West Midtown Corner Tavern

I posted about this spot a couple months ago. They have bottomless mimosas on Saturdays and Sundays, the food is good and, well, that's really all we need in a good brunch spot. Between loaded nachos, fried pickles (pictured - and so flavorful you can see it), queso, french toast, a burger on a Holeman & Finch bun (still gotta get to that place), some tots (pictured) and a breakfast dish called "Silly Chicken," we ate ourselves under the table.

Pink Barre

I've been hearing about Barre classes for a couple years now. On Friday, I had a chance to take a community class at Pink Barre in Buckhead. I squeezed in some time during my lunch hour, grabbed Tierra (as seen snapping a picture in the photo directly above) and felt the burn for 55 minutes straight. People said it was tough. They were right. Those little three pound weights put a hurting on my biceps after doing pushups and planks for what felt like a solid 10 minutes straight.

Nothing but loving

I didn't get up until 9am this morning. That's later than I usually get up, but not so late that I'd be running later for anything. Some days I work from home, and some days I go into the office. Today is an office day, and I usually wait for traffic to subside and make my way across town around 10. I'm a very slow mover in the morning. No matter how many cups of coffee or green tea I've had (usually just one, because too much caffeine makes me want to crawl out of my skin), I always take longer than I'd care to admit to get ready and head out the door. I don't even know why. I don't have this elaborate makeup routine - some mascara, brow powder and concealer is all it takes. I rarely wear any noteworthy outfits or "looks" - today I'm in jeans, a striped tee and flats, and my hair is usually pulled back/up in a bun. In theory, it should take me 15-20 minutes to shower and get ready, but it can take me up to an hour and a half. An hour and a half. It's worth mentioning, however, that once I'm out the door, I'm the quickest little mover I know. I have mastered running errands in the most efficient manner possible, and some days are methodically arranged in my handy-dandy date book. Starting those days is typically the problem, and that was definitely the problem today.

I've had a breakthrough.

You know that moment you realize you might have a problem? Well, I had one of those moments this past weekend, while cleaning out my bathroom cabinet. In total, I found eight different Shea Moisture conditioners hiding around my apartment. I had even stashed a couple in a box in my linen closet. And the reason I bought so many different kinds? THE SCENTS. I usually wear my hair pulled back/up in a bun, so it's not like I need a bunch of styling products, but when I walk out the door and catch a whiff of my hair in the wind?? Uh uh, you can't tell me nothing! (In my Kanye voice).

I've had a breakthrough, though. I need not buy another hair product for the rest of the year. Now... my stash of scented candles, that's a whole different story.

♥

We all have a choice to make.

»»

It's wearing out my heart

The way they disregard

This is love, this is hate...

We all have a choice to make

- Losing (Tenth Avenue North)

This song has been on repeat, on all my music-playing devices, for the past couple weeks. It's not really a new song. I had heard it countless times before (thanks, 104.7 The Fish Atlanta), and yeah, I always liked it, but it was never really that deep for me. It's catchy, it has a positive message, and the choir comes in strong at the end for the win. There's plenty of songs out there like that, but this one just demanded to be blasted through every nearby speaker when I was alone. I just didn't get why.

Now here I am, like three weeks later, and I'm still not tired of the track. It got to the point where I started wondering if I was harboring some deep-rooted resentment for someone in my life. Like, dang. Do I need to forgive someone from my past and don't even realize it? Am I struggling with some unresolved daddy issues I never new I had? Did a previous boo-thang mess me up more than I comprehended at the time? Why the heck is this song stirring so much feels in all my feelings? Why is "Father, give me grace to forgive them, 'cause I feel like the one losing" stuck in my head so hard?

The views along the way

Well I guess it's high time I show up here and write something this month. August has been here for 11 days now, and I'm just now realizing I haven't posted yet. What in the world have I been doing? I'm seriously sitting in front of the computer asking myself this question, and I can't really come up with a solid answer. Let's see... I booked a weekend trip to Panama City Beach for my friend's wedding next month. I saw some fireworks as the city of Smyrna celebrated its 102nd birthday; I also tried lamb meat for the first time that day. I started a new book (The Cuckoo's Calling). I also bought some new candles during Georgia's tax free weekend - they're the big ones and my apartment now smells like a Yankee Candle store.

On Saturday, I got the chance to bike the Silver Comet Trail. It starts in Cobb County and goes all the way to the Alabama State line which is 120 miles away. Clearly we didn't make it that far, but we did manage to ride about nine miles before starting our retreat. The views along the way were absolutely stunning, and I'm definitely bringing my camera next time, because the phone photos don't do it justice, and there will definitely be a next time because it was the most fun I've had while exercising in a long time.

♥