Tunica: You've Got to Know When to Hold Em...

This past weekend G and I accompanied some friends of ours to Tunica, Mississippi to test our luck at the casino and see Ron White perform.  This is where we spent a great deal of our time:

Isn't it pretty?  We arrived well after dark and when I awoke from my car nap, this is what I saw in the middle of a field.  

I'll just go ahead and let you know that the extent of my gambling experience involves dollar scratch-off tickets...and I don't know that I've ever really won at those.  I also really hate wasting money so I was interested to see how this experience was going to go.  I loved it!  I did what everyone tells you to do when you go to a casino, "Only take a set amount of cash and when it's gone, it's gone."  I didn't even play with all that I brought.  Responsibility at its finest!  

I really liked the slot machines!  I won about $20 twice on the penny slots...but then I lost it again on the penny slots.  G stayed saddled up to the blackjack table for the majority of his casino time.  He didn't do too badly either!

They had delicious food too.  We had breakfast/brunch/lunch at the Paula Deen Buffet....SO good.  They had an Eggs Benedict (that was new for me as well) on a fried green tomato.  Delish!  We also had the best steaks I've ever had in my entire life for supper.

My apologies for the blurry pictures/red-eye.  I forgot my camera.

We were also lucky enough to see Ron White perform.  You would recognize him from the Blue Collar Comedy Tour as "the man with the cigar and scotch on stage."  He was great! Fun Fact:  We saw him at the steakhouse before the show...he was wearing a satchel.  I found that odd.

Mini-Bethany-Tale:
After the show we went back into the casino to play a few more games.  While the boys were holding strong at the blackjack table, we ladies decided we'd cruise the casino and see if ole Ron was gambling too.  We did not find Ron but we did find a man in a suit who tried to teach us how to play craps.  I still do not know what he was talking about but he let us roll the dice for him a few times.  When it was my turn to roll I scooped up the dice with both hands which is obviously against the rules of craps as the entire table yelled "NOOOOO!"  They must have sensed my scratch-off only experience and let me try again.  I let go of the dice and proceeded to bounce one of them off of a dealer's belly and back onto the table.  I did not win this man a dime.  He looked at the two of us and said "Okay, well you girls can go away now."  We kindly understood.

A big thanks to our great friends for inviting us to tag-along!

Playing Catch Up

Hello there, remember me?  I am SO sorry!  I have had a crazy, crazy month but I am back, and ready to blog!

Where should I start?  Let's just go with last week!  Last week, I was basically a world traveler...okay more like a Southeastern traveler.  I enjoyed a fabulous week off from work with my family and G!  We loaded up the car and headed down to the Redneck Riviera of Panama City Beach, Florida.  I'm tell you all a little secret....go on a beach vacation after Labor Day.  Rooms are cheaper, you don't have overcrowding on the beach, it isn't 12,000 degrees outside and my favorite part....little to no wait at restaurants!  Of course there's the pesky hurricane season but life is all about taking risks every now and then right?

I had a new experience on vacation...celebrating my birthday at the beach!  That's right folks, I turned the big 2-5 last Tuesday.  September 11 is a tough birthday to have but my cousin posted a sweet message on my Facebook saying that "at least one good thing happened on this day in history!"  So that's nice to give people something to smile about...I'm one year older :)  My family treated me to a nice seafood supper and a visit to the outdoor mall where I found many pretty things!

Enjoying some birthday oysters at Shuck'ems

After several relaxing days, G and I loaded up my car and headed from the Florida panhandle to East Tennessee to visit his parents.  They live about 3-4 hours away and he doesn't get to see them as often as he would like.  I know he was happy to give his mama a big hug!

After much preparation and anticipation, we jumped in the car and drove to Knoxville to enjoy a little football time in Tennessee.  I'm going to preface this by stating that I really, really, really dislike the Florida Gators.  I always have, always will.  Couple that with riding high on the past two Tennessee wins and I was ready to rock and roll all over some Swampies.  Rather than discuss the disgust and disappointment I am still feeling today...two days after the game has ended, I will discuss the following:

1.  My gameday blazer/G's gameday britches
We just happened upon this perfect UT blazer while in Florida.  We did have to undress a total of two manikans and track down many salesladies to get it but it's all mine!  G's pants were a different story, we made a pit stop to Alumni Hall in Knoxville because he was determined to find some checkerboard pants.

Check us out!

