the big 5-0

Last Saturday we threw my mom a surprise 50th birthday party. Below are a few of the photo booth pictures. Enjoy!

chicken taco tuesday!

As some of you may know, I'm kind of obsessed with chicken tacos. So much so, that my lovely husband has allowed me to dedicate an entire day to them. That means I get to enjoy delicious, home made chicken tacos every Tuesday for the rest of my life! My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Chad's parents came to visit tonight, so we dined out - and lucky me, chicken tacos were on the menu! For those of you in Atlanta, you must try Pancho's on Buford Hwy for some yummy Latin cuisine. If not for the monster margaritas, check it out for the cute patio that looks like a Mexican beer garden. 

After dinner, Sharon and Hank took us down the street to show us the high school where they met. I thought it would be fun to take a picture of them reenacting a break up they had in front of one of the school doors. Good times!

 

first comes marriage, then comes name change

As I'm finalizing my name change forms, I decided to watch my favorite flick to make it a little less tedious. Click here to watch the best part of Pride & Prejudice, I guarantee it'll make you want to kiss someone! Watch the whole thing to see the inspiration for this very special photo:

always talk to strangers.

While sitting on the old wooden bench inside the scrumptious Osteria del Figo yesterday afternoon, patiently waiting for my 6-cheese ravioli with Tuscan Pomodoro sauce to-go, I couldn't help but notice all the pretty women walking in and out of the double glass doors. They were all so fabulous, wearing cute corporate outfits with a Blackberry in one hand and a designer handbag in the other. I wondered what each of them did for a living. I imagined some of them escaped a cubicle jungle at an investment firm for an hour of fresh air and Italian lunch. Others were publishers from a trendy magazine taking a break to discuss the next issue. And as I sat there in my skinny jeans, flats and t-shirt, it made me happy to have a creative job.

Due to my uncontrollable daydreaming, I hadn't noticed the tall woman standing next to me. And as I gazed up, I was surprised to find her looking at me. Like most normal people would do, I smiled politely and looked at the bar wondering why my to-go order was taking so long. 

That's when she nudged me and asked, "Is that the weather lady?" She pointed with her eyes to one of the fabulous women wearing a hot pink cardigan along with plenty of make-up. "I don't really watch local news," I confessed. "But she does look familiar." 

I smiled. This talkative stranger was an older woman with a northern accent, and I learned she worked in the admin office at Morehouse College. While she was debating whether the lady in pink was from 11Alive News or Fox5 News, she described herself as crazy and that she recognizes random people all the time. Although she never remembers how she knows them.

After we said our goodbyes and nice-to-meet-yous, I realized this crazy lady made my day. We don't talk to each other enough. We go about our lives, our daily routines, smiling politely as we ignore each person we come in contact with. I want to connect with people more, interact more. Just tell someone to have a nice day or simply say what's on your mind. You may be the crazy person for talking to people you don't know, but at least you're out there connecting with the world, leaving a legacy. Even if it's only one person at a time.

So my lunch break was an experience, I realized it's OK to be a little crazy sometimes. And as for my 6-cheese ravioli with Tuscan Pomodoro sauce, it was delicious.

nuggets and big macs and fries, oh my!

I am so incredibly behind on blogging! These pictures are from last month at Mickie D's where my niece celebrated her 4th birthday party, but I had to share. She's such a ham and absolutely adorable, you can't help but smile when she's around. As I was dodging little kids running around with their faces covered in a mixture of ketchup, cupcake icing and BBQ sauce, I was able to snap a few cute pics! Look through them to find out my 4 favorite things about my 4 year old niece...

I love how she gets super excited!

And how she loves the camera!

And her tiny vampire teeth!

And her tiny leggings and frilly socks!