yesterday still a pretty good day. Just not as I would have planned it to be.  

All that to say, here are some pictures from our day. The fun parts. 

Impression of PGA golfers

I know it looks like it, but I didn't make that putt..

I Like These Things (Ahem, Miles)

I am never stumped when it comes to getting Miles a gift--at least I haven't been yet (knock on wood). Get something to do with guitars, or amps, or vinyl, or a western button up, or anything denim. The real gift with denim, is letting him wear every piece at once. As in jeans, button up & jacket. Those days are rare and therefore "special". But I like to believe that he enjoys them that much more because of it. 

But gift buying for me...I can see how it would be a teensy bit hard. So now that it is the month before my birthday (a fact that is blowing my mind), I will begin compiling a list of things to make birthday & Christmas shopping just a 'lil easier. Miles, I was about to type "take notes", but you don't really have to since you can just have this as your reference. 

1. A go-kart date 

2. A Smiling Elephant dinner

3. Sun Garden Riesling

4. A Christmas tree

5. A Christmas tree decorating evening, complete with eggnog, Elf and paper snowflakes

6. Finish the Hunger Games trilogy and quit pretending that you don't like it

7. A night at a fancy Chicago hotel for our February trip

8. A strawberry shortcake cupcake from Gigi's

9. General fuss-making over my 23rd.

10. This print, along with several others from this Etsy shop.

Chattanoogie

Miles and I, along with some friends of ours, went to Chattanooga this weekend to see M. Ward. "Per the artist's request" we weren't allowed to take any pictures during the show. I had already heard this about M. Ward before, solo and with She & Him. But I hadn't anticipated it making me feel so weird. Every 5 minutes I had to stop myself from reaching for my phone to take a picture out of habit. The whole show I kept seeing people being taken aside by security and confronted about their picture taking. All that confrontation (not even directed towards me) made the night slightly uncomfortable. If you haven't guessed/don't know this about me already--I loathe confrontation. Personal flaw, I admit it. All that to say, I have no pictures from the show. I have no pictures of M. Ward playing the exact same guitar that Miles has the prototype of. Only ~100 of them exist, my boo has the prototype, Matt has one of the few that followed. I mean, thats just a little bit awesome.

Dawes opened for M. Ward and I have to say, they were actually my favorite part of the show. They were simply amazing live. They're coming to Nashy next month, co-headlining with another of our favorites, Blitzen Trapper at a much better venue (in my humble, not so well educated in this area, opinion). The venue in Chattanooga was way too big for my liking, had folding chairs all lined up for us to sit in..which was weird, and then pointless when everyone from the back rows came and stood up front, and they didn't have pbr. I mean, really? So needless to say, I am definitely looking forward to the Dawes/Blitzen Trapper show at Mercy Lounge in a few weeks. If you're in Nashville that night, you need to be there. 

All in all, it was fun to get away with Miles. The drive down to Chatt-town was gorgeous, we'll have to do it again when the leaves begin to change. And now that I mention the leaves, I realize all the pictures I took of the drive down are on Miles' phone for some reason. 

We stayed at the Chattanooga Choo-Choo (thus the trains and train station), ate burgers (surprise, surprise) at Urban Stack, and I experienced my first Christmas display of the season!

Good Grief!

My life is so good. Why don't I always remember how incredibly blessed I am? Why does it take Josh Groban to come on the radio and make me smile and cry and sing at the top of my lungs and feel like the biggest carefree dork and then have an epiphery (Michael Scott style) about my wonderful life? I mean, we all know how much I love me some Josh Groby, but I feel like he shouldn't have that big of an effect on me.

Either way, I am one happy lady today. Miles fixed my car the other day, saving us a lot of money and stress. I mean how lucky am I to have a husband that is smart enough to fix a car? We only have one more task on our list of things we urgently needed to do as a newly married couple. I really love my job (and actually miss the babe's sweet little face today). One of our very best friends is moving back to Nashy after living four hours away for the past year. The three of us are going to see HP in a little while. I put on no eye make-up so that I could freely bawl my eyes out at the end. We're going to a music festival this afternoon and then a marina show tonight. I get to watch the sunset over the lake and enjoy a wonderful evening with my husband and aforementioned best friend. Yes, my life is so good. 

Slacker

Oh my goodness I have been slacking so much...blogging, thank you notes, becoming a chef extraordinaire. I blame it on the Kardashians. For the past two weeks I have been one part newlywed, one part baby watcher and one part vegetable. I have definitely watched more television in these two weeks than in the past 4 years. The other day I realized how serious my problem was...

Yes. That is me double watching Keeping up with the Kardashians (while the babe was sleeping, I'm not a horrible nanny, I promise). I finally caught up with all the episodes today so I feel like I can put a rest to this completely ridiculous obsession. I can also stop unknowingly channeling Khloe when I am home with Miles. Poor husband. 

Other than watching terrible reality shows and crying from laughing so hard while watching 3 Men and a Baby for the first time (diaper changing scene, anyone?)(such a sucker for an easy laugh), this has been what the majority of my days look like:

I can't even deal. This babe is so precious. Yesterday, I took her with me to change my name and get a new license. She screamed and cried the whole car ride but was a perfect little adorable angel when we we're at the social security office and the DMV. Such a little ham! Also, I am totally okay with how nice everyone is to me when I am carrying a baby around.

Tonight, Miles and I are going to try and revive our social life. I mean, not that our socializing with friends was on fire before the wedding, but what little flame we did have has died down to barely a simmer. That analogy was just...amazing (terrible). So heres to going out with friends who are moving away to D.C. in August. Gotta pack in all the hang times we can before that sad, sad day. 

Hopefully we don't fall asleep at the table/bar/party/wherever we are when the clock strikes 9 since that has been our old married couple bed time for the last 15 days.