2.  How excited I was to spend time with my long lost sorority sisters!
With a sold out ball game on our hands so many people made the journey to Rocky Top, or already lived there!  I was thrilled to see my sisters who live in Knoxville as well as precious Megan who is living in Denver these days.  Thanks so much to Rebekah and Jacob for keeping us up for the night (and for the donuts!) and to Cara and the entire Holden family for the tailgate fun!

3.  That I am thankful for Will Moore and currently owe him a favor of some form or fashion.
Our original tickets fell through and we quickly had to rustle up some others.  This was in the midst of the announcement that College Gameday would be broadcasting, live from Knoxville....and of course it was the Florida game...so tickets on Craigslist or any other site jumped to $150 for top level seats.  No thanks.  Enter Will.  You might remember Will from my Tale of the Stoneware Jug.  If not, see here. Will is my college pal, former neighbor and devoted Volunteer fan who just happened to catch wind that those scallywags from Florida returned a good bit of their ticket allotment which resulted in our ticket purchase.  Thanks my friend.

4. Bid Day
Today I was lucky enough to help with Chi Omega's Bid Day celebration at Austin Peay.  It has been seven years since I ran to my sisters in the APSU quad wagging my big purse behind me, and it has been four years since I welcomed the pledge class of 2008 with big hugs and smiles.  I am thankful for the opportunity to give back as an alumnae officer and loved seeing the joy on the faces of Baby Hooties learning chants for their very first rally.  As a side note, Pledge Class 2012 may possibly be the most coordinated pledge class I've seen in a while.  It was especially sweet to see my Little Sister's biological little sister enjoying her very first Bid Day as a Chi Omega.  Here's a picture of the Fabulous Family tree...missing a few branches who were there in spirit!

Bombasha Brazilian Steakhouse

Happy Sunday!  This weekend has really flown by.  G and I got to head to Nashville for a meal at one of our favorite restaurants.  And thanks to Groupon we got a deal to do so!

Have you ever thought to yourself, "Man, I really wish I could just have an all-you-can-eat smorgasboard of meat brought right to my table."  I'm sure any man reading this answered with an emphatic yes.  Well friends, look no further than Bombasha Brazilian Steakhouse in Nashville!

Photo via Bombasha's Facebook page

Our friends introduced us to this delight on New Year's Eve this past year and we've been back a couple of times since.  It. Is. So. Good.  Basically, here is the rundown of the Bombasha experience:

Once seated by the hostess, you'll notice a card at each place.  The card is green on one side and red on the other.  This tells the gauchos (the meat guys) that you are ready and rearing for the meat course.  You'll also be offered the salad bar.  G chose to forego the salad bar experience and dove straight into the meat election by flipping his card to green.  I made myself a small plate of greens, sun-dried tomatoes and cheese then flipped my card to green as well.

This is where things get serious....seriously delicious.  Ladies and gentleman this is not for the vegetarian in your circle of friends.  Bombasha boasts 11 cuts of meat.  There is beef, pork, chicken and sometimes lamb.  I'm a big fan of the House Special and the Parmesan Pork.  This weekend's selection also offered a Parmesan Beef that was so tender it was like butter in your mouth.  Wonderful, meat butter.  

Not only is the food delicious at Bombasha, but so is the overall experience.  Once you've flipped your card to the green side the servers, called gauchos, begin coming past your table holding what I thought to be swords skewered with meat (see above photo).  They ask if you would like whichever cut of meat they have and you have the option to try it or pass.  They cut the meat right at your table, so it is fresh!

Bombasha is located in Hillsboro Village on Belcourt Avenue.  If you have ever eaten at Cabana you've probably tried to walk in the door to Bombasha (I sat beside the window and watched many a person stutter-step to get to the right one.  Oh, and I've done it before too.).  It's a little on the pricey side but totally worth it for the amount of food you get and the servers are really attentive.  

Oh and PS - if you go to Bombasha, try the little rolls.  They have a different texture so they aren't for everyone....but I ate the entire basket myself.  Sorry I'm not sorry.

Where's your favorite place to eat in the Nashville area?

Swirlz Night!

I'm back y'all!  My apologies for the blog hiatus but I'm back from Gulf Shores and very relaxed!  PS - the backpack beach chair was amazing!  My friend Jessica had one just like mine and we called them our "Turtle Chairs" as we felt like we had a shell while wearing them.  SO convenient.  Also, if you're ever down on the Alabama Gulf Coast and have the opportunity to hear a band called The Foxy Iguanas...do it!!  They were my favorite!  We even got them to play a little "Rocky Top" for some Tennessee girls (btw if you're reading this Iguanas, I'm still REALLY sorry for mistaking your ashtray bucket for your tip jar.  That could have ended badly)!

The weekend before last, while on blogging hiatus, G and I went to Swirlz with two of our good friends.  Swirlz is a painting studio where you are given a set painting and then an instructor gives you step-by-step directions on how to recreate it.  It was such a good time!


We signed up for "Starry Night," very similar to the Van Gogh edition. As you can tell from this picture G and I got a little carried away with our moons.  G also took his own artistic liberties with his painting and eradicated his entire town of houses.  He also accidentally turned his church into the Weasley's home from Harry Potter.  What can I say?  The man is an artist... or something like that!

Our friends had been to a previous Swirlz class to celebrate a birthday.  Jen said she figured her husband would have to go if it was her birthday...and he loved it!  I'm pretty sure that was the only reason G was talked into the situation....and he loved it too.  So guys, don't think it's girly or silly...just go and have fun!  Plus they do "manly" paintings like 12-point bucks or Apache helicopters.


The calendar is posted online (here) so you are able to see which painting you'll be working on that night.  As previously mentioned, they do different styles of paintings and will hold private events for groups as well as paintings specifically for kids.  The website is also where you reserve your seat(s) for the class.  Depending on what painting you sign up for, prices typically run from $35-$45 per person.  That provides your paint, smock and canvas.  You're allowed to bring in the beverages of your choice as well.  Water, cokes, wine, beer, Gatorade....whatever!  However, beware that you may or may not accidentally try and drink your brush water and/or put your dirty brush into your bev.  


Also, if you are a little pokey (like me) they try and accommodate you, but try and keep up.  Until G went rogue I had to keep asking what the instructor said because I was super focused on the proper blending of my stars.  Now, don't go all speed demon either...that's how G ended up with a brown moon....


So, if you're feeling some artistic energy you'd like to get out or are in need of a fun/unique date night or girls' night, head on over to Swirlz!


PS - I left with more paint on myself than on the canvas (no seriously, it was in my hair and I even found some the next day I had missed!  Can't take me anywhere.) so maybe bear that in mind when selecting your outfit!

Beach Trip!

I apologize that I've been MIA on the blog here lately.  I've had a pretty full plate and am just now getting to sit down and write anything.  But don't worry, I've been doing lots of fun things to keep you all entertained!

I will start by saying that I, like the rest of the world, extend my thoughts and prayers to those in the Aurora/Denver, Colorado community.  As we pray for those who were victims in this tragedy, remember also to pray for this very, very lost soul as he has ruined many lives as well as the peace of mind of countless others.

 "⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor^[a] and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. ⁴⁶ If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? ⁴⁷ And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? ⁴⁸ Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

This Wednesday I will be departing on the Senior Trip I never had with 3 of my best friends.  Our Senior year of high school we decided that we wanted to go on a beach trip together.  *Backstory: we were the complete opposite of troublemakers or party girls.  We had every intention of having ourselves some good, clean fun.*  However, our plans were foiled by our mothers who insisted that we could not drive to Florida by ourselves and that they would caravan along behind us and go too.  Only we "wouldn't know they were there."  They said they would stay on different floors of the condo, eat at different restaurants...my mom even said we could call them and tell them not to go somewhere because we were going to go there.  Ultimately we thought that was super lame and didn't even book the trip.  

So here we are, seven years later, and we are going to the beach together!  In honor of this momentous occasion I am linking up with my BFF Lindsay at Simple & Chic and sharing some of my favorite beach trip must haves!

Beach Towel

Most people will probably find this weird, but I LOVE beach towels!  They come in such fun and bright colors, it's hard not to.  I'm loving this one!

Bathing Suit
Granted I wish I looked like this in the bathing suit...I don't!  But I love the top!  I would pair it with a different colored bottom, like black or something.

This Chair

I typically have trouble trying to load up all of my beach goodies and am quite clumsy when it comes to actually getting to my spot in the sand.  This year I bought this chair at TJ Maxx for $10 less than I had seen it on Amazon (woo!).  It has a backpack-like set of straps to help you make it to the beach with one less thing in your hands.  I'm sure I will look like Screech Powers but frankly I do not care.

The Cooler Tote

Is it just me or is this quilted cooler tote precious?  Plus it looks enormous so you could fit all sorts of snacks, drinks and ice in there!

Hat

I love big floppy hats, but I am just not that glamorous while sitting at the beach.  I feel like I really would spend more time chasing the big, beautiful hat down than I would relaxing.  So, while that would be entertaining for other beach-goers, I choose a good ole ball cap!  This is one of my favorite hats from Volunteer Traditions...I have the mint green one!

Don't forget the sunscreen!

DIY Photo "Frame"

Hello friends!  I hope everyone is having a happy Thursday and congratulations on making it over that hump!  As I mentioned in a previous post, G has a new job (same company, new position) and also a new office.  I had printed one of my favorite pictures of the two of us around Christmas time and have yet to do anything with it so when he said he needed a picture of me for his office (what a sweet guy!), I decided to grab my craft box and get to work!

I wanted to do something a little different using wood but G is super picky about things like this.  I made a trip to Hobby Lobby and found these manly looking "wood hunks" and decided that was my best bet.  

Now, if you would like to create your very own "wood hunk photo frame" here is what you will need:

• Piece of wood (could be from your own backyard if you've got some spare wood handy)
• Mod Podge (I made mine with equal parts white school glue and water mixed)
• Desired photograph
• Scrapbook paper of your choosing
• Paint brush/sponge
• Spray sealant
• Easel

Step One:

Cut your scrapbook paper to the size of your wooden piece.  If you are using a piece of wood from your own home you could always cut it into a fun design of your choosing.

Step Two:

Brush your wood piece with Mod Podge.

Step Three:

Place your scrapbook paper onto the wood and cover with Mod Podge.

Does anyone else have the problem of their paper bubbling while Mod Podging?
Let me know if there is a way to fix that!

Step Four:

Place your photo on your layer of paper.  Smooth from the center using your sponge or brush and apply one last coat of Mod Podge.

Step Five:

Allow the whole project to dry for a few minutes.  Then spray the entire project with a spray sealant.  I used a Krylon clear coat.

Step Six:

Once dried, sit your new photo "frame" on an easel and enjoy!  

This bad boy is sitting on G's bookshelf in his office.

And that's it!  It's that easy!

DIY Fourth of July Shirt

I hope y'all had a fabulous Fourth!  We're currently under a Stage 2 draught and a burn ban.  But, thanks to some law breakers out there I got to see some fireworks.  Plus it actually did rain for a spell, praise God (again, the draught)!

As a part of our celebration, G and I hit up Walmart early that day to get our American wear as this was indeed, a 'Merica Party.  Now if there's one thing I love, it's a good theme party!  For your reading pleasure, I'm going to show you how to turn

Disclaimer: You'll have to pardon my lack of step-by-step photos as I made this beauty in a bit of a hurry.  Also, the red-eye corrector kind of gave me a wild eye.  I apologize.

Step One

Cut off the sleeves of the tshirt about 1/8 of an inch on the inside of the seam.

Step Two

Depending on the original length of the shirt and your desired length of the shirt cut off any excess fabric at the bottom.  This shirt was a men's size and pretty long so I took off a couple of inches.  I've found the best way to get an even cut is to fold the shirt in half and cut through four layers.

Step Three

Laying the shirt flat, begin cutting strips (through both layers of the shirt) about 1-1 1/4 inches thick.  Optional: I cut the strips on the side seams along the seams so that I'd have two extra fringe pieces.  You can choose to do this or not, it shouldn't affect your final product too significantly.

Step Four
Tie a knot in each strip of fabric close to the top of the cuts. 

Step Five

Wear!  Put this bad boy on and show your 'Merican pride in all your glory.  Here are some photos of how we wore ours!  We may have gotten a little carried away....

PS - this is not my typical procedure for making clothes.  I consider this and other costumes appropriate for theme parties and other instances where others will be dressed up (ie Themed pub crawls).  This is not acceptable to wear in public unless accompanied by others who look just as ridiculous/awesome as you.

It's (Almost) Football Time in Tennessee!

There's 59 days until college football season begins friends!  Who is ready to sing Rocky Top?  Let's hope this season is considerably better than last and we will get to sing it a bit more often!  Derek Dooley, I'm looking at you.
 For some reason I am in the gameday spirit today and thought I would post some of my favorite gameday attire to get y'all in the spirit too!


I'll start this off by saying, if you're going to a game at Neyland--do not wear heels.  You'll most likely be walking a lot and Knoxville is located smack-dab on a mountain so flats and boots are go-to gameday footwear.  Trust me, nobody wants to be "That Girl" who is hobbling the streets/stadium like a newborn deer plus your feet will thank you later!

This breezy dress is great for the early part of the season.  August & September can still be extremely hot.

This outfit is versitale in that you can wear the white skinny jeans with the shirt untucked or tucked into the scalloped shorts!  Either option would be good for the game with flats and wedges for the night out after.

I personally love a good blazer.  I'm in the market for a nice orange one at the moment and this one is super cute!  If only it wasn't $$$....  This girl could trade the platforms for some flats and she'd be ready to roll.

For the cooler months, a nice jean/riding boot combo paired with an orange blazer and monogrammed earrings.

It's a well known fact by Tennessee fans, primarily ladies, that "UT Orange" is a hard color to duplicate.  Most shades of orange can be acceptable on gameday but don't forget to bear in mind your opponents!  You don't want to be caught in "Auburn Orange" or "Gator Orange"when playing Auburn or Florida.

Happy Fourth of July Eve!

Weekend Activities

Happy Monday!  I hope you all had as wonderful of a weekend as I had!  It certainly was an eventful one, that's for sure.  Here are the highlights!

Saturday, my boyfriend G and I went to the 3rd birthday party of our sweet little friend Lucas.  To say Lucas likes dinosaurs is a bit of an understatement....there was even dinosaur shaped cheese slices!  He and his pals all got forks and dug into his cake.  It was really funny.  Also, my mother and I may or may not have jumped in the bouncy house...after all the children had gotten out.  

 

That night, my friend/sorority sister Rebekah came into town to celebrate the passing of her OT boards...way to go Dr. Reba!  We headed out to Beachaven Vineyard & Winery for their "Jazz on the Lawn" event.  Beachaven hosts Jazz every other weekend from May through October.  People come out of the woodwork for these events and they are a lot of fun!  Music, picnics, wine...all sorts of fun!

Please note the maiden voyage of my fold-up cooler.  It looks like a fold-up camping chair (or as folks around here call them, "Jazz chairs") but it is actually an insulated cooler bag that sits on a stand.  Thank you, Old Time Pottery!

Rebekah accompanied me to church where we heard our brand new preacher, then we headed back to meet some of our other sorority sisters for an afternoon at the lake.  Going out on the water is one of my very favorite things to do!  We really appreciated Chelsea's husband Evan driving us around and being such a trooper hanging with the ladies. 

Who's excited for tonight's Bachelorette???  I know I'm not the only one!

Tuned in Thursday

I'm well aware that "Tuned in Thursday" should probably be "Tuned in Tuesday" but we'll roll with it!  For some reason I get into these moods where I will listen to the same two or three songs on repeat for a week straight, sometimes longer depending on how long the Recently Added playlist on my ipod can hold out before it dies.  Not quite as bad as Michelle on the episode of Full House where she forced everyone to listen to "Baby Beluga" a thousand times on a cassette tape, but there was a period of several days (possibly a week) where I listened to "No Diggity" on repeat in my office. In 2009.

But recently my Song D'Jour is by this precious man.

Thomas Rhett

Look familiar?  It's possible!  His dad is 90's country singer and songwriting superstar Rhett Akins ("That ain't my truck in her drive...").  Thomas Rhett aka Thomas Rhett Akins, Jr. has been on a roll the past couple years starting when he scored a song on the latest Jason Aldean record.  TR wrote "I Ain't Ready to Quit" which is coincidentally one of the better songs on that album....I could go into my disappointment with Jason Aldean's latest album but I'll save that for another post.  TR then signed with Valory Music Company this year.  That means he is labelmates with Justin Moore and Reba McEntire!

Moving right along, TR's first single out to country radio is "Something To Do With My Hands" and he seems like a pretty frisky little guy!  It's got a good melody and quirky, fun(ny) lyrics.  I always like a song that puts a clever little twist on something so that the moment you hear it you just laugh or smile and want to dance.  Sometimes you just want to hear a fun song! 

The "official" videos aren't working at the moment but I did find this little gem of a live performance in what appears to be a break room?  Regardless, live music is usually way better than recorded so without further ado....enjoy!